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- [00:18]
A
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to Baton Paper Podcast. I'm Becca Freeman.
- [00:22]
B
And I'm Olivia, Mentor.
- [00:23]
A
And it is our last episode of 2025.
- [00:27]
B
I can't believe it. It's here. And we have so many voicemails about people's favorite books of the year. It was such a delight to listen to all of them.
- [00:36]
A
What a highlight to end on one of my favorite episodes every year. Although I do think I struggled potentially more than usual to narrow down my own favorite books. But I'm really excited to get into it.
- [00:49]
B
Me too. I think I have close to 25, so we're gonna. I know I read a lot this year, and I, I, I don't want to leave any out, but I'll be really fast.
- [00:59]
A
Okay. I mean, it's your podcast. You could. You're ruled.
- [01:03]
B
Well, what's your high?
- [01:05]
A
My high is that last night we did our first, I hope, annual mahjong group, Secret Santa, and it was so fun. It made me feel so festive. Everyone knocked it out of the park, especially my friend Caitlin hosted, and her house is a vintage Christmas dream. It was so pretty.
- [01:29]
B
That sounds delightful. Did you, you did Secret Santa?
- [01:32]
A
We did Secret Santa.
- [01:33]
B
What did you end up with?
- [01:35]
A
Okay, so this whole friend group has kind of gotten into watercolor too, which I'm so excited about. So I gave somebody a set of these Japanese watercolors that are metallic, and I'm very excited to see how they work. And then I also got them a silver engraved pill case that says blanks Drugs, which I thought was very good.
- [02:03]
B
Like the person's name?
- [02:04]
A
Yes.
- [02:05]
B
Okay. Customized. Got it.
- [02:07]
A
Customized, yes. So that's what I gave. And then I received my friend Caitlin had me and she. Oh, my gosh, she really knocked it out of the park. So she gave me the first thing was this salt and pepper mill from this British brand that they're launching in a new colorway. Like, she put an old phone of hers in the bag with a photo of it because it hadn't come in time, but it's so pretty. It's like a rainbow striped salt and pepper mill, which I think is going to look so pretty.
- [02:39]
B
I can't wait to see these. Cause I don't really have. I don't have a nice salt and pepper mill, and I really would like some that are beautiful.
- [02:46]
A
I can't remember what the brand name is. I'm looking at the photo right now, and it doesn't have the brand on it, but when it comes, I. I will show you. And then she wanted to Give me something that I could open there. So she got me a one of those Lego sets to build Lego flowers.
- [03:03]
B
Oh, that's fun.
- [03:05]
A
Which is so pleasing. And then perhaps the part I am most excited about, and I think the listeners will be most excited about, is her husband got in on the action too. And he is making me a one of a kind Sexy Potts 2026 calendar. Potts being their French bulldog puppy.
- [03:30]
B
A sexy dog calendar. So is the dog gonna be like, wearing like a firefighter suit?
- [03:39]
A
I know there is one where he's dressed as a firefighter. We have not seen it yet. It has not come. But Caitlyn said that her husband has been posing the dog in all sorts of ways to. To make the calendar. I cannot wait. I think this is going to be so funny.
- [03:57]
B
That is very funny. I did see a calendar online, some gift guide, and it was Australian firefighters holding animals.
- [04:05]
A
I have been sent that a lot. Yep.
- [04:07]
B
Oh, this is your brand. I didn't even know.
- [04:10]
A
People are really concerned about what my thirst calendar will be next year. So it's gonna be a one of a kind sexy puppy calendar.
- [04:21]
B
Well, that sounds very fun.
- [04:22]
A
It was so fun and everyone did such a good job. Oh, it was so fun.
- [04:28]
B
Good. Were there any nice treats at the party?
- [04:32]
A
I don't know that it's festive, but she got catering. She got a nugget platter from Chick.
- [04:36]
B
Fil A which was delicious nuggets. You can't go wrong with a nugget. Honestly, you really can't. Solid.
- [04:43]
A
You really can't. What about you? What is your high?
- [04:46]
B
My high is I just. I feel like just I'm ending the year on a strong note. I just feel really good. It was such a delight to listen to all these voicemails to put together this episode because I always mean to point this out and I forget, but so often when people leave these voicemails, they also say like, I love the podcast or the podcast has gotten me through some tough days or whatever. And it's just, it's so, so nice that people take the time to say that. So that just put me in the greatest mood and I'm so grateful for that.
- [05:17]
C
And.
- [05:18]
B
And then, I don't know, I just really proud of myself this year. I've worked really hard. I feel really good and I don't know, I just feel like I'm ending. Ending the year in a good spot mentally. So that's wonderful.
- [05:33]
A
And now we get a couple. This is our last episode of the year. We get a couple Weeks off. I don't know if you're taking time off from books or your newsletter, but getting some I downtime, sort of.
- [05:45]
B
We're going to visit my parents for a few days, which will be nice, and my brother will be there, but mostly just focused on little one stuff. I'm trying to stay as busy as humanly possible doing stuff so that I am not just spiraling about, you know, imminent failure or whatever, but the busier I stay, the happier I am, to be honest. Okay, so I'm. I'm just gonna keep on this path and try to stay focused on creating things.
- [06:10]
A
You found something that works for you and so keep it going.
- [06:13]
B
Exactly. Yes. This. This is my. This is my plan anyway.
- [06:17]
A
Well, what about. It seems as though you have something that did not work for you. What is your low?
- [06:22]
B
Wait till you hear this story. I think you will find this intriguing. So I am sitting in front of the fire the other night. It's like 5:30. I'm on my laptop and I have my phone there. And it says on the caller id, like, London, England. But there's no caller ID other than that. And I don't know why. It's just one of those things where, you know when you're looking at your phone, you're like, I probably shouldn't answer, but whatever. And I have a few close friends in London. So I was like, whatever, I'll just answer. So I answer, and they're like, hi, is this Olivia Mentor? And I was like, yes. And they're like, are you the author of such a Bad Influence? And I was like, yes. So immediately this has gone a direction that I wasn't expecting. So I'm like, flustered. And they're like, okay, well, I am calling from Brick Lane Books and in East London, and we were hosting an event in January and we wanted to purchase 20 copies of your book. And I was like, okay. They were like, can we purchase them directly from you? I said, oh, you'll have to get in touch with my publisher. And they were like, who's that? And I was like, why do you have my number but you don't know who my publisher is? These are readily available things online. And I said, it's quirk. And they said, okay, well, could we send you some photos of your book in the store when they come in? And I was like, sure. My email is on my website. And they're like, what's your website?
- [07:45]
A
What?
- [07:45]
B
And then I'm thinking, why do you have my number again? But you don't know how to, like, Google my name. And I was like, yeah, yeah, whatever. And then I was like, what bookstore is this? And so they said it again. I Googled it. It's a real bookstore. Okay? And I'm like, all right, this seems elaborate. And they were like, okay, so is this the best number to reach you? And I'm like, this whole time, I'm very standoffish, very confused. And I said, yeah. And I got off the phone, and I just had the weirdest feeling. Then I realized it's 10:30pm in London, and the. Of course, the number doesn't match the number for the bookstore online. But I just thought, like, I felt so strange. I just felt so strange because it seemed like a scam. But I was like, what have they been trying? What is a scam to get if.
