Françoise Gilot’s memoir of her 10 years with Pablo Picasso, published in 1964, was met with praise and controversy. The best-seller is now back in print. Here’s what “Life With Picasso” is about and why critics praised and criticized it.
Author: The Longest Chapter
I am the book critic for NPR member station WOSU 89.7 FM in Columbus, Ohio, an addicted bibliophile and out-of-control collector of first editions I can't afford.
A Soviet spy in 1938 Germany
A secret agent's diary written in the days leading up to World War II finds its way to upstate New York in 1988 in this compelling new spy novel by David Downing.
A cow book by an Irish farmer’s son
Take time this summer to enjoy a moving memoir by John Connell, a story about returning home to the family farm in Ireland.
Summer prize-winning reads
This summer, fill the beach bag with 2019 award winners. From the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction to the recently awarded Women's Prize for Fiction, here are seven novels you'll be glad you read.
Ocean Vuong’s new novel
Award-winning poet and essayist Ocean Vuong has written an emotionally raw coming of age story with "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous."
This reading life: finding a book you love
We should allow ourselves more often to wander through the library stacks. Here are two novels I hadn't planned on reading.
It’s fiction, but true.
Two absorbing novels about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Syrian civil war illustrate how the region's politics and trauma affect the daily lives of citizens. One a story of friends, the other a story of family, these memorable novels make the news headlines human.
Reading Miriam Toews
“Women Talking” released this month is getting great reviews. So have previous novels by Canadian author Miriam Toews, whose books are bestsellers up north. Why is she so little known to American readers?
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
We depend on translators to bring us the world's literature. We also depend on them to make the right decisions on how to bring a novel to life, wrestling with fidelity to the original versus comprehension for the reader. This book is not only a list, but a guide to those who do this marvelous work.
Books I’m talking about
Here are books I recently recommended on WOSU All Sides Weekend Books.
How to get your book of the month
Book box subscription services are many, but they’re not my preference. So here are my three choices for getting a monthly book delivery.
Top three novels on 2018 year-end lists
These novels appear the most times on 2018 fiction lists that announce the year's favorites, notables, and bests.
A symphony for besieged Leningrad
Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich immortalized the WWII siege of Leningrad with his 7th symphony. These books tell the story.
The value of private letters
The new Melissa McCarthy movie about Lee Israel's crime of literary forgery hit too close to home. Here's why.
A selection of new books
Here are a few titles I’ve gathered from my ongoing hunt for good books, including novels to anticipate in 2019, more Lucia Berlin stories, and the 2017 Prix Goncourt winner.
