Substack Reads: Resurrecting Villanelle, join the funtervention, and rogue passengers
Hello and welcome to another Substack Reads! This week, British author Luke Jennings brings back his infamously mismatched heroines from Killing Eve in a new serialized novel, Jesse Paris Smith shares her unique perspective as a daughter and band member of Patti Smith at her end-of-year shows, River Page rounds up the in-flight entertainment you never expected, and cartoonist Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell recaps the Golden Globes in sketches. We hope you enjoy it!
FICTION
Resurrecting Villanelle
When the world-famous character met her end in the TV series based on his novels, Luke Jennings knew he had to bring her back to life
—
in
The apartment is on the fourth floor of an anonymous, apricot-coloured block in St Petersburg’s western suburbs. It overlooks a four-lane highway beyond which the expanse of the Gulf of Finland extends to the horizon. At the rear of the building is a small park, once part of the estate of a Grand Duke. There’s an ornamental garden, a long-dry fountain, and a ruined greenhouse overrun with bindweed.
Oxana runs here most days, following the paths beneath the spreading chestnuts. It’s June now, and the overgrown lawn is dotted with daisies and wild violets. She’s tempted to lie down on the grass, to close her eyes and simply breathe the scent of the summer morning. But she has to keep going, to maintain her endless shark-like patrolling. It’s when you feel safest, Konstantin used to say, that you’re in the greatest danger.
PHOTO-ESSAY
Salt and steel
Jesse Paris Smith shares reflections from the stage and the end-of-year trio of shows that she plays with her mother, Patti Smith, as a member of her band
—
in
The other night at my mom’s birthday show, she paused during a song for some water and said, “I need a moment. Something I’ve learned is when you need a moment, take it.” She also said, “My version of rock ‘n’ roll is one where you’re allowed to f*** up as often as you need to.” Both of these made me so proud, and reminded me of the lessons I’ve learned through my mom and the band and crew, this family I was born into as any other. So while I might still be getting my footing with the scheduling of weekly Substack posts, and while I might need to take a moment or I might falter here and there, you can know that I am still here, and we will always pick up where we left off before.
HUMOR
The craziest s**t that happened on planes last year
Pilots on shrooms, passengers weaponizing urine, planes without windows, emergency exit mishaps, Tiffany (of course), and everything you never expected to happen mid-flight
—
in
On July 2, 2023, a video of a woman exiting an American Airlines plane went viral. As she walked away, she yelled: “I’m telling you right now, I’m getting the fuck off. And the reason why I’m getting the fuck off—and everyone can believe it or they can not believe it—I don’t give two fucks. But I am telling you right now, that motherfucker—that motherfucker back there is not real.”
As she pointed to the back of the plane, the other passengers turned around to look.
“And you can sit on this plane and you can fucking die with him or not. I’m not going to.”
LAW & TECHNOLOGY
AI and the lawyer overload
Polish writer Krzysztof Tyszka-Drozdowski considers the law profession in America and whether new technology will improve, or exacerbate, its problems
—
inCritics are calling our attention to the first problems with the use of AI in legal practice. In New York, two lawyers cited cases that turned out to be “hallucinations.” Some judges now mandate that documents submitted to them have a certificate that they were not generated by LLMs or, if they were, that they have been thoroughly checked.
It seems reasonable to believe that sooner or later, AI used in legal practices will, if not eliminate, then significantly reduce the occurrence of hallucinations. Importantly, AI seems to be ideally suited for digging through large databases in a process of so-called discovery, which until now has been particularly labor-intensive.
PODCAST
A bakery like none other
When their friendship bloomed over Taiwanese food, Trigg Brown and Josh Ku opened a bakery with Taiwanese-American flavors where everything tastes incredible. Paris-based pastry chef and author David Lebowitz speaks with Trigg Brown of Win Son Bakery in Brooklyn
—
in
The bakery and menu items take cues from familiar favorites, such as chocolate chip cookies and donuts, but I was delighted at how brilliantly they incorporated mochi, candied red beans, red rice, and scallions, along with raclette cheese, heritage bacon, and mortadella. It was the best of both (or many) worlds.
I was especially drawn to the Fan tuan, rice rolls filled with eggs, bacon, and a crispy cruller in the middle. It was a great combination, and I could easily give up baguettes and croissants for breakfast if I lived closer.
POLITICS
The case of mutually assured cancellation
Lawyer and political commentator Helen Dale got a jolt of déjà vu when reading the recent case of a canceled author, and thinks we’ve lost our way when it comes to managing public disagreements
—
in
Stephen Fry gets shitcanned and cancelled for his Christmas message. University students get doxxed after signing pro-Palestine petitions. Journalists are sacked over tweets. Jewish-owned restaurants are covered with racist graffiti. Everyone starts contacting everyone else’s professional associations.
On the last point, I’m looking at you, fellow-lawyers. The legal bush telegraph is currently thrumming with cancellation-derived toxicity. If you’re pro-Israel and loud about it, don’t try to get a job in human rights, the European Union, or employment law. If you’re pro-Palestine and loud about it, look away now from commercial, corporate, and private clients. [...]
Like the tourist asking an Irish farmer how to get to Wicklow and being told, “I wouldn’t start from here if I were you,” we’ve lost our way when it comes to managing public disagreement. The sort of world I prefer—where people speak their minds and are responded to by other people also speaking their minds and everyone just deals with any hurty words—is receding from view at speed. And as with the parlous state of higher education, I don’t have good fixes to offer. All I can say is this is a shite way to organise civil society and, yes, it makes everything worse.
WELLNESS
Join the funtervention
Science writer Catherine Price, author of The Power of Fun, wants to help you start the new year with more joy, laughter, and delight. Listen and read more about what habits you can start today
—
in
Notice (and share) something that delights you each day. As some of you know, I just had an op-ed essay in the New York Times about the practice of noticing and sharing daily delights—meaning anything that you encounter that sparks delight (it doesn’t matter how small or absurd). As part of the January funtervention, I encourage you to make a point to notice and share at least one delight a day. When you do, put your index finger in the air and say, out loud, “Delight!” (yes, even if you’re alone). I go into more detail in the article about why this last part is important; for now, just trust me!
ILLUSTRATION
Golden Globes 2024: a recap in sketches
Missed this week’s Golden Globes, or want to remember some of the best moments from the TV and film awards? Illustrator Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell has you covered
—
in
Recently launched
Coming soon
announces her new children’s book is available for preorder:Recently someone asked, “What is your big hope for this book?” My answer was that my hope for this book is actually very small. Small, but meaningful. I hope this book makes bedtimes calmer, sweeter, and just a little bit easier for other families.
New & noteworthy
Garden designer
is in the AMA hotseat on Notes next week:And
kicks off a thread of great books written by Substack writers:Inspired by the writers featured in Substack Reads? Writing on your own Substack is just a few clicks away:
Substack Reads is a weekly roundup of writing, ideas, art, and audio from the world of Substack. Posts are recommended by staff and readers, and curated and edited from Substack’s U.K. outpost by Hannah Ray.
Got a Substack post to recommend? Tell us about it in the comments.
✨Yes! Catherine Price's Substack is new to me today, and delighted to see Kerri pop up in this edit, gang.✨
And over on Substack Pods....?
You promote the writers...
When are you going to start promoting the wonderful podcasts on this app?