Category Archives: Home

The Poppy Trail Through the Balkans

Posted on November 10, 2025 by jfkaufmann

The Forgotten Heroine of Three Wars She is considered one of the most—if not the most—decorated female soldiers in world military history. She was a veteran of three wars: the First Balkan War (1912), the Second Balkan War (1913), and … Continue reading →

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Twilight at Twenty: A Reader’s “Never Say Never” Journey

Posted on September 26, 2025 by jfkaufmann

How a teenage vampire romance cracked my literary shell and led me to my own stories This October marks two decades since Stephenie Meyer’s novel Twilight was published — and quickly became a global phenomenon. There was nothing about it … Continue reading →

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Quiet People – An Homage to Introverts

Posted on September 22, 2025 by jfkaufmann

A few weeks ago, I was invited to write a personal perspective for my former magazine—on any topic of my choosing. The request arrived just after a brief but intense immersion in the world of extroverts, and I was craving … Continue reading →

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The Divine Wind

Posted on August 15, 2025 by jfkaufmann

During the 13th century, the Mongols tried to invade Japan not once, but twice, in 1274 and 1281. After the conquest of China in 1230 and Korea in the following year, Kublai Khan turned his attention to Japan, which was … Continue reading →

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The Never Witch by JP McLean

Posted on August 6, 2025 by jfkaufmann

I had the pleasure of reading The Never Witch in its final stage before the official launch on September 16, 2025. As a great admirer of JP McLean’s work, I was eager to read her latest novel. It’s the first … Continue reading →

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Train, Voz, Vlak

Posted on July 18, 2024 by jfkaufmann

A few weeks ago, I was waiting beside the railway crossing near my work for it to pass: a mile-long Trans-Canadian train, with three engines at the beginning, two at the end, and more than a hundred cars in between. … Continue reading →

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Dark, Dark Tales

Posted on March 21, 2024 by jfkaufmann

What’s wrong with three famous H. K. Andersen’s fairy tales? A couple of years ago, I wrote a post about a collection of fairy tales I got when I was five, my very first books. I loved them—particularly some—for their … Continue reading →

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The Story Behind Gerbeaud Slices

Posted on February 26, 2024 by jfkaufmann

In Central Europe, the word Gerbeaud doesn’t need any additional explanation. It could refer to the cake, Gerbeaud Slices, or to Gerbeaud Cukrászda, the equally famous “kaffehaus” in Budapest. Cukrászda is loosely translated as “confectionary” but it describes a very … Continue reading →

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The Physics of Chemistry

Posted on February 18, 2024 by jfkaufmann

A couple of days ago, I was compiling a booklist of epic love/romance stories for the library website. Poking around the Internet for examples beyond Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy inspired some associative thinking about memorable literary couples and amazing … Continue reading →

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Am I the only one who doesn’t like it?

Posted on February 7, 2024 by jfkaufmann

A few thoughts about the latest trend in romance book covers In the last several years, there has been a significant change in romance book covers, for both contemporary and historical romances, towards cartoon depictions of the main protagonists. I … Continue reading →

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