Mackenzie Dawson

Mackenzie Dawson

About the Columnist

Mackenzie Dawson is the books editor at the New York Post, where she writes the weekly Required Reading column of best new releases, and oversees all books coverage. She received a BA from Colby College and an MA in Journalism from NYU. Prior to journalism, she was a publicist in the technology sector.

The Archive

Silence your iPhone, order takeout and dive into the most thrilling new books of the season

When it’s frigid outside, it’s the best time of year to plop down on the couch and pick up a book that will scare the bejesus out of you.

New York train conductor delights commuters with zippy rhymes

He's got meter on the Metro-North.

Best books of 2023: Top 30 must-read titles from the past year

Check out 30 of The Post's favorite books -- fiction and non-fiction -- from 2023.

It may be Banned Books Week, but we think you should read these 17 titles

Be a rebel and pick up these titles.

Here are 28 books to bring to the beach this summer

Ready, set, summer! Time to load up your beach bag with these new novels.

Florida fantasy: Pandemic-inspired novel plays up Miami Beach real estate glamour

Kirshenbaum got the inspiration for the novel when he and his family decamped to Miami during the pandemic.

Here’s how not to be stressed out all the time

The good news, author Elissa Epel emphasizes, is that people have far more control over their stress response than they might think. 

Fox TV host Harris Faulkner on the importance of prayer in her life

"Throughout life’s darkest moments and lowest emotional points, the power of prayer sustains me," Faulkner said.

Best books of 2022: Top 30 must-read titles of the year

From novels to non-fiction and memoirs, here are the books The New York Post loved most in 2022.

3 holiday romance novels that will get you hot this winter

You’ll know a holiday romance novel when you see it — its cover might be graced with candy canes, mittens, skis, fir trees, or anything else that says “winter.”

Secret Service detail recalls his years with Jackie Kennedy

Clint Hill was in the motorcade on the fateful November 1963 day that JFK was assassinated; pictures of him leaping onto the back of the presidential car in an effort...

NYC newcomers, here’s your new guidebook to the city

A new book gives the 411 on moving to New York City, vermin and all.

The challenge of making ‘Sesame Street’ for Russians

“Ulitsa Sezam” went off the air at some point in the mid-2000s, as Vladimir Putin increased control over independent television. 

Relationship advice from the Angry Therapist and his partner

In the end, Bennett and Kim hope that being vulnerable with their own stories—as two real people in a real relationship—will help guide readers onto a healthier relationship path

Jenny Mollen’s book ‘Dictator Lunches’ welcomes back lunchbox season

When Jenny Mollen’s oldest son first started preschool, she was tasked with making lunches every day. The routine of it all soon became tedious. “I would wander to the kitchen...

These are the 28 books you’ll want to read this fall

The 28 fascinating new titles will keep you busy reading this season — from fiction and non-fiction to memoir.

Why youth sports have gotten so out of control

Flanagan cites the change in youth sports as starting in the late 1970s, when a recession and high inflation withdrew public funding for parks and community sports.

New novel celebrates the joy of commuting with strangers

The first rule of commuting, as any veteran commuter will tell you, is you don’t talk to the other commuters.

‘Happiest Baby on the Block’ author Harvey Karp is a rock star to parents

When Harvey Karp walks through airports, he often finds himself being high-fived by men he doesn’t know. The pediatrician is something of a rock star to generations of American parents...

It’s beach read season! Here are the 27 novels you’ll want to pick up this summer

Dive into the 27 buzziest books of summer.