Three recs, ping pong edition

A charming modern rom com, a Spanish Inquisition fantasy novel, my fave spy series

Friends, I have too much to say and thus also not enough to say. Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit like a ping-pong ball – both in that I am jumping around between lots of things, and in that I feel light and plastic enough that a strong wind might send me spiraling in an unexpected direction. I need something to ground me, and I’m not sure if or when that’s going to happen.

On the plus side, I think I can tell that I’m growing up (let’s not say grown up, never that), or at least that I’ve been around for a while, because my reaction is sort of a shrug. Instead of panicking about this breezy chaos, I figure that at some point it will end and I will wake up some morning in the next few weeks to feel like I’m back on solid ground. Maybe growing up is just realizing that this, too, shall pass, and I might as well not fight it.

In the meantime, big thanks to everyone who reached out to me about psychics since last issue. I really had no idea there was so much to this. Keep it coming!

And now, on to the recs…

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Rec 1
Nobody Wants This (TV)

I doubt I’m the first person to recommend this new Netflix rom com series to you, and I probably won’t be the last. I mean, come on, I have two very simple reasons that should sell you on it, no questions asked: Kristen Bell and Adam Brody.

That’s right, Veronica Mars and Seth Cohen. The noir sleuth idol and emo heartthrob of all elder millennials. Yes, I know they’ve done many other great things, but that’s not the point. The point is that two attractive, charismatic, and comically talented actors to whom we’re already emotionally attached are doing the rom com thing and it does not disappoint. Seriously, I don’t think I stopped grinning through the entire 10-episode (30 min episodes, natch) season.

You want to know what it’s actually about? Sure, I guess that’s fair. He’s an LA rabbi and the son of Soviet Jewish émigrés. She’s a sex-and-relationships podcaster/influencer who’s never thought about religion in her life. They’re both hot and funny and going through shit and so of course sparks fly – and of course there are also a million things pulling them apart. I mean, primarily it’s the fact that it’s not really kosher (hehe) for a rabbi to settle down with a shiksa.

But then there’s also the fact that her podcast is based entirely on her and her sister (played by the excellent Justine Lupe, in a very different role from Willa in Succession) talking about their crazy dating lives – you can see how that might be an issue. In fact, one of my favorite things about the series is the relationship between the two sisters, and the tug of war that ensues as one becomes, well, not single.

In fact, the explorations of family relationships in this are a delight across the board. There’s Timothy Simons (Jonah from Veep!) trying to parent a tween while also being a bit of a failson. There’s the dad who came out late in life, and how him becoming comfortable with himself changes his relationship to his family. There’s the longtime-partner-turned-recent-ex that you can’t just cut out of the family. And omg the mother-daughter relationships!

I mean, look, it’s just a rom com / family comedy. It’s not gonna change your life. But sometimes you just need something easy and fun that isn’t totally vacuous, you know?

Where: Netflix

Rec 2
The Familiar (book)

Let’s start with the Spanish Inquisition. Only it’s in a version of medieval Spain where magic powers are okay only if they’re wielded by Catholics. In the midst of this, there’s a converso servant with said powers – surrounded by a lot of power-hungry, social-climbing nobles, hell bent on exploiting her for their own advancement.

Honestly, all I had to know what that Leigh Bardugo was writing about the Spanish Inquisition and Ladino and conversos and I was in. I don’t know that much about Spain’s Golden Age and the Spanish Inquisition (I mean, I know no one expected it, but…) and she didn’t disappoint with the level of research she clearly did to bring that world to life. I have, somewhat to my own surprise, become someone who will read whatever she writes. As she proved in Ninth House and Hell Bent, she writes really well about real, grounded worlds with compelling, well-rounded characters, where magic is incidental. In the same way, The Familiar doesn’t start out feeling like a fantasy novel so much as historical fiction. The magic creeps up on you, much in the same way it does to the protagonist.

Anyway, I don’t want to tell you too much about the plot. All I want to tell you is that this one is a good time. I read it in like two days and it was exactly the immersive experience I was hoping for. It has a bit of a slower start than I remember Ninth House having, but once it gets going, it’s a winner. For those who buy into spooky season (not me, sorry), it definitely fits that brief. Personally, I think it would be a fun one any time of year.

Where: Borrow it for free from your local library, or buy it from your non-Amazon bookseller of choice. (Here’s the Bookshop US link, and here’s the Bookshop UK link.)

(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.)

Rec 3+4
Slow Horses, s4 (TV) + The Secret Hours (book)

A little twofer here because I feel like I talk about Slow Horses ALL. THE. TIME. and so thought I should branch out just a smidge. (No but like seriously, I love this show, please someone convince them to hire me to write on it!)

First things first: The new season (number 4) just wrapped up and while it was a little different from previous seasons, I still loved it. I mean, who doesn’t love seeing Hugo Weaving as a really good baddy again? His Agent Smith still haunts my dreams. Plus, Jack Lowden finally gets to be the action hero that River Cartwright has always wanted to be and is rocking a beard that, honestly, really works for him. And don’t forget that Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Saskia Reeves, and Jonathan Pryce get to do their masterclasses in bantering and being clever and just having a blast. I don’t know what more to say other than that this show is doing it all so well and I hope it can maintain this for a while.

Now, for the second part: Just before this season started, I read The Secret Hours, which is Mick Herron’s not-really-prequel to the Slow Horses series. Considering the themes of season four, I don’t think I could have picked a better time to read this. Certain characters and relationships that the season focuses on gained a whole new resonance as a result of the book. Plus, it’s also just a good spy novel in and of itself, and Herron’s signature wry humor is always a delight. Honestly, the longer we get to hang out in his world, the happier I’ll be.

Where: Apple TV+ and wherever you get your books. (Here’s my Bookshop US link, and here’s my Bookshop UK link.)

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That’s all for this week! What are you reading/watching/listening to that I should be aware of? Drop me a line (or comment) to let me know if you check out any of my recs and what you think.

Please spread the word and I’ll see you in a couple weeks.

xo
Kate

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