gilbert cruz new york times book review

Gilbert Cruz Is Our Next Books Editor

The veteran Culture editor starts a new chapter. Read more in this note from Sam Sifton, Joe Kahn and Carolyn Ryan.

We’re thrilled to announce that Gilbert Cruz, our Culture editor, will be the next Books editor of The Times.

Gilbert spent the past four years bringing important changes to our arts report, diversifying its voices and story forms, shepherding prize-winning criticism, breaking news and overseeing a muscular service operation devoted to helping our readers discover what to watch next.

Now he’ll move to Books to focus his energies on three important pillars of coverage. The first is to reimagine The New York Times Book Review, the nation’s last stand-alone newspaper book-review section, for the digital age. The second is to increase and embolden our reporting on and criticism of ideas and intellectual life, the publishing world and all that lives within it. And the third is to build new muscles in service journalism that will help our readers choose their next books with ease and joy.

Gilbert emerged from a talented pool of applicants to show that he was exactly the right person to lead these efforts. He is a seasoned manager and a digital innovator, possessed of superb news judgment and a fount of ideas, and a wise practitioner of journalism that answers readers’ needs. A natural leader, he will push for provocative coverage and challenging ideas, and bring fresh perspectives to our books report.

Gilbert, who was born and raised in the Bronx, started his journalism career at the Tuscaloosa News in Alabama, before moving to Entertainment Weekly as an editorial assistant in the books department and, later, to Time and New York magazines. He came to The Times seven years ago as television editor and was soon asked to help launch Watching. Watching expanded the scope of service journalism at The Times. A promotion to Culture editor soon followed.

But books are Gilbert’s first love, as anyone who has listened to him talk about them on NYT Audio , read his brilliant exegesis of the essential Stephen King , or follows him on Twitter may have suspected. He is a lifelong passionate reader with deeply catholic tastes. We are excited to see him soar in this new role.

Since the departure of Pamela Paul in March, our colleagues in Books, led by John Williams, Tina Jordan and Juliana Barbassa, have continued to produce a brilliant report day after day. We are grateful for their hard and unrelenting work, and buoyant about the department’s future under Gilbert’s leadership.

As for Culture, the search for a new editor commences now. Sia Michel, who among other things edited the work of the last two winners of the Pulitzer Prize in criticism, will serve as interim editor of the desk.

Sam, Joe and Carolyn

Explore Further

Sam sifton joins masthead, overseeing features coverage, stella bugbee named styles editor, emily weinstein elevated to editor, food and new york times cooking.

We use cookies and similar technologies to recognize your repeat visits and preferences, as well as to measure and analyze traffic. To learn more about cookies, including how to disable them, view our Cookie Policy . By clicking “I Accept” on this banner, you consent to the use of cookies unless you disable them.

The world's top authors and critics join host Gilbert Cruz and editors at The New York Times Book Review to talk about... more

Listen now on

The publisher has gone through a lot of changes since its founding in 1924. Its current chief executive, Jonathan Karp,... more

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Stephen King’s first novel, “Carrie.” On this week’s episode, host Gilbert... more

Dwight Garner, Alexandra Jacobs and Jennifer Szalai weigh in on 22 of the funniest novels since “Catch-22.”

The great Irish crime novelist Tana French joins Sarah Lyall to talk about her new novel "The Hunter," a sequel... more

The Times’s critic Alissa Wilkinson discusses Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel and Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptations.

A scathing satire about race, publishing and identity politics, Everett’s acclaimed 2001 novel is the basis of the Oscar-nominated movie... more

Tommy Orange’s acclaimed debut novel, “There There” centered on a group of characters who all converge on an Indigenous powwow... more

Dwight Garner discusses a new oral history of the venerable alt-weekly, Tricia Romano’s “The Freaks Came Out to Write.”

