John Williams
@johnwilliams.bsky.social
Books editor at Washington Post. Apollonian/Order Muppet. Highly sociable misanthrope.
Pinned
Do reviews draw readers? Boost subscriptions? Sell ads? And if the answer is ‘no,’ what then? Charlotte Klein explores the precarious state of cultural criticism.
Do Media Organizations Even Want Cultural Criticism?
Do reviews draw readers? Boost subscriptions? Sell ads? And if the answer is ‘no,’ what then? Charlotte Klein explores the precarious state of cultural criticism.
nymag.com
The answer to the first two questions below is yes if certain conditions are met: Putting reviews in front of online readers; not expecting/caring that every review do equally "well," traffic-wise; and caring about subscribers' desires/behaviors beyond clicks. Etc.
Obvious snark in this, but I meant it with heart. Partly because I truly loved SW. Partly because I have no standing to be a snob. And partly because a fave memory is reaching for a Stormtrooper toy at a store, my mom saying, You already have two of those, and me thinking, You understand *nothing.*
Ranking Star Wars:
1. The feeling I had unwrapping the Millennium Falcon on Christmas when I was 7.
2. Star Wars
3. The euphoric dream I had when I was 8, that I was allowed to grab as many SW-themed toys as I could in a toy store.
4. The Empire Strikes Back
5. I'm in my 50s now.
1. The feeling I had unwrapping the Millennium Falcon on Christmas when I was 7.
2. Star Wars
3. The euphoric dream I had when I was 8, that I was allowed to grab as many SW-themed toys as I could in a toy store.
4. The Empire Strikes Back
5. I'm in my 50s now.
November 25, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Obvious snark in this, but I meant it with heart. Partly because I truly loved SW. Partly because I have no standing to be a snob. And partly because a fave memory is reaching for a Stormtrooper toy at a store, my mom saying, You already have two of those, and me thinking, You understand *nothing.*
Ranking Star Wars:
1. The feeling I had unwrapping the Millennium Falcon on Christmas when I was 7.
2. Star Wars
3. The euphoric dream I had when I was 8, that I was allowed to grab as many SW-themed toys as I could in a toy store.
4. The Empire Strikes Back
5. I'm in my 50s now.
1. The feeling I had unwrapping the Millennium Falcon on Christmas when I was 7.
2. Star Wars
3. The euphoric dream I had when I was 8, that I was allowed to grab as many SW-themed toys as I could in a toy store.
4. The Empire Strikes Back
5. I'm in my 50s now.
November 24, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Ranking Star Wars:
1. The feeling I had unwrapping the Millennium Falcon on Christmas when I was 7.
2. Star Wars
3. The euphoric dream I had when I was 8, that I was allowed to grab as many SW-themed toys as I could in a toy store.
4. The Empire Strikes Back
5. I'm in my 50s now.
1. The feeling I had unwrapping the Millennium Falcon on Christmas when I was 7.
2. Star Wars
3. The euphoric dream I had when I was 8, that I was allowed to grab as many SW-themed toys as I could in a toy store.
4. The Empire Strikes Back
5. I'm in my 50s now.
Reposted by John Williams
A few things I like less than I did before I joined social media
Doctor Who
The idea of cake
Forthcoming books
Politics
Discussion of any popular TV series
Human nature
Social media
Myself
Doctor Who
The idea of cake
Forthcoming books
Politics
Discussion of any popular TV series
Human nature
Social media
Myself
November 24, 2025 at 11:49 AM
A few things I like less than I did before I joined social media
Doctor Who
The idea of cake
Forthcoming books
Politics
Discussion of any popular TV series
Human nature
Social media
Myself
Doctor Who
The idea of cake
Forthcoming books
Politics
Discussion of any popular TV series
Human nature
Social media
Myself
Books I bought during a lovely trip to Ireland last month. Do I travel simply to buy books? Yes and no.
November 24, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Books I bought during a lovely trip to Ireland last month. Do I travel simply to buy books? Yes and no.
I asked @lancerichardson.bsky.social some questions about his major new biography of Peter Matthiessen. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
An ‘accidental biographer’ on Peter Matthiessen
Lance Richardson talks about “True Nature,” his biography of an acclaimed, versatile and fascinating writer
www.washingtonpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I asked @lancerichardson.bsky.social some questions about his major new biography of Peter Matthiessen. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
Reposted by John Williams
Our selections for the 10 best books of 2025. Gift link: wapo.st/487XY8Z
The 10 best books of 2025
The year’s best fiction and nonfiction, as selected by the staff of The Washington Post’s Book World.
wapo.st
November 21, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Our selections for the 10 best books of 2025. Gift link: wapo.st/487XY8Z
Reposted by John Williams
So he did exactly what he said in his confirmation hearing that he would not do.
Perhaps it’s time to haul his ass back in there.
Also congrats to everyone, including Olivia Nuzzi, who helped normalize this man.
So many people will die of preventable diseases as a result.
Perhaps it’s time to haul his ass back in there.
Also congrats to everyone, including Olivia Nuzzi, who helped normalize this man.
So many people will die of preventable diseases as a result.
Breaking News: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he personally instructed the CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism. The move underscores his determination to challenge scientific orthodoxy — in this case, that vaccines save lives — and bend the health department to his will.
RFK Jr. Says He Instructed CDC to Change Vaccines and Autism Language on Website
In an interview, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited gaps in vaccine safety research. His critics say he is ignoring a larger point: Vaccines save lives.
nyti.ms
November 21, 2025 at 7:28 PM
So he did exactly what he said in his confirmation hearing that he would not do.
Perhaps it’s time to haul his ass back in there.
