Arts & Life

'Mariam Sharma' Nails The Fun Road-Trip Vibe

Summer is the season for road-trips, and Mariam Sharma Hits the Road makes for a saucy, yet emotional ride, following three Pakistani-American teens on a journey through the Deep South.

Mannered, Pretty 'Upstate' Is Quiet To A Fault

Critic and novelist James Wood has often dinged other writers for what he calls "hysterical realism," but his new novel Upstate — while beautifully written — goes too far in the other direction.

My First (Real) Kate Spade Bag

Weekend Edition editor Barrie Hardymon remembers saving up for her first Kate Spade bag as a young New York music student. Yes, it held her Russian novels — but it also represented something more.