Posts by Jackie
Book Review: Virgil Wander
5 Stars (out of 5) I started reading Virgil Wander on loan from the library and before I had completed the first page, I knew that I was going to purchase my own copy. I was already in love with Virgil based on his name, Virgil Wander, and the beautiful star-filled cover evoking small-town America…
Read MoreA Visit to the Twin Cities Book Festival
Earlier this month, I attended the Twin Cities Annual Book Festival which I had talked about in this blog post as a prelude to the event. We had other plans going on that Saturday so I was only there for about an hour and didn’t get a chance to see any authors who were speaking…
Read MoreTwin Cities Book Festival
The 19th Annual Twin Cities Book Festival is this Saturday, October 12. Held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, this annual event is the largest single-day book event in the area. There are hundreds of exhibitors including authors, illustrators, and publishers. Some of the bigger names this year: Faith Sullivan (Cape Ann, Ruby & Roland) Leif…
Read MoreWrite Back Soon: Adventures in Letter Writing
For an interactive, colorful, and engaging book on letter writing, consider picking up a copy of Karen Benke’s Write Back Soon! Adventures in Letter Writing (2015). Benke offers a plethora of ways to send mail including: Remember when (reliving a memory shared with a friend) A list of fun things to include with your letter…
Read MoreBookstore Postcards
I hadn’t planned to get the World’s Greatest Bookstores: 100 Postcards Celebrating the Most Beloved Bookshops as I have so many postcards already. But when the set of 100 postcards went on sale for $10, how could I resist? Apparently, I couldn’t and now I am sending out more postcards than ever to justify my…
Read MoreHalloween Stamps 2019
The USPS has four stamps coming out for Halloween. The Spooky Silhouettes stamps feature digital illustrations with black silhouettes in differently colored backlit windows. The images include a cat, two ghosts, a spider, and three bats. These stamps will be for sale on October 11 and are first class forever stamps (currently .55). For…
Read MoreWalt Whitman Stamp
The USPS releases the new Walt Whitman stamp today as it celebrates the 200th birthday of this American poet. This stamp is used for 3 oz mailings. I think it’s a beautiful stamp – the colors, the background, the lone bird. The Whitman stamps is part of the Literary Arts series by the USPS. Others…
Read MoreState Fair Stamps & State Fair Postcards
Last week I wrote about my annual search for the newest postcard from the Minnesota State Fair. What I didn’t think to include was the 2019 release of the State & County Fair Stamps from the USPS this July. There are four images included on this sheet of 20 first class postage stamps. Here’s some…
Read MoreRoald Dahl Postcard Set
I recently purchased this collection of Roald Dahl Postcards on Amazon and am having fun sending cards to people of all ages. This set of 100 Phizz-Whizzing postcards was created and published by Penguin – Random House (UK) and sells for $16.97 on Amazon. Many of the illustrations, including the one on the cover of…
Read MoreMinnesota State Fair Postcards
Postcards from the Minnesota State Fair are fun to find! I make a point of finding the featured postcard which is created from a poster used to promote the fair. Each year they commission a new print from a different artist. Here is this year’s print and a link to artist info. Like any state…
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