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Dr. Mark Vonnegut laments the problems of today’s medical system in ‘The Heart of Caring’

“The job of the doctor is to take care of patients. We did a better job of it 40 years ago.”
STORY BEHIND THE BOOK

Feeding on fairy tales in ‘How to Be Eaten’

Maria Adelmann’s debut novel centers around five women with traumatic — and familiar — pasts.
BOOK REVIEW

‘Either/Or’: When the college novel deserves a second look

It can be difficult to find a funny and smart literary novel that’s also full of heart, but New Yorker staff writer Elif Batuman’s 2017 novel, “The Idiot,” nailed it. Can a sequel be as good?
BIBLIOPHILES

Peter Swanson: reading scary books at a young age

Peter Swanson found inspiration for his new book, “Nine Lives,” in one of his all-time favorite mysteries, Agatha Christie’s classic “And Then There Were None.” Swanson talked with the Globe about what else he likes to read.
BOOK REVIEW

Young love is in bloom in ‘Avalon’

Bran, the narrator of Nell Zink’s new novel, wastes no time in announcing herself as something of an unreliable narrator. “I have trouble recounting my childhood in chronological order,” she confesses.
New England Literary News

An anthology of New England food writing, a tribute to a pathbreaking bookseller, and new poetry

A weekly roundup of all the region's best bookish news.

Latest Headlines in Books

BOOK REVIEW
Barry Lopez in 2003 in McKenzie River, Oregon.

What Barry Lopez left us

Despite all the these accolades, Barry Lopez has not received the critical reception he truly deserves. His final collection of essays, “Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World,” should remind readers just how wide-ranging, artful, and deeply personal his writing could be.

BOOKINGS
Ocean Vuong (”On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”) is in conversation with Sandra Lim Thursday at 7 p.m. at Chelmsford Public Library.

Author readings around Boston May 22-28

All author appearances are virtual and free unless otherwise noted.

BOOKS

Local bestsellers for the week ended May 15

Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the New England Independent Booksellers Association and IndieBound.

Perspective | Book Excerpt
Republican and Democrat party political symbols elephant and donkey. 3D illustration.

Charlie Baker: What happened to reaching across the aisle to get things done?

“Good government services are not just what we should expect,” the governor writes in an exclusive excerpt from his forthcoming book, “they are necessary to nurture and protect our democracy.”

Bookstores
Titcomb's Bookshop in East Sandwich

Your guide to the indie bookstores of Cape Cod and the islands

The Cape & Islands Bookstore Trail has 23 spots for book lovers to check out.

STORY BEHIND THE BOOK

Female desire fuels ‘Little Rabbit’

"I really wanted to write a novel that would focus on a woman lusting after a man — and it’s not destroying her life," says Alyssa Songsiridej.

BOOK REVIEW
Viola Davis discusses her book "Finding Me" at the 92nd Street Y on April 27 in New York.

In new memoir, Viola Davis shares feeling ‘invisible’ growing up in poverty in Central Falls

The actress found her calling when she saw Cicely Tyson appear in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.”

Around 50 books were stolen from the Little Queer Library in Waltham early Wednesday morning.

‘It’s made me increasingly paranoid:’ LGBTQ-themed library in Waltham reports books stolen for fourth time this year

The organizers of the “Little Queer Library,” a free community library in Waltham, said at least 50 books were stolen early Wednesday morning, the fourth time this year they've had books swiped.