Recent Reviews
How laws are bent for the benefit of the wealthy
Matt Taibbi investigates a system that arrests a man with a joint, but not the bankers who give drug lords billions
Gregory White Smith, Pulitzer-winning author, dies
Biography of Jackson Pollock riled many in the art-world community.
The cold and distant Sphinx that was Mitterrand
A book about Francois Mitterrand paints a politician part Machiavelli, Don Corleone and Casanova
Ellen Gilchrist’s latest collection is a beauty
‘Acts of God’ is the 12th story collection by Ellen Gilchrist, a renowned practitioner of the form.
Cellphones and the last frontier of navigation
‘You Are Here’ chronicles the history of global positioning and how we find out where we are.
A history of bourbon, the American spirit
Dane Huckelbridge attempts to discover America through bourbon, and bourbon through America
Shortlist for Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction revealed
The nominees include Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah” and Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch.”
Temple was Little Miss Economic Sunshine, author says
A review of “The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression” by John F. Kasson.
‘Every Day Is for the Thief,’ by Teju Cole
Cole roves the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, pondering the chaotic place where he was raised.
Are you there God? It’s me, science.
In “Why Science Does Not Disprove God,” Amir D. Aczel says some mysteries have no other explanation.
Mary Cheever, author and John Cheever’s muse, dies at 95
Before their wedding, he told her their life would be ‘wonderful and beautiful,’ but it was far from that.
Kevin Powers’s debut collection of poems
“Letter Composed During a Lull in the Fighting”
British historian David Reynolds wins PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize
“The Long Shadow: The Legacies of the Great War in the Twentieth Century.”
New in paperbacks, April 1-April 9
Looking for a good book these wondrous days of Spring? Here are four books just out in paperback
Finalists named for Britain’s most prestigious literary prize for women
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah” is on the shortlist for the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction.
D.C. used book store reopens
Carpe Librum, a D.C. used bookstore, opens after reorganizing its shelves
Update: Film version of Stephen Amidon’s ‘Human Capital’ a hit in Italy
American premiere is at the Tribeca Festival on April 18.
Peter Matthiessen, award-winning author, dies at 86
Mr. Matthiessen won two National Book Awards for his finely wrought novels and nonfiction books.
David Allen Sibley on the joys of watching birds
The second edition of “The Sibley Guide to Birds” includes more than 100 new rare species.
David Guterson looks back 20 years later on ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’
He was a high school English teacher when his first novel was published -- and changed his life.
‘E.E. Cummings,’ by Susan Cheever
Cheever finally completes a conversation with the great poet that began when she was 14.
Mystery: ‘You Should Have Known,’ by Jean Hanff Korelitz
With a brilliant husband and a gifted son, Grace thinks she's lucky beyond words. Beware. . . .
Peter Matthiessen interview coming in Smithsonian magazine
The writer, who died on April 5, speaks about his last novel, “In Paradise,” and the nature of evil.
Richard Ford coming to D.C. this week
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the Frank Bascombe series and “Canada.”
Thriller: Daniel Levine’s ‘Hyde’
A fascinating retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s infamous Dr. Jekyll and his monstrous alter ego.
The justice doth protest too much, methinks
Former Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens reiterates his doubts about Shakespeare’s identity.
Fiction: ‘In Paradise,’ by Peter Matthiessen
REVIEW | An American academic travels to Auschwitz to confront the Holocaust — and his past.
Panorama of the tormented Congo
David Van Reybrouck chronicles Congo’s tortured history and the despots who plundered it
Ward Just’s latest books might just be his best
Ward Just’s excellent novel ‘American Romantic’ is about a young man in Vietnam during the war.
Horrors that befell Marines at home in North Carolina
For 30 years, thousands of residents of Camp Lejeune drank toxic water. The consequences were devastating
The mighty cocktail that leads to superhuman achievement
Steven Kotler looks at the changes the brain undergoes when people push themselves to the limit.
In search of the real John Wayne
Scott Eyman’s John Wayne emerges as a restless, melancholy figure, always struggling for more respect
Boston’s attack and its marathon recovery
“Long Mile Home” is a harrowing story of the bombing and a touching portrait of a city.
The secret to the success of Twitter founder Biz Stone
Biz Stone was Twitter’s good-natured idealist. A thoroughly nice guy, his ‘confessions’ aren’t very juicy.
Fiction: ‘The Blazing World,’ by Siri Hustvedt
Hustvedt’s best novel yet tells the story of a turbulent artist who tried to reanimate her career.
‘A Broken Hallelujah,’ by Liel Leibovitz
‘Rock and Roll, Redemption, and the Life of Leonard Cohen,’ by Liel Leibovitz
Book news: Shakespeare and PEN/Faulkner Award winner
The Bard’s birthday (or close to it) is celebrated, and Karen Joy Fowler is awarded for her latest book.
Celebrating the legacy of Seamus Heaney
Tribute at the Folger Library on April 7 will bring together writers and the Irish Ambassador
‘The Secret Life of William Shakespeare,’ by Jude Morgan
This fictional chronicle is better written, and more interesting, than any scholarly biography of the Bard.
Washington Post Bestsellers April 13, 2014
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.
Fiction: ‘In Paradise,’ by Peter Matthiessen
REVIEW | An American academic travels to Auschwitz to confront the Holocaust — and his past.
Fiction: Ayelet Waldman’s ‘Love and Treasure’
The novel features the Hungarian Gold Train that carried a trove of stolen goods worth millions of dollars.
‘Frog Music,’ by Emma Donoghue
BOOK REVIEW | Who killed a cross-dressing young woman in San Francisco in 1876?
A used-book mecca closes its doors
It’s the final chapter for a Bethesda school’s beloved bookselling tradition.
‘Plato at the Googleplex,’ by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
A sometimes startling showcase of the continuing relevance of a classic philosopher.
Ellen Gilchrist’s latest collection is a beauty
‘Acts of God’ is the 12th story collection by Ellen Gilchrist, a renowned practitioner of the form.
Ward Just’s latest books might just be his best
Ward Just’s excellent novel ‘American Romantic’ is about a young man in Vietnam during the war.
The life of the Human Vacuum Cleaner
Doug Wilson recounts the life of the Oriole’s Brooks Robinson, the best fielder to ever play the Hot Corner.
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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