Books
A 200-year-old book distributor is closing. Here’s what that means for public libraries
Baker & Taylor is one of very few companies that handle book distribution for libraries — getting books from publishers into borrowers hands. But a few months ago, the company abruptly announced it was shutting down.
Arthur Sze named 25th U.S. poet laureate
Sze is a poet with a lot of acclaim — he's won the National Book Award, was a Guggenheim fellow and was a finalist for the Pulitzer. He aims to promote interest in translated poetry in his new role.
If you loved ‘Yellowface,’ R.F. Kuang’s new novel ‘Katabasis’ is even better
Academia is a very special kind of hell, and Kuang clearly understands it. In her innovative new novel, a magical professor dies in a lab accident and two students descend into hell to find him.
New books out this week offer catastrophes that at least profess to be just fantasies
The new books publishing this week may get quite heavy, laden as they are with family tragedy, psychopathy and heartbreak — but at least they are fiction.
‘Day of the Jackal’ author Frederick Forsyth dies at 86
Born in 1938, Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a journalist. He covered the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle, which inspired The Day of the Jackal.
17 new books our critics can’t wait to read this summer
We asked some of our trusted critics which upcoming books they are most looking forward to. Here are the fiction and nonfiction titles they picked.
How an AI-generated summer reading list got published in major newspapers
Newspapers around the country, including the Chicago Sun-Times and at least one edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer, published a syndicated book list featuring made-up books by famous authors.
5 new books to check out this week — including Isabel Allende’s latest
My Name Is Emilia Del Valle is the newest novel from the prodigious Chilean expat, now in her 80s. Plus, a personal history of the orange, a Josephine Baker history and having kids in the digital age.
This terrifying horror novel proves: Nothing is old if you make it new
Nat Cassidy's wildly entertaining novel is a superb example of how to work with clichés. When the Wolf Comes Home might sound like a werewolf novel — but it's an entirely different animal.
Looking for a new book this week? Here are 5 wide-ranging options
A true smorgasbord is on offer for readers this week. Care for an inspirational memoir? Reminders of the precarious position of civilization? Early summer read? They're all here.
These 2 funny books give readers a reason to smile in tough times
Dorothy Parker's posthumously published collection is Poems; Camilla Barnes' debut novel is The Usual Desire to Kill. Both affirm: sharp humor can be grounded in pain.
‘Buffy’ podcasters built a community — and they didn’t let divorce break it
Buffering the Vampire Slayer podcasters Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristin Russo write about their community of fans, and how it help them keep working together after a split, in Slayers, Every One of Us.
‘Injustice, Inc.’ uncovers how some in the legal system use poor families to get rich
Daniel L. Hatcher discusses his book, which looks at how state agencies exploit impoverished families to make money through the U.S. juvenile justice system.
How a Birmingham shop owner brings memories to life through books
Jim Reed has collected books and writings for more than 40 years and believes books keep memories alive.
Bragg’s Food Memoir is an Ode to ‘The Best Cook’
Alabama author Rick Bragg celebrates his mother's cooking in a new memoir -- The Best Cook in the World: Tales From My Momma’s Table.
The Queer Library: A New Home for LGBT Literature
The brainchild of Change Project founder Steven Romeo, every book is written by an LGBT author or contains LGBT content.
Interview: Michael Saag, M.D., Discusses His New Book
UAB researcher and physician Dr. Michael Saag is know around the world as an AIDS expert. He started working with AIDS in the early eighties, a time when the disease was masked in uncertainty. Since then, he's made AIDS research and improving patient treatment his life's work. This month, Dr. Saag published his memoir "Positive: One Doctor's Personal Encounters with Death, Life and the U.S. Healthcare System." Dr. Saag spoke with WBHM's News Director Rachel Osier Lindley about the book, what it's like to lose a patient and his deep concerns about the U.S. healthcare system.
