The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Today's book talk takes us to northern England, the setting for Jane Eyre.  My daughter took today's photos on a free day from her studies at Cambridge. She graciously loaned them to me when I mentioned you and I would virtually explore the area. I've not been to England although it is very high on my bucket list. Isn't it on yours as well? So, let's talk about Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte while we walk through English gardens and country roads. I won't bore you with a summary, the book is short and an easy read. My thoughts drift to Jane who lived a unique Cinderella story.  Typhus is among the first evil characters in this story. It kills Jane's parents leaving her an orphan. The fever, headache, and rash symptoms are a result of overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions.  In Jane's day, as for Cinderella, a person could fall from status in a heartbeat by becoming an orphan. Their intellig...

The more we know about a person, the better we understand why they say what they say, and the meaning behind the body language that accompanied the words, in addition to the intent behind the tone. Arch de Triomphe Photo by Mary Vee Whoa, that was almost philosophical. Pontification done. But this is the reason for my choice of book to talk about today. I woke this morning and asked myself, which of the many books I've read should we talk about. The choice had to be one that would benefit you as well as me. The winner unarguably was Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Since Les Miserables takes place in Paris, I chose Paris pictures to show you. But not the 1840's you would have seen had you lived during the time the story took place ;) Me in The Louvre Hubby took this photo While the musical is epic, the movie heart-rendering, (Love Liam Neeson's performance)--the book is overwhelmingly magical. Think:  the difference between a l...

This summer a pair of wild geese raised a family on the grassy shore outside our home. This was the first time a family stayed from gosling to raised geese. Recently, they flew away and didn't return. I read  North by Night  this week as part of my research for the story I'm currently writing. The main character is Lucy, a teen girl living in small town, Ohio, who helps her family hide slaves fleeing north in the 1800's. The story is powerful and I highly recommend it. In the days of the Underground Railroad, individuals fleeing slavery were called Wild Geese. It was a code word. Pictures and drawings of wild geese pointed the way north, because, as we know, geese go south for the summer, have their babies, then fly north. It took courage to modify businesses or homes to harbor, feed, and cloth these individuals on the run. Families risked their lives to help men, women, and children find freedom. They often kept their secret from r...

Dark pasted the room with a sticky, uncomfortable, invisible substance that didn’t help Dad remember or even create a good answer to the question.  A man standing beyond the intense light berated him with questions. "Where were you at four am?"  In bed fast asleep like anyone else. How many times did he have to answer the same annoying question?  A complaint had been registered. The shadow, armed with a short list of questions and a willingness to repeat said few questions until utterly driving him crazy, was called in to solve the case.  Apparently, Dad had been seen at the scene of the crime. And, according to the complaint, this wasn’t the first time his presence had been witnessed. “Look.” A hand thrust a phone with a photo toward him. “Evidence. You were there.” TV shows like the Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and others have explored invisible dimensions where another presence representing us moved about, sometimes in a different settin...