Quotations on Censorship

(https://pixabay.com)

“There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.”

                                                                     Ray Bradbury

 

 

“Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.”

                                                                   Henry Louis Gates Jr.

 

(https://pixabay.com)

“If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas for more wise men reading more good books in more public libraries. These libraries should be open to all—except the censor. We must know all the facts and hear all the alternatives and listen to all the criticisms. Let us welcome controversial books and controversial authors. For the Bill of Rights is the guardian of our security as well as our liberty.”

                                                              John F. Kennedy

Advertisements

What Book Would You Read? — Revisited

(https://pixabay.com)

One of my best memories from summers when I was a child was of those days when I didn’t have to do anything. Work had not yet reared its head, chores were finished, and the weather was just right. It wasn’t too hot, and the humidity was low. The sky was filled with imagination-inducing legions of clouds.  On such days, I remember sitting under a tree, leaning back against it and reading a book—all day, with the exception of going in for lunch and supper. They were perfect days.

(https://pixabay.com)

Now, imagine something like that. For one day, you have no responsibilities, the weather is nice—75 degrees, almost no humidity, and a sky of bright blue and cumulus clouds like scattered cotton candy—and you have the time to indulge in reading a book. At your side is a container of coffee, iced tea, or whatever you like. You also have snacks with you.  Remember, for this day, you are free to relax and read, as if you were a child again.

If I were to do this right now, I think I would begin to reread The Lord of the Rings.

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

My question is—what book would you read?

I have used this post before, but I love hearing the answers from other readers.

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.

An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.

Please follow the following links to find my novel:

ebook

Print book

Thank you!

The book trailer:

Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I

My radio interview:

interview

Happy Friday the 13th!

(https://pixabay.com)

I hope all of you enjoy your day today and do not worry at all about the date. This is not a day that should cause any concern, unless of course you somehow had access to a time machine and were able to travel back in time to October 13, 1307 when the end of this organization was put into play by King Philip the Fair of France.  Apparently his name carried two levels of irony, because many reported that he was not handsome, and certainly his treatment of the Knights Templar shows he was not a man of honor.

He had many arrested on that day, and that began a time of great torture, horror, and death for those involved. So, certainly that day would have been a terrible day to be around on Friday the 13th!

If you had a time machine, perhaps you should choose a different, happier historical day!

But for everyone else, enjoy the Friday! Go out if you normally do, or stay home and enjoy a good book, but have fun, and please do not worry about the date!

(https://pixabay.com)

Thank You to Readers!

(https://pixabay.com)

I want to say thank you to all the people who read! As a person who loves to read, I think that reading is crucial to society and one of the great joys of life.  It gives us a chance to walk in other people’s shoes, to experience what they do, and to expand our experience of the world.

As a writer, I also want to say thank you to readers, because without readers, writing,  books, and literature do not exist. The act of reading is a collaboration between the creators of the words of books and the readers who experience and interpret them.

So, to all who read, thank you very much!

(https://pixabay.com)

Quotations by J.R.R. Tolkien

(https://en.wikipedia.org)

All of the following quotations are by J.R.R. Tolkien

“I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which ‘Escape’ is now so often used. Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls?”

 

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost.”

“An author cannot of course remain wholly unaffected by his experience, but the ways in which a story-germ uses the soil of experience are extremely complex, and attempts to define the process are at best guesses from evidence that is inadequate and ambiguous.”

(https://pixabay.com)

 

My recent book reading: Gallows Hill:The Investigative Paranormal Society, Book 2 by Charles F. French

(pic by Heather Simoneau)

I had a wonderful time at my recent book reading of Gallows Hill: The Investigative Paranormal Society, Book 1 at Scheler Humanities Forum in Linderman Library at Lehigh University: Bethelehem, PA.

This was a relaxed affair, with students and colleagues in attendance. I spoke about both books in this series, including Maledicus: The Paranormal Society, Book 1.  After a brief introduction, I read several excerpts and then answered some questions.

I always enjoy this kind of event, and as you can see from the photograph, it was informal and relaxing. And the room in this remarkable library is wonderful, filled with beautiful, old bookshelves and some of the library’s collections of rare texts.

To all who attended, thank you!

And thank you to Heather Simoneau for arranging this event and creating this lovely poster!

Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.

Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.

An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.

Please follow the following links to find my novel:

ebook

Print book

Thank you!

The book trailer:

Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I

My radio interview:

interview

A Reading of Gallows Hill: The Investigative Paranormal Society, Book 2 by Charles F. French at Lehigh University Linderman Library

Join us for an evening with the Investigative Paranormal Society

Please join us as Charles French reads from his latest book, Gallows Hill.  This is the second installment in French’s Investigative Paranormal Society series.

When: 6:30 Thursday, March 29th

Where: Scheler Humanities Forum (Linderman 200)