SHORTS, NOVELS, AND OTHER THINGS
I always look forward to Jan Sikes’ books. She has such a gentle and heart-warming way of telling a story that the reader feels that all’s right with the world when they’re done reading. Layken Marin returns home to his family’s farm in Missouri after serving in the Army during WW II. Both his parents …
Another humorous or not-so humorous memory of growing up in Plymouth. My mother, in addition to being just plain smart about lots of things, was also very handy. She had painted all the rooms in the house, replaced panes of glass, and could do a rewiring job if necessary. She could hook rugs and her …
Always Wear a One-Piece Bathing Suit Read More »
I purchased this book for review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team. All I can say is whew! This book took me on a breathless, swashbuckling adventure set on the seas of a ravaged Earth in the distant future. It is a fresh take from the many dystopian novels I’ve read and will …
I never really thought about middle names until I recently learned that having a middle name dates back to ancient Rome. Many Romans had three names: A praenomen was a personal name, or what we call first names today; a nomen, which was a family name, and lives where middle names currently sit; and the …
Do You Know Why You Have a Middle Name? Read More »
Mae Clair, whom I’ve called MC since I can’t remember when, has a new book out called The Keeping Place. She’s doing a book tour this month and I’m delighted to have snagged her in her travels for a brunch at Guglhupf (pronounced Googlehof by the locals) in Durham, a restaurant where local and seasonal …
BRUNCH WITH ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS, MAE CLAIR, WHO STOPS BY ON HER BLOG TOUR Read More »
Although there were several Saint Valentines, the common biography (hagiography – I learned a new word!) describes Saint Valentine as either a priest of Rome or the Bishop of Terni, a town in central Italy. There are many legends ascribed to Saint Valentine. In one, dated from the 3rd century AD, Valentine defied the order …
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY – BUT WHO WAS SAINT VALENTINE? Read More »
I remember learning the difference in spelling the homonyms principle and principal: the principal is your pal. One principal in particular – Mr. Lawrence Bongiovanni – made an indelible impression on me, and I’d like to thank him, belatedly, for his contributions to my life in high school. Perhaps because I was one of several …
The Principal and I Read More »
The Harbor Pointe Series is a collection of eight novellas by Story Empire authors. Each story takes place at the Harbor Pointe Inn in a fictional California town. See my reviews for the previous books in the series on this blog. I am sad that the Harbor Pointe series has ended but very excited about …
The Harbor Pointe Series is a collection of eight novellas by Story Empire authors. Each story takes place at the Harbor Pointe Inn in a fictional California town. See my reviews for the previous books in the series on this blog. As with the previous six books in this series, the story did not disappoint. …
Book Review: Death at the Inn by Joan Hall (Harbor Point book series 7)@JoanHallWrites) Read More »
This is the second in some stories about growing up in Plymouth in the 1950s. Growing up, I recognized that my father had a keen sense of proprietorship concerning our house and its land. Several times a year on a Saturday morning, he would announce from the pulpit of the breakfast table: “Today we’re clearing …
MY DAD LOVED KEROSENE Read More »
