Reviews+

Two new books feature the once married couple Miller and Monroe, including a biography of playwright and actor Arthur Miller and one that considers Marilyn Monroe’s life through the books on her shelves.

Andrew Sean Greer takes readers on a charming Italian sojourn, while June Patrick sends them to beguiling Valencia, Spain, for a journey of self-discovery.

In these two suspenseful stories, fiction turns into reality as an author becomes embroiled in a plot reminiscent of his bestselling novels, while a romance writer meets a man who is the embodiment of the hero of her novel in progress.

These bookish rom-coms bring swoonworthy protagonists to life as a woman lives out a storyline from her favorite author and a romance novelist’s fictional villain appears on her couch.

“Marriages on the rocks” is a bit of an understatement as two novels explore distrust and bad intentions twisted within vows to love and honor.

As readers always interested in finding and sharing titles, the book review editors launched a sure-bet survey last summer in advance of LJ’s yearlong celebration of our 150th anniversary. This month, we feature graphic novels. This format of storytelling offers readers an alchemy of elements—including text, image, page design, color, and line—to experience as they work together to craft a narrative. From manga to comic strips, from romance to horror, from memoir to history, there is an expansive canon of graphic novels to enjoy.

As readers always interested in finding and sharing titles, the book review editors launched a sure-bet survey last summer in advance of LJ’s yearlong celebration of our 150th anniversary. This month, we feature poetry. This form of expression provides readers with an experience of language, construction, meaning, and moment, vastly larger than the sum of its parts, which themselves are refined and closely considered. Poetry’s appeal is in the space where line, thought, and word combine into a reading experience that offers a revelation beyond what the text appears to hold.

Looking to celebrate National Poetry Month in April or hoping to update your poetry collection? Take a look at this display shelf.

In recognition of Arab American Heritage Month, formally established by the Biden administration in April 2021, this reading list celebrates the varied cultures, achievements, and contributions of Arab American people. Through historical fiction, literary fiction, memoirs, and more, the following books reveal many facets of Arab American communities, histories, and experiences.