| Billy Bragg |
| Bach |
| Balzac |
| bookstores independently owned |
| The Bird Artist, a novel by Howard Norman |
| Birds of America, short stories by Lorrie Moore |
| Blood on the Tracks, by Bob Dylan, and journalist Pete Hammill's 1974 essay that serves as liner notes and places one of Dylan's best albums within the context of the Vietnam War |
| "Baltimore," sung by Nina Simone |
| Brooklyn |
| Mikhail Bulgakov, author of Heart of a Dog and The Master and Margarita, a wonderfully original novel |
| James Baldwin |
| basta, Italian for "enough"—tonally perfect |
| Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison |
| Breaking the Waves |
| Breaker Morant, by Australian director Bruce Beresford—and his understated, moving film Tender Mercies, written by Horton Foote |
| Breaking Away, a funny and perceptive coming of age story, with the best filmed fight involving a bowling ball |
| The Bicycle Thief |
| bicycling |
| Breakfast at Tiffany's |
| breakfast in bed |
| Being John Malkovich |
| James Brown |
| bars with board games |
| Barfly, written by Charles Bukowski |
| B vitamins—good for the morning after |
| biscuits & gravy—also for the morning after |
| The Biscuit on "Ally McBeal" |
| Benjamin Braddock, played by Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate |
| Alain de Botton, author of How Proust Can Change Your Life and The Consolation of Philosophy, for introducing Proust and philosophers of the Western canon in hip, smart, readable books |
| Barq's rootbeer, mmm... |
| Blue Funk martinis |
| Budweiser, 'cause it's not hip |
| Bullworth |
| La Bohème, by Giacomo Puccini |
| The Barber of Seville episode of Bugs Bunny |
| Albert Brooks—rent Lost in America, his brilliantly funny road film about an attempt to escape modern life and re-live Easy Rider in a Winnebago |
| Born to be Wild, by Steppenwolf |
Broadcast News—James L. Brooks's witty tale about love and the news, with lines like:
Aaron: Wouldn't it be a great world if insecurity and desperation made us more attractive? If needy were a turn-on?
and
Tom: What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?
Aaron: Keep it to yourself. |
| Linda Barry |
| Blondie |
| Gina Berriault, author of Women in Their Beds and The Infinite Passion of Expectation, because her short stories are excruciating and perfect |
| Boys Don't Cry |
| The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky |
| The Barthelme brothers, because they turn their gambling problem into great writing |
| Badlands, the 1973 film with Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek |
| backgammon |
| Joseph Brodsky |
| "Baby, It's Cold Outside," sung by Ray Charles and Betty Carter |
| Big Night, a film by Stanley Tucci |
| Burnt by the Sun, by Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov |
| Amy Bloom |
| Bolinas, California |
| Buena Vista Social Club |
| Betty Blue |
| buffalo |
| Brando |
| Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and The Voyage of the Narwhal, because if you think you don't like seafaring, historical fiction, you're wrong |
| Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky |
| Bark, originated as a dog park newsletter, now a national magazine |
| Harold Brodkey |
| Bob Roberts, Tim Robbins' political satire |
| "Bridge Over Troubled Water," demo cut sung by Paul Simon |
| Brigitte Bardot, for obvious reasons |
| Bombay Sapphire (superb gin) |
| Chet Baker |
| Bethany Beach, Delaware |
| Babar |
| Babe the pig |
| Blue by Joni Mitchell |
| brevity |
