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In 'The Catch,' estranged sisters confront a mystery surrounding their mother's death
Yrsa Daley-Ward's new novel The Catch has a mind-bending premise. Clara and Dempsey are twin sisters raised separately after their mother's mysterious death. Then, on their 30th birthday, Clara swear…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
Madeleine Thien's new novel 'The Book of Records' is a story that traverses centuries
It took author Madeleine Thien nearly a decade to write her new novel The Book of Records. In the story, 7-year-old Lina and her father take refuge at an imagined place called the Sea. There, buildin…
Published on 6 months, 1 week ago
'What Will People Think?' and 'Climbing in Heels' star women trying to make it big
New novels by Sara Hamdan and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas follow women in the entertainment industry who must balance ambition with the pressures of family, friendship and love. First, in What Will Peopl…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
'Theater Kid' is a memoir from the producer of 'Rent,' 'Avenue Q,' and 'Hamilton'
Jeffrey Seller says he found his home on stage from an early age. He grew up in the suburbs of Detroit as an adopted, gay, Jewish kid in a low-income family – but he was also a theater kid. In his ne…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
'Freedom Season' argues the events of 1963 transformed the civil rights movement
The year 1963 was a landmark one for the civil rights movement – and it's the subject of Peniel Joseph's new book Freedom Season. In the book, the University of Texas at Austin professor argues the e…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
In new memoir, women's college basketball coach Dawn Staley says she's a 'sore loser'
There's a statue of Dawn Staley in Columbia, South Carolina, where she's coached the University of South Carolina women's basketball team to three national championships. But she's from Philadelphia,…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
In debut novel 'Food Person,' a food writer ghostwrites a celebrity cookbook
In Adam Roberts' debut novel, a food writer named Isabella loses her job after fumbling a chocolate souffle demonstration on Instagram Live. But soon after, she is offered the opportunity to ghostwri…
Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Two authors consider how being a daughter shaped their relationship to motherhood
New books by Joy Harjo and Ruthie Ackerman focus on very different moments in the life cycle of motherhood. First, Harjo's new book Washing My Mother's Body is an illustrated version of a poem she wr…
Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago
In 'Anima Rising,' Gustav Klimt encounters a young woman under strange circumstances
In 1911 Vienna, a man on his way home spots the figure of a woman at the edge of the river. She is still, beautiful and nude, framed by tendrils of yellow hair. The man is Austrian painter Gustav Kli…
Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago
'Lost Marvels No. 1: Tower of Shadows' restores a lost chapter of comic book history
In the 1950s, horror comic books – featuring at times gory depictions of violence – were rising in popularity. But these comics triggered a moral panic, ultimately leading to the Comics Code Authorit…
Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago