IP Picks🔎: A Time-Traveling Cat Saves the World
âž• A murder mystery set in an alt 1920s America where Native Americans have power
Welcome to The Optionist. As always, thanks for reading along.
Here’s a fun tidbit and a reminder of the far-reaching influence of a couple of pop stars. The Little Golden Book biography of Taylor Swift — that’s the venerable series of illustrated books for new readers (age 4-8) — just hit the one-million-copies-sold milestone since it’s release in May, making it the fastest-selling book in the brand’s 81-year history. It’s popped up on all the bestseller lists and gone viral on TikTok as well under the hashtag #taylorswiftlittlegoldenbook. Is there nowhere Time’s Person of the Year doesn’t dominate? She redefined the concert movie (and made millions in the process) and singlehandedly made the NFL relevant to a new segment of fans. Add in Britney Spears, whose memoir, The Woman in Me, was the publishing sensation of 2023 — which is saying something for a year that began with Prince Harry’s Spare and also included Barbra Streisand’s My Name is Barbra. Pop stars: 2, Haters: 0.
I wanted to flag another handful of best-of books lists for you attention: Vanity Fair’s 20 best reads, Crimereads’ best espionage novels, Time’s top nonfiction, Vulture’s top comedy books, The Christian Science Monitor’s best reads in fiction and nonfiction, NPR’s staff favorites, the Los Angeles Times baker’s dozen of best novels, and Lithub’s favorites list, which runs 38(!) books long. They’re great to look through to get a sense of what critics thought were the best books, distinct from what might work on screen (though as you’ll see below, sometimes I find a gem I overlooked).
On to this week’s picks, which include a creepy college-set horror novel, an amazing piece of speculative fiction and that time-traveling talking cat:
A horror novel set at a 1960s women’s college that finds a naive new student falling in love with a classmate and getting involved in the dangerous supernatural doings of a charismatic professor.
A lighthearted sci-fi story featuring a woman and a talking cat who travel back to the year 2000 to prevent a future climate “apawcalypse."
A speculative fiction murder mystery set in an alternative America where Indians have an independent homeland in the Midwest.
A potential sports and politics documentary about the rivalry between two Israeli soccer clubs, one violent and far right and the other peaceful and inclusive.
A true crime story that’s a book-length exploration of The Hollywood Reporter’s viral story about the “Con Queen of Hollywood.
