LOS ANGELES -- Inside an unassuming room of the Huntington Library, the Los Angeles author Lisa See unfolded a stack of court records. At first glance, they looked like a centuries-old love letter. The paper had yellowed from age and the cursive was so ornate the words were hard to make out. "This is the case of the Wing Chun store," See said. "...Read more

Honestly, I don’t know whether this is a review or a thank you note.

Andrew Sean Greer’s “Villa Coco” has the summery, entertaining feel of someone writing whatever he feels like writing. Greer has already won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize (for “Less,” which he followed with “Less Is Lost”) and has sold reams of copies of his books (...Read more

Novelist Lisa See spent years on the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Commission, and she recalls times when she’d start thinking about the history that had occurred just outside the window of Pico House, where the meetings took place.

“I could see from my seat that corner where my great-grandparents had their start here,” she says on ...Read more

Summer offers a range of reading opportunities, whether you’re lounging outside by a body of water or inside near a glass of water.

Along with good hydration, you’ll need plenty to read. We recently shared our picks of romance, horror, Hollywood and nonfiction titles, so how about a big list of what’s hitting independent bookstores this ...Read more

Here are the bestsellers for the week that ended Saturday, June 6, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide, powered by Circana BookScan © 2026 Circana.

(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by PWxyz LLC. © 2026, PWxyz LLC.)

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. "Whistler: A ...Read more

Most folks’ summers will feature SPF 50 and thunderstorm warnings. But, if you read the upcoming books, yours could also include murderous crocodiles, Vincent van Gogh intrigue and a shocking Jamaican crime.

That crime is in the “The Disappearers,” former St. Paul resident Marlon James’ first novel in four years, and he’s not the only...Read more

In March, Ann Patchett had only just started doing interviews for her new novel, “Whistler,” but she was already willing to nudge the conversation elsewhere: to other books, to our dogs, to growing up in Southern California.

“I’m from Glendale,” she says, after learning her interviewer is calling from Pasadena. “My father was LAPD, ...Read more

What a difference 50 years makes.

The country that commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July will be a radically different place than the country that celebrated a ubiquitous bicentennial in 1976. Of course it will. But one part of that commemoration will not change: The yearning of everyday ...Read more

“There should always be some small surprise,” the narrator of Ann Patchett’s “Whistler” tells us. She’s talking about enlivening trips to a cancer clinic, but she could easily mean Patchett’s wise, deeply funny novels.

Daphne is a Manhattan teacher who, in the novel’s first scene, runs into Eddie, the former stepfather she hasn�...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s not quite beach time in Minnesota but it’s never too early to break out the beach reads.

Whether you’re heading to the cabin, a hammock or a lake with unusually warm water, we have some suggestions for you, including a literary superstar who became an Oscar nominee earlier this year and a couple of guys who have Taylor...Read more

I just asked AI what the reading situation looks like this summer. I asked, knowing very well what it looks like, but I was curious what it would say. AI said that this summer, reading will resemble “flexible, engaging, often digital-forward activities designed to build skills.” Did it mistake my prompt for the ghosts of old school reading ...Read more

Here are the bestsellers for the week that ended Saturday, May 30, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide, powered by Circana BookScan © 2026 Circana.

(Reprinted from Publishers Weekly, published by PWxyz LLC. © 2026, PWxyz LLC.)

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. "Yesteryear: A ...Read more

A TV veteran and author, Jordan Harper is the author of the gritty crime novels “She Rides Shotgun,” “Last King of California” and the set-in-Hollywood, “Everybody Knows.” His new book, “A Violent Masterpiece,” takes place in the same dark, L.A. landscape.

We spoke to him in 2023 about “Everybody Knows,” his work and the ...Read more

Some people crave sunny skies and sand between their toes. Others would rather crawl back under the blanket until summer is over. Luckily, there’s no shortage of horror novels out there to keep us busy until the days grow darker and the nights longer.

Here are 10 horror novels to look forward to that bend genres, conjure the atmosphere we ...Read more

Though his novels have been praised by Ursula K. Le Guin and Ann Patchett and adapted into well-regarded films, Willy Vlautin says he began writing fiction for an unlikely reason.

“The reason I started writing, I think, is because I made so many people unhappy playing music,” says Vlautin, who began composing songs when he was just 11 and ...Read more

Ever since the mid-20th century, novels, movies and TV series have explored our fascination with the secretly troubled lives of people living in the suburbs — perhaps because the majority of Americans, including in the Bay Area, live in suburbs.

In narratives from the “dark suburbia” genre, the characters want to enjoy the American dream ...Read more