When my husband and I felt an itch to disrupt our routine at the end of 2025, a trip to Florence, that most popular of tourist destinations, came immediately to mind, because winter seemed like the perfect time to go. In 2010, I had spent my first Christmas away from my family in Venice, where […]

I love a high-quality fantasy novel, so I couldn’t believe my luck when Lev Grossman’s newest book, The Bright Sword, turned out to be a 700-page epic set in the world of King Arthur. The Bright Sword centers on Collum, an orphan and a bastard who grows up as the abused ward of the lord