In advance of a panel, “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Sex and Vanity” author Kevin Kwan on the wonders of living in Los Angeles and the pandemic’s creative toll.
Heather Clark fuses new discoveries and eye-opening analysis in an inspiring biography, “Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath.”
Bestsellers List Sun., Nov. 1, 2020
Along with Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, Diane di Prima helped change the course of 20th century literature.
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The 25th Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Stories & Ideas kicks off this weekend. Due to the pandemic, this year’s series of free events will be virtual. Here’s everything you need to know about how to tune in.
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Marlon James chats during the Festival of Books about his novel, “Black Leopard, Red Wolf,” winner of The Times’ 2019 Ray Bradbury Prize.
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Writers Rachel Howzell Hall, Attica Locke and Ivy Pochoda talked with Times reporter James Queally for a 2020 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books event.
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Roberto Lovato discusses his life and work with Times writer Esmeralda Bermudez for the 2020 Festival of Books.
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Former Gov. Jerry Brown discusses a new biography on his California political life at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
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Marlon James, Natalie Portman, Marilynne Robinson, Jerry Brown, Laila Lalami, Kevin Kwan, Roberto Lovato and so many more writers will take part.
Reading in the time of coronavirus
Jimmy Fallon, local authors and devoted regulars are rallying to help Once Upon a Time in Montrose — the country’s oldest kids’ bookstore — survive the pandemic that has destroyed so many small businesses.
This week’s lineup in the virtual Festival of Books 2020 features conversations with Natalie Portman, Kevin Kwan, Marlon James and Maria Hinojosa.
Chevalier’s and Vroman’s have struggled to stay afloat because of COVID-19. With the imminent holiday season, they’re urging readers to buy more earlier.
Jim Tankersley’s “The Riches of This Land” documents the fall of the American working class and finds fault for Trump’s 2016 win in unexpected places.
The shutdown in production and the streaming services’ insatiable appetite for new I.P. has led to a surge in sales of film and TV rights for books during COVID-19. That has been a boon for agencies.
Followers and fans of singer Lana Del Rey skewered the artist for wearing a sparkly, mesh face mask at an L.A. book signing over the weekend.
L.A. poet laureate Robin Coste Lewis and other poets shared experiences and verse with L.A. Times Book Club readers.
L.A. poet laureate Robin Coste Lewis joins the L.A. Times Book Club Sept. 24 for Black Poets in a Time of Unrest, an evening of discussion and poetry performances.
Beloved L.A. bookstores like Diesel are turning to fundraising platforms to survive the financial blows dealt by COVID-19.
More on Books
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“Memorial,” Washington’s followup to his acclaimed story collection, “Lot,” pays homage to Houston, Osaka, and the bonds of unconventional family.
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Daniel Menaker, a venerable former editor at the New Yorker and Random House, died Monday from pancreatic cancer. He was 79.
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In “The Cold Millions,” the novelist takes on proletarian lit, and honors his hometown, in the story of labor activists in early 20th century Spokane, Washington.
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In “Dark Archives,” UCLA’s Megan Rosenbloom unfurls the surprisingly fascinating, compelling and (sometimes) cheerful history of rare books made of skin.
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In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir published by the New Yorker, former President Barack Obama recalls the long battle for healthcare reform.
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Prompted by the House Oversight Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Government Accountability Office agreed this week to study Latino hiring in entertainment.
Join Our Book Club
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See, hear and interact with world-class authors and newsmakers
Nov. 18: The Many Worlds of Octavia E. Butler. 7 p.m. Guests include author Lynell George and Times reporter Julia Wick.
Sept. 24: Black Poets in a Time of Unrest with National Book Award winner Robin Coste Lewis and seven other poets. Watch.
Aug. 25: Brit Bennett, author of “The Vanishing Half,” in conversation with Times writer Carla Hall. Watch.
July 28: Bonnie Tsui, author of “Why We Swim,” in conversation with Times reporter James Rainey. With special guest: swimmer Lynne Cox. Watch.
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Festival of Books
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For four weeks starting October 18, the Los Angeles Times, in partnership with USC, will celebrate 25 years of the Festival of Books, Stories & Ideas with 25 individual virtual events. Given ongoing guidance related to COVID-19, the Times has reimagined the festival as a communitywide gathering to be held online.
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Molly Stern announced Thursday that she is starting Zando, an independent publishing company that will team up with influencers and brands to promote books.
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Lil Nas X, Olivia Wilde, Billy Porter and Jonathan Van Ness are among celebs participating in the animated special “The Monster at the End of This Story.”
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Emily Danforth’s novel “Plain Bad Heroines,” about a movie being made of a book about a book, layers on the flourishes, but it’s just plain fun.
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Bestsellers List Sun., Oct. 25, 2020
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As a new biography comes out, a look back at the history of Malcolm X histories, from ‘The Autobiography’” to Public Enemy to Manning Marable.
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Director Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”) teased a preview of his new Amazon Prime Video series, “The Underground Railroad,” based on Colson Whitehead’s novel.
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Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver write for the outsider kid in ‘Lights, Camera, Danger!’
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This week’s lineup in the virtual Times Festival of Books features conversations with Pulitzer Prize-winner Ayad Akhtar, former Gov. Jerry Brown and many others.
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Former Trump Organization executive Barbara Res describes the president as insecure about his IQ, disdainful of his supporters and openly racist.
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Bestsellers List Sun., Oct. 18, 2020
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“The Nightworkers,” by former Brooklyn investigator Brian Selfon, features a cozy improvised family with a passion for money laundering.
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Ron Howard’s “Hillbilly Elegy” stars Amy Adams as a woman struggling with addiction and Glenn Close as her mother, navigating family trauma.
Recent hardcover fiction and nonfiction lists.