News - Book Reviews

News - Book Reviews

October 31, 2021

Laura Kipnis' forthcoming LOVE IN THE TIME OF CONTAGION received a glowing review from Kirkus. They call the essay collection “witty…[p]rovocative and darkly humorous,” adding: “Fearless and sharply observed, this book suggests that future post-pandemic challenges will have less to do with its biological legacy to humanity and more to do with the impact of a virus on interpersonal closeness.” Pantheon will publish the book on February 8, 2022.

October 8, 2021

In conjunction with the recent publication of his debut memoir, SLONIM WOODS 9, Daniel Barban Levin sat for interviews with Salon and NYLON to discuss the process of writing the book and the necessity of telling one’s own story. Salon calls the memoir “an intense tale of coercion, humiliation, gaslighting and physical torment. It's also one of hard-won survival, and creating a life after the unimaginable.” Meanwhile, NYLON raves: "[A] disturbing, extremely vulnerable and extraordinary account of what happened to Levin and the emotional and psychological fallout.” Crown published the book on September 7, 2021.

September 24, 2021

BONE and THE TERRIBLE author Yrsa Daley-Ward’s THE HOW received a glowing review from Publishers Weekly. They call the book “a tender, hopeful meditation,” raving: “Daley-Ward excels at describing the indescribable. This work defies genre and features a beautiful blend of lyrical prose and bold poetry.” Penguin Books will publish THE HOW on November 2, 2021.

September 24, 2021

Investigative journalists Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel’s OUT OF OFFICE received an incredible starred review from Publishers Weekly. They call the book an “insightful and timely survey,” adding: “Never sacrificing meaningful analysis for easy answers, this is a remarkable examination of the rapidly-changing workplace.” The book also received an excellent blurb from Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better: “OUT OF OFFICE isn't just a book about remote work. It's a book that helps us imagine a future where our lives—at the office and home—are happier, more productive, and genuinely meaningful. As companies and employees imagine their post-pandemic futures, Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen have provided an essential framework for rethinking how we work.” Knopf will publish the book on December 7, 2021.

September 16, 2021

Jennifer Marie Brissett’s upcoming novel DESTROYER OF LIGHT appeared on Book Riot’s list of the “20 Must-Read Space Fantasy Books.” TOR will publish the book October 12, 2021.

THE ONES WHO DON'T SAY THEY LOVE YOU by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
September 9, 2021

THE ONES WHO DON'T SAY THEY LOVE YOU by Maurice Carlos Ruffin was lauded in a review in the Los Angeles Times. The reviewer writes:
“ While Ruffin’s stories can’t help but transport the reader to humid, sunken, decaying New Orleans, it’s too easy to say this book is merely a set of love songs to the city. What makes such collections ring true is the way they subvert conventional knowledge. For too long, tourism has been a shorthand for worldliness. While mass and social media offer a superficially cosmopolitan perspective on global culture, writers like Ruffin reveal that travel is often less about cultural immersion than blithe escapism . . . Time and again, Ruffin constructs a life’s history in the space of a page or two. His skill as a writer and his birthright as a New Orleanian equip him for the task. Masquerading is a way of life in the city, even outside Carnival season.” One World published the stories August 17, 2021.

VIRTUE by Hermione Hoby
August 27, 2021

Author of NEON IN DAYLIGHT Hermione Hoby’s second novel, VIRTUE, has received a wonderful review in the Times Literary Supplement. Calling the book “skillful” and “sharp,” the reviewer raves, “The chance to describe the specific beauty and badness of the world at a particular time keeps this story vital.” VIRTUE was also featured in the New York Times’ “At Home” newsletter as a recommended read. Riverhead published the novel on July 20, 2021.

REPRIEVE by James Han Mattson
August 20, 2021

James Han Mattson’s REPRIEVE has received a starred review from Booklist! The reviewer calls Mattson’s novel “a brilliant hybrid, a thought-provoking look at marginalization and systemic oppression expertly nestled inside a high-anxiety tale about the horror industry itself…This is a rare treat of a novel that will be devoured by fans of pulp horror titles like The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz (2019) and by those who like the juxtaposition of supernatural and real-world horrors found in the works of Victor LaValle.” William Morrow will publish REPRIEVE on October 5, 2021.

APPLESEED by Matt Bell
August 20, 2021

The Wall Street Journal praises Matt Bell’s APPLESEED. “You can take Mr. Bell’s book as warning or vision of hope, as myth or blueprint for the future,” writes the reviewer. “Either way, it’s everything sci-fi should be." This follows months of early buzz and outstanding reviews for the novel. APPLESEED was an IndieNext Pick and an Amazon BOTM. Esquire ran the first serial excerpt on 7/6/21. Finally, a glowing review was published in The New York Times Book Review: “Bell has achieved something special here. ‘Appleseed,’ a highly welcome addition to the growing canon of first-rate contemporary climate fiction, feels timely, prescient and true. Custom House published the book on July 13, 2021.

CASCADE by Craig Davidson
August 20, 2021

Publishers Weekly has awarded a starred review to Craig Davidson’s second short story collection CASCADE: “Throughout, the author displays deep empathy and conveys emotional resonance. The result is a blissful, wholly satisfying assemblage of cinematic stories, sure to please Davidson’s fans and attract newcomers.” W.W. Norton will publish the book on October 26, 2021.