- [08:35]
A
They'Re trying to pay you for books?
- [08:38]
B
I don't know. I don't know. Like, I couldn't figure it out. And that's why I was like, well, sending me photos of the store. And they were like, the event is happening the first week of January. It's for international authors from. Like, it was very specific. And, like, there was a plan for everything. And so I emailed the store, and I said, hey. And I was trying to be polite. I was trying to be like, hey. Like, I, you know, I didn't want to be. Be like, this is a scam. And I said, you know, I was really confused, but I'm happy to direct you to, you know, my publisher, if that's of interest or that's helpful. And they email me the next day, and they were like, oh, sorry to disappoint you, but this is a scam. And we've gotten multiple emails like this. And I was like, what is this scam? And I was Googling around. I couldn't really find much. It, like, isn't that so weird?
- [09:29]
A
It's so weird. But now I want them to call you back, and I want to see what happens if you, like, kind of play it out. Not so far that you're giving them any information that they could use to steal your identity. But I'm like, where does this scam go?
- [09:44]
B
Well, exactly. And that's what freaked me out, because I thought that I had somehow, even though I had not told them anything that wasn't, like, readily available on the Internet, I felt like maybe I had inadvertently done something without realizing it because they had so many questions and so many answers to the questions that were really specific. And can we send you photos of the book? I was like, what?
- [10:09]
A
Do you know what this feels like? When I was a kid.
- [10:12]
B
Oh, I die.
- [10:13]
A
No. When I was a kid, we used to make these prank calls. We thought they were prank calls. And we used to pretend to be from Save the Whales and we used to try to solicit donations, and we were just like dumb kids. And then the minute somebody agreed, we would just hang up.
- [10:30]
B
People would agree.
- [10:31]
A
I don't know.
- [10:32]
B
Yeah, I guess that was the Free Willy era. You know, people were passionate about the.
- [10:36]
A
Whales and, you know, we were like little kids. We were probably seven or eight.
- [10:40]
B
Yeah.
- [10:41]
A
So cute. Little kid voices. They're asking you to donate to Save the Whale. Sure, whatever. It feels like that. Where it's like somebody has made an elaborate ruse that has no actual end point on it. It's like, you know, you're like, okay, yeah, you can buy books for me. And then they just hang up.
- [10:57]
B
Yep. When I searched around, I did find some stuff that is people, like, trying to say, like, if you pay us this, you know, asking for money in some way, and I was just wondering, like, what pathway we're going to get to that.
- [11:10]
A
Yeah, I've seen author scams before of people posing as other authors to say, I'll do a manuscript review for you if you pay me, or pretending to be a publisher that. Or an agent that. They'll help them get their book published or things like that. But, yeah, this is like. They're basically like, can we buy something from you?
- [11:32]
B
Yeah, it was weird. And then I was thinking maybe they were going to say, like, oh, well, you would have to pay for shipping. I don't know. I have no idea. It was so weird, so strange and, like, weirdly unsettling to me.
- [11:44]
A
You're going to have to keep us posted if they call you back.
- [11:47]
B
Yeah, I know.
- [11:49]
A
And you have to answer now.
- [11:50]
B
I did block them. I did block the numbers. Oh, they just. They kept asking questions. Like, I kept thinking I should just hang up, but then it would just give more and more. Anyway, I replied to the bookstore and I was like, well, I figured as much, but I was trying to be polite. Hope to visit your store one day. I'm like, I hope they don't think I'm a total idiot.
- [12:11]
A
No. Well, I'm glad you didn't get scammed, but I'm so intrigued.
- [12:16]
B
Well, I wanted to share it just in case there's any other authors who are listening or you or, you know, anyone who might get a call and just be, like, weirded out.
- [12:24]
A
Is it weird that I kind of want them to call me.
- [12:26]
B
Do you want the number? Do you want to text them? Be like, hello, I hear you're looking.
- [12:30]
A
To buy some scamming the scammer. This, like, vigilante scammer ring that I start.
- [12:37]
B
I think there's something about scamming that feels like phone call scams. That feels really, like deeply unsettling, you know, but at the end of the day, it's just a person on the other end of the line who's, you know, trying to get something. It's not like a, I don't know, it's not like a person who's going to come to your house and kill you sort of thing, hopefully. So my point is just get in touch. Do you have a low?
- [13:01]
A
No lows to speak of.
- [13:03]
B
All right, well, let's take an ad break and then get into these books. This episode is sponsored by Quince. We are just about to hit the panic and chaos stage of holiday shopping, if you weren't already aware. So here's your reminder to get your gifts for everyone in your life right now. When it comes to holiday gifting, I want to give things people really, really love. Beautiful, timeless pieces they'll wear for years. And that's why I am going with Quince for gifts this year and why you should consider it, too. From Mongolian cashmere sweaters to Italian wool coats, everything is premium quality at a price that actually makes sense.
- [13:46]
A
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- [14:33]
B
Find gifts so good you'll want to keep them with quint. Go to quint.com bop for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's Q U. I n c.com bop to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quin.com bop. Well Becca, tell me about some of your favorite books of the year.
- [15:02]
A
Okay, again, no specific order because that would be too hard. But I would say way too hard. I would say the book that maybe most surprised me this year and most captivated me in a way that I wasn't expecting when I sat down to read it was also a book I can't stop blabbing about, but it's the Force of Such a Beauty by Barbara Borland. This is the book about the dark seedy underbelly of being a princess. And I've been so delighted to get so many DMs of people who have heard me talking about this and and they read it too and it took them by surprise. I'm taking it upon myself to make this a word of mouth hit, but I thought this book was phenomenal.
- [15:48]
B
This is such a good one. This was also on my like even longer favorites list. So right on the cusp.
- [15:55]
A
The next one I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear. Heart the Lover by Lilly King. That book destroyed me in a way that then made me appreciate it more. I thought the third part of it, I won't say specifically what's happening if you haven't read it yet, if you're waiting on the library hold list and you want to listen to our book club episode about it, but the third part of that book just had me in such a chokehold, ran through a whole box of tissues and I thought it was so incredibly emotional and well done.
- [16:30]
B
Know we got at least one voicemail about this one, so you are in good company there.
- [16:35]
A
Oh my gosh. So good. And again, one of the things that I, I think I appreciated this about a lot of my favorite books this year was how taut it was, how short it was, and how much she managed to pack into such a small package.
- [16:51]
B
Yes, I agree.
