Book Reviews

Bats vs. Snakes

There has been a family of bats residing behind the shutters on the porch of my house on Lake Oconee for more than a year now. They don’t really bother…

BOOK REVIEW: Hard Laughter

Hard Laughter: A Novel by Anne Lamott Jennifer’s father, Wallace, has a brain tumor. They don’t know if it is cancerous or not, but in any event he is having…

Armadillo Redux — Part Two

This is part two in a series. For part one,  click here. I’ve never shot and killed anything in my life. This is partly because I grew up on Long…

BOOK REVIEW: The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson I loved this book. I cannot state that more strongly. I mean I really really loved it.…

Armadillo Redux

My house has a history with armadillos.  In fact, the name of my next book, currently in the production stages, is “The Armadillo, The Pickaxe, and the Laundry Basket,” based…

BOOK REVIEW: Trailer Trashed

Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Efforts Toward Upward Mobilityby Hollis Gillespie Hollis Gillespie is not like the other kids. The origins of which are clear from her description of her family…

Mom Jeans

I’ve had a longstanding rule at my lake house.  The house, located in the muddy armpit of Lake Oconee, is designed to be an oasis.  Nothing stressful is supposed to…

BOOK REVIEW: Wee Free Men

The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching)by Terry Pratchett Apparently, I’m on a fantasy kick. But that’s ok when there are still books by the late Terry Pratchett for me to…

Yo Quiero Taco Bell

I have to admit that I spend a stupid amount of time at Taco Bell for someone my age.  I associate Taco Bell with college road trips, when I could get a…

BOOK REVIEW: The Kingdom of Keys

The Kingdom of Keys by Brian Moloney I have long been a follower of Brian Moloney’s blog “The Freelance Retort,” which is a collection of random thoughts and the occasional…

Out of the Mouths of Babes

There are two basic ways in which brains are wired in the Duff household.  One way is the way my son and I think of the universe.  Jacob and I? …

BOOK REVIEW: You Just Don’t Understand

You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversationby Deborah Tannen Not long ago, I had the privilege of speaking to the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce Women in Business…