Books Briefing
Our culture editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for the newsletter here.
-
![]()
Harold M. Lambert / Getty The Hidden Wisdom of Cookbooks
The author Ruby Tandoh argues for the freedom to cook—and eat—for pleasure.
-
![]()
Pauliina Maunula / Getty An Oblique and Beautiful Book
The Children’s Bach is a striking picture of how ravaged a life can be when unmoored from any responsibility, and of how necessary it is to take care of others.
-
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Bloomsbury; Knopf; Macmillan; … Feminism, Womanhood, and Celebrity
The books Sophie Gilbert turns to while writing
-
![]()
Ron Antonelli / NY Daily News Archive / … Obama, the Protagonist
Two literary accounts of the former president’s rise
-
![]()
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Ashmolean Museum / … Reading as a Sensory Experience
In this novel, the act of seeing is an art in itself.
-
![]()
James Paterson / N-Photo Magazine / Future / … Choosing America’s Greatest Novels
The Atlantic assembled a list of 136 works of fiction that we consider to be the most significant of the past 100 years.
-
![]()
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Sources: … What to Read Ahead of the Oscars
Publishing and film have long had a special relationship.
-
-
![]()
Dr. Paul Wolff & Tritschler / Corbis / … A Memoir Shouldn’t Boss You Around
Lily Meyer recommends books that recollect personal experience without being prescriptive.
-
![]()
Library of Congress / Getty The Strangest Job in the World
Edith Wilson may have been closer to running the country than being a kindly helpmate.
-
![]()
Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty When Ian Fleming Got Sick of James Bond
Does it matter if writers turn their back on their work?
-
![]()
Raina Telgemeier from "Smile" (Scholastic/Graphix) What Adults Forget About Reading
Why my daughters love rereading Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novels
-
![]()
Susuan Wood / Getty The Books That Helped Me Adjust to a Big City
When I moved to D.C., I turned to reading to help me understand the history, and the spirit, of my new home.
-
-
![]()
William Widmer / Redux The Human Face of American Decline
Alex Kotlowitz recommends books that manage to operate at a human scale while arriving at bigger truths.
-
![]()
Awakening / Getty The Literature of Exile
Hisham Matar’s books are part of a long tradition of writing from a place of dislocation.
-
![]()
Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP / Getty What to Read to Understand Russia
Anastasia Edel, a Russian-born American social historian, recommends books about the country as the war in Ukraine continues.
-
![]()
H. Armstrong Roberts / ClassicStock / Getty Against Counting the Books You Read
The number of titles you finish in a year says little about your actual reading habits.
-
![]()
Archive Photos / Getty A Modest Proposal for Publishing
An author isn’t the only person who brought a finished title to life.
-
-
![]()
Heritage Art / Heritage Images / Getty Our Dramatic Relationship With the Natural World
A 2023 novel that revolved around a character getting lost in the wilderness
-
![]()
Found Image Holdings / Corbis / Getty The Best Strategy for Late-December Reading
At this time of the year, I try to resist the pressure to be productive.
-
![]()
Raymond Depardon / Magnum What a Classical-Music Critic Reads
Anthony Tommasini, the former chief classical-music critic for The New York Times, recommends books and music.
