Let Us Speak of Pleasant Things and of Warm Places in the Heart

About the Book

It is the author's observation that humankind is, and has been, divorcing itself from nature, from each other and geographical places in the heart. Perhaps it is due to excessive convenience, stunning scientific advancement, present social thinking and a renewed restessnes in the mordern world. In response to this, Joyce G. Knibb has written several sketches concerned with her daily encounters with nature and experiences of living and traveling both at home and abroad. Perhaps we ought to be reminded that life is a gift not to be wasted and that the planet Earth is a rather nice place to live after all.

This collection of episodic sketches has been divided into two parts: Nature's Way and Places and People . . . each containing eight individual sketches. The individual sketch can stand alone, but taken all together, they have been woven into whole cloth. The whole cloth is meant to be a paen to Earth and to Life.

The first selections begin with tight, short pieces to accustom the reader to the author's style and to get the reader's attention. Later, the sketches become longer and more complex in theme and structure. This material can be read on several levels. There are metaphors, disguised philosophy, a bit of mysticism as well as some sentiment. There may be some sugar and spice and everything nice, but there are also pinches of salt and a drop or two of vinegar for cleansing.

These sketches reveal a personal odyssey, albeit a humble one, beginning in the present, going back into the past and finally returning to the place Joyce calls home. Along the way, the book explores the relationship between humankind and the natural world around us along with our relationships with different climes and cultures.

About the Author

The author is an avid traveler, a dedicated gardener and guardian of her shrubs and trees. Besides her travels, she occupies her time with reading and writing, walking, attempts golfing and is now attempting yoga.