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Alma Kell

@almakell02.bsky.social
182 followers 290 following 121 posts

I’m a Philly-based bookworm who loves reading forgotten classics to learn about the past.

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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The horrifying Cornell gang rape case reminds me of the enduring importance of women’s colleges. Their role isn’t to “protect” women from men, but to empower women--to provide an environment where their equality is never questioned and they are more than objects for male pleasure.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Wiggin's epistolary romance alternates between its main characters’ perspectives. I enjoy that approach and have used alternating points of view in a couple of my own books, including A CASE FOR THE SEA, a historical romance inspired by Jane Austen’s SANDITON. www.goodreads.com/book/show/59...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Just finished Kate Douglas Wiggin’s A CATHEDRAL COURTSHIP! In this story (1893, republished in 1901), American Katharine Schuyler is touring England’s cathedrals when something beyond the architecture catches her eye. #Books archive.org/details/cath...
archive.org
A cathedral courtship
vii, 104 pages, 6 unnumbered leaves of plates : 19 cm
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
When I wrote my earlier post, I didn't know it was Kate Douglas Wiggin's birthday today! She was born on September 28, 1856 in Philadelphia, which is also my hometown. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Do...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Maybe this unsavory relationship has contributed to why Anne’s story is far better known today than Rebecca’s? Both books are available through Project Gutenberg: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/498 Anne of Green Gables: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Mr. Ladd is a creep. Prof. Griswold might believe that Mr. Ladd’s interest in Rebecca is asexual, but I don’t think he’s so innocent. He grooms her while biding his time until Rebecca’s “saint” beckons his way (as Miss Maxwell notes in the story). www.press.jhu.edu/newsroom/lol...
press.jhu.edu
Lolita and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903) is a (mostly) charming story featuring an imaginative young girl—much like Anne of Green Gables (1908). I enjoyed both books, but I prefer Anne’s story to Rebecca’s, which features a close friendship with Adam Ladd, a much older man. #Books #ChildrensNovels
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Yeah, it doesn’t seem like the NYT has given any coverage to the frat gang rape scandal at Cornell. Not as important as Oberlin’s banh mi or Harvard’s eating clubs I guess
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Happy to see some good news! #Books #BuyingLocal
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It's APPLE SEASON! Nearby orchards have Honeycrisp, SweeTango, Sweet Maia, Ambrosia, Red Delicious, Cortland, etc. Many of these varieties didn’t exist when the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection was created (1886-1942)--except for Red Delicious & Cortland. search.nal.usda.gov/discovery/co...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The federal government cuts vital services while demanding that states and localities fill in the gaps. What am I paying federal taxes for? I'd like to pay a lot less in federal taxes and more in state and local taxes. www.inquirer.com/politics/pen...
inquirer.com
The Trump administration will make PA pay more for SNAP. Shapiro says it can't.
Burdening states with increased financial demands is “catastrophic,” said St. Joseph’s University sociologist Maria Kefalas.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I've tried unsubscribing from my former college's communications, and it's impossible. They keep sending me emails, asking for money and inviting me to alumni events. I despise them; they're Trump Administration co-conspirators. I'd remove them from my CV if I could get away with it.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This political cartoon from the Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), published 100 years ago, feels oddly current. www.loc.gov/resource/sn8...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Paul Farber, Monument Lab: "[T]here is something honest and raw and, dare I say, very Philly about living with imperfections and taking deep pride in it.” So true. I love innocuous imperfections like this. It feels so human, which is especially important right now, when so much isn't human anymore
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I love that it's open access! Thank you!
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Emma Gallon @emmagallon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Over the moon to see the first two books in our Understanding Languages, Cultures and Societies series with @ilcs.bsky.social publish today! It has been a total delight to work with the editors and authors of both books - congratulations to everyone involved! More details in the thread below ⬇️
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Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
In honor of Dolly and her commitment to getting books to kids, tell me about a book you read as a child that changed your life. I’ll start: so many, but tonight maybe I’ll say A WRINKLE IN TIME, a book that taught me anger wasn’t wrong.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Excerpt from Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Excerpt from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin, available through Project Gutenberg: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/498?m...
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I can’t believe I never “met” Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm as a kid! I loved Anne of Green Gables, and the two are strikingly similar. Sometimes I read about Rebecca and picture her in Avonlea—then I remember she lives in Maine. Realizing Anne may not be as unique as I thought is unsettling… #Books
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I've spent a lot of time this week at Pennsylvania Hospital. The reason for my visits isn't a happy one, but the beautiful and historic location in Philadelphia has been a much needed distraction.
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 02/09/2026
Why we love literary anniversaries by Amy Wilcockson theconversation.com/why-we-love-... Gulliver’s Travels, Last Man, Winnie-the-Pooh, Murder of Roger Ackroyd at PG www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17157 www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18247 www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67098 www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69087 #books
First edition cover of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

