Are Preparing for Your Annual ‘Christmas Carol’ Viewing
Are Preparing for Your Annual ‘Christmas Carol’ Viewing
Are trying to decode U.S.-China relations or want a fun romp
Hi friends,
I hope you had a great weekend. I watched “The Hating Game” movie (based on the Sally Thorne book of the same name) with my book club. My verdict: It was fine. Mostly, I was happy to see so many of my book club friends in person again.
Thanks to everyone who commented last week with the books they enjoyed reading in 2021. I loved looking at your lists!
Speaking of lists, I wanted to share this gift guide of children’s books from experts Sarah Miller and Olivia Mardwig. There are some great options on there! Last week, I also wrote a list of “wildlife true-crime” books for Best Evidence (think smuggling feathers, orchids, and more).
And now what to read if …
You Have a Favorite Christmas Carol Adaptation
Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva
I have multiple friends who read Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol each year and others who annually view an adaptation of it. (For what it’s worth, I adore “Scrooged,” the 1988 movie version with Bill Murray as a miserly TV executive, and “The Muppets Christmas Carol,” which is surprisingly accurate and a lovely introduction to the story for children. So, if you’re looking for a new take on the yuletide tale, consider Mr. Dickens and His Carol.
In the book, Samantha Silva imagines the life of Charles Dickens during his frantic six-week writing of A Christmas Carol. Her fictional Dickens has none of his usual Christmas cheer. Martin Chuzzlewit is a flop. Critics and his fellow authors proclaim they’re bored with the “social novel” and friends and family are constantly asking for money. On top of all that, in response to Martin Chuzzlewit’s flagging sales, Dickens’ publishers demand he write a Christmas story — or face financial consequences. Silva follows the writer as he attempts to find inspiration and furiously complete a book.
I listened to Mr. Dickens and His Carol while taking my dog for long walks to see the neighborhood decorated for Christmas — and it definitely added to the festive feel. At times it feels a bit like Charles Dickens fan fiction (his children look at him with “great expectations,” and he bemoans living in a “bleak house”), but I didn’t find it overly cloying. The book shines when Silva describes the city of London and 20-mile-long walks Dickens took through it at night, seeking ideas for his story.
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You’re Trying To Make Sense of All the China News
Chaos Under Heaven by Josh Rogin
There’s been a lot of China news in the past few weeks: The Biden administration announced a diplomatic boycott of the coming Winter Olympic games. The Women’s Tennis Association continues to demand it be able to speak with Peng Shuai, a Chinese star player who disappeared after accusing a former vice-premier of sexually assaulting her. ProPublica ran a blockbuster story on Chinese officials harassing students studying in the U.S. for speaking out on human rights violations. And the country continues military incursions into Taiwanese airspace.
It’s also possible I’m more focused on this steady trickle of news since reading Josh Rogin’s Chaos Under Heaven, which documents U.S.-China relations during the Trump administration. While it focuses on the players from the previous presidency, it remains a critical, timely book that explains where the relationship between the countries is now, how we got here and why it matters.
Rogin, a columnist for the Washington Post, is a well-sourced reporter who has been thinking about U.S.-China dynamics for years — and it shows through the book. Longtime China watchers might not find a lot “new” in this book, but Rogin excels at connecting the dots between what can feel like one-off events (the relationship between the NBA and China, the theft of American intellectual property and the Chinese Communist Party’s funding of programs at American universities.)
If you’re looking for a book that will give you a basic foundation on a fundamental global dynamic — in an engaging, propulsive way — Chaos Under Heaven is your next read.
You’re Looking for a Romp
Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett
A friend recently told me she’s reading exclusively “fluff” and “romps” until the end of the year. It’s a plan I can fully get behind. This is a delightful time of year, but it can also come with a lot of work, stress and expectations. Find your joy where you can get it.
Kellye Garrett’s Hollywood Homicide is a rollicking good time featuring:
Dayna, an amateur sleuth/out-of-work actress whose only major credit is a series of commercials for a chicken sandwich shop.
Her best friend/roommate, who is trying to launch a reality TV show based on her own life.
A TMZ-esque gossip blog with some hilarious blind items.
Visits to paparazzi hot spots, celebrity mansions and movie sets.
A few laugh-out-loud scenes.
A well-plotted murder mystery.
Garrett drew on her eight years working in Tinseltown and imbues her insider knowledge into every page of Hollywood Homicide. I devoured it and its sequel Hollywood Ending on a single cross-country flight, smiling all the while. Garrett recently self-published the series after its initial publisher closed a few years back and I’m so glad she did. More readers should have the chance to hang out with Dayna and her friends.
That’s it for me today! I’ll be back in your inboxes on Thursday with a Q&A featuring author Julia Claiborne Johnson.
I’m excited to have a guest recommendation from Isabella Silvers, writer of the fantastic Mixed Messages newsletter. Each week, she interviews a mixed-race voice. Isabella recommends Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam.
“This thriller intensifies with every sentence, building a tension that left me unable to sleep afterwards until I'd watched a labrador befriending a penguin on YouTube. A family rent a remote holiday home, but only last a day before they're interrupted by a couple who claim to own it, claiming a blackout has driven them out of the city. Who should you believe, and what exactly is going on? This is a perfect read for winter nights.”
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