Book Review: ‘Aside From My Heart, All Is Well,’ by Héctor Abad
Héctor Abad’s new novel *Aside From My Heart, All Is Well* follows the journal entries of aging priest Aurelio Sánchez as he remembers fellow priest Luis Córdoba, a 1996 Medellín figure awaiting a heart transplant. The narrative explores a “good priest” grappling with institutional constraints, a romance with a housemaid, and a love of opera. Abad, who survived open‑heart surgery in 2021, weaves personal experience and past controversy over a column mocking Pope John Paul II. The book challenges traditional Catholic archetypes by portraying clergy as fallible yet seeking divinity beyond the church.
26 New Books to Read in May: Matt Haig, Carley Fortune, David Sedaris and More
May’s publishing calendar unveils 26 new titles, featuring novels from Matt Haig, Carley Fortune, and David Sedaris, alongside two high‑profile releases: Kathryn Stockett’s historical saga "The Calamity Club" and Douglas Stuart’s "John of John." Both books arrive on May 5, expanding...
Book Review: “Japanese Gothic,” By Kylie Lee Baker
“Japanese Gothic” by Kylie Lee Baker intertwines a modern American fugitive, Lee Turner, who flees to a centuries‑old Kagoshima house, with Sen, a samurai trainee trapped in 1877 after the Satsuma Rebellion. A mysterious closet door that opens only at...
Book Review: ‘Project Maven,’ by Katrina Manson
‘Project Maven’ by Katrina Manson examines the Pentagon’s AI program that automates target selection and weapon deployment. The book reveals how AI now controls every stage of drone strikes, with human operators often deferring to algorithmic recommendations. It highlights the...
Book Review: ‘The Hothouse’ and ‘Death in Rome,’ by Wolfgang Koeppen
Wolfgang Koeppen’s postwar "Trilogy of Failure"—"Pigeons on the Grass," "The Hothouse," and "Death in Rome"—was originally dismissed by a humiliated West German public in the early 1950s. Decades later New Directions reissued the three novels in fresh Michael Hofmann translations,...
Where Have All the Book Reviews Gone?
The New York Times critic Dwight Garner warns that U.S. book‑review coverage is vanishing, a trend accelerated by newsroom cutbacks and the rise of AI‑generated commentary. He traces the decline from the vibrant local‑critic era of the 1990s to today’s...
Book Review: ‘Small Town Girls,’ by Jayne Anne Phillips
Jayne Anne Phillips’s new memoir, *Small Town Girls*, revisits her upbringing in Buckhannon, West Virginia, weaving together earlier essays and talks into a unified narrative. The book reflects on how the Appalachian landscape shaped her literary sensibility, while lamenting the...
The Best Books of 2026 So Far: ‘Kin,’ ‘London Falling’ and More
The New York Times Book Review has highlighted two standout fiction titles in its mid‑year roundup: Tayari Jones’s historical novel “Kin” and Daniyal Mueenuddin’s debut “This Is Where the Serpent Lives.” “Kin” follows two 1950s Louisiana friends navigating loss and...
New Historical Fiction, Lush and Lavishly Detailed
Lori Inglis Hall’s debut novel, The Shock of the Light, arrives from Pamela Dorman Books as a 405‑page, $30 historical fiction work set during World War II. The story follows fraternal twins, the children of a pacifist British don, whose lives...
Book Review: ‘Ghost Town,’ by Tom Perrotta
Tom Perrotta’s latest novel, “Ghost Town,” follows fictional author Jay Perry as he confronts a mid‑career identity crisis, trading his literary pedigree for a lucrative young‑adult franchise. The book, reviewed by Times critic Alexandra Jacobs, satirizes the “anxiety of influence”...
Book Review: ‘Like, Follow, Subscribe’ by Fortesa Latifi
Fortesa Latifi’s new book *Like, Follow, Subscribe* examines the rise of child influencers and the exploitation by parents seeking profit. It builds on a 2024 New York Times investigation that uncovered mothers monetizing their kids and even selling private photos to predatory...
Book Review: ‘The Radiant Dark,’ by Alexandra Oliva
Alexandra Oliva’s new novel *The Radiant Dark* imagines an alternate 1980s where humanity finally confirms extraterrestrial life on the exoplanet Ross 128 b, eleven light‑years away. The story follows Carol Girard, a new mother battling undiagnosed postpartum depression, as global attention shifts...