On this week's episode, a roundtable conversation about Barbara Kingsolver’s “Demon Copperhead,” a riff on “David Copperfield” that moves Charles... more

The early part of a year can mean new books to read, or it can mean catching up on older... more

• Craft and Criticism
• Fiction and Poetry
• News and Culture
• Lit Hub Radio
• Reading Lists

• Literary Criticism
• Craft and Advice
• In Conversation
• On Translation
• Short Story
• From the Novel
• Bookstores and Libraries
• Film and TV
• Art and Photography
• Freeman’s
• The Virtual Book Channel
• Behind the Mic
• Beyond the Page
• The Cosmic Library
• The Critic and Her Publics
• Emergence Magazine
• Fiction/Non/Fiction
• First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing
• Future Fables
• The History of Literature
• I’m a Writer But
• Just the Right Book
• Lit Century
• The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan
• New Books Network
• Tor Presents: Voyage Into Genre
• Windham-Campbell Prizes Podcast
• Write-minded
• The Best of the Decade
• Best Reviewed Books
• BookMarks Daily Giveaway
• The Daily Thrill
• CrimeReads Daily Giveaway

News, Notes, Talk

The New York Times has found its next Books editor.

Today,  The New York Times  announced that current Culture editor Gilbert Cruz will be the paper’s next Books editor, replacing Pamela Paul , who left the role in March.

“Gilbert spent the past four years bringing important changes to our arts report, diversifying its voices and story forms, shepherding prize-winning criticism, breaking news and overseeing a muscular service operation devoted to helping our readers discover what to watch next,” wrote Sam Sifton, Joe Kahn, and Carolyn Ryan in a press release .

Now he’ll move to Books to focus his energies on three important pillars of coverage. The first is to reimagine The New York Times Book Review , the nation’s last stand-alone newspaper book-review section, for the digital age. The second is to increase and embolden our reporting on and criticism of ideas and intellectual life, the publishing world and all that lives within it. And the third is to build new muscles in service journalism that will help our readers choose their next books with ease and joy.

Gilbert emerged from a talented pool of applicants to show that he was exactly the right person to lead these efforts. He is a seasoned manager and a digital innovator, possessed of superb news judgment and a fount of ideas, and a wise practitioner of journalism that answers readers’ needs. A natural leader, he will push for provocative coverage and challenging ideas, and bring fresh perspectives to our books report.

Good luck to him!

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

to the Lithub Daily

April 23, 2024.

• Samanth Subramanian on AI and the end of the human writer
• On the rise of literary travel
• Emily Barr writes about libraries, Encyclopedia Brown , and her brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Lit hub Radio

• RSS - Posts

Literary Hub

Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature

Sign Up For Our Newsletters

How to Pitch Lit Hub

Advertisers: Contact Us

Privacy Policy

Support Lit Hub - Become A Member

Become a Lit Hub Supporting Member : Because Books Matter

For the past decade, Literary Hub has brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall. But our future relies on you. In return for a donation, you’ll get an ad-free reading experience , exclusive editors’ picks, book giveaways, and our coveted Joan Didion Lit Hub tote bag . Most importantly, you’ll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving on the internet.

Become a member for as low as $5/month

Jump to navigation Skip to content

Search form

• P&W on Facebook
• P&W on Twitter
• P&W on Instagram

Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Find a home for your poems, stories, essays, and reviews by researching the publications vetted by our editorial staff. In the Literary Magazines database you’ll find editorial policies, submission guidelines, contact information—everything you need to know before submitting your work to the publications that share your vision for your work.

Whether you’re pursuing the publication of your first book or your fifth, use the Small Presses database to research potential publishers, including submission guidelines, tips from the editors, contact information, and more.

Research more than one hundred agents who represent poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers, plus details about the kinds of books they’re interested in representing, their clients, and the best way to contact them.

Every week a new publishing professional shares advice, anecdotes, insights, and new ways of thinking about writing and the business of books.

Find publishers ready to read your work now with our Open Reading Periods page, a continually updated resource listing all the literary magazines and small presses currently open for submissions.

Since our founding in 1970, Poets & Writers has served as an information clearinghouse of all matters related to writing. While the range of inquiries has been broad, common themes have emerged over time. Our Top Topics for Writers addresses the most popular and pressing issues, including literary agents, copyright, MFA programs, and self-publishing.

Our series of subject-based handbooks (PDF format; $4.99 each) provide information and advice from authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers. Now available: The Poets & Writers Guide to Publicity and Promotion, The Poets & Writers Guide to the Book Deal, The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents, The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs, and The Poets & Writers Guide to Writing Contests.

Find a home for your work by consulting our searchable databases of writing contests, literary magazines, small presses, literary agents, and more.

Poets & Writers lists readings, workshops, and other literary events held in cities across the country. Whether you are an author on book tour or the curator of a reading series, the Literary Events Calendar can help you find your audience.

Get the Word Out is a new publicity incubator for debut fiction writers and poets.

Research newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications that consistently publish book reviews using the Review Outlets database, which includes information about publishing schedules, submission guidelines, fees, and more.

Well over ten thousand poets and writers maintain listings in this essential resource for writers interested in connecting with their peers, as well as editors, agents, and reading series coordinators looking for authors. Apply today to join the growing community of writers who stay in touch and informed using the Poets & Writers Directory.

Let the world know about your work by posting your events on our literary events calendar, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.

Find a writers group to join or create your own with Poets & Writers Groups. Everything you need to connect, communicate, and collaborate with other poets and writers—all in one place.

Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about deadlines, funding, class size, core faculty, and more. Also included is information about more than fifty MA and PhD programs.

Whether you are looking to meet up with fellow writers, agents, and editors, or trying to find the perfect environment to fuel your writing practice, the Conferences & Residencies is the essential resource for information about well over three hundred writing conferences, writers residencies, and literary festivals around the world.

Discover historical sites, independent bookstores, literary archives, writing centers, and writers spaces in cities across the country using the Literary Places database—the best starting point for any literary journey, whether it’s for research or inspiration.

Search for jobs in education, publishing, the arts, and more within our free, frequently updated job listings for writers and poets.

Establish new connections and enjoy the company of your peers using our searchable databases of MFA programs and writers retreats, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.

• Register for Classes

Each year the Readings & Workshops program provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops. Learn more about this program, our special events, projects, and supporters, and how to contact us.

The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community, providing them with a network for professional advancement.

Find information about how Poets & Writers provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops.

Bring the literary world to your door—at half the newsstand price. Available in print and digital editions, Poets & Writers Magazine is a must-have for writers who are serious about their craft.

View the contents and read select essays, articles, interviews, and profiles from the current issue of the award-winning Poets & Writers Magazine .

Read essays, articles, interviews, profiles, and other select content from Poets & Writers Magazine as well as Online Exclusives.

View the covers and contents of every issue of Poets & Writers Magazine , from the current edition all the way back to the first black-and-white issue in 1987.

Every day the editors of Poets & Writers Magazine scan the headlines—publishing reports, literary dispatches, academic announcements, and more—for all the news that creative writers need to know.

In our weekly series of craft essays, some of the best and brightest minds in contemporary literature explore their craft in compact form, articulating their thoughts about creative obsessions and curiosities in a working notebook of lessons about the art of writing.

The Time Is Now offers weekly writing prompts in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to help you stay committed to your writing practice throughout the year. Sign up to get The Time Is Now, as well as a weekly book recommendation for guidance and inspiration, delivered to your inbox.

Every week a new author shares books, art, music, writing prompts, films—anything and everything—that has inspired and shaped the creative process.

Listen to original audio recordings of authors featured in Poets & Writers Magazine . Browse the archive of more than 400 author readings.

Ads in Poets & Writers Magazine and on pw.org are the best ways to reach a readership of serious poets and literary prose writers. Our audience trusts our editorial content and looks to it, and to relevant advertising, for information and guidance.

Start, renew, or give a subscription to Poets & Writers Magazine ; change your address; check your account; pay your bill; report a missed issue; contact us.

Peruse paid listings of writing contests, conferences, workshops, editing services, calls for submissions, and more.

Poets & Writers is pleased to provide free subscriptions to Poets & Writers Magazine to award-winning young writers and to high school creative writing teachers for use in their classrooms.

Read select articles from the award-winning magazine and consult the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print.

