NBCC members name current reads

The National Book Critics Circle spent April 13 pointing readers to what its members are reviewing now, from Bar Fridman-Tell’s *Honeysuckle* to Ben Lerner’s *Transcription* and Maggie Dietz’s *If You Would Let Me*. (bookcritics.org) The post ran under the group’s “Critical Notes” section and was written by Michael Schaub, the National Book Critics Circle’s online chair. It listed member reviews and interviews published over the previous week rather than naming finalists or winners. (bookcritics.org) Among the reviews, Brian Tanguay covered *Honeysuckle* for the *California Review of Books*, Valerie Duff-Strautmann reviewed Dietz’s *If You Would Let Me* for *On the Seawall*, and Tara Menon reviewed Lerner’s *Transcription* for *The Nation*. The same roundup also linked to pieces on Yann Martel, Arthur Sze, Albert Camus, and Terese Svoboda. (bookcritics.org) That distinction matters because the National Book Critics Circle had already used the same news feed in late March to publicize its 2025 awards ceremony, with a finalists reading on March 25 and the awards on March 26 at the New School Auditorium in New York. The April 13 item came after that awards cycle and returned to the organization’s regular digest of member criticism. (bookcritics.org) The group is best known for its annual awards, which are presented each March, but its site also functions as a running index of members’ reviews, essays, and interviews. The April 13 roundup fits that second role: it gathers recent criticism from outlets including *The Nation*, *The New York Times Book Review*, *Minnesota Monthly*, and *On the Seawall*. (bookcritics.org 1) (bookcritics.org 2) The April 13 post also highlighted interviews with Allie Rowbottom, Maria Semple, Gaelynn Lea, Summer Farah, and historian Antwain K. Hunter. In that sense, the roundup tracked not one prize list but a broader week in book coverage across reviews, profiles, and author conversations. (bookcritics.org) So the takeaway from the National Book Critics Circle’s latest post is narrower and more useful than an awards headline: these are the books and writers its members were actively discussing on April 13, 2026. The list offers a snapshot of the current review conversation, not a verdict from the organization. (bookcritics.org)