I write book reviews, author profiles, personal essays and other stories about the world of reading. My areas of interest include book club fiction, narrative nonfiction, survival stories and memoirs that “go there.” While I respect dragons, their quests and outer space, I prefer human characters with complicated relationships, living here on Earth.
I’ve worked in the publishing industry for 30 years, with stints in textbooks, calendars, podcasts and as an editor at Amazon, but my work has mostly been about covering books. Before I came to The Times, I was the books editor at Glamour for six years. I’ve written two novels: The first, “A Window Opens,” was named a notable book of 2015 by the Washington Post. The second lives in a box on my bookshelf, where it serves as a reminder of the herculean effort behind every book that lands on my desk.
Like all Times journalists, I am committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. I don’t write about books by friends or accept favors or accept gifts in exchange for coverage. I approach every book with an open mind and equal respect for its author and prospective readers.
I read all the comments on my stories and will respond where appropriate.
Email: [email protected]
Revelations about a relationship between the author and a girl who was 16 when they met shocked readers, but not scholars of his work. Now there’s a debate about how much she influenced his writing.
By Alexandra Alter and Elisabeth Egan
Together, NASA and the U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón bring a little bit of humanity to the second moon of Jupiter.
By Sara Curtis, Frannie Carr Toth, Elisabeth Egan and Daniel Ramirez
In their new collections, Mosab Abu Toha and Najwan Darwish share unvarnished views of destruction, displacement and loss.
By Elisabeth Egan
In the first volume of her memoir (which she hasn’t read), she explores her difficult childhood, her fraught marriage to Sonny Bono and how she found her voice.
By Elisabeth Egan
Peter Brown’s obsession with the abandoned railway that became the High Line led to two best sellers — including “The Wild Robot,” which is now a blockbuster movie.
By Elisabeth Egan
Craig Garnett, the publisher of The Uvalde Leader-News, opens up about covering a tragedy that was — and is — too close to home.
By Elisabeth Egan and Christopher Lee
At 50, one writer decided that her dark brown hair was no longer to dye for. But going silver, it turns out, comes with its own growing pains.
By Elisabeth Egan
NASA and the U.S. Poet Laureate may not be obvious collaborators, but a Jupiter-bound mission helped them find common ground.
By Elisabeth Egan
In a new memoir, “From Here to the Great Unknown,” Elvis Presley’s daughter and granddaughter take turns exploring a messy legacy.
By Elisabeth Egan
Sophie Kinsella, the author of “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” packs love, laughter and a harrowing real-life health ordeal into a 133-page novella.
By Elisabeth Egan