A Photo Archive of the Jim Crow South
“O.N. Pruitt’s Possum Town” captures the soul — and soullessness — of a Mississippi town in the first half of the 20th century.
How Karen Joy Fowler’s Grandfather Lied His Way Into a Who’s Who
“In fact, his appearance in this book may have been his greatest single achievement.”
While Writing a Future Best Seller, Give It Room to Breathe
Nina de Gramont tends to take a break from a book in progress. With “The Christie Affair,” that marination — and Reese Witherspoon — made all the difference.
'In Love' tells the true story of a writer supporting her husband's euthanasia choice
The question overshadowing Amy Bloom's memoir is how far you'd be willing to go for the one you love. Would you agree to help your beloved end his life when he receives a hopeless diagnosis?
(Image credit: Random House)
'The Man Who Tasted Words' forces readers to question their reality
Humans walk around feeling like they know what reality is, but the message at the core of Dr. Guy Leschziner's book is that all sensory information we receive is intrinsically ambiguous.
(Image credit: St. Martin's Press)
Newly Published, From the Birth of Hip-Hop to Elena Ferrante
A selection of books published this week.
Book Review: "Sandy Hook," by Elizabeth Williamson
In a persuasive and heartbreaking new book, Elizabeth Williamson argues that the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Conn., ushered in a new era of American conspiracy theories.
Trump's attorney general sends a letter from No Man's Land
In One Damn Thing After Another, Bill Barr alternates between castigating and exonerating. He catalogs Trump's offenses yet casts him as the latest victim of dishonest media and "the radical Left."
(Image credit: Shuran Huang/For NPR)
Speaking in Tongues: Novels in Translation From Around the World
A South Korean female assassin, an Italian child of deaf parents, an intercaste marriage in Tamil Nadu.
The Hidden Story of the North’s Victory in the Civil War
Roger Lowenstein’s “Ways and Means” offers a fresh perspective on the Civil War by explaining the importance of financing.
A Thriller Wrapped in a Story of Sisters and First Love
“Ocean State” is Stewart O’Nan’s latest addition to an oeuvre that specializes in family drama.
A French Feminist Tells Us to Embrace Our Inner Hag
“In Defense of Witches,” Mona Chollet’s exploration of the life and times of a polarizing archetype, was a divisive best seller in her native France.
Sandy Hook took place as 'alternative facts' muscled out objective truth
A feature writer at The New York Times, author Elizabeth Williamson is a compassionate storyteller and a thorough reporter who never loses sight of the larger issues Newtown presents.
(Image credit: Dutton )
The Atrocity Archives
UnCovered review by Frank Tomasello, ACLS Mays Landing Branch
The Atrocity Archives is the first in the Laundry Files Series by English author Charles Stross. “Capitol Laundry Service” is the alias for a super-secret British agency who “cleans up messy situations.” There is so much going on in Stross’ writing that it is nearly impossible to put a label on his works.
The story centers on reluctant hero, corporate IT guy, Bob Howard. Picture James Bond, a frat boy crossed with bored cubicle dweller a la Dilbert; who is also a trained computer geek, who has the ability to master unseen technology at a glance; who is reluctantly tasked to save humanity by fighting inter-universe evil creatures; escaped Nazi occultists and garden variety terrestrial terrorists, simultaneously, all the while being haunted by mid-level bureaucrats at his “day job” seeking his response to the paper clip audit, and you get just an idea of what Stross’ Bob Howard is like.
The plot develops methodically as Bob progresses from minor acts of theft for the people he works for (presumably as an alternative to the mind-numbing boredom of his job) until he is tasked to rescue a female science professor in California and bring her to England where the Laundry is headquartered. In the parlance of “Laundryspeak,” the mission quickly goes “pear shaped” and Bob is forced to become a full-blown agent for the Laundry. It turns out that he has stumbled into Saddam Hussein-era Iraqi terrorists who accidentally created an occult opening to a parallel universe controlled by H.P. Lovecraft-type entities out to rob our universe of all of its energy. It turns out that the Nazi SS Anenerbe had sought refuge with these creatures trying to escape their downfall after World War II, thus putting our universe on these creatures’ radar. Bob must quickly master ancient mystical traditions, ultra-modern whiz bang technology, vast amounts of historical counter espionage, save the world and be able to justify his expense account in the end. It is a fascinatingly entertaining page turner.
Can We Empathize With Our Enemies? One Author Wants Us to Try.
Mónica Guzmán’s new book, “I Never Thought of It That Way,” examines our polarized culture and helps us find common ground.
NoViolet Bulawayo Allegorizes the Aftermath of Robert Mugabe
In “Glory,” a dictatorial elderly horse is unseated from his rule over the fictional African nation of Jidada.
Review: "The Insect Crisis," by Oliver Milman
It’s probably been awhile — and that’s a problem, Oliver Milman writes in his new book, “The Insect Crisis.”
William P. Barr’s Good Donald Trump and Bad Donald Trump
William P. Barr’s memoir, “One Damn Thing After Another,” recounts his life and, in particular, his time as Donald Trump’s attorney general.
Review: "Sounds Wild and Broken," by David George Haskell
In “Sounds Wild and Broken,” David George Haskell celebrates nature’s trills, calls and peeps.
Middle Grade Fiction That Sees the Forest for the Trees
In Pam Muñoz Ryan’s “Solimar,” Ben Okri’s “Every Leaf a Hallelujah” and Marjorie Liu’s “Wingbearer,” saving humanity can begin with a single sprout.
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