Bastille Day roundup

Bill Keller doesn't know why anyone writes books.

I agree--in this day and age, applying single-issue doctrines to a president is silly.

David McCullough reminds us of some of what ties us to France.

Funny--"Harry Potter" is one of the few pop culture phenomena that I've opted into ("Mad Men" is another). But I never got into "Star Trek" (never saw an episode or movie), never read a "Twilight" book, and haven't yet got into the Larsen series--though I might once I've read everything else I want to read (that does not hold for "Twilight").