We take the weekend to highlight some of the recent books coverage in The Times:

A tour of the Book Review:

Emily Bazelon’s “Charged” is an indictment of prosecutorial excess, arguing that lawyers bear much of the responsibility for over-incarceration, conviction of the innocent and other serious problems of the criminal justice system. Bazelon is a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, and she talks about “Charged” on this week’s episode of the Book Review podcast.

Ruth Reichl’s latest memoir, “Save Me the Plums,” is about the former New York Times restaurant critic’s time as editor in chief of Gourmet magazine. Our review calls it a “poignant and hilarious account of what it took to bring the dusty food bible back to life with artistic and literary flair.” Reichl also appears on this week’s podcast.

In By the Book, Julia Alvarez talks about her prolific reading habits: “I even have a stack of journals/nonfiction that I read when I’m brushing my teeth. (My dentist marvels at how healthy my gums look.)”

Reviews from the staff critics

Sally Rooney’s “Normal People” is her second novel, following the widely acclaimed “Conversations With Friends.” As Dwight Garner writes of the new novel’s two main characters: “They are never quite boyfriend and girlfriend in the conventional sense. They merely break each other’s hearts over and over again.”