Monthly Archives: September 2016

In Commonwealth by Anne Patchett, a lawyer, Bert Cousins, divorces his wife Teresa and marries Beverly, the ex-wife of a cop.  The impacts of their divorce and remarriage are visited upon their children, who grow up angry and resentful.  Patchett … Continue reading →

Two new stories with unique points of view.The narrator of ”Nutshell” by Ian McEwan is an unborn child, who describes himself upside down in his mother’s womb, doing slow motion somersaults and wondering about the future.  He has cause to … Continue reading →

The 1950s often are thought of as a complacent decade when the world took a deep, calming breath after the turmoil of the 1930s and 1940s. In 1956: the World in Revolt, Simon Hall finds that the year 1956 was … Continue reading →

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer is, as befits a comedienne, is a collections of raucous snippets from her life (riches to rags and back), her career (from to stand up to celebrity) and relationships (don’t … Continue reading →

Have your heard of Alicia Patterson?  This headstrong heiress founded Newsday (1939) and built it into a successful, Pulitzer Prize-winning publication.  In addition, she was an accomplished horsewoman, huntress, and aviatrix. In short, a feminist before the word was invented. … Continue reading →

   Amber Smith enlisted  in the army after 9/11 and flew Kiowa helicopters into combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Danger Close, Smith  recounts her tour of duty. Glennon Doyle Melton came to fame by blogging and writing about female identity and getting … Continue reading →

     Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance details the author’s stormy journey up the “hillbilly highway” from the Kentucky’s coal-country to the declining Rust Belt to the Ivy League. Born into a poor Scots-Irish family—with a pill-addicted mother and “revolving … Continue reading →

   Tom Wolfe’s “The Kingdom of Speech” is an irreverent romp through evolutionary theory.  Wolfe argues that speech –the first artifact–is what sets humans apart from animals.  Along the way, he skewers everyone from Darwin (a copycat) to Noam Chomsky … Continue reading →

Many new mysteries this month. “Closed Casket” is a new Hercule Poirot mystery by Sophie Hannah.  Expect many clues and red herrings to tease the little grey cells.  “Revenge in a Cold River” by Anne Perry finds Inspector Monk the … Continue reading →

Recent suspense and comedy flicks on DVD. In Now You See Me 2, the illusionist team embarks on a new caper to clear their names.  Money Monster is a hostage drama with a global markets subtext .  In Criminal, the memories … Continue reading →