Bethanne Patrick
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Angry feminist, lifelong depressive, stalwart ally. Critic @LATimes, more. Teaches: @WriteinDC Speaking @TuesdayAgency Podcast, book, social links below⤵️
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Articles by Bethanne Patrick
10 books to read in October: New releases from Barbara Kingsolver, Chad Harbach and more
Even in sunny L.A., people crave autumnal treats; how else to explain pumpkin spice cold brew? If you're craving comfort reads, you can't get much more comfy than new books from favorite authors, and this month there's new highly anticipated fiction from the likes of Barbara Kingsolver and Chad Harbach, as well as page-turning nonfiction from Nathaniel Philbrick and the late, great Wendell Berry. Happy reading! FICTION By Barbara Kingsolver Harper: 352 pp., $32 (Oct.
10 books to read in October: New releases from Barbara Kingsolver, Chad Harbach and more
The best new books to read in October 2026 The turn of a new month is a great moment for any bibliophile – after all, it means the arrival of a fresh batch of books – but when it comes to …
29 new books to keep on your radar this fall
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One Writer’s Education: A Profile of Min Jin Lee
Min Jin Lee has chosen to meet at Naro, a restaurant in New York City’s Rockefeller Center that serves modern Korean dishes, a tribute to the country where she was born and lived until the age of seven. She arrives early. “I’m not going to be late,” she says as we wait for our table. “I think it’s a sign of respect for the other person but also a sign for yourself. I wish we could be more thoughtful about this.
10 books to read in August: new releases from Jill Lepore, Claudia Rankin and more
If your summer could use a little energy boost, forget the complicated smoothie — turn to one of these fresh book releases instead. From fast-paced World War II history to a slow-burn rescue in rural Wyoming, along with an art-world mystery and a punchy look at modern America, you'll find something to galvanize your bedside book stack. Happy reading! FICTION: Appraisals: A Novel By Claire Boyles W. W. Norton: 288 pp., $30 (Aug.
10 hot books to read in July, cool new releases from Colson Whitehead and more
New reads abound for your vacation tote throughout the weeks of July, with fiction picks featuring a Carnival cruise casualty, a highly entertaining jewel heist at the Waldorf-Astoria, and a Soviet-era madcap adventure. In nonfiction, authors consider how we define wild places, how we pigeonhole the aging, and how languages live or die.
He cleaned out his parents' Brentwood home and discovered his grandpa was a spy. His novel is here
David Baerwald holds up his most precious possession so that it's visible on our video conference: a very old violin in a very old, battered case. Baerwald, an award-winning musician, film composer and songwriter who called Los Angeles home for nearly four decades, doesn't play the violin. During his years with the Tuesday Music Club (immortalized in the Sheryl Crow album "Tuesday Night Music Club"), he played guitar.
He cleaned out his parents' Brentwood home and discovered his grandpa was a spy. His novel is here
David Baerwald holds up his most precious possession so that it’s visible on our video conference: a very old violin in a very old, battered case. Baerwald, an award-winning musician, film composer and songwriter who called Los Angeles home for nearly four decades, doesn’t play the violin. During his years with the Tuesday Music Club (immortalized in the Sheryl Crow album “Tuesday Night Music Club”), he played guitar.
10 books to read in June, new page-turners from Dave Eggers, James Ellroy and more
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10 books to read in June, new page-turners from Dave Eggers, James Ellroy and more Original
(Los Angeles Times) As beach season begins in earnest, so should beach-reading season be given its due. June’s new fiction releases include a darkly gothic novel, a totally charming novel and a novel filled with 1960s L.A. dread. Nonfiction features a cross-country road trip, an important celebrity memoir (yes, they exist!) and a buzzy account of corruption in chess.
10 books to read in May, featuring the latest from David Sedaris, Kathryn Stockett and more
(Los Angeles Times) Even if you have a big stack of new titles acquired at the recent L.A. Times Festival of Books, you’ll want to fill your beach totes for Memorial Day weekend later this month. New book releases include a story of new life in old age, the highly anticipated second novel from the author of “The Help” and unexpectedly tender essays from David Sedaris.
