Books
'A Line In The Dark' Is A Fresh Approach To The Teen Thriller
Malinda Lo's new book sets up a classic conflict — townie kids versus prep schoolers — and adds nuanced queer characters. Despite a flawed second half, A Line in the Dark has much to offer.
Not Much To 'Smile' About In Roddy Doyle's Intense New Novel
The Irish novelist is known for his sense of humor — but his latest, about a man abused in his youth by Catholic priests, is distressing and at times almost unbearable. It's also his best book yet.
George Saunders Wins Man Booker Prize For 'Lincoln In The Bardo'
It's the second year in a row that an American writer has taken home the prestigious literary award.
'Death In The Air' Revisits 5 Days When London Was Choked By Poisonous Smog
Kate Winkler Dawson's new book chronicles The Great Smog of 1952, when moist air from the Gulf Stream stalled for days over London, mixing with poisonous gases and causing more than 12,000 deaths.
Tom Hanks Lays Out A Kinder, Gentler World In 'Uncommon Type'
Tom Hanks' well-documented obsession with typewriters is on display in his new story collection, tales linked not just by typewriters but by a benign, humane view of people and their many foibles.
'I Am Full Of Contradictions': Novelist Amy Tan On Fate And Family
In Where the Past Begins, Tan connects her experience with spirituality to that of her parents and grandmother. "I don't consider myself any religion," she says. " ... I have an amalgam of beliefs."
The Father Of Microfinance Has A Plan To Fix Capitalism
He started a revolution in lending … now he's hoping to create a new financial system based on altruism.
Astronaut Scott Kelly's Latest Mission: A Book
After a year in space, Kelly says, writing a book was harder than he thought — but still, he adds, "If I write a bad sentence people are only going to get angry with me. They're not going to die."
Richard Wilbur, Renowned American Poet And Translator, Dies At 96
His commitment to traditional forms, with tight patterns and taut construction, stood out among his contemporaries. He said his craft was finding order in pain and chaos — not creating it.