Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.

For these four authors, all of whom released recent titles, the university backdrop is one of American culture’s last remaining crucibles.

Emily St. John Mandel’s 2014 novel, “Station Eleven,” turned her into something of a pandemic prophet. Her new novel, “Exit Party,” imagines two possible American futures—totalitarian state and…

A federal judge, without ruling on the merits of the case, said the plaintiffs made a sufficient showing that they are harmed by the ban of their books from public schools.

Neuroscience is revealing how our brains are wired for narrative

Exploring the "Free Will Holy Trinity" — three of the most perfect speculative stories ever written.

How was your 2025 in books? Mine went pretty well. Despite finishing 2024 with 172 unread books, I somehow started 2025 with 176 books forming Mount To Read, of which I aimed to read 40. I called i…

I did away with ‘top tens’ a few years ago, and instead I finish the reading year with a recap of the books that are still speaking to me (less about four and five-star ratings, more about what has…

Novel Suspects: How did writing NASH FALLS compare to your previous thrillers like the Amos Decker or the Atlee Pine series? How has your writing evolved over time? David Baldacci: Walter Nash was …

Surprising, versatile, dark and funny, the British writer has something for (almost) everyone.

The actor had to read so many books (153) she bowed out of most family activities. Still, she said, collaborating to pick a winner was worth the sacrifice.

Welcome to this month's edition of Six Degrees of Separation, which is a  monthly  meme hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite and Best ...

How could I not take part in this month’s Six Degrees of Literary Separation meme, as hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best, when it starts with one of my favourite authors and bo…

What will we lose when we lose the “literary outdoorsman”?

Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.

This monthly meme is hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. This month we’re starting with We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

From We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson to Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd. This is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book i…

Six Degrees of Separation

Today’s starting point is a favorite of mine, the novella We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. first degree Jeannette Walls’s father had big plans to someday build a glass castle,…

It’s time for #6degrees. Start at the same place as other wonderful readers, add six books, and see where you end up.

Doctors share top concerns of AI surrogates aiding life-or-death decisions.

R. F. Kuang uses the confluence of romantasy, academic satire, and dark academia to pose a more interesting set of questions. To wit: What is the magic that scholars find in the academy?

It’s time again for Six Degrees of Separation, a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six …

Welcome to this month's edition of Six Degrees of Separation, which is a  monthly  meme hosted by Kate from Books Are My Favourite and Best ...

Book reviews, snippets of book news, and alerts about books outside the glare of the publicity spotlight.

#6Degrees Six degrees of separation:Australian authors This fun meme is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest(see there the origin of the meme and how it works- posted the first Saturday of …

It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for 6 Degrees of Separation. Here’s how it works: a book is chosen as a starting point by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best&nbs…

On the first Saturday of every month, a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ l…

How many have you come across?

It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for another Six Degrees of Separation, hosted by Kate of Books are my Favourite and Best. The idea is that Kate chooses a book to use as a…

I may not quite be in my own flat yet, but at least I’m getting settled into my new hometown, so I’m always delighted to take part in the Six Degrees of Separation meme hosted by the lo…

From “Ghost Cities” by Siang Lu, to “The Hebrew Teacher” by Maya Arad. This is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chos…

From “Ghost Cities” by Siang Lu, to “The Hebrew Teacher” by Maya Arad. This is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chos…

This month's starting book is Ghost Cities by Siang Lu, the winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2025. I haven't read this book but I considered several ways I could take this chain. For my first degree of separation, I decided to start with another book set in China. The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang is a book I recently chose for my book group.

It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for 6 Degrees of Separation. Here’s how it works: a book is chosen as a starting point by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best and linked to six other books to form a chain. Readers and bloggers are invited to join in by creating their own ‘chain’ leading from the selected book.