In our afternoon reading: conversations between Melissa Febos and Garth Greenwell and Robin Sloan and Warren Ellis, thoughts on Joanna C. Valente’s new book, and more.
A Year of Favorites: Tobias Carroll
I always get something wrong in these. There’s generally one book that I utterly forget to include, remember two days later, and curse myself for leaving out. And this year, I’m throwing in some thoughts on music, so that should offer even more opportunities for retrospective regret. I’m getting in just under the wire with this one, yes indeed.
Morning Bites: Revisiting “Giovanni’s Room,” Sharon Jones Remembered, Marcy Dermansky Interviewed, and More
In our morning reading: Garth Greenwell revisits a James Baldwin classic, Matthew Salesses interviews Marcy Dermansky, new nonfiction from Kelly Luce, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Mohsin Hamid Interviewed, Colin Dickey Excerpted, Elliott Holt Fiction, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Mohsin Hamid and Constance Ann Fitzgerald, an excerpt from Colin Dickey’s new book, and more.
Morning Bites: D. Foy Interviewed, Joanna C. Valente, Garth Greenwell on David Szalay’s Latest, and More
In our morning reading: interviews with D. Foy and Joanna C. Valente, new writing from Oliver Zarandi, and more.
Morning Bites: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Comics, National Book Awards Fiction Longlist, Robert Lopez Fiction, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates, fiction from Robert Lopez, and much more.
Morning Bites: Drew Magary Interviewed, Garth Greenwell on “Christodora,” Masha Hamilton Nonfiction, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Drew Magary, Garth Greenwell on Tim Murphy’s new novel, nonfiction from Masha Hamilton and Sarah Rose Etter, and more.
Mid-Year 2016: The Year’s Best Fiction (So Far)
Putting together this list of standout fiction published so far this year wasn’t an easy task, mostly because it could just as easily have been twice as long. It’s been a very good year for fiction, whether your tastes head more towards classical storytelling, or narrative innovation, or incisive societal observations. What follows is a list of some of the books published in the first half of 2016 that have impressed us the most.