Books: Reviews, News, Interviews & Features - Los Angeles Times

BOOKS BOOKS [/books/la-ca-jc-louise-erdrich-20160508-story.html#nt=oft03a-1la1] BOOKS In Louise Erdirch's 'LaRose,' parents make an impossible bargain Thomas Curwen Romeo Puyat, antihero and scourge of Louise Erdrich's new novel "LaRose," is a cursed man. Addicted to prescription drugs and anything else he can get his hands on, he lives in the shadows. Decades of ridicule and abuse run through his veins and fuel the rage that drives this story to its stunning... BOOKS The wild boy wants his fangs in Stephen Graham Jones' "Mongrels" BOOKS Growing up is hard to do in 'Amateurs' Jacket Copy This poem sums up Los Angeles perfectly Extras Free event: Celebrate 100 years of excellence in journalism and the arts learn more Enjoy a car-free day exploring six communities in Southeast L.A. learn more Join us May 10 for a springtime wine tasting at a downtown brasserie learn more FESTIVAL OF BOOKS view more Festival of Books: Huffington disses Trump; Carrie Brownstein charms; everybody wants to Instagram this mural Carrie Brownstein: What book are you reading right now? Carrie Brownstein's disarming charm and her thing for George Michael 'Space futurist' Buzz Aldrin on the two books that had the biggest impact on him Here are the 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize winners The book that sparked Padma Lakshmi's love of reading Rainn Wilson on the first book that blew his mind Heather Havrilesky made me cry, but it's (probably) not what you're thinking BOOK REVIEWS: WHAT TO READ view more Don DeLillo's deep freeze: 'Zero K' takes on death, futurists and cryonics The Antelope Valley is home to mini-malls, tract houses and youth who want out in 'Desert Boys' Jane Smiley on Geoff Dyer: hard to take but worth the attempt Lydia Millet has cooked up a contemplative thriller of endurance in 'Sweet Lamb of Heaven' Lina Meruane's 'Seeing Red' is a piercing novel of blindness Three architects who built Jerusalem: How they shaped and fled (and were forgotten by) the conflicted city MORE FROM BOOKS BOOKS How David L. Ulin and Paul Kolsby co-wrote their satiric earthquake novel, 'Ear to the Ground' Carolyn Kellogg Writing is thought to be a solitary enterprise: Picture Ernest Hemingway, sleeves rolled up, banging out manly sentences at his desk against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. But within the myth, the truth is a little more complicated. In this occasional series, Collaborators, we'll talk to... Jacket Copy Yuri Herrera and Angélica Freitas win Best Translated Book Awards Michael Schaub Mexican novelist Yuri Herrera, Brazilian poet Angélica Freitas and their translators are the winners of the 2016 Best Translated Book Awards, it was announced Wednesday at a ceremony in New York City. Herrera and translator Lisa Dillman took home the fiction award for "Signs Preceding the End of... BOOKS Introducing Janine Joseph, a talented poet who writes of being undocumented Stephen Burt "Whether a child actress or an undocumented immigrant, I had always lived more than one life at once," Janine Joseph explains. From a childhood in TV commercials in the Philippines, she came to California with her parents on tourist visas in 1991, and the family stayed — overstayed, although she... Jacket Copy Lit pick of the week: Free Comic Book Day Xach Fromson Saturday marks the 15th annual Free Comic Book Day, and free comics will be given out at comic book shops all over Southern California, including Alternate Universe, Blastoff, Comic City, Comic Cult, Comics vs. Toys, Cool Cats, Dream World, Emerald Knights, Geoffrey's, Golden Apple, House of Secrets,... Jacket Copy Oprah Winfrey will star in 'Henrietta Lacks' movie, but who will play Rebecca Skloot? Michael Schaub When it was announced this week that Oprah Winfrey will star in the film adaptation of Rebecca Skloot's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," much of the Internet could barely contain its glee. The news, first reported by Deadline, was particularly sweet to fans of Skloot's 2010 book about Lacks,... Jacket Copy Singalongs and shenanigans with the authors at the young adult reading festival Yallwest Lilliam Rivera It’s rare when you get to see a bestselling author don a large pirate hat and yell, “Y’all means all. Pee where you want to but not on each other!” onstage, but Margaret Stohl (“Black Widow: Forever Red”) did just that, speaking out against North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law. Or see Pulitzer Prize-winning... Jacket Copy Walt Whitman discovered to be America's first paleo poet Michael Schaub He celebrates rare beef and sings stale bread. It turns out that Walt Whitman, the legendary "Leaves of Grass" poet who died in 1892, was a very early adopter of the "paleo diet," a trendy food regimen that promotes meat and eschews dairy products, grains and processed foods, according to a series... How to Be a Writer: The Game! Roll the dice to see if you can join the fast-moving, word-wielding writer's life. Jacket