The Spokesperson for NYU Law Wrote a Novel Skewering Law Schools
NYU Law’s public affairs director Michael Orey released a satirical novel, *Dean’s List*, that lampoons the obsession with rankings and fundraising in elite law schools. The 321‑page book follows a fictional dean at a made‑up Brown‑affiliated law school as he pursues prestige, donor money, and personal excess. Orey, a former litigator and journalist, wrote the novel as a hobby, publishing it through Atmosphere Press without NYU’s official endorsement. The story draws on his insider experience with legal journalism and academic culture.
Book Review: ‘Down Time,’ by Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin’s new novel Down Time follows a group of thirty‑something East Coast professionals as they grapple with post‑pandemic life, love, and creative burnout. Set against a backdrop of societal instability after Covid, the story weaves sexual entanglements and environmental...
UK Society of Authors Launches Logo to Identify Books Written by Humans Not AI
The UK Society of Authors (SoA) has unveiled a “Human Authored” logo that publishers can display on the back cover to certify that a book was written by a human rather than AI. The scheme, announced at the London Book...
'My Family Is Enough': Jamilah Lemieux on Being a 'Black. Single. Mother.'
Jamilah Lemieux’s new book, Black. Single. Mother., blends her own experience with the testimonies of 21 Black single mothers to trace the deep‑rooted stigma surrounding Black single‑parent families. The work revisits the 1965 Moynihan report and the "welfare queen" narrative...
Meet the Author: AM Belsey
AM Belsey’s debut crime novella *Six Mile Store* arrives on March 19, 2026, delivering a rural‑noir tale set in a 1998 Arkansas hamlet. The story follows Honey, a university student working weekend shifts at a local shop, whose quiet observation...
Beyond Afrofuturism: Sinners, the Great Migration, and Rust Belt Gothik
Ryan Coogler’s film *Sinners* is celebrated as a genre‑bending masterpiece that blends vampire lore, blues music, and Black spirituality. The essay argues the film transcends traditional Afrofuturism by introducing “Rust Belt Gothik,” a framework that captures the harsh industrial reality of the...
Justin Townes Earle’s Tragic Life Story Told in New Book
Jonathan Bernstein’s newly released authorized biography, "What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome," chronicles the turbulent life of singer‑songwriter Justin Townes Earle. The book uncovers his early immersion in Nashville’s underground Swindlers scene, chronic addiction battles, and fraught relationship with...
Women Without Men: A Novella that Tells the History of Iran Through Women’s Bodies
Women Without Men, Shahrnush Parsipur’s late‑1970s novella, was banned in Iran and its author imprisoned for its frank treatment of women’s sexuality. After decades of censorship, the book has been released in English for the first time, translated by Faridoun...
One of These Writers Will Win $150,000
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction unveiled its 2026 longlist of 15 titles, including Katie Kitamura’s *Audition* and Megha Majumdar’s *A Guardian and a Thief*, with a $150,000 award slated for June. Author Sarah J. Maas announced she has reclaimed the TV‑adaptation rights to...
HaBO: Medical Romance Set in South India
A reader recalls a 1980s Harlequin or Mills & Boon medical romance set in South India, featuring an Indian‑origin nurse adopted by an American couple and a doctor who recently returned from the United States. The nurse seeks to reconnect...
14 Best New Books to Read in 2026, From Asako Yuzuki to Jennette McCurdy
IndyBest has released its 2026 Best New Books list, featuring fourteen titles across a range of publishers. Highlights include Jennette McCurdy’s “Half My Age,” Ian McEwan’s “What We Can Know,” and Asako Yuzuki’s “Hooked.” The selection spans literary fiction, memoir and genre works, with Fourth Estate...
You Can’t Uncast a Spell
Jon M. Chu’s sequel "Wicked: For Good" retools the original Wicked narrative, replacing its bleak commentary on fascism with an optimistic, almost whimsical resolution. The film expands CGI‑driven Animal characters and adds new songs, yet it downplays the irreversible damage...
I Get Why All The Book Clubs Chose This Book
Oyinkan Braithwaite’s novel *Cursed Daughters* was selected by several prominent book clubs in late 2024, earning a spot on the year’s most popular book‑club list. The story follows three cousins trapped by a generational curse, mixing saga‑like scope with contemporary...
