Each of these has strong characters and distinctive stories. One is humorous in its explorations of love, one thoughtful as part memoir part fiction, and one suspenseful in a tale of imposters.
Category: Memoir
Saving a wild creature and keeping it free
"Raising Hare" is a new memoir that captures a life-changing endeavor to bring up a leveret. It's a delightful story of love and respect in a human-to-nature connection. Here's my review.
Sophy Roberts’ travel stories plus Helen Garner’s masterpiece and diaries
New nonfiction took me down a rabbit hole of additional books, shared here. (Think elephants and pianos.) Also, a new novel "Old Romantics" coming soon, and true crime.
A few book recommendations
January was a month when I swung widely among many types of books, not only in genre but also topic. To start, Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman, not a topic I’d typically be drawn to. That changed thanks to what I read about the memoir when it published in December. Callum Robinson writes about … Continue reading A few book recommendations
A genius, a horse, and the atom bomb
Here is a wonderful biography. I just finished it, as I continue to read books with large page counts (instead of adding them to the reading table and avoiding them). Also, two new books, fiction, and nonfiction. Should someone ask me what to read next, these two would be top of the list.
New books published this month, plus two irresistibles
Lev Grossman's new fantasy plus the eleventh book in Norman Lock's American Novels Series are among the new releases you'll find here. Plus, an unputdownable classic novel of escape.
New books, old books, and the Pulitzer Prizes
Here’s a miscellany of fiction and nonfiction, including a long-awaited new novel by the author of “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.” David Wroblewski’s debut became a phenomenal bestseller, the story of a mute boy and a unique breed of dogs, with subtle similarities to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Now, Wroblewski revisits the Sawtelle family long before Edgar runs away with three of the dogs. Also featured, authors Paul Auster and Vivian Gornick.
Books I’m reading and plan to read
Memoirs, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and a surprising Great American Novels list from The Atlantic magazine are shared in this post. Some of the books are new this month and next. All are what intrigue me right now, and what I'm looking forward to.
For Black History Month: poetry, basketball, and the Jim Crow years
A new biography offers the first full-scale life of Ohio poet Paul Laurence Dunbar in half a century. Also, Hanif Abdurraqib has a new book coming out that is highly anticipated. And a book of stories posthumously published by an author who died in a motorcycle accident in 1966.
New books, including a true crime stunner
Look within to find a memoir from the author of the 1980 bestseller “Tracks," and a novel with an autistic protagonist that's being described as a mesmerizing debut. You’ll also find a murder trial that transfixed Australians, and an interesting book about Finland's savvy dealings with Stalin.
Staying cool these last hot days of the season
A late blooming poet, the Dutch Golden Age in art history, a Jewish family in peril, and a schoolgirl's mystery. It's a rich mix of fiction and nonfiction I’m currently reading.
New books coming August 2023
It's unusual for big name fiction authors to publish in the sleepy final days of summer. Typically, we see them in June for packing the beach bag. And yet, here they are, three popular literary novelists. Also, nonfiction about Marshall Pétain and a memoir by the beloved Diana Athill.
Reading Bette Howland’s Chicago stories and Robbie Arnott’s gem
Several new books by big name authors (Ann Patchett, Colson Whitehead, Richard Russo) are heading into bookstores these upcoming weeks, but I’m all into “Blue in Chicago” and “Limberlost,” two books that likely don’t pop up during your online book browsing, or that you’ll find on an indie bookstore shelf. Here’s what that’s all about.
This could be your summer reading list
Book awards and prizes are the best places to hunt for your next best read. They offer excellent opportunities to find thrilling and absorbing stories, and also to stretch beyond what you might typically select for yourself. Here's a look at a recent few.
Three books I’m eager to read
If only I could read faster, but I’ve always been a slow reader. So many good books I see on my reading table, like stacks of travel brochures, and I want to go everywhere. I remind myself “bird by bird,” as Anne Lamott teaches us in her classic by the same title, adding these books to my already full reading life, stories of family secrets, the Troubles, and Nazi heritage.
The Longest Chapter 