What do you do when you’ve been housebound for three months, and, suddenly, you’re not?
The Lost Wife: A Novel — “History Reimagined, the Way it May Have Really Been.”
It’s 1862. Sarah, born poor, has married a Yale-educated doctor who cares for the Sioux. She has servants. She’s gentry. Then there’s an uprising, and to survive, she…
It’s 1862. Sarah, born poor, has married a Yale-educated doctor who cares for the Sioux. She has servants. She’s gentry. Then there’s an uprising, and to survive, she…
Edith Wharton: The House of Mirth
With all that is happening in the world, I want to feature a book that is, simply, a story. Like: “The House of Mirth,” by Edith Wharton, the first woman to win a Pulitzer. Bonus: an NC-17 (yes!) story by Ms. Wharton.
After that metaversal tsunami the other night, I want to feature a book that is, simply, a story. Like: “The House of Mirth,” by Edith Wharton, the first woman to win a Pulitzer. Bonus: an NC-17 (yes!) story by Ms. Wharton.
Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words: A Writer’s Guide To Getting It Right
Bill Bryson doesn’t want you to be replaced by a bot that churns out simplified Wikipedia entries. He wants to help you be a more colorful, accurate, human writer.
Bill Bryson doesn’t want you to be replaced by a bot that churns out simplified Wikipedia entries. He wants to help you be a more colorful, accurate, human writer.
Did the Eiffel Tower Inspire Van Gogh? Italian Nuns Take a Selfie at Michelangelo’s David. Paul Simon Finds No Bridge Over Troubled Water. A Week Early: The Holiday Ham Recipe. And More.
These are hard days, with every news cycle delivering fresh sadness. Amadou and Mariam and Josh Ritter and a dozen others are like gold coins in my pocket, reminders that beauty survives, and that when we most need it we can reach for it and hold it tight.
These are hard days, with every news cycle delivering fresh sadness. Amadou and Mariam and Josh Ritter and a dozen others are like gold coins in my pocket, reminders that beauty survives, and that when we most need it we can reach for it and hold it tight.
Branch Rickey: You Don’t Have to Love Baseball to Love this Book
In this short biography, Jimmy Breslin profiles Branch Rickey, the man who hired the man who, he contends, made Barack Obama possible
On the morning before John F. Kennedy’s funeral, every reporter in Washington crowded to be close to Kennedy’s coffin or along the route of the horse-drawn casket.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower: You. Me.
Our super-critical daughter saw this film almost a decade ago. I asked her if she remembered it. “The biggest film of the year,” she said. “Everybody saw it.” And now it's your turn..
Wednesday Butler: Our super-critical daughter saw this film almost a decade ago. I asked her if she remembered it. “The biggest film of the year,” she said. “Everybody saw it.” And now it’s your turn..
My Name Is Asher Lev: The Conflict Between Heritage and Destiny
“My Name Is Asher Lev” is a novel about the creation of a great young artist, but it’s really about anyone with a dream who dares to go for it. In other words, it couldn’t be more personal. This is a book about you.
Tuesday Butler: “My Name Is Asher Lev” is a novel about the creation of a great young artist, but it’s really about anyone with a dream who dares to go for it. In other words, it couldn’t be more personal. This is a book about you.
Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki
Can you summarize Buddhism in a sentence?
Can you summarize Buddhism in a sentence?
Weekend Butler: Spring (The Rising!) Bummer: Liquor’s Not Healthy, Not Even a Little. Breaking News: Clarence Thomas. Glenn Gould. Seamus Heaney. And (I Didn’t Forget) Holiday Lamb.
It’s undeniable now. No matter how rotten the news, no matter how concerned we are about [INSERT TOPIC HERE], our sad planet has jettisoned its drab winter colors and is awash with life-affirming color. And we respond.
It’s undeniable now. No matter how rotten the news, no matter how concerned we are about [INSERT TOPIC HERE], our sad planet has jettisoned its drab winter colors and is awash with life-affirming color. And we respond.
Dead End Gene Pool: The Mountain of Absurdity of the Super-Rich [Book Review]
Wendy Burden is the great-great-great granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the richest man in America. You think “Succession” is enlightening about the excess and cruelty of the super-rich?
Wendy Burden is the great-great-great granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the richest man in America. You think “Succession” is enlightening about the excess and cruelty of the super-rich?
Identity Theory: It May Be Your First Peter Temple Book. But it Won’t Be Your Last
“There was one vehicle in the garage, a black Jeep four-wheel-drive. A camera at floor level showed no one hiding beneath it.” Why such extreme precautions? Because they’re justified. Welcome to a Peter Temple crime novel.
Niemand, we are told, “didn’t get any pleasure in killing.” Which hasn’t stopped him — Peter Temple takes a page to recount three killings on his scorecard.
The Summer I Learned To Drink Beer. Paul Simon Dreams an Album. Palm Beach: A Rolls-royce Destroys a Damien Hirst Sculpture. Roast Tarragon-cognac Chicken. And More!
In my parents’ house, alcohol was for goyim. On rare occasions, my mother took a nip of Manischewitz Cream Red Concord — “a sweet but balanced wine with a velvety mouth feel and the flavor of fresh Concord grapes with confectionery notes” — but the next day she always spoke against her modest high.
In my parents’ house, alcohol was for goyim. On rare occasions, my mother took a nip of Manischewitz Cream Red Concord — “a sweet but balanced wine with a velvety mouth feel and the flavor of fresh Concord grapes with confectionery notes” — but the next day she always spoke against her modest high.
Michael Clayton, The Movie. How Do You Spell Ethics?
“Michael Clayton” couldn’t be more topical. In a world where money counts and white men in suits have trouble remembering how to spell ethics, it’s about money and ethics.
OSCAR EDITION: On the reasonable theory that the Academy Awards will be swept by one film, you can expect a bore of an evening. To remind yourself what a great film can be like — this one’s about the law, corporate crime, high drama, and it stars George Clooney —why not give your eyes and brain a treat?
Weekend Butler: ‘Things Change.’ Play Ball! A Dead Dog in a Hermès Bag on the Champs-Elysées. A Timely Movie. A Funny Kid. A Good Use of Zucchini. And More.
The first thing that fascinated me about Shunryu Suzuki — the monk who’s mostly responsible for bringing Zen to America — was his response when he was asked to summarize Buddhism in a sentence.
The first thing that fascinated me about Shunryu Suzuki — the monk who’s mostly responsible for bringing Zen to America — was his response when he was asked to summarize Buddhism in a sentence.
Margin Call: A Movie About a Wall Street Meltdown in Which Customers Get Screwed So the Bank Can Live. Sound Familiar?
Worried about bank failures? 2008-9 was much worse.
Worried about bank failures? 2008-9 was much worse.