David Abrams's Blog, page 33

Friday Freebie: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Congratulations to Kris Faatz and Jane Rainey, winners of last week’s Friday Freebie: signed copies of Steve Yarbrough’s new novel The Unmade World .

This week’s contest is for An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow. Here’s what Jacqueline Woodson, author of Another Brooklyn, had to say about the novel: “I love An American Marriage, and I'm so excited for this book to be in the world. Tayari's novel is timely, thoughtful, and beautifully written. Reading it, I found mys...

My First Time: Steve Yarbrough

My First Time is a regular feature in which writers talk about virgin experiences in their writing and publishing careers, ranging from their first rejection to the moment of holding their first published book in their hands. Today’s guest is Steve Yarbrough, the author of eleven books, most recently the novel The Unmade World , now out from Unbridled Books. Steve’s other books are the nonfiction title Bookmarked: Larry McMurtry’s The Last Picture Show , the novels The Realm of Last Chances , Sa...

Sunday Sentence: The Break by Anne Sexton

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


The T.V. hangs from the wall like a moose head.

“The Break” from The Complete Poems of Anne Sexton

Friday Freebie: The Unmade World by Steve Yarbrough

Congratulations to Tawnya Zorn, winner of last week’s Friday Freebie: The End We Start From by Megan Hunter.

This week, in celebration of the publication of Steve Yarbrough’s new novel The Unmade World , the publisher Unbridled Books is offering up two signed copies of the book. So, we’re doubling your odds of winning this week. Will you be one of the two lucky readers to win The Unmade World? Keep scrolling for more information about the book and how to enter the contest. Good luck!


“This man...

Sunday Sentence: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers by Henry David Thoreau

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


The constant abrasion and decay of our lives makes the soil of our future growth.

A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers by Henry David Thoreau

Sunday Sentence: Merry Christmas, Mr. Baxter by Edward Streeter

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


The trouble with Christmas was that it was so obligatory.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Baxter by Edward Streeter

Friday Freebie: The End We Start From by Megan Hunter

Congratulations to Bart Zimmer, winner of last week’s Friday Freebie: Savage Country , the new novel by Robert Olmstead.

This week, one lucky reader will win a copy of The End We Start From by Megan Hunter. I am thrilled to be giving away this novel in particular, because it’s one of my favorite books of the year. The End We Start From left me breathless and speechless, so I’m grateful to Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl With a Pearl Earring, who put it so eloquently: “The End We Start From is...

My First Time: Giano Cromley

My First Time is a regular feature in which writers talk about virgin experiences in their writing and publishing careers, ranging from their first rejection to the moment of holding their first published book in their hands. Today’s guest is Giano Cromley, author of the novel The Last Good Halloween , which was a finalist for the High Plains Book Award. His short story collection What We Build Upon the Ruins was released by Tortoise Books in November. He is the chair of the Communications Dep...

Sunday Sentence: Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson

Simply put, the best sentence(s) I’ve read this past week, presented out of context and without commentary.


One of the most astonishing things about this deadly fog was who it first alarmed—not politicians, reporters, or even doctors, but undertakers. Across London, funeral directors reported a surge in bodies, so many that the demand for caskets was insatiable.

Death in the Air: The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London
Smog, and the Strangling of a City by Kate Winkler Dawson

Friday Freebie: Savage Country by Robert Olmstead

Congratulations to Carl Scott, winner of last week’s Friday Freebie: The Midnight Line by Lee Child.

This week, Savage Country , the new novel by Robert Olmstead (Coal Black Horse), is up for grabs. One lucky reader will win a new hardcover copy of the novel BookPage calls “an unforgettable, unflinching, yet distinctly moving story of human greed and desire.” Keep scrolling for more information about the book....


“The year was 1873 and all about was the evidence of boom and bust, shattered dre...