Books Briefing
Our culture editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for the newsletter here.
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Bettmann / Getty The Inner Lives of Animals
Writers wonder if animals have minds like ours—and how important that question is: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty; The Atlantic Keeping a Diary at the End of the World
The urge to document our lives during crisis is widely shared among writers: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Sam Hodgson / The New York Times / … The Books Briefing: The Fight Over What Kids Can Read
Bans and attempted bans of critical race theory and the 1619 Project in classrooms are part of a familiar pattern: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty ; The Atlantic Lying Is Its Own Form of Storytelling
In literature, nothing is as fascinating or destabilizing as deception: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty; The Atlantic The Tricky Task of Writing a Villain
Whether in fiction or in journalism, telling stories about bad guys isn’t clear-cut: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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The Atlantic Literature Isn’t Bound by the Rules of Time
In poetry and in prose, past and present can warp, twist, and buckle: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty; The Atlantic The Fight for Our Attention
We may live in an endlessly distracted world, but where we focus our gaze still matters: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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The Atlantic When the Setting Is the Story
Writers take on the challenge of transporting readers to a place using only words: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty; The Atlantic Can a Self-Help Book Really Change Your Life?
The genre promises easy fixes for intractable problems, but some conflicts can’t be solved by individuals alone: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty; The Atlantic Cookbooks Are About More Than Just Food Now
The new ethos of recipe collections elevates them beyond how-to manuals: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Moises Saman / Magnum How to Tell a War Story
To make sense of bloodshed, writers turn to different genres: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Fine Art Images / Heritage Images / Getty The Problem With the Genius Myth
The label erases the complication and collaboration that are central to the artistic process: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty; The Atlantic Poetry Lets Us Remember—And Move On
Where to turn when your emotions call for something other than straightforward prose: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty; The Atlantic Working It Out on the Page
Writers explore exercise and their relationship to it: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Getty; The Atlantic When Meals Nourish a Plot
Fictional feasts and memories of home cooking: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Donald Uhrbrock / Getty The Books 20 Years in the Making
Highly anticipated novels from authors who waited decades to return: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Millennium Images / Gallery Stock The Books Briefing: Five Short Stories to Read This Weekend
Exploring the diversity of The Atlantic’s original fiction: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Five of the Best Books of 2021
The novels, nonfiction, and memoirs that stood out most: Your weekly guide to the best in books
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Martin O’Neill / Redferns / Getty The Books Briefing: The Quiet Skill of Mass-Market Novels
Many popular authors are compelling storytellers who sharply analyze power dynamics and offer vivid portraits of daily life. They are also frequently dismissed by the literary establishment.
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Peter van Agtmael / Magnum Truth Is Stranger Than Autofiction
Works that reveal or revise the lives of their authors: Your weekly guide to the best in books
