Saturday, October 1, 2011
I like this these lines right at the beginning: “You try your best to love the world despite obvious flaws in design and execution. And you take care of whatever needy things present themselves to you during your passage through it. Otherwise you’re worthless.”
Continue reading about Now Reading: “Nightwoods” by Charles Frazier
Saturday, July 17, 2010
When I was in first grade, I read Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll and was confused by the passage where Alice was rowing a boat with a sheep in it. I wasn’t disturbed by the fact that she was in the boat with the sheep, or that the sheep spoke and knitted. [...]
Continue reading about Feathers, Water, Looking Glass and an Imaginary Pig
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
While on my way to Washington, D.C., last month for an interview with the hometown paper, I was browsing the vampire section of the airport bookstore when another book jumped out at me. Not literally, of course. It wasn’t an evil zombie book that was trying to kill me. I just noticed it because the [...]
Continue reading about Jewel of the Month: Xenobia Ring
Friday, April 16, 2010
For this post, the fourth and final one on my favorite history book, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitious 14th Century by Barbara Tuchman, I wish I had a deep-voiced television announcer to say, “Previously on Wendy Brandes Jewelry …” and give a summary of the three preceding posts. Since I don’t have that guy, I’ll [...]
Continue reading about Book Club: A Distant Mirror, the Finale
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Yesterday I neglected to celebrate the 500-year anniversary of the day that my dear friend, Henry VIII (also known on the internets as Henry teh 8), acceded to the English throne. Handsome! I doubt I would have remembered at all if gorgeous blogger Princess Poochie hadn’t sent me a story about one of Henry’s love [...]
Continue reading about Oh, the Shame!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
It’s become de rigueur for newspaper columnists, bloggers and people standing around the water cooler to bemoan the decline of civilization as evidenced by what one historian called “economic chaos, social unrest, high prices, profiteering, depraved morals, lack of production, industrial indolence, frenetic gaiety, wild expenditure, luxury, debauchery, social and religious hysteria, greed, avarice, maladministration, [...]
Continue reading about Book Club: Introduction to A Distant Mirror
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
If you’re anything like me, there was only one possible reaction to Senator Dianne Feinstein’s opening remarks at the inaugural ceremony last week: Get me the names of her doctor and hair stylist! Dianne FeinsteinPhoto from the Modesto Bee Dianne is 75, people. Seventy-five! And she looks great. Clearly, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts [...]
Continue reading about Thursday Book Club: Author Randy Shilts