The cover illustration depicts a woman with red hair in period dress, standing at a desk with an old-style telephone, appearing to search through or discover papers.
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Books of My Heart @booksofmyheart.net · 31/08/2026
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2026/08/the-...
caffeinatedbookreviewer.com
Caffeinated Reviewer | The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury delivered an engaging historical murder mystery set against post-WWII Oxford University. Murder, spies and romance wrapped in a clever tale make…
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I gather that Wiggin's Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, her most famous book, may have influenced Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. I'm looking forward to reading it!
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The stories, particularly "The Turning Point," reminded me of some of L. M. Montgomery's short stories, such as "Akin to Love" & "The Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's." #Books www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2... www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1...
gutenberg.org
Chronicles of Avonlea
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The stories transported me more than a century into the past, to a world where two close friends like Susan & Amanda in “The Turning Point” could enjoy the “cheerful warmth of the Saturday fire that was baking the beans and steaming the brown bread.” #Books #NewEngland www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26928
gutenberg.org
Ladies-In-Waiting by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin
Free eBook digitized and proofread by volunteers.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (1856–1923) was new to me, though she was well known a century ago--and perhaps still is. My intro to her work was Ladies-in-Waiting (1919), a set of five short stories. #Books #BookReviews www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26928
A redheaded young woman or adolescent in a pink dress is sitting on grass.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Hampshire College is closing soon. I don’t have any connection to the school, but I can’t help feeling sad about its closure. It was different from other schools. What’s left in higher education for teenage Milos? #PhantomTollbooth #Books www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/u...
nytimes.com
Hampshire College Will Close Amid Student Enrollment Declines
Other small private colleges like Hampshire have closed in recent years as financial pressures and competition for students increase.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"[Hampshire] was a place for teenage Milos to take to the open road, with just an occasional bit of judicious guidance from their elders, and not surprisingly Juster felt right at home there.” #PhantomTollbooth #Books
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
In the introduction, I learned that Norton Juster was on the faculty of Hampshire College, which “offer[ed] a largely unstructured, alternative educational experience to highly motivated, self-directed students." #PhantomTollbooth #Books
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
As a parting gift, they gave me the edition annotated by Leonard S. Marcus. #PhantomTollbooth #Books
The image is the cover of the Phantom Tollbooth. It depicts a little boy facing a brown dog with a clock on its side.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
In the days before they leave for college, my twins have been revisiting pieces of their childhood—returning to favorite local haunts and rereading books they loved when they were younger. One of those books is Norton Juster's Phantom Tollbooth. #College #FreshmanYear
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
"Change is, of course, inevitable. Sometimes it’s for the better, sometimes for the worse. And sometimes it’s neither better nor worse, just different." I'm in the "everything's getting worse camp" today--and not just in the frozen dessert aisle. Sigh. www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
nytimes.com
What Happened to Talenti?
Over the past 20 years, Talenti has changed from a small, independent brand to a piece of a corporate conglomerate. Has that affected its quality?
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I'm very sad that my local newspaper produces articles that read like longer Facebook posts from angry neighbors. It's all rumor and opinion--very little investigative journalism or relevant news, as far as I can tell.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Her review made me feel glad I never took a class with her. How Emily Wilson’s Takedown of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignited a Debate www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/a...
nytimes.com
Emily Wilson’s Pan of ‘The Odyssey’ Ignites a Debate Among Classicists and Commenters
Wilson, whose 2017 translation of Homer’s Greek classic influenced the director Christopher Nolan, panned his screenplay for the movie version in an essay for The London Review of Books.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
"Benni, on the other hand, believed his condition was just a temporary glitch, and he assured everyone that he was getting better every day." A loved one of mine is at the same stage in life & reacting the same way. It is a blessing, but I wish I were in denial too. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/s...
nytimes.com
The Marriage I Cherished No Longer Existed
The husband I treasured had disappeared. Why was I happy?
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
www.inquirer.com/entertainmen...
inquirer.com
A Penn professor thought she’d sell 1000 copies of her ‘Odyssey’ translation. She sold a million this year alone, thanks to Christopher Nolan.
West Philly's Emily Wilson, who penned a highly acclaimed translation of the epic poem in 2017, is having a big summer.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
"If you’re going to pick a population to study for the sake of everybody’s good, the Europeans are the worst you could choose,” said Jay Kaufman, an epidemiologist at McGill University who has written about race and genomics." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/s...
nytimes.com
The Best Genetic Risk Tools Don’t Work Equally for Everyone
Genetic prediction models are poised to revolutionize medicine. But because they have been trained on European DNA, they threaten to widen health care disparities.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
We had this cookbook in my house growing up! ://share.inquirer.com/SXLp9L?utm_source=social&utm_campaign=gift_link&utm_medium=referral
share.inquirer.com
‘The Frog Commissary Cookbook’ remains a Philadelphia icon over 40 years after its debut
Drawing from menu items at the Frög and the Commissary, the cookbook introduced Philly home cooks to unfamiliar ingredients. Forty-one years later, the book still has devoted fans.
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 19/07/2026
The Debate Over Pictures in Science By Danny Robb Botanical illustrations helped bring science to new audiences—but not every scientist welcomed the change. daily.jstor.org/the-debate-o... Books in Botany at PG: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/books... #books #botany #science
 Illustration of Myosotis capitata in Flora Antarctica. Drawn and engraved by Walter Hood Fitch, 1844. 

