Books
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Writers, the Wretched of the Earth
In Munir Hachemi’s novel “Living Things,” four young men seek adventure for “literary capital” and find exploitation.
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How Did We Learn to Talk? We Can’t Say for Sure.
In “The Language Puzzle,” the archaeologist Steven Mithen asks exactly how our species started speaking.
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A Hot, Fraught Cape Cod Family Drama
In her new novel, “Sandwich,” Catherine Newman explores the aches and joys of midlife via one family’s summer week at…
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3 High-Octane Summer Thrillers
You’re not going to like Dr. Caroline Strange, the psychiatrist in Louisa Luna’s constantly surprising TELL ME WHO YOU ARE…
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He’s an Emergency Medical Worker Fighting to Save People From His Own Life
Joseph Earl Thomas’s new novel, “God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer,” follows a health care worker on a tumultuous shift where…
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A Proud Texan Reckons With Her State’s Complicated Past
In her new book, Jessica Goudeau confronts a history of racism and violence in Texas through an investigation of her…
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What We Think About When We Think About Joni Mitchell
In her new book, “Traveling,” the music critic Ann Powers offers a highly personal, even confessional, meditation on Mitchell’s life,…
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It Was Supposed to Be a Fun Night Out. It Led to a Criminal Underworld.
In Akwaeke Emezi’s latest novel, “Little Rot,” two exes trying to recover after a breakup inadvertently stumble into a dark,…
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A Memoir of Hot Sex, Hot Chocolate and Freedom — Not in That Order
In “I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself,” Glynnis MacNicol ignores the pearl-clutchers and does just that.
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Life, Death and Life After Death in June’s Graphic Novels
Justice, feminism, freedom and cheap horror thrills make for an exciting month of reading.