One of my favorite episodes of the TV series Northern Exposure (1990-1995) was called “Rosebud.” I especially love the storyline which has Native American healer Leonard Quinhagak — played by the wonderful Graham Greene — arriving in town hoping to study the healing myths of white culture. Unfortunately, all the local folks can offer him is a collection of urban […]
Although I’ve never read any of Larry McMurtry‘s books and never watched the Lonesome Dove TV series, I had enough awareness of them to enjoy the intersection of fiction and reality found at this historic cemetery in Weatherford, Texas (about an hour’s drive west from where we are staying). The main characters of McMurtry’s novels are said to be loosely […]
I’m not exactly sure why it is that I love San Francisco so much; although my dad was born and grew up in nearby Richmond, I’ve never lived or even spent all that much time in the City. It wasn’t until 2016 that I began exploring San Francisco in my own way, finding my way around the streets and seeing […]
(Note: I began writing this blog post five years ago; it’s been languishing, an unfinished draft, since February 2020 — partly because it’s so silly I wasn’t sure I should publish it. I still have strong doubts, but what the heck. Please enjoy it in the spirit of utter foolishness it deserves.) Lewis Carroll’s classics Alice Adventures in Wonderland and […]
Every now and then a couple of my interests will happen to coincide in ways I never expected. That happened recently after my fascination for Chinese history and California history brought me to read Heather B. Moore’s novel The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (published in September 2020). Although in novel form, the story, set in San Francisco of the late […]
If you’re like me and love to spend time browsing through used book shops and thrift stores for your next read, please don’t forget to check the public library! Many branches have a wonderfully varied selection of used books available for very low prices, and you never know what treasures you might discover. Above you can see the paperback I […]