Expat Tennesseean in NYC. Bylines: New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Review of Books, Publishers Weekly, Chapter 16, On The Seawall, Harvard Review.
'Tis the season for books! Here's my "something for everyone" basket of 41 titles for TIME--thanks to editors Lucy Feldman and Mahita Gajanan: time.com/article/2026...
The Best New Books to Read This SummerThis season’s new fiction and nonfiction illuminate our manic world while offering riveting escapestime.comIn which I review Teddy Wayne's erotic thriller, "The Au Pair," for @bostonglobe.com. Thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for her terrific edits. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/24/a...
Nobody comes out unscathed in Teddy Wayne’s latest novel, ‘The Au Pair’ - The Boston GlobeNovels about writers are often terrible, but we keep writing and reading them. There’s even a common subcategory: the Middle-Aged White Male Author afflicted with ennui and creative block, forever one...www.bostonglobe.comHappy Juneteenth and Father's Day weekend! Here's my review of "Dad Brain" for @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
‘Dad Brain’ Review: Inside a Father’s HeadHow parenting affects the male brain is still poorly understood.www.wsj.comAward-winning critic Isaac Butler revisits the culture wars of the 1980s and '90s in "The Perfect Moment," out next Tuesday from @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for her edits: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/17/a...
This country has always had culture wars, but 1988 was the year everything broke open - The Boston GlobeIn the life of a nation there are watershed years that forever shape its citizens. Consider 1988: an unease percolated as the United States geared up to close out the Reagan presidency just four years...www.bostonglobe.comSet in the High Sierra before and during the California Gold Rush, Josh Weil's gorgeous new novel, "What Came West," offers a fresh twist on Manifest Destiny. Out today from @doubledaybooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/b...
Go West, Young Neurodivergent Manwww.nytimes.comBibliophiles, start your engines! Here's @bostonglobe.com's stellar summer reading guide, with offerings from literary fiction to topical nonfiction to beach reads. Many thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity to contribute. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/27/a...
Your summer reading guide featuring 75 books to keep you reading all season long - The Boston GlobeOur annual summer reading guide, just for you.www.bostonglobe.comI had big fun with Ann Patchett's new novel, "Whistler," out next week from @harperbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for Chapter 16: chapter16.org/chance-encou...
Chance EncounterWhile museums are among New York’s crown jewels, I revere one above all others: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which seemingly goes on forever, entire wings…chapter16.orgAli Smith's "Glyph" is another banger and her finest novel since the Seasonal Quartet. Out next week from @pantheonbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/13/a...
Author Ali Smith mulls writing and language in ‘Glyph’ - The Boston GlobeIn her feisty, graceful “Glyph,” Ali Smith mulls writing and language among other themes: it’s her best work since the lauded Seasonal Trilogy.www.bostonglobe.comThanks, @literaryhub.bsky.social! bookmarks.reviews/5-reviews-yo...
5 Reviews You Need to Read This Weekbookmarks.reviewsBooker laureate Douglas Stuart returns with "John of John," out 5/5 from @groveatlantic.bsky.social, his finest novel yet. Here's my rave review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks for @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/28/a...
A portrait of the artist in the Hebrides - The Boston GlobeDouglas Stuart's novel "John of John" recounts 22-year old John-Calum (“Cal”) Macleod’s return, after four years at an arts college near Edinburgh, to his childhood home in Falabay, tucked amid the He...www.bostonglobe.comThree cheers for independent bookstores and @bookshop.org, which made @time.com's list of ten most influential social good companies in 2026. Congrats to @andyhunter777.bsky.social and his team! time.com/article/2026...
The 10 Most Influential Social Good Companies of 2026Presenting the inaugural TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders list of the world's most influential social good businesses of the yeartime.com@praddenkeefe.bsky.social's "London Calling" is a masterclass in narrative craft, raising provocative questions about a writer's role in telling a story. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/04/a...
Patrick Radden Keefe spins another tantalizing tale, but is he trying too hard to play detective? - The Boston GlobeIn the early morning of November 29, 2019, a security camera at MI6 headquarters captured a figure leaping from a fifth-floor balcony across the Thames River, close to Vauxhall Bridge. Hours later the...www.bostonglobe.comHappy April, bibliophiles! Here's my "something for everyone" basket of new books, compliments of TIME: time.com/article/2026...
The 12 New Books You Should Read in AprilFrom 'Yesteryear' to 'Transcription,' these are the can't-miss books coming out this monthtime.comJoin me, @amandaleekoe, @shteyngart, and @sam__sussman at the #worldvoicesfestival for “Crafting the City,” a @PENworldvoices conversation on May 2nd @ 3:30 PM, Festival Stage, Washington Square South. I guarantee a lively discussion! worldvoices.pen.org/event/crafti...
This spring @penamerica.bsky.social is hosting its World Voices festival in NYC and Los Angeles. I'm thrilled to be moderating "Crafting the City" on 5/2. Join us! worldvoices.pen.org/event/crafti...
Crafting the City - PEN World Voices FestivalCities live in our imaginations as sites of possibility. Self-transformation, unexpected encounters, and unforeseen opportunities are all within reach. In the novels of Amanda Lee Koe (Sister Snake), ...worldvoices.pen.orgThe Love Boat has an evil twin! Set on a cruise ship in the aftermath of 9/11, Jung Yun's "All the World Can Hold" probes American escapism amid political strife. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/a...
In Jung Yun’s new novel, a ship of fools that look a lot like us - The Boston GlobeJung Yun captures post-9/11 grief and resolve in her witty, wrenching “All the World Can Hold,” both a rollicking yarn and a shrewd send-up of American culture. She opens her novel on Sunday, Septembe...www.bostonglobe.comCease and desist y'all's doom-scrolling and pick up a book! March into spring with my "something for everyone" basket of ten new titles, courtesy of Time Magazine: time.com/7381423/best...
10 New Books You Should Read in MarchFrom Christina Applegate's memoir to Tara Menon's "Under Water"time.com