• Subscribe Now

Q&A: The Editor Behind the Book Review

• Printable Version
• Log in to Send
• Log in to Save

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Trump's hush money trial resumes as ex-National Enquirer boss testifies

The new york times reveals 'the 10 best books of 2023'.

Editor of The New York Times Book Review, Gilbert Cruz, joins Morning Joe to discuss the 10 best books of 2023 and the meticulous process behind their selection.

Recommended Stories

Based on the odds, here's what the top 10 picks of the nfl draft will be.

What would a mock draft look like using just betting odds?

WNBA Draft winners and losers: As you may have guessed, the Fever did pretty well. The Liberty? Perhaps not

Here are five franchises who stood out, for better or for worse.

Report: Jets trading QB Zach Wilson to Broncos

Wilson's starting over in Denver.

NFL mock draft 2024: With one major trade-up, it's a QB party in the top 5

Our final 2024 mock draft projects four quarterbacks in the first five picks, but the Cardinals at No. 4 might represent the key pivot point of the entire board.

Chiefs make Andy Reid NFL's highest-paid coach, sign president Mark Donovan, GM Brett Veach to extensions

Reid's deal reportedly runs through 2029 and makes him the highest-paid coach in the NFL.

Here’s when people think old age begins — and why experts think it’s starting later

People's definition of "old age" is older than it used to be, new research suggests.

Dave McCarty, player on 2004 Red Sox championship team, dies 1 week after team's reunion

The Red Sox were already mourning the loss of Tim Wakefield from that 2004 team.

Yankees' Nestor Cortés told by MLB his pump-fake pitch is illegal

Cortés' attempt didn't fool Andrés Giménez, who fouled off the pitch.

Ryan Garcia drops Devin Haney 3 times en route to stunning upset

The 25-year-old labeled "mentally fragile" by many delivered the upset for the ages.

The new Ford Mustang's V8 is available as a crate engine

Ford offers the new Mustang's updated 5.0-liter Coyote V8 as a crate engine, and it also sells a supercharger kit that unlocks a total of 810 horsepower.

The 10 car brands most expensive to maintain over 10 years

Consumer Reports' ranking of the most- and least-expensive vehicles sounds a concerning alarm bell about a few European brands.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone ejected after fan mouths off to home plate umpire

You don't see an ejection like this every day.

Arch Manning dominates in the Texas spring game, and Jaden Rashada enters the transfer portal

Dan Wetzel, Ross Dellenger & SI’s Pat Forde react to the huge performance this weekend by Texas QB Arch Manning, Michigan and Notre Dame's spring games, Jaden Rashada entering the transfer portal, and more

Pass or Fail: Broncos release 'Mile High Collection,' first new uniforms in over 25 years

The Broncos may have committed the greatest fashion faux pas there is: being boring.

Oakland University outfielders combine to make spectacular catch vs. Northern Kentucky

Oakland University outfielders John Lauinger and Reggie Bussey combined on what could be college baseball's best catch of the 2024 season against Northern Kentucky.

Robert Kraft reportedly warned Falcons owner Arthur Blank not to trust Bill Belichick during head coach interviews

Bill Belichick's former boss Robert Kraft reportedly tanked his chances of getting hired as the Falcons head coach.

Arch Manning puts on a show in Texas' spring game, throwing for 3 touchdowns

Arch Manning gave Texas football fans an enticing look at the future, throwing for 355 yards and three touchdowns in the Longhorns' Orange-White spring game.

A rare 'devil comet' will reach peak brightness this weekend. Here's how you can see it.

On Sunday, the rare devil comet will reach its closest point to the sun, creating an illuminating sky show. Here is how skygazers can watch it.

Tom Brady will be mercilessly mocked in Netflix's 'Greatest Roast of All Time' comedy special

Get ready for a lot of jokes about Tom Brady never eating strawberries and divorcing one of the most successful supermodels in history.

