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, 13 Oct 2026 18:02:46 EDThttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/1013/Yiyun-Li-reveals-life-lessons-in-her-new-symphonic-novel?icid=rss4a4a4e08e0a5e0dd6b84d9f3623f4ba4Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:10:10 EDTSky Davishttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/1006/emily-wilson-crossing-the-wine-dark-sea-homer-odyssey?icid=rss5036046d357d71ea21243f181172e23bEmily Wilson, the first woman to translate Homer, offers a series of essays that examine modern interpretations of ancient literature.Tue, 06 Oct 2026 05:00:11 EDTDavid Conradshttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/1001/Why-Howard-Zinn-became-a-people-s-historian?icid=rss7fd0cf784f845c0e38c711f220f22304A new biography connects the dots between the professor’s labor-union beginnings and the left-wing outlook that shaped his bestselling history book.Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:11 EDTBarbara Spindelhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0930/How-a-British-bookstore-has-extended-its-shelf-life?icid=rss9389b0f9438f3ebf1219043deab5a37eKatie Clapham offers warm and witty dispatches about her experiences as the owner of Storytellers, an independent bookshop in a coastal England town.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:00:12 EDTDanny Heitmanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0930/At-the-bookend-of-summer-here-are-September-s-best-reads?icid=rss87ec6eb1aecc4c2700899d8a1d6f110eMonitor reviewers recommend titles by Emily St. John Mandel, Min Jin Lee, and Paul Theroux.Wed, 30 Sep 2026 05:00:11 EDTMonitor reviewershttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0923/review-paul-theroux-true-north-road-trip-canada?icid=rss9ead0237fb3c130fe4b2c18c27aa8e4ePaul Theroux’s latest cultural travelogue includes an exploration of his ancestral connections to the northern nation.Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:40:10 EDTHeller McAlpin https://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0919/butterfly-season-lea-korsgaard?icid=rss9abfeda071ac4b0ce129c417ba197f3eLooking for a challenge, a woman sets out to chronicle 64 species of lepidoptera in her country over a single year. The search becomes a meditation.Sat, 19 Sep 2026 05:00:17 EDTHeller McAlpinhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0911/harry-belafonte-daylight-come-joshua-jelly-schapiro?icid=rssceca9c565aad5dd3c6d88a0b4a6ffce7The new biography “Daylight Come” focuses on the performer’s determination to use his fame to confront discrimination in the U.S. and abroad.Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:18:55 EDTBarbara Spindelhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0910/artificial-state-jill-lepore-democracy-america-250th?icid=rssfef7c131d00cabd97749339fdf5adec2A historian of the U.S. Constitution examines the future of democracy, as artificial intelligence tests the foundational values that have guided America.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:14:23 EDTDanny Heitmanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0910/small-stuff-ian-bogost-gratification?icid=rssb2cdebf9536289e487eaae2ef6a516ceA video game designer plugs the experience of beauty as a means to ground us in our humanity.Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:19:55 EDTDanny Heitmanhttps://www.csmonitor.com/Arts-Culture/Books/2026/0902/renoir-girls-catherine-ostler-vichy-france-antisemitism?icid=rssac5260fbaf44fa2292419dff8394c34a“The Renoir Girls” contrasts the images of a sweet, privileged childhood with the barbarism of antisemitism, which flared in Nazi-occupied France.Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:52:42 EDTBarbara Spindelhttps://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 Heitman