I’ve had it with show-offy novelists

My book group recently read The Sea by Irish novelist John Banville. All seven of us were disappointed.  

  

Its first-person narrator is an unlikable, self-absorbed misanthrope who recently lost his wife but is more focused on a 50-years-ago loss. He spends his days ruminating about the past but not learning from it. I felt indifferent to his fate.  

  

Especially frustrating for me was the excess of multisyllabic unfamiliar words. I asked our group, “Why do you suppose he always chose a big word instead of a small one?” “To show off,” someone said, and nobody disagreed.  

  

I don’t like novels that seem to have no point except to flaunt how well the author can write.   

  

PBS Passport is the only streaming service I need

This coming Sunday evening, May 4, Miss Austen, a four-part series highlighting the bond between the novelist Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra, will premiere on public television.

Being a huge Janeite, I’m thrilled. After the first episode, those of us who have PBS Passport — which comes with a $60 annual contribution to WTTW or your local PBS station — will be able to stream the other three episodes at our leisure.

Passport is the only streaming service I pay for. I’m out of the loop during conversations about programs on other platforms, but Passport is enough for me. 

After a lemon of a homeowners insurance bill, I went for Lemonade

How much has your homeowners or renters insurance gone up?

Note I didn’t ask whether it’s gone up. With all the claims from wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, and floods and with increases in rebuilding costs, insurance companies have increased homeowners premiums an average of 24% over the past three years, according to the Consumer Federation of America. In Illinois, the three-year increase is 50%, the second highest in the country.