Book Review: ‘Homesick for a World Unknown,’ by Miriam Horn
Miriam Horn’s new biography, *Homesick for a World Unknown*, chronicles the life of legendary naturalist George B. Schaller, whose seven‑decade career reshaped field biology. Starting in 1959 with a daring study of mountain gorillas in the Congo, Schaller spent over...
Book Review: ‘If This Be Magic,’ by Daniel Hahn
John McWhorter reviews Daniel Hahn’s *If This Be Magic*, a deep dive into how Shakespeare’s plays are rendered in modern languages worldwide. Hahn surveys dozens of translators, revealing that contemporary versions often make the Bard’s meaning clearer than the original Early‑Modern...
Book Club: Let’s Talk About ‘The Renovation,’ by Kenan Orhan
Kenan Orhan’s debut novel, The Renovation, follows Dilala, a Turkish exile in Italy, whose routine bathroom remodel inexplicably transports her to a cell in Istanbul’s notorious Silivri Prison. The surreal shift forces her to confront her father’s dissident past, his...
Book Club: Read ‘Transcription,’ by Ben Lerner, With the Book Review
Ben Lerner’s latest novel, *Transcription*, is a compact 130‑page work that unfolds in three distinct sections. It follows an unnamed narrator who, after his phone breaks, conducts an unrecorded interview with his 90‑year‑old mentor, Thomas, and later reconstructs the conversation...
Military Histories About the Ancient Persians, Modern Iraq and the American Civil War
Thomas E. Ricks draws a parallel between the ancient Persian invasion of Greece and today’s U.S.-Iran conflict, citing historian John O. Hyland’s new book on Persia’s Greek campaigns. He notes that while the United States and Israel rely on conventional...
Book Review: ‘Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children,’ by Mac Barnett
Gregory Maguire reviews Mac Barnett’s debut adult book, Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children, positioning it as a manifesto defending the craft of children’s literature. The concise, under‑100‑page work blends personal anecdotes, like a toddler’s tantrum, with a spirited...
Books Our Editors Loved This Week
Jordan Harper’s new novel *A Violent Masterpiece* drops this week, delivering a gritty Los Angeles noir that follows a livestream influencer, a high‑end concierge, and a lawyer thrust into a serial‑killer investigation. The New York Times Book Review hails the work as...
The Month’s Best New Mystery Novels
Jordan Harper’s debut noir, “A Violent Masterpiece,” (Mulholland, 372 pp., $29) plunges readers into L.A.’s underbelly, pairing livestream‑culture with a serial‑killer narrative that mirrors the public’s obsession with the Epstein saga. The novel follows ex‑journalist Jake Deal, concierge Kara Delgado, and...
Book Review: ‘The Palm House,’ by Gwendoline Riley
Gwendoline Riley’s novel *The Palm House* follows veteran editor Edmund Putnam’s resignation after a corporate‑appointed successor, Simon “Shove” Halfpenny, attempts to remodel the niche London magazine *Sequence* into a New‑Yorker‑style publication. Narrated by contributor Laura, the story exposes the clash...
Book Review: ‘How It Feels to Be Alive,’ by Megan O’Grady
Megan O’Grady’s new book “How It Feels to Be Alive” merges art criticism with personal memoir, echoing the narrative style of Olivia Laing and John Berger. The work intersperses original interviews she conducted for *T: The New York Times Style Magazine* with...
Book Review: ‘Permanence,’ by Sophie Mackintosh
Sophie Mackintosh’s new novel *Permanence* explores an alternate reality where an illicit affair becomes a curdled paradise, juxtaposing it against a conventional marriage. The book continues her signature speculative feminist style, using a stark binary to dissect power dynamics and...
Book Review: ‘Jan Morris: A Life,’ by Sara Wheeler
Jan Morris: A Life, Sara Wheeler’s biography of the British journalist and travel writer, revisits the cultural impact of Morris’s 1974 memoir Conundrum, which chronicled a decade‑long gender transition and sold millions worldwide. The new book highlights the flood of...
Could ‘A River Runs Through It’ Have Been a Hit Today?
