Books offer kids insight on how to adapt to change
“Change is often desirable, frequently necessary, always inevitable.” — Helmuth Goepfert, M.D. The above quote couldn’t be more true. Life is constantly changing and so are we. Today’s reviewed books...
View ArticleKorean novelist evokes horrors of Gwangju massacre
“Human Acts: A Novel” by Han Kang; Hogarth (224 pages, $22) In May of 1980, the South Korean government turned its guns on its own people, murdering hundreds in the city of Gwangju who had been...
View ArticleFeeding the imagination turns into a life of possiblities
Albert Einstein wrote, “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” Well said, Albert.Everyone possesses imagination, some more than others. After all, if humans had no...
View ArticleHow a reporter’s talks with a serial killer helped her understand herself
He called her “Elf,” because she was a young and diminutive reporter whose only defense was her pen. And he was a large, intimidating man who admitted to killing eight women and stashing them to rot in...
View Article‘Idaho’ ponders unfathomable tragedy and its aftermath
“Idaho” by Emily Ruskovich; Random House (320 pages, $27)The heinous life events that gut humanity and leave people asking why are all too familiar. A brutal assault, an abduction, the murder of a...
View ArticleBooks teach kids about perspectives
In the 1989 movie "Dead Poets Society," Robin Williams starred as a teacher in a private boys’ school. The entire movie was profound, but one powerful scene has stuck with me ever since when he hopped...
View ArticleGreat reads on being bold and brave
Everyone is afraid of some things on occasion, and kids are no exception. Kids are just learning about life, and sometimes their fears or worries seem silly to an adult. But like yours, their fears are...
View Article‘Little Deaths’ is a real page-turner of a mystery
“Little Deaths: A Novel” by Emma Flint; Hachette Books (320 pages, $26) In Emma Flint’s “Little Deaths” (Hachette Books, $26), a tabloid editor insists that readers want three things: “They want to see...
View ArticleIt has a ‘Ring’ to it: The strange history of a horror film
This month, 12 years after “The Ring” movie franchise last haunted North American theaters, the vengeful ghost Samara and her cursed video are back in search of new victims. Like any savvy supervillain...
View ArticleRead books that provide important lessons
No one can live long enough to directly experience everything that this game of life has in store. One convenient way to add to one’s personal stock of experiences is to read about such things in good...
View Article‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ a ghost story with compassion
“Lincoln in the Bardo” by George Saunders; Random House (368 pages, $28) After the death of 11-year-old Willie Lincoln (apparently from typhoid fever) in 1862, grief-stricken President Abraham Lincoln...
View ArticleBooks that encourage acceptance of self and others
Not everyone is cut from the same cloth. For example, some people are gregarious while others tend to be more quiet and reserved. If you think about it, it’s our differences that make the world an...
View ArticleA western that was nearly shot down
High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic By Glenn Frankel Bloomsbury. 377 pp. $28 Two-thirds of the way into "High Noon," Glenn Frankel's aromatic blend of politics,...
View ArticleCompelling true stories of courage
Sometimes we all need a nudge to be the courageous person we want or need to be. We learn by the example of people in our lives who display courage. We can also learn about courage by reading true...
View ArticleGoing off the grid
Thanks to Pinterest boards and Instagram hashtags, the word "authentic" has passed from buzzword into the realm of parody: think Portlandia-style farm-to-table spreads, mountain-top selfies and any...
View ArticleJonathan Swift: Not (entirely) the misanthrope you thought you knew
Jonathan Swift: The Reluctant Rebel By John Stubbs Norton. 739 pp. $39.95 Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) is commonly regarded as the towering misanthrope of English letters. William Thackeray described him...
View ArticleDanger feels real in chilling tale of urban paranoia
I See You By Clare Mackintosh Berkley. 372 pp. $26 Enough with the complaints, Metro riders — things could be a lot worse! In ex-cop Clare Mackintosh's smashing second novel, "I See You," unsuspecting...
View ArticleProvide your kids with the wisdom of books
In 1999, Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland wrote a wonderful children’s book "The House of Wisdom." The story is of a young boy, Ishaq, living in ninth-century Baghdad. Ishaq was...
View ArticleIf America's messed up, blame it on the boomers
"A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America" By Bruce Cannon Gibney Hachette. 430 pp. $27 The nation is hopelessly split between left and right, Democrats and Republicans,...
View ArticleA book lover searches for the Holy Grail
“The Lost Book of the Grail: A Novel” by Charlie Lovett; Viking (317 pages, $26) Charlie Lovett collects books, writes books and even got to curate a collection of “Alice in Wonderland” memorabilia at...
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