Best Books of 2016 – John’s Picks
2016 was a bountiful year for readers. Picking 5 books, 10, or 20 books to single out is an imposing task. No matter how much one reads, there are a thousand potential “best books”...
Category: Blog
November 2016: Books to Read and Review
This month’s book stack is somewhat indicative of a post-Fall-frontlist blues — aside from Zadie Smith’s Swing Time and Michael Chabon’s Moonglow, there’s not a whole lot of showstopping major works on the (immediate) horizon. I kind of...
October 2016: Books to Read and Review
This month I took a turn through the 2016 Man Booker Prize shortlist, with reviews on Run Spot Run of Graeme Macrae Burnet’s fantastic His Bloody Project and David Szalay’s All That Man Is. The prize...
September 2016: Books to Read and Review
Mid-September marks the start of a packed fall season of major book releases. Many great writers like Ian McEwan, Jonathan Lethem, Zadie Smith, and Michael Chabon have books coming out this autumn; those of...
July 2016: Books to Read and Review
A few exciting new additions as my stack of books to read and review has evolved this summer. From the top: The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Hogarth) A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler (Farrar,...
June 2016: Books to Read and Review
My stack has changed substantially since last month, with four new books joining Jenni Fagan’s still-unread The Sunlight Pilgrims. Here’s the current breakdown, as of mid-June: The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan (Hogarth) Borders by Roy Jacobsen...
May 1: Books to Read and Review
After devoting much of April to Don DeLillo’s Zero K, my books-to-read-and-review stack has grown into quite a tower. Here’s where we’re at as of May 1. The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota...
Play a game, make a list, draw a dog, tell a story, take a step. (from Zero K by Don DeLillo)
Will some of these children be able to venture into adulthood, become grown-ups in outlook and attitude, able to buy a hat, cross a street. I looked at the girl who could not take...
“Think of being alone and frozen in the crypt…” (from Zero K by Don DeLillo)
“Think of being alone and frozen in the crypt, the capsule. Will new technologies allow the brain to function at the level of identity? This is what you may have to confront. The conscious...
