This book fascinated and terrified me when I was a child. I loved reading it and re-reading it, but I knew the stories would…
Best Motoring Jokes, and a house in the country
My grandparents lived in a big house in the village of Louth, seven miles south of Dundalk and just a few more miles south…
The Other Wise Man
When we were kids, my father used to read us A Christmas Carol aloud, a stave each night, while my mother baked Christmas cookies…
Chiquita Banana Cookbook, 1947
I was poking through the bookshelves in the Trinity Episcopal Church Thrift Shop a few weeks before Christmas, and I turned up this handsome…
Ed the light bulb
Every family has their little holiday traditions. We certainly had plenty–Dad would read A Christmas Carol aloud to us kids, as a result of…
Tomás Takes Charge
Tomás Takes Charge, by Charlene Joy Talbot, was my absolute favorite book when I was a kid. It was my sister’s favorite, too, and…
Robert W. Service, St. Faustina, and Dad
My father died on September 16, after a long journey through the many stages of Alzheimer’s disease. His final decline started on a Thursday…
Dubliners, by James Joyce
When I was 12 or 13, I was fascinated by all things Irish, and I read a lot of Irish literature. At some point,…
Betty Crocker’s New Boys and Girls Cook Book (annotated edition)
I got this book as a birthday present when I was 7 or 8 from my good friend Steve Stasheff (I suspect his mother…