You're Enjoying Wimbledon
Hi friends,
What a weekend. America’s 250th birthday! A heat dome! Cabo Verde almost took Argentina to penalties! Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding!
Please leave a comment with how many group chats you have dissecting The Wedding (my answer: four) and any hot takes you may have (a handful of mine: the JusT&T Married sign looked like an AT&T ad, it’s hilarious to bring chairs into a venue that exists to provide seating and my friend Laura Hankin now has a Taylor Swift Number of two because Adam Sandler produced the movie she wrote, “Don’t Say Good Luck” (out next month!)).
And, now, what to read if …
You’re Bummed Serena Pulled Out of Wimbledon
Game, Set and Murder by Elizabeth Flynn
Tennis GOAT Serena Williams pulled out of the Wimbledon doubles tournament last week after sustaining a knee injury during her first-round singles loss to Maya Joint. I was looking forward to watching the Williams sisters again, but am obviously hoping Serena makes a full recovery. If you’re taking in the tennis and want more, consider reading Elizabeth Flynn’s Game, Set and Murder, a mystery set at the London tournament.
During her first case a Detective Inspector, Angela Costello is summoned to Wimbledon, where she finds Petar Belic, beloved tennis champ-turned-coach — and her high school crush — dead. As she investigates, Angela discovers no shortage of potential suspects: the ex-wife Petar was considering reuniting with, the girlfriend who didn’t want that to happen, the business partner with shady financial dealings and the despised mentee.
Game, Set and Murder is a delightful, juicy cozy mystery. It has the feel of a classic British countryside mystery but is set in London, giving it a slight twist. Read it to celebrate your favorite’s win or for comfort after a loss.
Reminder recs: Some of my other favorite summer sports books are The Striker and the Clock, Georgia Cloepfil’s memoir of her years playing soccer, and The Black Jersey, a mystery set at the Tour de France. And, Olivia Dade wrote another fave tennis book, 40-Love.
You’re Watching John Oliver on “General Hospital”
Love in the Afternoon and Evening by Charlotte Druckman and Mayukh Sen
Comedian John Oliver’s three-episode arc on “General Hospital” will wrap this afternoon. The host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” got the part after lobbying for a “juicy” role on a March episode of his show. If you’ve enjoyed watching Oliver ham it up for the soap, or just want some excellent cultural criticism, grab a copy of Love in the Afternoon and Evening.
Lifelong soap fans Druckman and Sen show off their knowledge of the genre in this entertaining history, spanning the earliest radio soaps to today’s primetime dramas and “The Real Housewives” franchise. The essays range from the serious — analyzing soap’s depiction of AIDS and mental illness — to the fun — fashion, evil twins and more. Along the way, they make the case that the soap opera should be treated as a true art form, not a lesser type of TV.
I’ve never watched a daytime soap (but have watched plenty of primetime ones, including “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Gossip Girl”), so I wasn’t sure what I’d make of Love in the Afternoon and Evening, but I adored it. As I write my own pop culture book, I’ve been reading a lot of them to understand what works and what doesn’t. This is the exact kind of book I want to write — fun and funny, accessible to people who don’t know the source material and filled with nuggets for hardcore fans. Love in the Afternoon and Evening made me seriously consider picking up a soap opera, but I’ve decided that’s a hobby for after I turn in my draft.
You Want a Summer Hallmark Movie
Savor It by Tarah DeWitt
Nothing says Hallmark movie like a heroine devoted to her small town’s quirky festival. In Tarah DeWitt’s Savor It, that’s Sage Byrd, a teacher with a hobby farm, committed to winning this year’s Festival of Spunes, a competition that brings together trivia and a kayaking race, to show everyone she’s over her ex, the town golden boy.
The only problem is she doesn’t have a partner. So, when Fisher Lange, a hot-shot New York chef sent to Spunes to build support for his investor’s new restaurant, arrives and immediately annoys everyone, Sage recognizes an opportunity. She’ll help Fisher win friends and influence people, if he’ll team up with her for the festival before heading back east at the end of the summer. Their partnership turns into a friends-with-benefits arrangement that they both insist they’ll temporarily savor until Fisher returns home, but they’re sad to realize summer is racing by faster than they could have expected.
Savor It is such a joy, with equal parts small-town vibes and big feelings. Fans of Kate Clayborne, Jessica Joyce and Cara Bastone, or other writers who excel at quiet love stories that make you cry, won’t want to miss this one.
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