Category Archives: Reading

Amelia and Jane

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Amelia Reed, 10 years old, could not believe she was in Bath, England.  Her favorite author, Jane Austen, once lived here.  Jane must have walked through the Abbey Churchyard passing by the very spot where Amelia now stood beside her aunt, Joy.  All around them, people strolled across the square.  A couple of dogs chased each other in circles barking happily. A cello player performed in front of a bakery, filling the square with music.

Thanks to her fourth grade teacher, Ms. Crocker, Amelia had discovered Jane Austen that spring.  On the bookshelves in her classroom, Ms. Crocker had a set of Great Illustrated Classics, including Pride and Prejudice, Jane’s most famous novel, which Amelia borrowed for their drop everything and read periods.  As she read about Elizabeth and the other Bennett sisters, she quickly decided that Jane would be her new favorite author, edging aside L.M. Montgomery,

Amelia brushed her blonde bangs out of her face as she and Joy peered up at the entrance to the abbey, shading their eyes from the summer sun.  Amelia carefully counted the stone angels climbing the ladders on either side of the grand doorway.  Twelve.  She wondered what Jane would have thought of those angels.

“I’m so glad, Mom and I came to visit you in London,” Amelia said, slipping her hand into her aunt’s. “And thank you so much for taking me here where Jane Austen lived.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m happy you’re here.  It’s too bad your mom had to go to her conference this morning.  I think she would love Bath.” Joy took Amelia’s other hand and spun her around.  Joy’s silver bangle bracelets tinkled merrily on her wrist and the skirt of Amelia’s lavender sundress swirled around her knees.

“Guess where we’re going next?” Joy asked and went on before Amelia could answer, “The Jane Austen Centre.  It’s a whole museum about Jane and it has an elegant tea room at the top.”

“Are we going to have tea?” Amelia gave a little skip.

Joy nodded, skipping alongside her niece, her thong sandals slapping cheerfully against her heels.

“And scones?”

“Of course.  Let’s go.”

An hour later, Amelia and Joy sat at a table by the sunlit window in the Regency Tea Room.  Amelia had a cup of peppermint tea and Joy had a citrus tea called Empress of Peking.  They shared a three-tiered plate of sandwiches and scones.

Amelia sliced her scone in half and slathered it with raspberry jam followed by clotted cream.  “This museum is excellent,” she said before taking a bite of her scone.  

“What did you like the best?”

Amelia finished her scone and licked jam and cream from her fingers.  “Dressing up in the Regency clothes and writing with the quill pen.  It was much easier than I thought it would be!”

“I liked learning all about Jane’s life,” Joy said.

Amelia nodded in agreement.  “Me too.  That picture of Jane that her sister drew is awesome.”

Joy laughed and gestured toward their empty plates.  “I’d love to end our tea with a sweet treat, but I’m pretty full.  I’ll bet you are too, right?”

Wiping her mouth with her cloth napkin, Amelia nodded again and gave a contented sigh.

“What do you think about this idea?  We can pop into that Cornish Bakery we saw near the church and get a treat to eat on the train back to London.  They had some pretty yummy looking things in the window.”

“That’s a great idea.”

“I have an even greater one,” Joy said with a grin, her hazel eyes twinkling.  “I think we should come back here next weekend and bring your Mom with us.”

“Okay,” Ameila agreed.  “Mom likes Jane Austen almost as much as I do, you know.”

Holiday Friendships

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In December 2019, I sailed away on a Star Clipper cruise with my extended family. We spent a glorious week beach hopping on a number of idyllic Caribbean islands. Early in our voyage, we visited Jost van Dyke, the smallest of the British Virgin Islands. Nicknamed “the barefoot island,” Jost van Dyke is renowned for its casual beach bars including the legendary home of the original Painkiller rum drink, the Soggy Dollar Bar on White Bay.

The photo essay below captures a typical moment at this and other tropical shoreline destinations.

Star Clipper vacation photos, 2019

Clio glanced up from her paperback copy of Jamaica Inn. Her mind swirled with images of a rocky coastline, crashing waves and lonely moorlands. She blinked and Daphne du Maurier’s Gothic setting melted away.

“Clio Penrose, is that you?”

Closing her book, Clio straightened in her cushioned rattan chair and looked around the sun-drenched beach bar. A tall, dark-haired woman wearing an aquamarine sarong and jeweled flip-flops edged by a group of tanned girls who were draped languidly in a semi-circle of pastel-colored beach chairs watching the world go by from behind their oversized designer sunglasses.

