2016 has been a rough year. So bad, in fact, that the idea of blowing up the government and starting over will resonate with quite a few spectators of American politics. “Drain the swamp” or “burn it all to the ground” seem like good catchphrases to many, many voters. The first few minutes of...
Nicholson Baker’s mind captures the “fine suddenness” of every moment. His work fixates on the minutiae of the everyday experience while largely ignoring the notion of a plot. His dense, accurate prose tightens the reader’s grip on reality. Two of his more recent projects, however, develop a compelling and sophisticated narrative. His two most recent...
With fresh ingredients and handmade ice cream, the build-your-own-sandwich and simple layout of Hillsdale’s new deli Handmade is worth a visit. After Oakley’s Riverside Deli closed in 2014, the building on Hillsdale Street was shut down for two years. Derek Spiteri, 24, recently reopened the shop, now named Handmade, to sell handmade sandwiches, coffee,...
Tim Burton’s newest film, based on Ransom Riggs’ graphic trilogy “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” delivers Halloween eye candy but fails to satisfy the audience with any thematic meat to chew on. Burton consolidates Riggs’ thriller trilogy into a single film, a fact which will cause more cringing from fans of the books...
“Dictionary, n. A book which explains or translates, usually in alphabetical order, the words of a language or languages.” Thus speaks the Oxford English Dictionary. For the literarily inclined, the online OED is a treasure trove of etymology and usage, and today’s tech-savvy logophiles can thank John Simpson, the influential dictionary’s editor-in-chief for almost...