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-usSat, 29 Aug 2026 00:22:50 EDThttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0827/sisters-of-the-midnight-sun-arctic-alaska?icid=rss68934fcb5978969e820320ad8abf6656A public defender’s memoir recounts a murder case of two Alaskan Indigenous women that set their community at odds with the concept of due process.Thu, 27 Aug 2026 11:31:31 EDTMackenzie Farkushttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0825/mary-oliver-documentary-american-masters-pbs?icid=rss856effdcad4f4a383a4fa669558841fdThe documentary “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” explores the impact of her poetry and of her keen observations of the natural world.Tue, 25 Aug 2026 10:30:23 EDTElizabeth Lundhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0821/august-2026-best-books?icid=rss65c2a6230358a0cd164832a600a6f032The best books of August deliver thrills, time travel, and tongue-in-cheek commentary from the nine Greek Muses.Fri, 21 Aug 2026 10:44:34 EDTMonitor reviewershttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0820/military-vets-rye-barcott-courage-can-save-us?icid=rss0134545e3b543ed113fdf448c6a3e817Military vets work more easily across party lines, says Rye Barcott, author of “Courage Can Save US: Ten Extraordinary Americans and the Fight for Our Future.”Thu, 20 Aug 2026 15:07:35 EDTEmily Stauntonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0818/nord-stream-conspiracy-bojan-pancevski?icid=rss4db151b988538b2268772042055d2d3fShadowy figures, deep-sea sabotage, and geopolitical skulduggery come together in a fascinating exposé by a Wall Street Journal reporter.Tue, 18 Aug 2026 11:23:25 EDTMalcolm Forbeshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0813/delana-dameron-fairfield-county?icid=rssfaa7a50f352dfa46f8687ea291726821On a South Carolina farm, a withdrawn girl finds her place as an equestrian in DéLana R.A. Dameron’s last novel, “Fairfield County.”Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:05:08 EDTDeborah Johnsonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0812/ai-publishing-commonwealth-prize-shy-girl?icid=rsse944f45db407053c635a18e377be3572Authors increasingly use AI tools to craft their work. Readers are concerned about transparency and quality. Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:18:06 EDTCameron Pughhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0810/ai-books-nonfiction-fiction-openai-altman-vara-harari?icid=rss9de62152d20a61497d142e08f82f75dbTrying to understand AI? Monitor reviewers plunge into AI-related books that offer a path through the complex issues.     Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:40:10 EDTMonitor reviewershttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0807/hardest-longest-race-eric-moskowitz-guggenheim-ford?icid=rss0502fad296526ab5dec6bf9d0877faf3“The Hardest, Longest Race” takes readers on a wild jaunt across the country, on roads that could hardly live up to the name.Fri, 07 Aug 2026 11:42:31 EDTDanny Heitmanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Music/2026/0731/shearwater-jonathan-meiburg-antarctica-new-world?icid=rss4217b359ec040c21f91928f64e10351aShearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg, out with an album called “The New World,” is also a naturalist and explorer whose next book is about the beauty and wonder of Antarctica.Fri, 31 Jul 2026 05:00:10 EDTStephen Humphrieshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0729/what-conservatives-believe-mike-pence-crooked-places-made-straight-raphael-warnock?icid=rss98dbd7be9a7bb7c13c15c5f75e653125Mike Pence’s “What Conservatives Believe” and Raphael Warnock’s “The Crooked Places Made Straight” draw on their reading of Scripture, bringing a religious perspective to policy debates.Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:36:41 EDTTerry W. Hartlehttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0727/political-memoir-faith-communion-jd-vance?icid=rss6a3b5d0c8e8e790f4a13b6cac65c36afAmericans increasingly want to know the details of political candidates’ faith. Recent political memoirs focus on God, morality, and religion.Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:22:45 EDTSophie Hillshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/2026/0723/ancient-greek-language-odyssey?icid=rss7c41bb3ec5efcb85ef8f3d3de5786c18Students of ancient Greek are diving deeply into everything from "The Iliad" to the Bible. Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:27:33 EDTEmily Stauntonhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0723/july-best-books-country-people-cool-machine?icid=rss3b089957e616c352de45ae34b8c60d1fOur reviewers’ 10-plus favorites include Colson Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy finale, plus investigations into Nigeria’s romance scammers and the Nord Stream sabotage.Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:13:48 EDTMonitor reviewershttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0722/the-traveler-andrea-wulf-george-forster?icid=rss4b3f3eabf553666f3dc6e23d2de9257eGeorge Forster’s globe-trotting youth made him more tolerant of Indigenous peoples and customs than most of his peers, writes biographer Andrea Wulf.Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:52:37 EDTDanny Heitmanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0722/dead-bees-still-sting-susan-cormier-beekeeping?icid=rssd1aea5f28c130a52cfe3422191590627In “Dead Bees Still Sting,” Susan Cormier draws inspiration from the society of her bee colony.Wed, 22 Jul 2026 11:56:04 EDTRichard Schiffmanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Movies/2026/0715/great-books-great-movies?icid=rss647e0b42ff60cdca5112757e3ced50f4From “The Grapes of Wrath” to “The Lady With the Dog,” here’s my brief personal list of best movie adaptations of great literature.Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:04:01 EDTPeter Rainerhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0713/sigrid-nunez-short-story-collection?icid=rssbca4266ecee9d92768197eb7d2074b74The author of the novel “The Friend” felt a burst of energy that culminated in a short story collection. Her prose is warm, powerful, precise, and shattering.Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:09:14 EDTSky Davishttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0713/yahoo-boys-carlos-barragan-romance-scams?icid=rss8c8f964b9bcb8b70faffee92aefe489bCarlos Barragán wrote “The Yahoo Boys” after investigating a fraud perpetrated on his mother.Mon, 13 Jul 2026 03:00:10 EDTMackenzie Farkushttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0707/daniel-mason-country-people-novel?icid=rssff20f6ad44d9e8123f2f66c9bf253ef7“Country People” charmingly sends up the urban-rural divide as a pair of academics from the West Coast move to a quirky Vermont town.Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:02:11 EDTHeller McAlpin