This week! Books!
It’s troubling times for literary magazines, and Leah Asmelash surveys the sobering landscape, which includes the shuttering of The Believer, the Alaska Quarterly Review, and (likely) the Sycamore Review. Lincoln Michel wrote about why lit mags are important and has some suggestions for improving them.
Author Zora Neale Hurston was a trailblazer in many ways, and she also had political beliefs that may trouble some modern readers. Lauren Michele Jackson writes about Hurston’s complicated legacy.
In agent advice news, Kristen Nelson has advice if you’re in the enviable position of receiving multiple offers from agents, and Angie Hodapp has some good advice on how to zero in on comps. (Remember, it’s about the market, not about your themes).
Do you have a morning writing routine? Alexis M. Collazo advocates for having one.
Michael Luo has a fascinating interview with Pachinko author Min Jin Lee about her experience immigrating to the U.S., religion, her meticulous research process for her novels, and affirmative action.
And in an utter masterpiece of cultural anthropology, Allison P. Davis tells us that a vibe shift is coming.
This week in bestsellers
Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):
Adult print and e-book fiction:
- Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb
- It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
- City of the Dead by Jonathan Kellerman
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Adult print and e-book nonfiction:
- Red-Handed by Peter Schweizer
- The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
- The 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones, Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman and Jake Silverstein
- Educated by Tara Westover
Young adult hardcover:
- Anatomy by Dana Schwartz
- One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
- This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Middle grade hardcover:
- Little Leaders by Vashti Harrison
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- Little Legends by Vashti Harrison
- Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
- Refugee by Alan Gratz
This week on the blog
In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:
Don’t forget that you can nominate your first page and query for a free critique on the blog:
And keep up with the discussion in all the places!
And finally, I really enjoyed this fascinating interview with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
Have a great weekend!
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