Books Archive

If I Stay - You think "The Fault in Our Stars" is the only summer movie that could have your kids --- and you --- in puddles? Here comes “If I Stay.” Published in 2009, it

Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others - Thich Nhat Hanh gave a lecture in Boston, but he wanted to do more, so his staff arranged a free “Sit in Peace” event in Copley Square, a few hundred

Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment - I tried hard to duck this one. But my friend can be annoyingly persistent, and it was a book of photographs taken by Dorothea Lange, whose pictures of the 1930s define

Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up - Mike Nichols said --- and who'd know better? --- that his improvisational comedy work with Elaine May was the biggest key to his success. It was useful for him as

In a Dark, Dark Wood - Guest Butler Betsy Kane Ellis, when not reading, is a Life Enrichment Specialist at Jewish Family Service of St. Paul and an artist. She loves nothing more than putting books

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto - What's better for you --- whole milk, 2% milk or skim? Is a chicken labeled “free range” good enough to reassure you of its purity? How about “grass fed” beef? What form

In Lieu of Flowers: A Conversation for the Living - Nancy Cobb has been there. In 1982, her father took a short walk off a high place. Her mother, vibrant and funny and her best friend, drew the Alzheimer’s card

In Praise of Difficult Women: Life Lessons From 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules - I am a longtime fan of Karen Karbo’s books. I've praised How Georgia Became O’Keeffe: Lessons on the Art of Living and The Gospel According to Coco Chanel: Life Lessons

In the King’s Arms - I get many, many new books each week; there’s no way I can be fair to them all. So I developed a plan: I read the first sentence, and if

In the Shadow of the Banyan - I used to think physical torture was the worst that could happen. But there’s worse: when a man with a gun tells you that you are no longer the person you’ve

In the Spirit of New Orleans - I was high on New Orleans when I finished Debra Shriver’s book, so I logged on to JetBlue and checked the fare from New York to New Orleans. Would you believe

Infamous Players: A Tale of Movies, the Mob, (and Sex) - You never know what’s around the corner. That, perhaps, is the moral of Peter Bart’s film career.   There he was, a young New York Times reporter, married and a father, happy covering

Innocent Spouse: A Memoir -   When Carol Ross was 22, Walter Cronkite hired her to write the evening news. He had a crew of writers, but she was his personal writer, the one who sat

Inside Moves - I read “Inside Moves” when it came out in 1978. And I read it again every few years. The usual reason: I’m a fool for novels that have great characters

Intimate Death: How the Dying Teach Us How to Live - The Times published a multi-page piece about John Shields, who decided to stage his wake while he was still alive. And then, because he lived in Canada, where the dying

Invictus: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation - If you read nothing else this month, please get your hands on "Playing the Enemy" and read the section --- near the end --- about the morning of the World

Is Paris Burning? - GUEST BUTLER PIMM FOX, the creator and news anchor of "Taking Stock," a program of business interviews and financial news analysis broadcast daily on Bloomberg TV and radio, is currently

Is Thomas Keller’s Roast Chicken the Greatest Ever? - In 1994, Thomas Keller took ownership of The French Laundry in Yountville, California. Fame followed quickly. He has since opened Per Se, Bouchon, Bar Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, and Ad Hoc.He

Isaac Mizrahi: I.M., A Memoir - That late ‘80s Isaac Mizrahi show was crazy. At the end, we were all on our feet, screaming. Backstage, more of the same. “Gale force!” Andre Leon Talley bellowed. “Gale

Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History - Do you think today's storms are the most deadly? Read on... Isaac Cline was more than a meteorologist. He was also a doctor. A fastidious dresser, a model citizen, a