In this month’s picks, a solemn look at the war in Ukraine, plus an ongoing struggle over land and a spirited search for truffles.
Category: Arts
Swoony Romance Novels That Will Upend Your World
Despite romance’s reputation as light comfort reading, the genre has a bass line of chaos pulsing through it — the distinction being that romance presents chaos as survivable, even if your entire world is upended. Chaos by Constance Fay CHAOS …
New Historical Fiction That Whisks You to Paris, Vienna and Elsewhere
The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue “A railway carriage is as intimate as a dinner party, but one with no host and guests assembled at random.” You’ll find plenty of intimacy but few displays of party manners among the passengers Donoghue introduces …
The Unsentimental, Acerbic and Deeply Compassionate Fiction of Jane Gardam
The British author, best known for her “Old Filth” trilogy, never paid much attention to literary fashion, and her 22 novels range widely in genre, tone and style.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour Remixes American History, and Her Own
The last time Beyoncé performed “Daddy Lessons,” the stomping, biting number from her 2016 album, “Lemonade,” was at that year’s C.M.A. Awards, in a blistering rendition alongside the Dixie Chicks (now the Chicks). Not everyone in country music …
Who Should Be a Tony Awards Nominee in 2025?
Our chief theater critic makes his picks.
The Resurrection of Rilo Kiley
When the Rilo Kiley singer and guitarist Blake Sennett wrote them 25 years ago, he concurred with the lyrics of “Pictures of Success,” a song about longing to arrive at a destination despite, or because of, the inability to fully imagine it. “I’m …
The Conductor Who Has the Ear of Red Sox and Classical Fans Alike
It’s hard to fathom what the Boston Pops gets itself into with its annual Holiday Pops marathon, which takes up most of December at Symphony Hall. Last year, this orchestra played essentially the same program, with a few tweaks for family shows, 42 …
For His Met Opera Debut, a Director Takes On ‘Salome’
The director Claus Guth, wearing a scarf and coat, was pacing the frigid auditorium of the Metropolitan Opera during a recent rehearsal of Strauss’s “Salome,” going over lighting and visual cues. It was only a few days before opening night, and he …
Where Can I Find a Cheap Broadway Ticket?
If you are determined to see a celebrity in a popular show on a busy night, you may be out of luck, but with flexibility and persistence, you can cut some costs.