The books everyone stopped talking about
Once a month we go looking through the backlist, the translated shelves, and the corners of the library nobody thinks to visit.
The backlist, gladly · Reading from elsewhere
- Backlist over new releases
- Abandoning a book guiltlessly
- Translated fiction
- Libraries beyond borrowing
What follows
The things we go on about
Backlist over new releases
Abandoning a book guiltlessly
Translated fiction
Libraries beyond borrowing
Overview
How this works
1. Type an email address
That is all we need — no account, no card.
2. Expect one letter
Your address stays with us; it is never sold or passed on.
3. Opt out on request
Every send has an unsubscribe link that takes effect at once.
Details
Why read it
The backlist, gladly
New releases get all the noise. We're more interested in the book that came out eleven years ago and still hasn't been read enough.
Reading from elsewhere
Translated fiction, and the people who carry it across. We read widely and tell you what stayed with us.
Permission to quit
You can put a book down and walk off. We talk about that too, without the guilt other people seem to hand you.
Reading, translation, and libraries worth wandering into. Monthly.
In short
Asked and answered
Do I need to have read a lot already?
Not at all. We write for people who love reading, not people keeping score. If you've been meaning to get back into it, this is a fine place to start.
Why so much about old books when new ones keep coming out?
Because a good book doesn't expire. Most coverage chases the release date. We'd rather hand you something that's already proven it can last, and let the noise die down first.
You keep mentioning libraries. What's that about?
Libraries do far more than lend books these days. Tools, seeds, instruments, meeting rooms, whole archives. We follow the strange and useful things they've quietly started offering.
Will you tell me to finish books I'm not enjoying?
The opposite. Abandoning a book is allowed, and we'll say so as often as it takes. Life's short and the shelves are long.
How do I make it stop if it's not for me?
Every issue has a one-click link that ends it on the spot. No note to write, no reason to give. It takes effect the moment you click, and that's that.
How do you decide who stays on the list?
We do notice whether issues get opened and whether links get followed, only so addresses that never engage stop being mailed. No point sending a letter into the void.
What happens to my address?
It stays with us and goes nowhere else. We never sell, rent, or trade the list. Worth knowing: the form on this site doesn't store anything at all, so nothing about you is collected here.
Are there ever ads in the letter?
Some issues carry an offer from a third party, and it's clearly marked as such. The advertiser runs their own site and answers for whatever's on it, not us.
Get the letter
One issue, once a month.