Reading and Roaming
RECENT READING Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes With the publication in 1996 of Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes shone a spotlight on one of the lovely Italian hill towns in Tuscany. Since then, “her” town of Cortona has become a tourist attraction, and she has milked the area and her life there for several other nonfiction …
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HOME FROM ITALY Our trip to Italy (Rome, Tuscany, and Umbria), was a wonderful break from our real world. Lots of historic art and architecture, charming hill towns, more pasta, pizza, and bruschette than one should consume, dense crowds in Rome and Florence, great traveling companions, and a wealth of new places to discover. After a week …
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FAMILY TIME Last week, the Chief Penguin and I spent several days in North Carolina. The primary reason was to attend my niece’s wedding in Durham. This was also a rare opportunity for a family gathering. Two young nieces participated as flower girls and loved their flower wands! My three siblings and spouses were there as well …
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FAMILY DYNAMICS IN FICTION Tom Lake by Ann Patchett Ann Patchett’s latest book is just out and it’s a good one. Part of it is built around Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, long a staple of high school English classes. When I was that age and we read Wilder’s play, I thought it tedious and mostly boring. Later in life, I …
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