viernes, 6 de abril de 2012

April 6, 2012

Books Update

On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review

The Big Bang

Reviewed by JONATHAN FREEDLAND

New books by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Robert Kagan address the subject of America's decline from opposite sides of the political aisle but find much room for agreement.

'Time to Start Thinking'

By EDWARD LUCE
Reviewed by JONATHAN RAUCH

Edward Luce argues that America's economy and political system are in worse shape than they have been in a long time.

Also in the Book Review

'Winter King'

By THOMAS PENN
Reviewed by MIRANDA SEYMOUR

Thomas Penn offers a portrait of the peaceful if acquisitive reign of Henry VII.

St. Michael Fighting the Dragon, woodcut by Albrecht Dürer, 1498.

'Revelations'

By ELAINE PAGELS
Reviewed by DALE B. MARTIN

Elaine Pagels examines the history of the Book of Revelation.

Bell Labs technicians prepare the Telstar 1 communications satellite before its launching in 1962.

'The Idea Factory'

By JON GERTNER
Reviewed by WALTER ISAACSON

Jon Gertner tells the story of Bell Labs and its far-reaching advances in technology.

'Language: The Cultural Tool'

By DANIEL L. EVERETT
Reviewed by JOHN McWHORTER

Language isn't innate, Daniel L. Everett argues. It's a tool that can be reinvented, or lost.

Up Front: John McWhorter

'The Mirage'

By MATT RUFF
Reviewed by JOSHUA HAMMER

In Matt Ruff's novel, terrorists attack not on 9/11, but 11/9.

'No Time Like the Present'

By NADINE GORDIMER
Reviewed by FRANCINE PROSE

In Nadine Gordimer's novel, veterans of the anti-apartheid movement make their way in a new South Africa.

'Pocket Kings'

By TED HELLER
Reviewed by KATY LEDERER

A failed writer turns to online poker in Ted Heller's novel.

CRIME

Blood in the Sea

By MARILYN STASIO

A former British spy reluctantly gets back into the game in Mark Mills's "House of the Hunted."

'Guilt'

FERDINAND VON SCHIRACH. Translated by CAROL BROWN JANEWAY.
Reviewed by ADAM LIPTAK

This collection of stories by Ferdinand von Schirach questions the morality of criminal defense.

'Arcadia'

By LAUREN GROFF
Reviewed by JOHN WILWOL

In this novel, leaving a commune is traumatic.

Children's Books

The Imaginative Arts

By NELL CASEY

Four new picture books offer lessons in harnessing creativity and aiming it with purpose.

Sink or Swim

By ELISSA SCHAPPELL

Two novels explore very different sources of alienation for teenage girls.

'Wonder'

By R. J. PALACIO
Reviewed by MARIA RUSSO

A boy with severe deformities, supported by a loving family, must deal with a new school in R. J. Palacio's novel.

Bookshelf: Play Ball

By PAMELA PAUL

Children's books that celebrate the national pastime.

Slide Show: Bookshelf: Play Ball

'Remarkable'

By LIZZIE K. FOLEY
Reviewed by ANN HULBERT

When things go haywire in Lizzie K. Foley's whimsical mystery, a town turns to its most overlooked citizen.

'Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin, Book 1'

ROBIN LaFEVERS
Reviewed by JESSICA BRUDER

This novel's 17-year-old heroine is pledged to a convent that serves Death himself.

'Losers in Space'

By JOHN BARNES
Reviewed by JONATHAN LIU

In celebrity-mad 2129, a teenage crew stranded on a trip to Mars begins to understand the limits of fame.

BEST SELLERS

Combined Print & E-Book Fiction

Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction

Back Page

Fan Mail

By JONATHAN LETHEM

A sense of kinship spurred a correspondence with the novelist Thomas Berger.

Inside the List

By GREGORY COWLES

Cheryl Strayed, whose memoir "Wild" enters the list at No. 7, recently revealed she was the previously anonymous voice behind the popular online advice column "Dear Sugar."

ArtsBeat: Cheryl Strayed Talks About 'Wild,' a Memoir of Hiking and Grief

Editors' Choice

Recently reviewed books of particular interest.

This week, Elaine Pagels discusses the Book of Revelation; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Zbigniew Brzezinski on America and the crisis of global power; Anne Sebba talks about the life of Wallis Simpson; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.