The incisive autobiographical essays of Amy Lee Scott’s "When the World Explodes" ponder private tragedies and global threats. Eleven inquisitive pieces consider personal crises alongside natural disasters and gun violence. One links... Read More

Set in a postapocalyptic world, Ingvild Bjerkeland’s chilling novel "Beasts" is about children who hope to reunite with their father. Thirteen-year-old Abdi is the guardian of his five-year-old sister, Alva, since a beast killed their... Read More

Lida Maxwell’s enthusiastic academic study reappraises scientist Rachel Carson’s motivations in light of ecological crisis and queer studies. Although Carson grew up in Pennsylvania, her affinity for the ocean became paramount. On... Read More

In her outstanding book-length essay "Immemorial", Lauren Markham compares language, memorials, and rituals as strategies for coping with climate anxiety and grief. Monuments to famous men are passé, the work insists; instead, it is... Read More

Set in the 1960s and 1970s in a city where World War II still reverberates, Robert Seethaler’s tender novel "The Café with No Name" is about a Viennese restaurateur’s interactions with his acquaintances and customers. Robert,... Read More

"Bookstore Romance" collects diverse photographs and stories of couples who celebrated their engagements or weddings in a bookstore. The snappy chapters open by introducing the couples in terms of how they met, why the bookstores they... Read More

David Gessner’s engaging nature book "The Book of Flaco" is about an escaped owl and humanity’s impact on wild animals. Flaco, a Eurasian eagle-owl, lived in Central Park Zoo for thirteen years. In February 2023, people with... Read More

The Book Lover’s Almanac is a delightful daily compendium of literary facts and anecdotes. The monthly sections open with a rundown of prominent authors’ births and deaths and the dates when famous works were first issued or... Read More