Mary Louise Ruehr

One for the Books / Opinion

One for the Books: Voyaging to new frontiers in space

With NASA’s Artemis moon project in the headlines, I thought it would be fun to look at a few imagined off-Earth futures. I wouldn’t claim to be a diehard fan of science fiction, but I do like a good story set on another planet or aboard a spaceship, such as Mary Doria Russell’s “The Sparrow” or Andy Weir’s “The Martian” and “Project Hail Mary.” Plenty of recent books fall into this category, but many are part of long-running series, and I didn’t want to jump into one already established. These novels are all firsts or standalones.

One for the Books / Opinion

One for the Books: Retelling Greek legends

Myths are among the world’s oldest stories, and the Greeks had some fantastic tales. These were usually based on the deeds of the gods, who were often mean and sometimes downright horrible. There are plenty of modern retellings of the stories, and I found these three particularly fun.

One for the Books / Opinion
One for the Books: Let’s Hear it for Librarians

One for the Books: Let’s Hear it for Librarians

They’re teachers, they’re advisers, they’re know-it-alls. They’re a veritable fountain of information. They’re trained to know what you want to read and where to find what you want to know. They’re our librarians. Here are three novels I enjoyed recently that feature librarians, as well as a must-read nonfiction account of what it’s like to stand up to censorship.

One for the Books
One for the Books: Going somewhere?

One for the Books: Going somewhere?

If you’re planning to head off for a vacation this year, especially to a foreign land, here’s some travel advice from several experienced sources, including The Points Guy and the PBS travel guy. “How to Win at Travel” was written by Brian Kelly, known online as The Points Guy. This is a pretty comprehensive volume of practical advice for both the seasoned traveler and the novice. “The goal of this book,” he writes, “is to give you the knowledge to […]

One for the Books / Opinion
One for the Books: Space, UFOs and science

One for the Books: Space, UFOs and science

Do I believe in UFOs? Well, of course I do. There are thousands of reported sightings, many of which can’t be explained away. Do I believe they’re extraterrestrial? Ah. Hmm. Maybe, though I wouldn’t put money on it. But do I LIKE to believe they’re extraterrestrial? Sure — it’s fun! And there may be evidence to support that belief. Some of the information in these accounts made my blood run cold!