This Month

The turn of a New Year is always an occasion for high hopes. Whether your goals are achievable or merely admirable (say, actually getting through that stack of books before next year), we've got a reading list rich with burning ambitions, unfulfilled desires, and unsettling visions. Laurie Anderson shares her dream journal, while neurologist Oliver Sacks explains your brain on music. Melville House reissues Guy de Maupassant's nightmare novella, and a computer programmer heralds the rise of sex with robots. We also interview Lydia Millet, the wildly inventive and prolific writer whose latest book comes out later this month.