April Blogging from A to Z Challenge

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Books Make Great Gifts Month

Or maybe I think that because I’m a bookworm. LOL.

Some of the greatest gifts I’ve received throughout my life are books. Specifically, books that showed that the person behind the gift knew me well enough to choose the right topic when they bought the book.

This is the time of year when people normally exchange gifts (though books make great gifts year-round!). Compared to other things, say those snazzy noise-cancelling headphones, books are an inexpensive gift. You can buy an entire twelve book series in paperback and have change left over instead of buying those headphones…

Am I pushing books too much?

Reading is good for you!

· Improves sleep.
· Reduces stress.
· Improves memory.
· Develops and increases empathy.
· Increases vocabulary.
· Improves writing skills.
· Boosts imagination.
· Exercises your brain.
· Expands your knowledge.
· Enhances imagination.

There are many more benefits from reading for pleasure than all this and for your mental health and overall wellbeing.

Give reading a chance.

So where can you get books? Well, you can give a loved-one a library card (help them get theirs from their local library) so they can access all the books (physical and digital) their library offers. You can get them a subscription from a service like Kobo Plus (eBooks and audiobooks). Or you can buy them books (eBooks, audiobooks, paperbacks, hardbacks, special editions – the choices are only limited by your imagination). You can buy books online, in bookstores, or directly from authors (from their websites or a Kickstarter campaign).

You can find all of my books here.

Go and give someone the gift of reading this month.

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Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Dream Destinations A to Z

Okay travel blogging A to Z fans, here's a list of "dream destinations."

Will this alphabet of locations be around long enough for most of us to visit? Have you had the chance to visit any of these places?

Which of these would you most wish to visit (assuming unlimited funds, time, and health)?

A is for — Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (the northernmost national park in the United States, situated entirely north of the Arctic Circle).
B is for — Bangkok, Thailand, a blend of tradition and modernity.
C is for — The Ajanta Caves are 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the second century BCE, in India.
D is for — The Dead Sea, bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west, is the lowest point on Earth.
E is for — Everglades, Florida, in the United States, can be beautiful and dangerous. It is mostly six feet above sea level.
F is for — Franz Josef Glacier is one of New Zealand's most famous and accessible glaciers. The nearby town of Franz Josef provides accommodation and booking services for various tours.
G is for — Great Barrier Reef, Australia’s cornerstone of global biodiversity and ocean health. 90 percent is now very vulnerable to starvation and disease, and the potential death of the reef.
H is for — Roatán is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras, and is known for world-class snorkeling and scuba diving.
I is for — The Solomon Islands are a collection of islands about 2,000 miles from Australia in the South Pacific. They are barely above sea level.
J is for — Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, Iceland, where one can see icebergs on Diamond Beach, go glacier hiking, and spot wildlife year-round.
K is for — Komodo Island has unique ecosystems and is most famous for its Komodo dragons.
L is for Long Island, minutes from Manhattan, NYC, in the United States, which features beaches and historic lighthouses.
M is for — The Maldives, in the Indian Ocean, is over 1,000 coral islands, most barely above sea level.
N is for — Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, the world's oldest hotel, operating since 705AD, in Japan.
O is for — Osaka, Japan, has a castle, theme park, architecture, nightlife, street food, cherry-blossom trees, and an ancient shrine.
P is for — The Patagonian Ice Field, located between Chile and Argentina, offers activities such as ice hiking, trekking, and boat tours to view the glaciers.
Q is for — Magdalen Islands in Quebec, Canada, which feature stunning landscapes, hiking, kayaking, kitesurfing, museums, and beaches.
R is for — Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, especially the "arc of destruction," a region surrounding the Shingu territory.
S is for — Shanghai, on China’s central coast. See The Bund, Yu Garden, Oriental Pearl Tower, museums, shopping, and more.
T is for — Tuvalu, a remote island nation in the Pacific Ocean.
U is for — United States, Glacier National Park, Montana. Current melting rates suggest tourists have less than five years to visit before it's gone forever!
V is for — Venice, with a maze of canals and stunning Renaissance architecture.
W is for — The Great Wall of China is one of the most famous man-made structures in the world.
X is for — Xcaret is a popular eco-archaeological park in Mexico. Visitors can swim in rivers, explore caves, and experience the nightly cultural show.
Y is for — Yellowstone is one of the few dozen volcanoes on Earth capable of "supereruptions". Yellowstone National Park in the United States is 2.2 million acres (89,030,841,293 square meters).
Z is for Zimbabwe, located in Africa, which features Victoria Falls and Mana Pools National Park.

(I did struggle with "U." I considered Ukraine for the historic cities and beautiful landscapes. Given the current political situation, the country may also vanish in under five years. 😔)

Any places you feel are unworthy of this list? Any you wish were added?

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Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Who wants to play a game with the #AtoZChallenge folks!?

As the weather gets colder here in the United States, we turn to more indoor activities. My favorite indoor activity is gaming. Board games, card games, roleplaying games... let's do it!

In my opinion, the best way to find new games is to go to gaming conventions. I've been to GenCon (Indiana), Origins (Ohio), MEPACON (Pennsylvania), and ConnectiCon (Connecticut). BoardGameGeek has a whole list of worldwide conventions! You should check out your local convention or travel to one of the major ones. They can be a lot of fun!