Books | Book Reviews
- Curiosity, love, loss: A biographer puts herself in the frameMegan Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, looks inward at how her life has been shaped by asking questions and digging deeply.
- Anne Tyler’s trademark wit and empathy shine in ‘Three Days in June’In “Three Days in June,” Anne Tyler makes the case for forgiving people’s shortcomings and cutting each other slack.
- A father-daughter bond forged by meals and memoriesBonny Reichert’s ”How To Share an Egg” celebrates the survival of her Jewish family, measured in joyous family dinners.
- A novelist embraces solitude and nature as antidotes to lossIn “Memorial Days: A Memoir,” author Geraldine Brooks carves out space to grieve – and to heal.
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- Forgotten Muslim builders gave medieval Europe its iconic architectureHistorian Diana Darke argues in “Islamesque” that Europe’s monuments owe a vast debt to Muslim craftsmen and designers.
- How four women physicists escaped the Nazis, but lost their life’s work“Sisters in Science” tells of the rise of female scientists in 1930s Germany – some of whom were Jewish – whose careers were ended by Adolf Hitler.
- From indigo to the blues, the history of Black people is woven in a single colorImani Perry’s essay collection “Black in Blues” threads together the cultures and lore of the Black diaspora into an insightful commentary.
- A travel writer finds inspiration in staying stillPico Iyer makes time for retreats at a Benedictine hermitage in California. In “Aflame: Learning From Silence,” he writes about finding clarity.
- Makers of the world’s rarest pasta and soy sauce inspire aweIn “Custodians of Wonder,” Eliot Stein takes readers on a tour from Japan to Peru to meet the artisans keeping ancient crafts alive.
- ‘I Am Nobody’s Slave’ charts a course toward intergenerational healingIn “I Am Nobody’s Slave,” memoirist Lee Hawkins reaches deep into his family history and finds redemption in understanding his roots.
- A humble berry at the heart of a virtuous cycleRobin Wall Kimmerer reflects on the cooperation among plants and draws inspiration for human societies in “The Serviceberry.”
- Raise the curtain on the 10 best books of JanuaryThe 10 best books of January 2025 embrace living on the edge, escaping convention, and confronting racism.
- Music unlocks secrets about the design of the universeDaniel K.L. Chua’s expansive, eye-opening book documents how music from China to Greece has underpinned humanity’s search for joy.
- End the year on a high note with the 10 best books of DecemberThe 10 best books of December include a spy novel, essays by physicist Alan Lightman, and a group biography of four women scientists in Nazi Germany.
Monitor's Best: Top 5
- Canadians had been feeling gloomy about their country. Trump changed that.
- How Trump’s proposed plan for Gaza has united an outraged Arab world
- Trump’s plan for Gaza ridiculed as unserious. So why did he float it?
- But is it legal? Musk’s DOGE is stripping agencies before judges can rule.
- The Monitor's ViewMove over, ‘Harry Potter.’ Teens flock to the Bible.