What Author Ajay Mankotia Learnt From a Lifetime of Chasing Rock ’N’ Roll
Ajay Mankotia, a former Indian Income Tax commissioner turned author, releases *Not Just Rock ’n’ Roll*, a memoir that chronicles his lifelong obsession with rock music and his rare backstage encounters with legends like David Gilmour, Robert Plant and Ian...
Partners in Crime: Tips for Cowriting with Your Spouse
Two spouses turned a shared dream into a Penguin multi‑book deal by co‑authoring a mystery series under the pseudonym J. D. Brinkworth. Their process combined complementary strengths—dialogue and humor versus plot mechanics—and relied on exhaustive outlining and a relay drafting...
Nick Petrie: The Joys and Challenges of Writing a Long-Running Series
Nick Petrie reflects on the joys and hurdles of sustaining his ten‑book Peter Ash series. He highlights the comfort of writing familiar protagonists while stressing the need for continual character evolution. New antagonists and distinct settings, such as Seattle’s tech...
Small Changes to Big Systems
The article argues that traditional publishing and music industries were built on physical scarcity—limited shelf space and record‑store capacity—shaping distribution strategies. Digital platforms like Amazon and streaming services removed that scarcity, slashing print runs from tens of thousands to a...
Big Nobody by Alex Kadis Review – Groovy and Greek in 70s London
Alex Kadis’s debut novel *Big Nobody* follows Connie Costa, a Greek‑Cypriot teen navigating 1970s London’s music‑obsessed culture while fleeing an abusive patriarchal family. The narrative blends vivid period details—Marc Bolan, David Bowie, platform shoes—with a darker exploration of PTSD stemming from familial...
Book Review: ‘The Complex,’ by Karan Mahajan
Karan Mahajan’s new novel, The Complex, follows the fortunes of a powerful Indian political family anchored by the late patriarch S.P. Chopra, a fictional stand‑in for real‑world dynastic leaders. The story unfolds in a sprawling Delhi apartment complex that houses more...
“Anguish,” “Agony,” “Ache,” “Affliction” — Why Are There so Many Words for Pain? Darcey Steinke Unpacks the Meaning of Suffering
Darcy Steinke’s new memoir "This Is the Door: The Body, Pain, and Faith" explores how chronic physical ailments intersect with emotional suffering and religious belief. Drawing on personal back pain, family illness, and interviews with artists and thinkers, she argues...
Book Review: Reality Check
*Reality Check* applies the Delphi method to fifty‑plus future questions, offering expert dates and averaged forecasts. The reviewer praises its accuracy for most technology predictions but finds the space‑related forecasts mixed: the ISS came online earlier than expected, Mars landing...
Stranger Things Returns Tomorrow With a Brand New Adventure
Netflix’s Stranger Things franchise expands with Dark Horse’s new comic anthology, Volume 10: Tales from Hawkins 2, hitting shelves on March 10. The 96‑page hardcover compiles four issues written by Derek Fridolfs and illustrated by Sunando C, Bradley Clayton, Mack Chater, and Vincenzo...
A Radiant New Novel Asks: What if World War II Had Gone Differently?
Francis Spufford’s new novel *Nonesuch* reimagines World War II by introducing time‑travel magic into the heart of London’s Blitz. The story follows Iris Hawkins, a lower‑middle‑class secretary, who clashes with aristocratic fascist sympathiser Lady Lalage “Lall” Cunningham, whose scheme aims to...
Weekly Bestsellers, 9 March 2026
The weekly bestseller roundup for March 9 2026 highlights three new titles—Aurora Ascher’s *Beauty and the Demon* (ranked as high as #8), Elizabeth Helen’s *Broken by Daylight* (#12) and Cameron Sullivan’s *The Red Winter* (#13). The most prominent news is the announcement...
Alice Cooper’s New Memoir Will Explore Singer’s ‘Evilution’
Alice Cooper’s third memoir, *Devil on My Shoulder: A Memoir*, arrives on Oct. 6, 2026 as the promised definitive autobiography. The book will chart his “evilution,” contrasting the shock‑rock persona with the sober, religious man behind the mask. It also promises...
Thanks to a Group of Booksellers, Amazon Is Pulling Out of the Paris Book Fair.
