GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME
The late drummer, who passed away at 80, was quiet and unassuming, and powered the Stones for six decades with impeccable taste and an unerring sense of swing.
Malcolm Jones writes about books, music, and photography for The Daily Beast where he has written about subjects ranging from A. Lincoln to R. Crumb. He is the author of a memoir, Little Boy Blues, and collaborated with the songwriter and composer Van Dyke Parks and the illustrator Barry Moser on Jump!, a retelling of Brer Rabbit stories.
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BLAST FROM THE PAST
Alexandria and its environs comprise as storied a piece of real estate as can be found anywhere in the country.
YEAR FOR THE BOOKS
As if living through 2020 wasn't enough, now we have to read about it. Seriously, though, some of these books about Trump and the pandemic are actually worth the pain.
WAKING NIGHTMARE
The author of “Native Son” wrote “The Man Who Lived Underground” 80 years ago. His publisher turned it down. Be thankful someone had second thoughts.
POLYMATH
Georgia’s brightest political star has now published her first legal thriller. It’s not great lit, but it’s better than most of the competition.
JOY AND SORROW
“City of a Million Dreams” uses the unique traditions of the Crescent City’s funerals as a lens through which it looks at the city’s contradictions and consolations.
SLEIGHTLY OBSESSED
With a new memoir and a Hulu special, the young magician is the latest and one of the best exemplars of what might be called The Golden Age of Cool Magic.
R.I.P.
Best known for the Pulitzer-winning “Lonesome Dove,” McMurtry was equally at home writing about all aspects of the American West, from cowboys to astronauts.
OFF THE GRID
One of the last outposts of Gullah culture, this South Carolina sea island is still raw, remote, and altogether enchanting.
THE GREAT ESCAPE
A little science, some fiction, a few detective stories—reading won’t make you a better person, but it can take you out of the world for a while, and this year that meant a lot.
