After the Final Table

When my debut novel Final Table was published, a really weird thing happened. Over and over, guy friends and acquaintances said some version of this to me: “Congratulations! Your book sounds so interesting. I would totally read it if I read novels.” Another (better) male comment I sometimes received was, “I never read novels but I read yours!”

I grew up with a mother who was a high school English teacher and gave me a love of novels at a young age, then I majored in English in college with a dream of being a writer. I was constantly exposed to great books and others who loved reading so in my bubble I was completely unaware that guys don’t read novels.

Is this a new phenomenon? A trend? Or just the way things have been for a long time?

Can this be changed? Does it need to change? Will my upcoming second novel Open Bar be the book to change all that? (Spoiler alert: probably not.)

“Turns out open bars lead to broken hearts and going way too far.” - Miley Cyrus

Open Bar will be published on August 12 by SparkPress and distributed by Simon & Schuster. Based on my real-world experience investigating Title IX allegations at schools around the country, Open Bar follows the chaotic fallout as campus, corporate, and local politics collide when a high-profile sexual misconduct scandal rocks a prominent university. You can find more book details, early reviews, and links to pre-order here.

“The first rule of Book Club is you do not talk about Book Club.” - Brad Pitt

One of my favorite parts of the publication of Final Table has been meeting with book clubs. I greatly enjoy the conversations, hearing different takes on the plot and characters, and discussing the writing process. If your book club is interested in reading Final Table or Open Bar, please let me know and I’d be happy to Zoom in or stop by to join the conversation.

Unfortunately, while my wife Jen gets invited to join book clubs, as a guy no one ever invites me join a book club. So I’m starting my own.

Why start a new book club? Well, I read a lot of novels, mostly current or recent literary fiction. Some are mainstream, but others are less well-known. For example, a few recent novels I’ve really enjoyed are All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky, All Fours by Miranda July, The Stockwell Letters by Jacqueline Friedland, Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson, My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alpert Florin, Bunny by Mona Awad, Shmutz by Felicia Berliner, I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins, Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, A Burning by Megha Majumdar, Luster by Raven Leilani, My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, and I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel.

I find that I rarely know people who are reading the same novels, so I hardly ever have someone to discuss them with. If you’d like to join me in reading and talking about interesting novels like those above, or would just like to attend and hear about some great books, I’d love for you to join.

The Guys Don’t Read Novels Book Club will meet via Zoom and is open to everyone. More info coming soon. If you’re interested, please respond in the comments or message me!

Thank you!

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