Reading, watching, listening, and gaming recommendations from the staff of the American Writers Museum.
We can’t recommend these books, films, shows, plays, albums, and games highly enough! Check back every month for more entertainment recommendations, from classics that we revisit over and over to new favorites. If you’re looking for your next book or movie or show or whatever, you came to the right place.
Many of our December book recommendations are also available on Bookshop.org, which benefits independent bookstores. We also strongly encourage you to support your local bookstore by visiting them in person or ordering online through them directly.
Let us know what you’ve been into recently in the comments!
Art Work: On the Creative Life by Sally Mann
From the publisher: “Art Work, by photographer and writer Sally Mann, offers a spellbinding mix of wild and illuminating stories, practical (and some impractical) advice, and life lessons…Illustrated throughout with photographs, journal entries, and letters that bring immediacy and poignancy to the narrative, Art Work is full of thought-provoking insights about the hazards of early promise; the unpredictable role of luck; the value of work, work, work, and more hard work; the challenges of rejection and distraction; the importance of risk-taking; and the rewards of knowing why and when you say yes. In sparkling prose and thoughtfully juxtaposed visuals and ephemera, Art Work is a generous, provocative, and compulsively readable exploration of creativity by one of our most original thinkers.”
—Deanna, Storyteller
The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler
This short story collection hits on almost every type of mystery you could be in the mood for. If you like a mystery with a Christmas setting and a slight bit of edge, humor, a detective story, a charming cozy, or thrilling suspense, check out this large book of short mystery stories.
—Cristina, Development & Membership Associate
Boots created by Andy Parker
I am a big fan of the dramedy series created by Andy Parker, Boots (based on the memoir The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White), which is currently streaming on Netflix. The story is of a gay teen who impulsively enlists in the Marines to escape bullies, unexpectedly finding purpose and camaraderie. At times, the story is heart-wrenching, and at others is almost comical.
—Cristina, Development & Membership Associate
Dead and Alive: Essays by Zadie Smith
From the publisher: “In this eagerly awaited new collection, Zadie Smith brings her unique skills as an essayist to bear on a range of subjects that have captured her attention in recent years. She takes an exhilaratingly close look at artists Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker and Celia Paul. She invites us along to the movies, to see and to think about Tár, and to New York to reflect on the spontaneous moments that connect us. She takes us on a walk down Kilburn High Road in her beloved North-West London and welcomes us to mourn with her the passing of writers Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. She considers changes of government on both sides of the Atlantic—and the meaning of ‘the commons’ in all our lives. Throughout this thrilling collection, Zadie Smith shows us once again her unrivalled ability to think through critically and humanely some of the most urgent preoccupations and tendencies of our troubled times.”
—Deanna, Storyteller
The Devil’s Plan (Season 2) created by Jung Jong-yeon
From IMDB: “In this competition of intelligence, contestants face off in games of wit and strategy to be crowned winner and go home with the ultimate prize.”
—Matt, Community Engagement Manager
Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations by Sam Kean
From the publisher: “History often neglects the tastes, textures, sounds, and smells that were an intimate part of our ancestors’ lives, but a new generation of researchers is resurrecting those hidden details, pioneering an exciting new discipline called experimental archaeology. These are scientists gone rogue…Beloved author Sam Kean joins these experimental archaeologists on their adventures across the globe, from the Andes to the South Seas. He fires medieval catapults, tries his hand at ancient surgery and tattooing, builds Roman-style roads—and, in novelistic interludes, spins gripping tales about the lives of our ancestors with vivid imagination and his signature meticulous research. Lively, offbeat, and filled with stunning revelations about our past, Dinner with King Tut sheds light on days long gone and the intrepid experts resurrecting them today, with startling, lifelike detail and more than a few laughs along the way.”
—Carol, Assistant Director of Development
The Diplomat created by Debora Cahn
I binge-watch as the new seasons have come out and end up wishing I had savoured each episode. This series is streaming on Netflix.
More from Rotten Tomatoes: “Amid an international crisis, a career diplomat juggles her new high-profile job as ambassador to the United Kingdom and her turbulent marriage to a political star…Keri Russell’s scrappy performance negotiates the best possible terms for The Diplomat, a soapy take on statecraft that manages to make geopolitical crises highly bingeable entertainment.”
—Cristina, Development & Membership Associate
The Door by Magda Szabó, translated by Len Rix
From the publisher: “The Door is an unsettling exploration of the relationship between two very different women. Magda is a writer, educated, married to an academic, public-spirited, with an on-again-off-again relationship to Hungary’s Communist authorities. Emerence is a peasant, illiterate, impassive, abrupt, seemingly ageless. She lives alone in a house that no one else may enter, not even her closest relatives. She is Magda’s housekeeper and she has taken control over Magda’s household, becoming indispensable to her. And Emerence, in her way, has come to depend on Magda. They share a kind of love—at least until Magda’s long-sought success as a writer leads to a devastating revelation.”
—Rachel, Storyteller
Dracula by Bram Stoker
From the publisher: “When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client’s castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: a ship runs aground on the shores of Whitby, its crew vanished; beautiful Lucy Westenra slowly succumbs to a mysterious, wasting illness, her blood drained away; and the lunatic Renfield raves about the imminent arrival of his ‘master’. In the ensuing battle of wills between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries—led by the intrepid vampire hunter Abraham van Helsing—Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.”
—Matt, Community Engagement Manager
Heathen: Religion and Race in American History by Kathryn Gin Lum
From the publisher: “In this sweeping historical narrative, Kathryn Gin Lum shows how the idea of the heathen has been maintained from the colonial era to the present in religious and secular discourses—discourses, specifically, of race…Race continues to operate as a heathen inheritance in the United States, animating Americans’ sense of being a world apart from an undifferentiated mass of needy, suffering peoples. Heathen thus reveals a key source of American exceptionalism and a prism through which Americans have defined themselves as a progressive and humanitarian nation even as supposed heathens have drawn on the same to counter this national myth.”
We are honored to host Kathryn Gin Lum later this month at the American Writers Museum. On December 10, she will discuss her award-winning book as part of the AWM’s new American Prophets exhibit and programming series. Learn more and get your tickets here!
—Nate, Content & Exhibits Manager
I’ll Get Back to You by Becca Grischow
Taking place in the nostalgic and wacky timespan of Thanksgiving break, I’ll Get Back to You is a funny and festive sapphic holiday romance shining with emotional resonance (and Christmas lights). The novel follows Murphy, a slightly lost 20-something who has moved back to the small suburb of Geneva, IL, with her parents. Murphy’s feeling of stuckness and transience is relatable to most 20-somethings—and is amplified by identifying as a lesbian in a small suburb. When Murphy reconnects with Ellie, a former high school classmate, the two hatch a fake dating plan they hope will lead to two paths out of Geneva. But we know how that goes—unexpected but unavoidable chemistry eventually throws a wrench in the original plan. Both Murphy and Ellie realize, in appreciation for their hometown and an iconic coffee shop, that they may rather walk together than alone.
After working as a successful ghostwriter, Grischow penned a debut that she felt confident and excited putting her name on. The result is a masterfully paced, effortlessly funny story that feels like connecting with a hometown friend (or crush) for the holidays. Becca Grischow is a local author from Geneva, IL, who currently lives in Chicago.
—Sydney, Curatorial Assistant
Lessons from My Teachers: From Preschool to the Present by Sarah Ruhl
From the publisher: “Based on her popular class at Yale, this ‘tender and profound’ (Booklist) essay collection from one of our greatest living playwrights and teachers, Sarah Ruhl, is a testament to the singular impact of teachers across every stage of our lives. Anchored in stories both personal and universal, drawing on Sarah’s experiences with her parents and children, with schoolteachers, creative influences, and beyond, Lessons from My Teachers is a ‘a true tribute to those who teach… [that] masterfully captures the ineffable essence of all that passes between teacher and student’ (Sharon Salzberg).”
—Andrew, Institutional Giving Manager
Like Water for Chocolate by head writers Curro Royo and Silvia Ortega Vettoretti
In one of our talks, Desi from Teach Tank reminded me of the book by the same name from Laura Esquivel. This novel explores love, political tensions and family drama through the lens of traditional Mexican recipes. The TV show released in 2024 does a great job in showing the magical realism aspects, and in my opinion is a great adaptation of the book, while still changing the course and giving viewers something new.
More from IMDb: “Star-crossed lovers Tita and Pedro’s romance is thwarted by her family’s traditions, forcing Tita to navigate magic and flavors in the kitchen as she fights for love and embraces her destined path.”
—Andrea, Education Program Coordinator
Little Women screenplay by Greta Gerwig
Little Women is, and this might be controversial, a Christmas movie. The latest adaptation of the book by Louisa May Alcott does a great job of portraying the past and the present in the usage of warm and cool tones, and the acting by Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan brings the main characters to life in an amazing and unforgettable way. Cozy up during the snowy days and watch this at least once!
—Andrea, Education Program Coordinator
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata
Whenever I am snowed in, I gravitate towards books with imaginative worlds. It’s cold out, so I’m craving immersion in unique narratives and new landscapes without leaving my apartment. Spanning multiple time periods, cultural identities, and parallel universes, The Lost Book of Adana Moreau satisfies this craving. The novel centers on a Dominican-American science fiction writer and the domino effect her lost manuscript has on people decades after its original conception. Zapata’s prose sparkles with a dream-like quality, balancing surreal homages to science fiction with authentic, grounded depictions of interpersonal relationships, physics, and history. Above all, it is a book about a book, and a story for people who make sense of the world through story.
A current Chicago resident, Michael Zapata was also a featured guest at the 2024 American Writers Festival, where he moderated the New Fiction panel.
—Sydney, Curatorial Assistant
LUX by RosalÃa
From Pitchfork: “The Spanish superstar’s fourth album is a heartfelt offering of avant-garde classical pop that roars through genre, romance, and religion. Arranged in four movements and sung in 13 languages, its orchestral pop storms down from the skies and leaves, in its thundering aftermath, a field guide for pop’s seekers, those who believe the answers to love, desire, and creative purpose might yet be contained in three or four minutes at a time. It’s not a dopamine machine like MOTOMAMI, but it rewards listeners who ache for more from pop artists: more feeling, more risk.”
