Frank S. Meyer was a political paradox
Noel Parmentel’s quote, ‘The right wing was fun back then,’ is one of the takeaways from Daniel J. Flynn’s new book
Book review
Tuesday
The thrill of ghostwriting
Julia Clark’s new novel succeeds both as a gripping mystery and a sly commentary on the art of storytelling itself
A more rounded picture of James Baldwin
Nicholas Boggs has written the first major biography of the writer in more than 30 years
Tuesday
Glennon Doyle’s latest offering marks a change in direction
We Can Do Hard Things allows a chorus of voices into the Glennosphere
The mechanics of cancel culture
I was struck by the way the Blake Bailey combines the poignancy of decay with his gift for dryly comic observation
How to make America read again
Christopher J. Scalia knows his audience and his light, avuncular style proves engaging throughout
A walk through Geoff Dyer’s childhood
Homework is openly billed as an antidote to memoirs full of derring-do but it does exactly what the essayist’s fans will want
Tuesday
Has Trump’s return defanged Ezra Klein?
Abundance is the old juicebox mafia’s definitive statement to the world in the second Trump era
Unpacking John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s complex relationship
You end John & Paul in understanding of their essential humanity
Joan Didion’s unedited record of therapy is morbidly fascinating
It is the great failure of Notes to John that it lacks the writer’s distinctive voice altogether
Erik Satie was an inadvertent innovator
Ian Penman’s brief book takes us around the French composer’s life three times
Saturday
Could the French Revolution have been avoided?
The Revolutionary Temper is a riveting synthesis of Robert Darnton’s life’s work
Tuesday
Who was William F. Buckley Jr., really?
This book, apparently 20 years in the making, is the product of immense learning and shows a rare familiarity with its subject and his times
A profound account of the October 7 pogrom
Douglas Murray has authored a book for the ages
Ocean Vuong’s newest work is an affecting celebration of misfits
For all its flaws, The Emperor of Gladness is ultimately a worthwhile novel with a big heart
Keith McNally’s memoir is strangely unappetizing
I didn’t enjoy I Regret Almost Everything
Wednesday
Amanda Knox’s new memoir asks what lies next
Free is expansive; contemplative in parts and kooky in others
A Charles Dickens patchwork
A night walk through the world of an author haunted by humanity
Tuesday
A crisp and refreshing account of the apple
Sally Coulthard is cheerful and informative company on every leaf of this charming book
Thursday
Caroline Calloway wants to give you some advice
An unbidden collaboration between living and dead writers is as mad as you might expect
