Catapult Staff Picks

The books we’re reading aloud, reading to ourselves, and planning to read next.

I just got my copy of Alex Lemon’s Feverland in the mail. I am beyond excited to start it; I’ve heard nothing but amazing things, and I’ve loved everything else he’s written.

Kelli Trapnell, Production Associate

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I’m reading The Hobbit aloud to my nine-year-old; we read The Lord of the Rings together a couple of years ago. She is way past the point where she needs me to read anything to her, but fortunately she still likes it, and I went through many hours of labor so that one day I could introduce my kids to my favorite books from childhood.

I am still making my way through Moby-Dick, which I began rereading a couple of weeks ago. Wow, it’s long. I’m also very excited to begin my friend Jasmine Guillory’s sure-to-be-delightful debut, The Wedding Date!

—Nicole Chung, Managing Editor, Web

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I’m reading Katherine Mansfield’s Stories.

—Jonathan Lee, Senior Editor

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I recently picked up a copy of Matthew Rohrer’s novel-in-verse, The Others, from Books Are Magic. Reading this book is like opening a door to a room and then opening a door within that room to another room and then opening a door within that room to another room and then—you get the point. It’s also: funny, mind-altering, occasionally spooky, and a conceptually brilliant reminder that our lives are filled with stories every single day.

I recommend reading this book somewhere you’ll be interrupted frequently—on the subway, or right before falling asleep, or while you wait for the arrival of a friend—to fully appreciate the way Rohrer fills the pages with interruptions and stories of every shape and form, which, when you think about it, is mostly what being alive consists of.

—Allie Wuest, Editorial Assistant, Web

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I just finished the first half of Eliot Weinberger’s The Ghosts of Birds, and am eager to work back to its progenitor, An Elemental Thing. Reading these enigmatic, essay-ish pieces is like walking alone through an impeccably curated museum with no placards. You’re left to discern your own patterns in the archaeological record of humanity’s inventive and ceaseless search for meaning.

—Olenka Burgess, Publishing Coordinator

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My copy of Renee Gladman’s Prose Architectures just arrived; just happily staring at it for now. Am also wanting to steal a copy of the 600+-page Imagining Language from somewhere.

—Wah-Ming Chang, Managing Editor

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I just finished reading Sing, Unburied, Sing and it is one of the most haunting novels that I have read in a very long time. Jesmyn Ward is unmatched in terms of her talent. Be prepared though: The novel will knock the wind out of you and yet at the same time, give you hope that lingers for days.

—Morgan Jerkins, Contributing Editor, Web