Copy A rare interview with Don DeLillo, one of the titans of American fiction Carolyn Kellogg If you want to reach Don DeLillo, don't try to email him; he doesn't email. His preferred method of business communication is via fax. He still writes his novels on a typewriter. That technological reticence notwithstanding, DeLillo is one of the titans of American fiction. The 79-year-old DeLillo... Show Tracker BBC One and Netflix partner to produce watered-down 'Watership' Libby Hill What is "Watership Down" if it's not traumatizing small children? Fans of the vocal stylings of Ben Kingsley and, also, bunnies have reason to rejoice as BBC One and Netflix announced Thursday a four-part computer-generated animated miniseries adapting Richard Adams’ classic adventure novel “Watership... Jacket Copy How did 'Space Raptor Butt Invasion' by Chuck Tingle become a Hugo finalist? Michael Schaub Why on earth — or the rest of the solar system — is a book called "Space Raptor Butt Invasion" by Chuck Tingle up for a Hugo award? Thank the puppies. They sound cute, but for the second year in a row, politically motivated groups calling themselves the Sad Puppies and the Rabid Puppies have more... Jacket Copy Anna Kendrick's book, 'Scrappy Little Nobody,' gets November release date Michael Schaub Anna Kendrick, the "Up in the Air" and "Pitch Perfect" star, is known for her quirky sense of humor, which is on full display on her Twitter account. So it's fitting that Kendrick used the social media service to announce the Nov. 15 publication date for her new essay collection, "Scrappy Little... Jacket Copy Father's memoir spurs Scientology leader David Miscavige to threaten lawsuit Libby Hill The leader of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige, is looking to stop the publication of a new tell-all memoir written by his father Ron Miscavige. In a document first published by Tony Ortega, noted Scientology reporter, lawyers from Johnsons Solicitors, working on behalf of David Miscavige,... Jacket Copy Lit pick of the week: Independent Bookstore Day Xach Fromson If you only do one thing this week, go to a bookstore on Saturday. The best part? It largely doesn’t matter which one. Independent Bookstore Day is April 30, and bookstores throughout the L.A. area will be taking part in giveaways, contests, special events and book signings. Think Free Comic Book... Jacket Copy Finalists for 2016 Hugo Awards are named Carolyn Kellogg The finalists for the 2016 Hugo Awards and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer were announced Tuesday online. The final ballot to select this year’s winners will open in mid-May and will be open to all Attending, Young Adult and Supporting members of MidAmeriCon II. The winners of the 2016... Jacket Copy The Hugo finalists: John Scalzi on why the sad puppies can't take credit for Neil Gaiman's success John Scalzi The list of 2016 Hugo Award finalists is out and once again slate makers have tried to stuff the ballot box. But how much credit should they get for nominating already-celebrated work? Along with the Nebula Awards, the Hugo Awards are generally considered the preeminent awards in science fiction... Jacket Copy With writers and editors being murdered, free speech is at risk in Bangladesh Michael Schaub The threat to free speech in the nation of Bangladesh was highlighted by two recent slayings of journalists there, the latest in a long line of murders targeting secular writers in the South Asian country. Xulhaz Mannan, the editor of Roopbaan, Bangladesh's only LGBT magazine, and a U.S. Embassy... BOOKS The real reason Latinos are overlooked during National Poetry Month Rigoberto González Juan Felipe Herrera, the first Latino poet laureate of the United States, has just been named to a second term in one of the most visible ambassadorships of American poetry. Yet American poetry continues to marginalize if not completely exclude Latino poets. I know this because every National Poetry... Jacket Copy Rigoberto González list of 23 essential new books by Latino poets Rigoberto González Essential books of poetry by Latino authors selected by Times Critic-at-Large Rigoberto González Listed alphabetically by author and editor Francisco X. Alarcón and Odilia Galván Rodríguez, editors, "Poetry of Resistance: Voices for Social Justice" (University of Arizona Press) David Campos, "Furious... BOOKS Elizabeth Hand's mystery series takes on art and death on the way to whodunit in 'Hard Light' Steph Cha Popular culture has been teeming with antiheroes of late, but Elizabeth Hand's Cass Neary stands out from the crowd. For one thing, she's a woman, not a man with a hit list and a moral code or a power complex and a nagging wife. She doesn't really fit any archetype; she crackles with individuality.... BOOKS In 'Shallcross,' C.D. Wright was at the height of her powers Craig Morgan Teicher C.D. Wright was among the small handful of truly great poets of our time. Though she spent much of her adult life in Rhode Island, where she taught at Brown and was married to the