The Girdle of Melian

fter a break of four years, from 2018 to 2021, I’m doing the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge again this year! In 2017, I collated all my blog posts up till then In 2016, I focused on JRR Tolkien and the Inklings In 2015, I featured books I’d read based on a reading challenge In 2014, I didn’t have a theme ! In 2013, I collated all my Twitter favourites up till then (it was a LOT easier to organize Twitter back then)  In 2012, I listed all my favourite books Then, in 2022, I focused on fellow authors and bloggers , covering all the guest posts, blog hops, cover reveals, interviews, and more, that I’ve featured over the years. This year I’m going to focus on writing by me and my family! Please share links to your own stories and crafts in the comments!   This year's A to Z Team is: Arlee Bird (founder) 👨 he/him @ Tossing it Out J Lenni Dorner (captain) 👨 he/him or 🧑🏽 they/them @ Blog of Author J Lenni Dorner Zalka Csenge Virág 👩 she/her @ The Multicolor...

hee! Another repost and a look back at a book meme! I originally posted this list of 100 books read 15 years ago. Wow. Let's see if anything has changed... Book list from The Big Read, an initiative by the National Endowment for the Arts : 1) Bold = books you've read 2) Italics = books you intend to read 3) Bold+Italics = books you love (this seems an odd word to use in reference to some of them, such as the Bible or Orwell; maybe admire is better) 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy 13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (well not ALL!) 15 Rebecca ...

tep up for the latest Insecure Writer's Support Group Day! Insecure Writer's Support Group A database resource site and support group for writers and authors. Featuring weekly guests and tips, a monthly blogfest gathering, a Facebook group, a book club, and thousands of links – all to benefit writers! #IWSG Website / Facebook Group / Twitter  / Book Club Reedsy Discount /  Past Issues Fast Five Free Gift - Mobi / Epub / Pdf   Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have ...

rafting time! Interspersed with photos of making mantı with the grandparents! <3 I've made mantı on my own for two years in a row , and with my sister and a friend (and made it many times before with my grandmother and other relatives); this was my first time making it with my mother! Don't laugh. I tried espresso with a lemon twist, after watching Beverly Hills Cop yet again. It was quite tasty! Yum! More piña colada cookies ! Starting a new hat! In black and silver... Birthday cake! Sewing time! Paper dolls ...the first hat, in blue and yellow... Finished sewing! Four lovely cushions. I finished the shawl I started in June ! Diorama of a forest! Complete with dinosaurs! Trying some more Gaillac wines , because of reading Peter May! Earrings made by a friend's daughter. Pins! You can keep changing what's clipped to them! Aren't they adorable? I can't stop wearing them! ...the original pattern is of a dragonfly... ...I'm pre...