TODAY: In 1854, the fictional character Sherlock Holmes’ is born. (Although, nowhere in Sir Conan Doyle’s works is it mentioned explicitly, the detective’s birthday is celebrated by fans all over the world today).
- Much remains uncertain about the year ahead, but at least we know the books will be great! Here are 228 of our most anticipated. | Lit Hub
- “Which came first: the idea or the notebooks?” Danielle McLaughlin on the process of writing her latest novel. | Lit Hub
- “Exploited groups were taught that working hard without complaint was virtuous, and that desiring free time was morally suspect.” Devon Price examines the “Laziness Lie” at the heart of the American myth. | Lit Hub
- Why don’t advertisers target queer women? Koa Beck considers economic insecurity, buying power, and visibility. | Lit Hub
- When a fish stick isn’t just a fish stick: Slavenka Drakulic on capitalism’s impact on food quality in post-communist countries. | Lit Hub
- A new Andy Weir space thriller, the latest in Martha Wells’ Murderbot series, and an epic West African fantasy all feature among the most anticipated sci-fi and fantasy books of 2021. | Book Marks
- Frog and Toad, Rebecca, Beloved, and more rapid-fire book recs from Jenn Shapland. | Book Marks
- Olivia Rutigliano highlights 10 classic crime novels now entering the public domain. | CrimeReads
- New York Times best-selling author Eric Jerome Dickey, whose novels chronicled “the more tender realities of Black life,” has died at 59. | Essence
- “In Slimani’s hands, language works to shock the reader.” Considering the taboo in the work of Leïla Slimani. | Public Books
- Nearly a year on, Lila Shapiro goes deep on the American Dirt debacle, and what it says about the publishing industry. | Vulture
- “How often in my life have I wanted to crest on the edge of pure sensation, seeking out the shape of something so big it could obliterate me?” Larissa Pham on running. | Granta
- Arash Ganji, who translated a book praising Syrian Kurdish militias into Farsi, has received a five-year prison sentence in Iran for his work. | Voice of America
- Read an excerpt of National Book Award winner Charles Yu’s latest short story. | EW
- “Writing and publishing a book is to lay some part of oneself bare, in such a way as to be utterly defenseless, and allow oneself to be judged by someone with nothing at risk.” Karl Ove Knausgaard on editors and writers. | The Paris Review
Also on Lit Hub: How to build an antiracist workshop • Lore Segal grapples with the perennial question, “Where do you get your ideas?” • Read from Robert Jones, Jr.’s debut novel The Prophets.
