Tuesday's Top Five

New book releases, plus a few holiday-ish recs from Bethanne

This week’s new releases:

Darkly by Marisha Pessl

Don’t overlook this one because it’s a Young Adult title; it’s full of atmospheric thrills. Arcadia “Dia” Gannon, a lonely high-schooler in Missouri, wins an internship to the Louisiana Veda Foundation, along with six others. They all revere the mysterious Veda, world-renowned for exquisitely crafted and devilishly difficult board games. Once the group arrives in England, they find out the game they’re expected to play has higher stakes than they could have imagined.

The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman

I wouldn’t normally link to That Site only, but Backman’s latest is a short story available only as a Kindle download or an audio file. Since we all adore the work of he who wrote A Man Called Ove and Anxious People (among others), I don’t want anyone to miss this little gem, about a man named Lucas who can’t get his fellow apartment dwellers to leave him alone to his videogames and and Thai food.

City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim

Natalia Leonova, once a prima ballerina, returns to St. Petersburg after a terrible accident that left her addicted to painkillers. When she is offered a new chance at stardom, Kim (Beasts of a Little Land) delves into Natalia’s past to show how her hard work has affected her psyche.

Never Give Up by Tom Brokaw

The longtime NBC News anchor tells his family’s story, starting with his father Red’s leaving school after second grade to work at South Dakota’s Brokaw House, founded by a forebear in 1883. His mother Jean’s family lost everything in the Great Depression. She and Red met during a high-school play—and their determination to make things better for their own children makes for a tender, elegaic memoir.

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood

Wood won the BBC Short Story Prize for “Comorbidities” in 2023, and fortunately, Mariner Books has brought out a full collection including that story. Each title in this book turns on societal expectations for women, whether or not men are involved, and each title has a humorous edge, often darkly so.

This week’s recommendations:

Crayola Air-Dry Sculpting Clay: I’m not a child, but I do have an inner one. Crayola’s new bucket of pliable clay allows anyone to make a thumbprint dish, a bowl for olives, or even a little lidded box for treasures. The finished pieces dry in 3-5 days and can be painted with various substances according to your inner pottery genius. 

Repurposed heirlooms: Long ago on Twitter (yes, it was called that, back in the day) an acquaintance posted a photo of a bracelet made sparkly with her grandmother’s diamond brooch. She knew she’d never wear the brooch itself, but on a wide gold cuff it became a statement piece. This year, I’m taking a pretty antique filigree ring and having a pink tourmaline put into it for a special person (shhhhh!). 

The easiest, most elegant app: Props to my daughter’s soon-to-be mother-in-law for this brilliant and delicious idea for your charcuterie board. Take one (or more) packages of Trader Joe’s whipped goat cheese. Scoop it out, stir it into a little volcano, dribble some excellent EVOO in the center, then sprinkle with red-pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Everyone will ask you where it came from.

The easiest, most elegant aperitif: Props to myself for this one. Buy a small bottle of pomegranate juice, a container of pomegranate seeds, and some decent bubbly. (This is my current fave.) Drop the seeds in, add a smidge of juice, top with the wine. V. v. autumn vibes.

Simple hostess gift: Okay, this one takes a little bit of planning. Whenever you’re out and about, drop in to your local thrift or consignment shop and see if there are some pretty vintage cocktail (or larger) napkins. Don’t spend too much! Tie them up with a piece of ribbon and, if you’re feeling extra, a cute little cardboard gift tag.   

I hope everyone has a restful holiday.