Ex Libris: Next Year’s Reading
Just last week I got back from a hot and humid round of tedious errands and encountered the usual: a small pile of book-packages on the front porch.
This is always a cheering prospect, don’t get me wrong.
Ex Libris: Harsh Reviews
I once worked in a newsroom that had three critics either on staff or on call. It wasn’t a big newspaper, but it served a vibrant little city, so there was always plenty to write about:
Ex Libris: A Bit of Re-Reading
I remember the sinking feeling I had thirty years ago when I was enjoying an episode of “Seinfeld” right up until the moment when Jerry Seinfeld starts his signature riffing – only this time it was about a subject near to my heart: re-reading books.
Ex Libris: Book Bargains
Every book critic and Books editor ought to spend some time working as a clerk in a retail bookstore; it’ll remind them very quickly of the impossibilities of their trade.
Ex Libris: The Book House
A long time ago I befriended a young man who stood at a crossroads. Down one path, he would pursue a degree in finance, step into a junior position an uncle was holding open for him, perhaps step into a marriage some other relative was