Covid-19 forced Democrats and Republicans to rethink how they will hold their political conventions this summer. Both will be mostly virtual affairs, eliminating the handshakes and personal interactions that have shaped the parties for nearly 200 years. In this way, the pandemic is accelerating an evolution that has been in motion for decades. Events that once featured smoke-filled rooms, high drama and unpredictable outcomes are now carefully produced spectacles designed for sending prepackaged messages to voters.

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Brent Scowcroft, a career Air Force officer and two-time White House national security adviser who died last week at 95, set the gold standard for running the National Security Council. He established a disciplined and focused process during eventful times, but his true genius may have been how he handled national security duties in the middle of the night: he was the great waker of presidents.

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The opening of the baseball season has fans excited about seeing our national pastime again. For some teams, though, the truncated 60-game season will be a challenge. Everyone knows about bitter inter-team rivalries, such as that between the Red Sox and the Yankees, or the Cardinals and the Cubs. But a more important dynamic is the cohesion within teams. Teams need to gel to win — and resolving discord takes time.

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Losing a parent is always difficult, especially as important financial and religious arrangements must be made during a time of intense grief. A global pandemic doesn't help. But when my mother died on March 3, my family still had no idea how difficult it would be to stay safe while still honoring her in the Jewish tradition.

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For the past five years, based on the initial suggestion of the resourceful Kathryn Jean Lopez, I've had the privilege of closing out the year with NRO readers, looking back on the books that made an impression on me. For this year's holiday retrospective, I want to take a slightly different tack, and take you, Dear Reader, on a tour of notable books by starting with a few key categories I know NRO readers would enjoy.

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