Books
Book reviews

Book Reviews

07.03.09
In the Kitchen

Murder and mayhem haunt an executive chef in the restaurant of a London hotel that has seen better days.

07.02.09
An Elegy for Easterly

This poignant short story collection puts a personal face on the devastating crisis in Zimbabwe.

07.01.09
Hound Dog

The story of two blues-crazed teens who became one of the best songwriting teams of the 20th century.

6/29/09 Monitor Books podcast

06.30.09
What We Eat When We Eat Alone

What are the quirky dishes with which we comfort ourselves when dining solo?

Kendra Nordin talks with author Deborah Madison.

06.29.09
Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend

Satchel Paige: the biography of an ace pitcher and racial trailblazer.

06.28.09
Classic book review: Ahab’s Wife

Using a stray reference in "Moby Dick," a novelist creates the story of Ahab's wife.

06.27.09
Heroic Measures

An elderly New York couple must deal with a terrorist threat, a real estate predicament, and – worst of all – a crisis with their pet.

06.26.09
The Secret Speech

Stalin is gone but not forgotten in this dark, suspenseful sequel to “Child 44.”

06.25.09
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

Philosopher-author Alain de Botton asks: Why do we work?

06.24.09
Right Time, Right Place

How it felt to grow up at the National Review – with William F. Buckley Jr., as a mentor.

Monitor Opinion editor Josh Burek talks with Richard Brookhiser.

06.23.09
Turtle Feet: The Making and Unmaking of a Buddhist Monk

A music student renounces all to become a Buddhist monk – and then has second thoughts.

6/23/09 Monitor books podcast

06.22.09
The Food of a Younger Land

How America used to eat.

06.21.09
Classic review: The Hills At Home

The relatives come for the weekend, but they never leave in this relentlessly witty family novel.

06.20.09
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer

Urban meets rural in this memoir of life on a farm in the slums of Oakland.

06.19.09
The Walking People

When two sisters leave Ireland for New York in the 1950s, nothing turns out as they expect.