Recent Reviews
‘The Symmetry Teacher’ by Andrei Bitov
A writer struggles with the tricks of memory in a novel by one of Russia’s most acclaimed authors.
Are terrorists born or made?
Zak Ebrahim describes how he has taken a different, nonviolent path from his infamous terrorist father.
Secrets hidden in our digital actions
Christian Rudder sorts huge datasets to discover what we do, not what we say we do.
The ups and downs of a ’70s icon
In “Daring,” Gail Sheehy recounts her life as a journalist, author of “Passages” and celebrity A-lister.
‘The Paying Guests,’ by Sarah Waters
What at first seems like an E.M. Forster novel darkens into something by Dostoevsky or Patricia Highsmith.
Politics & Prose offers ‘a room of one’s own’
The Writers’ Cottage in Ashland, Va., offers a chance to get away for solitary composition or to work with experienced teachers.
Penelope Niven, biographer of cultural figures, dies at 75
Ms. Niven wrote major biographies of Carl Sandburg, Edward Steichen and Thornton Wilder.
‘The Story of Land and Sea,’ by Katy Simpson Smith
A family in North Carolina in the waning years of the American Revolution struggles for salvation.
Three books offer a glimpse at the workplace
One is set at a law firm, another at a second-tier college — the third at a paper that resembles the Times.
Two Americans on Man Booker Prize shortlist
And Louise Erdrich named winner of the 2014 PEN/Saul Bellow Award.
Review: ‘So We Read On’ explains ‘Gatsby’s’ durability
‘How “The Great Gatsby” Came to Be and Why It Endures,’ by Maureen Corrigan
Writers for Planned Parenthood
More than a dozen writers are auctioning off books, coffee dates, even characters’ names.
The neuroscience of getting organized
An interview with Daniel Levitin about multi-tasking, time management and the role of dopamine.
‘Monogram Murders’: Poirot is revived by capable Hannah
Agatha Christie’s iconic mystery solver returns, deftly, from the dead, thanks to a best-selling British author.
Charles Bowden, chronicler of the Southwest, dies at 69
Mr. Bowden wrote gritty and lyrical accounts of drug wars and despair along the U.S.-Mexico border.
What makes for a great teacher?
Elizabeth Green argues that teachers are not born but created and the U.S. needs a culture to inspire educators.
Richard Flanagan on writing ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’
His research took him to Thailand, Japan and into his father’s harrowing past.
Book World: ‘Empire of Mud,’ by J.D. Dickey
Lively book tells about the raffish, dirty, lawless town that grew into, well . . .
‘Inside Charlie’s Chocolate Factory’ by Lucy Mangan
A playful compendium marks the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book.
Joseph E. Persico, historian and biographer, dies at 84
Mr. Persico wrote studies of FDR and CIA chief William Casey and helped pen Colin Powell’s memoir.
‘One Night in Winter,’ by Simon Sebag Montefiore
A political novel by Stalin’s biographer captures the nightmarish world of post-World War II Russia.
Believe it or not -- Ripley’s is back!
The 11th annual volume celebrates the weird and the wonderful. But mostly the weird.
‘Georgie & Elsa: Jorge Luis Borges and His Wife’
Borges’s longtime translator, editor and friend offers an insider’s view of the famed Argentine writer’s life
An elegy for reporter James Foley
“In the Absence of Sparrows,” by Daniel Johnson, captures the American reporter’s playfulness and courage.
‘Football,’ edited by John Schulian
An anthology underscores the best — and worst — about writing on what it calls “the national sport.”
‘The Children Act,’ by Ian McEwan
A judge must decide whether a teen Jehovah’s Witness should be forced to have a blood transfusion.
‘The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone,’ by Adele Griffin
A richly layered, metafictive mystery about the death of a talented New York artist-prankster.
Review: ‘The Family Romanov’
The story of Russia’s last royal family has the elements of an overheated dystopian thriller.
Picture book: ‘My Teacher Is a Monster,’ by Peter Brown
When Bobby looks at Ms. Kirby, he sees scaly green skin, sharp claws and a mouthful of fangs.
‘Crap Taxidermy’ stuffed with weirdness
Kat Su wanted something special for her Brooklyn apartment. She found it.
An exquisitely told tale of Alzheimer’s effect on a family
‘We Are not Ourselves’ is a stunning debut novel by Matthew Thomas.
A complex tale with a predictable ending
Jack Reacher is back for the 19th time, but the action is set in Europe rather than in the United States.
Library of Congress announces $200,000 in literacy prizes
SMART, Room to Read and Turkey’s Mother Child Education Foundation share awards.
‘The Language of Houses,’ by Alison Lurie
Subtitled “How Buildings Speak to Us,” explores evolving design but in a dated, overgeneralized way.
Feminism through the generations
Three scholars explore the evolution and future of the U.S. women’s movement in “Feminism Unfinished.”
Provence comes to life in ‘Lisette’s List,’ by Susan Vreeland
From the author of “Girl in Hyacinth Blue,” a historical novel about a woman’s artistic awakening.
Running from the shadow of prison
Alice Goffman spends six years with young blacks in Philadelphia trying to stay out of prison.
The truth about Parisian resistance to the Nazis
Ronald C. Rosbottom depicts the limits of the Parisian response to Nazi occupation.
Washington Post Bestsellers Sept. 7, 2014
The books Washington has been reading.
Politics & Prose offers ‘a room of one’s own’
The Writers’ Cottage in Ashland, Va., offers a chance to get away for solitary composition or to work with experienced teachers.
Two Americans on Man Booker Prize shortlist
And Louise Erdrich named winner of the 2014 PEN/Saul Bellow Award.
‘The Paying Guests,’ by Sarah Waters
What at first seems like an E.M. Forster novel darkens into something by Dostoevsky or Patricia Highsmith.
‘Georgie & Elsa: Jorge Luis Borges and His Wife’
Borges’s longtime translator, editor and friend offers an insider’s view of the famed Argentine writer’s life
‘The Derek Smith Omnibus,’ by Derek Howe Smith
The collection includes four stories from the Golden Age of mysteries.
Mata Haris of the Civil War
In “Liar Temptress Soldier Spy,” Karen Abbott reports on female spies during the Civil War.
The truth about Parisian resistance to the Nazis
Ronald C. Rosbottom depicts the limits of the Parisian response to Nazi occupation.
The friendship between two world leaders
In “Harold and Jack,” Christopher Sandford depicts the ties that bound Harold Macmillan and Jack Kennedy
Literary Calendar
Going Out Guide: Upcoming events
Get the latest on readings, signings and author appearances in the D.C. area.
Elsewhere in Entertainment
Most Read: Entertainment
-
1
U2's 'Songs of Innocence' is a surprise - both that it exists and that it's actually not bad -
2Rice prompts changes to 'Thursday Night Football'
-
3
Richard Kiel, best remembered as the James Bond villain Jaws, dies at 74 -
4
Ailyn Pérez makes the most of an unexpected solo recital at WNO -
5
Michael Cera makes sublime Broadway debut in 'This Is Our Youth'
