In Praise of Independent Bookstores

This fall, I’ve been doing a New England “mini-tour” on behalf of the paperback release of Day After Night, my latest novel. I’m not sure why, but the publicist booked me into independent bookstores only: Gibson’s in Concord, New Hampshire, Northshire in Manchester, Vermont, RJ Julia in Madison, Connecticut, Newtonville Books in Newtonville, Massachusetts, and…

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Happy New Year, Jewish People!

It’s awfully hard to start over. It must be. How else to explain the annual orgy of Jewish “ready-set-go” holidays? Rosh Hashanah, the “head” of the year, is merely the starting bell. (And I’m leaving out the whole month of Elul with those shofar blasts telling you to get ready, and Slichot services to loosen…

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Star-struck

So this really pretty, interesting-looking woman comes into the car rental office, which is tiny so there’s no way I can avoid overhearing her phone conversation. And then she identifies herself to the less-than-helpful service rep on the other end.  “Jonatha Brooke.” Jim and I turned around to face her. “THE Jonatha Brooke? we gush. (She asked who…

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