It’s the middle of August. It’s hot and often humid. A time when a hammock looks pretty good. This portrait of a woman doing her correspondence while sitting in a hammock under the trees is a cooling view. Perhaps there’s a breeze. What if, instead of dutifully looking through her letters, the woman reclined with
Articles Categorized Books
SUMMER READS: Two Novels of Forgotten Women
THE HANDFASTED WIFE It’s 1065 and Edith Swanneck is worried, because “These days everyone talked of how important a church wedding was, a priest listening to vows exchanged in the church porch and then blessing the marriage.” [Handfasted Wife, Chapter 1] Edith Swanneck didn’t stand on the church porch with her husband Harold Godwinson. They
SUMMER READS: Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton & Patsy Jefferson Randolph
We see Alexander Hamilton every time we take out a ten dollar bill. Our first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton believed in a strong central government led by the executive branch, established the national debt as a means of developing international credit, and built the Bank of the United States. Alone among the Founding Fathers,
SUMMER READS: TWO BEACH BOOKS ABOUT BEGINNERS
Changing up the reading list a little with two novels about families and growing up. Officially the genre is called coming-of-age, and though it specifically refers to the transition from youth to adulthood, I don’t think it’s a process that’s ever complete. Both of these novels are engaging, and good vacation reading. MATCHMAKING FOR
SUMMER READS: TWO NOVELS BY SUJATA MASSEY
Good historical fiction takes the reader into an authentic world where the story is presented against the backdrop of actual customs and material culture, for example, food as it is eaten and prepared or family customs such as purdah, the seclusion of women within the household. When there’s also a mystery involved, it becomes more
Summer Reads: Two Novels by Rosamunde Pilcher
If you’re one of the many viewers of Poldark, this coastline may look familiar. It’s Lelant Engine, near Pendeen in Cornwall. Cornwall, a peninsula in South West England surrounded by the English Channel and Celtic Sea, is noted for its scenery and beaches. Tourism is an important part of the economy. Poldark, based on the
Peter Rabbit Hops Into Spring
One of the many signs of spring is cute bunny rabbits like this one on the 1902 cover Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Peter Rabbit. Potter, who wrote and illustrated the book, was the first children’s author to dress small furry animals in jackets and dresses, perhaps inspired by the many small pets she kept
Thoughts on Weekends aka Work-Life Balance
On Fridays I post a floral picture and wish everyone a good weekend. But even as I extend my wishes, I realize that what I think of when I use the word “weekend” isn’t accurate. Many people work on weekends as part of their regular hours. Others bring work home. I did that for years.
RAMA’S LABYRINTH – Free Kindle Edition April 2-6
Wednesday, April 5th is Pandita Mary Ramabai’s saint’s day in the Church of England and Episcopal Church. In commemoration and as a special thank you, the Kindle edition of Rama’s Labyrinth is available at no charge until Thursday, April 6. WHO WAS MARY RAMA? Mary is Rama’s baptismal name. When Rama traveled to the Community
Capt. Queeg, Col. Jessup, & Rev. Hastie?
CAPT. QUEEG Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny appeared in 1951, one of many post World War II novels. The book sold well and won a Pulitzer Prize. The story of Ensign Willie Keith’s experiences aboard the minesweeper U.S.S. Caine resonated with men and women trying to make sense of the war that shaped their adult
FRANKENSTEIN & THE CREATION OF A HALLOWEEN MONSTER
Today is Halloween – a day of Spooktacular parties, costumes, ghost stories, and watching scary movies. And let us not forget the annual showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Halloween is a day when, potentially, nothing is as it seems to be. For instance, who would have thought a young woman in pre-Victorian England
Blue Zones Come to Hilo
Once upon a time, people thought that somewhere in the New World there existed a Fountain of Youth. They thought anyone who drank from it would be restored to youthful vitality which was the next best thing to immortality. It’s unclear whether the lucky finder would have to camp nearby and drink from it
Library of Congress – Our National Repository
When you think of Washington D.C., what comes to mind? Most people think of visiting the White House, the Capital Building, and Mount Vernon. Maybe various exhibits at the Smithsonian Museum. But, unless you’re an academic researcher, you might overlook the Library of Congress, and it’s well worth an excursion. Congress established the
MAD HATTER’S TEA PARTY – A Tale of Confusion
A couple weeks ago, we met the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland as an example of what could happen to hatters who used mercury nitrate in the production of fur hats. Such a colorful character is worthy of his own entry, especially near October 6, a date which corresponds nicely to the price
“MALICE” AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY
I’m embarking on a new literary discovery adventure, presently titled “MALICE.” The story revolves around a Eurasian woman in nineteenth century Calcutta and the civil lawsuit she filed in 1883. Mary Pigot publicly accused an esteemed Scottish missionary with malicious libel — an intentional act meant to cause harm. The case was reported in full
PRIDE, PREJUDICE, & ELIGIBLE
Over two hundred years ago Jane Austen observed : “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” As a writer Jane Austen saw and recorded many human foibles but this quote from Pride and Prejudice is the one most often