In Five Weeks in the Country, author Francine Prose imagines a distressing, ill-timed visit to Charles Dickens’ home in 1857 — offering a memorable twist on the classic English country house drama.
fiction
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It’s blockbuster book season: Here are 12 new titles coming in May
Summer blockbuster season has begun — on the big screen and in bookstores. This month brings new titles from Douglas Stuart, Kathryn Stockett, Ali Smith, David Sedaris and many more.
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Whiting Foundation names its 10 emerging authors of 2026
The annual Whiting Award for Emerging Writers comes with $50,000 to support each winner’s work. It’s one of the largest prizes granted to promising new authors.
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11 new books in April offer a chance to step inside someone else’s world
The books we’re spotlighting this month don’t exactly radiate escapist good vibes — but they do offer the opportunity to step into someone else’s life and get to know their view of our shared world.
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6 books named finalists for the 2026 International Booker Prize
The shortlisted titles include novels and novellas from authors and translators spanning four continents, with stories that range from Japanese-controlled 1930s Taiwan to the streets of Tehran in 1979.
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This tale of a Chicago school book ban was inspired by true events
Librarian Jarrett Dapier’s graphic novel tells a fictionalized account of real-life events in 2013 that restricted access to Marjane Satrapi’s memoir Persepolis in Chicago Public Schools.
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10 new books in March offer mental vacations
March is always a big one for books – this year is no different. We call out a handful of upcoming titles for readers to put on their radars — offering a good alternative to doomscrolling.
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This novel about family drama is so good you may want to re-read it immediately
Allegra Goodman’s new novel is called This Is Not About Us, but critic Maureen Corrigan says that title is coy: Readers are bound to see aspects of themselves and their families in these pages.
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February may be short on days — but it boasts a long list of new books
The shortest month of the year is packed with highly anticipated new releases, including books from Michael Pollan, Tayari Jones and the late Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa.
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Julian Barnes’ playful new book is also his ‘official departure’
Departure(s) explores several of Barnes’ lifelong obsessions — mortality, memory, and time. It’s slim but weighty, digressive yet incisive. Barnes, who just turned 80, says it will be his last.
