Recommending Favorite Books to Favorite TV Characters

Here's a fun little game I like to play sometimes: which of my favorite books would I recommend to my favorite fictional characters? In this iteration, I'm imagining what I would suggest to some of my favorite TV characters, should I ever fall through my TV screen and have the opportunity to inflict my bookish opinions on them.

Father Brown (Father Brown): The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell

Father Brown can't leave a mystery alone and is deeply invested in both his faith and in doing what is right in order to help people. The Sparrow, in the way it weaves together questions about faith and humanity with the mystery of what happened on a Jesuit-run first contact mission to another planet, should be irresistible to him. 

John Crichton (Farscape): The Princess Bride, William Goldman

Crichton comes slowly unhinged over the course of Farscape, but never (permanently) descends fully into madness. He learns to embrace the absurdity of his situations, often with good humor, and thus he should feel right at home with the tongue-in-cheek, postmodern adventure story of The Princess Bride. 

Phryne Fisher  (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries): Ms. Marvel, G. Willow Wilson

Phryne has no time for your prejudice, whatever its form, and she hasn't met a sticky situation she wouldn't jump into headfirst. I think she would follow the adventures of Kamala Khan and her transformation into Ms. Marvel with delight.

Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie's Poirot): Copenhagen, Michael Frayn

Frayn's play about Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, quantum mechanics, and war is so delightfully thinky without ever losing sight of the human cost of all the questions it brings up that I think Poirot would find himself and his little grey cells, perhaps surprisingly, enraptured by it.

Oliver Queen (Arrow): The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

So many of the big things LotR is *about* seem like they would resonate pretty strongly with Oliver and maybe, maaaaybe help him hold on to the slivers of hope he sometimes manages to find. The concept of "the long defeat," Gandalf's counsel against despair, and the Scouring of the Shire all seem like bits that would be heartbreakingly relevant to Oliver Queen.

Who are your favorite TV characters, and what would you tell them to read?

So You Want to Read a Romance Novel

Recently an article appeared in The New York Times Book Review rounding up romance novels being released this fall, and the romance community reacted with disappointment, disgust, and bewilderment to its tone and stance. (See some of the best reactions pieces from Ron Hogan; Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books; and Amanda Diehl at BookRiot.) The editorial director of the books section at NYTBR has responded, and readers are even more annoyed at that tone-deaf, condescending response (see the comments section of that article). I thought about writing about my own reaction to the piece, but it would largely be repeating what so many have already said so well. So, instead, I give you a handful of recommendations for romance reads, selected from among my favorites. While each of these is a particular favorite of mine, they also provide a small sample of the variety of scenarios and issues romance novels examine. Follow the title links to Amazon for plot descriptions and the author links for more about each author. 

For Real, Alexis Hall

Contemporary, m/m

Explores a BDSM relationship between two men with a significant age difference. Exquisite writing and a story that turns stereotypes about BDSM on their head.

Carry the Ocean, Heidi Cullinan

Contemporary, m/m

Centers around two young men navigating mental health issues as well as their budding relationship. Considered representation of depression, anxiety, and autism.

Trade Me, Courtney Milan

Contemporary m/f

Explores class and race issues and spotlights eating disorders in men.

Captive Prince Trilogy, C.S. Pacat

Fantasy, m/m

Lush world building and a slow-burn examination of hatred, loyalty, and love.

A Rogue by Any Other Name, Sarah Maclean

Regency, m/f

Fascinating interactions between hero and heroine within the confines of regency-era society coupled with feminist sensibilities and a lot of wit.

Of course, these recommendations are limited to my own experience with romance and lack the full breadth of what the genre has to offer. For even more variety to explore, check out these lists:

Diverse Historical Romances (Book Riot)

The Best Romance Novels (NPR)

Romance Reviews by Genre, Archetype, and Theme (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books)

Best Lesbian Romance Novels (Jezebel)

Three Authors Discuss Their Favorite Romance Authors Featuring People of Color (Bitchmedia)

Happy reading!

10 Outta 10 Would Recommend

Since we just passed the halfway point of the year, now seems like a good time to look back over the past six months and recommend my favorite reads of the year so far. I'll also look ahead to what I'm excited to read soon.

