The It Books of February 2025

Summary

Book Riot - The Podcast: The It Books of February 2025

Hosts: Jeff O'Neill & Rebecca Schinsky
Release Date: February 5, 2025
Episode Title: The It Books of February 2025

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of Book Riot - The Podcast, hosts Jeff O'Neill and Rebecca Schinsky delve into the selection of the "It Books" for February 2025. With the publishing calendar in a relatively slower phase, February presents a unique opportunity to spotlight emerging titles and anticipated releases. The hosts employ a knockout-round selection process to determine the standout books, blending personal insights with industry trends.

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Selection Process

Jeff and Rebecca outline their method for choosing the month's top books, likening it to a Survivor-style competition. They emphasize criteria such as critical acclaim, sales potential, and the intangible "it" factor that makes a book resonate with readers.

Jeff O'Neill [00:57]: "If this is your first time joining us, I prepare a list of the 10 finalists and then we go one by one, knockout round style Survivor advances to declare the it book of the month."

Rebecca adds a touch of humor to the selection process, highlighting the subjective nature of what constitutes an "it" book.

Rebecca Schinsky [01:21]: "We've had, what, four quadrants of it book ness in the past, but I could never consistently remember what the four are."

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Featured Book Releases

1. "On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer" by Rick Steves

Timestamp: [09:01]

Jeff and Rebecca explore Rick Steves' latest release, an origin story detailing his transformative summer in 1978. The book offers a rare glimpse into Steves' early adventures and the travel journals that would shape his career.

Rebecca Schinsky [09:03]: "It is amazing how fully formed the Rick Steves voice feels in this, this very early writing of his."

The hosts appreciate the authentic portrayal of a young Rick Steves, complete with personal anecdotes and photographs from his travels.

2. "Cleavage: Men, Women in the Space Between Us" by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Timestamp: [12:06]

Jennifer Finney Boylan's latest work tackles themes of gender and identity, offering hope for a future where diverse identities coexist harmoniously.

Jeff O'Neill [13:30]: "It provides hope for a future in which all the freedom to joyfully as men, as women and in the space between us live."

Rebecca underscores the book's relevance amidst current socio-political climates, emphasizing its importance in fostering understanding and visibility for transgender individuals.

3. "Deep Cuts" by Holly Brickley

Timestamp: [17:35]

"Deep Cuts" presents a literary fiction narrative reminiscent of Daisy Jones & The Six, set against the backdrop of Berkeley in the fall of 2000. The story revolves around Percy, a non-musician, and her evolving relationship with a budding musician.

Jeff O'Neill [18:21]: "But Percy, who is not a musician, doesn't really have any talent for it. Starts analyzing the song, and you know what? She knows to be an annoying habit of hers."

The book's exploration of personal growth and artistic collaboration captivates Rebecca, who anticipates it becoming a favorite in her reading list.

4. "Dark Mirror" by Samantha Shannon

Timestamp: [22:44]

The fifth installment in Samantha Shannon's Bone Season trilogy, "Dark Mirror" blends elements of fantasy and literary fiction. Jeff discusses the packaging and marketing strategies employed by Crown to reintroduce literary fiction into the mainstream.

Jeff O'Neill [22:44]: "Crown is back in the literary fiction business. It sounds great."

Rebecca expresses excitement over the book's potential, noting its alignment with contemporary literary trends.

5. "One Day" by Omar El Akkad

Timestamp: [25:39]

Omar El Akkad's "One Day" presents a poignant critique of Western ideals through the lens of geopolitical turmoil. Jeff and Rebecca acknowledge the book's challenging themes, recognizing its significance in current global conversations.

Rebecca Schinsky [26:59]: "It's an important conversation any day, but an especially important conversation right now."

The hosts appreciate the book's depth and its ability to provoke thoughtful discourse among readers.

6. "Stone Yard Devotional" by Charlotte Wood

Timestamp: [36:17]

Charlotte Wood's "Stone Yard Devotional" is highlighted as a Booker Prize-winning novel that delves into themes of spirituality and personal transformation. Rebecca leans towards this title due to its compelling narrative and critical acclaim.

Jeff O'Neill [37:09]: "A middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community..."

Rebecca supports the selection, anticipating its popularity in book clubs and literary discussions.

7. "Fearless and Free" by Josephine Baker

Timestamp: [40:07]

This memoir, available in English for the first time, chronicles Josephine Baker's rise as a cultural icon in 1930s Paris. Jeff praises the historical significance and the personal insights the memoir offers.

Jeff O'Neill [41:09]: "It's a historical document, so it needs to be treated as such for better and for worse."

Rebecca is intrigued by Baker's adventurous spirit and the memoir's potential to inspire listeners.

8. "Death Takes Me" by Christina Rivera Garza

Timestamp: [43:57]

Christina Rivera Garza's "Death Takes Me" emerges as a strong contender, especially following her previous accolades. The novel combines elements of mystery and literary fiction, promising a riveting read.

Jeff O'Neill [44:10]: "Stumbled upon the corpse of a mutilated man in a dark alley... It's a Da Vinci Code. Up."

Rebecca agrees, giving the nod to Garza's literary prowess and anticipating its reception in broader literary circles.

9. "Sola" by Allegra Goodman

Timestamp: [30:33]

"Sola" by Allegra Goodman is noted for its historical depth and realistic portrayal of a woman's expedition in the 16th century. Jeff and Rebecca discuss its potential appeal to both literary enthusiasts and readers interested in historical narratives.

Jeff O'Neill [30:45]: "Sam was a huge. Sold very well. Also was a read with Jenna selection."

Rebecca is fascinated by the book's intricate plot and its blend of historical accuracy with compelling storytelling.

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Insights and Industry Trends

Throughout the episode, Jeff and Rebecca provide insightful commentary on current publishing trends, such as the resurgence of literary fiction under major publishers like Crown and the rise of genres like Romantasy. They also touch upon marketing strategies, like the inclusion of maps in historical novels and the impact of book club selections on a book's success.

Rebecca Schinsky [19:42]: "This is new to me. I missed this one probably because of the debut nature of it. And typically those are harder to fit into reading, but I feel like I'm going to be bumping this up."

Their discussions highlight the delicate balance authors and publishers maintain between artistic integrity and commercial viability.

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Final Selection: "Death Takes Me" by Christina Rivera Garza

After a thorough discussion of various contenders, Jeff and Rebecca decide to crown Christina Rivera Garza's "Death Takes Me" as the "It Book" of February 2025. The decision is influenced by Garza's established reputation, the novel's compelling narrative, and its potential to engage a wide audience.

Rebecca Schinsky [45:14]: "We're going to knock out deep cuts, but I'm really glad you included this one."

Jeff O'Neill [45:15]: "We're going to have a mutiny. So I'm sort of like, I don't know. I don't know what the Robert's Rules of Order for this pot is, but I'm so excited for this."

Their enthusiasm underscores the book's anticipated impact and the hosts' confidence in its resonance with listeners.