Amazon has withdrawn its sponsorship of the Paris Book Fair after intense pressure from the Syndicat de la Librairie Française (SLF), France’s independent booksellers’ union. The SLF launched a boycott, accusing Amazon of flooding the market with AI‑generated books and...
This Historian Dug up the Hidden History of 'Amateur' Blackface in America
Historian Rhae Lynn Barnes uncovered a concealed trove of blackface material after a Library of Congress librarian admitted hiding books for fear of KKK misuse. Her new book, Darkology, reveals how amateur minstrel shows proliferated in the 19th‑century United States, even receiving...
Greg Greeley, Former Amazon Executive, to Lead Simon & Schuster
Greg Greeley, former head of Amazon's books and media division, has been named chief executive of Simon & Schuster, taking over from Jonathan Karp. The appointment follows KKR's $1.62 billion acquisition of the publisher after an antitrust court blocked a sale to...
Iris Murdoch’s Psychology of Haunting: Fantasy, Ethical Attention, and the Spectral Past
Iris Murdoch’s novels embed a psychology of haunting that transcends gothic décor, using spectral elements to reveal unresolved trauma, ego‑centric fantasies, and moral obligations. Drawing on Derrida’s hauntology, she shows how past relationships persist as ethical pressures in the present....
Sarah J Maas’s Two New ACOTAR Books Are Already Available to Pre-Order
Sarah J. Maas’s two upcoming installments in the A Court of Thorns and Roses saga are now available for pre‑order through Bloomsbury. The titles, continuing the high‑fantasy romance narrative, join an already extensive catalog that includes five novels and a...
Gisèle Pelicot Among Headliners at This Year's Hay Festival
Gisèle Pelicot, a global feminist figure, will headline Wales' Hay Festival for the first time, discussing her memoir about a harrowing rape trial that convicted 46 men. The festival, now in its 39th spring edition, features over 500 events and...
‘We All Want to Know What He Was Doing in the Bedroom’: Kerouac’s Unseen Archive Goes on Show in New...
"Running Through Heaven: Visions of Jack Kerouac" at New York’s Grolier Club showcases never‑before‑seen letters, personal objects, and a copy of Dostoevsky that inspired the show’s title. Curated by collector Jacob Loewentheil, the exhibition highlights early drafts of Kerouac’s spontaneous prose, his...
Podcast: I Wish You Died Laughing
Strange Horizons released a new fiction podcast episode titled “I Wish You Died Laughing” on March 9, 2026. The story, written by speculative‑fiction author Lio Abendan, is narrated by Jenna Hanchey and presented by Michael Ireland. It appears in the magazine’s Fiction...
ECO24: The Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction Edited by Marissa Van Uden
ECO24, edited by Marissa van Uden, is the first annual collection of the year’s best speculative ecofiction. The anthology leans heavily toward grim, dystopian visions that expose environmental collapse, unequal responsibility, and the erosion of empathy. Through stories ranging from...
Omar Musa on His Novel Fierceland, a “Deliberate Critique” Of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
Omar Musa’s second novel, *Fierceland*, has captured the Victorian Premier’s Prize for Fiction while positioning itself as a deliberate critique of Joseph Conrad’s *Heart of Darkness*. The book intertwines the personal histories of Borneo’s palm‑oil heirs with a broader indictment...
IndyBest’s March Book Club Read Is the Buzzy New Novel From Butter Author Asako Yuzuki
Japanese author Asako Yuzuki releases a new novel, the follow‑up to global bestseller Butter, Hooked, blending psychological thriller with social commentary on women’s lives in Japan. The plot follows Eriko, a solitary trading‑company employee, whose obsession with anti‑trad wife blogger...
.png?width=1200&auto=webp&crop=3%3A2)
IndyBest Book Club Pick The Wedding People Is Different to Any Romcom We’ve Read
Alison Espach’s novel "The Wedding People" unfolds over a six‑day wedding week at a Rhode Island hotel, using flashbacks to reveal decades of the protagonist Phoebe’s emotional history. The story follows Phoebe’s shift from a devastated divorcee to a self‑reinvented...
