Books

The Bearable Lightness of Being

In a memoir of life as a gay man and writer, Edmund White falls back on his usual reserves of wit and charm.

Beyond Beyond the Fringe

Alan Bennett, a founding member of the comedy troupe, has continued as an actor and playwright.

• First Chapter

Who Are These People?

Elinor Lipman's young heroine wishes she had somebody else's parents.

• First Chapter

'The Swamp'

"Today, everyone agrees that the Everglades is a national treasure. . . . But there was once just as broad a national consensus that the Everglades was a worthless morass . . . "

'Challenger Park'

"The McDonald's on NASA Road One, just down the street from the Saturn Lane gate of the Johnson Space Center, featured a giant fiberglass astronaut floating out from the roof . . . "

'A Dirty Job'

"Blessed with the Beta Male imagination, he spent much of his life squinting into the future so he might spot ways in which the world was conspiring to kill him . . . "

'A Fine Place to Daydream'

"There was a time when you couldn't walk into an Irish pub without hearing Arkle's name. The horse was an institution, a national treasure."

Idea for 'Da Vinci Code' Was Not Stolen, Judge Says

A British judge ruled that Dan Brown did not steal the idea for "The Da Vinci Code" from an earlier work.

• Video Report

Second Case of Murder Adds Twist to a Book

Joe McGinniss's true-crime story about a murdered financier took a new turn when the victim's brother was found stabbed to death.

Hedda Nussbaum Promotes Her Memoir on Life With an Abuser

"Surviving Intimate Terrorism" is a horrific account of the abuse Ms. Nussbaum endured from Joel B. Steinberg, who has served 16 years in prison.