- [16:53]
A
So flipping to the romance front, this one we touched base about favorite books of the year maybe in a three things episode halfway through the year at some point. And this one was top of my list and it still is. So one of my favorite romances of this year is One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune, which I would call a cousin book to her debut Every Summer After. And so this follows Charlie, who's Sam's brother. Charlie's kind of a side character in Every Summer after. And this is his romance book, but it's not told from his perspective. It's told from the perspective of his love interest, Alice. And I had seen people online, I don't think it's too far to say, almost harassing Carly about giving Charlie his own book. And she was always like, no, I don't know, blah, blah. And people were just so adamant about wanting this. And I was kind of like in my head, like, leave Carly alone. Let her write whatever she wants to write. I don't think that she needs to write a sequel to this book. Doesn't need to happen. I was not somebody who was begging for this. And it arrived, and I went into it maybe a little salty on her behalf of how much she was being pressured into this book. Olivia, it was so good, this book. It just gave me a giddy summer vacation feeling. There's a summer bucket list in. Takes place at the lake at Barry's Bay. They're on the boat, they're zipping around. There's such good flirtation and banter. Oh, my gosh. This book was a 10 out of 10 romance for me.
- [18:31]
B
I still see people talking about this one all the time. I know we got voicemails about it. I haven't gotten to it quite yet, embarrassingly, but I do love Carly, and everyone just raves about it.
- [18:42]
A
Oh, my gosh, it was so good. Also on the romance front, I do not think anyone will be surprised to hear that. Also on my list is Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley, which is about two college students who bond over music. And he's in a band, and she has a lot of thoughts about music, but no musical talent of her own. And it's kind of a will they or won't they romance taking place over eight years. And I don't know, this book was just such a nostalgia bomb for me. It scratched the literary romance itch for me. It felt like time traveling back to my college years and early twenties. I just appreciated this book so, so much. And I'm also. It was a debut, and it makes me so excited to see what Holly Brickley is gonna write next.
- [19:33]
B
I also love this one and it was also on my list of, like, should I talk about it or should I not? But I was already at 25. But I did love this one, too, and I still think about it, actually. A lot. A lot, a lot.
- [19:44]
A
And did you see the news that even before the book came out, it was tapped to be adapted into a, I think a series by a 24. And originally it was going to star Sasha Ronan and Austin Butler, and they just recast it. I think there were scheduling conflicts for them. Now it's Kaylee Spaeny and Drew Starkey, who I gather are both famous and beloved, but I do not know who they are.
- [20:11]
B
I don't think they're as famous, certainly not.
- [20:15]
A
And it starts filming in January, so I don't know if this show is going to come out in 2026, but I would be really excited if it did. And the last one to round out my first chunk of picks was also a second half of the year read, and that's Loved One by Aisha Muharrar, and we had her on the podcast for our debut episode, and this book felt really different to me than anything I've been reading lately. It also maybe a bit defied genres, but it was pitched as an emotional mystery, which I really loved as a scaredy cat because it had that kind of what's true, what isn't the narrator telling us, what don't we know factor. But nobody was in danger. It was not a mystery insofar as a dead body or safety was concerned. The dead body was dead on page one, not of mysterious causes. But this was such a lovely book. It's about a young woman who's grieving her best friend who dies suddenly and kind of gets obsessed with his ex girlfriend and inserts herself into her life. She's trying to put together what the last month of his life looked like, and both her and the ex girlfriend have some secrets that they're withholding from each other and from the other people in their lives about their relationship with the deceased. And so it's part a grief novel. It's part of friendship novel. There's a first love story in it that's really wonderful. But yeah, I really, really enjoyed this one.
- [21:52]
B
This one's very high on my list still. It has been for a while, but I am really, really looking forward to it.
- [21:59]
A
Well, take me through your first chunk of favorite books from this year.
- [22:03]
B
It's a big chunk. It's a big chunk, but I'll try to be efficient. So the first one I will be very quick on because I've given her a lot of episode time. But technically I read Hartwood last year, but it came out this year, so I wanted to give a shout out to Heartwood by Amity Gage, which is about a woman who gets lost on the Appalachian Trail. And also another book of hers which I discovered this year thanks to Heartwood called Sea Wife, which is about a family who lives on a sailboat for a period of time and a marriage. And it's a mystery but it's also just gorgeous nature writing, and I absolutely adored that book so much.
- [22:44]
A
Yeah, I feel like if I were to have guessed your top book of the year, I would have put Hartwood right at the top of that list.
- [22:52]
B
Interesting. Yeah. I think it's tied with Wild Dark Shore, which I'll just talk about now because it's coming up. But Wild Dark shore by Charlotte McConaughey is. I mean, I think it's very close with Hartwood, but I read an early copy of this and it floored me. I loved every single bit of it, every detail, every craft choice. It's about this man named Dominic Salt and his three children on a remote island near Antarctica. And there's a seed vault that they're taking care of and a woman washes to shore and they have to nurse her back to life. And it's. I don't know, it's emotional and it's sad. There's a romance, there's a mystery. I couldn't put it down. I cried. It's some of the most gorgeous writing. It's one of those books where it, like, completely changed something in me. Like, I don't know. It will stick with me in everything I do. I think that is how much I loved Wild Darkshore.
- [23:51]
A
I'm offering my plus one to this. This was the first book on my second chunk of books. I maybe did not expect this to be for me. I mean, I guess it's not a true thriller, but because of the unconscious woman, washes ashore aspect of the pitch, I was like, I don't think this is for me. And I was so surprised by how much I loved this book. And I've recommended this book and gifted this book to many people this year. And this book is such a crowd pleaser and also just has so much to say about climate change and the state of the world. That's really well done. I really, really enjoyed this book. And do you want to know something else that I'm really enjoying? I'm enjoying how many of the books on our favorites list were book club picks. So now people can, if they missed it, loop back and read along with us and listen to the episodes. Because Heart the Lover was a book club pick. Deep Cuts was a book club pick. Wild Dark Shore was a book club pick. There's a few more on here that I don't want to spoil. But, yeah, I love that our best books of the year at our book club picks are so overlapping this year.
- [25:01]
B
Yes, me too. Another favorite of mine was God Shot by Chelsea Beaker, which is her first book. It came out before Mad Woman, which came out in 2024, and this kind of like a California cult story, but it's really, I think, a coming of age story and I just loved it. Her writing is really specific and I think lovely. I also loved this book, which I do not see enough people talking about. It's called Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash. This is a story set during the satanic panic of the 80s. It's been almost a year since I read it, so I apologize if I get some details a little wrong, but I believe it's about these parents who run a daycare out of their home and they have two daughters and they are ultimately accused of abusing the children amidst this satanic panic. And a very, very wild series of events follows. It's kind of a thriller and it is very dark, but there's a lot going on in here, so I really suggest checking it out if you like the kind of books I like. Next. I discovered Allegra Goodman through her book Isola, which came out at the beginning of the year. Also a book club. I absolutely loved this book and it was just so immersive and transportive. And I was actually just thinking about it the other day because I just want this to be a TV show or a movie so, so badly.
- [26:27]
A
But is it being developed?
- [26:29]
B
I don't know. I. I haven't looked it up, but I just thought this is the period drama that HBO needs, that Netflix needs. Like, give it a million dollar budget, please.
