Fall. Hard to believe. For me, that means sweaters, long pants, and a few of the Nick Adams stories. They’re not by the Ernest Hemingway who no longer excites you. These stories were written by Hemingway before he was Hemingway. You can see the first draft of greatness in them. And, most of all, you can feel this season.
Roxy Music: Avalon
The rhythm redefines “sultry.” The elliptical lyrics conjure rainy nights on Fifth Avenue, women beautiful as models, champagne served on penthouse terraces --- but the real subject of Roxy Music’s “Avalon” is the longing for the kind of romance that opens the door to an eternal connection. It's that important.
The rhythm redefines “sultry.” The elliptical lyrics conjure rainy nights on Fifth Avenue, women beautiful as models, champagne served on penthouse terraces — but the real subject of Roxy Music’s “Avalon” is the longing for the kind of romance that opens the door to an eternal connection. It’s that important.
The Only Woman
The photo was of important men, with one woman off to the side. There were more like that. So Immy Humes made “The Only Woman,” a riveting collection of a hundred photos in which only a single woman is present. Very appropriate on the eve of the queen's funeral.
The photo was of important men, with one woman off to the side. There were more like that. So Immy Humes made “The Only Woman,” a riveting collection of a hundred photos in which only a single woman is present. Very appropriate on the eve of the queen’s funeral.
Special Edition: When Was the Last Time This Happened: I Publish a Review on Monday, the Writer Wins the Nobel Prize on Thursday? (It’s Annie Ernaux)
President Emmanuel Macron of France praised Ernaux as the voice of “women’s freedom” and of “the century’s forgotten.”
President Emmanuel Macron of France praised Ernaux as the voice of “women’s freedom” and of “the century’s forgotten.”
A Month in the Country
In the cult classic "A Month in the Country," the WW I veteran is broken. As he heals, something remarkable happens: the reader also experiences an emerging peace.
In the cult classic “A Month in the Country,” the WW I veteran is broken. As he heals, something remarkable happens: the reader also experiences an emerging peace.
Who Benefits Most From Random Acts of Kindness? Not the Recipient. You. (So Get To It). The Most Relevant Weekend Movie. A Woman Scorned. A Seasonal Recipe.
How do you explain random acts of kindness?
How do you explain random acts of kindness?
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music
I want you to stop your life and watch what is easily the best video of the year. Yes, it’s 6 minutes. Yes, it’s loud. And yes, for 30 seconds, tragedy becomes triumph.
I want you to stop your life and watch what is easily the best video of the year. Yes, it’s 6 minutes. Yes, it’s loud. And yes, for 30 seconds, tragedy becomes triumph.
Steve Martin: Born Standing Up
You open Steve Martin’s 2007 memoir expecting a laugh a paragraph.
You open Steve Martin’s 2007 memoir expecting a laugh a paragraph.
John Le Carre: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
Graham Greene, who pretty much invented the modern spy novel, called "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" "the best spy story I ever read."
Graham Greene, who pretty much invented the modern spy novel, called “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” “the best spy story I ever read.”
Mr. S: My Life With Frank Sinatra
The last few days have been high-minded on Butler, intense in my nearing-the-finish-line of my book. Enough of all that. No apology: this book is pure dish.
The last few days have been high-minded on Butler, intense in my nearing-the-finish-line of my book. Enough of all that. No apology: this book is pure dish.
Bully Market: My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs
A few years ago, I lectured at the Rutgers Writers’ Conference.
A few years ago, I lectured at the Rutgers Writers’ Conference.
What’s Your COVID Trauma? (I’ll Go First.) NPR: “The Best Song of the Last Decade.” What Prevents Addiction? (You’ll Be Surprised.) And a Great Use for Tomatoes.
A real icebreaker, wouldn’t you say — cocktail chat in the Age of Edibles.
A real icebreaker, wouldn’t you say — cocktail chat in the Age of Edibles.
And There Was Light: The Autobiography of Jacques Lusseyran, Blind Hero of the French Resistance
In the French Resistance in WW 2, a blind man was head of recruiting — his hearing made him a great judge of character. This is his story.
In the French Resistance in WW 2, a blind man was head of recruiting — his hearing made him a great judge of character. This is his story.
Just Like That… Fall. A Head Butler Field Trip? Movie: One of the Greatest Love Stories. A Legendary Jack Nicholson Scene: Maybe Not. Something Good With Pears. And More.
I missed the summer. I always do. I don’t plan for that to happen, but I have books and plays to write, and I always seem to need to finish them in summer.
I missed the summer. I always do. I don’t plan for that to happen, but I have books and plays to write, and I always seem to need to finish them in summer.
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
O happy day! Bill Bryson's outrageous, hilarious childhood: “A peanut M&M that falls seventy feet into a bowl of tomato soup makes one heck of a splash, I can tell you.”
O happy day! Bill Bryson’s outrageous, hilarious childhood: “A peanut M&M that falls seventy feet into a bowl of tomato soup makes one heck of a splash, I can tell you.”
The Wilder Shores of Love: The Exotic True Life Stories of Isabel Burton, Aimee Dubucq de Rivery, Jane Digby and Isabelle Eberhardt
Four women, only superficially similar, but with the same priorities — breathing the oxygen that was only available on the wilder shores of love.
Four women, only superficially similar, but with the same priorities — breathing the oxygen that was only available on the wilder shores of love.