Riverdale Book Club
Welcome to Riverdale, where Archie is hot (and full of angst—at least at the beginning), Veronica’s father is in jail and her mom seems to be making some shady deals, Betty has some serious family drama, and Jughead has put down his burger obsession for true crime writing—oh, did we mention there’s been a murder?!
That’s right, The CW’s Archie reimagining is like Twin Peaks meets a semi-woke 90210 and we are so here for it! Now that you can stream the first season on Netflix, we decided to host a book club for Archie and the gang and imagine the books they’re reading. Or shall we say what “those pesky kids” are reading, 'cause that’s what they are when it comes to solving this murder…
Archie Andrews
This is not your childhood comic Archie. This is more Mark Waid’s Archie reboot where Fiona Staples drew Archie a bit caliente. In Riverdale, Archie is obsessed with his music career—when not playing football, solving murders, or failing at dating—so after spotting My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire by Maurice White on Valerie Brown’s shelf, he downloaded the audiobook. He’s now working on a list of musician’s memoirs to get through because music is all he thinks about.
Valerie Brown
When not rehearsing with Josie and the Pussycats, Valerie has been trying to find time to read—especially, now that there is less time being taken up by a dumb boy. Currently checked out from the library is the kickass Kim & Kim Vol 1 by Magdalene Visaggio (because bounty hunter best friends in space is awesome) and When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (because one look at that cover and she couldn’t resist picking it up).
Betty Cooper
After hearing Jennifer Aniston was cast in the upcoming adaptation of Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy, she moved it up on her TBR list and could just hug Willowdean to death. She loves her attitude towards life so much because sugar and spice and everything nice don’t stand in Betty Cooper’s way with any unfairness.
Veronica Lodge
With her father in jail and her mother not always appearing to be acting in their best interest—even if her mother thinks she is—Veronica has had a rough year and found herself very much relating with Isabel Quintero’s novel titled Gabi, A Girl in Pieces. Reading about Gabi navigating through her senior year of high school, her dad’s drug addiction, a friend’s coming out, a friend’s pregnancy, and dating has Veronica curling up in bed at night grateful for this great book friend.
Josie and the Pussycats List tote bag by theatrelover13 at Redbubble
Josie McCoy
This is the only way Josie can sit more than five minutes in a chair getting her hair done without wanting to get up. She has a super busy schedule of important things—she is Josie from the Josie and the Pussycats—is to sit down with a stack of books and comics. Today in her Josie and the Pussycats tote bag she's carrying Megan Abbott’s Queenpin (ladies ruling noir, hell yeah), The Unstoppable Wasp #1 by Jeremy Whitley (Nadia is hilarious and awesome), Goldie Vance Vol 1 by Hope Larson (this mystery solving thing is contagious), and Gabourey Sidibe’s memoir This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare (because Gabourey! Sidibe!).
Jughead Jones
Roaming the library is where Jughead goes to think and lately, and now that he’s found himself a bit of a true crime writer, he’s been drawn even more to amateur sleuth type mysteries. Steph Cha’s Juniper Song series set in a big city with it’s Philip Marlowe nods has been allowing him to escape his very real small town problems, while also helping him hone in on his writing style.
Kevin Keller
Keller has recently found himself binging How To Get Away with Murder until it started feeling a bit too close to home. So he’s taken a break to read Eddie Izzard’s memoir Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens.
It might take him a while, though. It’s really hard to find reading time when you have an active social and dating life.
Ethel Muggs
Things have been really rough for Barb—er, we mean Ethel. Being a target and taking on the slut-shamers of your high school is a position no one should ever be in. Ethel has found herself finding comfort in friends and, as always, great books. She’s almost finished with Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear… and Why by Sady Doyle, which Betty Cooper lent her.
Cheryl Blossom
Cheryl so easily switches between the good mask and bad mask that we just know that fairy tale retellings have to be her jam. Good versus evil is always satisfying, and while life isn’t giving her much time to read lately, she has found herself getting lost in Ashley Poston’s Geekerella instead of paying attention in her classes. She’s pretty sure the school will understand if her grades slip a bit.
Are you a Riverdale fan? Which books do you imagine the characters are currently reading?
