Archive for March 2015
Reason #5380 to love Rome: Bernini’s home and studio
One of the (many) great things about living in Rome, Italy is keeping your eyes pealed for all the famous authors/composers/sculptors/artists who once called the Eternal City home. Not surprisingly, one such illustrious resident was the Roman sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). Although I knew Bernini lived and worked in Rome, I didn’t know where until I…
Read MoreDo you ever prefer the film to the book?
I know for bookworms like many of us, it seems almost sacrilege to say such a thing. But I find that sometimes it happens. It happened earlier this week when I saw the excellent Italian film Vergine giurata (Sworn Virgin). It’s based on a novel written in Italian by an Albanian author, Elvira Dones. I’ve traveled quite…
Read MoreMeandering along the Snake River in Idaho Falls, Idaho
My family was looking for a place to stop and stretch our legs on the long drive from Salt Lake City airport to Jackson Hole, Wyoming on a holiday out in the western US last summer – and Idaho Falls, Idaho seemed a good place to break from the driving. This small city in eastern Idaho…
Read MoreWork-in-progress wants YOUR opinion
I was thrilled when my blogging buddy, the talented YA author Evelyne Holingue, tagged me for the Work-in-progress challenge. Through her blog post, I discovered that Evelyne is not only a prolific YA author, but she also writes essays on her experiences as a French woman living, working, and raising her children in her adoptive…
Read MoreAdmiring Bergen, Norway through the winter snow, sleet and rain
Earlier this month, I was in Norway for the first time, in the beautiful town of Bergen. Unfortunately, I was there for work, and had very little free time to explore the time. Out of fairness, the winter squalls – of snow, hail and rain didn’t provide the ideal atmosphere for exploring. But still, I…
Read MoreDo you need time to ‘refill’ after completing a writing project?
The long list for the annual Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) is out, and one of the novels on the list is Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread. Tyler, a prolific writer, is the author of twenty novels. I read an interesting interview with her in The Guardian, in which…
Read MoreVisiting coastal Latina, Italy
I’ve already written about the interesting (short) history of Latina, Italy. Once the breeding grounds of mosquitoes that carried malaria, those mosquitoes were the true cause of the so-called Roman Fever that was romanticized in 19th century literature. The swampland was drained under Mussolini, and Latina was founded as a model fascist city. I visited the…
Read MoreCelebrate women writers on International Women’s Day
Okay, okay, so officially International Women’s Day falls on 8 March, which is a Sunday this year. At my workplace, where we celebrate women’s achievements in projects in developing countries, we’ll be marking the day today. Since many observances will take place on Friday, it occurred to me – why not celebrate the entire weekend…
Read MoreHiking the Mystic Falls trail in Yellowstone National Park
My family and I had a great time out in Yellowstone National Park last summer. We love hiking and enjoying beautiful nature – and we certainly got our fill of both during our time at Yellowstone. There are so many trails to explore at Yellowstone – and in our time there we managed to explore…
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