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Boston Globe
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Boston is bustling with romance book clubs — where happy endings aren't just possible, but required
The circle of eight readers nodded in agreement. Advertisement 'But I was like, 'I don't care.'' Everyone began to nod again. Discussion leader Hannah Barrett, who cofounded Read My Lips — a local curator that hosts pop-up book shops and events — agreed: 'It's nice to live in a fantasy.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Just a show of hands at the late February Romance Book Club hosted by Read My Lips Boston, a curator of inclusive romance stories. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe While romance may be dead on planet Earth — succumbing to the blows of dating apps, red flags, and podcast bros — it's certainly alive and well in books. So, for some readers, 'book boyfriends' are a much better object for their affection. After all, why scroll through a dating app when you can engross yourself in an emotionally charged enemies-to-lovers epic with a guaranteed happy ending? While the genre has existed long before love became as rare as first editions, the rise of #BookTok redefined how readers talk about the genre. It provided a digital space where tropes, once considered cheesy or cringe, thrive, and intellectualism is met with a not-so-sexy Offline, the popularity-fueled discourse has translated to a rise in romance book clubs — groups dedicated to exclusively reading and unabashedly discussing the genre, organized by the likes of booksellers, cafés, libraries, and friends. There, everything from third-act breakups to 'open door' sex scenes can be safely discussed not only without judgment, but with enthusiasm. Greater Boston has its share of like-minded gatherings — like Advertisement Barrett started the Read My Lips book club with her twin sister Lily in September 2024. Like the book club trend itself, the Barrett twins had first built community online via an But even IRL, some essentially 'online' tasks must be settled. Before the readers began to discuss book's juicy details, they set upon the difficult, yet necessary task of ' Twin sisters Lily and Hannah Barrett lead the monthly meeting of the Read My Lips book club at The Speedway in Brighton. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE For Viggo, member Osler suggests, 'Ryan Gosling but with shaggy hair.' Dot Brown rebuts with 'the cartoon version of Osler joined after her own fateful meet-cute at Rite, home to a permanent Read My Lips bookshelf — where readers can browse and buy from their curated collection. There, she met shop owner Ren Wheeler who spotted Osler at the bookshelf and told her about the club's meetings. Advertisement 'The proverbial voice on my shoulder said, 'You know, I'm just gonna show up and see if I can meet more people outside my circle,'' Osler said. Now, Osler and Read My Lips have been going steady for months. Brown, on the other hand, was on the search for romance — that is, fellow romance lovers. 'I'm a big reader,' Brown says. 'Not a lot of my friends read romance. I don't have a space to [talk about it], like, I'll talk about the books, and they're like, 'What are you talking about?'' Before joining Read My Lips, she had tried several other reading groups throughout Greater Boston, including the Its focus is on discussing tropes (enemies-to-lovers), subtropes (forced proximity), and the historical accuracy of bodice-rippers, rather than a single, specific novel. Readers are told to arrive with topic-relevant romance books — and to then defend their honor. The only catch? Any books brought to the table must end happily ever after. An assortment of books displayed for the Read My Lips book club at The Speedway in Brighton. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE About a dozen members meet in a BPL conference room for tea and to participate in Wimbledon-worthy back-and-forth's about the meaning and enjoyability of the trope du jour — which is picked by club-creator, BPL staffer, and romance reader Veronica Matasy. 'It was a little experimental in the beginning,' says Matasy, 'Just thinking how many people are gonna show up, you know? Is this something that we can sustain?' Advertisement Matasy started the book club in September 2023 to provide a designated space for romance readers who wanted to discuss their theories and analysis, but feared skepticism because of the genre. 'Part of [the stigma] has to do with the fact that, historically, romance has been considered to be the province of women,' explains Matasy. Its next meeting — which takes place April 13 — features The club's topic-centered approach — much like dinner party conversation starters — may be unconventional, but can create a more dynamic space for discussion of literary value and authorial intent. And while not everyone will be on the same page, members could leave with a new perspective on a trope, or at least a few new titles to check out from the library's stacks. 'Giving readers a space to seriously discuss romance novels is destigmatizing and helpful,' says Matasy, 'and, at least I hope, makes the people who read romance novels feel that what they read is worth discussing.' Upcoming events Romance Book Club; Discussion: 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' by Taylor Jenkins Reid April 7, 7 p.m, Trident Booksellers, 338 Newbury St., Boston, Read My Lips Book Club; Discussion: 'I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Com' by Kimberly Lemming April 10, 6 p.m. The Annex at the Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Ave., Brighton, Happily-Ever-After Book Club ; Discussion: STEM Romances Advertisement April 13, 2:30 p.m. Boston Public Library, Central Library, 700 Boylston St., Boston, Marianna Orozco can be reached at
Boston Globe
19-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Is this the fix for Massachusetts' housing crisis?
