You're Excited About the New Stunt Design Oscar

Are seeking a brilliant memoir or a Holmes-inspired fantasy

Hi friends,

Greetings from rainy Washington, D.C. It’s the type of day when even my dog doesn’t want to go outside. (Ellie is very much a fair-weather friend.)

Hopefully wherever you are, you got some sunshine this weekend

And, now, what to read if…

You’re Glad Stunt Performers are Finally Getting their Due

Crashing Into Her by Mia Sosa

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced last week it will start presenting an Oscar for “Achievement in Stunt Design” in 2028, during the 100th Academy Awards. David Leitch, director of “The Fall Guy,” a 2024 movie starring Ryan Gosling as a stuntman who accidentally gets caught up in a sinister plot when the actor he’s performing stunts for disappears, spearheaded the campaign to add the award. (I was surprised by how delightful I found “The Fall Guy.” It includes a standout scene of Gosling crying to Taylor Swift after seeing his ex, played by Emily Blunt.)

If the news — or a similar affection for “The Fall Guy” — has you craving a book about stunt performers, grab a copy of Mia Sosa’s Crashing Into Her, which features not one, but two members of stunt teams.

After a series of disastrous relationships, Eva Montgomery is ready to start fresh as a personal trainer in Los Angeles. She’s out to prove to herself — and her dad — that she can manage on her own, so when she realizes she can bring in extra money working as a stunt performer, Eva quickly enrolls in a class that will give her the skills she needs. The catch? She previously hooked up with the course’s instructor, Anthony Castillo, at a mutual friend’s wedding. The pair, who have both sworn off relationships, agree to be friends, but their chemistry makes them consider a bigger future.

Mia Sosa’s novels are always fun and Crashing Into Her is no exception. It’s funny, warm and filled with mouthwatering descriptions of Puerto Rican food. Watch “The Fall Guy” and then read this. Or vice versa.

You Ever Worry You’re a Little Crazy

Brain on Fire by Susan Cahalan

At 24, Susan Callahan felt all the pieces of her life were falling into place. She had a job she dreamed of as a reporter at the New York Post, a boyfriend and family who loved her and an exciting life in the city. Until she woke up in a hospital, strapped to the bed, unable to speak and unaware of how she got there.

Over the next month, Callahan experienced symptoms of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, periods of being completely catatonic and seizures that caused “blood and foam” to spray from her mouth. Doctors were unable to find a diagnosis and she was frequently dismissed as a “party girl” until a neurologist asked her to draw a clock. Her drawing, which included all 12 numbers on the right side, told her doctor that there was an issue with the left side of her brain.

After she recovered, and with nearly no memories of the saga, Callahan applied her reporting skills to her own experience. She pored over doctor’s notes, watched footage of her psychiatric episodes, such as when she claimed her father had abducted his wife, and interviewed her loved ones. The result is a remarkable reported memoir that combines the tabloid-style writing of the New York Post and the vulnerability of books like Educated. If you’re a hypochondriac, you might skip this one, but everyone else will likely find it fascinating, if frightening.

You Want Holmes and Watson — with Magic

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

As I continue my quest to try and read more sci-fi/fantasy, I like to grab books in those genres that share DNA with things I already know I’m a fan of. So, when I saw The Tainted Cup described as a fantasy take on Holmes and Watson on multiple Best of 2024 lists last year, I figured I should give it a try. I ended up devouring it quickly and then almost immediately turning to the sequel.

Dinios Kol has only just began his job as assistant to Ana Dolabra, a brilliant but batty detective who perpetually wears a blindfold to avoid getting overstimulated, when they’re summoned to the home of one of the Empire’s wealthiest and most powerful families to solve a murder. At the manor, Dinios, who was magically altered to be an ideal aide, finds a tree growing out of the victim. As he and Ana investigate more, the tree becomes one of the least complex aspects of the case as they uncover a conspiracy that could take down the Empire and leave its citizens vulnerable to the leviathans, giant sea monsters that attack each year.

Robert Jackson Bennett walks a fine line of making Ana and Dinios feel both fresh and homages to Holmes and Watson. Ana has a — perhaps magical — way of making connections between seemingly unrelated things while Dinios is an assistant who brings more to the investigation that he first seems to. As Max Gladstone, author of This is How You Lose the Time War, said, “I loved this. A twisty detective story, a weird fantasy, a thrilling adventure—The Tainted Cup is a masterstroke. I want Bennett to write a dozen of these, and send them to me yesterday.”

---

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 Instagram or Threads.

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.