You’re Celebrating Pride Month

Want a light mystery or think it’s too hot to cook

Jun 13, 2022

Hi friends,

First off, welcome to new subscribers! I had an influx of sign-ups last week (I'm not sure from where — if you know, please leave a comment).

If you're new here or need a reminder, I offer three book recommendations each week based on the news, pop culture happenings, subscriber requests and my own whims. Right now, we're playing Summer Reading Bingo. You can get all the details here, but the short version is: read books, win prizes.

Speaking of Bingo, thanks to everyone who shared their favorite re-reads last week. I loved seeing the books people turn to time and again. This week, I'm looking for your favorite books set before 1975.

You Spent the Weekend at a Pride Event

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Countless cities across the country celebrated Pride events — parades, concerts, festivals and more — this weekend, with more events recognizing the LGBTQ community slated for the rest of the month. To carry that festive feeling over to your reading, grab Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material, a frothy, genuinely funny love story.

The book follows Luc, the son of two famous rock stars, who is occasionally tabloid fodder himself. When a compromising photo of Luc goes viral, his boss makes it clear that unless he cleans up his image, he'll be fired. Luc's solution? Pretend to date Oliver, a straight-laced vegan lawyer, who also needs a date for an upcoming family event. The only hitch? The two men can't stand each other.

The banter in this book is spot on — charming and witty. Hall seamlessly incorporates elements of a British farce while still writing a book that feels grounded in reality. The side characters, Luc's friends and mom, in particular, are the type of people you'd want to have at a party. It's a joy to read — and the rare book almost everyone in my book club loved.

If you want to support the LGBTQ community this Pride Month, consider donating to SMYAL, a D.C.-based nonprofit that provides counseling, housing and other support services to LGBTQ youth in need. My company, Subject Matter, is matching all donations up to $5,000 made to SMYAL at this link through June.

Bingo boxes this book checks: First in a series, book set outside the U.S.

Reminder Rec: I adored Casey McQuiston's One Last Stop, which offers equal parts mystery, time loop, love story and LGBT history, and The Guncle by Steven Rowley, a heartwarming novel about a gay uncle who suddenly has to care for his niece and nephew.

You Want a Light, Fun Mystery

Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian

A subscriber recently asked for a light, easy-to-read mystery, and the first book that came to mind was Gigi Pandian's Under Lock & Skeleton Key, the first book in a new series about a magician turned amateur sleuth.

After a terrible accident shuts down her Las Vegas magic show, long-dormant rumors of a curse harming Tempest Raj's family begin to swirl once again. Unable to find another job, Tempest moves back in with her father and grandparents. But, when visiting her dad on a job for his company, Secret Staircase Construction, which specializes in creating secret passages and hidden nooks, she finds a body hidden in a wall and is suddenly at the center of one of the locked-room mysteries she used to love.

Cover of Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian

There are a lot of threads in this book — stage magic, trick construction, locked-room mysteries — but Pandian, a veteran mystery writer, weaves them together admirably. Pandian is an expert on locked-room mysteries, where a crime is committed in a seemingly impossible way (i.e., a victim is found in a locked, windowless room), and her knowledge shines through as Tempest turns to detective fiction to help her solve the murder. Under Lock & Skeleton Key is a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Bingo boxes this book checks: First in a series, book that teaches you something new

If you hit the little heart at the top or bottom of this email each week, it makes it easier for people to find What To Read If.

You're Finding It Too Hot To Cook

Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen

There comes a time during every summer in D.C. when I declare it too hot to cook. On some of those days, I subsist on popsicles and salad. When I'm more organized, I break out the slow cooker, which is great for cooking delicious meals without making the house hot. Slow Cooker Revolution (gifted to me years ago by my uncle Jim) is my go-to crockpot cookbook.

To develop Slow Cooker Revolution, the America's Test Kitchen team spent roughly a year experimenting with 30 different slow cookers to develop 200 tasty recipes. My go-tos include chicken with 40 cloves of garlic and honey-mustard drumsticks (both great with fresh summer greens) as well as the various taco fillings. I'm also a fan of making the farm tomato sauce in August when tomatoes are perfect, freezing it and eating it in the middle of winter. My absolute favorite recipe is the green bean casserole — which is on our table every Thanksgiving.

Cover of Slow Cooker Revolution — I have not made the lasagna.

If you're looking to add a few new recipes to your repertoire this summer, check out Easel To Table, a newsletter from Vicki Smith that combines gorgeous art of her farmers market finds with new recipes. She's put together a beautifully illustrated Bingo card for this summer too that includes things like going on a picnic and making ice cream. It's my kind of challenge!

Bingo boxes this book checks: Make a recipe from a cookbook

Thanks for reading! Two programming notes:

I'll be back in your inboxes Thursday with a Q&A featuring mystery writer Kellye Garrett.
Next week, Courtney Cook of Survival by Book and I are swapping newsletters. I'll be sharing an essay in her newsletter Sunday, and she'll offer book recs here on Monday. I'll be back on June 20th.

Don’t forget to share your favorite pre-1975 reads.

What To Read If