The Informed Air: EssaysBy Muriel Spark(New Directions, 352 pages, $24.95) How do you do it?” asked Evelyn Waugh in a letter to Muriel Spark. He had just finished reading The Bachelors, her fifth novel, and was “dazzled” by it. “Most…

Candy: A Century of Panic and PleasureBy Samira KawashFaber, 416 pages, $27 I love candy. Last year I turned 21 and had my fun, but any pleasure gained from legal drink pales in comparison with the thrill I felt at…

Claiming divine mandate for his mission, new Labor Secretary Tom Perez received a standing ovation for his address to the AFL-CIO Convention last week in Los Angeles. But while labor leaders found much to praise in Perez’s agenda to grow…