Search results for

President Obama is setting precedents in ways he probably never anticipated — from showing people it's OK to befriend others different from themselves to showing them it's OK to shop at J. Crew. But as the first president to own a BlackBerry, David Shipley says, Obama needs to lead by example and show America when BlackBerrying is OK and when to put the thing away.

Diet books are perennials on best-seller lists, and every year a new one seems to capture the public's imagination. But the way to lose weight really always boils down to the same thing: Eat less and exercise more. So why do people shell out good money for diet books?

Jennifer Weiner's latest novel, Best Friends Forever, is much sharper than its dopey title would suggest. With a nod to Thelma and Louise, Weiner's Addie and Valerie rekindle a friendship that fizzled decades ago.

At their core, novelist Dan Brown's best-selling books are treasure hunts, much the like the ones his father, a math teacher, arranged for him and his siblings. The Lost Symbol continues the tale of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who is plunged into the secretive world of Freemasons.

Maureen Corrigan runs down her list of the year's best fiction, including a series of books set in post-Sept. 11 New York City, Richard Ford's last installment in the Frank Bascombe trilogy and fiction by two Alices.

In her trilogy-in-progress — first The Hunger Games and now Catching Fire — Suzanne Collins blends elements of reality TV with themes from Greek mythology. The resulting books can be shocking — and enthralling.

Once exiled for 12 years, the Uruguayan author now spends his days at his hometown cafe, writing about themes that have preoccupied him for a lifetime. His latest book, Mirrors, is an unofficial — and unconventional — history of the past 5,000 years.

Michael Lewis' new book The Big Short chronicles the 2008 financial collapse through the investors who realized what was happening to the U.S. economy while it was happening — and then made a fortune by betting against the markets.

Sebastian Faulks' satirical novel is a weeklong tour of modern London, woven together in Dickensian style. Dickens' 19th century characters dealt with class conflict, wealth, poverty and true love. Faulks' contemporary characters deal with terrorism, greed, the Internet and — because some things never change — true love.

The latest novel from John Banville throws a handful of Greek gods into the household of a glum human family to explore sex, love, faith and mortality. Reviewer Maureen Corrigan says The Infinities puts Banville's literary gifts on prominent display.