News - Literary News

News - Literary News

PERFECT TUNES by Emily Gould was named one of Refinery29’s best books of 2020. Kristin Iversen writes: “Gould's writing is warm, funny, and familiar, though there are moments that are so devastatingly observed that reading them sent sharp prickles of recognition up my skin…PERFECT TUNES feels like a love letter to all the women who have come to terms with the fact that the great adventure of their lives is not some static thing, but rather is something they'll have to work on and toward, in ways they'd never imagined.” Avid Reader Press published the book on April 14, 2020.

THE UNDYING by Anne Boyer was featured prominently in The New York Review. Nellie Hermann writes: “[Boyer’s] book may be classified as a memoir, but it is really a manifesto, declaring that the telling of a single story is in fact a lie, an act that elides the full sinister horror of the system of cancer. THE UNDYING is slippery and elusive in its very form, and you come away feeling that the book itself encapsulates the frustration with the inadequacies of our existing modes for tackling anything of this size. Though there is a quest here, Boyer’s seems to be not for meaning but instead for a narrative that reveals the chaos all of our narratives are a part of.” Farrar, Straus, & Giroux published THE UNDYING on September 17, 2019.

Tom Shone and filmmaker Christopher Nolan sat for a joint interview with the LA Times to discuss the recently published THE NOLAN VARIATIONS. Shone spoke about the process of exploring Nolan’s “enigmatic vision,” noting: “My fear was that if we sat in a room and talked about the films, I’d come to an understanding of them and then some of the magic would be gone…But I was discovering things right up to the end.” Tom Shone was also interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, and THE NOLAN VARIATIONS was named one of their “20 books to escape into in November.” Knopf published the book on November 3, 2020.

Investigative reporter Becky Cooper’s true crime debut, WE KEEP THE DEAD CLOSE, continues to rack up praise in the weeks leading up to its publication. The book received a starred review in BookPage, and a Q&A with Cooper will be featured in the magazine’s November print and online issues. Boston Globe Magazine featured an exclusive excerpt from the book. It has also been named a Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Book of 2020, has been nominated for a Nonfiction Goodreads Choice Award, and has been called a must-read by PopSugar, PureWow, WAMC, and countless other outlets. Grand Central Publishing will publish the book on November 10, 2020.

Deadline announced that Adam Sandler will play the leading role in Netflix’s adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař’s debut novel, SPACEMAN OF BOHEMIA. Director Johan Renck of HBO’s Emmy-winning series Chernobyl is attached to direct. Little, Brown and Company published the book on March 7, 2017.

Elle Magazine named MINOR FEELINGS by Cathy Park Hong as one of the Best Books of 2020 (So Far). They rave: “You may be tempted to rush through the seven essays in Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings; her prose, at turns accusatory, complicit, and castigating, is so urgent, there’s a fear the book will catch fire if you put it down for a moment. But MINOR FEELINGS begs to be read and re-read, highlighted and underlined and margianalia-ed for decades to come.” One World published the book on February 25, 2020.

Elle Magazine named Elliot Ackerman’s RED DRESS IN BLACK AND WHITE as one of the Best Books of 2020 (So Far). They write: “At once suspenseful and delicate, RED DRESS IN BLACK AND WHITE deftly depicts love in a brutal time.” Knopf published the book on May 26, 2020.

Elle Magazine named Kate Zambreno’s debut novel DRIFTS as one of the Best Books of 2020 (So Far). They rave: “DRIFTS makes discursive detours into loneliness, female friendship, writer’s block, and professional jealousy…It’s perfect for this isolated, indeterminate time.” Riverhead Books published the book on May 19, 2020.

Electric Literature featured Xiaolu Guo in an interview about A LOVER'S DISCOURSE, where they praise her as "a master at exploring both the humor and the poignancy of mistranslation." Additionally, The Minneapolis Star Review gave the book a glowing review, calling it "[a] cerebral love story and a powerful portrait of our volatile political moment." Grove Press published the book on October 13, 2020.

Teen Vogue has run an exclusive excerpt of Ed Lin’s debut YA novel, DAVID TUNG CAN’T HAVE A GIRLFRIEND UNTIL HE GETS INTO AN IVY LEAGUE COLLEGE. They write: “Ed Lin’s book is an exploration of much more than dating. Through humor, the book explores identity, traditions, social expectations, and stereotypes through the lens of a suburban New Jersey high school student.” Kaya Press published the book on October 28, 2020.