Rite of Fancy

A short summary of the play Measure for Measure: Lord Angelo's authoritarian (and completely unauthorized) acts in office, in Vienna. My favorite William Shakespeare quote from the play: "The tempter or the tempted, who sins most?" Questions to ponder while reading Measure for Measure: What is virtue? Do you think the Duke will get married? My thoughts about Measure for Measure: Relax into the flow, the language will come. This isn't a comedy, not really. I, personally, feel that both Angelo and the Duke are ridiculous weenies. **************************************** 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 m...

A short summary of the book The Big Sleep: A private investigator looks into blackmail and a disappearance, stumbles into a murder, and uncovers something absolutely insane. My favorite Raymond Chandler quote from the book: "Dead men are heavier than broken hearts." Questions to ponder while reading the book: What is wrong with the Sherwood sisters? How much family dysfunction is too much? My review of The Big Sleep: Drama filled. Politically incorrect. I love noir. **************************************** 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 spo...

A short summary of John Adams: The life of the 2nd president. My favorite John Adams quote from the book: "I read my eyes out and can't read half enough...the more one reads the more one sees we have to read." Questions to ponder while reading John Adams: Did you realize the Founding Fathers were so human? Did you realize John Adams was so stubborn and opinionated? My review of John Adams: I wish I were so well-read. I admire the principles of John Adams. I love how human he is. **************************************** 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 ...

A short summary of the play Death of a Salesman: Willy confronts a lifetime of disappointments as he loses the final sale. My favorite Arthur Miller quote from the book: "A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man." Questions to ponder while reading Death of a Salesman: What has disappointed you? Are you happy with your life? My thoughts about Death of a Salesman: A play for the ages. Must read classic. Just don't quit. **************************************** 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 buy...

A short summary of The Secret Life of Bees: Healing amongst the beehives. My favorite Sue Monk Kidd quote from the book: "The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters." Questions to ponder while reading The Secret Life of Bees: What is a mother? Can you heal from the past? My review of The Secret Life of Bees: An easy book to flow right through. Cliches abound, but they are entertaining. The characters are easy to love. **************************************** 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 buy...

A short summary of the book All the Pretty Horses: Forbidden love incarcerates cowboys in Mexico. My favorite Cormac McCarthy quote from the book: "Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Could you survive in a Mexican jail? Would you have tried again? My review of All the Pretty Horses: The punctuation was a little weird. Completely engrossing. Not nearly as dark as Blood Meridian  or The Road  but still. **************************************** 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 support...

A short summary of Shogun: An Englishman's journey from shipwreck to Samurai. My favorite James Clavell quote from the book: "Only by living at the edge of death can you understand the indescribable joys of life." Questions to ponder while reading Shogun: Do you admire self-control? Do you have a code of honor? My review of Shogun: Political maneuvering, samurai style. So much fun in a book. I love the details. **************************************** 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 c...

A short summary of The Outsiders: Growing up outside society, in Oklahoma. My favorite S.E. Hinton quote from the book: "Just don't forget that some of us watch the sunset too." Questions to ponder while reading The Outsiders: How divided was your high school? Where did you feel like you fit it? My review of The Outsiders: A literary rite of passage. I loved the book. The ending hurt my 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 #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 Just Kids: Patti's time with Robert Mapplethorpe. My favorite Patti Smith quote from the book: "I reflected on the fact that no matter how good I aspired to be, I was never going to achieve perfection." Questions to ponder while reading Just Kids: How much do you need to eat to survive? How much would you give up to follow your dream? My review of Just Kids: I am a big, big fan of Patti's I admire her discipline. I don't do anchovies. **************************************** 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, ...

A short summary of the book Anna Karenina: The challenging life of a Russian noblewoman who struggles to live the life she chooses after she chooses to live with her desires. My favorite Leo Tolstoy quote from the book: "Every heart has its own skeletons." Questions to ponder while reading Anna Karenina: What should a marriage be? Can you safely ignore societal norms? My thoughts about Anna Karenina: A literary rite of passage. Mid-life angst happens to us all. I disagree with Anna's life choices. **************************************** 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 suppor...

A short summary of The White Album: More essays by Joan. My favorite Joan Didion quote from the book: "A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his image." Questions to ponder while reading The White Album: Has crime gotten better or worse since the 1960s? Has the women's movement become more effective? My review of the book: I love Joan Didion's work. I agree with much of her philosophy. I love her command of the language. **************************************** 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.takethe...

A short summary of the book The Scarlet Pimpernel: A French wife's plot almost foils her English nobleman husband's plot to stop her brother's head from rolling during the French Revolution. My favorite Baroness Emmuska Orczy quote from the book: "Money and titles may be hereditary but brains are not..." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Would you have aided? Did you think Marguerite was silly? My review of the book The Scarlet Pimpernel: Great fun in a book. The Scarlet Pimpernel = First Superhero. An overlooked classic. **************************************** 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 L...

A short summary of Villette: The life of Lucy Snow. My favorite Charlotte Bronte quote from the book: "Life is so constructed that the event does not, can not, will not, match the expectation." Questions to ponder while reading Villette: Where do you go when you lose everything? Is beauty really that important? My review of Villette: I love it when the not-pretty girl wins. I am glad I am not a teacher. I thought Ginerva was weird. **************************************** 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 buy...

A short summary of Daughter of Fortune: An orphan's California adventures after pursuing the wrong man. My favorite Isabel Allende quote from the book: "What matters is what you do in this world, not how you come into it" Questions to ponder while reading Daughter of Fortune: Have you ever fallen for the wrong one? Does your family have secrets? My thoughts about Daughter of Fortune: I loved the story. I am so glad I missed the gold rush. I have a hankering for empanadas. **************************************** 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 visitin...