Rite of Fancy

Dear Henry, I have noticed that it is easy to decide you know someone, just because you have read their works. For example, I had always considered Jane Austen to have been someone who had lead a secluded and sheltered life. That view was challenged by a recent article in the Washington Post. Oddly the article didn't reveal any new secrets about her life. It did cast the facts in a different light. For example, her father supplemented his income by running a small boarding school for boys in their home.  I knew that, of course, but, it never occurred to me, until the Post pointed it out, that this situation alone would have ensured that Jane Austen was far from the sheltered homebody she has been portrayed. Another example of her worldliness would have been acquired while living at Bath England.  The resort town of Bath was, during her lifetime, quite a fashionable and popular place to live. There would have been a thriving social scene. Jane Austen knew what t...

A short summary of Shakespeare Saved My Life: Dr. Laura Bates teaches Shakespeare in the SHU. My favorite Larry Newton quote from the book: "When you look in the mirror and cringe as a result of how people think of you, it is ego." Questions to ponder while reading Shakespeare Saved My Life: Has the Bard ever spoken to you? Should prisoners with life sentences be educated? My thoughts about Shakespeare Saved My Life: An insightful read into the power of Shakespeare. I wish I could have read Larry Newton's book. I am inspired to re-read the Shakespeare that I have * (and finish reading his Collected Works) *The Shakespeare I have read: Measure For Measure Hamlet All's Well That Ends Well Love's Labour Lost Julius Caesar Macbeth Antony and Cleopatra As You Like It Comedy of Errors **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In ad...

Dear Henry, The other day, while wandering through the garden center at Lowes, I discovered the most ornate and delightsome flowering plants and discovered that they were called fuschia. I always thought fuschia was the hot pink of the 1980s. Anyway, I fell in love and immediately wanted one (or two) but the plant was marked as an annual and I am still working on establishing the bones of my garden with perennial plants.  So I didn't buy them that day. I regretted the decision immediately. I begin to look into the plant and discovered that fuschia isn't an annual plant at all, but rather a tropical shrub and one that can be overwintered. Fuschia was discovered by the French monk and botanist Charles Plumier on the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) around 1696/1697.  Charles Plumier named the plant after Leonhart Fuchs, the German botanist who wrote De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignis (Notable Commentary on the History of Plants), which w...

A short summary of The Battle of Hillsboro: "Hey, what do you want to do tonight?" "I dunno man, take over the world or something." My favorite Jesse S. Smith quote from the book: "I didn't set out to be a bad person." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Quoting F. Scott Fitzgerald - What does one do with oneself when one has nothing to do? Is a bloodless revolution possible? My review of The Battle of Hillsboro: A fun, fast read. A collection of vibes from The Outsiders , The Beautiful and the Damned , and Fight Club. *Indie Author Discovery* **************************************** 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.taket...

A short summary of The Fifth Knight: The conspiracy of Thomas Becket's murder and the aftermath with the Abbess. My favorite E.M. Powell quote from the book: "You can cut and cut at a serpent's tail. Unless you sever the head, it can still devour you." Questions to ponder while reading The Fifth Knight: How much do you know of Henry II? Is assassination ever appropriate? Thoughts about The Fifth Knight: A very fun, historical read. Fast-paced and full of action. Not *entirely* accurate. **************************************** 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 w...

A short summary of The Firebrand: Troy - from Kassandra's sight. My favorite Marion Zimmer Bradley quote from the book: "Customs have no reason; they simply are." Questions to ponder while reading The Firebrand: Can a different point of view change the truth? Do you like snakes? My thoughts about The Firebrand: A different perspective on a classic tale. *Moral* Don't take things that aren't yours. Feminism, girl power, and goddess worship are strong themes. **************************************** 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 A Morbid Taste for Bones: Brother Cadfael and the mystery of the murderous saint. My favorite Ellis Peters quote from the book: "There is a lot of merit in silence." Questions to ponder while reading A Morbid Taste for Bones: How far would you go to possess something holy? Why are we so suspicious of strangers? My review of A Morbid Taste for Bones: I think it is a good way to start off a series. I love this period of history. I look forward to reading book two. **************************************** 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 ...

Dear Henry, I don't know about you, but I have always fantasized about owning a botanical garden. A garden full of nooks and crannies and hidey-holes, a garden similar to what you envisioned the hidden garden in Frances Hodgson Burnett's book " The Secret Garden " must have looked like. I finally have both the time and land available to make a garden like this, at least on a small scale. Gardening on the slope, however, has been a challenge that has beaten me so far. The problem that I keep coming across has been soil erosion.  Even with raised flower beds, we were still getting erosion and wandering flowers. It turns out, I was missing a few key features in my raised beds. Originally, I had the flowerbeds running with the contours of the slopes and they weren't completely level. That was where many of my problems came from.  I have learned that to garden effectively on a slope there must be terracing running horizontally, and that the plant beds s...

A short summary of The Book of Ruth: Requiring recovery, after living a life. My favorite quote from the book: "We all need people to tell us that we were the ones who had been deeply wronged." Questions to ponder while reading The Book of Ruth: How was your childhood? Have you learned you can change? My thoughts about The Book of Ruth: A dark book about growing up trash. Education is the key to everything. This is one of those books that I have never gotten out of my head. **************************************** 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 vis...

A short summary of Winter Loon: An orphan's coming of age. My favorite quote from the book: "Wisdom is not gained through vengeance." Questions to ponder while reading Winter Loon: What makes a parent? Does your family have secrets? My thoughts about Winter Loon: Dark and sad. A good tale for deep discussions. It makes you wonder about all the different types of people in the world. **************************************** 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!

Dear Henry, Recently, I received the opportunity to try something again. It is an experience I highly recommend. Years ago - late high school perhaps - I tried to read Flannery O'Connor and didn't like her stories. But a lot has happened in my life since high school and because I am such a different person, I have made it a point to return to and re-read the "hated" list from my high school years.  (And I really don't think a high school setting is conducive to reading Les Miserables or Atlas Shrugged , they take too long to digest) While I don't remember why I didn't like her, I do remember why I didn't want to revisit her.  In the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed , Flannery O'Connor was held up as a "sophisticated" read. I don't want to be sophisticated, particularly if it is the snooty type of literary sophistication that irritates everyone. Recently though Flannery O'Connor came up again and it was her struggle with ...

A short summary of The Giver: The cost of carrying the weights of others. My favorite Lois Lowry quote from the book: "Memories need to be shared." Questions to ponder while reading The Giver: Do we need to care? Do we need to share? My thoughts about The Giver: Thought-provoking dystopia. A very fast read. Can you be perfect without your pain? *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 work by visiting my sponsors, my  webshop , or by buying me a cup of coffee!

A short summary of Winter Cottage: Inheriting a mother's secrets and the family that comes with them. My favorite Mary Ellen Taylor quote from the book: "But bad habits aren’t so easily banished. They bide their time and wait for frustration, doubt, and then temptation to do their bidding." Questions to ponder while reading Winter Cottage: Does your family have secrets? Do you know any bullies? My thoughts about Winter Cottage: A back and forth historical tapestry. Relaxing and restful read. A perfect book to read in front of a fire. **************************************** 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 #TaketheBackRoad...