A starred review for The Great Work from @publisherswkly.bsky.social! "This is a weird western done right: surprising, bizarre, occasionally grim, but ultimately life-affirming."

The verdict is in: my book is not annoying!

Oof. Feeling this one.

Cool that the democratic consultant class has built its "abundance" messaging around how great Texas is when every headline I see out of that state is some variation of "A lack of regulation brought a new data center to this small town. But now its slowly driving everyone nearbye insane."

Y’all, one of the great joys of bookshop.org is that you can select a bookstore to buy from—pick a fav from a city you used to live in, or a bookstore you’ve always wanted to visit, or your local! If you pick BINC, a percentage goes to indie booksellers who have applied for financial relief. ❤️

Jess is an absolute rockstar! Genuinly one of the smartest people I've ever had the privledge of working with. Huge opportunity here if you're looking for an editor.

first thought / best thought

Huge news for people who like good books!!

Yeah, it’s called writing a novel

“This is just a distraction” yeah it’s distracting me from being fucking miserable, bud

Such beauty in life

Genuinly not trying to be mean but if you think describing a "secret paranormal fish hospital for nyads" sounds boring maybe you just don't really like writing all that much?

Big second on this!!! My book would not be nearly as good if it weren’t for @jesszimmerman.com. It’s such a special privilege to get to work with someone who seems to know your work better than you do.

This week in books

My only consolation here is that I know these people would barely make it a year before they all started eating one another. Would rather die in nuclear fire than be forced to spend any amount of time stuck in a hole with the world's Worst Possible Humans

Been having a ton of conversations lately where I find myself defending art that leaves us in a state of uncertainty. Nice to have an essay to share that perfectly articulates my feelings!

My Big Opinion is that there is a pretty direct link between Americans’ increasing disinterest in art that confounds them and their pivot towards fascism. Hardly a new insight but incredibly defeating all the same.

#bookmail!! #booksky Look what ARC I just found in my PO Box! THE GREAT WORK by @sheldoncosta.bsky.social looks so so good - weird west vibes, alchemists, A GIANT SALAMANDER! So very up my alley - can’t wait to read it!

THE GREAT WORK by @sheldoncosta.bsky.social. Look, I'm a sucker for alchemy (so much personal lore with alchemy) & all the better when we get to what the western does best: exploring the rot of North America. This is gonna be a fun one for my fall, I can tell. www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-great-...

Huge day for people who like Good Books!!

Unironically what it’s like to live with cats

I’m genuinely out of ways to handle the rage

Reading my first Raymond Chandler and literally every other line is just this

Honestly so nice seeing folks on here getting excited about a new Pynchon after years of listening to people in my MFA dismiss him out of hand for being "pretentious" (which is sort of a hilarious accusation if you've read his work)

And in our darkest hour, he returned:

Time to brush up on my bartering skills

Genuinly nice to know he can't buy everything

Have I mentioned that I worked on this book with--and I am not being hyperbolic!--the absolute perfect editor???

We are thrilled to reveal the cover for @sheldoncosta.bsky.social's The Great Work! An unsettling Western splashed with alchemy and arcane magic in the American wilderness, this weird fiction story is perfect for fans of Victor LaValle reactormag.com/cover-reveal...

My book about alchemy, giant salamanders, the Old West, and the american empire's death drive has a cover, with some very lovely art from Maryann Held! Slithering into bookstores November 4 🦎

A frustrating reminder from Pynchon that the right has always been like this:

One of the benefits of living in the country is that when I DO head into town I feel entirely justified in stocking up at the little used book store

Good god I needed this

He’s putting the HOP in hoplite! (I am not losing my mind)

If anyone on here works at Politics & Prose or other bookstores that are scheduled to host Chuck Schumer, I have a proposal—if you cancel his event, I would pledge to buy a book of equal value or make a donation to make sure you didn’t lose revenue—and I bet a lot of others would too.

"When history is written as it ought to be written, it is the moderation and long patience of the masses at which men will wonder, not their ferocity."

Can someone who understands politics better than me explain the strategic benefits of being a Big Fucking Coward?

December cannot come soon enough

NEWS: Last night, the Department of Homeland Security detained a Palestinian who helped lead the Columbia encampment. Agents told him his visa was revoked. He said he had a green card. They were confused—then said that was revoked too. His attorney demanded a warrant. Agents hung up instead.

Would be cool if news headlines stopped stealing ideas from my next book

Reject humanity, evolve to salamander

How about Medicare for all? A federal work guarantee? Paid parental leave? How about literally anything that would improve the material conditions of average Americans, rather than a bunch of fucking IV League grads playacting some overpaid consultant's idea of the "working class?"

Spent the last month agonizing over a twenty page flashback only to delete it first thing this morning. Writing rules and is super fun and does not make me want to die!

Ashitaka's story emphasizes the importance of having two girlfriends, one who is nice but evil and one who is mean but good, and you have to spend all of your time doing stuff for them

Some of us never treated them as savvy business genius Masters Of The Universe 😊

Every day I open my phone and immediately receive -200 psychic damage