You’ve Got a Friend in Her

Helen Ellis’s latest book of essays is sure to make you smile Helen Ellis is writing for me. A woman in my late 40s/early 50s. Someone who stares in the mirror and wonders: Is my hair grayer than it was yesterday? Did my cheeks always have those ridges at the bottom? No, I do notContinue reading “You’ve Got a Friend in Her”

Put Down Your Phone

Book of personal essays transports readers to a happier time Rick Bailey is having a conversation with his wife. And striving to appreciate Beaujolais. And sightseeing with Italian friends. And washing gravestones alongside a widow. And we readers are grateful that he is. Because in each of Bailey’s 42 tightly-written, sure-to-make-you-smile personal essays, he extractsContinue reading “Put Down Your Phone”

For the Love of Chocolate

In this week when all of us turned our attention to chocolate, I’m taking a moment to talk with you about a book — and now a podcast — that have captivated me since they hit the shelves and airwaves. The book is Bread, Wine, Chocolate: The Slow Loss of Foods We Love by Simran Sethi. It’sContinue reading “For the Love of Chocolate”