“Clio Penrose,” the approaching woman repeated with a familiar smile. “It’s Lila Bellamy from Connecticut.”

“Oh my gosh, Lila! I can’t believe it.” Clio gestured toward the seat across from her. “Sit down . . . join me.”

Lila set the brimming plastic cup she had carried from the bar on the table beside Clio’s paperback and settled into her seat. “Wow! It’s so good to see you. Sophie will never believe I ran into you.”

Once upon a time, Clio and Lila’s younger sister, Sophie, had been inseparable holiday friends. From age seven to fourteen, Clio had spent her summer on the Connecticut shoreline. Each year, her parents rented the same seasonal cottage right next door to the Bellamy family.

“How is Sophie?” Clio asked. “Is she here with you?”

Lila shook her head. “I’m here with my husband and our son, Kyle. They’re out kayaking,” she explained, waving a hand toward the turquoise water where children splashed in the gentle waves and farther out sailboats dotted the horizon. “What about you? You’re not here by yourself, are you?”

“I’m staying at the Sand Castle Hotel with two college friends. They took the ferry over to Anegada this morning.”

The two women shared a companionable smile and after a moment, Lila said, “Do you remember Jack Bishop, who lived at the end of our street in the house with the apple orchard?”

“Sure. Sophie and I loved buying those apple pies for one from his family’s farm stand.” Memories of riding bikes down a sun-dappled country road with her long ago friend filled Clio’s heart with nostalgia.

“He’s my husband,” Lila said with a grin. “I bake those pies now. I’ve become the keeper of the secret family recipe.”

“Awesome. How cool is that?” Pushing her chair back, Clio looked over at the bar. “Remembering those pies makes me hungry. I’m going to order some conch fritters. Can I get you anything?”

“That’s so sweet, but I’m good,” Lila said. “Jack, Kyle and I are going to have lunch back at our hotel.”

“I’ll be right back.” Clio crossed the soft, white sand and caught the bartender’s attention. While he put in her order for the fritters and then made her a rum drink called the Painkiller, she watched a couple of sun-burned tourists trying to master the ring game.

She held her breath as the metal ring tossed by the guy clinked against the hook he was aiming for but then fell away, swinging back on its dangling cord.

“So close!” his blonde partner squealed. “This game is impossible!”

Clio tended to agree with her. “Does anyone ever win the ring game?” she asked the bartender.

He shrugged his shoulders and grinned at Clio as he grated fresh nutmeg over her drink. “If they do, they receive a free drink.”

“Ah,” she said and added, “Thanks,” as he handed her the white plastic cup imprinted with the bar’s logo.

When Clio returned to the table, she found Lila flipping through her book. “I’m a huge Daphne du Maurier fan,” she explained.

“Did you know this is my sister’s favorite book? She’d be impressed that you’re reading it.” Lila put down the book and took a sip of her drink.

“Actually, I think I did know that.” Clio recalled a letter teenage Sophie had written detailing the travails of the heroine, Mary Yellan, and complaining that Hitchcock’s film adaptation didn’t do the novel justice.

“Sophie’s a high school librarian now. She works at an all girls private school outside DC.”

“I’m not surprised. I don’t think I ever met anyone who loves books and reading more than Sophie. What a perfect career for her.”

Lila’s phone pinged and she looked briefly at the display. “Jack and Kyle are back, I’ve got to run.” She held up her phone, “Before I go, will you pose for a quick selfie? I’ll send it to Sophie. She’ll really get a kick out of it.”

“Of course.” Clio scooted her chair closer to Lila’s. She held up the paperback displaying the melodramatic cover and smiled for the camera.

Lila snapped the photo and then handed her phone to Clio. “Type in your cell number so I can send you the pic too.”

One of my favorite shots from the cruise.

A moment after the women bid each other goodbye with a warm hug, a waiter arrived with Clio’s conch fritters. She drew the plate toward her, ready to enjoy her snack, and opened the text message from Lila. She downloaded the selfie, adding it to her camera roll and then scrolled through the vacation pictures she had taken during the past week, but remembering another beach on Long Island Sound and the friend who had meant so much to her.

Connecticut shoreline, 1984

Her phone chirped and she saw that she had received another text. Thinking Lila had followed up on her first message, Clio clicked the link and to her delight, she read:

Clio! It’s me, Sophie. You’re reading Jamaica Inn? What do you think? Isn’t it just so deliciously dark and romantic?

