No Book No Problem
The other morning I had an appointment for routine service on my car. However, in the rush to get everyone out the door I’d forgotten to pack a book or anything to work on while…
20:20 Vision?
Time for a look back on 2019 and a look ahead at 2020. In 2019 I saw 12 live plays, which is more than I thought I would see. Three were for a college class,…
A Few Books by Charles Dickens
My literary book club did Dickens last week, focusing on A Christmas Carol. I was glad I wasn’t the only one who felt compelled, when I read it, to read it aloud, or at least…
“Hold These Truths” at the Lyceum Theatre
My whole family, including my mother and mother-in-law, went to see the San Diego Rep’s presentation of Hold These Truths at the Lyceum Theatre, at what used to be Horton Plaza downtown. The last time…
“Twelfth Night” and “On Golden Pond”
I took the family to see Twelfth Night at The Old Globe a few weeks ago. The show wasn’t part of the regular season; it was a special run presented as part of the Shiley…
Used Books and a DVD
I was looking to kill time after a dinner out with my teenager, waiting for traffic to die down, and as we were sort of in the neighborhood I suggested we go to BookOff. It’s…
“Becket” vs. Becket
I found this book on the free books shelves at my local library, where they set out books that have languished unwanted at the monthly book fair through several cycles. I’m familiar with the historical…
“Uncommon Type” and a Not-Too-Uncommon Typewriter
I found this book in a local Little Free Library. Uncommon Type is a collection of short stories written by movie star/director/screenwriter Tom Hanks, which is why his name is significantly bigger than the title…
Feeding on the Spectres in Books
Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems, You shall possess the good of the earth and sun, (there are millions …
On “The Innocents Abroad” and “The Odyssey”
I’ve been reading Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad for a literary book club. I’d never read it before, although I love great travel writing like John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, Jonathan Raban’s Old Glory (an…