Last week I reviewed a new UK release over at Shiny New Books: Featherweight by Mick Kitson. It's a historical novel set in the 19th century British midlands, featuring a unique heroine and her unusual talents as a pugilist. It was her voice that really captured me, though ... find out more from my full … Continue reading Shiny Linkiness: Featherweight
The images in this poem were inspired by Goethe's "Fairy Tale of the Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily," a mysterious story with great archetypal resonance. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Mother's Day than to ponder such mysteries -- nothing is more wondrous than the power to gestate, bear and bring … Continue reading Mother: A Poem
How can we travel the world in the time of a global pandemic? Through reading, of course! Last summer, I focused on reading books in other languages - and it was such a great experience, I wanted to do it again. And as with last time, I'd like to invite anyone who wants to join … Continue reading Coming soon: Summer in Other Languages
My reading this month was a little dissatisfying. I've been going through the Uncle Fred books by P.G. Wodehouse, which are amusing, but not my favorites of his, and become repetitive and self-referential by the end. And I tried an Agatha Christie for vacation reading, but did not get on with it -- sorry Christie … Continue reading Month in Review: April 2021
I have a lot of books sitting around that I have not read -- some as physical copies, some on my Kobo. I tend to stockpile books and then forget about them as I am lured by the new and shiny, so I'm looking for a push to get me to read some of these … Continue reading Make me read it: Fantasy edition
During this pandemic year, I've taken a lot of e-courses. They were already a part of my life, but during lockdown my usage expanded enormously! It was a way to keep learning and interacting with people in some way, even when in-person instruction was not possible. And as I'm sure you've all experienced yourself as … Continue reading Are e-courses better than books?
I'm proud to be a reviewer for the excellent recommendation website Shiny New Books, brought to you by bloggers Annabel (AnnaBookBel.net) and Harriet (harrietdevine.typepad.com). Every week they present reviews of the best and brightest -- and, well, shiniest -- new books. During my blog break, SNB published my review of the British hardcover release of … Continue reading Shiny Linkiness: Hidden Valley Road
After a couple of weeks away from blogging, I'm happy to be back with some more pictures to share with you. These are from Davos, a town in the mountains of Eastern Switzerland that was once famous as a tuberculosis health resort and still draws lots of outdoor enthusiasts. We visited in the very last … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Davos
March was my month for Reading the Theatre. See my wrap-up post for all the details about that! Interspersed with theatrical reads were some other terrific titles, including my first Richard Rohr (why did I wait so long?) and Hidden Valley Road, my review of which is coming soon to Shiny New Books. I'm pleased … Continue reading Month in Review: March 2021
Tradition links the rich young man who asks what he must do to attain eternal life with Lazarus of Bethany, who is raised from the dead by Jesus -- his final act before taking the path to Jerusalem and the cross. I wrote this poem after wondering for some time about how those two could … Continue reading What the rich young man said – a poem