And just as if no time at all had passed, Clio picked up the threads of their friendship and began to type.

Celebrating Picture Books

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Did you know that November is National Picture Book Month? I treasure my personal collection of picture books, many of which I reviewed for School Library Journal.

At the beginning of this month, I blogged about picture books (the ideal fusion of words and images) on my school library blog site. Here is an excerpt:

Listening to a bedtime story and examining colorful illustrations in a picture book is often a child’s first step into the world of literature.  Growing up with a personal library of kid’s books is essential for four reasons: picture books introduce children to the magical joy of reading, they stimulate a child’s imagination and provide emotional touchstones.  And finally picture books showcase an endless gallery of amazing artwork.  Read more . . .

Today, at the end of November, I have created a tribute to the best kind of picture book, the alphabet book. Take a look!

Never forget that words and pictures go together like peanut butter and chocolate . . . Happy reading!

Home again, home again . . .

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Reading is one of the great joys in life.  Visiting new and intriguing literary destinations in the pages of a novel has always been a favorite pastime for me.  Even as a young girl  I would never go anywhere without taking along a book.  I gloried in getting to know some of the world’s best-loved literary heroines from Jo March and Laura Ingalls to Mary Lennox and Elizabeth Bennett.  I was particularly drawn to the talkative orphan with long red braids, Anne Shirley, reading and re-reading L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series many times.  Although I admired Anne and was entertained by her mishaps and antics, I was equally enchanted by the village of Avonlea on the north shore of Prince Edward Island. 

 In June, I finally visited Anne’s beloved home.  My husband and I set off on a Canadian road trip as soon as the school year ended.  We visited St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, NB, Cavendish (Avonlea), PEI and Halifax, NS.  All three destinations were delightful, but Prince Edward Island was by far my favorite.  As we settled into our rustic motel in Cavendish, I felt immediately at home.  That sense of welcome along with the photos I took during our visit inspired me to write the following photo essay.

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The lupines were in bloom, lining the roadsides all across PEI. (photo by L. Walkins, 2018)

From the top deck of the ferry, Luna spotted her sister on the shore.  Stella’s bright blonde hair stood out like a beacon against the deep blue sky.  Slowly, as the ferry chugged across the Wood Islands harbor, the features of Stella’s smiling heart-shaped face came into focus.  Luna took off her straw sun hat and waved it over her head in greeting.

Picking up her overstuffed backpack and hooking it over her slim left shoulder, Luna hurried down to the main deck and joined the line of passengers waiting to disembark.

When the crew had the boat safely tied up in port, Luna followed the crowd out into the June sunshine.  As she stepped off the metal gangway onto her island at long last, a sense of peace flooded through her.

“Luna, over here,” Stella called.  She stood beside two bicycles leaning against the weathered wall of the marina office.

Luna joined her sister, dropped her backpack at her feet and the two girls shared a warm hug. Barely a year apart, they were often mistaken as twins.

“I can’t believe I’m back on PEI,” Luna said as Stella simultaneously cried, “Welcome home!”

They laughed and Stella continued, “I’m so glad you’re here.  How was Halifax?  What about art school?  It must have been so awesome.  You haven’t turned into a city girl, have you?”

Luna held up her hands to ward off her sister’s torrent of questions.  “Whoa,” she said. “I’ll tell you everything when we get home, and of course I haven’t turned into a city girl.  No way.”

Nodding at the bikes, she went on, “Is this how we’re getting to White Sands?”

Stella shook her head as Luna grinned at her.  “Don’t be ridiculous.  The car’s over there.”  She waved vaguely toward the parking lot.  “We definitely should go for a bike ride later though.”

“Sounds good,” Luna agreed.

Stella grabbed the backpack and led the way to the yellow VW bug the sisters shared.  A few minutes later they were cruising down Shore Road.

Luna rolled down her window and drank in the view of the countryside rolling by.  Blossoming lupines lined both sides of the road, creating a pink and purple picket fence in front of the white clapboard houses and farm yards they drove past.

“Do you remember that old picture book, Miss Rumphius?” Luna asked her sister.

“Is that the one about the librarian who went around the country scattering lupine seeds?  I love that story.”

“Exactly,” Luna said.  “The illustrations are really amazing.  I can still picture some of them so vividly even though I haven’t looked at the book since we were little.”

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Prince Edward Island 2018  (photo by L. Walkins)

“Your paintings are just as good,” Stella said loyally.  “And maybe some day, you’ll publish a picture book that everyone will remember.”

