At Slate, notes on the controversy over Rachel Cusk’s new novel. The Brooklyn Book Bodega has a number of upcoming events. At Shabby Doll House, a chat with Scott McClanahan. The longlist for this year’s Booker Prize has been announced. Looking for some July books in translation recommendations? At Gemini Sessions, an interview with Eric Boyd. The New York Times has a guide to midtown Manhattan bookstores. Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook.
A Technologist’s Nightmare: On Paul Tremblay’s “Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep”
From reading the first fifty or so pages, a reader might be left with two key impressions of Paul Tremblay’s novel Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep. The first is that it represents something of a return to Tremblay’s crime-fiction roots, albeit with a science fiction twist; the second is that, as the title suggests, it’s an homage to Philip K. Dick. Both are true, up to a point, but this book also represents something of a genre-straddling sleight of hand.
Morning Bites: Colin Asher on Johnny Cash, Celebrating William Gass, BASIC’s Latest, and More
In our morning reading: an excerpt from Colin Asher’s new book, thoughts on BASIC’s latest album, and more.
Sunday Stories: “Grace’s Tree”
Grace’s Tree
by Selen Ozturk
Paul asked me to kill a tree. I needed a permit under the Marin County Municipal Ordinance Code §223.24. I shat and ate permits at this point.
Weekend Bites: Valeria Luiselli on Books, Translating Dostoyevsky, Revisiting Ryuichi Sakamoto, and More
In our weekend reading: talking books with Valeria Luiselli, thoughts on Scott McClanahan’s new book, and more.
Morning Bites: Helena Fitzgerald on Solvej Balle, Literary Walking Tours, Revisiting Evan S. Connell, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Solvej Balle’s fiction, a Colson Whitehead-inspired walking tour, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Tricky’s Recommendation, Brooklyn Public Library Prize, AI Book Sales, and More
In our afternoon reading: Tricky on music, revisiting Paul Klee’s art, and more.
Who Gets to Tell Their Story? An Interview About Minor Figures in Famous People’s Lives With Julie Buntin
There are infinite ways for our heroes to disappoint us. In Julie Buntin’s latest novel Famous Men, she explores an issue that too many women face: What happens when the men they look up to take advantage of their admiration?
The novel follows the life of Wilhelmina (Will) Miles, a girl who grows up in the same small Michigan town as celebrity writer Nathaniel Fellow. His many books are the star of her mother’s bookshelf, one of which is signed with a sentimental note that makes Will wonder if he is actually the father she grew up without. So, when she finally moves away from home, she seeks him out in New York City. He promptly hires her as an assistant, seemingly as a favor, and makes an exception to let her audit his MFA classes. It doesn’t take long for his mentorship to morph into a secret relationship that shapes Will’s whole life and career as a writer.