Recent Reviews

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.

Book review: ‘The Dark,’ by Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen

A little boy faces the inky darkness in this charming book for children.

Book review for kids: ‘The Beatles Were Fab’

This picture-book introduction to the Beatles is a loving tribute.

YA Book review: ‘Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass’

Meg Medina’s gritty new novel for teens tackles the subject of bullying straight on.

Three new novels about Zelda Fitzgerald

Therese Anne Fowler, Erika Robuck and R.Clifton Spargo reimagine the most romantic couple of the ’20s.

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

Dinner with Churchill

Cita Stelzer goes to the table with the great British statesman

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

Washington: From cover to cover

From novels to history to cooking and ghost stories, Post editors and critics offer introduction to capital.

Ron Charles

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

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

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

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

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

Michael Dirda

‘The Letters of William Gaddis’

The novelist won National Book Awards for “J R” and “A Frolic of His Own.”

Jonathan Yardley

Jonathan Yardley

The life and times of Edna O’Brien

In ‘Country Girl’ the novelist reflects on her vigorous, fascinating life

Jonathan Yardley

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

Going Out Guide: Upcoming events

Get the latest on readings, signings and author appearances in the D.C. area.