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Here Are The 2018 National Book Award Longlists, Featuring A Fresh Category

September 14, 2018 • Fifty nominated books now remain in contention for prizes in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young people's literature — and, in a fresh twist to the annual slate, translated literature.

Review

'The Dinosaur Artist' Dusts Off The Debate Over Who Should Own Fossils

September 13, 2018 • Author Paige Williams brings the discussion to life by recounting the exploits of commercial fossil hunter Eric Prokopi, highlighting one find — a 24-ft.-long Tarbosaurus fossil, the book's star.

Review

'The Real Lolita' Investigates The True Crime Story Of Sally Horner

September 11, 2018 • Written in light of Nabokov's famous novel, the book stands out for its captivating mix of tenacious reporting, astute literary analysis and passionate posthumous recognition of a defenseless child.

Review

'The Most Dangerous Branch' Asks Whether The Supreme Court Has Become Too Powerful

September 5, 2018 • In author David Kaplan's view, the top court has taken an increasing role in policymaking, having issued critical decisions on abortion, voting rights, gun control, health care — and the president.

Review

From A Read-Along Record To A Profane Tarot: The Year's Quirkiest Crowdfunded Comics

September 1, 2018 • Crowdfunding and comics go well together — in fact, comic artists were doing it before that term existed. This year has been a good one for crowdfunded comics, and we've picked some of the best.

Wayne Kramer, Rock Legend And Failed Outlaw, Assembles A Supergroup In The Rearview

Wayne Kramer's mugshot, taken in 1976. Courtesy of Margaret Saadi Kramer hide caption

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Courtesy of Margaret Saadi Kramer

Wayne Kramer, Rock Legend And Failed Outlaw, Assembles A Supergroup In The Rearview

August 22, 2018 • Now 70 years old, Wayne Kramer — co-founder of the short-lived, influential Detroit rock band The MC5 — reflects on life as an artist, near-revolutionary, bumbling outlaw and prison reform advocate.

Summer Reader Poll 2018: Horror

Enter The Crypt, Tomb, Vault, Coffin (And More) Of Horror Comics

August 20, 2018 • Horror comics enjoyed a golden age in the 1940s and '50s, before people got scared about kids reading gore and terror — but they never went away entirely, and now there's a new generation of scares.

Review

3 Sweet Reads For August's Hot Days

August 18, 2018 • We're sweating toward the end of summer, and that calls for a romance binge. This month, we've got some suspense, a road trip — destination love — and a gritty look at Regency England.

H.P. Lovecraft And The Shadow Over Horror

Hello Lovely/Getty Images/Blend Images

Summer Reader Poll 2018: Horror

H.P. Lovecraft And The Shadow Over Horror

August 16, 2018 • Lovecraft's stories are among the foundations of modern horror; they still have the power to terrify today. But his bigotry is just as horrific — so how do we deal with this all-too-human darkness?

What, No 'Jaws?' Or: See The Movie, Skip The Book

Readers nominated Jaws for our list of 100 favorite horror stories — but our judges recommend you see the movie instead. Getty Images/Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images/Getty Images

Summer Reader Poll 2018: Horror

What, No 'Jaws?' Or: See The Movie, Skip The Book

August 16, 2018 • Readers may notice that some famous titles are missing from this year's final list of 100 favorite horror stories — books like Jaws and The Amityville Horror. That's because, frankly, they stink.

Summer Reader Poll 2018: Horror

Click If You Dare: 100 Favorite Horror Stories

August 16, 2018 • In honor of Frankenstein's 200th birthday, this year's summer reader poll is all about horror — from classics like Mary Shelley's monster to new favorites, we've got something to scare everyone.

Review

Summer Reader Poll 2018: Horror

Like 'Goosebumps?' Here's Another 30 Years' Worth Of Horror For Kids

August 12, 2018 • From the late '60s to the rise of Harry Potter in the late '90s, horror fiction had a hold on young readers, and there was something to scare everyone, from realistic thrillers to possessed dummies.

