James Ellroy Is Back, and His Los Angeles Is Darker Than Ever
His new novel, “This Storm,” leads off Marilyn Stasio’s Crime column. To recover, she sends readers to Cara Black’s Paris and Martin Walker’s Périgord.
Expat, Immigrant, Migrant, Refugee: Why ‘This Land Is Our Land’ No Matter the Label
In his new book, Suketu Mehta, who came to the United States from India as a child, delivers a deeply felt corrective to the public rhetoric on immigrants — who they are and why they come.
An Immigrant Yearns For Connection In 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous'
Vietnamese-American poet Ocean Vuong's words are mighty, teasing and overpowering in his autobiographical novel, written as a letter from a son to his illiterate mother.
(Image credit: Patrick Jarenwattananon/NPR)
'Patsy' Discovers Her Dreams Don't Match Reality
Nicole Dennis-Benn packs a lot of uncomfortable truths into this novel about a Jamaican woman who emigrates to New York looking for an old love and a new life, leaving her mother and daughter behind.
(Image credit: Liveright)
In 'Soulless,' A Journalist Takes On R. Kelly And The Business That Made Him A Star
For nearly two decades, Jim DeRogatis has been searching for justice on behalf of the women who have accused the R&B singer of sexual and physical abuse. His new book is an account of those years.
(Image credit: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images)
Sometimes Fascinating, Sometimes Excruciating, 'Fall' Hums With Energy
Neal Stephenson's massive new novel mashes up characters readers will recognize from several previous reads, and sends them on a ride that's by turns maddening, overstuffed and revolutionary.
(Image credit: William Morrow)
The Screams of a Silent Movie Echo Through the Years
Dominic Smith’s novel “The Electric Hotel” unveils the tragic history of a film that undid its maker — and his love for its temperamental star.
New & Noteworthy Audiobooks, From Jill Biden to Pete Rose
A selection of recent audiobooks of note; plus, a peek at what our colleagues around the newsroom are reading.
Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
Clay Risen’s “The Crowded Hour” describes the campaign that turned a politician into a legend.
Art, Love and Longing, the French Way
Three eloquent new French novels explore the relationship between creativity and affairs of the heart.
When They Graduated From Rape to Murder, Their Sister Turned Them In
The heroine of Joyce Carol Oates’s novel “My Life as a Rat” is only 12 when she’s cast out after betraying her violent family’s code of silence.
'Underland' Connects Us To Dazzling Worlds Beneath Our Feet
The beauty of Robert Macfarlane's writing, and of the natural world it describes, is immense. His words also act as a warning, ensuring a recognition of human harms to the environment.
(Image credit: W.W.Norton & Co. )
These Two Really Funny Debuts Both Start With a Dead Body
Kristen Arnett’s “Mostly Dead Things” and Nicholas Mancusi’s “A Philosophy of Ruin” both explore grief through humor.
Ocean Vuong Makes His Fiction Debut, in the Form of a Letter
The Vietnamese-born narrator of “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” wrestles with otherness in many forms.
George Will’s Political Philosophy
Will’s “The Conservative Sensibility” sums up a lifetime of thinking about politics and culture.
Cheating Death Will Cost You In 'The Wise And The Wicked'
Rebecca Podos' new novel follows a girl who's inherited her family power: She can see her Time, the moment of her death. But then she discovers it's possible to evade your Time — for a painful price.
(Image credit: Balzer + Bray)
'I Love You So Mochi' Is A Sweet But Substantial Treat
Sarah Kuhn's new novel, about a Japanese American girl wrestling with her identity and her place in the world during a visit to Japan, is at once universally relatable and specifically Asian American.
(Image credit: Scholastic)
12 New Books to Watch For in June
A new novel by the author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” a former Jehovah’s Witness reflects on her faith and more.
A Renaissance Fanatic Is Reborn — Again And Again — In 'Lent'
Jo Walton's new novel imagines the Florentine friar Girolamo Savonarola, living life over and over again in an attempt to change his course, save his city, his friends — and himself from damnation.
(Image credit: Tor )
A Nonbinary Teen Makes Their Way In The World In 'I Wish You All The Best'
Mason Deaver's new young adult novel follows a teenager who's kicked out of their house after coming out as nonbinary. Deaver, who's also nonbinary, says it's the book they needed to read as a kid.
(Image credit: Petra Mayer/NPR)
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