The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs
(Random House, $45)
The New Yorker’s 400-page compilation of dog-related journalism, fiction, and cartoons “largely avoids the sentimentality that infects a typical dog book,”said Christopher Borrelli in ChicagoTribune.com. James Thurber’s classic “Snapshot of a Dog” and Susan Orlean’s “Show Dog” are true delights. Adam Gopnik’s recent appraisal of canines, on the other hand, is insightful but reads “like the memoir of a man so snobbishly removed from everyday affection he could be a cat.”
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Buddy
by Brian McGrory (Crown, $24)
The pivotal moment in Brian McGrory’s “skillfully jokey” memoir occurs when he realizes he’s no longer the only man of the house, said Janet Maslin in The New York Times. The other is Buddy, who grew from a fuzzy chick into the “monstrously loud, very male rooster” that is laying waste to the Boston Globe columnist’s suburban home. One suspects that the bird isn’t quite the demon he’s made out to be, but his misadventures allow McGrory to show off a “sure hand for storytelling.”
What’s a Dog For?
by John Homans (Penguin, $26)
This “thought-provoking” book asks and answers questions that you’ve probably never considered about the lives of dogs, said Timothy Braun in HuffingtonPost.com. Basing his observations on research in genetics, cognitive science, and anthropology, magazine editor John Homans explores nearly every facet of human-canine relations. And he “saves his best analysis for last”—a poignant meditation on how our short-lived companions serve as a reminder of our own mortality.
Another Insane Devotion
by Peter Trachtenberg (Da Capo, $24)
“Even for those of us who love and live with them, cats remain inscrutable,” said Colette Bancroft in the St. Petersburg, Fla., Times. That was certainly true for journalist Peter Trachtenberg when, during a rocky patch in his marriage, his orange tabby absconded. This “might seem like a slim premise” for a book, but Trachtenberg makes you care about his frantic search for Biscuit, a quest he undertakes while sharing musings on cats from Homer, Proust, and the Gnostic gospels.
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Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
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Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
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The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
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Also of interest...in picture books for grown-upsfeature How About Never—Is Never Good for You?; The Undertaking of Lily Chen; Meanwhile, in San Francisco; The Portlandia Activity Book
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Author of the week: Karen Russell
feature Karen Russell could use a rest.
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The Double Life of Paul de Man by Evelyn Barish
feature Evelyn Barish “has an amazing tale to tell” about the Belgian-born intellectual who enthralled a generation of students and academic colleagues.
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Book of the week: Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis
feature Michael Lewis's description of how high-frequency traders use lightning-fast computers to their advantage is “guaranteed to make blood boil.”
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Also of interest...in creative rebellion
feature A Man Called Destruction; Rebel Music; American Fun; The Scarlet Sisters
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Author of the week: Susanna Kaysen
feature For a famous memoirist, Susanna Kaysen is highly ambivalent about sharing details about her life.
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You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood’s Golden Age by Robert Wagner
feature Robert Wagner “seems to have known anybody who was anybody in Hollywood.”
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Book of the week: Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire by Peter Stark
feature The tale of Astoria’s rise and fall turns out to be “as exciting as anything in American history.”