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Tag Archives: The West
On the Death of Kent Haruf: One of Our Finest Novelists, and a Friend
So on this snowy morning it’s a sad day to hear of the passing of Kent Haruf, author of Plainsong (1999), Eventide (2004), and Benediction (2013), among others. (For more details, see a piece in the Washington Post, here.) Although I … Continue reading
Posted in books, books/film
Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Good Fiction, Kent Haruf, Photography, The Bird Saviors, The West
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The Heat Is On: Melting Santas and Family Values in the Era of Climate Change
So I haven’t blogged in—oh, just about forever (over two months)—but I’ve been fine and dandy, thank you very much, and trying to keep my ducks in a row: Besides being a professor, and all that entails, mainly I’ve been … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, The West
Tagged Climate Change, Drought, Photography, The Bird Saviors, The West, Water Crisis, Wildfires
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Review of Malcolm Brooks's debut novel "Painted Horses," and What I've Been Up to All This Time
So I feel bad for my uncared-for little blog here, languishing away as I rush about in my busy life, never finding time to nurture, as they say. It’s like the freckled orphan in the corner, who you notice now … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, The West
Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Good Fiction, The West
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Review of Peter Heller's "The Painter" in the Dallas Morning News
So here’s my review of Peter Heller’s new novel, The Painter, today in the Dallas Morning News, here. It’s a good book, and I’ll have more to say about it this week, but for now I’ll let this review speak. … Continue reading
Posted in books, The West
Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Good Fiction, Peter Heller, The West
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Melting Ice Caps v. The In-Laws, With a Derisive Sneer at Marco Rubio
So I haven’t written much about Climate Change in a while (and in fact haven’t blogged, due to the hectic rush at the end of the term, but that’s over with, thank god) and here comes a batch of bad … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Politics, The West
Tagged Climate Change, Politics, The West
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"American Hustle" Kills SuperDud XLVIII
So on Sunday afternoon I went to see American Hustle, which should win the Best Fun Picture category at the Oscars, and after which my wife wryly noted, “I don’t think we saw Amy Adams breasts enough.” (See the film, … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, The West
Tagged American Hustle, Book Reviewing, Film, The West
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On Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" & a Christmas Without the Internet
So I happened to see the awesome/sad/hilarious film Nebraska, another classic by Alexander Payne, at a swanky art house theater (the Plaza Frontenac) in St. Louis before Christmas, but was unable to post anything about it, as I left the … Continue reading
Posted in Birding, books/film, Film, The West
Tagged Alexander Payne's Nebraska, Christmas, Film, Good Fiction, The West
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My Review of Jim Harrison's "Brown Dog" in the Dallas Morning News
So I’ve been woefully out-of-touch with my blog, my misbegotten red-headed stepchild (with apologies to all ginger stepchildren in the world), but I haven’t been woefully out-of-touch with reading & living, which should always trump blogging. My review of Jim … Continue reading
Posted in books, books/film, Film, The West, writing
Tagged Birding, Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Film, Good Fiction, Jim Harrison, Pete Dexter, The West
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A Postmortem on Dan Brown's "Inferno," and What's That Aron Ralston Dude Up to Now?
So apparently Aron Ralston—the solo rock climber who cut his own arm off when trapped by a boulder, as portrayed in James Franco’s 127 Hours (2010)—has run afoul of the law, to the tune of “domestic violence,” which hopefully did … Continue reading
Posted in Art, books/film, Climate Change
Tagged Book Reviewing, Climate Change, Dan Brown's Inferno, Fiction Writing, The Da Vinci Code, The West
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On Jim Harrison's "Brown Dog" & Park Chan-wook's film "Stoker"
So I feel sorry for my poor blog, to which I don’t give enough attention—like the ignored dog that’s always whimpering to be taken for a walk or the proverbial red-headed stepchild (with apologies to all red heads and stepchildren … Continue reading
Posted in books/film, Horror Films, Nicole Kidman, The West
Tagged Book Reviewing, Fiction Writing, Jim Harrison, Nicole Kidman, The West
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