Books
What We're Reading, Feb. 9 - 15, 2010
()Three novels of past and present: Lynn Neary reviews the "perfect" novel for our down economy — written before the banks failed. Steve Inskeep reads a tale of political infighting resonant of today, but that follows events in Cicero's Rome. And Alan Cheuse celebrates The Lost Books of the Odyssey, a novel both timeless and very contemporary.
What We're Reading, Feb. 9 - 15, 2010
Three standout novels: busted bankers, politics Roman style, and the Odyssey's lost books.
Author Interviews
20 Years Of Defending Death Row Inmates()
February 8, 2010 Attorney David Dow has spent his career representing inmates who have been sentenced to death. Despite his efforts, many of his clients have been executed — and most of them were guilty. In his new memoir, The Autobiography of an Execution, Dow details what it's like to become emotionally involved with the people living on death row.
Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers
Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers For Feb. 4()
February 4, 2010 Amy Bloom's set of sweet, accessible novellas, Where the God of Love Hangs Out, makes this week's list at No. 10.
Author Interviews
Imagining 'The Next Hundred Million' Americans()
February 8, 2010 The U.S. population is expected to reach 400 million by mid-century. In his book, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, Joel Kotkin argues that future will be green, diverse and suburban. Kotkin explains how the nation's changing demographics will transform American life and communities.
Paperback Fiction Bestsellers
Paperback Fiction Bestsellers For Feb. 4()
February 4, 2010 Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting For Stone is also a practicing physician, and he spares no detail in his novel, in revealing the inner workings of the world of medicine. His story, about a family of doctors, debuts on the list at No. 5.
Author Interviews
DeLillo's Man In The Desert, Up Against The Wall()
February 8, 2010 The author's latest novel is Point Omega, the story of a man who aided in the planning of the Iraq war. Like many of the books in DeLillo's 40-year career, it connects real-life events with themes of isolation and inevitability.
Interviews
Jenny Sanford Details Tumult In 'Staying True'()
February 8, 2010 Of the recent political scandals involving infidelity — John Edwards, Elliott Spitzer, James McGreevy — one stands out, not for what the politician did, but for what his wife did not do. Jenny Sanford, wife of Gov. Mark Sanford, did not stand by her man in the cameras' glare. Her new memoir explains why.
Author Interviews
From Erdrich, A Page Turner With Deceit At Heart()
February 7, 2010 Louise Erdrich's new novel, Shadow Tag, is the story of a woman who writes two diaries — one that she knows her husband is reading, and one that she keeps secret. As she manipulates her husband, their marriage falls apart.
Observations Of China, From Behind The Wheel()
February 8, 2010 In summer 2001, New Yorker Beijing correspondent Peter Hessler got his Chinese driver's license. For the next seven years, he traveled thousands of miles through China, reporting on how the car is transforming the country.
Book Reviews
An Aimless Walk With An 'Unnamed' Destination()
February 4, 2010 Tim Farnsworth, a partner at a Manhattan law firm, has been beset by a mysterious condition — a compulsion to walk until he collapses from exhaustion. Like its protagonist, Joshua Ferris' new novel moves resolutely forward with a fixed, trancelike purposelessness.
Author Interviews
Temple Grandin: The Woman Who Talks to Animals()
February 5, 2010 Temple Grandin is one of the world's greatest animal behaviorists. She is also autistic — and has put that to work for her. Grandin has written several books on animals, including Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior. This weekend, HBO will premiere a made-for-TV movie based on her life.
