Book Reviews

'Beatlebone' Is A Fictional Lennon's Magical Mystery Tour

3:02pm November 18, 2015

by Jean Zimmerman

Kevin Barry's hallucinatory new novel imagines John Lennon in 1978, at his lowest, wandering around Ireland (with a very mysterious tour guide) in search of a private island he bought but can't find.

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Book Review: 'Catalog Of Unabashed Gratitude,' Ross Gay

5:01pm November 17, 2015

Tess Taylor reviews Ross Gay's collection, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude.

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'Target In The Night' Scores A Solid Hit

12:30pm November 17, 2015

by Michael Schaub

Ricardo Piglia's new novel is a brainy, postmodern, sometimes funny take on the classic detective novel. Critic Michael Schaub says it has echoes of DeLillo and Pynchon, but is wholly original.

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Dear Mary-Louise Parker, You've Written A Great Book

6:37pm November 16, 2015

by Jean Zimmerman

The actor's new memoir is disguised as a collection of letters to the men in her life. Critic Jean Zimmerman praises Parker's willingness to show vulnerability and her excellent, stylish writing.

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Book Review: 'Wild Hundreds,' Nate Marshall

5:10pm November 13, 2015

Tess Taylor reviews Nate Marshall's poetry collection, Wild Hundreds.

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'This Old Man' Is A Wry, Nimble Take On Life, Aging And Baseball

2:33pm November 12, 2015

by Maureen Corrigan

At 95, New Yorker editor Roger Angell has written decades' worth of books and articles. Maureen Corrigan says it's a great pleasure to spend time in the company of his latest book, This Old Man.

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'Hotels Of North America' Gets 4 Stars

11:53am November 12, 2015

by Jason Sheehan

Rick Moody's new novel takes the form of online travel reviews written by the lonely but oddly eloquent Reginald Morse. Critic Jason Sheehan says it's Moody at his most inventive, playful and biting.

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A Rambling Love Letter To The Silver Screen In 'How To Watch'

10:03am November 12, 2015

by Genevieve Valentine

Veteran film critic David Thomson's new book will get you thinking about the magic of film — but his personal, meandering arguments are sometimes too personal and too disjointed to land solidly.

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'The Night Clock' Ticks With Wit, Fright And Fantasy

5:57pm November 11, 2015

by Jason Heller

Paul Meloy's debut novel fuses humor, horror and personal experience. It's the story of a 40-something psychiatric nurse who discovers he's a part of a cosmic battle against the forces of nightmare.

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The Entire Soviet Union Fits Into 'The Big Green Tent'

12:03pm November 11, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Ludmila Ulitskaya's new novel follows three childhood friends in the years after Stalin's death — and the dozens of characters their lives intersect with — in a masterpiece of detail and ambition.