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James Irwin

Goodreads Author

Born

in Norristown, Pennsylvania, The United States

Website

http://jrirwin.com/

Genre

Fiction, Nonfiction

Influences

Elmore Leonard, Tana French, William Gibson, Dashiell Hammett, Robert ...more

Member Since

March 2020

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James Irwin is originally from southeastern Pennsylvania, spent time in San Francisco and New York City, and has lived in northern New Jersey for the past few decades. Currently focused on novels, he has also published quite a bit of short fiction, essays, and criticism over the years. He has widely exhibited his work as a media artist; awards include San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Rockefeller Foundation. He has taught at universities on both coasts of the U.S., co-founded the film journal Cinematograph, and is associate editor of the Atlantic Journal of Communication. He used to teach tennis for walking-around money.

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James Irwin’s books

Average rating: 5.0 · 3 ratings · 1 review · 1 distinct work

Nina's Friends

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions

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James is Currently Reading

James Irwin is currently reading

The Escape Artist (Escape Artist #1)

by Brad Meltzer (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 21, 2025 07:49PM

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The Three Coffins (The Hollow Man)

by John Dickson Carr

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Dec 21, 2025 07:48PM

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Murder in Fifth Position: An On Pointe Mystery

by Lori Robbins (Goodreads Author)

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Nov 30, 2025 10:14AM

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James’s Recent Updates

James Irwin is currently reading The Escape Artist (Escape Artist #1) by Brad Meltzer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 21, 2025 07:49PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Irwin is currently reading The Three Coffins (The Hollow Man) by John Dickson Carr	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 21, 2025 07:48PM · like
James Irwin finished reading 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years (The Time Traveler's Passport) by John Scalzi (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 07, 2025 05:41PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Irwin is currently reading 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years (The Time Traveler's Passport) by John Scalzi (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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James Irwin finished reading Making Space (The Time Traveler's Passport) by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 02, 2025 08:52PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Making Space by R.F. Kuang. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Making Space by R.F. Kuang <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Irwin is currently reading Murder in Fifth Position: An On Pointe Mystery by Lori Robbins (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2025 10:14AM · like
James Irwin rated a book really liked it Cronus (The Time Traveler's Passport) by P. Djèlí Clark (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 30, 2025 10:09AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Irwin rated a book really liked it A Visit to the Husband Archive (The Time Traveler's Passport) by Kaliane Bradley	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 29, 2025 08:21PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
James Irwin finished reading For a Limited Time Only (The Time Traveler's Passport) by Peng Shepherd (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 29, 2025 07:28PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
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Nov 24, 2025 09:08PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by James Irwin (?)

“For someone who prefers to keep to himself and doesn't appear to like people all that much, you are everywhere in this carnival.”
― James Irwin, Nina's Friends

tags: carnival, involvement, isolation, participation

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“There are endless possibilities for new mistakes no one has ever seen before.”
― James Irwin, Nina's Friends

tags: chaos, endless-possibilities, failure, imperfection, mistakes

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“A fine line existed between accomplice and useful idiot, and in matters like this the line was often treated as if it didn't exist.”
― James Irwin, Nina's Friends

tags: accomplice, accountability, guilt, responsibility, useful-idiot

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James’s Quotes

“Sometimes people do foolish and dangerous things for nearly no reason at all, other than the opportunity presents itself, and no small voice in their heads tells them not to do it.”
― James Irwin, Nina's Friends

tags: behavior, crime, discipline, ethics, impulsiveness, morality, self-control

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“He was a Russian with a Serbian name who had spent half his life in the United States, and he belonged to none of those places, not much more than human driftwood at that point.”
― James Irwin, Nina's Friends

tags: belonging, culture, identity, nationality, roots

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“For someone who prefers to keep to himself and doesn't appear to like people all that much, you are everywhere in this carnival.”
― James Irwin, Nina's Friends

tags: carnival, involvement, isolation, participation

0 likes

“A fine line existed between accomplice and useful idiot, and in matters like this the line was often treated as if it didn't exist.”
― James Irwin, Nina's Friends

tags: accomplice, accountability, guilt, responsibility, useful-idiot

0 likes

“There's one important rule: never turn your back on crazy.”
― James Irwin, Nina's Friends

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