books Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Social Correspondence

Staying at Home

Sidewalk messaging How to practice social distancing Staying at home has become the new normal, because we are living in unusual times. In recent weeks, my only outside activities are a weekly trip to the grocery store, and daily walks, generally close to home. The air is cleaner, thanks to fewer automobiles on the road, and the Bay Area is getting some much- needed rain. And the important thing is for everybody to take whatever steps are possible to keep not only themselves, but also those around us, safe in this time of pandemic. In many…

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March 28, 2020

Tomales, CA farmhouse

books / country life / Mail / Post Office / Post Office Boxes / U.S. Postal Service

Country Mouse

Tomales, CA farmhouse Although I am an urban dweller, part of me is a country mouse. A vacation is not necessarily a trip to another city, rich with historic sites, museums, and fine restaurants, but rather a sojourn in a quiet rural destination, preferably one with views, hiking, and a nearby body of water. Recently, we stayed in such a place. Downtown Tomales (CA), population 204, has a post office, a bakery, a Town Hall, a small grocery, a deli, an antique store, and some real estate offices. Add in a hotel and a bar/restaurant, and…

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September 14, 2019

books / Handwriting / junk mail / Letter writing / Mail / Note cards / Post cards / U.S. Postal Service

What’s in the Mail

It’s an old habit that is hard to shake; each morning I wonder, what’s in the mail today? Thanks to the USPS’s Informed Delivery service, one need not wonder. Informed Delivery sends an email with images of most letter-sized pieces that will be arriving that day. But even without the preview, contents of the daily mail are fairly predictable. Count on some form of advertising, whether printed on newspaper stock, post cards, or flyers. Solicitations from charitable organizations proliferate. Soon, prior to November elections, we will be deluged with political flyers in the mail. All of…

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August 31, 2019

books / mystery / novels

More About Books: Mystery and Suspense

Books and reading are among the most satisfying pleasures in life, and this year’s offerings are an inspiration to write more about books. Starting with Gillian Flynn’s wildly successful novel, Gone Girl (Crown Publishing, 2012), psychological suspense has grown as a popular book genre. As an early fan of the works of Daphne du Maurier, including the classic, Rebecca, I am drawn to the genre, but have been disappointed by many of the contemporary novels. There is nothing disappointing, however, about novels written by Jane Harper. Most recently I read The Lost Man (Macmillan, Flatiron Books,…

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April 19, 2019

books / Politics / Theater

The Room Where it Happens

Live theater is the room where it happens, where stories come to life and leave you enchanted and spellbound. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is such a show, where the music, lyrics, and staging linger on long after the performance is over. Hamilton the Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter We were latecomers to the extraordinary phenomenon of Hamilton, despite the early urging of our New York cousins. When the show first opened on Broadway, Michael and Amy suggested facetiously (I think) that even if we had to take out a second mortgage on our house, it…

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March 25, 2019

books / Handwriting / Letter writing / Mail / Note cards

Never Too Young

An expression of gratitude is always welcome. An expression of gratitude is always welcome, and one is never too young to write that all important thank you note. As an added bonus, children who are taught to write thank you notes tend to craft more creative and thoughtful notes when they become adults The act of hand writing a thank you note has the added benefit of becoming a learning experience for a child. It is an exercise in manual dexterity, helps teach spelling, and encourages creativity. For this reason, some schools sponsor letter-writing exercises, such…

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February 13, 2019

Bedside reading

books / Letter writing / love letters / Mail / mystery / nonfiction / novels / War letters

About Books and Reading

Each year, I look forward to the fall months for news about books and reading. Magazines, newspapers and trade organizations choose the fall to announce their selections for “best books” of the year. It is a good time to compare our favorite books with these lists, hoping to add undiscovered gems to our reading lists. Many prestigious book awards also are announced in the fall. The National Book Awards were unveiled in November; the Man Booker Prize was announced in October. The publication of outstanding books and the awarding of prestigious prizes, however, are by no…

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January 30, 2019

Photo by Mink Mingle, Unsplash Photos

books

Parlor Games

At a party late last year with long-time friends from a walking group, the guests enjoyed playing parlor games. This followed the usual drinking and chatting and eating, including a delicious cassoulet made by our hosts. Parlor games, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, are games suitable for adults to play indoors. My personal lack of knowledge of pop culture has always led to poor performance in competitive parlor games such as Trivial Pursuit, but in these games, there were no losers, just people letting down their hair, acting silly, and having a good time. First…

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March 26, 2018

books / Grandparenting / Handwriting / Letter writing

Diaries: Letters to Ourselves by Kay Roberts

A few months ago, I rediscovered a diary I kept when I was thirteen years old. This find made me think that diaries might make good Christmas presents for my grandchildren, ages ten and thirteen. I cautioned them to avoid dumb entries such as my own: “Washed my hair, went to the show.” I do like my entry about liking Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, except for being "stuck beside somebody who smelled like barn" (I grew up in a little farm community in Wisconsin). I had hoped my old diary would give me a glimpse of who…

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March 15, 2018

Street level window for Local Edition

books / Digital Publishing / Fake News / News / newspapers / Social Media / Typewriters / Typing

The Reveal

The word “reveal,” according to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, means “to make (something secret or hidden) publicly or generally known.” Or, according to Merriam-Webster online, reveal means “to disclose, divulge, or tell.” In screenwriting, “the reveal” generally comes near the end of the script, when the viewers finally become privy to hidden information that explains all that came before. The most interesting stories written by professional journalists include a reveal. This can happen in a feature story or profile, but in investigative journalism, the reveal can make or break a story, not to mention the reporter’s…

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March 8, 2018