Monthly Archives: June 2016

New feature films on DVD based on true stories. in “Tango Whiskey Foxtrot”, television journalist Kim Baker (Tina Fey in a rare dramatic role) takes an assignment as a war correspondent in Afghanistan. She confronts primitive living conditions, battlefield danger … Continue reading →

The queen is back!  “Here’s to Us” by Elin Hilderbrand, queen of the summer beach read,  spins a tale about a  celebrity chef’s widow, who gather s his ex-wives and  children for a last farewell at –where else—Nantucket.  “The Cavendon … Continue reading →

The “Money Cult”, Chris Lehmann takes a lively look at the intersection of money and faith in American religion.   He argues that the Puritans belief in good works as a sign of redemption reached its logical conclusion with their theological descendants, who … Continue reading →

“Hitler’s Forgotten Children” by Ingrid Von Oelhafen is an account of the Lebensraum program, in which children were taken from their homes and “Germanized” by adopted Nazi families.  Nazi officials in occupied territories actively sought children with ‘desirable racial traits’.   … Continue reading →

“Vinegar Girl” by Anne Taylor is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew,  now set in Baltimore’s genteel Roland Park.  How to  translate a story about an arranged marriage to the modern era? Easy!  Widowed Dr Batista is about to … Continue reading →

For readers who want a little more in their summer reading then surf and thrills. “Barkskins” by Annie Proulx traces the interconnected lives of two families in New France, who find work as indentured “barkskins,” or woodcutters.  The Dequets, who become owners of … Continue reading →

“Water 4.0” by David Sedlak  provides “a lucid primer” on “the essential ingredient of life.”  He looks at the history of water delivery, from the earliest aqueducts to the beginnings of water treatment  to our present day, in which water … Continue reading →

“The Gene” by Siddhartha Mukherjee  (The Emperor of All Maladies) offers a history and a commentary on the basic building block of life. His history takes us from Mendel’s pea patch to deciphering of the genetic code, with it, the … Continue reading →

Half­Earth” by Edmond O. Wilson offers a  scientist’s road map for finding ecological balance. His proposal? Set aside half of the planet as wilderness preserves, free from human encroachment.   Kirkus Reviews called this an “informed pleas for mankind to … Continue reading →

If a leisurely paced story with artfully drawn characters and wry humor rocks your summer world, then you will welcome Richard Russo’s “Everybody’s Fool.” In this sequel to ”Nobody’s Fool”, Russo checks in on the residents of  old North Bath, … Continue reading →