Tastemaker Salon: An interview with Drew of @hesamanreader
The most perfect thriller, why pacing makes or breaks a DNF, and a question for you
Drew is an EXTREMELY prolific thriller reader and Bookstagrammer who I’ve been lucky enough to get to know a little on Instagram! If you check out his page, you’ll be thrilled/impressed/delighted with the breadth of his reading in the genre—I know I am.
What's your bookstagram handle?
Formerly @thrilleraddict1986, currently @hesamanreader.
When did you start your bookstagram?
I started it in 2019.
How did you get started/what made you get started?
I was posting books and book reviews on my other Instagram account and I think my non-reader friends were getting annoyed [Editor’s note: 😅] so I moved to Bookstagram.
How many books a year do you read?
I read anywhere from 120-150 books a year.
What are your favorite genres? How would you describe your taste/social media aesthetic?
My favorite genre is thrillers. I have recently dabbled into horror as well. I don't feel that I have an aesthetic.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Peter Swanson, David Ellis, S.A. Cosby, Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, JT Ellison
What makes a book stand out to you?
What makes a book stand out to me is if it has an amazing twist or twists that you don't see coming!
What kind of book are you dying to read? (I don't mean a book that exists—but if you could design the perfect book you're dying to read, what would it be/what kind of elements would it have?)
I'm dying to read a book that has some of my favorite tropes from thrillers: a missing child, mixed with some domestic issues, secrets, betrayals. Just a complete and total mash-up. [Editor’s note: Love this! Author friends, get on it!]
What's the book you recommend the most often and why?
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson because I think it is the best and most perfect thriller.
Do you ever DNF books? And if so, at what point/what causes you to DNF?
I didn't used to DNF books but now I do. If I feel like I'm not connecting to the story/characters or just find the story to be moving to slow for my taste, I'll DNF.
Thanks Drew for the great answers! Check him out on Insta!
Backlist beauties
Recommending: Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
Year published: 2019
When picking my backlist beauties books, I often gravitate towards books I’ve loved that I feel like I don’t see enjoying the success I think they should have. That’s not the case with Say Nothing, which was a huge success in 2019 when it was published and which has a TV series coming out this fall (meaning the book will become an even bigger hit). But #sorrynotsorry, this book is a truly exceptional feat of research, storytelling, and heartbreaking (AND RECENT) history that I didn’t know all that much about before I cracked it open.
Keefe—whose book Rogue: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels, and Crooks is also an exceptional read—uses the infamous disappearance of 38-year old Jean McConville, a widowed mother of 10 who was dragged out of her Belfast home by masked intruders, as an entry point to dive into the history of the Troubles, and it’s complicated legacy. It’s a massively researched book that also reads like a gripping novel—grab it now so you can be on the bandwagon before the tv show comes out!