National Book Critics Circle
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Honoring outstanding writing and fostering a national conversation about reading, criticism, and literature since 1974. bookcritics.org
NBCC member Clea Simon reviewed Daniel Mason’s "Country People" for The Arts Fuse: buff.ly/zZVakdn
Book Review: A Turn Toward the Slight by Daniel Mason - The Arts Fuse
Daniel Mason's latest novel trades the ambition of "North Woods" for a lighter, self-satisfied satire of intellectual life.
artsfuse.org
NBCC member Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon wrote about Michelle de Krester's "Theory and Practice" paired with Rosalind Brown's "Practice" for the spring/summer issue of Salmagundi: buff.ly/uF6UFMf
The Air Felt Different From Theory To Practice - Salmagundi Magazine
When I was a junior in high school, I visited my older brother at University of Chicago, where he was a first-year math major. Every aspect of his college life appealed to me: the Goth...
salmagundi.skidmore.edu
NBCC member Daniel Mendelsohn wrote a review-essay of Christopher Nolan’s "The Odyssey" for The New York Review of Books: buff.ly/qWhfsiR
Artful Weaving | Daniel Mendelsohn
The most authentic thing about Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is its densely braided narrative, but its tormented hero sounds like the heroes of Christopher Nolan movies.
nybooks.com
NBCC member Britta Stromeyer reviewed "My Dreadful Body," written by Egana Djabbarova and translated from the Russian by Lisa C. Hayden, for The Common: buff.ly/XOno8TG
Egana Djabbarova’s My Dreadful Body: Exploring the Wounded Self and Belonging in Azerbaijani Diaspora Literature
BRITTA STROMEYER <br> [She] braids personal ache into a collective anthem, forcing readers to confront the weight of unhealed personal and shared wounds. Her prose demands a new definition of beauty,…
thecommononline.org
NBCC member Sullivan Summer interviewed writer, editor, and educator Maria Pinto about her book, "Fearless, Sleepless, Deathless: What Fungi Taught Me about Nourishment, Poison, Ecology, Hidden Histories, Zombies, and Black Survival," on the Additions to the Archive podcast: buff.ly/xZFskJp
Maria Pinto, "Fearless, Sleepless, Deathless: What Fungi Taught Me about Nourishment, Poison, Ecology, Hidden Histories, Zombies, and Black Survival" (UNC Press, 2026) - New Books Network
Support Kritika | Support H-Net | Buy Books Here | Join the NBN and NBN en Español on Patreon | Visit New Books Network en Español!
newbooksnetwork.com
In honor of the upcoming 25th birthday of NBCC member Elizabeth Rosner's debut novel, "The Speed of Light," Reasonable Books in Lafayette, California, is putting together a special celebration that includes a citywide reading of the book this summer: buff.ly/mTXNO1D
The Speed of Light
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Three unforgettable souls must overcome the tragedies of the past to reconnect with one another and the world around them in this "haunting tale of timeless secrets and timely…
bookshop.org
NBCC member Linda Hitchcock reviewed Danielle Postel-Vinay’s "Murder Most Delicious":
“Murder Most Delicious” Serves Up a Charming Parisian Mystery | BookTrib.
Daniel Postel-Vinay is a devout Francophile who frequently visits France with her French husband. Murder Most Delicious is both a cozy mystery and love letter to beautiful Paris, the City of Light.…
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Former NBCC board member Anita Felicelli interviewed Julian Brave NoiseCat about "We Survive the Night" for Alta:
Why Julian Brave NoiseCat Built a Book Around Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Julian Brave NoiseCat’s We Survived the Night braids history, mythology, and family into one of the most original Indigenous memoirs in recent memory.
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NBCC member Cory Oldweiler wrote about Valeria Luiselli’s "Beginning Middle End" for The Boston Globe:
In Valeria Luiselli’s ‘Beginning Middle End,’ a mother and daughter move through life’s uncertainties - The Boston Globe
Luiselli's latest work can certainly be appreciated independently, but is very closely tied to “Lost Children Archive,” continuing the story of that novel’s narrator and her daughter, who are spending...
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NBCC member Susan Shapiro wrote an essay for Newsweek that was inspired by Belle Burden’s bestselling memoir "Strangers": buff.ly/ewivvex :
I let my husband control our finances. Then I discovered something shocking
I thought I was being taken care of. Then I uncovered monthly payments from my husband's checkbook that made no sense.
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NBCC member Ian MacAllen interviewed Danielle Callegari about her new book, "A Bite-Sized History of Italy," for Appetito:
Danielle Callegari on A Bite-Sized History of Italy and Italian Food History - Appetito
The Dartmouth professor discusses why cuisine became Italy's strongest cultural identity, from ancient Rome to modern Italian-American cooking.
