FICTION Tana French (Viking) In the final installment of French’s acclaimed Cal Hooper trilogy, a girl who was set to marry into a powerful family goes missing in a small Irish village and is found dead in a river. As Hooper — the former Chicago detective who moved to Ireland to supposedly retire and relax … Read more
A few years back, Andrew McCarthy was having a conversation with his then 20-year-old son, Sam, who was telling him a funny story about a buddy’s dating life. Then the boy made a comment that struck a nerve. “You don’t really have any friends, do you, Dad?” In the days that followed, McCarthy — who rose … Read more
With her new book, history professor Helen Zoe Veit tackles a fraught, emotionally charged, controversial subject: kids being fussy eaters. The prevailing modern wisdom is that “children have biologically keen taste buds, that children are naturally sensitive to texture and color, and that children are evolutionarily cautious about new things,” she writes in “Picky: How … Read more
On August 7, 1963, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis delivered her youngest child via an emergency caesarean section at an Air Force Base Hospital in Massachusetts. Baby Patrick was five and a half weeks premature, and doctors immediately knew there were problems with his labored breathing. “The infant had a translucent grapelike coloring, warning of … Read more
Welcome to Great Adaptations, the Book Review’s regular multiple-choice quiz about printed works that have gone on to find new life as movies, television shows, theatrical productions and more. This week’s challenge highlights thrillers first published as novels (or graphic novels) that were adapted into popular films. Just tap or click your answers to the … Read more
Alex Finlay (Minotaur Books) Two young men — one a high school golden boy, the other a poor kid with limited prospects — with little in common are connected by violent incidents on the night of May 1st, 1992. As the years go by, both remain tormented by what happened that May Day, and a … Read more
Sex, lies and that infamous R. Kelly videotape no longer define Reshona Landfair. Those shackles, virtually fastened around her neck by the Grammy-winning R&B singer’s abhorrent actions, had bound Landfair for most of her life. Kelly had begun grooming and sexually abusing her at age 13 — when the star was 30, she claims in a … Read more
More than a third of women who read steamy novels fantasize about their literary heartthrob in bed, according to new research. A survey of 2,000 women who read romantic literature found that great sex shouldn’t just be saved for romance books. More than a third of women admit they’ve imagined their partner to be a … Read more
In February 1990, world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, boasting a record of 37 wins and no defeats, faced up against James ‘Buster’ Douglas in Tokyo, in what every boxing expert agreed would be another one-sided bout. Certainly, the bookies agreed. For those bookmakers who did offer odds, Tyson was a massive favorite — you had … Read more
You can judge her ex by this cover. A romance novelist who dedicated her new book to her toxic ex and went viral on Instagram — with women calling her their “hero” and congratulating her for the “savage move” — revealed the heartbreaking story behind her breakup. “You are the most disappointing man and biggest … Read more
David Bowie’s had a vigorous afterlife since dying in New York 10 years ago. He conquered Billboard’s album chart for the first time in his career with the dark jazzy masterpiece “Blackstar,” released Jan. 8, 2016 — just two days before his death. His best-known singles surged back into the top 100 on both sides … Read more
Nine-year-old Stefan Merrill Block hated his new school in Plano, Texas. It was boring, stifling. His homeroom teacher shook him by the shoulders in front of all his classmates when he asked too many questions one day. He even started a novel about a boy who escapes from school. He would come home and sulk … Read more
“Most of us have grown up influenced by a society overly obsessed with looking healthy at the expense of being healthy,” writes Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, D.O., in “The Forever Strong™ Playbook: A Six-Week, Science-Based Plan to Sharpen Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, and Get Healthy at Any Age” (Atria Books; Jan. 27). We chase quick … Read more
Last year, Jamie Oliver turned 50, and the milestone inspired the beloved British chef to reflect on his health and how he could maintain it it in the second half of his life. “[It made] me think about what I need to do to get myself in the best shape for the future,” he writes … Read more
You’re damned if you do damned if you don’t. With 2026 only a few days away, many are whipping out the Notes app on their phones to jot down goals for the new year — one of them may be to read more. As impressive as you might think it is to say you’ve read … Read more
From gripping thrillers, witty satires and poignant epics to captivating histories and juicy memoirs, 2025 was full of great books. Read on for 30 of our favorites. FICTION Karen Russell (Knopf)The latest from the Pulitzer finalist and MacArthur fellow is set in Nebraska during the Great Depression — a very real backdrop for a very surreal … Read more
Delays at the airport are often out of your control, but being mindful about what you pack in your carry-on could help you avoid extra checks by the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint. And it turns out that even some of the most common items can get passengers pulled over for a more extensive search. This … Read more
Since the first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published in 1926, the tales of a honey-loving bear and his animal friends have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. But, as Gyles Brandreth writes in “Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear: A. A. Milne and the Creation of ‘Winnie- the-Pooh’ ” (St. Martin’s Press), behind the children’s … Read more
LONDON — British children’s author and comedian David Walliams has denied allegations of inappropriate behavior after publisher HarperCollins dropped him. Walliams, 54, is one of the U.K.’s bestselling children’s book authors and a former judge on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent.” In a statement on Friday, HarperCollins said: “After careful consideration, and under the … Read more
Barbie is not who we think she is. For nearly seven decades, Mattel has sold Barbie as a true original: a revolutionary and empowering alternative to the baby dolls before her. In her new book, “Barbieland: The Unauthorized History” (Atria/One Signal Publishers), Tarpley Hitt provides a surprising counternarrative. Barbie, per Hitt’s lens, was not a groundbreaking novelty. … Read more