What Critics Thinks Was the Best Fiction of the Year

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

The National Book Critics Circle Fiction Longlist Is Here

The National Book Critics Circle award probably does not get the shine it deserves: these are professional critics (a bunch of them at that) choosing outstanding books of the year. And I say that not only because a few of my favorite books of the year are on this list. Even more than something like the Pulitzer or the National Book Award, the NBCC is a terrific snapshot of what the thinking was of the critical class in a given year. And while it may not be predictive of books that endure, that is all the more fascinating.

First Footage of Nolan’s The Odyssey Lands

Is the scene of the Trojan horse maybe the most obvious thing to use as glorified preview of Nolan’s The Odyssey? Probably. Am I ok with doing the obvious thing if it done as well as this quick recap in Variety suggests ? Absolutely. Do I then also get to be all "you know the Trojan Horse stuff is actually sort of beside the point in the actually poem?’ You bet. Looks like a winning combo all the way around for me.

I Literally Have Nothing to Say About the Trailer for Andy Serkis’ Animal Farm.

Actually, I do have something to say. You’ve been warned.

A Deep Dive on Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet

On the most recent episode of Zero to Well-Read, Rebecca Schinksy and I talk about the novel Hamnet, what works, how it connects to what we do (and don’t) know about Shakespeare, and more. We are having a blast with this show. There is no real starting point if you haven’t tried it, though our episode on The Secret History has been the most popular so far.