Book Reviews
Category
Christmas Audiobook Review: J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Letters from Father Christmas”
About the book: From 1920 to 1942, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote letters to his kids from Father Christmas. The annual North Pole updates were full..
“Le Corbusier: The Complete Buildings” Shines New Light On 20th Century Classics
A title like Le Corbusier: The Complete Buildings suggests an encyclopedic guide, and the heft of the new book only furthers that impressi..
Thanksgiving Audiobook Review: Anne Tyler’s “The Accidental Tourist”
About the book: Anne Tyler’s tenth novel, published in 1985, was largely praised, particularly for the characters of Macon Leary and Murie..
Thanksgiving Audiobook Review: Rick Moody’s “The Ice Storm”
About the book: Rick Moody’s sophomore novel, following Garden State (1992), was published in 1994 and quickly became a modern classic. It..
Thanksgiving Audiobook Review: Jay McInerney’s “Model Behavior”
About the book: Jay McInerney’s sixth novel was published in 1998, to unenthusiastic reviews. He still hadn’t fulfilled the promise of his..
“The Selfie Generation”: Alicia Eler’s New Book Captures Our Digital Moment
Alicia Eler’s new book is called The Selfie Generation, but it could just as well be called The Selfie Moment. It captures the ambiguous p..
Audiobook review: Philip Pullman’s “The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage”
At one point in La Belle Sauvage, the child protagonists travel in their eponymous canoe along a stream covered in a high mist. That mist,..
“Great Works”: Art Critic Michael Glover Finds an Entire World On Every Canvas
Years ago, I was walking through London’s National Portrait Gallery with a family friend who was then a teenager. She was distinctly nonpl..
“100 Years, 100 Buildings” Surveys Remarkable Architecture From 1916 to 2015
The most refreshing thing about 100 Years, 100 Buildings is that it’s not those 100 years. By cutting himself free of the artificial const..
“Yesterday’s Future”: Remembering utopian architecture
In these apocalyptic times, utopian architecture has fallen out of favor. Why design for the future when the planet is burning up and you’..
“Modern Forms”: Photographer Nicolas Grospierre Finds Beauty In the Wreckage
According to my 1968 Webster’s, the definition of “modern” is:
of or characteristic of the present or recent times; not ancient: often us..
“The Story of Emoji”: Gavin Lucas Has the Inside Poo on Those Ubiquitous Little Icons
Where did emoji come from? Why did they seem to suddenly become ubiquitous? Are they here to stay? Should you or should you not use them i..