Friday Reads 3.15.24
It’s Friday, and you know what that means. Grab a cuppa, and let’s talk about what we’re reading!
Beware the Ides of March!
It’s been quite a week. From missing princesses to—oh, who are we kidding, that’s all I’ve been doing this week. I think the internet needed a scandal that wasn’t political, and everyone was comfortable talking about, and then Kensington Palace said, “Hold my Grey Poupon…” and picked up a can of lighter fluid, and ten minutes later, the cheery chuckling fire in the great room burned down the country house. I haven’t seen the zeitgeist this tuned up in years, and I readily admit I am here for it. Considering the prophetic day, what’s going to happen next?
I poke fun, but I am quite concerned for Catherine, Princess of Wales. I wish her all the best for a speedy recovery, and hope the rest of the world can get out of her way to do so.
If you’re interested, here are some excellent reads that are not positing that aliens have eaten HRHCPOW. (Jump ahead if you aren’t interested; there are plenty of books ahead, too.)
by Anne Helen Peterson is wonderful in general, but her piece on the actions of the Royal Family was well-reasoned and smart. (Stick around for her take on the ACOTAR phenomenon, too.)
Amanda Matta’s (possibly the best Substack title ever for the content) had a few great pieces this week, including this one on why the Royal Family’s PR is failing them, and why now, in particular.
From Vox, here’s a fun conspiratorial deep dive into the doctored photograph itself.
And another new Substack that I’m obsessed with belongs to who has kept a level head and still done some legitimate speculating on what’s been going on behind the scenes.
The BBC Sounds podcast When It Hits The Fan has a 30-minute deep dive from a couple of palace insiders explaining the mentality of the two palaces’ comms teams and how to decide whether you are in a PR crisis or not.
Now, to the books!
All the above said, it’s ironic to start with a book based on a reality TV show gone wrong, but her, que sera, sera. EVERYONE IS WATCHING by Heather Gudenkauf is tight, and smart, and an utter page turner.
I’ve mentioned this one before, but I finally got started on Kemper Donovan’s THE BUSY BODY and it is awesome. I love the characters, the topic (ghostwriter to a politician), the setting, the snark… it’s great.
I also started THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Stuart Turton (this is a Netgalley score) Wow. Speculative literary fiction is having a real moment, and I’ve read a few books in this vein this year (see THE OTHER VALLEY) and it is one of those you have to just go with and assume you’ll be let in on the whole picture later on. I can’t wait to see what the real story is.
I grabbed THE IDEA OF YOU by Robinne Lee based on the movie trailer featuring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine (who played Prince Henry in Red, White, and Royal Blue, which I adored). A May-December romance that starts at Coachella, when a mom takes her daughter to see her favorite boy band and finds herself in a relationship with one of the band members? OK!
newest, WATCH IT BURN, drops on Tuesday. Kristen’s got a great voice, and the book simmers with malice! A great cover, too.
In full disclosure, I DNF’d a book I was excited about reading. I just didn’t connect with the characters, and 100 percent recognize that I am not the target audience. Instead of grinding my teeth, I moved on. The reviews are sparkling, so clearly it was just me. I don’t like to share the names of these books, because I don’t want to color other readers’ experience with it. If I DNF for cause, I will not be shy.
We also have been totally obsessed with the new Apple series Masters of the Air. I can’t say enough good things about this show. It’s set in the 100th Airborne Squadron in WWII and showcases the boys who fly the B-17 bombers. I’m ridiculously invested. Plus, Austin Butler and Callum Turner. And their characters’ friendship is dynamite.
We watched a distressing documentary called THE PROGRAM: Cons, Cults, and Kidnappings. It was hard to watch, and heartbreaking, but I’m glad we did because as the filmmaker and former “student” Katherine Kubler says, now you know.
Some other smatterings:
IT’S ONE OF US releases in trade paperback on the 19th. It’s part of the Harper Collins March Madness and just made it to the second round…feel free to drop a vote!
In the Craft series, Step Seven: The Daily Grind (20k) went up.
And last, but not least, my new novel, A VERY BAD THING, went up on Netgalley! For those of you not familiar, that’s where reviewers and librarians and booksellers can get an early copy. I will definitely have galleys closer to release date.
That’s it from me. How about you? Good week? What are you reading this weekend?
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