I’ve been slacking a little on my reading as I get more involved in my reporting for the Bay State Banner. But this recommendation is worth the wait. I Am an Executioner by Rajesh Parameswaran is a meticulously crafted book. The piece is organized into a collection of 9 short stories mainly centered on the themes of…Read More
Literature
What I’m Reading: King of Poisons
When I was reading The Romanov Sisters there was a lot of talk about medicating with arsenic injections. I knew a little about the drug but I was curious about the use of it in nineteenth century medicine. That led to John Parascandola’s book King of Poisons: A History of Arsenic. The book is a fascinating nonfiction…Read More
What I’m Reading: Goya
Francisco de Goya y Lucientes is one of my all-time favorite artists, as you witnessed here. I’ve read many biographies of him but Goya by Robert Hughes is my unquestionable favorite. Hughes is a darling of the art writing known for his theories on criticism. He was infatuated with Goya and spent his career studying the artist. This…Read More
What I’m Reading: Seven Days in the Art World
I’ve covered quite a few nonfiction books on Trends & Tolstoy (The Romanov Sisters, Textile and Fashion Arts, Black Mass, etc.) but this one is a very different breed. Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton is a mix of an art review, a narrative nonfiction story, a memoir, and a high society gossip…Read More
What I’m Reading: War and Peace
I thought I’d start this year off with an old favorite, Tolstoy’s War and Peace. This is a different translation from my go-to (the Aylmer and Louise Maude edition). War and Peace is ultimately a story about the basic elements of the human experience. It focuses on love, duty, and the lifelong search for meaning. All…Read More
Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
As an avid consumer of culture in Boston, I see a lot of performances. But few, if any, have matched the new show at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge. Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 is a pop-rock opera adaptation of a slice of War and Peace. It follows Natasha Rostova as she struggles…Read More