In Nancy Weber's riveting 1975 memoir-cum-cautionary tale The Life Swap, now back in print, she asks New York-based women if they want to swap lives. Her premise: You can borrow my name, wear my clothes, sleep with my husband, call my parents Mom and Dad. The result: can't-tear-yourself away tragedy.
Read MoreToys And Tiny Instruments is exactly what it sounds like: a seven-piece band with no shortage of ukuleles or child’s drums. I got in touch with lead singer Colin Summers to discuss how they got their unique sound, the process of recording their new album, and busking in Harvard Square.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered exactly what happens to the actors when they go through a hole in the floor? Well: they go into a padded cell that is bigger than my apartment. Now that we're finally in previews, read on for a backstage tour conducted during "tech," our final push before performances.
Read MoreFrom revelations that L. Ron Hubbard personally did the hair and makeup of his hot-pansted teenage bodyguards to a description of Tom Cruise sitting in a Home Depot parking lot guessing at the emotional state of total strangers, Going Clear is a fascinating read. But Wright's achievement goes far beyond (admittedly excellent) gossip: he breaks down the organization's spectacularly empty linguistic structure to show us Scientology's beautiful, vacant house from the inside out.
Read MoreWhat happens when you invite a bunch of recent Smith grads—a population inherently very well-educated in feminism by virtue of its schooling—to a Lean In? Is Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In even for us? Who is it for, then? How does a Lean In Circle work, practically? On a mild Sunday in March, we attempt to find out.
Read MoreA series in which we delve into a foreign slice of NYC life. This week: Chinatown Gamers. On the first block of Elizabeth Street, #6A, Nebulous, is a store and tournament center for Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh! card games. I walk by there every night, and every night it is packed with gamers. I decided to visit on a Friday night to understand the place's popularity, and its population.
Read MoreOkay, so it takes a few million to make a Veronica Mars movie. But what about Firefly Season 2?
Read MoreIf brevity is truly the soul of wit, then your Twitter feed is the Algonquin round table of today's digital Dorothy Parkers and Ogden Nashes. Here's a selection of our favorite tweets from the week; nominate yours by submitting to @blackballoonpub with #twitwit.
Read MoreRipper Street is about a police detective who works in Whitechapel in East London in the late 1800s, when it was basically a Dickensian slum.
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