- [26:40]
A
I was going to say this strikes me as something kind of similar to the Romantasy books that would be very expensive to make.
- [26:47]
B
Yes, very expensive. But I think it could be stunning. Like, I think it could be gorgeous. I think actually what made me think about it is I watched the trailer for Amanda Seyfried's new movie, the Testament of Ann Lee, which is about the Shaker movement.
- [27:01]
A
I thought you were a housemaid. And I was like, can't wait to hear how you connect these two.
- [27:04]
B
No, no, no. The Testament of Ann Lee, which is about the Shaker movement. And there's one scene where they're coming, I would assume, to the United States on a. And I just thought, oh, I could see this. I could see this for Isola. But essentially that story is based on a true story of a woman who is marooned on an island in the 1600s, I believe. And I absolutely just loved every bit of this story. It was so immersive. And then I also read later in The Year Sam by Allegra Goodman, which is a completely different contemporary literary fiction novel about a girl named Sam growing up and essentially her life. And I just adored it. I loved it as much as Isla, even though it could not be more different. And I just cannot recommend both of those books enough. But Sam especially, it was a Jenna's Book Club pick. If it flew under your radar, even if Isla wasn't for you, I really, really suggest it. Another book club pick, right? Yes.
- [28:04]
A
What?
- [28:05]
B
Notes on your sudden disappearance by Alison Espach, who is the author of the Wedding People. I discovered this novel because I loved the Wedding People. This one is about two sisters, one of whom passes away in a car accident, and it's narrated from the other sister's point of view and in the years after her sister's death. And I just absolutely love this book. It is so special to me, similarly to how Wild Darkshore is, even though they're very different. But I just loved it. I loved it as much, if not more than the Wedding People. Continuing my trends of. I was talking to someone the other day, and they said, there's been a lot of wet books this year. Oh, ocean books. And I was like, oh, yes. Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhurst is nonfiction. It's very rare that nonfiction makes it onto my table, let alone my favorites of the year. But this is a story about a couple who was in a sailboat. Again, noticing a theme here. They were living on a sailboat, and it capsized because a whale crashed into it. And they ended up living in a raft and surviving in that raft for more than a hundred days. And they were eventually rescued by a cargo ship. And this is all about their journey. It is just the most compelling, quick nonfiction read. I read it at the beach this year, and I couldn't get enough of it. I immediately thrust it into everyone's hands around me. I was like, you have to read this. I cannot believe this actually happened. I love a survival story. What can I say?
- [29:38]
A
Do you watch the show Survivor?
- [29:40]
B
No.
- [29:41]
A
Oh, okay. Just wondering.
- [29:42]
B
In theory, I would really like it, but it's like an intimidating franchise because I think Survivor people are like, I've been watching for 16 years, you know, and I'm. I feel like I would have so much to catch up on. Do you watch it?
- [29:55]
A
No, no. But I know that it has such an intense fandom, and the people who are obsessed with Survivor are very obsessed with Survivor.
- [30:02]
B
They are. It's like, it's a whole world. It's a whole community. Finally, another book that I absolutely loved was a backlist book, Big Girl by Mecca Jamila Sullivan. And I read this as a read along on a podcast I recorded, which I don't think it's gone live yet actually, maybe it never will, but either way I was glad to have an excuse to read it. This is about a girl who's growing up in Harlem and it's a lot about weight and food and body image and a lot of things that I think about and write about all the time. And I just thought it was really beautiful and tender and just a great read for anyone who has ever had a point in their life where they felt like they were too big, especially women. So yeah, those are some of my favorites to start.
- [30:44]
A
Well, let's listen to some voicemails that we got from all of our listeners and I mean, I'm always a little tickled when we have overlap with our listeners. So there's a couple that overlap with our list, but some that I haven't even heard of before too.
- [31:00]
D
Hi Becca and Olivia. This is Haley from Milwaukee. My favorite book of this year was the absolutely gorgeously written Wild Dark Shore. The Sense of Place was such a delight and the plot was so compelling. My favorite part was how complex and well drawn each character was. I would absolutely love to read a second book about all of the children as they transition back to a more normal life. This one was particularly poignant for me as a parent. I still struggle with how the climate crisis will impact my daughter, but still look for the hope and joy in parenting as well. Thanks and can't wait to hear about all the favorites.
- [31:32]
E
Hi Becca and Olivia. This is Katherine. I had a hard time choosing my favorite book of the year, but I think I have to go with the one that I've already recommended to a lot of people and that is overdue by Stephanie Perkins. I used to love her YA books. I read Anna and the French Kiss many times as a teenager. This book is about librarians. I feel like I've read a lot of books about librarians this year. It's a slow burn. You get to spend a lot of time with the characters and really get to know them. I've seen some people say that maybe they thought it was too slow of a burn, but I didn't think that. I thought it was great and I would definitely recommend.
- [32:09]
D
Hi Olivia and Becca and all Bottom Paper listeners. Super excited to share my favorite book of this year. It was One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune. I think this was such a powerful book about how precious Time is and how we need to hold the people in our lives closer to us. And I think it was honestly Carly Fortune's best book as of right now. Definitely read this one. I think it's amazing. Thank you, guys.
- [32:44]
C
Hi, Becca and Olivia. This is Rachel from Chicago, and I'm calling in with my best book of 2025. My best book is 2025 is One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. I cannot believe I slept on this.
- [32:57]
F
Book for so long.
- [32:58]
C
I had so many friends recommend it to me, and I just kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off. And now I'm fully obsessed with Rachel Gillig, and I will read literally anything that she writes. It just is so interesting. The magic system is so different than anything I've ever read before. The yearning between the two main characters. Please give me more of that any day. And I just loved the world and the voice and the atmosphere. I just thought it was wonderful. The second book is also really, really good. So if you're looking for an easy duology that sucks you in right away and is really quick to get through, I would highly, highly recommend this book. Thank you guys so much for all you do on the podcast. I love listening and can't wait to see what comes in 2026. Happy holidays.
- [33:47]
F
Hi, Beck and Olivia. My name is Carly. I'm a huge fan of that. On paper. My favorite book this year was definitely Nails on youn Sudden Disappearance by Allison S. Fox. So thank you, Olivia, for the wreck currently reading Christmas Orphans Club. And I love it. Thank you. Bye, guys. Bye.
- [34:04]
B
Well, tell me some more of your favorites.
- [34:07]
A
Okay, so on this half of my list, I already said Wild Dark Shore. I agree with you and our listener Haley, who left us such a great voicemail. The next one was the Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. And this is a historical novel that takes place after World War II in the Dutch countryside. Nothing about this book is for me, it's historical, it's pastoral, not my jam. And this book had such an incredible twist at the end that I did not see coming. And it was also not the type of book that you expect to see a twist in. And it just made me want to go back to the beginning and read the entire thing again to look for the clues. It was so masterfully done. I was just so, so impressed by this book, which on the surface was not my type of book. And I just, I think the past two years. I think I said something similar last year as well. A book that surprises me. Is something I really value right now. Yeah, I want my expectations to be subverted. Speaking of subverting my expectations, I loved the Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett this year. She pitched the book as that she wanted to write about all of the worst sad things in humanity but make a book that was funny and she completely achieved that. The main character in this book is this 60 something alcoholic who has kind of been a bad father. And he, through a series of events, inherits some children that are related to him that he didn't know about. And he decides that he's going to turn over a new leaf and he takes him on a road trip to Tender Hearts, which is a retirement community where his first love has just been widowed and he's going to grand gesture her. And the book is so zany, it is so fun and it is so full of heart. Like you have this character who has done a lot of really bad things and you wouldn't normally root for. And I was so rooting for him by the end. This is a book that affirms your belief in humanity.
- [36:33]
B
Mm. I would agree with you. Yes.
- [36:35]
A
Which I think we could all use right about now. Or at least I could.
- [36:39]
B
I'm with you.
- [36:40]
A
And I will also say that I had tried her previous book, Unlikely Animals, which was such a cult favorite, and I will say that that book was a little too weird for me. So if you felt the same way, I'd really recommend checking out this one because it does feel akin in tone, but it feels totally different. Okay, my next one. Also a book club pick, the Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Again, a book that so surprised me. We just talked about this the other week, so I won't go too deep, but this is about a woman who is a retired lawyer in her 70s and her whole life is about writing letters to people in her life, whether that's her family, her best friend, authors, neighbors. And this book. Again, it's an affirm your belief in humanity book.
- [37:26]
B
This is on my list too. Spoiler.
- [37:29]
A
And then my last favorite book, although I have two caveats, is Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood. I love an Ali Hazelwood book. I'm gonna gulp it down the first week it comes out, but I loved this one specifically. Also, Ali Hazelwood had like five books come out this year, which is wild, but I loved this book because it was so different than her other books. I think Ali Hazelwood gets a rap of sometimes writing similar main characters and this one felt so totally different for me. It's an age gap Romance, which, despite my fandom for the idea of you, is not a trope that I usually gravitate towards or that is an auto sell for me. But, oh, gosh, I loved this book. It's also set at a wedding in Sicily and it just has the best vacation vibes. And oh my gosh, I was delighted, kicking my heels up, giggling when I was reading this book. Okay, are you ready for my two caveats?
- [38:33]
B
Yes, I am.
- [38:34]
A
Okay. I didn't know what to do with these two books that I think very easily could have made my top 10, but have not come out yet. So I felt weird about if I should include them or not because they're not technically released. So the first one, and I'm not just saying this, the first one is your book that's coming out in February. Olivia. It's Little one. This is one of the most addictive reading experiences I have had lately. Truly. I was not. I was not doing much reading when I got this in the mail because I was on my own deadline and I just. At the end of a day of staring at my own book, the last thing that I wanted to do was stare at more words on a page. But it had come in the mail and I was so excited to get it and I wanted to support you. And so I was like, I'm gonna take a picture of this. I'm gonna just dip into the first chapter or two and then I'm gonna put on the Kardashians and just zone out. Olivia. I did not put the book down until I finished it. I don't even know if I got up to pee. Like, this book was so compulsively readable. I needed to know what happened next. I feel weird pitching this book to you, but I will. So the listeners hear what it's about, if they haven't already absorbed that. But it's about a woman who grew up in a wellness based cult and has like very carefully constructed her adult life to distance herself from that. And this reporter comes sniffing around and all of a sudden it threatens to out her history in a way that she's run very far and hard to avoid. And it's alternating now and then timeline. So you get her growing up in this cult and then you get her as an adult. And at the end of every chapter, I was like, well, I just. I have to read one more.
- [40:25]
B
Thank you. Gosh, what a review. That is so, so nice and I appreciate it so much.
- [40:29]
A
Oh my gosh, thank you. It was so good. It was so fast and readable. And again, I think the listeners will know that this is not my usual jam. A cult story is not something that I'm automatically going to pick up, but I was riveted. Also will fully give it my scaredy cat stamp of approval. Nothing in this was too scary for me, but it was really pacey and gripping while not giving me any nightmares.
- [40:57]
B
Thank you.
- [40:58]
A
The other 2026 book that I'm absolutely obsessed with is something that I just talked about last week, so it will sound very familiar if you listened. But I read so Old, so Young by Grant Ginder and this one has my name all over it because it's a book about a friend group and the pitch is six friends, 20 years, five parties. So it's told from right after they graduate college through their mid-40s and it is told in five parties. So the only time you catch up with this friend group is kind of at these various moments. There's a New Year's Eve party, there's a Halloween party, there's a wedding, there's a funeral, and you're kind of only getting to see them at this party in Grant gender fashion. It's a little salty and spiky, but I felt like this so accurately captured the dynamics of friend groups and I was like mapping people I know onto the different characters and I found it so satisfying to read about kind of the ebbs and flows and highs and lows of long term friendships from his perspective. And I just enjoyed this so much. And this also comes out in February, I think it's the 16th. So highly, highly recommend. But again, didn't know what to do with it because it's not out yet.
- [42:16]
B
Very much Looking forward to this one.
- [42:17]
A
Also a phenomenal cover. One of my favorite covers I've seen for next year so far. Okay, tell me what's in your second batch here.
- [42:26]
B
So starting out, I have to talk about the book that I've probably arguably talked about the most this year, which is Tilt by Emma Petit. I absolutely loved everything about this book. It is such a quick, propulsive read. It's about a. Are we saying the phrase heavily pregnant anymore? It's about a very pregnant woman who is shopping at IKEA when this massive earthquake happens in Portland and she has to make her way out of the IKEA and to her partner. And it is just so beautiful and funny and sad and gripping and I just absolutely love it and I recommend it to everyone. The next one, I read this towards the beginning of the year, but that is the Reformatory by Tananarive due and I have heard nothing but great things about this. It has impeccable reviews. This is technically horror, but I mean it is scary. But I think if you like a dark book, but you don't necessarily like horror, you would still enjoy it. This is about a boys school slash detention center in Florida and all the terrible things that happen there. And it's just a beautifully done book and the scary stuff is really scary, but it's. I feel like it hits in a different way because it is connected to first of all, a real place that really existed, like obviously horrible parts of our history as a country and racism and prejudice. And it's just, it's a really, really powerful book and I highly recommend it. And then another powerful book, which again, nonfiction. Wasn't expecting it to end up on this list. Is Not My Type by E. Jean Carroll. And I think this is partially one of my favorites because I read the whole book and then immediately, like the next day we interviewed her and I loved the book, but then I loved talking to her. It was such an important conversation and I know one we both enjoyed so much. And I just, I was very surprised how much I loved this book because I'm just again, not a nonfiction person. I never read nonfiction that is political really, or has anything to do with politics in any way, shape or form. And it was just such a good read and such a good interview and I loved it. Okay. The next book is a book that I really loved when I read it and I really have not stopped thinking about it. And that is We Don't Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry, who was on the podcast and has a wonderful substack too. I read this looking for kind of like a popcorn thriller. You know, you're like, you sit down and there's a mystery, there's an investigation. It's pretty straightforward and in a lot of ways it delivers on that. But there's just so much more depth to the characters and the background and the situation and the larger cultural story about the mystery and the investigation. And I just thought it was so well done. And I can't recommend it enough if you are into thrillers. And I while it deals with heavy subject matter, I would not say that it is scary. We Don't Talk About Carol is about a woman who is investigating the disappearance of her aunt Carol. It's connected to a long line of black women who have gone missing and their disappearance. Disappearances haven't been properly investigated. So in a lot of ways it is like a whodunit but it just has so much more to say, so I highly suggest it. And then another book that I have not stopped thinking about is Greenwich by Kate Broad, which I think was actually recommended by Kristin when she was on that episode.
- [46:04]
A
Yes, you can trace the trail here.
- [46:08]
B
So Greenwich is about a teenager who goes to stay for the summer with her very, very, very, very wealthy aunt and uncle in Greenwich, Connecticut, and she meets their nanny and they develop a friendship. I could not put down this book. If you don't like unlikable characters or situations that are going to make you cringe or uncomfortable or like, oh, my gosh, why are you doing that? Please stop. It might be hard for you to read, but I just have not stopped thinking about this book. I think it is just. There's so much to discuss after reading it. It was singular. Like, I didn't read anything like it this year. I couldn't stop reading. Gave me so much to think about. I loved the writing. It's just. If you like literary suspense, check it out. And also an interesting backstory about this author is that I think she wrote something like 10 romance novels with Entangled before she really.
- [47:03]
A
Under her own name or under a pseudonym.
- [47:05]
B
I'm not sure about that part, but she wrote a lot of novels, a lot, I think, before she ended up selling this one. And I love stories like that. So she also has a subset. The next one, very different vibe, is all the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harmon.
- [47:21]
A
Another book club pick.
- [47:22]
B
Another book club pick. I absolutely love this weird book. Actually, a friend just texted me the other day and she's like, have you guys in a group text? Has anyone read this book? I don't know if I can keep going because the main character is so unlikable. And I was like, I loved every second of it. But it is divisive, I think. And it can be a hard read in some parts. But I just found this hilarious, interesting, different, propulsive. I mean, it's a bit of a. Like a. A romp.
- [47:53]
A
I was gonna say it's very voicey, which I really enjoyed.
- [47:58]
B
Yes, very, very voicey. The main character is a single mom, but she was a former pop star and she's just an absolute hot mess and navigating this, like, very posh private school system. And a boy in her son's class goes missing, and she begins to think that maybe her son has something to do with it. But I absolutely love this book. It was a romp, but I know it is divisive. A book that I will Say is whatever the opposite of divisive is, is the Correspondent, which was also a favorite of mine. I continue to see this absolutely everywhere. It was number three on the New York Times bestseller list this week. I saw. So it is moving up, up and up, despite the fact that it came out a long time ago.
- [48:41]
A
I was gonna say, I feel like this is gonna have an even bigger resurgence because I feel like this is gonna get really gifted over the holidays. I feel like this is a book that you could gift to many different people and I think it's gonna start like a whole new chain of word of mouth.
- [48:58]
B
I totally agree. But yes, I echo everything you said about this. This is just a really lovely read. And then another book that was also a favorite of mine that I almost forgot to include, but then I saw you included it and I was like, I have to talk about this too. Which is the safekeep. I too really loved this book. It managed to be suspenseful, but also so beautiful and romantic and the writing is gorgeous and I just, I loved it. I loved it. Another book with gorgeous writing is Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellor's.
- [49:30]
A
Oh, I've been meaning to read this.
- [49:32]
B
Oh, I loved this book so much. There's still some parts of it, like lines I think about because the writing is just. I. I just love it. I love so much about it. It's a story about two people. It's kind of an age gap romance, I guess, but it's really just about their relationship and their marriage. And like Blue Sisters, there are themes of addiction. I love this book. I really, really did. I also read the Colony by Annika Norlin, which I think has one of my favorite covers of the year. This is. Is it Swedish?
- [50:04]
A
Whenever you talk about this book, do you know what I am confusing it with? The Compound by Aisling Rall and I. Every time you start talking about this, I'm like, that's what that book is about.
- [50:14]
B
I also did love the Compound that almost made it onto my list. But the Colony is a Swedish novel. Oh my gosh. Sorry. I was looking it up to make sure it was Sweden. And it says a novel written by Swedish pop star Ana Norlin. I knew she was a musician, but pop star? I did not know.
- [50:33]
A
We're going to have to get into this. We're going to have to listen to her pop music.
- [50:36]
B
It's being adapted for television. But essentially this is about this group of people who find themselves together living in this off grid community. And I will leave it at that. You see the perspectives and the stories of all of these different people. And you learn how they came to be in this situation and the choices that they made. And it's just different than anything I've read. I absolutely loved it. And yeah, it's like psychological. It's character forward. It's Pacey. I thought it was great. And then finally a book that took me forever to read, but I wish I read sooner. And that is Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler.
- [51:12]
A
So good.
- [51:12]
B
Oh, my gosh, I loved this book so much. I read this in one afternoon. It was just a joy. It's about a woman in her 20s dealing with a relationship that I guess she's trying to figure out if it's right or not. And the fallout of kind of it being off and on and just being in your 20s and not knowing what's going to happen. There's a lot of like, mental health themes. But it's just a really, really wonderful, sweet book and I loved it.
- [51:44]
A
Let's get to another block of voicemails. I'm excited to hear what else listeners loved this year.
- [51:51]
F
Hi, Becca and Olivia. So, Marissa from Birmingham, Alabama. My favorite book this year was Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley. I loved it so much. It gave me a big nostalgic feeling even though I wasn't necessarily alive when a lot of these songs were out. But it just really, really got me and I couldn't stop talking about it to everybody and I recommended it to everybody. So I think this one would be a great one for anybody who's feeling nostalgic. Hi guys. Olivia, this is Julia. I was just going to say the best book of 2025 that I read was by far Everything is Turkey Listed by John Green. I feel like I learned a lot from it. It's a short, quick read and I'm not an audiobook person, but I will die on this hill. You have to listen to the audiobook that John Deere tells and just hear the passion and the work that went into this book and the awareness of the degree. Yeah. Everything is Personally True by John Green. DQ and Happy holidays.
- [53:01]
G
Hi Becca and Olivia. My name is Savannah. I love listening to you girls every week. So just wanted to say that I wanted to call in and say that my favorite book of the year would probably be the Wolf King by Lauren Southren. I'm probably saying that wrong, but my book club read it for November and it is about a dystopian world where a princess of one size is kind of kidnapped by a half wolf from the enemy side. He kidnaps her you don't want to like him, but then you slowly realize you do want to like him. Everyone in book club really liked it, it was just different and the pace went really well and it was a really fun read. So thank you.
