1. The Washington Writers Conference. Number one for three straight months, our conference page continues to bring the party. But if you haven’t actually registered yet? HURRY! The big event is just three weeks away! Click here to sign up now!


2. An interview with Bill McPherson. Michael Causey’s 2013 Q&A with the founder of the Washington Post’s Book World drew huge numbers following McPherson’s recent death. (Click here to read Eugene L. Meyer’s appreciation of McPherson.)


3. Joe Rothstein’s review of How the Hell Did this Happen?: The Election of 2016 by P.J. O’Rourke. “In more or less chronological order, O’Rourke discusses the highlights of the campaign…taking detours along the way to address such diverse topics as candidate “fashion notes,” The Federalist Papers, and, now and then, some fun facts. Who knew, for example, that, in 2013, Donald Trump was inducted into the World Wrestling Enterprises Hall of Fame?”


4. Kenneth Jost’s review of The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution: Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic by Ganesh Sitaraman. “Law professor Ganesh Sitaraman opens this cri de coeur with the blunt warning that the collapse of the American middle class is the greatest present-day threat to the survival of our constitutional republic. The danger, he opines, outweighs the risks from the rise of presidential power, the growing national security state, persistent congressional dysfunction, or increased political polarization.”


5. Tayla Burney’s review of Books for Living by Will Schwalbe. “Those of us who are readers know that we do a great deal of work through books. By reading, we orient ourselves to the world around us, to each other, and ourselves. We adjust our expectations; we increase our empathy and reevaluate prejudices. So, the author, Will (reading the book puts you on a first-name basis), helps us to see that work more clearly. By reflecting on and showing us the effect that some of his favorite reads have had on his personal life, he pushes us to do the same.”

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