Accessibility links

NPR: Book Reviews Summary judgment on books of note, from NPR personalities, independent booksellers and critics from across the public-radio spectrum.

Book Reviews

Subscribe to Books Newsletter

Two books dig into the 1990s for the roots of the Trump-era Republican Party

Meghan Collins Sullivan/NPR

Two books dig into the 1990s for the roots of the Trump-era Republican Party

August 9, 2022 • Two veteran observers of American politics, a journalist and a historian, argue that former president Trump is not responsible for the GOP of our day but, instead, exploited it as he found it.

'The Last White Man' spins a deft, if narrow, fantasy about identity

Penguin Random House

'The Last White Man' spins a deft, if narrow, fantasy about identity

Fresh Air

August 9, 2022 • Mohsin Hamid's surreal new novel centers on a white man who awakens one morning to find that his skin has turned brown. The Last White Man only seriously strains credulity at its very end.

Two sisters fight for Vietnam's independence

Grand Central Publishing

Two sisters fight for Vietnam's independence

August 8, 2022 • The novel Bronze Drum explores the legend of the sisters' rebellion against Chinese rule and the idea of collective memory as resistance.

'The Devil Takes You Home' invites readers to consider the depths of darkness

Mulholland Books

'The Devil Takes You Home' invites readers to consider the depths of darkness

August 6, 2022 • Gabino Iglesias' barrio noir may not be a cheerful book, but it still allows glimpses of love, moments of connection, and glimmers of beauty to exist.

Emi Nietfeld is done reaching for redemption in 'Acceptance'

Penguin Press

Emi Nietfeld is done reaching for redemption in 'Acceptance'

August 3, 2022 • The memoir is not a phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes tale. Instead, Nietfeld refuses silver linings and focuses on the toll of contorting oneself into a "perfect, deserving" victim.

'How Fast Did T. rex Run?' and other questions about dinosaurs examined in new book

Princeton University Press

'How Fast Did T. rex Run?' and other questions about dinosaurs examined in new book

August 3, 2022 • British paleontologist David Hone set out to write a book that stresses what isn't yet known about dinosaurs — as much as what is known.

The immersive novel 'Tomorrow' is a winner for gamers and n00bs alike

Penguin Random House

The immersive novel 'Tomorrow' is a winner for gamers and n00bs alike

Fresh Air

July 28, 2022 • Gabrielle Zevin's beautifully written novel Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow tells the story of two childhood friends who become legendary names in the world of video game design.

The immersive novel 'Tomorrow' is a winner for gamers and n00bs alike

Listen · 6:52 6:52

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1114196664/1114280426" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Books in Translation: Three tales touching on French colonialism

Meghan Collins Sullivan/NPR

Books in Translation: Three tales touching on French colonialism

July 19, 2022 • Mutt-Lon's The Blunder, Pina by Titaua Peu, and Thuận's Chinatown all come from different continents and deal, glancingly or in depth, with French colonialism.

In 'Briefly, A Delicious Life,' love comes in multiple, sometimes surprising, forms

Scribner

In 'Briefly, A Delicious Life,' love comes in multiple, sometimes surprising, forms

July 18, 2022 • Nell Stevens' debut novel is a curious mashup of historical fiction, a ghost story, and a queer love story. It combines elements of her prior books, both memoirs with nods to 19th century literature.

Ten of the top cookbooks of 2022, so far

NPR

Ten of the top cookbooks of 2022, so far

July 16, 2022 • Whether you're looking for exciting dishes to serve at a summer cookout, or something to help you get out of a cooking rut, NPR's Books We Love project has suggestions for you.

Ten of the top cookbooks of 2022, so far

Listen · 4:09 4:09

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1111702822/1111894490" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

'Upgrade' takes a unique, fun path to the end

Upgrade Ballantine Books hide caption

toggle caption

Ballantine Books

'Upgrade' takes a unique, fun path to the end

July 14, 2022 • Blake Crouch spins out grounded, accessible tales with an admirable internal precision no matter the genre. His newest, Upgrade, is no different.

'Thank You for Your Servitude' casts harsh light on GOP's shift and its motives

Penguin Press

'Thank You for Your Servitude' casts harsh light on GOP's shift and its motives

July 8, 2022 • Although Donald Trump remains an eminence throughout, Mark Leibovich's true subject here is Trump's stable of enablers and the transformation they have wrought on their party and themselves.