- [53:45]
H
Hi Becca and Olivia. I'm Priyanka. I live in Amsterdam and I love, love love your podcast. I look forward to Wednesdays so I can listen to the two of you. And yeah, thank you so much for doing this lovely show. My Favorite Book of the Year is so Thrilled for your by Holly Bourne. It came out in January and I have not heard a lot about it and I hope that this brings some attention to the book. It is a book about four friends who met in college and are now in their 30s in different stages of their lives. I love a book with this sort of theme. It is set in the UK on a day of a baby shower for one of the friends and the way it's been written and the way that it makes light fun of this idea of having babies and baby showers and perfection. Thank you and looking forward to hearing what other people suggested.
- [54:44]
F
Hi, I'm calling in about my favorite book I read this year. My favorite book I read was Hamnet by Maggie o', Farrell, but part of the reason why it was my favorite book I read this year is I think I read it in like the perfect circumstances. I was on a trip to the United Kingdom and I read the book while I was riding the train from London to Edinburgh and back. And something about those vibes of like being surrounded by English people and seeing the English countryside and it was like kind of cold and dreary and just like the medieval aspects of Edinburgh just really made the book come alive while I was reading it. But it also made me want to ask that question to you all is what has been maybe like your favorite reading experience you've had this year? Like a book that you read in a certain setting or circumstances or season that really complemented the book and really made it come alive while you're reading it. Love the podcast. Bye.
- [55:44]
B
Well, first of all, I'm almost done with reading Hamnet right now and so this voicemail about loving Hamnet makes me feel compelled to say that I think this will also end up being one of my favorites of the year. But I didn't want to include it without finishing it. And I am actually dying to see the movie because I feel it was made for me.
- [56:02]
A
I've heard that the movie is just a sob fest.
- [56:07]
B
I'm ready. I I'm So excited to cry into my popcorn. I'm so, so excited. But what about this question? Is there a reading experience from this year that sticks out to you is really special?
- [56:20]
A
So I went through my record of all of the books that I have read this year trying to answer this question. And the one that stood out to me was I read Swan Song by Ellen Hildebrand, which was her final Nantucket novel from last year. And I had been reticent to read this book because I hate when things that I love end. And I love Ellen's Nantucket novels. And so I stomped my feet and I refused to read it. And I read it on vacation in Sicily, and I remember sitting at a beach club looking at the ocean, which feels like the best way to read an Ellen Hildebrand novel. Reading about these rich people who buy this vacation home and are throwing these parties and aren't who they seem, and it was just vacation perfection.
- [57:11]
B
That sounds lovely.
- [57:12]
A
What about you? What reading experience stood out to you?
- [57:16]
B
I read Sea Wife in the Virgin Islands, which was perfect because it's about, like, these exotic tropical locations, and it was just absolutely ideal. In fact, the COVID kind of matched the beach that we were on, which was interesting. And then also I read Marriage at Sea when we were in the Outer Banks, and that was perfect as well. Just being near the ocean and reading about that survival story was perfect.
- [57:43]
A
Do you feel like you would be an exceptional survivor in an at sea situation?
- [57:52]
B
No, I would probably die immediately, but I think there would be a day where I really, I like, make the raft as cozy as possible and, like, I go through all of our. Our survival gear and I ration the food. I attempt to catch fish.
- [58:10]
A
So, like, one glorious day of surviving and then you get eaten by a shark.
- [58:14]
B
After reading Marriage at Sea, I think that the raft. I have absolutely no shot. I think there'd be one good day before I'm like, take me out an island. I might do a little better, I think.
- [58:26]
D
Okay.
- [58:26]
B
Yeah. What about you?
- [58:27]
A
No, I think I would do terrible. And I think I would. There would be an element of spite where I would purposefully not do well. I would be angry at my circumstances and unwilling to cooperate.
- [58:41]
B
Hmm. Okay. See, I think you're very organized and I feel like you would take control of the situation and figure out a way.
- [58:50]
A
Okay, here's the distinction. I don't think I'm making it till the end of an apocalypse situation in my day to day life, but, like, I think my organization would be useful in that. I think on a Boat at sea on a raft. No, I'm not.
- [59:09]
B
For me, the raft. There's so many things you don't think about, like, for example, that there's no solid bottom to it. So it's like you're constantly on jello and then also the salt water always being in there. So then you have sores all over your body and you can't stand cold.
- [59:24]
A
Or you're hot or. No.
- [59:26]
B
Yeah. Like so much raw fish. Well, I. I do like sushi, but yeah. Anyway, one of these days I'm going to write a survival story, so you guys stay tuned. I'm gonna do it. I won't actually live it ideally, but maybe I will write it.
- [59:46]
A
Well, shall we exit this middle part and get into some end matter? Terrible transition for the last transition of the year. One of my worst.
- [60:02]
B
I think it's great. Let's just go with it. Okay. What are you obsessed with?
- [60:06]
A
I had to control f to make sure I hadn't talked about these yet because I'm so obsessed with them and I can't stop talking about them. I was like, surely I must have sharks today. I would like to talk to you about sweens. What are sweens, you ask? They're sweatpant jeans. So I have a few friends who are obsessed with their sweatpant jeans. And on Black Friday, there was a. A fairly solid deal on the Rag and Bone sweatpants jeans. Rag and Bone apparently has just cornered the market on all different types of sweatpant jeans. You can get sweatpant jean shorts. There are sweatpant jeans for kids, There are sweatpants jeans for men. Like just so many types. But I got the wide leg jean and honestly. Okay, so the waistband in no way looks like jeans. It's an elastic waistband and the screen printed button does not look real, but if you cover the waistband and I think they look impressively like jeans. But they're not. Okay, they're sweatpants.
- [61:05]
B
They're sweens.
- [61:07]
A
They're sweens.
- [61:08]
B
Surprise. It's sweens, idiot.
- [61:10]
A
I've been wearing hard pants for errands, for like, you know, anything that you just have to pop out. Also to like, last night I wore them to my mahjong Secret Santa to like go over to a friend's house. I have been a chump wearing real jeans for, you know, the sake of being a functioning member of society when I could have been wearing sweens and been so much more comfortable.
- [61:38]
B
Yeah. And looking at them, they do look like jeans. Yeah, they really do.
- [61:44]
A
I Love them. It is going to be the year of Sweens in my closet. Not always, but, like, if I'm running errands, if you see me at the grocery store, I'm wearing Sweens.
- [61:55]
B
It's a Sween's life.
- [61:56]
A
It's a Sween's life. And I am thrilled to be here.
- [61:59]
B
I'm happy for you. They're very cute.
- [62:01]
A
Thank you. What about you? What are you obsessed with?
- [62:04]
B
Well, I have two.
- [62:06]
A
Okay.
- [62:06]
B
The first one is the free people coastline beanie, which I ordered two colors of. Maybe.
- [62:12]
A
Is it what you're wearing right now?
