Books
Wings of the ... pigeon?
According to Andrew Blechman, those red-legged head-bobbers are actually a whole lot faster, kinder and smarter than we give them credit for.
Dangerous liaisons
"Casanova's Women" shows that the world-famous rake spread joy -- even empowerment -- among his 116 lovers, not to mention V.D., pregnancy and social disgrace.
Destination: The Netherlands
Delve into Lowlands literature and discover there's much more to this prosperous nation than wooden clogs, tulips and -- of course -- weed.
The softer side of S/M
In his new collection of stories, Stephen Elliott examines his experiences with torture and love through admirably clear eyes.
Nude awakening
It was a hot Chicago summer. My stripper year. My heroin year. I had a new college degree and nothing made sense. I was having the best time of my life.
Pigskin philosophy
Football is more than touchdown dances and big hits in Michael Lewis' "The Blind Side," a literary take on the gridiron game.
Buddha on the brain
Ex-monk B. Alan Wallace explains what Buddhism can teach Western scientists, why reincarnation should be taken seriously and what it's like to study meditation with the Dalai Lama.
Bond, by the book
With the release of "Casino Royale," I read Ian Fleming's classic Bond novels again and discovered a talented spy who was "just like us" and a writer devoted to pleasure.
The fall of the house of Pynchon
Slogging through the science and history, sex and paranoia that crowd Thomas Pynchon's cartoonish new novel, it's obvious his disciples now write better Big Idea novels than he does.
"Inside the Jihad"
Terrorist turned spy Omar Nasiri has written the first personal account of life as an al-Qaida operative. An excerpt from his terrifying new book.
Jealous much?
Leanne Shapton plumbs the anxiety provoked by seeing lovers' ex-lovers in her quirky meditation on the ugly green monster inside us.
"Wizard of the Crow"
This inventive, surprising, madcap African political farce is like a cross between Pynchon and "A Confederacy of Dunces."
Lost and found
Dave Eggers and Valentino Achak Deng -- one of 17,000 Lost Boys of Sudan -- talk to Salon about their collaboration on Eggers' new novel, visiting Africa together, and the challenges of coming to America.
