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Hamilton Cain

@hamiltoncain.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.4K following 198 posts

Expat Tennesseean in NYC. Bylines: New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Review of Books, Publishers Weekly, Chapter 16, On The Seawall, Harvard Review.

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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
'Tis the season for bibliophiles. Here's my "something for everyone" basket of fall books for TIME: time.com/article/2026...
time.com
The 50 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2026
All the must-read works of fiction and nonfiction to look forward to this fall
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The great Nathaniel Philbrick heads west in his terrific new book on the legacy of the California Gold Rush. Out 10/6 from @vikingbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/29/a...
bostonglobe.com
In ‘The Rush,’ Nathaniel Philbrick chronicles the birth of California, and the way gold and greed remade the nation - The Boston Globe
In his sumptuous “The Rush,” Nantucket author and National Book Award winner Philbrick goes west to tackle the grandpappy of them all, the California Gold Rush of 1849, when prospectors from across th...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
@emilyskaja.bsky.social's new poetry collection, "Black Lake," is a worthy follow-up to her prize-winning "Brute." Out tomorrow from @graywolfpress.bsky.social. Here's my review for Chapter 16, with thanks to @marbro.bsky.social for her edits. chapter16.org/the-rhythms-...
chapter16.org
The Rhythms of Grief
In a 1961 poem, “Barren Woman,” Sylvia Plath depicted an infertile woman as “empty,” lost in a “museum without statues”; two years later she imagin…
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Kate Tuttle @katekilla.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Our critic @hamiltoncain.bsky.social loved "The Disappearers," the new novel from modern master Marlon James. So glad to run this in this week's @bostonglobe.com books section. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/26/a...
bostonglobe.com
In ‘The Disappearers,’ Marlon James has written a defiant queer epic for us all - The Boston Globe
In his brilliant, polyphonic “The Disappearers,” Marlon James tracks a cadre of closeted Kingston men across two decades as they maneuver around the clear and present dangers of families, communities,...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Longlisted for @thebookerprizes.com, Marlon James's "The Disappearers" is a narrative breakthrough. Out 9/1 from @riverheadbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for her edits. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/26/a...
bostonglobe.com
In ‘The Disappearers’ Marlon James has written a defiant queer epic for us all - The Boston Globe
In his brilliant, polyphonic “The Disappearers,” Marlon James tracks a cadre of closeted Kingston men across two decades as they maneuver around the clear and present dangers of families, communities,...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Our literary landscape is full of dragons and dystopias, which may explain why Chang-rae Lee's beautiful, realist "A Tender Age" feels subversive. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/08/12/a...
bostonglobe.com
A bicentennial childhood, as remembered by the master novelist Chang-rae Lee - The Boston Globe
The summer of 1976 was a funhouse for eleven-year-olds: fireworks and patriotic cartoons, CBS’s “Bicentennial Minutes,” tall ships in New York harbor, Baskin Robbins commemorative flavors, such as Val...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
'Tis the season for books! Here's my "something for everyone" basket of 41 titles for TIME--thanks to editors Lucy Feldman and Mahita Gajanan: time.com/article/2026...
time.com
The Best New Books to Read This Summer
This season’s new fiction and nonfiction illuminate our manic world while offering riveting escapes
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
In which I review Teddy Wayne's erotic thriller, "The Au Pair," for @bostonglobe.com. Thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for her terrific edits. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/24/a...
bostonglobe.com
Nobody comes out unscathed in Teddy Wayne’s latest novel, ‘The Au Pair’ - The Boston Globe
Novels about writers are often terrible, but we keep writing and reading them. There’s even a common subcategory: the Middle-Aged White Male Author afflicted with ennui and creative block, forever one...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Happy Juneteenth and Father's Day weekend! Here's my review of "Dad Brain" for @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
wsj.com
‘Dad Brain’ Review: Inside a Father’s Head
How parenting affects the male brain is still poorly understood.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Award-winning critic Isaac Butler revisits the culture wars of the 1980s and '90s in "The Perfect Moment," out next Tuesday from @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for her edits: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/17/a...
bostonglobe.com
This country has always had culture wars, but 1988 was the year everything broke open - The Boston Globe
In the life of a nation there are watershed years that forever shape its citizens. Consider 1988: an unease percolated as the United States geared up to close out the Reagan presidency just four years...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Cool, thanks, Lit Hub! lithub.com/5-book-revie...