“I hope so.”

The sisters fell silent and Luna continued to gaze out the window.  When they slowed down at the traffic light by the red and white lighthouse, she sighed in contentment.  In a few minutes, she would walk into her mother’s cozy kitchen where Mom would have tea and her favorite scones waiting, and later she would take a long bike ride with Stella.  It was good to be home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Una camera con vista

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In February, I was fortunate enough to visit my niece in Florence, Italy.  For five marvelous days, we toured churches and museums, feasted on pasta and gelato, and wandered the narrow streets photographing the sights of this charming and friendly city.  

Each morning, I began my adventures by crossing the Arno on the aptly named Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Firenze, renowned for the jewelry shops lining both sides of the street.  The center of the bridge was an ideal spot to capture the splendid views of the river.

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Ponte Vecchio, Florence Italy (photo by L. Walkins 2017)

Lucie Hartgrove turned the page of her novel and glanced up for a moment to drink in the panorama of the Arno from her hotel balcony.   The late afternoon sun cast spangles of light across the surface of the greenish-grey river and a golden glow over the buildings lining the riverbank.  A reflection of the  haphazard row of jewelry shops clinging to the side of the Ponte Vecchio undulated in the slowly moving water below.

With a sigh of contentment, she lowered her eyes to her book, delighted to be reading E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View in her own hotel room in Florence.  Lucy Honeychurch was one of her favorite literary characters.  The first time she read Forster’s novel in the eighth grade, she was amazed at how much Lucy was just like her.  They both had long dark hair and a pale complexion.  They both played the piano to forget their worries, and Lucie was certain she also would have fainted in  the piazza after witnessing the brutal stabbing of the poor Italian man.

Ever since then, Lucie had longed to visit Florence.  Finally, on her first college spring break, she was actually here, and she had a fantastic view.  That morning, she had visited the Basilica di Santa Croce. Eager to retrace Lucy’s steps, she admired the frescoes painted hundreds of years ago by Giotto and examined the tombstones paving the floor of the nave.  After lunch at a tiny, fragrant pizza shop, she returned to her hotel to read for an hour.

As she reached the end of the chapter in which Miss Honeychurch and her party of friends return from their pastoral drive into the Tuscan hills, Lucie closed the book and stood to peer over the railing of her balcony.  She watched a group of tourists who had stopped to take pictures.  Most of them held their cell phones out in front of them, trying to capture themselves in a selfie with the Ponte Vecchio.  Did they even appreciate the history and beauty of the scene?

Lucie picked up her book and went back inside.  She put on her walking shoes, grabbed her camera and her room key.  She was going to set off on her own journey into the hills overlooking Florence.  She wanted to hike up to San Miniato al Monte in time for the sunset.  High above the city, the views would be spectacular.

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View from San Miniato al Monte, Florence, Italy (photo by L. Walkins 2017)

 

 

 

 

Vicarious Travel Through Summer Reading

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Summer is an ideal time to vacation and catch up on my joy reading.  Why not combine the two by traveling somewhere new with the characters of a great summer read?  As Emily Dickinson so astutely observed, a book can take you worlds away.  Since June, I have taken a vicarious trip to Florence, Italy with Robert Langdon in Dan Brown’s Inferno and another journey to London in the pages of A Conspiracy of Friends by Alexander McCall Smith.

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

Photo Credit: Flickr.com

Right from the opening pages of Inferno, Robert Langdon is on the run, desperately trying to solve a life or death puzzle. Quickly turning page after page, I experienced the wonders of Florence as I followed in the Harvard professor’s footsteps in his race against time.  His chase takes him to Venice and Istanbul as well, but I was particularly captivated by the scenes set among the the iconic museums, churches and gardens of Florence.  Thanks to Professor Langdon’s hurried travelogue, I now have a sense of the bucolic beauty of the Boboli Gardens, the grandeur of the Pitti Palace and the sanctity of the Baptistry of San Giovanni.

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

After my breakneck, hurtling journey through Florence, I was happy to meander more slowly through the neighborhoods of London with the residents of Corduroy Mansions.  In A Conspiracy of Friends, the third volume of the wise and witty series, William, Caroline, Barbara and even Freddie de la Hay are confronted with the sometimes puzzling nature of friendship.  William receives a surprising revelation from the wife of his oldest friend.  Caroline and Barbara struggle to distinguish the fine line between friendship and true love,  Freddie, through no fault of his own, is parted from his devoted master.  The intrepid terrier accepts his comfortable new home with philosophical resignation, while William laments his loss, almost giving up hope of ever reuniting with his beloved pet.  At the end of their individual days fraught with worries, these Londoners gladly return to their respective Pimlico flats, happy to be home.

