Quick Notes and Fast Quotes for Every Occasion

Lynne Hughes teaches communication arts at the University of Calgary.

This is a book for all of us who cannot seem to find a greeting card
that contains an appropriate message, or who cannot find the right words
to express our feelings to loved ones in a letter or blank card. Divided
into six sections, it provides many suggested expressions of greetings
for quite an amazing number of events and occasions. The general
categories include love and marriage, births and birthdays, holiday
wishes, illness, graduations and promotions, and thank-yous. Whether the
reader is searching for a unique way to offer congratulations on an
engagement, to express condolences, or to wish a retiree the best, he or
she is likely to find suitable verses or lines. Even messages for
less-acknowledged events are presented: the reader can cancel a wedding,
console a bereaved pet-owner, support a reformed drinker, or affirm a
strong friendship. How to extend wishes in other languages also appears.

The sources for the notes and quotes are Williams herself and a variety
of authors and personalities, ranging from Shakespeare and Robert Frost
to Liberace and Bette Midler. Not all seem perfectly appropriate.
Shakespeare’s “The worst is death, and death will have his day,”
for example, is unlikely to comfort many grieving the loss of a loved
one. To most of those embarking on a new business venture, however,
William Blake’s lines would be encouraging: “No bird soars too high,
if he soars with his own wings.”

Quick Notes and Fast Quotes makes for enjoyable browsing and would be
an ideal gift. It also amply answers the question “What should I
say?” posed by the card writer or gift giver looking for a clever,
touching, or amusing greeting.