4 posts published by Rebecca Budd during September 2025| Rebecca's Reading Room
I recently came across an article about book lists, The Ultimate Fall 2025 Reading List, by Emily Temple and noticed that one title appears again and again: The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy. Curious, I placed a hold on it through the Vancouver Public Library. It will be eight weeks before I can read it, whichContinue reading "Poignancy in Books: Sadness or Joy?"| Rebecca's Reading Room
The Turning Tide of Connection – A Reflection on the article “Social Media Trends 2025” (Hootsuite) Rebecca’s Reading Room continues in the tradition of the Victorian and Edwardian reading rooms—places where neighbours gathered not only to read books and periodicals, but to exchange ideas, wrestle with change, and imagine new futures. Beginning this season, theContinue reading "The Turning Tide of Connection"| Rebecca's Reading Room
“We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.”Pascal Mercier, Nig…| Rebecca's Reading Room
Stepping onto the English shore after the Norway voyage, I thought of Prema Chödrön’s words in Embracing the Unknown. She writes that the uncertainty of transition is not to be feared, but welcomed — for it is in that open space, the Bardo, that transformation begins. Tibetan teaching describes Bardo as the state between deathContinue reading "Embracing the Unknown: A Reading in Bardo by Pema Chödrön"| Rebecca's Reading Room
Happy Birthday Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Today, August 28, 1749, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Poet, playwright, novelist, philosopher, scientist — Goethe embodied the boundless energy of creativity. His words carried the currents of human longing, joy, and striving into every corner of life. Centuries later, we still turnContinue reading "Happy Birthday Goethe!"| Rebecca's Reading Room
There are some books that linger quietly in the back of your mind long after you’ve read the final page—books that feel like a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon. The Last Garden in England by Ju…| Rebecca's Reading Room
3 posts published by Rebecca Budd during August 2025| Rebecca's Reading Room
The Bard’s Corner: Finding Ourselves in Shakespeare’s Sonnets Welcome to The Bard’s Corner—a new podcast series within Rebecca’s Reading Room, where we listen anew to the voice of William Shakespeare. Not as a distant literary figure confined to dusty libraries and exam rooms, but as a companion whose words still walk beside us. “From fairestContinue reading "The Bard’s Corner – Finding Ourselves in Shakespeare’s Sonnets"| Rebecca's Reading Room
There are voices in history that never quite fade—only soften, like a song carried by the wind across centuries. Sappho is one of those voices. I recently came across a poem attributed to her, thou…| Rebecca's Reading Room
Just had to share this moment with you. On this day in 1915, Robert Frost’s iconic poem “The Road Not Taken” was first published in The Atlantic Monthly. More than a century later, its opening lines still echo in our hearts: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel both…” It’sContinue reading "A Milestone in Poetry August 1, 1915"| Rebecca's Reading Room
Introducing the Monthly Review This post marks the beginning of a new tradition in Rebecca’s Reading Room—a monthly reflection on the books, poems, and ideas we’ve explored together. It’s a moment to look back on the stories that shaped the past few weeks and offer a glimpse of what’s to come. I hope it becomesContinue reading "In the Company of Books: July Reflections and August Glimpses"| Rebecca's Reading Room
Some books don’t just tell a story—they invite you into a riddle, a ritual, a hidden map. The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson is one such book. It caught my imagination instan…| Rebecca's Reading Room
6 posts published by Rebecca Budd during July 2025| Rebecca's Reading Room
Change is often met with resistance.And for good reason. It unsettles our routines, disturbs the familiar, and opens the door to the unknown. It asks us to relinquish control and step into a space …| Rebecca's Reading Room