New & Noteworthy
A selection of books published this week; plus, a peek at what our colleagues around the newsroom are reading.
Nonfiction: A Comic Force of Nature: The Life — and Death — of Robin Williams
Dave Itzkoff’s exhaustive biography, “Robin,” explains why a great comedian “had admirers but no imitators.”
Nonfiction: Under Modernity’s Hood: Precision Engineering
In “The Perfectionists,” Simon Winchester turns to the history of mechanical engineering, seeing in its triumphs the key to understanding so much of our world.
Audiobooks: Benedict Cumberbatch Meets Albert Einstein in Carlo Rovelli’s New Audiobook
In “The Order of Time,” a theoretical physicist reveals his take on relativity, order and the human condition.
Fiction: One Last Book From a Virtuoso of the Short Story
The great Irish writer William Trevor captured turning points in individual lives with powerful slyness. “Last Stories” is his final gift to us.
You Can't Solve This 'Rubik,' But It'll Still Make You Feel Smart
Elizabeth Tan's novel jumps between different characters and timelines, beginning with the death of the main character and only getting weirder — but there's a true heart underneath the cleverness.
(Image credit: Eslah Attar/NPR)
The Book Review Podcast: Amy Chozick on ‘Chasing Hillary’
Chozick discusses her time covering Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail, and Sloane Crosley talks about her new collection of essays, “Look Alive Out There.”
Inside the List: How Billy Idol’s ‘Rebel Yell’ Fueled a Debut Thriller
Aimee Molloy says the song’s lyrics inspired her as she wrote “The Perfect Mother,” her chilling novel set in a Brooklyn mom’s group.
Nonfiction: From the Czars to Putin: A History of Russia’s Imperial City
Jonathan Miles’s “St. Petersburg: Madness, Murder, and Art on the Banks of the Neva” dishes up an A-to-Z of Russian urban culture and politics.
Nonfiction: Pirates, Runaways, Smugglers and the Occasional Aristocrat
In “The Island That Disappeared,” Tom Feiling tells the riotous story of a Caribbean colony that failed in its rivalry with Puritan Massachusetts.
Nonfiction: The Sinking of the Most Powerful Warship in History
In “Battleship Yamato,” Jan Morris ponders the terrible beauty and irony of war as symbolized by the destruction of the Japanese Navy’s great vessel.
Fiction: A Father-Son Novel Served With a Twist
In “Memento Park,” a C-list actor discovers Nazis may have looted a valuable family painting during World War II — but his father refuses to discuss the matter.
Fiction: Childhood Friends — Once Inseparable, Now Far-Flung — Reunite for a Funeral
In “The Gunners,” Rebecca Kauffman’s generous and affectionate novel, five friends parse what drove the sixth member of their group to take her own life.
Fiction: Step 1: Kill Husband. Step 2: Assume His Identity.
In Tadzio Koelb’s “Trenton Makes,” a battered wife gets revenge, and then some, on her spouse.
Fiction: A Debut Novel Sees Divorce Through the Eyes of a Child
The 8-year-old heroine of Zulema Renee Summerfield’s “Every Other Weekend” struggles to make sense of traumas both outside her home and within it.
Sketchbook | : How-to Entertain Like the Avant-Garde
Ali Fitzgerald illustrates a step-by-step guide to throwing the perfect modernist soiree.
Children’s Books: Enchanting New Picture Books
Treats for little ones include the true story of a brave rescue dog, a bedtime tale about a rampaging bunny and a new Sandra Boynton board book.
The Shortlist: Three New Books Illuminate the Rise of Violent White Extremism
New books about America’s dark underbelly include a Norwegian journalist embedded with white nationalists and stories of falling into — and out of — a violent hate movement.
New in Paperback: ‘The Ministry of Utmost Happiness,’ ‘Where the Water Goes’
Six new paperbacks to check out this week.
Letters to the Editor
Readers respond to recent issues of the Sunday Book Review.
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