Brilliant, Brainy Books to Take to the Beach This Summer 2015

World-Class Minds Pick Their Favorites to Pack With Your Sunscreen–From a Grisly True-Life Murder Investigation to the Life of Willie Nelson

Summer is a time of familiar comforts: the scent of sunscreen and the feeling of sand between toes, the taste of Bomb Pops and the sight of long, late, orange sunsets. But with the multiplexes filled with sequels, reboots, and retreads, and the beginning of a long election season crowded with familiar names, don’t you think something original is in order? In the spirit of getting out of our comfort zones this summer and taking a crack at something new, we asked recent Zócalo guests for the fresh and forthcoming …

At the Last Bookstore

At the last bookstore, Anne Frank still smiles
on the shelf,
marked down to sell.

No one is buying tonight.

Down
the
road

beyond the miles
of cinder block walls
hiding
suburban backyards

The 10 Best Books We Read This Year

Zócalo Anoints These 2014 Nonfiction Titles Instant Classics

Why bother reading new books when there are too many great classics for one person to finish in a lifetime? Because people keep writing new classics. Zócalo’s top 10 nonfiction …

L.A.’s Libraries Are Lookers

Even If You’re Not a Bibliophile, You Might Just Fall for the Mid-Century Modern Architecture, Card Catalogue Art, Stunning Murals, and Art Deco Details

by Jennifer Chen

When I was a kid, I read so voraciously my mom found it hard to keep up with my demand for new books. Her solution: Drop me off …

When Spray Cans Meet Quill Pens

What Do You Get When You Introduce L.A.-Area Graffiti Artists to 400-Year-Old Books?

When Johnny Cash covered Nine Inch Nails, he revealed the beautiful dissonance of kindred spirits from two different worlds interpreting a single piece of art. “Scratch,” a new exhibition opening …

Our Epic 2014 Summer Reading List

Zócalo Writers and Speakers Pick Their Favorite Nonfiction Books to Savor Through September

Every day, Zócalo hosts writers and speakers from around the world in order to bring you the smartest, most thoughtful humanities journalism and events out of L.A. And we don’t …