Thursday, February 2, 1:30 p.m. Karen Richardson, Curator of the Haldimand County Museum, will be our guest at the Round Table.
Thursday afternoons ~ 1st & 3rd ~ are informal readings/discussions on topics that always entertain and hopefully inform. Being February, we think that romance is a welcome subject. Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet and writer, apparently found the winter months long. While on a lecture tour in the United States, he wrote to his wife on March 16, 1950,

"My love, Oh, cat. . .Have you forgotten me? I am the man you used to say you loved. I used to sleep in your arms ~ do you remember? But you never write. You are perhaps mindless of me. I am not of you. I love you. There isn't a moment of any hideous day when I do not say to myself, 'It will be alright. I shall go home. Caitlin loves me. I love Caitlin.'
But perhaps you have forgotten. If you have forgotten, or lost your affection for me, please, my Cat, let me know. I love you."

Please join us. Coffee pot's Always On. . . Thursday, February 2, 1:30 p.m.*From The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time, Edited by David H. Lowenherz, Crown Publishers, New York, 2002
Postcard collection courtesy of John Walker

The Difference Between Literature and Journalism ~

"Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice; journalism what will be grasped at once."

~ Cyril Connolly, Enemies of Promise, English critic and writer (1903 - 1974)

Source: The Writer and the Reader, Neil Ewart, 1984, Blandford Press.

Local Author ~ Brad Smith

Sent to check out a budding story about a discovery of lost civil war memorabilia, journalist Amy Morris resents that this assignment is more about her boss' collecting hobby than advancing her career ~

"Dock Bass." "Sounds like a hillbilly action figure," she said unhappily. "How exactly am I supposed to handle this? I don't ever recall Dan Rather showing up at the space center with a pocketful of cash, trying to buy a used shuttle. There are credibility concerns here, Sam."
"Just get close to the situation. Find out what this guy's story is. If it looks as if he'll sell, I'll have somebody there in a heartbeat. I know people in the area. You can keep your distance, do a fascinating little historical piece for the six o'clock and hit the road. But don't think you're going to be the only dog in the hunt. This thing is already attracting a lot of attention, on the Lincoln pictures alone. Throw in the Edison controversy and it'll be Katie-bar-the-door."
"Oh Yeah, it's very exciting," she said and she turned away. "It's the one I've been waiting for, Sam."
~ Busted Flush, Brad Smith, Picador, Pan Books Limited, 2005

Brad Smith will be in The Neat Little Bookshop on Saturday, February 18 at 1:30 p.m. His latest book: Red Means Run released this month by Simon & Schuster.

Famous Love Letters ~

"There is only one situation I can think of in which men and women make an effort to read better than they usually do. [It is] when they are in love and reading a love letter."

~ Mortimer Adler (1902 - 2001) American author, philosopher
Famous Love Letters, Messages of Intimacy and Passion
Edited by Ronald Tamplin, Reader's Digest Assoc., Inc., 1995.
"I love you no longer; on the contrary, I detest you. You are a wretch, truly perverse, truly stupid, a real Cinderella. You never write to me at all, you do not love your husband; you know the pleasure that your letters give him yet you cannot even manage to write him half a dozen lines, dashed off in a moment!"

~ Letter Napoleon to Josephine, Spring 1707.

The couple remained married until 1809 when Napoleon had the marriage annulled. (On her death, Napoleon picked violets from Josephine's grave and wore them in a locket around his neck until his death seven years later.)
Napoleon (1769 - 1821), Josephine (1763 - 1814)
~Famous Love Letters, Ronald Tamplin, 1995.
Postcard Collection courtesy of John Walker

Karen Richardson, Curator of the Haldimand County Museum, will be at The Neat Little Bookshop

Thursday, February 2 at 1:30 p.m.

Topic: Romance. Everyone welcome ~ round table discussion. Coffee pot's always on ~ (Do you have a vintage love letter that you would like to share?)

". . . a woman who loves a man would sleep on a board." ~ English novelist, D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)

D. H. Lawrence has been described as "not only one of the great lyric geniuses of modern literature" but an "expert on lusts, hatreds, emotions that none before dared pursue."
In a letter to his friend, John Murry, Lawrence advises, "...give her a man to be satisfied with ~ and satisfaction is never accomplished even physically unless the man is strongly and surely himself, and doesn't depend on anything but his own being to make a woman love him. You've tried to satisfy Katherine with what you could earn for her, give her: and she will only be satisfied with what you are."
"...you fool, you squander yourself, not for her, but to provide her with petty luxuries she doesn't really want. You insult her. A woman unsatisfied must have luxuries. But a woman who loves a man would sleep on a board."

