Read

Bifurcating Realities, Joseph P. Kennedy and Other Letters to the Editor

New in Paperback: ‘The Red Lotus’ and ‘This Is Big’

World War II’s less-famous fascist

That Time When Theodore Dreiser Slapped Sinclair Lewis in the Face

9 New Books We Recommend This Week

When ‘red lines’ work, and when they fail

How wood shaped human history, from spears to boats to books

By the end of 2020, we were supposed to have more J.D. Salinger. Instead we have ‘Sergeant Salinger.’

In Searching Essays, Knausgaard Extols the Freedom and Limitations of Art

Is Pam Jenoff a Law Professor Moonlighting as a Novelist, or Vice Versa? You Decide

In the Cultural Revolution, Ai Weiwei’s Father Burned the Family’s Books

Nearly a Century Later, We’re Still Reading — and Changing Our Minds About — Gatsby

4 Young Adult Crossover Novels

Clutter, says who? College essays, letters from Stephen King and Tucker Carlson: I’m keeping (almost) all of it.

Washington Post paperback bestsellers

5 Dance Picture Books

Robert Jones Jr. Is Son of Baldwin, and More

Barry Lopez, award-winning writer who ventured into the Arctic, dies at 75

Scott Donaldson, Biographer of Literary Titans, Dies at 92

How Poets Use Punctuation as a Superpower and a Secret Weapon

Where did Agatha Christie go when she disappeared in 1926? Here’s one theory.

10 books to read in January

In ‘Beginners,’ a Writer Takes Up Chess and Surfing and Singing and Juggling and …

An independent curator tries to make sense of contemporary art

For ‘Gatsby’ fans, 2021 will be the start of remakes. First up: ‘Nick’

Surprise Ending for Publishers: In 2020, Business Was Good

Animation’s Early Days: Artists, Hucksters, Talking Mice and Pigs

New & Noteworthy, From Sex to Murder

Karl Ove Knausgaard’s Essays Struggle With Big Ideas

The 10 most-read book reviews of 2020

What to read in 2021 based on what you loved in 2020

Answering Mail From Our Listeners

The Doodles of Great Writers

8 New Books We Recommend This Week

‘Eyes Open. Hit First. Move Fast. Stop When He’s Dead.’

For Ijeoma Oluo, Books and Bedtime Are a Perfect Combination

Corruption, violence and toxic masculinity: What strongmen like Trump have in common

In his memoir, Georgetown’s John Thompson doesn’t hold back

The shadowy spirits that helped advance science

The ‘Trump Bump’ for Books has Been Significant. Can It Continue?

Andrew Sullivan on the War Within Conservatism and Why It Matters to All of Us

Aimee Nezhukumatathil Wants You to Get Some Fresh Air

New in Paperback: ‘Brother & Sister’ and ‘The Resisters’

Eleanor Roosevelt Buying Pears and Other Letters to the Editor

Globetrotting

13 New Books to Watch For in January

A reading list just right for Christmas 2020: A little Dickens, a little Wilde, a little Donald Duck

‘The Bright Book of Life’ examines ‘novels to read and reread’

Washington Post hardcover bestsellers

Want the Good Life? This Philosopher Suggests Learning From Cats.