Best books of 2006: “The Year of Magical Thinking,” by Joan Didion

Editor’s note: Join us in celebrating the end of 2006 by revisiting some of our favorite books of the year—like The Year of Magical Thinking, which we originally reviewed in April.
Joan Didion is at her best in The Year of Magical Thinking, an unusual memoir in which she applies her uniquely acute observation skills to […]

Best books of 2006: “The Night Watch,” by Sarah Waters

Editor’s note: Join us in celebrating the end of 2006 by revisiting some of our favorite books of the year—like The Night Watch, which we originally reviewed in June.
Set in 1940s wartime London, The Night Watch is the quietly engaging story of four survivors of the Blitz, whose paths cross at key junctures in their […]

Food for thought: Give cooking books for the holidays

It seems books for foodies are everywhere nowadays—and I’m not just talking cookbooks! From the wonderfully written and journalistic Heat to the off-kilter comedy of Amy Sedaris to collections of recipe favorites, here’s a short list of books that are sure to be holiday hits with the food lovers in your life. (Warning: You may […]

The Man Booker Prize shortlist opens new reading horizons

The recently announced shortlist for the United Kingdom’s preeminent literary award, the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, includes some real surprises. Of the nominees, only Sarah Waters remotely approaches literary-household-name status, and for the first time in the award’s history, the judges will be influenced by blogging members of the general public selected from ordinary […]

Love triumphs over cruelty in “Water for Elephants”

At the height of the Great Depression, when Cornell veterinary student Jacob Jankowski finds himself destitute after the accidental death of his parents, he blindly walks away from his life and jumps a traveling circus train. As small, hardscrabble, train circuses teeter on the brink of extinction, Jankowski makes himself a living by caring for […]

“To Kill a Mockingbird”: much loved, often challenged

Powerful writing has a way of removing our social blinders. That’s why good books can also feel so dangerous to some people. Harper Lee’s sole and Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is considered to be one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century. It is also one of the era’s most banned […]

Your vote counts in the 2006 Quill Book Awards

Call them The People’s Choice Awards for books and you won’t be far off. The nominees for the 2006 Quill Book Awards have been announced, and now it’s time for you, dear reader, to be heard. Five nominees in each of 19 categories have been assembled by a venerable and invited group of librarians and […]

Joshilyn Jackson creates a quintessentially Southern tale with “Between, Georgia”

The off-the-map Southern town of Between, Georgia, as Joshilyn Jackson tells the tale, is an eccentric place with deep-seated family feuds, ill-kept family secrets, and intermingled family lines. The town’s central attraction is nothing much to speak of: a museum devoted to porcelain dolls and butterfly farms. But the novel’s central attraction is something with […]

Foodies rejoice: Books on food are selling like hotcakes

American readers will eat up culinary books just as fast as food writers can cook ‘em up. That’s no wonder, when you consider the quality of the following food-related titles from last week’s Book Sense list (see the most current list), which are selling strongly in independent bookstores and big chains alike:

Garlic and Sapphires, by […]

New Orleans Public Library rebuilds, and you can help

Hurricane Katrina completely ruined eight out of the 12 public libraries in New Orleans. Wind, water, and mold caused damage estimated at $30 million, and entire buildings full of books had to be discarded as a result. Renovations to library facilities are underway (some have been completed), and book lovers from across the country have […]