Tahereh Mafi on her biggest movie mistake

Tahereh Mafi spends all of her professional hours building rich, layered fictional worlds. The National Book Award nominee has created bestselling series and standalone novels about everything from fantastical deadly weapons to post-9/11 America — but in her free time, she aims to consume works that are nothing like her resumé. To mark the release of This Woven Kingdom, the first in a new romantic trilogy, Mafi gave EW a peek inside her pop culture habits.

It's so hard to choose just one, but I think I'll go with The Prince and the Pauper, by Mark Twain.

I watched The Father on a cross-country flight, which was a huge mistake. I sobbed so inelegantly I had to hide my face in the airplane window, unsuccessfully mopping up my tears with the fast-disintegrating remains of a single, small square napkin they gave me with my in-flight beverage. (In case it wasn't clear: I loved the movie.)

The soundtrack to Phantom of the Opera. I was in 6th grade! I can't decide whether to be embarrassed about this.

The last concert I went to was pre-Covid, unfortunately. I saw Twenty One Pilots with my husband; it was a great show.

Joe Wright's version of Pride and Prejudice. 

Ted Lasso!

All of them, probably. My mind is like a compost-bin for books.

Sadly, I don't have time to binge-watch anything at this juncture in my life, but right now we're devoting an hour most evenings to an episode of House, M.D. — which I never saw when it originally aired — and I'm riveted.

Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls.

Mhairi McFarlane. Her books are so emotionally intelligent and insightful. 

This is a tough one to answer, but probably… Lagaan. It's a heartrending but epic Bollywood gem that depicts the struggles — and triumphs — of a small Indian village under British occupation.

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