poet Forrest Gander, Wright was born in the Ozark mountain region of Arkansas, and her poetic voice never really left... Jacket Copy George R.R. Martin hints at possible 'Game of Thrones' spinoff series Michael Schaub The sixth season of "Game of Thrones," the hit television series based on George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books, begins Sunday, but panicked fans are already dreading the show's eventual end. Yet in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Martin hinted that the end might not really... CULTURE MONSTER L.A. Public Library unveils new card designed by Shepard Fairey David Ng The Los Angeles Public Library seriously upped its hipster credentials when it unveiled on Tuesday its new library card co-designed by L.A. street artist Shepard Fairey. Fairey's design, which he created with artist Cleon Peterson, depicts the historic Central Library in downtown in a white, green... Jacket Copy Who is your favorite author voting for today in New York? Michael Schaub New Yorkers aren't known for being shy about sharing their opinions, and politics is no exception. Empire State voters go to the polls Tuesday to vote in the increasingly contentious Democratic and Republican primaries, and more than a few celebrities have weighed in on the races. Here's who some... Jacket Copy Viet Thanh Nguyen wins the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for 'The Sympathizer' Carolyn Kellogg Viet Thanh Nguyen took the Pulitzer Prize in fiction Monday for his debut novel, "The Sympathizer," published by Grove Press. Nguyen, a professor at the USC, is one of the L.A. Times' 10 critics at large. "Thanks for all your good wishes," Nguyen wrote on Facebook. "I double checked with real people... Jacket Copy Author John Green is in training to drive a pace car on Indianapolis Motor Speedway Michael Schaub John Green, the bestselling, award-winning author of beloved young adult novels "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Looking for Alaska," clearly has his finger on the pulse of American teenagers. Now he'll get the chance to live out the fantasy of a lot of kids: driving a pace car on the Indianapolis... BOOKS Ken Ilgunas' 'Trespassing across America' on the 1,700-mile route of the Keystone XL pipeline Dean Kuipers When writer Ken Ilgunas set out to walk the 1,700-mile proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline and talk to the people he met there, he expected challenging debates about climate change, energy security and national sovereignty. In researching his new book, "Trespassing Across America: One Man's... BOOKS 'The Killing of Osama Bin Laden' by Seymour Hersh details a grave threat to our democracy Zach Dorfman Governments, in order to fulfill their national security objectives, must sometimes shroud their activities in secrecy. This is regrettable, if inevitable. But secrecy can also be employed as a kind of intellectual asphyxiant, used to choke off a population's interrogational faculties by depriving... BOOKS The secret connection between Cervantes and Shakespeare David Kipen As if neither man wanted to live in a world without the other, Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died on the same date in 1616. Or not exactly. They didn't actually succumb on the same day. Shakespeare and Cervantes probably died or were buried almost a fortnight apart, mostly because... Jacket Copy Rachel Dolezal will publish a book about race Michael Schaub Rachel Dolezal, the Washington-state NAACP leader who made headlines last year after it was revealed that she was from a white family, is writing a book about race. Despite her ethnic heritage, Dolezal told the "Today" show "I identify as black" in the middle of last year's controversy. Dolezal... Jacket Copy World's best-selling author says that 'publishing' and 'innovation' belong in the same sentence Carolyn Kellogg James Patterson was awarded the L.A. Times Book Prize Innovator's Award at the L.A. Times Book Prizes on Saturday. This is a transcript of his acceptance speech. Hi, I’m Stephen King. [laughter] You know, it’s a long, long way from Newburgh, N.Y., where I grew up – which was recently voted the... Jacket Copy Juan Felipe Herrera's words of wisdom: You. Have. A. Beautiful. Voice. Carolyn Kellogg Juan Felipe Herrera was awarded the L.A. Times Book Prize Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement at the LA Times Book Prizes on Sat., April 9. This is a transcript of his acceptance speech. Thank you so much. Muchas gracias. I am humbled by this. I want to thank Robert Kirsch’s legacy and... Jacket Copy Not your mama's Highlights magazine Michelle Maltais Highlights, that ubiquitous magazine in the waiting rooms of childhood, has gone interactive. Highlights Every Day, a new app from the magazine publisher, goes beyond simply making the children’s magazine digital. It translates the immersive experience of delving into a Highlights magazine into... Loading Most Popular Local Sports Entertainment Kentucky Derby Politics Opinion Place An Ad 61°