World War II

Feb 12, 20143 min read

Mother of Rain outstanding

Mother of Rain, about hardscrabble life in the hills of Tennessee in the 1930s and ’40s, is the most intriguing read I’ve experienced in...

Mar 20, 20122 min read

New book came easier than ‘Nightingale’

Ah, but some books come more easily. Last spring, in my post-Beachside Writers recovery week in Yachats, I read Laura Hillenbrand’s...

My final thoughts on Foz

When Dick Fosbury’s agent told me Monday morning (March 13, 2022) that lymphoma had claimed the 76-year-old man who’d won an Olympic gold...

Jim Bartko: 1965-2020

Editor’s note: This is the Jim Bartko obituary that appeared in The Register-Guard March 19, 2020. Jim Bartko, a former University of...

Two foul balls go gently into Dylan Thomas’ ‘good night’

Daughter-in-law Deena, here with our son, Jason, and their three boys. When a foul ball flies toward you, a spectator, there’s not much...