Parenthood: An Appreciation
On my way home from work last Thursday, the night the Parenthood series finale was broadcast, I noticed a bumper sticker on the slightly banged-up Toyota in front of me: “Life is
Twelve Months, Cover to Cover
The year gone by was full of milestones small and large: gains and losses, advances and retreats, triumphs and struggles. It was a year worthy of a novel, though I didn’t write o
Why Authors Celebrate on Publication Day
Authors celebrate on publication day for so many different reasons. It’s the culmination of a journey. It’s watching your child step out into the world and find their way. It
Travis Ishikawa: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
[Posted on my Facebook page last night. These are the moments every baseball fan dreams of.] The beauty of baseball is the drama and stories that the game’s ebbs and flows al
The Bookshelf Diaries (An Occasional Series): Rob Yardumian, Kate Atkinson, Don Felder
In recent years my reading list has been around 50 percent favorite series (see: Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, Ace Atkins, Lee Child), 25 percent rock and roll (biographies or ro
Piecing the Puzzle
I bought my wife a jigsaw puzzle for her birthday, and have been paying for it ever since (metaphorically, that is; I think it cost $14.99). It’s one we had glanced at together e
Heroes
So, this is awkward. Some part of me has always known this day would come, of course, but until now I’ve been reluctant to share the truth with more than a handful of people. Now
Of Loss, and Moving on: Thoughts on The West Wing
Most of the great stories ever told involve, on some level, dealing with loss. Hell, most of the pretty good ones, too. It’s an essential part of the human experience: how does l
Sparks
I can’t begin to speculate on when or where the first book-signing in history was held, but I’d bet the house that someone in the audience asked—maybe in Latin or Aramaic—s
The Bookshelf Diaries (An Occasional Series): Carole King, Scott Turow, Greg Kihn
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” “Chains.” “The Loco-Motion.” “I’m into Something Good.” “Crying In the Rain.” “I Feel the Earth Move.” And of course: “(You