Frances Crawford is proof that age is not a barrier to becoming a successful author. In 2022, at the age of 60, she earned a master’s in literature in creative writing with distinction from Glasgow University, followed by winning the Bloody Scotland/Glencairn Crime Short Story Competition in 2023, and she has now published a singularly ...Read more

There is a kind of thriller that grabs you by the collar in the opening pages and doesn’t let go. This happens when the writer has mastered the rarest of craft combinations: an original premise delivered with steady pacing and a protagonist you cannot help but root for.

"Gone in Three Seconds," the debut novel of Jim De La Vega’s Mind ...Read more

"Storm Warning" is Alice Henderson’s fifth wild and wooly, storm-tossed, action-packed suspense novel featuring protagonist wildlife biologist and environmentalist adventurer Alex Carter. Her current assignment to study and protect imperiled hawksbill turtles in tropical Hawaii seemed like an idyllic vacation of sun, surf, swimming and ...Read more

U.S. regulators have taken their biggest step yet to speed the connection of data centers to the country’s grids while simultaneously attempting to slow surging utility bills that have angered Americans.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a series of orders Thursday tailored to the country’s power grids in a bid to remove ...Read more

U.S. regulators have taken their biggest step yet to speed the connection of data centers to the country’s grids while simultaneously attempting to slow surging utility bills that have angered Americans.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a series of orders Thursday tailored to the country’s power grids in a bid to remove ...Read more

It dangled, wiggled and squirmed on the hook. It was click bait and I clicked. No pause, no hesitation. Click. Just like that.

I’ll tell you what hooked me. Mature women. They had me at the word “mature.”

Well, let’s back that up. They actually had me at “Hosin garlic noodles.” It was a recipe for a weeknight meal. When you’ve ...Read more

In "The Woman from Warsaw," the ruins of Benghazi, Libya, serve as a backdrop for the intertwined stories of a young Libyan girl and a Jewish refugee during World War II.

In 1976, Mariam Khaldoon’s husband encourages her to write her memories of living in war-torn Benghazi during Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini’s takeover of Libya in the ...Read more

"The Land and Its People" by David Sedaris is such a delight to read — compelling, insightful, funny and powerful at many moments too in its message.

Sedaris once again — as he has done in his past acclaimed books like this one — provides a wonderfully diverse collection of everyday observations about life ranging from things like his pet...Read more

Reading "Intimate Audrey" feels like cuddling into your favorite reading nook and wrapping yourself in a real-life fairy tale. In this book, Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Wendy Holden take you on a most personal journey into Audrey Hepburn’s life from her childhood to her death. Filled with stories of victory like being seen by Collette and declared...Read more

At this time of year, family calendars implode under the weight of school performances, sports tournaments, award ceremonies, teacher gifts, graduation traditions, summer camp forms and holiday travel plans. How to deal with it all?

Moms often get a piece of well-intentioned advice: Just trust your instincts. Follow your heart. Tune into how ...Read more

Years ago, we had a financial adviser who was so young I often wondered if I should bake cookies before he came to the house — peanut butter or chocolate chip?

He once said something that I found semi-appalling. He asked if we knew the three phases of retirement. We confessed we did not. With a grin, he said, “Well, there’s go-go, slow-go...Read more

What if the story of your life isn’t really about you?

In "Other People: A Memoir and Reflections on Trauma, Connection, Meaning, and the Neuroscience of Healing," Michael S. Piraino makes a quiet but persistent case that who we become is shaped, piece by piece, by those around us. It’s a compelling premise, one he explores with emotional ...Read more

Every family has stories — the ones they tell over holiday dinners and on road trips, the ones grandparents passed down to their littles, the ones couples who are getting serious reveal to each other. And yes, certainly, some of those stories are true. But families repeat the stories they want repeated, don’t they? It’s a way of creating ...Read more

Paul is my new physical therapist. He’s a British guy on YouTube. The great thing about YouTube medical care is that there’s no paperwork to fill out and your insurance is never questioned. Plus, your health care professional doesn’t know if you leave the workout to answer text messages.

PT Paul has been helping me with my trick knee. It ...Read more

Why do some people step in when something is wrong, while others stay quiet?

It’s a question without an easy answer, but it sits at the heart of Ervin Staub’s "Evil, Goodness, and Creating Active Bystandership." And for Staub, it’s not just theoretical. It’s personal.

As a Jewish child in Hungary during World War II, Staub survived the...Read more

What would you give to be a part of history? What would you trade for the good of humanity? In a contemplative journey across space and time, "Celestial Lights" poses these questions and offers a reminder that some things aren’t worth sacrificing. Author Cecile Pin crafts a story that is both touching and tragic and that examines the personal ...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

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

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