At this moment, I am between books.  Where shall I travel next?  Lisa See’s novel Shanghai Girls beckons to me from my bookshelf.  Perhaps a trip to China is in order. . .

Beloved Pets in Literature

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Handsome Cosmo (photo by L. Walkins, 2010)

Handsome Cosmo (photo by L. Walkins, 2010)

Every morning, our two cats and our dog, greet the new day with enthusiasm.  Cosmo, Emily and Princess (our shih tzu, also known as Fluffy Head) bring us much joy.  They are important members of our family.

Beloved pets can be just as important in literature.  In Forget-Me-Not, my character, Darcy Seton, shares her home with a personable Cavalier King Charles spaniel.  i enjoyed writing the scenes of Darcy spending time with her happy little pup.  I also like to read about dogs and cats.  Animal stories have an endearing charm.  In my reading over the years, I have encountered many memorable and appealing literary pets . . .

The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith: This charming novel is one of my favorite children’s books. It became a literary classic long before Walt Disney transformed it into a popular animated feature. The dalmatians, Pongo and Missus, who set out into the English countryside to rescue their kidnapped puppies, are courageous and resourceful.  I love the scenes on Primrose Hill when they join the twilight barking to gather news about their missing children.

Murder Past Due by Miranda James: Charlie Harris, a college librarian and his Maine Coon cat become involved in a murder mystery when a famous writer who has returned to his hometown, is found dead in his hotel room.  As Charlie gathers clues, Diesel, the cat, impresses everyone in town with his immense size, his larger-than-life personality and his devotion to Charlie.

Flowers in the Rain & Other Stories by Rosamunde Pilcher: I often wish I could live in a  Rosamunde Pilcher story. Her sensible characters, friendly villages and Scottish landscapes make me smile. Her stories and novels, often set in the country also feature many animals, including a faithful sheep dog named Loden in her story, “The Doll’s House.”  Loden provides comfort to his distraught young master, William, who has been frustrated in his attempt to build a doll’s house for his little sister.  Pilcher, in her customary insightful manner, perfectly portrays the relationship between a boy and his dog.

Paw Prints in the Moonlight by Denis O’Connor: The author,  a British university professor, ventures out into a snowy Northumberland evening to rescue a homeless, new-born kitten.  He tenderly nurses the cat and it grows up to become his beloved companion.  This heartfelt story about how a unique feline changed one man’s life is captivating and inspiring.

Princess says, "Peek-a-boo!" (photo by L. Walkins, 2012)

Princess says, “Peek-a-boo!” (photo by L. Walkins, 2012)

The Dog Who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith: Part of the Corduroy Mansions series, this witty and entertaining novel takes place in London and features a cast of quirky and amusing characters, including a small dog named Freddie de la Hay.  Pimlico resident, William French’s dog, is unexpectedly recruited by the MI6,  The intrepid terrier turned informant helps the authorities to break up a Russian spy ring.  In his  usual engaging style, McCall Smith includes many humorous insights into the perils and pleasures of city life, and the chapters told in the dog’s point-of-view are particularly amusing.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling: The students at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are allowed to bring a magical pet with them to school.  Harry’s owl, Hedwig, is perhaps the most well-known, but my favorite Gryffindor pet is Hermione’s cranky cat, Crookshanks.  Although the ginger long,-haired feline appears in volumes three through seven of the series, he plays the most pivotal role in Prisoner of Azkaban, helping Hermione, Harry and Ron to solve a mystery surrounding the death of Harry’s parents.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein: Denny Swift, an ambitious race car driver, faces a personal crisis just as his career is about to take off.  The author writes convincingly in the point-of-view of  Denny’s faithful dog, Enzo.  While waiting to be taken to the vet for a final visit, the much-loved pet tells his master’s story and reflects back on their  life together. Enzo, who is convinced he will come back as a person in his next life. is a compassionate and insightful narrator.

Lovely Emily (photo by L. Walkins, 2013)

Lovely Emily (photo by L. Walkins, 2013)

Like these literary cats and dogs, my pets, have their own unique personalities and they keep us laughing.  Perhaps, I will write about them in my next story or novel!