I think most writers start out as lonely kids whose best friends are books. A little over a month ago, my wife and I were packing to visit my family for Thanksgiving. All of my clothes were neatly packed and I was frantically searching our bookshelves for some light airplane reading. Reading an engaging bookContinue reading “A Lonely Kid’s Best Friend”
Category Archives: Review
The Value of a Truly Terrible Book
I have a lot of books crammed into my little office at home and I’d estimate that I’ve only read about two-thirds of them. The rest are books that I just haven’t gotten around to yet. I’ve spent years collecting these books and dragging them halfway across the country on the off chance that onContinue reading “The Value of a Truly Terrible Book”
Harper Lee’s Second Novel Will Change Everything
“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” – Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird Fifty-five years is a long time to wait for a second novel, but more than half a century after her debut, it appears that Harper Lee is publishing a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird.Continue reading “Harper Lee’s Second Novel Will Change Everything”
Apocalypse Train Through Denmark
This week, I watched two wildly different films. One was the closing night film at the First Annual Destiny City Film Festival. The other was a thriller/allegory with lots of violence and action. One was a carefully-crafted, low-key story about a man who goes searching for his grandfather and the other was a high-intensity rollercoasterContinue reading “Apocalypse Train Through Denmark”
Rewriting Hemingway
Last week, news broke of a new release of Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 debut novel The Sun Also Rises. The new edition “restores” the original first chapter of the novel, replacing the iconic opening scenes setting up the protagonist, Robert Cohn, with an introduction to the female lead, the fiery Brett Ashley. Hemingway fans are practically droolingContinue reading “Rewriting Hemingway”
9 Things “How I Met Your Mother” Taught Me About Storytelling
After nine seasons, my favorite TV sitcom came to an end last night. After years of twists and turns, Ted Mosby finally met the love of his life and his couch-bound children found out how their father met their mother. For my generation, the CBS comedy has become is cultural touchstone. With its intricate web of puzzleContinue reading “9 Things “How I Met Your Mother” Taught Me About Storytelling”
An Open Letter to the Doctor
Dear Doctor, You are a man of many faces who has lived many lifetimes. For over a thousand years, you’ve been traveling through time and space in a ship disguised as a blue police box. But I’ve only been following your exploits for the past year or so. I first met you in your NinthContinue reading “An Open Letter to the Doctor”
What Langston Hughes Taught Me About The Music of Language
I’ll never forget the first time I read a poem written by Langston Hughes. I was 16, taking a creative writing class at my high school and struggling to make it through the poetry unit of the course. I couldn’t write a decent poem to save my grade and every poem I read seemed moreContinue reading “What Langston Hughes Taught Me About The Music of Language”
For the Love of Trek
Forty-six years ago, the first episode of a science fiction TV series was broadcast. It was called Star Trek and it was destined to change the world. Half a century later, it is ingrained in our pop culture, lives on in spin-off shows, movies and books and has inspired three generations of thinkers, explorers andContinue reading “For the Love of Trek”
An Open Letter to Sherlock Holmes
Dear Mr. Holmes, Despite being thoroughly aware that you’re a fictional character, I must admit I’ve always felt that you and I were kindred spirits. I became a fan of your work shortly after I learned how to read. I don’t know when or where I happened upon that green, leather-bound book with gilded pagesContinue reading “An Open Letter to Sherlock Holmes”
