Prairie River Library District

Reading collections of fiction from the 1940s and 1990s for classics and rediscovered gems.    

Charles Kingsley’s 150-year-old morality fable reflects the contradictory impulses of the Victorian era.    

At the center of the plot lines in Jean Thompson’s novel is a philanthropist who wants to bribe people into virtue.    

“Happy, Happy, Happy” by Phil Robertson is No. 1 on the hardcover nonfiction list — the second best seller spawned by the reality show “Duck Dynasty.”    

Paperback books of particular interest.    

Recently reviewed books of particular interest.    

New books by Rebecca Miller, Louisa Hall, Thea Goodman, MacKenzie Bezos and Naomi Alderman.    

The digital-age transparency we’ve grown accustomed to may threaten the spirit of democracy, Evgeny Morozov warns.    

William Gaddis’s letters reveal the struggle and self-doubt behind the novels.    

A novel and essay collection by Elinor Lipman showcase her urbanity and optimism.    

From the birth of the Republican Party to the Spanish-American War, John Hay was a seminal 19th-century figure.    

A comprehensive collection of Ernest Hemingway’s novels, nonfiction and short stories.    

Stuck in traffic with David Sedaris.    

Recording an audiobook requires talent, discipline and a lot of coffee.    

Fiona Maazel’s antic new novel examines the contradictory but concurrent urges for solitude and intimacy.    

The troubles of Tom Drury’s characters seem to stretch back into the inscrutable past, and out into an equally murky future.    

Brian Stelter recounts the intrigue, infighting and personal crises in the morning TV shows’ ratings wars.    

An unhappy woman discovers a distressing secret in Patrick McGrath’s novel.    

Changes to the best-seller lists and this column, Open Book, are new to the Book Review.    

A reader responds to a recent essay by Andrea Wulf.