V.S. Naipaul, Controversial Author And Nobel Laureate, Dies At 85

V.S. Naipaul, seen here in 1968, once told NPR, "It's important to avoid the wallow. It repels the reader." John Minihan/Evening Standard/Getty Images hide caption

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John Minihan/Evening Standard/Getty Images

V.S. Naipaul, Controversial Author And Nobel Laureate, Dies At 85

August 11, 2018 • Naipaul was born in Trinidad, and his relationship to his birthplace was nothing if not complicated. He was often criticized for the way he depicted developing countries in his novels.

V.S. Naipaul, Controversial Author And Nobel Laureate, Dies At 85

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Reading Horror Can Arm Us Against A Horrifying World

Why read horror when the world is already so creepy? Maree Searle/Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption

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Maree Searle/Getty Images/EyeEm

Summer Reader Poll 2018: Horror

Reading Horror Can Arm Us Against A Horrifying World

August 5, 2018 • Why read horror stories when the real world is scary enough on its own? Because horror does more than scare us — it teaches us how to live with being scared, and how to fight back against evil.

'Every Full Moon We Can Howl At Is A Victory,' Says Emil Ferris

August 3, 2018 • Ferris' graphic novel My Favorite Thing Is Monsters won three Eisners, the highest award in mainstream comics, and it celebrates the things that make us all monsters — because monsters are cool.

'Every Full Moon We Can Howl At Is A Victory,' Says Emil Ferris

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Yabbadabba-What? These Aren't The Flintstones You Remember

Writer Mark Russell says artist Steve Pugh's character designs bring humanity to his updated version of The Flintstones. Courtesy of DC Entertainment hide caption

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Courtesy of DC Entertainment

Yabbadabba-What? These Aren't The Flintstones You Remember

August 2, 2018 • When you say The Flintstones, most people think of the old Hanna Barbera cartoons. But a new comic book adaptation keeps the humor, and tackles some heavy themes like capitalism and human frailty.

Yabbadabba-What? These Aren't The Flintstones You Remember

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Review

Spicer Book Offers Insight On Conservative Politics, Doubles Down On Misstatements

July 24, 2018 • The former Trump press officer intelligently dissects the reward structure of viral Twitter and gives a valuable sketch of conservative politics, but he seems to have written "The Briefing" to an end.

Readers See Themselves In The Many Worlds Of Seanan McGuire

Seanan McGuire has so many universes in her head, she hasn't counted them all yet. Beckett Gladney hide caption

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Beckett Gladney

Readers See Themselves In The Many Worlds Of Seanan McGuire

July 22, 2018 • The prolific fantasy and horror author says that reading stories about people who don't look like us is how we learn empathy; she makes a point of writing characters who reflect different experiences.

Readers See Themselves In The Many Worlds Of Seanan McGuire

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Watch Your Mouth

July 12, 2018 • This week on the Hidden Brain radio show, we explore how the constantly evolving nature of languages can give us different ways of understanding ourselves as well as the world we live in.

Watch Your Mouth

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Review

'Rest And Relaxation' Is As Sharp As Its Heroine Is Bleary

July 10, 2018 • Ottessa Moshfegh's bizarrely fascinating new novel follows a young woman in Manhattan who decides to sleep her life away with a combination of pills, waking occasionally for bad bodega coffee.

New Kids' Books Put A Human Face On The Refugee Crisis

July 10, 2018 • In classrooms and at home, kids are reading a new genre of books about a timely topic: refugees. They're selling well and providing a sympathetic view of people often portrayed as threats.

New Kids' Books Put A Human Face On The Refugee Crisis

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Remembering Steve Ditko: Forget Kirby Dots, Let's Talk Ditko Sparkles

Cover of Captain Atom #78 (December 1965). Co-created by Steve Ditko, the nuclear-powered hero left a wake of ... stars? Sparkles? Glitter? ... in his fabulous wake. Glen Weldon/Private Collection hide caption

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Glen Weldon/Private Collection

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Remembering Steve Ditko: Forget Kirby Dots, Let's Talk Ditko Sparkles

July 8, 2018 • The idiosyncratic co-creator of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and many lesser-known comics characters died last week. His distinctive storytelling style shaped generations of comics readers.