In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Greg Kearney’s novel An Evening with Birdy O’Day is the most moving book I have read all year, a heartbreaking and clever portrayal of two gay men over a 60 year period of their lives. Zoe Whittall wrote of the book: “An Evening with Birdy O’Day is like a modern-day Wharton novel crossed with a Kids in ..read more

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Craig Willse’s novel Providence is an intense and compelling debut. Publishers Weekly wrote of the book: “Willse debuts with a consuming psychological thriller that turns familiar tropes of dark academia and fatal attraction on their heads….The result is a memorable, steamy, and accomplished queer thri ..read more

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Caroline Leavitt once again proves herself one of our most evocative storytellers in her new novel Days of Wonder. The New York Times wrote of the book: “Leavitt is clearly in her element here… [her] graceful prose… heralds the power of steady perseverance, sturdy faith and the raw restorative power of ..read more

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Uche Okonkwo’s collection A Kind of Madness is filled with nuanced and moving stories of modern Nigeria. Publisher’s Weekly wrote of the book: “Okonkwo has a Chekhovian eye for the tangle of internal motivations and assumptions that steer her characters. . . .Readers will be eager for more of Okonkwo’s ..read more

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Jeff Alessandrelli’s And Yet is one of the year’s most innovatively told novels. Patrick Cottrell wrote of the book: “And Yet asks, What might be gained or lost from living one’s life via text instead of directly participating in the world? Through aphorism, anecdote, observation, and narrative, Alessa ..read more

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Jorrell Watkins’s poetry collection PlayHouse is as moving a debut as I have read in years. John Murillo wrote of the book: “Though Jorrell Watkins’s Play/House is anything but formulaic, it is difficult to describe without reverting to the usual formulas: It is, in fact, a ‘stunning debut.’ It is ‘wid ..read more

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Christine Ma’s debut The Band is the first great American K-pop novel. Booklist wrote of the book: “Ma-Kellams takes readers on a gripping exploration of the complexities that accompany fame…This darkly humorous novel examines the more sinister aspects of celebrity and the profound impact it can have o ..read more

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Danielle Dutton’s collection Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other is modern creative nonfiction at its best, a collection of original and inventive pieces that defy literary categorization. Kirkus wrote of the book: “A shimmering and perplexing work that challenges the constraints of traditional prose… Highbro ..read more

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. The titular character inVictor Lodato’s novel Honey is as delightfully complex and interesting as any you will come across this year. The New York Times wrote of the book: “On every page Lodato’s prose sings with a robust, openhearted wit, making Edgar & Lucy a delight to read…Lodato keeps us in hi ..read more

He lives in Belfast, goes for long walks in the rain, and sings in the post rock band, Ebbing House. In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. John Patrick Higgins’s Teeth captures the journey of his own teeth, from good to bad to great, in one of the year’s funniest books. Guillermo Stitch wrote of the book: “I’ve been reading work by John Pa ..read more