Tag Archives: Books

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS – APRIL 9, 2026

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS: The latest issue features geopolitical analyses of the Iran conflict by Fintan O’Toole and Pankaj Mishra, alongside cultural explorations of literature and art. Key contributions include discussions on the economic dualities of Shenzhen, China, and critiques of historical narratives regarding the Allied firebombing of Japan. 

A Bitter Education

In its quiescence to the West’s war on Iran, India is squandering a precious legacy.

Shenzhen Express

In Shenzhen, the successes and failures of China’s remarkable new economy are on full display.

Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang

House of Huawei: The Secret History of China’s Most Powerful Company by Eva Dou

Who Built France?

A new history explores France’s empire from the perspective of the indigenous and enslaved people who participated, willingly or not, in its creation.

By Flesh and Toil: How Sex, Race, and Labor Shaped the Early French Empire by Mélanie Lamotte

A Man-Made Disaster

There has never been a moral and historical reckoning with the horrors inflicted by the Allied firebombing of Japan during World War II.

Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb by James M. Scott

The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS – APRIL 2, 2026 PREVIEW

Contents · Vol. 48 No. 6 · 02 April 2026

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS: The latest issue features ‘Patricia Lockwood on Willa Cather, Tom Johnson on early modern work, various political analyses, reviews, poetry, and a diary entry on Serbian student movements. 

The Bright Edges of the World: Willa Cather and Her Archbishop by Garrett Peck

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather


The Experience of Work in Early Modern England 
by Jane Whittle, Mark Hailwood, Hannah Robb and Taylor Aucoin


Caillebotte: 
Painting Is a Serious Game by Amaury ChardeauGustave Caillebotte: Painting Men edited by Scott Allan, Gloria Groom and Paul Perrin

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2026

Israel Strikes Tehran; Pakistan Offers to Host U.S.-Iran Talks

The Pentagon said it was sending 2,000 airborne troops to the Middle East. It was unclear whether Iran and Israel supported a U.S. peace plan.

The Choking of Hormuz: How Oil’s Journey Has Been Upended by War

Trade is trickling through the vital strait connecting the Persian Gulf and the world, creating an economic shock thousands of miles away.

Ukraine Finally Got Battlefield Momentum. Now Comes a Russian Offensive.

Moscow’s forces are intensifying their attacks in southern Ukraine after Kyiv made rare gains along the front.

House Committee to Hold Hearing on D.H.S. Shutdown

Senate Republicans sent Democrats a plan to reopen the department that would separate funding for the parts of ICE involved in the deportation crackdown.

T.S.A. Tipped Off ICE Agents Before Arrests at San Francisco Airport

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2026

Saudi Crown Prince Is Said to Push Trump to Continue Iran War in Recent Calls

Mohammed bin Salman sees a “historic opportunity” to remake the region, according to people briefed by U.S. officials on the conversations.

Tehran Fires New Barrages After U.S. Claims Progress on Talks

Israel Plans to Control Large Parts of Southern Lebanon, Defense Minister Says

How Pakistan Is Trying to Reshape Its Image Abroad

New, friendly media operations and expanded state-run television are pushing Pakistan’s message while independent news outlets face repression.

Republicans Consider Compromise Plan to Fund Homeland Security Dept.

A day after President Trump said he did not want a compromise, Republicans were exploring breaking off ICE funding so the rest of the agency could reopen.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2026

Trump Postpones Deadline for Strikes on Iran’s Energy Infrastructure

Iran disputed President Trump’s claim that they held “very good” talks, casting it as a ploy to soothe markets and to buy time for more military action.

War’s Attacks on Energy Could Turn Economic Shock Into Long-Term Damage

A new phase targeting oil and gas infrastructure in the Persian Gulf threatens to hurt customers around the world for months or even years.

2 Pilots Are Dead After Jet and Truck Collide at LaGuardia Airport

Forty-one people were taken to the hospital, a Port Authority official said. Hundreds of flights were canceled and disruptions were expected across the U.S.

ICE Agents Begin Deployment at U.S. Airports

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said ICE agents could help ease long lines as thousands of T.S.A. workers went without pay amid a partial government shutdown.

Trump Is Digging Up Washington. Can Lawsuits Stop the Bulldozers?

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2026

Trump Threatens to Hit Power Plants Unless Strait Is Reopened

As Tehran remained defiant, President Trump issued an ultimatum after Iranian missiles struck cities in Israel, including one near its main nuclear research center.

Trump Is Finally Eyeing an Exit From Iran. But Will He Take It?

President Trump says he is considering “winding down” operations in Iran. But many of his original war goals remain unaccomplished.

