The influence of the sleeper hit novel 'The Correspondence' Virginia Evans' debut novel, The Correspondent, was a sleeper hit of 2025. The book tells the story of a divorced woman in her 70s through her letters to her friends, kids, loved ones and strangers. Andrew Limbong
Children's book series explores what it feels like to truly own something Author and illustrator John Klassen
'The White Hot' asks: If men can go find themselves, why can't women? Quiara Alegría Hudes' novel was inspired by Siddhartha and other classic tales of men seeking enlightenment. It's about a mother in Philadelphia who buys a bus ticket, leaving her daughter behind. Tonya Mosley
'Even the Dead' wraps up John Banville's smart, moody mystery series Originally published under a pseudonym, Banville's Quirke mystery series follows a troubled Dublin coroner who dwells in the basement morgue of a hospital. Maureen Corrigan
Books we loved in 2025, plus what's already on our TBR for 2026 It's a new year, which means there are new books to read — hundreds of them. Katie Campbell
Poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths says she won't let pain be 'the engine that drives the ship' On the day Griffiths married author Salman Rushdie, her longtime best friend died unexpectedly. Eleven months later, Rushdie was stabbed multiple times while being interviewed on stage. Terry Gross
Martin Luther King Jr. would be inspired by today's activism, author says Heather McGhee, author of 2021's The Sum of Us, discusses the economic cost of racism, the importance of community organizing and the "zero-sum lie" that progress for some means loss for others. Tonya Mosley
Julian Barnes says he's enjoying himself, but that 'Departure(s)' is his last book Part memoir and part fiction, Barnes' hybrid novel publishes the day after his 80th birthday. He's been living with a rare form of blood cancer for six years. Terry Gross
'The God of the Woods' novelist Liz Moore describes the rare 'flow state' of writing Moore says writing is mostly hard labor, but "2% of the time, usually at the very beginning of a book and the very end of a book, it feels like flying." She's the author of Long Bright River. Dave Davies
'American Reich' author details a national surge in bigotry and white supremacy Journalist Eric Lichtblau says President Trump's incendiary rhetoric has stoked a "new age of hate." His book centers on a murder committed by a young neo-Nazi in Orange County, Calif. Dave Davies