☀️ Sunday Sharies: January 2024

New podcast recs, a dreamy hummus, and the Mean Girls take you've been waiting for

It’s the last Sunday of the month, and you know what that means. There’s a lot of stuff we’d like to share that won’t fit in our usual Thursday TV newsletter. Some of that stuff is here. Read on for a special monthly peek into what your trusty Double Take duo has been watching, reading, listening to, and more.

— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen

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Jess:

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden — Most books that are endlessly hyped on BookTok have disappointed me, so I was hesitant to give this a shot. Predictably, it’s not winning any awards for its prose, but I couldn’t put it down. It’s as fun and twisty as they say! (4/5)

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington — My hopes were so high for this book, solely because its book jacket describes it as Squid Game meets The Bachelor. The satirical elements are somewhat effective, but the mechanics of the “games” are inconsistent and perplexing, and the central premise is intolerably far-fetched. (2/5)

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto — I love a cozy mystery, and this one should be on your list if you like the Thursday Murder Club books. The title character is a 60-year-old woman who investigates a murder case after she wakes up one morning to find a dead body in her teahouse. (4/5)

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young — Magical realism-romance has never worked too well for me — I’m a “The Time Traveler’s Wife” hater — so I guess it tracks that I didn’t love this one. For fans of that sub-genre, you’ll probably enjoy this. I recommend going into it mostly blind. (3/5)

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross — I had been psyched to read this after hearing a lot of positive reviews, but unfortunately, I had a less stellar experience than everyone else. This could have been a case of mismatched expectations; I went in expecting a fantasy book with a bit of romance, but this was a romance book masquerading as a fantasy. (3/5)

Jenni:

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson — My first read of the new year was a book I stole from Carter’s shelf. It follows a young man who grows up in a world where some people mysteriously become super heroes, but as a price for power they also become evil. How could a group of ordinary humans hope to fight back against morally bankrupt beings with incredible gifts? This wasn’t my favorite Sanderson story, but he does such a good job at world-building, and this first book of “The Reckoners” series is no exception. (3/5)

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig — If you’re on BookTok or Bookstagram, you have surely heard of this gothic fantasy romance. I found it to be overhyped but still somewhat enjoyable. The lore of this world was a little underbaked for my liking and it feels like it can’t decide whether or not it wants to be YA or adult fiction, which is a pet peeve of mine. (2.5/5)

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – This was fun! I had zero expectations going in and wound up getting quickly swept into a fantasy world set in the shadows of 1880s Paris. The story is a bit like Babel meets Six of Crows with decent heist action and an interesting magic system. (3.5/5)

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner — I think perhaps I waited too long to read this or needed to be in a different mood to appreciate it. This memoir about identity and the relationship between daughter and her mother just didn’t quite do it for me. I loved the way Zauner wrote about food and how that played into her experience of the world around her, but everything outside of those passages felt a little grey and plodding. I know I’m in a minority here, but to me, Crying in H Mart was just ok. (2.5/5)