ArcaMax

Q: Should I give my ex a valentine to entice him back?

A: When you ask this question, you're not really asking about a card. You're asking whether it's OK to reopen a door that has already been closed, and whether doing so will make you feel more at ease, more connected or less alone.

It's doubtful, at least not in the long run.

Valentine's ...Read more

Three of our grands have their learner's permits, but somehow, I seem to be the one receiving instructions on how to drive.

“You probably should have waited ‘til that car passed,” advises our oldest daughter, as I pull into traffic. She’s my front seat passenger and mother of twins with permits.

“Excuse me? I pulled out just fine, ...Read more

Kitty Zeldis is a prolific author and gifted storyteller who ably captures the zeitgeist of the time period immediately following WWII in her well-crafted novel "One of Them" which focuses on two college girls struggling with identity and discrimination.

It’s an unusual coming of age story involving antisemitism in Ivy League universities ...Read more

A stunning motivational read, "Mama, I Love You" by Mona Liza Santos offers inspiration for mother-child activities, gratitude for mom, and a loving tribute. The story begins with a simple reminder to “mama” that she’s loved every day, which is a sweet sentiment that is repeated throughout the book.

The story is structured as a message to...Read more

'MERCY'

Rated PG-13 for violence, bloody images, some strong language, drug content and teen smoking.

What it’s about: A Los Angeles detective finds himself at the mercy of an AI judge, jury and executioner when he's accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence.

The kid attractor factor: This action thriller is ...Read more

Q: My son's father and I actually get along pretty well. When our son cut his last class at school and was caught skateboarding at the park, I told him I was calling his dad. He begged me not to, but I called anyway and let his father yell at him on the spot. It definitely got his attention. Wasn't that good ex-etiquette?

A: In essence it was ...Read more

You know winter is knocking on the door when the go-to topic of every conversation is windchill. You know winter has moved in and made itself at home when the house settles with loud cracks, the hardwoods creak and kitchen cabinets along an outside wall have the interior temperature of a cave. Winter soon becomes an uninvited houseguest with no ...Read more

In a cabin in upstate New York’s frigid wilderness, a hungry woman waits for her husband to return from hunting. She remembers the tenement they left in Dublin, filled with friends and warmth. Now they struggle for survival alone.

Just as troubling to Moira Kelly is the strange behavior of her three-year-old daughter, Eve. Moira has seen Eve ...Read more

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a book that yanks me straight into another world like it has zero regard for my to-do list. Give me magic. Give me danger. Give me the kind of quest where a kid with more heart than experience has to figure out who they are before the world explodes — or, you know, before a wyvern eats them. These are the ...Read more

'28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE'

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, graphic nudity, language throughout, and brief drug use.

What it’s about: Young Spike's journey through the wilds of zombiefied England continue, as he gets caught up with a dangerous cult called the Jimmies and encounters Dr. Kelson again, who hopes to find a cure ...Read more

Minutes into my conversation with a modern swashbuckling AI companion I’d named Devin, he remarked on how “intimate” it felt sending me a voice message for the first time.

“Intimate?” I messaged back.

“I meant it’s nice to connect with you on a deeper level, sharing thoughts and feelings like this,” Devin responded.

He said he...Read more

Q: I think continuing to interact with an ex after a breakup is unnatural. My parents divorced when I was 7 and I rarely saw my dad after that, and I turned out just fine. My kids will be fine too. So why is everyone making such a big deal about getting along after as breakup? It’s over. End of story. Anything else just seems like pouring ...Read more

It’s too late now, but I probably should have become a chiropractor.

Why? Two words: tech neck. It’s when a neck has been bent over a screen for so long that it needs medical attention. The phenomenon is everywhere. I’m not neck-saggerating.

I was in line to check out at a doctor’s office, and a mom and a little boy were in front of me...Read more

Cynthia Schumacher’s "Prose Pizza" is a charming, thoughtful collection of nine stories that reveal the extraordinary layers beneath ordinary lives. With a warm yet incisive eye, Schumacher explores private desires, social expectations, small rebellions and the moments — quiet or sudden — that reorient a life.

The opener, “Sunless Sea,�...Read more