Laura Langston's Blog

My August Reads

                                      

I think of August like this picture – sunny days at the beach with few commitments, morning beach strolls and afternoons spent lounging on the sand with a book in hand. When our kids were young, that picture was fairly accurate, at least for the few weeks we camped at the beach. These days I’m lucky enough to live within walking distance of the shoreline, but while I get down there for walks (and picnic dinners!) fairly often, I rarely take my book w...

My July Reads

Summer is in full swing and that means less time at my desk and more time for fun. We’ve been doing day trips out of town, meeting friends for picnic dinners on the beach, and harvesting masses of raspberries and vegetables from the garden. At the end of the day, once watering is complete and the slugs have been beaten back, we sit on the patio and stargaze. We’re lucky enough to be surrounded by greenspace and on a clear night, if we turn out the patio lights, the stars are particularly viv...

Plot Twist

 As I started weeding the blueberry bed in May, I was only vaguely aware of the sounds around me, including a rather noisy bird warbling from the nearby honeysuckle arbor. I’d set aside an hour to tackle a job that had been put off far too long and, intent on the task at hand, I didn’t pay much attention.

The blueberries share their bed with mint. We didn’t plant it; it was here when we bought this place. Knowing how invasive it can be, Mr. Petrol Head wanted to rip it all out. But I love...

My June Reads

Summer officially arrives this Friday, though we’ve been in summer mode around here for weeks. We had one round of house guests at the beginning of June and we’re expecting two more groups at the end of the month.  It’s busy! Thankfully, the weather has warmed so we can have dinners on the patio and enjoy the sight (and scent!) of the climbing roses. In spite of the holiday vibes, I am getting some writing done, but my attention to the business side of things, including this blog, will proba...

Book Buzz

                                          

 Today is World Bee Day. Established in 2018 by the United Nations, the purpose of the declaration is to acknowledge the importance of bees and what they do for our environment. Did you know, for instance, that bees help grow 90% of the world’s wildflower plants or that 35% of the world’s crops depend on bees to grow? Along with contributing to food security, bees are key to conserving biodiversity.

Bees have been around forever. The first bee...

My May Reads

The weeds are growing and so is my ‘to do’ list. I’d rather stare out the window at my blooming rhododendron and contemplate beauty, but, alas, spring leaves little time for contemplation. There’s not much time for reading these days either, though I always manage a little time before bed. Here’s what I’m reading this month.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

The Traitor’s Daughter by Roxana Spicer

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

Books read to date in 2025: 29

Diversity in Art

                                                 

Diversity is a hot topic these days. The word has become somewhat polarizing, particularly when it’s used to reference people from different social and ethnic backgrounds, or those of specific genders and sexual orientation. But in that context, when paired with inclusion and acceptance, diversity becomes something to fight for and something to celebrate.

Nature depends on diversity for its very survival. Without a wide range of animals...

Overheard This Week

                         

I popped into the bakery to pick up a baguette the other day and two women ahead of me in line were chatting. I couldn’t help overhearing them. Well, technically, I probably could have shut them out, but eavesdropping is not against the law and one could even argue that it’s in the job description of writers everywhere. 

I gather one of the women was an artist of some kind (I’m guessing fabric art) and her creations were beautiful enough to elicit raves from h...

My March Reads

This Thursday is the first day of spring. The ancients called it Ostara and believed it was a time to celebrate new beginnings, balance, and renewal. We usually think of it as the Spring Equinox, a time when the sun and earth are in balance, and the days and nights are equal.

Whatever you call it, and whether or not you mark it at all, spring is almost always welcome, at least here in the Western Hemisphere. Signs of growth are everywhere! In my garden, the heather and crocuses are in blo...

Creating During Challenging Times

                             

The ground feels unsteady under our feet these days. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s because my part of the world has been the epicenter of three earthquakes registering 4+ on the Richter Scale over the last week and a half. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent more time than usual (and more time than I probably should) following current events, both here and abroad. As a news junkie and former journalist with friends still in the business, I’m horrified by the attac...