NYT Books

The author of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series shares a handful of titles that have helped shape his sense of humor.

When not guiding students in a compassionate approach to patient care, he led a tiny publishing imprint that put out a much-rejected debut novel that won a surprise Pulitzer Prize.

Such as: A shrewd move by George Washington. Why Gauguin wore a 10-gallon hat. And the benefits of breathing through your nose

An Oxford professor and renowned critic, he was pugnacious, fearless and disdainful of the received wisdom of his intellectual milieu.

Her picture books found models of perseverance and imagination in figures like Emily Dickinson, Georgia O’Keeffe and Benny Goodman.

The novelist and musician is a voracious reader of books in translation. In “This Year,” he annotates the literary lyrics to 365 of his own songs.

Her books, many of which were best sellers, often described empty marriages, love affairs (with tasteful sex) and heroic clergymen.

The writer and YouTube star on trying to get back to the experiences that make us feel alive.

In “Baldwin: A Love Story,” Nicholas Boggs focuses on the writer’s romantic relationships. In this episode he explains their importance to Baldwin’s life and work.

A prolific journalist and author, he wrote the only authorized biography of Alfred Hitchcock and heaped early praise on the future Nobel laureate Harold Pinter.