Book Reviews
CategoryAudiobook Review: Holly Black’s “The Cruel Prince” Is Torture Porn for Teen Fantasy Fans
Say this for Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince: the title is an undersell. I counted at least four cruel princes, with cruelty levels ranging..
Christmas Audiobook Review: Audible’s “Gather ‘Round the Sound”
About the audiobook: Audible’s annual holiday freebie runs 72 minutes and collects five short “holiday stories from beloved authors and gr..
Christmas Audiobook Review: L. Frank Baum’s “Life and Adventures of Santa Claus”
About the book: Talk about a war on Christmas! In this 1902 fantasy, the Wizard of Oz author offers a complete pagan backstory for the man..
Christmas Audiobook Review: Barbara Robinson’s “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”
About the book: Barbara Robinson’s story of a troubled family of kids who unexpectedly join the Christmas pageant at the young narrator’s ..
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..