News in February 2021
News in February 2021
Ms. Magazine features Jamie Figueroa's BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER on its list of “Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of US 2021,” calling the book "a unique and haunting debut." Catapult will publish the book on March 2, 2021.
Dawnie Walton’s THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV continues to receive glowing praise ahead of its release. In a starred review, Booklist calls the novel “[a] cinematic, stereophonic, and boldly imagined story of race, gender, and agency in art.” Kirkus calls the book "[a]n intelligently executed love letter to Black female empowerment and the world of rock music." BookPage notes that “Walton’s going to be big, no question” on its “Writers to Watch: 10 Women on the Rise,” and Ms. Magazine features the book on its “Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of US 2021.” 37 Ink published the book on March 30, 2021.
BookPage's 2021 preview names Maggie Nelson's forthcoming ON FREEDOM on their list of most anticipated nonfiction, writing: "Likely to be heady and brilliant, this work will serve as a touchstone for thoughtful readers to return to again and again in tumultuous times." Graywolf Press will publish the book on September 7, 2021.
Brian Castleberry’s NINE SHINY OBJECTS has been longlisted for the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. They call the book a "luminous debut," and quote author Jenny Offill, who writes: “In this extraordinary novel, Castleberry brilliantly hopscotches from person to person, from era to era, while somehow making all this fancy footwork look effortless and essential.” Custom House published the book on June 30, 2020.
CLOUDMAKER by Malcolm Brooks received a starred review from Library Journal. They write: “With a nod to Ivan Doig’s straightforward folksy style, this impressive second novel after PAINTED HORSES tells an earnest, heartfelt family story with laugh-out-loud humor, deep-seated family conflicts, and distressing coming-of-age crises. Enthusiastically recommended.” Grove Press will publish the book on March 9, 2021.
THE BLOSSOM AND THE FIREFLY by Sherri L. Smith is a finalist for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award for Young Adult Fiction. Smith’s novel is among the five books chosen by a panel of well-regarded authors from the thousand titles submitted to the award. G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers published the book on February 18, 2020.
An excerpt from THE MUTANT PROJECT by Eben Kirksey published in Sapiens Anthropology Magazine. St. Martin’s Press published the book on October 10, 2020.
Alex McElroy’s THE ATMOSPHERIANS continues to receive wonderful praise in advance of its May publication. Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of IN THE DISTANCE Hernan Diaz calls the book “[r]arefied, unstable, charged,” and “[a] sophisticated farce about alienation [that] takes our absurd age seriously –which is to say it laughs, darkly, in its face.” Meanwhile, WHY VISIT AMERICA AND HYBRID CREATURES author Matt Baker deems McElroy’s work “[a]n astonishing vision. Every page contains a new wonder, another breathtaking surprise. This novel satisfies a hunger you might have never even realized was there.” Atria Books will publish the novel on May 18, 2021.
Daniel Loedel’s debut novel, HADES, ARGENTINA, is featured in the New Yorker’s Briefly Noted section for its February 8 issue. The magazine praises the way in which “this haunting historical novel…weaves betrayal and sacrifice together so intricately that one cannot be disentangled from the other.” Riverhead Books published the book on January 12, 2021.
Jen Silverman’s WE PLAY OURSELVES is featured on the New York Times Book Review’s shortlist. Reviewer Ginny Hogan writes: “WE PLAY OURSELVES offers a delightful, satirical glimpse into the entertainment industry and the price of fame…Silverman balances wit with earnestness, the laugh-out-loud moments highlighting the absurdity of writing — whether plays, films or poetry, the genre she skewers most adroitly in a pitch-perfect parody of an overhyped ingénue.” The novel is also featured on February must-read lists for O, the Oprah Magazine and The Millions, and Book Riot selected it as the Capricorn pick for its “February 2021 Horoscope Book Recommendations.” Random House will publish the book on February 9, 2021.
Georgia Clark’s delightful new rom-com, IT HAD TO BE YOU, has received three more glowing endorsements. #1 New York Times bestselling author of 28 SUMMERS Elin Hilderbrand raves: “IT HAD TO BE YOU is the book-equivalent of a perfect first date. It’s instantly engaging, fun, inclusive, big-hearted and most importantly, it’s smart. Georgia Clark is a fierce talent and her storytelling powers are on full display here. I’m SMITTEN with this novel. Highly highly recommended!” MUSICAL CHAIRS author Amy Poeppel deems the book “delightfully festive…like attending a spirited, joyful wedding,” and I’M FINE AND NEITHER ARE YOU author Camille Pagán calls it “unexpected in the best possible way…[with] a perfectly imperfect cast of characters, just the right mix of humor and heart, and a plot that will have you flipping the pages as fast as you can read.” Emily Bestler Books will the novel on May 4, 2021.
Author and activist Sarah Schulman provided a glowing blurb for Olivia Laing's forthcoming EVERYBODY. She writes: "EVERYBODY is a riveting and fascinating innovative historiography of 20th century Euro-American radical thought. Olivia Laing's eagle eye connects previously dispersed impulses to understand and express with her lucid writing, revealing mostly Jewish, Female, and Black desires for radical social transformation through sexuality, liberation and the body. Brainy, open-hearted and bold." W.W. Norton & Company will publish the book on May 4, 2021.