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Conclusion

Jeff and Rebecca wrap up the episode by acknowledging the diverse range of books discussed and reaffirming their commitment to highlighting standout titles each month. They tease upcoming episodes, including interviews with authors and deep dives into specific genres, ensuring listeners remain engaged and informed about the latest in the literary world.

Jeff O'Neill [48:37]: "I hope you enjoy that over here, you know, hear us again with. Let's see, is just."

Rebecca Schinsky [49:41]: "Thanks so much for listening today."

Listeners are encouraged to visit bookriot.com for additional insights, show notes, and to engage with the podcast community.

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Notable Quotes:

• "If this is your first time joining us, I prepare a list of the 10 finalists and then we go one by one, knockout round style Survivor advances to declare the it book of the month."
  — Jeff O'Neill [00:57]

• "We've had, what, four quadrants of it book ness in the past, but I could never consistently remember what the four are."
  — Rebecca Schinsky [01:21]

• "It is amazing how fully formed the Rick Steves voice feels in this, this very early writing of his."
  — Rebecca Schinsky [09:03]

• "A middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community..."
  — Jeff O'Neill [36:27]

• "We're going to have a mutiny. So I'm sort of like, I don't know. I don't know what the Robert's Rules of Order for this pot is, but I'm so excited for this."
  — Jeff O'Neill [45:15]

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This episode of Book Riot - The Podcast serves as a comprehensive guide to February's literary landscape, offering listeners thoughtful recommendations and insightful discussions on some of the most anticipated books of the month.

Transcript

[Rebecca Schinsky]

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[Jeff O'Neill]

This is the Book Riot podcast. I'm Jeff O'Neill.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

And I'm Rebecca Schinsky.

[Jeff O'Neill]

And it's time. Rebecca, we're a little late. Well, it's five days into it. February 1st came on a weird day, but it's time for the IT books of February 2025. I definitely know what year it is.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Long pause there.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah, I had to make sure. I'm like looking. I'm like frantically looking at my dashboard. Does it anywhere say the year?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Is that because the year around here. Do your notes actually have the year on them?

[Jeff O'Neill]

No, they don't. Just have a bunch of stu. If this is your first time joining us, I prepare a list of the 10 finalists and then we go one by one, knockout round style Survivor advances to declare the it book of the month. The criteria for this is, I'd say it's a little bit like fear. You can't see it, but you can feel it.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

There's. It's some vibes. We've had, what, four quadrants of it book ness in the past, but I could never consistently remember what the four are. There's like critical acclaim, it sells, people like it and something.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Is it just sort of interesting or, you know, there's. It's doing something. Last month it was a fade accompli. That Onyx Storm would be the book it book of the month. But that doesn't mean the conversations can't be interesting. I will say this. Much like the Oscar race, February is wide open. Anyone can grab it.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I was looking just at my, you know, list of books I might be interested in reading this month, and I had a. This could go all kinds of ways.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

So I'm also. I have no idea what 10 you've picked for me today.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I mean, I had a long list of 18 or 20 and the 10 I picked, I mean, we could have done the 20 and it would have been fun. You could have told me I've got the 10 wrong. I should have picked the other eight or 10 in there. It's. There's not a front runner. I didn't have to do any messing around. There's stuff I'm looking forward to, but I'll just say this. There's really not a triple A. I didn't have to hide anything at the end. There's some interesting stuff coming out, stuff I'm looking forward to. But it's not going to be wow, wow, wow, not say September, which they have Lockwood and Dan Brown and like you said, the penguin ramming house titles catalogs came out. I have an idea for a Patreon episode for you. Okay, what if we just cracked open Edelweiss together and recorded for 45 minutes us browsing the PRH titles and some.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Other fall fall catalog just oohs and ahs. Oh, look at this.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Did you see this? What is this? I don't know if that's a good idea. If it's something or nothing.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

We can try it.

[Jeff O'Neill]

We could try it. You can always try it. So we're gonna get into the it books of the month here in a minute. A couple of programming notes for you, the patron. As I mentioned, link in the show notes there, there was a bonus teaser. Yeah, it'll have been in here in this feed before you're listening to this episode you and I talked about We Do Not Part by Han Kong, which is very, very interesting to talk about over there. Over on First Edition. It's a bang up First Edition week. There's two episodes, there's a bonus. What happened was I know they're gonna shock everyone.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

You knew what year it was.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Well, that is a surprise. But I was gonna have two segments but I went for an hour on each interview. So I split them into two. So up today out now is my conversation with John Warner about his book More Than Words, Writing and AI. I've known John a little bit online for a long time. We had a really good conversations about AI and writing and LLMs and ethics and what it does and does it mean. Very cool conversation coming up on Thursday. I've been talking about, I don't, I can't remember what's in the live feeds or just you and I now, but Life in Three Dimensions by Professor Oishi, which is about the adding a third dimension to our thinking about what a good life can be. You know, we think about happiness, a happy life, a meaningful life. And he is thinking about, along with this team of researchers and other people in this field thinking about psychological richness as a third pillar. You and I are very keen on this. Both of those books came out today. So if you go get them. You can go read them and follow them there.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I'm going to be trotting down to Barnes and Noble to pick up life in three dimensions with my very little paws my own hands this afternoon basically as soon as we're done so then we can have our self help moment together in the next few weeks.

[Jeff O'Neill]

You might be asking Jeff, how is this related to books and literary fiction reading? Well spotted listener. It is an exception that Professor Oishi uses a lot of literary illusions and he talks about why and even then brings in books as an avenue to living a psychological rich life. Not all books are created equal for this particular endeavor. I thought it was really interesting, so I hope you'll go check those out over on First Edition. Link in the show notes there wherever you get your podcast okay, sponsor break. Let's get into it.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

This episode is sponsored by Take youe Seat at the table by Anthony O'Neill. Stick around after the show to hear an excerpt from the audiobook provided by our sponsors, Thomas Nelson Are fears and uncertainties keeping you from reaching for your dreams? In Take your Seat at the Table, bestselling author Anthony O'Neill reveals that indispensable tools and strategies to take ownership of your decisions and step into the life God wants you to live. Take your seat at the table equips you to take charge and step into the life that's meant for you. Just about every significant decision, conversation, prayer, celebration or affirmation takes place around the table. Are you ready to take a seat at the head of your own table? Take youe Seat at the Table is available everywhere. Books and audiobooks are sold. Again, stick around after the show to hear an excerpt from Take youe Seat at the table by Anthony O'Neal. Thanks to Thomas Nelson for sponsoring.

[Unknown]

Today's episode is brought to you by Harper Perennial, publisher of Gate to Kagoshima by Papi Kuroki While in Japan researching her family's history, a vicious typhoon sends Isla MacKenzie 128 years back in time to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. There she meets her ancestors and a charismatic samurai, Kei, with whom she unexpectedly finds romance. But unlike her beloved, Isla knows about the looming samurai rebellion and Kei's fate should she attempt to change history or somehow make her way back to the life she had before. Compulsively readable, historically grounded, and irresistibly immersive, Getsu Kagoshima is an unforgettable tale of duty and of timeless love. So it's got what people are interested in now. It's part historical fiction, which is always popular with Book Riot readers. It's also Romantasy, which is having a big moment, so it's got a lot going for it. In other words, make sure to check out Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki and thanks again to Harper Perennial for sponsoring this episode.

