The Seasons : Spring by James Thomson
The Seasons : Spring Come, gentle Spring! ethereal Mildness! come, And from the bosom of yon dropping cloud, While music wakes around, veil’d in a shower Of shadowing roses, on our plains descend. O Hertford, fitted or to shine in courts With unaffected grace, or walk the plain With innocence and meditation join’d In soft assemblage, listen to my song, Which thy own Season paints; when Nature all Is blooming and benevolent, like thee. And see where surly Winter passes off, Far to the north, and calls his ruffian blasts: His blasts obey, and quit the howling hill, The shatter’d forest, and the ravaged vale; While softer gales succeed, at…
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Snow Days I’m not a winter kind of girl, because I love warm weather, but my idea of a perfect snowy afternoon would be sitting in front of a lovely fireplace surrounded by cats and books. That is how I spent many snowy afternoons while I was growing up, especially on Sundays. The roast beef and potatoes for Sunday dinner would bake in the oven. My parents and I would sit in front of our living room fireplace and read. We would occasionally glance up and watch the snow falling outside. My father would read his magazines: Time, U.S. News and World Report. My mother would read biographies. I would…
#LastPrintIssue
#LastPrintIssue An era in publishing has come to an end. Newsweek has published the last print issue of the magazine. Newsweek will continue in digital form, but it won’t be the same. I’m sure that it was a sad day at Newsweek. Many people lost their jobs in the transition. The cover photo is a vintage photograph of Newsweek’s old midtown New York headquarters. The title of the issue is ironic: #LastPrintIssue. It is so obviously a jab at the Twitterization of news. When I was growing up, my family did not subscribe to Newsweek, but to their main competitor, Time. However, occasionally I would read issues and always enjoyed…
Merry Classical Christmas!
Merry Classical Christmas and Happy New Year! What a long and busy year it’s been! I am very happy with the results of the Presidential election. I am feeling hopeful. Now we can relax with our families and enjoy the holidays. I love listening to special music that is appropriate to the season. There is nothing that gets me more in the Christmas spirit than some great music by great artists! I grew up listening to a lot of classical music. My family is European, and we always enjoyed reading, classical music, and sitting in the living room before the fireplace. I did not grow up watching football or eating…
What I Have Learned From Book Blogging
What Have I Learned From Book Blogging? I have learned so much. Mostly I have learned all the things that I DIDN’T know about book blogging. I must admit that I knew nothing about Advanced Reading Copies and that I could get free books to read before they were published. Vaguely aware that big-time book reviewers from places like The New York Times must get books ahead of time. I didn’t know that bloggers could get them! I also knew nothing about book publishing conferences such as Book Expo America, which I attended last year! My knowledge of CURRENT literature was severely lacking. I tend to read books by dead…