TODAY'S STARTING POINT It's become common to see housing in the US described as a crisis. Across much of the country — But in recent years, advocates for more housing at lower cost have seen a shift. ' There's so many more people speaking up,' said Rachel Heller, who leads the Change has happened at both the state and local levels. Legislators on Beacon Hill have passed new laws, communities have changed zoning rules, and developers have moved to convert underused buildings. The issue's political profile has risen, too, with housing affordability Today's newsletter explains what Massachusetts is doing to make housing more plentiful and less costly — and the limits of those efforts so far. Advertisement More, more, more Communities across the state have taken steps to expand the housing supply. The MBTA Communities Act, which Governor Charlie Baker signed into law in 2021, requires cities and towns served by public transit to revise their zoning rules to make it easier to create more multifamily housing. Of the 177 communities required to make changes, Accessory dwelling units, known as 'granny flats,' are another recent change. A provision in Advertisement Some local communities have gone further. The Cambridge City Council voted this month Developers have also taken new steps. Some have proposed renovating Cutting costs Some communities are also moving to lower housing costs. In December, Boston More expensive construction materials and higher interest rates have also made it costlier for developers to build new homes. The Affordable Homes Act includes a $50 million fund to jump-start construction on thousands of projects paused because of financial challenges. The big picture These changes are important steps, experts say, but they are probably not enough. Governor Healey has set a goal of 222,000 new homes in the state over the next decade. Meeting it would require significantly increasing the number of homes the state permits each year, which was less than 12,000 in 2023. If you've been doing the math, you can already see that it doesn't add up. Advertisement 'Those policies will certainly make a dent,' my colleague Andrew Brinker, who covers housing, told me. 'But not a huge one.' One reason is that policy changes can take time to take effect. Another is local opposition. Last year, Milton voters Closing the housing gap will likely require other changes, advocates say. Some suggest eliminating parking lot size requirements or allowing triplexes, quadplexes, or townhomes by right on lots. And still other measures may be needed to address adjacent problems, As Heller puts it, 'There's been a lot of good policies that have been put in place over the last few years. And we need more.' 🧩 9 Across: 🌤️ 27° POINTS OF INTEREST Nicholas Portillo (center left), a fifth grader at Dever Elementary School, was among those protesting the proposed closure. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe Boston and Massachusetts Accusation: A Norfolk Superior Court judge 'We have no voice': The Boston City Council is once again pushing to Tug of war: In a Boston courtroom, ICE and local prosecutors are Inside successor: Boston College chose the Rev. John T. 'Jack' Butler, S.J., Trouble at Fenway? Rafael Devers doesn't want to move from third base even though the Red Sox just signed an All-Star corner infielder in Alex Bregman. Now his teammates New England Drive away: Herb Chambers is selling his New England Why'd he cross the road? A baby seal that somehow The Trump administration Backwards: Trump criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine after US and Russian officials met to talk about ending the war, falsely accusing Zelensky of having 'started it.' ( No emergency ... yet: A judge declined to immediately stop Elon Musk and his DOGE staff from accessing federal data or firing government workers, but said that Massachusetts and 13 other states' case against Musk's status is 'strong.' ( Justice departure: A top federal prosecutor quit after refusing to launch what she called a politically driven investigation into Biden-era climate spending. ( Cabinet makers: Senate Republicans confirmed Howard Lutnick, a billionaire investor who has defended Trump's tariff agenda, to be commerce secretary. ( Downer: Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plan to investigate what they call the 'threat' of prescribing antidepressants, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs to children. ( Nation and World Gaza hostages: Hamas said it would release the bodies of four dead hostages, including infant and toddler siblings, tomorrow. ( Not guilty: A jury in Los Angeles acquitted the rapper A$AP Rocky in the 2021 shooting of his former friend. ( Zizian update: The police arrested three members of a cult-like Bay Area fringe group after they allegedly trespassed in Maryland. One of them Walk the walk: About 40 percent of Americans — mostly Democrats, Black shoppers, and Gen Zers — refuse to patronize certain businesses because of their political stances. ( Checkup: Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs, the Vatican said, and he remains hospitalized 'in good spirits.' ( BESIDE THE POINT 🚲 Bike fight: Bring up bike lanes in Boston and watch the arguments explode. Which led the Globe's 🖍️ Sketchy royals: Kensington Palace released four portraits drawn by Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her three children. You have to guess who drew which. ( Advertisement ⚠️ America's deadliest workplace: Why didn't safety regulators shut it down? ( 👮 Step by step: Boston native Donnie Wahlberg, actor and New Kids on the Block alum, is returning to the 'Blue Bloods' franchise for 👰 The Big Day: By their second date, they each 🏠 Trading spaces: Would you ever swap your home? More and more people are saying, 'Mais bien sûr!' ( 🍸 No more vodka shots: As women age, they can't hold their liquor nearly as well as when they were younger. The culprit could be menopause. ( 📚 Read this: The US used to be able to do big things. A new book 🖐️ Are fingerprints really unique? Here's a video guide to how to read those black smudges. ( 📧 Want this sent to your inbox? Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