Foreign.

Is brought to you by Flat Iron Books, publisher of Ambition by Natalie Keller Reinert Jules Thornton did not come to Florida horse country to make friends. She is intent on becoming a world class writer and trainer. Chasing her dreams doesn't leave much time for things like friends or vacations. And she certainly doesn't have time for Pete Morrison though. He is handsome and he is the heir to one of Ecola's grandest horse farms. But he also keeps beating her at events and for some odd reason asking her out to dinner. As a new horse challenges her and her farm slips towards bankruptcy, she realizes her ambition can only take her so far. Jules will need to learn to trust her community or risk losing everything. This book is set in the world of three day eventing. It features an underdog character who is ambitious. Make sure to check out Ambition by Natalie Keller Reinert and thanks again to Flatiron Books for sponsoring this episode.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Today, February 4th is a pretty big day of book releases. I don't know why the the later in the month is a little weaker. Who cares? I don't know, but that's the way that goes. I didn't I random.org these these are in a random order so sometimes listeners have been around a while. If there is an Onyx Storm, if there is a James, I will put them at the end so that I don't know. Fake drama. We're in entertainment. I don't have to tell you wrestling isn't real. Okay, first up today out today from Rick Steves books as really he's kind of spoiled it I guess. On the Hippie Trail Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer by one Rick Steves. This is. This is his origin story.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

It is.

[Jeff O'Neill]

There's a picture of it.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I started reading it last night.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Oh you did? Is it good talk? What's the deal?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

It is. Yeah. So this is the Rick Steves origin story. These are the. This is the travel journal that he kept the I think summer of 1978 when he was 23 years old. He had been going to Europe every summer for like several years and he really wanted to visit India and Nepal and he had a friend who went with him. They took the whole summer, made it A journey. And he forgot these Travel journals for 40 years and then found them going through boxes in his house during COVID You know, as we all were, like what is my life about? I should do something with this. So it is the Rick Steves travel journal. I think lightly edited in conjunction. The friend who went on the trip with him has written several books with. They've co authored several books together over the last 40 years. So they have remained friends. But there are great pictures of them from this trip. Like shaggy, long hair, bearded, lanky Rick Steves, like just wide eyed. The voice. I'm about a quarter of the way through it and I was telling Bob last night, it's amazing how fully formed the Rick Steves voice feels in this, this very early writing of his. I have to keep reminding myself, okay, don't picture old rick steves. Picture 23 year old rick Steves. This is not present. This is back then. It's terrific.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I'm looking forward to reading it. I, I would do it on audio. A. I don't know it's on audio. But I did happen to see some of the promo materials like PDFs and the pictures are gorgeous. Yeah, I think I'm to get this in hard copy.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I'm afraid if this didn't come up on today's podcast I was going to tell you anyway. Pick it up in print so you can see the photos of the original journal that are in the book. The photos from the trip because it was, you know, pre digital. They, they went with a limited number of film canisters and had figured out how many photos per day they could take. So it's like the captions will be like this was one of the nine photos I was allowed this day. And here's the guy who drove us on this bus. It's. I mean if you like Rick Steves, you're gonna like this.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Constraints are the midwife of creativity. Like we can just take pictures of whatever now. So we have a bunch of bad pictures. That's what I believe. The old film role days, you know, you really had to pick your shots as these things go. I'd like to enter Rick Steez into the, the shapeless white guy aspirational hall of Fame. Uh, and I think I am uniquely. There's one voter, there's one voting body. Okay, it's me. It's not the baseball hall of Fame. When they first opened it was like Ruth and Dimet. It's like it was kind of a Ty Cobb, like the first ballot hall of Famers are David Letterman and Rick Steves. So those are two. I entertain other. I entertain other nominees.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Oh, man. Podcast.com I hope now that David Letterman will interview Rick Steves on his Netflix show because that's an hour long conversation I'm here for. We get in the first part of the book, you get Rick Steves getting drunk on a 62 hour bus ride and at some point we're going to get Rick Steves getting high for the first but not the last time. Because if you know your Rick Steves lore, you know he is a cannabis activist.

[Jeff O'Neill]

For those of you who don't know about Rick Steves and his pen. Penchant for comestibles, you may be surprised to hear that he lost these journals for 40 years. I for one am not surprised that Rick Steves lost these journals for 40.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

And was he stoned when he refound them?

[Jeff O'Neill]

I mean, look, what was once was lost now is found. So that's, that's on the hippie trail by Ricky's. I think it would make it maybe our personal like the br Pod cone of shared. Yeah, whatever. Yeah. Would make it here. Okay. It's gonna go on to the next round.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Shapeless white guy, Mount Rushmore there.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah, that's right. Yeah. I once was described as David Letterman without the raw sexual magnetism. So that tells you where my friends are coming at me. Speaking of raw sexual magnetism, up next is cleavage Men, women in the space between us.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I did not know where that was.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Jennifer Finney Boylan. This is a really interesting book. We've known about this for a while. We were at, we had a meeting with Celadon Books, the publisher, and I think. Did we see like a box full of them or was just on their list or something?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

The galleys were out. Yeah.

[Jeff O'Neill]

So Jennifer Finney Boylan is transgender and she's not there was the first best selling work by a transgender American and that was 20 years ago. And now Boylan is back to talk about, you know, being on both sides of this divide and what matters and what doesn't. What they've noticed the feeling of liminality. I don't know if you have to pay. Do you have to pay kakutani every time you use liminality?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Liminal? Yeah, I think it's just limb if you say lim right.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Use it as a verb. So, you know, it's, it's funny and poignant. Provides hope for a future in which all the freedom to joyfully as men, as women and in the space between us live. I could use A little bit of this right now. I'm really looking forward to this. I'm going to listen to this audio with extreme prejudice. I've got quite the audible audio cue right now. But it is also out today from Celadon Books. 256 pages. I guess I'm now doing the Making a case for it to move on. Starred reviews and book list and Publishers Weekly feels like a good moment for this. I don't know whenever would be a bad moment, but I feel myself especially wanting to read a book like this and experience this now.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I agree. I remember when she's not there. Came out and seeing Jennifer Finney Boylan on Oprah 20 years ago. That being like the, the first big moment in mainstream culture.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Trans visibility. That was as straightforward as trans visibility got 20 years ago. We've come a long way since then. I've been thinking the same thing watching this book come out, that the, with the moves that the Trump administration has made in the last two weeks and the attempts to erase trans folks from public life, from government service, from military service, this is an important conversation any day, but an especially important conversation right now. Boylan is a great interview. I'm sure she'll be all over the place talking and promoting this book. Yeah. And I agree. I've been feeling a particular desire for just more stories, more visibility, more talking. This is the way. One of the ways that we fight back is these people are human and have lives and deserve to live them and deserve to tell their stories. I'm gonna go. I am gonna pass cleavage through to the next round. Much as I love Rick Steves and he might outsell Jennifer Finney Boylan, but who knows?

