Rite of Fancy

A short summary of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Hercule Poirot solves a murder with a twist. My favorite Agatha Christie quote from the book: "All the troubles in the world can be put down to money - or the lack of it." Questions to ponder while reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Is blackmail a practical profession? Did you see that coming? My review of  The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Fun, fun read. I love a good mystery. Agatha is a favorite. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my...

A short summary of the book The Stepford Wives: The scary story of a family moving to the suburbs to create a "perfect" life (and get the "perfect" wife"). My favorite Ira Levin Quote from the book: " They never stop, these Stepford wives. They something something all their lives.  " Questions to ponder while reading The Stepford Wives: Do you believe in the suburban myth? How do you feel about traditional gender roles? My thoughts about The Stepford Wives: I am scared. I am moving to the city. I am going to dust now... **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like...

A short summary of the book The Girls: Evie's teenage experience with her newly found "family". My favorite Emma Cline quote about the book: " There are always places to go..." Questions to ponder while reading The Girls: Did you rebel against your parents? Have you ever taken something too far? My thoughts about The Girls: Reminiscent of the Manson Family. The making of a "cult" classic. Made me feel better about my actions as a teenager. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my  webshop , ...

A short summary of the book Manuscript Found in Accra: A Copt's lessons for a peaceful soul. My favorite Paulo Coelho quote from the book: "Scars speak more loudly than the sword that caused them." Questions to ponder while reading Manuscript Found in Accra: Are you afraid of solitude? Do you try and be useful? My thoughts about Manuscript Found in Accra: This one is a keeper. Wisdom for days. Must be savored and re-read often. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my  webshop , or by buyi...

A short summary of The Hunger Games Trilogy: Katniss fights the good fight and starts a revolution. My favorite Suzanne Collins quote in the books: "Destroying things is much easier than making them" Questions to ponder while reading The Hunger Games Trilogy: Would you rebel? How would you try and survive? My review of The Hunger Games Trilogy: I was surprisingly entertained. Great fun to read. May the odds ever be in your favor. *Regularly challenged, be a rebel and read it* **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my ...

A short summary of The Little Prince: The exploration of adult behavior. My favorite Antoine de Saint-Exupery quote from the book: "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose important." Questions to ponder while reading The Little Prince: Which adult are you? Who is your rose? My review of The Little Prince: Timeless wisdom. Ageless wisdom. Symbolic wisdom. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my  webshop , or by buying me a cup of coffee!

A short summary of the book What She Left Behind: The investigation into a woman's insanity. My favorite Ellen Marie Wiseman quote from the book: "Hindsight is always 20/20." Questions to ponder while reading What She Left Behind: What is insanity? Is there ever a good enough reason? My thoughts about What She Left Behind: A bit over the top but utterly engaging. Total entertainment. Clara has my sympathy. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my  webshop , or by buying me a cup of coffee...

A short summary of the book The Looming Tower: The events leading up to 9/11. My favorite quote about 9/11: "If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate." Sandy Dahl (Wife of Flight 93 Pilot Jason Dahl) Questions to ponder while reading the book: Does the "why" make any sense to you? Do you remember? My review of the book The Looming Tower: Even after reading, Jihad makes no sense to me. I have never been so disappointed in bureaucracy. I will always remember. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page...

A short summary of Stiff: Tasteful things to do with a dead body. My favorite quote from the book: "Death. It doesn't have to be boring." Questions to ponder while reading Stiff: Can death be funny? Have you ever considered donating your body to science? My thoughts about Stiff: Oddly humorous. Totally informative. Completely respectful. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my  webshop , or by buying me a cup of coffee!

A short summary of Blue Nights: Death, aging, and grief. My favorite Joan Didion quote from the book: "Memory fades, memory adjusts, memory conforms to what we think we remember." Questions to ponder while reading Blue Nights: Has your life turned out the way you imagined it would? How do you process grief? My review of the book: Sequel to  The Year of Magical Thinking Her story will haunt me forever.  I don't want to be the last one left. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting my sponsors, my...

A short summary of the book Reading Jackie: What Jackie O. published. My favorite Jackie Kennedy Onassis quote about Books: "There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Can you "know" a person by examining their creations? Does a book's cover need to be beautiful? My review of Reading Jackie: I am a total Jackie fan, I love that she loved books. An interesting look into her interests. Books forever! **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting...

A short summary of the book Three Junes: The lives of the McLeods. My favorite Julia Glass quote from the book: " Of all the virtues, discretion began to seem the most rewarding: it kept people guessing and sometimes, by default, admiring" Questions to ponder while reading Three Junes: How is your relationship with your parents? Do you have a pet? My thoughts about Three Junes: Family relationships are always great fun to read about. I am a little in love with Dennis. I sometimes wish I owned a bookstore. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consid...

A short summary of Half a Yellow Sun: The lives that created the brief land of Biafran. My favorite quote from the book: "If God could make them care so genuinely, God was a worthy concept." Questions to ponder while reading Half a Yellow Sun: Could you participate in a revolution? Can you imagine life as a refugee? My review of the book Half a Yellow Sun: A great story about historical Nigeria. I don't want to try and survive a revolution. I was not a big fan of Odenigbo. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my work by visiting m...

A short summary of The Gnostic Gospels: All you ever wanted to know about early Christian Gnostics but were afraid to ask. My favorite Elaine Pagels quote from the book: "What is the source of religious authority?" Questions to ponder while reading The Gnostic Gospels: Have you ever explored ideas outside of your religion? Can there be wisdom found in sources other than the bible? My review of The Gnostic Gospels: I love exploring the history of Christianity and its offshoots. A very thorough work on the Nag Hammadi. Not for the faint of heart. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #T...

A short summary of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Going gonzo in Vegas. My favorite Hunter S. Thompson quote from the book: "In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity." Questions to ponder while reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Have you ever been to Bat Country? How much is too much? My thoughts about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: This book is like a train wreck - you know you shouldn't look but you just can't help it. Not high literature but equally as important. This is everything you ever wanted to know about the drug culture of the early '70s but were afraid to ask. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography galler...

A short summary of Spares: PTSD and the meaning of people. My favorite Michael Marshall Smith quote from the book: "You have to accept gifts occasionally because there are some things you can't give yourself." Questions to ponder while reading Spares: Could you see yourself living in a mall? Should living donors be a thing? My review of Spares: Kinda sci-fi, kinda noir. Not sure I liked it, but it stuck with me. Like  Never Let Me Go  the concept bugs me to no end. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like my page? Please consider supporting my wor...

A short summary of Never Let Me Go: The meaning of a donor's life. My favorite Kazuo Ishiguro quote from the book: "Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time." Questions to ponder while reading Never Let Me Go: What type of people matter? Who decides who matters? My review of Never Let Me Go: An exploration of the definition of humanity. A horrific concept, creating people for their parts, the concept bugs me terribly. Like Spares , the underlying concept gives me nightmares. **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackR...