THE “ALMOST” PERFECT CRIME Along with my passion for history, I have always loved mysteries and perfect crimes that go wrong. The infamous Great Brinks Robbery in Boston, Massachusetts, that happened on this date (January 17) in 1950 and was described at that time as the “Crime of the Century,” contains elements of all three.
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Val’s Book Reviews Wild Horses Running Free by Linda L. Richards Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2023 $24.95 / 9781459825598 “Everybody loves horses. The flowing mane and tail. Those big, lovely eyes and long elegant legs. Horses make us think of strength and speed and the sense of flight we can enjoy when we ride.” This
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What does December mean? Another year is almost over. It went by in a flash! December is all about Christmas although many stores were already in Christmas mode before Halloween. I still remember the “good old days” when the Christmas rush did not start until the middle of December and, in the far off distant
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Today I Welcome a Visiting Author to My Blog: Judith Arnopp, How to Dress Like a Tudor PROLIFIC HISTORICAL FICTION WRITER FROM THE UK, JUDITH ARNOTT, HAS STOPPED BY TO TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT ONE OF HER LATEST BOOKS – “HOW TO DRESS LIKE A TUDOR.” I don’t always dress like a Tudor lady, but
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From Fact to Fiction (This is a recent blog I wrote for UK Author Judith Arnopp’s blog. She will be a Visiting Author on my website soon.) I have always been passionate about historical fiction, even though for many years as a writer in England where I was born and educated and in Canada where
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Val’s Book Reviews Grounded by Granite: a memoir by Patti Shales Lefkos SilverStar Mountain: Loon Island Press, 2023 $27.62 / 9781999229825 Before I read Patti Shales Lefkos’ book Grounded by Granite, I decided to research the area known as the Canadian Shield in Ontario. That is where the author’s memoir takes place, and I admit
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November Blues Welcome to November, the month of dreary rain, gunpowder plots, beheadings, doom, and gloom! Or so it would seem, according to history. The word ‘November’ comes from the Latin word novem meaning nine because November was once the ninth month of the year (in the Roman calendar.) Today, of course, in the Gregorian
Val’s Book Reviews Like Every Form of Love: A Memoir of Friendship and True Crime by Padma Viswanathan Toronto: Penguin Random House Canada, 2023 $35 / 9781039006201 This book is described as A Memoir of Friendship and True Crime. It is also two separate stories within a story while describing many different forms of love.
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Val’s Book Reviews Four Seasons by the Salish Sea: Discovering the Natural Wonders of Coastal Living by Carolyn Redl, photography by Nancy Randall Victoria: Heritage House Publishing, 2023$32.95 / 9781772034479 Author Carolyn Redl has been fascinated with life along the Salish Sea ever since she moved to Vancouver Island from the prairies in the early
Observations and discoveries Read More »
When a Princess Came to Town Although Queen Victoria herself never visited British Columbia’s capital city named for her, one of her four daughters, Princess Louise, (her sixth child,) came to Victoria in September 1882, with her husband, the Marquis of Lorne. She loved the city so much that she urged her husband to prolong
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