“Plenty of Los Angeles and Orange County punk bands disprove the characterizations made in Kids of the Black Hole, about punks’ storied boredom, pettiness, tunnel vision, and lack of ambition. Many punks embraced the sixties, loved hippie music, and even bore a striking resemblance to bands of that era.” Grace Krilanovich takes a look at histories of Californian punk.

• Bryan Charles looks back at the publication of his first novel, the fine Grab on to Me Tightly as if I Knew the Way.

• Haley Tanner recommends a trio of books to the Barnes & Noble Review.

• Mike Powell takes a look at a trifecta of recent works from Will Oldham.

• At The Poetry Foundation, Emily Gould revisits The Bell Jar.

• Nathan Larson provides a soundtrack to The Dewey Decimal System (ranging from The Stooges to Arvo Part) and writes a bit about the book’s genesis.