Read Harder This Women’s History Month
To mark Women’s History Month, Book Riot curates two titles that also satisfy the 2026 Read Harder Challenge. Wendy L. Rouse’s *Her Own Hero* offers a micro‑history of the early 20th‑century women’s self‑defense movement and its racial contradictions. Edited by...
Book Review: ‘Gunk,’ by Saba Sams
Saba Sams’ debut novel “Gunk” portrays a disaffected young woman navigating precarious work and relationships in Brighton’s working‑class neighborhoods. The narrative follows Jules, a bar employee who marries the bar owner Leon, confronts illness, and forms a fraught friendship with...
Love Magic Power Danger Bliss by Paul Morley Review – Yoko Ono Before the Beatles
Paul Morley’s new biography, *Love Magic Power Danger Bliss*, re‑examines Yoko Ono’s artistic development before meeting John Lennon, charting her wartime childhood, elite education, and immersion in New York’s 1960s Fluxus scene. The book highlights Ono’s radical performance pieces such...
Book Review: ‘Whidbey,’ by T Kira Madden
T Kira Madden’s novel *Whidbey* follows three women whose lives intersect around a convicted pedophile, Calvin, whose release and subsequent murder spark a deep examination of trauma. Birdie Chang flees to an isolated island, confronting her abuser’s apology, while reality‑TV star Linzie...
Why Jane Austen Adaptations Just Keep Coming—And We Keep Watching
Jane Austen’s novels, especially Pride and Prejudice, continue to inspire a steady stream of film, TV and streaming adaptations, with Netflix announcing a six‑part miniseries for 2026. Scholars argue the enduring appeal lies in Austen’s focus on the financial and...
A Gentle Love Story | Review of Once Upon a Summer by Manjul Bajaj
Manjul Bajaj’s *Once Upon a Summer* is a lyrical, cross‑continental romance that follows an Indian stablehand and the daughter of a senior British official as they defy class and racial boundaries from 1950s New York to colonial hill stations. The narrative...
Not the London Book Fair: Richard Charkin’s Utterly Personal Publishing Visitor’s Guide to London
Veteran publisher Richard Charkin offers a personal walking tour of London’s publishing landmarks, linking historic sites such as Brompton Cemetery, Michelin House and John Sandoe Books to modern hubs like King’s Cross and the upcoming Excel Centre. He highlights the...
12 of the Best Leadership Books for People Leaders
The article presents a curated list of 12 leadership books tailored for HR professionals, organized around psychological safety, communication, authentic inclusion, and Stoicism. It cites a 2025 McKinsey study showing CEOs who read regularly outperform peers, underscoring reading as a...
The World’s Salt Lakes Are Drying up, but Solutions Are Hard to Come By
Caroline Tracey’s new book *Salt Lakes* chronicles the rapid desiccation of western United States salt basins, from the historic draining of Owens Lake for Los Angeles water to the ongoing shrinkage of the Great Salt Lake. The work blends scientific survey,...
In the Artillery Trenches of the First World War, a German Jew Named Franz Rosenzweig Began to Create an Audacious...
Franz Rosenzweig, a German‑Jewish artilleryman, composed the core of *The Star of Redemption* from Macedonian front trenches in 1918, later publishing the seminal 1921 work that re‑examines love and divinity after war. He founded the Freies Jüdisches Lehrhaus in Frankfurt,...
Shulamith Firestone’s Fundamental Battle Is with the Grip Which Normalcy and Conformity Have on Every Human Life
Maya Krishnan revisits Shulamith Firestone’s 1998 short‑story collection *Airless Spaces*, positioning it as a radical critique of modern institutions rather than a pure feminist text. The essay links Firestone’s anti‑institutionalism to the legacy of Foucault, Goffman and Rawls’s notion of...
The Best New Novels to Read This Spring
The Economist highlights a curated list of the most compelling new novels debuting this spring, emphasizing titles that blend genre conventions and resonate with contemporary readers. The selection reflects a broader industry push toward diverse storytelling and heightened marketing for...
He Wrote Judy Blume’s Life Story. She Won’t Talk About It.
Long‑time admirer Mark Oppenheimer finally received a green light from Judy Blume in July 2022 to write her authorized biography, after years of correspondence and a tribute he penned in 1997. Blume’s initial enthusiasm included an invitation to her Martha’s Vineyard summer...