News on Books

Isaac Fitzgerald, author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts, grew up with tales of local townie Johnny Appleseed. So when he found himself in need of a long, mind-clearing walk, he traced the legend's path.

Ben Rhodes was a speechwriter and security adviser for President Obama. His book, All We Say, is a collection of 15 speeches — from Ben Franklin to Trump — about what it means to be American.

The End of the Sahara is a kaleidoscopic murder mystery by the Algerian writer Saïd Khatibi. An Enigma by the Sea is a witty, socially astute novel set along well-to-do Tuscan coast.

Sedaris says the best part of reading his work to an audience is earning the laughs — or the groans. "A collective groan is fine with me," he says. His new book is The Land and Its People.

The books had to be light and small enough to fit in servicemen's pockets. The motto of the Council on Books in Wartime was: "Books Are Weapons in the War of Ideas."

On his birthday, Tad's best friend Vlad eats the very last slice of cake. Tad is mad so Tad kicks Vlad, kicking off a chain of kicks that travels around the world.

The author restores balance in the homophones with her latest novel; both stories are thought-provoking, although somewhat less beguiling than her usual fare.

D.O.J. gave Trump and his family immunity from tax audits and set up a $1.8 billion fund for victims of "government weaponization." Former government lawyer Andrew Weissmann explains the settlement.

Reading text of a book while listening to the audiobook is gaining steam among online book communities.

The novel is the first work translated from Mandarin Chinese to win the award, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.