Against my better judgment, I turned on TLC the other night. You know, the channel which takes the worst part of American society and glorifies it through reality television. But the old “even a blind squirrel finds an acorn” adage…

I will occasionally review my favorite TV shows, sometimes a few days late. These won’t be recaps, but general and specific observations from someone who thinks way too much about this kind of stuff and doesn’t get too overly negative…

I love this time of year. You can feel the difference in the air. A special electricity surrounds us. You could blame it on the change from summer to autumn, but something else gives me this feeling – I can…

I hesitated before picking up a copy of Joshua Braff’s novel “Peep Show.” On one hand, I didn’t really like his first book. On the other hand, I had two books in my hand for my daughter and Braff’s book had…

You need a lot of skill to write a book. You need to come up with a good idea, plan it out and use your command of language to make that story come alive. When everything comes together, the end result…

Traveling often puts us at the mercy of other folks. You have to hope that the person in the seat next to you on the plane isn’t a jerk. You have to trust the taxi driver doesn’t try to rip…

I had pretty high hopes when I picked up “How I Became a Famous Novelist.” First of all, the fake best-seller list on the back cover showed that the author had a keen eye for the absurdity of mass market…

As I got ready for work the other day, I spotted something hidden behind a chair in our computer. Once I realized what it was, I knew I had to make a change. So I found an empty nail in…

Even though I know better, I am putty in the hands of book marketers sometimes. “Candy Everybody Wants” by Josh Kilmer-Purcell stands as a perfect example. All the marketing department had to do was create a colorful, eye-catching cover and…

My big mouth gets me in trouble sometimes. That should not shock anyone. I have learned over the years, however, to not promise things I might not do. I did not follow that guideline earlier this summer during a conversation…