Books
Book review: 3 new Alaska poetry books to warm up your fall
Shauna Potocky, Jonas Lamb and Vivian Faith Prescott all incorporate the natural world into their new works, along with other influences.
Here are 10 of the best books of 2025
The year’s best fiction and nonfiction, as selected by the staff of The Washington Post’s Book World.
The 10 best sci-fi and fantasy novels of 2025
This year’s best books dazzle and keep us guessing with the inventive games they play with form, tropes and narrative point of view.
The 10 best thrillers of 2025
This year’s best thrillers whisk readers to vast wildernesses and haunted houses, small-town Virginia and the Hamptons.
Book review: Short but vital, ‘On the Trail of Eklutna’ gets a 21st-century update
First published in 1979, the most recent edition covers the present-day political, economic and cultural challenges.
6 noteworthy new books for November and December
New books include a delightful memoir about aging well and the chronicle of a nautical disaster with modern-day relevance.
David Szalay and his novel ‘Flesh’ win prestigious Booker Prize for fiction
The other finalists were British novelist Andrew Miller, Indian author Kiran Desai and U.S. authors Susan Choi, Katie Kitamura and Ben Markovits.
Book review: With a protagonist named Buddy, authors tell the story of fishery catch shares
While “Sea Change” contains some overt advocacy, it’s a helpful and well-resourced primer for understanding both regional and global fisheries management.
11 new paperbacks to curl up with this winter, from Sally Rooney, Alex Van Halen and others
Other recent releases include Liz Moore’s “The God of the Woods” and a history of Germany from 1942 to 2022.
Book review: New memoir covers the long and rich history of the famed flying Wien family in Alaska
Written by 90-year-old Richard Wien, the book covers a century of commercial aviation in the state.
New book? Take a look — and prepare to be regaled by this Dr. Seuss tale.
“Sing the 50 United States” will feature original sketches from a newly uncovered manuscript by the late Theodor Geisel, who was better known by his pen name.
Book review: A remarkable woman keeps a long cultural tradition alive
Author James Rebanks details the story of “duck woman” Anna and the process of collecting and processing the exceedingly warm down of common eiders — sea ducks that live and breed along northern coastlines, including those of Alaska.
A fixture in Alaska’s literary community, Don Rearden has flourished as writer and teacher
Between mentoring young writers, hosting out-of-state authors and his own work, Rearden has made a major impact for more than two decades.
Memoir by Prince Andrew’s accuser reignites a scandal that has long dogged UK royals
While her book doesn’t break new ground, it has thrown fuel on a series of new accusations against Andrew, who is trying to control the damage to the monarchy from the long-running scandal over his friendship with Epstein.
Now sure what to read next? 16 readers share their choices.
Ken Follett, Jenny Han, Dave Barry, Niall Williams and Kiran Desai are among the picks
Book review: A terrifying slice of horror inhabits two volumes of the Inuit anthology ‘Taaqtumi’
The first volume, released in 2019, has been followed up this year by an equally as chilling book featuring many of the same creators.
4 terrifying new novels to get you through spooky season
With an emphasis on body horror, these books by Alma Katsu, Bitter Karella, Andrew Joseph White and A. Rushby will leave you with a lingering sense of dread.
Book review: An Alaskan political veteran reviews his life of service
In “Making Sausage,” longtime Alaska politician Jim Duncan covers everything from oil taxes to the PFD to funding public education.
Here are 6 new and noteworthy books for October
A cozy romance, a gritty thriller and a true crime chronicle are among this month’s picks.
Book review: ‘Secret Alaska’ is a handy guide for the uninitiated explorer
The book specializes in information for those seeking out local attractions that the big tour operators bypass.
Stephen King is the most banned author in U.S. schools, PEN report says
PEN America’s “Banned in the USA” tracks over 6,800 instances of books being pulled for the 2024-2025 school year. Around 80% of these bans originated in Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.
Book review: A Wunderkammer of poems is filled with mystery and creativity
Shannon Gramse’s “Lost Last Poems” deserves to be counted among the best of contemporary poetry.
Here are 13 new paperbacks to sink into this September
New September releases include novels by Jean Hanff Korelitz and Rumaan Alam, a deeply reported look at human smuggling and the life of a notorious Gilded Age millionaire.
From fan fiction to fantasy books, Eagle River author Kellie Doherty thrives on world building
The first four installments of “The Broken Chronicles” include unique worlds and lead characters, who will appear together in the series’ fifth book.
Book review: ‘Cold Burn’ is an entertaining, though flawed, thriller
Author A.J. Landau shifts quickly between characters and locales, including Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
Review: Tom Sexton’s last poetry collection is a treasure
“Dark Cloud in Isabel Pass” applies a clear, empathetic eye to both the natural and human-shaped worlds Sexton inhabited.
Dan Brown on his new thriller, ‘The Secret of Secrets,’ and how he manages intricate plots
Known for “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons,” Brown, in his new book, explores themes of consciousness and what happens after we die, inspired by his personal reflections following his mother’s death.
Book review: Norwegian author dissects the fascination with Arctic exploration in ‘After The North Pole’
Erling Kagge, who himself was one of the first to reach the pole unassisted, details the personal motivations and public obsession in the journeys.
AI firm Anthropic reaches landmark $1.5B deal with authors over claims it downloaded books without permission
The authors hailed the settlement as a win for human creators after they alleged the company behind the chatbot Claude downloaded millions of books without permission.
From slaughterhouse worker to literary giant: George Saunders wins National Book Award
Saunders’ first novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” won the Booker Prize in 2017. His next novel, “Vigil,” is set for release early next year.