When he was 7, Manchán Magan found a leprechaun’s pipe in the garden. That strange discovery opens a wonderful book about the Irish language — which has 32 different words for “field.” I wrote about it in today’s newsletter: roncharles.substack.com/p/why-irish-...

Karan Mahajan’s new novel *The Complex* unfolds like an endless family gathering — an Indian version of Hotel California: You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave. My review (with a short video from Mahajan): roncharles.substack.com/p/all-in-the...

A new bill in Congress would punish schools for letting students read about gender identity — or even “lascivious dancing.” Somewhere, Kevin Bacon is very nervous. roncharles.substack.com/p/now-congre...

A new bill in Congress would punish schools for letting students read about gender identity — and “lascivious dancing.” Book bans aren’t fading. They’re evolving. Today’s newsletter: roncharles.substack.com/p/now-congre...

Heartbreaking. www.wsj.com/finance/inve...

M.L. Stedman’s new novel feels like a Greek tragedy transplanted to the Australian outback. My review of “A Far-Flung Life.” roncharles.substack.com/p/ml-stedman...

@rjhartigan.bsky.social is going to clear up what happened to Amelia Earhart once and for all ;) Join us for a conversation at People's Book on Mon. 3/2 @7pm about her new book, Lost. She'll be in conversation with @roncharles.bsky.social - I promise, we'll all learn something!

From Lincoln’s eloquence to Trump’s 108-minute harangue open.substack.com/pub/roncharl...

@roncharles.bsky.social calls Heather L. Reid and Phillip Mitsis's translation of Lucian "so immediate you can feel the athletes flinging sweat into your eyes." Read the full How to Compete review here:

The author of ‘An American Marriage’ returns with a novel about two girlhood friends who set off in different directions. roncharles.substack.com/p/in-tayari-...

Producing yesterday’s newsletter was delightful chaos. When I sat down to copy-edit, the power went out. I jumped in the car & rode w Dawn to school, where she set me up in the English office. Then we saw JASON REYNOLDS in the school auditorium! open.substack.com/pub/roncharl...

Mohammed Hanif's new novel drops readers into a dazzling bazaar of history, tragedy, and farce. open.substack.com/pub/roncharl...

Roses are red, violets are blue. A Valentine’s Substack, written for you. open.substack.com/pub/roncharl...

After 20 years, I've been laid off at The Washington Post. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Terrifying story about how the Trump administration is ramping up efforts to spy on and intimidate anyone who questions its actions: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Good Lord….. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R), the highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress, said,” We are grateful no Border Patrol officers were harmed.” www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/...

"In the annals of political lawfare there’s dumb, and then there’s the criminal subpoena federal prosecutors delivered Friday to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell." www.wsj.com/opinion/jero...

So hard to decide... Should I work with Copilot for eight minutes to craft an inane reply that sounds like it came from the Borg Queen's middle school son or just write the reply myself?

This week, JD Vance lost the 2028 Republican primary for president. No one comes back from shocking the nation’s conscience this deeply.

These days, we’re all suffering. www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...

Striking one of his most Orwellian and anti-American poses, Trump called the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol "a day of love." NPR is keeping the history and the truth alive. apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/

Least surprising news of the day: Trump's "tariffs and provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill will have a net negative impact for all income groups except the highest 30% of earners. The lower the income bracket, the worse the impact." www.wsj.com/economy/cons...

Students beware....

"No Way To Prevent This," Says Company Spending Billions Of Dollars To Encourage This

🙃

This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.

Journalist Scott Wilson is so close to meeting his goal for the reading group in the Santa Barbara County Jail. Help him out! gofund.me/6a54276ae

A publicist who has confused me with the Reverend Doctor Ron Charles — the one who thinks he may have found Noah’s Ark — claims he has the insight and skill to fix my online “keyword gaps, metadata mismatches, category alignment issues, and discoverability obstacles." Sure…

"The Defense Department’s Law of War Manual specifies: 'Orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal.' These are actions that you would expect from the Islamic State or the Russian army — not from the armed forces of a democracy." Until now..... www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Sure, the rule would have prevented 4,500 premature deaths, but that second yacht isn't gonna pay for itself! #Priorities www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

For ways to support the freedom to read in Alabama, check out @readfreelyal.bsky.social's website: www.readfreelyalabama.org

It rhymes with creepy: Jeffrey Epstein helped fund "Poetry in America." That and more in this week's Book Club newsletter: s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...

It’s almost as though the country is designed to favor rich people over ordinary Americans… www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/t...

Billionaire “leader” tells tens of millions of Americans running out of food money: “I don’t want to hear about the affordability.” www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest. The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says. "I could smell the onions and mustard."

"More than half of the companies that donated to Trump's ballroom are facing or have recently faced federal enforcement actions tied to alleged wrongdoing that includes engaging in unfair labor practices, deceiving consumers and harming the environment." wapo.st/4hD7dm0

My book recommendations this month for CBS Sunday Morning: youtu.be/HB25ITZ4tTI?...

In today's Halloween edition of the Book Club newsletter, I'm giving away my copy of "The H. P. Lovecraft Experience Deluxe Box Set": s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...

This week, I turn my august critical attention to a work of literature called "My Brother's Butt Is Haunted": s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...

Happy news leads this week's Book Club newsletter: s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...

WSJ today on Chicago’s savage, crime-infested war zone: “Visits to the Magnificent Mile are nearly back to prepandemic levels. The area’s crime rate is falling…. And other parts of Chicago’s retail scene have recovered faster.” www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

"Insurers have cited the expiration of extra subsidies as a reason for hiking premiums BECAUSE THEY ANTICIPATE HEALTHY PEOPLE DROPPING COVERAGE." There it is, folks. Once Republicans introduced adverse selection back into the insurance market, it was doomed. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

“The water’s been brown for weeks. It’s a drag, but I bet there’s an Ivy-educated lib walking around Bushwick in a really bad mood right now. So it’s totally worth it.” www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/at-...

Feels like it's been months since somebody wrote an essay about discovering John Williams's "long forgotten" novel "Stoner."

“Gen Z borrowers have seen the steepest decline in credit scores of any age group this year.” So much winning! www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/b...

Perfect: “Mike Johnson replied, ‘We’ve got pages and pages and pages of ideas on how to reform health care.’ He did not elaborate.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/u...

Remember, 13 minutes ago when the White House was warning Americans against "violent, divisive rhetoric"? Good grief....these people.

A press release arriving today announces, "Critics are no longer driving the conversation." My first thought was, "How did I just get an email from 1952?"

"Do you ever feel conflicted about being in a business that is associated with addiction?" "I’m really comfortable with what we do." (So chilling....) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/b...

When Nanette Vonnegut -- Kurt's daughter -- was about 8, her mother sat her down for The Talk. s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...