Books Update

August 31, 2012
Books Update

On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review

'Mortality'
By CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
Reviewed by CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY


This slender volume collects the essays written by Christopher Hitchens after he was stricken with esophageal cancer.

'Diaries'
By GEORGE ORWELL
Reviewed by BARRY GEWEN


George Orwell's diaries covered everything from his strong feelings about World War II to his careful counting of eggs laid by Moroccan hens.
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Also in the Book Review

Junot Díaz: By the Book


As a child, the author of the new story collection "This Is How You Lose Her" loved the unabashedly smart Encyclopedia Brown. "Smart was not cool where I grew up."
By the Book: Archive

'When We Argued All Night'
By ALICE MATTISON
Reviewed by MARIA RUSSO


Alice Mattison's novel follows the friendship of two men through the greater part of a century.

'The Garden of Evening Mists'
By TAN TWAN ENG
Reviewed by DOMINIQUE BROWNING


A war-scarred heroine finds solace in Japanese artistic traditions.

'Dublinesque'
By ENRIQUE VILA-MATAS. Translated by ANNE McLEAN and ROSALIND HARVEY.
Reviewed by RACHEL NOLAN


Enrique Vila-Matas's publisher-hero is on a mission.

'Summer Lies'
By BERNHARD SCHLINK. Translated by CAROL BROWN JANEWAY.
Reviewed by LISA ZEIDNER


In Bernhard Schlink's stories, diffident men grapple with the small delusions and half-truths of the everyday.

'Double Cross'
By BEN MACINTYRE
Reviewed by ALEXANDER ROSE


Ben Macintyre tells the story of five extraordinary spies at the center of a ruse to fool the Germans about D-Day.
Q. & A.: Ben Macintyre Talks About 'Double Cross'

'Crusoe'
By KATHERINE FRANK
Reviewed by RANDY BOYAGODA


Was the forgotten British seafarer Robert Knox the inspiration for "Robinson Crusoe"?

'The Age of Desire'
By JENNIE FIELDS
Reviewed by JUDITH MARTIN


Jennie Fields reimagines Edith Wharton's Gilded Age world, and the love affair that threatened her closest friendship.

'A Foreign Country'
By CHARLES CUMMING
Reviewed by JOHN SCHWARTZ


Charles Cumming's spy thriller links the past and the present.

'In the Kingdom of Men'
By KIM BARNES
Reviewed by JULIET LAPIDOS


A young American woman's experience in 1960s Saudi Arabia.

CRIME
Bad Neighborhood
By MARILYN STASIO


In Ruth Rendell's novel "The St. Zita Society," characters are undone by their own obsessions.
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Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction

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Hardcover Nonfiction

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Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

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All the Lists

Back Page

The Shock of the New
By MARTIN AMIS


On their 50th anniversary, "A Clockwork Orange" and its sociopathic antihero still have the power to disturb.

Inside the List
By GREGORY COWLES


The mystery writer William Kent Krueger, whose novel "Trickster's Point" is at No. 12 on the hardcover list, once tried to emulate Ernest Hemingway by going without underwear.

Editors' Choice


Recently reviewed books of particular interest.

Paperback Row
By IHSAN TAYLOR


Paperback books of particular interest.

Book Review Podcast


This week, Christopher Buckley talks about Christopher Hitchens's "Mortality"; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Barry Gewen discusses George Orwell's diaries; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.




Navy Seals Embark on a Hellish Literary Adventure

Adaptation of Jonathan Franzen Essay Heads to Stage

Victor LaValle Talks About His Novel 'The Devil in Silver'

REVIEWS BY THE TIMES'S CRITICS

'Stella Adler: On America's Master Playwrights'

'Breed' by Chase Novak

'Say Nice Things About Detroit' by Scott Lasser

'The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving' by Jonathan Evison

Navigating Tangled Narratives

Insomnia for Beginners

ARCHIVE

Crime Columns

Children's Books

The New York Times Book Review: Back Issues

Editor's Note

Thanks for taking the time to read this e-mail. Feel free to send feedback; I enjoy hearing your opinions and will do my best to respond.

