Books

The very best books, the kind that make reading a extraordinary and incomparable delight, are those that offer up a sumptuous journey to places and with people you would never otherwise have the pleasure of coming into contact with. By doing so, they offer up a glorious sense of escape Continue Reading

When first you pick up the definitively titled Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson, you may tempted to wonder just how many quirky books about characters encountering some great challenge and thus sweet victory or transformation in the twilight of their lives, one book market can take. Take a Continue Reading

Odds are that if you think of Star Wars, and particularly the trilogy that began it all (New Hope / The Empire Strikes Back / The Return of the Jedi), that your mind will first fall upon the unmissable trio of protagonists of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Continue Reading

Humanity has always had a robust love affair with the future. Often burnt by the past and uncertain or despairing about the present, there is something inside of us that optimistically grabs a hold of the future, embracing it like some kind of gilt-edged promised land where troubles will be Continue Reading

There is an uncommon joy that infuses every last word in Becky Chambers brilliantly-affecting A Closed and Common Orbit. That is largely due to the nuanced and empathetic way that the author addresses the prevailing theme of the book which is all about discovering who you are and where you Continue Reading

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if life was like the movies? Not Alien or Zodiac because no one wants that kind of trouble; no, films like Sleepless in Seattle or While You Were Sleeping where there are complications sure but life and love generally end up in the sweet spot of Continue Reading

Life is full of surprises. Many are wonderful – unexpected birthday parties, fantastic new job offers, kind words from a total stranger or close friend just when you need it the most. But some are gut-wrenchingly life-changing, the kind that knock you to the ground so profoundly with rug-from-under-you fury Continue Reading

Transition points in life are never easy. Oh, we’d like to think they are, or at least will be, since as much as we dread all the change and disruption, we’re also usually quietly (or loudly) excited about the idea that something new and different could be coming down the Continue Reading

When you are taking in the enormity of a major moment in history, it is easy to forget that behind the epic events lie a multiplicity of individual stories. We may see a monolithic whole but it only exists because a host of people all major contributing personal systems that Continue Reading