Author:

A Review of House of Gucci by Sara Forden

More than a true crime story, House of Gucci sheds light on the complexities of family loyalty and personal ambition. Peppered with real-life quotes from Gucci family members, Forden does a great job of adding intrigue to a history already splashed across newspapers.

I am secretly trying to light a wick: A Conversation between Matt Mauch and Tiffany Troy about their new books

I tell my students to fall in love with the process—the process of writing, of doing it every day, of making it a habit, a job that doesn’t pay you but matters more than the jobs that do—and that the product will come. I try to teach them to take the long view. Saying “the product will come” is my assent to our economic system, to capitalism, to ego.

A review of Long Island by Colm Tóibín

Tóibín excels at novels from a woman’s point of view. Here he gives a sympathetic portrait of two women shaken by events and hoping for a second chance. The main male characters, Tony and Jim, lack the determination and character of Eilis and Nancy. Unthinking, they grab onto the first thing that comes along.

A review of Tiger Cage by Max Brooks

Brooks is still the master of creating a convincing if fantastical world through the eyes of a minor participant. In broad strokes, he paints a compelling picture of a war-torn Los Angeles, particularly Hollywood, an area he has extensive knowledge of as the child of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft.

Where the Time Goes, a review of Knowing by Mark Cox

Perhaps all of the aforementioned influenced the distinct voice in Knowing, a voice that probes and wonders, laments and celebrates. Three central ideas are: The past is good, the present is better; fate coexists with human will; and time is unstoppable, art stops time.

A review of Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy by Isaac Arnsdorf

The fanaticism of the MAGA conservatives rests on cynicism and conspiracy, a fundamental belief that the world (the Republican party, Democrats, Hollywood elites, paper shredding trucks) is out to get them, to squeeze their voice—and their vote—from existence. In their view, the only way to fight this grand conspiracy is through a ferocious commitment to ideology and an organized grassroots movement, sponsored by MyPillow.

A review of Shocking the Dark by Robert Lowes

Scant need to explain the theme. Here we have a wistful reflection, one of the attendants of faith. The question of evil is difficult enough; here we touch upon the divine conscience. And it’s even in an almost 10-9 meter, save for the final line. Almost.