This topic covers a look back at musicians and giants lost in 2025, the best podcasts and music moments of the year, and insights into book sales trends, alongside previews of new books for January and recommendations for New Year's resolutions.

• The Musicians We Lost in 2025 — New York Times Music -
• Books to Help You Make — and Keep — Those Pesky New Year’s Resolutions — New York Times Books -
• 9 Podcasts That Made Us Stop and Really Listen in 2025 — New York Times Arts -

• Gone in 2025: A Yearlong Procession of Giants — New York Times Books -
• Dragons, Sex and the Bible Drove Book Sales in 2025 — New York Times Books -
• Popcast’s Top 10 Music Moments of the Year — New York Times Music -
• 25 New Books to Read in January: George Saunders, Jennette McCurdy, Karl Ove Knausgaard and More — New York Times Books -

This section honors the passing of significant figures like The Cure's guitarist Perry Bamonte, actress Melanie Watson Bernhardt, and dancer Carmen de Lavallade, while also celebrating the enduring legacies of Brigitte Bardot's film career, conductor Charles Mackerras, and Sammy Davis Jr.'s Broadway impact.

• Perry Bamonte, Guitarist and Keyboardist in the Cure, Dies at 65 — New York Times Music -
• Melanie Watson Bernhardt, ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ Actress, Dies at 57 — New York Times Arts -
• Carmen de Lavallade, Dancer Whose Career Spanned the Arts, Dies at 94 — New York Times Arts -

• Five Brigitte Bardot Movies to Stream — New York Times Movies -
• Charles Mackerras Carried Janacek’s Music to the Future — New York Times Music -
• When Sammy Davis Jr. Knocked Out Broadway — New York Times Arts -

This topic features a unique celebrity interview technique involving pizza, a new film exploring an 18th-century rave, Idris Elba's knighthood in the King's New Year Honors, and recommendations for action movies to stream.

• How to Put a Celebrity at Ease? Make a Pizza. — New York Times Movies -
• In ‘Ann Lee,’ Dance Is the Fuel for a Godly 18th-Century Rave — New York Times Movies -
• Idris Elba is Knighted as Part of King Charles’s New Year Honors List — New York Times Arts -

• Five Action Movies to Stream Now — New York Times Movies -

This category highlights the Met Opera's traditional New Year's Eve production, uncertainty surrounding K-Pop group NewJeans after a member's departure, and the cancellation of New Year's Eve concerts at the Kennedy Center following a controversial renaming.

• At the Met Opera, It’s Traditional Puritans for New Year’s Eve — New York Times Music -
• K-Pop Group NewJeans Faces New Uncertainty After Member Is Dropped — New York Times Music -
• New Year’s Eve Concerts at Kennedy Center Are Canceled After Trump’s Renaming — New York Times Arts -

This section reviews new twisty thriller books, explores **Omri Boehm's ‘Radical Universalism’, and delves into Natasha Stagg’s ‘Grand Rapids’**, offering fresh perspectives on current literary offerings.

• Twisty New Thriller Books — New York Times Books -
• Book Review: ‘Radical Universalism,’ by Omri Boehm — New York Times Books -
• Book Review: ‘Grand Rapids,’ by Natasha Stagg — New York Times Books -

This topic focuses on Helene Schjerfbeck's Nordic Noir art finally captivating New York audiences with an exhibition at the Met Museum.

• Her Nordic Noir Is Belatedly Capturing New York — New York Times Arts -