Three recs, callback edition

A snarky spy thriller show, an alt-history epic series, my fave NunLit novel

Dec 01, 2023

I have a kind of embarrassing confession to make: Since the last Keep Up, Kids newsletter two weeks ago, I’ve read nine (9!) books.

Before you say that’s impressive rather than embarrassing, you should know they were fluffy, historical-set murder mysteries with spunky lady detectives. As genuinely delightful as they were – I have absolutely no regrets and would like to read more – I promise that anyone could tear through them equally quickly if they wanted to. They’re quick, breezy reads, not Tolstoy. (Though, to be honest, Anna Karenina was the first ebook I ever read and I flew through it in a week – I suspect in large part because I could read it on even the shortest subway journey and also didn’t have the pressure of a hefty tome. So maybe let’s just say these weren’t War & Peace, which I still haven’t finished.)

But here’s the other reason it doesn’t feel all that impressive: All nine of these books were audiobooks.

Back in June, I wrote about dipping my toe into the world of fiction audiobooks. I was skeptical and hesitant, wondering what I would lose by listening to fiction on audio. I already listened to nonfiction books on audio, since that felt essentially like a podcast; they’ve allowed me to get through long, dry texts that I might otherwise never finish. But I love the experience of words on a page, of being able to revel in the space between the lines. Would I appreciate audiobooks as much?

I promised I’d report back, and here we are.

Obviously, as the last two weeks might suggest, I have embraced the audiobook. I love being able to get lost in a story even as I go for a walk, make dinner, ride the bus, or clean the house. So many times, when reading a print book or ebook, I don’t want to get up and do what I have to do or go where I have to go because I don’t want to stop reading. Audiobooks solve that problem; in fact, I now look forward to having an excuse to listen to my audiobook when I physically can’t be at my computer working.

All of that said, I have not found every book conducive to audio format. At this point, I think plot-driven books are best for audio. While I of course still want to listen to something well-written, a more lyrical or narratively convoluted novel doesn’t translate quite as well to the audio format. Besides, those are also the books where I want to revel in the language and take my time. And audio happens only on the narrator’s time (okay, and whatever speed you set it at).

I also especially enjoy audiobooks with good dialogue. With a good narrator, it can feel almost like an audio drama. Of course, with a bad narrator – and they are out there, I assure you – the voices and accents can be distracting to the point of frustration.

Which is how I’ve landed on this run of murder mystery audiobooks. Twisty and plot-driven, well-written but breezy, immersive and enjoyable. The perfect genre for audiobooks. Besides, I don’t think I could have possibly read nine print books in two weeks. At least, not without completely shirking everything else in my life. Which, well, is always tempting.

Turns out loads of you are also big detective/murder mystery novel fans! I got so many amazing responses to the last issue, with more recommendations than I will probably be able to finish in this lifetime. (Not that I won’t try my best.) Stay tuned for a future murder mystery issues with more recs. And please keep sending me your faves!

Rec 1
Slow Horses (TV)

Caveat: This rec is for seasons 1 and 2, because the first two eps of season 3 literally just came out this week and it’s Apple so they’ll be dropping episodes weekly for the next few weeks. Which means I haven’t watched all of season 3 and so can’t speak to it. However, I’m hopeful based on everything so far, and I’ll follow up after this season to report back. But I thought you might also like to watch s3 as it comes out, so here we are.

Now that’s out of the way…

Gary Oldman as the rude, disgusting spy chief of MI5’s fuck-ups department. Kristin Scott Thomas as his ruthlessly ambitious nemesis in MI5 HQ. Jack Lowden (see also: The Gold) as the fuck-up spy who thinks he can still be James Bond. A delightful supporting cast of a number of British actors whose faces you’ll recognize and will be pleased to see – including a recurring role for the eternally excellent Jonathan Pryce. All of them doing dark, funny, surprisingly smart spy shit set in and around London.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite shows of the last couple years. It’s a good spy thriller – twisty narratives, geopolitical shenanigans, plenty of backstabbing, everyone keeping secrets, and it always pays off in a smart way. But it also doesn’t take itself too seriously or try to be more than it is. Everyone in the show looks like they’re having a blast – and no one more than Gary and Kristin (with whom I am obviously on a first-name basis). Watching this feels like getting to hang out and have a blast with them. Sure, we want to see the gang succeed in their inadvertent spy missions. But, really, we just want to see them banter and bicker and cosplay at being the “real” spies they wish they were.

