Marilynne Robinson's recent book Gilead wears its acclaim and awards like a hairshirt, but it's her earlier novel Housekeeping that mesmerized me. The story of two girls and a nearby lake that seems to swallow everyone they love is a rich show-stopper of style and
Love Sherlock Holmes? Love The Alienest series? Caleb Carr was commissioned by the Conan Doyle estate to write a new Holmes mystery, and so bore The Italian Secretary, a faithful period romp where Holmes and Watson go traipsing off to Scotland to help the queen, with all their antiquated phrasing
Life would be nicer if health care was free, cigars cured cancer, and the Atlantic Monthly published weekly. But let's be honest--it takes me three weeks to finish an issue, mostly because I savor the read. The July/August book is a great example of the magazine&
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we pick up where Paul Simon left off and offers a multitude of ways--45, actually--to leave your lover in the dust.
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we dive into the great button fly vs. zipper fly debate, and give advice to a man whose wife is addicted to children.
It’s almost springtime. Annually it seems like I wait a long time for spring to appear, pining for sunshine, and when it finally arrives it’s over a week later—this being a normal New York spring—and then I spend the summer complaining about the heat. Not 2005,
Dear Eludina and Joel, Thank you for sending your Santa notes to our P.O. Box. We have forwarded them on to Mr. and Mrs. Claus and have also republished them below, in case the elves are reading this right now and can get your wishes to the big man
The past couple years we’ve had a party in the fall to celebrate TMN’s anniversary. Big hits, bright lights, one and all. But this year, due to our upcoming relaunch (of the redesign—righteous, really) we have postponed the party for spring, when we can blow out some
To people who have written in commenting on the staleness of our Album of the Week and People We Like features, we’re sorry we haven’t been able to update them as we’d like, but we’re very busy on our big big (big!) redesign to launch sometime
1. A man stood next to me on the subway platform carrying a dozen pink roses. He looked past me down the platform and back up again. We were the only people on either side of the tracks, and there were no trains at the moment. Moving quickly, he lowered
