Books Update with The New York Times

July 17, 2015 Books Update

'The Weather Experiment' By PETER MOORE Reviewed by CYNTHIA BARNETT Peter Moore's new book tells the story of the meteorologists who decoded the skies with observation and measurement, and then helped society read the codes, too. 'Big Science' By MICHAEL HILTZIK Reviewed by ROBERT P. CREASE Michael Hiltzik says the birth of Big Science occurred one spring day in 1929. 'In Search of Sir Thomas Browne' By HUGH ALDERSEY-WILLIAMS Reviewed by JIM HOLT The 17th-century English physician and philosopher Sir Thomas Browne was a prolific contributor of novel words to the English language, and an intellectual who had a good-humored skepticism. Also in the Book Review Sue Grafton: By the Book The author of the Kinsey Millhone mysteries, including, most recently, "X," has trouble passing up books about Anne Boleyn: "I keep hoping for a different ending. So far, no luck." 'The Goddess Pose' By MICHELLE GOLDBERG Reviewed by SONIA FALEIRO A journalist looks at how Indra Devi spread yoga throughout the world. 'Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life' By WILLIAM FINNEGAN Reviewed by THAD ZIOLKOWSKI William Finnegan revisits his golden age of surfing and the classic search for the perfect wave. 'The Pinch' By STEVE STERN Reviewed by BORIS FISHMAN A character writes a history of a Jewish neighborhood in Memphis in Steve Stern's novel. 'Let Me Explain You' By ANNIE LIONTAS Reviewed by MOLLY YOUNG A debut novel centers on a father who thinks he will soon die. 'Rise' By KAREN CAMPBELL Reviewed by SOPHIE GEE A Glasgow prostitute dumps her pimp and becomes a nanny. 'The Wolf Border' By SARAH HALL Reviewed by REGINA MARLER A novel tracks a self-determined woman involved with the reintroduction of the gray wolf in England. On Poetry Rare or Well-Done By DAVID ORR Robert Lowell said in 1960, "Two poetries are now competing, a cooked and a raw," and that formulation reverberates in discussions of poetry to this day. 'Being Nixon' and 'One Man Against the World' By DAVID GREENBERG Two new books try to make sense of the life and presidency of Richard Nixon. 'Our Man in Charleston' By CHRISTOPHER DICKEY Reviewed by GREG GRANDIN A diplomat stationed in South Carolina helped keep Britain out of America's Civil War. 'Death and Mr. Pickwick' By STEPHEN JARVIS Reviewed by MICHAEL UPCHURCH A novelist argues that 'The Pickwick Papers' was hijacked from its illustrator. 'North Korea Confidential' and 'North Korea Undercover' By JANE PERLEZ Two books of reporting from North Korea offer details about daily life and the changing economy. Crime Foul Players By MARILYN STASIO Peter Lovesey's new whodunit, "Down Among the Dead Men," involves a professional car thief, a missing art teacher and two formidable women. ADVERTISEMENT

Best Sellers Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction Hardcover Fiction Hardcover Nonfiction Paperback Trade Fiction Paperback Mass-Market Fiction Paperback Nonfiction All the Lists Inside The New York Times Book Review Podcast This week, William Finnegan talks about "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life"; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; Peter Moore discusses "The Weather Experiment"; questions from readers; and Gregory Cowles has best-seller news. Pamela Paul is the host. ·         SUBSCRIBE: iTunes 'Go Set a Watchman' By HARPER LEE Reviewed by RANDALL KENNEDY "Go Set a Watchman" demands that its readers abandon the immature sentimentality ingrained by middle school and the film adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Bookends What Are the Consequences of Our Cultural Obsession With Newness? By SIDDHARTHA DEB and ANNA HOLMES Siddhartha Deb and Anna Holmes discuss what we gain and lose in the onrush of the new. ·         Bookends: Archive The Shortlist Memoirs By JUDY BLUNT New books by Amy Butcher, Gail Godwin, Vincent Crapanzano and Dale Peck. Open Book Reading and Writing the Waves By JOHN WILLIAMS "Riding a wave well is like putting together a sentence that works," says William Finnegan, whose new book is a surfing memoir. Letters: 'Revolutionary Roads' Readers respond to recent reviews of books by Chris Hedges, Charles Murray and others. Inside the List By GREGORY COWLES David E. Hoffman's "The Billion Dollar Spy," No. 13 on the hardcover nonfiction list, traces the Cold War exploits of a Soviet military engineer who for years passed secrets to the C.I.A.