Michael Schaub

Ye Chun's new story collection Hao takes its name from a Chinese word meaning "good," or "everything's OK" — but the characters in these stories are sick, afraid, out of time, and anything but OK.

Jaime Cortez's debut collection, Gordo, is set in and around the same dusty California town that inspired John Steinbeck. It's a lovely portrait of a time and place that still manages to be universal.

YZ Chin's Edge Case follows a Malaysian immigrant working at a lousy, sexist startup, worried about her marriage and the thought of having to move back home — all topics it handles beautifully.

Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing for the top court still sticks in the minds of those all along the political spectrum; it's the subject of several books, including a new one by Jackie Calmes.

Freedom, Junger's latest book, follows the author and a group of acquaintances as they embark on a long walk from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh, tracing railroad lines.

Daniel James Brown writes a fascinating account of some of the bravest Americans who ever lived; it's also a sobering reminder of a dark history — of anti-Asian racism that never really went away.

John Schlesinger's flawed drama, the only X-rated film to win an Oscar for best picture, made Jon Voight a star and solidified Dustin Hoffman's status as one of his generation's greatest actors.

John Lanchester's sharp new story collection considers the dark side of technology, from smartphones to selfie sticks. But you don't have to be a Luddite to appreciate this smart, scary book.

Author Harold Schechter details the 1927 school bombing in Bath Township, Mich., which killed 38 children and six adults. Days later, Charles Lindbergh's famous trans-Atlantic flight made headlines.

Author Jeremy Atherton Lin writes of the history of gay bars, as their existence is threatened by the popularity of dating apps and rising property costs, and reflects on their presence in his life.

In Mike Nichols: A Life, author Mark Harris presents an engrossing tale of the auteur as an outsider from the start who grew to find much success in Hollywood, despite some slumps.

Author Thomas Healy chronicles how, in 1969, Floyd McKissick went about building a city from scratch, only to have his dreams dashed by a combination of prejudice and bureaucracy.

This is Gurganus's first book since 2013, and it's worth the wait. These stories are funny, compassionate, and marked by the author's amazing ability to reflect both light and dark in his characters.

In his new story collection, Kevin Barry proves to be a master at evoking the landscapes of both western Ireland and the human heart; he seems to have an innate sense of why people do what they do.

Manuel Vilas' quiet, intensely sad new, about a middle-aged man trying to connect with his estranged family while thinking a lot of deep thoughts about death, requires patience, but it's worth it.

Ellen Cooney's new novel follows an unnamed hospital chaplain on her rounds, as she ministers to patients and grapples with her own internal questions. It's a quiet, inward-looking but hopeful story.

Bryan Washington's eagerly awaited first novel is set in Houston — just like his short stories — and follows two young gay men whose relationship is tested when one man's mother comes to visit.

Aoko Matsuda's gently supernatural story collection — all about women who are something more than they seem — gets its unearthly feel not from jump scares, but from the quality of the writing.

Jonathan Alter tells Carter's life story beautifully and with admirable fairness — while it's evident that he admires Carter, he treats the former president as a real person, as flawed as anyone else.

In her first book since the critically acclaimed H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald urges us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world — and fight to preserve it.