10 books to read in May, featuring the latest from David Sedaris, Kathryn Stockett and more
Now One of the great questions of our time is how to make sense of the relentlessness of the second Trump administration. The relentlessness itself may be an expression of a particular, and deeper, American cultural current. Jackson Lears, a cultural historian and the author of, among other books, …
10 books to read in April, including Jay McInerney's latest and a Rolling Stones bio
With daylight lingering longer, why not while away a couple hours with one of these newly released books? The novels range from supremely short to extremely long and include settings as disparate as a sunny cruise ship and COVID-era Manhattan. If you’re looking for nonfiction, you can choose from titles about rock gods, the cosmos or sexual freedom. You can also catch several of the authors in person at the L.A. Times Festival of Books, April 18 to 19 at USC.
10 new books we can't wait to read in March
(Los Angeles Times) Forget the old adage about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb — at least when it comes to new book releases. This month’s titles start out strong and wind up even stronger. In fiction that means a darkly comic novel about a gay married couple on the vacation from hell on to a debut portrait of first-gen Asian American angst.
Essay: The other Kate Bush banger that deserves a comeback right now
(Photo by Chris Moorhouse / Evening Standard / Hulton Archive / Getty Images) As a reader, I’m more of a “Jane Eyre” girl than a “Wuthering Heights” girl. Of course, I first devoured the novels at an age when I was too young to understand the Heathcliff-Catherine ourobouros dynamic; lonely, bookish orphan Jane was more my speed.
The other Kate Bush banger that deserves a comeback right now
1 hour ago To stand even a chance at enjoying Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” you must let it wash over you. Every split egg yolk, every inch of snail mucus, every glistening raindrop on screen — it’s all designed to sit slickly on the surface, never going more than skin deep. The British writer and …
Two new novels ask why a woman with a secret is always a threat to Western civilization
(Book jackets from Simon & Schuster, Spiegle & Grau) Two figures will always haunt the human imagination: the woman in ecstasy, and the woman in madness. This enduring fascination may stem as much from the paper-thin line that separates the two states as it does from our deep-seated fear of both. If the devoted nun resembles the raving patient, does that not justify locking them away, protecting ourselves from their unsettling power?
10 books to read in February: A tribute to Toni Morrison, Gavin Newsom's new memoir and other new releases
(Los Angeles Times) Newly released books reflect current concerns, and so it is no surprise that February’s choices include titles about intersectionality, protest and politics as our country faces tough questions about civil rights. It’s also not surprising that authors, whether novelists or journalists or activists, have discovered creative ways to approach topics that range from fine dining to one of our finest writers, Toni Morrison.
10 books to read in January, new page-turners from George Saunders, Gabriel Tallent and more
(Los Angeles Times) As the new year begins, novelists send characters to great heights in Tibet and Wyoming, to the great depths of the 19th century Atlantic and back in time, to early 20th century Pakistan. Meanwhile, nonfiction authors contemplate a Spanish shipwreck, a racially motivated murder, the origins of great ideas and how laughter can change our lives. Happy reading! FICTION Call Me Ishmaelle: A Novel By Xiaolu Guo Grove Press: 448 pp., $18 (Jan.
The 15 Best Books of 2025
From left, "Flesh" by David Szalay, "Audition" by Katie Kitamura, "Shadow Ticket" by Thomas Pynchon (Photo illustration by Josep Prat Sorolla / For The Times; book jackets from Scribner, Riverhead and Penguin Press) Books can be a refuge from (waves arms) all this, even when they take you deeper into the darkness of 2025. There is a grace in the relationship between book and reader, with nothing but your eyes and brain and the words on the page.
10 books to read in December, from a Roosevelt biography to prize-winning poetry
(Los Angeles Times) With apologies to T. S. Eliot, December might be the cruelest month — at least for publishing. As imprints focus on awards season and holiday sales, several of this month’s best titles are out as paperback releases. Never fear, readers; these soft-covers deliver great plots and will also leave room in your budget for the best kind of gifts: more books! Happy holiday reading. FICTION Casanova 20: Or, Hot World: A Novel By Davey Davis Catapult: 304 pp., $18 (Dec.
10 books to read in December, from a Roosevelt biography to prize-winning poetry
Now With more than 200 fiction titles in our annual Books We Love guide, it's tough to narrow our 2025 favorites down into one single-digit list. But there are always a few standouts, and in the picks below you'll find a little bit of everything that we enjoyed this year: romance, fantasy and sci-fi, …
Paperback releases among 10 best books for December
Los Angeles Times | December 03, 2025 A Hollywood satire, a Roosevelt biography and prize-winning poetry are must-reads. With apologies to T. S. Eliot, December might be the cruelest month — at least for publishing. As imprints focus on awards season and holiday sales, several of this month's best titles are out as paperback releases. Never fear, readers; these soft-covers deliver great plots and will also leave room in your budget for the best kind of gifts: more books! Happy holiday reading.
