The Book Report: Reviews from Washington Post critic Ron Charles (March 28)
Recommendations of new fiction, non-fiction and poetry titles.
Books
Book excerpt: "100 Poems to Break Your Heart"
Teacher and poet Edward Hirsch explores the ennobling powers of poetry in his compendium of masterful works from the past 200 years.
Book excerpt: "Good Company" by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
A new novel about the profound joy – and heartache – of family and friends, from the author of the New York Times bestseller "The Nest."
Book excerpt: "How Beautiful We Were" by Imbolo Mbue
The winner of the PEN/Faulkner Prize for her first novel, "Behold the Dreamers" returns with a story of the struggles of African villagers against an American oil company.
Book excerpt: "Every Day Is a Gift" by Sen. Tammy Duckworth
The Illinois Democrat's new memoir tells of what inspired her in her journey from Iraq War veteran to U.S. Senator.
Book excerpt: How Los Angeles in 1974 ruled the pop culture universe
Ronald Brownstein's "Rock Me on the Water" explores how in the mid-1970s L.A. produced a sustained burst of innovation in the worlds of music, film and television.
Book excerpt: "American Baby," on the shadow history of adoption
Gabrielle Glaser writes a story familiar to millions of Americans – one of loss, love, and a search for identity – about a woman who lost her first born, and the child wondering where he had come from.
Lady Bird Johnson, first lady and diarist
Julia Sweig's new book, "Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight," examines the first lady's surprisingly powerful role in LBJ's life and political career, and her little-known contribution as an audio diarist documenting every moment of his presidency.
Book excerpt: "LifeLines" by Melissa Bernstein
The co-founder of Melissa & Doug writes a revealing and hopeful testimonial about her lifelong struggle with anxiety and how she learned to deal with a crushing depression.
Book excerpt: "Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight"
Author Julia Sweig recounts the life of the former first lady and her surprisingly powerful role in LBJ's political career.
"Dear Bob": Bob Hope's correspondence with GIs at war
For decades the comedian was a true war hero to American military stationed overseas, entertaining troops with his USO Tour. A new book highlights his lesser-known role as a correspondent, answering some of the thousands of letters he received from service members.
Book excerpt: Walter Isaacson's "The Code Breaker"
The latest book from the bestselling biographer of geniuses from da Vinci and Franklin to Einstein and Jobs tells the story of Jennifer Doudna and the creation (and moral questioning) of the gene-editing technology CRISPR.
The Book Report: Reviews from Washington Post critic Ron Charles (February 28)
Recommendations of new fiction and non-fiction titles.
Book excerpt: "Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro
The latest novel by the Nobel Prize-winning author of "Never Let Me Go" is a science-fiction story of artificial intelligence, manufactured companions, and the meaning of love.
Book excerpt: "Under a White Sky" by Elizabeth Kolbert
The New Yorker magazine writer examines the seemingly futile efforts we human beings must engage in to address our species' depredation of the planet.
More From Sunday Morning
This week on "Sunday Morning" (August 24): By Design
A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.
A pilgrimage to the desk with the greatest view
In the late 1970s, a group of university students in West Texas, wanting a place to study with a view, hauled a desk to the top of Hancock Hill in the town of Alpine. Today, the desk is a pilgrimage for hikers seeking a meditative place.
"Severance" star Adam Scott
The former "Parks and Recreation" star heads the surreal, critically-acclaimed series about workers at a mysterious corporation whose brains are altered to create distinctly separate personalities in and out of the office.
Laufey on creating her own sound
Whimsical and romantic, the music of Icelandic singer and cellist Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir blends pop, jazz, classical and bossa nova – a "mishmash," she calls it. Her latest album is "A Matter of Time."
Capturing the melting of glaciers, with data and art
For more than 40 years, glaciologist Mauri Pelto has been measuring shrinking glaciers in Washington State. He's been joined by his daughter, artist-scientist Jill Pelto, whose watercolors provide another view of the drastically-changing landscape.
This week on "Sunday Morning" (August 17)
A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.
To tip or not to tip: That is David Sedaris' question
The humorist has some thoughts about gratuities, especially when they're pre-programmed onto a screen.
The JFK Files
More than six decades after the Kennedy assassination, the existence of unreleased documents from the investigation has continued to fuel questions - and conspiracy theories - in search for a "smoking gun." What did the recent release of thousands of documents reveal?
At 75, "Sunset Boulevard" is ready again for its closeup
Billy Wilder's caustic tale of Hollywood, obsession and murder, in which a fading star of silent pictures tries to recreate her fame, is back in its full dark glory.
Steve Wozniak on fighting internet scams
The computer inventor and co-founder of Apple is sounding the alarm about one of the great threats of this new Information Age: internet fraud. He talks about how he is fighting for the victims of online scams involving AI, cryptocurrency and faked messages.