All Books
- 'The Pope Who Would Be King' details the birth of the modern papacy
Author David Kertzer won a Pulitzer Prize in 2015 for his book 'The Pope and Mussolini.'
- 'Wade in the Water' is poet laureate Tracy K. Smith’s most overtly political collection
Much of the subject matter of 'Wade in the Water' takes its inspiration from the headlines, but ruminations on pregnancy and motherhood strikes a more hopeful and humorous note.
- With tell-all, Comey joins club of ex-officials turned scribes
Former FBI Director James Comey's memoir, out Tuesday, joins a long list of juicy tomes by Washington power players. Beyond settling scores, the best can offer real insight into the inner workings of government. Here are some classics of the genre.
- In 'The Feather Thief,' a British bird burglary exposes a hidden world
This true story about the theft of a bunch of bird skins is one of the most peculiar and memorable true-crime books ever.
- 'The Class of '74' chronicles a young, liberal, and impatient House of Representatives
Author John A. Lawrence had a front row seat to observe the times as they were a-changing.
- 'Something Wonderful' unpacks the magic behind Rodgers and Hammerstein
Purdum does a fine job of drawing readers into the spirited, gossipy world of Broadway theater – a world that Rodgers and Hammerstein drastically re-shaped.
- The 19th-century censor who pushed Americans too far
Historian Amy Werbel, author of the new book 'Lust on Trial,' explores the divisive and influential career of Anthony Comstock.
- 'Neruda' plumbs the man behind the legend
Although Eisner's fascination with the celebrated poet sometimes lapses into hagiography, he frankly chronicles Neruda’s dark side.
- 10 best books of April: the Monitor's picks
From Greek mythology to Southern cuisine to a final outing for a beloved detective, here are the 10 April books that most impressed the Monitor's book critics.
- 'Wild is the Wind' explores those things made all the more beautiful because they can’t last
The verse of Carl Phillips often seems like an interior monologue on which the reader is casually eavesdropping.
- 'Greeks Bearing Gifts' will be the penultimate in the popular 'Bernie Gunther' series begun in Nazi Germany
The 'Bernie Gunther' books were uniformly superb and reflected their hangdog protagonist: tough, cynical, very quotable, and ultimately, even quixotically, idealistic.
- 'Two Sisters' follows a father trying to bring his two daughters home from jihad in Syria
Norwegian journalist Asne Seierstad follows the true story of an immigrant who left Somaliland for Europe – only to see his daughters become radicalized and flee to support the Islamic State.
- Author Daniel Kalder discusses the strange and scary world of 'dictator literature'
Tyrants, it turns out, like to write. And they like to force people to read their books.
- 'See What Can Be Done' is a testament to the breadth of Lorrie Moore’s intellect
There is an edge to Moore’s vision, sardonic and self-deprecating.
- First LookDespite decline, bookmobiles connect and enrich communities
Across the country, librarians drive around 650 bookmobiles, providing a vital service in rural areas with limited access to libraries and the internet. Most importantly, says a Kentucky librarian Sandra Hennessee, her bookmobile helps provide a sense of community.
- First LookDespite decline, bookmobiles connect and enrich communities
Across the country, librarians drive around 650 bookmobiles, providing a vital service in rural areas with limited access to libraries and the internet. Most importantly, says a Kentucky librarian Sandra Hennessee, her bookmobile helps provide a sense of community.
- Poet and Iraqi exile Dunya Mikhail's book 'The Beekeeper' serves as testimony for the victims of ISIS
Mikhail devotes much of 'The Beekeeper' to transcribing the stories of the Yazidi women of northern Iraq who have been driven from their homes, sold into sexual slavery, and yet, remarkably, survived.
- 8 new baseball books for Opening Day Here are excerpts from eight new titles on baseball.
- 'The Family Medici' vividly and clearly tells the story of one clan's merciless self-aggrandizement
The Medici men and women portrayed by Mary Hollingsworth are generous art patrons, but always with the end goal of burnishing their own reputations and making Florence their sole possession.
- First LookSpanish booksellers deploy 'Don Quixote' in free speech battle
Booksellers in Spain are using a digital tool built with 17th century 'Don Quixote' to recreate a banned book and protest censorship. In the digital age, banning books is 'ridiculous and anachronistic,' the Madrid Booksellers's Guild says.