Deadly Pleasures to Read and Watch
Heroes and victims on the autism spectrum add a layer of complexity and cleverness to this month’s best mystery books and TV shows
What? This Old Thing?
A hand-me-down Rosenkavalier from Los Angeles opens a new era at the Zurich Opera with a bang
Green Gold
A new book traces the history of the avocado, from a humble dooryard tree in Mexico to a global superfood phenomenon
Alice Waters’s Guide to Berkeley
The American chef behind Chez Panisse shares her go-to spots in the city she calls home
Secret Italy: The Hidden Villages Lost in Time
On this week’s podcast, Elena Clavarino reveals a part of Italy that needs to be seen to be believed
Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and John Candy
A new biography pulls back the curtain on the Canadian comedian who died at just 43—and the role he turned down in Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction
The World According to Cecil Beaton
In London, the first exhibition devoted entirely to the British photographer features candids of Elizabeth Taylor, costumes for My Fair Lady, and portraits of Queen Elizabeth
Nostalgia Isn’t What It Used to Be
A new biopic about the love affair between Simone Signoret and Yves Montand has the actors’ families declaring it a woke travesty
What’s with Woody?
An open letter
Harmonia Rosales
Known for re-creating Renaissance paintings with Black characters, the artist is now making her authorial debut to preserve African myths for future generations
Too Big to Fail’s Prequel, of Sorts
Andrew Ross Sorkin pieced together forgotten diaries and letters to reveal the Shakespearean characters behind the 1929 financial crash—and how they set the stage for Jamie Dimon and Elon Musk
Stump Trump
Pam Bondi v. Pam Non-Stick Spray
Mad About the Girl
A new coffee-table book collects the photographer Sam Shaw’s never-before-seen pictures of his longtime friend and muse, Marilyn Monroe
The Curious Case of Thomas Pynchon
With the release of Shadow Ticket, his first novel in 12 years, and the Vineland-inspired One Battle After Another in theaters, only one thing is for sure: the author won’t be in evidence
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss the adventures of the Yiddish Sherlock Holmes, a memoir from the restaurateur behind Nobu, and a crime novel set in a gritty Rust Belt town
Robert Longo’s Guide to New York
The American artist shares his go-to spots in his hometown
Move Along, Your Majesties
From Salzburg, Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda on tilted turntables
Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeeze Me
Ruthie Rogers, of London’s storied River Cafe, has teamed up with Pop artist Ed Ruscha for a book of simple recipes devoted entirely to the yellow citrus