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NBCC member Nicole Schrag's journal article on British filmmaker Ken Loach's North-East trilogy was also recently published in the Journal of British Cinema and Television:
Community and Creative Survival: Artists in Ken Loach’s North-East Trilogy | Journal of British Cinema and Television
Ken Loach has long been celebrated as a political filmmaker with a keen eye for situating the everyday realities of poverty within the social and economic structures that perpetuate them. His three…
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NBCC member Lori O’Dea reviewed Olivia Laing’s "The Silver Book" for The Gay & Lesbian Review:
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NBCC member Sullivan Summer interviewed Amanda Johnston, founder of Torch Literary Arts, on the Additions to the Archive podcast:
In Praise: A Conversation with Texas Poet Laureate & Founder of Torch Literary Arts, Amanda Johnston - New Books Network
Also Hosted By Sullivan Summer
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NBCC member Brian Tanguay reviewed "American Alt" by Chris Lockhart for the California Review of Books:
American Alt: A True Story of Madness and Friendship in a Fractured Country by Chris Lockhart
Bloomsbury Review by Brian Tanguay At various points in this remarkable account of friendship and mental illness, I had to remind myself that I was reading nonfiction. So vivid is the narrative that…
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NBCC member Karl Wolff reviewed "Paradise Pawn" by Meg Richardson for The Driftless Area Review:
Espresso Shots: Paradise Pawn, by Meg Richardson
Have you heard the one about the two middle-school girls who set up an embezzlement scheme in a Florida pawn shop?
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NBCC member Bill Henderson’s latest book, "A Small Good Thing: Sketches From a Literary Life," will be published by Pushcart Press on Oct. 20.
NBCC member Nicole Schrag reviewed Dixie Dillon Lane's "Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream" for The Wall Street Journal:
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NBCC member Joan Frank reviewed Michael Klein's "Happiness Ruined Everything" for The Arts Fuse:
Book Review: Chronicling a Life of Devotion and Disquiet - The Arts Fuse
Michael Klein’s new collection weaves brushes with artistic giants into candid meditations on addiction, desire, and survival.
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NBCC member DW McKinney interviewed graphic novelist Maureen Burdock about her graphic memoir "Sleepless Planet: A Graphic Guide to Healing from Insomnia" for Mutha Magazine:
“Sleep is the Greatest Healer”: An Interview with Maureen Burdock
<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental health issue that has many “...
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NBCC member Meg Lemke compiled the Fall 2026 Comics & Graphic Novels Preview for Publishers Weekly:
Fall 2026 Comics & Graphic Novels Preview
Our editors highlight the season’s most exciting trends and buzziest titles for adult, middle grade, YA, and manga readers.
pw-ne.ws
NBCC member Eric Olson profiled author Chris Lockhart for The Seattle Times, about his book American Alt and right-wing conspiracies in the Pacific Northwest:
WA’s mental health system, right-wing conspiracies examined in new book
Chris Lockhart's “American Alt” catalogs the story of an Afghanistan war veteran with undiagnosed dissociative identity disorder and schizophrenia.
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NBCC member Linda Hitchcock reviewed Alexandra Andrews’ "The Fine Heart of Lying" for BookTrib:
“The Fine Art of Lying” Is a Sophisticated Thriller of Art and Deception | BookTrib.
Alexandra Andrews’ much-lauded 2021 debut novel Who is Maud Dixon, published in twenty-eight languages, continues to impress. Acid-honed superb writing and a surprising plot have justified the skyscraper-high...
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NBCC member Alana Pockros reviewed Rachel Aviv’s "You Won’t Get Free of It" for The New Republic:
How Motherhood Changed Rachel Aviv’s Writing
After becoming a parent, Aviv revisited some of her old stories, finding newly revealing details and asking follow-up questions.
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NBCC member Robert Rubsam reviewed Amitav Ghosh's "Ghost-Eye" for The Atlantic: buff.ly/wRvNhhE
The Crisis That Novelists Can’t Handle
Amitav Ghosh believes that climate change requires rethinking the novel. His new work of fiction fails that standard.
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NBCC member David Starkey reviewed "Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old" by Mary Beard for the California Review of Books:
Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old by Mary Beard
Chicago Review by David Starkey If you thought the Greek and Roman classics were stuffy but serious and timeless guides to the Good, the Beautiful, and the Wise, Mary Beard is here to tell you tha…
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NBCC member Sullivan Summer launched "Black Lit Crit," a weekly newsletter featuring work by critics who identify as part of the Black/African diaspora. Culled from over 100 sources each week, the site includes a directory of Black critics whose work is linked on the site:
Black Lit Crit | Sullivan Summer | Substack
The best in Black literary criticism, delivered weekly. Click to read Black Lit Crit, by Sullivan Summer, a Substack publication. Launched a month ago.
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NBCC member Joan Silverman’s newsletter, Away From It All, promises a bit of respite from the news and information that assault us daily. The latest issue features essays by Steven Church, Naomi Cohn, and Adam Farrer. For more information, visit awayfromitall.substack.com
Away From It All: Essays From Near + Far | Joan Silverman | Substack
Essays by leading writers on any and everything, but the news. ©. Click to read Away From It All: Essays From Near + Far, by Joan Silverman, a Substack publication.
awayfromitall.substack.com
Former NBCC President Tom Beer wrote about graphic novels in his column for a special Graphic Lit Issue of Kirkus Reviews:
Celebrating the Power of Visual Storytelling | Kirkus Reviews
Our annual Graphic Lit Issue pays tribute to the genius of the late Marjane Satrapi and spotlights new work by Shaun Tan and others.
t.co
NBCC member Betsy Groban interviewed Charity Herndon, the owner of a Jane Austen-themed bookstore in Bordentown, New Jersey, for Publishers Weekly:
Jane in Jersey: N.J. Bookstore Opens for Austen Fans
Austen’s Shelf and Literary Boutique, a Jane Austen–themed bookshop owned by YA author Charity Herndon, opened to great fanfare last week in Bordentown, N.J.
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