François-Auguste-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September, 1768 – 4 July, 1848) was a French author and diplomat, known as one of the first Romantic writes of his country.

The narrative follows the author and his brother, an Army veteran and a college graduate, who decided to hike the Appalachian Trail from north to south over five months. The pair goes through their own revelations while trudging through physical difficulties which the trail offers.

Sholem Asch was a Polish novelist who wrote in Yiddish, including God of Vengeance taking place in a Jewish brothel with Jewish prostitutes, lesbians, and more

We happened to be in Connecticut this weekend, so we thought a nice side trip would be to Mark Twain’s House in Hartford. We wanted to visit the house, but didn’t have a chance before now. While the neighborhood around the famous attraction is not the best, the house itself is magnificent. The house, built by money from his in-laws, designed by Livy Clemens and architect Edward Tuckerman Potter and decorated by Louis C. Tiffany & Co. The huge home has 25 rooms, 3 floors and over 11,000 square feet. Before the tour we visited the museum, currently it is about Twain’s daughters. Our kids got to play dress up, like the family and look at many interesting artifacts (dresses, books, etc.) and learn about the family in general. The kids were impressed with the Mark Twain Lego statue, and Daddy was impressed with a cool statue featuring characters from Twain’s books (Twain and his characters model). Click on image to view large image Click to view legend Click to view key We opted for the Living History Tour with the maid Lizzie Wills, which was a great choice. The costumed member was both entertaining and knowledgeable, answering questions and making history come alive…

Dani Shapiro does not consider herself religious but she is not a non-believer either and yearns to deepen her understanding of her personal sense of faith.