Recommendations:

*The Nix, Nathan Hill, 2016

I wasn't sure at first that I was up for a 700+ page story about politics and news in America, but I loved this novel to bits. It follows Samuel Andresen-Anderson, a college English instructor, as he debates helping his estranged mother with some nasty legal and political trouble she's landed in. The story moves among 2011, 1988, and 1968, exploring Samuel's present and his childhood as well as his mother's youth. Along the way we meet a publisher trying to capitalize on a scandal before the public forgets about it, a man obsessed with an MMORPG, and a college student addicted to social media and unable to discern truth from the lies she tells herself. Ultimately this is a story about story and narrative and truth and media and how no one individual can really know the whole truth. It's brilliant. 

*The Clancys of Queens, Tara Clancy, read by the author, 2016

I highly recommend the audio version of Clancy's memoir, which she reads herself to perfection. She explores how her childhood moving among her working-class relatives in Queens and her mother's very well-off boyfriend in his fancy apartment affected her. The childhood stories are by turns hilarious and touching, and you will feel like you're hanging out with Clancy over a burger or a beer while she regales you with stories of her life.

*Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen, read by  Rosamund Pike

While I always recommend Pride and Prejudice for your reading pleasure at any time, this rec is specifically for the audio book version read by Rosamund Pike. (She played Jane in the 2005 movie version of P&P too.) Pike gives an excellent performance all around, interpreting the characters beautifully and making the narrative shine. For a month I listened to this every evening while I was getting myself and the fur critters ready for bed, and it was a delight. I swear I slept better too.

*Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh, 2013

You've probably seen some of Brosh's drawings (if not her blog itself) since many of them have been repeatedly meme-ified ("Clean all the things!"). This collection of essays from her blog was a treat. At turns laugh-out-loud funny (who am I kidding, gigglesnort-uncontrollably funny) and deeply affecting, these illustrated essays are a singularly important addition to the genre of memoir. Especially check this out if you are looking to understand depression. Brosh is painfully and wonderfully insightful on that topic.

What I'm Reading Now:

*The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, Mackenzi Lee, 2017

I'm enjoying this YA historical fiction about a bisexual young man on his Grand Tour in 18th century Europe. Things go awry and get dangerous and adventure-y. So far I'm loving the attention to questions of privilege and representation, but I'm struggling a little with the tone, which is so 21st century that I sometimes forget that these characters are running around in 17--.

Up Next:

*The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett, 1929

This is the next selection for my book club, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the book is like. I've seen the movie, but I don't know a thing about whether it was faithful to the book. I'm expecting beautiful dames and shadowy alleys and gruff dudes with nifty hats and cigarettes in the corners of their mouths. Can't wait to see if that's what it really is or if I've been led astray by my impressions.

What I'm Looking Forward To:

*Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life, Sally Bedell Smith, 2017

I read Sally Bedell Smith's biography of Elizabeth II a few years ago and was absolutely enraptured by it. I can't wait to read this one about the man who will most likely be the next king of England. I've already had a flip-through to look at the photographs, and my interest is most definitely whetted.

*The Wangs vs. the World, Jade Chang, 2016

I keep hearing about this story of fortune lost and family coming together, and every time I hear something new about it I want to read it even more. 

*A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles, 2016

In 1922 an "unrependent" Russian aristocrat is sentenced to house arrest and finds his emotional life opening up as his physical space narrows. I hear this is evocative and immersive, and that sounds like win to me.

*Swell, Jenny Landreth, 2017

The subtitle of Swell is "A Waterbiography." I love the word play, and I think this UK-centric look at women in swimming and the fight for equal access to swimming for women should be fascinating. The included photographs alone are amazing.

Bookish Podcasts for Your Earballs

I first started listening to podcasts a few years ago when Husbeast was away at a conference for work. It was just a few months after we'd moved into our house, and I was surprised by how unsettling I found being alone in such a big space, especially as I love alone time and lived alone myself for five years before we married. But I needed something to put in my ears to disrupt some of the overwhelming quiet, and voila! a podcast listener was born. Since then I have become quite a fan of the podcast, and I subscribe to something like a trillion of them. (I listen to slightly fewer than I subscribe to.) My favorites are ones that focus on books and reading (natch). I'm always on the lookout for more good ones to stick into my listening rotation, but today I share with you my favorites.

