Book reviews

Archaeologists behaving badly Archaeologists behaving badly

Mystery and conspiracy plague a dig at the site of ancient Sparta in "The Hidden"
By Laura Miller Nov 1, 2009

  • America, the beautiful (America, the ugly)

    This masterly literary history from co-editor Greil Marcus does justice to our country's best and worst moments
    By Laura Miller September 22, 2009

  • Dan Brown swaps pseudohistory for pseudoscience

    With "The Lost Symbol," his "Da Vinci" follow-up, Brown spins a wild Freemason conspiracy -- then never solves it
    By Laura Miller September 15, 2009

  • People like Lorrie Moore are the only people here

    The celebrated author's "A Gate at the Stairs" is aggressively clever, meticulously crafted -- and exhausting
    By Stephanie Zacharek September 1, 2009

  • Where the streets have no shame

    Blog turned book, "The Sartorialist" finds beauty in passersby and strikes a blow against boring "celebrity style"
    By Stephanie Zacharek August 25, 2009

  • Critics' Picks: Magic for grown-ups

    "The Magicians" is a ravishing adult novel that shines a new light on the fantasy tales we read as kids
    By Laura Miller August 12, 2009

  • The beauty and terror of science

    Romantic poets and scientists tapped the marvels of nature and sounded a clarion alarm that can transform us today
    By Kevin Berger August 10, 2009

  • Critics' Picks: The legacy of Obama's "race speech"

    An eye-opening collection of essays revisits the legendary campaign-trail moment
    By Andrew O'Hehir August 10, 2009

  • Sacrificial virgins of the Mississippi

    Archaeologists are slowly unearthing the ghastly secrets of Cahokia, an ancient city under the American heartland
    By Andrew O'Hehir August 6, 2009

  • Pynchon lights up

    The famed author is back with a tale of drugs, hippies and paranoia -- and you don't need a decoder ring to read it
    By Laura Miller July 31, 2009

  • Are you there, God? It's me, childhood

    From "Harriet the Spy" to "A Wrinkle in Time," girl-centric novels of the past come to life in "Shelf Discovery"
    By Joy Press July 28, 2009

  • Must read: "Glover's Mistake"

    A lovelorn schoolteacher uses the Internet to exact his romantic revenge in Nick Laird's chilling tale
    By Laura Miller July 23, 2009

  • Why we say yes to drugs

    Resistance to mind-altering substances is futile, according to a new "Secret History of Getting High in America"
    By Laura Miller July 20, 2009

  • IKEA is as bad as Wal-Mart

    Everyone loves a bargain, but a new book illuminates the dangers of cheap stuff
    By Stephanie Zacharek July 12, 2009

  • History is bunk after all

    Much of what we're taught has been twisted to suit someone's needs
    By Laura Miller July 9, 2009

  • The un-American way of life

    A controversial new history of Communism suggests that most everything we think we know about it is wrong
    By Andrew O'Hehir July 3, 2009

  • Who's to blame for the housing crash?

    Alyssa Katz, author of "Our Lot," discusses the good intentions and mass delusion that led to the real estate boom
    By Mark Schone June 30, 2009

  • The unbearable lightness of Lauren Conrad

    The "Hills" star puts reality TV behind her -- with a novel about a reality star who just wants to be a normal girl
    By Thomas Rogers June 19, 2009

  • White male seeking sexy Asian women

    What is the deal with Western men's erotic obsession with the East?
    By Laura Miller June 16, 2009

  • Why are you working so hard?

    Alain de Botton's riveting book examines jobs from painting to rocket science and wonders what it all adds up to.
    By Heather Havrilesky June 11, 2009
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