New This Week: The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

The Art Forger (Algonquin Books) is one hell of a novel.
This thriller by B.A. Shapiro is set in the world of fine art -- the finest,
actually. It’s a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of museums and
throughout the art business. And yes, it is a certainly a business, where prowess isn’t just about the art itself, but in
owning it. It appears that what we know about art isn’t always factual;

New This Week: The Twelve by Justin Cronin

Well, finally! In June 2010, I wrote here that I’d just read
The Passage, Justin Cronin’s kick-ass post-apocalyptic vampire thriller, and that he’d delivered an ending so powerful that I hated him for it. After all, we’d have to wait two damn years for more.

Turns out we had to wait two damn years and three months. The nerve!!

Anyway, the wait is over. I’ve read The Twelve (Ballantine), and it’

Non-Fiction: Choose the Life You Want by Tal Ben-Shahar

I once had an idea for a novel where the plot hinged on a choice made in the first chapter. I might still write the thing one day, so I won’t divulge any more than that. But the notion of making choices every day -- every moment, really, of every day -- is something that’s intrigued me for years. Not only as a dramatic device, but as a device we use (even without thinking about it) to build one

Fiction: Heading Out to Wonderful by Robert Goolrick

Heading Out to Wonderful (Algonquin) is exactly that. Wonderful. That is, it’s filled with wonder. Robert Goolrick, author of A Reliable Wife, has once again dug beneath the surface of lives, unearthing mystery and motive that, when combined, drive this impressive, hypnotic tale relentlessly forward.

The year is 1948, in a gorgeous Virginia valley. Charlie Beale comes to town with two

Fiction: The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac by Kris D'Agostino

I’m generally not a fan of single-family tragicomic novels in which the family in question is hit from all sides, only to emerge more or less triumphant at the end, rich with life lessons. (Maybe that makes me a bad person.)Still, Kris D’Agostino’s The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac (Algonquin), a tragicomic novel in which one family is hit from all sides, only to emerge more or less triumphant at

War Horse: The Making of the Motion Picture

The Oscar race this year is upon us. Nine films are vying for Best Picture, and I myself have a few favorites. The Artist is amazing, with an idea and performances that are nothing short of stunning. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, heartbreaking in so many different ways, is a pretty faithful adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s brilliant novel. But for me the movie that really stands out

Fiction: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

As I write this, it is the 48th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and I have just finished reading Stephen King’s new novel about a man who goes back in time to try to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from firing the three bullets that would change the world, 11/22/63 (Scribner). What a ride!

When high school teacher Jake Epping is convinced by a dying friend to step into the past, he

Fiction: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Who’s to say, when we start a life, where we will end up? What will we do? What will we regret? What, if anything, will we understand? These are a few of the questions posed by Julian Barnes’ Man Booker Award-winning novel, The Sense of an Ending.

At just 160 pages or so, the book is deceptive. It’s spare but not sparse. It’s short but not light. Instead, it is a rich tapestry of starts, stops,

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: a Chat With Jeff Kinney

It was like a rock concert. A thousand kids, siblings, and parents, all gathered on sidewalks outside the Barnes & Noble in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Outside, even on this warm night, a pile of snow, with fake snowflakes sprayed by a special machine, and a massive luxury bus decorated with Wimpy Kid art on all sides. And at four o’clock sharp, the rock star emerges from it: Jeff Kinney, author of