George Thomson’ s Practical Calligraphy is a small book full of big ideas. It introduces the history and uses of calligraphy in straightforward and inspiring ways, from ancient Mesopotamia, through medieval monks to modern wedding invitations. The examples and step-by-step instructions for projects look very accessible, and they are clear. The big problem for me […]
This month, I’m rolling up my sleeves and plunging into two plays and two books that will recharge my critical batteries. These four brief choices will come as a relief after the doorstoppers I recommended last month. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman All My Sons was the play that finally launched Arthur Miller’s sterling […]
Greetings, humans. We have genre variety this month to keep your reading palate happy. Two novels, two biographies, a collection of essays about America’s most famous playwright, and a collection of sketches of some of the greatest writers working today: Books In Hand: Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life I excitedly impulse-bought Yanagihara’s book after hearing […]
Broadway. The term, encompassing both an urban location and the style of theater produced therein, is so familiar, so loaded with rich cultural history, that we almost can’t conceive of American theater without it. But while the term may conjure up images from decades of iconic performances, or discussions of an impressive financial, touristic, and […]
When I heard about the shootings at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, I immediately thought of the religion scholar Stephen Prothero. More specifically, I thought about his book God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World, which I finished reading just about a month ago. Prothero’s main argument is […]
Everyone loves lists, and at the end of the year there is no lack of Top Lists that reflect on and revamp our cultural excitement about the past twelve months. Although we frequent playhouses and movie theaters to see new works/productions on stage and screen (barring the occasional revival or vintage screening), our reading habits […]
I’ve become a dog person. There, I said it, and I joined the millions of Americans (as well as others around the world) who worship their dogs. My boyfriend has an agreeable and adorable Cava-Poo (a King Charles Cavalier and Poodle mix) that is impossible not to love. But like looking at a newborn-adopted baby […]
After every great non-fiction book I find myself saying, “that was the best non-fiction book I’ve read in a long time”. However, after finishing The Promise of a Pencil by Adam Braun, I can confirm that this book is in fact the best non-fiction book I’ve read in a long time, and possibly the best […]