July 23, 2024, 04:33
If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that July has been a pretty busy month. A lot has happened, sometimes suddenly and surprisingly, and the idea of focusing instead on what I’d like to read next seems like a good one. With that in mind, I’d like to recommend a few new books that came out today. There are still some things that may surprise you, but hopefully in a good way.
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On the one hand, you’ll find a collaboration that few saw coming: a novel by none other than the team of Keanu Reeves and China Miéville, adapting Reeves’ story. BRZRKR Comics. This is one of those collaborations that, oddly enough, also makes sense when you think about it. You’ll also find highly anticipated and innovative new fiction from established authors including Sarah Manguso, Simon Rich, and Michael J. Seidlinger, as well as powerful debuts from writers like C. Michelle Lindley and Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, whose cover graces the image for this post.
And, in nonfiction, you’ll find a conversation between Noam Chomsky and Vijay Prashad about Cuba; a new exploration of the life of Mary McLeod Bethune by Noliwe Rooks and edited by Henry Louis Gates; a history of the first influential feminist band, the Bluestockings; a harrowing study of how QAnon has torn families apart; and more.
There’s a lot to discover, some funny, some scary, all worth reading. May your reading list grow!
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C. Michelle Lindley, The nude
(Atria Books)
“As stunning, intricate, and carefully crafted as the sculpture our art historian protagonist hopes to acquire, I was stunned and completely enchanted by Lindley’s depiction of a woman’s inner journey from object to subject… Lindley’s lush, lyrical writing The nude “It describes the gray areas of cultural appropriation, ethics, and sexuality so fluidly that I had to remind myself to breathe while reading.”
–Ling Ling Huang
Sarah Manguso, Liars
(Hogarth Press)
“A triumph and a revelation… Despite its title, this may be the most honest novel about marriage I have ever read. Sarah Manguso’s writing is furious, elegant, bitter, tender, frightening, and deeply funny. I loved this book.”
–Claire Dederer
Keanu Reeves, China Miéville, The Book of Elsewhere
(Of the King)
“A violent, philosophical thriller about an immortal soldier reflecting on the nature of his existence, The Book of Elsewhere has an elegance that might surprise you for a pulp thriller….the presence (of Miéville) as a narrative collaborator with Keanu Reeves…makes it immediately more interesting, even for those who are not already fans of the (BRZRKR) comic.”
–Polygon
Shalom Auslander, Feh
(River tip)
“The novelist Auslander (Mom for dinner) delivers a harrowing study… of the religious guilt he endured growing up in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Rockland County, New York. Named after the Yiddish word for disgust, the book centers on Auslander’s attempts to shake the belief, instilled in him since childhood, that human beings are “totally, irredeemably feh”… The result is an often brutal, sometimes rewarding journey out of the darkness.
–Weekly Editors
Noliwe Rooks, Henry Louis Gates (editor), A Passionate Mind in a Relentless Quest: The Vision of Mary McLeod Bethune
(Penguin Press)
“In the capable hands of Noliwe Rooks, this remarkable life story of a pivotal figure in American history becomes something more: a riveting personal meditation on racial justice, political power, and the longing for home.”
–Paul Tough
Noam Chomsky, Vijay Prashad, Cuba: Reflections on 70 Years of Revolution and Struggle
(New Press)
“An essay on the history of relations between Cuba and the United States. During a visit to Havana, Prashad received a book from the famous Cuban singer Silvio Rodriguez to give to Prashad’s friend and fellow academic Chomsky. The gift sparked a conversation between Prashad and Chomsky, co-authors of Withdrawalwhich they transcribed and edited to create this book… A powerful, left-wing history of the U.S. government’s long-running vendetta against Cuba.
–Kirkus Reviews
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, Catalina
(One world)
“Undocumented Americans Author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s debut novel follows the title character, a charming and cunning undocumented Ivy League student, as she prepares for life after college… With Catherine, Villavicencio draws on her own experiences as an undocumented immigrant and Harvard graduate to create a fierce yet vulnerable character.
–Time
Juliette Grames, The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia
(Button)
“Grames shines in this riveting tale of secrets buried in a remote southern Italian village… She excels at capturing the experiences of living as an outsider in a tight-knit community… and she manages to keep the reader guessing about the truth about who was murdered and why. This is a literary mystery of the highest order.”
