Happy Saint Nick’s Day!
Today is Saint Nicholas’s Day, which is celebrated in various ways across the world. Because nothing makes me happier than the idea of observing a full month of Christmas (Dec 6 to Jan 6 – Epiphany), I’ve decided to start observing this day with my family. My plan is to just do something small to […]
Review of A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer (2009) (Rumpole series)
Bottom line: A fun holiday read with a little murder, theft and blackmail thrown in here and there. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Of the late Sir John Mortimer’s many beloved characters, it is widely agreed that Horace Rumpole was his greatest fictional creation. Here, collected in book form for the first time, are five delightful tales […]
Family Fridays – Pre Christmas Five
I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving yesterday and has a respectable, but not overwhelming, amount of leftovers. Today is our last Pre Christmas Post! See below for links to all four previous installments. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is such a classic that it needs no introduction. So I shall simply say, if you don’t have […]
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I’m imagining you all reading this post with a cup of tea and a large slice of pumpkin pie, having escaped from the football games for a few moments. 🙂 Even if you don’t celebrate the American Thanksgiving, I’d encourage you to take some time to think about what you are thankful […]
Tools of the Trade – Boutique Stores
The wonderful thing about the internet is that if there is a specific book or movie you are looking for, you can almost certainly buy it with a few quick searches, a few clicks of the mouse, and have it delivered right to your door. However, I don’t find internet shopping to be very browser […]
Family Fridays – Pre Christmas Four
Here’s is the fourth in my Pre Christmas series. Have you started shopping yet? I’ve had my baby’s presents for weeks now. Not that I’m excited or anything… Angelina’s Christmas (1985): Amazon, Barnes & Noble I adore this book. The illustrations are beautiful and it tells a simple tale about wanting to make an old […]
Review of The Anatomist’s Wife by Anna Lee Huber (2012) (Lady Darby Mysteries #1)
Bottom line: A powerful mystery with a great new detective. Rating: Recommended Blurb: Scotland, 1830. Following the death of her husband, Lady Darby has taken refuge at her sister’s estate, finding solace in her passion for painting. But when her hosts throw a house party for the cream of London society, Kiera is unable to […]
Family Fridays – Pre Christmas Three
Here’s the third Pre Christmas set of recommendations. By the way, how is it already mid-November?!? A Little House Christmas Treasury: Festive Holiday Stories: Amazon, Barnes & Noble This enchanting collection of Christmas stories will delight and entertain the elementary school aged crowd. If you have the Little House books, you could of course just […]
Review of Inferno by Dan Brown (2013) (Robert Langdon Series)
Bottom line: Take all the negative aspects of Dan Brown’s writing, leave out the good stuff, and add in a very thorough self-guided walking tour of Florence. Rating: Not Recommended Blurb: In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring […]
Family Fridays – Pre-Christmas Two
I’m continuing with part two of our Pre Christmas series (you can see my twisted logic as to why this is ok here). Merry Christmas, Ernest and Celestine by Gabrielle Vincent (1983) It is perhaps unfair of me to recommend this book – it is out of print. But I have to. It is such […]
