Lili Anolik, Hilton Als, David Ulin, Evelyn McDonnell, Cory Leadbeater and Steffie Nelson share thoughts about author Joan Didion for what would have been her 91st birthday.

Need a last-minute holiday gift? Try one of these recent releases. The staff of The New York Times Book Review choose the year’s top fiction and nonfiction. Our critic A.O. Scott breaks down a scene ...