Interested in reading some of the indie and small press books coming out in 2014, but don’t know where to start? Michael Seidlinger put together a great Cheat Sheet of titles to get excited about this year. Think of it as a complement to our Great 2014 Book Preview.
The Great 2014 Indie Press Cheat Sheet
Talking Covers with Jonathen Lethem
Sean Manning (of Talking Covers) hosted a discussion with Jonathan Lethem last week at LA’s Last Bookstore. You can check out video and audio of the event over here, and the post also features an exclusive glimpse at the cover art for Lethem’s forthcoming novel Dissident Gardens. (Bonus: a look at Dissident Gardens in our Great 2013 Book Preview.)
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Dating Woody
Diane Keaton writes in her upcoming memoir, Then Again, that "Going out with Woody Allen was like being in a Woody Allen movie."
Portraits of BEA
Brandon Stanton, the man behind the candid portrait blog Humans of New York, takes on BookExpo America in The Humans of BEA, A Photo-Essay.
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Literary Arts Literally
Why read a book when you can carve it? Taiwanese artist Long-Bin Chen made a sculpture garden entirely out of carved books for The College of Charleston. Also have a look at Guy Laramee’s slightly smaller but equally amazing book sculptures.
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Following the Refugees
Foreign Policy tracks refugees on their journey from Syria to Germany and illustrates their trip in a nonfiction comic.
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A Bag of Burritos
Jonathan Safran Foer has recruited Jonathan Franzen to write one of Chipotle’s illustrated essays on their paper cups and take-out bags (which we've written about before). As Franzen explains it, “Chipotle store credit was a decisive factor. Chipotle is my go-to fast food restaurant. I also admire its wish to be a good corporate citizen.”
Your Adventure is Chosen For You
Last week, popular science fiction author John Scalzi wrote a contentious (but necessary) blog post that likened the lives of straight white males to “the easiest difficulty setting” in the “videogame” known as life. While comments on the original post had to be closed due to uproar, the piece was reposted to Kotaku where the discussion rages on.
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Tonight on 4th Avenue: Victor LaValle and Robert Lopez
Tonight at the Pacific Standard Fiction Series in Brooklyn, Victor LaValle, author of Big Machine (which, according to Edan boasts "one of the best voices to come out of literature in the last…oh, ever, probably"), will be reading with Robert Lopez, author of Kamby Bolongo Mean River. As usual, I'll be hosting; it would be great to see you there. For more information, see Time Out New York.
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