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Want to recognize Jimmy Buffett or need one last “summer” read

Hi friends,

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s Summer Reading Bingo Challenge. For the first time, I actually got Bingo!

You’ve already seen some of these in past newsletters — and you’ll see more in the future.

Last week, I was on Marketplace (!) talking about the fan-fiction-to-romance pipeline I reported on for Vulture, and then I went to Yale for the Literature of Hope conference featuring authors and academics speaking about the past and future of the romance genre. I interviewed Sarah Maclean for a future Q&A, heard Beverly Jenkins and Roxane Gay in conversation with each other and met a lot of fab people I’ve followed online for years. It has been a wild, fun week.

And, now, what to read if …

You Vividly Remember The Dress

Traffic by Ben Smith

In early 2016, I was at a family reunion, loudly debating if this dress was white and gold or black and blue.

 For the uninitiated, The Dress went viral after Buzzfeed posted an article about how some people see it as black and blue, while others see white and gold. (For what it’s worth: I am team white and gold and I still feel for my colorblind dad, who truly didn’t get this argument.) If you remember its explosion — which coincided with two llamas escaping from a retirement home on what Charlie Warzel called “The Internet’s Greatest Day” – you’ll want to read Traffic, Ben Smith’s history of the rise of viral internet.

What colors do you see?

Smith, a veteran journalist and founder of news outlet Semafor, documents this online era by telling the story of two companies — Buzzfeed and Gawker — who defined it. Tracing their roots back to The Huffington Post and the early dot-com boom, Traffic explores a fundamental tension of the time. Buzzfeed, Gawker and later, Facebook and Twitter, were heralded by progressives as ushering in a new political age, but the same technology was ultimately wielded by right-wing populists.

Traffic is a structurally interesting book. The first half reads like a traditional journalistic undertaking, but during the second half, Smith himself becomes a character as he writes about his experience as Buzzfeed’s editor in chief. He describes Disney’s attempt to buy Buzzfeed from his seat at the board room and his controversial decision to publish the Steele dossier in 2017 (a choice he defends, with a caveat). With an insider’s perspective and a reporter's writing skills, Traffic isn’t a book anyone who is very (or even kind of) online will want to miss.

You Want to Honor Jimmy Buffett

Swamp Story by Dave Barry

Jimmy Buffett, singer of such classics as “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Margaritaville,” and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” died last week at the age of 76. Though he passed away in New York, Buffet’s music and general vibe (as well as his advocacy for the manatee) embody the Sunshine State. If you want to honor one Florida Man’s legacy, pick up a book by another — Dave Barry’s Swamp Story.

Barry’s latest novel is a laugh-out-loud caper set in the Florida Everglades. New mom Jesse Braddock is looking for a way to afford to leave her wannabe-reality-star boyfriend when she finds an actual treasure chest. The only problem — two bad men want it and they’re now on the hunt for Jesse and the gold. Meanwhile, Ken Bortle launches a plan to attract more customers to his convenience store by making viral TikToks of the "Everglades Melon Monster." The monster in question is actually an unemployed newspaper reporter with an alcohol dependency wearing a giant Dora the Explorer costume head. The two plotlines hilariously intersect during a presidential candidate’s visit to the Sunshine State.

I laughed so hard reading this book, I drew stares on the train during my commute. I will leave you with what Carl Hiassen, the reigning king of Florida noir, said about it: “Swamp Story is about greed, fraud, and viral fame, but there are also big-ass reptiles to keep the sketchiest characters on their toes. Everything that happens in this wild novel could easily happen in South Florida, and probably will. Read it here first. Dave's version is always the funniest."

You’re Trying to Squeeze in One More “Summer” Book

Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen

We reached triple digits in D.C. last week. Even if it’s September, it feels like summer. If you’re looking for a juicy read perfect for sitting poolside, grab Sunshine Nails, Mai Nguyen’s debut novel about a Vietnamese family who owns a nail salon in Toronto.

As the book opens, Jessica Tran has just moved back in with her parents, brother and cousin after losing her job and breaking up with her boyfriend. She begrudgingly begins working at the family’s nail salon and is dismayed when she learns a luxe new nail studio is opening across the street. The situation grows worse when their landlord announces plans to dramatically increase the rent. Together, the family seeks to find a way to keep their business open, even if it means resorting to sabotage.

Sunshine Nails falls into one of my favorite genres — books that trick you into thinking. (Other entries include Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, Kirstin Chen’s Counterfeit and Leigh Stein’s Self Care). On one level, it’s a page-turning romp, but it also offers sharp commentary on gentrification, the immigrant experience and family expectations. A fab read for any time of the year.

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Thanks, as always, for reading. You can catch up on last week’s recs here and my Q&A with crime critic and author Sarah Weinman here.

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