Recent Reviews
Picking the next teen romance bestseller through crowdsourcing
The Swoon Reads community helped choose Sandy Hall’s “A Little Something Different” for publication. Now, they need to choose the cover.
Horror: Glen Duncan’s ‘By Blood We Live’
Duncan is back at the top of his game with the third volume of his werewolf-vampire epic.
World War II efforts of five movie directors
‘Five Came Back ‘ follows five movie who made propaganda films for the American military during World War II
A woman whose life fell apart after marrying a Bonaparte
‘Wondrous Beauty’ recounts the story of a Baltimore woman and her ill fated marriage to the brother of Napoleon
The mistakes that led to a nuclear meltdown
‘Fukushima’ recounts the reviews the events that unfolded after a tsunami slammed a nuclear power plant
Dashiell Hammett’s biography: in need of new clues
A new biography of Dashiell Hammett is a weak and uneven account of the landmark crime writer’s life
Two books about Kitty Genovese
Kitty Genovese was a 28-year-old New Yorker whose murder 50 years ago was sensationalized by the press.
What the health-care law will — and will not — do
Ezekiel Emanuel makes some optimistic predictions in “Reinventing American Health Care.”
‘Life in Motion’: Not as easy as she makes it look
A memoir by American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland.
A pot of literary gold for D.C. commuters on St. Patrick’s Day
Free copies of “What’s the Story” will be distributed at downtown Metro stations
Thomas Christopher Greene’s ‘The Headmaster’s Wife’
A prep school administrator loses control of his life when he falls in love with a student in this absorbing novel.
A lengthy and uneven ‘Story of the Jews,’ by Simon Schama
The work isn’t so much a continuous narrative as a series of close-ups on major periods of Jewish history.
Poetry magazine joins with D.C.’s Split This Rock festival
Anne Waldman, Yusef Komunyakaa and Eduardo Corral will be among the guests, March 27-30.
One local author joins a flock of tweets in Twitter Fiction Festival
Lara Prescott won one of 25 official slots in this week’s live-streaming storytelling event.
Joe McGinniss, author of ‘Fatal Vision’, dies at 71
Mr. McGinniss’s best-selling true-crime book about Jeffrey MacDonald led to debate over journalistic ethics.
Amy Greene’s ‘Long Man,’ reviewed by Ron Charles
An Appalachian town in Tennessee is about to be flooded by a new dam — then a little girl goes missing.
Poetry finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award
Frank Bidart and Lucie Brock-Broido, both finalists for the National Book Award, are up again for the NBCC.
‘The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing,’ by Sheila Turnage
Sheila Turnage has written a fantastic sequel to the Newbery Honor winner “Three Times Lucky.”
Book Review: ‘Pure Grit,’ by Mary Cronk Farrell
This informative, sometimes upsetting book follows a group of military nurses during World War II.
Book review: ‘Aviary Wonders Inc.,’ by Kate Samworth
This faux catalogue from the future raises sobering questions about the survival of birds.
Remembering Joe McGinniss, author of one of the best nonfiction books ever
‘Fatal Vision’ remains a nearly unmatched clinic in muscular storytelling
Terry Teachout among finalists for $10,000 Marfield Prize for arts writing
Annual award from the Arts Club of Washington will be presented April 26.
George Saunders wins $67,000 for first Folio Prize
The list of finalists for the award was dominated by American writers
New Rooster app crows about good books, young and old
Some of the biggest names in the tech industry are behind this book-delivery app.
‘In the Blood,’ a psychological thriller by Lisa Unger
Lana may be a 4.0 pyschology major, but can she spot a psychopath?
For all the baseball dreamers who never made it . . .
John Feinstein explores the minor leagues and the players who never make it to the bigs
The revolutionary transformation of Stokely Carmichael
Peniel Joseph’s biography of the civil rights leader provides persuasive explanations for his appeal.
A history of the allied air war of WWII
One of the most accomplished WWII historians turns his attention on the allied bombing campaign.
An American dream, deferred
Suzanne Mettler examines who politics ruined higher education in America.
Pushing women’s rights far ahead of its time
‘The Scarlet Sisters’ is the account of two women who upended Guilded Age views on sex, love and politics
Muslim American women on college campuses
Shabana Mir looks at how Muslim American students confront social norms, such as dating and alcohol.
‘The Greatest Movies You’ll Never See’
Simon Braund presents never viewed — and never made — masterpieces by the world’s greatest directors.
Monday night author series to begin at Bethesda Blues & Jazz Club
Washington Post chief correspondent Dan Balz to be the first author on March 10.
Book World: Phil Klay’s ‘Redeployment: Stories’
An extraordinarily powerful debut collection of Iraq war short stories by a Marine captain who was there.
A surprising map of every state’s (relative) favorite book
D.C. loves Paulo Coelho. California reads Patti Smith.
Book World: ‘Carl Van Vechten,’ by Edward White
Michael Dirda reviews “The Tastemaker: Carl Van Vechten and the Birth of Modern America.”
How reading aloud saved our family
It’s hard to imagine a more delightful holiday than LitWorld’s “World Read Aloud Day.”
World Read Aloud Day is my favorite holiday
We weren’t sure our daughter could enjoy books till we discovered Jack Prelutsky’s poems.
PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award finalists announced
“We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves,” by Karen Joy Fowler, is among the books vying for the $15,000 prize.
Justin Kaplan, acclaimed biographer, dies at 88
Mr. Kaplan won the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Mark Twain and later edited Bartlett’s Quotations.
Washington Post Bestsellers March 16
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.
Amy Greene’s ‘Long Man,’ reviewed by Ron Charles
An Appalachian town in Tennessee is about to be flooded by a new dam — then a little girl goes missing.
How reading aloud saved our family
It’s hard to imagine a more delightful holiday than LitWorld’s “World Read Aloud Day.”
Fiction: ‘All Our Names,’ by Dinaw Mengestu
A poor African man flees revolution at home to find a surprising love in the American Midwest.
A lengthy and uneven ‘Story of the Jews,’ by Simon Schama
The work isn’t so much a continuous narrative as a series of close-ups on major periods of Jewish history.
Book World: ‘Carl Van Vechten,’ by Edward White
Michael Dirda reviews “The Tastemaker: Carl Van Vechten and the Birth of Modern America.”
Culture: ‘The Age of Atheism,’ by Peter Watson
A weighty search for the meaning of life, or a least meaning in it
Two books about Kitty Genovese
Kitty Genovese was a 28-year-old New Yorker whose murder 50 years ago was sensationalized by the press.
A history of the allied air war of WWII
One of the most accomplished WWII historians turns his attention on the allied bombing campaign.
The life and reflections of A. Lincoln
In ‘I Am Abraham,’ by Jerome Charyn is a novel about President Lincoln, during the Civil War.
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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Book World: Thomas Christopher Greene's 'The Headmaster's Wife'
