You're Watching the Super Bowl for the Romance

Are all in on "Feud" or are still not over Prince's halftime show

Hi friends,

Hope you’re doing well. This week, I celebrated La Chandeleur, a French holiday that marks the half-way point between winter and spring and is celebrated by eating crêpes. I’m a big fan of any holiday that involves eating crêpes.

And, now, what to read if …

You’re Watching the Super Bowl at Least a Little for the Romantic Arc

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance is like something out of a novel. The biggest pop star in the world and a top football player start dating while she leads a billion-dollar tour and he makes a run for the Super Bowl? It’s the stuff romance writers dream of (and, no, it’s not an elaborate psy ops campaign). If you want a novel featuring a powerful woman and an NFL player, look no further than Alisha Rai’s The Right Swipe.

Rhiannon Hunter invented Crush, a Bumble-esque dating app that centers women. For a dating app entrepreneur, though, Rhiannon is cynical about her own romantic life and avoids long-term relationships, claiming she’s “protecting her heart”. That aversion becomes harder when Samson Liu, an NFL player and outspoken CTE activist, reappears in her life after ghosting her months earlier. She learns quickly that Samson both had a real reason for disappearing and that he’s the nephew of the creator of Matchmaker, a company Rhiannon is looking to acquire. The more time they spend together, the more Rhiannon reconsiders her opposition to long-term relationships.

There’s a lot to like about The Right Swipe. The two leads are adults capable of having mature conversations, meaning there’s none of the “misunderstanding that could be cleared up by talking” subplots. I also appreciated Rai’s exploration of the connection between CTE, football and the NFL throughout the novel. It’s never heavy-handed but adds a layer of heft to the story.

Reminder recommendation: Alexa Martin wrote a whole series of football romances that draw on her experience as an NFL wife.

You’re More Into “Feud” than the Super Bowl

Deliberate Cruelty by Roseanne Montillo

FX premiered the new season of “Feud,” an anthology show from Ryan Murphy, last week. This season is about Truman Capote’s fallout with the glittering New York elite after publishing “La Côte Basque 1965,” a short story skewering the lives of his wealthy friends, nicknamed the Swans. If you’re already anticipating the next installment or are intrigued by the premise — the marketing materials call the Swans the original Housewives — check out Deliberate Cruelty by Roseanne Montillo.

Deliberate Cruelty follows Capote and Ann Woodward, a former showgirl who scandalously married William Woodward, a rich banker from old money — and then shot him. Ann insisted she thought her husband was a home intruder, but few believed her. Capote didn’t believe her either, but he became obsessed with her tale and included it in “La Côte Basque 1965”, along with thinly veiled takedowns of women who considered him a confidante.

Montillo argues Capote and Woodward were two sides of the same coin. Both overcame poverty and dysfunctional childhoods to reach New York’s upper echelon, only to face tragic ends. By now, there’s far more written about Capote than he ever wrote himself, and I appreciated Deliberate Cruelty’s focus on Woodward’s story as much as the In Cold Blood author. Still, I will note that people like me who are weirdly fascinated by Capote likely won’t find much new here. But, if “Feud” introduced you to the tale and you want to know what’s fact and fiction, Deliberate Cruelty is a great option.

You Think Prince’s Half Time Show Was the Best Ever

Dickens and Prince by Nick Hornby

Usher will take the stage for the halftime show of the Super Bowl on Sunday for the second time (he also played with The Black Eyed Peas and Slash in 2011). Some of my favorite Super Bowl shows include Beyonce’s 2013 show (the Destiny’s Child reunion!), Katy Perry (left shark!) and U2 (I have the musical taste of a Gen Z dad!). If Prince’s show tops your list, grab a copy of Nick Hornby’s Dickens and Prince.

Nick Hornby, author of the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy and Fever Pitch, is a massive Prince fan. When Prince’s 1987 album “Sign o’ the Times” was re-released in 2020 with dozens of additional tracks, Hornby, an artist himself, wondered how the singer-songwriter was so prolific. He recorded 102 songs in 1986 alone and would famously play for hours at live shows and then find late-night clubs to keep performing. When trying to think of who else had ever produced so much art, he landed on Charles Dickens.

In Dickens and Prince, Hornby explores the surprising similarities between the two greats, including their difficult childhoods, battles with the powers that be in their industries and their working habits. While some of the comparisons feel like a stretch, overall, it’s a charming, quirky read.

Bonus recommendation: With Justin Timberlake attempting a comeback, I would be remiss to not share the You’re Wrong About episode on the infamous “wardrobe malfunction.” 

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That’s it for me today. What’s your favorite Super Bowl halftime show? Let me know in the comments. (I discovered writing this that the “Fear Factor” halftime show I thought was a fever dream did actually air in 2002.)

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