Bradley Babendir

1/25/22

John Darnielle untangles the knotty ethics of true crime in the fictional <i>Devil House</i>

John Darnielle untangles the knotty ethics of true crime in the fictional Devil House

The third novel from the Mountain Goats frontman centers around a true crime writer and a pair of grisly murders

1/25/22

The latest in Marlon James’ Dark Star trilogy, Olga Tokarczuk’s magnum opus, and more books to read in February

Plus: Sheila Heti’s Pure Colour, Mónica Ojeda’s deliciously macabre English-language debut, and a pinpoint…

1/4/22

The 15 most-anticipated books of 2022

From Nobel winner Olga Tokarczuk’s magnum opus to Janelle Monáe’s debut story collection, here are the books we're…

12/15/21

The A.V. Club’s 15 favorite books of 2021

We hope you like novels, because we've got a bunch of them

11/23/21

HBO oral history <i>Tinderbox</i> offers little more than amusing anecdotes

HBO oral history Tinderbox offers little more than amusing anecdotes

James Andrew Miller interviews dozens of key players from HBO’s past for his 1,024-page book, but can’t weave them…

8/3/21

<i>Chinatown</i> meets climate change in Alexandra Kleeman’s <i>Something New Under The Sun</i>

Chinatown meets climate change in Alexandra Kleeman’s Something New Under The Sun

Alexandra Kleeman sets her neo-noir novel in a burning Hollywood

7/19/21

<i>The Cult Of We </i>expertly charts the disastrous arc of Adam Neumann’s WeWork

The Cult Of We expertly charts the disastrous arc of Adam Neumann’s WeWork

Wall Street Journal reporters Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell explain, better than anyone else, how the real estate…

2/8/21

<i>Fragments Of An Infinite Memory</i> traces the decline of the internet through one man’s eyes

Fragments Of An Infinite Memory traces the decline of the internet through one man’s eyes

What did the internet used to be like? I’m not sure I remember. The conventional wisdom is that, even six or seven…

12/16/20

<i>The A.V. Club</i>’s 15 favorite books of 2020

The A.V. Club’s 15 favorite books of 2020

A certain amount of escapism through books would have been more than understandable in 2020. (And by “a certain…

8/3/20

<i>The Death Of Vivek Oji</i>’s story of family and care shines, but its mystery falls apart

The Death Of Vivek Oji’s story of family and care shines, but its mystery falls apart

Many novels begin with death, the threat of it, or its consequences. Perhaps the best and most famous example is…

8/19/19

A return to Cross River yields absurdist tales of robot slaves, doomed professors, and other godforsaken misfits

In the opening story of Rion Amilcar Scott’s second collection, The World Doesn’t Require You, the literal children…

4/15/19

Class and power share a bed in Sally Rooney’s <em>Normal People</em>

Class and power share a bed in Sally Rooney’s Normal People

In Sally Rooney’s Normal People, the follow-up to her excellent and very popular debut novel, Conversations With…

2/4/19

A tense quest opens Marlon James’ sprawling fantasy series set in a brutal, mythical Africa

Marlon James announced his intention to write a sprawling fantasy trilogy shortly after his previous novel, 2014’s A…

10/8/18

Murakami’s usual flights of fancy can’t save the mundane <i>Killing Commendatore</i>

Murakami’s usual flights of fancy can’t save the mundane Killing Commendatore

The unnamed narrator of Haruki Murakami’s new novel, Killing Commendatore, is a recently divorced painter. He…

Bradley Babendir's posts