Search results for

Who says humor books can't be serious? Critic Heller McAlpin recommends some light but not weightless reads on mostly modern dilemmas: the pitfalls of class snobbery, what to do with those expensive higher degrees, the challenges of long marriages, and why otherwise rational women wear high heels.

The South Carolina Republican, a prominent figure in Congress, dropped his own bid for president in November. Now Scott is throwing his support behind former President Donald Trump.

Poet Billy Collins revels in his love of words, while debut novelist Cara Hoffman brings poetry to a murder mystery. In nonfiction, historian Adam Hochschild takes a fresh look at WWI, former CIA operative Robert Baer tells the story of his marriage to another spy, and Alexandra Styron comes to terms with her famous novelist father, William Styron.

Julian Barnes returns with a Booker Prize-winning novel while Michael Parker wins big praise for his historical story set in North Carolina. In nonfiction, there are memoirs by writer Joan Didion and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, plus David M. Eagleman looks into the secret life of the brain.

The union representing the magazine's staff said that SI's publisher plans to cut "a significant number, possibly all" of its union-represented staff.

Looking for a good summer sci-fi or fantasy read? Annalee Newitz of io9 picks her five favorites, from the tale of a time-traveling serial killer, to a cryogenics company that produces "bridesicles," and a compilation of supposedly lost Wikipedia entries.

From post-apocalyptic character studies to speculative paleontology, reviewer Annalee Newitz says this year's best science fiction stretches boundaries and crosses genres. She also sees a strong resurgence in political themes, with a focus on civilizations on the brink of transformation or collapse.

Some of these novels will touch your heart; others will challenge your mind. One will make you laugh — a few might make you cry. But all of these books recommended by NPR's Lynn Neary will give you and your friends plenty to talk about.

In fiction, a novel from Nobel Prize-winner Nadine Gordimer, a posthumous thriller from Michael Crichton and a sensual werewolf tale from Anne Rice arrive in paperback. In softcover nonfiction, Paul Krugman confronts our economic depression, and Charles Murray looks at the U.S. class divide.

Critic Alan Cheuse believes that summer — with its long, hot, drowsy days — may be the best season for reading poetry. His recommendations include works by Poets Laureate Robert Pinsky and W.S. Merwin, and a novel in verse by the late essayist David Rakoff.