I’m still befuddled as to why Americans thought they needed to hoard toilet paper early on in the coronavirus crisis. Did they fear toilet paper manufacturers would suddenly stop producing and shipping it?

The news this winter that a Vanderbilt University study proved conclusively that dogs are smarter than cats blared resolutely on the evening’s TV newscast as my cat and I sat on the living room couch. I saw my cat’s face fall. I lunged for the remote control to mute the…

I was just finishing up a book-launch event at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, CA, when a young woman in a visible state of exasperation came up to me with a question. “I’m trying my hand at writing, but I have writer’s block. Did that happen to you?” My new book…