Gwen gets fired up about reading—you guessed it—new fiction this year, while Frank dips into the backlist of a new favorite author. Plus: New Year’s resolutions, The Bachelor, and the best short stories of 2018.

Book Recommendations

Best American Short Stories 2018, ed. by Roxane Gay

The Children’s Bach by Helen Garner

The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley

Encocylopedia Britannica’s quick summary of “Beowulf”—or check out lots of versions of the actual poem from the Library

Non-Book Recommendations

• The panel Gwen is speaking on at ALA Midwinter: “So You Want to Podcast.” Come say hi!
• Vice
• Nina LaCour’s podcast, Keeping a Notebook 
• The Bachelor