Espionage, betrayal and an ill-fated romance create a thriller-like narrative in "Dinner at the Center of the Earth" by Nathan Englander.
Five books not to miss this month
These new novels (and one non-fiction book) have received starred forecasts and promise to be great reads.
What was Lizzie thinking?
Author Sarah Schmidt impeccably reimagines the Lizzie Borden double-murder case in “See What I Have Done.”
The holy grail of contentment
"A Whole Life" by Robert Seethaler tells a memorable story about a mountain man with simple needs.
A city inspector’s book list
Every once in a while, a person I hire to work at my house will pause in front of the book cases. This is one of those occasions.
An old good book for the beach
"Birdsong" by Stephen Faulks is a powerful epic not to be overlooked and a stunning portrayal of courage and redemption.
An open house with poets
Why is poetry ignored by most Americans? And what if Jay Whitman read more poetry on the CBS drama "Madam Secretary"?
What we see — and don’t see
Mary Gaitskill's new essay collection "Somebody With a Little Hammer" peels down to that core of truth we tend to overlook.
This unhappy Greek family
In Colm Tóibín’s new novel, the Greek tragedy of Agamemnon’s murder by wife Clytemnestra is told with great power and vivid imagining. Here’s what you can expect.
All the world’s abandoned places
"Imagine Wanting Only This" by Kristen Radtke is a graphic memoir new this month.
Great books go a step further
What's the difference between a good book and a great one? Jonathan Safran Foer answers in an introduction to "The Fixer" by Bernard Malamud.
Stories of corruption, madness and thievery
Don't be quick to shy away from "The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead" because it's short stories. The collection offers a distinguished lot, full of crime and mayhem.
New this month
Here's a quick look at three books to be published in March that promise hours of good reading. Two are novels, and one is a non-fiction account of a young man who walked away from civilized life to live alone in the woods of Maine.
Books you can’t stop reading
Sometimes you just want a good literary page turner. The kind that’s got more heft to it than "Gone Girl" and gives you something to think about after you’ve breathlessly reached the end. Well, here you go.
“They think we’re different, you know.”
Most know "In the Heat of the Night" for the 1967 Academy Award-winning movie starring Sydney Poitier and Rod Steiger. The film is based on the mystery novel with the same title by John Ball, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015. I thought it was time I read it.
