My younger brother, Bill, has a knack for making friends with some unusual characters. Take Rodger McFarlane, for example. You may know him as Tommy Boatwright from Larry Kramer’s seminal work, The Normal Heart (Jim Parsons played him in the Broadway revival and HBO movie). I know Rodger from a different genre. He authored an important book. Bill sent a copy of Rodger’s book to Gary and me in 2004, when Gary’s mom was dying of cancer. She had told…
Today is World Read Aloud Day. Reading out loud is a tradition in my family. Growing up, Mom read to us every night. As I got older, I read to her as she ironed Dad’s shirts and other wrinkly items before the age of wash-and-wear cotton blends. Together, Mom and I enjoyed The Borrowers, The Secret Garden, and so many other classics. And so, when James was in third grade and his teacher started reading one chapter of The Tale…
Newly retired, I’ve mentioned to Gary over the past seven months how much I look forward to getting snowed in this winter, surrounded by books. With memoirs by Eva Kor, Graham Norton, and a few less familiar names topping the stack, I was ready for whatever Mother Nature might fling at us. The books surround us, but there’s nary a flake in sight. Although we haven’t needed to pile up the blankets just yet, it is a wonderful situation to…
On New Years Day, I read a blurb about CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who revealed he had offered, years ago, to host the annual countdown to midnight so that he could avoid the sadness of the anniversary of the loss of his father. Wyatt Emory Cooper died on January 5, 1978. Anderson was just 10 years old. Losing a parent when you’re just a kid must be awful. Indescribably so. Anderson is also mourning his mom, who passed away in June…
It came as quite a surprise when a radio host mentioned, a month or so ago, that the end of 2019 also marks the end of the decade. As the “teens” come to an end, here are the books that carried me through December: Week 1: Fosse by Sam Wasson Since I haven’t had a chance to catch the Fosse/Verdon miniseries based on this tome yet, it seemed like a good idea to start with the book. Thankfully, I downloaded…
November was a time of sorrow and remembrance, as Mom left this life. Something tells me, though, that there are a lot of books in heaven. That’s a comforting thought. Mom’s legacy includes a love of reading passed on to her children, grandchildren, and beyond. I asked my brothers to help with this blog post and send some thoughts about how mom influenced their love of books. Here are their stories (presented in alphabetical order by the sibling’s name): Bill,…
Another month comes to a close, with four more books to cross off my “must read” list. Week 1: Gunn’s Golden Rules by Tim Gunn Tim Gunn was my favorite “character” on the original Project Runway. There is something about his proper, yet warm, personality that is incredibly appealing. And his memoir reflects this throughout. Gunn artfully tells stories about his challenging childhood through successful adulthood by crafting them into themed chapters, each with sensible advice. (Long ago, I’d suggested…
Even though local schools head back obnoxiously early around here, September still feels like the true back-to-school month. It’s still not cozy-up-and-read weather, but surely we’re getting closer! Here’s a look at the four books I read this month. Week 1: Children of Nazis by Tania Crasniaski An uncomfortable read, yet fascinating. The author devotes a chapter to the children of each of eight high-ranking Nazis. Some referred to Hitler as Uncle Adolf and others were even named for him….
August is a long, hot month. Back to school starts too early, as do the Christmas ads. In keeping with my retirement goal to read a book each week, here are the late-summer titles. Week 1: Ladies Who Punch by Ramin Setoodeh This seemed like a good choice for “summer beach reading,” even though we didn’t go to the shore. Definitely an interesting read, but only made me less interested in watching The View than before. The egos and downright…
One of my happiest moments on stage back in college was playing my soul sister, Lucy van Pelt, in “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.” The Peanuts gang is tasked with writing “a book report on Peter Rabbit” and the characters each approach the musical assignment in their own way. Lucy, of course, concentrates on the number of words required and is very, very, very careful to hit 100 on the nose. Funny thing, I remember back in second grade…