Greetings from Read Max HQ, and welcome to our weekly roundup column, in which I pick out some worthwhile and often overlooked books, articles, movies, and music to recommend to paying subscribers. For this week’s round-up, I’ve got:

• A favorite author’s new fantasy adventure, set among stockbrokers, television broadcasters, and fascists in Blitz-era London;

• essays, articles, columns, and posts about child liberation, adversarial poetry, journalistic scammers, acid house, and more;

• a stylish, funny 90s-ish action comedy about contract killers and the Hong Kong movie industry; and

• four tracks I’ve been listening to a lot.

Even better: We’re extending the weekend Thanksgiving sale by one day--today, December 1! If you subscribe today you’ll get 20 percent off. (And don’t forget that gift subscriptions are included, in case you’re looking for a present for a particularly unfortunate friend or relative.)

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I love to hear from readers who want to recommend a cool book or movie (or whatever!) to me, or from readers who are looking for specific kinds of recommendations. Just leave a comment or drop me a line at maxread@gmail.com.

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Now, the roundup:...