Popping into Bluesky after a social media respite to bring you this amazing story that Liz Egan and Katie Rosman have been working on for months.
The Billionaire, the Psychedelics and the Best-Selling Memoir
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Tina Jordan
@tinajordan.bsky.social
Deputy editor, New York Times Book Review. Reader, writer, archives fiend.
I'm sure it's a Memorial Day thing, but there have been fighter jets screaming over the house for the last 15 minutes (I live in the Hudson Valley). It's just an instant flashback to 9/11 and I need it to stop.
Been waiting for @oliviawaite.com’s take on Terry Pratchett’s body of work and here it is!
The Essential Terry Pratchett
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Good morning! A slew of new books coming out today. FIrst up is Ron Chernow's long-awaited biography of Mark Twain. (Spoiler alert: Our critic Dwight Garner really, really doesn't like it.)
A New Biography of Mark Twain Doesn’t Have Much of What Made Him Great
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"But it turns out that 'James' was not the top pick among the Pulitzer’s five fiction jury members. It wasn’t even in the top three, according to three people with knowledge of the process, who were not authorized to speak about the confidential deliberations."
‘James’ Won the Pulitzer, but Not Without Complications
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Why memorize a poem? As A.O. Scott writes, "At a time when we are flooded with texts, rants and A.I. slop, a poem occupies a quieter, less commodified corner of your consciousness. It’s a flower in the windowbox of your mind."
Poetry Challenge: Memorize ‘Recuerdo’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Starting today, we’ll have a week of games, videos and essays to help you along the way. First up: readings by Ina Garten, Ethan Hawke and Ada Limón.
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Join us at the Book Review as we embark on a week-long voyage to help you memorize a poem — something to fill the soul and focus the mind.
Poetry Challenge: Memorize ‘Recuerdo’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Starting today, we’ll have a week of games, videos and essays to help you along the way. First up: readings by Ina Garten, Ethan Hawke and Ada Limón.
nytimes.com
"Mr. Hegseth’s aides had warned him a day or two before the Yemen strikes not to discuss such sensitive operational details in his Signal group chat ... It was unclear how Mr. Hegseth ... responded to those warnings."
Hegseth Said to Have Shared Attack Details in Second Signal Chat
The defense secretary sent sensitive information about strikes in Yemen to an encrypted group chat that included his wife and brother, people familiar with the matter said.
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Five days out from a knee replacement, I think I might live after all. This is ROUGH.
"I can recognize the ptarmigan’s plumage and the petals of St. John’s wort from her descriptions, without the aid of a single image," Sadie Stein writes. "The smell of sawed pine is 'like strawberry jam on the boil, but with a tang that tautens the membranes of nose and throat.'"
Book Review: ‘The Living Mountain,’ by Nan Shepherd (Gift Article)
Nan Shepherd’s meditative book on the great outdoors is an inspiring guide to stepping away from comforts and routine.
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Our latest project at the Book Review — a curated page of fantasy novel recommendations — is live. Maybe reading a fantasy novel is just the ticket right now!
The Best Fantasy Novels to Read Right Now
Whether you're looking for a classic or the latest and greatest, start here.
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If you've never read anything by Tanith Lee, Silvia Moreno-Garcia knows where you should start.
The Essential Tanith Lee
The eclectic, prolific author wrote more than 90 novels — primarily fantasy and science fiction, but also horror, erotica, mysteries and historical fiction. If you’ve never read her work, here’s where...
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"And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne ceaselessly back into a book that its author considered calling 'Trimalchio in West Egg,'" Tony Scott writes. "Would we still be talking about it if he had? "But he called it 'The Great Gatsby' and we are."
How “The Great Gatsby” Took Over Pop Culture
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel turns 100 this year. What does its hero tell us about how we see ourselves?
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Has anyone here besides me read — and loved — Chloe Dalton's "Raising Hare"?
A Hare, a Fox, an Owl, a Snail: Animal Memoirs Are Going Wild
Books about writers’ dogs and cats are a literary staple. Now there’s a booming subset of memoirs about writers’ relationships with less domestic creatures.
