Grass
Long grass, shiny grass, waxen grass, flaxen grass, public grass, private grass, grass that's fresh on the lawn, grass in a field you've just sat on, grass that's old, grass that's new, grass that's borrowed, and grass that's
Tobias Seamon
The Portrait
A slender novel that does Robert Browning's dramatic monologues proud, The Portrait by Iain Pears is an unforgettable vengeance scenario. When retired painter Henry MacAlpine lures famed critic (and former patron) William Nasmyth to a lonely isle off the Brittany coast for a final portrait, both men'
The Golden Compass
The first of Philip Pullman's excellent His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy, The Golden Compass is loads of fun. The story centers on young Lyra Silvertongue as she becomes enmeshed in a war between her father, the brooding Lord Asriel, and the sinister legions of the churchly Authority. Filled
A View From the Crow's Wood
You would've paid more attention in history class if they taught you what early Dutch settlements were really like. An opportunity to sift through the artifacts at an 18th century Hudson Valley home reveals a way of life that is as odd as it is oddly familiar.
Juiced
Can Congress get baseball to go cold turkey off steroids? And how many passionate pleas will it take? Our representative speaks, passionately and otherwise, rooting out those who seek enhancements of every kind.
Memento Mori
Who was Hunter S. Thompson? To everyone who followed him, he was somebody different. Our writer remembers his reading life with the Good Doctor.
What We Are When We Are at Home
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we field a tough question about why Americans are so obsessed with smell, and demonstrate how Americans' odor concerns know no borders.
The Six Wives of Henry LaGrange
Henry LaGrange has a very big problem. And when he isn’t struggling with his dissertation, bribing his thesis advisor, or marrying multiple women, his problem only gets bigger and bigger. Fiction by Tobias Seamon.
Any Given Election
What's a devout gambler supposed to do when the sports landscape looks so bleak? Why, turn to the current presidential race, naturally. A state-by-state rundown on your best bets.
Sentences of Discontent
Someone has to write the next Da Vinci Code, why shouldn’t it be you? To kick-start the writing process, Tobias Seamon brings us a batch of great first lines guaranteed to get your blockbuster off to a best-selling start.