

Discover the Hope Rose and a Wondrous Old Rose Garden
My husband and I looked down at our sad miniature rose. "I don't think it's going to make it," Peter said. When Peter gave me the little...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


Stars Through an Autumn Twilight: A Harvest of Lighthouses on Prince Edward Island
Is it because I grew up in the desert? My imagination has always harbored a fascination for islands and lighthouses. I think whatever is...

Linda Borromeo
2 min read


Kate Greenaway: Staying True to Your Own Style
How do memories transform creativity and imagination? For artist and poet Kate Greenaway, childhood memories created a swirl of color,...

Linda Borromeo
7 min read


When a Picture is Worth a Thousand (or More) Words
What I'll Never Know Have you ever browsed in a used bookstore and wondered about an inscription? I still remember one I found inside a...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


Gifts From the Sky: Celebrating The Flying Lighthouse Santa
It starts with a low rumble. As the noise grows louder, I shade my eyes and look up at the blue sky. Overhead, the roar approaches and...

Linda Borromeo
3 min read


In Her Own Hand: What Book Treasures Came to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair?
Credit: Charlotte Brontë by Evert A. Duyckinck, courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin The Possibilities of a Handwritten Name...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


Is Captain Jim's Lighthouse Real? Discover L.M. Montgomery's Lighthouse of Dreams
(New) Cape Tryon Lighthouse, Prince Edward Island. Credit: William Li CC BY-SA 4.0 When L. M. Montgomery published Anne's House of Dreams...

Linda Borromeo
5 min read


Take a Summer Tour of These Beloved Literary Gardens
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need . — Cicero Lush gardens and books are delights that never grow old. The...

Linda Borromeo
3 min read


Ideal Books to Read During a Busy December: Here Are Seven I Love
For those who love reading, the busy December holidays can be a challenge. No matter what the season, book lovers always find a few...

Linda Borromeo
5 min read


"Anne of Green Gables" and an Evening in Autumn
Autumn on Prince Edward island My husband and I started out married life in an apartment near the University of California, Berkeley....

Linda Borromeo
2 min read


Sleuthing the Books: An Autumn Adventure
My husband and I can never resist a sign that reads “Library Book Sale.” On an autumn afternoon filled with brilliant colors and...

Linda Borromeo
6 min read


What Happens When a Lighthouse Book Goes Wild?
After a week of what we call "Junuary" in the Pacific Northwest—a week filled with cloudy gray skies—I woke up to the summer sun...

Linda Borromeo
3 min read


They Never Wearied of Stories: Discover a Surprising Children's Library
Painting by Helen Allingham What can the height of a table tell you? If you walked into a special children's library of long ago, a...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


Mary Cassatt and the Vanishing Mural
On a cool autumn evening , Christie Edwards faces a life-altering decision. She is attending an awards ceremony at the 1893 Chicago...

Linda Borromeo
6 min read


Toughness in a Tiny Package: What We Can Learn From a Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet The temperature had dipped to 7° F, and I was concerned. On winter walks, I always watch for one of my favorite...

Linda Borromeo
3 min read


Christmas Paintings: 3 Turning Points of Freedom for Artist Henry O. Tanner
First Freedom: Escape into the Night She prayed that the night would be kind. Touching her daughter's shoulder one last time, her...

Linda Borromeo
5 min read


"Where Are My Sparkles?" Dealing with Creative Comparisons
"Each of us has something to give that no one else has." As I took a walk around my favorite lake, I snapped a quick picture. When I...

Linda Borromeo
2 min read


Butterflies, Orange Blossoms, and Mary Stewart
Mary Stewart (1916-2014) Mary Stewart Moment # 1 I had a delightful and unexpected “Mary Stewart" moment this week—a perfect way to...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


Twice Upon a Time: 3 Ways You Can Treasure Rereading a Book
A Story Without an End Have you heard this beautiful song , a favorite of mine, performed by teacher and musician Earl Grant? As the...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


A Spanish Princess, a Glass Dress, and a Creative Gamble
Actress Gloria Cayvan (left) and Infanta Eulalia of Spain Cinderella's fairy godmother created glass slippers with just a flick of her...

Linda Borromeo
5 min read


How You Can Break Up with Creative Pressure, but Keep It as a Friend
As I drove my car back to Portland, Oregon after a job interview, I wrestled with a decision. At each turn of the road, trees and...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


The Surprising Benefits of Creative Fear
A strange thing happens every time I face a blank computer screen. A heavy weight of uneasiness settles inside me—a feeling of inadequacy...

Linda Borromeo
2 min read


A Narnian Christmas Treasure, a Professor, and Africa
Discovering Narnian Treasure I walked into the fragrance of a hundred Christmas trees. On my way to my cluster mailbox about a half-mile...

Linda Borromeo
4 min read


From the Valley to the High Places: A Journey and a Book
Please welcome Mary Elizabeth Brown, our guest blogger today. Mary is a musician and writer who is currently working on an historical...
Mary Elizabeth Brown
3 min read