The Tall Book of Make-Believe ed. Jane Werner Illustrated by Garth Williams Well beyond the age it’s intended for, this collection of stories has stayed with me. This American classic of children’s stories and poems was compiled by Jane Werner in 1950, and from the start this book captured my imagination. By the age of [….]
Nora Webster, by Colm Tóibín At the heart of Colm Tóibín‘s new novel is the story of a woman, a story, he says, he’d been circling around for years. It’s there, in his novels and stories (eight novels and a collection) as a metaphor, an idea at the perimeter. That novel, Nora Webster, just released, centers [….]
Sometimes, the hardest thing about writing a weekly column is coming up with a good idea.Often for me, ideas seem to appear just in the nick of time – ta dah! – giving me just enough slack to delve into the topic but not enough time to allow it to get too complicated, or too [….]
Not all crime novels are Spillane. Not all in this genre have the desperate, gorgeous dame leaning on a P.I.’s desk, tear-stained cheeks, begging said P.I. to solve her mystery. Sure, those noir-type novels are great, but the genre has come a long, long way. This week we’re discussing our favorite crime novels- those set [….]