–Weekly Editors
Simon Rich, Glory Days: Stories
(Little Brown)
“The tribulations of an aging Super Mario, the media battle between David and Goliath and the workplace woes of the foul-mouthed Tooth Fairy are among the latest creations of comedian Rich… His sequel New teeth It’s fun and smart.
–Kirkus Reviews
Susannah Gibson, The Bluestockings: A History of the Early Feminist Movement
(Norton)
“Brilliant, sincere, quietly unconventional, the Bluestockings were the unsung pioneers of early British feminism. Their networks empowered women while their salons, with their emphasis on conversation and civility, stood in stark contrast to the misogynistic, alcoholic male culture of the 18th century. Blending narrative, history and delightful anecdotes, Susannah Gibson’s book provides a sparkling window into this extraordinary society of committed, energetic and highly witty women.”
–Janet Todd
Jesselyn Cook, The Silent Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family
(Crown Publishing Group)
“Captivating from the first page, The silent damage “I was blown away. With empathetic storytelling and exquisite detail, Jesselyn Cook takes readers into the darkest corners of the internet to document how misinformation is dismantling family bonds and disintegrating the fabric of society. Gracefully written and meticulously researched, this is an essential book for our times.”
-Toluse Olorunnipa
Ricky Ian Gordon, Seeing Through: A Chronicle of Sex, Drugs, and Opera
(FSG)
“The immensely talented Ricky Ian Gordon has written a sometimes hilarious, poignant and above all revealing memoir of the mind and process of a serious composer of classical and contemporary musical theatre.”
–James Lapine
Mr. M. Anderson, Notch
(Pantheon)
“A miracle worker, MT Anderson exhumed the bones of the holy legend and brought them back to life. Notch is a far-fetched farce based on the real-life robbery of St. Nicholas’s corpse. Both comical and acerbic, Anderson’s confession of devotion to the insoluble mysteries of faith and love had me laughing out loud and crying, almost simultaneously.
–Gregory Maguire
Kang Hwagil, Another person (trans. Clare Richards)
(Pushkin Press)
“Dark Academia as I like it… smart and suspenseful.”
–Hanna Bervoets
Claire Pollard, Modern Fairies
(Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster)
“A work of historical fiction that is unconventional to say the least, this tale of the voluble and voracious royal court of Louis XIV of France makes for an often hilarious and always bawdy read.”
–The millions
Mikita Brottman, Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida
(Atria / A signal)
“This story has it all: adultery, obsession, murder, revenge, betrayal, but Brottman doesn’t settle for the superficial. Rather than a detective novel, Guilty Creatures is a compelling psychological dual portrait of what happens when two people are forever bound together by a life-changing secret.
–Becky Cooper
James Tejani, A Machine to Move Ocean and Land: The Creation of the Port of Los Angeles and America
(Norton)
“Weaving together the many threads of Indigenous, environmental, maritime, political, and economic history, James Tejani shows how a local story became a story of national and global proportions. With shifting perspectives and deep dives, Tejani explores the unlikely rise of the Port of Los Angeles in the 19th century as a crucial, if relatively unknown, chapter in America’s rise to global power. Well-researched and finely crafted.”
–Steven Hahn
Paul Cooper, Fall of Civilizations: Stories of Rise and Fall
(Hanover Square Press)
“A sweeping survey of civilizations in which ‘the social fabric disintegrated, cities stood empty, and buildings fell into disuse and decay’… based on his hit podcast of the same name… Cooper offers few surprises in his treatments of ancient Sumeria, Assyria, Han China, and Rome, but even history buffs will glean plenty of interesting historical tidbits as he moves through Khmer, Mayan, and Vijayanagara India.”
–Kirkus Reviews
Michael J. Seidlinger, Body Harvest
(Clash Books)
“Michael J. Seidlinger is a perverse wizard of transgressive craftsmanship, and Body harvesting is it his phlegm Fight club. A story of viral codependency that begins like Terrence Malick’s Badlands with a touch of biohazard before taking a Cronenbergian turn down David Lynch Lane. This book will leave you bedridden and waiting for your next dose of Seidlinger.
–Brian McAuley