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 →

A Personal Celebration

Joy to the world! the Lord is come; let earth receive her king. –Isaac Watts, Joy to the World All week I’ve had this song in my mind. I’d start many days with it as a way to counter my early morning tangle of thoughts and concerns. It has been refreshing to correct my thinking … Continue reading A Personal Celebration →

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 →

Sam’s Mission: A Story of Jubilee Year, by Beatrice Marshall

This lovely little children’s book published in 1892 is set in Long Leatham, England, at the time of Jubilee Day, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne. Sam is a young boy about eight or nine years old who one day goes to church and hears a traveling missionary say that … Continue reading Sam’s Mission: A Story of Jubilee Year, by Beatrice Marshall →

Little Grain’s Big Adventure by Jacqueline Price

How very exciting! An adorable children’s book, with quality writing, unique and exotic locales and wildlife, gorgeous artwork and beautiful lyrical language! Little Grain is bored with his hum-drum life tumbling in the surf among all the other grains of sand, and asks his friend Little Bird to take him to see the sights of Hawaii.  He ventures … Continue reading Little Grain’s Big Adventure by Jacqueline Price →

The Real Diary of a Real Boy by Henry A. Shute

As previously posted, I love diaries, and I found many diaries online, including Mark Twain’s “discoveries” of Adam’s Diary and Eve’s Diary.  Then I looked at an actual diary from 1771, written by Anna Green Winslow of Boston, noticing that, in many respects, what was important to this 12-year-old girl in the 18th century is … Continue reading The Real Diary of a Real Boy by Henry A. Shute →

Diary of Anna Green Winslow, a Boston School Girl of 1771

In previous posts, I wrote about my absolute joy in reading Extracts from Adam’s Diary and Eve’s Diary.  Reading (and even re-reading) some parts of these made me laugh almost to exhaustion. Other parts were serious and surprisingly tender compared to the other books I’ve read by Mark Twain. At Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org) I also … Continue reading Diary of Anna Green Winslow, a Boston School Girl of 1771 →

Diaries from Hundreds—even Thousands—of Years Ago

I love diaries, and have written in various forms of journals since I was about 10 years old.  I enjoy reading them almost as much as writing them, and find reliving first hand experiences (yes, even my own) fascinating, educational and often humorous and inspiring.   At Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org) I found many diaries available … Continue reading Diaries from Hundreds—even Thousands—of Years Ago →