Laura Langston's Blog, page 3

Happy Thanksgiving

                                               

It’s the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, a natural time to reflect on and give thanks for the harvest and the many blessings in our lives. Things are a little different for us this year as we’re currently traveling through Japan. We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel and we’re particularly thankful to be experiencing the richness of the Japanese culture. As we celebrate the bounty of this season, I leave you with a few of my...

My September Reads

Though the kids are back to school, the leaves are ever so slowly starting to fade and there’s a crispness to the morning air, I am still in summer mode. I’m loving our garden dahlias, sunny afternoons spent writing on the patio, and sneaking away for the occasional picnic dinner on the beach. These warm days won’t last; I know that. Maybe that’s what makes them feel so special.  And is always the case for me, a good book makes any day better. Here’s what I’m reading this month.

Love, Jap...

My August Reads

We’re past the midpoint of summer. While the days remain warm, nighttime temperatures are dropping, a reminder that we’re heading inexorably towards fall. In the garden, the raspberries are finished, the fig tree and cucumber vines are producing like mad and the tomatoes are ripening. As I write this, a batch of tomato confit bakes in the oven. If I’m not tending the harvest or noodling around with my latest manuscript, I’m in holiday mode entertaining family and friends. It’s a busy time an...

My June Reads

                             

Summer officially arrived last week, bringing with it more gorgeous flowers, a steady stream of visitors and a busier pace overall. I think that’ll be the theme of the next few months: beauty in the garden, wonderful times spent with friends and family, and lots of activity to keep me busy when they leave. And even though reading time is a bit harder to come by these days, I am still carving out time for it. Here’s what I’m reading this month.

Convenience ...

Diaries Into Books

                                     

Ninety-five years ago today, on June 12th, 1929, Anne Frank was born.  Almost everyone is familiar with her book, The Diary of a Young Girl, which is usually referred to as The Diary of Anne Frank. Her intimate account of hiding from the Nazis was published after her death in 1947 through the efforts of her father, the only family member to survive the holocaust.

Diaries offer us glimpses into the past. They can provide us with unique, eye-witness ...

Listening . . .

                                                            

It’s funny how the universe sends us messages . . . if we’re open to hearing them. Ironically, the messages I’ve been getting lately are about the importance of listening.

The first nudge came from our neighbor. He’s a sound producer by profession so his world is, as you’d expect, all about sound. Knowing we’re planning a trip to Japan, he told us about a bar in Tokyo where patrons are not only encouraged to listen, but they...

My May Reads

The consistently warm weather isn’t here quite yet, but my overwintered gerberas and geraniums are slowly migrating out of the greenhouse to take up their positions on the patio. Taking their place are flats of tomato, pepper, eggplant and melon seedlings. They got a late start because we were away for a week in April (primary seeding time) so I’m hoping they catch up. Speaking of catch up, that seems to be the theme in the garden lately, partly because of the weather but also because my bac...

When Too Much . . .

. . . is . . . well . . . too much.

In writing, there’s such a thing as going too far, or overwriting. In her book Steering the Craft, esteemed author Ursula K. Le Guin says it’s important to “slow down and leave enough white space around the words and silence around the voice.” What you leave out in those pauses, she believes, is infinitely more important than what you leave in.  And yet, there’s a balance. Leave out too much and your reader won’t understand what’s going on. Cram in too ...

Happy May

                                               

Today is May 1st, also known as May Day. In many places around the world, it’s also International Workers’ Day … a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions of the working class. In some places, in fact, today is a national public holiday.

The ancient Celts celebrated May Day too. They called it Beltane and considered it the most important day of the year. It was celebrated with bonfires, Maypole dancing and feasting, and culmina...

My April Reads

A change is as good as a rest, or at least that’s how the saying goes. I hope there’s some truth to it! We’re on the mainland babysitting our four-year-old grandson and rest is hard to come by. He’s not one for sleeping, and his inquisitive nature is in gear before dawn. That first morning, when he nudged me awake at 5:30 am and I replied that it was ‘too early,’ he snuggled in beside me and tried to engage. “What does too early even mean?” That led to a discussion (one sided) about...