Coleman Barks, Who Popularized the Islamic Poet Rumi in the West, Dies at 88
Coleman Barks, the American poet who died on Feb. 23 at age 88, reshaped the U.S. literary landscape by translating the 13th‑century Persian mystic Rumi into modern free verse. Though he never learned Persian, Barks reworked existing translations into more accessible language, publishing over a dozen Rumi volumes. His 1995 bestseller *The Essential Rumi* alone has sold more than one million copies, helping Rumi become one of America’s best‑selling poets. Barks’ work turned a medieval Sufi voice into a contemporary cultural icon.
Want More ‘Love Story’? Read These Books Inspired by the Kennedys and ’90s New York.
Elizabeth Beller’s biography "Once Upon a Time" offers an intimate portrait of Carolyn Bessette, the late wife of John F. Kennedy Jr., and serves as the foundation for the hit TV series "Love Story." The book, published by Simon &...
Book Club: Read ‘The Renovation,’ by Kenan Orhan, With the Book Review
Kenan Orhan’s latest novel, “The Renovation,” follows Dilara, a Turkish exile in Italy, whose bathroom remodel morphs into Istanbul’s Silivri Prison. The surreal premise serves as a conduit for exploring exile, political repression, and her father’s Alzheimer’s decline. The Book...
This Month”s Best New Historical Fiction Books
The New York Times Book Review highlights two standout historical‑fiction releases. Devon Jersick’s debut, Luminous Bodies, dramatizes Marie Curie’s scientific triumphs and turbulent love affairs through a bold first‑person voice. Eleanor Shearer’s Fireflies in Winter transports readers to late‑18th‑century Nova...
Han Kang Among National Book Critics Circle Award Winners
Han Kang received the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction for her novel “We Do Not Part,” a translation about the Jeju uprising’s trauma. This marks only the third time a translated work has won the fiction prize in...
8 Thriller Books About Housewives Getting Revenge
New York Times columnist Elizabeth Arnott curates a list of eight thriller novels that center on housewives turning to vengeance, highlighting the resurgence of domestic‑revenge narratives. The piece spotlights Gillian Flynn’s *Gone Girl* as the archetype, noting its unreliable‑narrator twist and...
A Free Home for San Francisco Artists, From Dave Eggers and Friends
Writer Dave Eggers discovered a vacant 100,000‑square‑foot warehouse at Pier 29 and, with artist JD Beltran, launched Art + Water, a free‑tuition apprenticeship studio program slated to open this fall. The initiative will provide year‑long studio space at no cost to 30 local...
Book Review: ‘The Insatiable Machine,’ by Trevor Jackson
Trevor Jackson’s *The Insatiable Machine* argues that capitalism has propelled unprecedented improvements in living standards while simultaneously driving ecological degradation. Drawing on three centuries of economic history, he portrays the Industrial Revolution as a contingent accident rather than an inevitable...
Book Review: ‘How Flowers Made Our World,’ by David George Haskell
David George Haskell’s new book, *How Flowers Made Our World*, argues that flowering plants are ecological engineers whose rapid diversification reshaped Earth’s ecosystems. He traces the “abominable mystery” of their Cretaceous explosion to genetic duplication and a feedback loop with...
Book Review: ‘The Universal Baseball Association,’ by Robert Coover
Robert Coover’s 1968 novel *The Universal Baseball Association* has been reissued by New York Review Books as a paperback priced at $18.95. The story follows an accountant who runs a tabletop baseball simulation, rolling dice to dictate a perfect game....
Book Review: ‘A Treacherous Secret Agent,’ by Marjorie Garber
Marjorie Garber’s new book *A Treacherous Secret Agent* examines how literature functioned as a covert form of resistance during the second Red Scare. By juxtaposing congressional hearings of Hallie Flanagan in 1938 and Joseph Papp in 1958 with the works of Shakespeare,...
‘Lonesome Dove,’ ‘Brokeback Mountain’ and the Power of the Book Review in the Age Before Algorithms
The New York Times essay highlights how The Washington Post’s now‑defunct Book World once acted as a cultural engine, catapulting authors like Larry McMurtry and Annie Proulx into mainstream success. By delivering thoughtful, serendipitous criticism, the section shaped literary reputations long before algorithmic feeds...
