Maria Semple’s "Go Gentle" just debuted at No. 7 on the bestseller list. Here’s my review of the witty novel that vaults from Stoicism to rom-com chaos.
roncharles.substack.com/p/woman-on-t...
T.C. Boyle’s new novel starts with a one-night stand and escalates into class resentment, violence, and self-destruction. My review is out now.
roncharles.substack.com/p/the-one-ni...
Good grief… This chronicle of madness feels like the kind of exposé you expect to read after order has been restored. But it’s still going on, and Republican senators are apparently fine with it. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
The way Tanner greets Dawn, you’d never know I’d been playing with him all day.
What dogs see when they look at us — and what we might be missing: roncharles.substack.com/p/what-dogs-...
I’ve long wondered why shareholders put up with that waste.
Thank you. It’s much appreciated!
“Don’t we love Adora?”
We do.
Stoic philosophy and exploding burritos: Maria Semple’s "Go Gentle" is a wild ride.
My review: roncharles.substack.com/p/woman-on-t...
Oprah just chose Maria Semple’s "Go Gentle" for her book club — and yes, it really is that wild: Stoic philosophy, exploding burritos, and a heroine who greets each day by telling the universe, “Surprise me!”
My review: roncharles.substack.com/p/woman-on-t...
Maria Semple’s "Go Gentle" ricochets from Stoic philosophy to rom-com thrills — with terrorists, exploding burritos, and a heroine who wakes up each day and tells the universe, “Surprise me.”
My review:
roncharles.substack.com/p/woman-on-t...
"Hey Siri, if I've posted a blasphemous image of myself as Jesus Christ, what ludicrous excuse could I feed to my addled cultists when I'm forced to delete it?"
Thank you, Mr. Waldman, for allowing me to reprint this poem from your gorgeous debut collection. Best wishes for much continued success.
The richest Americans don’t pay income taxes like you do.
This week’s newsletter: how that works — and how to stop it.
roncharles.substack.com/p/how-to-avo...
It's not fair to say that Trump's Iran War accomplished nothing. It made a ton of money for these oil executives:
www.wsj.com/business/ene...
Astonishing WSJ story about Trump's use of a low-level, sycophantic lackey to corrupt the Justice Department. www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
“Executives say there is considerable overlap between shoppers hunting for a $20 tube of lipstick and a $50,000 handbag.”
(Sh*t Executives Say)
www.wsj.com/cfo-journal/...
I wrote this morning about trying to take a week off without feeling like everything will collapse.
Still not convinced I know how to do that. But here goes:
open.substack.com/pub/roncharl...
It’s hard to imagine a room that small.
Fiction almost never treats disabled adults with such complexity and humor — or with so little sentimentality.
My review of Woody Brown’s debut novel, "Upward Bound": roncharles.substack.com/p/the-lives-...
You don't have to convince me; convince my wife!
Attention pilgrims: In Canterbury, there’s now an immersive Canterbury Tales attraction featuring projections, puppets, animatronics, holograms — and “family-friendly” Chaucer.
Naturally, I had questions: roncharles.substack.com/i/192161500/...
Julia Alvarez this week at Georgetown: funny, wise, and still wonderfully alert to the possibilities of revision.
I wrote a little about the evening in this week’s newsletter:
roncharles.substack.com/i/192161500/...
First Lady Melania Trump appeared with a humanoid robot this week to imagine the future of education.
It was one of the bleakest tech fantasies I’ve seen in a while.
My new piece: roncharles.substack.com/p/the-white-...
Thanks, Christine.
I've decided to resist affiliate links that because I don't want to give the impression of promoting sales instead of writing criticism.
Today’s review: “American Han,” Lisa Lee's debut novel about ambition, cruelty, and the cost of success within one immigrant family. roncharles.substack.com/p/what-succe...
The new censors don’t storm in with pitchforks and torches.
They come screaming about balance, fairness and free speech.
It’s a different strategy—and a more effective one.
I write about that here: roncharles.substack.com/p/the-new-ce...
This production is wonderful!
Note: You *can* buy tickets through April 19, but the top of your website still suggests the show will close on April 12.
“No one needs to bleed for the news to die.”
My new essay on how “free speech” is being weaponized to undermine the press—and democracy.
roncharles.substack.com/p/the-new-ce...
Are the rules of marriage changing again?
I asked Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney — here’s what she said:
Full review of "Lake Effect": roncharles.substack.com/p/the-divorc...
