My mashed potato books
Saving the best for the very last bite
I go a little feral when a friend looks over at my plate at the end of a meal and asks if they can try my last bite of food. What they don’t understand is —  throughout my entire meal — I’ve been keeping aside the best part and building it up in my mind as the perfect bite. So no, you cannot have it.
It’s that feeling of building anticipation that I’m talking about today in terms of mashed potato books. When I first heard this term from a friend (who heard it from Ariel Bisset’s podcast Books Unbound) I had no idea what she was talking about. But then, as she explained, I realized I have SO MANY mashed potato books.
What it is, is a book you like so much that you just can’t bring yourself to finish it. Or in some cases even start it. And if you need a prime example, the last 100 pages of the Raven Cycle — yes, the series I have been talking about nonstop for the last month — have sat unread on my bedside table for the past two weeks. And may sit there for a while as I struggle to bring myself to say goodbye.
So without further ado, let's plunge our spoon into the pile of mashed potato books I have sitting on my shelves.
Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell
This spoof on the immensely popular boy-wizard-goes-to-magic-school written by she-who-must-not-be-named had me laughing out loud while listening to it on long drives for work. It fits perfectly in that spot between nostalgia and satire and WHY DID I EVER STOP READING IT?!? Because it was just too good.
Tinkered Starsong series, by Gail Carriger
This is one of the few mashed potato books I have actually brought myself to finish. I love everything about this gentle sci-fi about a grumpy boy who decides to be an intergalactic popstar and finds a family (and love) instead. That being said — after ripping through the first two books of the series — it took me four months to find the perfect moment with which to enjoy the third.
The Wode, by J Tullos Hennig
This series is less a pile of mashed potatoes and more the super expensive bottle of scotch you keep in the back of your cabinet and only steal sips from on special occasions. It’s deep and complex and burns perfectly going down. But you only need a small tipple to be satisfied. I’ve read the first two books so far and look forward to starting the third on a crisp fall day. Don’t ask why – my brain has just decided that those are the necessary vibes.
Death in the Spires, by KJ Charles
If you're prone to the mashed potato paradox, you’ll find that when a book is by your favorite author, sometimes you don’t even need to start for it to enter the potato category. Death in the Spires has been sitting on my shelf since it came out in the spring and despite specifically craving a good mystery with a side of romance and my partner physically shoving this book into my hands, I picked up a different book instead. The moment wasn’t right, and there was nothing I could do about it. This book sitting on my shelf is akin to how I haven’t watched the Great British Bakeoff in years, but nonetheless am immensely comforted knowing it's waiting for me when I have a terrible week.
The Queen’s Thief series, by Megan Whalen Turner
Finally, I want to give a small shout-out to my ultimate mashed potato book that – though it isn’t queer – does feature the best of sad witty sharp boys that need a hug. Not only has the final book in Megan Whalen Turner’s The Queen’s Thief series been sitting on my bedstand half-read for over a year, but I have also reread the five books leading up to it MULTIPLE TIMES to read the finale with all the details fresh in my mind. But when it comes to it, I just haven’t been able to get myself to say goodbye to Eugenides. Don’t worry though, I’ll just keep reading book three over and over again instead.
So, now that I’ve dripped gravy over today’s newsletter – what mashed potato books are you hoarding on the side of your plate? And can I have a bite?
I've been in the habit of "saving the best till last" since I was a small child. That last deeply relished mouthful of icecream or buttery crunchy crust! I still do it and I'm in my 70s now. My mashed potato book at the moment is KJ's The Duke at Hazard. I bought it as soon as it came out but am saving it for just the right moment.