[Jeff O'Neill]

Who knows?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I think in terms of import, we're gonna go with cleavage.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Speaking of secondary matters that don't really matter, but I'm interested in. I don't know how the rights to this stuff works, but they managed. Celadon managed to acquire, get, allow or just pay for the rights to one of the great mid century photos of all time. It's Sophia Lorenz side eyeing the decolletage of one Jayne Mansfield. And it really makes for a package. I would say if you, if you're, if you're interested in these kinds of things, if you're sheepish about reading stuff on the subway, you may pay attention to that. You will get attention for that book. People will be looking, they will be doing Sophia Lauren eyes to your book at that time. But it's. I don't, I'd love to know the no one will ever tell me because who cares? And they don't want to admit. But is the. What are the. What's the royalties for? That's a famous. Famous picture.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah. I don't know. The only thing that I even have any kind of comparative knowledge about is a friend who had a famous painting on the COVID of their book and had to negotiate with the. The artist is dead. And had to negotiate with the artist's estate and write a personal letter explaining why they should be allowed to use that work of art and why it would be. You know, we're going to be respectful to it. It fits in with the themes of the book, all those kinds of things. But I have no idea, like, what the cost was for that or how much. Yeah, I don't. I don't know. It's a good question. Also, I just want to note cleavage. Incredible title for this book.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Just very incredible time.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Great wordplay.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I feel like there's more of a pun I could do here, but I'm. You know, I'm getting older, Rebecca. I can't do these things. Next up, the novel is called Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley. We have room in a shallow. A shorter, shallower month to get a few debuts or under the radar kinds of things in here. Deep Cuts think is. I kind of considered some. A couple of interesting things of note here. This feels. It's a literary. It looks like literary fiction. You can now tell. Side. Can we sidebar for a second?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Sure. Of course.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Is it easier. I think it's easier now to tell the difference between commercial fiction and literary fiction that's ever been before, just from packaging.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Oh, yes. Yeah.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Okay. I think that TikTok thing, that's just a TikTok Instagram thing. If it's commercial romance or they want to be a Taylor Jenkins Reid clone or something like that, it looks like this. This looks like litfic, which gets me interested, as I tell you the synopsis here, because it feels a little bit like Daisy Jones and the six core. So it's fall of 2000 at Berkeley. The main character's hanging out in a bar. The dude is playing music. And you know, as dudes do in college, they just play music at you. There's nothing you can do about it. If they've got a guitar, you just sit there.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

The matchbox 20 scene from Barbie, over.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah, right.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I can play my guitar car at you.

[Jeff O'Neill]

But Percy, who is not a musician, doesn't really have any talent for it. Starts analyzing the song, and you know what? She knows to be an annoying habit of hers. But she's like. And they. They get into a conversation. Yes. For feedback. And this. Out of this grows a partnership in which they. I don't know what happens. I haven't read it yet, but it expands years. So I don't know if there's a little bit of Lennon and McCarthy.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Interesting. Okay.

[Jeff O'Neill]

McCartney, Lennon and McCarthy. Those are. Those are Soviets and Soviet hunters. Lennon and McCarthy is different, though. I would read that love story too, by the way, if you want to fan fic it up there. So I don't really know. It doesn't sound like a romance now, does it get romantic? I don't know that either, But. Fall of 2000 at a campus bar. I gotta tell you, talking about music.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah, I am.

[Jeff O'Neill]

It was with the literary feel. And also, again, speaking of metadata, that May's. Interestingly to me, Crown is back in the literary fiction business. And I don't think this is the first one, but in a real way, they got reorganized. They've got more stuff going on here. But this is a book you wouldn't have seen from Crown, I think, three or four years ago. So they're back in this game. This is one of their early titles, I believe. Email me if I'm wrong. If you're listening at Crown over there. Yeah. Comps. Daisy Joes in the six. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Pineapple Street. You know, things you're not going to be.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Take my money.

[Jeff O'Neill]

It sounds great. 288 pages. You love to see it.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

This is new to me. I missed this one probably because of the debut nature of it. And typically those are harder to fit into reading, but I feel like I'm going to be bumping this up. My personal pile. We love a music book. 2000s. Is that the. That's a fun zone. Very curious about this fictional concept of a male musician who asked a woman for feedback. So I want to see how that plays out.

[Jeff O'Neill]

That's right. There's a new thing under the sun. Rebecca. Holly Brickley's created something new.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Haven't encountered that one before. Jennifer Finney Boylan is going to pass through here. We're going to knock out deep cuts, but I'm glad you mentioned it.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah. Cool. Where are we next? Oh, Edelweiss, you tab monkey. I can't believe if you did. Ah, here we go. Wasn't sure what to do with this one. Confession time. A little bit. In assembling this list, I looked at the Goodreads Most anticipated list that, you know, it's just. Shelvings or whatever they do ahead of time. And my eyes were assaulted with a FS of pastel color colored commercial romance and I couldn't tell the difference between any of them.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah, especially February, Valentine's month.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yep, I'm sure some of them are great. I had no way of figuring out what was going good. None of the, none of the authors sounded familiar to me. This is not my genre. I'd love to know if there's something people are excited about. I guess that's also a programming note about, I don't know, recording it tomorrow. Tell the people we're recording tomorrow.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Oh yeah, tomorrow we are recording for next week a show with Jess Pride, who is one of our in house romance experts and she is a co host of the Win and Romance podcast and she will be taking us. We're gonna ride the dragon of Romantasy, but with an expert. She's gonna talk to us about the original or earlier Romantasy titles that existed before we called it Romantasy, but romances that had fantasy. Fantasies that had romance. If you liked 4th Wing, where else to go? If you didn't like 4th Wing, what other romances, where else to go? Yeah, where else to go. We got some listener feedback after we read 4th Wing together and spoiler did not like it very much that folks thought we should have an expert on to talk with us about things. I don't know where Jess is on fourth Wing.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Going to find out.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Not going to be. Yeah, not going to be a fourth Wing rehash. But I'm really looking forward to learning more about the background there of the genre, especially what it was before we gave it its own particular category.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah. So this is all a Longwood and preamble to saying I only have really one hit slash genre pick on my list and I picked the Dark Mirror, which is book five in the Bone Season trilogy. Samantha and Shannon is the author, best known really I think for a TikTok Instagram breakout hit the Priory of the Orange Tree, but this is her current series. I've heard a lot about this and it's a name I recognize from this world and that's enough for me to at least consider it. Announced print run of 150 pages. We now have the book marketing trope angle. Like you've got to give your angle right. We now have the version of where you put your hand on your hip and sort of thrust your hip out in one leg. We do for Instagram. We now have that for books is where you have the book at an angle so you can show the spread job. The cleavage of the book. Spine, I should say.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Let's not do that.

