Books | Book Reviews
Mollusks and matchmaking combine in this zany mashup of a novelMaria Reva’s novel involves the Ukraine war, matchmaking, nearly extinct gastropods, and a malacologist trying to save them.
‘The Spinach King’ tosses together a tale of greed and greensNew Yorker staff writer John Seabrook recounts his family’s history of innovation and exploitation, creativity and excess, in “The Spinach King.”
This thriller about a musical prodigy delivers a virtuoso performanceIn witness protection, a budding cellist and his family must develop new talents in Brendan Slocumb’s “The Dark Maestro.”
Blowing their cover: A dossier on the Russian spies who lived next doorShaun Walker interviewed former Soviet agents for “The Illegals,” a highly readable account of Russian operatives and their missions in the West.
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Jump-start your summer reading with the 10 best books of MayThe 10 best books of May give you an early start on porch-swing, beach, and vacation reading.
‘Lessons From My Teachers’ praises the art of learning, in school and outPlaywright Sarah Ruhl reflects on the people in her life who taught by example. She also credits her children with teaching her how to slow down.
‘The Emperor of Gladness’ walks a tightrope between despair and hopeVietnamese American novelist and poet Ocean Vuong builds moments of tenderness and heartache that flow among his characters like a river.
Mark Twain’s legacy is not his tall tales. It’s his larger-than-life persona.Mark Twain gave us inimitable characters such as Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. He was no less creative in styling himself as America’s first celebrity.
How Eadweard Muybridge solved a riddle of movement with his cameras“Muybridge,” a thoughtful graphic biography of the 19th-century inventor, delves into his life and his experiments with sequential photography.
Three novels strike at the heart of devastating legaciesA trio of novels translated from Indonesian, Arabic, and French exposes the harmful effects of prejudice and corruption.
America’s 13 Colonies didn’t fight the Revolution by themselvesIn “Shots Heard Round the World,” John Ferling argues that substantial – and secret – aid from France helped the colonists triumph over Britain.
Skulduggery among the heirloom tomatoes in ‘The Fact Checker’A madcap mystery novel riffs on two New York institutions: the fact-checking department of a New Yorker-like magazine and the city’s farmers markets.
Spring’s great reads have sprung! Here are April’s 10 best.April’s 10 best books range from short stories set in LA to a climate-change novel to a reappraisal of the American Revolution and its effects on other countries.
Whodunits with history: Those were the slays!Our roundup of mysteries includes Jay Gatsby’s (invented) sister and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as detectives. Retirees and conspiracies abound.
Monitor's Best: Top 5
25 years after infamous land grabs, Zimbabwe turns a page
A hidden provision in Trump’s ‘big bill’ could weaken the judicial branch
Trump promised to bring jobs to the Rust Belt. The Sun Belt may get them instead.
Eagle Pass, Texas, once boiled with border crossings. Now it’s quiet.
As China’s influence grows in the Americas, Trump hints at a Monroe Doctrine 2.0
