Arts

Excerpt: 'Out'

Natsuo Kirino's Out focuses four plucky women who support each other during times of crisis. A formulaic premise? Sure, if these were Manhattanites pining over shoes rather than assembly-line workers dealing with death and dismemberment.

Excerpt: 'The Last Embrace'

The Last Embrace works as literary film noir: There are bombshell babes, unsavory gangsters, and — of course — a grisly murder.

Excerpt: 'The Race Card'

Are rampant claims of discrimination clouding our discussions of social problems and race? Law Professor Richard Thompson Ford examines abuses of the so-called "race card" while looking at wider problems of institutional racism.

Excerpt: 'Hungry for Paris'

Paris: the city of lights, the city of love, and — maybe most importantly — the city of food. Alexander Lobrano of Gourmet magazine samples the gastronomical delights of over a hundred Parisian restaurants, creating a guide that would satisfy any foodie.