Also congrats to everyone, including Olivia Nuzzi, who helped normalize this man.
So many people will die of preventable diseases as a result.
Perhaps it’s time to haul his ass back in there.
Also congrats to everyone, including Olivia Nuzzi, who helped normalize this man.
So many people will die of preventable diseases as a result.
It would be so much more fun (not to mention productive) to discuss capitalism, socialism and communism if many more people knew what any of them meant.
November 21, 2025 at 7:37 PM
It would be so much more fun (not to mention productive) to discuss capitalism, socialism and communism if many more people knew what any of them meant.
Our selections for the 10 best books of 2025. Gift link: wapo.st/487XY8Z
The 10 best books of 2025
The year’s best fiction and nonfiction, as selected by the staff of The Washington Post’s Book World.
wapo.st
November 21, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Our selections for the 10 best books of 2025. Gift link: wapo.st/487XY8Z
Our list of 50 notable works of fiction from 2025. Gift link: wapo.st/4849FNZ (10 best books will arrive in the a.m.)
50 notable works of fiction from 2025
Highlights among the year’s novels and short-story collections, as selected by the staff of The Washington Post’s Book World.
wapo.st
November 20, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Our list of 50 notable works of fiction from 2025. Gift link: wapo.st/4849FNZ (10 best books will arrive in the a.m.)
Great variety on our list of 50 notable nonfiction books from the past year. Gift link: wapo.st/4887xEW
50 notable works of nonfiction from 2025
The year’s best memoirs, biographies, history and more, as selected by the staff of The Washington Post’s Book World.
wapo.st
November 20, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Great variety on our list of 50 notable nonfiction books from the past year. Gift link: wapo.st/4887xEW
1990 me — heck, 2005 me — probably wouldn’t have quite understood if I summarized life in 2025 as “grown people listening to loud cartoons in inappropriate places.“
November 20, 2025 at 4:03 AM
1990 me — heck, 2005 me — probably wouldn’t have quite understood if I summarized life in 2025 as “grown people listening to loud cartoons in inappropriate places.“
Reposted by John Williams
they’re forcing kids to read “the caine mutiny,” because of wouk
November 19, 2025 at 8:56 PM
they’re forcing kids to read “the caine mutiny,” because of wouk
Our list of the year's best thrillers. The 50 fiction/50 nonfiction lists will arrive tomorrow, and the 10 Best on Friday. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
The 10 best thrillers of 2025
Amity Gaige’s “Heartwood” and Zoë Rankin’s “The Vanishing Place” are among the year’s most chilling books.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Our list of the year's best thrillers. The 50 fiction/50 nonfiction lists will arrive tomorrow, and the 10 Best on Friday. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
Counterpoint: Yes he is.
<Please, please stop.>
<Please, please stop.>
November 19, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Counterpoint: Yes he is.
<Please, please stop.>
<Please, please stop.>
Yet this is all *still* more dignified than our government.
November 18, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Yet this is all *still* more dignified than our government.
It begins. Our list of the year's best mysteries, with plenty of other lists to follow before the weekend. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
The 10 best mystery novels of 2025
This year was a boon for whodunit readers, with great books by Louise Penny, Richard Osman, Ann Cleeves and more
www.washingtonpost.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:55 PM
It begins. Our list of the year's best mysteries, with plenty of other lists to follow before the weekend. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
I trust that a thousand people have already quote-posted with this, but I'll happily be the thousand and first. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQBX...
November 17, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I trust that a thousand people have already quote-posted with this, but I'll happily be the thousand and first. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQBX...
Reposted by John Williams
If you need me, tap me on the shoulder. I’ll be happily working all day listening to this on a loop.
November 13, 2025 at 1:49 PM
If you need me, tap me on the shoulder. I’ll be happily working all day listening to this on a loop.
God bless NYC for still needing these, for now.
November 15, 2025 at 5:42 PM
God bless NYC for still needing these, for now.
No, Google Maps, I did not intend to drop a pin on … Manhattan.
November 13, 2025 at 10:29 PM
No, Google Maps, I did not intend to drop a pin on … Manhattan.
Reposted by John Williams
I went up to Albany all of a rainy night and what mug do I find but William Kennedy, THE William Kennedy. Author of "Ironweed," "Roscoe," and so many other novels that endure. He's 97, he's still writing - and he'll drink you under the table. So here: Your "Great Read."
William Kennedy, Albany’s Bard, Reads a Story With Legs
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I went up to Albany all of a rainy night and what mug do I find but William Kennedy, THE William Kennedy. Author of "Ironweed," "Roscoe," and so many other novels that endure. He's 97, he's still writing - and he'll drink you under the table. So here: Your "Great Read."
You might have read something about Ross Douthat’s podcast last week. Becca Rothfeld reviews the new book by Leah Libresco Sargeant, one of the guests on that show. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
Review | A conservative argues we need to value ‘women as women.’ But what does that mean?
Leah Libresco Sargeant argues that we need to better acknowledge human need and vulnerability, and that valuing women “as women” is a start
www.washingtonpost.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:38 PM
You might have read something about Ross Douthat’s podcast last week. Becca Rothfeld reviews the new book by Leah Libresco Sargeant, one of the guests on that show. www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/1...
Reposted by John Williams
Can none of these millionaires sex criminals write in full sentences? Have you heard of paragraphs? Punctuation? No wonder ChatGPT sounds like a genius to these clowns.
November 13, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Can none of these millionaires sex criminals write in full sentences? Have you heard of paragraphs? Punctuation? No wonder ChatGPT sounds like a genius to these clowns.
Questionable use of "only" here.
November 12, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Questionable use of "only" here.