All Books
Can plants talk and think? Some scientists say yes.“The Light Eaters” gives insights into how plants communicate, while “Alien Earths” explores the search for intelligent life on other planets.
A house in France becomes an American writer’s portal to historyJournalist T.D. Allman bought a centuries-old house in a French mountaintop village. His “In France Profound” offers an idiosyncratic take on rural life.
Jodi Picoult imagines a woman behind Shakespeare’s wordsWhat if Shakespeare paid a woman to write his plays? Jodi Picoult centers her novel on Elizabethan poet Emilia Bassano as the true author, weaving a tale of female empowerment.
Flip through the Monitor’s 10 best books of August 2024Our picks for August are more substantial than beach reads, but not as serious as the big September releases. They’re just right for the waning days of summer.
Why writer AJ Jacobs took up his quill to live like a Founding FatherCan a combination of humor and immersive experiments offer insight into both history and our own times? Author A.J. Jacobs seeks to understand the Supreme Court theory of originalism in “The Year of Living Constitutionally.”
‘A landless Indian’ discovers a sense of home and identityIn the memoir “Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home,” Chris La Tray weaves together personal and tribal history.
A century after his birth, writer and activist James Baldwin is everywhereOn James Baldwin’s 100th birthday, his works, which accompanied the rise of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, continue to influence writers and activists to this day.
He invented a midcentury modern chair that defies space – and timeIndustrial designer and entrepreneur David Rowland spent decades refining what became an icon of midcentury modern: the 40/4 chair.
‘Frederick Douglass: A Novel’ paints a picture of the man behind the mythFrederick Douglass, the legendary abolitionist and orator, has long shaped American thought. In this novel, readers get a deeper portrait of a complex man.
In the White House, Winston Churchill found a home away from homeWith a new biography, Robert Schmuhl walks readers through Winston Churchill’s frequent stays at the White House – and the strong bonds those sojourns forged.
What do scientists have to learn from wildlife? The value of diversity.Jasmin Graham’s fresh and innovative memoir details how her work as a “rogue” shark scientist pushes science to include more diverse perspectives.
The 10 best books of July 2024 to tuck in your beach bagOur picks for the best reads of July include novels about a comet, navigating love, and adapting to a new culture.
A ‘Walden’ way of seeing the world: How I found calm in Thoreau’s wordsDuring anxious times, I found inspiration in Thoreau’s classic “Walden.” Here are my four mindfulness takeaways.
How France became a global basketball powerhouseIn a Q&A, author Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff explains how the basketball rivalry between France and the U.S. shaped play in both countries.
A Holocaust survivor’s music inspires his granddaughter’s memoirIn “The Piano Player of Budapest,” musician Roxanne de Bastion inherits not only her grandfather’s cherished piano, but also his courageous history.
A missing artist sets a twisty mystery in motionIn Ellery Lloyd’s “The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby,” an art historian unravels the disappearance of a 1930s surrealist painter and her self-portrait.
No woman is an island. Especially if she lives on one.In “Welcome to Glorious Tuga,” a woman veterinarian travels to a remote island and becomes enmeshed in the lives of residents – particularly that of the local doctor.
Four books help children learn to be resilient and braveFour charming children’s books celebrate bravery and persistence, offering young readers inspiration that they, too, can find their superpower.
First LookAs book bans surge, LGBTQ+ library employees say the workplace no longer feels safeLGBTQ+ library workers say they are encountering hostile patrons even as lawmakers are increasingly considering lawsuits, fines, and even imprisonment for distributing books some regard as inappropriate.
Claire Lombardo’s ‘Same As It Ever Was’ delves into a longtime marriageIn “Same As It Ever Was,” novelist Claire Lombardo explores the restlessness, silences, and comforts that mark one woman’s decades-long relationship.
