All Book Reviews
Mollusks and matchmaking combine in this zany mashup of a novelMaria Reva鈥檚 novel involves the Ukraine war, matchmaking, nearly extinct gastropods, and a malacologist trying to save them.
鈥楾he Spinach King鈥� tosses together a tale of greed and greensNew Yorker staff writer John Seabrook recounts his family鈥檚 history of innovation and exploitation, creativity and excess, in 鈥淭he Spinach King.鈥�
This thriller about a musical prodigy delivers a virtuoso performanceIn witness protection, a budding cellist and his family must develop new talents in Brendan Slocumb鈥檚 鈥淭he Dark Maestro.鈥�
Blowing their cover: A dossier on the Russian spies who lived next doorShaun Walker interviewed former Soviet agents for 鈥淭he Illegals,鈥� a highly readable account of Russian operatives and their missions in the West.
Jump-start your summer reading with the 10 best books of MayThe 10 best books of May give you an early start on porch-swing, beach, and vacation reading.聽
鈥楲essons From My Teachers鈥� praises the art of learning, in school and outPlaywright Sarah Ruhl reflects on the people in her life who taught by example. She also credits her children with teaching her how to slow down.
鈥楾he Emperor of Gladness鈥� walks a tightrope between despair and hopeVietnamese American novelist and poet Ocean Vuong builds moments of tenderness and heartache that flow among his characters like a river.聽聽
Mark Twain鈥檚 legacy is not his tall tales. It鈥檚 his larger-than-life persona.Mark Twain gave us inimitable characters such as Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. He was no less creative in styling himself as America鈥檚 first celebrity.
How Eadweard Muybridge solved a riddle of movement with his cameras鈥淢uybridge,鈥� a thoughtful graphic biography of the 19th-century inventor, delves into his life and his experiments with sequential photography.
Three novels strike at the heart of devastating legaciesA trio of novels translated from Indonesian, Arabic, and French exposes the harmful effects of prejudice and corruption.聽聽
America鈥檚 13 Colonies didn鈥檛 fight the Revolution by themselvesIn 鈥淪hots Heard Round the World,鈥� John Ferling argues that substantial 鈥� and secret 鈥� aid from France helped the colonists triumph over Britain.
Skulduggery among the heirloom tomatoes in 鈥楾he Fact Checker鈥�A madcap mystery novel riffs on two New York institutions: the fact-checking department of a New Yorker-like magazine and the city鈥檚 farmers markets.
Spring鈥檚 great reads have sprung! Here are April鈥檚 10 best.April鈥檚 10 best books range from short stories set in LA to a climate-change novel to a reappraisal of the American Revolution and its effects on other countries.
Whodunits with history: Those were the slays!Our roundup of mysteries includes Jay Gatsby鈥檚 (invented) sister and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as detectives.聽Retirees and conspiracies abound.
The quiet voice of Emily Bront毛 was anything but tame鈥淔ifteen Wild Decembers鈥� by novelist Karen Powell shows the depth of creativity shared among the talented Bront毛 siblings, as narrated by Emily.
A fuller portrait of artist-provocateur Yoko OnoDavid Sheff reappraises Yoko Ono鈥檚 role, as an artist in her own right and as a support to John Lennon, with whom she collaborated on 鈥淚magine.鈥�
The 10 best books of March come in like a lionMarch鈥檚 10 best books deliver drama, danger, and determination, from a novel set on a subantarctic island to a biography that reappraises Yoko Ono.
One night to resolve all matters of the heartBen Okri emphasizes abstract ideas over nuanced characters in the farce 鈥淢adame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted.鈥�
Actor Merle Oberon hid her South Asian heritage to keep working in HollywoodBritish actor Merle Oberon鈥檚 greatest role might have been played off-camera. She kept her biracial heritage a secret so that her career could soar.
The unfulfilled promises of emancipation and ReconstructionTwo books about the American Civil War鈥檚 aftermath focus on the experiences of formerly enslaved people.聽
