Friday Reads 6.6.25
Happy Friday, friends!
Have you ever just fallen head over heels in love with a new author? It’s the best feeling. New worlds open, characters become best friends, storylines keep you up late at night. That’s what happened to me when I discovered John Sandford—and of course, was then inspired to write my own books. I saw Taylor Jackson as a female Lucas Davenport, half-cop, half-rock star, the warrior goddess of Nashville. I’ve always been so grateful to the librarian who handed me those Sandford books all those years ago.
There have been plenty of authors whom I’ve fallen for over the years, books I’ve read and immediately gone searching for their backlists, preordered their frontlists, watched adaptations… anything and everything to live inside their heads for a while. Diana Gabaldon. Tess Gerritsen. Lee Child. Lisa Gardner. Lisa Jewell. Daniel Silva. Daphne Du Maurier. So many more. Authors whose work truly shaped me as a writer.
More recently, it’s been the fantasy worlds that capture me so profoundly. Deborah Harkness, Leigh Bardugo, Rebecca Yarros, VE Schwab, Suzanne Collins, Brandon Sanderson, Naomi Novak. Well, I have a new author to add to that list… Rachel Gillig.
Y’all. THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH is remarkable. It topped the NYT this week, and let me say, judging a book by its cover is real…and this cover sold me. Yes, it’s romantasy—a love story set in a fantasy world—but it is so much more. The writing is sublime, the longing swoon worthy, and the storytelling so wildly unique I almost abandoned the story in the opening chapter because it is…odd. Boy, am I glad I stuck with it. I’m gushing because of all that, plus I’m really in love with the characters, and the quest is pitch-perfect, but I'm also impressed because Rachel employs a woefully misunderstood technique that is hard to pull off, something called bathos.
From Merriam Webster: Bathos (bāˌTHäs)(especially in a work of literature): an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.
In simpler terms words, using humor to defuse the tension. You see it in movies and books all the time: the perfectly placed joke, the moment of unbearable tension relieved with a catchphrase. It’s usually ridiculous, and too often removes the tension from the story entirely—not a welcome event. But when it’s done well, it is a joy to behold.
Rachel does this with a gargoyle who misuses idioms. He calls everyone Bartholemew. He shows more emotion than you’d think possible from a stone creature, and is perpetually saving the day, awkwardly, with great fanfare for himself. He is erudite in all the wrong ways, hilariously so, but it’s so clear he’s more than just a gargoyle. He’s saying aloud what we, the reader, are thinking before we’re able to put it into words, and doing it at exactly the right moment. Hard to pull off, trust me. Even hard to write a story that ticks every box for me—joy, hope, despair, love, quest, philosophy, world building, humor, cleverness, curiosity and make a seasoned author forget she’s a writer and allows her to simply read
Anyway, Ms. Gillig now has a new fan. I’ve bought her previous books and will be waiting with bated breath for this series sequel to arrive. A true talent.
And during the daytime…I’m finally reading Leila Slima’s THE PERFECT NANNY, and it is perfectly creepy, thank you very much. The voice is incredible, so dark, so observational. Dark enough that I have avoided it before bed because we just don’t need those sorts of bad dreams, now do we?
Other books that have captured my attention (and my wallet or library card) and made it onto my groaning TBR this week:
My lovely friend and mentor Jayne Ann Krentz has a new novel out that you will absolutely love called IT TAKES A PSYCHIC. Jayne’s books always deliver, especially when exploring the universal theme of trust. Great read, and the Poisoned Pen has signed copies!!!
Kimberly Bell’s latest, THE EXPAT AFFAIR, dropped Tuesday. LOVE the cover!
Yes, I have TJR’s ATMOSPHERE, and yes, I am going to wait for a nice break in the weather to sit by the pool and read it.
You are never not going to see me grab a book called THE GHOSTWRITER — and this one by Julie Clark looks incredible!
debut WE DON’T TALK ABOUT CAROL came out this week, too. She wrote a lovely piece about the experience that I enjoyed.
Grabbed TINY DAGGERS by Caroline Corcoran for my Amazon first read this month, as well as the short story ABSCOND by Abraham Verghese. I’ve already told you how great FOG AND FURY by Rachel Howzell Hall is… all you need to do is look at the cover for my thoughts!
And Elin Hilderbrand’s NANTUCKET NIGHTS slipped into my cart, too. I love her books, don’t you? Just so much fun, about an area of the country I know very little.
That’s it from me this week. What are you reading this weekend? Would love to hear your recommendations for us!
