You’re an “Abbott Elementary” Fan
Are following Adnan Syed’s case or are adored “Writers & Lovers”
Hi friends,
It’s Banned Books Week — I hope you’re celebrating your right to read. (FYI: Bookshop.org has 10% off banned books this week.)
I finally finished going through all the Bingo cards. Thanks to everyone who played and congrats to our winners. Some fun Bingo facts:
Emily Henry was this year’s most popular author. Three people read Book Lovers and two people read Beach Read, but no one read People We Meet On Vacation.
Run Fast, Eat Slow was far and away the most popular cookbook.
I was delighted to see two of you read Tamora Pierce’s Page this summer.
The oldest book read was first published in 1846, and the most popular publication year was 2022 .
The most popular Bingo category was “borrow a book from the library.” If you have suggestions for next year’s boxes, leave them in a comment below.
One quick reminder: Hop on over to last week’s Q&A with Gretchen Anthony to enter (before September 23rd) to win a copy of her new book, The Book Haters’ Book Club.
And, now, what to read if …
You’re Excited “Abbott Elementary” is Back
She Memes Well by Quinta Brunson
“Abbott Elementary,” ABC’s breakout sitcom of last year, returns to TV screens this week after bringing home three awards at last week’s Emmy Awards.
If you haven’t yet watched “Abbott” star Sheryl Lee Harris’s acceptance song, you should:
The show is heartwarming, delightful and genuinely hilarious. For more humor from the show’s creator, Quinta Brunson, look no further than her essay collection She Memes Well.
The collection, like her TV show, alternates between the laugh-out-loud and the heartfelt. She documents her rise to internet stardom (please watch the “The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date” series that launched her to viral fame) and the time she went clubbing in an outfit she describes as “Gary Coleman meets metrosexual pirate.” Yet she also discloses her battle with depression in an honest and intimate way.
She Memes Well is in the vein of comedian memoirs, such as Tina Fey’s Bossypants and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling. It’s a joy to read and definitely brings the laughs. My one complaint is that the audiobook is a little tricky to find — I would have loved to listen to Brunson narrate it.
Bonus recs: She Memes Well is one of the books I recommended in a recent article for Parade pairing book recs with TV shows.
You’re Following Every Update in the Adnan Syed Trial
Conviction by Denise Mina
Baltimore prosecutors asked a judge to vacate Adnan Syed’s conviction, for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, last week. The case gained international attention in 2014 after it was featured on the first season of Serial, the podcast widely credited with jumpstarting our current true crime boom. (Sidebar: I cannot believe that Serial is eight years old.)
Denise Mina explores the rise of true crime podcasts and what they mean for our culture in Conviction. The thriller opens with Anna McDonald’s husband abruptly announcing he’s leaving her for her best friend. Shocked and confused, Anna turns to her favorite true crime podcast for distraction. The story of the crime, though, is too familiar. Anna knows the victim and becomes convinced she knows the truth of the case. Together with her best friend’s ex-rocker husband, she leaves on a road trip to solve the case.
In between describing a global conspiracy that dates back to the Nazis, Mina uses the book’s structure, which includes podcast snippets (interstitials!), to comment on how stories get told and how they can lead their readers or listeners to certain conclusions. Anyone interested in true crime — or how media shapes culture — should give it a read.
You Loved Writers & Lovers — or Bridget Jones
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Months ago, my friend Emilie Sommer told me about a book, Ghosts, that she described as a cross between Lily King’s Writers & Lovers and Helen Fielding’s seminal Bridget Jones’s Diary. I immediately made a note to read it. I finally did a few weeks ago and am kicking myself for waiting so long.
The novel follows food writer Nina Dean over her 32nd year. Shortly after her birthday, she begins a relationship with Max, a man she meets on a dating app. The two of them have pitch-perfect chemistry, and it seems like the cherry on top of Nina’s lovely life, filled with friends, parties and a book deal. But when Max suddenly disappears after saying, “I love you,” Nina is forced to acknowledge everything she’s been ignoring — her father’s worsening dementia, her deteriorating relationship with her best friend and her editor’s dismissal of her book idea. On the surface, Ghosts is a book about dating and relationships, but really it’s about the ghosts that haunt us all, the baggage we carry with us.
Ghosts is one of those books that I read at exactly the right time (it’s probably not a coincidence that I am also in my 32nd year). Author Dolly Alderton captures the feeling that defines this era of life: feeling like things are both changing constantly and some stuck at the same time. Ghosts made me laugh and cry — and eternally grateful for the recommendation.
That’s it for me this week. Notes From Three Pines, my Louise Penny newsletter, launches on Wednesday. You can subscribe here if you’re interested.
What to Read If is a free weekly book recommendation newsletter. Need a rec? Want to gush about a book? Reply to this email, leave a comment or find me on Twitter @elizabethheld.
If you’re reading this on Substack or were forwarded this email, and you’d like to subscribe, click the button below.
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
I love your recs. Thanks!
Yay! Thank you for the shout-out and so glad you loved it! I love that we’re both on Bianca’s podcast this week too!