The Christian Science Monitor
Books
Chapter and Verse Blog

Marjorie Kehe

10.07.08

When the first novel is the best

How often does it happen that an author’s first novel turns out to be his or her best? That’s the question that bookbuyer Alison Morris asks in a blog posted yesterday on the Publishers Weekly website.

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What are you reading?

Let me know about a good book you've read recently, or about the book that's currently on your bedside table. Why did you pick it up? Are you enjoying it?

Today's book review

10.07.08

‘This I Believe II’

This book opens with a formidable challenge: “What would you say in five hundred words to capture a core principle that guides your life?” (more…)

'This I Believe II' contributors Terry Ahwal, Yo-Yo Ma, and Yolanda O'Bannon read from their essays. Used with permission of Macmillan Audio.

Previous Reviews

10.06.08

Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China

A compelling portrait of China's new working class.

10.05.08

Empire Falls

FROM OUR ARCHIVES: In 'Empire Falls,' Richard Russo finds the whole world in one small, fading town.

10.04.08

A Most Wanted Man

Spies, the "War on Terror," and personal failings converge in John le Carre's latest thriller.

10.03.08

American Lightning

A riveting look at the 1910 bombing of the offices of the anti-union, anti-socialist L.A. Times.

10.02.08

The Heretic’s Daughter

A debut novel about the Salem witch trials draws on the author's own ancestry.

10.01.08

The Numerati

How computers and data patterns are invading our lives.

Gregory M. Lamb interviews author Stephen Baker.

More book reviews...