For the next several weeks, the editor will be gallivanting all over Morocco. Rather than give you, our Dear Readers, time off, she decided to climb into the WayBack Machine and pull out some favorite posts from long ago. Not Reruns, not Leftovers, but tasty treats to savor again. This time it’s Susan’s nostalgic 2013 […]
Author Archives: Susan Diffenderfer
When my husband and I married in 1964, one of the first things we did was buy a dog. Not just ANY dog, but a dachshund. Originally, we had yearned for a basset hound, but the couple next door to us in our first apartment had one, and his feet were bigger than mine. So . […]
I am not a particularly adventurous person. Saying that, and not really knowing what I was in for, I agreed to accompany a good friend on an eight day cruise to the Galapagos Islands last October. Since I had never been on a pleasure cruise before, the experience was eye-opening to say the least. Every […]
“I am Eloise. I am six. I am a city child. I live at the Plaza.” And so begins the intriguing, zany, wonderful story of Eloise, written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight. This book was given to me in the late 50’s, and, I’m delighted to report, has become a three generation must-read for me, […]
This amazing memoir begins with tragedy—Ficre Ghebreyesus, husband of renowned poet Elizabeth Alexander, dies suddenly of a massive heart attack while on a treadmill at their home just four days after his 50th birthday party. Although it may be categorized as a “grief memoir,” Light of the World is not a book that dwells solely on the […]
While I was visiting Washington D.C., one of the highlights of my time was spending the afternoon at the Library of Congress, an elegant, imposing building with architecture based on the Opera House of Paris. The interior is simply breathtaking—every kind of artwork you can imagine is on display—you hardly know where to look, as there is such […]
British writer Hilary Mantel has taken the literary world by storm by writing back to back award- winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, which have not only sold in huge numbers but have been developed into a highly touted PBS series and Broadway stage plays. Although she has been made a Dame of the […]
I have never been one to read a lot of poetry—love to read almost anything, including cereal boxes but was not drawn to verse. That changed somewhat last October when I was visiting Washington, DC with a friend, and we saw a long, chiseled inscription in the curving granite wall surrounding our Metro station at Dupont […]
I read many, many books over the course of a year—usually more than 100. Most are enjoyable on some level; some are a waste of time; and a precious handful are the ones I recommend to customers at the bookstore where I work, give as gifts, and put on my forever favorites list. Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult […]
My initial contact with Ann Frellsen at the first Decatur Book Festival had nothing to do with book conservation and everything to do with jewelry. She and several friends had a booth at the festival selling tiny book earrings, which were quite well made with lovely covers and even a few “pages” inside. Books are […]
Readers Unbound 