A Whole New Newsletter and 5 Books to Soothe You (FictionMatters #18)
Some reading to get you through these trying and anxious times.
Hello, readers!
If this newsletter looks a little different than you’re used to, that’s because I’ve made a switch and will now be hosting and sending these emails from Substack. So, welcome to the new FictionMatters Newsletter! You’ll get all the same bookish content every Sunday; it’ll just look a little different. One thing I love about Substack is that it will store all past newsletters on my homepage so you can easily return here to find that link or book you wanted to save for later.
There’s no other way to start today’s newsletter than by acknowledging what a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week it’s been. In my household, we’ve canceled our spring break travel and are practicing social distancing. I don’t mind staying in with a good book, but I feel for everyone who’s unable to do the same. This virus is affecting every part of our lives, and I’m suddenly very aware of the privilege of being generally healthy. I’m also experiencing a lot of anxiety about work. While Denver Public Schools have closed for 3 weeks, my own private school has been less clear about what we will do. I’m hoping for some clarity soon so that I can try to enjoy my break and plan what I need to for my students.
But for now… on to the books!
Another new feature: I’ll now be including affiliate links through Bookshop.org. These links help me earn a tiny commission when you use them to shop, plus you get to support independent bookstores.
This week I read…
You Are Not Alone by Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks. I’m very picky about thrillers, and I can’t say I’ve found one I’ve absolutely loved since Gone Girl. But I do really like this thriller writing duo. Their first book The Wife Between Us kept me guessing for longer than most new thrillers, and this book—the third from the pair—was just the same. I liked that You Are Not Alone messed with the typical format. This book is propelled less by wondering what is happening, and more about the why. I also appreciated how much Pekkanen and Hendricks focused on female characters and relationships—both healthy and toxic—between women. If you like thrillers, I’d definitely recommend picking this one up. If that’s not your genre, you could give this a try, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to make time for it.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Chelsey and I will be covering this as our first “modern classic” on the Novel Pairings podcast the first week of April. I just read this Booker prize winner last year and was very glad to have a reason to return to it so soon. I’m excited for you to hear my discussion with Chelsey and all the contemporary books we pair with it on the pod next month!
Now I’m reading…
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. Oh this book is so much fun. It’s both total fan service and delightfully surprising. It’s also seriously helping calm my quarantine anxiety because it’s a smoldering love story set in a wish-fulfilling alternate history. Just read this book! You won’t regret it.
Stamped by Ibrim X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds. I’m listening to this courtesy of Libro.fm, and it’s so wonderful. Honestly, I can’t think of a better duo to team up and teach young people about history (but it’s NOT a history book!) and antiracism.
5 Books to Soothe You
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. For the most triumphant little novel that celebrate romance, friendship, and resistance.
Devotions by Mary Oliver. For rich but readable poems that celebrate the natural world and a reminder that humans aren’t alone on this planet.
Reader, Come Home by Maryanne Woolf. To remind yourself of why books and reading matter in the darkest of times.
Bloom by Kevin Panetta. For a gorgeously calming graphic novel about friendship, family, and baking.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. For a nostalgic read that’s basically a snarkier, more diverse Harry Potter remix.
Bookish News
Last Tuesday, we released a bonus episode of Novel Pairings all about the new film version of Emma and this Tuesday we’ll drop an episode about Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. My birthday is this week and the best present you could possibly get me would be to download the pod and give it a listen. And if you like it, please share on social media or rate and review it on Apple Podcasts. Honestly, your support and feedback mean the world to me!
This article has some great ideas of ways to support your favorite local indie while practicing social distancing.
Speaking of indies, here are a handful of great recommendations straight from small bookshop proprietors.
Here are the best reviewed new releases of the week.
Who knew that after Frankenstein, Mary Shelly wrote an eerily prescient novel about a pandemic?
If you’re looking for books to keep your teen reading while they’re out of school, this list has you covered with some great mysteries and thrillers. I’m bookmarking it for future reference for my students and myself.
I plan to watch a lot of cozy TV and movies over the next week. If you’re in a similar place, here’s where to stream Austen adaptations.
The Hard Sell: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I turned my nose up at this series for far too long, and I don’t want any other readers to make the same mistake. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is a truly magical series that has pretty much everything I’m looking for in a reading experience. There’s a smart, stubborn, complicated female protagonist; a sexy leading man who accepts her for who she is; and lots and lots and lots of historical details. (Did you think I was going to say something else? Because, yes, there’s also lots of sex.)
If you don’t yet know the plot of this one, it’s about a WWII nurse named Claire who inadvertently travels back in time to 1740s Scotland. While there she has to learn to blend into a time and place that are not her own, and of course she meets the devastatingly handsome and kind Jamie Frasier. The two always seem to be in some kind of trouble and on some kind of adventure. It’s just exciting and romantic, and utterly captivating.
I also love the origin story of this book. Gabaldon wanted to write a work of historical fiction, but says she couldn’t get the voice of this modern woman out of her head. She decided to revamp her concept to allow a modern woman to experience and comment on the 18th century. How cool is that?
This series is so special. Even if you don’t normally read romance or historical fiction, I think you could really enjoy the adventure element and Gabaldon’s penchant for truly tangible imagery. I will say that I’ve yet to make it past the middle of the fifth book in this series (I believe there are 9 total so far), and I think you could probably stop after book 3 and be perfectly satisfied. But I do know many readers who’ve completed Claire and Jamie’s saga so far and say it only gets better. Of course if I make it to those newer books, I’ll be sure to keep you posted right here.
Happy reading and stay well,
Sara