When Is It OK to Give Up on a Book? Our Readers Have Thoughts.
From carefree dabblers to book group die-hards, everyone, it seems, has an opinion. Just don’t tell them theirs is wrong.
NYT > Books
Latest posts
As the Old Files Open, One Family Confronts Another’s Dark Nazi Past
A woman who secured the criminal file of her grandmother, a collaborator, offered to share it with a Jewish family that had been betrayed. Then she balked and a new dispute ensued.
Book Review: ‘The Maltese Version,’ by Katy Simpson Smith
Are the 30-somethings in Katy Simpson Smith’s “The Maltese Version” in love? That depends on how you define it.
Book Review: ‘Days of Miracle and Wonder,’ by Ashley Kahn
In “Days of Miracle and Wonder,” Ashley Kahn revisits the “trials and triumphs” of Paul Simon’s “Graceland.”
Jason Arday, Cambridge Professor Accused of Plagiarism, Is Found Dead
Mr. Arday resigned last week after the university announced an investigation into allegations of plagiarism and fabrication.
Raoul Vaneigem, Whose Manifesto Inspired 1968 Revolt in France, Dies at 92
“The Revolution of Everyday Life,” published in 1967, was his cri de coeur against mindless work, materialism and authority.
Books Our Editors Loved This Week
Reading recommendations from critics and editors at The New York Times.
Children’s Picture Books About Sleep and Dreaming
New works cover everything from dreams to gods to insomnia.
How Thrillers Hook You With Their First Sentence
Can our Book Review editor, Tina Jordan, guess thrillers from their first sentence? In this game we explore a few of the books from The New York Times’s “50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century” list; and learn a bit more about why opening sentences are so important to get people reading.
Come for the Cottage in ‘Heated Rivalry.’ Stay for Everything Else.
The chance to see the hideaway from the hit queer hockey romance lured me to Canada’s cottage country. But it was the glistening lakes and weep-worthy sunsets that won me over.
Great Movie and TV Adaptations From 21st- Century Thrillers
From “Slow Horses” to “Big Little Lies,” our list of great psychological thrillers, spy novels and crime fiction have inspired a heap of great adaptations.
Readers Choose the Best Thrillers and Mysteries of the Century
The backbone of the list: nine novels by Tana French, and five novels each from John le Carré, Kate Atkinson and Mick Herron.
John Crowley, Author of Reality-Blurring Fantasy Novels Like ‘Little, Big,‘ Dies at 83
The eminent critic Harold Bloom called his 1981 book “Little, Big” a “neglected masterpiece” and one of the best novels of the 20th century.
Johanna Fernández, Historian of the Young Lords, Dies at 55
She wrote an award-winning book about the leftist collective, a Latino counterpart to the Black Panthers.
Book Review: ‘Hannah Arendt,’ by Thomas Meyer
An ungainly new biography by the German philosopher Thomas Meyer purports to situate Arendt in the context of her own era.
Walking the King Charles III England Coast Path, Now Open to All
Paul Theroux traced the British coastline in 1982 for his book “The Kingdom by the Sea.” This year he walked parts of the new King Charles III England Coast Path, a continuous route along the country’s seashore.
In These Novels, Rich People Behave Badly. Very Badly.
The best-selling author Hannah Whitten recommends thrillers, horror, fantasy novels and more about the misdeeds of the ultrawealthy (and their comeuppance).
Richard Lingeman, Cultural Historian and Biographer, Dies at 95
He spent decades as a magazine editor and wrote an acclaimed history of small-town America, as well as biographies of the novelists Theodore Dreiser and Sinclair Lewis.
Book Review: ‘A Tender Age,’ by Chang-rae Lee
In his new book, Chang-rae Lee follows a 10-year-old into the social powder kegs of schoolyards and summer camps.
Book Review: ‘Sunrise,’ by Téa Obreht
In “Sunrise,” Téa Obreht mashes up Western gothic, murder mystery and survival saga.
Book Review: ‘Under the Falls,’ by Richard Russo
In Richard Russo’s new novel, “Under the Falls,” a singer reckons with his troubled past and the community he left behind.
Barack Obama to Host New Podcast, ‘A Great Book’
The former president will discuss works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and Marilynne Robinson, among others, in a podcast that will premiere in September.
Takeaways From Jason Arday’s Memoir
The British scholar resigned from Cambridge after the university, which made him its youngest Black professor in 2023, began investigating his academic qualifications.
Book Review: ‘The Jackal,’ by Joby Warrick
In his new book, Joby Warrick traces the rise and fall of Carlos the Jackal, the notorious terrorist-for-hire.
The Best Romance Novels of 2024 (So Far)
Looking for an escapist love story? Here are 2024’s sexiest, swooniest reads.
What Book Should You Read Next?
Finding a book you’ll love can be daunting. Let us help.
Martin Amis: An Appreciation
Our critic assesses the achievement of Martin Amis, Britain’s most famous literary son.
In ‘Fires in the Dark,’ Kay Redfield Jamison Turns to Healers
In “Fires in the Dark,” Jamison, known for her expertise on manic depression, delves into the quest to heal. Her new book, she says, is a “love song to psychotherapy.”
Book Review: ‘NB by J.C.,’ by James Campbell
“NB by J.C.” collects the variegated musings of James Campbell in the Times Literary Supplement.
Book Review: ‘Dom Casmurro,’ by Machado de Assis
“Dom Casmurro,” by Machado de Assis, teaches us to read — and reread — with precise detail and masterly obfuscation.
The Detective Novel ‘Whose Body?,’ by Dorothy L. Sayers, Turns 100
Dorothy L. Sayers dealt with emotional and financial instability by writing “Whose Body?,” the first of many to star the detective Lord Peter Wimsey.
Book Review: ‘The Late Americans,’ by Brandon Taylor
Brandon Taylor’s novel circulates among Iowa City residents, some privileged, some not, but all aware that their possibilities are contracting.
Martin Amis’s Best Books: A Guide
The acclaimed British novelist was also an essayist, memoirist and critic of the first rank.