A botanical illustration showing the full plant with its rosette of silvery-green leaves and clusters of small purple flowers, roots, and detailed close-up dissections of an individual flower, seeds, and floral structures below.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18/07/2026
Half of Canada’s wildfires are in remote areas with no road access. Not only is it impossible to get firefighters on the ground, there is also insufficient time to react.
nyti.ms
Most Forest Fires in Canada Are Simply Impossible to Put Out
Half of Canada’s wildfires are in remote areas with no road access. Impossible to fight, they are often left to burn.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Apparently, Florence Morse Kingsley's time at Wellesley College influenced her novels. I'll definitely be looking out for that. #Books en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florenc...
en.wikipedia.org
Florence Morse Kingsley - Wikipedia
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930), a Mount Holyoke alum, is well known for ghost stories. I'll have to check some of those out! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_El...
en.wikipedia.org
Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman - Wikipedia
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
The book had a strong sense of place, which I really enjoyed. I’m looking forward to reading more from these authors. Once I’m more familiar with their individual works, I might be able to tease out which parts of this one were written by whom. #BookReviews
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
The title, An Alabaster Box, is a religious reference about devotion and sacrifice—central themes in the novel, which centers on a small town unable to forgive or forget. While the romantic storylines resolve abruptly, they are only a part of this intriguing novel from a century ago. #Books
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
When a mysterious woman buys out a church fair, the town is agog. Who is she? Why did she buy every item? These are the questions at the heart of An Alabaster Box, published in 1917, by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman & Florence Morse Kingsley. #Books #BooksReviews www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1...
gutenberg.org
An Alabaster Box
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I sautéed the lettuce and beet greens to reduce the risk of cyclospora, but I’ll do it again because it tastes good! #Lunch #Outbreak
There is a small orange plate of sauteed lettuce and beet greens mixed with quinoa. There is a drizzle of sriracha sauce on top. A silver-colored spoon rests on the side of the plate. In the background, barely in view, is part of a Wellesley College mug and part of an orange mug.
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys stories that focus on local characters and daily life a long time ago. This book is ideal for lovers of L.M. Montgomery's short stories. #Books #BookReview www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24540
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The book doesn't need illustrations to paint a vivid picture of what rural New England was like over a century ago. #AliceBrown #CountryNeighbors #Books www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24540
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Alma Kell @almakell02.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Many of the characters are women over forty who have gained wisdom from not getting everything they wanted in life. They still have a lot of living left to do, though, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into their lives. #Books #BookReview www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24540
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