Norman Maclean’s novella “A River Runs Through It” turns 50, having sold over a million copies since its 1976 debut and spawning an Academy Award‑winning film starring Brad Pitt. The book cemented the literary fly‑fishing archetype and revitalized outdoor‑culture publishing. Its enduring...
Book Review: ‘When We See You Again,’ by Rachel Goldberg-Polin
Rachel Goldberg‑Polin’s new memoir, *When We See You Again*, chronicles the life and tragic death of her son Hersh, one of the “Beautiful Six” Israeli hostages killed in a Gaza tunnel in August 2024. The book intertwines intimate family memories...
Book Review: ‘This Vast Enterprise,’ by Craig Fehrman.
Craig Fehrman's new book "This Vast Enterprise" revisits the Lewis and Clark expedition through ten first‑person narratives, expanding the story beyond the famous leaders to include lesser‑known Corps members and multiple Native American voices. The author draws on extensive archival...
Book Review: ‘How to Be a Dissident,’ by Gal Beckerman
Gal Beckerman’s new book *How to Be a Dissident* weaves biographical sketches of activists—from the 1963 Birmingham Children’s Crusade to the recent fate of Alexei Navalny—into a ten‑chapter guide on the temperament of dissent. Each chapter spotlights a trait such...
Gwendoline Riley Would Prefer You Resist Assuming Her Life Is Like Her Books
British novelist Gwendoline Riley, known for stark domestic tales, has seen a surge in U.S. readership since New York Review Books Classics reissued *First Love* and *My Phantoms* in 2022. The two books, praised for precise dialogue and unflinching portrayals...
Lena Dunham Takes to Her Bed to Promote Her Memoir, “Famesick.”
Lena Dunham launched her second memoir, “Famesick,” with an unconventional bed‑stage event at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House. The intimate setting featured co‑star Andrew Rannells and drew about 2,000 attendees, primarily women from Gen X and Gen Z. Dunham...
4 Great New Fantasy Books to Transport You to Bold New Worlds
The New York Times Book Review spotlights Heba Al‑Wasity’s debut fantasy, Weavingshaw, published by Del Rey. The 452‑page novel follows Leena, a refugee who can see ghosts, as she bargains with a supernatural mafioso to save her brother. Set in the gothic...
Book Review: ‘EXTRA SAUCE’ by Zahra Tangorra, ‘ON EATING' By Alicia Kennedy
Two new food memoirs hit shelves simultaneously: Zahra Tangorra’s *Extra Sauce* and Alicia Kennedy’s *On Eating*. Both authors, Long Island‑born Millennials, channel childhood appetites into distinct culinary careers—Tangorra as a Brooklyn chef, Kennedy as a food journalist. Their books are...
Book Review: ‘Dear Monica Lewinsky,’ by Julia Langbein
Julia Langbein’s second novel, *Dear Monica Lewinsky*, uses the former White House intern as a symbolic patron saint for women scarred by public shaming. The story follows Jean Dornan, a 40‑year‑old court translator in New York, who wrestles with lingering...
Interview: Arthur Sze on Translating Poetry and His Favorite Books
Arthur Sze, the U.S. poet laureate, reveals his ideal reading ritual—coffee at his desk overlooking desert flora—and shares the eclectic titles that line his nightstand, from Emily Wilson’s Iliad translation to Kevin Young’s Night Watch. He recently praised Simon Armitage’s...
Book Review: ‘The Violence,’ by Adriana E. Ramírez
Adriana E. Ramírez’s new book *The Violence* revisits Colombia’s decade‑long civil war known as La Violencia (1948‑1958), a period when partisan militias turned neighbors against each other and thousands were killed. The memoir blends her grandparents’ survival story with a broader social‑history analysis,...
Book Review: ‘Muskism,’ by Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff
The New York Times review of “Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed” argues that Elon Musk’s enterprises constitute a new economic system akin to Fordism, pairing mass production with a consumer‑dependency loop. The authors, historian Quinn Slobodian and writer Ben Tarnoff, describe how...
Book Review: ‘Rasputin’ by Antony Beevor
Antony Beevor’s new biography, Rasputin: The Downfall of the Romanovs, reexamines the mystic adviser’s role in the collapse of Russia’s last imperial family. Beevor argues that Rasputin’s influence was a catalyst, but situates it within a cascade of systemic failures, from...
