Recent Reviews
Fiction: ‘S.,’ by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
A book, a mystery, an experience — from the co-creator of ‘Lost.’
A great new ‘Great Gatsby’
A new edition from the Folio Society, with an introduction by Michael Dirda, reminds us of a pleasures of a well-made book.
Thriller: ‘The Dinosaur Feather,’ by S.J. Gazan
Maureen Corrigan calls this Danish novel the weirdest and most ingenious new mystery in years.
T.R. Fehrenbach, Texas historian, dies at 88
Best known for his epic history of Texas, Mr. Fehrenbach also wrote about Mexico and warfare.
Biography: ‘The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker’
In “Kansas City Lightning,” Stanley Crouch brings the great jazz musician alive.
‘The Lincoln Deception’: A creaky but satisfying whodunit
David O. Stewart’s novel reveals a plot behind Lincoln’s killing that is even more sinister than was known.
Short and strange: The Post’s list of best books for 2013
Our book critic’s favorite reads for 2013 skews in favor of British and Irish writers
Edmund Burke vs. Thomas Paine
Yuval Levin examines the debate between Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine and how it created right and left
Inside the race to invent life
Geneticist J. Craig Venter takes us inside the pursuit of creating synthetic life forms, biology’s great frontier
A family negotiates a frontier truce in ‘Red and the White’
‘The Red and the White’ is a Montana family’s story of conflict between white settlers and Native Americans
The aggressive American role in Latin America
“Story of a Death Foretold” examines the coup against Salvador Allende.
Watch: A chat with Anthony Marra, author of ‘A Constellation of Vital Phenomena’
His heartbreaking, gorgeously written novel is one of The Post’s Top 10 books for 2013, and it was long-listed for the National Book Award.
Music critic tells of the dark days of the Man in Black
Robert Hillburn talked to Johnny Cash many times over the years, and offers insight in a new biography.
Michael Kammen, Pulitzer-winning historian, dies at 77
In his many books, the Cornell historian examined the Constitution and concepts of American identity.
Biography: ‘Breakfast with Lucian Freud’
Geordie Greig focuses more on the legendary painter’s epic sexual adventures than his art.
Maryland mathematician Manil Suri wins Bad Sex Award
“City of Devi” impresses judges with a m nage trois during a nuclear crisis.
André Schiffrin, key figure in N.Y. publishing, dies at 78
Mr. Schiffrin, the longtime head of Pantheon Books, was forced out in a celebrated culture clash in 1990.
Fiction: ‘Rustication,’ by Charles Palliser
When a young drug addict gets expelled from college, he discovers his home town terrorized by threats.
‘Seiobo There Below,’ by László Krasznahorkai
The Hungarian master pays homage to the self-perpetuating and timeless quality of great art.
Young Readers: ‘Parrots Over Puerto Rico’
With gorgeous collages, this book describes the near extinction and recovery of Puerto Rico’s parrots.
Young readers: ‘Flora & Ulysses,’ by Kate DiCamillo
The adventures of 10-year-old Flora and a super squirrel.
Picture book: ‘Mr. Tiger Goes Wild,’ by Peter Brown
The illustrator of “Creepy Carrots!” is back with a tiger out of control.
Join us for a chat with Anthony Marra
This Friday, I’ll be talking with the author of “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena.”
Book World: ‘Brown Dog’ by Jim Harrison
The hero of these novellas could just as well be called Horn Dog.
Fiction: ‘The Gods of Guilt,’ by Michael Connelly
Mickey Haller is back in the best Lincoln Lawyer novel yet.
The true story of Bethesda’s yoga store murder
Dan Morse, a Washington Post reporter, brings a journalist’s instincts to the notorious Lululemon killing.
A tribute to a New York childhood
“The Boy Detective” is writer Roger Rosenblatt’s enchanting account of growing up in the Big Apple.
African-American reporter on early civil rights movement
“Shocking the Conscience” is Simeon Booker’s memoir of a black man covering the civil rights movement.
Books: ‘Pomegranate Lady and Her Sons,’ by Goli Taraghi
REVIEW | Taraghi’s short stories offer rare insight on life in Iran.
Fiction: Frank Baker’s ‘The Birds’
Before Daphne du Maurier’s story, before Hitchcock’s movie, there was Baker’s terrifying novel.
Fiction: ‘Want Not,’ by Jonathan Miles
A complex, often hilarious, ultimately moving novel about who we are — and what we discard.
‘The Great War,’ a 24-foot-long drawing by Joe Sacco
Sacco’s latest work depicts the British attack on German trenches on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Q&A with author Russell Banks
His new short-story collection, “A Permanent Member of the Family,” brings him back to a favorite form.
Author’s works were a special lens into children’s lives
Charlotte Zolotow approached difficult topics for kids in a gentle, reassuring way.
Fiction: ‘The Cartographer of No Man’s Land,’ by P.S. Duffy
This complex, compelling novel is the story of a navigator searching for his brother-in-law in the trenches of WWI.
Book World: ‘Critical Mass’ by Sara Paretsky
Fifteen novels later, legendary private investigator V.I. Warshawski is still on the move.
The definitive look at Jack London
Earle Labor’s biography cuts through the myths and errors surrounding one of America’s best-known authors.
Louis D. Rubin, fount of Southern writing, dies at 89
Dr. Rubin was a prolific writer, an influential teacher and the co-founder of a publishing house.
A Washington Post editor reflects
Harry Rosenfeld recounts his life from the Holocaust to editor of Woodward and Bernstein’s Watergate stories.
Washington Post Bestsellers Dec. 8
The books Washington has been reading.
Washington: From cover to cover
From novels to history to cooking and ghost stories, Post editors and critics offer introduction to capital.
More erratic than erotic: Suri takes bad sex prize in stride
The Maryland novelist says the provocative scene judges mocked isn’t so absurd in context.
Fiction: ‘Rustication,’ by Charles Palliser
When a young drug addict gets expelled from college, he discovers his home town terrorized by threats.
Fiction: ‘Want Not,’ by Jonathan Miles
A complex, often hilarious, ultimately moving novel about who we are — and what we discard.
Biography: ‘Breakfast with Lucian Freud’
Geordie Greig focuses more on the legendary painter’s epic sexual adventures than his art.
Fiction: Frank Baker’s ‘The Birds’
Before Daphne du Maurier’s story, before Hitchcock’s movie, there was Baker’s terrifying novel.
‘1913: The Year Before the Storm,’ details key year for modernism
Illies presents modernism’s birth as a sexy, comic and occasionally heartbreaking soap opera.
Short and strange: The Post’s list of best books for 2013
Our book critic’s favorite reads for 2013 skews in favor of British and Irish writers
London and Paris: Through the best and worst of times
“Tales of Two Cities” is a provocative examination of the relationship between London and Paris.
Nora Ephron reflects
“The Most of Nora Ephron” collects essays by the late, great American writer.
Literary Calendar
Going Out Guide: Upcoming events
Get the latest on readings, signings and author appearances in the D.C. area.
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