October 2023

Laura’s Picks:

A lady’s guide to scandal by Sophie Irwin (2023)

Newly widowed, the Lady Somerset finds herself astonishingly free to follow her own heart. She sets off for Bath with her cousin Margaret but soon discovers that freedom comes with strings attached: in order to keep her fortune, she will need to avoid even a whiff of scandal, as judged by her odious in-laws keen to acquire her money for themselves. Easier said than done! Jane Austen would approve of this delightful comedy of manners and romance. 

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (2023)

This is a story of a princess trapped in a tower—and she must never escape. Toadling, a changeling raised by fairies, is given one task: to offer a blessing upon the princess’s birth. But good intentions go awry and it will take all of Toadling’s magic and the help of a gentle knight in order to put things right again. 

John’s Picks:

Orpheus Descending by John Mellencamp (2023)

The twenty-fifth studio album by Mellencamp and one that sees him returning to the heartland-type rock that catapulted him to fame in the 1980’s.   Exploring themes both political and personal, the album has been reviewed as one of his best in recent years.   Additionally, the song, “Perfect World,” was written by Bruce Springsteen, though he does not actually appear on the album.

Chef (2014)

A road dramedy written, directed, co-produced by and starring Jon Favreau. In the film, Favreau plays Carl Casper, a chef in a high-end restaurant, who, after an altercation with a food critic, decides to quit his job and open his own food truck.  With a supporting cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, and Sofia Vegara, the film will make you laugh as well as make you hungry.

Reacher (2022) 

The first season of the television adaptation of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book series, with Alan Ritchson taking on the title role of Reacher.  Largely based on Child’s debut novel, Killing Floor, the series follows Jack Reacher as he travels to the fictional town of Margrave, Georgia to investigate the death of his brother and uncover a large conspiracy in the process.  Violent and suspenseful, the series has already been renewed for a second season, and will adapt Child’s novel, Bad Luck and Trouble.

Lauren’s Picks:

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (2023)

In this cozy mystery set on Jupiter, Investigator Mossa is following the trail of a man who goes missing from a remote platform. Her investigation leads her to Valdegeld, where her former girlfriend, Pleiti, lives. Pleiti is a scholar working on a project to recreate Earth’s destroyed ecosystems in the hopes that humans can one day return to the planet. Mossa brings Pleiti in on the case, rekindling their complicated feelings for each other as they try to navigate the twists and turns of a mystery that isn’t as simple as it first seemed.