The English Language! A Conundrum. SCHOOL IS BACK! And that means students of all ages around the world are now in study mode. But here is my vent for the day. I’m very glad that English was my first language and I pity those who must learn or teach English. If you teach English, for
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Never a Dull August While forest fires rage in Canada and around the world, and the horror of war seems never-ending, let’s for a moment compare these horrific events with similar events in history. In the past, such events were of course more localized simply because people were not subjected to instant news through the
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Val’s Book Reviews Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu—A Fairmount Manor Mystery by Mel Anastasiou Langley: Pulp Literature Press, 2025 $24.95 / 97819888865799 This charming little story takes place in Fairmont Manor, a Seniors’ Care Home, where author Mel Anastasiou’s octogenarian character, Stella Ryman, currently resides. Stella doesn’t think she should be there and is
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Val’s Book Reviews Unequivocal Magic: Sarah Bernhardt and the Journey of a Portrait by Alex Bertram Waterloo: Wilfred Laurier University Press, 2026 $42.99 / 9781771127189 Sometimes you see an image, and it stays with you. There is something unexpected that holds your attention. You blink—a human camera—and capture a picture that remains in your memory. With
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From Bastard Son to King of England William the Conqueror When I was in France a few years ago, I visited Falaise and found the birthplace of the man who changed the history of England, always later referred to as William the Conqueror. The story of William’s birth goes this way. His father, Robert, Duke
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Val’s Book Reviews Literary Life After Death: Commemorations of Writers in English-Speaking Canada by Carole GersonMontreal: Concordia University Press, 2026 As a reviewer, I did not know what to expect from a book with a title like Carole Gerson’s Literary Life After Death. Nonetheless, I found these commemorations of writers in English-speaking Canada to be quite fascinating. The book
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On This Day – June 2 Seventy-three years ago today, a young Princess was crowned Queen in London, England. In London, people filled the streets. Celebrations took place everywhere. Flags were hung; street parties were held. The war was far in the distant past and the second Golden Elizabethan Age was ahead. In the month
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Val’s Book Reviews The Angels’ Share by Jane Bow New York: Red Elixir, 2026 $37.00 / 9781966293309 The Angels’ Share by Jane Bow (Homeless) is a combination of many elements—slow-burning passion, art, wine, sex, adventure, crime—that somehow the author manages to weave together into a thought-provoking book. The book tells the story of how Dion (Dionysia), a thirty-nine
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Mothers Through History The word “mother” is used in many contexts today from nursery rhymes about “Mother Goose” or “Old Mother Hubbard” to the country of our birth known as our “motherland” or a rich vein in mining being the “mother lode.” And, of course, we all know “you can’t fool Mother Nature!” As we
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Who Was Catherine Hogarth? During her life, Catherine Hogarth was known by three names, but I doubt you would know two of them. She was born in 1815 in Scotland to Georgina and George Hogarth, but the family moved to London so her father could accept a new editing position with a magazine. Catherine had
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