Book Review: ‘Open Space,’ by David Ariosto
David Ariosto’s new book *Open Space* offers a front‑row view of the modern space race, featuring interviews with a host of private‑sector engineers, scientists and billionaires—though not the marquee figures Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. The narrative celebrates humanity’s engineering...
What’s It Like to Be Back in Print After 20 Years? A Bit Odd.
Nancy Lemann, who published her debut novel at 28, resurfaced in the literary spotlight after a 20‑year hiatus from print. She attended a Michael Lewis‑hosted gathering in New Orleans, mingling with veteran writers such as Walter Isaacson and Joshua Steiner. Lemann...
Brian Doherty, 57, Dies; Chronicled Libertarians and Other Outsiders
Brian Doherty, a veteran journalist and author, died at 57 after a fall in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. He spent three decades chronicling libertarians, underground comics, Burning Man and seasteading, most notably with his book *Radicals for Capitalism*. His...
Book Review: ‘Almost Life,’ by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s new novel *Almost Life* follows Erica, a British aspiring writer, and Laure, a French left‑wing artist, who meet as university students in Paris in 1978 and embark on a passionate summer affair. Over the ensuing decades the...
Book Review: ‘Darkology,’ by Rhae Lynn Barnes
Rhae Lynn Barnes, a Princeton historian, releases *Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment*, a meticulously researched volume that maps the hidden legacy of amateur minstrel shows in the United States. Drawing on two decades of fieldwork in closets, basements...
Sparkling, Stunning New Romance Books
Olivia Waite reviews Cat Sebastian’s new paperback *Star Shipped*, a contemporary romance that pairs a TV actor with an emotional‑support dachshund amid a sci‑fi backdrop. The novel explores the protagonists’ hidden mental‑illness struggles and a reluctant attraction that evolves during a...
Book Review: ‘Playmakers: The Jewish Entrepreneurs Who Created the Toy Industry in America,’ by Michael Kimmel
Playmakers by Michael Kimmel chronicles how Jewish immigrants founded and shaped the American toy industry throughout the 20th century. It follows Morris Michtom, a Minsk‑born refugee who created the first American teddy bear and launched Ideal Toy Company, alongside other...
Book Review: ‘Everybody’s Fly,’ by Fab 5 Freddy
Fab 5 Freddy’s memoir *Everybody’s Fly* chronicles his evolution from a Lower East Side scenester to a pivotal visual artist, filmmaker, and hip‑hop tastemaker. The book highlights his early immersion in iconic clubs like CBGB and Paradise Garage and his role in...
Book Review: ‘The Feather Wars,’ by James H. McCommons
James H. McCommons’s new book *The Feather Wars* chronicles the late‑19th‑century American craze for collecting bird eggs and skins, a hobby that drove several species toward extinction. The work details how a rag‑tag coalition of naturalists, sportsmen, artists and politicians...
The Month’s Best New Mystery Books
Frances Crawford’s debut mystery, A Bad, Bad Place, is highlighted as a standout in the month’s new‑book roundup. Set in 1979 working‑class Glasgow, the story follows twelve‑year‑old Janey Devine who discovers a corpse and struggles with fragmented memories. The novel...
Don DeLillo’s Hockey Novel, ‘Amazons,’ Will Return to Stores
Don DeLillo’s long‑forgotten 1980 novel “Amazons,” a satirical memoir about the first woman to play in the NHL, will be reissued on Nov. 17, 2026, just before his 90th birthday. The book, originally published under the pseudonym Cleo Birdwell, was omitted...
10 Kids’ Books for Fans of The Baby-Sitters Club
The article lists ten contemporary children’s books that capture the spirit of Ann M. Martin’s beloved *The Baby‑Sitters Club*. It highlights titles such as *A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting* and *Best Babysitters Ever*, which blend friendship drama with entrepreneurial or supernatural...
