Opinion

A soldier returns home after service in the Korean War, emotionally scarred, in this novel "Home" by Toni Morrison.

Sand and Bernie order popcorn, and to go with this movie, request that it be served with extra guts on it.

Wendy Robards reviews the crime genre-twisting novel "The Murder of Halland" by Pia Juul.

An unsolved murder from the early part of the twentieth century is the center of Louise Erdrich's stunning novel "The Plague of Doves."

At last, a movie about writers! Now we'll see some sweating over a keyboard, some agonizing about the pacing of a plot ... won't we?

Three Indian women find their lives changed, and their reality far from the dreams they had when they were young friends together in this novel by Thrity Umrigar.

"Gary Oldman is in it! We have to go see 'Lawless!'" That's what we said, and that's what we did ...

Laura Lippman draws the reader into the world of prostitution, murder, and -- motherhood -- in her novel, "And When She Was Good."

Elizabeth Haynes shows just how easy it is for a woman to get caught up in a domestic violence situation in her novel, "Into the Darkest Corner."

Wendy Robards awards a five-star rating to Rachel Joyce for her novel, "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry."

Promising themselves a reward of ten pounds of popcorn, Sand and Bernie trundle off to see the remake of the Schwarzenegger film "Total Recall," this time starring Colin Farrell.

Chris Cleave brings his flawed and struggling characters together at the Olympics speed cycling event in his latest novel, "Gold."

A woman who marries a "Buffalo Soldier" in a one-year deal to gain homesteading land faces plainsland difficulties her city life never imagined in this novel of hardship and fulfillment by Ann Weisgarber.

Steve Sem-Sandberg's massive historical novel "The Emperor of Lies" examines the lives of Jewish people in the ghetto of Lodz.

We've been waiting for this movie since 2008 -- how many years is that in bat years?

Set against the backdrop of World War I, John Boyle's novel "The Absolutist" explores the morality of war and the lives of two men who fought.

Allan Cole, Jr. puts together a series of essays by "poets, prophets, and preachers" in "The Spiritual Life."

Another remake? How many Spider-Men does it take to change a lightbulb?

From a quiet village in the Italian Alps to the bustle of New York City, Adriana Trigiani follows two lovers and their lives in her novel, "The Shoemaker's Wife."

Wendy Robards reviews the novel "With My Body" by Nikki Gemmell.

An animated film without a Prince Charming? What a fascinating concept! Bernie and Sand support the popcorn industry once again and review "Brave."

Set in the war-damaged country of Sierra Leone, "The Memory of Love" examines the interwoven tales of three men trying to rebuild their lives.

The nature of marriage and how outside relationships affect it is explored in Joan Frank's novel "Make It Stay."

A young man becomes the caretaker and friend of two starving elephants, saving their lives.

Abandoned by his alien-hating wife, Bernie intrepidly goes for a space ride, without even stopping for popcorn.

Yes, this movie is worth braving a packed movie theater filled with pop-corn crunching kiddies. And this one is probably worth the extra cost of 3-D.

A young pregnant woman is sent to Spain to give up her baby in Beth Kephart's novel "Small Damages."

There are times in history when people take a stand for what they believe is important above all else. La Criada was one of such battles.

Nothing like a good movie on a hot summer day! But wait ... did I say "good movie?"

Julie Otsuka tells a collective story about the "Picture Brides" who came from Japan and Korea to marry men in the United States in the early 20th Century.