Anthony Davis fed up with not winning Defensive Player of the Year: 'The league doesn't like me'

Does Davis have a DPOY case? The Lakers' star definitely thinks so.

click here to read it now

Read this week's magazine

The ‘New York Times Book Review’ Mixes It Up

When Pamela Paul stepped down as editor of the New York Times Book Review in April 2022, the news came as a shock to many of her colleagues. Paul had joined the Book Review , the paper’s standalone Sunday book reviews section, in 2011, and served as its editor since 2013. In 2016, Dean Baquet, who was then executive editor of the Times , decided to bring all of the paper’s books coverage—the daily Books section, book news, publishing industry news, and the Book Review —under Paul’s aegis.

“Everyone was surprised,” said Tina Jordan, deputy editor of the Book Review , of Paul’s departure. “She’d been there almost 10 years. We weren’t expecting it.” (Soon after leaving, Paul joined the paper’s Opinion section as a columnist, where she has developed a bit of a reputation in media circles for her subject matter and style.) While the search for Paul’s successor was underway, Jordan took over on an interim basis.

In July 2022, Gilbert Cruz was named to succeed Paul, having previously served, since 2018, as the culture editor at the paper. Like Paul before him, Cruz oversees all books coverage at the Times . He started the job in August, when the book publishing industry is notoriously quiet, but nevertheless immediately set to work. The transition in leadership, Jordan said, was “pretty seamless.”

First on Cruz’s to-do list was to solidify the Book Review as the face of all of the paper’s books coverage. Overseeing a team of more than 20 editors, critics, and reporters, he has spent the past year “making sure the staff feels like a whole”—that is, a single unit united under one banner. “Something I’ve been telling the entire staff is that there’s one brand here, and it’s the New York Times Book Review ,” he explained. “Everyone on this desk works for the New York Times Book Review —even if you’re a reporter, and your stuff never appears in the Book Review because it closes 10 days before it hit stands, you still work for the Book Review . Because when most people think of our books coverage, the Book Review is the thing that stands out in their mind.”

The Book Review is the nation’s largest and most storied standalone newspaper book reviews section, having been in print since 1896—and it’s one of the few remaining. At a time when books coverage has been slashed at papers around the country and reviewers on Goodreads and BookTok hold increasing sway over sales, what role the Book Review plays in today’s publishing ecosystem is something of an existential question.

One way to retool the Book Review for the current age, Cruz said, is to grow its digital readership. “That’s really what I came here to do,” he added. For him, this means doubling down on digital efforts and launching new digital franchises, as well as “trying to think about audiences that we’re not reaching right now.”

Under Cruz, the Book Review is also streamlining its coverage. It no longer runs “double-reviews” (two reviews by different critics of a single book), which Cruz felt “sends a mixed message to the reader.” It has also begun running reviews by the paper’s staff book critics—Dwight Garner, Alexandra Jacobs, Jennifer Szalai, and Molly Young, who had traditionally only appeared in the daily paper, which Cruz saw as a missed opportunity. (“We have this amazing product that is more than 100 years old, and our main voices on books never appeared in there!”)

Moreover, the Book Review has started publishing different kinds of features, such as author profiles and a new “Read Your Way Around the World” series, which is spearheaded by deputy news and features editor Juliana Barbassa. Barbassa has also led much of the Times ’ coverage of industry news, including the proliferation of book bans and AI’s impact on publishing.

Though the Book Review covered an estimated 2,300 books last year, its print editions have noticeably slimmed down in recent years. While occasional special issues—its summer reading and holiday issues, for instance—remain robust, Cruz doubts it will ever return to the larger page counts of yore.

“I can’t tell the future,” he said, “but I would challenge anyone to show me a print publication that has gotten bigger” over time. Nevertheless, he hopes that during his tenure, “people who primarily experience the Book Review through the print product get their money’s worth.”

In describing his vision for books coverage at the Times , Cruz repeatedly used the word experiment . He spoke of testing new things, keeping what works and scrapping what doesn’t. He believes that over the course of many experiments that “the Book Review is going to become more of a book publication.” One of his primary goals, in this first year at the helm, “is to try a lot of stuff.” His other goal: “not to mess this up.”

