I had never heard of Henning Mankell but I had heard, and even seen a couple of episodes, of Wallander. I couldn’t take the glacial pace, and the perpetually pissed looking Kenneth Brannagh after two or three episodes so I didn’t go further. But when I began reading “The Man from Beijing” I was immediately...

Sometimes in life, we face situations which flummox us. Maybe the retelling of an incident. Maybe an explanation of some sort. They make us go, “Lord, where do I even begin?” That’s the question that’s been running through my head every time I sit down to begin reviewing “A Little Life,” the 700+ page tome...

It’s dark and gloomy. Gusty winds blowing and icy drops of rain smashing against the window. It’s only morning on a Saturday but it seems to be one that needs to be spent indoors. Familiar scene? Worry not. Just grab Sara Gruen’s “At the Water’s Edge,” and you would soon wish for more such days....