Beautiful words about Donald Antrim's new novel My Eliot from @benpester.bsky.social ‘A book of pure colours & laminated realities that crack & change as Antrim perfectly renders how restless it is to live in mourning, how devoted we can be to heartbreak, & how human it is to want to be an animal’

Perhaps best known here for her essays & memoir, Leslie Jamison is also a brilliant fiction writer, as her new novel attests. Pasiphaë & the Minotuar in 1550 BC, modern art in the 1940s, and a mysterious community of women in the 1990s. The Daughters has it all... as well as a fantastic jacket!

Loving this graphic adaptation of Mariana Enriquez’s Things We Lost in the Fire. Illustrated by Lucas Nine. Translated by Megan McDowell. Out in October.

Wonderful to see @lukekennard.bsky.social's praise for Donald Antrim's My Eliot. ‘Perhaps one of the most sorely missed novelists of the last couple of decades for his humanity, intelligence & deceptive lightness of touch...Made me laugh, made me cry, made me wish I had my own enchanted parsnip’

Sarah Baume and Mollie Douthit (their freindship being the subject of Sara's new book, Opening Night) interviewed in the Observer. (And you can see more of Mollie's work here: www.molliedouthit.com) observer.co.uk/culture/book...

Friendship through the looking glass | The Observer

The writer Sara Baume was so enchanted by a painting by Mollie Douthit that she was convinced the artist would be a kindred spirit. What happened when they met?

observer.co.uk

Lunchtime book shopping: Opening Night, the new one from Sara Baume. A nonfiction book (I think) about her friendship with Mollie Douthit.

Sara Baume's Opening Night is a fascinating piece of reportage/memoir/meditation about the life choices of an artist and the messy nature of friendship. I find all her books fascinating, and this was no exception. Review: wordhoarder.wordpress.com/2026/07/09/r...

Review: Opening Night by Sara Baume

(L: US cover (FSG, Dec. 2026) R: UK cover (Granta, July 2026)) There’s a particular genre of books I adore: books about art, making it, living it, pursuing it, struggling to define it in a particul…

wordhoarder.wordpress.com

It's been over 25 years since the last Donald Antrim novel. Thrilled there's a new one on the horizon! 'The most entertaining writer in America. With My Eliot, he has produced his best book yet...I was amazed' Andrew O'Hagan

Loved this. Sara Baume one of our great writers

Rave review for Sara Baume's Opening Night in the Irish Times: ‘A singular work…It’s all written so elegantly and with such respect for the creative process that I found it very moving…[An] extraordinary book, a work that celebrates high art while being a wonderful example of it’

‘[A] clever, moving mosaic of a book...Beguiling…There is much to be gleaned about art – its praxis and the status of being “an artist”’ Spectator Excellent first review – and on publication day! Opening Night by Sara Baume

An illuminating evening. Excellent exchanges between Sara Baume and Emily LaBarge, and a large, engaged and receptive audience. Do read 'Opening Night,' a book that enriches all our lives.

David Collard@davidcollard.bsky.social · last mo.

Off to the LRB bookshop this evening to see Sara Baume in conversation with Emily LaBarge. Sara's new book 'Opening Night' is an account of her friendship with the American artist (and West Cork neighbour) Mollie Douthit. Flawless prose, and a profound meditation on what compels us to make things.

Sara Baume: ‘You realise who you actually want to have around as you age’

Sara Baume: ‘You realise who you actually want to have around as you age’

The author’s new book centres on her friendship with the artist Mollie Douthit, which became central to her life in an unexpected way

irishtimes.com

Fancy a free copy of Flamboyance by Jack Parlett, Catherine Lacey's Biography of X or @andrew-durbin.bsky.social's The Wonderful World That Almost Was (among other titles)? Between 3-6 July, Aesop's Lexington St branch transformed into a 'Queer Library'. Book Pride! shop.aesop.com/fr/en/r/quee...

Hear hear!

TonyInterruptor by Nicola Barker a best book to read in June! 'It’s that rare thing, a serious work of art that is also a giddy confection: a vehicle of pure delight.' www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...

The best books to read in June: new paperbacks from Ian McEwan, Arundhati Roy and Irvine Welsh

Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some great new paperbacks, from a much-awaited memoir to a climate crisis novel from a literary giant

theguardian.com

‘A treat…Brilliantly weird, beautifully written tales that, while surreal, are anchored in such vivid, humane prose they feel all too plausibly everyday’ Sail Away Land by @benpester.bsky.social in Marie Claire's summer read picks. www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainmen...

16 Spirited Summer Reads You Won't Want to Put Down

From buzzy debuts to old favourites, the books to see you through summer.

marieclaire.co.uk

'What differentiates @benpester.bsky.social from other satirical, postmodernist writers…is his interest in the mechanics of these strange situations. Even as he conjures increasingly outlandish scenes, Pester remains rooted in the patterns of our everyday lives' Financial Times Sail Away Land

'Is this honest? Are we all being honest here?' TonyInterruptor by Nicola Barker

We're devastated to hear the news about Marjane Satrapi. She came to our festival in 2008 and was a pure force of nature. Wise, funny, engaging. This is a big loss. (Photo taken by Justin Westover during the festival)

And how wonderful to see the first review on publication day itself...four stars from the Telegraph: 'Spirited and often moving...Erudite...Poignant...After reading it, the world seems a little brighter' 🦚🦚🦚🦚

Jason Arthur@jasonarthur.bsky.social · 2mo ago

This peacock of a book spreads its wings today! Happy publication day, Jack! Flamboyance: The Art of Burning Brightly by Jack Parlett.

And two fabulous paperbacks published today, too! TonyInterruptor by Nicola Barker I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness by Irene Sola

This peacock of a book spreads its wings today! Happy publication day, Jack! Flamboyance: The Art of Burning Brightly by Jack Parlett.

Happy publication day @benpester.bsky.social. Not one but two books out today! Sail Away Land The Expansion Project

Catch Jack at his launch event at @housmansbookshop.bsky.social on Friday. housmans.com/events/

Events from Wednesday May 22, 2019 – Wednesday June 12, 2019 – Housmans Bookshop

housmans.com

Jason Arthur@jasonarthur.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Wonderful launch for Jack Parlett’s fabulous Flamboyance: The Art of Burning Brightly last night at @gaystheword.bsky.social.

Wonderful launch for Jack Parlett’s fabulous Flamboyance: The Art of Burning Brightly last night at @gaystheword.bsky.social.

Loving the new paperback cover for Mariana Enriquez's Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave (translated by Megan McDowell). Chapeau to designer Luke Bird & illustrator Pablo Gerardo Camacho.