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2021 First Novel Prize
The Center for FictionThe Center for Fiction 2021 First Novel Prize was awarded to Kirstin Valdez Quade for her debut novel The Five Wounds (W
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Making Connections
The desire to connect is part of what makes us human, and the following stories approach this notion to great effect. Each shares the common thread...
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Fireworks!
As the country approaches the 245th celebration of Independence Day, we mark the occasion with a probing and hilarious view of an American wife...
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Between Two Worlds
The books this week all have characters who straddle worlds—whether through location or vocation, reality or fantasy, historical truth or fictional...
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The Darkness and the Light
Books about narcissism, illness, violence, loneliness, longing, misery, displacement, and catastrophic weather events—sounds like a description...
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And Introducing . . .
This week we feature remarkably assured debuts from writers who seem destined for bright careers, drawing from their personal lives to shape their fiction
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Pride and Joy
Pride Month has begun and this week we celebrate with a selection that includes fiction from first-time writers and old friends alike, plus an...
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In with the New
There’s no such thing as June Gloom when there are so many exciting books coming out next month. This week we have a number of debuts that come...
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Hurry Up and Wait
The selection this week addresses matters of urgency, but also lessons of patience as the texts explore necessary historical, political, and environmental...
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Going and Coming
As we move into the summer season the choice of reading material can hover between escapism and vital social topics from the headlines