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- [00:01]
A
This man texted me and said what if I have ram domilesis? What the heck is that? W R H A B D O M. What the hell is this? Oh no. I hope it doesn't.
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B
A rapid breakdown of damaged skeletal muscle.
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A
Skeletal to muscle. This causes muscle fibers to die and release their contents including myoglobin, potassium and creatine into the bloodstream.
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B
No, I think he's okay.
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A
I think he's okay.
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B
John, I think you're fine.
- [00:37]
A
John, you're fine. Look at your urine. Is it tea colored? Let us know.
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B
Go look at your pee and report back.
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A
Oh my God. So funny. Welcome to book talk, etc. A podcast bound to grow your TBR. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
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B
And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.
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A
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest mood readers who are easily distracted by new releases. And today we are sharing our August books on the radar.
- [01:12]
B
If you enjoy listening, we'd love for you to follow us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And if you have a quick minute, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other book lover.
- [01:29]
A
Hey, Hannah.
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B
Hey, Tina. How's it going?
- [01:32]
A
Great. How are you doing?
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B
I'm fabulous.
- [01:35]
A
Love too good.
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B
Yeah.
- [01:36]
A
You're like bright eyed and bushy tailed. It's my bedtime, I swear.
- [01:40]
B
I'm like we're doing, we're recording on my time of time of the day. Right.
- [01:45]
A
I know I'm a morning girl, so nighttime I have to really rally. But I've got a nice drink next to me. I've got my books and a nice bendy straw. So we're gonna, we're gonna make it happen.
- [01:59]
B
A nice bendy straw. I like that. It's the little things in life. I love straws too.
- [02:05]
A
Love straws.
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B
Okay, so then, do you like an awala water bottle?
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A
Yes. It's got a straw in there.
- [02:13]
B
Oh, that's true. It has a built in straw. I don't know.
- [02:15]
A
A built in straw, obviously. Oh, okay. No, yes. Okay. And so it hasn't.
- [02:20]
B
You can tip, but you can also use the straw.
- [02:23]
A
Yes. I never tip it. No, never do I tip. I don't like tipping a water bottle. I need a straw. Which is why I like the oala because it's in there too.
- [02:31]
B
I want an aala water bottle just because I know they're nice water bottles. Not even necessarily because they're the most popular right now. I know they're really nice, but I have a Stanley and the Stanley's working for me right now. And it's not. It's not expired yet. So I'm like, okay, when it's time to get a new water bottle.
- [02:50]
A
Yeah, no, it's a very responsible, sustainable choice.
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B
Need
- [02:57]
A
the oala because I can take it with me and it doesn't spill if that does anything for you.
- [03:02]
B
That's true.
- [03:03]
A
Cuz it like closes and I'm going and it's. That's really pretty great. Anyway, it's. Thank you for Water Corner.
- [03:12]
B
You're welcome. Maybe when we're back to school shopping, maybe I'll. I'll add that to the family.
- [03:16]
A
Sneak one in the car. There you go. Sneak one in the car. Yes. I love it. Speaking of, what else are we doing?
- [03:24]
B
Speaking of things we love.
- [03:25]
A
Loving lately. Yeah, thank you. Speaking of things we love, let me show you what I added to the cart. I was telling Hannah earlier that I went to TJ Maxx today for the first time in a long time. And I was talking to the woman checking me out about nail glue. She made a recommendation, but I was there to purchase nails. But also I got this. What I'm holding here is a bag of Tony's chocolate, which is my loving lately. It is candy and it's specifically this brand called Tony's Choc. Now I got it from TJ Maxx. Now who knows? It's a. It's a discount. I don't know if they're expired or not, but don't worry about that. They taste fine. Is that true? But anyway, so Tony's candy, what I like about it, they are first of all, just delicious. And they also. I was like looking into them. I'm like, okay, why do I like this so much? They have a ethical mission to eradicate child labor and exploitation in the cocoa industry. And they have this design, their chocolate uneven chunks to symbolize the unequal distribution of wealth in the chocolate supply chain. And they're known for their thick, chunky size and vibrant, vibrant packaging. And I was like, that's actually what I really like about it too, is that the packaging is so nice. It's paper. Oh, I love the design. It's also paper. So you're not. Have you ever tried to open candy? Or your kids are like, mom, open this. And it's like, actually impossible. It's actually just paper.
- [05:00]
B
No, I love.
- [05:01]
A
So easy. I also can't really nice.
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B
I'm looking at it right now. I'm like, that would be such good Junk journaling material.