John Williams
Books Producer
The New York Times on the Web

Books Update NYT

August 24, 2012 Books Update

On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review 'Sex and God at Yale' By NATHAN HARDEN Reviewed by HANNA ROSIN After being home-schooled and marrying at a young age, Nathan Harden was deeply shocked by the sexual culture at Yale. 'The Victims' Revolution' By BRUCE BAWER Reviewed by ANDREW DELBANCO Bruce Bawer argues that the contemporary American university is a place of hypocrisy and fear. Also in the Book Review Ian Falconer: By the Book The author and illustrator, most recently, of "Olivia and the Fairy Princesses" says good children's books don't underestimate the reader. "Children will figure things out." APPLIED READING A World at Your Fingertips By J. D. BIERSDORFER With these interactive apps, the great globe fits in small devices. 'How Children Succeed' By PAUL TOUGH Reviewed by ANNIE MURPHY PAUL For success, character trumps cognitive skills, Paul Tough says. 'When It Happens to You' By MOLLY RINGWALD Reviewed by DAN KOIS Molly Ringwald's fiction debut centers on a couple in a trouble marriage. 'Silver: Return to Treasure Island' By ANDREW MOTION Reviewed by LIESL SCHILLINGER Andrew Motion's sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's 19th-century adventure classic. 'Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time' By JAMES DASHNER Reviewed by RICK RIORDAN In this series opener, history is broken, and it's up to three young time travelers to fix it. Drawn Out By ELLEN HANDLER SPITZ Three picture books encourage children to become constructors of their worlds. Mutant Chronicles By DAVID KAMP Two novels allude to the feelings of alienation among middle-school boys. Bookshelf: First Day By PAMELA PAUL New picture books about heading off to school. Identity Crises By BRUCE HANDY For the high-spirited Olivia and others, the pressure to conform can sometimes seem overwhelming. 'Every Day' By DAVID LEVITHAN Reviewed by FRANK BRUNI In David Levithan's novel, a teenage romance is put to the test. Bookshelf: Numbers By PAMELA PAUL New picture books offer creative approaches to counting. 'The Girl With Borrowed Wings' By RINSAI ROSSETTI Reviewed by SHIRLEY LaVARCO In the Middle East, a sheltered girl befriends a shape-shifter. Tell Me By SARA LONDON Three very different books illuminate the urge to narrate. 'Liar & Spy' By REBECCA STEAD Reviewed by LUCINDA ROSENFELD Rebecca Stead's hero contends with a bully and an eccentric new friend. 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore' By WILLIAM JOYCE. Illustrated by WILLIAM JOYCE and JOE BLUHM. Reviewed by NATHAN HELLER A story inspires an app, a short film and now a book. 'Drama' By RAINA TELGEMEIER Reviewed by ADA CALHOUN In this graphic novel an ambitious theater geek concentrates on friendship and creative fulfillment instead of boy craziness. Aftermath By BETH KEPHART In their new young adult novels, Joyce Carol Oates and James Preller examine the consequences of fatal events. In the Shadow of War By MARIA RUSSO Young girls learn about the limits of their parents in two new books about the strains produced by the Iraq war. Universal Struggles By VERONICA CHAMBERS Three new middle-grade novels feature girls from very different backgrounds dealing with the challenges of school. Bookshelf: Funny Folk Tales By PAMELA PAUL Variations on Goldilocks, the Three Little Pigs and more. Fear and Self-Loathing By ALEXIS BURLING School, relationships, popularity. Navigating life's uncertainties, the teenage girls in these novels are pushed to the bri

BEST SELLERS Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Hardcover Fiction Hardcover Nonfiction Paperback Trade Fiction Paperback Mass-Market Fiction Paperback Nonfiction All the Lists Back Page Built to Last By M. H. ABRAMS and STEPHEN GREENBLATT "The Norton Anthology of English Literature" celebrates its 50th anniversary. TBR Inside the List By PARUL SEHGAL In Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" - at No. 1 in its 11th week on the hardcover fiction list - a young wife disappears from her home on the morning of her fifth anniversary. Editors' Choice Recently reviewed books of particular interest. Paperback Row By IHSAN TAYLOR Paperback books of particular interest. Book Review Podcast This week, Nathan Harden discusses his book, "Sex and God at Yale"; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Pamela Paul guides us through this week's back-to-school issue; and Parul Sehgal has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host. Times Staffers Recommend 'School Books' Two Books Coming From Steve Earle Rowling to Make U.S Appearance to Promote Her First Novel for Adults REVIEWS BY THE TIMES'S CRITICS 'Better Off Without 'Em' by Chuck Thompson 'Paterno' by Joe Posnanski 'Lionel Asbo: State of England' by Martin Amis 'Diaries' by George Orwell ARCHIVE Crime Columns Children's Books The New York Times Book Review: Back Issues Editor's Note Thanks for taking the time to read this e-mail. Feel free to send feedback; I enjoy hearing your opinions and will do my best to respond. John Williams Books Producer The New York Times on the Web

