This logic still holds up for me regarding the Post. Also, you can write letters criticizing specific decisions. Don’t punish the journalists for the owner’s bad decisions.

You could also use comps, just saying.

(I like blurbs. They’re great tools. But I think it’s good to see some sanity about not requiring them or certain numbers if them.)

countercraft.substack.com/p/a-luminous...

This sounds amazing. Would love to read it!

I will always be so happy David Lynch had such artistic freedom with Twin Peaks: The Return. He showed us what a truly liberated and joyful artist’s work looks like. RIP to an artistic hero.

Resolving to read more nonfiction in 2025.

Challenger by Adam Higginbotham (Avid Reader Press) lived up to the hype. #Booksky

I adore island stories, and WHALE FALL by Elizabeth O’Connor (Pantheon) is a memorable one. On an island off the coast of Wales in the 1930s, a traditional way of life is fading away. When two English ethnographers visit, a bright young woman’s life is changed forever. #LibFaves24

REJECTION by Tony Tulathimutte (William Morrow) is a shocking, hilarious, acid satire of contemporary culture that really jolted me out of my comfort zone. Has cringe comedy ever been so smart? Nasty but dazzling.
#LibFaves24

OUR EVENINGS by Alan Hollinghurst (Random House) tells the story of a gay biracial English boy who gets a scholarship to attend a ritzy school where he mixes with the wealthy (for better and for worse) and becomes a successful actor. This one haunts more for what it doesn’t say. #LibFaves24

At the start of ORDINARY HUMAN FAILINGS by Megan Nolan (Little Brown), a London family have seemingly hit rock bottom. Then a tabloid gets the scent of a juicy scandal. This could easily have been played for lurid entertainment but Nolan finds the humanity and even optimism. #LibFaves24

I really enjoyed Gillian Linden’ debut novel NEGATIVE SPACE (Norton) about a harried teacher and parent who witnesses a hint of an inappropriate relationship and tries to do the right thing. Wise and comic, it pairs well with TV’s The English Teacher. #LibFaves24

I love a good science book about nature because life on Earth is just so dang fascinating. THE LIGHT EATERS by Zoë Schlanger (Harper) inspires that sense of wonder I wish I'd experienced more in school. Luckily it's never too late with great books like this being published. #LibFaves24

JAMES by Percival Everett (Doubleday) surprised me. I hadn't read Huck Finn in decades and I was delighted to discover how much affection I still had for the characters, and Everett handled them with such care and intelligence.

This is the gold standard for retellings. #LibFaves24

I have loved Maurice Vellekoop's work since his underground comix days in the 90s, and I was thoroughly moved by I'M SO GLAD WE HAD THIS TIME TOGETHER (Pantheon), a tender "it gets better" memoir that doesn't evade the struggles along the way. No one draws men with more love or style. #LibFaves24

THE CEMETERY OF UNTOLD STORIES (Algonquin) was such an innovative approach to blending narratives together with this story of a “cemetery” where unfinished manuscripts go to rest. Julia Alvarez continues to inspire. #LibFaves24

I’m sharing 10 of my fave reads of the year alphabetically, starting with my #1 favorite:

THE ANTHROPOLOGISTS by Ayşegül Savaş.

This quiet portrait of a young marriage captivated me with its beauty. (I had to buy my own copy after checking it out from the library.) #LibFaves24