IP Picksđ: An Epic About the War on Drugs & a Divorce That Shocked America
â Taylor Swiftâs book bump
Welcome to The Optionist. Thanks for reading along! Itâs been a grim week in so many ways, so letâs start with a couple of feel-good stories that will bring a little cheer back to your holidays.
Iâm a huge admirer of James Patterson. Sure, you can take potshots at his airport-friendly prose, especially the more recent stuff that heâs been cranking out with co-writers. But go back and read his early books, like his 1976 debut, The Thomas Berryman Affair, or the first Alex Cross novels. Theyâre pretty damn good. (Also, Patterson, an engaging raconteur, is a huge fan of movies and Hollywood.)
Anyway, this item isnât about debating Pattersonâs literary merit; itâs about celebrating his charitable contributions (in the tens of millions) to the cause of literacy, his encouragement of young people to read and his constant support for independent bookstores. Itâs that last bit I want to focus on here.
As he has for the past several years, Patterson gave out $500 checks to 600 independent retailers as a Christmas present (he chose the recipients based on recommendations from friends and patrons). To be clear, the checks arenât for the bookstores, but the people who work in them. Every year, when Iâm reminded of this tradition, it brings a smile to my face. Take the reaction of Melanie Moore, one of this yearâs honorees, who runs The Book Bus in Cincinnati: âIâve never taken a salary. All profits from the bookstore go to buy books for kids in need. This gift from James Patterson will be my very first paycheck!â
Oh, and then thereâs this:
Before you ask, no, you cannot get this for Christmas. Sorry to dash your hopes and dreams, folks. Taylor & Travis Forever doesnât actually drop until March 24, which is well ahead of the rumored â and take this reporting with the healthy grain of salt that all Taylor news deserves â June 13 wedding date. The book is ostensibly targeted at readers 4-8, but how much do you wanna bet that the vast majority of buyers are getting it for themselves? I love the âbonus wedding planning pages and stickers.â Hat tip to Little Golden Books for finding a clever way to get in on the action of the Taylor-Travis nuptials.
And donât think Taylor doesnât drive book sales. In her six-episode Disney+ docuseries, The End of an Era, fans caught a glimpse of the pop idol listening to the audiobook of Liz Mooreâs The God of the Woods. And boom! Sales across all formats tripled immediately. The day after those numbers came out, Netflix announced that it would adapt the novel (originally optioned by Sony in mid-2024) into an hour-long series. A total coincidence, right? đ
đ This Week: A scandalous divorce, a series-ready mystery/thriller from a bestselling author and a crime epic thatâs back on the market
On to this weekâs picks! With less than a week until Christmas, weâre heading into the holidays strong. We have a series-ready mystery/thriller from one of my favorite authors â someone whoâs developed an original TV series before and understands both the art and the business of creating for the screen. As for that crime epic coming back on the market? Itâs not some obscure little title; itâs a recent classic of the genre.
The full lineup for paid subscribers:
đľđťââď¸ A procedural/thriller from a bestselling author centering on a quirky duo investigating a murder, a valuable artifact and the death of one characterâs mother decades earlier.
đŞđ A series-ready story about the pursuit of a serial killer with a big twist revolving around a trio of amateur sleuths.
đ A bestselling (and beloved) epic about the war on drugs returns to the market for the first time in a decade.
đŽ An original twist on the âchosen boy discovers heâs special at a school of magicâ formula.
đŠđżââ¤ď¸âđ¨đź A true-life courtroom drama about a rich heir divorcing his new bride because he claims she deceived him about her race.