Best books of 2006: “Anansi Boys” and “Rocket Boys” are books that mirror art and life

Editor’s note: Join us in celebrating the end of 2006 by revisiting some of our favorite books of the year—like Anansi Boys and Rocket Boys, which we originally reviewed together in August.
It’s said that fiction mirrors life. Here are two stories—Anansi Boys, a fiction by Neil Gaiman, and Rocket Boys, a nonfiction by Homer H. […]

Best books of 2006: Terri Jentz hunts her attempted murderer in “Strange Piece of Paradise”

Editor’s note: Join us in celebrating the end of 2006 by revisiting some of our favorite books of the year—like Strange Piece of Paradise, which we originally reviewed in August.
Imagine that you’re a 20-year-old Yale student, celebrating the summer of 1977 by attempting to cycle across the United States with a friend. You’re one of […]

Best books of 2006: “Manhunt” stalks and surveys Lincoln’s assassin

Editor’s note: Join us in celebrating the end of 2006 by revisiting some of our favorite books of the year—like Manhunt, which we originally reviewed in September.
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is one of the most revered and remembered events in United States history. It is murder made hallowed and ubiquitous. From your local grade […]

“Eloise at Christmastime” celebrates the season

There are some books that appeal to children of all ages, and this slender volume with well-chosen words and whimsical illustrations has withstood the test of time. Eloise at Christmastime is a classic, with a known, irrepressible, and slightly tarnished heroine—a six-year-old child who lives on the top floor of a very tony hotel, The […]

“Leaving the Saints” takes readers in search of one woman’s truth

“But is it true?” That’s the question that kept repeating in my mind as I eagerly read Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith. Part memoir, part spiritual guidebook, and part religious exposé, this compelling book by Martha Beck centers on the author’s assertion that her father sexually abused her […]

“Fly by Night” soars among 2006’s best books

Fly by Night is the book I’m happiest to have stumbled upon this year. I discovered the novel by chance, and it scares me that I might have missed the opportunity to revel in such an enveloping story and to marvel at such engrossing writing. Fly by Night is Oliver Twist meets The Golden Compass […]

Al Gore wants to save your kids (and their planet) with “An Inconvenient Truth”

Editor’s note: The DVD release of An Inconvenient Truth has received plenty of recent press, but this review (originally posted here on September 25) reminds us that this fascinating movie is also a riveting book—a hot gift for anyone concerned about our warming planet.
Al Gore is the de facto president of the planet, at […]

David Sedaris skewers the merry season in “Holidays on Ice”

For those who are weary of the holiday season, here is a wonderfully witty book on why it is perhaps better to ignore the holiday with all the tinsel, glitter, and folderol. In Holidays on Ice, David Sedaris, a writer of none-too-gentle commentaries, collects six of his evil little essays into a small, thin, […]

“The Lost Colony” finds Artemis Fowl in perhaps his best adventure to date

Artemis Fowl is not your typical hero. The Irish lad happens to be filthy rich, stinking brilliant, and perhaps the muddiest purveyor of dirty deeds. Yes, Fowl is foul. Peel away the diminutive Saville Row suits and you’ll find a criminal mastermind and undisputed genius. That’s the conceit of Eoin Colfer’s immensely entertaining and […]

“A Joyous Season” lampoons good holidays gone bad

Are you already weary of the holiday season? Have you had your fill of good cheer, gaudy gift-wrapped presents, sugar cookies, tinsel ground into the carpet, blue-plastic snowflakes, and saccharine television specials? Do you wince when you see Santa Claus with the three wise men at the Nativity scene? Do you mutter something rude under […]