• You are a subscriber but you have not yet set up your account for premium online access. Contact customer service (see details below) to add your preferred email address and password to your account.
• You forgot your password and you need to retrieve it. Click here to retrieve reset your password.
• Your company has a site license, use our easy login. Enter your work email address in the Site License Portal.

BREAKING: Trump trial kicks off with hearing to determine whether former president violated gag order

What you missed on Day 5 of Trump's hush money trial

Young people have every reason to be enraged, says 'Algebra of Wealth' author

Senate will approve foreign aid package passed by House, says senator

Women using Ozempic report unexpected pregnancies

Crown Prince of Iran says regime has turned country into the North Korea of the Middle East

Trump calls on his supporters to protest in NYC, but he's not getting the circus he wants

Biden to hit Trump as a threat to reproductive rights in Florida

Speaker Johnson continues facing backlash over Ukraine aid

'This is a very different Passover' this year, says rabbi

Author thinks new book on George H.W. Bush should be 'mandatory' for all working in D.C.

'Jam-packed day' as opening statements begin in Trump hush money trial

New exhibit in New York re-creates Israeli music festival attacked on Oct. 7 

Columbia University moves to virtual classes amid protests

World experiencing fourth global coral bleaching event in recorded history

Driver narrowly escapes fiery car with help from Good Samaritans

Trump 'couldn't get a job at the local mall': New ad hits Trump's legal woes

'They keep making fools of themselves': Joe reacts to governor's vow to vote Trump even if he's convicted

RFK Jr. takes more from Trump than Biden in 2024, polling shows

Morning joe, the new york times reveals 'the 10 best books of 2023'.

• Share this -

Editor of The New York Times Book Review, Gilbert Cruz, joins Morning Joe to discuss the 10 best books of 2023 and the meticulous process behind their selection. Nov. 29, 2023

MSNBC HIGHLIGHTS

Looking Back at 50 Years of Stephen King The Book Review

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Stephen King’s first novel, “Carrie.” On this week’s episode, host Gilbert Cruz talks to the novelist Grady Hendrix, who read and re-read many of King’s books over several years for a writing project, as well as King superfan Damon Lindelof, the TV showrunner behind shows such as “Lost” and “The Leftovers.”

• Episode Website
• More Episodes
• © 2023 The New York Times Company

More by The New York Times

Advertisement

Supported by

editors’ choice

9 New Books We Recommend This Week

Suggested reading from critics and editors at The New York Times.

• Share full article

Our recommended books this week include two very different kinds of memoirs — RuPaul’s “The House of Hidden Meanings,” about the drag icon’s childhood and path to superstardom, and Alexandra Fuller’s “Fi,” about the death of her 21-year-old son — as well as a biography of the art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner, a study of Germany’s self-reckoning after World War II, a look at what Abraham Lincoln’s era has in common with ours and a history of baseball in New York.

In fiction, we recommend a romance novel, a twisty detective story about translators on the hunt for a missing author and a stylish story collection from Amor Towles. Happy reading. — Gregory Cowles

FI: A Memoir Alexandra Fuller

In her fifth memoir, Fuller describes the sudden death of her 21-year-old son. Devastating as this elegant and honest account may be — and it’s certainly not for the faint of heart — it also leaves the reader with a sense of having known a lovely and lively young man.

“A sublime writer. … This book is a mesmeric celebration of a boy who died too soon, a mother’s love and her resilience.”

From David Sheff’s review

Grove | $28

WAKE ME MOST WICKEDLY Felicia Grossman

The second of Grossman’s fairy-tale-inspired romances set among Jewish families in Regency London finds the saucy scion of a disgraced family falling for a raven-haired criminal pawnshop owner. Based on “Snow White,” a fairy tale all about trust and betrayal, “Wake Me Most Wickedly” thrives in the space between what people hide and what they reveal.

“Rich and complex and a little discomfiting, this book prefers difficult questions and nuanced truths to comfortable reductions.”

From Olivia Waite’s romance column

Forever | Paperback, $9.99

TABLE FOR TWO: Fictions Amor Towles

Towles, known for his wildly popular books like “A Gentleman in Moscow,” collects six short stories set in New York around the new millennium. There’s also one story set in Golden Age Hollywood, a continuation of his novel “Rules of Civility.”

