Bookmarks suggests five reviews you need to read this week, including essays by Patricia Lockwood, Geoff Dyer, Anne Enright, Jennifer Wilson, and Joseph Luzzi. Vulture has gathered book picks for 2022 by more than a dozen critics.
FiveThirtyEight has posted a collection of podcasts and articles reflecting on last January’s insurrection at the Capitol. For Vox, Zack Beauchamp talks to experts about where American democracy may be heading.
The FBI has arrested Filippo Bernardini, a staffer at Simon & Schuster UK who stands accused of stealing unpublished book manuscripts. The Times reports that “The phishing attacks have been so voluminous and far-reaching . . . that some have said it could not possibly be the work of just one person.” Bernardini allegedly targeted Margaret Atwood and Ethan Hawke along with debut writers.
Longform has announced that they will be shutting down their recommendations service. The archive of articles will remain accessible, and the Longform Podcast will continue with new weekly episodes.
Skyhorse will publish a collection of Norman Mailer’s political writings after Random House declined to release the book. John Buffalo Mailer said in an interview with the New York Times that Random house passed on the book because “they didn’t feel they were the right house to do this book right now. . . . I don’t think they have any interest in trying to cancel Norman Mailer. You can’t cancel Norman Mailer.” Skyhorse has also recently acquired books by Woody Allen and Blake Bailey after they were dropped by publishers.
Tomorrow night at 5pm Eastern, the American Dialect Society will livestream their 2021 “Word of the Year” voting session. (Last year’s word was Covid.)