Unaccustomed Earth, by Jhumpa Lahiri

Short story collections generally don’t circulate well. I’m not sure exactly why, but I can certainly theorize. Personally, I enjoy immersing myself in a detailed, involved story, with well-thought out characters and vivid settings, but the very nature of short stories (They’re short!) seems counterintuitive to achieving those lofty goals. Honestly, [...]

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Monty Python’s Flying Circus

“And now for something completely different…”  The legions of Monty Python fans out there will be quick to recognize this quote, and I repeat it here because Monty Python’s Flying Circus is so very different!  Monty Python (as the creators of this show are known) features the writing, performing, and artistic talents of Graham Chapman, [...]

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The Vicar of Dibley

The Church of England ordained its first female ministers in March of 1994. Before that year was out, while churchgoers were still adjusting to this new development, The Vicar of Dibley debuted on BBC. Their old vicar has passed away, and the residents of the fictional village of Dibley are eagerly awaiting the arrival of [...]

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As Time Goes By

It’s the early 1950s.  Lionel is an army officer, and Jean is an army nurse.  They meet.  They fall in love.  Then Lionel gets shipped to Korea.   Communication lines break down, and their relationship ends.  End of story?  Nope.  It’s just the beginning.
As Time Goes By begins forty years later, when this lucky pair is [...]

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Coupling

The basic premise behind this series should seem familiar to American viewers.  Six twenty-somethings (3 men, 3 women), each with their own entertaining eccentricities, experience the highs and lows of life and love, sharing all their adventures in the milieu of their mutual friendship.  Sounds a lot like Friends doesn’t it?  Well, it  is…but it’s [...]

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BlackAdder

I’m trying to write this post, and all that keeps running through my head is the catchy theme song to this silly series.  The words change on a regular basis, but the tune remains basically the same…and since I watched several BlackAdder episodes over the weekend to prepare myself for blogging, the chorus line is [...]

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Hippo Eats Dwarf: A Field Guide to Hoaxes and Other B.S., by Alex Boese

It’s Friday.  Today represents my last chance to impress you with my intellectual capacity, my poignant insights, and my witty banter.  Since I know I won’t be doing that, I’m just going introduce you to a book that I think is a fun read.
Boese ferrets out the truth behind urban myths, scams, hoaxes, outright lies, [...]

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Afternoons with Emily, by Rose MacMurray

I’ve always been a fan of Emily Dickinson, so when I read an early review of Afternoons with Emily, a fictional work featuring the intriguing poet, my interest was piqued.  I devoured the novel during a weekend vacation at the beach, and, even though Emily is ultimately characterized as flawed (aren’t we all?), I was [...]

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Blankets, by Craig Thompson

I really dislike using the designation “coming of age story” to describe a book. I’m not totally sure why, but I think it’s partially because of the term’s pretentiousness, and perhaps more significantly, the fact that it makes me think of sappy Hallmark TV specials (*grimace*). Still, “coming of age story” is so [...]

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Mistborn trilogy, by Brandon Sanderson

I’ve read a lot of fantasy over the years, and while I thoroughly enjoy the
genre, I will admit that some of the concepts have become overused. The
cliches can still be done well, and make for fun reads, but the characters, the
creatures, the magic systems, and the societies can all start to seem basically
alike. [...]

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