Home Spun: A Collection

Hale, a columnist for the Houston Chronicle, is the city's popular commentator on life around him. This collection of 76 of his best pieces from among hundreds written between 1989 and 1996 is a taste of his wry wit and homely wisdom. They are brief--few are more than two or three pages--and distill common experiences, covering a wide assortment of topics such as apartment living, domesticity, a house in the country, dogs, goats, red ants, friendship, the coming of spring and a visit to Normandy on the 50th anniversary of the Allied invasion. One especially amusing sketch details his efforts to acquire a hobby at the recommendation of his physician. Pursuing a multitude of possibilities, he reads up on guitar and piano playing, cooking, beekeeping, birding, learning a new language, gardening, etc.--but in the end, his acquisition of so many books on so many subjects leads him to conclude that his hobby should be collecting books. These charming though slight sketches will appeal mainly to the author's devoted fans. $10,000 ad/promo; author tour. (Sept.)