A few days ago, I learned about an app that I could hardly believe really exists. That may sound slightly dramatic, but after hearing (reading) about everything this particular application is capable of, you will mostly likely share a similar overzealous reaction. “Hooch,” a $9.99 per month or $99 per year subscription app, is a phone application that buys you one […]

The first thing I should probably mention about Paris Cocktails, a book by Doni Belau, is how it looks on the outside (all “don’t judge a book by its cover” arguments aside). This small, hardcover collection of recipes features a martini-shaped cut-out on the front, revealing a map of Paris underneath. It is extremely pleasing to the eye, to say […]

The definition of a “hierophant” is, according to my trusted internet sources, “a person, especially a priest in ancient Greece, who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles.” That word, although perhaps unfamiliar to many, is particularly important to know when beginning the book He Can See Heaven by J.B. Keats. Before even starting the first page, I looked up that […]

It started as a hobby: a few college-aged friends found themselves intrigued by the vast number of different types of beers that existed (yes, they realized there was more to life than Coors and Bud Light!). Soon enough, they were collecting all the various bottles and cans they would come across. They quickly discovered that behind each one of these […]

A few months ago, a young aspiring actress and director by the name of Pilar Gonzalez was standing in line (as many of us Manhattanites are very used to) waiting to get through security in a building where she was about to begin her work shift for the day. As she moved slowly towards the door, she found herself focusing […]

I couldn’t open up The Noticer’s Guide to Living and Laughing, penned by Margery Leveen Sher, quickly enough. Not only did the cover page claim that the book could help “change your life without changing your routine,” but the back of the book posed such questions as: “Do you want to be awestruck every day? Do you want to laugh […]

Diving in to the audiobook After Perfect by Christina McDowell was similar to diving into an actual swimming pool. Initially, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it. The ostensible cry of “I’m too rich, it’s not fun anymore” hit me like ice-cold water, displeasing and offending me. I thought that the entire book was going to be about […]

When I first sat down to read Torn Together by Scott Magnuson and his wife Shaaren Pine, not only did I feel intrigued, but I also thought of myself as an ideal person to read such a book. The cover says that it is “one family’s journey through addiction, treatment & the restaurant industry” and the first page mentions that […]

When Daniel Echevarria set out to compose a production of “Othello,” he had a specific goal in mind, one that not only meant a great deal to him, but one that means a great deal to a wide community of passionate people. Though many are well aware of Othello’s story (he is, after all, a product of the overwhelming genius […]

Recently having had to cancel a much-anticipated trip to the New Orleans Jazz Festival, I was feeling a little bummed out. I had just envisioned myself, a nice bourbon on the rocks in hand, eyes closed, nodding along to the sweet sounds of the saxophones and trumpets, as the music flowed into my ears and through my brain, right down […]