Welcome back to The Bubbly Bulletin—a space dedicated to all the good book news of the month. For August, we’re discussing the transition from summer to fall reading (thrillers, paranormal romance, fantasy, and… pirates), Annabel Monaghan’s reunion with THE Dolly, books and neuroscience (am I one of Ali Hazelwood’s leading ladies?!), how the great DNF debate has evolved, Emily Henry’s Gilmore Girls team, the most exciting adaptation announcement of the year (IMO—plus many, many others!), Heated Rivalry onstage, ACOTAR (of course), and more!
Hello, readers! As sweet (see also: hot, sweaty, endless) August comes to an end, I am welcoming September with open arms. I hope you are soaking up these last weeks of summer… or lighting pumpkin spice candles and decorating for fall. Whatever makes you happy works for me!
We’ve had such a lovely summer of book news. The standout to me really is all the adaptation news. It seems like from only a year and a half ago, when we started The Bubbly Bulletin, book adaptations (specifically romance novel adaptations) have skyrocketed. I was talking to someone in my Instagram DMs who was feeling exhausted by the adaptation overload, and while I understand that it seems like everything we love is being adapted for the screen—EVERYTHING WE LOVE IS BEING ADAPTED FOR THE SCREEN. Even if the adaptation might not be perfect (are they ever?) or even close to perfect, the authors we know and love are getting paid, and the stories we’ve fallen in love with are reaching new audiences. I say the more adaptation news, the merrier! That feels particularly relevant this month, as The Love Hypothesis (book review here) is coming to Prime Video September 23. I am going into my viewing of our first Ali Hazelwood adaptation simply happy to see a movie based on a love story I love so much! All this to say, this feels like a golden age to be a reader—especially a romance reader. Let me know your thoughts on all the adaptation news in the comments!
As we close out summer, we have so much to get excited about—from twisty new releases to all these buzzy adaptations. I can’t wait to read alongside you guys this fall! Now, let’s recap August in books!
On authors we love…
Beth Brower: The New York Times (gift link!) profiled Beth and celebrated the breakout success of her beloved Emma M. Lion series (review here). I was fascinated by her writing process and unconventional route to publishing.
“Brower has self-published 13 novels since 2016. She attempts to catalog her vivid imagination in a ‘glorious mess of notes and notebooks,’ storing snippets of plots until they emerge in her work years later.”
Robinne Lee: Following the release of her highly anticipated sophomore novel last month, ELLE featured Robinne in their fun books column, “Shelf Life,” where they ask authors for their most memorable reads. One of my favorite answers was her response to the book she wishes she could read again for the first time: Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Annabel Monaghan: If you’ve listened to any interview Annabel has done for her latest book, Dolly All the Time (review here), the name “Dolly” has come up! It is charming, traditional, and you don’t often hear it. Annabel has shared that she got the inspiration for it when she met a Dolly during a book signing while on tour for It’s a Love Story in 2025. She’s been on the hunt for that Dolly ever since, and Good Morning America recently tracked her down and broadcast their reunion!
On carving out time to read (and when a book is not worth your time)…
Vulture asked 20 well-read people—from publishing-industry professionals to actors, a playwright, and the mayor of NYC—when they make time to read. It was fascinating to see how these busy people manage to squeeze in pages and how many of those interviewed grapple with reading for pleasure versus reading what they feel like they should be reading.
“I was so busy constantly equipping myself for the world, I never let myself get lost in another one.”
—Laura Brown, author and former editor-in-chief of InStyle
Even if you’re not reading quite as much as those well-read celebs, research shows that just buying books is good for your brain! According to this Inc. article, purchasing books and adding them to your visual TBR pile can give you “anticipatory pleasure,” adding joy—and dopamine—to your life.
While we’re talking neuroscience, Real Simple shares “Why Reading Before Bed Might Be Your Best Sleep Hack Yet, According to Brain Health Experts.” I do strongly agree with a book before bed, but these experts must not have been experimenting with this month’s B.R.A.D. Bookclub pick, as it kept me up well past my bedtime!
Don’t let the book selection process take away from your reading time! The New York Times has a new “game” you can play to get a quick, personalized book rec. They chose Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore for me, which is on my TBR! You can also peruse BeachReadsandBubbly.com. 😉
To DNF (“did not finish”) or not to DNF? This NYT article delves into the evolution of this great debate over the shame we should or should not feel when ditching a book. I completely agree with one of the bibliophiles they interviewed, who said:
“If you read for information, finishing has benefit. … But if reading is a form of escapism or entertainment or distraction from work or stress, and your book becomes another unpleasant aspect to the day, it’s time to find another book.”
On fall reading…
The BR&B Guide to Fall Reading will go live in September and be filled to the brim with books of all genres that scream “fall” in their own ways! If you’re ready to change gears now, check out last year’s in the meantime.
This Substack post by The Big Thrill offers a great roundup of summer camp thrillers, which sounds like the perfect way to wrap up summer reading and ease into some autumn scares.
The New York Times dropped their list of “The 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century” (gift link!). I was combing through it for my own TBR when my mom came over with Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka in her bag. I asked her if it was inspired by this article, and she said yes! So far, she loves it but cautions that it is very dark. She got the recommendation specifically from this video where an NYT editor tries to guess thrillers from the list based on their first lines (Warning: Each book has a first line that will hook you immediately—as, they argue, a good thriller should!).
The top 10 thrillers from the list, starting with Gone Girl at #1. The top 50 list was voted on by 291 crime novelists, editors, booksellers, librarians and other book lovers. Some of our favorite authors allowed NYT to publish their personal ballots, including Jessica Knoll, Lucy Foley, Gillian McAllister, Freida McFadden, and more.
And finally, these are the titles from the list that have been adapted for the big and small screen.
People tapped Reliquary author Hannah Whitten for her top horror novel recs to get you in the mood for spooky season.
Fun fact: Autumn is traditionally the busiest season in book publishing! Goodreads shared that, calling it “the year’s most literary season,” along with users’ most-anticipated fall releases.
On podcasts…
On Gilmore to Say, Emily Henry talks what Gilmore Girls team she’s on, visiting the set of the Beach Read adaptation, and her book seven progress. Listen on Spotify or Apple Music.
On Friends & Fiction, Christina Lauren talk navigating moral questions and made-up technology in The Romance Revival (review here), how they collaborate on characters and story development as an author duo, and their upcoming adaptations. Listen on Spotify or Apple Music.
On Bring Your Own, Joss Richard talks Let’s Kiss and Tell (more in her Cake with Katie interview here), bringing Filipina representation into romance, and her favorite TV shows. Listen on Spotify or Apple Music.
On Open Book with Jenna, Jenny Jackson talks balancing her work as both a bestselling novelist and editorial director of fiction at Knopf, unexpected sources of inspiration for The Shampoo Effect (review here), and how she “love-bombed” Caro Claire Burke to become the editor of Yesteryear (review here). Listen on Spotify or Apple Music.
“I would rather publish a book that half the people love and half the people hate, than a book that 90% of people like a lot.”
—Jenny Jackson on Open Book with Jenna
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