Rite of Fancy

A short summary of Introduction to the Devout Life: How to live for God, even if you aren't a dedicated Religious. My favorite Saint Francis de Sales quote from the book: "Be who you are and be that well." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Can you keep your meditations with you? Do you pray with your whole heart? My review of Introduction to the Devout Life: A classic in the practice of Christianity. Practical advice and down-to-earth. A great read for anyone trying to develop their spiritual life. ****** ********************************* 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 visi...

  A short summary of Breakfast at Tiffany's The life and times of Holly Golightly. My favorite Truman Capote quote from the book: "I want to still be me when I wake up one fine morning and have breakfast at Tiffany's." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Are you a mystery? Where do you feel at home? My review of Breakfast at Tiffany's LOVED! LOVED! LOVED! Cynical wisdom at its finest. I saw Audrey Hepburn on every page. Don't forget to check out Truman Capote's other great read: In Cold Blood . ****** ********************************* 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 visit...

  A short summary of The Cooking Gene: A chef explores his history and heritage through soul food. My favorite Michael W. Twitty quote from the book: "Food is often a necessary vehicle between one's ancestors or the spiritual forces that guide their destiny." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Do you know the history of your people? Do you explore cuisine outside your standard fare? My review of The Cooking Gene: A great look into the evolution of soul food. A great look into the evolution of ethnic relations. A great look into the history of a person. ****** ********************************* 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 #TaketheBackRoa...

  A short summary of The Overstory: The story of our trees and how some people fought to save a few of them. My favorite Richard Powers quote from the book: "Life has a way of talking to the future. It's called memory." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Can you admit your mistakes? How do you repay kindness? My review of The Overstory: A touching story about an overlooked ecosystem. Eye-opening and difficult to put down. I cried for the trees. ****** ********************************* 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 ...

  A short summary of The Venice Sketchbook: The secret Venetian legacy granted by the great spinster aunt. My favorite Rhys Bowen quote from the book: "You cannot live someone else's life." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Does your family have any secrets? Have you ever left someone behind? My review of The Venice Sketchbook: An Italian WWII story. Sweet, sentimental, and totally satisfying. A great book to take to the beach. ****** ********************************* 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 coff...

  A short summary of Mountain Interval: Some poems by Robert Frost. My favorite Robert Frost quote from the book: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Where is your favorite place to walk? What roads do you take? My review of Mountain Interval: Great poems by a great poet. Contains many masterpieces. The Road Not Taken is by far my favorite. ****** ********************************* 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 buy...

  A short summary of The Practice of the Presence of God: How to remain in God's presence, no matter your occupation. My favorite Brother Lawrence quote from the book: "That we should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him." Questions to ponder while reading the book: How often do you talk to God? What is your vocation? My review of The Practice of the Presence of God: Loved! Loved! Loved! Everything is simple and pure (even if it's hard to do). Best book for learning how to turn daily tasks into prayers. ****** ********************************* 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 p...

  A short summary of The Stone Diaries: The life and times of the lonely Daisy Goodwill. My favorite Carol Shields quote from the book: "There are chapters in every life which are seldom read and certainly not aloud." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Do you feel loved? Do you have the life you want? My review of The Stone Diaries: The different individual stories were fascinating. Eccentric personalities throughout. I related to Daisy very much. ****** ********************************* 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 buyi...

  A short summary of The Liberal Hour: The history of the liberal movement and how it grew big enough to reform Washington. My favorite Mackenzie/Weisbrot quote from the book: "Protest was choreographed for its visual impact." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Do you believe in party politics? Are you a liberal or conservative? My review of The Liberal Hour: A detailed look into the rise of liberalism. Explains the major causes and contributors. A great read about how modern liberal philosophy came into being. ****** ********************************* 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 supportin...

  A short summary of The Girls in the Silt House: Finding friendship after surviving murder. My favorite Kelly Mustain quote from the book: "Ah, pity is close to love." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Where do you go when you have nowhere to go? Who has betrayed you the most? My review of The Girls in the Silt House: A dark but fun Southern adventure. Full of moonshine and mayhem. A great tale of friendship. ****** ********************************* 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 Pax Romana: How Rome kept an empire at peace. My favorite Adrian Goldsworthy quote from the book: "Glory was important, not least because a belief in Rome's strength and power was the best way to deter attackers." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Did you realize how long (1,000 years) the Roman Empire lasted? Did you realize how much they improved the areas they conquered? My review of Pax Romana: Detailed, scholarly, but incredibly readable. Well-researched and thorough. Rome was much more than its army. ****** ********************************* 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 c...

  A short summary of The Man Burned By Winter: The son of a serial killer confronts his father's copycat. My favorite Pete Zacharias quote from the book: "I think there's crazy in all of us. It's just a matter of if we suppress it or if we embrace it." Questions to ponder while reading the book: What is it that allows people to be evil? Why are dangerous men alluring? My review of The Man Burned By Winter: Scary! Scary! Scary! Couldn't put it down. Rooker was just a bit too lucky to be believable. ****** ********************************* 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 m...

  A short summary of The Long Loneliness: The story of the Servant of God Dorothy Day, her conversion to the Catholic church, and the creation of the Catholic Worker Movement. My favorite Dorothy Day quote from the book: "Community - That was the social answer to the long loneliness." Questions to ponder while reading the book: What luxuries could you live without? Do you like to garden? My review of The Long Loneliness: A wonderful autobiography of the life of the Servant of God Dorothy Day. A detailed philosophical read. An inspiring conversion story. ****** ********************************* 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 ...

  A short summary of The Ride of Her Life: Annie Wilkins rides across America. My favorite Elizabeth Letts quote from the book: "You can be so worried about the challenge in front of you that you fail to realize that you've been chipping away at it all along." Questions to ponder while reading the book: What do you do when you don't know what to do anymore? Would you be afraid? My review of The Ride of Her Life: Inspiring read! Broke my heart in several places. I was so impressed by how she faced her death. ****** ********************************* 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 ...

  A short summary of the Complete Stories: Several slightly scary short stories from the South. My favorite Flannery O'Connor quote from the book: "Justice was grim and she took satisfaction in it when she found it." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Have you ever taken a wrong turn? Do you appreciate your children? My review of The Complete Stories: Harsh examples of how not to behave. Poor Norton broke my heart. There are several places where the ultimately bad "N" word was used.  The book may not be for the young or faint of heart. ****** ********************************* 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 p...

  A short summary of How to Read a Book: The steps you must take to get the most out of any book. My favorite Mortimer J. Adler quote from the book: "Any good argument can be put in a nutshell." Questions to ponder while reading the book: Do you skim? Do you look up the definitions of unfamiliar words? My review of How to Read a Book: A great guide to good reading. A formula to digest information thoroughly. A little harder to read and quite academic. ****** ********************************* 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 short summary of The World Played Chess: Reading a friend's account of his life during Vietnam. My favorite Robert Dugoni quote from the book: "Regret is so much harder to live with than failure." Questions to ponder while reading the book: What dreams did you have? What dreams have you lost? My review of The World Played Chess: TORE MY HEART OUT! A great story about friendship and the effects of the Vietnam war. The split timeline could be hard to follow at times. ****** ********************************* 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 ...