A strange and riotous novel about sex and self-discovery; a stylish, forgotten sci-fi romance; and more

Roundup 05/04/25

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 kooky, funny, short novel about sex, politics, gender, self-realization and the practice/lifestyle of cuckoldry;

• essays and articles about ‘00s raunch culture, cleaning doughs, and A.G.I.;

• a stylish, gorgeous, mostly forgotten ‘00s sci-fi romance thriller;

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

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Now, the roundup: