“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” — Anne Bradstreet --

 “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ― John Steinbeck, “Travels with Charley: In Search of America” --

 “When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” - Ellen DeGeneres -

The Dragons of Blueland

  

Title: The Dragons of Blueland

Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett

Rating: ★★★★☆

Age Category: Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    "...the last of the books about Elmer Elevator and the flying baby dragon...concerns Elmer's plan to outwit the hunters who have organized an expedition to capture the dragon's family. The plan is ingenious and plausible, the fantasy well sustained, and the lithographs by Ruth Chrisman Gannett even more delightful, if possible, than those in My Father's Dragon." -- Library Journal (starred review)

    "Delectable, straight-faced nonsense." -- Chicago Tribune

 “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” — Hal Borland --

Sonnet 25 by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 25

by William Shakespeare

Let those who are in favour with their stars

Of public honour and proud titles boast,

Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars,

Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most.

Great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread

But as the marigold at the sun's eye,

And in themselves their pride lies buried,

For at a frown they in their glory die.

The painful warrior famoused for fight,

After a thousand victories once foil'd,

Is from the book of honour razed quite,

And all the rest forgot for which he toil'd:

Then happy I, that love and am beloved

Where I may not remove nor be removed.

“Every winter has its spring.” — H. Tuttle --

 “Liberty is the breath of life to nations.” – George Bernard Shaw --

“The more you love, the more love you have to give. It’s the only feeling we have which is infinite…” ― Christina Westover --

 “To enjoy freedom, we have to control ourselves.” – Virginia Woolf --

The Scarlet Letter

Title: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rating: ★★★★☆

Age Category: Adult Literature

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    The Scarlet Letter is Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous and highly praised novel. Set in the severe Puritan community of 17th-century Boston, it is a deeply moving novel, rich in psychological insight and human truths. It's main character, Hester Prynne, is Hawthorne's greatest creation. Publicly discraced and ostracized, she draws on her inner strength and certainty of spirit to emerge as the first true heroine of American fiction. Arnold Bennett called The Scarlet Letter "the one American literary work which comes as near to perfection as is granted a man to bring his achievements."

 “Music can change the world because it can change people.” ― Bono --

Sonnet 37 by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 37

by William Shakespeare

As a decrepit father takes delight

To see his active child do deeds of youth,

So I, made lame by fortune's dearest spite,

Take all my comfort of thy worth and truth.

For whether beauty, birth, or wealth, or wit,

Or any of these all, or all, or more,

Entitled in thy parts do crowned sit,

I make my love engrafted to this store:

So then I am not lame, poor, nor despised,

Whilst that this shadow doth such substance give

That I in thy abundance am sufficed

And by a part of all thy glory live.

Look, what is best, that best I wish in thee:

This wish I have; then ten times happy me!

“Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.” ― Johann Sebastian Bach --

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” – Thomas Paine --

 “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” – Stephen King --

 “Books may well be the only true magic.” — Alice Hoffman --

Born Again

Title: Born Again

Author: Charles W. Colson

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Age Category: Adult Literature

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    In 1974 Charles W. Colson pleaded guilty to Watergate-related offenses and, after a tumultuous investigation, served seven months in prison. In his search for meaning and purpose in the face of the Watergate scandal, Colson penned Born Again. This unforgettable memoir shows a man seeking fulfillment in success and power who found it, paradoxically, in national disgrace and prison. 

    In the more than three decades since its initial publication, Born Again has revolutionized the way people think about spiritual renewal. The remarkable story of new life continues to influence lives around the world. This expanded edition includes a brand-new introduction and a new epilogue by Colson, recounting the writing of his bestselling book and detailing some of the ways his background and ministry have brought hope and encouragement to so many. 

    Born Again has changed the lives of millions. 

    Let it change yours as well. 

 “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” ― Cicero --

Sonnet 11 by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 11

by William Shakespeare

As fast as thou shalt wane, so fast thou growest

In one of thine, from that which thou departest;

And that fresh blood which youngly thou bestowest

Thou mayst call thine when thou from youth convertest.

Herein lives wisdom, beauty and increase:

Without this, folly, age and cold decay:

If all were minded so, the times should cease

And threescore year would make the world away.

Let those whom Nature hath not made for store,

Harsh featureless and rude, barrenly perish:

Look, whom she best endow'd she gave the more;

Which bounteous gift thou shouldst in bounty cherish:

She carved thee for her seal, and meant thereby

Thou shouldst print more, not let that copy die.

“Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.” ― Lisa See --

“Indeed, learning to write may be part of learning to read. For all I know, writing comes out of a superior devotion to reading.” — Eudora Welty --

 “She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” — Annie Dillard --

“The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”― Joseph Joubert --

Elmer and the Dragon

Title: Elmer and the Dragon

Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett

Rating: ★★★★☆

Age Category: Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    "The author has produced a sequel to My Father's Dragon that is the equal of that first gem in every respect. Flying back home from Wild Island, Elmer and the dragon are forced down in another land where dwell all the escaped canaries of the world. Rich, humorous, and thoroughly satisfying fare ... Highly recommended." -- Library Journal (starred review)

    "A fresh and original plot, delightfully logical nonsense, appealing characters and irrepressible humor." -- The New York Times

 “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” — Sir Francis Bacon --

Sonnet 35 by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 35

by William Shakespeare

No more be grieved at that which thou hast done:

Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud;

Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,

And loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud.

All men make faults, and even I in this,

Authorizing thy trespass with compare,

Myself corrupting, salving thy amiss,

Excusing thy sins more than thy sins are;

For to thy sensual fault I bring in sense--

Thy adverse party is thy advocate--

And 'gainst myself a lawful plea commence:

Such civil war is in my love and hate

That I an accessary needs must be

To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me. 

“One sure window into a person’s soul is his reading list.” — Mary B. W. Tabor --

“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.” — Annie Proulx --

“The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write, write.” — Ernest Gaines --