Writing tends to be a solitary activity. From hours of research to even more hours of honing one’s prose or choosing just the right word for a new poem, writers spend a lot of their time working alone. That’s what makes a writers' group so helpful and refreshing. You get together with other writers who understand…
My Librarian: The Roaring Twenties
After the horrors of World War I and the resulting social trauma, young men and women who survived came to be known as The Lost Generation because they never recovered from all of their losses and suffering. To deal with their pain, many of them lived by the adage, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we…
The Queens of Crime: Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, Superintendent Battle - all of these detectives, some amateurs, some professional - are the creations of one woman, Agatha Christie. Dame Agatha Christie started writing as a young woman, but it wasn’t until 1920, when her first Hercule Poirot novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, was published that her…
The Queens of Crime: Dorothy L. Sayers
"'Oh, Damn!' said Lord Peter Wimsey at Piccadilly Circus." Thus begins what may be one of the greatest detective series ever written. If you like mysteries set in England at the time between the World Wars, you need to try the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, by Dorothy Sayers. Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries. Dorothy L. Sayers was born…
The Queens of Crime: Margery Allingham
MR ALBERT CAMPION Coups neatly executed Nothing sordid, vulgar or plebian Deserving cases preferred Police no object So reads the business card of Margery Allingham’s detective/adventurer, Albert Campion. Campion first appears as a side character in The Crime at Black Dudley, but he was so insistently present throughout the story that Allingham made him…
Finding Your Family Through DNA
Hunting for your ancestors is a popular hobby these days. There are few things more exciting than finding a famous ancestor or uncovering a juicy family secret. Television shows such as Genealogy Roadshow and Who Do You Think You Are? have encouraged many to seek out their heritage for the first time. Traditionally, genealogy required…
Shakespeare for Beginners
When you first approach reading Shakespeare, it can be a daunting experience. Even though I grew up reading books with similar language, I still found Shakespeare difficult unless I had a teacher holding my hand every step of the way. I could just about understand the basic plot line and even some of the language…
Fun Reading Challenges for 2019
As a new year starts, most of us think about how we’d like our lives to be different. One improvement I'm hoping to make this year is in my reading life. Rather than just pick up whatever book looks good to me at the moment, I’ve decided to split my reading between planned reading and spontaneous…
Four Ways to Achieve Hygge This Winter
When the temperature drops, many of us start putting on heavy sweaters, lighting scented candles on dark evenings, and making hot drinks to sip by the fireplace. These types of cozy activities are part of what the Danish people call Hygge (pronounced HOO-gah), as described in The Little Book of Hygge. One definition which I think…
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