[Jeff O'Neill]

You want to. You prefer spreads. Where do you want to go? Cleavage to cleavage.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I don't like any of it.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Don't like anything. All right, so anyway, 100. This is in the middle book five. I don't know how many there are. I couldn't even figure this out. If this is the end, the beginning, are we a third of the way through?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

It can't be the beginning.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Well, what if it's 15? This is the end of the beginning. I don't know. So the Dark Mirror by Samantha Shannon. Again, this will probably sell more copies. Anything we've talked about so far and probably looking at the rest of the list, it will outsell everything else. So this is our. Can you just outsell some? Can you just clear the field by.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Outselling in this month? You cannot clear the field by outselling. Last month with Onyx Storm, you cleared the field by.

[Jeff O'Neill]

It's a high bar now. Yeah.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

But now we're looking also for, as we established up top, critical acclaim. Is it artistic? Do people like it? We're going to keep Jennifer Finney Boyle and going for another.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Okay. All right. Okay. Coming out February 25th. Oh, I didn't say the release date for that book. The 25th as well. So the 25th is for deep Cuts, Dark Mirror, and then our next contender, which is by Omar El Akkad one day. Everyone have always been against this. Coming out from Knopf, 208 pages. This is his. The. I'll use the synopsis here because I haven't read this book. A heartsick breakup letter with the west incited by his observations, you know, just a few weeks after the bombardment of Gaza started in the fall of 2023. But also maybe especially related to his reporting on Ferguson, climate change, Black Lives Matter, protests. And it's a disenchantment of the promise of the west from his point of view. Someone who was born in Egypt, grew up in Qatar, moved to Canada, now lives here in Portland, Oregon, actually. Actually. As does Holly Brickley. Big look for Portland in the books of the month this week. 208 pages. I think the timing of this, unfortunately, is going to be tough in this political environment, in this administration. This book has been coming out for a while, though. I'm not sure I wanted to put it on here because I think this has been anticipated. The book got announced pretty quickly. He had this tweet that ended with this sentence that became the topic of this book one day everyone will have always been against this. I always forget that. Always. Weirdly, 10 million views on that particular tweet and that got turned into a kind of an elegy for his hope for what the west represents and could provide and the beacon of whatever it pretends portends to be. So I don't know, kind of the opposite, frankly, of the big seller. This is going to be the most heavy, cutting, dark, dismaying book that makes the list this month.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah, these are always really tough titles in the IT books because this is an important book. It's going to be discussed in certain circles. I'm sure that he'll do like the NPR circuit. There will be interviews. And it's also a tough thing to recommend to somebody. Like, you really need to know where somebody is on like geopolitical issues and being willing to read something that can be this challenging, especially in this moment. I think this has a shot like indie bookstore hand selling seems to me like that can be a center for books like this to find more purchase. Who knows, right? The news cycle is like so fast and so terrible, especially around what continues to go on in Gaza. So this is still very relevant from when he started writing it in 2023. I mean, social media promotion of it is going to be much more difficult just because of the ways that these kinds of keywords and these ideas are being throttled on all of the big platforms. So I think the IT books bet for just greater visibility is Jennifer Finney Boylan. But for like newsworthiness, it's really hard to think of something that is going to be a more timely topic than one day. Everyone will always have been against this. So Jennifer Finney Boylan will continue one more round, but I'm really glad you included this one.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah. Let's do a sponsor break before we get to the back half of the list.

[Unknown]

Today's episode is brought to you by Blood at the Root by Ladarian Williams. Let me tell you all about this book. This book was an instant New York Times bestseller. It's a Cosmopolitan Best YA book of the year and a USA Today bestseller. And. And it's at the top of my to be read list. Just saying. So in it, a teenager is on the run from his past. He finds family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, black and magical. Enroll in this fresh fantasy debut unlike anything you've ever seen before and get your life because. Okay, so we follow Malik, right? He's on the run. Like I said, he goes to Cayman University where he encounters feuding covens, magical politics, love and family, an old evil dating back to the Haitian Revolution, forbidden knowledge and buried mysteries. Like I said, it's giving. It's got it all, and it's giving. Make sure to check it out. And thanks again to Blood at the Root by Ladarian Williams for sponsoring this episode. Today's episode is brought to you by Peachtree Teen, publisher of Among Serpents by Mark J. Gregson. Fans of Frank Herbert and Jules Verne, who want some ya. Who want a new series to sink their teeth into, step forward. I got something for you. So tormented by tragedies of war and by betrayal from his own family, Conrad must prove his worth to all of the Skylands. Led by an unhinged explorer, Conrad embarks on a secret mission to turn the tides of battle before another island falls at the jaws of the Gigaton. It's a journey fraught with peril, deadly monstrosities, sabotage, stowaways. And with friendships pushed to the brink and little gentle romance that stirs, you know, gets the. Gets the juices flowing, gets the gears turning. Conrad will have to muster more than courage to weather the raging storms ahead. So make sure to check out book two in the above the black trilogy titled Among Serpents by Mark J. Gregson. And thanks again to Peachtree Teen for sponsoring this episode.

[Jeff O'Neill]

All right, I just saw this book got picked by one Reese Witherspoon. They're. They're her. It's her book club. I don't know all the minions that help make that possible. I'm sure there's other people, but she was, she was. She's put it on Maine on her on the grid. So it's official now. That is Sola by Allegra Goodman is their pick.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Fascinating.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I really like Allegra Goodman. It's. I don't know. This is pretty mid list century long story, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So this woman goes on an expedition to New France and then is left destitute. She has an inheritance or whatever goes on. This expedition is left destitute in the 16th century in what to Europe was the new world. Of course inspired by a real, real life person. Yeah, the. The comp is the vaster wilds. And that sounds about right in terms of where it is.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Sam was a huge. Sold very well. Also was a read with Jenna selection. So different Celeb celebrity book influencer with blonde hair. I'm not really sure what to make of that I find this very interesting.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah.

[Jeff O'Neill]

To myself. It is 368 pages. It has a map. You love a map.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Uh huh.

[Jeff O'Neill]

You love a map in it. I've liked Allegra Goodman's work before. I don't know what to do with this.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I am fascinated. So I was going to start this over the weekend and then you texted me that the Pit was really great and so instead I watched five hours of the Pit on Sunday.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Sorry about that.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

But I did get far enough in this to see the map and be like, okay, this is going to be serious stuff. But if, if it's the kind of fiction that also that crosses into being commercial enough that Rhys or that Jenna would have picked it for a previous selection. That also tells me it's not like as serious, serious literary fiction. Or maybe, or maybe they're just making a big flex and going, yeah, I don't know. I've not read Allegra Goodman. This is going to be my first one. But my take or that my sense of Allegra Goodman is pretty literary. You need to bring focus and attention and like kind of let yourself sink into those books. And so that I thought was a fascinating choice to come from Rhys. I don't know what to do with this face off now because I would have guessed that this would have stayed solidly in the mid list with like minimal visibility, but might show up on some end of year best of lists if not for Reese Witherspoon. Then again, most of the books that any of these book clubs pick don't go anywhere. No, only a couple per year actually pop in a significant way. So that doesn't help me at all. I think the smart money is probably still on Jennifer Phinney Boylan with the knowledge that this could become an outlier.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah, it has some withering heights vibes. Just looking at the COVID image, there's the woman on top of this cliff overlooking, frankly a really dangerous precipice. I don't know what you're doing up there. It's very windy, you've got long dresses on. It seems very the trip hazard level.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

It does not look romantic. It looks like cold and depressing.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah, this is very tough. I think it's the vaster wilds. But what if there was a fella, you know, out there, you know, cuddled together and we're trying to make this thing work? I don't know how this is going to end. If there is, if there is a bit of a love story in it, I think that gives it More chance to sell pretty well.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I agree.