Horror Novel ‘Shy Girl’ Canceled Over Suspected A.I. Use
Hachette Book Group withdrew the upcoming horror novel “Shy Girl” after The New York Times alleged the manuscript was largely AI‑generated. The Orbit imprint halted the U.S. spring release and removed the title from its UK catalog, where only 1,800 print copies...
Books Our Editors Love This Week
The New York Times Book Review releases a weekly roundup of standout titles across literary fiction, nonfiction, thrillers, romance, and mystery. Editors curate the list, highlighting diverse voices and niche subjects such as culinary history. Readers can add favorites to a personal...
Our Spring Book Recommendations
The New York Times Book Review editors released a spring‑time video roundup recommending the season’s most anticipated new releases. The series features short clips discussing Toni Morrison, Wuthering Heights, romance genre insights, the decline of pocket‑size paperbacks, and two interviews with George Saunders. By...
T. Kingfisher on Her Favorite Books and Her Disgusting New Novel
In an email interview, author T. Kingfisher reveals she still reads while multitasking, even after a childhood concussion. She cites "The Swiss Family Robinson" and the "Clan of the Cave Bear" series as formative childhood reads. The interview highlights a surprising...
Book Review: ‘Paradiso 17,’ by Hannah Lillith Assadi
“Paradiso 17,” Hannah Lillith Assadi’s third novel follows Sufien, a Palestinian born before the 1948 Nakba, as he drifts from Mandatory Palestine to Italy, New York, and Arizona. Drawing on the author’s family history, the book intertwines personal nostalgia with the collective...
Mamdani Just Hired Her. The Job? ‘The Country’s Hardest Problems.’
Erin Dalton has been appointed commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services, inheriting 85,000 shelter residents, looming benefit cuts and a multibillion‑dollar budget gap. She will oversee the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services,...
Book Review: ‘We’ and ‘The People Can Fly,’ by Joshua Bennett
Joshua Bennett has issued two new books— the poem "We (the People of the United States)" and the essay collection "The People Can Fly: American Promise, Black Prodigies, and the Greatest Miracle of All Time." Both volumes celebrate Black excellence...
Book Review: ‘A Scandal in Königsberg,’ by Christopher Clark
Historian Christopher Clark’s latest work, “A Scandal in Königsberg,” revisits a 19th‑century sex panic in the Prussian city where two Lutheran priests were tried and vilified by rumor. The sub‑200‑page narrative draws striking parallels between the era’s rumor‑driven persecution and...
Alfredo Bryce Echenique, 87, Dies; Novelist Bared Peru’s Privileged Class
Peruvian novelist Alfredo Bryce Echenique died on March 10, 2026, at age 87. Recognized as “the other Peruvian” alongside Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, he spent his career critiquing Peru’s privileged elite through witty, understated narratives. His most celebrated work, *A...
Book Review: ‘Stay Alive,’ by Ian Buruma
Ian Buruma’s new book *Stay Alive* chronicles ordinary Berliners’ daily existence under Nazi rule, showing how most citizens chose conformity over resistance. The narrative highlights escapist pursuits—cinema, concerts, sports—and the crucial role of personal connections (“Beziehungen”) in securing scarce resources....
Paul R. Ehrlich, Who Alarmed the World With ‘The Population Bomb,’ Dies at 93
Paul R. Ehrlich, the Stanford ecologist whose 1968 bestseller “The Population Bomb” warned of imminent famines, died at 93 from cancer complications. The book sold three million copies and made Ehrlich a household name, especially after frequent TV appearances. His...
Book Review: ‘The Natural Way of Things,’ by Charlotte Wood
Charlotte Wood’s dystopian novel *The Natural Way of Things* returns to shelves after a decade‑long lull, spurred by the author’s recent bestseller and critical accolades. The story traps young women in an isolated Australian outpost where they are punished for...
Book Review: ‘Books Good Enough for You: The Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom, Editor of Extraordinary Children’s Books,’ by Nancy...
Ursula Nordstrom reshaped children’s publishing during her three‑decade tenure at Harper & Row, turning a marginal “Tot Department” into a cultural powerhouse. She championed unconventional voices such as Maurice Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown, and E.B. White, producing best‑selling classics that...
Book Review: ‘Night Night Fawn,’ by Jordy Rosenberg
Jordy Rosenberg’s second novel, Night Night Fawn, is presented as a pseudo‑autobiographical confession from 70‑year‑old Barbara Rosenberg, who reflects on her life while dying of terminal cancer. The narrative centers on her fraught relationship with her estranged transgender son, Jordana,...
Peter Schneider Dies at 85; His Novels Explored a Divided Germany
German novelist Peter Schneider, renowned for works like “Lenz” and “The Wall Jumper,” died on March 3 at 85 from kidney cancer. His fiction traced Germany’s post‑war turmoil, from the 1960s student protests to the fall of the Berlin Wall and...
Books Our Editors Loved This Week
The New York Times editors spotlight two new releases in their March 12, 2026 roundup. "Her Last Breath" by Taylor Adams is a claustrophobic thriller set in a pitch‑black cave, while Anand Gopal’s "Days of Love and Rage" offers a meticulously researched chronicle of...
Dark and Stormy Thrillers by Stephen King, Ruth Ware and More
Best‑selling author Lisa Unger spotlights a niche of dark, storm‑driven thrillers, highlighting Ruth Ware’s reality‑show murder mystery One Perfect Couple and Alyssa Cole’s psychological suspense One of Us Knows. Both novels use extreme weather to isolate characters, intensifying fear and forcing desperate...
Dan Simmons, Genre-Leaping Author of ‘The Terror,’ Dies at 77
Dan Simmons, the celebrated author behind the genre‑spanning Hyperion Cantos and more than 30 novels, died at 77 after suffering a stroke. His work traversed science fiction, horror, fantasy, crime and historical fiction, earning both critical acclaim and commercial success....
Book Review: ‘In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man,’ by Tom...
Tom Junod’s new memoir, *In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man*, delves into his tumultuous relationship with his charismatic father, a post‑war handbag salesman whose larger‑than‑life persona embodied mid‑century notions of...
Book Review: ‘The Golden Boy,’ by Patricia Finn
Patricia Finn’s debut, *The Golden Boy*, follows disgraced TV executive Stafford Hopkins, exiled to Maui after a failed gamble, as he wrestles with his philosophical ego and a haunting past. The narrative pivots when a letter summons him back to...
Book Review: ‘Down Time,’ by Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin’s new novel Down Time follows a group of thirty‑something East Coast professionals as they grapple with post‑pandemic life, love, and creative burnout. Set against a backdrop of societal instability after Covid, the story weaves sexual entanglements and environmental...
Book Review: ‘The Complex,’ by Karan Mahajan
Karan Mahajan’s new novel, The Complex, follows the fortunes of a powerful Indian political family anchored by the late patriarch S.P. Chopra, a fictional stand‑in for real‑world dynastic leaders. The story unfolds in a sprawling Delhi apartment complex that houses more...
Greg Greeley, Former Amazon Executive, to Lead Simon & Schuster
Greg Greeley, former head of Amazon's books and media division, has been named chief executive of Simon & Schuster, taking over from Jonathan Karp. The appointment follows KKR's $1.62 billion acquisition of the publisher after an antitrust court blocked a sale to...
Book Review: ‘Gunk,’ by Saba Sams
Saba Sams’ debut novel “Gunk” portrays a disaffected young woman navigating precarious work and relationships in Brighton’s working‑class neighborhoods. The narrative follows Jules, a bar employee who marries the bar owner Leon, confronts illness, and forms a fraught friendship with...
Book Review: ‘Whidbey,’ by T Kira Madden
T Kira Madden’s novel *Whidbey* follows three women whose lives intersect around a convicted pedophile, Calvin, whose release and subsequent murder spark a deep examination of trauma. Birdie Chang flees to an isolated island, confronting her abuser’s apology, while reality‑TV star Linzie...
He Wrote Judy Blume’s Life Story. She Won’t Talk About It.
Long‑time admirer Mark Oppenheimer finally received a green light from Judy Blume in July 2022 to write her authorized biography, after years of correspondence and a tribute he penned in 1997. Blume’s initial enthusiasm included an invitation to her Martha’s Vineyard summer...