These days, I tend to write all my blog posts at once and schedule them to publish daily Monday through Thursday. It’s a model that works, though it also means that I’m writing in advance of certain life events. Perhaps, since I’ve written this post on a Sunday, things will look differently from a Thursday…
Author: marialegault
I spend my time hiking in nature and reading great novels.
The Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
Hesse, Herman. (2002, 1927). Steppenwolf. Picador; United Kingdom. My first exposure to the work of Herman Hesse was in his most well-known book, Siddhartha. While Siddhartha relies heavily on the stories and principles of Eastern mysticism to engage with a series of (very distinct) self-discovery experiences, Steppenwolf is set in European culture and addresses the…
The River Runneth Over; Nature Rejoices
This past winter, the Southern Ontario landscape was covered in one of the densest snow packs recorded in over 30 years (GRCA News Room, February 2014). Extremely cold temperatures also meant that much of the Grand River and Lake Erie – two interconnected water systems – became almost entirely covered in ice, raising fears that…
The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
White, T.H. (2008, 1938). The Sword in the Stone. HarperCollins; London. I initially read this book for an undergraduate class I took almost three years ago, but have kept it on the shelf for a variety of reasons. First, it’s a wonderfully playful and fun tale of the boyhood adventures of King Arthur, at a…
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
King, Stephen. (1987). The Eyes of the Dragon. Viking Penguin Inc.; New York. This novel was written by Stephen King for his daughter’s benefit, and thus has all the trappings of a typical fairy tale. There’s an evil and malevolent wizard, a young prince fighting for his right to the kingdom, and plenty of potions….
It’s Spring! Time to #GoFetch
As many of my regular readers will know, I’ve been a dog sitter/dog walker for many years now. I currently work with a very high-energy, three year old Border Collie – her love for chasing after her Frisbee is insatiable. Even in the negative 40 degree Celsius temperatures we experienced in Ontario this past winter,…
Wanderings in Cooperstown, Otsego County, New York
For the last several days, I’ve been away at the Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium (NERR) which – at least for the time I’ve known it – has always been held in Cooperstown, New York. I previously attended NERR in 2012, and this time I was pleased to see both old and new sights in the…
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Huxley, Aldous. (1932, 2007). Brave New World. Vintage Canada Edition; Toronto. I don’t feel properly qualified or deeply knowledgeable enough about the enigma that was Aldous Huxley and his famous work, Brave New World, to speak with any degree of expertise in this post. All I can do is vigorously recommend to the reader that…
The Little Cat that Could – Cye (Proudly from Kitchener, Ontario)
After the widespread popularity of internet cats like Grumpy Cat® and Lil Bub, you might think that the world has had its fill of soft and adorably-cute felines. Thankfully, the world has not grown tired of unique kitties; Cye, a tiny Munchkin cat living in Kitchener, ON, has recently gained the notable distinction of being…
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Bradbury, Ray. (1950). The Martian Chronicles. Bantam Books; Toronto. For the curious and creative reader, this Ray Bradbury novel is a loosely episodic collection of short stories woven together with vignettes; as such, it allows the reader to interpose their own conclusions onto the plot line (Wikipedia article). The stories describe the colonization of Mars,…
Birding by the Confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers
This past weekend, the temperatures edged a little above freezing and the sun was in full evidence in the sky. Hope blossomed in everyone’s hearts that spring might actually be approaching. Birds were more active and calling eagerly to each other, which prompted my partner and I to grab the binoculars and head out for…
Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen
Cullen, Lynn. (2011). Reign of Madness. G.P. Putnam’s Sons; New York. I have a very great weakness for historical fiction, though I am not as enamored with the stories of the great kings and queens from the past as I am of the lesser-known figures*. For those with a decided interest in the kings and…
Maria Legault 