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The top 25 books for 2025From mystery and history to fiction and memoir, these are the titles that captivated Monitor reviewers this year.
How a faith-based AI bot is helping one man rewrite retirementSome retirees are turning to AI chatbots, including those tailored to their specific faith tradition, for big questions such as the meaning of their life and finding purpose in retirement.
鈥楢 celebration of working-class joy.鈥� A director鈥檚 ode to NYC鈥檚 Christmas tree sellers.Director Celia Aniskovich鈥檚 new documentary, 鈥淭he Merchants of Joy,鈥� explores the tree-selling families that turn New York鈥檚 streets into forests of firs at the holidays.- 鈥楢 celebration of working-class joy.鈥� A director鈥檚 ode to NYC鈥檚 Christmas tree sellers.Director Celia Aniskovich鈥檚 new documentary, 鈥淭he Merchants of Joy,鈥� explores the tree-selling families that turn New York鈥檚 streets into forests of firs at the holidays.
Opposed to slavery, but also against a war to end it鈥淭he Boston Way,鈥� examines a group of abolitionists who believed a civil war聽would not only result in bloodshed but also set back the cause of African American rights.聽
A biographer mines the life of Xi Jinping鈥檚 father for clues to China todayJoseph Torigian talks about writing 鈥淭he Party鈥檚 Interests Come First,鈥� which profiles the father of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Four new cookbooks that will help you focus on 鈥楪ood Things鈥�In this roundup of cookbooks, authors like Jacques P茅pin and Samin Nosrat share how their personal creative processes in the kitchen can have a harmonizing, restorative effect.
鈥楤ecoming Thurgood鈥�: How Marshall became 鈥楳r. Civil Rights鈥� and a Supreme Court iconA PBS documentary, 鈥淏ecoming Thurgood,鈥� offers a look at the early life of the iconic civil rights lawyer and first Black Supreme Court justice.
鈥楢mity鈥� tells a triumphant tale set against Reconstruction鈥檚 harsh landscape鈥淎mity鈥� laces together separate tales of two Black siblings, searching for each other and for their true selves.
Another furry-eight hours: 鈥榋ootopia 2鈥� is a delight for kids and parentsDisney鈥檚 new buddy-cop sequel is an animated delight. But 鈥淶ootopia 2鈥� also shows how films we might dismiss as 鈥渃hildren鈥檚 movies鈥� have the capacity to inspire young people and their parents to be better.
鈥楰nives Out鈥� returns with a knotty case and more of Daniel Craig鈥檚 virtuoso detectiveThe third 鈥淜nives Out鈥� may be the best, our film critic says. A church-set crime offers the latest challenge for engaging detective Benoit Blanc in 鈥淲ake Up Dead Man.鈥�
鈥榊ou get centered and pray.鈥� Eddie Murphy documentary looks at comedian鈥檚 inspiration.鈥淏eing Eddie,鈥� now streaming on Netflix, is above all a tribute, and not just to Eddie Murphy鈥檚 comedic brilliance.- 鈥榊ou get centered and pray.鈥� Eddie Murphy documentary looks at comedian鈥檚 inspiration.鈥淏eing Eddie,鈥� now streaming on Netflix, is above all a tribute, and not just to Eddie Murphy鈥檚 comedic brilliance.
From the MagazineWading through the crimson bogs, Massachusetts cranberry growers keep a tradition aliveAfter decades of decline, the cranberry is still Massachusetts鈥� leading agricultural product. Here鈥檚 how the festive berry became a holiday tradition.
The leaves have turned, so turn a page. Here are November鈥檚 10 best.The 10 best books of November bring light to the shortest days, with new titles from Salman Rushdie, Sarah Hall, and Roy Wood Jr.聽
In 鈥楾he Name on the Wall,鈥� Herv茅 Le Tellier charts rise of extremism鈥淭he Name on the Wall鈥� unspools the short life of a French resistance foot soldier, whose ordinary bravery contrasted with the brutality around him.
鈥楾he First Eight鈥�: Jim Clyburn reflects on Reconstruction, civil rights, and todayIn this interview, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina discusses the connection he sees between today鈥檚 politics and the eras of Reconstruction and Jim Crow.
In England鈥檚 countryside, remember to keep calm and motor onBehind the wheel, I couldn鈥檛 keep from hugging the left and clipping the shrubbery, hoping there wasn鈥檛 one of those lovely stone walls underneath.聽
A love of reading fuels a workingman鈥檚 desire for a better lifeBenjamin Wood鈥檚 latest novel 鈥淪eascraper鈥� recognizes the importance of reconciling practical concerns and necessities with spiritual, emotional ones.
鈥楾he American Revolution鈥�: Ken Burns trains lens on flame 鈥榥ot to be extinguished鈥�Ahead of the country鈥檚 250th anniversary, iconic documentarian Ken Burns centers the 鈥渨orld-changing鈥� events of July 4, 1776, in his latest project, 鈥淭he American Revolution.鈥�
