With The Winter Soldier, Daniel Mason, now a practicing physician, has taken his considerable literary talents and his knowledge of medicine and given us the unforgettable story of Lucius Krzelewski, a medical student forced to become a doctor before he is ready, and Margarete, the mysterious nun turned field-nurse he…
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I signed a form recently for my middle-school son from the media center at his school. This form, which I signed without hesitation, gave the media teacher permission to allow my 11-year-old to select books from the young-adult section. Whether or not my son qualifies as a “young adult” is…
The World According to Tom Hanks: The Life, the Obsessions, the Good Deeds of America’s Most Decent Guy
Happy Dreams
Meet Caroline Bock and Jona Colson
Washington Writers Publishing House is a nonprofit literary organization established in 1973 to foster the work of writers in the Washington-Baltimore area, and it sponsors annual prizes in poetry and fiction. The 2018 fiction prize goes to Caroline Bock, a lecturer at Marymount College, winner of the 2016 Writer Magazine…
Please join us for a reading and signing of Transfer Please by Asha J. Watson. Asha will take you on a poetic ride about people in common places. Transfer Please is literally a “pocket book” packed with 22 thought provoking poetic short stories. This book is fun to read, and…
Famous Adopted People: A Novel
Famous Adopted People: A Novel
Whether it’s via their tone, topic, or tenor, certain works just say “America.” Here are three such titles, suggested by David Bruce Smith, founder of the Grateful American™ Foundation: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. The seminal tale of an American ambulance driver and English nurse finding love in…
I get the Sunday editions of the New York Times and the Naples Daily News delivered in print form. Both editions are huge, although the Naples paper mostly contains real estate sections, ads, and coupons. If you go through the Daily News assiduously, you can find an occasional article about…
A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl: A Novel
A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl: A Novel
October 2018 Exemplars: Poetry Reviews by Grace Cavalieri
Hold by Bob Hicok. Copper Canyon Press. 88 pages. The Iphigenia Plays by Euripides: New Verse Translations, translated by Rachel Hadas. Northwestern University Press. 176 pages. My Bishop and Other Poems by Michael Collier. University of Chicago Press. 80 pages. The Lumberjack’s Dove by GennaRose Nethercott. Selected by Louise Glück,…
The Battle of the Chesapeake took place on September 5, 1781, and assured American victory at Yorktown. While it’s rightly considered one of the most important naval engagements in world history, it’s also been one of the most misunderstood battles of the Revolutionary War. Standard accounts leave out the fact…
Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall
An Interview with Andrea Hollander
All poetry reveals the life of the poet, but Andrea Hollander’s Blue Mistaken for Sky is a closely linked collection depicting her journey during and after divorce. The poems’ titles make clear her struggles — for example: “Living Alone at Sixty-Four” or “As If Written by the Other Woman.” Of…
Why didn’t I write a memoir? I wrote 47 stories — from flash to full-length works — in my debut short-story collection, Carry Her Home, many filled with such autobiographical detail that, with a mere sleight of hand, could’ve been memoir. So why not? Memory fails me. Not in the…
Promised Land: A Novel of Israel
Promised Land: A Novel of Israel
Join us for a discussion of the 2018 midterm elections led by Nathan Gonzales and Leah Askarinam of Inside Elections. This discussion will provide an in-depth look at the late-breaking races that will decide which party will be in the majority in the next Congress and what to look for…
The Best Gift to Give a Writer
“Take this hot milk to Missus’ room and see if the two of them start spelling’ things out again that they don’t want me to know. Wants to know the baptism of words.” That’s the end of Dolores Kendrick’s poem “Sophie, Climbing the Stairs,” in her collection The Women of…
Other People’s Love Affairs: Stories
Other People’s Love Affairs: Stories
Young Jane Young
Lou Reed
The Clockmaker’s Daughter: A Novel
The Clockmaker’s Daughter: A Novel
A concern has arisen in the crime-fiction community — more brazenly in some conversations than others — about quality. Specifically, and in its most open state: Are we recommending writers of color simply because they’re writers of color? And, in doing so, are their works being held to the same…
Boomer1: A Novel
Kirkus calls L.M. Elliott’s Cold War-era middle-grade novel, Suspect Red, “a tense, engrossing story that effectively captures the suspicion and paranoia that prevailed during American history's darkest chapters.” The Grateful American™ Foundation simply calls it “the winner.” The foundation will present Elliott with its 2018 Grateful American™ Book Prize —…
In The Distance Between Us, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, Grande recounted her harrowing journey from Mexico to Los Angeles, alone, at age nine. Her new memoir picks up the thread with Grande’s ambition to be the first in her family to earn a college degree. She succeeded,…
Waiting for Eden: A Novel
Caroline Todd: What’s on my nightstand? Does that count what’s fallen to the floor while I’m racing for deadlines? Let’s see. Nelson DeMille’s The Cuban Affair, because I like his writing and I want to see what he has to say about Cuba. Lori Rader-Day’s Under a Dark Sky, because…
A Fierce Glory: Antietam — The Desperate Battle that Saved Lincoln and Doomed Slavery
A Fierce Glory: Antietam — The Desperate Battle that Saved Lincoln and Doomed Slavery
An Interview with Eugene L. Meyer
A former longtime newspaperman at the Washington Post and current member of the Independent’s board of directors, Eugene L. Meyer is an experienced reporter and researcher. He put those skills to good use while writing his latest book, Five for Freedom: The African American Soldiers in John Brown's Army, published…
Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine: Stories
Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine: Stories
For 40 years, my mom and my aunt had a ritual. Whenever they’d get new books, from whatever source, all the books would first go to my aunt. Then, after she read them, she passed them to my mom. They did this because they read so much and so often…
Gary Shteyngart worked his way into readers’ hearts with Super Sad True Love Story, Absurdistan, and Little Failure, books as laugh-out-loud funny as they are moving. Lake Success is another tragicomic triumph, and a spot-on mirror of America’s warped financial culture. Its anti-hero, Barry Cohen, is a hedge fund manager…
The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs
The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs
Some writers set goals: Write every day. Write 1,000 words before lunch. Finish first draft of novel or nonfiction manuscript before year’s end. Most of the above takes place privately. Just you and your laptop — or pen and paper — alone with your words. As writers, we work hard…
World Without Mind
A History of France
Casey Gerald’s story begins at the end of the world: Dallas, New Year’s Eve 1999, when he gathers with the congregation of his grandfather’s black evangelical church to see which of them will be carried off. His beautiful, fragile mother disappears frequently and mysteriously; for a brief idyll, he and…
I love October! The trees are aflame with color, the evenings are crisp and cool, I get to sleep under flannel sheets again, and my husband and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. We’ve been married a long time, but he’s still my hero in every way, and I know that…
“Tell me, who’s that writing? John the Revelator…” - Blind Willie Johnson, 1897-1945 The small book was nestled inside a velveteen purse with a blousy ribbon for a handle and a metal button clasp to keep it from falling out. The purse was adorned with an image of the Cross…
The Boy at the Keyhole: A Novel
The Boy at the Keyhole: A Novel
7 Best-Reviewed Books in September 2018
Returning by Yael Shahar (Kasva Press). Reviewed by Philip K. Jason. “Returning is an extraordinary and challenging book on many levels. It attempts to make the intangible as close to tangible as possible. It engages readers in a kind of time travel that has nothing to do with science fiction.…
Adrift: A True Story of Tragedy on the Icy Atlantic and the One Who Lived to Tell about It
Adrift: A True Story of Tragedy on the Icy Atlantic and the One Who Lived to Tell about It
5 Most Popular Posts: September 2018
Nathan Blanchard’s review of Hold the Dark by William Giraldi (Liveright). “Hold the Dark is a mystery novel with all the right ingredients: tough characters, beautifully dangerous landscapes, revenge, a detective on the chase, a husband going after his wife, and enough bullet casings to rattle in the mind long…
The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel
The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel
In 1944, Japanese-American Haruko and German-American Margot, two lonely young teens, are prisoners of war in a Texas internment camp for families. As the world around them appears to shift, they find solace and friendship in each other. Told from dual perspectives, the novel twists and shifts to make readers…
Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever
Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever
“‘I’ve read your book,’ my mother said. ‘I was very impressed.’ The frozen smile did not fade. “‘Thank you.’ I nodded. “‘I just have this one question,’ she said, digging for a cigarette in a mostly empty pack, having put down the book by now on the sofa cushion. She…
The Last Castle
The Last of the Tsars
The Cost of Living: A Working Autobiography
The Cost of Living: A Working Autobiography
In my final year in grad school at the University of Baltimore, the poet Valzhyna Mort was giving me feedback on my thesis manuscript — what would become Low Parish — and she made two comments that have lingered in my imagination for years after. The first was, “Steven, in…
French Exit: A Novel
Not Our Kind: A Novel
Curious Iguana and the 1st Amendment Society are hiding 60 banned and challenged books around Downtown Frederick between September 15 and 30 to raise awareness of ongoing censorship efforts in the United States. You’ll discover these books in local businesses, as well as in public spaces, throughout Downtown Frederick. Follow…
Sex on the Kitchen Table: The Romance of Plants and Your Food
Sex on the Kitchen Table: The Romance of Plants and Your Food
Transcription: A Novel
There’s a belief in literary lore that readers love either Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights but rarely both. This has been confirmed in my own rather unscientific reader surveys: Those who told me they enjoy Charlotte Brontë’s contained, deep burn just can’t handle the wild, over-the-top hysterics of her sister…
Maximum Volume
From four-term Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett comes a hopeful and illuminating look at the dynamic and inventive urban centers that will lead the United States in coming years. Oklahoma City. Indianapolis. Charleston. Des Moines. What do these cities have in common? They are cities of modest size but outsized…
Champions Way
Enemy of the People: Trump’s War on the Press, the New McCarthyism, and the Threat to American Democracy
We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time
We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time
It may seem an odd pairing to look at a murder mystery by Louise Penny and a travel book by Patrick Leigh Fermor to understand the quasi-mystical appeal of a monastery’s serenity. But these two books both succeed in bringing the reader into this obscure world as completely as possible…
Meet the (Small) Press: Exterminating Angel
In Luis Bunuel’s 1962 surrealist film “The Exterminating Angel,” a group of wealthy socialites find themselves trapped at a dinner party. After the servants mysteriously disappear, the partygoers are unable to leave the mansion. There is no discernible reason why they are trapped, and as their ordeal goes on, they…
Visit the Independent at Politics and Prose!
Why should you come to Politics and Prose, one of DC’s finest indie bookstores, this Friday, Sept. 21st? Because the Independent will be there, and 20 percent of your purchase will go to support us! After you’re done shopping — don’t pretend you aren’t going to buy anything — just…
Every Day Is Extra
An Interview with Philip Dean Walker
Philip Dean Walker understands how to craft short fiction that compels and provokes. His first collection, At Danceteria and Other Stories (Squares & Rebels, 2016), was named a Kirkus Best Book of 2017, and his second collection, Read by Strangers (Lethe Press, 2018), was recently selected as a Kirkus Best…
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret
Come See Us at P&P this Friday!
Why should you come to Politics and Prose, one of DC’s finest indie bookstores, this Friday, Sept. 21st? Because the Independent will be there, and 20 percent of your purchase will go to support us! After you’re done shopping — don’t pretend you aren’t going to buy anything — just…
The calendar may have forced us back to work and school, but we’ll always have books to help us get away! Here are some upcoming releases we can’t wait to lose ourselves in: The Winters by Lisa Gabriele (Oct. 16, Viking). Paying homage to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, The Winters…
The Value of Rhetorical Analysis
Recently, in composition class, we began discussing rhetorical analysis and critical reading and thinking. Since it was the first reading of the semester, the assignment was four pages long. But what an important four pages! These were pages 212-215 of Dumas Malone’s Jefferson the President: First Term, 1801-1805, the fourth…
This Story Is a Lie
Busboys and Poets Books Presents: Fiona J. Clem
Meridian Hill Park is one of the most unique parks in the National Park System. It is a 12-acre neoclassical park reminiscent of an Italian villa garden. Prior to becoming a national park, the area had been part of an estate called Meridian Hill; home to Columbian College; a Civil…
Dinner with Darwin
Crucible of Faith
Whether it’s via their tone, topic, or tenor, certain works just say “America.” Here are three such titles, suggested by David Bruce Smith, founder of the Grateful American™ Foundation: O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. An immigrant family struggles on (and with) the Nebraska prairie in this first installment of the…
Leadership in Turbulent Times
Kevin O’Malley and Patrick O’Brien
Join us in Downtown Frederick to meet author Kevin O’Malley and illustrator Patrick O’Brien, the creative geniuses behind the Captain Raptor series! In their newest endeavor, intrepid leader Captain Raptor and his space-dino crew must rescue a team of scientists from a doomed planet – while evading flaming asteroids, predatory…
Road to Disaster: A New History of America’s Descent into Vietnam
Road to Disaster: A New History of America’s Descent into Vietnam
Recently, Professor Adam Tooze of Columbia University found himself faced with a small problem, one to make him the envy of many of his fellow authors. His latest book, Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World, came out August 7th, the publication timed to coincide with the…
September 2018 Exemplars: Poetry Reviews by Grace Cavalieri
Best poetry for fall. Also, an in-depth look at releases from Four Way Books! ***** Adrienne Rich, 1950-2012, Selected Poems. W.W. Norton. 496 pages. Adrienne Rich, Essential Essays, Culture, Politics, and the Art of Poetry, edited and introduced by Sandra M. Gilbert. W.W. Norton. 352 pages. American Journal, Fifty Poems…
Tell Me No Lies
The Insatiables: A Novel
Lori Rader-Day: When someone asks me what books are on my nightstand, I’m not sure if they want a literal listing of the tottering stack there that might kill me in my sleep, or if they mean what’s stacked on my metaphorical nightstand, in the little “to be read” piles…
October 2018 marks the 60th anniversary of one of Earth’s greatest contributors to technological advancement: NASA. Although NASA was initially created for competition in the Cold War, over the last sixty years it has provided insight into the origins of the universe, laid the foundations for modern cell phones, improved…
Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone)
Why Learn History (When It’s Already on Your Phone)
You know those photos of the first day of school with frowning kids and the mother in the background jumping for joy? That’s usually me. I love the beginning of the school year. Time without the constant “mom, mom, mom” refrain. Time to myself. Most importantly, time to write, write,…
American Girls in Red Russia
Basilio Boullosa Stars in the Fountain of Highlandtown: Stories
Basilio Boullosa Stars in the Fountain of Highlandtown: Stories
In some 20 mystery-thrillers, Pelecanos has created unforgettable and utterly human characters, placed them in situations offering no obvious right choices, and has illuminated the life of D.C. neighborhoods better than any sociology text could. In his latest novel, he follows Michael Hudson from prison, where he read voraciously, to…
This Land: America, Lost and Found
This Land: America, Lost and Found
Romance Roundup: September 2018
Happy September! The kids are back in school and I’m ready for fall, even if it is 90 degrees today! This month, I’m highlighting the first books in four terrific new romance series. The best part about a series is having another book to look forward to and getting to…
I’ve just started posting boards and pins on Pinterest. For now, I’m sticking to books and movies, since I doubt if anyone wants my recipe for crepes Suzette. (The firemen just left.) One board is titled “Books That Changed My Life,” so I thought I’d share those tomes here. (It…
The Dogs of Detroit: Stories
7 Best-Reviewed Books in August 2018
Bruce Lee: A Life by Matthew Polly (Simon & Schuster). Reviewed by James Tate Hill. “That Lee accomplished so much in such a brief life recalls Alfred Kazin’s assessment of Jack London, another icon of masculinity who died very young: ‘The greatest story Jack London ever wrote was the one…
Returning
My Struggle: Book Six
5 Most Popular Posts: August 2018
Poetry Exemplars by Grace Cavalieri. Perpetually dominant, Grace Cavalieri’s most recent chronicle of all things versey and rhythmic drew, by far, the most eyes in August. Why do the rest of us even try, Grace? Why? Lloyd I. Sederer’s review of Because I Come from a Crazy Family: The Making…
Welcome to September, the month of school buses, homework struggles, and sports, and the gateway to all things pumpkin spice. For those who live at my house (two rowdy children we call Turbo and Lunchbox, me, and my former-Marine husband), the next few weeks will be busy as we find…
Barons of the Sea: And Their Race to Build the World’s Fastest Clipper Ship
Barons of the Sea: And Their Race to Build the World’s Fastest Clipper Ship
A compelling new look at the story of five African Americans — nearly a third of John Brown’s raiders in 1859 — who collectively have never been the subject of a book. Five for Freedom is the story of these five brave men, the circumstances in which they were born…
Under the Lights and In the Dark
Under the Lights and In the Dark
We Shall Not All Sleep
Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago
Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago
Now in its 18th year, the Library of Congress' National Book Festival promises something for everyone. From big-name authors like Sonia Sotomayor, Tayari Jones, Amy Tan, and Jeffrey Eugenides, to poetry slams, book-signings, and children's activities, the daylong event will delight readers young and old! At the Walter E. Washington…
The Sea Queen: A Novel
I’ve really enjoyed Carrie Callaghan’s approach to her Independent columns. She’s focused on the kindness found in the writing world in an attempt to chronicle the generous spirits throughout the literary community. In that sense of generosity, I’m going to steal her idea for my column this month. Recently, I’ve…
Ahab’s Return: or, The Last Voyage
Ahab’s Return: or, The Last Voyage
Extreme Conservation: Life at the Edges of the World
Extreme Conservation: Life at the Edges of the World
This Mournable Body: A Novel
If you pick up a book, there’s a good chance there will be some superlatives on the front cover. Here, I’ll choose one from my bookshelf at random: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. Yup. On the cover, Junot Diaz calls it “a powerful meditation on what immigrants sacrifice to achieve…
Political Book Club: “Bad Blood” by John Carreyrou
Delve into today's most pressing political discussions with Brookings Senior Fellow John Hudak. Join us on August 29th to chat about John Carreyrou's Bad Blood. John Hudak is deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management and a senior fellow in Governance Studies. His research examines questions of presidential…
Madame Zero
Healing Children
For those of us of a certain age who have been regular or occasional reviewers or just book lovers, the sight of groaning shelves throughout the house can be troubling. It's time to thin them out so they won’t be a burden to our kids — or get wasted at…
John Woman: A Novel
“The books I fell in love with as I grew older came from listening to Lou Reed…Rimbaud and Baudelaire…the hashish poets…” – Alejandro Escovedo I have interviewed hundreds of musicians over the years — from Frank Zappa to Nils Lofgren to Jose Feliciano — and often end the conversation with…
Join us at Nanny O’Brien’s Irish Pub in Washington, DC’s Cleveland Park as we reminisce and celebrate the city’s historical support for the National Zoo with Kara Arundel, author of Raising America’s Zoo: How Two Wild Gorillas Helped Transform the National Zoo. This novel shares the heartbreak and triumphs of…
The New Inheritors: A Novel
Some authors have secured such a fan-club following that their books are published nearly every year and usually make the bestseller lists. James Patterson, Clive Cussler, and the late Tom Clancy are so successful and productive that they (or their estates) employ writers to co-author new books. The “serious” authors…
If You Leave Me: A Novel
Tiffany Sly Lives Here Now
A longtime foreign correspondent, Hedges has reported from more than fifty countries. His latest book is a profound exploration of one of the most troubled: today’s United States. Hedges, author of American Fascists and War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, cites the opioid crisis, the increases in gambling…
The Banker’s Wife: A Novel
One week from today, fall semester classes begin at George Mason University, where I teach. I’m already prepping to lead this new round of courses. Getting ready for those first-day meet-and-greets and get-to-know-one-another exercises. Gearing up for a fresh batch of syllabi — course plans dense with the weight of…
The Half-Drowned King
Conserve and Control is written from the margins. Characters who are non-binary, working class, disabled and trans take central place as we are transported to a queer and green paradise that, like all utopias, is not to be trusted. As a professional sex worker and working-class activist, Otter Lieffe brings…
Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You
Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You
Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road
Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road
The Shepherd’s Hut: A Novel
I’m not certain I taught Tim Kaine when he was in high school, but there’s a good chance I did. The former Virginia governor and 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate, who is running this year for re-election to the U.S. Senate with an overwhelming lead in the polls, attended Rockhurst…
Schumacher is the first woman ever awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and her Dear Committee Members isn’t just funny, it’s a modern classic of academic satire. Told in the form of letters of recommendation written by Jason Fitger, a professor of creative writing and literature at Payne University,…
The Art of Escaping
August 2018 Exemplars: Poetry Reviews by Grace Cavalieri
Kindest Regards: New and Selected Poems by Ted Kooser. Copper Canyon Press. 256 pages. Esperanza and Hope by Esperanza Snyder. Sheep Meadow Press. 120 pages (plus a bonus poem in dialogue with the book by Stanley Moss). If You Have to Go by Katie Ford. Graywolf Press. 72 pages. Sing…
An Interview with Jenni L. Walsh
Bonnie and Clyde. If nothing else, the infamous names conjure a vague notion of partners in crime or no-holds-barred criminals. But, of course, there was more to the young bandits who captivated Depression-era America. Jenni L. Walsh digs deep in her thrilling and thoughtful exploration of the last few years…
The Chosen Wars: How Judaism Became an American Religion
The Chosen Wars: How Judaism Became an American Religion
A Terrible Country: A Novel
Perhaps it’s counterintuitive to suggest that these dark and scary times call for reading dark and scary books. But instead of chasing escapism in the form of light and frothy stories, I propose readers delve into narratives that tell you how bad it can be and to what depraved depths…
Join us at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine’s Delaplaine-Randall Conference Room to hear author Eugene Meyer discuss his latest book, Five for Freedom: The African American Soldiers in John Brown's Army. Free event; no registration required. Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Presented…
Stanton
Goodbye, Vitamin
Read Me: A Novel
One of the questions famous authors are often asked is, “Why do you write?” I’m not a famous author, so no one has ever asked me that, but I’ve thought about it for myself. I write to think things through, to find a new perspective, to discover a way of…
Arne Duncan in Conversation with Adam Harris
Now serving on the board of Communities in Schools, Duncan has spent nearly three decades working in all levels of education, most prominently as Secretary of Education under Obama. His new book, How Schools Work: An Inside Account of Failure and Success from One of the Nation’s Longest-Serving Secretaries of…
Mr. and Mrs. American Pie: A Novel
Mr. and Mrs. American Pie: A Novel
The Fall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future of American Politics
Meredith Jaeger: I’ve spoken to authors who don’t read in their genre while writing. Luckily, this isn’t a rule I abide by. I read nonfiction for historical research — I’ve published two novels in the past two years — and I also read whatever I want for pleasure. At the…
You’ve long been an essayist. Did you approach your memoir as something of an essay writ large, or did it feel like a different animal altogether? I thought of it as an essay writ large. But I probably think of essays differently than a lot of people. For me, an…
The Unpunished Vice: A Life of Reading
The Unpunished Vice: A Life of Reading
Bruce Lee: A Life
Does your liver hurt? Does it twitch around your insides like a muscle spasm? Have you been a binge drinker for 25 years, like me? Then read on… We live in an America of abundance and excess: Marijuana is becoming legal, prescription pills are an industry, and heroin and synthetic…
Jason Kander in Conversation with Symone Sanders
President Barack Obama has called Jason Kander the future of the Democratic Party. A former army captain and Afghanistan veteran, Kander was the first millennial ever elected to statewide office. Today, he is the founder and president of Let America Vote — dedicated to fighting back against voter suppression across…
The Chalk Artist
Patrick Henry
Were you lucky enough to spot at least 10 Waldos during Find Waldo in Downtown Frederick? If so, you’re invited to join in this free celebration at the Delaplaine Arts Center in Downtown Frederick. Kids ages 3-12 will enjoy prize drawings, a Waldo look-alike contest, a Waldo trivia contest, and…
Happy August! As I’ve squeezed reading in between kids’ activities, various household crises, and a to-do list that keeps getting longer, I’ve been reminded why I love romance fiction so much: The stories make me happy. In a life that is always too busy, and in a world that can…
The Abundant Life: A Novel
The Anomaly: A Novel
I play in “Walter’s Group,” the name given to a bunch of golfers in my club. Walter is a retired New York City fireman who has taken it upon himself to run a tournament that consists of about 40 senior golfers, give or take a few, depending upon vacations and…
7 Best-Reviewed Books in July 2018
