Rite of Fancy

  A short summary of Have You Seen Luis Velez?: An outcast provides caregiving during the search for a missing person. My favorite Catherine Ryan Hyde quote from the book: "Most of what you regret on this world is not of your own making." Questions to ponder while reading Have You Seen Luis Velez?: What motivates you to help others? Do you feel like you belong? My review of the book: Read it straight through in one sitting. A totally inspirational book. It makes you wonder what causes crime. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her 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 spon...

A short summary of The Tuscan Child: Joann's Tuscan journey to discover her father's and Sofia's hidden secret. My favorite Rhys Bowen quote from the book: "When the world has gone mad, we must help each other when we can." Questions to ponder while reading The Tuscan Child: What would be the right thing to do? How far would you go to help another person? My review of the book: Surprising! Engaging! An occasional time warp! ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her 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 and  webshop  or buying me a cup of coffee!

  A short summary of Paper Wife: The marriages, loves, and lives of Chinese immigrants. My favorite Laila Ibrahim quote from the book: "Work hard, be kind, be humble, and you will live a harmonious life." Questions to ponder while reading Paper Wife: What would you do to ensure your child's future? What makes a family? My review of the book: An American immigrant tale from the Chinese perspective. Engrossing read. Great for a weekend in front of the fire. ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her 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 and  webshop  or buyin...

Dear Henry, There was the most amazing story the other day about the rediscovery of a lizard thought to be extinct.   During a 2018 bird survey around Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Indonesian researcher Chairunas Adha Putra discovered a dead lizard that he hadn't ever seen before and called in expert Thasun Amarasinghe, who, stunned, immediately sent the sample to Jakarta. It turns out the lizard was a Modigliani Lizard, and, until now, there was only one other specimen that existed and it was in a museum in Genoa Italy, where it had been for 130 years. There were, of course, sculptor representations of the lizard in Indonesia.  The lizard existed in Batak mythology and there were wooden figurines of the lizard, but outside of the specimen in Genoa, no other real-life example of the lizard existed. Until 2018. Mr. Putra returned to Lake Toba and discovered a living population of the lizard. Learning about a thriving population was such a moment of hope for me. We hear so mu...