'Home': Toni Morrison's Taut, Triumphant New Novel

Toni Morrison's latest novel revisits the story of the prodigal son as a Korean War veteran returns to his hometown in the pre-Civil Rights era South. Critic Heller McAlpin says Home is as accessible and visceral as anything Morrison has written. - READ MORE

Exclusive First Read: 'Gone Girl' By Gillian Flynn

Darkly funny, suspenseful and cunningly plotted, Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl will be published June 5. In this exclusive selection from the book's opening, we meet Nick and Amy, the perfect couple, whose alternating chapters soon reveal them to be unreliable narrators — and spouses. - READ MORE

Mamma Mia! A Mother Tougher Than The Godfather

Mario Puzo isn't known for his strong female characters — but if you've read his pre-Godfather work, The Fortunate Pilgrim, you might think otherwise. Author Zoe Ferraris recommends this book, which is based on Puzo's own mother. Do you have a favorite literary matriarch? Tell us in the comments. - READ MORE

Lessons In Counterterrorism From The Octopus

Ecologist and "natural security expert" Rafe Sagarin thinks our systems for dealing with natural disasters and terrorist attacks need to be updated. The best place to turn for advice? Other organisms. - READ MORE

Letting Go

She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally, decided to walk through the door. She cast her gaze upon the scene outside the window; the rhythmic swaying of the zombies transfixed her. As she watched, their number seemed to grow. They were an expanding mass of unfocused aggression. - READ MORE

Exercise

She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally, decided to walk through the door. Had Ellen been a less sentimental person, she would have left the revolver as well, but it had been with her since the beginning, and she found it a comfort. - READ MORE

Three Pilgrimages To Gain 'A Sense Of Direction'

Gideon Lewis-Kraus didn't know what to do with his life, so he took three very long walks. In his new memoir, he describes his journeys in Spain, Japan and Ukraine. "The whole idea of pilgrimage is that you're hoping that you're going to rise to the occasion in some way," he says. - READ MORE

History, Heartbreak And 'The Chemistry Of Tears'

The hero and the heroine of Peter Carey's new novel are separated by 150 years — and are brought together by an enormous, 19th-century, mechanical duck. The Chemistry of Tears is the 12th novel by the Australian-born, two-time Booker Prizewinning author. - READ MORE

The 12 Days Of Disaster That Made Modern Chicago

In 1919, Chicago was called the "youngest great city in the world." World War I had just come to a close, troops were coming home, industry was booming and crime was down. But in mid-July of 1919, just about everything that could go wrong in Chicago did. - READ MORE

How A 'Daily Show' Writer Grew Up Funny

Lizz Winstead has always looked at life a little differently. She's written a book of essays that takes readers through the different chapters of her life: growing up, becoming a comic and helping to create The Daily Show. - READ MORE