Books/Poetry
How goats, farming and cheesemaking inspired this author's new novel
Jennifer Acker’s “Surrender” is inspired by her upbringing in rural Maine, the cheesemaker who preserved her family’s land and the challenges facing Massachusetts farmers today.
'A Good Person' is a murder mystery wrapped in a psychological thriller
Set in Boston, author Kirsten King's riveting debut novel is told entirely from the perspective of a "memorable and memorably unreliable protagonist," reviews critic Carol Iaciofano Aucoin.
9 books with New England ties to read this spring
From a second-chance romance to a deeply unsettling psychological horror to an exploration of the cosmos, WBUR literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends nine books that confront the world in all...
George Saunders' 'Vigil' plumbs the meaning of comfort across realms
The novel takes place over the course of the final earthly hours for a former oil company CEO and the spirit who comes to comfort him in his passage from...
Two intriguing novels to add to your winter reading list
Karen Winn's "The Society" goes behind the ornate doors of a fictional secret society in Boston. Jenna Blum's "Murder Your Darlings," also set in Boston, delves into another kind of...
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9 books by New England authors to read this winter
From the true story of a music label that turned baseball rivalry into its cash cow to a poignant novel about grief, WBUR literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends nine books...
6 Boston writers share their go-to bars, cafes and restaurants
Local eateries have literally and figuratively fueled generations of Boston academics, journalists, novelists and poets. So, we asked some of these writers to tell us where they typically go for...
Merriam-Webster goes old school with first new hardcover Collegiate dictionary in 22 years
Merriam-Webster, the country’s oldest dictionary publisher which is headquartered in Springfield, just released an updated Collegiate edition with 5,000 new entries.
In 'Bad Bad Girl,' Gish Jen reimagines the relationship with her mother
In this genre-bending book, Jen explores her damaging relationship with her mother, how she became a writer, and her mother’s own story. "It is at once a personal history of...
Two new mystery novels to read in October
Olivia Blacke’s "Death at the Door" is a Boston-set cozy mystery featuring a human-ghost duo teaming up to solve a murder. Tom Ryan’s "We Had a Hunch" sees teen detectives...
Lily King's new novel captures the highs and lows of a college romance
Set in the 1980s and present day, "Heart of the Lover" is told in first person by a woman nicknamed Jordan and her complicated relationship with two college friends, Yash...
5 books with New England ties to read this fall
From wacky “Freaky Friday”-like body swaps to searing indictments of the American education system, WBUR literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends five books that stare into the abyss.
The Somerville artist behind popular romance book covers
Monique Aimee has designed around 40 book covers (including for Casey McQuiston's "One Last Stop"), illustrated projects for L.L.Bean and Sephora, and was the 2024-25 artist-in-residence for the Boston Celtics.
Watertown library receives backlash over Palestinian children's book
Librarians in Watertown have been flooded with emails requesting they remove a picture book, "A Map for Falasteen," from a suggested summer reading list for second graders.
10 beach reads to make your summer sizzle
Summer is the season of beach reads when it’s socially acceptable to tear through bodice rippers in public. Here are 10 romance recommendations to spice up your reading list.
Two new novels offer page-turning summer escapes
WBUR book critic Carol Iaciofano Aucoin reviews Sarah MacLean's sophisticated romance "These Summer Storms" and Megan Miranda's intricate psychological thriller "You Belong Here." Both novels feature women who have to...
Gary Shteyngart's new novel offers a dystopian America that feels familiar
Shteyngart’s “Vera, or Faith" is a family drama set in an America on a slow slide toward totalitarianism told through the eyes of an endearing and anxious 10-year-old girl, "written...
Dwyer Murphy's latest novel is a South Coast-set mystery
The Wareham native's "The House on Buzzards Bay" follows a group of college friends in their late 30s on vacation hoping to reconnect until one of them suddenly disappears. And...
12 books with New England ties to read this summer
From supernatural murder mysteries to evocative poetry disguised as Wikipedia entries, WBUR literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends the books she's looking forward to this season.
Warren, Markey call for answers on federal funding cuts to Mass. museums and libraries
The senators request further information on the future of certain programs and the Institute of Museum and Library Services' plan to act in accordance with laws that require minimum funding...