Book Reviews

Books
Arts

Life Is Hard, So Why Not Wear Your Dog? Questions For Laura Zigman

10:00am March 04, 2020

by Petra Mayer

Laura Zigman's compassionate, occasionally cringey and ultimately comforting new novel follows a middle-aged woman as she comes to terms with the ways her life hasn't turned out the way she'd hoped.

Books
Arts

Witchcraft, Field Hockey And 1980s Massachusetts Meet In 'We Ride Upon Sticks'

7:01am March 04, 2020

by Annalisa Quinn

In Quan Barry's charming novel, a team's luck changes when its members pledge themselves to the forces of eternal darkness by signing a spiral notebook with Emilio Estevez's face on it.

Scratched: A Memoir of Perfectionism, by Elizabeth Tallent

Books
Arts

Stymied By Perfectionism, 'Scratched' Author Struggles To Break Free

1:20pm March 03, 2020

by Maureen Corrigan

Elizabeth Tallent's profound memoir explores writer's block and the allure of perfectionism. After her third short story collection came out in 1993, she didn't publish another book for 22 years.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'The Power Notebooks' Daringly Explores Contradictions In Lives Of Women

7:37am March 03, 2020

by Heller McAlpin

Katie Roiphe's journal-like entries are a series of brief-but-potent meditations on women, autonomy, independence, and power — on "women strong in public, weak in private" — including herself.

The Mirror and the Light, by Hilary Mantel

Books
Arts

'The Mirror & The Light' Is A Triumphant End To A Spellbinding Story

9:52am March 02, 2020

by Genevieve Valentine

In this new novel, Hilary Mantel brings her award-winning trilogy on the life of Tudor politician Thomas Cromwell to an end. And even though readers know how this story will end, it's still gripping.

Books
Arts

'Scratched' Spotlights The Value Of A Less Orderly Approach, Harm Of Perfectionism

3:13pm March 01, 2020

by Lily Meyer

Elizabeth Tallent writes: "For the sake of perfection, I took a voice, my own, and twisted until mischance and error and experiment were wrung from it, and with them any chance of aliveness."

Books
Arts

'Finna' Warns: Beware Of The Fuzzy Chairs

7:00am February 29, 2020

by Amal El-Mohtar

Nino Cipri's magical multiworld adventure is set in a Swedish big box furniture store — no, not that one — where the showroom floor is prone to interdimensional wormholes that swallow shoppers.

Cover photo of The Resisters, by Gish Jen

Books
Arts

Dystopian Novel 'The Resisters' Drives Home The Perils Of Our Wired World

1:20pm February 28, 2020

by Maureen Corrigan

Gish Jen weaves baseball into her inspired vision of how Americans bought into the fantasy of less stress and more free time. As speculative fiction goes, The Resisters hits close to the bone.

Queue Listen Now

Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies That Nearly Killed Me, by Erin Khar

Books
Arts

'Strung Out' Tackles Pain, Stigma And Shame Of Drug Use

11:44am February 28, 2020

by Ilana Masad

Erin Khar's son, at 12, asked her if she'd ever used drugs; this book is her answer: "When we write the truth, when we write about our experiences, we reflect back what it means to be a human being."

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, by Ken Liu

Books
Arts

'The Hidden Girl' Is Smart, But Not Entirely Human

10:00am February 27, 2020

by Jason Sheehan

Ken Liu is an acclaimed author, translator and poet who's won multiple awards for his short fiction. But his new collection doesn't come together — some stories are gorgeous, while others fall flat.