The first Poirot mystery. Loved it!

“Oh swear to me to put in dreams your trust, and to believe in fantasy alone, and never let your soul in prison rust, nor stretch your arms and say: a wall of stone.“
--Vladimir Nabokov, “The Gift“

A fascinating account of the science and history of diamonds, with plenty of dazzling photos.

“A dark and honeyed hush envelops us.“ --Vladimir Nabokov, “The Gift“.

“Quite often now he began the day with a poem.“ --Vladimir Nabokov, “The Gift“.

A fun read set in fictional Regency England. With pluck, determination, and a little good luck Elinor saves the day and finds true love.

A fast-paced mystery that kept me guessing till the very end :)

With what eyes shall I look at these snowflakes?
And black branches of trees?

from “The Gift“ by Vladimir Nabokov

...“The kind of day that made one want to take up painting or maybe develop some kind of poetry habit.“ --Erin Sterling “The Ex Hex“

Ly Tran describes growing up in Queens as an immigrant, and her ultimately triumphant struggle to achieve her own American dream. Highly recommend!

I found this book at a second hand book store. I loved all the stories! My favorite was “The House with the Mezzanine“.

Orwell's memoir of working in Paris hotels and living in London lodging houses. I thoroughly enjoyed it :)

“Why did we feel so cheerful when it rained?“ --Vladimir Nabokov, quoting a letter from Tamara in “Speak, Memory“.

“The river still chattered to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world...“ --Kenneth Grahame, “The Wind in the Willows“

I loved this book as a kid, and just discovered it in a box! So much fun :) It describes the ways of gnomes :)

“I confess I do not believe in time.“ --Vladimir Nabokov, “Speak, Memory“.

Action, suspense, and a love story, set in a (frighteningly plausible) dystopian future. I reread this in 2020, maybe not the best year to do this lol!!

“Very lovely, very lonesome. But what am I doing in this stereoscopic dreamland? How did I get here?“ --Vladimir Nabokov, “Speak, Memory“.

I read this last summer and now I'm going through it more slowly, noting passages that are especially moving. Nabokov describes his childhood. His life is upended as his family loses almost everything in the Russian Revolution.

Wally loves to sit on books! “Costume Reference I: Roman Britain and the Middle Ages“ has great information for world building :)

This book caught my eye. I'm not a woodcarver, but the leader of my writing group always reminds us to “read widely“. The carved gnomes are giving me ideas for my next manuscript :)

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.“ --Robert A. Heinlen, “Stranger in a Strange Land“.

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?“
-- Lewis Carroll, “Through the Looking-Glass“

“She'd be gone when the breeze got under her skin.“ --J.D. Brewer, “Vagabond“.

The mayor's daughter goes missing, and Detective Michael Bennett will stop at nothing to rescue her.

This was my first James Patterson thriller. I look forward to reading more :)

Beautiful photos of trains, stations, and landscapes, as well as interesting descriptions of railway journeys in different countries.

Eclectic TBR Bookstack. Looking forward to it!!

Time travel to 16th century England and France made this my favorite book of the All Souls trilogy.

I'm trying my hand at Celtic Knotwork. I drew this design freehand from Dover's “Celtic and Old Norse Designs“ by Courtney Davis.

“Magic until they burst and uncurled into cups of scent delicately spilling themselves over their brims and filling the garden air.“ --Frances Hodgson Burnett, “The Secret Garden“.

I had a hard time putting this one down. An excellent mystery, one of the best I've read.

“If you can't go around an obstacle, go around it. Water does.“ Margaret Atwood, “The Penelopiad“.

TBR Bookstack! Looking forward to it :)

“Cats will amusingly tolerate humans only until someone comes up with a tin opener that can be operated with a paw.“ --Terry Pratchett, “Men at Arms“.

I'm between books right now, so I'm rereading stories from “Dubliners“. Absolutely love them :)

My Tiny 3-D Book Series, 1971. Check out the price in the upper right hand corner!

Wally and my favorite thesaurus, “The Synonym Finder“ :)

“Last year's leaves rustled mournfully beneath my feet, and shadows lurked in the twilight between the trees.“ --Anton Chekhov, from “The House with the Mezzanine.“

Bronwyn Crewse wants to focus on running the family ice cream parlor, but her plans are derailed by a murder. When her father comes up as prime suspect, she is determined to find the real killer and clear his name.

I enjoyed this mystery and look forward to reading the second book in the series :)

1970 edition of the classic.

A classic favorite with incredible illustrations.

An old Random House - Modern Library edition of Emile Zola's “Nana“. Originally published in 1880, the story describes interactions between the Parisian demimonde and upper classes.

This Dover book has a nice collection adapted from old Celtic and Norse designs. I drew a few of them freehand; lots of fun!

Daphne Gordon is the freelance editor of one of my manuscripts. “Walking With Walser“ is a lovely read. I would've finished it in a day if I wasn't interrupted by breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Snacks, a cup of orange spice, and a mystery :)

1966 edition of The Hobbit :)

An urban fantasy classic. I've reread it twice, and will read it again.

An excellent book. I'd recommend this for any writer whose work includes world-building. (My cat Wally thinks so too!)

Likable characters, strong pacing, a beautiful setting, and intriguing plot.

I enjoyed “The Princess Diarist“. It added insight to the filming of the first “Star Wars“ movie in 1976, as well as relationships between the actors and crew.