Month: November 2012

  • A light antidote for “bah, humbug”

    Tired already of hearing “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and other inane Christmas songs on your car radio? Did all the hype about Black Friday shopping leave you with a case of bah-humbug? Here’s a lighthearted Christmas book that might help put you into the real spirit of the season. Load the audio…

  • History and mystery, a royal novel

    Anne Barnhill, a novelist of the Tudor era, takes a look at a new work from a prominent British historian who has successfully ventured into historical fiction in recent years. By Anne Barnhill A DANGEROUS INHERITANCE. By Alison Weir. Ballantine Books.  498 pages. $27. In her fourth historical novel, renowned historian Alison Weir brings together…

  • What it all means, in one short novel

    My husband, who was a newspaper reporter before he saw the light and became a physics teacher, is much impressed by the latest book by the author of Einstein’s Dreams. By Lloyd Brinson MR G: A NOVEL ABOUT THE CREATION. By Alan Lightman. Pantheon Books. 214 pages. $24.95. The Father of Physics is … not…

  • In time for the holidays, a fine new Grisham thriller

    Given the season, I’ll note that it’s always an occasion for Thanksgiving when a new legal thriller by John Grisham arrives. By Linda Brinson THE RACKETEER. By John Grisham. Read by J.D. Jackson. Random House Audio. 10 CDs, 13 hours. $45. Also available in print from Doubleday. The Racketeer, with its ingenious plot twists and…

  • Suffering and comfort

    The Rev. Dr. Charles McGathy, “Chuck” to most who know him, takes a look at an audio book that tackles one of the most difficult books in the Bible – and some of the most difficult questions for struggling human beings. By Charles McGathy THE BOOK OF JOB: When Bad Things Happened to a Good…

  • A new greatest generation?

    I hope those who have access to the Greensboro News & Record will read a column I wrote on today’s Ideas front. The article talks about the importance of a new book written by members of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2002, which I review briefly below. It also gives information about two appearances…

  • Modern classics for worthwhile listening

    By Linda Brinson John le Carre began writing what are loosely classified as spy novels in 1961, long before I was old enough to read or understand his writings. Since then, he’s published more than 20 novels. Now that I’ve discovered them as audiobooks, I can’t wait to listen to all of them. These books…