8 IRON FLAME (Red Tower Books, $29.99). By Rebecca Yarros. The Empyrean series continues as second-year students face new challenges at Basgiath War College. 9 PLAYGROUND (W.W. Norton, $29.99).

In his book “American Oasis,” Kyle Paoletta explores the region’s environmental and cultural struggles and what they mean for the rest of the nation. Perle Mesta’s affable personality and ...

Becca Rothfeld is the nonfiction book critic for The Washington Post and the author of “All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess.” ...