Sunday Morning

In the most scenic corner of the Pacific Northwest, Hilary Swank is in her element. She has a lot of memories growing up here: “This lake right here is what I considered my best friend, because I spent every single sunny day in that lake,” she said. These days, the two-time Oscar-winner is staying on familiar ground, in her life …

By Washington Post book critic Ron Charles Snow and ice kept me trapped inside for weeks last month, but I didn’t mind, because I had great new books to read, like these: Forty years ago, a demonstration took place outside the Libyan Embassy in London. As students shouted protests against Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, suddenly, from the embassy’s windows, shots …

Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Not necessarily. While most say they have a relationship in the past that they regret, they are less likely to look back and wish they had more actively pursued an old crush. And among those who have both in their past — more regret the …

“Three, two, one. Let’s lay some bricks!” The SpecMix Bricklayer 500, held each year in Las Vegas, is full of wall-to-wall action. IN the main event, masons are given an hour to lay as many bricks as possible. It’s a competition full of trials and tribulations. And, you know what? It’s probably better if I just let them hype it …

Once a year, a lucky few get the chance to actually visit Hope Valley, an early 20th-century town on the Canadian frontier with a church, a school and a big heart. Most of the time, the only way folks get to visit is by watching the place on TV. Hope Valley is the set of the Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls …