Newsletter 1

Quick Pick: February 17, 2017

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Liberty Hardy

Senior Contributing Editor

Liberty Hardy is an unrepentant velocireader, writer, bitey mad lady, and tattoo canvas. Turn-ons include books, books and books. Her favorite exclamation is “Holy cats!” Liberty reads more than should be legal, sleeps very little, frequently writes on her belly with Sharpie markers, and when she dies, she’s leaving her body to library science. Until then, she lives with her three cats, Millay, Farrokh, and Zevon, in Maine. She is also right behind you. Just kidding! She’s too busy reading. Twitter: @MissLiberty

lincoln in the bardoLincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

It sounds weird to say, because Saunders has published so much over the years, but this is his debut novel. And what an utterly original, transcendent novel it is. Saunders has destroyed the concept of the novel as we know it and rebuilt it as only he can. This is a mesmerizing, heartbreaking story about the death of Willie Lincoln – son of Abraham – and the ghosts in the cemetery where Willie’s body is temporarily held. There are so many stories buried along side him, told by the spirits around him, as they await ascension. The book is an absolute work of genius. But let’s be honest – no one expected anything less from Saunders.

Backlist bump: Forget the backlist – listen to Lincoln in the Bardo on audio. It has 166 different narrators.