Hidden Tapestry: Jan Yoors, His Two Wives, and the War That Made Them One by Debra Dean (Northwestern University Press). Reviewed by Delia Cabe. “Dean wisely stays away from speculation about their domestic situation, nor does she overreach in her observations. She sticks to her research. Dean notes that the…
An outspoken critic of today’s rape culture, Tamblyn wrote in a recent Glamour column that women can change the way women are talked about and treated. In her phenomenal debut novel, the actress, activist, and poet does just that. The book is told from the perspectives of the different men…
Because I Come from a Crazy Family: The Making of a Psychiatrist
Because I Come from a Crazy Family: The Making of a Psychiatrist
5 Most Popular Posts: July 2018
Michael Landweber’s review of The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. “These are not the droogs of A Clockwork Orange, driven by a terrifying narcissistic hedonism, or the self-centered and maniacal Annie Wilkes of Misery, who just wants a better ending to her favorite author’s latest…
America for Beginners: A Novel
America for Beginners: A Novel
Meet Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic
After delivering crucial parts of the nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by the Japanese on July 30, 1945 and sank within twelve minutes; survivors were found four days later, and three hundred of the 1,195 crewmen on board died, making this the greatest loss of…
In January, I posted a tongue-in-cheek column called “Tanking My Productivity,” where I made excuses for not starting the New Year off with a bang, but more of a whimper. I blamed kittens for part of my slow start. I didn’t know how right I was. We adopted three kittens…
Suicide Club: A Novel about Living
Suicide Club: A Novel about Living
American Sanctuary
Talking Pictures
Join local book mavens Spines & Vines and Lupita Reads for a discussion of their latest pick for Lit on H St Book Club: Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng – a riveting story that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter…
Night-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense
Night-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense
South Toward Home: Adventures and Misadventures in My Native Land
South Toward Home: Adventures and Misadventures in My Native Land
Last month in this space, I wrote about what led to my essay for Unloaded: Vol. 2. It only seems fair to follow that column with this one. I asked three of the other contributors why they wanted to write for the anthology; after all, we could use the money,…
Join us at Area 31 (31 East Patrick Street) when author Andrew Shaffer shares his newest book Hope Never Dies – a mystery thriller that reunites Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama for a political mashup full of suspense, intrigue, and laugh-out-loud bromance. Vice President Joe Biden is…
Planetside
Dear Mrs. Bird: A Novel
I am not an optimist by nature. I prefer to call myself a realist, one who is always pleasantly surprised when things turn out well, but who works to manage expectations. My husband tells me that’s the same thing as a pessimist. (Tomato, to-mah-to, I say.) That said, I see…
The Dead: A Novel
Join us at Curious Iguana to welcome author Seamus McGraw back to Frederick to speak about his latest book, A Thirsty Land: The Making of an American Water Crisis. As a changing climate threatens the whole country with deeper droughts and more furious floods that put ever more people and…
Compartment No. 6
Raven Rock
A Double Life: A Novel
Pop-up Book Signing with Serena Wills
From the author of Reconstruction, Pieces of Life Volume 1 comes a compelling poetry collection that travels the paths of those battling gynecological cancer, their caregivers, their grieving families and those who survived! Crying Tears of Teal chronicles the travails of diagnosis, prognosis, the battle, the love, the healing, grief…
Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces
The Protestant Cemetery of Rome
ROME. Most everyone arrives at this famous boneyard in the Testaccio neighborhood as I did this month: in search of two long-dead Brits from the early 19th century, alleged pals of the Romantic quill who apparently were not as fond as one another as we thought. In the shadow of…
The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul
The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul
Andrea Kleine in Conversation with Amber Sparks
Join East City Bookshop and Andrea Kleine, author of Eden and Calf, for a book talk, Q&A, and signing. Andrea will be joined in conversation with Amber Sparks, author of The Unfinished World. At East City Bookshop, 645 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Washington, DC. Click here for info. Want your event…
An Interview with Rebecca Fleet
Rebecca Fleet’s debut novel, The House Swap, is a literary matryoshka doll, with unexpected twists and shocking secrets revealed chapter after chapter. The story focuses on the relationship between married couple Francis and Caroline, who receive an offer to house swap their apartment in the city for a house in…
The Dragon: Fear and Power, and Fairies: A Dangerous History
This pair of books, released on the same day by the same publisher, reflects the temper of the times in today’s publishing market. Both attempt serious cultural histories of the extraordinary creatures they profile. Both also appear to be aimed at attracting crossover interest from another consequential reader segment. Fans…
Hooray, It’s Amazon Prime Day!
