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Recent Posts
- On “Die My Love”: Jennifer Lawrence Channels Her Inner Kristi Noem, and Does Not Write the Great American Novel
- “The Salt Path” (2025): An Underappreciated Film That Includes Actual Humanity
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- On Sleeping With Dogs
- The Year Without a Winter (in the Southwest): 2025-2026
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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Review of Jim Crace's "Harvest"
So my review of Jim Crace’s new novel, Harvest, appeared Sunday in the Dallas Morning News, here. I liked the book, mainly for its style more than its subject or story, which was taken to task in an interesting review … Continue reading
Posted in books, Uncategorized, writing
Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Good Fiction
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Review of "Oz: The Great and Powerful," Plus "The Paperboy" Meets "The Master"
So last night I stumbled into the new James Franco/Mila Kunis special effects love-a-thon Oz: the Great and Powerful, and could easily do one of those catty, snarky Hollywood send-ups that go, “It was like The Princess Bride meets The … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Film, Nicole Kidman, Pete Dexter, Uncategorized
Tagged Film, Nicole Kidman, Oz: the Great and Powerful, The Master, The Paperboy
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Snow Drought in Colorado & the I-Told-You-So Problem With Climate Change
So this year’s snowpack is pathetic in Colorado and other points West, which is a harbinger of a further summer drought, as detailed in the New York Times, here. Count me as one of those West lovers who are in … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, The West, Uncategorized, Weird Weather
Tagged Climate Change, Drought, The West
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On Reading T.R. Fehrenbach's "Comanches: The Destruction of a People" and Jared Diamond's "The World Until Yesterday": A World Without Laws
So while teaching Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian recently, I learned he’d been inspired by T.R. Fehrenbach’s Comanches: The Destruction of a People (1975), so I picked it up. Suffice to say it was a gripping read, as I had a … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Cormac McCarthy, The West, Uncategorized
Tagged Book Reviewing, Cormac McCarthy, Good Fiction, The Bird Saviors, The West
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"A Flag From the Poor Kid": A Christmas Essay
So a week ago I attended my daughter’s first community choir event for the Christmas season, at a Lutheran church no less. It was a lovely—even, dare I say, spiritual—event, a crowd of darling children singing (or not) Christmas carols in … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Education, Politics, The West, Uncategorized
Tagged Climate Change, Gun Control, Poverty, The West
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Three Ideas for "Real" Change: Support States' Rights on Marijuana, Mandate Solar Panels of New Home Roofs, Ban All Assault Weapons
So the Obama administration has one chance for real change right now, with a couple more that are much needed. I live in Colorado, which has legalized marijuana, but the Obama administration has yet to respond on exactly what they’ll … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Gun Control, Politics, The West, Uncategorized
Tagged Climate Change, Gun Control, Politics, The West
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Phillip Roth Hangs Up His Pen, While Kent Haruf and George Saunders Have New Books in the Offing
So on the literary beat there’s an interesting tidbit in the news this week (delayed, as you’ll see, from our attention), in that the great American novelist—he did name one of his books that: The Great American Novel (1973)—Phillip Roth … Continue reading
On Finishing David Quammen's "Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic"
So I’ve finished David Quammen’s excellent new book of nonfiction, Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, about zoonotic viruses and the danger we face from new pandemics originating in crossover viruses leaping from animals to humans. At 520 … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Climate Change, Uncategorized
Tagged Book Reviewing, Climate Change, David Quammen's Spillover
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Review of "The Bird Saviors" in the San Antonio Express-News, and Miles & Miles of Texas
So I’m on a book tour of Texas right now, and have actually driven 1,400 miles so far, from Texline in the northeast part of the Panhandle to South Padre Island at the very southern tip of the state. And … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books, The West, Uncategorized
Tagged Birding, Book Reviewing, The Bird Saviors, The West
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