If you’ve ever thought America is going to hell in a handbasket — and who among us hasn’t? — take a trip back to the mid-19th century and see how you like it then. That’s what I’ve been doing since the first of the year: Reading Ron Chernow’s 960-page biography of Ulysses S. Grant. I’ve learned a lot from “Grant,” but mostly this: Crises and cataclysms come […]
It could be worse.
Thar he blows
Call me Ishmael. Or call me Dave. Really, either one is fine. The thing is, I’ve started reading “Moby Dick.” It’s a Lenten exercise. Last year it was “War and Peace,” this year it’s the great white whale. Somehow I’d managed to avoid it until now. Then Lent rolled around and I started thinking of things I’d never do except as penance. This book sprang to mind. […]
A long trek with Tolstoy
I’ve spent the last couple of months reading “War and Peace.” Here’s my review: It’s pretty long. I started the book as sort of a lenten exercise. Instead of giving up something I loved, like wine and sloth, I decided to take on something laborious — not really realizing that this particular labor would take a lot longer than the 40 days of Lent. Surprisingly though, one […]
Heil, Hitler
Adolf Hitler, the man who murdered millions and is responsible for even more tortured metaphors, might be right at home in the second decade of the 21st century. That’s the thesis of “Look Who’s Back,” the satiric German novel by Timur Vermes. The book first appeared in 2012, and the English translation reached the United States this year. Basically, Hitler wakes up with his uniform smelling of […]
I like Kate Atkinson
My favorite writer these days is Kate Atkinson. I bought “A God in Ruins” on the strength of a favorable mention via NPR, then tried a couple of her detective novels: “Case Histories” and “When Will There be Good News?” All are superb. This woman reminds me a lot of Ruth Rendell: so literate, so much incisive wit, so adept at creating distinct characters and interweaving their […]
Must-see mayhem
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is one of the few TV shows that is actually better than its source material. Have you seen it? It’s a festival of bare butts and broadswords, full frontal profanity and major characters dying horribly on a weekly basis. Gratuitous? Absolutely! And rollicking fun for the whole family! I watched the first three seasons awhile back on my mother-in-law’s account. Now I’m catching […]
Potpourri … and Palin
These days I never have strong enough opinions to write a whole blog post, so here’s a grab-bag of stuff that has caught my attention over the past couple of weeks: What I’ve been reading: “The Girl on the Train,” by Paula Hawkins. I liked it a lot. It deserves all the hype it’s been getting. It probably also deserves the incessant comparisons with “Gone Girl” — […]
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