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If you need a moment of beauty and calm this morning, dip into Tony Scott's latest poetry close read.
Life Isn’t Perfect. But This Adrienne Rich Poem Might Be.
“Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers,” by Adrienne Rich, is a blazing portrait of an artist and her work. Our critic A.O. Scott admires its craft — and its wildness.
nytimes.com
We’ve published a few of what we’re calling “starter packs” this year, and today we’ve got another: classic private-eye detective novels, brought to you by our wonderful crime fiction columnist @sarahweinman.com.
Classic Private-Eye Detective Novels: A Starter Pack
Our crime columnist recommends books starring hard-boiled investigators who are ready to travel down the meanest streets to root out the darkest truths.
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"Generalized mistrust of authority and expertise turns us into epistemological free agents," A.O. Scott writes. "We’re just asking questions, doing our own search engine-optimized investigations, huddling in ad hoc Warren Commissions of our own devising."
J.F.K., Blown Away, What Else Do I Have to Say?
Why the newly released documents won’t put out the fire.
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Our critic Jen Szalai reviews the explosive new Facebook memoir by Sarah Wynn Williams: "Not only does she have the storytelling chops to unspool a gripping narrative; she also delivers the goods."
Book Review: ‘Careless People,’ by Sarah Wynn-Williams
“Careless People,” a memoir by a former Facebook executive, portrays feckless company leaders cozying up to authoritarian regimes.
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In her March column, @sarahweinman.com reviews the new Deanna Raybourn novel, which I am greedily gulping down.
The Month’s Best New Crime Novels
Our critic on Deanna Raybourn’s “Kills Well With Others” and three more new books.
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As we lean into romance coverage here at the Book Review, I'm delighted to bring you @oliviawaite.com's latest, a queer historical romance starter pack.
15 Queer Historical Romance Books to Dive Into the Genre
Our columnist recommends books featuring centuries of L.G.B.T.Q. love stories that defy tragedy, laugh in the face of shame and lean into unabashed joy.
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They look like books, but they're lanterns, lighters, flasks and more.
These Books Are Absolutely Unreadable. That’s the Point.
A new exhibition at the Center for Book Arts in New York features a range of items — transistor radios, lanterns, cigarette lighters and more — designed to look like books.
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Mere months after the election, we already have a new Michael Wolff book. Nicolas Niarchos reviews: "Will President Trump ... be tempted to light more fires himself, just to see what chaos will ensue? Either way, when the fire trucks come, one thing is certain: Wolff will be hanging off the back."
Book Review: ‘All or Nothing,’ by Michael Wolff
In “All or Nothing,” the Trump biographer shows that he is his favorite subject’s perfect twin.
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Tony Scott has published another one of his poetry "close reads," and you know how much I love these.
I Would Follow This Poem to Hell and Back
Our critic A.O. Scott marvels at the power and paradox of a sonnet by Gwendolyn Brooks.
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Here's a fun way to get your next romance novel recommendation.
Which Romance Novel Should You Read Next?
Tell us a few things about what you like, and we’ll give you a spot-on recommendation.
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One of those novels that I just can't get out of my head.
Book Review: ‘Stone Yard Devotional,’ by Charlotte Wood
In Charlotte Wood’s novel “Stone Yard Devotional,” an atheist burrows into herself while staying in a convent, and contemplates how to live without causing harm.
nytimes.com
The editors of The New York Times Book Review bring you the best romance novels of 2024, a starter pack of classic romances, our latest reviews, recommendation lists from authors like Ali Hazelwood, books to read after watching your favorite rom-com & much more, all collected on a gorgeous new page.
The Best Romance Novels to Read Right Now
Whether you're looking for a classic or the latest and greatest, start here.
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One of the best things on our new romance page: @oliviawaite.com's classic starter pack.
Classic Romance Novels: A Starter Pack
These vintage books introduce the archetypes, settings and lavishly bonkers sensibility that are the hallmarks of great romance.
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