Reviews of new and notable books, including nonfiction, literary fiction, adult fiction, and sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction + occasional book news or essays. Click to read Mostly Books by Ma...

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Fiction, nonfiction, and nominees for NBCC’s first-book prize make up this month’s list

Art heist, thriller, cultural commentary – this newly reissued novel has it all

A decade of violent hate crimes inspired in part by Trump’s racist rhetoric

Intimate profiles of five families illustrate systemic barriers to safe and secure housing

Contemporary language makes this Old English epic poem fun to read

Christian concept of ‘elevation’ infuses this slim literary novel

The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

AI company founders sell out to tech giants in this unsettling history

Odysseus returns; will Penelope forgive him for twenty years' absence?

Does a child make a marriage happier?

The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

Lyrical historical novel gives kidnapped Indigenous girl a powerful voice

A decade of violent hate crimes inspired in part by Trump’s racist rhetoric

From neo-Nazi true crime to George Saunders’s latest and a long-awaited Vollmann epic, here are the books we can’t wait to read in the coming months.

Intimate profiles of five families illustrate systemic barriers to safe and secure housing

The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.

'Songs of Penelope' series continues with Aphrodite, Menelaus, and a mad king

Was the disappearance of my favorite late-night snack antisemitism or something less sinister?

Fascinating, infuriating history reveals how CIA, FBI hid ex-Nazis for decades

Retellings of Greek myths and a short story collection topped my list last month

How wealthy AI developers, investors plan to live forever

Retelling of classic Greek myth checks the boxes for YA Romantasy

Environmental impacts, job losses, and copyright concerns are brushed aside in pro-AI presentation

Aoyama Chizuko has “a monster’s appetite.” “When it comes to good food,” she says, “I will forever have room in my stomach.”

The Independent is an important voice in the community of readers and writers dedicated to book reviews and writing about the world of books.