I'm a columnist for Lit Hub whose work has appeared in New York Mag, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Esquire & The New Republic. My book, I Want To Burn This Place Down, publishes in July 2025.
Why yes, I will take my victory lap for Chuck Schumer's book tour being postponed. What I read this week The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami There was no way this book wouldn't feel prescient, but the fact that I chose to read it the week
I'm a real sucker for novels about writing novels What I read this week Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser A novel about what a novel can do and be? Very much my shit. De Kretser's seventh book is set in Melbourne in the 1980s,
The music issue What I read this week Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly We've heard this story before, but it makes my head explode every time: tech bros who don't particularly know very much about
This week I veer into personal essay territory in a book review (sorry!) and I give the finger to Substack. What I read this week A Gorgeous Excitement by Cynthia Weiner I'm embarrassed to tell you exactly how much this novel is my shit. Way back in the
On that one time I saw Donna Tartt wearing a killer pantsuit What I read this week One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad Here is the book on the war in Gaza that I've been waiting for. Omar El Akkad'
Now on Ghost! What I read this week You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip by Kelsey McKinney Only recently I went to a party to celebrate Kelsey's triumphant run as the host of the podcast Normal Gossip. A friend told me
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A brief goodbye to Substack Please forgive how short this newsletter is today. I’m in the process of transferring my Substack account over to Ghost and if all goes according to plan, you won’t notice much of a change. Paid subscribers won’t have to do anything (except
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A book ban isn't a badge of honor; it's a serious violation of fundamental rights by small-minded people who want to be the arbiters of taste and morality for all.
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I'm so, so sorry but I used the word "gaslighting" in this newsletter and I might do it again.
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Happy new year. Who can say what 2025 has in store for us, but I know for sure there will be good books. Allow me to shout about my friends for a bit?
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Churning out a bunch of shit products in order to make a quick buck is not the answer to any of the book world’s problems.