The L.A. Novelist Who Doesn’t Get Her Due
admin Jackie Collins wrote flashy Hollywood thrillers, but isn’t often thought of as a canonical Los Angeles writer.
Books Briefing
What Tech Titans Don’t Understand About Sci-Fi
The genre frequently exposes the rot within supposedly perfect futures.
What Dolly Parton Knew About Reading
She wanted to be remembered, most of all, as the “book lady.”
A Bleak, Violent Novel’s Unexpected Delights
For the characters in <em>The Disappearers</em>, seeing and being seen are matters of life and death.
The Best Way to Learn Outside of the Classroom
As a busy adult, I approach foundational, complicated ideas with the help of the intellectual biography.
Kafka’s Most Entertaining Stories
The animal narrators in these works teach us something funny about human beings.
What Climate Fiction Should Accomplish
Can a novel capture the shock of planetary instability?
A Pulitzer Winner Who Keeps Pushing Himself
Colson Whitehead’s career shows the power of restlessness in writing.
The Catcher in the Rye Is for Girls Too
J. D. Salinger’s classic novel of teen alienation made me feel more connected to the world.
Darwin’s Story Isn’t as Simple as It Seems
The best writing leads us to a more complex and more honest understanding of the past.