As War Disrupts India’s Gulf Ties, Economy Faces ‘New Broadside’

Mullin Explored Bipartisan Deal to Rein In Immigration Crackdown

Senator Markwayne Mullin, whom President Trump chose to lead the Department of Homeland Security, privately discussed concessions the White House has rejected.

The Supreme Court Could Make It Harder to Vote by Mail in the Midterms

Republicans want to toss ballots arriving after Election Day. Critics say thousands of votes — a majority cast by Democrats — are at stake.

Why There’s a Chance California Elects a Republican Governor

THE NEW YORK TIMES – SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2026

U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Iranian Oil as War Enters Fourth Week

The move reversed earlier efforts to impose “maximum pressure” on Iran and reflected how little success the Trump administration has had in calming global markets.

Why Energy Is Such a Potent Target in the War With Iran

The Strait of Hormuz Was Supposed to Be Too Big to Fail

But at just 35 miles wide, it did. It’s just the latest evidence of how dependent the global economy is on a handful of choke points.

Striking Down Pentagon Press Limits, Judge Vindicates Independent Journalism

The ruling cut deeper than left-versus-right politics, declaring that the policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was unconstitutional.

Judge Rules Pentagon Restrictions on Press Are Unconstitutional

It was a victory for The Times, which filed suit challenging the rules.

Public References to Cesar Chavez Are Being Removed Across the U.S.

The removals followed a New York Times investigation that revealed the labor leader sexually abused women and girls.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2026

Oil Prices Remain High as More Attacks Are Reported in the Mideast

The price of oil eased only slightly after the Trump administration sought to calm markets. A drone attack caused fires at a Kuwaiti oil refinery for a second day.

U.S. Military Ramps Up to Clear Strait of Hormuz

Israel and the U.S. Are Starting to Show Their Different Priorities in Iran

The U.S. is a superpower that views Iran through the prism of global responsibilities and strategic goals. Israel has a much more regional approach.

Spain Says the Sun Shields It From Rising Gas Costs. Is That True?

Using Charm and Restraint, Japan’s Leader Mostly Avoids Trump’s Wrath

During her first visit to the White House, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi drew praise from President Trump. The war in the Middle East will test their relationship.

Cesar Chavez Avenue May Soon Be Gone. Yet to Be Confronted: His Legacy.

After revelations of sex abuse, the public is left to make sense of the labor leader’s work and life.

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT – MARCH 20, 2026 PREVIEW

The TLS - Current Issue Cover

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT: The latest issue features William Golding’s beast within; the many lives of W. H. Auden; Palantir spreads; the spirit of the Risorgimento; Ishiguro on film; experiencing consciousness – and much more.

Darkness visible

The struggle between good and evil in William Golding’s fiction By Alan Jenkins

Clock stopper

The many lives of W. H. Auden By Ian Sansom

All-seeing eye

Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, the controversial US tech company By Emily Jones

The feeling of being alive

Why do we experience consciousness?

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY – MARCH 20, 2026 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘The Squeeze’ – How Iran Blocked The Straight of Hormuz…and What Comes Next.

As fighting in the Middle East entered its third week, focus has shifted to Tehran’s closure of a key maritime passage, and the potentially huge global economic impact.

For our big story this week, Jillian Ambrose explains how the war in Iran has effectively blocked the Gulf states from exporting a fifth of the world’s oil supply through the strait of Hormuz. Peter Beaumont sets out the significance of the route and the possible options to counter the blockade, while Hannah Ellis-Petersen reports on the building anger and resentment in the region over being dragged into a war they did not start and had diplomatically tried to prevent.

Peter also looks at “the escalation trap” that lies ahead for both sides in the conflict, and we have on-the-ground reports from Jason Burke in northern Israel and William Christou in southern Lebanon, as well as a stark account of day-to-day life from inside Tehran.

Spotlight | ‘Extraordinary cruelty’
Kaamil Ahmed and Alex Clark examine the evidence that starvation is being used as a weapon of war in Sudan

Technology | Star fruit
As Apple reaches its half-century, Chris Stokel-Walker rounds up its biggest triumphs and flops

Feature | Feminism’s not dead!
In a stirring riposte to all those who have declared the death of the women’s movement, Rebecca Solnit outlines the advances that have been made and argues it’s no time to give up the fight

Opinion | The British right’s Maga obsession
UK conservatives were once hostile to the US, but now are keen to emphasise loyalty to Trump above all else, writes Kojo Koram

Culture | One win after another
After 11 nominations without a single win, film-maker Paul Thomas Anderson deservedly struck gold at the Oscars with One Battle After Another, says Xan Brooks