Michael Dirda on the books of the year that "continue to linger most vividly in my memory."

A new history of astronomy illuminates the wonders of the skies, and the contributions of those explore them with eyes, telescopes, and radio waves. Read more...

Ward Sutton looks at a new annotated and illustrated edition of the letters from one of the most famously tormented personalities in the history of painting.

Robin D.G. Kelley's new biography of Thelonious Monk inspires a reflection on a musician and composer whose gifts keep on giving.

How a decidedly peculiar pair of octogenarian investigators are delightedly breaking some venerable rules. Read more...

In a new visual review feature from Ward Sutton, the cartoonist (and parent) looks at Loren Long's new book Otis. Read more...

Why a small-town setting can make for a particularly compelling tale of love's trials.

The novelist's other life, as a sensitive recorder of "tears in things." Read more...

From Wallace Shawn to Geraldo Rivera, uneasy crossings of horizons moral and physical. Read more...

Why a chronicle of the struggle between two Mediterranean city-states still matters. Read more...

In the latest novel from John Irving, a father and son are on the run from a Javert-like pursuer.

A country star finds his voice. Read more...

An American-born reporter working the police beat in Japan renders a riveting picture of violence beneath a society's orderly surface. Read more...

Forget about that smoldering demon lover for a minute -- take another look at the boy next door.

The fascinating folklore of the witches' sabbath in medieval Europe. Read more...