Adrienne Westenfeld returns to share what she’s reading (and watching) this spring.

This week, we welcome back repeat Lit Up guest Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire's Books and Fiction Editor! Given Adrienne's role overseeing books coverage, writing about film, TV, & culture, and curating the Esquire Book Club, it's always a treat to get a glimpse into her ever-growing stack and to find out what recent reads and series have stayed with her. Along with sharing many recommendations, we also talk about our shifting relationship to book events, what makes for a good book-to-film/TV adaptation, and the beauty of merging poetry with travel.

Adrienne's recommendations:

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

Less Is Lost by Andrew Sean Greer

Matrix by Lauren Groff

Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Kindred, 2022 TV series adapted from the novel Kindred, by Hugo Award-winner Octavia E. Butler

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023, dir. Kelly Fremon Craig)

Interview with the Vampire (1976) book by Anne Rice and 2022 series

The poetry of Jack Gilbert (1925–2012)

Angela's recommendations:

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History by Jennifer Wright

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock by Jenny Odell

Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022 mini-series), based on the novel of the same name by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

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