Hi folks. Here's what we've been up to this week:

Regular reviewer Court Ludwick returned to write about The Salvage by Anbara Salam, published by Tin House. 

And this week's story, chosen by guest editor Nicholas Claro, was "I Can Show You Baby" by Sophie Hoss. You'll find more of Sophie's writing at her website.

It was nice to hear from a few of you about what your reading and recommending as the year winds down. Abigail Oswald ("Notes On A Departure") wrote,

Just wanted to pop in and say that the colder weather always gets me in the mood for a mystery. For other readers who feel similarly, I recommend Antony Johnston's Can You Solve the Murder?, which came out earlier this year. Choose-Your-Own-Adventure meets the detective novel in a story that has readers choosing who to interrogate and looking for clues between the lines. Part story, part puzzle, so much fun.

And from Sid Sibo,

Prepping for an online workshop right now, and one of my favorite novels published by Univ of MN Press in 2021 (from House of Anansi Press, Canada, 2020) is Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies, by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. As I wrote in a Goodreads review--throw out your old writing manuals and Study This!

And Chuck Augello wrote,

Regarding end-of-year book recommendations, my favorite read of 2025 was In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason. It made a big impression on me when I read it in the mid-1980's, learning about it from a review in the rock magazine CREEM. The main character, Sam, is a Springsteen fan but it's not about music or rock and roll. Sam is a high school graduate caring for her Uncle Emmett and mourning the father she never knew, who was killed in Vietnam.  Emmett, wounded in combat, obsessed with his exposure to Agent Orange, can't get his life on track, and Sam, looking to strike out on her own, can't shed her family responsibilities. Mason captures the language of these rural, working-class characters, granting them empathy and respect, showing how smart they are despite the limitations of their environment. Characters like Sam and Emmett are still rare in literary fiction, and it was a pleasure to revisit them. Forget the film adaptation starring Bruce Willis; it's an okay film, but the novel is fantastic. I loved it as a young reader in the Eighties, and I loved it again in 2025. Anyone who hasn't read it should add it to their list.  

Finally, Annie Rutherford is once again offering a poem-a-day advent calendar by email to begin in a couple of days, available with a donation to Médecins Sans Frontières. In addition to supporting that worthy cause, the selections last December brought me a wonderful introduction to new poets and a reacquaintance with poets I'd read before. With all the less pleasant things that arrive in your inbox, if it's like mine, daily poetry brings a fine balance.

Thanks for reading,

Steve Himmer