Month: December 2013

  • One summer, many stories

      Do interesting vignettes from a common era make for a compelling read? Paul O’Connor, journalist, professor, gentleman and history buff, among other distinctions, takes a look at Bill Bryson’s latest book. Reviewed by Paul T. O’Connor ONE SUMMER: AMERICA, 1927. By Bill Bryson. Doubleday. 456 pages $28.95. In the span of one summer, give…

  • Anne Perry’s annual holiday gift

    For 11 years now, Anne Perry has given her fans a Christmas present: a holiday novel, one of her engaging Victorian tales with a Christmas setting. These books offer support for the theory that good gifts come in small packages:  They are briefer than Perry’s usual novels, but each offers a complete and satisfying tale,…

  • Crossing the Atlantic, crossing the centuries

    Somehow, I had not read any books by the Irish writer Colum McCann, who has written international bestsellers and won many awards, including the National Book Award for Let the Great World Spin. Listening to this audio recording of his latest book was a wonderful way to make his acquaintance. Now all I need to…