Pure Passion and Steady Purpose ~
"...as if in coincidence with the theme of his reflections, he fixed his eyes on the polar star, which that night twinkled with more than ordinary brilliancy. Emblem of pure passion and steady purpose ~ the thoughts which arose as he viewed its clear and unchanging light, were disinterested and noble. To seek his country's welfare, and secure the blessings of domestic peace."
~ Peveril in Peveril of the Peak, 1822

SirWalter Scott - 1771 - 1832
Scottish historical novelist and poet
Classics: Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Lady of the Lake.
Scott began studies at the University of Edinburgh at the age of twelve, eventually becoming a lawyer.
A biography of Sir Walter Scott ~ Wikipedia

Village of York on The Grand River
(For larger images, click 3X on photos)

Day of One Thousand Canoes
Questions we are being asked:

When is departure time on the Day of 1000 Canoes?
Where do we register? Who do we talk to about volunteering?

Start Time and Location: 9 am - 11 am Unload, park, sign in, eat, enjoy entertainment, then launch according to ticket number. Caledonia Fair Grounds, Hwy. # 54 (Caithness St. E, Caledonia)
Volunteer? Assistance is planned for canoeists at three locations: Caledonia Fairgrounds, Village of York (Hwy # 54) and Cayuga, Bob Baigent Memorial Park.
Please contact Lorna in The Neat Little Bookshop or by email lorna@1000canoes.com Phone number, anytime, 905-577-5635. Registration forms available online http://www.1000canoes.com/ also in the bookshop.

For larger image of poster please click on photo.

Smile for Today:

"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."

~ The Editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

The Little Big Book of Laughter,Welcome Books, 2004. Edited by Katrina Fried & Lena Tabori

Lilac Season

Mount Olivet Community Gathers for a Pie Social.
Saturday, May 21, 2011

Photos: Lorna

More Rotten Reviews: take heart all writers ~ Many a good book received bad reviews.

THE BELL JAR, Sylvia Plath ~ "Highly autobiographical and...since it represents the views of a girl enduring a bout of mental illness, dishonest." 1971

TROPIC OF CAPRICORN, Henry Miller ~ "...a flamboyant failure." "...a gadfly with delusions of grandeur."

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, Ken Kesey ~ "Kesey builds up an atmosphere of real horror and significance and then dispels it ineffectively with some quite misplaced slapstick. The book never gets back firmly on the track and a flurry of activity at the end isn't quite lively enough to disguise the fact that it's getting nowhere." 1962

CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, Jean Auel ~ "We are very impressed with the depth and scope of your research and the quality of your prose. Nevertheless, the length presents a unique problem, for production costs are rising and the reading public are reluctant to bjuy expensive novels unless the author has an established reputation such as the one enjoyed by James Michener. In any case, we don't think we could distribute enough copies to satisfy you or ourselves." 1980
"Nature fits all her children with something to do,
He who would write and can't write, can surely review."
~ James Russell Lowell

Rotten Reviews: Some of the best authors have received rotten reviews.

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, H. G. Wells ~ "An endless nightmare. I do not believe it would take...I think the verdict would be 'Oh don't read that horrid book.' "

ALICE IN WONDERLAND, Lewis Carroll ~ "We fancy that any real child might be more puzzled than enchanted by this stiff, overwrought story." 1865

LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER, D. H. Lawrence ~ "D. H. Lawrence has a diseased mind. He is obsessed by sex...we have no doubt that he will be ostracized by all except the most degenerate coteries in the literary world." 1928

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, J. D. Salinger ~ ""Recent war novels have accustomed us all to ugly words and images, but from the mouths of the very young and protected they sound peculiarly offensive...the ear refuses to believe." 1951

Writers take heart! When Huckleberry Finn was banned by the Concord Massachusetts public library, Mark Twain exulted: "That will sell 25,000 books for sure!"

Rotten Reviews & Reflections, Pushcart Press, 1998

Tomorrow: More bad reviews