The film adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel Motherless Brooklyn has been in the works for a while. In a 2010 interview, Edward Norton said, “I think I would definitely like to act in it but the directing thing I think we’ll have to wait and see.” Things have changed since then: for the finished film, Norton served as writer, director, and star. Much like the character he once voiced on The Simpsons, Norton is indeed a triple threat.
In our afternoon reading: Brandon Hobson and Kristen Arnett look back at the year, Jonathan Lethem discusses narrators, and more.
In our afternoon reading: a playlist from Jonathan Lethem, a look at pop and melancholy, and more.
In our morning reading: revisiting the works of Lucia Berlin, interviews with Gabino Iglesias and Idra Novey, and more.
In our afternoon reading: essays by Jonathan Lethem and Tommy Pico, an excerpt from Jenny Hval’s newly-translated novel, and more.
In our afternoon reading: a look at the new Beastie Boys retrospective, interviews with Akwaeke Emezi and Steve Reich, and more.
And here we go, deeper into fall. Daylight Savings Time looms this weekend, making for shorter days and longer nights; colder temperatures beckon. Does that make it the right time of the year to curl up with a book? Well, sure–but is there ever not a good time of year for that? Among the books we’re most excited about this month are bold riffs on detective fiction, genre-defying narratives, and works of fiction and nonfiction that put politics and culture into sharp relief. Here are some November books (plus a pair from the final days of October) that have caught our eye.
In our weekend reading: an interview with Jonathan Lethem, Julie Buntin on new books by Nico Walker and Lisa Locascio, and much more.