~ The WORLD'S GREAT LETTERS, Simon & Schuster, 1940 Edited by M. L. Schuster.

Visit With The Author ~ Brad Smith

Author of Big Man Coming Down the Road, One-Eyed Jacks*, Busted Flush, All Hat, Rises a Moral Man and now his sixth book, Red Means Run.

Local author, Brad Smith, will be at The Neat Little Bookshop on Saturday, February 18 at 1:30 p.m. signing books.

"For such a furiously funny writer, Smith has great reserves of tenderness."
~ New York Times Book Review

"His characters are drawn with precision and sympathy, and seem as real as any in contemporary fiction."
~ Toronto Star

*One-Eyed Jacks was shortlisted for the Dashiell Hammett and Arthur Ellis Awards. Brad grew up in Canfield, Ontario. He lives in the Dunnville area.

http://www.bradsmithbooks.com/ Photo: Smith signing books at Flyers Cafe in Dunnville ~ L. B. Walker

Greeting Cards Lovingly Handmade by Angie ~

Imagine hours of sitting quietly with scissors, paper and glue. Angie Van Groningen's greeting cards are unquestionably a labour of love. Sparkles and tiny gems artistically placed amid layers of finely crafted images ~ this is the stuff that brings a smile. We have received cards meticulously sewn with golden thread. Whatever the occasion ~ new-baby congrats, anniversary, birthday and get-well wishes ~ Angie has thought of it!

Angie and her husband live in Holland most of the year. Whenever they visit Canada, which is several times a year ~ Angie comes by the bookshop with surprises of tea and a basket of her latest handmade cards. Thank you, Angie, for spreading beautiful thoughts and warm hugs.

"WHATEVER mitigates the woes or increases the happiness of others, this is my criterion of goodness; and whatever injures society at large, or any individual in it, this is my measure in iniquity."

~ Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 - July 21,1796)

Many of you may have warmed someone's heart with greeting cards from The Neat Little Bookshop. Do you know the story behind them ? That coming up tomorrow ~

"May your day be filled with fun and laughter." Some of Angie's beautiful greeting cards are blank, some deliver warm sentiments ~ ALL are "Lovingly Hand Made by Angie."

Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22 and Portrait of An Artist as An Old Man, explained why he kept writing,

"I have nothing else to do. The phone isn't ringing much anymore with calls I don't want to receive. There are no more faxes coming in with requests for interviews I don't want to give, no invitations from people I don't want to see for parties I don't want to go to. Damn it, I miss those interruptions!. . . Writing is about the only way I can define myself."

~ Joseph Heller (1923 - 1999) American satirical novelist.
Heller introduced a new phrase into the English language with "Catch-22." Simon & Schuster, 1961.

Source: Endangered Species, Writers Talk About Their Craft,Lawrence Grobel, Da Capo Press, 2001.

Don't forget to give your friends a hug. . .

Smile For Today ~

Thought for Today:

"Have you ever rightly considered what the mere ability to read means? That it is the key which admits us to the whole world of thought and fancy and imagination? to the company of saint and sage, of the wisest and the wittiest at their wisest and wittiest moment? That it enables us to see with the keenest eyes, hear with the finest ears, and listen to the sweetest voices of all time?"

~ James Russell Lowell, American poet and critic (1819 - 1891) Democracy and Other Addresses, 'Books and Libraries'
The Writer and The Reader, Blandford Press, 1884

Afternoon with an Author ~ It was a predictable sharing of stories with friends catching-up on the latest news. Brad has a following of fans eager to grab his new book, Red Means Run, released this month. Simon & Schuster.

l-r : Jim White, Nicole LeVatte, Pam Thomas and local author, Brad Smith.
Dragonfly Books & Gifts, Caledonia, hosted a book signing.
Visit Brad's website http://www.bradsmithbooks.com/
Photo:  L. B. Walker

Smile for Today:

An old literary and military tale has it that Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from West Point in 1831 for "gross neglect of duty" because he appeared naked at a public parade. Parade dress instructions called for "white belts and gloves, under arms." Poe took this literally and appeared with rifle over his bare shoulder, wearing belt and gloves ~ and nothing else.

