Review

Janelle Monáe’s first book expands the world of her music

"The Memory Librarian," by Janelle Monáe, is a story collection about a dystopian near-future surveillance state where all who don’t conform are hunted down.

By Stephanie PhillipsApril 20, 2022
Review

In ‘The Red Zone,’ Chloe Caldwell documents life with PMDD

Chloe Caldwell's memoir is about establishing a peace accord with her own period, whose cyclical hormonal fluctuations wreak havoc on her body and relationships.

By Kristen Millares YoungApril 20, 2022
Review

Splashy mystery novels are not for me. Here’s what I’d pick instead.

"‘Gripping" books grip me too much. I prefer the clever who-and-howdunits of writers like Will Thomas, Guillermo Martinez and Stuart Palmer.

By Michael DirdaApril 20, 2022

Washington Post paperback bestsellers

A snapshot of popular books.

April 19, 2022
Review

Neo-Romanticism fell out of fashion. It’s time for another look.

"Theatres of Melancholy," by Patrick Mauriès, presents an alternative history of modern art which makes the case for the importance of a loosely aligned group of painters termed the Neo-Romantics.

By Reagan UpshawApril 19, 2022

Harry Potter’s Bonnie Wright discusses her career pivot

The Harry Potter star discusses her new book "Go Gently."

By Laura BarcellaApril 19, 2022
Review

Dreaming of France? Two new mystery novels will feed your fantasies.

Martin Walker’s ‘Bruno’s Challenge’ and Cara Black’s ‘Murder at the Porte de Versailles’ should come with wine and cheese.

By Michael SimsApril 16, 2022
OutlookReview

In 1973, Leonard Cohen hated his life. Then he went to a war zone.

A trip to Israel during the Yom Kippur War sparked a revival in the songwriter, Matti Friedman writes.

By Diane ColeApril 15, 2022
OutlookReview

An eye-opening portrait of bin Laden, drawn from his personal files

Based on documents recovered from his compound, Nelly Lahoud argues that al-Qaeda and its leader were greatly diminished after 9/11.

By Karen J. GreenbergApril 15, 2022
OutlookReview

How a devastating cyclone led to a genocide and a new nation

The Great Bhola Cyclone of 1970 kicked off a period of death and chaos in what is now Bangladesh, as Scott Carney and Jason Miklian recount.

By Manuel Roig-FranziaApril 15, 2022