Steve Thorngate's Christmas list

To give

In On Immunity, Eula Biss writes about our fear of immunization in the manner of early Annie Dillard: boldly, philosophically, with a startlingly ambitious scope that in lesser hands would fast go off the rails. Biss’s prose exudes curiosity and wisdom, plus it’s a delight to read. Top of my gift list for anyone who loves big ideas, great writing, and not having to choose be­tween the two.

Recently there has been a welcome in­crease in TV shows that aren’t groundbreaking, daring, or subversive, but just really good. The Good Wife, the saga of attorney Alicia Florrick (Season 5), is an old-fashioned network series that will be immediately familiar to anyone who’s ever binged on courtroom procedurals or political dramas, but that also makes most of those other shows look pretty dumb.