Fiction: A Dark Fairy Tale of American Oddballs and Candlepin Bowling
“Bowlaway,” Elizabeth McCracken’s first novel in 18 years, is a family saga, a burlesque chronicle of eccentrics and a fractured, fanciful fable.
Books News: Get a First Look at the Cover of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Forthcoming Novel
“The Water Dancer,” out in September, is about an enslaved man whose life is altered by a near-death experience.
New & Noteworthy
A selection of books published this week; plus, a peek at what our colleagues around the newsroom are reading.
Real Life Informs A Tense Trip In 'Lost Children Archive'
Valeria Luiselli's twist on the great American road trip novel follows a family with two children on a grim odyssey through the Southwest, a vision of a country blighted by industry and prejudice.
(Image credit: Beth Novey/NPR)
'How To Disappear' Condemns Online Visibility Without Truly Exploring It
Akiko Busch sets out to argue against visibility, "the common currency of our time." But she neglects to expose why she dislikes social media and networked culture.
(Image credit: PR)
The Shortlist: Five Essay Collections by Women of Color
Urgent new reading on the subjects of race and gender disparities in America.
Nonfiction: A Grieving Woman’s Eloquent Homage to Virginia Woolf
In “All the Lives We Ever Lived,” Katharine Smyth revisits “To the Lighthouse” for comfort and insight after the death of her father.
For Chilly February, 3 Romances To Warm Your Heart
February is High Holiday season in Romancelandia — and what better time to recommend some great romances? From Victorian jewel thieves to modern-day road trips, we've got something for everyone.
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Fiction: A Comic Novel About the George W. Bush No One Knows
Thomas Mallon’s “Landfall” imagines the goings-on inside the Bush White House.
'Tonic And Balm' Builds A World In A Bottle
Stephanie Allen's novel creates a microcosm of America in 1919 in the form of a travelling medicine show, packed with people from all walks of life, trying to get along in the show's close confines.
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Questioning Authenticity — And Reality — In 'The Made-Up Man'
Joseph Scapellato's new novel mashes up noir and philosophy in a multi-layered story about an aimless young man who gets caught up in his uncle's strange and possibly dangerous performance art.
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New Collection Asks: What Might The 'People's Future' Look Like?
This new collection of speculative fiction stories imagines the lives of marginalized people in a variety of difficult future Americas. It's not an easy read, but it has depths of resilience and hope.
(Image credit: Patrick Jarenwattananon/NPR)
'Enchantée' Casts A Delightful Spell
Gita Trelease's new novel follows a young woman trying to support her family in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution, using trickery and a little real magic to disguise herself as an aristocrat.
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Inside the List: Is Everyone in Washington Writing a Political Tell-All?
Two more books by former members of President Trump’s administration hit the best-seller list this week.
The Book Review Podcast: Marlon James Talks About His Epic New Trilogy
James discusses “Black Leopard, Red Wolf,” and Stephanie Land talks about “Maid.”
In 'Spirit Of Science Fiction,' Seeds Of A Great Career
Roberto Bolaño's early novel, about the adventures of two young Chilean writers fleeing the Pinochet dictatorship, reads like a dress rehearsal for his masterwork The Savage Detectives.
(Image credit: Beth Novey/NPR)
'The Pope' Tells The Tale Of A Roman Catholic Church With Coexisting Pontiffs
In his new book, soon to be a feature film, Andrew McCarten examines Popes Francis and Benedict XVI — and how having two living popes, for the first time in 600 years, has weakened the papacy.
(Image credit: Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
'Black Leopard, Red Wolf' Is A Beast Of A Book
Our critic likens reading Marlon James' new epic fantasy to being slowly eaten by a bear that occasionally cracks jokes — painful and strange, but upsettingly beautiful for all that.
(Image credit: Olivia Sun/NPR)
Sketchbook | Graphic Review: Liana Finck’s Illustrated Tribute to Isak Dinesen
“Seven Gothic Tales,” like the biography of the Danish author herself, provides the perfect anti-romance for this Valentine’s Day.
New in Paperback: ‘Force of Nature,’ ‘Feel Free’
Six new paperbacks to check out this week.
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