The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
Full disclosure -I suffer from depression. I take medication and participate in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I have tried to manage this depression unmedicated -I have exercised and ate ideally, and…
Books We Need to Read in Trump’s
In light of the inauguration of an American president with a now-indisputable fascist bent, I’ve put together a reading list for a Trump presidency. These books are either lesser-known or…
Blackout, Sarah Hepola, and Addiction Memoir
Sarah Hepola’s memoir Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget is probably the best memoir I read in 2016. It’s not only exceptionally well-written, it’s brutally self-honest and open…
Emma Straub’s Other People We Married
Emma Straub is best known for her novels, but I came to her by way of this short story collection, as is my preference with new-to-me authors that I’ve discovered…
Consider the Lobster. Please Start Here.
The essays in Consider the Lobster span around thirteen years, and offer thought on the adult film industry celebrating itself, the 2000 primary campaign of John McCain, the sad decline…
Steven King’s “Guns,” Jon Ronson’s “The Elephant in the Room,” and Amazon Prime Reading
Amazon is now offering Prime Reading to those of us who have capitulated to a Prime membership. It’s quite the collection of free reading material. This is a different beast…
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
David Foster Wallace is best known for Infinite Jest, but secondarily for his magazine and nonfiction writing. This collection of short stories is neither but is certainly worth the read, especially…
Flooded Anthology Kickstarter
http://kck.st/2dGtO32 Flooded is an awesome anthology project that will feature fiction and creative nonfiction related to brain injuries, and it's currently seeking funding on Kickstarter. I don't promote these kind…
Notes from Underground
Notes from Underground represents my transition from the novellas and stories of the heavy-hitter Russians to their longer and more involved work. The first section of Notes is a rebellion…
Lorrie Moore’s Birds of America
Lorrie Moore is good at writing short stories. This surprises no one, I assume. I had read one or two of her stories in anthologies, but never took the time…