Alex Gilvarry

Garner's death at the hands of police on a Staten Island street in 2014 sparked nationwide protests. Matt Taibbi's new book traces his life, and the policing policies that brought him to that moment.

Karen Russell has set her latest story in a terrible future where insomnia has become a national crisis. Sleep Donation is a digital download from a new publisher called Atavist Books.

Critic Alex Gilvarry calls Jason Porter's first book "a humorous insight into the human condition."

For some people, Feb. 14 is not all hearts and candy. Without a sweetheart, the holiday can be dreary. For those not in love this year, author Alex Gilvarry prescribes three books that will cure the worst of those Valentine's Day blues.

Author Alex Gilvarry recommends Max Frisch's I'm Not Stiller, a novel that intertwines a classic tale of mistaken identity with high comedy and postwar seriousness.

Can inspiration hit too close to home? Author Alex Gilvarry chronicles the challenges of trying to emulate famed writer Norman Mailer — while staying in Mailer's old house.