Books/Poetry
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.
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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...
The Q is a journal to hold in your hands
Abbey Cahill launched the Quinobequin Review, or the Q which sets out to capture what it’s like to live in Greater Boston.
Norma Meras Swenson, co-founder of Our Bodies Ourselves, dies at 93
She was a co-author and editor of most editions of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” — the landmark book on women's health.
Author Crystal Maldonado pens a tribute to boybands and the power of friendship
The Massachusetts-based young adult writer dips into her middle school years and the unironic love for the things that bring joy in her fifth novel "Get Real, Chloe Torres." A...
Country singer Zach Bryan helps secure Jack Kerouac's legacy in Lowell
The Grammy-winning musician purchased the historic Saint Jean Baptiste Church, which will become the Jack Kerouac Center, a creative hub and performance space honoring the memory and work of the...
WWII-era queer and trans history inspired debut novel
Author Milo Todd's research into the trans and queer prisoners in German concentration camps and this period of LGBTQ+ history became the foundation for his debut novel “The Lilac People.”
Library services threatened by Trump funding cuts
State libraries are waiting to see how Monday’s executive order impacts them.
8 books with New England ties to spark hope and action this spring
Does history repeat itself? Or does it rhyme? WBUR literature writer Katherine Ouellette recommends eight books that remind us the current moment is just a reprise and a remix of...
Benjamin Franklin set out to conquer climate in the colonial era
In her new book, “The Franklin Stove: An Unintended American Revolution,” Harvard professor Joyce E. Chaplin reveals how this relatively modest invention prefigures the ascent of the United States as...