[Jeff O'Neill]

If this is. We're out here on this rock and we kind of clutch together and we freeze to death eventually because we starve, that's not going to be as generally recommendable for the book club.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

And, like, how much of a love story do you need for it to be more of a mainstream hit, especially in the moment where spicy romantasy is the thing that people are really going for? So, yeah, we're gonna stick with Finney Boylan.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Okay, what do I have next? Oh, Edelweiss. I hate you. Okay. Shattered by Hanif Qureshi. So it's his memoir of. I don't want to. I don't know how much of this to give away, but it's a memoir of being in a terrible accident and what it was like to undergo rehab, rehabilitation, you know, being subject to your body not being available to you. And he had a fall and he couldn't walk. I guess that's just the simplest way to put it. And he couldn't write or hold a pen, so he started dictating to family members his observations, but also his life about, you know, parenthood and larger issues like his, you know, what he thinks about psychoanalysis. So it kind of became a, you know, Michel de Montaigne puts himself in a tower to think and write. Qureshi got put in traction, and this is the product of that. I find him to be an extremely interesting writer. I will listen to this with extreme prejudice on audio. I just don't know how much it's going to be a narrative for other people. I don't. I don't need a story. I. This idea is interesting enough to me for it to break at all. What. What does it need to do to be like a memoir of my body or something else? Kind of a, you know, not educated by Tara Westover, but something a little more of a story. You feel good, you speak, you learn something.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Knife adjacent is kind of what I was thinking about. That's. I mean, maybe that's just availability bias, probably. But that's the most recent book I've read about someone, like, having an injury like that that really put them out of commission in a significant way for a significant period of time. And Rushdie, like, reflecting on the things that he thought about during that time. There is more of a narrative through that one. I'm with you. I'm into this. I just want to go where Qureshi's brain is going to go for whatever amount of time he wants to linger on Each subject. I think this is a hard pitch for most people unless there's enough narrative that it could land in more of a like when breath becomes air kind of place.

[Jeff O'Neill]

It doesn't feel like that's what it's going to do. I agree.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

That would be.

[Jeff O'Neill]

That's the right.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

But that's. That's the dream for. Yeah, that's the dream.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I feel like it's going to be spikier than that. I feel like it's going to be.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I do too.

[Jeff O'Neill]

A little more pointed. I don't know. That's my sense of him. He's a playwright, an authority. He's written a bunch of novelists. He's written a bunch of novelists. That'd be a weird meta thing to do. But a writer. Writer. Yeah, for sure. The comps are knife A living remedy. Stay true, Easy Beauty. I love all those books. So interesting to see.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Fascinating. I think Jennifer Finney Boylan has more name recognition, just a higher Q rating than Qureshi does. And that's going to take her through to the next round for me, that alone. But I'm really looking forward to Shattered.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Got a lot of emails about this one. When the Booker Prize finalist or shortlist came out last year, it wasn't out in the U.S. but those that had lived in other parts of the Anglophone world where it was available UK and I think in Australia, New Zealand is already out.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood comes out next week from Riverhead. 304 pages. This is pretty Rebecca Core, it sounds like. Do you know the synopsis? Did you look at this at all?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

No, I'm trying to know nothing about it.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Okay. Do you? Well then you better close your. I don't know how we're gonna podcast then you know what we're doing here, right?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Okay, I will. Yes. I tend to wipe these episodes from my. I just memory hole these conversations once.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I start reading all my prep is really great. Great job for me. Thanks for that. So, burnout in need of a treat. A middle aged woman leaves Sydney to return the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of rural Australia. She doesn't believe in God or know what prayer is and she finds herself living in a strange reclusive existence almost by adequate. And let me tell you, Rebecca, something happens and it's not. It's not all, you know, being quiet and making. You know. There's a mouse plague.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

A mouse plague?

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah. You have flying mice plagues from time to time. In your house.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Don't curse me with that. It's been a few years in this household without bats, and we're. They're not invited back. I mean, this is going to the top of my list. I think this is going to the top of this list for now. We'll see what comes next. But also, do not underestimate the Riverhead publicity machine. There's a lot of momentum behind this, I think this title and this author, because she's the woman who wrote Migrations. Right. So there's some visibility.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Nope, nope, nope.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Is that a different person?

[Jeff O'Neill]

Different person. Yep. You're a different person. Sorry.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Lots of visibility. Oh, no. The Migrations author has a book coming out later this year, though. But there's, like, awareness of this. The booker sped it up, I think, but people have been talking about this one. I think I will expect to see some book club attention for it at some point. Almost guaranteed to be Best books of the Year.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I feel like it is. Yep. I think it's a great call because.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

It will have been published in the US in this year. And so I don't know which. How that works for, like, other prize eligibility. Yeah, but this one's going to pass through. This one knocks out Jennifer Finney Boylan. I am so ready for woman retreats to religious community despite lack of religious practices. And let's see what happens.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah, it's kind of interesting that this and Isola feel like they're trying to fight for the same lane, trying to pass on the inside here. And again, this guy, this has the Booker, the other as Rhys. It sounds like this has a little bit of a. More of a mystery. You know, the sister skeletal remains show up, and you just don't let. You can't let that lie. You're like, okay, well, you know, these things happen. And, yeah, get to the butter churning.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I think this is also a place where title can make a difference. Like, Isola is a kind of obscure title. It doesn't tell you anything about what's happening in the story. And Stonyard Devotional has a. To me, that has a quality to it. I'm like, oh, it's gonna be some kind of quiet. Maybe there's something religious because Stonyard might be a cemetery devotional. Sounds like something spiritual that maybe that's a little easier for people to glom onto. Or if you're browsing a bookstore table and you've got a title like Stone Yard Devotional and a sticker that says Winner of the Booker Prize. Yep, those are two pretty Compelling pieces.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah. There's a world in which the, you know, two Care Bear stares in the form of Elizabeth Strout and Jane Harper combine here, you know, to make.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

To make something. Remember back in the early days of Book Riot, we used to do Name that author, and it would be like we'd unroll clues to things. And the one for Dan Brown was like, Rick Steves meets somebody.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

But the salient part was that Rick Steves was one half of Dan Brown.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

And I feel like the Care Bear Stare of Elizabeth Strout. That's a. That's a good question.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Does anyone under the age of 35 know what a Care Bear stare is? Probably.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I hope so.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I hope not. That's a very. That's an important cultural document.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah. Let us not be failing the children. I hope the Care Bear stare survives.