I suspect if seasons 1 and 2 are for you, you’ll join me in intending to devour season 3.

Where: Apple

Rec 2
For All Mankind (TV)

So, same caveat applies here. This is another one of my favorite shows of recent years, and we’re four eps into its 4th and final season (10 eps each). This is a rec for the first three seasons, but I suspect that I will circle back in the near future to follow up on the final season, too. I just want you to be able to join me in enjoying season 4 as it comes out.

This Apple show is an alt-history based on the idea that the Soviets beat the US to the moon. How would that have changed history? How would that have changed geopolitics, various space programs, and the lives of astronauts (and the people around them)? How would our world be different (and the same) now?

What’s so impressive is that, despite being a thematically big show, this is a deeply grounded, human story. We’re invested not because of the intellectual exercise (interesting as that might be if you, like me, are a history and politics nerd), but rather because of the ensemble cast of characters and their relationships. Which is, of course, what good stories are about. But sometimes high-concept shows and movies forget that. (cough Man in the High Castle cough)*

Part of the reason it works so well is that it was co-created and initially showrun by one of the great veterans of TV storytelling: Ronald D. Moore. He’s probably best known for Battlestar Galactica (which I haven’t seen) and Outlander (which I only watched the first season of), two shows with devoted followings and that were known for punching far above the weight of their genres and expectations. Moore knows how to build story and characters for long-running shows. He knows how to create ensembles where all of the characters are integral and fully realized. These days, in the era of short series orders, shows often sag in the middle, spinning their wheels with a fun premise and not enough meat to fill all the episodes. For All Mankind is the rare exception.

Last thing: Season 2 is a work of art. Season 1 and season 3 are really good. But Season 2 is great.

Where: Apple

*I actually really enjoyed Man in the High Castle, but I suspect it’s more because I’m a history and politics nerd. And also because Rufus Sewell is always captivating and gave it a heart.

Rec 3
Matrix (book)

I know everyone is talking about the new Lauren Groff, The Vaster Wilds. But I’m still three months away from getting that off the library waitlist, so instead I want to rec her book from 2021, an intimate, poetic, almost stream-of-consciousness novel about a French-born nun in 12th-century England.

If that sends you running the other direction, no stress. But if you like stories about women trying to buck the constraints of their societies, maybe don’t walk away just yet. If you dig unexpected queer stories, definitely pick this up. If you’d like to experience how a woman might have wielded control and power and autonomy nearly a thousand years ago, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. I initially picked this up partly because of a reference to Marie de France, a medieval French writer whose strange, romantic stories I loved as a kid; I think, in the end, Groff used her as an inspiration, though the protagonist is not necessarily intended to be her.

This is one of those books that slowly reeled me in. Groff’s prose is always magical – she’s a deft, skilled wordsmith – and she weaves a spell with this one that I found impossible to look away from. It’s strange and not always what I expected, but that can be a good thing. In fact, when I finished it, I wasn’t sure exactly how I felt about it. And yet, it has stayed with me for the last year-plus, returning when I least expect it, and I would now say that I love it.

P.S. Did you guys know NunLit was a thing? Turns out it is and there is a whole genre of novels about nuns.

Where: Reserve at your library or order from your non-Amazon bookseller of choice (like Bookshop US or Bookshop UK).*

*(In the name of full transparency, I’ve included affiliate links to Bookshop.org – if you’re going to order from them anyway, please use my link so I can make a little extra cash! If you want to see/order any/all of my book recs, I’ve made lists on Bookshop, too: US version, UK version.)

Keep Up, Kids

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?