'O' takes readers on a journey of abandonment and reclamation

Penguin Books

'O' takes readers on a journey of abandonment and reclamation

July 8, 2022 • In her third poetry collection, Zeina Hashem Beck is graceful her defiance of fitting self into a box. She embraces the multitudes – mother, citizen, poet, warrior – and presents herself as one whole.

'The Poet's House' is a droll coming-of-age story — and an absolute keeper of a novel

Workman Publishing

'The Poet's House' is a droll coming-of-age story — and an absolute keeper of a novel

Fresh Air

July 5, 2022 • Jean Thompson's novel follows an insecure young woman as she's drawn into a clique of poets. The Poet's House is a story about the corrosive power of shame and the primal fear of sounding stupid.

'The Poet's House' is a droll coming-of-age story — and an absolute keeper of a novel

Listen · 6:23 6:23

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1109798215/1109848368" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Flying around the world — and back home again — in 'Imagine a City'

Knopf

Flying around the world — and back home again — in 'Imagine a City'

July 5, 2022 • In a new book, pilot and author of Skyfaring Mark Vanhoenacker takes readers to far-flung cities he once dreamed about during his childhood in western Massachusetts.

Here are the 14 books that NPR staff and critics are loving the most so far this year

Various/Emily Bogle for NPR

Books

Here are the 14 books that NPR staff and critics are loving the most so far this year

July 2, 2022 • Every year, we ask NPR staff and contributors to tell us about their favorite books. From a list of 167 books so far this year, here are the 14 that the most people chose as their top pick.

8 books to enjoy at the beach this summer

NPR

Books

8 books to enjoy at the beach this summer

June 30, 2022 • From light romance and short fiction to thrillers, here's a list of books that are perfect companions as you retreat to the beach or pool to catch a break from the summer heat.

8 books to enjoy at the beach this summer

Listen · 3:49 3:49

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1108218027/1109051901" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Travel the world without leaving your home with these 10 books

Various/Emily Bogle for NPR

Books

Travel the world without leaving your home with these 10 books

June 30, 2022 • From Lahore's red-light district and the streets of Mexico to a fantastical underwater land of Korean fable, here are some picks that can immerse you in worlds wholly unlike your own.

Travel the world without leaving your home with these 10 books

Listen · 3:50 3:50

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1108366545/1108843865" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Here are the Books We Love: 160+ great 2022 reads recommended by NPR

NPR

Books

Here are the Books We Love: 160+ great 2022 reads recommended by NPR

June 30, 2022 • Books We Love is back early this year; for 2022, we're launching the first-ever summer edition, complete with 160+ recommendations from NPR staff and trusted critics.

'X' looks at a subculture that mainstream American art has frequently shied away from

Catapult

'X' looks at a subculture that mainstream American art has frequently shied away from

June 28, 2022 • Davey Davis' book is far from an ordinary love story — it's a shocking and moving novel about what it means to be an outsider in a world that's crumbling around you.

Life in the Middle Ages is more gross than engrossing in this ruthless novel

Lapvona, by Ottessa Moshfegh Penguin Random House hide caption

toggle caption

Penguin Random House

Life in the Middle Ages is more gross than engrossing in this ruthless novel

Fresh Air

June 27, 2022 • Ottessa Moshfegh's Lapvona follows the life of Marek, a 13-year-old peasant boy who lives in a cruel world of sadism and stink, cannibalism and self-flagellation.

Life in the Middle Ages is more gross than engrossing in this ruthless novel

Listen · 6:50 6:50

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1107360561/1107907272" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

'Rogues' showcases Patrick Radden Keefe's preternatural gift for reading people

Doubleday

'Rogues' showcases Patrick Radden Keefe's preternatural gift for reading people

June 27, 2022 • Keefe recognizes that we're all unreliable narrators of our own lives, and writes about his subjects with a keen sense of understanding.

'Learning To Talk' focuses on growing up in mid-20th-century England

Learning to Talk Henry Holt & Co. hide caption

toggle caption

Henry Holt & Co.

'Learning To Talk' focuses on growing up in mid-20th-century England

June 24, 2022 • It's a testament to Hilary Mantel's brilliance as an author that even though the moments in these stories are subtle, the book somehow feels epic in its own way.

'An Immense World' dives deep into the umwelt of animals

Random House

'An Immense World' dives deep into the umwelt of animals

June 21, 2022 • Pulitzer prize-winning science journalist Ed Yong writes in a perfect balance of scientific rigor and personal awe as he invites readers to grasp something of how other animals experience the world.

More from Book Reviews

Browse archive or search npr.org