- [62:14]
B
It is. Okay. Maybe a month to two months ago. They're very thick and warm and cozy. They have a bright red one that I wear constantly because I love it. I have trouble finding beanies that, like, work for my head shape. And these just. I love them. I love them so much. So much, in fact, that the other day I went on the website to order more, and they are no more. They're gone forever.
- [62:36]
A
Or just outside, there's.
- [62:37]
B
There was, like, 14 colors. They're all gone. This item is no longer available, but they have one that's called the Frost Line beanie, which confuses me because I'm like, is this the same? And now it's just rebranded. I don't know. Anyway, I do love these beanies, and I wear them all the time, so I'm grateful to have two. Thank God I got two. Gosh. The other thing I wanted to talk to you about is an email I just got while we were recording, and it felt.
- [63:04]
A
I got this, too. There was a minute where I almost. I almost paused so I could tell you, but it felt rude to interrupt.
- [63:12]
B
No, no, no. It felt imperative that we talked about it. And I have so much I want to discuss, and that is that about 20 minutes ago, we got an email from Penguin Random House, and the title was like, Taylor Swift Spotted reading the God of the Woods. And I, like, kind of quickly browsed the email because we were recording. And essentially, it seems like in the docu series, in one episode, she is listening to an audiobook, which she just talked about on Stephen Colbert, that she's a big audiobook girl, and you can see that it's the God of the Woods. And I have a few things to discuss. One, I love whatever PR person in the last two hours, it's been live or whatever. Like, I don't know how that information got to them. And they got that email out in the world, but congratulations to you. That is some speedy, speedy Work also. I just love that Taylor Swift is also the God of the woods fan like me and a Liz Moore fan like me and.
- [64:06]
A
Okay, here's my question for you. You know far more than I do. Do you think Liz Moore is a Swiftie?
- [64:13]
B
I don't know. She's kind of mysterious. Maybe. Maybe. I hope so.
- [64:19]
A
What would you do if Taylor Swift was spotted reading Little One?
- [64:22]
B
It's really weird that you say that because I had a whole. You know, when you're just daydreaming, you go on, like, little rabbit holes in your brain. I had this whole, like, fantasy. Like, what if she. Because I read. I watched that video where she was talking about the kind of book she liked, and, like, it wasn't. There were some elements that are kind of Little One ish. You know, she's had, like, a compound, she said, twists, like psychological elements. So I was going through this whole fantasy and imagining it, and I actually think I would, like, black out, I think, if that happened. Because truly, like, this is all you need. Like, one moment where she is reading your book and it would change your entire life, probably.
- [65:01]
A
Oh, my God. I know.
- [65:02]
B
Blackout. What would you do?
- [65:03]
A
It's quite a popular book, so I don't know how trajectory changing it is for the God of the woods, which has already been so popular, but can you imagine if she was reading, like, a small book that nobody have heard of and all of the Swifties went out to buy it? Oh, my gosh. That could just.
- [65:20]
B
I know.
- [65:21]
A
I would scream for sure. I would text everyone I've ever met. Oh, my God, I would be insufferable. I would probably make it my phone background. Like, I would be accosting people on the street to be like, I wrote a book and Taylor Swift read it. Oh, my God. I would be the worst. Let's hope for everyone that Taylor Swift never reads my book, because I will be insufferable.
- [65:48]
B
Honestly, Big, big, big ups for the podcast if that happens, though. So let's cross our fingers.
- [65:53]
A
Oh, yeah, yeah.
- [65:55]
B
But, yeah, I think. I think the God of the woods was doing okay. Free. Free Taylor. But I just loved that this PR person was on it. They were on it. Good for them. And good for Lismore, who, as we know, I love love. Well, what have you read?
- [66:10]
A
Okay, so I read a book called Best Offer Wins by Marisa Cascino. And this is a real estate thriller which I had never read before. It is about this woman who trigger warning for fertility issues. She's trying to get pregnant. Her and her husband are trying to buy a house in the suburbs of D.C. and both processes drive her slightly insane. And she gets into this kind of escalating series of events trying to purchase this house that she has identified as her dream home. It was so wild. One thing I particularly liked about this book is that I started reading it and I really thought I knew where the book was going. I was like, yes, I understand what's happening here. And the thing I thought that was going to be like the big twist at the end or the kind of game changer moment happened at 25% of the book. And I was like, what happens now? So I tremendously enjoyed this. And also we are going to be reading it as our January book club pick because I think our listers would enjoy it and Olivia would enjoy it and it's something really different than we've done lately. So I'm really excited to read and discuss it.
- [67:27]
B
See, you've still got it. What a transition that was.
- [67:30]
A
I'm really glad not to end on the transition that I accidentally did at the end of the main part of the episode. I'm better than that.
- [67:41]
B
I am looking forward to reading this. I've been seeing really good things and I think I will like it knowing my taste. So I am excited.
- [67:49]
A
What did you read?
- [67:50]
B
I read the reading list by Sarah Neisha Adams, which I have literally never heard of. I picked it up at the library impulsively because it looked really cute and I liked the COVID and I was like, oh, this book that I've never heard of, no one's heard of. And I looked it up and it has 130,000 Goodreads reviews.
- [68:08]
A
Is so people dream it.
- [68:10]
B
It's doing fine. This was so, so, so sweet and heartwarming. It's about this woman who finds this reading list one day tucked into a book at the library. She works at the library. And it has these, I think it's like maybe eight books on it. And she ends up recommending them to this older man, this widower who's coming into the library and trying to connect with his granddaughter through reading. And there is like a reveal at the end, I guess, that I did pick up on pretty, I'd say like 60% of the way through. But it didn't really make a difference to me because it was still such a sweet, heartwarming read. If you're looking for something like cozy and heartwarming and reading based bookish, that's not a rom com. I think you would really, really like this. I thought it was Very sweet.
- [69:00]
A
That sounds great.
- [69:01]
B
Yeah, I think you would like it.
- [69:02]
A
Well, that is what we've got for you for the final episode of 2025. But fear not, we're gonna take a little break to recharge and we're gonna be back on January 7th, first Wednesday of the new year to talk about goals, one of our most listened to episodes every year. So I'm very excited for that. In the meantime, if you would like to talk favorite books with us, we would love to hear them. Unfortunately, we had far more voicemails than we can include. So please come to the BFF Group, formerly known as the Geneva Group, or the Facebook Group. And let's talk favorite books of the year. You can also find us on Instagram adonpaper podcast. I am on Instagram eckamfreeman and my newsletter is @beccafreeman.substack.com I am on Instagram.
- [69:48]
B
And substack liviamentor and if you would like to pre order my novel Little One, that would be really, really nice. And you can do that wherever you get books. You can get a signed copy. Even if you're shopping for Christmas. Unfortunately it won't come till February, but that would still be great too. We all need gifts in February. And also if you are interested in attending a virtual Q and A, you can get access to that with your pre order receipt. And that form and link is listed in the Show Notes and my website. And you can ask me whatever you want about anything in that call. So I'll see you there.
- [70:23]
A
See you next year.
- [70:24]
B
Bye Bye.
- [70:28]
F
Sam.