Reading Time: 5 minutes

Weekend Watch & Read

Welcome to Weekend Watch & Read, your Friday guide to what everyone is talking about before the weekend begins.

Every Friday I’ll round up the Top 10 Netflix shows in the United States and the Top 10 in Brazil, giving you a glimpse into what audiences on both sides of the equator are binge-watching. Sometimes the lists will overlap; often they won’t, and that’s part of the fun. It’s a fascinating look at how culture, language, and storytelling shape what captures our attention.

For readers who would rather turn pages than stream episodes, I’ll also feature The New York Times Best Seller lists for both Fiction and Nonfiction. Whether you’re looking for your next thriller, biography, historical account, or thought-provoking read, you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your weekend reading list.

Finally, I’ll share one book from my own bookshelf. It won’t necessarily be a bestseller or the latest release. Sometimes it will be a forgotten classic, a hidden gem, a work of history, or simply a book that made me stop, think, or see the world a little differently. Along with it, you’ll get my honest review and whether I think it’s worth adding to your own reading list.

So pour yourself a cup of coffee, settle into your favorite chair, and see what the rest of the world is watching, what readers are buying, and what one retired American living in Brazil thinks deserves a little more attention. Your weekend entertainment starts here.

Netflix Top 10 United States

1. My Life With the Walter Boys | Drama | premiered 2023-12-07
2. Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes | Documentary | premiered 2026-08-12
3. Tires | Comedy | premiered 2024-05-23
4. The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare | Documentary, Crime | premiered 2026-07-29
5. Raw | Reality | premiered 1993-01-11
6. Best Medicine | Comedy, Drama | premiered 2026-01-04
7. Ms. Rachel | Kids | premiered 2025-01-27
8. Danny Go! | Kids | premiered 2019-08-21
9. Ms. Rachel | Kids | premiered 2025-01-27
10. Let’s Marry Harry | Reality | premiered 2026-08-05

Netflix Top 10 In Brazil

1. Our Sticky Love | Drama, Comedy | premiered 2026-08-07
2. My Life With the Walter Boys | Drama | premiered 2023-12-07
3. My Name Is Farah | Crime, Drama | premiered 2023-03-01
4. Wrath | Crime, Drama | premiered 2026-07-29
5. The Mentalist | Crime, Drama, Mystery | premiered 2008-09-23
6. Spooky in Love | Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama | premiered 2026-07-18
7. Umthetho | Crime, Drama | premiered 2026-08-14
8. My Brilliant Career | Drama, Family | premiered 2026-08-13
9. Operation Safed Sagar: The Highest Air Force Mission
10. Lottie Dottie Chicken | Animation, Kids | premiered 2018-01-01

NY Times Top 10 Hard Cover Fiction

1. THE CALAMITY CLUB by Kathryn Stockett | Fiction | published 2026-04-07
2. YESTERYEAR by Caro Claire Burke | Fiction | published 2026-04-07
3. THE BUTCHER LEGACY by Alaina Urquhart | Fiction | published 2026-08-11
4. WHISTLER by Ann Patchett | Fiction | published 2026-06-02
5. THE SECRETS WE HIDE by Karin Slaughter | Fiction | published 2026-08-11
6. THE TRUE MEANING OF LOVE by Danielle Steel | Fiction | published 2026-08-11
7. THE UNKNOWN by Riley Sager | Fiction | published 2026-08-04
8. THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans | Fiction | published 2025-04-29
9. THE DUNGEON ANARCHIST’S COOKBOOK by Matt Dinniman
10. DAGGERMOUTH by H.M. Wolfe

NY Times Top 10 Paperback Fiction

1. THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi
2. DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL by Matt Dinniman | Fiction | published 2025-12-30
3. PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir | Fiction | published 2022-10-04
4. THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach | Fiction | published 2025-06-24
5. CARL’S DOOMSDAY SCENARIO by Matt Dinniman | Fiction | published 2026-08-04
6. ADVERSARY TO THE VILLAIN by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
7. VERITY by Colleen Hoover | Fiction | published 2026-03-03
8. INSATIABLE by Leigh Rivers | Fiction | published 2026-08-11
9. THE DIVORCE by Freida McFadden | Fiction | published 2026-05-26
10. RED RISING by Pierce Brown | Fiction | published 2014-07-15

NY Times Top 10 Hard Cover Non-Fiction

1. REGIME CHANGE by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan | Political Science | published 2026-06-23
2. THE DAY AFTER by Brian Tyler Cohen | Philosophy | published 2026-07-14
3. STRANGERS by Belle Burden | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-01-13
4. DOGS, BOYS, AND OTHER THINGS I’VE CRIED ABOUT by Isabel Klee
5. LONDON FALLING by Patrick Radden Keefe | Family & Relationships | published 2026-04-07
6. COMMUNION by JD Vance | Biography & Autobiography | published 2026-06-16
7. BIOLOGICAL WAR by Annie Jacobsen | Political Science | published 2026-07-28
8. THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt | Psychology | published 2024-03-26
9. REVOLUTION by Eric Metaxas | History | published 2026-06-02
10. THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE by David Sedaris | Family & Relationships | published 2026-05-26

Book Review

Eye of the Needle

By Ken Follett

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Eye of the Needle was an excellent read and a strong example of why Ken Follett became one of the most successful thriller writers of his era. While I’ve read other Follett novels that I personally enjoyed more, this book still stands out as a tense, fast-moving World War II spy thriller that helped establish his reputation.

Set in England just before the Normandy invasion during World War II, the story follows British intelligence officers as they pursue a dangerous German spy across the country. The plot unfolds steadily, building tension as the hunt closes in around a man whose discovery could alter the course of the war.

What makes the novel work is its pacing. Follett keeps the story moving quickly, and at just over 300 pages, it never overstays its welcome. A seemingly minor storyline introduced early in the novel eventually becomes critical to the ending, tying the narrative together in a satisfying way.

The atmosphere is dark, tense, and isolated, particularly in the book’s final section, where the suspense becomes far more personal and psychological. Follett captures wartime paranoia well, creating a constant sense that danger is never far away.

Some of the supporting British intelligence characters still feel less developed than they could have been, and a few scenes exist more to push the chase forward than to deepen the story. There is also a romantic and sexual subplot that feels very much of its era, somewhat unnecessary in places though it does add another layer of tension to the climax.

Even with a few predictable moments, Eye of the Needle remains an engaging and highly readable espionage novel. Knowing the war’s historical outcome does not diminish the suspense surrounding the characters, and Follett’s ability to maintain momentum keeps the pages turning.

This is not just a routine spy novel. It is a lean, effective thriller with strong atmosphere, memorable tension, and a finale that delivers. For fans of wartime espionage fiction, it remains well worth reading decades after its release.

Reception When It Was Released

When Eye of the Needle was released in 1978, it became a major breakthrough for Ken Follett and received strong reviews for its suspense, pacing, and cinematic storytelling. The novel went on to become an international bestseller and helped launch Follett into mainstream success.

The book later won the Edgar Award for Best Novel, one of the highest honors in mystery and thriller fiction, and was adapted into a successful 1981 film starring Donald Sutherland.

Readers and critics particularly praised the novel’s relentless tension, wartime setting, and the cold, calculating nature of its antagonist — elements that helped make it one of the better-known espionage thrillers of its time.