As a reader pointed out, we missed recognizing Poe's birthday on January 19. We offer the above anecdote in his honour.

Source: THE LITTLE, BROWN BOOK OF Anecdotes, General Editor, Clifton Fadiman, 1985.

Untitled ~ Emily Dickinson

Unto my books so good to turn
Far ends of tired days;
It half endears the abstinence,
And pain is missed in praise.

As flavors cheer retarded guests
With banquetings to be,
So spices stimulate the time
Till my small library.

It may be wilderness without,
Far feet of failing men,
But holiday excludes the night,
And it is bells within.

I thank these kinsmen of the shelf;
Their countenances bland
Enamour in prospective,
And satisfy, obtained.

~ Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson, Chatham River Press, 1983.
Edited by M. L. Todd & T.W. Higginson

Our thanks to Neil Paul and John Passfield for today's fascinating presentation ~ the first of a series ~ on Dutch artist Rembrandt.

Neil agrees with the modern opinion that our decorative plate, "The Man In The Golden Helmet" may not be a Rembrandt; however, we have a second plate; the image on our second plate appeared to us to be a merry tavern scene of some sort. Neil's reference book clearly shows a BED in the background of the painting, depicting Rembrandt and his first wife, Saskia. We have a Rembrandt after all!

A special thank you to Grand Treats & Treasures for refreshments for today's event. Drop into the Cayuga Street business. Pick up some hot English Wassail Cider Mix. Tell Colliene that we sent you.

Reminder: Today Fascinating Personalities 1:00 p.m. ~ John Passfield and Neil Paul. Readings and revisiting Dutch Artist Rembrandt.

Round table discussion. Everyone welcome. (Thank you Wikipedia ~ Images of Rembrandt)

Smith's Best Book ? Witty, humourous and constructed to hold the reader's attention, Red Means Run is Brad Smith's new novel. Picked up by Scribner, a division of Simon & Shuster, this may be Brad's best book yet.
Visit www.bradsmithbooks.com for a run-down on local author, Brad Smith. He is the author of All Hat, Big Man Coming Down the Road, Busted Flush, One-Eyed Jacks and Rises a Moral Man. A video of the author takes us on a tour of his old stomping grounds, including the Cayuga Courthouse and jail.

Brad will be signing Red Means Run this Saturday at Dragonfly Books and Gifts in Caledonia, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Photo: Book-signing at Flyers Cafe in Dunnville, Ontario ~ LWalker.

Smile for Today ~

It may not be known how Rembrandt managed in the 1600s to produce natural flesh tints in his many nude paintings. However, two centuries later, Renoir replied when asked, "I just keep painting till I feel like pinching. Then I know it's right."

Source: THE LITTLE, BROWN BOOK OF Anecdotes, Clifton Fadman, 1985.

Man In The Golden Helmet ~ not a Rembrandt?

Thursday, January 19, 1:00 p.m. at The Neat Little Bookshop

Please join us for Fascinating Personalities

Retired teachers John Passfield and Neil Paul will be discussing the Dutch artist and some of his paintings.

(We are learning that The Man With The Golden Helmet may not be a Rembrandt after all.)

LADY ICICLE

Following from poetess Pauline Johnson's work Flint and Feather, 1912 Hodder and Stoughton Limited.

Little Lady Icicle is laughing in the north-land,

And quaffing in the north-land her wines that overflow;

All the lakes and rivers crusting

That her finger-tips are dusting,

Where Little Lady Icicle is laughing in the snow.

Photos: Grand River, Cayuga, Ontario. January 16.

Congratulations Brad !

Meet BRAD SMITH ~

Local author, Brad Smith, may have had more than one pen on hand today at Flyers Bakery and Cafe in Dunnville, Ontario. One fan was overheard to comment, "Some of us went to school with Brad." Eager fans lined up at 1:00 p.m. today to get his latest book, RED MEANS RUN. It is the first novel in a new series.
Kathy Lint congratulates Brad Smith on his new book.






Brad Smith and Lorraine Kelly, Mgr., Special Sales, Simon & Schuster Canada, meet readers at Flyers Bakery and Cafe.

