Category Archives: Nonfiction

Some Assembly Required

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

Last year, Teresa went to a book signing with Anne and Sam Lamott (she gets to do things like that all the time, because she lives near Washington, D.C. and not in the Inland Empire – no, I am not jealous, why are … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Nonfiction | 4 Comments

Frozen in Time

Posted on May 4, 2013 by

“Greenland makes no sense,” writes author Mitchell Zuckoff in Frozen in Time. For one thing, it’s not green at all. More than 80 percent of Greenland is buried in ice. For centuries, the massive island has remained largely empty. During … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Nonfiction | Tagged | 7 Comments

Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance

Posted on April 22, 2013 by

In this collection of essays, many previously published in The New Yorker, general surgeon Atul Gawande looks at how doctors can improve their performance, saving more lives and offering better health outcomes for anyone in their care. He looks at … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Short Stories/Essays | 14 Comments

The Heart of Islam

Posted on April 9, 2013 by

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, wrote The Heart of Islam in 2002 “with the express purpose of explaining certain basic aspects of Islam and widely discussed issues in a manner acceptable to mainstream Islamic … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Religion | 4 Comments

The Psychopath Test

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

I picked up The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson on pure impulse. I’m a little fascinated by psychopaths (for what reason I couldn’t possibly say — maybe a train-wreck sort of thing), and while I haven’t seen or read Men … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction | 17 Comments

Stet: An Editor’s Life

Posted on April 1, 2013 by

An editor’s work stays behind the scenes. We see the finished product and laud the author—quite rightfully—for the skill and talent that brought ideas and people to life. But I don’t imagine we think much about the editor who coaxed … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Nonfiction | 10 Comments

The Sacrament of the Present Moment

Posted on March 30, 2013 by

Born in 1675, Jean-Pierre de Caussade was a Jesuit priest who served as spiritual director for the Nuns of the Visitation in Nancy, France, in the 1730s. This little book is a compilation of notes from talks he gave and … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics, Nonfiction, Religion | 4 Comments

The Body and Society

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

When considering the past, especially the ancient past, I sometimes think we imagine the people as one large group—or just a few large groups, divided by region. It definitely feels that way to me when we talk about “the early … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Nonfiction, Religion | 9 Comments

Poetry and the Age

Posted on March 11, 2013 by

I was reading Poetry and the Age the other day while my students were taking a test here in France. The room was quiet, pens busily at work, and suddenly, into the silence I dropped a helpless, delighted laugh. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Nonfiction, Poetry, Short Stories/Essays | 8 Comments

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

Perhaps the best indicator of whether you’ll enjoy this memoir by Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) is whether you enjoy reading her blog. If you find her blog funny, you’ll find the book funny. If you find her blog overly … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Nonfiction | Tagged | 18 Comments