Originally published on Wed December 12, 2012 11:04 am
A young boy seeks justice. A young woman wants to stay alive. A friendship is tested. The child of a commune comes of age. A solitary man gives himself over to love. These are the bare actions underpinning the novels that I'm suggesting for book clubs this year. Some are first novels; others the work of well-known writers. Some might touch your heart; others might challenge the way you think. At least one will make you laugh — and a couple might make you cry. They are all good reads. And they are, above all, books you'll want to talk about with your friends.
Mansard Roof, 1923, by Edward Hopper (left), which is now at the Brooklyn Museum, compared with Mansard Roof by Gail Albert Halaban (right). Though the building is the same, Halaban photographed it at night.
Originally published on Tue December 11, 2012 1:28 pm
Photographer Gail Albert Halaban spent her childhood summers in Gloucester, Mass., a small seaside town where her father was born. "I never thought it was that interesting of a place," she says. "The beach was beautiful, but I was interested in getting to know it better."
As Amanda Smith tells it, her father’s attitude was always, “Aww, my baby girl, she’s a little dancer.” Her mother, however, was skeptical. “This is just a hobby,” Smith remembers her telling everyone. “She’s not really going to do this. She’s going to be a lawyer; she’s going to be a doctor.” But once her mom saw young Amanda perform her first solo around eighth grade or so, “she was crying and said, ‘this is what you’re supposed to do.’”
Originally published on Tue December 11, 2012 8:35 am
Some books paint pictures with words; others use pictures to render us speechless. No matter the method, you'll lose yourself in the best possible way leafing through the volumes in this year's list of recommended gift books. If pages were like musical notes, these titles would produce a pretty great mashup. Envision one of photographer Cindy Sherman's crones in the forest of a Brothers Grimm tale. Set one of graphic novelist Chris Ware's "building stories" inside, say, the curvaceous contours of an architectural masterwork by Frank Gehry.
Earlier this year, Oprah Winfrey announced an updated version of her popular book club, this time called Book Club 2.0. Her first pick, Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild, experienced best-seller list success thanks to what some people are calling the "Oprah bump." And last week Winfrey announced her second pick, a novel called The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis, a first-time author.
For children's choirs across the country, the holiday season is a busy time. Choirs are in high demand, so that means choristers and their parents are spending long nights at rehearsals and concerts after school.
The children at Myer's Park Baptist Church are in the middle of their evening rehearsal. They're standing under 120-foot-high ceilings and intricate stained-glass windows.