Boston Globe
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
For Paul Daigneault, a final show that returns to one of SpeakEasy's most produced playwrights
The 'Man of No Importance' of the title is Alfie Byrne (award-winning actor Eddie Shields), a closeted city bus conductor in Dublin in the mid-1960s who finds artistic fulfillment reciting Oscar Wilde's poetry to his passengers and directing an amateur theater company in his parish church. The story captures a specific moment in Alfie's life, when his efforts to mount a production of Wilde's 'Salome' coincide with his first steps out of the closet, both of which are publicly thwarted. The musical's conceit is that the director becomes the star of his own story, with the passengers and members of his theater troupe serving as a kind of Greek chorus. Additional company members include award winners Aimee Doherty and Jennifer Ellis. 'This musical has so many layers,' Daigneault says. 'It's about someone who is inspired by art, who is trying to find his authentic self. It's also about the power of community. In this case, a community of performers.' Creating a theater community resonates with Daigneault, whose production of 'A Man of No Importance' marks his final bow as founder and artistic director of SpeakEasy Stage. 'I'm never happier than when I'm in the rehearsal room,' Daigneault says, acknowledging that parallel with the protagonist. 'But, unlike Alfie, I'm lucky to be a person who has always lived an authentic life.' Advertisement Kathy St. George, center, during a scene-ending musical number during rehearsal in SpeakEasy Stage Co's production of "A Man of No Importance." JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe Daigneault first directed the musical, which was created by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens ('Ragtime,' 'Once on This Island,' 'Anastasia'), in 2003 in a SpeakEasy co-production with Súgán Theatre Company. The cast included Nancy E. Carroll and Sarah deLima, both of whom have since passed away, as well as Kerry Dowling and Billy Meleady, both of whom return in this production. The musical was adapted from a 1994 film of the same name that starred Albert Finney, and 'What I love about this show is the opportunity to assemble a talented cast with young actors learning so much from older, experienced performers,' Daigneault says. 'It's also more of a play with music, with Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens changing musical styles to fit the story.' Meleady, a Dublin native who is reprising the role of Baldy, the sometime stage manager of theater troupe, says the musical resonates with him in different ways two decades later. 'Of course I'm older, and have had different experiences, but the details the show captures in the lyrics to 'The Streets of Dublin,' the emotion of 'The Cuddles Mary Gave' [about Baldy's late wife], and the relationships feel so much deeper,' he says. Dowling, who has been friends with Daigneault since they were undergraduates at Boston College (along with fellow cast member McGarrahan), and helped launch SpeakEasy Stage, says the first rehearsal was understandably bittersweet because it marked the end of an era for SpeakEasy as well as the loss of two of the original cast members. Advertisement 'At the same time,' she says, 'this new group of people looks and feels different, the script has been revised and Paul takes a fresh approach to the scenes, driven by this group of people in the room. What I love about being directed by Paul is his ability to make every member of the company feel needed and important.' While Daigneault admits that over the years, his company's theatrical choices sometimes explored controversial topics, he says, 'I never set out to make political statements or create change. Alfie's art feeds his soul and helps other people think. That's what the best theater does.' Daigneault says the joy of working on this musical again is the opportunity to discover new elements of these complex characters. 'This show celebrates the ways in which goodness and grace can prevail in this world,' he says. 'It's easy to dismiss people by tacking on a label, but once you get to know someone, grace always prevails.' A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE Presented by SpeakEasy Stage Company, in the Robert Theatre at the Calderwood Pavilion, Tremont St., Boston. Feb. 21-March 22. Tickets: $20-$85. 617-933-8600. 'As You Like It' on Boston Common William Shakespeare's romantic comedy 'As You Like It,' returns to Boston Common this July-August as the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's annual free production. CSC founder and artistic director Steven Maler will direct. Casting and production team members will be announced soon. Advertisement Meanwhile, Associate Artistic Director
