They might just change your life — After a long hiatus, I recently began writing my “Three Minutes with the Saints” series again. As I was pondering the next installment, a thought came to me: what if someone wants more than just the three-minute sketches I offer? I’ve written before about books by and about the saints…

Don’t let this Christmas season be just about Amazon — If you read my annual piece on good/bad/ugly Advent calendars a few days ago, you know that Advent starts on Sunday, December 3rd (for me as I type this, that’s tomorrow). For the vast majority of people, Advent means little more than those silly calendars and perhaps a wreath as…

And it’s not Springsteen — I may have mentioned before that on the first of every month I post a different live version of “Born to Run” on Facebook. It is a tradition I started several years ago in an effort to spread The Greatest Song Ever to as many people as possible, and I…

A novel excerpt — I always knew at some point that Luis Ortiz would show up at my store with a scheme that was both illegal and insane, and I was right. I also assumed he would bring Jake Donovan along, as they were basically inseparable, but I was wrong about that. He did…

All I want for Christmas is…noodles? — This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, which means it is time again for my annual Advent calendar article (I am nothing if not consistent). The Christmas season snuck up on me yet again this year, to the point that I was shocked when I realized the radio stations had…

Some books should be left alone — From almost the moment motion pictures were invented, filmmakers have been turning books into movies. From the Iliad and the Odyssey to the plays of Shakespeare to the latest bestseller, Hollywood has always been ready to bring a successful (or even unsuccessful) book or play to the big screen. They…

And not in a good way — Last year, in an effort to keep the peace during the dumpster fire that Thanksgiving family gatherings have become since that fateful day a former real estate mogul rode down a golden escalator and into infamy, I wrote an article suggesting five creative ways to change the subject when uncomfortable…

The saint for times when all seems lost — I was looking back through my lists here recently and was surprised to find that it has been exactly a year since I last did an installment of my “Three Minutes with the Saints” series. Because I enjoyed writing them and at least three of you seemed to enjoy reading…

Where did the time go? — In most states, for both registration and insurance purposes an automobile is classified as a “classic” at 20 years old. As I learned in the early 2000s, the same is true of music; when I turned on the oldies radio station I was shocked to hear them playing Huey Lewis…