12/12/2012

The New York Times, Books Update, December 7

The New York Times

December 7, 2012

Books Update

On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review

The 10 Best Books of 2012

The year's best books, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review.
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Also in the Book Review

Ian McEwan: By the Book

The author of "Atonement" and, most recently, "Sweet Tooth," believes the greatest reading pleasure has "an element of self-annihilation."
Lydia Millet

'Magnificence'

By LYDIA MILLET
Reviewed by LISA ZEIDNER
A new widow inherits a peculiar Pasadena estate in the final installment of Lydia Millet's trilogy.
Photographs of Jean Russo and Richard Russo.

'Elsewhere'

By RICHARD RUSSO
Reviewed by MEG WOLITZER
Richard Russo escaped small-town New York State and became a writer, but he could never escape his mother.

'The Stockholm Octavo'

By KAREN ENGELMANN
Reviewed by SUSANN COKAL
Politics, cartomancy and ambition collide in Karen Engelmann's historical novel.
John Taylor

'In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran'

By JOHN TAYLOR with TOM SYKES
Reviewed by CAROLINE WEBER
Duran Duran's John Taylor on the perks and perils of being a rock star.
A British cartoon from 1775 depicted the conflict in America as an abyss.

'1775: A Good Year for Revolution'

By KEVIN PHILLIPS
Reviewed by JOSEPH J. ELLIS
The determining events of the American Revolution occurred a year earlier than most people realize, Kevin Phillips argues.
Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman, 1917.

'Sasha and Emma'

By PAUL AVRICH and KAREN AVRICH
Reviewed by ELSA DIXLER
A joint biography of Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman traces their wide-ranging activities.
A rice field in what is now Guangdong Province, 1958.

'Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine, 1958-1962'

By YANG JISHENG. Translated by STACY MOSHER and GUO JIAN.
Reviewed by JONATHAN MIRSKY
The Chinese famine of the mid-20th century is a monument to Maoist tyranny, a journalist argues.
Gen. George C. Marshall, seated at center, with members of his general staff, November 1941.

'The Generals: American Military Command From World War II to Today'

By THOMAS E. RICKS
Reviewed by MAX BOOT
Today's Army, Thomas E. Ricks writes, retains manifestly incompetent generals rather than admit to failure.
CRIME

Dark Passage

By MARILYN STASIO
In "The Black Box," Michael Connelly's battle-scarred veteran, Harry Bosch, settles past and present scores with a single case.

'Familiar'

By J. ROBERT LENNON
Reviewed by KEVIN BROCKMEIER
In J. Robert Lennon's novel, a woman encounters another version of her world.
Chalk downs in Sussex, England.

'The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot'

By ROBERT MACFARLANE
Reviewed by ROB NIXON
Robert Macfarlane's contemplative walks take him from the British Isles to the sacred landscapes of Spain and the Himalayas.
The Futurama exhibit (1939-40), from
VISUALS

Yesterday's Tomorrows

By STEVEN HELLER
"Norman Bel Geddes Designs America" is a profusely illustrated career monograph that serves as the catalog for an exhibition.
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Back Page

Reasons to Re-Joyce

By DARIN STRAUSS
It's been a year of remarkable novels, several of them sharing an unlikely pedigree.
Warren Buffett, top, and Jimmy Buffett.

Inside the List

By GREGORY COWLES
Among other things, Carol Loomis's "Tap Dancing to Work" asks the timeless question, Are Jimmy and Warren Buffett related?

Editors' Choice

Recently reviewed books of particular interest.

Paperback Row

By IHSAN TAYLOR
Paperback books of particular interest.

Book Review Podcast

This week, a discussion of the Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2012; Caroline Weber talks about Duran Duran; Leslie Kaufman has notes from the field; Steven Heller on his latest Visuals column; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.
ArtsBeat

Editor's Note

Thanks for taking the time to read this e-mail. Feel free to send feedback; I enjoy hearing your opinions and will do my best to respond.
John Williams
Books Producer
The New York Times on the Web
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