What the Chinese Want

From Leisure & Arts

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  An Accounting for Taste

  Surveying our relationship with food, "The Omnivorous Mind" explores why crispness appeals to palates around the world, and where our food cravings come from. Leo Coleman reviews.

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  Their Sense of Belonging

  In his three-volume history, Antony Polonsky surveys the Jewish communities of eastern Europe from 1350 to the present. Timothy Snyder reviews.

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  'Twilight' and the Gods

  Victoria Nelson's "Gothicka" is a spirited examination of pulp Gothic fiction's role in contemporary culture. Elizabeth Lowry reviews.

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  What He Meant to Say

  "Ozzie's School of Management" chronicles the antics of the irrepressible, foul-mouthed and successful manager of the Miami Marlins. Tim Marchman reviews.

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  Waking Up to the World's Chaotic Heart

  A family's sudden break-up is just the start of a boy's coming of age tale in Richard Ford's "Canada"; in Alyson Hagy's "Boleto," a horse-loving young man strikes out on his own from his father's ranch; in David Vann's "Dirt" a rancorous family gets worse when an inheritance is up for grabs. Sam Sacks reviews.

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  The High-Low Impresario

  Ross Melnick's "American Showman" chronicles the life and art of pioneering cinema and theater proprietor Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel. Ethan Mordden reviews.

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  Photo-Op: Above It All

  The images in Georg Gerster's "The Sites of Ancient Greece" achieve an Olympian perspective even the gods can envy.

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  When Opposites Attract

  Meghan Cox Gurdon reviews the latest in children's literature—from a marvelous book on linguistic nuance for the very young to a small boy's day of adventure at the beach.

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  How the Solar System Was Won

  Kim Stanley Robinson's novel "2312" imagines new real estate in space: Mars, Venus and 19,000 bubble-encased asteroids stocked with extinct animals. Tom Shippey reviews.

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  Fathoming the Ocean's Future

  Our oceans are changing faster than at any time in human history, argues Callum Roberts, a British professor of marine conservation. G. Bruce Knecht reviews "The Ocean of Life."

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  Embraceable Who?

  The story of the famous kissing-couple photo taken in Times Square moments after victory over Japan was announced in Aug. 14, 1945. Eric Felten reviews "The Kissing Sailor."

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  In the Fast Lane

  Carroll Shelby's authorized biography tells of how a Sports Illustrated "driver of the year" became the designer behind the Cobra and other muscle cars.

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  Five Best: Paul French

  The author of "Midnight in Peking" on books about the misadventures of expatriates—from the real-life denizens of Kenya's Happy Valley to Graham Greene characters in Haiti.

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  The Civilians' Finest Hour

  "Freedom's Forge" tells the story of how U.S. business leaders were mobilized to build ships, tanks and weapons faster and better than the enemy, to win World War II.

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  Tobias Grey: The Father of Tabloid Journalism

  Nineteenth-century newspaperman W.T. Stead gave birth to modern sensationalist journalism but was later a front-runner for the Nobel Peace Prize. Tobias Grey reviews "Muckraker."

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  A Hood Made in Hollywood

  Extortion, prostitution, loan-sharking and narcotics were said to be among the business pursuits of this 5-foot-5 villain. Tom Nolan reviews "Mickey Cohen."

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  Deadly Disengagement

  When Czech democracy needed defending, America was inattentive. The U.S. point man in Prague spent much of his time in New York.

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  No, Prime Minister

  In "Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die," Andro Linklater describes the events that led to the assassination of the man who led Britain during the most dangerous days of the Napoleonic war. Jeffrey Collins reviews.

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  All Natural, Or Not Quite

  Bringing together research from the fields of anthropology and biology, "Breasts" explores the importance of the life-giving organ.