Rosemount Area Arts Council's "Artists' Talk"

Had a great crowd at the opening of the Rosemount Area Arts Council's "Artists' Talk" at the Steeple Center on Wednesday, October 26. I shared the evening's honors with Betsy Preston, a photographer who visited Vietnam in April of this year. She brought back terrific photos of the country while I displayed pencil sketches and watercolors done during my first visit in '1968-69 and watercolors from my second visit to Vietnam in 1993.

Discovering thru a Book Club

When I grow up I want to be as well read (by those who buy books) as author John le Carré. Popular writer John Grisham is an avid fan. . .of le Carré's. He's been quoted as saying; The Little Drummer Girl is one of his favorite novels, and John le Carré his favorite writer

Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke

Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke

My daughter, a voracious and eclectic reader, introduced me to James Lee Burke. He is a prolific writer who has a way with words. His peers agree, having named him Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and winner of two prestigious Edgar Awards. Burke’s skill with prose in 2014’s “Wayfaring Stranger” reminds me of Sinclair…

Book Review - Sarah Vowell’s “Unfamiliar Fishes

Hawaii’s state motto, “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina I ka pono” means: “The life of the land is preserved in righteousness.” As a teen growing up in Hawaii when it was still a territory, the history of what was to become the 50th state was alive to me, though incomplete. The stories of the Alii—Hawaiian royalty—and the kingdom’s old days were both exotic and mysterious. Class trips to Oahu’s…

Television Series

Television series, even the best, should come with an expiration date. Before creators and casts embarrass themselves with a “Jump the shark” season, they ought to quit while ahead. Seldom happens. Cases in point: “Damages” written by Todd and Glenn Kessler and Dan Zelman. First season was terrific. Great acting by veteran Glenn Close and newcomer Rose Byrne. Good supporting cast, gripping…