Hey, Amazon Prime members: Today’s the big day! Since you’re gonna be shopping online anyway (play it cool if the boss walks by), why not support us while you do? Click on any hyperlinked book title in our reviews or features (or just click here) and you’ll be whisked away…
Whistle in the Dark: A Novel
Nurturing the Littlest Readers
One night in mid-20th-century England, little Roger lies down and, after kicking the sheets off in his hot bedroom, goes to sleep. The next morning, he wakes up in medieval England, looking at the besieged castle of Torquilstone. Excellent, he thinks, as he approaches the high stone walls. If only…
The Age of the Horse
So Much Blue
If you’re looking for a little romance (of the reading variety) this summer, I have a quintet of contemporary romances to recommend! From boardrooms to bedrooms to — of course — beautiful beaches, these novels pair up some of my favorite romantic couples of the year. ***** If you only…
Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World
Eunice: The Kennedy Who Changed the World
Rejection is a hard thing to cope with, as every writer and would-be writer well knows. Persistence in the face of rejection is a profile in courage. Debra Jo Immergut’s new novel, The Captives, is a case study in both persistence and courage. I first met Immergut in Berlin back…
A Noise Downstairs: A Novel
Perfect for readers of Erik Larson, Karen Abbott, and other masters of nonfiction, City of Devils: The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Shanghai is a rags-to-riches tale of two self-made men set against a backdrop of crime and vice in the sprawling badlands of 1930s Shanghai by the…
July 2018 Exemplars: Poetry Reviews by Grace Cavalieri
Anagnorisis by Kyle Dargan. TriQuarterly. 96 pages. The Arrows That Choose Us by Marilyn Annucci. Introduction by Tom Lombardo. Press 53. 88 pages. North American Stadiums by Grady Chambers. Milkweed Editions. 112 pages. Our World by Shelby Stephenson. Cover art by Jacob Stephenson. Press 53. 102 pages. 4:30 Movie by…
Immigrant, Montana: A Novel
An Interview with Stuart E. Eizenstat
In President Carter: The White House Years, Stuart E. Eizenstat provides plenty of fresh, insider material to help make the case that, far from the ineffectual sanctimonious caricature sometimes found in history books, Jimmy Carter’s presidency was remarkably successful and paved the way for many of Ronald Reagan’s subsequent successes.…
Fat Girl on a Plane
Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World’s Biggest Sports Scandal
Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World’s Biggest Sports Scandal
There’s something about summer reading, isn’t there? Sure, cozying up under a blanket with a hot cup of cocoa in winter is fun, but reading in summer has its own special magic to it. It reminds me of my own childhood summers. I spent many of my summer days at…
Moran was named Columnist of the Year by the British Press Awards in 2010 and Critic and Interviewer of the Year in 2011 for her work in the Times of London. As she proved with How to Build a Girl, she’s equally skilled as a novelist. Her second work of…
Papi
Madame President
Robenalt’s account of racial violence in Cleveland could be taken from today’s headlines, but the incident he reports happened on July 23, 1968. In a clash between black nationalists and police, six people were killed and at least fifteen injured. The shootings led to heavy rioting, but what exactly set…
Picasso and the Painting That Shocked the World
Picasso and the Painting That Shocked the World
The Promise of the Grand Canyon: John Wesley Powell’s Perilous Journey and His Vision for the American West
I have no memory of a time when I didn’t know John McNamara. I was 18 months old to his 2-and-a-half years old when my family moved into our little Cape Cod whose back yard touched on the diagonal with his. He and his siblings went to Catholic school, while…
My Year of Rest and Relaxation: A Novel
My Year of Rest and Relaxation: A Novel
As a former college athlete, I like the playfulness of the above title* for an essay about titles, but if you’ve never cared much about sports, maybe it’s lost on you. Perhaps I should’ve just called it “Title,” the way many of my college students, for some reason, label their…
An Interview with Tina Alexis Allen
Sometimes, that old adage about truth being stranger than fiction isn't all together accurate. In the case of Tina Alexis Allen's new memoir, the truth is also more perverse, unsettling, and cinematic in scope, with characters straight out of central casting. Stranger, yes, but Hiding Out: A Memoir of Drugs,…
Lincoln’s Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency
Lincoln’s Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency
5 Most Popular Posts: June 2018
Fatima Taha’s review of Hotel Silence: A Novel by Auđur Ava Ólafsdóttir; translated by Brian FitzGibbon (Grove Press). “The minimalistic prose — which allows Jónas to be everyman — is Hotel Silence’s greatest strength, and translator Brian FitzGibbon deserves credit. The writing also creates a sense of moving through a…
John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) is best known for leading the first successful expedition down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. But that momentous feat was not the end of Powell’s career. Ross, former editor of American Heritage and award-winning author of Enduring Courage and War on the Run, vividly…
Hidden Tapestry: Jan Yoors, His Two Wives, and the War That Made Them One
Hidden Tapestry: Jan Yoors, His Two Wives, and the War That Made Them One
“Wuthering Heights is not a love story!” cry some critics and a few disappointed readers from their cyber spaces. The probing thinkers among them go on to articulate what they think Wuthering Heights is, if not a great romance, and some of them wield convincing arguments about revenge, obsession, and…
