AltWeeklies Wire
Wilmington's John Jeremiah Sullivan Roughs it in Pulpheadnew
The wide-ranging subjects in Pulphead are unified into a coherent book by Sullivan's fine prose and lively voice, which can be scholarly, snarky, lyrical or harsh as suits the occasion.
In his new novel, Nightwoods, Charles Frazier returns to the Appalachians for inspirationnew
Frazier has a natural dramatic instinct, and Nightwoods is a shrewd piece of writing—shrewder still for its I-see-what-you-did-there literary and cultural references.
Interrogating Donald Rumsfeldnew
Published by McSweeney's, Donald imagines what would happen if the former defense secretary were abducted to a detainment center much like Guantanamo or Bagram and subjected to "enhanced interrogation."
Tags: Donald Rumsfeld, Eric Martin
Algonquin Books' 25th edition of New Stories From the Southnew
Are guest editor Amy Hempel and series editor Kathy Pories pointing us to a change in Southern literature?
Tags: Amy Hempel
Clyde Edgerton's Modesty Sells 'The Bible Salesman'new
Like Henry, his protagonist, Edgerton wants to sell you a story, and if you give him a few pages' worth of your time, you have little chance of resisting him.
Geraldine Brooks' Thrilling Yarn of Biblical Scholarshipnew
Her historical fiction, inspired by a recent real-life discovery, makes a speculative journey with the embattled Haggadah all the way back to its imagined creation in medieval Spain.
Dispirit of the Seasonnew
Michael Knight's slim volume The Holiday Season might make a good stocking stuffer for family members in need of escape and commiseration after the shrapnel of present-opening has settled, the eggnog has curdled and cabin fever has set in.
Jeanne M. Leiby Debuts with her Childhood Detroitnew
One thing Downriver, the debut short story collection by Jeanne M. Leiby, will certainly not make you want to do is to move south of Detroit, the setting of most of her stories.
'The Air We Breathe' Blends Science, History & Political Allegorynew
Communities are fragile and corruptible things, but Barrett is building, book by book, a stronger, closer, brighter and better one than ours.
Don't Judge this Book by its Whimsical Covernew
Wallace's fourth novel has a grim worldview -- remember, it may be dedicated to children, yet it isn't a children's book.
The All-embracing Fiction of Alex Mindtnew
Mindt wants to understand everything, even love everything -- and he wants to sing about it -- and his interests in Male of the Species are omnivorous and avid.
Tags: Alex Mindt, Male of the Species
A Fire Engine Rednecknew
The final, unfinished novel of the late, great Larry Brown.
Tags: A Miracle of Catfish, Larry Brown
Ordinary Madnessnew
Parker is a natural comedian, his ear is keen and close to the ground, and his search for a soul-cure is so genuine, so devout, that his occasional aerobatics of purplish lyricism don't fly away with his stories.
