Books | Book Reviews
End the year on a high note with the 10 best books of DecemberThe 10 best books of December include a spy novel, essays by physicist Alan Lightman, and a group biography of four women scientists in Nazi Germany.
Woodrow Wilson stood on the wrong side of historyIn “Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn,” former U.S. Rep. Christopher Cox examines how the president undermined rights for women and Black people.
How Handel brought ‘The Messiah’ to life in bleak timesIn ”Every Valley,” Charles King compellingly recounts how the composer, in a mere three weeks, wrote the soaring music for which he is best known today.
A year of plentiful prose: The best books of 2024The year’s best books include the novel “James” by Percival Everett and a memoir by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
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Five glorious art books bring the gallery to your couchFrom Japanese printmaker Hokusai to women pioneers of the arts and crafts movement, the images in these volumes offer light and joy to art lovers.
The 10 best books of November set a bountiful table for readersDig in to the 10 best books of November, from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s nature essays to a biography of Johnny Carson.
‘Time of the Child’ gently pulls back the layers of an Irish villageIn Irish novelist Niall Williams’ “Time of the Child,” an abandoned baby changes the lives of the village doctor, his daughter, and the townspeople.
Five children’s picture books bring beauty and delight to story timeGorgeously illustrated children’s books provide visual worlds to explore, while the books’ hopeful messages will cheer young and old alike.
Raising hens: A nature writer celebrates the humble chickenSy Montgomery fell in love with the chickens she raised. In “What the Chicken Knows,” she reflects on their sociability and barnyard smarts.
Krakens, codes, and cliff-hangers: Six stories to delight young readersImmersive books for young readers include Kate DiCamillo’s “The Hotel Balzaar,” Katherine Rundell’s “Imaginary Creatures,” and four others.
Reagan left his mark on the Republican Party, and on the presidencyBiographer Max Boot charts the course of a politician who was famously affable and pragmatic, but who also resorted to racist dog whistles and played loose with facts.
Intervene or isolate? America’s role abroad has long been contested.America First was a rallying cry of isolationists in the 1930s. Charles Lindbergh, a spokesman for the movement, clashed with President Franklin D. Roosevelt over U.S. involvement.
Justice delayed: Why it’s so hard to free the wrongfully convictedIn “Bringing Ben Home,” Barbara Bradley Hagerty explores the long road toward exonerating Ben Spencer, a Black man imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit.
October’s 10 best books add up to a month of great readingThe 10 best books of October 2024 include a thrilling naval adventure, a novel about 19th-century New Orleans, and a history of Handel’s “Messiah.”
Monitor's Best: Top 5
Should the US give visas to highly skilled immigrants? Unpacking the debate.
These Memphis icons bolster Black radio – and their communities
In pursuit of a modern capital, Ethiopian leader razes history
The ExplainerWhy does Trump want to dismantle the Department of Education?
Difference MakerThe ‘Repair Café’ movement has become a powerful force for a fix-it culture
