Books

Arts & Culture

Kennedy Center evacuates due to bomb threat targeting Shen Yun

Elizabeth Blair

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center says the threat targeted Shen Yun, a touring dance troupe that is banned in China, because it is associated with the religious group Falun Gong.
Racial Justice and Social Equity

First known cookbook by a Black American woman gets new edition 160 years later

Neda Ulaby

Malinda Russell's A Domestic Cookbook was first published in 1866. It contains least a hundred recipes for sweets, plus recipes for shampoo and cologne – and remedies for toothaches.
New novel asks: How much can a male friendship take?

Andrew Limbong

Eric Puchner's new novel, Dream State, was just named the latest Oprah book club pick. It's about a love triangle that tests the decades-long friendship of two college friends.
Tony Horwitz's widow Geraldine Brooks writes a beautiful memoir of grief

Maureen Corrigan

Horwitz died suddenly in 2019 while on a book tour. In Memorial Days, Geraldine Brooks grieves her husband — and also reflects on the life she might have lived had they not met.
3 Harry Potter fan fiction authors are coming to a bookstore near you

Dhanika Pineda

Fan fiction — unsanctioned, unofficially published works based on popular novels or films — was intentionally never mainstream. The coming months will see a trio of titles by popular Draco and Hermione — Dramione — fanfic authors.
Arts & Culture

San Diego weekend arts events: Ghost taxis, an alien painting and a new indie film series

Julia Dixon Evans

This weekend in the arts: San Diego ballet teams up with Gilbert Castellanos; Robert Xavier Burden unveils “The Alien Painting”; Burn All Books and Scanners Archive screen indie films; "Empty Ride" at the Globe; Moxie Theatre launches a new playwriting festival; Daygo Eatz; plus live music picks and more.
National

Salman Rushdie wrote about his attempted murder. Now he will face his attacker in court

Juliana Kim

Hadi Matar, who is on trial for the knife attack against the British author, has also been accused of supporting terrorism and attempting to carry out a fatwa calling for Rushdie's assassination.
National

Bestselling novelist Tom Robbins dies at 92

Tom Vitale

Robbins dazzled readers with the whimsy and imagination in his books, including Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.
Are picture books undervalued? This new ambassador of children's literature thinks so

Andrew Limbong

The Library of Congress has given Mac Barnett the job of promoting books and reading to kids across the country. His plan is to focus on picture books.
'Coming to New York' stories are alive and well in these two new books

Maureen Corrigan

Kay Sohini's graphic memoir, This Beautiful, Ridiculous City, tells a story of migration and redefinition. Gay Talese gathers many of his great pieces about the city in A Town Without Time.