Time magazine asked “25 literary luminaries to pick one book that they believe reflects where American life is headed or speaks to the present in a meaningful way. Their answers bring together poetry, nonfiction, and fiction from across the nation’s … Continue reading →

Marc Chacksfield has recommended “The books that will actually make you laugh: The funniest novels ever written”—a list published on shortlist.com. And one of Updike’s novels tickled his funnybone: The Witches of Eastwick (1984). Of Witches, Chacksfield wrote, “The big screen adaptation … Continue reading →

We love lists, and so does The Guardian (UK), which named John Updike’s debut novel, The Poorhouse Fair, as his twelfth best, despite calling it “a curio.” Number 1 on their list—no surprise—is Rabbit Angstrom, the Everyman’s Library compilation of … Continue reading →

When you see an article on “19 Novels That Captured the Rise of the American Suburb” in the Travel and Guides section of a website, you know you can gas up the car and head to either Shillington, Pennsylvania or … Continue reading →

“‘[Henry Bech’s] marriage was like the Zionist state they were in: a mistake long deferred, a miscarriage of passé fervor and antiquated tribal righteousness, an attempt to be safe on an earth where there was no safety,’ Updike writes, sizing … Continue reading →

Fritz Von Burkersroda posted on his site, Festivaltopia, a list of “19 Novels that captured the rise of the American suburb,” and John Updike’s 1960 novel Rabbit, Run was included. “John Updike’s 1960 novel introduced readers to Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom, perhaps the … Continue reading →

Benjamin Markovits was interviewed about “The Best Road Trip Novels” he selected for readers of the Five Books website: 1—On the Road by Jack Kerouac 2—Independence Day, by Richard Ford 3—Ladder of Years: A Novel, by Anne Tyler 4—Rabbit, Run, … Continue reading →

Writing for Festivaltopia, Fritz von Burkersroda recommends “20 Books That Start at the End—and Still Surprise You”: One Hundred Years of Solitude and Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Márquez), The Secret History (Tartt), Fight Club (Palahniuk), The Book Thief (Zuzak), … Continue reading →

In an April 4, 2025 post for The Wall Street Journal, Craig Brown (Q: A Voyage Around the Queen) revealed his choice for the five best books to tackle the subject of fame. Topping the list was David Kinney’s The Dylanologists, … Continue reading →

Writing on “Five Best: Life Lessons” for The Wall Street Journal, Andrew Wilkinson, author of Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire, shared five of the best life lessons he found in fiction. The first entry, from John Updike, came from … Continue reading →

Gertrude and Claudius, John Updike’s “prequel” to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, has sparked interest ever since it was published in 2000—which means it’s celebrating a silver anniversary this year . . . and still golden. Grace Tiffany named it “Best Fictional Adaptation … Continue reading →

Sixties’ icon Marianne Faithfull, a singer-songwriter who was considered a major figure in the so-called “British Invasion” of U.K. music to hit the U.S. during the turbulent decade, died Jan. 30, 2025. But before her death, Faithfull, who came from … Continue reading →

The Greatest Books website recently added a “comprehensive and trusted” list on “The Greatest Books of All Time on Teachers,” and it’s no surprise that John Updike’s 1963 novel, The Centaur, ranks high on the list. His tribute to his … Continue reading →

In “25 Best Books About Witches to Read in 2024: Spellbinding Books Filled with Magic and Mystery,” Marilyn Walters made John Updike’s The Witches of Eastwick her sixth pick. Topping the list was Circe by Madeline Miller, Practical Magic by … Continue reading →

Angel Madison and Zarah A. Kavarana scoured the best-seller and awards lists and came up with an article on The Most Popular Book the Year You Were Born, starting with 1945. If you happen to have been born in 1981, … Continue reading →

The Great Gatsby is often cited as a contender for that elusive (and purely speculative) title of “Great American Novel,” and editors of The Atlantic used that novel as a starting point for reconsidering what that term actually means in … Continue reading →

Most lists are Top Ten or Top 100, but no one ever accused Art Garfunkel—the quieter half of the Simon & Garfunkel folk-rock duo—of being like “most.” The singer decided to log each book he read, beginning in 1968—the year … Continue reading →

In a no-byline roundup, The Guardian (UK) compiled a list of the 20 best performances by actress Susan Sarandon, best known for Thelma and Louise (1991), Bull Durham (1988), and Dead Man Walking (1995). Those three make the list, of … Continue reading →

Writing for the Vancouver Is Awesome website, Ryan Beil suggested “3 books about baseball to put on your summer reading list . . . and no, they aren’t Shoeless Joe or Moneyball.” “Generally speaking, in the summer months when I’m … Continue reading →

Ninety-three American writers have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction since the award was first given in 1918 to Ernest Poole for the novel His Family. Only four writers have won the prize more than once: Booth Tarkington (The Magnificent … Continue reading →