ArcaMax

Americans were forecast to spend a record $38 billion on Mother’s Day and $24 billion on Father’s Day gifts this year, but they can be difficult holidays for adult children given the estrangement epidemic. Just ask Britney Spears, Prince Harry, Shiloh Jolie or any number of average folks: A YouGov poll showed 38% of U.S. adults refused ...Read more

There’s a good chance the husband has his Cincinnati Reds ball cap surgically attached to his head. It’s that time of year.

We were in the quaint historic river town of St. Charles, Missouri, leaving a sidewalk café, when a voice yells, “PETE ROSE, JOE MORGAN, JOHNNY BENCH!”

It came from an older man, wearing a red St. Louis Cardinals...Read more

Q. My kid’s mom and I share our children’s time equally. My partner wants us to live together, but we’ve only been dating for six months, and I have two kids who love their mom. I’m afraid it will be confusing to live with two different women in the same role. What’s good ex-etiquette?

Answer: Slow down.

Not because your relationship...Read more

Among the many treasures of Saint Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, is a massive altarpiece painted by the Renaissance artist Jan van Eyck. Its many panels depict an array of biblical figures, saints, martyrs, soldiers, prophets, clergy, angels and other figures attending a pastoral scene at the center, where the Lamb of God bleeds from a ...Read more

Supernatural themes underscore many of the current wave of popular novels. The idea that there are forces beyond our control is enticing to many readers. The new novel from Ava Morgyn, "Only Spell Deep," finds a place in the world of the supernatural that will entice readers to follow along with Jude, a witch who has left a coven, as she ...Read more

"STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU"

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action.

What it’s about: Bounty hunter the Mandalorian and his sidekick Grogu round up rogue Imperial leaders and find themselves on a mission to rescue the son of Jabba the Hutt.

The kid attractor factor: Baby Yoda (Grogu) of course! Kids will be drawn to this ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — I showed up at the airport at 5 a.m. with a birthday wish.

One of my sisters has worked for an airline for nearly 30 years. A perk of the job allows her to share a buddy pass with a family member or friend willing to try for a standby seat on a flight. It costs a fraction of what I normally pay for an advance purchase fare.

I don...Read more

Q. My ex showed up at my birthday party with roses and wanting to get back together. I don’t want to. He cheated, I don’t trust him and I am done. We have a child and I am afraid if I don’t take him seriously, he will withhold my child and try to get sole custody. What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. Your co-parent crossed a boundary by ...Read more

I grew up when people wrote letters in longhand on pretty stationery. Going to the mailbox and finding a letter was a whiff of Christmas morning.

Many Sunday nights, as a young girl, I wrote to a great aunt who was a retired schoolteacher. You mind your p’s and q’s when you write to a teacher. She wrote wonderful letters back, often with ...Read more

"Westward Women" by Alice Martin breathes new life into the dystopian genre with a road trip that feels like a fever dream. The hypnotic writing takes you on the road with three incredible young women who embark on a journey of a lifetime, perhaps even their last. A mysterious outbreak is occurring throughout America, as young women are ...Read more

The classic immigrant story usually ends once the family finds its footing in America. In "Both Sides of the Same Coin," author Michael Weiner, MD, asks a deeper question: What happens next?

His novel begins in familiar territory — families fleeing famine, persecution and political upheaval — but it quickly expands into something larger: a ...Read more

LANSING, Mich. — Planned Parenthood of Michigan is asking Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to use her executive authority to provide a one-time $5 million allocation to its health centers amid a federal funding crunch.

Because of an influx of changes to Medicaid and Title X dollars, the abortion provider is "facing a critical funding gap that...Read more

'IS GOD IS'

Rated R for strong/bloody violence and language.

What it’s about: Twin sisters set off on a revenge road trip to enact vengeance on their abusive father.

The kid attractor factor: This is a Southern noir — bleak, violent and dark. Not for kids.

Good lessons/bad lessons: It's a challenge to escape our circumstances and ...Read more

Q: My child’s father lives 300 miles away from us. He just proposed that our son live with him for two weeks, then me for two weeks. Our son is only 2. I don’t want to seem like “the boss” who is running the show, but this can’t be good for him. What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. The first rule of good ex-etiquette for parents is, “Put...Read more

Just taking an informal poll today: What were you eating when you cracked a tooth?

My top three answers, which correlate to three new crowns in recent years, are: toffee, a crunchy taco and broccoli cheese soup.

The milk chocolate toffee may have been worth it — probably because I’ll never ever eat toffee again. The taco I have forgiven ...Read more

Most love stories are predictable and ordinary, but this debut novel, "A Latte Like Love," by Michelle C. Harris is anything but traditional or ordinary. I thought this was going to be a typical romance of boy meets girl and they fall madly in love, but instead it was a delightful surprise that felt like sipping your favorite hot latte.

We meet...Read more

Rain is usually background noise — something that blurs the windows, dampens the sidewalks and sends people running for umbrellas. In William Barney’s "The Rain," it becomes something else entirely: a creeping, corrosive force that seeps into a small town and begins to change everything it touches. What begins as a familiar slice of small-...Read more