The tragic farce of Tolstoy’s death

Sometimes the most unlikely things can change the course of our lives. 

What is literary criticism for? For Nan Z. Da, it’s in part for the communication of moral intelligence  Criticism 

5 Best Online Book Clubs and Forums to Discuss What You Read

MakeUseOf: “With World Book Day as an annual event, several people are looking to start a habit of reading regularly. One of the best ways to set a schedule for reading books is to join a book club, whether online or in person. Apart from inculcating a reading habit, a book club has several other benefits. It serves as an easy way to get recommendations of new books to read, and you get to hear different perspectives on the same thing you’ve just read. Some of the bigger online book clubs also often feature conversations with the author, making you appreciate books in a new light…”

Great Bookstores: The 130-Year-Old Pasadena Icon

By 1915, Vroman’s could count traveling dignitaries, engineers, scientists, men of finance and New York book editors as customers. Anticipating their requests, the store carried more than 30,000 titles of fiction and nonfiction and boasted the “largest selection of Bibles in Southern California.” - Los Angeles Times

The tragic farce of Tolstoy’s death. His estranged wife was kept outside, pestered by  shameless paparazzi  

What needs to happen for one who has lost faith or did not ever have faith is a turning. A turning of the heart.” Christopher Beha on religion and  writing 

Honor is an elusive concept, and the prevalence of dueling in history has been underreported  dueling  

Billy Wilder fled Berlin for Paris in 1933. He never let go of the pleasure and pain of his love for the city  

Nature writers are turning away from facts in favor of less verifiable realms: Can moss be generous? Is grass confident?  writers 

Being #1 Isn’t Always A Good Thing—Loneliness Among Lawyers

Articles of Note

“What needs to happen for one who has lost faith or did not ever have faith is a turning. A turning of the heart.” Christopher Beha on religion and writing  

New Books

In 1973, Leonard Cohen felt stuck artistically and frustrated personally. Then he went off to war in the Sinai desert  

Essays & Opinions

Freedom from the torments of life online begins with a proper demonology, says Alan Jacobs. "Later we may proceed to exorcism"   jacobs 

Nicholas Kristof was, briefly, the man who would save Oregon. Now he grows pinot noir grapes and insists things worked out for the best 

Great Bookstores: The 130-Year-Old Pasadena Icon

By 1915, Vroman’s could count traveling dignitaries, engineers, scientists, men of finance and New York book editors as customers. Anticipating their requests, the store carried more than 30,000 titles of fiction and nonfiction and boasted the “largest selection of Bibles in Southern California.” - Los Angeles Times