Books
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Readers Have Thoughts About the ‘Best Books of the 21st Century’
They wanted to know where the poetry and the genre fiction were — and they also wanted to let us…
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Visiting an Elusive Writer, and Revisiting His Masterpiece
Our critic talks to Edward P. Jones about how he imagined “The Known World,” recently voted the best work of…
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‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Gets a Blockbuster Sequel
Our critic traces J.D. Vance’s shift from bootstrap memoirist to vice-presidential candidate.
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3 Critics + 100 Books = Something to Argue About
The good news: Our “Best Books of the 21st Century” list showed surprising affection for works in translation. But where…
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50 Years Ago, ‘Jaws’ Hit Bookstores, Capturing the Angst of a Generation
In 1973, the first chapter of an unpublished novel was photocopied and passed around the Manhattan offices of Doubleday &…
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Don’t Worry, It’s Only Your ‘Friendly Neighborhood Slasher’
In Stephen Graham Jones’s new novel, a young outcast is forced to become a murderer fated to enact gory revenge.
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A Phenomenally Weird Tale of a Man and His Rodent Metropolis
In “Rat City,” Jon Adams and Edmund Ramsden explore the life, times and influence of the scientific Pied Piper, John…
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Elena Ferrante’s Novels Are Beloved. Her Identity Remains a Mystery.
The pseudonymous Italian author has become a worldwide phenomenon. But speculation about who she really is has followed her for…
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Read Your Way Through Prague
Prague has survived wars and political strife — and through it all, its literary scene has thrived. Jaroslav Kalfar, the…
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Megan Abbott, Bonnie Garmus and More Writers on the Books They Love
Some of their favorites didn’t make our “Best Books of the 21st Century” list — but these authors make a…