10 new books to light up November
Los Angeles Times | November 03, 2025 Los Angeles Times Great writing, even when an author sets a story in early 20th century Maine or during ancient uprisings, often sheds light on our own, era. From a novel starring a sentient gale-force wind, on to a memoir from a leading African American writer, this month's titles provide illumination as we lose daylight.
10 books to read in November, from Margaret Atwood's new memoir to John Irving's latest
(Los Angeles Times) Great writing, even when an author sets a story in early 20th century Maine or during ancient uprisings, often sheds light on our own era. From a novel starring a sentient gale-force wind, on to a memoir from a leading African American writer, this month’s titles provide illumination as we lose daylight. FICTION Helm: A Novel By Sarah Hall Mariner Books: 368 pages, $30 (Nov.
10 books to read in October
(Los Angeles Times) Challenges we all face — in one form or another — are reflected in new books this month: Nonfiction titles about climate change, Indigenous issues and racism offer new perspectives on reality — yet so do fiction titles about parental rage, first-responder trauma and past loves. However, as long as there are humans writing, there will also be books filled with wit and joy. Happy reading! FICTION Shadow Ticket By Thomas Pynchon Penguin Press: 304 pages, $30 (Oct.
10 books to read in October
What Is 'Good' Muslim Representation in Fiction? And Who Gets to Decide? (Exclusive) When my debut novel, Dust Settles North, first went up on Goodreads, one comment stood out to me: “Really really hoping the Muslim rep is good.” That comment didn’t sit well in my mind. What is “good” Muslim representation? And does my idea of “good” representation match the commenter’s? My novel …
The human struggle writ large in 10 books for October
Los Angeles Times | October 01, 2025 Thomas Pynchon's latest novel and a bleak climate forecast are among our picks. Challenges we all face in one form or another - are reflected in new books this month: ity Nonfiction titles about climate change, Indigenous issues and racism offer new perspectives on realyet so do fiction titles about parental rage, first-responder trauma and past loves. However, as long as there are humans writing, there will also be books filled with wit and joy.
Souvankham Thammavongsa Is Ready To Take Up Space
The title of Souvankham Thammavongsa’s new novel, Pick a Color (Little, Brown, September 30), refers to the phrase recited daily by nail technicians across North America—many of them women from Asia who might love or hate their jobs but are often ignored by their clients. Thammavongsa, whose Laotian family emigrated from a refugee camp in Thailand to Canada when she was still a baby, has never worked at a salon.
ON THE RUN FROM HER ABUSIVE EX FOR DECADES
Los Angeles Times | September 21, 2025 BUT NOW KAREN PALMER IS HOME SAFE. HER MEMOIR, 'SHE'S UNDER HERE,' RECOUNTS A KIDNAPPING, FAKE IDENTITIES — AND JOY. KAREN PALMER lives just west of the Beverly Center's shiny consumerism, but she might as well be in a different city: Up a steep flight of stairs and behind stucco walls is her modest two-bedroom apartment. Inside, low-key furnishings and her overflowing bookshelves share space with husband Vinnie Scarelli's fine cabinetry.
On the run from her abusive ex for decades, she's now at home - in L.A. and with herself
Bethanne Patrick Tue, September 16, 2025 at 10:00 AM UTC 6 min read Karen Palmer lives just west of the Beverly Center’s shiny consumerism, but she might as well be in a different city: Up a steep flight of stairs and behind stucco walls is her modest two-bedroom apartment. Inside, low-key furnishings and her overflowing bookshelves share space with husband Vinnie Scarelli’s fine cabinetry. But Palmer’s unglitzy Los Angeles existence has less to do with possessions than identity.
10 books to read in September
If this month’s selections could be awarded superlatives, they’d include Longest (for Jill Lepore’s 720-page history), Shortest (for the under-200-pages “Pick a Color”), Most Striking (for Stephen Curry’s gorgeous autobiography) and Most Surprising (for David Gelles’s portrait of Yvon Chouinard). There’s a book for every attention span and every interest out there. Writers, journalists and authors continue to find stories and perspectives that surprise us.
10 books to read in August
(Los Angeles Times) Contrary to some recent media chatter, the novel isn’t dead: A glance at this month’s choices, which include quirky robot sci-fi, an artist’s tale set in 1950s Mexico and a dysfunctional family’s reckoning with addiction, proves that imaginative storytelling has a strong heartbeat.
