#books

#books

From a biography buff to a thrill seeker, our critics give a rundown of the year's top books that will make perfect stocking fillers.

In a chaotic and distressing year, books provided a respite, a chance to commune with works of coherent voice and vision. Some people find it harder to read during days overflowing with one-minute distractions and incessant notifications, but when I took the time, I was rewarded with a slightly bigger foothold in a world of decency, humanity, patience, and compassion. Here are 10 good reasons to give that a try.

The best gifts aren't always the biggest or the priciest. Sometimes they're just the ones that add a little joy, a bit of ease, or say, This made me think of you. And with money tighter than ever this year, many of us are searching for low-cost but high-impact gifts. Fortunately, there are plenty of unique finds out there at a price point that won't make your eye twitch.

It's been so exciting to witness, from afar, the opening of Shooster Arts + Literature in Sag Harbor, New York this past summer. It's a project from one of my nearest and dearest friends, Lauren Shooster: a living gallery of fine art, antiques, and rare books that Lauren has collected over the years. She has a gallery location (197 Madison Street in Sag Harbor) and also operates out of her own house, a 19th century whaler's cottage nearby.

At some point over the past year, Kyla Scanlon seemed to be everywhere - at least on my feeds. I first heard her on Bloomberg's Odd Lots in the summer of 2024, tied to the release of her book In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work, which is a kind of economics primer for the TikTok generation. Recently, she surfaced on The Ezra Klein Show, expanding on a Substack post about the political juice of both Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump,

The artificial intelligence company Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5bn to settle a class-action lawsuit by book authors who say the company took pirated copies of their works to train its chatbot. The landmark settlement, if approved by a judge as soon as Monday, could mark a turning point in legal battles between AI companies and the writers, visual artists and other creative professionals who accuse them of copyright infringement.

This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 664 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books.

The cyberattack coordinated by Israeli and U.S. government hackers known as Stuxnet, which damaged the centrifuges at the Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz, is almost certainly the most well-known hack in history. Because of its impact, its sophistication, and its sheer boldness, the attack captured the imagination not only of the cybersecurity community, but the larger public as well.

The Lord of the Rings Tolkien Illustrated, a $90 hardcover with a gorgeous design and dozens of illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien, is discounted to $30.07 for Prime members.

In one chapter, Ricker found a way to turn five-minute bedtime stories into five-second stories! One line stuck with me: 'For 30 years you felt like Batman, and you woke up one day and you were Alfred.'

The Lucy & Yak scarf is an eco-friendly accessory, made from 100% recycled polyester, combining bold style with sustainability in winter fashion.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman has emerged as a leading title within the rapidly expanding LitRPG genre, blending adventure with comedic elements.

"I've always loved the whole mash-up culture. Putting something in a new context and seeing it differently has always been very interesting to me."

Even if those five stages do exist, it's so non-linear," said Crane, who has written numerous works of fiction as well as a debut memoir.

On page six of "A New Clue" in Blue Prince, you'll find tiny opaque font beside some of the words. The font is slightly visible if you really squint at it, but it's best to use a magnifying glass.

I went to a book party last night, for very smart people. And I thought that might, like, through osmosis, just kind of pass onto me.