lithub.com
5 Book Reviews You Need to Read This Week
Our basket of brilliant reviews this week includes, Katy Waldman on Maggie O’Farrell’s Land, Hamilton Cain on Josh Weil’s What Came West, Adam Gopnik on Thomas W. Laqueur’s The Do…
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Set in the High Sierra before and during the California Gold Rush, Josh Weil's gorgeous new novel, "What Came West," offers a fresh twist on Manifest Destiny. Out today from @doubledaybooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/b...
nytimes.com
Go West, Young Neurodivergent Man
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Kate Tuttle @katekilla.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Looking for the books of the summer? We've got 'em! Thank you to @hamiltoncain.bsky.social, @daneetsteffens.bsky.social, @cvbell.bsky.social, Chris Vognar & Marion Winik for your stellar contributions. In print on Sunday in the @bostonglobe.com! www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/27/a...
bostonglobe.com
Your summer reading guide featuring 75 books to keep you reading all season long - The Boston Globe
Our annual summer reading guide, just for you.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Bibliophiles, start your engines! Here's @bostonglobe.com's stellar summer reading guide, with offerings from literary fiction to topical nonfiction to beach reads. Many thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity to contribute. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/27/a...
bostonglobe.com
Your summer reading guide featuring 75 books to keep you reading all season long - The Boston Globe
Our annual summer reading guide, just for you.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I had big fun with Ann Patchett's new novel, "Whistler," out next week from @harperbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for Chapter 16: chapter16.org/chance-encou...
chapter16.org
Chance Encounter
While museums are among New York’s crown jewels, I revere one above all others: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which seemingly goes on forever, entire wings…
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Today's print edition of @bostonglobe.com --gorgeous illustration!
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Kate Tuttle @katekilla.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
I loved @hamiltoncain.bsky.social's review of Ali Smith's new novel, GLYPH, in which he raves about her skill in channeling "molten rage." In print this Sunday in the @bostonglobe.com. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/13/a...
bostonglobe.com
Author Ali Smith mulls writing and language in ‘Glyph’ - The Boston Globe
In her feisty, graceful “Glyph,” Ali Smith mulls writing and language among other themes: it’s her best work since the lauded Seasonal Trilogy.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Ali Smith's "Glyph" is another banger and her finest novel since the Seasonal Quartet. Out next week from @pantheonbooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/13/a...
bostonglobe.com
Author Ali Smith mulls writing and language in ‘Glyph’ - The Boston Globe
In her feisty, graceful “Glyph,” Ali Smith mulls writing and language among other themes: it’s her best work since the lauded Seasonal Trilogy.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
New Yorkers: last call for registration!
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Thanks, @literaryhub.bsky.social! bookmarks.reviews/5-reviews-yo...
bookmarks.reviews
5 Reviews You Need to Read This Week
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Booker laureate Douglas Stuart returns with "John of John," out 5/5 from @groveatlantic.bsky.social, his finest novel yet. Here's my rave review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks for @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/28/a...
bostonglobe.com
A portrait of the artist in the Hebrides - The Boston Globe
Douglas Stuart's novel "John of John" recounts 22-year old John-Calum (“Cal”) Macleod’s return, after four years at an arts college near Edinburgh, to his childhood home in Falabay, tucked amid the He...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Three cheers for independent bookstores and @bookshop.org, which made @time.com's list of ten most influential social good companies in 2026. Congrats to @andyhunter777.bsky.social and his team! time.com/article/2026...
time.com
The 10 Most Influential Social Good Companies of 2026
Presenting the inaugural TIME100 Companies: Industry Leaders list of the world's most influential social good businesses of the year
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
@praddenkeefe.bsky.social's "London Calling" is a masterclass in narrative craft, raising provocative questions about a writer's role in telling a story. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/04/a...
bostonglobe.com
Patrick Radden Keefe spins another tantalizing tale, but is he trying too hard to play detective? - The Boston Globe
In the early morning of November 29, 2019, a security camera at MI6 headquarters captured a figure leaping from a fifth-floor balcony across the Thames River, close to Vauxhall Bridge. Hours later the...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Happy April, bibliophiles! Here's my "something for everyone" basket of new books, compliments of TIME: time.com/article/2026...