Book Review: ‘Into the Wood Chipper,’ by Nicholas Enrich
Nicholas Enrich’s new book, *Into the Wood Chipper*, offers a first‑hand whistleblower account of how the Trump administration systematically dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Drawing on internal memos and congressional testimony, Enrich chronicles the agency’s decline...
In ‘Famesick,’ Lena Dunham Diagnoses Celebrity, Illness and Herself
Lena Dunham’s new memoir "Famesick" pulls back the curtain on her decade‑long battle with a litany of chronic illnesses, from endometriosis to Ehlers‑Danlos syndrome, while also recounting a harrowing burn‑unit stay. The book, released as she approaches her 40th birthday,...
Book Review: ‘On the Calculation of Volume IV,’ by Solvej Balle
Solvej Balle’s experimental mega‑novel “On the Calculation of Volume” reaches its fourth installment, chronicling protagonist Tara Stelter’s experience of living the same November 18 for 3,637 days—almost ten years. The English translation, handled by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell, arrived...
Book Review: ‘RFK Jr.,’ By Isabel Vincent
Isabel Vincent’s new biography “RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise” draws on unpublished personal journals to chart Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s self‑portrait across decades. It details his privileged Kennedy upbringing, a period of drug addiction, a resurgence as an environmental lawyer, a Democratic...
Book Review: ‘Korean Messiah,’ by Jonathan Cheng
Jonathan Cheng’s new book *Korean Messiah* argues that the North Korean personality cult draws heavily on early Protestant missionary influence. The work, praised by historian Bruce Cumings, details Kim Il‑sung’s upbringing in a devout Christian family and the symbolic use...
Book Review: ‘Where the Music Had to Go,’ by Jim Windolf
Jim Windolf’s *Where the Music Had to Go* is a dual biography that charts the intertwined careers of Bob Dylan and the Beatles, highlighting how each artist’s evolution sparked the other’s creative breakthroughs. The book leans on newly released outtakes,...
Book Review: ‘See You on the Other Side,’ by Jay McInerney
Jay McInerney’s latest novel, See You on the Other Side, caps his nine‑book career and closes the Calloway tetralogy. The story follows Russell Calloway, a seasoned independent publisher, as he navigates a 35th‑anniversary party at Manhattan’s Odeon. Drawing on McInerney’s own life...
Book Review: ‘Go Gentle,’ by Maria Semple
Maria Semple makes a high‑profile return after a ten‑year hiatus with "Go Gentle," a frenetic satire that mixes an art heist, sexual assault, and a coven of Upper West Side divorcées. The novel follows Adora Hazzard, a TV writer turned...
Book Review: ‘The Future Is Peace,’ by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon
Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian activist, and Maoz Inon, an Israeli tour operator, co‑authored The Future Is Peace, a memoir of loss and reconciliation after the Oct 7 attacks. Both lost parents in the violence—Abu Sarah’s brother died in Israeli custody, while Inon’s...
Thanks to an Old-Fashioned Family Novel, This 22-Year-Old Is Already a Literary Star in Europe
Swiss author Nelio Biedermann, 22, has become a literary sensation in Europe after his debut novel Lázár topped the German bestseller list for 29 weeks. The sweeping, old‑fashioned family saga, set in a former aristocratic Hungarian lineage, earned rave reviews...
Book Review: ‘Lázár,’ by Nelio Biedermann
Nelio Biedermann’s novel *Lázár* follows a translucent‑skinned aristocrat born into a fading Habsburg dynasty, tracing the family’s descent from imperial splendor to Soviet expropriation and the 1956 Hungarian revolt. The story blends gothic fable, surreal imagery, and meticulous historical detail,...
Lena Dunham Is Still Trying to Figure Out Why People Hated Her So Much
Lena Dunham’s forthcoming memoir “Famesick,” a project she spent nearly a decade crafting, delves into the behind‑the‑scenes drama of her HBO hit “Girls” and the fierce public backlash that followed. The book recounts fraught relationships with co‑star Adam Driver, co‑showrunner...
Book Review: ‘A Terrible Intimacy,’ by Melvin Patrick Ely
Melvin Patrick Ely’s new book *A Terrible Intimacy* examines six criminal cases from Prince Edward County, Virginia, to reveal the tangled web of Black‑white relationships before the Civil War. By dissecting court testimony, the work shows how enslaved and free people...