The 6 Women Who Shaped America’s Most Macho President

In “The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt,” Edward F. O’Keefe explores the informal kitchen cabinet that helped Roosevelt, the 26th president, speak softly and carry a big stick.

Ted Widmer | NYTimes Books | Disclosure

The Author Started as a Skeptic. He Came Out a Believer in Pure Evil.

“The Devil’s Best Trick,” Randall Sullivan’s in-depth occult investigation, is not for the easily frightened.

Clancy Martin | NYTimes Books | Disclosure

The Author of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Can’t Go Home, Except in His Books

Kevin Kwan left Singapore’s opulent, status-obsessed, upper crust when he was 11. He’s still writing about it.

Elisabeth Egan | NYTimes Books | Disclosure

Defeat Is Agonizing. In These 2 Books, It’s Also Thrilling.

If you love stories about beautiful losers, consider Brian Moore’s novel about an alcoholic virgin or Benjamin Anastas’s tale of an inferior twin.

Unknown Author | NYTimes Books | Disclosure

Alta, Irreverent Feminist Poet and Small-Press Pioneer, Dies at 81

She wrote lusty work about her life. She also started what may have been America’s first feminist press, Shameless Hussy, in her garage.

Penelope Green | NYTimes Books | Disclosure

On Mother’s Day, Here Are 2 Novels That Get Babies Right

Barbara Kingsolver’s debut, and a bad seed’s beginnings.

Unknown Author | NYTimes Books | Disclosure

Judi Dench’s Eyesight Keeps Her From Reading, but Not From Books

“They’re snapshots of the past: first-night gifts, holidays abroad, memories of lost friends and loved ones,” the award-winning actress says. Her latest, written with Brendan O’Hea, is “Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent.”

Unknown Author | NYTimes Books | Disclosure

In a Poem, Just Who Is ‘the Speaker,’ Anyway?

Critics and readers love the term, but it can be awfully slippery to pin down. That’s what makes it so fun to try.

Elisa Gabbert | NYTimes Books | Disclosure