Baum on Books

A young Hungarian man simply flows with the random events that shape his life for him. This profound feeling of detachment guides the main character of the novel Flesh. Author David Szalay won the 2025 Booker Prize for his work. It stood out so far from the other entries that judges of the Prize said they never read anything quite like it. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum read it, and she agrees.

An older woman learns that her eyesight is waning. That prompts her to start writing letters while she still can. Lots of letters. And these letters make up the novel that’s a sleeper hit this year. WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum reviews The Correspondent.

A no-nonsense lawyer takes on a dubious divorce case. Big mistake. He soon becomes embroiled in a Big Pharma scandal and murder. This is not a story from the daily headlines but the latest legal thriller by attorney Jeffrey Stephens. WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum says Illusions of Trust reads like 21st-century noir.

Lolita, the novel by Vladimir Nabokov, still stirs controversy seven decades after its first publication. The basic storyline is infamous. WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum says what often gets overlooked is Nabokov’s eloquent writing and his examination of how unchecked desire destroys lives.

It’s a vintage hardboiled detective novel, complete with greed, addiction, a mysterious death, and lots of colorful language. But WSHU’s Book Critic, Joan Baum, said Raymond Chandler’s iconic work, The Long Goodbye, and Chandler himself, are so much more.

He didn’t set out to be a philanthropist. But attorney Sandor Frankel’s life took an unanticipated turn, and he found himself managing a multi-billion-dollar trust fund for Leona Helmsley. Frankel writes about his life and career in his memoir, Accidental Philanthropist. WSHU's Book Critic Joan Baum has this review.

In her new memoir, Be Ready When The Luck Happens, Ina Garten reflects on her 77 years of life, love, work, and her creative concoctions from the kitchen. WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum read it and said Ina Garten’s life reveals more grit and perseverance than luck.

In Heartwood, Valerie Gill disappears while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Lost in the woods and her grief, her vanishing raises questions as a tense search unfolds. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum says it’s a stunning suspense novel.

Two hundred fifty years ago this year, the United States was born. It was written into existence with the Declaration of Independence. A new work by journalist Walter Isaacson focuses on the power of one specific sentence in that historic document and how it shaped a new nation. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum read it and has this review.

WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum was curious about the Nobel Prize-winning author for literature, a Hungarian writer whose work has been described as challenging. Joan read a translation of a recent novel, a 400-plus tome filled with particle physics, Angela Merkel, fearful townspeople, Nazis, and Johan Sebastian Bach. Joan discovered a nuanced story with an unconventional style. Demanding yes! But well worth reading.

It was published 100 years ago, but The Great Gatsby continues to resonate with readers. WSHU's Book Critic Joan Baum reread F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic novel of the Jazz Age. Joan finds that the beauty of the language and the stark themes have deepened with the passage of time.

Anxious, dyspeptic, self-denigrating. That’s Asher Baum, the protagonist in Woody Allen’s new novel, What’s With Baum? Fans of Allen’s work will recognize the familiar themes in this romp through the mind of Asher. The 50-year-old journalist turned creative writer. Our Baum, WSHU’s Culture Critic, Joan Baum, read it. You can listen to her review right here.

In Mark Rubinstein’s latest thriller, Season of Fear, an escaped psychotic animal killer is on the loose in Bridgeport, Connecticut. One of his human targets is Dr. John Randall, the psychiatrist who gave the psych analysis at his trial. The terrorism takes its toll on Randall and his family. To cope, the doctor and his wife turn to alcohol and pharmaceuticals. But that opens up another world of hurt. WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum says it’s a chilling read.

New Yorker cartoon satirist Tom Toro has published 200 of his drawings in a new collection. Toro says his work covers a broad range of ideas, including "...life, love, work, and the weird". It’s called And to Think We Started as a Book Club. To find out which of his cartoons boasts that title, listen to WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum’s review of the book right here.

Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has made a repeated appearance on the Banned Book List since it was first released 43 years ago. WSHU's Book Critic Joan Baum reflects on the book's themes and how it’s been a target of critics since it was first published in 1884.

In his memoir, A Better Ending, author James Whitfield Thomson documents his personal 20-year-long investigation into his sister’s death. WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum says his work also reveals the impact his quest had on himself and his family.

A renowned New York chorus is plunged into mayhem when a newly discovered composition leads to murder. It’s all in author Roberta Mantell’s debut novel, Angel’s Blood - Murder in the Chorus. WSHU’s Book Critic Joan Baum has this review.

Carving out a career in the entertainment industry requires a lot of grit. Early morning cast calls, long hours waiting on the set, not to mention all the wacky character roles. Author John Hart has done it all, and he’s written about it in his new book, Unfortunately, I was available. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum read it and has this review.

He composed music for plays, crafted lyrics for songs, and wrote letters — lots of letters — to his friends, family, and colleagues. His vast correspondence is now a book, The Letters of Frank Loesser. WSHU’s Culture Critic Joan Baum says the book offers readers a rare look into the life, mind, and work of one of America’s most renowned songwriters.

A lone pregnant woman navigates her way through a dreary, dystopian world where most women are sterile. She’s on the run from the government, rebels, and despair. This is the plot of Zulus, a sci-fi fantasy novel written by award-winning author Percival Everett over 30 years ago.

A composer, a comic, an activist, and a writer. This is not the setup for a joke. These people are at the heart of author David Denby’s new collection of essays - Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer. WSHU’s Book critic Joan Baum has this review.