The Weekly Reader

As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, death is an inescapable part of life. On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels that explore the topic with grace, wit and intelligence: Sigrid Nunez's What Are You Going Through and Yaa Gyasi's Transcendent Kingdom.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels about navigating the sometimes complicated waters of modern marriage, both at home and abroad: Sue Miller's Monogamy, and Peace Adzo Medie's His Only Wife. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, debuts from two authors you will want to get to know: Marion Winik reviews Raven Leilani 's Luster, and Deesha Philyaw's The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels from different corners of the world that illustrate our common humanity: The Exiles, by Christine Baker Kline, and Apeirogon, by Colum McCann.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we go behind the scenes with ghost writers and gatecrashers to see how the other half lives. Marion Winik reviews Heidi Pitlor's Impersonation and Ben Widdicombe's Gatecrasher.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we encourage you to take a break from your everyday worries and get lost in a great book! Marion Winik reviews Edmund White's A Saint from Texas, and Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new novels about the complex, full, and fascinating world of mature women's lives: Charlotte Wood's The Weekend and Larry Watson's The Lives of Edie Pritchard.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new memoirs that examine the effects and aftermath of civil war and civil unrest: Wayetu Moore's The Giant, The Dragons, The Women, and Wes Moore's Five Days.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new memoirs that are very "of the moment": Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl and Becoming Duchess Goldblatt. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new novels that feature unexpected pregnancies and their unintended consequences: Connie Schultz's The Daughters of Erietown and Emily Gould's Perfect Tunes.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels perfect for summertime reading: Kevin Kwan's Sex and Vanity and Elin Hilderbrand's 28 Summers.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we celebrate the release of the Everyman's Library collection of 40 short stories by Lorrie Moore.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, Marion Winik reviews two new collections of short stories from authors Francesca Marciano and Stephen King.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new memoirs from authors whose lives read like adventure novels: Miss Aluminum by Susanna Moore and All the Way to the Tigers by Mary Morris.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews three books, a novel and two poetry collections, that explore the complexity of black identity in America: Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, Morgan Parker's Magical Negro, and Jericho Brown's The Tradition.  

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, two new novels about the perils of trying to fit in: Marion Winik reviews Rufi Thorpe's The Knockout Queen, and Frances Cha's If I had Your Face.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new books about two very different wars. Marion Winik on Paul Yoon's Run Me to Earth and Ariel Lawhon's Code Name Helene.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new, dystopian novels that imagine a world in the throws of a pandemic: Marion Winik on Lawrence Wright's The End of October and Sarah Pinsker's A Song for a New Day.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new great novels by two great writers: Anne Tyler's Redhead by the Side of the Road and Julia Alvarez's Afterlife.

Reading is often considered a form of escapism, a break from the real world around us, which, sounds pretty good right now. On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we present two new novels that will take you away from your own day to day reality, and maybe, remind you that things can always be a little worse. Marion Winik reviews Emily St. John Mandel's The Glass Hotel and Elizabeth Wetmore's Valentine. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new memoirs that remind us how important a sense of humor can be to surviving both trauma and drama. Marion Winik on Leslie Gray Streeter's Black Widow and Alia Volz's Home Baked.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews Helen Fremont's acclaimed 1999 memoir After Long Silence and her newly released follow-up, The Escape Artist.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels about lost loved ones and the pain of finding that we often don't know people as well as we think we do. Featured are Kevin Nguyen's New Waves and Alexis Schaitkin's Saint X. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new books that add to the #metoo conversation: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell and The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we preview Douglas Stuart's debut novel Shuggie Bain, a profoundly affecting story about growing up amidst the poverty, violence, and alcoholism in a crumbling Glasgow housing scheme in the 1980s.

On this episode of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels that look at the dark side of the tech boom: Anna Wiener's Uncanny Valley and Megan Angelo's Followers.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels that explore the delicate dance of girls in group settings and the dangers of getting what you think you want: Clare Beams The Illness Lesson and Kate Weinberg's debut novel The Truants.

Want to get away? On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new novels that take us to exotic locales, replete with intriguing characters and plenty of plot twists. Our book critic Marion Winik shares her thoughts on Isabel Allende's A Long Petal of the Sea and Christopher Bollen's A Beautiful Crime.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, book critic Marion Winik reviews Arcadia by Lauren Groff. The book tells the story of a fictional hippie commune in New York State in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and its slow devolution into a dystopian nightmare.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new books that explore important topics that will appeal to inquisitive readers. Marion Winik shares her thoughts on Peggy Orenstein's Boys and Sex, and Susannah Cahalan's The Great Pretender.