July 20, 2012 Books Update

On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review 'A Hologram for the King' By DAVE EGGERS Reviewed by PICO IYER In his new novel, a parable of America in the global economy, Dave Eggers shows some of the range and serious engagement with American ideals that characterized the work of Norman Mailer.  Dave Eggers: By the Book | ArtsBeat: Dave Eggers Talks About His New Novel  Up Front: Pico Iyer Also in the Book Review Joan Rivers: By the Book The comedian and author of "I Hate Everyone . . . Starting With Me" likes to read pre-Napoleonic European histories. "The minute Shorty comes on the scene, I'm not interested."  By the Book: Archive 'The Cost of Hope' By AMANDA BENNETT Reviewed by CATHI HANAUER Amanda Bennett uncovers the medical and financial facts of her husband's illness. 'Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails' By ANTHONY SWOFFORD Reviewed by ELIZABETH D. SAMET In his new memoir, Anthony Swofford recounts what happened after "Jarhead." 'Talulla Rising' By GLEN DUNCAN Reviewed by HEIDI JULAVITS Glen Duncan's sequel to "The Last Werewolf" stars a female werewolf struggling to reconcile her maternal and sexual urges.  ArtsBeat: Glen Duncan Talks About 'Talulla Rising' 'The Obamians' By JAMES MANN Reviewed by LESLIE H. GELB Introducing the new Democratic foreign policy elite. A House Divided By MICHAEL CROWLEY Two new books explore the radical politics of the 2010 Tea Party freshmen. 'The New Religious Intolerance' By MARTHA C. NUSSBAUM Reviewed by DAMON LINKER When it comes to religious toleration, the United States has a thing or two to teach Europe, Martha C. Nussbaum shows. 'Island of Vice' By RICHARD ZACKS Reviewed by JOSEPH BERGER When Teddy Roosevelt tried to clean up New York City. 'This Bright River' By PATRICK SOMERVILLE Reviewed by ANDREW ERVIN In this novel, a man returns to his childhood home and unearths family mysteries. Fiction Chronicle By TOM LeCLAIR New books by Timeri N. Murari, Elizabeth Percer, Therese Bohman, Daniel Arsand and Anne Berry. CRIME Rigged By MARILYN STASIO "Creole Belle," James Lee Burke's latest novel starring Dave Robicheaux, features oil-drilling disasters, missing singers, drug running, art forgery and Nazi war criminals.

BEST SELLERS Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Hardcover Fiction Hardcover Nonfiction Paperback Trade Fiction Paperback Mass-Market Fiction Paperback Nonfiction All the Lists ON POETRY Flying On in the Reflected Sky By DAVID ORR "Pale Fire" is the elephant in the room when assessing the poetry of Vladimir Nabokov. Back Page His Father's Best Translator By LILA AZAM ZANGANEH Dmitri Nabokov, who died in February, felt the weight of his parents' history. Inside the List By GREGORY COWLES "Six Weeks to OMG," which enters the list at No. 4 this week, is a diet book that recommends cold baths and black coffee. Editors' Choice Recently reviewed books of particular interest. Paperback Row By IHSAN TAYLOR Paperback books of particular interest. Book Review Podcast This week, Elizabeth Samet discusses Anthony Swofford's new memoir; Julie Bosman has notes from the field; Joseph Berger talks about Theodore Roosevelt's time as New York's police commissioner; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host. REVIEWS BY THE TIMES'S CRITICS 'Fire in the Belly' by Cynthia Carr 'Broken Harbor' by Tana French 'A Million Heavens' by John Brandon 'Swimming Studies' by Leanne Shapton 'The Trust' by Norb Vonnegut A Light Bulb Went On ARCHIVE Crime Columns Children's Books The New York Times Book Review: Back Issues Editor's Note Thanks for taking the time to read this e-mail. Feel free to send feedback; I enjoy hearing your opinions and will do my best to respond. John Williams Books Producer The New York Times on the Web