Joan Didion’s unedited record of therapy is morbidly fascinating
It is the great failure of Notes to John that it lacks the writer’s distinctive voice altogether
Books
Tuesday
Erik Satie was an inadvertent innovator
Ian Penman’s brief book takes us around the French composer’s life three times
Seventy-five years of Strangers on a Train
At its dark, complex heart, the novel represents Patricia Highsmith at her most contradictory – and greatest
Saturday
Could the French Revolution have been avoided?
The Revolutionary Temper is a riveting synthesis of Robert Darnton’s life’s work
Thursday
We’re finally allowed to say Biden was senile!
Jake Tapper’s book won’t shock anyone
Monday
Hasn’t Salman Rushdie suffered enough?
The ideology that led to his attack shows no signs of being defeated any time soon
Tuesday
Who was William F. Buckley Jr., really?
This book, apparently 20 years in the making, is the product of immense learning and shows a rare familiarity with its subject and his times
The passage of Ragtime
Half a century on, how does E.L. Doctorow’s great American novel fare?
A profound account of the October 7 pogrom
Douglas Murray has authored a book for the ages
Ocean Vuong’s newest work is an affecting celebration of misfits
For all its flaws, The Emperor of Gladness is ultimately a worthwhile novel with a big heart
Keith McNally’s memoir is strangely unappetizing
I didn’t enjoy I Regret Almost Everything
Thursday
The final act of Thomas Pynchon
The most reclusive major author in America is having something of a moment in 2025 and is set to release his ninth novel
Wednesday
Amanda Knox’s new memoir asks what lies next
Free is expansive; contemplative in parts and kooky in others
The double life of a single man
Two biographies connect the life and work of Christopher Isherwood
A Charles Dickens patchwork
A night walk through the world of an author haunted by humanity
Wednesday
Val Kilmer should be more appreciated in death than he was in life
He had a remarkable career in American film, and one that can be seen more clearly now
Tuesday
A crisp and refreshing account of the apple
Sally Coulthard is cheerful and informative company on every leaf of this charming book
Saturday
Apple TV+’s Dope Thief is an ugly mess
It’s not funny, surprising, or particularly eventful
Thursday
How F. Scott Fitzgerald anticipated our modern age
The Great Gatsby turns 100 this month
Caroline Calloway wants to give you some advice
An unbidden collaboration between living and dead writers is as mad as you might expect