Articles

P.D. James has written not just a sequel to the action of Pride and Prejudice: she has somehow absorbed Jane Austen’s style whole. It is elegant proof that Baroness James deserves every ounce of her extraordinary literary reputation. Nina Balatka by Trollope is a welcome change of pace for most of us who aren’t ashamed to enjoy a romance, or in need of some entertaining preaching, even if it is to the choir more »

“We studied the reasons for gender differences in heart disease and diabetes — our first questions — plus chronic arthritis, headaches, lung disease, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, and cognitive, mental and functional health.” more »

As the weather cools down the crowd on the feeders heats up. Often the feeders are packed with finches and sparrows but Redbird Cardinals are regular visitors and the brilliant red of the male cardinal is like a beacon on the bare branches. more »

Am I glad I didn’t live in Babylonia four thousand years ago. There the New Year celebration lasted eleven days. By the eleventh day, the Babylonians must have had prodigious hangovers. That’s not for me. It would mean missing all those great post-holiday sales. more »