Books – Aging with Grace

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

There is a charm to letters and cards that emails and smses can’t ever replicate, you cannot inhale them, drawing the fragrance of where they have been mailed from, the feel of paper in your hand bearing the weight of the words they contain within. Kiran Manral A friend was telling me about a book…

October 9, 2025

agingwithgrace104771094

Inspiration, Lifestyle, Social Commentary, writing

Aging, book-review, Books, correspondance, epistolary novels, Inspiration, Kiran Manral quote, letter writing, writing

Writing Fiction

A Favorite Book Everything that is real was imagined first. The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams Rosamunde Pilcher, one of my favorite authors, captivates me with her meticulous attention to detail and compelling mature characters. Among her numerous works, “September” stands out as one of my favorites. I find myself returning to it for comfort and…

September 25, 2025

agingwithgrace104771094

Biography, Inspiration, writing

Books, character development, fiction, Margery Williams quote, re-writing, Rosamunde Pilcher, writing, writing fiction

Influence

I believe that, more than anything else, the grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps us from being writers. Forgiveness, therefore, is key. I can’t write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing. Again and again throughout…

May 15, 2025

agingwithgrace104771094

Inspiration, Lifestyle, Social Commentary

Ann Patchett quote, ann-patchett, Bel Canto, book-review, Books, fiction, forgiving ourselves, influence of authors, self critique, writing

Self Refection

Is there nowhere in an American house where one may be one’s self? Edith Wharton Next week we celebrate another Thanksgiving. Winter will soon be here and Christmas is not far behind. 2024 is racing to a close. I want to slow down the time and enjoy each moment. This morning I put the duvet…

November 21, 2024

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Lifestyle, Social Commentary

Books, control, Edith Wharton quote, holidays, personal libraries, self reflection

Rediscovering Wisdom and Serenity

Stanley Ma Hang Park, Hong Kong “What is the meaning of life? That was all-a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years, the great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead there were daily little miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark…” To the…

June 13, 2024

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Aging, Inspiration, Lifestyle

Aging, Books, Coping, Hong Kong, introspection, limitations, meaning of life, photography, travel, Virginia Woolf quote

Rediscovering the Impact of Literature: A Journey Through Reading Memories

I cannot remember the books I’ve read anymore than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me. Ralph Waldo Emerson It’s 6 AM and, I’m looking out the living room window, watching the sun slowly peek around the corner of a brick wall. I am a morning person and this is my…

June 6, 2024

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Inspiration, Lifestyle

Books, friendship, morning, perspective, Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, Reading

Art’s Influence

Oh, some as soon would throw it all As soon a part away. And some will say all sorts of things, But some mean what they say. Robert Frost If you are looking for me on a Monday afternoon you will find me downtown at the Central Library. In the basement, surrounded by stacks of…

February 15, 2024

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Inspiration, Lifestyle, Social Commentary

art, art in schools, Books, David Brooks, duplicity, libraries, museums, New York Times, poetry, Robert Frost Quote, robert-frost, the importance of art

Moments

Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments. Rose Kennedy I have always been a Jackie Kennedy fan and I still have a collection of books about her dating back to the 1970’s. I admire her intelligence, grace and style. Like all of us she was flawed and that made me like her even more.…

February 1, 2024

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Inspiration, Lifestyle

being present, book-reviews, Books, Coping, history, jfk, john-f-kennedy, Kennedy family, milestones, moments, Rose Kennedy, White House by the Sea

You Can’t Tell a Book by it’s Cover

All that glitters is not gold. William Shakespeare I just read a piece written by a friend’s son for the New York Times, The Best Book Covers of 2022, Dec.9, 2022. I love everything about this article. In fact, for that reason, I subscribed to the paper. To begin with, it made me laugh because…

December 15, 2022

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Lifestyle, Social Commentary

book covers, Books, discernment, New York Times, people, perception, social interaction