The Lost History of Stars
Rise + Rhyme is a weekly morning storytelling and performance series for children ages 5 and under with the goals of teaching children to engage with their community, learn to love performing and become rising artivists! Schedule: 9:30-10:00 Community Chat & Chew 10:00-10:45 Children’s Performance 10:45-11:00 Clean Up Time We…
Mr. Rochester
Midnight Blue: A Novel
7 Best-Reviewed Books in June 2018
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee (Mariner Books). Reviewed by Gretchen Lida. “Despite its many subjects, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel is above all a book on writing. As I read, I underlined, highlighted, and snapped photos of quotes. While I sometimes do this with…
Other than an occasional snarky jab (in a moment of weakness or high dudgeon) at a nameless politician we all recognize, I have avoided politics in this blog. That is to say, the Write Stuff is not a “political” column. However, perhaps now is the time for at least an…
Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock
Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock
Alissa Quart in Conversation with Barbara Ehrenreich
Quart’s eye-opening report on the middle-class is a troubling portrait of families sinking under the financial weight of raising children. Drawing on her years covering the challenges working parents face, Quart tells stories of people struggling to negotiate the unstable job market, high childcare costs, limited parental leave, and the…
Patient Care: Death and Life in the Emergency Room
Patient Care: Death and Life in the Emergency Room
An Interview with Seymour Hersh
Seymour Hersh won a Pulitzer Prize for his crucial role in revealing the My Lai Massacre, a mass murder of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops in South Vietnam in 1968. Never a stranger to controversy, Hersh has been criticized for some of his more recent work, notably 2015’s The Killing…
Kudos: A Novel
Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster
I very much enjoy Lucinda Williams. I would never argue with anyone who said that Creedence Clearwater Revival was the best rock band ever. I also love digging into history and finding the obscure beauties, such as Vee-Jay Records. And I read a memoir from 2011 recently that rings the…
Keating will be in conversation with Ishaan Tharoor, Foreign Affairs writer at the Washington Post, and Miranda Bogen, Policy Analyst at Upturn. He'll discuss his book, a thoughtful analysis of how our world’s borders came to be and why we may be emerging from a lengthy period of “cartographical stasis.”…
Miss Burma
Mothers and Other Strangers
The Wreckage of Eden: A Novel
Matthew Klam: I read one book at a time, but I also tend to tear through books I might not finish, or finish two years later. I've published fiction and nonfiction — short stories, a novel, essays, longform journalism — and in a few weeks, an episode I co-wrote for…
Announcing the 2018 Reader Survey
Readers and writers — a symbiotic relationship. Ideas spark writers to create stories and build worlds and characters for readers. Readers add imagination, thought, and personal experiences to interpret those stories, deriving meaning and enjoyment in the process. A story is incomplete without both reader and writer. But what do…
The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington: A Novel
The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington: A Novel
This isn’t one of those essays where writers are discouraged from writing about politics. I never considered myself a political writer. A “political writer” has always meant — to me — someone who deems an issue necessary to write about, and that issue steers them through an article, an essay,…
Meet Jessica Spotswood and Tiffany Schmidt
Join us for a fun afternoon celebrating these wonderful authors and their latest novels: two outstanding contemporary Young Adult stories of romance, friendship, sisterhood, and love of literacy! We'll have sparkling beverages, baked goods, and exclusive cootie catchers to go with each book! Find out which Garrett Girl you are,…
Get Ready to Fall for the Book!
Get your summer reading lists ready for the 2018 Fall for the Book headliners! The 20th annual festival, which runs from October 10th-13th at George Mason University, will host a star-studded lineup. Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage, will kick off the festival on Wednesday, October 10th. Congressman John…
Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings
Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings
An Interview with Elaine V. Beilin
Professor Elaine V. Beilin, author of Redeeming Eve, Women Writers of the English Renaissance, began her professional life in 1976 with a seemingly idle question. Traveling by bus from Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts, she had just attended a presentation on the topic of women and literature. Sitting next to…
More than a decade ago, I attended a popular mystery convention. One of the panels was titled something like, “Mystery and Feminism,” and so I showed up expecting an in-depth discussion of the interlinkages and disparities within the mystery genre. Sisters in Crime actually formed with some of those disparities…
The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel
The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel
A dazzling new novel of friendship and redemption in the face of tragedy and loss set in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris, by the acclaimed and award-winning author Rebecca Makkai. At Solid State Books, 600 H St., NE, Washington, DC. Click here for info. Want your event spotlighted? Find details…
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