I spent six weeks on bed rest this spring. It should have been the perfect time to read that stack of books I’d been waiting for a chance to devour. But I couldn’t concentrate on any form of literature, fiction or non! It took me ages to finish just one title (that alone should have been…
He found it on a bookshelf in his parents’ basement. The spine was worn, but you could still read the title: Eggs, Beans and Crumpets. It only took a few chapters before he’d found a new favorite author. And soon the book made its way to my mailbox for me to peruse, as well. Though the first…
If you’ve never met any of P.G. Wodehouse’s characters, then let me start by introducing you to Psmith. He used to be in fish, he conveniently borrows other people’s umbrellas, and his latest venture is pinching necklaces. At the moment, he’s posing as a poet, even though he can’t understand a line of the poetry…
I suppose stories about rabbits are as old as they are beloved. There is Pat the Bunny, The Velveteen Rabbit, Peter Rabbit, Peter Cottontail, Br’er Rabbit, and Uncle Wiggily to name just a few. But these classic children’s stories about rabbits have a new companion that numbers among our family’s very favorites: The Green Ember by S.D. Smith. And these rabbits have swords. Describing…
I had always assumed that a good reader would naturally make a good writer. Not necessarily, according to Andrew Pudewa of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Andrew Pudewa believes that the fundamental requisite for being an excellent communicator is listening to quality literature being read aloud. Why Reading Aloud Makes Good Writers What do we do when…
I love to read. But these days, I find myself with less time to bury my nose in a book. My days are filled with tasks that keep my hands and my eyes busy, leaving my ears and often my mind in need of employment. And in those moments, I turn to podcasts or audiobooks. I’m not…
It’s no secret that my husband and I love books. From the front door of our home you can see that the entire corner of our living room is encased in bookshelves. More books can be found on the coffee table, in our bedrooms, and in stacks all around our home. First-time visitors can rarely keep…
There’s a myth about mompreneurs (mom entrepreneurs). We hear it in various forms, but it’s usually the well-meaning comment of a friend or a client: “I’m amazed by how you do all you do.” “I don’t know how you do it all.” Sometimes we try to explain the truth. Other times we just laugh it…
The blogosphere is full of words these days. Our friends are always sharing the latest, greatest, must-read post. And sometimes, the noise is overwhelming. We stop looking for new blogs to read because there are just too many to choose from. We turn off the web browser with the flashing ads and turn to the peaceful pages of a…
Converting readers to subscribers isn’t always easy. If content is king, then having a fabulous freebie to offer your email subscribers is surely the queen. But what you really need is a court jester or two dancing around on your blog, inviting your visitors to subscribe. Preferably, you’d name them Jester A and Jester B and…
It’s all fine and good to declare blog commenting alive and well. But how can we give the comment section on our own blog a shot in the arm? We’ve heard the usual suggestions time and time again: write good content, ask questions, be real, be controversial, be sure to reply to their comments, as well…
There’s a tidal wave sweeping the blogosphere: bloggers everywhere are removing the comment feature from their blogs. They say that replying to the comments is no longer scale-able, it takes too much time to moderate spam, and the conversation is taking place elsewhere. Whatever the reasons stated, the fact is: comments are down, and many bloggers are…
The End.
The End.