Issue #29: Must Like Coffee

You need to try this jam latte.

Morning Person is a weekly newsletter packed with obsessively-curated recommendations and ideas—let’s get to it!

📚 The Tenant by Katrine Engberg: This dark Nordic noir novel, written in the same vein as Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbø, begins with the murder of a young woman in downtown Copenhagen. Katrine Engberg expertly holds the tension and kept me guessing as she introduces a cast of suspects that includes the woman’s mysterious love interest, her landlord, and even her father. I nearly left thrillers for good after reading a few too-obvious or too-random novels (lookin’ at you, The Last Thing He Told Me), but The Tenant reminded me how addicting they can be.

📺 “Hacks” on HBOMax and “Bingeable” Podcast: This series stars Jean Smart as a no bullshit, seen-it-all Las Vegas comedian who hires a twenty-something writer to help her freshen up her decades-old set. The characters are refreshingly multidimensional and, though it’s engrossing from the jump, one mid-season episode that takes place at a plastic surgery recovery spa had me laughing the entire time. It was the perfect series to watch solo last week while Jonah was out of town, and an excellent addition to the canon of stand-up comedies like “Crashing,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Seinfeld,” and the movie, ‘Don’t Think Twice.’ As an aside, this series has been on my “to-watch” list since it came out in 2020, but I was reminded to dive into it after listening to this episode on my friend’s podcast, “Bingeable” which is worth binging in its own right!