book Book Lovers Archives

Mysteries of My Father

Issue No. 100 ~ September, 2005

With the style of a novelist, which he is, and in a compelling narrative voice, Fleming traces the paths of his two sets of grandparents, the eventual meeting and coming together of his parents, and then the painful years of his childhood

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

Issue No. 73 ~ June, 2003

ZZ Packer arrives on the already-crowded short fiction market with all the fiery energy of Flannery O'Connor on a good day.

Smart Mobs

Issue No. 73 ~ June, 2003

This is a must read for anyone curious about how technology is changing the way we relate to each other.

Halls of Fame

Issue No. 60 ~ May, 2002

If all of Halls of Fame were as carefully constructed as these two pieces, I'd use the term `wondrous' to describe the entire book.

One Man’s Meat

Issue No. 59 ~ April, 2002

I got a letter from a lightning rod company this morning trying to put the fear of God in me, but with small success. Lightning seems to have lost its menace. Compared to what is going on on earth today, heaven’s firebrands are penny fireworks …

Back When We Were Grownups

Issue No. 56 ~ January, 2002

Wondering about the lives we might have led must be a universal preoccupation, for we know the plot of our lives could have gone in many other directions just as easily. As Robert Frost’s famous “The Road Not Taken” reminds us, one key choice can …

Nickel and Dimed

Issue No. 55 ~ December, 2001

If you are reading this review, then chances are you do not earn your living in one of the professions that Barbara Ehrenreich assayed while researching Nickel and Dimed. If you are only earning seven dollars and change an hour, then odds are you trade …

Sheba

Issue No. 55 ~ December, 2001

Before I get to Sheba, the actual subject of this review, I’d like to take a moment to explore a parallel that occurred to me about halfway through the book. It’s a parallel that Nicholas Clapp never addresses directly, but which he must be aware …