Out this week: Family Trust by Kathy Wang; Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink; Well-Read Black Girl ed. Glory Edim; The White Darkness by David Grann; I Might Regret This by Abbi Jacobson; and Elevation by Stephen King. For more on these and other new titles, go read our most recent book preview.
Tuesday New Release Day: Wang; Fink; Edim; Grann; Jacobson; King
It’s the reader.
In his review of Ben Marcus‘s The Flame Alphabet for the LARB, Lee Konstantinou suggests that we have now moved well beyond the death of the author: “In an era where everyone has a novel waiting to come out, authors are legion; it’s the reader who seems, well, dead.” When we interviewed Marcus earlier this year he did not seem particularly mournful. We also reviewed the novel.
Double, Double
“If Nietzsche was right that we need our illusions, I’ll go one further and posit that we need our illusionists: to disprove our eyes, investigate our dreams, and sometimes charm the money from our pockets.” Here’s a fantastic essay from The Rumpus on psychics, love spells, and easy exits.
Now That’s Will Power
How dedicated is Robert Caro to his task of identifying and faithfully portraying the character of Lyndon Johnson? So dedicated that he turned down free tickets to see Bryan Cranston’s play about the 36th President of the United States of America.
Against Reason with Margo Jefferson
Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Wink, Washburn, and More
“Life around the pool”
Recommended Reading: Colm Tóibín on a new biography of the artist David Hockney.