Including explosive tell-alls, dreamy fantasy, and what may be the best fiction narration out there. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Author: GR
The Curious Notoriety of ‘Performative Reading’
Performative reading has emerged as a suspicious activity not because reading books is suspect but because being beheld reading a book is understood to be yet another way for one to market himself, to portray to the world that he is indeed deeper and more expansive than his craven need for attention—demonstrated by reading a difficult book in public—suggests. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Our Favorite New Cookbooks of 2025
To round up 2025’s best cookbooks, we consulted a large group: Bon Appétit and Epicurious staffers, as well as other food writers and editors, cookbook authors, and chefs. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025
…our reviewers were free to read any small press books they chose, and as a result you’ll find this list dappled with well-known presses, such as Tin House and Europa Editions. But for every Graywolf, we feature presses that are not household names, like LittlePuss and Publication Studio and Kallisto Gaia. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Daniel Woodrell, ‘Country Noir’ Novelist of ‘Winter’s Bone,’ Dies at 72
Daniel Woodrell, a novelist known for prose as rugged and elemental as the igneous rock of the Ozark Mountains, his birthplace, which he returned to just as his artistic craftsmanship peaked, died on Friday at his home in West Plains, Mo. Read more
Tom Stoppard, Award-Winning Playwright of Witty Drama, Dies at 88
Tom Stoppard, the Czech-born English playwright who entwined erudition with imagination, verbal pyrotechnics with arch cleverness, and philosophical probing with heartache and lust in stage works that won accolades and awards on both sides of Atlantic, earning critical comparisons to Shakespeare and Shaw, has died at his home in Dorset, England. Read more
‘This Year: 365 Songs Annotated’ by John Darnielle
Too often, lyrics collections can be little more than keepsakes for fans, easily thrown together and presented without any context or new material. That was never going to be the case for Darnielle—the indie folk musician has always had a strong literary bent, as evidenced by his three well-received novels, Wolf in White Van (2014), Universal Harvester (2017), and Devil House (2022). His new book, which shares its title with one of his most well-known songs, is structured as a book of days, with a song for each one. He writes, “Some are accompanied by detailed explications, and some by autobiographical reflections; some get elliptical glosses and some get extended question marks.” The lyrics are brilliant; Darnielle is one of the best songwriters of his generation, and his words are achingly beautiful, sometimes angry and triumphant… Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Did You Know Mapmakers Used to Make Up Fake Towns in Order to Catch Plagiarists?
Incidentally, this concept where creators add subtle little incorrect details to protect their copyright isn’t just limited to maps. You can (or, if they’re doing it right, you can’t) find made-up words in dictionaries, fictional entries in encyclopedias, fake phone numbers in phone books, non-existent businesses in business directories, meaningless strings in software code, extra screws in architectural plans, bad advice in medical textbooks and glaring factual errors in light-hearted books about maps. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
‘The Pornographic Delicatessen’ Wins Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year
The Pornographic Delicatessen edged early bookies’ favourite Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by a mere two votes – and it finished only four ahead of Why the Hindenburg Had a Smoking Lounge: Essays in Unintended Consequences. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
‘Languages of Home’ by John Edgar Wideman
Novelist, essayist, and critic Wideman delivers a profound, career-spanning collection of essays on literature, sports, and culture … Incisive and enthralling, the collection puts Wideman’s keen critical eye and cultural awareness on full display. The result is an essential chronicle of the American experience. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
