Babb is the one of the greatest American writers you’ve never heard of, and her novel, Whose Names Are Unknown, is (until recently) an unsung masterpiece. Babb turned in this manuscript to her publisher at the same time John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath hit the shelves, and as a result, it went unpublished until …
This piece was originally published on the Island Books blog. Growing up, I loved getting lost in books: It didn’t matter to me if the book was adventurous, dramatic, suspenseful, or fantastical; as long as it transported me somewhere else, I was happy. I’d be so immersed in my book that I’d barely hear my …
The problem: I’m writing a book about California. Not just a story set in a place, but a story of the place itself. A rooted story, one that will sweat California out of its paper pores. One that, with its California pheromones, will ensnare you from the shelf, radiating heat and salt air. The problem …
“Before I had read 15 pages of Thomas Mullen’s latest, now out in paperback, I was deeply hooked. The novel is a 1930’s gangster drama with fabulous elements. It reminds me of Bonnie and Clyde—with magical realism, snappy historical fiction and full-throttle entertainment. I loved the titular characters—dashing criminal Jason Fireson and his angry, idealistic youngest brother, …
