CRP's Blog

Agatha Christie, forensic crime scene investigation, tragedy on the Appalachian Trail. There’s actually a little mystery/crime theme running through our selections this week. Also, Geoff is the only one reading a book. #CRPreads

The first Disney theme park I ever went to was actually Disneyland Paris (then called EuroDisney), on a school trip to France when I was 14. Perhaps it was because I’d just spent the past week experiencing the splendors of Paris and the Loire Valley or because I just wasn’t the right age for it anymore, but the experience definitely left me less than enchanted. So, admittedly, I’ve never been anything close to a Disney obsessive, but Heather Havrilesky’s brilliant essay “Burning Down the Mouse” is still a bracing breath of fresh air. A scathing take on Disneyfied parenting, the controversial response to Banksy’s Dismaland, passive consumer spectatorship, and the inescapability of corporate branding, it stirred me to think more deeply about how I can create more genuine community and connection in my life.  —Allison Felus, production manager

I’m ashamed to admit I have a lot of unfinished books on my shelf, so I’ve dedicated myself to the project of getting through them all before I buy anything else. After finishing Beloved (devastating—I wanted a hug) a little more than a week ago, I picked up JPod, by Douglas Coupland. Talk about a radical shift in tone. The book is mostly snappy dialogue between various characters working at a video game development company, and there are about 4.6 pop culture references per page, making the whole thing easy to digest, but I haven’t yet decided whether I actually like it. It feels a little empty so far. —Geoff George, publicist

I can’t help but feel it was fate that made my reserved copy of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None audiobook become available on Dame Agatha’s 125th birthday (Tuesday, September 15). I cut my mystery-loving teeth on Christie’s books (and the many movies that aired on PBS), and I’ve been going back and reading some of her books over the last year. In addition to the audiobook, I also really enjoyed reading “Why Agatha Christie is even more awesome than you thought,”  even if they did forget to mention that she solved a mystery with the Doctor and Donna. —Mary Kravenas, marketing manager

Mira Jacob’s BuzzFeed article “I Gave a Speech About Race to the Publishing Industry and No One Heard Me” is about discrimination in publishing and spreads the important message that readers are ready for books detailing diverse perspectives; publishers just need to be more willing to offer a platform for those voices to speak from. —Emily Lewis, marketing intern

I didn’t think Outside mag’s story about a double homicide on the Appalachian Trail could bring me any joy, but the author—who was hiking the trail at the same time as the victims and describes them as “so damn nice”—highlights the positive energy and spirit exuded by AT hikers and the impact of lasting relationships forged on (and by) the trail. Shout out to Grandma Gatewood’s Walk author Ben Montgomery for tweeting the link. —Meaghan Miller, senior publicist

While working on Women in Blue, a Spring 2016 Women of Action title, I wound up reading this Slate article about Frances Glessner Lee, a pioneer in forensic crime scene investigation. The article spotlights her Nutshell dioramas—miniature models of real crime scenes. The photos of the dioramas and the stories of the real murders behind them are fascinating, as is the story of Lee’s life. This article does contain some graphic details, but it’s worth a read if you’re a murder-mystery geek. —Lindsey Schauer, project editor

Fun Fact: It’s almost Fall TV season! Did you catch our building’s cameo in the pilot of “Chicago Fire”?