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Charles Murray’s ‘Coming Apart: The State of White America’
Monday, February 6, 2012 10:27:22 AM CST
The political scientist Charles Murray has a new book, “Coming Apart,” which depicts members of white elites as hypocrites living in a bubble and the white working class as succumbing to moral decay.
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Books of The Times: Anne Sebba on Duchess of Windsor, Scotty Bowers on Himself
Monday, February 6, 2012 5:05:18 AM CST
Anne Sebba looks at the Duchess of Windsor in a new biography; Scotty Bowers’s memoir reveals Hollywood’s sexual secrets.
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On Baseball: Far From a Storybook Ending, a So-So Pitcher Turns the Page
Sunday, February 5, 2012 12:48:17 AM CST
The best writer in a baseball uniform, Dirk Hayhurst pitched briefly for the 2008 San Diego Padres and the 2009 Toronto Blue Jays, and is now leaving the country to play and write in Italy.
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Sunday Routine | Nathan Englander: For Nathan Englander, Sunday Is a Day to Roam and Write
Sunday, February 5, 2012 10:12:10 AM CST
For Nathan Englander, the novelist, short-story writer and soon-to-be playwright, Sundays are about spending quality time with his girlfriend and their puppy in Brooklyn.
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John H. Davis, Chronicler of Kennedys and Others, Dies at 82
Monday, February 6, 2012 11:26:51 AM CST
Mr. Davis’s eight books included tomes on the Kennedys, the Guggenheims, the Gambinos and the Bouviers, to whom he was related.
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Off the Shelf: ‘Strings Attached’ Looks at Incentives and Ethics — Review
Sunday, February 5, 2012 12:05:37 AM CST
Everywhere we turn, we’re being offered incentives to act a certain way. A new book ponders the ethical issues of the incentive culture.
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Books of The Times: Christopher Bram’s ‘Eminent Outlaws,’ on American Gay Writers
Friday, February 3, 2012 3:30:10 PM CST
Christopher Bram’s book is a critical and biographical survey of America’s gay writers in the second half of the 20th century.
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Books of The Times: ‘In Our Prime: The Invention of Middle Age,’ by Patricia Cohen
Friday, February 3, 2012 11:06:04 AM CST
In her new book, Patricia Cohen charts the invention and evolution of middle age and considers what the concept means today.
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Dorothy Gilman, Spy Novelist, Dies at 88
Sunday, February 5, 2012 6:24:06 AM CST
Ms. Gilman was best known for her “Mrs. Pollifax” series of books about a widow who goes to work as a secret agent.
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Books of The Times: The Kama Sutra, Newly Translated
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 3:35:06 PM CST
A new translation of the original Kama Sutra, like the original manuscript, has no drawings but much detail and advice on sexuality and society.
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Elmore Leonard Returns With ‘Raylan’
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:55:54 PM CST
U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, now the star of the TV show “Justified,” returns to confront gambling, mining and organ trafficking in Elmore Leonard’s latest.
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‘The Science of Yoga’ Considers the Practice’s Benefits
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:56:04 PM CST
William J. Broad explores yoga’s winding path and weighs claims about the practice’s benefits.
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The Letters William S. Burroughs Wrote at the Height of His Success
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:55:57 PM CST
William Burroughs’s letters from the years of his literary success.
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Three Books Explore the Reality Behind the World of ‘Downton Abbey’
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:56:04 PM CST
Three books explore the true lives behind the fictional world of “Downton Abbey.”
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‘Stay Awake,’ Stories by Dan Chaon
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:56:06 PM CST
Dan Chaon’s characters wander between ordinary lives and psychological shadowlands in this collection.
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Film Director Neil Jordan’s Novel ‘Mistaken’
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:55:59 PM CST
Film director Neil Jordan’s fifth novel follows two men who can pass for each other.
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Tony Judt Reviews His Life’s Journey
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:56:02 PM CST
In a dialogue with another historian, Tony Judt reviews his life’s journey.
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‘Da Vinci’s Ghost’ Examines One of the Artist’s Most Famous Images
Saturday, February 4, 2012 11:22:50 PM CST
Toby Lester examines one of the world’s most intriguing drawings.
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‘These Dreams of You,’ by Steve Erickson
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:55:54 PM CST
Through the lens of one household, Steve Erickson’s novel spans history, continents and realities.
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‘Immortal Bird,’ Doron Weber’s Lament for His Son
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:55:54 PM CST
A father describes, and rages at, the loss of his teenage son.
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‘No One Is Here Except All of Us,’ Ramona Ausubel’s Fablelike Novel
Monday, February 6, 2012 8:32:01 AM CST
In Ramona Ausubel’s fablelike novel, a Romanian village shields itself from the Nazis through sheer force of imagination.
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What Elizabeth Taylor Did For Women’s Rights
Saturday, February 4, 2012 11:22:51 PM CST
M. G. Lord sees feminist themes in the roles of Elizabeth Taylor.
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‘The Night Swimmer,’ by Matt Bondurant
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:55:56 PM CST
An American couple’s marriage spins out of control after they become proprietors of a moldering Irish local.
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Essay: Grand Allusion
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:55:54 PM CST
Failed allusions produce feelings of betrayal on all sides. Is the speaker a snob or the listener a dolt?
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Editorial | Sunday Observer: The Whirling Sound of Planet Dickens
Monday, January 30, 2012 9:57:04 AM CST
Charles Dickens, who would have been 200 next month, had amazing energy, for writing and for life.
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ArtsBeat: Book Review Podcast: The Real 'Downton Abbey' and the Feminism of Elizabeth Taylor
Friday, February 3, 2012 2:00:55 PM CST
Judith Newman talks about three books that explore the real-life inspirations for the hit TV series "Downton Abbey."
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ArtsBeat: Graphic Books Best Sellers: Stan Lee Puts a Sci-Fi Twist on Shakespeare
Friday, February 3, 2012 1:23:52 PM CST
"Romeo and Juliet: The War," co-written by Stan Lee, enters the hardcover and paperback lists at No. 7.
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ArtsBeat: Notable Authors Give Snail Mail a Boost
Friday, February 3, 2012 12:31:12 PM CST
Stephen Elliott, Dave Eggers and Mary Robinette Kowal are among the authors looking to revive the art of writing letters.
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Up Front
Friday, February 3, 2012 10:37:40 AM CST
Judith Newman’s interest in worlds that clearly divide the public and private.
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TBR: Inside the List
Friday, February 3, 2012 10:36:52 AM CST
A book about JFK falls off the list, but RoseMarie Terenzio’s “Fairy Tale Interrupted,” about her years as John F. Kennedy Jr.’s executive assistant, enters the nonfiction hardcover list at No. 8.
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Editors’ Choice
Saturday, February 4, 2012 11:22:53 PM CST
Recently reviewed books of particular interest.
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Paperback Row
Friday, February 3, 2012 10:37:14 AM CST
Paperback books of particular interest.