Book bans, publishing strikes, and the DOJ vs. Penguin Random House: We’ve made it to the end of the biggest literary stories of the year. | Lit Hub
“Naira’s stories have the weight of writing we should remember.” Aram Mrjoian considers the short fiction of Naira Kuzmich, whose posthumous collection was published this year. | Lit Hub
Claire Alexander recommends five books to read when you’re lonely. | Lit Hub
Estelle Paranque recounts the event that transformed Catherine de Medici from Florentine orphan to French princess. | Lit Hub History
THE ANNOTATED NIGHTSTAND: What Simone White is reading now and next, from Gayl Jones to Imani Perry. | Lit Hub
Kyle Chayka reports on a tumultuous year for American literary magazines, and the “vital bellwether of book culture” that has been lost with the shuttering of Bookforum. | The New Yorker
Lonely fireflies, ambling grasshoppers, and more of the best bugs in children’s literature. | Orion
“Theater offers a life together rather than a life alone.” Will Blythe on the underappreciated genius of Denis Johnson’s plays. | Esquire
“Labor is at its best and most powerful when it’s at its most inclusive and radical.” Kim Kelly reflects on a year of labor movements. | Catapult
“I had other plans for it of course. / The lung.” Read a previously unpublished poem by Paul Newman. | The Nation
One for the memoirs: Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka reflects on a whirlwind of a year. | Los Angeles Times
Why is it so heartbreaking to part with books? | The Washington Post
