Monthly Archives: January 2016

Shelf Life: Living in a Made-Up World

Posted on January 30, 2016 by polloplayer

Parents, take those books away from your children NOW! Else they might end up like me, fully convinced that Atticus Finch and Holly Golightly and Hepzibah Pyncheon are the real deal, and wondering why everyone else seems so one-dimensional. Stick … Continue reading →

Posted in Music/Art/Literature/Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Shelf Life: Top 5 Non-Fiction Reads

Posted on January 23, 2016 by polloplayer

The five requirements of a Top Five book: Take me away, anywhere, but do it convincingly. Authenticity. Make me believe in you and your story. It’s nice if you can make me laugh, and, barring that, make me cry. What? … Continue reading →

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Shelf Life: Stranger than Fiction

Posted on January 16, 2016 by polloplayer

I’ll reach for a novel every time. It is mostly thanks to my book clubs, travel and the occasional moment of discipline that I am grudgingly prodded into reading non-fiction. About a third of the books I read in 2015 … Continue reading →

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Shelf Life: Last Place First.

Posted on January 9, 2016 by polloplayer

It’s that time again. Hard to believe a year has passed since the last book list. I’m looking forward to sharing my 2015 Top Ten list, but first, you must suffer through the Deep Six list; those books I wish … Continue reading →

Posted in Music/Art/Literature/Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Family Album: The Umpteenth Day of Christmas…

Posted on January 2, 2016 by polloplayer

It’s not a day, it’s a season, right? And we wrung every last bit of holly and ivy and mistletoe and ho ho ho out of the holiday. There was food. There was fun. There were animals of all varieties … Continue reading →

Posted in All Things Family, Holidays | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments