Jan Morris: By the Book
The author, most recently, of “Ciao, Carpaccio!” recently found in her old copy of “Anna Karenina,” in an “evidently intoxicated scrawl,” the inscription “THIS IS THE BETS BOOK I HAVE EVER READ.”
Sunday Book Review
100 Notable Books of 2014
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Jon McNaught
The year’s notable fiction, poetry and nonfiction, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review.
100 Notable Books of 2014
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Jon McNaught
The year’s notable fiction, poetry and nonfiction, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review.
‘Isabella: The Warrior Queen’
By KIRSTIN DOWNEY
Reviewed by KATHRYN HARRISON
A new biography of Isabella of Castile, the driving force of 15th-century Spanish — and therefore European — politics.
‘Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story’
By RICK BRAGG
Reviewed by STEPHEN KING
Stephen King reviews Rick Bragg’s new book about the rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis.
‘Hope: Entertainer of the Century’
By RICHARD ZOGLIN
Reviewed by BRUCE JAY FRIEDMAN
Bruce Jay Friedman reviews an exhaustively researched biography of the comedian Bob Hope.
Roundups
Travel
By ANDREW McCARTHY
Jon McNaught
Andrew McCarthy on the season’s travel books, including David Greene’s “Midnight in Siberia,” about a journey along the almost 6,000-mile Trans-Siberian Railway.
Photography
By LUC SANTE
“Vivian Maier: A Photographer Found,” “Henri Cartier-Bresson: Here and Now,” and more.
Pop Music
By JAMES PARKER
New books by Joe Perry, George Clinton, Viv Albertine, Billy Idol and other music stars.
Cooking
By MAX WATMAN
New cookbooks include Cal Peternell’s “Twelve Recipes,” Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Fast” and more.
Anthologies
By EVAN HUGHES
Collections of writing from The New Republic, The Baffler, The Believer and n+1.
Hollywood
By LISA SCHWARZBAUM
Memoirs by Roger Moore, Sophia Loren and Anjelica Huston are among the season’s books about movies.
‘Group f.64’
By MARY STREET ALINDER
Reviewed by ANNA ALTMAN
A group portrait of American photographers, including Edward Weston, Ansel Adams and Imogen Cunningham.
‘Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe’
By PHILIP GEFTER
Reviewed by DEBORAH SOLOMON
A biography of the photographer Sam Wagstaff.
‘Wayfaring Strangers’ and ‘Ralph Peer and the Making of Popular Roots Music’
By RONALD RADOSH
Two essential new books for lovers of American roots music.
‘The Image of the Black in Western Art’
Reviewed by CLAUDIA RANKINE
Claudia Rankine reviews the latest and perhaps last volume in Dominique de Menil’s monumental archival project.
‘Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin’
By DAVID RITZ
Reviewed by ELSA DIXLER
An account of the career and personal life of Aretha Franklin.
‘Mr. Hockey: My Story’
By GORDIE HOWE
Reviewed by JOHN BRANCH
A new memoir by the 86-year-old Gordie Howe, one of the most prolific scorers in hockey history.
‘So We Read On’ and ‘Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells’
By DAPHNE MERKIN
New books about “The Great Gatsby” and Vanity Fair offer a chance for renewed consideration of the Jazz Age.
‘By the Book: Stories and Pictures’
By DIANE SCHOEMPERLEN
Reviewed by MARK SARVAS
Diane Schoemperlen quilts seven stories out of sources like an 1854 text on natural phenomena and a 1946 Ontario public-school geography textbook.
John Lanchester’s ‘How to Speak Money,’ and More
By PETER SOKOLOWSKI
New books about the lingo of food and finance.
‘The Sexual Night’
By PASCAL QUIGNARD. Translated by CHRIS TURNER.
Reviewed by PARUL SEHGAL
A Freudian take on classic depictions of sexual imagery.
‘Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent’
By MANDY AFTEL
Reviewed by THESSALY LA FORCE
An artisan perfumer urges us to “regain an authentic connection to the sense of smell.”
‘Red Nile’
By ROBERT TWIGGER
Reviewed by JOSHUA HAMMER
Robert Twigger’s book about the Nile is a pastiche of history and travelogue.
‘Dorothy and Otis’ and ‘The Art of Things’
By JULIE LASKY
The story of married advertising artists, and a collection of international product design from World War II until now.
‘Worn Stories’
By EMILY SPIVACK
Reviewed by ALEXANDRA JACOBS
A collection of narratives about meaningful pieces of used clothing.
‘A Way of Living: The Art of Willem de Kooning’
By JUDITH ZILCZER
Reviewed by MARTHA SCHWENDENER
Lavish reproductions of work by Willem de Kooning, accompanied by research and historical anecdotes.
‘Bruce Nauman: The True Artist’
By PETER PLAGENS
Reviewed by ALBERT MOBILIO
Peter Plagens offers the fullest survey yet of the protean artist Bruce Nauman’s work.
‘Ambition And Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte’
By KATE WILLIAMS
Reviewed by CAROLINE WEBER
Kate Williams’s “Ambition and Desire” is the latest in a growing corpus of work about Josephine Bonaparte, Napoleon’s empress.
‘As You Wish’
By CARY ELWES with JOE LAYDEN
Reviewed by NEIL GENZLINGER
The actor Cary Elwes relates behind-the-scenes tales from the making of the 1987 classic “The Princess Bride.”
‘DDR Posters’ and ‘Beyond the Wall’
By DAVID WELCH
New books about propaganda posters and other items from the relatively short-lived German Democratic Republic.
‘Midnight at the Pera Palace’
By CHARLES KING
Reviewed by JASON GOODWIN
Charles King traces the making of modern Istanbul.
‘Sottsass’
By PHILIPPE THOMÉ
Reviewed by ALEXANDRA LANGE
A comprehensive monograph of the work of the Italian architect Ettore Sottsass.
Books News & Reviews
Patricia Wall/The New York Times
Scott Saul’s biography “Becoming Richard Pryor” draws on new sources to trace his journey from harshly treated boy in an Illinois brothel to comic genius with a fully honed act in the late 1970s.
Patricia Wall/The New York Times
Scott Saul’s biography “Becoming Richard Pryor” draws on new sources to trace his journey from harshly treated boy in an Illinois brothel to comic genius with a fully honed act in the late 1970s.
Books of The Times
‘Taming Manhattan’
By CATHERINE McNEUR
Reviewed by ALEXANDER NAZARYAN
Catherine McNeur’s “Taming Manhattan: Environmental Battles in the Antebellum City” recounts the battles over old New York’s barnyard conditions.
Books of The Times
‘The Wallcreeper’
By NELL ZINK
Reviewed by PARUL SEHGAL
Nell Zink’s book “The Wallcreeper” was first written to entertain Jonathan Franzen, a fellow birder.
The Pour
Sip and Turn a Page
By ERIC ASIMOV
Eric Asimov reviews five of his favorite new wine books.
ArtsBeat
A First Edition Auction, With the Writers Nervously Looking On
By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER
The evening sale’s high price: Philip Roth’s annotated first edition of “American Pastoral” sold for $80,000.
Kent Haruf, Acclaimed Novelist of Small-Town Life, Is Dead at 71
By WILLIAM YARDLEY
Mr. Haruf’s breakthrough novel was “Plainsong,” which was nominated for the National Book Award.
Sendak’s Estate: Debating Where the Things Go
By RANDY KENNEDY
Lynn Caponera, Maurice Sendak’s housekeeper and caretaker for more than 30 years, is pushing ahead to burnish his legacy, amid questions.
Saluting the Hens That Laid the Golden Egg
By ALEXANDRA ALTER
The 2002 album “Philadelphia Chickens,” by the children’s writer Sandra Boynton, has now earned platinum status.
Books of The Times
‘The Laughing Monsters’
By DENIS JOHNSON
Reviewed by MICHIKO KAKUTANI
Denis Johnson’s “The Laughing Monsters” reads like a mash-up of African novels by Conrad and Greene.
Books of The Times
‘The Happiest People in the World’
By BROCK CLARKE
Reviewed by JANET MASLIN
In “The Happiest People in the World,” Brock Clarke’s latest novel, a cartoonist has to move to upstate New York.
Mark Strand, 80, Dies; Pulitzer-Winning Poet Laureate
By WILLIAM GRIMES
To critics who said Mr. Strand’s poems were too dark he replied, “I find them evenly lit.”
A Poetry Personal and Political
By FELICIA R. LEE
Claudia Rankine mixes verse, prose and visual images in “Citizen,” a National Book Award poetry finalist.
P. D. James, Creator of the Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries, Dies at 94
By MARILYN STASIO
A consummate stylist, the British author and baroness accumulated numerous awards for the 18 crime novels produced during her 49-year writing career.
Is Our Art Equal to the Challenges of Our Times?
By A. O. SCOTT
We are in the midst of hard times now, and it feels as if art is failing us.
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
PRINT & E-BOOKS
- Fiction
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HARDCOVER
- Trade Fiction
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PAPERBACK
The 10 Best Books of 2014
The year’s best books, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review.
Notable Children’s Books of 2014
The best in picture books, middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction, selected by the children’s book editor of The New York Times Book Review.
2014 Holiday Gift Ideas and Guide — Movies, Music, Books, Clothes & More
The best present ideas, selected by Times experts, to make shopping easy this season.
Books Update
Like to be first? Get The New York Times Book Review before it appears online every Friday. Sign up for the email newsletter here.
Bookends
Which Writer’s Letters Are Most Worth Reading?
Dana Stevens on Emily Dickinson’s letters to “Master,” and Francine Prose on Kafka’s letters to Felice.
Open Book
Bumper Crop
By JOHN WILLIAMS
The 100 Notable Books of 2014 include women expanding the possibilities of nonfiction and 10 debut fiction writers.
Visuals
Perfect Harmony
By STEVEN HELLER
In new design books, high and low live together peacefully.
Comics
By DOUGLAS WOLK
“Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream,” “The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil,” and more.
Children's Books
Children's Books
Bookshelf: The Classics Reissued
New picture books include “The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night,” illustrated by Peter Spier.
Children's Books
Eric A. Kimmel’s ‘Simon and the Bear,’ and More
By MARJORIE INGALL
Three holiday books offer different perspectives on seasonal adventures, from the German front lines to a lonely iceberg.
‘My True Love Gave To Me’
Edited by STEPHANIE PERKINS
Reviewed by ELLEN HOPKINS
The stories in this collection for young adults are set during the winter holidays, but their real subject is relationships.
‘The History of Rock ’n’ Roll in Ten Songs’
By GREIL MARCUS
Reviewed by TOURÉ
Touré reviews Greil Marcus’s new book about songs that have been interpreted multiple times by artists in different generations.
‘Time Out of Mind’
By IAN BELL
Reviewed by GEOFF DYER
Geoff Dyer reviews the second volume of Ian Bell’s biography of Bob Dylan.
‘Is That All There Is?: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee’
By JAMES GAVIN
Reviewed by ANITA GATES
A biography of the singer Peggy Lee.
New Books by Herbie Hancock and George Benson
By PETER KEEPNEWS
A candid autobiography from Herbie Hancock, and a less forthcoming one by George Benson.
‘The Days Trilogy: Expanded Edition’
By H. L. MENCKEN
Reviewed by P. J. O’ROURKE
P. J. O’Rourke reviews an expanded edition of H. L. Mencken’s memoirs, a full picture of the man and his contradictions.
‘Wilde in America’
By DAVID M. FRIEDMAN
Reviewed by LIESL SCHILLINGER
A cultural historian argues that Oscar Wilde was among the first to realize that celebrity could come before accomplishment.
‘Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story’
By BARBARA LEAMING
Reviewed by MERYL GORDON
A biographer says undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder explains everything that Jacqueline Kennedy did during the three decades after witnessing her husband’s assassination.
‘So, Anyway . . .’
By JOHN CLEESE
Reviewed by MICHAEL IAN BLACK
Michael Ian Black reviews a memoir by John Cleese, one of comedy’s most original minds.
‘Even This I Get to Experience’
By NORMAN LEAR
Reviewed by ALESSANDRA STANLEY
An autobiography by Norman Lear, the creator of “Maude,” “All in the Family” and many other TV series.
‘Yes Please’
By AMY POEHLER
Reviewed by SANDRA TSING LOH
A memoir by the comedian and sitcom star Amy Poehler.
The Shortlist
Wine and Spirits
By LISA ABEND
New books by Maximillian Potter, William Bostwick, Piero Antinori and Heather Greene.
Inside The New York Times Book Review Podcast
This week, Parul Sehgal and Gregory Cowles talk about the Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2014; Alexandra Alter has news from the literary world; Peter Sokolowski discusses four new books about language; and best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host.
Book Review Features
Inside the List
By GREGORY COWLES
The fantasy writer Patrick Rothfuss is planning to kiss an animal chosen by his Twitter followers, for charity: “It looks overwhelmingly like it will be a llama.”
Children's Books
Pop-Up and Interactive Children’s Books
“Is There a Dog in This Book?” by Viviane Schwarz, and more.
Best Illustrated Books
The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2014, with sample artwork from each.
Sunday Book Review
‘41: A Portrait of My Father’
By GEORGE W. BUSH
Reviewed by PETER BAKER
George W. Bush’s “41,” an affectionate biography of his father, takes readers through the touchstones of an extraordinary life.
Book Review Podcast: 10 Best Books of 2014
December 5, 2014
A Booker Prize Winner’s Latest Laurel: Bad Sex in Fiction Award
December 4, 2014
Art From the Old School
December 3, 2014
Bookshelf
Art of New York
By SAM ROBERTS
A look at books about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s public art program, a vessel and its designer, and other topics.
Books Of Style: Hollywood Glamour
Books That Parse the Notion of Celebrity
By ALEXANDRA JACOBS
“Hijacking the Runway” and “Styling the Stars” offer a look at Hollywood glamour.
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