time.com
The 12 New Books You Should Read in April
From 'Yesteryear' to 'Transcription,' these are the can't-miss books coming out this month
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Join me, @amandaleekoe, @shteyngart, and @sam__sussman at the #worldvoicesfestival for “Crafting the City,” a @PENworldvoices conversation on May 2nd @ 3:30 PM, Festival Stage, Washington Square South. I guarantee a lively discussion! worldvoices.pen.org/event/crafti...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
This spring @penamerica.bsky.social is hosting its World Voices festival in NYC and Los Angeles. I'm thrilled to be moderating "Crafting the City" on 5/2. Join us! worldvoices.pen.org/event/crafti...
worldvoices.pen.org
Crafting the City - PEN World Voices Festival
Cities live in our imaginations as sites of possibility. Self-transformation, unexpected encounters, and unforeseen opportunities are all within reach. In the novels of Amanda Lee Koe (Sister Snake), ...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
The Love Boat has an evil twin! Set on a cruise ship in the aftermath of 9/11, Jung Yun's "All the World Can Hold" probes American escapism amid political strife. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com, with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/a...
bostonglobe.com
In Jung Yun’s new novel, a ship of fools that look a lot like us - The Boston Globe
Jung Yun captures post-9/11 grief and resolve in her witty, wrenching “All the World Can Hold,” both a rollicking yarn and a shrewd send-up of American culture. She opens her novel on Sunday, Septembe...
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Cease and desist y'all's doom-scrolling and pick up a book! March into spring with my "something for everyone" basket of ten new titles, courtesy of Time Magazine: time.com/7381423/best...
time.com
10 New Books You Should Read in March
From Christina Applegate's memoir to Tara Menon's "Under Water"
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
"The author drops us into an Eden of wonder, where once upon a time we first cracked the codes of Dr. Seuss and 'Goodnight Moon.'" Here my review of Oliver James's "Unread" for @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
wsj.com
‘Unread’ Review: A Very Public Education
After confessing his illiteracy on TikTok, a fitness influencer discovered that his online audience was ready to help him learn to read.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
A noir delight, @poingu.bsky.social's "Evil Genius" recounts one young woman's coming-of-age in 1970s San Francisco. Out Tuesday from @eccobooks.bsky.social. Here's my review for @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/b...
nytimes.com
In 1970s San Francisco, a Groovy Tale of Sex and Menace
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Cool, thanks @literaryhub.bsky.social ! lithub.com/5-book-revie...
lithub.com
5 Book Reviews You Need to Read This Week
Our murder’s row of magnificent reviews this week includes Ron Charles on Jonathan Miles’s Eradication, Karan Mahajan on Daniyal Mueenuddin’s This Is Where the Serpent Lives, Alexandra Jacobs on Li…
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
To quote the estimable @maris.bsky.social: Burn it all down.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Oyez, bibliophiles: here's my list of ten February books, compliments of TIME: time.com/7362790/best...
time.com
The Best New Books to Read in February
From Tayari Jones' Kin to Gisele Pelicot's memoir, here are the best books to read this month
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Kate Tuttle @katekilla.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Frequent contributor @hamiltoncain.bsky.social reviewed the latest George Saunders novel, VIGIL, for us. He writes that the book is "thrilling on the page." Read his review in the print @bostonglobe.com on Sunday, or here now. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/20/a...
bostonglobe.com
Can anything save the soul of a tycoon? In ‘Vigil,’ George Saunders mines empathy, memory, and heart. - The Boston Globe
We meet Jill Blaine first as she plummets toward K.J. Boone's Dallas mansion from “the elevation,” a celestial perch where a few select dead usher their charges into the afterlife.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
The great George Saunders is back with a masterful second novel, "Vigil," out next week from Random House. Here's my review for @bostonglobe.com with thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/20/a...
bostonglobe.com
Can anything save the soul of a tycoon? In ‘Vigil,’ George Saunders mines empathy, memory, and heart. - The Boston Globe
We meet Jill Blaine first as she plummets toward K.J. Boone's Dallas mansion from “the elevation,” a celestial perch where a few select dead usher their charges into the afterlife.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Jeanette Winterson's "One Aladdin Two Lamps" is a rich if problematic meditation on storytelling, out next week from @groveatlantic.bsky.social. Here's my review for @washingtonpost.com: www.washingtonpost.com/books/2026/0...
washingtonpost.com
Review | A groundbreaking writer finds a novel way to air her grievances
Jeanette Winterson’s genre-bending “One Aladdin Two Lamps” channels her anger at patriarchy in a reimagining of “One Thousand and One Nights.”
