Let’s All Kill Constance is a welcome change from Ray Bradbury’s most recent m.o. Whereas in recent years he’s stuck to short stories, this one’s a full-length novel, and an offbeat satire of noir fiction. Bradbury’s best known, of course, for intensely allegorical, morally resonant science fiction like Fahrenheit 451. Constance follows two previous mysteries … Read more
Thanks for covering the Bolshoi Ballet [“Head to Toe,” December]. I’ve never been to a ballet, but my kids liked the idea—so we went. Even though it was the most expensive ticket I’ve ever bought for anything, it was worth every penny. Amazing! I had no idea that the Twin Cities dance scene was as … Read more
It was great to discover that I wasn’t the only person who wondered what happened at Supervalu [“Superdeval-ued,” November]. My mother (retired, living on a fixed income) owned 400 shares of Supervalu and she was thinking about selling them. I researched the stock and recommended holding the shares, because the stock had good ratings and … Read more
It’s silly to suggest that American men stopped wearing their hats just because JFK took his off during his 1960 inaugural address. In fact, he wore a silk top hat that whole day—and tails! Some people claim that he actually revived this tradition; Truman wore a topper for his inaugural, but Eisenhower wore a homburg. … Read more
I enjoyed the beautiful pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary [“Something About Mary, Mother of God,” December]. However, the accompanying article is very offensive to me in a few places. Being that I was raised a Catholic, I want to know the source for stating that Mary is a “figure of adoration.” I’ve always been … Read more
I’m a fan of The Rake, but do you just toss that award-winning attention to detail and critical thinking to the wind when you write about anything concerning animals? In December, you (1) profiled Horst [“The Fine Art of Living Well”] without mentioning a top Aveda selling point—their refusal to test their cosmetics on animals, … Read more
Just a short note to let you know you failed to write about the amalgams in most of your readers’ teeth [“Grin and Bear It,” December]. Yes, I know that my health is better without the mercury in my body. Jesse Ventura was the first governor to appoint a mercury-free advocate to the Minnesota Dental … Read more
Eric Dregni should be congratulated on his new fedora [“Put a Lid on It,” December]. I think he’s right, too, in locating the decline of the fedora (and the homburg) from about the time of JFK’s inauguration. I think lower car headroom played a part. I remember my father always wore a hat, and so … Read more
I recently spent a sad evening in a basement in South Minneapolis. An acquaintance was seeking subsidised legal advice about the custody of his children. He had found it pretty difficult uncovering a voluntary agency able to offer advice to men on such matters. But now here he was with six other unfortunates waiting his … Read more
It was a very snowy January when I ran away to Prague. The family I stayed with lived in one of a cluster of monolithic stone apartment buildings on the outskirts of the city. The grey air outside the buildings smelled of coal and smog, and the air inside smelled of tea and cabbage. Each … Read more