Catapult Launched!
Just a quick update here: The Book Catapult is open for business (as of October 7th) but as you can see, our website remains what it has always been – … Continue reading
The Book Catapult 2.0
If you are a faithful reader of this website, you’ve no doubt realized that it has gone somewhat dormant over the last year or so. For that I apologize, especially … Continue reading
Bestiaries, Trees, and 1000 Year Old Dudes
I’ve been reading all sorts of different oddities lately, despite my not posting since… I don’t know when. January probably. Life’s often in the way of Catapulting these days, although … Continue reading
Amazon in the ‘hood?
I’d be remiss as a Catapult Operator if I didn’t get back on the soapbox at this point. I spent much of the first few years of the Book Catapult … Continue reading
The 2015 Catapult Notable List
2015 was sort of a strange year as far as my reading habits went. I changed jobs within the book industry – weirdly leaving me with less time than ever … Continue reading
Slade House
Still alive. You had to think I would resurface at some point, what with a new David Mitchell book being released, no? The Catapult has been on some sort of … Continue reading
Anthony Doerr! Pulitzer Prize!
What sort of (albeit self-proclaimed) go-to “literary” website would the Book Catapult be if the proprietor – suffering from the early stages of fatherhood, cooped up at home with a … Continue reading
The Times, They Are Uh… Well, You Know
I started this writing this post – my first Catapult post of 2015 – sometime in early January. And here we are at the end of March beginning of April. … Continue reading
The Catapult Notable List 2014
A notable sampler The 9th annual Catapult Notable list is upon you. Huzzah!This was a “tough” year for building this list, mainly because I read so many books (for the … Continue reading
The Catapult Notable List 2014 preview night!
To kick off this year’s Catapult Notable list – which will be unveiled TOMORROW – this is a list of the books I read at least portions of in 2014 … Continue reading
2014 National Book Awards – A Year of Reading, Week 47 etc, whatever
Phil Klay won the National Book Award for Fiction a week or so ago for his debut collection of short stories about the Iraq War, Redeployment. (Also nominated for the … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 46
Books Read (all or part of) since last we talked: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James The Sea Inside by Philip Hoare Soil by Jamie Kornegay The … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week… uh… Radar!
I have no idea what week this is, sorry. 41? 40? 42? As usual, after a Book Catapult-related event (see David Mitchell Conversation Recap), I’ve taken an unwise and entirely … Continue reading
Chuck Palahniuk
This is totally a work-related post & not at all Catapult-related, except for in-spirit. But c’mon, it’s Chuck! I heard he sent a box of sex toys to Warwick’s in advance.Tickets … Continue reading
David Mitchell Conversation Recap
“Literature! Art! The future of the Anglo-American novel is at stake!” As faithful readers of the Catapult know, on this past September 22 I had the immense pleasure and mind-blowing … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 36/37
Books read (all or part of) this week & last: Hammer Head by Nina MacLaughlinThe Valley by John RenehanYoung Skins by Colin BarrettChurch of Marvels by Leslie ParryThe Travels of … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 34/35
Books read (all or part of) this week:The Valley by John RenehanThe Sunlit Night by Rebecca DinersteinSigns Preceding the End of the World by Yuri HerreraChurch of Marvels by Leslie … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 33
Oh, a long week, friends, followed by another long week. So, even though I’m days late on Week 33’s post, I don’t feel like writing about all that action tonight. … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 32
Books read (all or part of) this week:Soil by Jamie Kornegay The Sunlit Night by Rebecca DinersteinOrhan’s Inheritance by Aline OhanesianA Small Indiscretion by Jan EllisonThe Book of Speculation by … Continue reading
2014 Booker Longlist: Padded with Americana?
Let’s just get the opinion thing out right away: personally – and I say this as an American reader, really – I think opening up the Booker Prize to American … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 31
This was Anthony Doerr Week – all I read were things written by him. This is just after Wednesday night’s event at Warwick’s – Tony Doerr (plaid shirt) and … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 30
Books read (all or part of) this week:All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony DoerrBetween You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary NorrisEat My Heart Out … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 28/29
Books read (all or part of) this week:The Travels of Daniel Ascher by Déborah Lévy-BertheratWolf Winter by Camilla EkbäckThe Lost Boys Symphony by Mark Andrew FergusonMort(e) by Robert RepinoAll the … Continue reading
David Mitchell – Alive and in San Diego!
