Latest news with #booklover
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Book collector finds 50-year-old novel that once belonged to wife in south Essex shop
A BOOK lover from Hockley says he is overjoyed to find an Enid Blyton novel containing 50-year-old hand-written notes from his wife in a charity shop. Steve Mills, 67, is a collector of around 50 novels by the children's author and was going through some new additions when he found the writings from Karen, 60. Steve said the book 'The Naughtiest Girl Again' had been given away by Karen's mum in the 1970s. The book somehow ended up in a charity shop in Rayleigh - more than 160 miles away from where Karen grew up in Staffordshire and before she met Steve. We're now on WhatsApp! Join our new channel at to get all the latest breaking news and exclusive stories delivered straight to your phone. The retired civil servant, who has loved Enid Blyton's books since he was a child, said: "We've taken it as one of the universe's strange coincidences. "I had a load of books that I bought together and it wasn't until a couple of months went by that I was rearranging the books on the shelf. Overjoyed - Book collector Steve was thrilled to find his wife's old books (Image: Steve Mills) "I decided to look through them properly, opened one up and recognised the number on the front cover. "It was my brother-in-law and my wife's old address. I jokingly showed it to her and she turned the next page. "There was her name, address, phone number and drawings. "Her parents are in their 80s and they were delighted when we told them." The book has hand-written details from Karen, then known as Karen Larden, as a young girl living in Staffordshire. They include her name, address at the time and phone number - alongside 'stick-figure' drawings of her family. Steve said he then found more books in his collection also with his wife's annotations in them. He added: "Lo and behold, there was a second and third book belonging to my wife." The other books were Five on a Treasure Island and Adventures of Pip - all with Karen's musings scrawled inside. Read more 'I spent 2 months walking through county - this south Essex island blew my mind' Passengers frustrated after Southend flights re-scheduled to different airports New Pilates studio 'with a twist' to transform lives of residents in south Essex Steve has also found a note which reads "I have got 12 of Enid Blyton's books" and is determined to track the remaining nine down. Handwritten - Steve found notes and drawings from his wife's childhood in the book (Image: Steve Mills) He also posted his find on an Enid Blyton Fan Group on Facebook and has received 1,300 likes. Steve said: "It's touched on people's heartstrings and there's a lot of people out there who would love to find things from their childhood. "It was a simpler life and that's why I like them so much."
Times
30-05-2025
- General
- Times
Don McCullin, 89, returns to Palmyra: ‘This time will be my last'
The declaration of a love, so guileless that it was somehow all the more surprising, had been handwritten inside the cover of Palmyra 1885. 'This book is one of my favourites and I enjoy it every time I look through it, because I love Palmyra,' the owner of the book had inked by the title page, as if wanting his reflection to remain as testimony. I looked through the pages in Damascus in April, where the man who wrote of his love for Palmyra had lent me the book. Inside, the photographs of the archaeologist John Henry Haynes showed the wonders of the city as it had been 140 years ago, before the latest ravages of war and ideology and looting had taken their toll.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I'm 34 and my best friend is 84. We have more things in common than people would assume.
My friend, Toni, is 50 years older than me. She's 84 and I'm 34. We share laughs, makeup tips, and heart-to-heart conversations. Age is but a number, and despite the years between us, we are more alike than different. When I first moved to Charleston, South Carolina with my husband and infant, I didn't know anyone. Living in a condominium community just across the bridge from the Isle of Palms was a dream come true, not only for the palm trees and easy beach access, but because it was here that I met someone who turned out to be one of my dearest friends. Someone who happened to be 50 years older than me. Toni owned an elegantly decorated condo in our neighborhood and was very involved in the community at the time. She was busy creating a little free library of sorts in the residents-only office space when I happened to stop in to use the computer. Our shared love of books invited our first conversation, and the rest, as they say, is history. Though Toni proudly calls me her "adopted daughter," we share laughs, makeup tips, heart-to-heart conversations, and book recommendations, much like my peers and I do. She is young at heart, full of compassion, wisdom, and plenty of exuberance for life well-lived. She doesn't have an agenda to impart advice or facilitate growth in my life like a mentor would, though these things are often by-products of our relationship, as in many close friendships. She is a true companion, someone I can call upon to commiserate about political woes, invite to a performance at the local theater, or send a few chapters of my latest writing project to in exchange for her thoughtful feedback. This year, she turned 84, and I turned 34, and as we acknowledged the 50-year gap between us, it was almost hard to believe. When we're together, laughing and catching up, our souls seem the same, the years dissolving away. Simply by sharing her life with me, she's helped me to release many of my fears of aging, inspired by her boldness, joy, and curiosity. She's shown me that life's adventures can continue well into your 80's, as long as you have an open mind and courage to keep pursuing new experiences. At 84, she is still 34, and all the other ages in between. Age is but a number, and despite the years between us, we are more alike than different. There is something special about forging a friendship with someone from a different generation, creating a unique opportunity to learn from one another. Letting go of biases and stereotypes related to aging can help you be more available to cultivating meaningful connections with people of different age groups. Just as Toni has helped me embrace the aging process and look forward to getting older, having a friend my age has amplified her already youthful spirit. We enjoy encouraging each other in our very different seasons of life. Having an age-gap friendship has made such a difference in my life. At the end of the day, maybe it's less about our age gap and more about being kindred spirits — ageless on the inside. Heather Rose Artushin is a writer with over a decade of published experience and a passion for social justice. Read the original article on Business Insider
