You Loved “Long Bright River”

Need a juicy read or want to reduce your plastic use

Hi friends,

A friend, my dog and I decamped to the Virginia countryside for the weekend, where we visited wineries, read great books and enjoyed the scenery. I hope you too had a great weekend.

For those of you in the D.C. area, I want to make sure you know about this all-star (in-person!) panel of romance writers Christina Lauren, Ali Hazelwood and Kate Clayborn on May 17 at 6:30 PM. It’s free but registration is required and seating is limited. I’m very excited (and planning to bring all my Kate Clayborn books for signing). Hope to see you there.

And now what to read if …

You Love Long Bright River as Much as I Do

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

Liz Moore’s Long Bright River was one of my favorite books of 2020. As I noted in my year-end roundup, it’s “simultaneously a fantastic mystery with twists that made my jaw drop and an intense, raw depiction of the opioid crisis’s devastating effect on our country, cities and families.”

Notes on an Execution, Danya Kukafka’s second book, is reminiscent of Long Bright River. It’s a suspenseful read recounting the life of serial killer Ansel Packer through three women — his mother, his sister-in-law and a homicide detective who spent years tracking him down. It alternates between their perspectives and the hours leading up to Ansel’s execution, showing how the choice’s he’s made — and things beyond his control — led up to this moment.

Kukafka (who spoke with me last year about crafting Notes on an Execution) writes with such empathy for all her characters, including Ansel. Beyond its gripping plot, Notes on an Execution includes some sharp commentary on our serial-killer and true-crime obsessed culture, asking what it is about these violent men that fascinates us. I listened to the audiobook, a full cast recording that really brings the story to life.

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You Want Something Juicy

At Least You Have Your Health by Madi Sinha

If you’re looking to jump-start the summer reading season with a novel that is equal parts soapy and serious, Madi Sinha’s At Least You Have Your Health is your next pick. 

It follows Dr. Maya Rao, a busy Philadelphia gynecologist who lands a job at a concierge wellness clinic, performing house calls for the city’s wealthiest women. At first, Maya loves her job — she’s making more money and has more time to spend with her children — even as she is pushed by her manager and new patients to embrace alternative treatments — bee venom therapy and crystals — that she’s suspicious of. But, as she spends more time with her elite clients and glamorous new boss, Maya is forced to confront her own past while attempting to solve a medical mystery.

My friend Laura Hankin described At Least You Have Your Health as “Sharply observed and laugh-out-loud funny, this cautionary tale about the Goop-ification of modern medicine brilliantly blends satire, suspense, and genuine heart.” She’s absolutely right. Sinha walks a fine line skewering the excesses of the wellness industry while showing how sexism in medicine causes women to attempt any potential cure. It’s a fun, thought-provoking read perfect for those (like me) who loved the first season of “Grey’s Anatomy.” (I will spare you my many thoughts on later-season “Grey’s.”)

You’re Trying to Cut Back On Plastic

Moby-Duck by Donovan Hohn

 By 2050, there will be more plastics by weight than fish in the ocean, according to a new study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The same institute estimates there are 44 million metric tons — 97 billion pounds — of plastic waste sitting in landfills in the United States.

In 2005, journalist Donovan Hohn became obsessed with the story of 28,000 rubber ducks that fell off a shipping container after leaving Hong Kong for the U.S., and began washing up on shores across the globe. What he thought would be a quick story reported from his desk at home took him to Alaska, Hawaii and China, as he sought to understand how the ducks were made and then traveled worldwide. Ultimately, he produced an important piece of environmental journalism, showing the harmful effect the influx of cheap plastic goods has had on birds, fish and the ocean.

Moby-Duck is also a great adventure story and includes entertaining asides about the history of Sesame Street’s “Rubber Duckie” song and an exploration of polymer chemistry. Hohn is a writer’s writer, taking the time to describe small details that others might ignore but that he makes feel essential. It’s a book that will entertain you and enrage you and keep you turning pages. 

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That’s it for me today. I’ll be back in your inboxes on Thursday with a Q&A featuring award-winning mystery writer Julia Spencer Fleming.

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