It’s December, apparently. Are we reading? We’re still reading. What are we reading? Books. Which books? Maybe some of these. The end of the year traditionally brings a very intriguing assortment of titles, and this year is no exception. Looking for strange, genre-defying work? We’ve got that, sure. Seeking sharply-written nonfiction? We’ve got that covered as well. Here are some December books that have caught our eye.
In our afternoon reading: new nonfiction by Jami Attenberg, a review of Amber Sparks’s new collection, and more.
In our afternoon reading: reviews of novels by Pola Oloixarac and Cody Goodfellow, an interview with De’Shawn Charles Winslow, and more.
In our afternoon reading: a review of Cody Goodfellow’s new novel, delving into the discography of Team Dresch, and more.
Cody Goodfellow’s sprawling novel Unamerica is a heady, indescribable work of fiction. It’s literally a cult novel: Unamerica focuses on the conflict between two warring factions within a massive underground city located on the border between the United States and Mexico. It’s a surreal place abounding with strange subcultures, corporate overlords, and weird drugs. And, despite this novel’s size, it never lags: visions, violence, and a pervasive sense of danger are constants across the narrative. I talked with Goodfellow about the novel’s genesis and its overlap with the current state of American politics.
What does the month of June have in store for us? When it comes to books, plenty. A few debut novels we’ve been excited about since they were first announced, some new works by longtime Vol.1 Brooklyn favorites, and some works in translation that promise to expand our horizons. Here’s a look at some of the books that have us most intrigued for the month to come.
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Laila Lalami and Ben Okri, a review of Juliet Escoria’s new book, and more.
Repo Shark by Cody Goodfellow Broken River Books; 300 p. Cody Goodfellow’s Repo Shark kicks off with a man making an entire hotel nervous. This bizarre opening is followed by a fight with a Hawaiian prostitute, a healthy dose of Michael Bay-worthy destruction, an episode of autofellatio with an unfortunate teeth-related mishap, accent-slathered conversations with a few strange characters, a briefcase full of weed and coke, and enough cursing to satisfy fans of Martin Scorsese’s F-bomb wiseguy masterpiece Goodfellas. Then […]