Kiss, Marry or Kill: 65

The perfect grown-up beach read (that isn't a thriller). Plus bug bite advice that actually works, games for your next hike or road trip, how important is food compatibility, and AI ruins everything.

This is my weekly series for subscribers only, where I’ll share things that caught my eye this week in a fun and flirty way (kiss), a sustainable way (marry), or a not-so-good way (kill). And yes, this trendy game is technically “f***, marry, or kill” but we run a family-friendly-ish show around here.

Kiss (things I like right now)

📕 The Last Secret of Lily Adams by Sara Blaydes (←read with my eyeballs)

This story was a delight, and (IMO) the perfect poolside read. Lily Adams was a movie star during Hollywood’s golden age, but disappeared from the limelight suddenly, with no explanation. Upon her death, her granddaughter and great-granddaughter are tasked with clearing out her home and preserving the most important memorabilia. Then, through a letter left by Lily, the two are dropped into a mystery—why did Lily leave the limelight, and what really happened to her murdered fellow film star Stella Lane?

The story flips between the 1930s and 40s, from Lily’s perspective, and present day, from the perspective of her granddaughter Carolyn. The pacing is perfect, the characters (mostly) richly developed, and the mystery builds until the big reveal (which I couldn’t have guessed). The treatment of women in the 30s and 40s, even Hollywood stars (especially Hollywood stars) is just as infuriating as it is today, but I loved rooting for the strong, intelligent, capable women of the story.

This one reminded me of Born for This by Caitlin Devlin: a famous actress who disappears from the spotlight, and a neice determined to get a closer look. That one was sharper, colder, and brattier—read it lying at a Las Vegas pool. This one is far more refined and elegant, and I found the story quite touching—read it by a mountain lake or on a quiet beach.

🦟 Make that bug bite less itchy

I recently read this article (and I wish I could remember where) that offered tips about mosquito bites. First, they said not to scratch them, because that just makes them itchier. DUH… I think we already knew that. Then they recommended hydrocortisone cream, designed to temporarily relieve itching. Yeah, we knew that one too, and it doesn’t do shit IMO.

I’ve heard putting a dab of toothpaste on a bug bite makes it stop itching. It does not. Same with Manuka honey—it does nothing for the itch, and that stuff is expensive. Some swear by heating up a spoon and pressing the back of it into the bite. First, sketchy—how hot is that spoon? Second, that’s not particularly convenient, unless you keep a squad of spoons perpetually hot.

But the article made one more recommendation—something I’ve never heard before. And you know what? IT WORKS.