Boris Kachka is the books editor of the Los Angeles Times. Previously, he was an editor and writer at New York magazine for two decades. He has written profiles of authors including Joan Didion, Toni Morrison and Harper Lee; investigated turmoil at various cultural and media institutions; expanded books coverage across the publication’s many verticals; and covered film, television, theater and book publishing. He is also the author of “Hothouse,” a cultural history of the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux; “Becoming a Veterinarian”; and “Becoming a Producer.”
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For AAPI Heritage month, we’ve got you covered: R. F. Kuang on her scandalous novel ‘Yellowface,’ Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes on her debut, ‘Hula,’ plus 6 other books.
For your Book Festival Sunday, six key panels to check out: Katie Porter, Walter Mosley, Joan Baez, Stacey Abrams, Susanna Hoffs and a panel on banned books
The 95 contributors to our Ultimate L.A. Bookshelf agreed on many essential books. Here are the 26 best of the best, each receiving at least 7 votes — ranked
The 13 most essential L.A. works of short fiction, from a Little Tokyo proto-noir to Fitzgerald, Wodehouse, Bradbury and generations of Chicano pioneers.
L.A.s 13 most essential works of speculative fiction, from Octavia Butler, Philip K. Dick, Aldous Huxley, Salvador Plascencia and many more.
The 14 most essential L.A. poems or poetry collections, including those by Wanda Coleman, Robin Coste Lewis, Sesshu Foster, Bukowski, Brecht and more.
The 13 most essential L.A. essays or essay collections, from Didion and Babitz and D.J. Waldie to Jan Morris, Jonathan Gold and a few rediscovered classics.
The 14 most essential works of nonfiction include histories by Kevin Starr, Carey McWilliams, Reyner Banham and, ruling them all, Mike Davis’ ‘City of Quartz.’
The 14 essential L.A. life stories, from Hollywood tell-alls to immigrant sagas, hard lives (Luis Rodriguez) and spectacular flameouts (Freeway Rick Ross).
The 13 most essential L.A. crime books — from Chandler, Hughes, Mosley and Ellroy to Steph Cha and Ivy Pochoda, with some ‘Helter Skelter’ in between.