Category Archives: Books and Authors

Happy Independence Day Weekend

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Happy Independence Day and weekend to my fellow citizens of the USA! For your holiday enjoyment I have put together (1) a brief but challenging trivia quiz and (2) a book recommendation for the occasion. Answers to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, In the Headlines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Happy Independence Day Weekend

Compulsory Voting

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

Have you ever heard of this concept of compulsory voting? I never had. It took a chance meeting and conversation in the gardens at the Palace of Versailles with a couple from Australia to educate me on this one. (Don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Young Adult Fiction Reviewer

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

I’m not a parent, but I have many good friends who are parents. I had two parents myself. My stepkids are parents. I’ve also been known to have opinions about parenting, which I usually keep to myself. So, with that … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Readers, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Young Adult Fiction Reviewer

Life-Changing Books Redux / Eating Animals

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

About thirty years ago, I swore off veal. I had read a one-page consciousness-raising ad about how calves are treated from birth to death to make them good sources of veal. Imagine my shock the other day when I saw … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spirituality Yea or Nay … or Whatever

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

When I see a book trailer that intrigues me, and especially if it’s on a topic I may have reservations about, I Google the title to see who published it and what may have been written about the book already. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What’s Your Life-Changing Book?

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

It was Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams that set Salvadore Dali on his life-changing path when he read it in 1925 while attending art school. I learned this from one of the instructional plaques in the Salvadore Dali Museum … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Readers, Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Good Feelings from Groups

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

Funny the stories that stick with you over the years. Have any of you read West of Eden by Harry Harrison? That’s WEST of Eden. Published by Bantam in 1984, it’s a marvelous piece of science fiction set in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Good Feelings from Groups

Successful Trip to Paris

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

Today I washed the fairy dust from Paris out of my hair. It was a bittersweet moment (the bad part being I was shedding some of Paris off me; the good part being I was shedding some of Paris off … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Readers, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Paris Bound

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

Hubby and I head for Paris tomorrow! It has been the only “place” on my bucket list for years. I’m not promising I won’t feel free to add another “place” upon our return. But for years, it’s been Paris, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paris Bound

In the Headlines: Schwarzenegger and Shriver

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

I should be ashamed of myself. How could I not have thought about books when I heard the latest about Arnold and Maria? Well, thankfully, the L. A. Times did. For a summary, and maybe a book for you, read … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, In the Headlines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on In the Headlines: Schwarzenegger and Shriver