jtrent238 test blog: Books Briefing: What to read in February

February 7, 2023

Jonghyup Son for The New York Times

Hi readers,

Welcome to February. We've picked out 13 titles to watch for this month, and if you're the impatient sort, you're in luck — several of them are out today, including Salman Rushdie's latest novel, "Victory City," and Carmela Ciuraru's look at doomed literary marriages, "Lives of the Wives."

There's plenty to appreciate in that list, and I hope you find something you love. As for me, I'm bouncing between novels by Patrick Modiano and Hanan al-Shaykh, and am grateful to have found time for books I wish I'd read years ago. As always, I'd be very happy to hear from you about whatever you're reading these days and what's keeping you engaged and afloat. You can reach me at books@nytimes.com.

All best wishes,

Joumana Khatib

In other news:

Mariana Enríquez said that her work returns the violence and trauma that are part of life "to the realm of the horrible, rather than the quotidian to which we grow accustomed."Anita Pouchard for The New York Times

The Argentine writer Mariana Enriquez deploys (and enjoys!) horror conventions in her work. But in "Our Share of Night," her most recent novel, she also draws from the recent past and reminds readers that true monstrosity is often found in real life.
With her memoir "The Critic's Daughter," Priscilla Gilman, the daughter of the fearsome theater critic Richard Gilman, joins the ranks of writers who examine their famous, and flawed, fathers. We talked with her about her desire to keep her father alive in a way. Writing the book was "a way of fulfilling that mission," she said.
A Kenyan nonprofit is restoring iconic public libraries, leaving behind a segregated past and turning them into inclusive spaces — "palaces for the people," as a Kenyan publisher put it.
Over the years, as part of our series The Essentials, we have tried to help readers navigate authors with large oeuvres — from Stephen King to Toni Morrison, Philip Roth to Agatha Christie. This week, we tackle Colette, one of the most famous French authors of the 20th century.

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