We will get Brad to visit The Neat Little Bookshop in the near future. Meanwhile, if you missed him today, you can catch him next Saturday in Caledonia at The Dragonfly Books And Gifts, Argyle St. (Zehr's Plaza) http://www.simonandschuster.ca/

www.bradsmithbooks.com

Imagine a Time ~

"Imagine a time when common courtesy was a standard for all, when a genuine moral authority reigned supreme and when relations between the sexes were marked by mutual respect and honor. These were the hallmarks of the Victorian era."
So begins, The Benevolence of Manners, Recapturing the Lost Art of Gracious Victorian Living. Author: Linda S. Lichter.

"Fun in our gluttonous age is merchandise-dependent, but the roots of this syndrome predated our addiction to the tube. The authors of Middletown* noted that by the 1920s, the rich range of shared home entertainments had severely declined. Dancing to recorded music that divided the generations, as opposed to music you made and all enjoyed, became the major domestic amusement ~ when families weren't going their separate ways. And increasingly, they were.

"Living meant living it up, which demanded cash and a car. As one person interviewed by the Lynds observed, 'It almost seems as though family members simply couldn't wait to get out of the house and away from one another.'
"We have been deserting the hearth ever since."
~ L. Lichter, The Benevolance of Manners, ReganBooks /HarperCollins Publishers 1998.
* Studies by American sogiologists, Robt. and Helen Lynd, published in 1929

Smile for Today ~
Our own William Thomas, Canadian author, humourist, columnist, recently toured England. His columns are published in almost fifty newspapers, The Sachem being one.
In the January 12 Sachem issue you will find, "Lots of love for man's best friend. . ."
"Still missing my Jake, in England I petted border collies in pubs, ate next to terriers in restaurants and talked to a lurcher sitting next to me on buses. . .and naturally, introduced by their dogs, I met a lot of fine and friendly people."
"I think dogs should be allowed everywhere including malls and retail stores. (But not pet stores. That's just asking for trouble.") ~ William Thomas

Guinness, retired service dog, waits patiently in the car while her owner shops.


"In England, every time you turn around there's a dog smiling at you with an owner singing his praises...In Canada it seems every time you turn around there's 'No Pets Allowed' signs staring at you." ~ Canadian Humourist, William Thomas

The Neat Little Bookshop is a pet-friendly retail outlet. We even feature a Dog Gallery.
William Thomas' books are available at The Neat Little Bookshop ~ including The Dog Rules ~ Damn Near Everything. http://www.williamthomas.ca/

Smile for Today ~

"If sex is such a natural phenomenon, how come there are so many books on how to?"

~ Bette Midler, American vocalist, actress.

"When I burnt my bra it took the fire department four days to put out the blaze."

~ Dolly Parton, American vocalist, actress.

"It's a delightful thing to think of perfection; but it's vastly more amusing to talk of errors and absurdities."

~ Fanny Burney (Madame d'Arblay),1752 - 1840, British novelist.

"I doesn't matter what you do in the bedroom as long as you don't do it in the street and frighten the horses."

~Mrs. Patrick Campbell (1865 - 1940) British stage actress.

Source: WICKED WOMEN'S WIT AND HUMOUR Edited by Fidelis Morgan, Virago Press 1995.

Graphics: Fanny Burney, Wikipedia

The Dylan Thomas Centre - DylanThomas.com

The Dylan Thomas Centre - DylanThomas.com

Ray Bradbury On Writing ~

"You put all the information in there and let it percolate. Creativity in every field is almost identical. All great ideas, and much of the scientific ideas, come from percolation. Make sure you feed yourself all kinds of stuff from various fields, outrageous fields, every day."

~ Ray Bradbury ( 1920 - ) American author, science fiction, fantasy.
Source: Endangered Species, Lawrence Grobel, Da Capo Press, 2001

Eighteen Days of Steady Craftsmanship

Careful Craftsmanship ~ Royce Emery meticulously creates with attention to authenticity and perfection. His fine work is in demand at shows ~ especially when he is engaged in producing yet another beautiful piece. We hope to soon coax Royce into sharing his hobby with us in the bookshop.

A Special Thank you to the ladies of the Canfield Women's Institute for inviting us into their homes.
The WI was originally formed to revitalize rural communities and encourage women to participate in issues important to family and home.
Thank you to these industrious ladies for all that you do.




