Recent Reviews
Alan Brennert’s nostalgia-laced fiction
The 20th-century family saga has a brisk pace, unencumbered by hurdles of richness or complexity.
Book review: Philipp Meyer’s ‘The Son’
The author of ‘American Rust’ is back with a spectacular saga about the settling of Texas and the flow of oil.
Book review: ‘The Fix,’ by Damian Thompson
How addiction is taking over your world, and how you are empowered to stop it.
Book World: ‘My Life as a Weapon’ explores a superhero’s spare time
In comic series, writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja follow Avengers’ Hawkeye through daily life.
Khaled Hosseini’s exquisite ‘And the Mountains Echoed’
The bestselling author of “The Kite Runner” returns with another powerful story about Afghanistan.
‘Minotaur,’ by Benjamin Tammuz
A man becomes obsessed with a teenage girl, but does that obsession lead him to murder?
Book review: ‘The Golem and the Jinni,’ by Helene Wecker
Can modest golem and a mercurial jinni find love in Lower Manhattan?
Book review: ‘Wash,’ by Margaret Wrinkle
The harrowing story of a black man pressed into sexual slavery after the Revolutionary War.
Book review: ‘The Philosopher, the Priest, and the Painter’
Steven Nadler’s fascinating survey of Golden Age Dutch culture, Cartesian philosophy and art connoisseurship.
Book review: ‘Flora’ by Gail Godwin
Things fall apart when a young girl is left alone in the house with her emotional cousin.
Book review: ‘Raven Girl,’ by Audrey Niffenegger
The author of ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ returns with a novella for the Royal Ballet in London.
Book review: Eleanor Morse’s ‘White Dog Fell from the Sky’
A novel about the unusual friendship between a South African refugee and an American expatriate.
‘Paris,’ by Edward Rutherfurd
Author stuffs stale history lessons into his multi-generational journey through the City of Light.
Book review: ‘The Hand of Kornelius Voyt’
A supernatural mystery tale by Oliver Onions (1873-1961) stands with the best of its genre.
Trauma in Chechnya gives way to hope
REVIEW | In Anthony Marra’s “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,” neighbors struggle to survive.
Book review: Brian Kimberling’s ‘Snapper’
A scientist makes a meager living observing the effects of climate change on Indiana’s birds.
Sunday reviews
A nuanced portrait of the high court
In “The Roberts Court,” Marcia Coyle goes behind the scenes of four recent cases.
Our robotic friends and foes
Robots will see us, hear us and respond to us; they will recognize our faces and perceive our smiles.
New approach for U.S. Mideast policy
In “Beyond War,” David Rohde argues for the U.S. to work with moderates in the region.
Reinventing government, again
Gavin Newsom’s “Citizenville” and Cass Sunstein’s “Simpler” apply trendy thinking to an old tradition.
New luster for a hard-boiled gem
“They Don’t Dance Much” is attuned to the ambiguities of human behavior and tightly controlled.
Book review: ‘Cheat the Clock’
A science writer for The Washington Post, Margaret Webb Pressler decided to unravel the mystery of her husband’s biology.
How a mom educated her autistic son
In “The Spark,” Kristine Barnett tells how she and her son defied the experts.
Horrors of World War II
Rick Atkinson’s “The Guns at Last Light” reconstructs the war in compelling detail.
Behind creation of Dodd-Frank reform
In “Act of Congress,” Robert Kaiser shows how Congress succeeds and stumbles in governing.
The man who became pope
In “Pope Francis,” the new pontiff speaks in his own words on his life and his Church.
Robotic space exploration
In ‘Red Rover,’ Roger Wiens explores his work with the Curiosity mars rover and a laser that vaporizes rocks
Between vengeance and justice
In ‘Payback,’ Thane Rosenbaum examines why vengeance makes Americans squeamish
The life and times of Edna O’Brien
In ‘Country Girl’ the novelist reflects on her vigorous, fascinating life
African journey from bliss to sorrow
In “The Last Train to Zona Verde,” Paul Theroux goes to Africa to escape his routine.
Six weeks that saved the union
“Through the Perilous Fight” about the War of 1812 recounts the burning of Washington and Fort McHenry.
Washington Post Bestsellers May 19
The books Washington has been reading.
Washington: From cover to cover
From novels to history to cooking and ghost stories, Post editors and critics offer introduction to capital.
Ron Charles
Book review: Philipp Meyer’s ‘The Son’
The author of ‘American Rust’ is back with a spectacular saga about the settling of Texas and the flow of oil.
Ron Charles
Book review: ‘Flora’ by Gail Godwin
Things fall apart when a young girl is left alone in the house with her emotional cousin.
Ron Charles
Trauma in Chechnya gives way to hope
REVIEW | In Anthony Marra’s “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,” neighbors struggle to survive.
Michael Dirda
Book review: ‘The Philosopher, the Priest, and the Painter’
Steven Nadler’s fascinating survey of Golden Age Dutch culture, Cartesian philosophy and art connoisseurship.
Michael Dirda
Book review: ‘The Hand of Kornelius Voyt’
A supernatural mystery tale by Oliver Onions (1873-1961) stands with the best of its genre.
Michael Dirda
‘The Letters of William Gaddis’
The novelist won National Book Awards for “J R” and “A Frolic of His Own.”
Jonathan Yardley
The life and times of Edna O’Brien
In ‘Country Girl’ the novelist reflects on her vigorous, fascinating life
Jonathan Yardley
Seize the dad: Saul Bellow as father
Saul Bellow was a great writer but a distant father, according to his son’s memoir “Saul Bellow’s Heart.”
10 armies in hell: a World War II battle
In “Monte Cassino,” Peter Caddick-Adams recounts the fierce battle fought in Italy in 1944.
Literary Calendar
Going Out Guide: Upcoming events
Get the latest on readings, signings and author appearances in the D.C. area.
Elsewhere in Entertainment
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