Revisiting the Unusual Celebrity of Stephen Hawking

In “Hawking Hawking,” Charles Seife offers a portrait of the famous theoretical physicist and tries to unpack his place in popular culture.

1h

‘The Free World’ Explains How Culture Heated Up During the Cold War

Louis Menand’s new book about art and thought in the postwar years features a very large cast, including George Orwell, James Baldwin, Susan Sontag and the Beatles.

8h

Denis Donoghue, Humanist Literary Critic, Dies at 92

He wrote prodigiously while teaching, first in Dublin and then in New York, and often clashed with critics he considered too political.

19h

When Her Mother Died, She Found Solace at a Korean Grocery

Michelle Zauner, a musician who performs under the name Japanese Breakfast, is making her book debut with “Crying in H Mart.”

1d

When Harry Met Harry

In Dan Gutman’s “Houdini and Me,” a boy named Harry who lives in Houdini’s old house is getting text messages from the long-dead magician’s ghost.

1d

Pseudonymous Bosch’s First Book Under His Real Name

In “The Anti-Book,” Raphael Simon explores what happens when a bubble gum prize enables an angry boy to erase everything he hates about his life.

1d

Book by Officer Who Shot Breonna Taylor Is a New Test for Publishers

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, one of the officers involved in the fatal shooting, has a book deal with a small press, but its distributor, Simon & Schuster, in an unusual move, said it won’t ship it.

1d

Celebrating 15 Years of the Podcast

Pamela Paul, Sam Tanenhaus and others discuss what’s happened behind the scenes during 15 years of the podcast.

1d

10 Memorable Conversations From 15 Years of the Book Review’s Podcast

Talks with Toni Morrison, Jeanette Winterson, Reginald Dwayne Betts and others, from the eras of both the show’s hosts, Sam Tanenhaus and Pamela Paul.

1d

The Books That Led Her to Her Art

A children’s book illustrator and author describes her path through classics like “Blueberries for Sal” and “Where the Wild Things Are.”

2d