A ROYAL WAY WITH WORDS
OVER THE years, the English royals have been generally an entertaining lot. A book in my collection offers proof of this. Elizabeth Countess of Longford, 1906 – 2002, had a … Continue reading
WHAT A SYNECDOCHE!
WORDS CAN arise in the most circuitous ways. I was reading about French president Francois Hollande’s relational complexities—His Élysée Palace live-in pal, Valérie Trierweiler, apparently moving out in response to … Continue reading
WE ARE WEIRD
A PROVOCATIVE recent book offers the view that we have a lot to learn from primitive societies—from what we might call uncivilized sorts. What with savage rites and all, I’m … Continue reading
CHRISTMAS BOOKS
I LOVE both giving and getting books. It’s satisfying when the getting responds to my deftly disguised hint (“Gee, I’d like to read…”). And there’s serendipity when I didn’t even … Continue reading
NOIR GENRES
NOIR IS French for black, but the genres are pure American. According to Merriman-Webster, noir is characterized by hard-boiled and cynical characters inhabiting bleak and sleazy settings. Whether it’s film, … Continue reading
IN PRAISE OF ANNOTATED EDITIONS
IT’S GOOD fun to read the great books. It’s added pleasure to peruse them in annotated editions. I didn’t realize how many of these I’ve accumulated over the years until … Continue reading
LE TRAIN BLEU
THE ENGLISH, with a presence in the French Riviera since 1840, all but invented the idea of a Mediterranean resort. And the Companie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et des Grand Express … Continue reading
JASPER FFORDE’S WORLD
I’M DELIGHTED to share the alternative world of author Jasper Fforde and his Thursday Next series, from The Eyre Affair to the one I’m reading now, One of our Thursdays … Continue reading
ACE OF ACES
AIR COMBAT simulations are fun. Here’s a classic approach that doesn’t require the Internet, or a computer, or even electricity. The Ace of Aces: WWI Air Combat Game series is … Continue reading
SEDUCING SPEED
“PORSCHE BY Design: Seducing Speed” is taking place right now, until January 20, 2014, at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina. See http://goo.gl/1oYXkw for a glimpse … Continue reading
