Erik Larson
Erik Larson is the author of Isaac’s Storm and The Devil in the White City, two best-selling works of historical nonfiction. His work has also appeared in The New Yorker, Time, and The Atlantic Monthly.
The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman (Vintage, $15). I consider Tuchman’s account of the origins of World War I to be one of the finest nonfiction books ever written, the model for how to tell history as story. I love the way she creates suspense in describing those awful moments before the war when a simple act of courage or humility might have prevented the whole grim affair.
Roseanna by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (Vintage, $12). Roseanna, about the murder of a young American woman in Sweden, is the best of an excellent series of detective novels written by these Swedish authors in the 1960s and ’70s. Most striking is the power of the author’s prose, as spare and full of melancholy as the Swedish landscape in winter.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammet (Vintage, $11). I adore this book, on all levels, and often pick it from my shelf just to snack on Sam Spade’s monologue when he explains to Hammet’s engagingly corrupt heroine why he must turn her over to the police. It’s the Casablanca of detective stories, and Hammet tells it in a clean, cool style devoid of adverbs, compound adjectives, and other scaly matter.
Dark Star by Alan Furst (Random House, $13). If Tolstoy had written about the life and travels in 1937 of a Polish agent in the Soviet secret police, Dark Star might have been the result.
Independence Day by Richard Ford (Vintage, $14). Every July 4th I read all or part of this book for the way Ford captures the hot, sad stillness of a suburban summer. It’s magical how, without a single weepy note, Ford creates an appealing mixture of sorrow and resignation in his divorced, ex-sportswriter hero.
Caroline’s Daughters
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
June 25 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons include war on a loop, the New York City mayoral race, and one almighty F-bomb
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Andrea Long Chu's 6 favorite books for people who crave new ideas
Feature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
-
Bryan Burrough's 6 favorite books about Old West gunfighters
Feature The Texas-raised author recommends works by T.J. Stiles, John Boessenecker, and more
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Richard Bausch's 6 favorite books that are worth rereading
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and more
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers
Feature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more
-
Laurence Leamer's 6 favorite books that took courage to write
Feature The author recommends works by George Orwell, Truman Capote and more