All Books
- Brought up in one family, but belonging to another
Stolen from the hospital as a newborn, she grew up thinking the woman who raised her was her mother. Learning the truth as an adult leads to soul-searching in the novel “Mother Tongue.”
- The uneasy ‘inbetweenness’ of lives that cross borders
In Manuel Muñoz’s short story collection “The Consequences,” each individual receives the gift of consideration. These are lives as deserving of attention and grace as any other.
- How to beat the cold and dark? Icelanders cozy up with books.
Iceland’s “book flood” at Christmas reflects a tradition that puts literature front and center. The country’s small population settles in for a winter of good reading and quiet cheer.
- Wrapping up the year in books: The best of 2022
Curated by Monitor reviewers, our best books of 2022 build awareness, encourage compassion, and demonstrate our shared humanity.
- Where morality and politics collide: How Abraham Lincoln held his ground
Lincoln was by no means perfect, but his convictions took the country forward, writes historian Jon Meacham in “And There Was Light.”
- Circus trains, calligraphy, and coming of age: December’s 10 best books
Our December fiction picks take readers from Italy and Iraq to India and South Africa. In nonfiction, an exploration of U.S.-China relations challenges long-held assumptions.
- ‘Blackwater Falls’ is a whodunit that goes below the surface
To solve the mystery of refugee killings in a small Colorado town, a female Muslim detective must look beneath appearances in Ausma Zehanat Khan’s fresh, urgent, and rousing novel.
- Samuel Adams sparked the flame of the American Revolution
More than his cousin John Adams, Samuel Adams stirred anti-Crown sentiment among the colonists that helped the American Revolution take root.
- Margaret Sullivan: ‘There is a moral component to a life in journalism’
A veteran journalist urges news organizations to lean in on their core strengths: serving the public good and the cause of democracy.
- Beyond ‘positive thinking’: How a philosophy professor sustains hope
In “Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way,” Kieran Setiya extols living the examined life, particularly when difficulties arise.
- How Native Americans’ resistance shaped the United States
“Indigenous Continent” presents a complex view of Native Americans as significant actors whose opposition and resilience impacted the formation of the country.
- How Alfred Molina found his superpower in ‘Three Pines’
Some actors love a good villain. But with Inspector Gamache, conceived as the embodiment of decency, Alfred Molina says that humanity has made it one of the best roles he’s played.
- The Himalayas exert a pull on Western imagination
Explorers, armies, and tourists over centuries wrought changes to the Tibetan plateau, writes John Keay in “Himālaya: Exploring the Roof of the World.”
- Misinformation isn’t new. Colonial America was rife with it.
In “Misinformation Nation,” historian Jordan E. Taylor explores America’s long history of partisan news.
- Bears, bees, and a twist on ‘Goldilocks’ enliven latest children’s books
“Gold” transforms the familiar “Goldilocks” story, while the other children’s picture books we chose nurture feelings of belonging and connection.
- The path to Hiroshima and Nagasaki began with the firebombing of Tokyo
'Black Snow' examines the U.S. firebombing of Tokyo in 1945, and public attitudes toward targeting civilians, which set the stage for use of the atomic bomb.
- Ian McEwan’s ‘Lessons’ explores complex emotional terrain
The novel "Lessons" by Ian McEwan traces the arc of a man’s life, and the struggle to overcome the stain of early abuse, to find his footing.
- Mystery, movies, and Arthur Miller enliven November’s 10 best books
Arthur Miller, Louise Penny, and Russell Banks lead the choices for the 10 best books of November.
- ‘I grew in leaps and bounds’: Dancer Misty Copeland reflects
Misty Copeland’s book, “The Wind at My Back,” celebrates her journey as a Black ballerina, with a bow to her mentor Raven Wilkinson and other forebears.
- Fast and fabulous: Cookbooks with recipes that come together in a snap
Busy people relish cookbooks with recipes that call for less time, more taste. A recent set of titles provides clever tips, tricks, and shortcuts.