The Slice: Brandon Tensley

Ever wonder how a writer and professional book reviewer chooses his next book?

Thanks so much to everyone who subscribed to Bookpeach last week! To newcomers, I am so glad you’re here.

There’s nothing I love more than finding out what my friends are reading, and I am lucky to have some true bookworms and professional readers in my life. 

As promised, every week, I’ll speak with a different book lover for a slice of their reading process, what they’re reading, and why. Welcome to the first edition of The Slice, where this week I check in with my pal Brandon Tensley.

Brandon is the perfect person to kick off this series because he’s a voracious reader and writes about books professionally.

We met several years ago when he was a national political writer at CNN, where he covered the intersection of culture, identity, and politics. He’s now a reporter for Capital B, a Black-focused nonprofit newsroom. On top of his amazing reporting for Capital B, he also publishes book reviews (see his latest for the Washington Post here) and is writing his own book. I’ll let him tell you more about that below! 

Brandon, thousands of new books are released every year. How do you decide which to review?

I try to review books on subjects that excite me and that I think I can say something meaningful or interesting about. Divas! Civil rights history! Celebrities! I usually pitch an editor, but sometimes an editor will approach me first.

What does your book review process look like?

When I know that I'm going to review a book, I read it with a pen at the ready. I'm a fan of writing in the margins, noting themes, word choice, structure, similarities/contrasts to other work — things I'll want to comment on in the review. I also jot down any strong reactions I have while reading. Did a passage make me cry? Roll my eyes? Go, "Fuckkk that's good," and then stare into space, stunned by what I had just read?

Once I feel like I've processed a book enough to say something about it (or, lol, once I can no longer ignore a deadline), I approach the review like I approach any other piece of writing. I figure out what kind of lede I think might work best, what central argument I want to make, what general impression I want readers to walk away with. 

What is your ideal reading set up?

I'm easy: I love reading stretched out on the big couch in my living room, a hot cup of coffee within arm's reach (doesn't matter what time of day or night it is — like Lorelai Gilmore, I need coffee), with a few lamps on to give the room a cozier vibe. If it's raining, even better!

I prefer physical books, mostly because I enjoy the feeling of curling up with them. Though when I was younger and traveled abroad a bunch, I loved killing time by finding a quiet coffee shop in whatever airport I was at and reading my Kindle.

What is your very favorite bookstore?

I hate to sound like a cliché, but: the Strand Bookstore, in New York City. It's massive. I could spend all day there. New books. Secondhand books. I adore them all. (When I was there several years ago, I even got a postcard with the photo from my favorite Madonna album on it.) In the DC area, my favorite is Capitol Hill Books.

What was the most seminal book for you as a kid?

Definitely the Hardy Boy series. I remember when my dad used to take my brother, sister, and me to the library when we were kids, and my brother and I would head straight for the Hardy Boys shelves. I credit that series with helping me fall in love with books (I even wrote about it for The Atlantic in 2019).

Other seminal books: S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, Lois Lowry's The Giver, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, and Number the Stars (also Lois Lowry). The most seminal book as an adult: James Baldwin's Another Country.

How do you pick your next book?

I rely on a combo of recommendations from friends, reviews/essays, and lists of upcoming books from publishers and magazines. I think that my next book will be Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire, by Ashley Spencer. I'm a Millennial, after all!

What are you reading right now?

All Fours, by Miranda July. I'm about halfway done and very much enjoying it.¹

Tell us about your upcoming book!

I'm writing a book for a series called 33 1/3 (as in, the playing speed of a vinyl record). The series is under Bloomsbury Publishing, and it focuses on music, specifically on individual albums. The volumes are around 30,000 words total. I'm writing about Whitney Houston's third album, I'm Your Baby Tonight, and the pressures of being a Black "crossover" artist. I'm super excited!

What is your favorite book you've read this year?

Liz Moore's The God of the Woods — which I learned about from you!²

Summer camp? Urban legends? Rich people beefin'? Extremely my shit. On a more serious note, the book is just incredibly smart in how it explores an array of subjects — adolescence and parenthood, class, memory, power, place — and I loved spending time with each and every one of the characters.

Huge thanks to Brandon for being so generous with his answers. You can follow him on X here and Insta here. I can’t wait for his upcoming book!

Do you have a book lover you think I should interview? Do you want to be featured? Send me an email, and I’ll be in touch!

XOX and happy reading,

Alli  

1. I LOVED THIS BOOK. So freaky and fun!

2. This is my go-to book recommendation right now. It’s truly excellent. (I also loved Moore’s Long Bright River, a meticulously researched thriller. Read if you liked “Mare of Easttown” on HBO.)