Book review of The Sojourner by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

If you had offered me a book with a rather off-putting cover drawing about a family who endured the hardships of trying to make a living on a farm in the late 1800’s, I’d have probably declined. That’s been done in various scenarios, and sounds depressing. I’d have preferred something with more pizzazz and originality. … Continue reading Book review of The Sojourner by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings →

Sustainability Alberta Style

Alberta was formally declared a province of Canada on September 1, 1905. To celebrate the 112th birthday tomorrow of my province, and to celebrate the publication this month of my book, Respect Our World: Sustainability, I thought I’d share some of the ways that Albertans work toward sustainability. I admire the leadership Alberta has taken … Continue reading Sustainability Alberta Style →

Goodnight Poems of Eugene Field

A while back I was browsing the shelves of antiquarian books at Fair’s Fair on 9th Avenue, and ran across a beautiful set of books, The Works of Eugene Field. Two volumes particularly caught my eye, A Little Book of Profitable Tales and A Little Book of Western Verse, and I perused wonderful pieces such … Continue reading Goodnight Poems of Eugene Field →

August 1st publishing date for my book Respect Our World: Sustainabililty!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. What a surprise I had yesterday, when I noticed stores are posting my children's educational book for pre-order! It all started last summer... I received my usual copy of the Children's Writer newsletter, produced by the Institute of Children's Literature (see my post about ICL here) The newsletter … Continue reading August 1st publishing date for my book Respect Our World: Sustainabililty! →

Positive, uplifting, and humorous reads

I've just realized how much time I spend looking for good, upbeat, contemporary fiction. My friend said she doesn't want to read depressing books and did I have any to recommend, so I browsed my yearly lists of books read for happy fiction. I was surprised at how many serious titles were on there and … Continue reading Positive, uplifting, and humorous reads →

Review of God’s Good Man: A Simple Love Story, by Marie Corelli

“It was May-time in England. The last breath of a long winter had blown its final farewell across the hills,—the last frost had melted from the broad, low-lying fields, relaxing its iron grip from the clods of rich, red-brown earth which, now, soft and broken, were sprouting thick with the young corn's tender green.” I … Continue reading Review of God’s Good Man: A Simple Love Story, by Marie Corelli →

Buy books and support those in need at these great thrift stores in Calgary

Yes, there are still MANY places to buy books in Calgary!  Although many book stores have gone out of business, there are still many places where we can get books to hold in our hands. Of course you can buy new books, but don't forget the "gently used" option!  And best of all, buying from … Continue reading Buy books and support those in need at these great thrift stores in Calgary →

Favorite posts from some great blogs

For a long time, I have wanted to introduce you to some great blogs and bloggers, by way of listing some of my favorite posts.  A few of these have a similar focus to my own blog--books, writing, reviews--but some are completely different!   To start with, here are two posts from Susan Bailey's blog on Louisa … Continue reading Favorite posts from some great blogs →