Books

Arts Feature: Recommended Books, 2025

December 26, 2025
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An eclectic round-up of the favorite books of the year from our critics.

Poetry Review: The Devil’s Sonnets — John Berryman’s “Only Sing”

December 23, 2025
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Poet John Berryman’s choice of minstrelsy in his “Dream Songs” is not just a distraction that can be explained away by aficionados — it is impossible to excuse or forgive.

Book Review: Nayland Blake’s “Dungeon Studio”: Four Decades of Queer Vision and Voice

December 20, 2025
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Throughout their anthology, Nayland Blake reminds readers of the importance of maintaining authenticity and self-representation in every facet of creative work.

Children’s Book Reviews: Tales of Winter

December 19, 2025
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Two new books and one reissued classic will teach, delight, and intrigue children.

Book Review: “Nobody’s Girl” — An Emotionally Wrenching Horror Story

December 13, 2025
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Virginia Giuffre’s memoir is a grim indictment of Jeffrey Epstein and the cruel and powerful men (most of them still unnamed in public) who were his clients.

Book Review: “Racebook” — Internetting While Black

December 13, 2025
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One of today’s most distinctive intellects wrestles with the internet and all its messy consequences.

Children’s Book Reviews: Lighting Up Winter Holidays

December 11, 2025
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A trio of holiday stories— two celebrate friendship, one features a stagestruck chicken.

Book Review: Rich Lives in the Musical Margins — “Dancing With Muddy” and “Before Elvis”

December 10, 2025
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Two good reads: Boston harmonica player Jerry Portnoy’s memoir is an unflinching look at life as a sideman musician; the other is a history that shows how, without the Black stars he heard in Memphis, there would have been no Elvis or rock ‘n roll as we know it.

Book Reviews: “In a Distant Valley” and “A Chance Meeting” — Distinctively American Characters

December 8, 2025
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Two uniquely American books that will give you unexpected pleasures just when you need them most.

Book Review: “Razzle Dazzle” Minus Some of the Sparkle — John Lahr Profiles the Stars, and Himself

December 6, 2025
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If John Lahr could learn, even in his eighties, to cut back on his own self-adoration and stop being so damned star struck, the razzle in his profiles would dazzle all the more.

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