On re-reading, and reading extensively vs. intensively

Re-reading seems to be a divisive topic in the reading community. I know some readers who never, or rarely, re-read a book. I’m in the opposite camp: I think re-reading a beloved book is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Last year, of the 62 books I read, 10 of them were re-reads. This… Continue reading On re-reading, and reading extensively vs. intensively

Buddha Park

Today let’s leave behind the below freezing weather in NYC and take a little armchair journey to southeastern Asia. It is late April, we are in Laos, and it’s one of the hottest times of the year. It’s humid. The water fights during Songkran helped keep us cool, but by the time we get to Vientiane we are a… Continue reading Buddha Park

English Currant Scones

Until my first trip to England in 2013, I had never eaten a proper scone. I suspect many Americans haven’t, until they go to the UK. There must be places in the States making proper scones, but all I ever seem to find is the large, dry, triangle shaped scones, served plain, that are underwhelming… Continue reading English Currant Scones

South American Reading List

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Blue-footed Booby – Galápagos Islands by Dave Govoni // CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Graham and I just booked one last adventure before we settle back down into the real world and look for jobs. We’re traveling to Ecuador and Peru, and we’ll be going to the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon Rainforest, Machu Picchu, and hiking the Lares trail.… Continue reading South American Reading List

Words to live by: L.M. Montgomery

In honor of Valentine’s Day eve, this week’s quote is in celebration of my favorite literary couple of all time: Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. It’s from the third book in the extraordinarily lovely Anne series, Anne of the Island. Unlike a Jane Austen novel or a Shakespeare comedy, L.M. Montgomery didn’t end the story at… Continue reading Words to live by: L.M. Montgomery

Treat yo self

During my recent book purging project and efforts to minimize my material possessions, I scaled my book collection down by about 15%. As a result, I had about 250 books to sell or donate. I donated the majority of them, and the ones that had a bit more resale value I took to Strand to exchange for… Continue reading Treat yo self