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Introducing you to some of my friends

Hi friends,

I hope you’re hanging in there. The state of the world is … a lot. I’m sending you all good thoughts.

I’m mixing it up a bit this week. Since hitting 6,000 subscribers, I’ve been thinking a lot about the relationships I’ve made through this newsletter. I’ve gotten to know many of you through your brilliant comments and messages, and I’ve been lucky enough to befriend a number of bookish newsletter writers. This community has been a source of joy — and countless great book recommendations — for me during the last few wild years. So, I thought I’d spotlight a handful of my favorites (if I tried to get everyone in, this would be a 10,000-word newsletter).

And, now, what to read if …

You’re Looking for an Animating Read

Books on GIF

Mike of Books on GIF has been sharing “the animated alternative to boring book reviews” since 2016 — making him an inspiration to me and dozens of others. It’s exactly what you’d expect based on the name — book reviews featuring gifs from tv shows and movies.

The books highlighted are wonderfully eclectic, ranging from classics Dracula and Middlemarch to books in translation, such as The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk and Fleur Jaeggy’s Sweet Day of Discipline. This newsletter also introduced me to Two Dollar Radio, a quirky independent publisher, putting out interesting and distinct books.

You Love a Theme

Crooked Reads

I was at a Taylor Swift-themed happy hour on Friday (food included ‘Look What You Made Me Dough’ and ‘Evers’more’ — it was truly impressive). If you, too, are a fan of a well-considered theme, check out Ashley Holstrom’s Crooked Reads.

Each month, she sends out three book recommendations built around a shared idea, such as weird science, spooky comics or romantasy. The picks are fabulous, and the writing snappy.

You Want Some Underappreciated Gems

Reading Under the Radar

After subscribing to Reading Under the Radar for a few years, I’m convinced the Venn diagram of my taste and that of its writer, Cassie Guttman, is practically a circle. Every Tuesday, Cassie highlights a book she loves that hasn’t gotten as much attention as she thinks it deserves.

Like me, she enjoys mysteries, family sagas and memoirs. Reading Under the Radar has helped me find some great books I had previously missed — and I bet it will help you too.

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Some of my other faves include So Novelicious from

Gayla Gray

,

Books & Bakes

,

PRESENT TENSE

and

Spark

.

Any newsletters you suggest?

I’ll be back on Thursday with a Q&A featuring

Catherine Baab-Muguira

, author of Poe for Your Problems.

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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 Twitter @elizabethheld.

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