Get Booked, Weekly, Thursdays
This podcast is a book recommendation show from Book Riot, hosted by Amanda Nelson and Jenn Northington. Listeners submit recommendation requests detailing the kind of read they are looking for, and Amanda and Jenn provide recommendations and discuss why they think each rec suits the request. This show is my favorite source of book recs with reasons why the books are worth checking out. I always feel like I have a really good sense of whether I'll want to read a book after listening to Amanda or Jenn talk about it, rather than just gathering that someone thinks it's good.

What Should I Read Next?, Weekly, Tuesdays
Hosted by Anne Bogel of the blog Modern Mrs. Darcy, this show is another book recommendation show, but the format differs quite a bit from that of Get Booked. Anne interviews her guests on the show (guests are always big readers, and often have their toe in the book world in some other way as well, as book bloggers, or librarians, or book sellers or what have you), and asks each of them to tell her three books they love, one book they hate, and what they're reading at the moment. She then recommends three books for the guest based on what they tell her. I love this format, and while it's always fun to hear what Anne recommends (and I've added some things to my TBR based on those recs), the best part of this show for me is listening to other readers talk about what they love (and don't love) about books they've read.

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, Weekly, Fridays
This romance-themed podcast is hosted by Sarah Wendell of the romance review site Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. The show typically features an interview with a romance writer, conducted by Sarah. Occasionally an episode will be in discussion format with several of the "bitches" from the website and focus on a topic of interest to romance readers. I think of this as a sure-thing dose of smart, interesting women to look forward to each week, and listening to this podcast has solidified my slow but steady transmogrification into a romance reader over the past few years (about which, more in a forthcoming blog post).

The Book Riot Podcast, Weekly, Mondays
A bookish news podcast hosted by Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky of Book Riot, their tagline is "a weekly news and talk show about what's new, cool, and worth talking about in the world of books and reading," and that sums it up pretty well. Every week Jeff and Rebecca talk about the handful of news stories from the book world that strike them as the most interesting, relevant, fun, or upsetting. This is my absolute favorite source for news about what's going on bookishly. If you tune in, it won't be long before you hear a "Jeff Rant." They are the best.

The Librarian Is In, Weekly (newly!), Thursdays
Hosted by two New York Public Library librarians, Gwen Glazer and Frank Collierius, this show is perhaps the least consistent in its format of my favorites, but it is consistent in its delivery of entertaining and fascinating book and book-adjacent content. Sometimes Gwen and Frank interview a guest (often someone involved in the NYPL system), and sometimes they just chat about books, often recommending one book and one non-book thing to each other. They also play a game where guests read them a passage from a book and Gwen and Frank try to guess where it came from. I always think that section is going to be dull, but then I get really into it, often yelling at my phone what my guess is!

The Tolkien Professor, Drop days of new content varies
Professor Corey Olsen, medievalist and Tolkien scholar, records lectures about all things Tolkien and makes them available through his podcast. There are numerous off-shoot shows (all available by subscribing to The Tolkien Professor podcast) about a range of topics, from the adaptation of The Hobbit into film to Middle Earth-based online games. By far the best content as far as I'm concerned are the lectures about The Lord of the Rings. Those lectures are complete, so if you're interested, you can just go binge them all right now. (What are you waiting for? Go!)

Witch, Please, Drop days of new content varies
Hannah and Marcelle, the hosts of Witch, Please, discuss Harry Potter, largely from a feminist perspective. Over the course of the show, they talk about each of the books and all eight movies (and occasionally something else related to HP, such as real-life Quidditch leagues). The discussion generally has a fairly academic bent, but they do a great job of keeping non-academic listeners up to speed. Hannah and Marcelle always seem to be having an excellent time doing the episodes, and a great deal of humor shines through. Production of new episodes has dropped off significantly, but all the HP primary sources are covered in the available material, so when you get to the end of the eps, you may feel like you wish there were more (like I do), but you won't feel like you've been left hanging.


(Podcast links above take you to the web presence for each show. Invariably, the best way to listen, however, is to subscribe through your podcatcher of choice. If you're looking for a new (or your first) podcatcher, your Google-fu should snag you some good recommendation lists for Iphone and Android. I use Podcast Addict. It does the thing.)