Today I spent a special afternoon in the country with
ladies of the Canfield Women's Institute and their guests from Sim's Locks. The roll call was "Your favourite author or book," which led perfectly into my presentation on The Neat Little Bookshop and the revitalization of downtown Cayuga. Thank you ladies!
Photos are not of Canfield; they are scenes of Mount Olivet, Haldimand County. Rural Canfield will be our next photo assignment!

"I WENT TO THE WOODS BECAUSE I WISHED TO LIVE DELIBERATEDLY, TO FRONT ONLY THE ESSENTIAL FACTS OF LIFE.

AND SEE IF I COULD NOT LEARN WHAT IT HAD TO TEACH AND NOT, WHEN I CAME TO DIE, DISCOVER THAT I HAD NOT LIVED."

~ Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862) Walden: Life in the Woods.

"Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again."
~ H. D. Thoreau, a Chinese inscription, cited in Walden: Life in the Woods.

Photo: Mount Olivet, Haldimand County, LWalker

"I do the very best I know how ~ the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."

~ Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) American President

"These are the gifts I ask
Of Thee, Spirit serene:
Strength for the daily task,
Courage to face the road,
Good cheer to help me bear the traveler's load,
And, for the hours of rest that come between,
An inward joy of all things heard and seen."

~ Henry Van Dyke (1852 - 1933) American author

Source: MOMENTS BRIGHT AND SHINING, C.R. Gibson Company,

Thought for Today:

"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity."

~ George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950) English playwright

"So long as we love, we serve; so long as we are loved by others, I would almost say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend."

~ Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894) Scottish novelist, poet.

Source: Moments Bright And Shining, The C.R.Gibson Company MCMLXXIX

One of our own has personal ties to a victim of a violent crime. It is unimaginable to most of us how unsettling life must become to family and friends. Our sincerest condolences go out to these folks.
This experience has made us aware of a volume of poetry on the subject of death. Friend and author, Laurie Miller said this, "Thinking about death, I keep coming back to Dylan Thomas, who wrote so many wonderful things about it. 'Though lovers be lost love shall not;/ And death shall have no dominion.' Maybe it doesn't get much better than that."

Following:  A portion of the mariner's poem, "Death Shall Have No Dominion"

And death shall have no dominion
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone.
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

http://www.dylanthomas.com/
~ Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) Welsh poet and writer
Photo: Wikipedia. Dylan Thomas' writing shed.

"She cocks her head to one side, fixes one with her luminous almond eyes, furrows her brow into puzzlement and seems to say, 'I would understand you thoroughly if you could speak more clearly. And incidentally, have you got a biscuit on you?' "
~ Alec Guinness (1914 - 2000) British actor, Shakespearean roles.

The Quotable Dog Lover, Edited by Patricia Sherwood, Sterling Publishing, 2004.

Zeus visits the Bookstore
"Think I'll just kick-back here. . .Interesting gibberish."

Tranquillity ~ calmness, serenity

"Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity."
~ Wm. Wordsworth (1770 - 1850) English poet.

"Sorrow is tranquillity remembered in emotion."
~ Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967) American critic, humorist.

"There ought to be moments of tranquillity in great works, as in life after the experience of passions, but not moments of disgust."
~ Voltaire (1694 - 1778) French writer, philosopher.

Source: Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Oxford University Press, 2001.

On Writing ~

Hemmingway won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954. Five years earlier it had been awarded to another American novelist, William Faulkner. The two writers did not have a very high opinion of each other. Faulkner said of Hemingway that he had no courage, that "he had never been known to use a word that might send the reader to the dictionary. When Hemmingway heard this, he said, "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use."

~THE LITTLE, BROWN BOOK OF Anecdotes, Clifton Fadman General Editor, 1985.

Living Consciously In The Moment ~
"Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink, I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper; fish in the sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars."
~ Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862) American author, poet, philosopher. Best known for his book Walden, Life in the Woods, a reflection on simple living ~ close to nature.

"...our lives unfold only in moments. If we are not fully present for many of those moments, we may not only miss what is most valuable in our lives but also fail to realize the richness and the depth of our possibilities for growth and transformation."
~ Jon Kabat~Zinn, (b. 1944.) Ph. D Molecular Biology. American Author, Wherever You Go There You Are, Hyperion, 1994.
Photo: Normandale, Norfolk County, Ontario. LWalker