This is not a cruel joke or a test of some sort. This is really happening: The real David Mitchell. Live and in person. Yes, THAT David Mitchell. In … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 27
Books read (all or part of) this week:The Laughing Monsters by Denis JohnsonColorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki MurakamiWolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck This reading week … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 26: Station Eleven
Books read (all or part of) this week:Station Eleven by Emily St. John MandelThe Laughing Monsters by Denis Johnson If 99.999% of the human population on earth were to perish … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 25
Books read (all or part of) this week:Red or Dead by David Peace Further Joy: Stories by John BrandonThe End of Absence: Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 24: About Grace
Books read (all or part of) this week:About Grace by Anthony DoerrRed or Dead by David Peace Am I following a path already laid out for me, or am I … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 23
Books read (all or part of) this week:About Grace by Anthony DoerrEyrie by Tim WintonThe Sea Inside by Philip HoareKarate Chop: Stories by Dorthe NorsThe End of Absence by Michael … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 22
Books read (all or part of) this week:California by Edan Lepucki Edan Lepucki’s post-apocalyptic debut novel, California was on the docket this past week. It’s the near future, society has … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 21
Books read (all or part of) this week:The Shell Collector by Anthony DoerrA Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca SolnitThe Hour of Lead by Bruce HolbertA Feast for Crows … Continue reading
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
The totally class UK cover Week 20 of A Year of Reading…Here’s the deal – it’s hard not to get excitable and I really, really don’t want to ruin anything … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 19: The Bone Clocks
Robogenesis by Daniel H. WilsonThe Bone Clocks by David Mitchell This. I am reading… <– this. So far, 300 pages deep, I’ve encountered a Dr. Marinus, the family “Sykes,” Hugo Lamb … Continue reading
All the Light We Cannot See
So it’s been awhile since the Great Donnybrook of ’13, but the Book Catapult’s party bus is taking off again, friends. Wednesday, July 307:30pm Anthony Doerr In Conversation with The Book … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Eighteen
Books read (all or part of) this week:Robogenesis by Daniel H. WilsonEyrie by Tim WintonI started reading Tim Winton’s forthcoming novel, Eyrie over the weekend (Winton wrote a favorite of … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week 17: Shotgun Lovesongs
Books read (all or part of) this week:The Orenda by Joseph BoydenThe Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina KeeganShotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas ButlerEyrie by Tim Winton I wasn’t … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Sixteen
Books read (all or part of) this week:Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves by James Nestor We all know that I naturally pick up … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Fifteen
Book read (all or part of) this week:The Orenda by Joseph BoydenRedeployment by Phil Klay I’m still dipping into Klay’s Redeployment, but the majority of my reading week was with … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Fourteen
Books read (all or part of) this week:Blueprints of the Afterlife by Ryan BoudinotThe Orenda by Joseph BoydenThe King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers You know Carcosa? This post … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Thirteen
Books read (all or part of) this week:Redeployment by Phil KlayBlueprints of the Afterlife by Ryan Boudinot This here is an anecdotal aside, but there’s an author in this story, … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Weeks Eleven & Twelve
Books read (all or part of) this week… and last week: The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go4 1/2 stories from Bark by Lorrie Moore68 pages of The … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Ten
Books read (all or part of) this week: The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin GoDetroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuffI know that last week I was sure … Continue reading
Sexy Salman
Q: What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? A: “Midnight’s Children.” I started it but found it impossible. A quarter of the way through, I didn’t know if the bird was … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Nine (JPatt Edition)
Books read (all or part of) this week:The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go15 pages of Eyrie by Tim Winton when I forgot the other book at home … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Eight
Books read (all or part of) this week: The Silent History by Eli Horowitz, Matthew Derby, and Kevin Moffett I’m nearing the end of this 500+ page novel The Silent … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Seven
Books read (all or part of) this week:The Painter by Peter HellerThe Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Six
Books read (all or part of) this week:The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWittYoung God by Katherine Faw MorrisThe Painter by Peter HellerSome great stuff this week. Giddeeup. I finally got … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Five
Books read (all or part of) this week:Mount Terminus by David GrandInappropriate Behavior by Murray FarishBadluck Way: A Year on the Ragged Edge of the West by Bryce AndrewsThe Sisters … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Four
So… you may remember last week I said I was going to Seattle for ABA’s Winter Institute (which ran Tuesday-Friday) and I wasn’t sure if I would get my Week … Continue reading
A Year of Reading, Week Three
Books read (all or part of) this week:Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books by Wendy LesserArkansas by John BrandonThe Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld by Justin Hocking Because … Continue reading
The Old School Book Catapult 