Today’s book pick is one I just read to my kids last night, and it’s just as good as I remembered it from my childhood. The Flying Carpet by the wonderful Marcia Brown  (retold from Richard Burton’s translation of The Arabian Nights) Very lavish and rhythmic, so much fun to read out loud (warning:  plot spoiler!) “Alas!  We have traveled far and wide for hope of wedding the Princess Nur-al Nihar.  But in vain!  She lies on her bed, sick... Read more

Today’s book pick is from my father, Phil Prever, who not only read us The Odyssey, but he let us act it out as he read, which must have been the most annoying thing ever. ******    About a hundred years ago when I was a college freshman, I took a survey course in Western literature.  One of the reading assignments was excerpts from Homer’s Odyssey.  The book made no particular impression on me then, but I do remember a comment... Read more

Today’s book recommendation for our 50 Books list, which I’m assuming will even out to about fifty books at some point, is written by my mother-in-law, the inestimable, unflappable, indefatigable Nana Fisher, also known as H. M. (which stands for “Helen Mary.”  She also sometimes goes by “H.”  Crazy side note:  I once met a midwife who was named “Mary Helen,” and she went by M. H., or “Maitch”), who keeps her head when all about her are bugging out;... Read more

From Margaret Wise Brown to a book that I can’t believe I didn’t read sooner: Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith Boy, did I have the wrong idea about this book.  Maybe because it was so popular when it came out, or (look, I’m shallow) maybe because the author’s name is so snazzy, I somehow assumed that it was a trashy beach book, or some kind of dated, two-bit thriller.  Boy, was I wrong.  This is the real deal —... Read more