Mr. Eternity (Bloomsbury) is Aaron Thier’s new comic novel. It stars 18th-century English author Daniel Defoe (he wrote Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders), traveling through time in search of his lost love and buried treasure. In her review, Betsy Burton says “Thier has reinvented the comic novel, reimagined the picaresque, written the Don Quixote for our time—one that features not a mad idealist but a cynical wit, appropriate for this century and the ones (if any) to follow.”
Then, Austen Diamond says Lord Huron front-man Ben Schneider likes breaking the fourth wall. In the band's music video for their song “Fool for Love,” there’s a sign that says “Feeling Lost?” and a phone number. When fans called the number they were led through a choose-your-own-adventure story. The band supplements its music in other ways, too—like drawings that flesh out the stories of the fictional characters in their songs. Lord Huron plays at The Complex on August 15th.
Music heard on this Books & Beats:
“Fool for Love” and “The World Ender” by Lord Huron