[Jeff O'Neill]

All right, down to the last two out today. This one I really wasn't sure what to do with. I found it very interesting. It's not. Anyway, I'll just tell you what it is. What am I doing? I'm trying to be circumspect and elusive. That's never been a winning play for me in my whole life. Fearless and Free by Josephine Baker. The first, for the first time available in English. Josephine Baker, of course, the singer I don't even know. Movie star, cultural icon in the 1930s, especially in France, an expat that became a stalwart of the cabaret and jazz club scene of Pre World War II Europe and Paris especially. What happened here is when she was 20, right. A French journalist says, you should write your memoir. She's, I'm 20. I. You know, I'm not even sure she's wearing banana skirts at that time yet. To be perfectly.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

What do I have to tell?

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah. And he's. Well, what if I did it for you? And what if I just follow you around for the next 20 years and make some notes? And that's what happened.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

20 years.

[Jeff O'Neill]

20 years. So really through the heart of her fame, especially on the continent. And so it's available in English for the first time also. What a life. She, like, helped French resistance spies in World War II. She adopted. What did she call it? Like the Rainbow Club. Like, she adopted 12 kids from all around the world. World. A super fascinating woman. I will be listening to this in audio. There is a warning here which I think is appropriate for this kind of thing. This was the language that these people are using to describe identities in 1929-1944 are not what they would have Used today, I think, is safe to say, but the imprint has decided to leave it as with historical notes. It's a historical document. Right. Josephine Baker has been dead, I think, since 1968. So we're looking at, you know, 50 years since she's even been around to have any kinds of ideas. So that's. It's a historical document, so it needs to be treated as such for better and for worse.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah.

[Jeff O'Neill]

But I find this extraordinarily interesting. I think it's. I wrote in today in books that this is not an. Not a terrible metaphor for Josephine Baker's place in American life, which is some people know the name. Say the next sentence about Josephine Baker, and most people are stumped. And this is one of the reasons why. And I don't know if this is going to change that, but I'm glad this exists, so I'm glad it's around.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

This is extremely Jeff Core.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yes, it is. Yes, it is.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I am really delighted for you that this is going to exist. I'm sad to admit I'm in the camp where I recognize Josephine Baker's name. I could have gotten to, like, 1930s, maybe, Harlem Renaissance vibe, but I don't know. Much more. Really curious. It's a fascinating backstory about having somebody follow her around for 20 years to write her memoir. I think Stonyard Devotional is gonna take this round, but I'm. I'm really interested in this one.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Josephine Baker walked around Paris with a live cheetah on a. On a leash and wearing pearls.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Okay. That is a vibe.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Just all time. It's an all time. I mean, I don't know what else to say. What else is there? They should have stopped fashion after that. Just don't even try. What are we doing here? There's no point to any of this.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Just don't try. That's as high as it gets.

[Jeff O'Neill]

That's great. That's really good. Okay, last one in an interesting spot for this now coming out from Hogarth. Oh, Fearless and Free is out today from Tiny Reparations. For those of you interested, I didn't double check that. There's an audio. I really hope so.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Oh, man. I hope so, too.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Okay. Anyway, that's a Jeff problem for later. Death Takes Me by Christina Rivera Garza is out from Hogarth on February 25th. So for those of you who may not remember, her memoir, Liliana's Invincible Summer, won the Pulitzer Prize and also was a finalist for the National Book Award. So we've got. We've got bonafides as Holly Hunter says, and oh, brother, we're out there. She's bonafide.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

What a legend.

[Jeff O'Neill]

What a legend. Her performance. That's an unbelievable movie. Could we. Oh, for Nolan Book club. Nerd movie club for. Oh, brother. Hot Greek summer. Hot Clooney summer.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I mean, I'm not gonna say no. We should just start the list now. It might be hot Greek 2026. Just all year.

[Jeff O'Neill]

All the Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson are on one in that movie. And John Goodman, there's a scene. But anyway, that's a different podcast altogether, as we just discovered. Anyway, here's. Here's what's going on with this. It's a novel, right? Okay. There's a professor who's the main character in it. The character. The professor's name is Christina Rivera Garza. Oh, hold on tight, folks. I hope you have your Dramamine. And she stumbles upon the corpse of a mutilated man in a dark alley. And there's a stark warning scrolled on the brick wall beside the body, written in coral nail polish. Beware of me, my love. Beware of the silent woman in the desert. And that's all I need to say. It's Da Vinci Code. Up. You know, highbrow, metafictional, Pulitzer Prize winning. Let's go. I'm so excited, I can barely breathe.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Three, two. I don't know what to do in this Face off because you have a Booker Prize winner. The actual book is a Booker Prize winner. Up against Christina Rivera Garza. I'm giving it to Christina Rivera Garza.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yes.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Thank you very much.

[Jeff O'Neill]

We're going to have a mutiny. So I'm sort of like, I don't know. I don't know what the Robert's Rules of Order for this pot is, but I'm so excited for this.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

We should book club this one. We don't have it on the. But we're both going to read it, so we should book club it.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Let's get Vanessa, too. I know she loved Liliana's Invincible Summer. I think she was the first person I knew that was into that. See if she'll join us for that. Yeah, I mean, we've got a detective literary mystery flipping written in nail polish.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Come on.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Coral nail polish, so you can see it. No invisible ink here. You don't get black lights on the back of Da Vinci's. Just put it out there, man.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

You know what I need is one Da Vinci Code esque element in a novel between now and November, like, each month or September until we get to the big Dan Brown moment. Just like little appetizers.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Like an admin calendar of totally cracked plot devices. Just all the way there.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Just broken ponytail holders.

[Jeff O'Neill]

How many elaborate crimes have been committed and not realized because they wrote it in ink on something someone couldn't see or discover, do you think? There's just so many of these stories out there.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

All the clues are locked inside things you have to decode.

[Jeff O'Neill]

That's right. You know, someone's. You know what? I play wordle every night. I get enough of this. I don't need to try to get into this.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

But now we have AI Can AI decode things? Are we going to get a Dan Brown book about AI?