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Do y'allselves a favor and preorder @namwalien.bsky.social's "On Morrison," a magisterial close reading of an American master in an age of lit-lite substacks. Out 2/24 from Hogarth. Here's my review for @ronslate.bsky.social's "On the Seawall": www.ronslate.com/on-on-morris...
ronslate.com
on On Morrison by Namwali Serpell – On the Seawall
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Before we all float away on a tide of eggnog, here's @time.com's preview of 36 anticipated books coming in 2026. Many thanks to Lucy Feldman for the opportunity. time.com/7341767/most...
time.com
The 36 Most Anticipated Books of 2026
The year ahead promises new books from George Saunders, Colson Whitehead, Ann Patchett, Ruth Ozeki, Jesmyn Ward and more
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Lauren LeBlanc @laurenleblanc.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Wrote up 2025 best fiction for @bostonglobe.com with my esteemed fellow critic @hamiltoncain.bsky.social. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/22/a...
bostonglobe.com
The 75 best books of 2025 - The Boston Globe
From fiction to nonfiction, discover the best books of 2025 with our curated list of 75 titles.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
I had a blast contributing to @bostonglobe.com's "Best Books of 2025" fiction roundup. Thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/22/a...
bostonglobe.com
The 75 best books of 2025 - The Boston Globe
From fiction to nonfiction, discover the best books of 2025 with our curated list of 75 titles.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
There 'tis. I reviewed 13 of these beauties: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/b...
nytimes.com
100 Notable Books of 2025
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
I had the pleasure and privilege of reviewing @svenbeckert.bsky.social's landmark "Capitalism: A Global History" for @bostonglobe.com. Out tomorrow from @penguinpress.bsky.social. Thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/24/a...
bostonglobe.com
Is everything you ever learned about capitalism wrong? - The Boston Globe
While scholars have illuminated bits and pieces of this immense narrative, Beckert’s massive volume brings it together with impeccable authority and perspicacity.
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Sven Beckert @svenbeckert.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Thank you @hamiltoncain.bsky.social for this beautiful review! www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/24/a...
bostonglobe.com
Is everything you ever learned about capitalism wrong? - The Boston Globe
While scholars have illuminated bits and pieces of this immense narrative, Beckert’s massive volume brings it together with impeccable authority and perspicacity.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
A movie that takes place where you're from. vimeo.com/259103344
vimeo.com
Chattanooga, TN 1968 Scenes from "The Rain People"
The Rain People (1969) film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Leading players are Shirley Knight, James Caan and Robert Duvall, Scenes shot in Chattanooga during…
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Thanks, @literaryhub.bsky.social! lithub.com/5-book-revie...
lithub.com
5 Book Reviews You Need to Read This Week
Our treasure chest of terrific reviews this week includes Robert Pinsky on The Poems of Seamus Heaney, Hanif Abdurraqib on John Edgar Wideman’s Languages of Home, John Banville on Selected Letters …
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
I had the great good fortune to work with Lucy Feldman and her team on TIME's "100 Must-Read Books 2025," the perfect holidays gift list for bibliophiles in your lives: time.com/collections/...
time.com
The 100 Must-Read Books of 2025
Discover the novels, memoirs, biographies, and more that entertained and enlightened us
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
An American master returns with a collection of eerie, brilliant stories. Here's my review of Joy Williams's "The Pelican Child" for @bostonglobe.com. Out next week from @aaknopf.bsky.social. Many thanks to @katekilla.bsky.social for the opportunity: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/11/a...
bostonglobe.com
In her new story collection, Joy Williams probes the weirdness of the West - The Boston Globe
Joy Williams’s stories are set in a liminal space, untethered, grasslands floating among craggy mountains, biker bars and seedy motels and ghosts baked by harsh sunlight.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
The great Salman Rushdie examines mortality from myriad angles in "The Eleventh Hour," a quintet of stories just out from Random House. Here's my review for @stribgoingout.startribune.com: www.startribune.com/salman-rushd...
startribune.com
Review: Salman Rushdie still at top of his powers with ‘Eleventh Hour’
Fiction: His elegant short fiction probes the shadows of mortality and loss.
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
And today's print version of @stribgoingout.startribune.com:
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Hamilton Cain @hamiltoncain.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Print is sweet! Today's @latimes.com:
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