10 books to read in July
Critic Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 promising titles, fiction and nonfiction, to consider for your July reading list. It's officially beach-reads season: Whether you do your reading outdoors or inside in air-conditioned comfort, July's hot new releases will help you stay cool. Topics range from analog memories of Golden Age Hollywood to a maverick female athlete.
10 books to read in June
Critic Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 promising titles, fiction and nonfiction, to consider for your June reading list. Reading is a versatile summer activity: A book can educate you, entertain you and occasionally even do both of those things. Our selections this month include literary fiction about a parent’s blurry past, Manhattan diaries from the Reagan era and a politically relevant road-trip novel. All of those and more promise to float your boat — or should we say your beach tote?
10 books to read in June
Critic Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 promising titles, fiction and nonfiction, to consider for your June reading list. Reading is a versatile summer activity: A book can educate you, entertain you and occasionally even do both of those things. Our selections this month include literary fiction …
8 New Summer Mystery and Thriller Books That Are Like CrossFit for Your Brain
1 The Missing Half, by Ashley Flowers Now 39% Off Nicole “Nic” Monroe is stuck in Mishawaka, Indiana, working unhappily at an arcade called Funland, the only job she can manage since her sister Kasey vanished seven years ago. When Nic meets Jenna Connor, whose sister Jules disappeared under eerily similar circumstances, the women join forces, hoping to finally uncover the truth and find closure.
8 New Summer Mystery and Thriller Books That Are Like CrossFit for Your Brain
9 hours ago 6 Creepy Sci-Fi Books to Make Your Skin Crawl Science fiction, like horror, is an excellent venue for capturing an era’s fears.
30 must-read books for summer
Nothing says “summer's here!” than reading near a body of water. And what qualifies as a beach read has evolved to include more than romances and thrillers. From histories on New York's 1960s art scene and the making of the film “Sunset Boulevard” to biographies on James Baldwin, Clint Eastwood and Bruce Lee, to gripping memoirs from Miriam Toews and Molly Jong-Fast, there's something from every nonfiction genre.
10 books to read in May
Critic Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 promising titles, fiction and nonfiction, to consider for your May reading list. Each year in a sign of hope, garden perennials return, even when they’ve received little to no care.
10 books to read in April
Critic Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 promising titles, fiction and nonfiction, to consider for your April reading list. Spring is here, and with it come books that offer groundbreaking ideas to expand our outlook.
10 books to read in March
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10 books to read in March
Roll with Me: Charli XCX’s Never-ending Love Affair with Cars A black stiletto drops down from a Chevy Escalade. It’s Grammy’s night. Most of the awards have been given away, but there’s still one girl just …
10 books to read in March
Critic Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 promising titles, fiction and nonfiction, to consider for your March reading list. Winds of change show up this month. One author considers why our brains take sides and how they can switch sides too. A novel set during the Dust Bowl sends urgent messages on how climate affects community. Meanwhile, a woman told she’d never write again crafts a haunting memoir of recovery.
10 books to add to your reading list in February
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10 books to add to your reading list in February
February arrives after a tough January for Los Angeles and its environs; if you haven’t been reading much, it’s understandable. Perhaps a few of the titles on this month’s list will encourage you to take a break if you can and explore different places. Some of them, like turn-of-the-20th-century Manhattan, are bustling. Others, like contemporary Baltimore, feel a bit lonely, while Soviet-era ballet studios are competitive and redolent of sweat and tobacco smoke.
17 Books That You’ll Cancel Plans to Finish
7 hours ago Nick Cave defends “panties” lyric about Anita Lane from ‘O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)’ Nick Cave has defended one of his lyrics written in tribute to Anita Lane, which featured on his latest album with The Bad Seeds. Lane was a former … 1 day ago You Should Never Have Heroes I really like a lot of what Neil Gaiman has written.
17 Books That You’ll Cancel Plans to Finish
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." There are more books worth reading than any of us will get to in our lifetimes, but there are a few that will force you to put your entire life on pause until you get to the final page.
The 15 best books of 2024, reissues included
In keeping with our annual tradition, we asked three of our critics for their favorite books of the last year. Between them, they chose 15 books, three of them reissues, and the majority fiction. The selections include the latest works from a literary power couple — Percival Everett's "James" and Danzy Senna's "Colored Television" — as well as offerings from first-time novelists.
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