As book reviews vanish and culture coverage shrinks, readers of the daring, the obscure, and the experimental find it increasingly hard to find books that both seek to “make it new” and succeed in the task. One potential answer for readers in this bind might be to follow the Novel Prize, a recently launched initiative from three independent publishers.
In our morning reading: thoughts on Shabazz Palaces’ new album, Porochista Khakpour on writing residencies, and more.
In our weekend reading: thoughts on Rita Bullwinkel’s new novel, inside the “striver gothic” genre, and more.
In our afternoon reading: an excerpt from Ursula Villarreal-Moura’s new novel, an interview with Ben Tanzer, and more.
Was this edition of our monthly book preview column delayed by the earthquake? It wasn’t not delayed by the earthquake, if you know what we mean. We’re pretty excited about what this month has in store when it comes to books, including several new works by writers we’ve published in these very (virtual) pages. Read on for some suggestions for your spring reading.
In our morning reading: an excerpt from a cult classic by Juan Donoso, an interview with Petra Haden and Mike Watt, and more.
In our afternoon reading: new writing by Gary Shteyngart, fallout from the SPD shutdown, and more.
Chapter 14
One year later.
I’m still waiting to hear if our marriage is approved.
The way it works is the marriage certificate is ratified by the family “librarian” who is essentially the hand of Hans Arto. And through various conversations on the phone for the past 12 months, I’ve gathered she is sort of like a wicked stepmother figure.