—Maya, Marketing & Creative Associate
The Muppet Christmas Carol screenplay by Jerry Juhl
From Rotten Tomatoes: “The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets—Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle—weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases—past, present and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness.”
—Annie, Education Associate
Nothing Like the Holidays screenplay by Rick Najera, Ted Perkins, and Alison Swan
From Rotten Tomatoes: “It’s the Christmas season and the scattered members of the Rodriguez family come to their parents’ Chicago home to celebrate. But, no family gathering is without its strife. Brother Jesse still pines for an old flame, eldest brother Mauricio now has a high-powered wife who is more interested in career than children and matriarch Anna drops a bombshell when she announces her intention to divorce her children’s father.
—Andrew, Institutional Giving Manager
Peter Pulaski Must Pay by Jen Lancaster
From the publisher: “Call to order the Friday Night Doom Crew. They’re an eclectic group of true-crime enthusiasts…But when dark secrets threaten one of their own, the Doom Crew grapples with how far they are willing to go to protect her. Diana Pulaski is the crew’s meticulously organized beating heart whose physician husband, Peter, is secretly a swindler behind an illegal pill mill, not to mention a loathsome cheater involved in an online romance. When they discover the truth, the amateur vigilantes have a plan to make Peter pay. Unfortunately, the closer Diana’s friends are to hunting Peter down, the closer they get to discovering a secret Diana has been hiding. As the fumbling Doom Crew’s wild ride of vengeance goes awry, they must navigate the consequences of their actions. And Diana, forced to confront the past, must decide to whom she will remain loyal–no matter the cost.”
—Annie, Education Associate
The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry
Maybe it’s just my copy, but the last chapter or so of this holiday heartstrings-tugger gets really blurry for some reason. If you’re interested to hear more from best-selling author Dave Barry himself, check out our Author Talk from his visit in May, either on YouTube here or on our podcast here. This program was presented in conjunction with our special exhibit and programming initiative American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture, which is now open to explore!
—Annie, Education Associate
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
From the publisher: “Harper Curtis is a killer who stepped out of the past. Kirby Mazrachi is the girl who was never meant to have a future. Kirby is the last shining girl, one of the bright young women, burning with potential, whose lives Harper is destined to snuff out after he stumbles on a House in Depression-era Chicago that opens on to other times. At the urging of the House, Harper inserts himself into the lives of these shining girls, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He’s the ultimate hunter, vanishing without a trace into another time after each murder—until one of his victims survives. Determined to bring her would-be killer to justice, Kirby joins the Chicago Sun-Times to work with the reporter, Dan Velasquez, who covered her case. Soon Kirby finds herself closing in on an impossible truth.”
—Nate, Content & Exhibits Manager
Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread by Leila Taylor
From the publisher: “Horror begins at home. From family homes in Amityville to Gothic mansions in Los Angeles and the Unabomber’s cabin, houses often capture and contain the horror that has happened within them. Sick Houses crosses the threshold of these eerie spaces to explore how different types of architecture become vessels for terror and how these spaces, meant to shelter us, instead become the source of our deepest fears. Using film, television, and literature to explain why we are drawn to haunted and haunting places, Sick Houses is a must read for anyone who has ever looked at a house and sensed there might be something unsettling going on inside.
—Hunter, Storyteller
Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher
From the publisher: “With only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt’s house in the desert town of Quartz Creek… There’s a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena’s ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena’s house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn’t ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can’t begin to imagine. And when Selena’s search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new home: It’s the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as ‘Snake-Eater,’ who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled. Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he’s hell-bent on collecting everything he’s owed.”
—Allison, Director of Programs
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda
In an unassuming building tucked away on a small street in Kyoto, there is a clinic, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, that has an unusual approach to treating patients. I seem to have a penchant for quirky Japanese books with magical realism. Adding cats to the mix only makes it better.
—Cristina, Development & Membership Associate
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
From the publisher: “A gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher. When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania. What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves. Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.”
—Hunter, Storyteller
Whirlwind: My Life Reporting the News by Bill Kurtis
From the publisher: “Starting with his coverage of the largest tornado in Kansas history, legendary correspondent, anchorman, and producer Bill Kurtis details his whirlwind career reporting American history as it unfolded, from the Chicago Seven to Charles Manson to Agent Orange. A fast-paced, entertaining, and inspiring story about the potent combination of talent and luck in the network era of television… Recounting moments in his remarkable career as a television journalist, Kurtis brings us into some of the most iconic moments of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s… Kurtis also offers an insider look at how television evolved from an emerging news source to the dominating force in American media. A natural storyteller, Kurtis remembers his career with honesty and insight and gives a rare picture of American history and broadcast journalism.
—Carey, President
Wicked: For Good screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox
From Rotten Tomatoes: “Elphaba, now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard. Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible, Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard. As Glinda’s stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks threaten the safety of Elphaba’s sister, Nessarose, when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.”
—Matt, Community Engagement Manager
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