Juan Vidal

Your Bookshelf May Be Part Of The Problem

Juan Vidal

Anti-racist reading lists are making the rounds right now — and they can be useful if people do the work of reading. But critic Juan Vidal suggests you look closer to home, to your own bookshelf.

<em></em>The Manuscripts version of the Bible abandons chapter and verse structure, encouraging readers to approach it like a novel.

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'Manuscripts' Encourages Readers To Approach The Bible Like A Novel

Juan Vidal

The Bible's famous verse and chapter structure is relatively recent — and surprisingly unpopular. And a new version out now aims to make it more approachable by structuring it like any other book.

In 'Heartland,' Writer's Block Can Be Murder

Juan Vidal

Ana Simo's brash and unsettling debut novel straddles the line between pulp noir and slapstick; it's the story of a struggling writer who decides that murder is the cure for her decade-long block.

NPR Headlines

100 Years After Jack London's Death, Hearing His Call

Juan Vidal

Jack London died 100 years ago this week, worn out from drink, disease and overwork — but he left behind a prolific body of work that considers the vast scope of human experience and suffering.

You Can Go Home Again: The Transformative Joy Of Rereading

Juan Vidal

Returning to a book you've read before can feel like getting a drink with an old friend. But even though the book's the same, you yourself may have changed — and that's what makes rereading so rich.

A Motley Crew On A Wild Pilgrimage In 'Sophia'

Juan Vidal

Michael Bible's slim new novel follows a jaded, drunken priest and his chess-master sidekick on a cross country journey, along with a crowd of misfits and outliers who help give the book its charm.

These 3 'Judges' Are On The Hunt For Justice

Juan Vidal

Three novellas by some of Italy's best crime writers make up Judges. Andrea Camilleri, Carlo Lucarelli and Giancarlo De Cataldo weave tales of idealistic judges fighting crime and corruption.

The image of Pope Francis ended up on these slices of toast thanks to a special toaster with metal stencillike inserts. But in most cases where people report seeing faces in their food, their brain is behind the illusion.

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See The Pope On A Slice Of Toast? It's Perfectly Normal, Really

Juan Vidal

From Jesus on a fish stick to the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese, lots of people report seeing the faces of religious figures in their food. It turns out, our brains may be wired to work this way.

A Master Class In Journalism From A 1930s-Era Workaholic

Juan Vidal

Joseph Roth was an Austrian reporter whose writing provided a vivid portrait of pre-WWII Europe. Critic Juan Vidal says this newly translated collection of his work shows his intelligence and humor.

Savor The Quiet Sweetness Of 'The Blue Girl'

Juan Vidal

Laurie Foos' gently surreal new novel is set in a small lakeside town where the local mothers bake their secret confessions into moon pies, which they feed to a silent, mysterious blue-skinned girl.