The New York Times Books Update

'All Joy and No Fun'

By JENNIFER SENIOR
Reviewed by ANDREW SOLOMON

Jennifer Senior's "All Joy and No Fun," about the state of modern parenthood, weaves together philosophy, psychology and social science.

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Secrets of Success

By SANDRA TSING LOH

Two new books examine whether cultural traits underlie the success of certain overachieving subgroups.

 

Gary Shteyngart: By the Book

The author of the novel "Super Sad True Love Story" and, most recently, the memoir "Little Failure" likes books in which people suffer. "If there's no suffering, I kind of tune out."

·         By the Book: Archive

'Byron Easy'

By JUDE COOK
Reviewed by TOM SHONE

In Jude Cook's novel, a failed poet relives his calamitous relationship with his wife.

'Trieste'

By DASA DRNDIC. Translated by ELLEN ELIAS-BURSAC.
Reviewed by CRAIG SELIGMAN

Dasa Drndic blends fact and fiction in this novel of the Holocaust and its aftermath.

'The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI'

By BETTY MEDSGER
Reviewed by DAVID OSHINSKY

The story of a 1971 raid on an F.B.I. office and what it revealed about bureau practices.