Irish Wonders: Wives, Widows and Old Maids
Many of the tales in Irish Wonders are misogynistic. In this post, we look at Wives, Widows and Old Maids and the bad treatment they get.
Irish Wonders: Pookas and Banshees
A look at Irish wonders, focusing on stories of Pookas and Banshee as well as the behaviors of the spirits of the dead.
Reinventing Fairytales and Childe Roland
I had the chance to finish The Personnel of Fairyland and the story of Childe Roland and also found answers to my three questions from last week about furze, howdies, and Tom Tit Tot. Who is Tom Tit Tot? Tom … Continued
Fairyland: Brownies, Boggarts, and Banshees
To prepare for her next novel, the author learns a bit about the personnel of fairyland including brownies, boggarts, and banshees.
Censoring Empathy: Let’s Challenge Erasure
Book censorship is far more threatening than it was ten years ago because it erases anyone who doesn’t look or think like the censor.
Serious Summer Reading
When we think of summer reading, we think ‘beach reads,’ books we can’t put down that provide an escape from reality. But in these longer summer days, we may find ourselves with time to tackle a goal that eluded us … Continued
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
“I told my students all the time: writing fiction is an exercise in giving a shit—an exercise in finding out what you really care about.”
A Gift of Hope
A Gift of Hope For Christmas, I received a gift of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams There’s no need to say that now is a good time to read such a book. … Continued
Fox and I: Wilderness, Friendship, Extraordinary Language
Wilderness When I was a teen, I backpacked a lot, mostly in Southern California with its rugged mountains and granite boulders. Once I spent two weeks climbing around in the Bighorns in Wyoming. On these trips, my friends and I … Continued
What’s the Purpose of a Book Review?
The book review star rating system is meaningless. The sole purpose of a book review is to inform the potential buyer about the contents of books. A good review allows that buyer to know if the book being reviewed is … Continued