"The Ninth Hour" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), by Alice McDermott Alice McDermott's stunning new novel, "The Ninth Hour," does for contemporary literature what "Call the Midwife" has done for...

Van Morrison, "Versatile" (Sony) Van Morrison has proven that he'd rather be singing than anything else. Stage chatter? Not so much. Interviews? Not his thing. But he loves making...

In one of the dreamy moments of surrealism that punctuate Sebastian Lelio's otherwise realistic "A Fantastic Woman," the film's transgender protagonist, Marina (Daniela Vega), walks down the street...

"Bonfire" (Crown Archetype), by Krysten Ritter As an actress, Krysten Ritter has been building a solid career playing characters on the edge — the doomed Jane in "Breaking Bad," the lead in...

Luke Bryan, "What Makes You Country" (Capitol Records Nashville ) If Luke Bryan has faced criticism from some country purists that his anthems aren't true to the music form's roots, he's got an...

It's a crime to waste Reese Witherspoon. You know what's worse? To waste Reese Witherspoon AND Candice Bergen. That lovely bit of casting alone — Witherspoon and Bergen as daughter and mom...

Researching the life of Leonardo da Vinci left Walter Isaacson in a playful mood. "He's the most fun, joyous person I can imagine," says the best-selling biographer, whose "Leonardo da Vinci"...

Mickey Hart, "RAMU" (Verve Forecast) There's plenty of movement on Mickey Hart's 14th studio album, as the Grateful Dead drummer extends his prolific solo career centered on his amazing...

The perfect veneer of 1950s suburban life is just a mask for the deep rot and hypocrisy festering underneath the trimmed lawns in George Clooney's "Suburbicon," a derivative and somewhat edgeless...

Gene Simmons wants you to be rich and powerful, but it's not going to be easy. You're going to have to learn English, wake up early, turn off the TV and study. "I want to shake you up and tell,...