[Jeff O'Neill]

Isn't that what Origin was?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Oh, that's right, it was. But it was like before we actually had AI tools in the mainstream.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Spoiled again, Brown. You're ahead of your time once again. Can't believe it.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I think Dan Brown's doing just fine.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah. Comps. The Memory Police by yoko ogawa. Really interesting. 2 320p you love to see.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

You know, we were talking at the top of the episodes. February is a little bit of a slower month, so you were able to work in some debuts here, but a slow month. But one that has a face off between Stone Devotional and Christina Rivera Garzil. Nothing to complain about.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I mean, I. I am genuinely interested in reading all of these. Save the Dark Mirror. Oneills Razor alone is enough. But that's not really my scene. Every one of these, I'm like, that's interesting. That's interesting.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I learned about a new book. I learned about Deep Cuts, which does seem right up my alley, especially if it has the Daisy Jones element. So, like that kind of. Of flavor to it. Good month here. Congratulations to Christina Rivera Garza.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Yeah. Let's see. What did I say? February 25th. From Hogarth. Yeah, I did Publishers Weekly. Starred review. Haven't seen that much really about it. There's going to be an NPR campaign. I know you're excited about that.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

It's literature in translation, so it has a little bit of a hurdle, but I think there's going to be a big PR push around this.

[Jeff O'Neill]

This was originally published in 2007 and Mexico. So I. I think once there was some heat around her.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

It's a long wait, though.

[Jeff O'Neill]

I don't know. I. I don't know. I don't know. Time had his most anticipated book of. One of the most anticipated books of 2025. Okay. Unforgettable literary puzzle.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Can't wait. Love a puzzle.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Very excited. All right, I think that's it. So shownotes bookriot.com Listen, you can check out the Patreon for a Hong Kong discussion of we do not part. What else is coming up on the Patreon Late do you have in the top of your mind? What are we doing?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

We got deals, deals, deals. The next thing coming up in the.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Patreon time again already. I'm glad we're doing it more often, but it comes. The wheel spins faster when you do it.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah, once a quarter, my friend.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Once a quarter already. Gosh. Yeah. Check out first edition My conversation John Warner. And then on Thursday you can stay tuned for Shiger Oshi. I got a couple really nice emails about the last first edition. Just I should say that Gretchen Rubin I mentioned is a true Blue book nerd. And we had a really good time nerding out after we stopped recording. We nerded out for another 15 minutes about the English understand wool, which he's read three times and could quote verbatim some of the French parts. I was like, whoa, I'm impressed. Okay, I gotta be careful here. I mean, you know, you're in the major leagues, as Spencer Tracy tells someone about Katharine Hepburn and desert. But anyway, I hope you enjoy that over here, you know, hear us again with. Let's see, is just. We're recording Jess tomorrow is that part.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

That'll be next week. So the next time you hear us after this will be the news, the new show.

[Jeff O'Neill]

Okay. Yeah. All right, thanks everybody. Podcast bookriot.com for feedback. Rebecca, we'll talk to you later.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Thanks so much for listening today. Now please enjoy this audio excerpt of Take your seat at the table by Anthony O'Neill, provided by our sponsors at Thomas Nelson.

[Unknown]

As a single person myself, I know how difficult it can be to feel lonely and isolated. I also know a lot of good things are at work in me right now. And I can accomplish a lot of good things in the world during this season because I'm single. Singleness can be a blessing when we approach it the right way. No, I mention people sitting alone at tables because tables aren't really meant to be places where people sit alone. A table for one isn't a table, it's a desk. In just about every scenario, tables are meant for people, plural, to come together and connect. Dining tables, conference tables, ping pong tables, even those little circular coffee tables have room for several people to put their drinks down while they chat. In the same way, the table of your life needs people, not just any people but those who play an active role in helping you steward your resources and carry out your assignment. When I talk about taking your seat at the table, I don't mean taking the only seat at your table. I don't mean pushing everyone else away and making it so you're the only voice that can speak into your life. In fact, that's an important principle. You should never sit alone at the table of your life. You need others to help you manage your table well. I remember those early days after I left Ramsey Solutions. For the first time in my life, I was on my own. No boss, no co workers, no organizational mission statement or vision statement to memorize. It was just me. And I started out by trying to do everything myself. For example, I knew I wanted to continue making impactful content on YouTube and turn it into a business. In the beginning, I wrote all the scripts myself. I did all the filming myself, I did all the video editing myself. I spent hours researching algorithms and marketing keywords and all that. Whatever needed to be done to keep that content flowing, I was the one to make it happen. If I'm being honest, it was exhausting. And I could tell the end product wasn't great. Then I remembered my brother in law, Glenn Henry, who has been killing it on YouTube for a long time. He'd grown his channel from zero to a million subscribers and here I was plowing away, trying to figure everything out on my own. So I called him. Even from the first conversation, he provided insights on issues and ideas I didn't even know I was supposed to think about. It was Glenn who showed me why I needed to hire a full time video producer to help my content creation business. If you're trying to record and edit and host, he told me, you're going to run out of juice, my brother. If you're going to build a scalable business around YouTube, you need to hire someone who can do the things you don't like doing so you can focus on doing what you honestly love to do. All that extra stuff will take away from your creativity. He was right. And he's been right on lots of similar issues. For that reason, Glenn is one of the people I bring to my table as I continue to build my businesses as a thought leader. He has skills, expertise and experience that can help me. So I make him a part of the table. That's what I mean when I say your table includes your people. When I visualize my own table, for example, I think of a long wooden table with 10 or 12 comfortable chairs spaced around the outside. I'M seated at the head of the table, of course. Then at the opposite end of the table is an empty chair. That one is reserved for Mrs. O'Neil. When I get married, my wife will take an equal seat at the head of the table so we can manage our lives together. What about the other 10 seats? They are filled with people I have intentionally invited to my table because they understand my mission and can help maximize my resources as I carry out that assignment. Here are some of the people who sit at my personal table. The seat at my right is filled by my pastor, who is both my spiritual covering and one of my closest friends. He is the one person in my world who will always tell me the truth. The seat at my left is for my business mentor. I keep him close because I'm currently in the prime years of building my business and I actively need his advice and wisdom in this moment. Another seat is shared by my therapist and emotional coach. They help me maintain my mental health, which is critical. Another seat is for my physical trainer who helps me maintain my physical health. My doctors also swap in and out of that seat when I need them to. Another seat is filled by my financial advisor so I can steward my wealth in a way that provides not only for my future, but also for my family's future. Another seat is reserved for the team members at my company. Each of those people was specifically selected to help build my table and for me to help build theirs, so I make sure to give them a seat. Another seat is reserved for people in my extended community who engage my content in different ways. People like you who are listening to this book right now. My community is made up of the people I aim to serve each day, so they get a seat at my table. Finally, I leave some open chairs at my table so different people with different expertise can rotate in and out as needed. We'll talk more about maintaining a flexible table in chapter nine. See how it works. Your table is your life and you've been given the table because you have an assignment to achieve, a purpose to fulfill. That assignment is too big to accomplish on your own, so you need to gather other people around your table who can help maximize your resources and make a real difference in your community. That's the opportunity in front of you right now. When you manage your table well, you will enjoy the incredible blessings of abundance, wellness and freedom. Just as important, you will play a huge role in helping others enjoy those blessings. You will make an impact on the lives of those who you love most and on the lives of those you don't even know. You can literally change the world. So pull out that chair. Take a seat at your table. Not just. That's any seat, though. Your seat right at the head. Not sure what that means or how to make it happen. Just keep listening and find out.