Friday Mood Recs: Just trust me, round one
Three beloved books that deserve their moment in the sun
I love grouping books together by mood, theme, or topic. I’ve kind of built a career around that with my themed Paperback Summer Reading Guides, the Novel Pairings podcast, and these Friday posts on Substack. But here’s the thing about recommending books in this fashion: some books just don’t fit in. There are books I love that I just can’t quite figure out how to squeeze into category. Or books that do pair well with others, but the mood descriptor is decidedly unmarketable. And then there are books that I just love so much I want my recommendation to be underscored, starred, and extra important.
With all of this in mind and at the intersection of these types of reading experiences, I’m going to start sharing occasional “just trust me” recommendations as part of my Friday Mood Recs. Each round of Just Trust Me recommendations will include three books I love—that’s it; that’s the premise. I’m excited to use this as a way to remind you of great books I’ve reviewed in the past, call back to books I loved before starting this newsletter, and spotlight books that don’t quite fit in anywhere else.