Book review: “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens
I suspect that Charles Dickens was in a pretty foul mood when he wrote "Hard Times" in 1854. He draws stark differences between the "good" people and the "bad" people [...]
Memo to NATO diplomats: Ignore the Chicago hype
Hey, NATO diplomats! I'm know you're being flooded with lots of official and commercial stuff about Chicago: Where views of the city are most beautiful. Where dinners are most tasty. [...]
Book review: “Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman” by Robert K. Massie
The subtitle of Robert K. Massie's "Catherine the Great" is "Portrait of a Woman." But that's too limiting. This 574-page biography is the portrait of a person --- one who [...]
A game
It seemed like a good idea at the time, I guess. I mean, my two-year-old daughter’s decision to grab a long, exceedingly sharp butcher’s knife from the dishwasher and run [...]
Book review: “The Berlin Ending: A Novel of Discovery” by E. Howard Hunt
As spy novels go, "The Berlin Ending" by E. Howard Hunt, published 38 years ago, is okay. For readers looking for an addictive page-turner, it will probably be on the [...]
Book review: Stories We Keep, edited by Dawn Curtis and Robin Bourjaily
"Stories We Keep" is a small book, only 64 pages. And it's even shorter if you're a reader like me who isn't very hip to yoga or interested in recipes [...]
Book review: “Watergate” by Thomas Mallon
Well, Thomas Mallon's "Watergate" is certainly a readable novel. It's an amazement, really, that he's been able to take the tottering heap of jagged historical events, involving scores of politicians [...]
Book review: “Fatherland” by Robert Harris
Historical fiction is dangerous territory for a writer. It's all too easy to make actual people, say, Abraham Lincoln or John Wilkes Booth, into stick figures, and actual events, say, [...]
Who’s not on first?
The new baseball season is upon us, and hope springs eternal across the major leagues as 30 teams and more than 700 players vie for a chance at the World [...]
Sarah laughs — and other human moments
The Bible is filled with people acting like people — such as Sarah playing the nosy snoop in Genesis. She and Abraham are an aged childless couple. Outside their tent, [...]