Earlier this week, The New York Times published their annual year-end list of the “100 Notable Books of 2012,” as chosen by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. As usual, the list is filled with very predictable (though often very worthy) choices, but this year we were surprised not only by the amazing, under-the-radar books the Times ignored, but by the equally amazing but high-profile and relatively commercial books that also got snubbed. To that end, we’ve compiled an alternative, or an addendum, if you will, to the Times’ list, including both lesser-known books we loved this year, and some big name books we can’t believe didn’t make the cut. Click through to read our list, and if you so desire, register your own addendums to our addendum in the comments. … Read More
Adam Levin
10 Great Books That Should Be Movies
Hollywood has always looked to literature for inspiration and adaptation fodder, but these days, it seems more likely than not that any given new film will be based on a book (or be a sequel or a superhero movie, but let’s set that aside). Not that that’s a bad thing — we’re looking forward to Cloud Atlas, On the Road, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower as much as the next guy. Still, we’re baffled at some of the books that, for whatever reason, haven’t yet been snapped up by the Hollywood machine. After the jump, we’ve put together a list of novels that we’d love to see hit the big screen — click through to check out our picks and add your own wish list in the comments! … Read More
The Future of American Fiction: An Interview with Adam Levin
If you haven’t noticed, we spend a lot of time thinking about literature here in the Flavorpill offices, digging through its past, weighing its current state, and imagining its future. Take a look at our bookshelves and you’ll find us reading everything from Nobel Prize winners to age-old classics to paperbacks printed at the bookstore down the street. Call it Chick-Lit, Hysterical Realism, Ethnic-Lit, or Translit — if it’s good fiction, we’ll be talking about it. So this summer, we’re launching The Future of American Fiction: an interview series expanding on that endless conversation about books we love, and yes, the direction of American fiction, from the people who’d know. Every Tuesday from now through August, we’ll bring you a short interview with one of the writers we think is instrumental in defining that direction. … Read More
The Official Flavorpill Bookshelf: March Staff Reading Picks
Last month, we shared a virtual staff bookshelf with you, itemizing a few of the tomes kicking around our collective brainspace. But we must read on, and so this month, we have a whole new set of novels, nonfiction, and poetry on our minds and in our back pockets. This month, our staffers are reading a wide range of titles — though we seem to err on the side of nerdom — our noses stuffed in books by William Gibson and George R.R. Martin, Martin Amis and Haruki Murakami. We’ve been left breathless by funny men and ladies, stories of wanderlust and TV tie-ins. We’re looking forward to reading works by Cheryl Strayed, Alison Espach, and many others. What about you? Click through to check out our aggregated staff bookshelf, and hear what a few members of the Flavorpill family have to say about their reading lists, and then let us know what’s in your own read/reading/to read piles in the comments! … Read More
The New York Public Library’s 2012 Young Lions Fiction Award Finalists Announced
Yesterday, the New York Public library’s Young Lions Fiction Award announced their 2012 finalists, and we must say, they’ve come up with quite a list. The award, which celebrates “the works of young authors carving deep impressions in the literary world,” is given annually to a young American author — aged 35 or younger… Read More
10 New Must-Reads for March
Though winter (at least in New York City) has been relatively easy on us, we still can’t escape the dreariness of this time of year — when it feels like the cold has been beating on our doors and noses forever, and that it will never stop. In weeks like these, we need something to distract us from the fact that it’s still winter, and obviously the best distraction is a wonderful, immersive book to give you that final boost before spring. Our must-reads for this month include short story collections by the legendary, brand-new, and somewhere in-between, a long awaited follow-up or two, and a graphic re-imagining of Goliath as an admin junkie. Click through to check out the books that get us pumped for this month, cold or nay, and let us know which books you’re most excited to pick up in the comments! … Read More
10 Books We Would Give Blue Ivy Carter
What to give the baby that has everything (including a song on the Billboard chart)? Not one to go handing out $7,000 pink Swarovski-crystal bathtubs to newborns like some aunties we could name, excellent gift-giver Oprah reportedly gave Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s brand new baby girl, “a trunk full of children’s books” for the occasion of her birth. Exactly which books are contained within? We may never know. Since we try to follow Oprah’s lead in all parts of our lives, we got to thinking about what books we would give little Blue for a life as American royalty. With those genes she’s got, we basically expect her to immediately become a full-on child prodigy, so we haven’t limited ourselves to children’s books, but imagined a starter bookshelf that will have her discovering new things at least until high school. Click through to read our gift list for Blue Ivy, and let us know what books you might give the celebrity baby in the comments. … Read More
10 Great Short Stories by Your Favorite Novelists
Today marks the release of The Angel Esmeralda, which we admit we were surprised to realize was Don DeLillo’s first ever collection of short stories. Many authors publish short stories in journals before attempting novels, and often even publish collections to whet the public’s appetite for some larger fare. Some authors, like George Saunders and Lorrie Moore, are known mostly for their short stories (in fact, Saunders has never written even a token novel, which is relatively unusual for a writer of his renown), but the release of DeLillo’s book got us thinking about the other side — authors primarily known for their long-form fiction that have also written short stories, to varying degrees of success. Click through to see our list of ten short stories you probably haven’t read by authors famous for their long form work, and let us know which other underrated shorts you hold dear in the comments. … Read More
Buzzworthy Debuts at the Edinburgh International Book Festival
The Edinburgh Book Festival starts today, which means that loads of readers, 800 writers, and a slew of literary sharks will be in Scotland in order to eat bland food and take in a lot of readings. This year marks the return of the Newton First Book Award, which includes contributions from 47 debut novelists as well as seasoned authors whose work has been published in English for the very first time. You can vote on the winner from now until October 7th, so get informed via our list below. These books are generating the most buzz for first-time writers in English for good reason, so click through to see the rising stars of the literary world and the novels we’ll all be talking about in the weeks (and hopefully years) to come. … Read More
Indie Booksellers' Favorite Books of 2010
Thirteen finalists have been chosen and only one book will win this year’s Indie Booksellers’ Choice Awards. Aren’t you excited? The winner — as chosen by employees of independent bookstores across America — will be announced on May 23rd at Housing Works Bookstore in New York, and additional details are here. There’s a great amount of debut novels in this bunch, plus some work from writers who have been toiling in relative obscurity. We think The Orange Eats Creeps is one of the best titles we’ve heard in awhile, but we also love Barbara Comyn’s twisted posthumous publication, so we’re torn. Who do you think should win, dear readers? … Read More
Recent Features
-
12h
Hannibal Bluth, Kanye’s Inner Lucille, and Russell Brand Gets Cheeky: Links You Need To See
- 14h
- 14h
- 14h
- 14h
- 14h
-
15h
Beyond James Turrell: 10 More Great Artists Who Use Light as a Medium
- 16h
- 17h
- 17h
Popular Posts
- 17h
- 2d
Actors and Directors Who Trashed the Remakes of Their Classic Movies - 2d
- 2d
- 4d
The 50 Books Everyone Needs to Read, 1963-2013
The 50 Greatest Summer Albums, 1963-2013
5 Great Novels That Will Mess With Your Mind
The Wedding Photos of 25 Musicians in Love
