Michael Schaub
Michael Schaub is a writer, book critic and regular contributor to NPR Books. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Portland Mercury and The Austin Chronicle, among other publications. He lives in Austin, Texas.
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Larry Watson sticks to what he knows and loves in his latest novel: The cinematic badlands of Montana, and a tough, taciturn Western hero. But none of his characters truly rise above ciphers.
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Young adult author Robin Wasserman's new novel is definitely just for grown-ups — it's a tangled, thrilling story of two friends gone very wrong; hard to put down, with a twist you won't see coming.
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Martin Seay's debut novel tells three separate but connected stories, all revolving around an alchemist in 16th-century Venice who conspires to smuggle two legendary mirror-makers out of the city.
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Dana Cann's novel is packed with ghosts, literal and figurative. It centers on a married couple grieving the loss of their infant daughter — and the way that grief can make strange things happen.
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Helen Oyeyemi's new story collection has all the sly humor, gorgeous writing and magical characterization as her novels. Critic Michael Schaub calls it a dreamy, spellbinding masterpiece.
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Patrick Dacey's debut story collection follows the people of a fictional Massachusetts town hit hard by war, weather and economic turmoil. Critic Michael Schaub praises Dacey's emotional honesty.
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Kristopher Jansma's novel, Why We Came to the City, explores the dynamic between a group of friends who must confront cancer, alcoholism and the mirage of contentment created by New York City.
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A story about violence, drug addiction and family dysfunction could have been too bleak, but Travis Mulhauser's Sweetgirl is nuanced, with sympathetic characters and carefully built suspense.
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Jim Krusoe's new novel is hard to summarize. It's about the odd inhabitants of an odd, bunker-like apartment building — but also about life, death, and the importance of stories.
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Elliott Chaze's classic 1953 noir about an escaped prisoner, a secretive blonde and one last big heist has just been reissued. Critic Michael Schaub says Chaze's writing stands out from the pulp pack.