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The holiday season is, at its root, a time of joy. When we remove the commercial trappings, and blatant consumerism, we are all celebrating a joyous event—Joy at a redeemer born in a manger long ago, or joy at the miracle of light, born of oil that lasted eight whole nights. We...

This November, we can add a plethora of great book suggestions to the list of things for which we are thankful. Last week brought us the goodreads.com best book nominations, and hot on the heels of that announcement, this week Amazon.com has released its Top 100 Books of 2015....

Many children went back to school this week, but around these parts, kids still have two more weeks to squeeze in as much last minute summer as they can. As is the case most years, our summer has been filled with sports, sleeping in, and summer reading. While our opposing...

Happy Birthday, ‘Murica! While nothing says Independence Day like firing up the barbecue, grill perfection can be somewhat elusive. If you’re like me, you have the kitchen itself pretty down, but once you step out onto the patio, things become a little tricky. Of course, I can...

Summer reading officially started at our house this week. An occasion usually met with at least some level of resistance, I was surprised to find that my most reluctant reader has been really enjoying his reading time, voluntarily going past his required thirty minutes a day. I...

“School’s out for summer!” At my children’s school this past week, during the final minutes of the last day, one could hear Alice Cooper loudly proclaiming this statement from the loudspeakers, and children counting down, in a multi-room chorus, 5-4-3-2-1…SUMMER!! Children and...

All month long, you have been hearing me sing the praises of family reading. So, by now, we can probably just accept as gospel truth the notion that, to re-tool an old adage, the family that reads together, stays together. Have you ever considered, however, what else might come...

As I contemplated my focus this month on family reading, it dawned on me that family reading time was, in essence, the precursor to the book club movement. In our earliest club meetings, we pondered the importance of food trends a la “Green Eggs and Ham,” and discovered the...

Usually, this column is all books, all the time. Like most folks, however, my life is multi-faceted, and my affinity for the printed word represents only one part. Among the many other hats I don in my daily life, there is one boldly printed with the title “Football Mom.” While...

Widely credited with creating a new form of theater in which she combines dramatic performance with social commentary, actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith uses her unique, one-woman shows to tackle the issues that face America today. Drawing almost exclusively on her own...

“A Library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people – people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a...

“Looking for an older man, 30+, who knows how to treat a woman. You take care of me and I’ll take care of you.” So says the personal ad taken out by convicted killer Nanette Johnston. Little did the unsuspecting match reading that ad know, however, just how...

I have been sampling a lot of children’s literature lately—some for my kids, some for my husband’s classroom library, and some, if truth be told, just for myself. While I have always had a great affinity for books written well for younger readers, I am more than ready to dive in...

“An idea for the Senate: brown paper bags. You know, the kind in which you cut little holes for your eyes and your nose and a bigger, wider hole for your mouth…anything to obscure their actions and make it easier for them to actually cast votes in line with their best judgment...

It is not a rare occurrence for me to know the release date of a book I am particularly interested in, and eagerly anticipate its arrival. On the flip side, I can count on one hand (perhaps with fingers left over) the number of times that any of my children have bee...

Under Cover Book Club is back in session. I hope you all enjoyed February’s book, “Code Name Verity,” by Elizabeth Wein. Without having to provide too big of a spoiler alert, I absolutely loved how the last chapters made us reexamine the series of events we had accepted as...

This Saturday, Feb. 22 at 11 a.m., Barnes and Noble in Fashion Island will present a very special story time as they share the book, “Henry’s Freedom Box:  A True Story From the Underground Railroad,” by Ellen Levine. Henry “Box” Brown was born into slavery in Virginia in 1816....

Every February, our nation celebrates Black History Month. It’s a time when we can look back and admire those influential African-Americans who, in myriad ways, have helped to shape the world as we know it. Sandwiched between the presidential long weekends, and the passing out of...

We are a sports family, for sure. There is never a time when at least one of our ranks isn’t playing, watching, or discussing a sport. Often, the three even take place concurrently. This is most definitely not due to my influence. Growing up, my family watched the news after...

On Thursday, Feb. 13, library patrons will have the opportunity to experience some of what life is like in the slums of India when the Newport Beach Public Library welcomes author Katherine Boo to speak about her book, “Behind the Beautiful Forevers:  Life, Death and Hope in a...