
In our weekend reading: thoughts on Independent Bookstore Day, an interview with John Pistelli, and more.
Weekend Bites: Talia Lavin on AI, Revisiting Gemma Files, Screamo Death Cab, and More

In our weekend reading: new writing from Talia Lavin, screamo Death Cab for Cutie, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Freda Epum on Memoirs, Bob Johnson’s Fiction, Sara Gran’s Playlist, and More

In our afternoon reading: an interview with Freda Epum, the makings of a great audiobook, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Naomi Kanakia on James Fenimore Cooper, Rose City Band Returns, Mike Mignola’s Latest, and Moreand More

In our afternoon reading: new writing by Naomi Kanakia, revisiting Paul Schrader’s filmography, and more.
Revisiting the Comedy of Manners: On “The Default World”

Jhanvi, the protagonist of Naomi Kanakia’s novel The Default World, refers to an ongoing project of hers as a “marriage plot” a few times over the course of the book. This is an eminently accurate description of what Jhanvi is up to: she’s in the process of trying to marry a tech-bro friend of hers so that his health insurance will cover her gender-affirming care. But it’s also a nod on Kanakia’s part to the territory she’s entered with this book. On the one hand, it’s a spot-on satire of a certain segment of the tech world; on the other hand, it’s a book that’s in the grand tradition of, say, Edith Wharton’s The Custom of the Country.
Morning Bites: Naomi Kanakia Interviewed, Revisiting Picasso, Internet Fiction, and More

In our morning reading: an interview with Naomi Kanakia, books about the internet, and more.