https://www.csmonitor.comBook reviews and books articles from The Christian Science Monitor.https://images.csmonitor.com/csm/2024/04/1172291_2_csmlogo_feed_250x30_standard.pnghttps://www.csmonitor.comChristian Science Monitor. All rights reserved.300en-usTue, 14 Apr 2026 16:30:57 EDThttps://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2026/0413/immigration-president-lincoln-holzer?icid=rss197e6bcb9b6b23e4d12137a30d294c5aPresident Abraham Lincoln had a mixed record on immigration, but championed newcomers’ “right to rise.”Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:00:09 EDTSarah Matusekhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0410/judy-blume-biography-mark-oppenheimer?icid=rss0cefd33fff3f3d572ca6aced223ff9d5A new book illuminates the prolific author’s life, work, and fame. Her frankness made her a lightning rod.Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:56:55 EDTBarbara Spindelhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0409/alice-coltrane-cosmic-music-andy-beta?icid=rssc770626bb08173573a18e155e180e4a2The groundbreaking musician Alice Coltrane gets her first comprehensive biography, thanks to author Andy Beta.Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:50:44 EDTMackenzie Farkushttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0406/forest-breathes-suzanne-simard?icid=rss02ad4ef328973bf9c7608360a90be677Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, the child of loggers, makes an impassioned argument for preserving forests and helping them to regenerate.Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:51:00 EDTRichard Schiffmanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Author-Q-As/2026/0402/tiny-gardens-everywhere-kate-brown?icid=rssb8384090e6064606fb610231e8296cacEnvironmental history professor Kate Brown’s latest book, underscores the resilience and power of urban gardening.Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:07:02 EDTKendra Nordin Beatohttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Author-Q-As/2026/0327/yann-martel-son-of-nobody?icid=rssa393935317eca81bb72a5212dacda39a“Son of Nobody” by Yann Martel twins the life of a foot soldier in ancient Greece with a modern-day man of letters. Fri, 27 Mar 2026 06:00:09 EDTSky Davishttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0325/best-books-march-2026-martel-erdrich-judy-blume?icid=rss4dfe00817eefd12be4806d36f6864e37Our reviewers’ March picks travel the globe and beyond, from India and Eritrea to Egypt and, eventually, Europa.Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:38:09 EDTMonitor reviewershttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0313/starry-and-restless-julia-cooke-hahn-west-gellhorn?icid=rss562973b9e37bb76d3fe2a995c00c046aFor intrepid journalists Emily Hahn, Rebecca West, and Martha Gellhorn, the love of writing, travel, mentorship, and friendly competition united them for seven decades of “bylines and books.”Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:42:05 EDTMackenzie Farkushttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0313/who-needs-friends-andrew-mccarthy-male-friendship?icid=rss426058aebc3d451afbc4dbcf04f34896Andrew McCarthy sets out to reconnect with pals – and finds inspiration from talking with strangers.Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:36:41 EDTMalcolm Forbeshttps://www.csmonitor.com/The-Home-Forum/2026/0306/reading-library-books?icid=rssd79e36df54d6d1b1ba5155f374e68193A book lover returns to the timeless pleasure of getting lost amid the stacks and stumbling onto new treasures.Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:00:10 ESTMurr Brewsterhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0302/mystery-roundup-spring-2026?icid=rssd1aadfb82fac476800c660561d9ff218This batch of novels involves a locked taxicab, a crime-fighting lepidopterist, an accused Welsh terrier, and a nosy aunty. The plots keep readers guessing.Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:39:26 ESTYvonne Zipphttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0302/bernhard-goetz-subway-vigilante?icid=rss7ca4985ee64798d42bc73d0081b25293The trial of Bernhard Goetz in New York in the 1980s raised issues of safety, fear, punishment, and power that still reverberate.Mon, 02 Mar 2026 15:13:44 ESTBarbara Spindelhttps://www.csmonitor.com/The-Home-Forum/2026/0227/mail-USPS-art?icid=rss2d10fe6e6ac1bd12319784e284c75379Always dialed in to the digital world, one writer finds respite in his postcard pastime – proof of the old truth that givers get more than receivers.Fri, 27 Feb 2026 05:00:16 ESTDanny Heitmanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0226/john-constable-landscape-painting?icid=rssd66251e74137d3d4a7d32eaa2f326723The farms and fields of Constable’s native Suffolk county provided rich material and spiritual sustenance.Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:02:58 ESTHeller McAlpinhttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/2026/0224/pakistan-books-mobile-libraries-literacy?icid=rss3a61d396e96887650efec2a10ca2c29d“If children couldn’t come to the library, the library had to go to them,” says the head of the nonprofit Alif Laila Book Bus Society.Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:11:44 ESTHasan Alihttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0220/best-books-february-2026?icid=rssa5409e466f6e8648349a589735ae22aeMonitor reviewers’ choices this month ranged from a novel about a mine-collapse survivor to a history of Jewish entrepreneurs who changed the toy industry.Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:07:59 ESTMonitor reviewershttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0217/playmakers-jewish-toy-entrepreneurs?icid=rss54bc64a56b330a9269486e8d1aefcbb9In “Playmakers,” Michael Kimmel unpacks the history of Jewish entrepreneurs who started name-brand toy companies – and redefined children’s playtime.Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:05:28 ESTHeller McAlpinhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2026/0209/love-stories-chaste-relationships?icid=rss893397d6cb521bf8c6e47dbd4b5dcc5cAuthors and influencers are finding fresh ways to identify books that emphasize relationship building over “spicy” bedroom scenes.Mon, 09 Feb 2026 05:00:10 ESTStephen Humphrieshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0205/bookish-lucy-mangan-love-of-literature?icid=rssa4ff28cda63ebb4ec8356d364fe7e17fIn “Bookish,” author Lucy Mangan treats tomes like old friends, and zealously guards the precincts of her personal collection (10,000 books and counting.)Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:54:37 ESTMalcolm Forbeshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2026/0205/autobiography-of-cotton-Cristina-Rivera-Garza-mexican-history?icid=rss560dcd4d7bd968225d18adafa7f47a1fCristina Rivera Garza’s “Autobiography of Cotton” blends memory, history, and investigation into a beautifully written book about how stories are lost.Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:11:14 ESTJoan Gaylord