Tracy Kidder, a wide-ranging journalist and author whose deep reporting and novelistic prose illuminated worlds as diverse as home construction, disease prevention and — as portrayed in his prizewinning 1981 breakthrough book, “The Soul of a New Machine” — the computer industry, died on Tuesday in Boston. Read more
New Biography of Larry McMurtry Published
McMurtry, the most famous, beloved and multimedia-successful writer to come out of North Central Texas, or indeed out of all Texas, was a storyteller first and foremost. His life revolved around books: reading, writing, collecting and selling them. And when it came to talking or writing about himself and his background, as he was often called upon to do, his stories sometimes evolved into Texas tall tales. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Horror Novel ‘Shy Girl’ Canceled Over Suspected A.I. Use
Hachette Book Group, one of the largest publishers in the United States, pulled a forthcoming horror novel on Thursday in a decision that followed widespread allegations online that the author relied heavily on artificial intelligence to write the book. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Len Deighton, Author of Espionage Best-Sellers, Dies at 97
Len Deighton, the British author who brought a documentary-style realism to the spy genre in 1960s Cold War thrillers like “The Ipcress File” and “Funeral in Berlin,” the film versions of which helped make Michael Caine an international star, died on Sunday at his home in Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between England and France. Read more
How the Pentagon Got Hooked on AI War Machines
An excerpt from the coming book Project Maven shows how the US enlisted Silicon Valley in its vision for AI warfare, now playing out in Iran. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
How Math and Literature Are Unexpectedly Connected
“The universe is full of underlying structure, pattern, and regularity, and mathematics is the best tool we have for understanding it,” writes [Sarah] Hart in her book, Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature. “That’s why mathematics is often called the language of the universe, and why it is so vital to science.” In her book, Hart reveals a long list of literary greats who love mathematics such as James Joyce, Edgar Allan Poe and George Eliot. She also points to popular authors today who use math in their work like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Michael Crichton who wrote Jurassic Park.
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Histories of Native American Treaties and Anti-Chinese Violence Win Bancroft Prize
The award, one of the most prestigious in the field of American history, honors “scope, significance, depth of research and richness of interpretation.” Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
‘Scarpetta’ Premieres March 11 on Prime Video
With skilled hands and an unnerving eye, Dr. Kay Scarpetta tries to unmask a serial killer and prove that her career-making case from 28 years earlier isn’t also her undoing. Watch trailer
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Here Are a Few Offbeat Books You Might Enjoy
Every book is a doorway into another world, and some worlds are weirder than others. We asked members of the campus community to recommend a few that expand our notions of what literature can be. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
Winners of 2026 Audie Awards Announced
Matriarch by Tina Knowles and Truly by Lionel Richie are among the audiobooks that were honored at the 2026 Audie Awards, which were presented on Monday (March 2) at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. The awards, which are presented by The Audio Publishers Association, recognize distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment. Read more
(We earn a small commission if you click above and buy the book at Bookshop.org)
