Rutger Bregman sat down for a virtual lunch with Simon Kuper of the Financial Times. Kuper writes: “[Bregman’s] new book, HUMANKIND, displays his gift for synthesizing libraries full of academic research into spellbinding reads.” NPR also interviewed Bregman for their Weekend Edition Saturday program. During the discussion, Bregman weighs in on the timing of his book release, saying, “More than 700 case studies that show that, especially in times of crisis, we show our best selves . . . This happens again and again after natural disasters, after earthquakes and after floodings. And I think that, if you zoom out a little bit during this pandemic, you see the same phenomenon.” Little, Brown and Company published the book on June 2, 2020.

The New York Times praised “Beastie Boys Story" as one of the best films of 2020. Additionally, The New Yorker published an interview with Adam Horovitz as part of their “The New Yorker Interview” series, noting “one of [the documentary's] most moving moments comes when Horovitz recalls what turned out to be their final performance together as a band, in 2009, right before Yauch’s diagnosis. It’s a rare moment of candor from someone who’s kept a relatively low profile in his post-Beastie Boys life." Diamond and Horovitz’ memoir BEASTIE BOYS BOOK, which served as inspiration for the documentary, was published by Random House on October 30, 2018.

THE MUTANT PROJECT by Eben Kirksey is a Publishers Marketplace “Buzz Book” for Fall 2020. St. Martin’s Press will publish the book on October 20, 2020.

Kate Zambreno’s DRIFTS published this past month to enthusiastic review. The Boston Globe calls DRIFTS “a book that has the intimacy of a private notebook fused with the intellectual rigor of a brilliant mind,” while the Rumpus lauds it as an “abundantly productive and imaginative work.” Kate Zambreno also discussed her novel during an Instagram live interview with Rhian Sasseen of the Paris Review. Riverhead Books published the book on May 19, 2020.

HUSH by Dylan Farrow received a positive review in the School Library Journal. They write: “The themes of quarantine and deadly disease in the context of current events are poignant; Farrow deftly demonstrates the power of language and education in the hands of the elite as a means for controlling others through propaganda.” St. Martin’s Publishing Group will publish the book on October 6, 2020.

Jennifer Hofman’s debut novel THE STANDARDIZATION OF DEMORALIZATION PROCEDURES has garnered a starred and boxed review from Publishers Weekly. They call it an “enrapturing debut,” adding: “The novel hovers between genres like a subatomic particle between states. All the more impressive, Hofmann’s exceptional debut never loses sight of the desires, mysteries, and small acts of rebellion that persist within dehumanizing systems.” Little, Brown and Company will publish the book on August 11, 2020.

Lauren Ho’s hilarious debut, LAST TANG STANDING, received its second starred review this week, this time from Bookpage. They rave: “[Ho’s] debut novel is a blast [with a] laugh-out-loud protagonist. LAST TANG STANDING is a near-perfect blend of Crazy Rich Asians and Bridget Jones’s Diary, yet it still feels wholly original.” The novel was also included in summer reading lists from Slate and Frolic. Putnam will publish it on June 9, 2020.

GQ named FIGURE IT OUT by Wayne Koestenbaum a best book of the month. They call it “a great entry point into his work and as fun a book of criticism as you’re likely to find,” adding that “few critics are so playful, so irreverent, and so refreshing.” Art in America agrees, writing in their review: “Koestenbaum’s work often seems so unchained, so free, that it feels like it was written joyfully, without a trace of strain.” Soft Skull Press published the book on May 5, 2020.

RULES FOR VISITING by Jessica Francis Kane has been shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, the U.K.’s only literary award for comic literature. The winner will be announced on June 24th. Penguin Press published the book on May 14, 2019.

MINOR FEELINGS by Cathy Park Hong was named by both Time and Elle as one of the best books of 2020 so far. Time raves: “[Hong’s] voice is urgent and raw as she unpacks what it’s like to experience prejudice that doesn’t fit into the exact mold of oppression faced by other minorities in the U.S.” Elle praised it effusively, describing it as a “scorching exploration . . . that cuts to the heart of the Korean-American experience to document the cumulative effect of prejudice on generations of Asian Americans.” One World published the book on February 25, 2020.