Walt Disney is going 3-D on a lot of future films — and some from its past. ...more

March 31, 2009

Charles Dickens, who visited in 1842, described Washington as a "city of magnificent intentions" because of the incongruity between the city's grand aspirations and muddy, swampy actuality. Today Washington's discrepancy is not architectural but political. It is between the extraordinary powers and competences the administration claims it has and the administration's inability to be clear or plausible about what it is doing. ...more

March 15, 2009

A tale of a Dutch family coping with the upheavals of German occupation during World War II. First of four parts. ...more

January 2, 2009

"The Man Who Invented Christmas," by Les Standiford (Crown, $19.95) ...more

December 21, 2008

Maybe you've got family visiting from out of town. Maybe you're just tired of sitting around looking at your Christmas tree. Maybe you need to get out to prevent Dad from putting any more Christmas lights outside — it's already getting embarrassing. Maybe the kids are getting restless, because the kids are always getting restless. ...more

December 19, 2008

FAIRS & FESTS Saturday Elves Overboard! Boat Parade of Lights: boats float from Davis Island, passing Channelside and ending at the Tampa Convention Center; 6:30 p.m. Saturday; free; Tampa Convention Center, 333 S. Franklin St., Tampa; (813) 471-1531 ...more

December 19, 2008

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? "Welcome to Christmas at the White House." These words greet all visitors before entering the enchanting winter wonderland created by Nancy and Bill White, who live beyond Lorida. ...more

December 17, 2008

With a glance at the simple holiday decorations in the front yard, a visitor would never anticipate the intricate holiday scene located at the rear of the Sirrine family's home. ...more

December 1, 2008

Browsing in Barnes & Noble one afternoon, I found myself drawn to the "Summer Reading" table, where neatly stacked piles of books by Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck and Zora Neale Hurston sat waiting for the teenagers who were supposed to read them by the first day of school. I had to wonder how many students were in fact turning the pages with any real desire to get to the next one. ...more

September 14, 2008

See how good you are at guessing the asking price of these rare books: 1. "Casino Royale," the first novel in the James Bond series by Ian Fleming; first edition, hardback, published in London in 1953; personal inscription by the author. ...more

December 23, 2007