Julia Langbein

Dec 19, 2023 | itsonlyzach.substack.com | Justin Torres |Nathan HIll |Nathan Hill |Julia Langbein |Zach Wilcha

Sometimes it feels like an entirely different news cycle is happening for queer folks than for our straight counterparts. This week I checked in with confused straight friends to see what they thought about the twink-identified United States Senate aide who made his own home movie in the Senate Hearing Room. I won’t link to it here, but it was part Last Tango in Paris and part Summer of My German Soldier.

Dec 6, 2023 | tournamentofbooks.com | Julia Langbein |Jen Beagin |Justin Torres |Mattie Lubchansky

Coming March 6, 2024: the 20th year of the Tournament of Books. Which sure is a long time to do anything, much less trying—year after year, in vain—to convince 19 authors (and counting) to accept a live chicken as their trophy for winning this competition of ours. But the prize isn’t the point. Neither, really, is the Tournament, which began as a joke, evolved into a tradition, and has become—thanks to you—a month-long hotbed of vibrant literary discussion.

Jun 19, 2023 | valleybreeze.com | Alan Rosenberg |Don Winslow |Emily Henry |Julia Langbein

These three strong novels all involve New Englanders, and their readers’ performances are as good as the writers’ words. “City of Dreams”By Don Winslow, read by Ari Fliakos. Harper Audio, 8 hours, $24.99. Ambivalent Rhode Island mobster Danny Ryan has a problem. Make that many problems. His wife has died of cancer. A crooked cop lies dead, too, of lead poisoning. And Danny’s Irish crew has lost a 1980s mob war with the Italian syndicate.

Apr 13, 2023 | zip06.com | Julia Langbein

America Mermaid by Julia Langbein Blurbed by everyone from Madeline Miller to Andrew Sean Greer, American Mermaid is the wildly unpredictable story of an eco-warrior mermaid who may or may not be coming to life as her writer attempts to adapt her story for film. This completely inventive delight of a novel brought me joy on every page. Julia Langbein is a genius! Abby, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison

Mar 21, 2023 | lithub.com | Julia Langbein

I am not the best mom. I found an old shopping list recently that looked like this:OystersWineDinner for kids? You can’t write books without being selfish, and I’m a little bit selfish. But I always imagined, when the time came to do battle on my daughters’ behalf with mass culture, with simplistic, gendered storytelling, that’s when I would shine.That’s when my special skills would suddenly be called upon.