The Complete Fairy Stories of Oscar Wilde is a lovely collection of nine children’s stories which were originally published in two volumes. This version, enhanced with intricate illustrations by Philippe Jullian, stood out on a shelf the Winding Stair Bookstore, in Dublin (where I also picked up Virginia Woolf’s “How One Should Read a Book”)….
Tag: Culture
Coming Home
There’s an understandable mix—a collection of feelings: a burst of joy, a sigh of relief,a pang of regret, a whisper of trepidation. We go away, but then come to:A return journey or a fresh start—perhaps both. We may venture to a familiar place,but that doesn’t mean we’re traveling in reverse. The sands of time continue…
Dubai | 2023
We entered Dubai somewhat unconventionally by driving across the Al Hajar mountain range that separates Oman from the United Arab Emirates. The drive was long—16 of us in a 17-passenger van plus some of our luggage that didn’t fit in the trailer that we were pulling for six hours—and included an inconveniently-long delay in passport…
Book Review: The Artist’s Way
I am a bit shocked that I hadn’t yet written a review on The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, for how profound of an impact it has had on my life this year. Perhaps that is why—it felt too personal or too close or like I was still in the thick of it, even though…
Oman | 2023
Before traveling to Oman, I knew little more than the country’s general location on the Arabian Peninsula, and the few travel blogs I found mostly focused on outdoor activities (visiting the famous wadis) and on proper attire. Definitely worth noting: Oman is a Muslim nation and women are expected to cover themselves from neck to…
Book Review: We Came, We Saw, We Left
It is quite possible I was first drawn to “We Came, We Saw, We Life—A Family Gap Year” by Charles Wheelan, because of its striking yellow cover and very simple design. It gave “Little Miss Sunshine” vibes with a bright blue van driving off the edge of the book. Then I saw the tag: “Nine…
Ireland | 2023
For the second year in a row, my family was able to schedule an international vacation over the Christmas holiday. Fortunately, by December 2022, many of the travel restrictions and adjustments that we dealt with the previous year in traveling to Paris were lifted. Although traveling is always a gift to be treasured, it sure…
Book Review: The Hiding Place
I remember my paternal grandmother recommending that I read The Hiding Place when I was in middle school. At that time, I had a healthy obsession with World War II era stories. I loved reading The Diary of Anne Frank and was fascinated by my grandparents’ French neighbors who had participated in the French Resistance…
A Novel Idea
Story time… it’s a long one I am nearing the end of the writing process for my first book manuscript. It is a historical fiction novel aimed at middle readers (typically defined ages 9-12, although I’ll admit that the vocabulary is rather more advanced than most 9-10-year-old children). The novel is the first in what…
Book Review: How Should One Read a Book?
“Most commonly we come to books with blurred and divided minds, asking of fiction that it shall be true, or poetry that it shall be false, of biography that it shall be flattering, of history that is shall enforce our own prejudices. If we could banish all such preconceptions when we read, that would be…
L.M.Beatty 