Bookworm

Kazuo Ishiguro pits a child's naïve dream of becoming a master detective against the larger mysteries of adultery, death and war....

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Random House) Michael Chabon's novel about escape artists, super heroes and the Golden Age of Comics is a complete entertainment...

The work of novelists Chris Ware and Daniel Clowes is characterized by complexity, beauty and sophistication. Guess what? They write comics!

Amy Gerstler regards her poetry as a sort of spell to ward off danger. Her new book deals with the tragedies that cannot be evaded by magic.

The house of fiction has many rooms. Russell Banks talks about the life- choices that led him to occupy his particularly gritty sublet.

While revealing her passion for storytelling, cunning Margaret Atwood carefully avoids the secret mechanisms of her engrossing new novel, "The Blind Assassin."

Chicken, Shadow, Moon and More (Turtle Point) We defy you not to laugh when you hear these poems from the previously sepulchral laureate Mark Strand...

Little Lit: Folklore and Fairy Tale Funnies (Harper Collins)In this second interview about Little Lit, its creators, Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly, remind us that comic books are not just for adults. They talk about the new maturity that leads underground artists to take the safety pins out of their noses and use them in their babies' diapers.

The reticent Michael Ondaatje becomes more revealing. Here he goes so far as to formulate his artistic credo and even makes comments that truly define his unusual vision.

Le Marriage (Dutton) The bird-like flutings of Diane Johnson's amused voice animate this merry duet about France, comedy, depravity and marriage.