Critical Mass

Critical Mass occasionally asks critics to name five books that should be in any reviewer's library. Herewith is Lorin Stein's response. If you are (or want to be) a critic,

This summer I’m diving back into poetry. Contemporary poetry. A book a day. Glorious, atopical immersion, without worry, territorialism, or bondage to task. Last week I read Mina Pam Dick’s

Now that my teaching year has ended, I’ve turned to the new Milkweed volume called Views from the Loft, edited by Daniel Slager, a collection of nifty and brief pieces

After reading quite a lot of fiction by younger writers for The New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 issue, I’m reading a few new books in galleys—novels by Jonathan Franzen (Freedom) and

  (photo: Marion Ettlinger)   What I look forward to reading this summer—even though it seems summer’s just about over (if July comes this week, can September be far behind?):

On Thursday the Los Angeles Times announced that David L. Ulin would be taking on a new position as book critic for the paper after five years as book editor.