Carolyn Kellogg

In her delightfully written new memoir, 'Joyride,' Susan Orlean mixes personal stories with a bit of writing advice.

Claire Hoffman's superb biography traces the life of Aimee Semple McPherson, a star preacher whose legacy lives on in L.A. despite a scandal-enshrouded disappearance in 1926.

The year the L.A. Times Festival of Books debuted was also a landmark year in American letters, shaping literary culture in ways that remain with us nearly three decades on.

Golden Age film star Merle Oberon comes alive in a new biography, sparked in part by the 2023 news that she was half Asian, a secret she kept all of her life.

Christopher Brown, a lawyer and author who built a home on an abandoned industrial site, offers readers an expertly guided tour in 'A Natural History of Empty Lots.'

'You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again' ranks No. 31 on our list of the best Hollywood books of all time because it's the ultimate Icarus story, unflinchingly detailing its author's descent.

For Tommy Orange, there was before “There There,” and there was after. Before: He was a struggling writer, teaching in an MFA program. After, the dream: bestselling author, Pulitzer Prize finalist, his book on syllabuses across the country, invited to speak at literary events worldwide. It was a rare and lasting achievement. His new book, “Wandering Stars,” is also a before and after. This much-anticipated novel serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the first. That unusual choice means it can…

Zadie Smith’s new novel, “The Fraud,” is a Dickensian delight. Not only is it set in 19th century England with a sprawling cast of characters high and low, but Charles Dickens himself makes an appearance, charming everyone except those who envy his success. But there’s more to this brilliant new entry in Smith’s catalog than a simple literary romp. At the center of the story is the widow Eliza Touchet, who runs the house of her cousin by marriage, William Ainsworth, a popular novelist. Touchet —…

Edan Lepucki breaks down the influences on ‘Time’s Mouth,’ her forthcoming epic on motherhood, magic, California cults and L.A.’s complicated charms.

The 13 most essential L.A. works of short fiction, from a Little Tokyo proto-noir to Fitzgerald, Wodehouse, Bradbury and generations of Chicano pioneers.