“There’s more here than high gloss. … Sharp-edged satire deceptively wrapped like a box of Neuhaus chocolates, ‘Table for Two’ is a winner.”

From Hamilton Cain’s review

Viking | $32

THE NEW YORK GAME: Baseball and the Rise of a New City Kevin Baker

What makes New York baseball unique, the novelist and historian argues in this insightful, beautifully crafted narrative — which concludes with the end of World War II — is its role as chronicler of cultural change. Whatever baseball’s roots in cow pastures and small towns, it came of age as an urban game.

“Baseball grew as New York City grew. … One hopes for a second volume from Kevin Baker, every bit as good as this one.”

From David Oshinsky’s review

Knopf | $35

THE EXTINCTION OF IRENA REY Jennifer Croft

Croft is an acclaimed translator, and won the 2018 Man Booker International Prize for her English translation of Olga Tokarczuk’s “Flights.” It seems fitting that her first novel is a detective story following a troupe of translators tracking down their missing author.

“Oh my mushrooms, ‘The Extinction of Irena Rey’ is incredibly strange, savvy, sly and hard to classify. I also couldn’t put it down.”

From Fiona Maazel’s review

Bloomsbury | $28.99

THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MEANINGS: A Memoir RuPaul

The “Drag Race” superstar has already written three books, but from its black-and-white cover photo onward, this one is serious: A study in self-creation and survival that reveals a striver high on his own supply.

“RuPaul isn’t just famous, glamorous and funny; he’s interesting. … Less a memoir than a prophecy unpacked in reverse.”

From Saeed Jones’s review

Dey Street | $29.99

CHASING BEAUTY: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner Natalie Dykstra

Isabella Stewart Gardner is best known today for the Boston museum that bears her name, but as Dykstra makes clear in her luminous new biography, the Gilded Age doyenne was herself a figure to be reckoned with. A daughter of wealth who married into more, the flamboyant Gardner quickly became the queen of haute bohemia — and in the process, one of America’s most serious collectors. A lively portrait of a moment, a woman and the power of art.

“Astutely situates her subject within Gardner’s growing web of connections. … But its deeper revelations have more to do with Gardner’s emerging attunement to the emotional affirmation to be found in art.”

From Megan O’Grady’s review

Mariner | $37.50

OUT OF THE DARKNESS: The Germans, 1942-2022 Frank Trentmann

Over the past eight decades, the public debates about guilt and suffering in the wake of World War II have structured civil society in Germany. Trentmann tracks the evolution of this moral awakening with a remarkably rich history of the country that runs from the Battle of Stalingrad to the War in Ukraine.

“Recognizes the costs and complexities of the quest for moral security. … As Trentmann captures, the post-1945 transformation has been remarkable.”

From Peter Fritzsche’s review

Knopf | $50

OUR ANCIENT FAITH: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment Allen C. Guelzo

In this beautifully written exploration of Abraham Lincoln’s thoughts on democracy, Guelzo argues that the president, who fought autocratic forces in the South while restricting civil liberties in the North, can help us figure out how to sustain a free society in the face of rising illiberalism today.

“Guelzo points out the ‘uncanny’ similarities between Lincoln’s time and ours. … Reveals the fragility of democracy in such moments. But its precarity can also be a strength.”

From Parker Henry’s review

Knopf | $30

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

Salman Rushdie’s new memoir, “Knife,” addresses the attack that maimed him  in 2022, and pays tribute to his wife who saw him through .

Recent books by Allen Bratton, Daniel Lefferts and Garrard Conley depict gay Christian characters not usually seen in queer literature.

What can fiction tell us about the apocalypse? The writer Ayana Mathis finds unexpected hope in novels of crisis by Ling Ma, Jenny Offill and Jesmyn Ward .

At 28, the poet Tayi Tibble has been hailed as the funny, fresh and immensely skilled voice of a generation in Māori writing .

Amid a surge in book bans, the most challenged books in the United States in 2023 continued to focus on the experiences of L.G.B.T.Q. people or explore themes of race.

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .