The Grin & Tonic Archive on the Web

Although there are no new daily Grin & Tonic features currently being produced, you can find and enjoy all the past Grin & Tonic pieces in our web archive,  at the following address:

 

http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Grin-Tonic/bg-p/grinandtonic

 

-James Mustich

Editor, The Barnes & Noble Review

May 21: Alexander Pope was born in London on this day in 1688. Barred from politics and university, deformed by tuberculosis, Pope seemed destined to be an outsider; this created the distance necessary for firing the satiric darts…

"Rock and roll," says Robert Christgau,  "has produced a surprising bounty of old men with something to say. Leonard Cohen fits this paradigm, with two significant differences.…

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Books CDs, DVDs to know about now
Old Ideas

With dates announced for his upcoming Old Ideas concert tour, we celebrate the inimitable Leonard Cohen: bard, survivor, legend. His most recent album is a return to form for the balladeer, exploring signature themes of lust and longing, spirituality and struggle, all overlaid with a droll sense of humor as familiar as Cohen's prophetic voice.

Wish You Were Here

When Jack Luxton hears that his estranged brother has been killed in combat, long-buried memories begin to well up like groundwater, and difficult choices Jack thought he reconciled himself to years ago turn out to be close at hand. Man Booker Prize-winner Graham Swift's novel plumbs timeless themes of regret, renewal, and the bonds of love.

The Sovereignties of Invention

The opening story in Matthew Battles's electric collection, "The Dogs in the Trees", documents the inexplicable appearance of arboreal canines. Further gorgeous fantastika follows, producing a volume sure to draw comparisons to Borges and George Saunders.