Carolina Comments: Reading, Eating, Watching

COMPELLING 9-11 NOVEL Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult Anyone who has read a novel by Jodi Picoult knows that this author likes to tackle big issues, generally societal or medical ones.  Her latest book, Hollow Bones, is no exception and packs a big punch.  It is compelling, tough to read at points, and yet remarkably humane.  There is much I could …

Bethlehem: Town & Gown et al

MORAVIANS –TUCKED IN As one wanders the quiet streets of historic north Bethlehem, the Central Moravian Church and the residences for the sisters and brethren are a presence prominently on view.  Go down to the Colonial Industrial Quarter behind Hotel Bethlehem, and you will discover a somewhat hidden creekside park. Take a narrow alleyway off Main …

Carolina Comments: Books, Drama, Tapestry

BOOKS AND READING Navy Wife on Tiny Italian Island:  The Half Life by Rachel Beanland In the early 1970s, Eileen O’Malley is still mourning the death of her brother in the Vietnam War when she marries Naval officer Paul Archer.  He works in radiological control on submarines and soon, they are posted to tiny La Maddalena, off the …

Carolina Comments: Screen, Page, Restaurant

VIEWING: GRIEF AND CRIME ON THE ISLE OF SKYE Bergerac (PBS) Bergerac (2026) is a new version of the Bergerac detective series from the 1980s which starred John Nettles of Midsomer Murders fame.  Jim Bergerac, played by Damien Molony, is a deeply troubled man. Mired in grief over the death of his wife, he ignores his teenage daughter’s needs and tussles with …