 The Prince George Citizen announces Valerie's new column on Feb. 7, 1998. A dear friend and excellent writer, with two newspaper columns and two published books, passed away suddenly last December. Valerie’s writing journey is explored in this blog post, along with some personal memories from my sister, Kathy Plett.
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 Inspiring reading with a message of hope Julian of Norwich (ca 1342-1416) is believed to be the first woman author in the English language. Revelations of Divine Love, or Showings, contains her visions of a “powerfully inclusive spirituality that is still radical now.” Julian comes alive again in Ralph Milton’s inspiring historical novel, Julian’s Cell.  Who knew that hundreds of Mennonite girls and women joined Vancouver's domestic workforce to help their families pay travel debt after immigrating to Canada? Ruth Derksen Siemens brings these women to life with many high quality photographs in her award-winning book, Daughters in the City.  It was hard to put down this riveting first-hand account of a Mennonite family’s hardship in the 1930s Soviet Union and the Second World War, ending with freedom in Canada. It was like sitting around the kitchen table listening to the author’s mother, two aunts and an uncle, share their intimate stories of survival. Insightful historical background is added to the eyewitness records.
Books one and two in the Rescue Me Series There’s a new contemporary romance novelist who features animal rescue work in her books, a heartwarming combination! In her Rescue Me series, Debbie Burns writes about a fictitious no kill animal shelter located in St. Louis, Missourri, where she also resides.  I love the intelligent, compassionate historical romance writing of Grace Burrowes. My latest read has an interesting Canadian twist with welcome diversity.
 After writing my blog post, “How can I forgive?” I found a book that explains exactly how, using a four-step process. I had to see it.  Delightful novel written almost entirely in the form of letters. The diary-like letters are the sole condition for Samantha’s grant to attend a journalism program.  I recently discovered some delightful historical romance novelists, courtesy of the Surrey Public Library. Here are two authors who brightened some recent wintry hours for me.  This marvellous book follows a week-long conversation between two dear friends when Desmond Tutu visited the Dalai Lama at his adopted home in India in 2015. Both have experienced immense hardship but are able to model amazing joy. Writer Douglas Abrams brings to life their conversations on how that’s possible in a beautiful, often lyrical way. |
WriterIrene Plett is a writer, poet and animal lover living in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Categories
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