When a favorite show wraps up a season (especially on a rather large cliffhanger), I can’t help but get a little involved in its general fandom. I spend time reading recaps and reviews and speculating about characters, and pretty much doing whatever I can to pass the time until the scraps of news about the new season start to appear. For Only Murders in the Building, which aired its final episode on Hulu this past Tuesday, we might be waiting a little bit until season 2—though viewers can breathe a sigh of relief that there will definitely be a season 2. Until then, let’s get into the heads of our favorite Arconian residents. We already know that Mabel is a reader but what books would we imagine Charles, Oliver, or Oscar might read between their podcast binging? Read on and find out!
Charles Haden-Savage
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
It’s easy to imagine that along with his penchant for true crime podcasts, Charles enjoys reading murder mysteries. Since he barely leaves his apartment, it’s also easy to imagine that he belongs to a book subscription service. He would definitely select this title, a charming mystery novel about a group of senior citizens solving crimes in their retirement community [Brianna Robinson].
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
If Charles isn’t a devout reader of Louise Penny, he should be. Likely, this quaint and devoted mystery series about a small village outside of Quebec and the Detective who presides over the murder investigations set there would be right up his street [BR].
Oliver Putnam
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Oliver is beloved for his quirks. Howl’s Moving Castle is brimming with quirky characters—Howl the drama queen, Calcifer the salty fire demon, and oodles of weird wizards. Even the castle itself has a personality! Oliver would find this fantasy world and the characters that inhabit it simply delightful! [Abby Petree].
Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops by Ken Mandelbaum
In the show, it’s well-known that Oliver’s big Broadway baby Splash infamously flopped, leaving him heartbroken. As a theatre nerd, he probably spends most of his time reading books about theatre, both for his own enjoyment and so he can flaunt his knowledge to impress others. Reading this popular book about other infamous flops would probably be enormously comforting to him—he’s not alone [AP].
Mabel Mora
You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus
This intense thriller centers around three old friends who reunite just in time to be pulled into a murder investigation. When Cal, Mateo, and Ivy find themselves at the scene of a crime, they must solve it themselves to prove their innocence. Mabel can’t resist a good mystery, and I don’t think she could resist a story of a friend group trying to solve a crime, so similar to her own group of “Hardy Boys” [AP].
The Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer
The Enola Holmes books are perfect for any girl who’s secretly longed to be a detective. While so many classic mystery-solvers are men, Enola proves that women have unique skills and areas of expertise that make them uniquely able to solve certain crimes. Enola is a fantastic heroine—smart, witty, and perceptive—and I think Mabel would adore her. Additionally, Enola goes on a transformative emotional journey that Mabel can relate to [AP].
Oscar
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Coming out of prison and reentry is rough on most recently incarcerated individuals. There’s a lot to readjust too without taking into account that Oscar was framed and pulled into a murder investigation days after being released. In between talking to lawyers or even in the days following his release, he’d probably want to be pulled into something immersive to take his mind off of everything. What better book than a fantasy about a man released from prison and thrust into a world of old gods, new gods, and everything in between [BR]!
Advertisement
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Like Oscar, the protagonist of If We Were Villains served ten years in prison. He may or may not be guilty. The novel follows him and his friends—who were suspected to be involved in the murder a decade ago—and the detective who’s determined to solve the case before he retires [BR].
Jan
Mozart In The Jungle by Blair Tindall
As a member of the symphony orchestra, Jan would know all about the underbelly of the classical music scene. There would be much she might commiserate within Blair Tindall’s memoir (though I think she’d despise the show, however wonderful it is). Though this is a bleak look at the life of working musicians, Jan would enjoy the bitterness and revelations found in the pages [BR].
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Jan would delight in reading books about fierce femme fatales, especially if she could do so in plain sight. In this novel, Korede is the youngest sister to a serial killer, who starts conversations admitting that she kills her boyfriends. Korede, the dutiful sister, helps dispose of the bodies of her sisters’ exes, all the while knowing that her enigmatic sister will keep doing it again and again until she finds a love match her family will approve of [BR].
Read our review of the series here.
Advertisement
Advertisement