- “I knew I’d get this call. I didn’t know if it would be you or the F.B.I.” The wild exposé of best-selling thriller writer Dan Mallory (aka A. J. Finn) that everyone you know is talking about. The year of the grifter is eternal, my friends. | The New Yorker
- “I’m sure but if I didn’t take a chance I’d only ever be able to write novels about mixed-race girls growing up in Willesden.” Zadie Smith on the problem with collective identities. | The Guardian
- “With autism there is often, not metaphorically but literally, a lack of voice”: Why has autism so often been used as little more than a literary device? | The New York Times
- “Just as it is difficult to believe that a parent has gone, taking all those memories and parts of your life with them, so it is difficult to confront the books and papers that seem to embody that life.” On inheriting a lifetime’s collection of books. | Financial Times
- The city of Wellesley has agreed to rescind an order that poet and critic Dan Chiasson remove a large “Impeach Trump” banner from the front of his house. | The Boston Globe
- J.D. Salinger’s son confirmed that some of his father’s previously unseen material will eventually be published. | The Guardian
- Peek inside Morgan Parker’s gorgeous L.A. apartment (but seriously, check out that sectional). | Apartment Therapy
- “Literary realism has this sort of indie-film attitude toward sex. It’s compulsive; nobody’s happy; they enjoy the cigarette way more than the sex.” Marlon James and Victor LaValle in conversation. | Vulture
- On boredom in contemporary literature, from Barthelme to Wallace to Knausgaard to Moshfegh. | iai
- How to read more books, according to Reddit. | Lifehacker
- Iraqi activist and author Alaa Mashzoub, an outspoken critic of foreign interference in Iraq, was shot and killed by unknown assailants. | Idaho Statesman
- A once-rejected George Orwell essay on British food was published by the British Council—the same arts organization that turned it down more than 70 years ago. | ABC News
- From Strega Nona to Where the Wild Things Are to Goodnight Moon: on the gay history of America’s classic children’s books. | T Magazine
- As long as the machines can’t turn pages, we’re safe: a gallery of glimpses of human hands in Google Books scans. | Wired
- Great news for the writers of this newsletter: books are not dead. | Time
Also on Lit Hub:
Marlon James on the difficulty of writing about his mother • Elizabeth McCracken’s unified theory of the doughnut • Suspend any genre snobbery you might have and read these ten works of literary fantasy • Ten thoughts on having your novel translated into your native tongue • “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” A poem by Morgan Parker from her new collection Magical Negro • Katharine Smyth on moving away from Virginia Woolf’s work to understand her own • Yasmin Khan on the joys of Palestinian cuisine • Mapping addiction, from Cocteau to Burroughs • Gabrielle Bellot on Marianne Moore, defiant poet of complexity • “Rejection is not always triumphant or empowering. Growing a tough skin isn’t always fun.” The accidental rejection expert revisits her viral essay • On the increasingly rare art of line editing • Esmé Weijun Wang and R.O. Kwon in conversation •
How far can our outrage go? Wendy Willis on the merits (and pitfalls) of moral rage • Ten contemporary Dickensian novels to slake your thirst for plucky orphans, complex subplots, and goofy, illustrative names • Contemporary workplace culture is toxic… but maybe not fatal? • On the anxiety and vanity of Marcel Proust, debut novelist • What if all writing is just drafts, forever? • A mediocre violinist on playing for “The Composer” • Standing at ground zero for UFO believers: a scientist studies our need to believe in aliens • Natasha Wimmer, translator of The Spirit of Science Fiction, on translating Bolaño (and his obsessions) • What Barry Jenkins missed in the adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk • The 50 best one-star Amazon reviews of The Sound and the FuryBest of Book Marks:
New on CrimeReads:
Sarah Weinman on Nedra Tyre, the crime writer who killed with kindness • Emily Rose Stein looks at the year ahead in crime podcasts • C. J. Tudor rounds up 6 mysteries featuring missing, mistaken, or “changed” children • Lisa Levy rounds up all the best psychological thrillers out this February • Paul French looks at the long history of crime novels set in Chinatowns around the world • Michelle Frances recommends 8 crime books revolving around workplaces • Christina McDonald looks at 8 crime novels featuring mothers ready to do literally anything for their children • Joseph Finder rounds up five classic tales of predators and prey • All the fact crime you need to read this February, featuring magicians, gunslingers, and deadly temptations • Your guide to the secrets and silences at the heart of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s intimate mysteries • Christobel Kent talks feminism and crime writing • Katrin Schumann on how to write about violence and its aftermath with empathy and respect • “Inside all of us, there’s a detective.” Megan Collins rounds up 6 crime books that prove anyone can be a sleuth • Jessica Strawser looks at 8 thrillers powered by innocent bystanders and accidental witnesses • Tom Hunt recommends 10 thrillers featuring ordinary characters in extraordinary situations • Lisa Levy on the quiet brilliance of Justified