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A
Oh, it would be fantastic. Junk journaling material. It really would be. Actually, these January 14, 2027. So we still got plenty of time to enjoy these overstock. Yeah. I have the milk chocolate, milk chocolate caramel, sea salts, milk chocolate pretzel toffee. They have tons of flavors, like whatever you can get them, you know, in different places. They do sell them on Amazon. These are the. The. They also sell smalls as well as, like really large bars. And they are so tasty. Something else worth mentioning if you're a person that likes add ins in your chocolate, like a nut or caramel. These are very subtle. The add ins are very subtle. Like tiny bits of pretzel toffee, tiny bits of caramel sea salt, which I think works. I like that it's not super chewy. I like a good chewy caramel. But these are like very. I don't know, they're really good. And you get kind of an equal amount of add ins every time. I just thought it would be fun to bring this because I was like, you know what? These are absolutely delicious if you're having an event. My friend did this for their wedding, for their engagement party. It said like a save the date, their names on it and the wedding date. And so they personalized it. I'm like, that is too cute, guys. But anyway, highly recommend this. And I'm not even like the biggest sweets girl, but this is something that I can get down with. This is Tony's Chocolate, and they're based in New York.
- [06:30]
B
Oh, I. I love it. I love the mission. I love the packaging. I also love. I'm. I'm looking at the ingredients right now. Really minimal ingredients.
- [06:40]
A
Yeah.
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B
So if you're like, trying to be conscious about what kind of ingredients you're. You're consuming, but you also have a sweet tooth or want something, this seems like it would be such a good option.
- [06:52]
A
And I just have one little. One of these little guys a night, and I'm like, good to go. It's also made in Belgium, though, so. And look how I opened this bag. I mean, I tore into it like a little like a gremlin. But no, these are really nice.
- [07:08]
B
Oh, well, I mean, speaking of loving the packaging, I love the packaging of my Loving Lately, which is I'm still on my journal kick, y'. All. So just forgive me, but my loving lately is my pip sticks sticker club membership.
- [07:27]
A
Oh, you're a member?
- [07:28]
B
I'm a member. I couldn't help it. I went ahead and joined their sticker club. So for $20 a month, you get a monthly subscription service that delivers a curated package of colorful, whimsical, super high quality, the best quality stickers right to your mailbox every month. And their packaging is so much fun. It's always like this iridescent, spark silver packaging. And you get so many stickers. And usually every single month has a theme. Like this past theme was travel, which obviously makes sense because it's summer, it's July, a lot of people are traveling, but you get so many different sticker sheets. And it's fun because you also get to kind of sample all these stickers. You're not buying, like, a huge book of all of the same theme of stickers. You're getting like 20 different sheets of stickers that might fall into a similar theme, but are all different. Like, one of my sticker sheets is, you know, people on a beach. One of my sticker sheets is airplanes. One of my sticker sheets is palm trees. So you're getting kind of this theme of traveling, but across different contexts and ideas and things like that. I love it. It's perfect for kids if you love. If you have kids that love stickers. I share my subscription with my daughter and she. I'll give her, like, a couple of different sticker sheets for my subscription every month. It's great for planning if you have a hobonichi, but you want to decorate it with small stickers in the margins here and there. This would be perfect for that. Great for scrapbooking, journaling, and any kind of crafting activities. It involves stickers. And I feel like this has been so healing for, like, my inner child. So I used to write letters every single day. We used to write letters every single day to my husband, Dustin's sister. Growing up, we were pen pals. I know my husband. And we, yeah, we wrote every single day. And we would always decorate our letters with stickers and we would always, like, trade stickers back and forth and compare stickers and what were the best sticker brands. And it's been so much fun to kind of get back to that and be like, back in my sticker era, sometimes I overthink it and I'm like, this is so silly. Like, it's just stickers. And then I'm like, who cares? They bring me so much joy. And that can be enough. So anyway, that's my loving lately is the pip sticks sticker club.
- [10:10]
A
I love pip sticks. I. Someone and someone mentioned it to me a while ago when I was like, starting my book journal. And they mentioned they were in the club, and I was like, oh, I don't know about that. And then I was at a. I was at Blix looking at pens, and I'm like, oh, there's those pip sticks. And they're the cutest freaking things ever. I got one.
- [10:29]
B
So cute.
- [10:30]
A
I think I got it. It's just that brand, but it's like a bigger one that I got from my water bottle. Have you ever heard of this? Ours? Is there such a thing. This sounds real stupid. Is there such a thing as, like, a binder where you could, like, unstick your stickers and put them in the binder?
- [10:51]
B
I've never done this. I've never done it before, but it does exist, and I have been curious about it. You can buy these little books that you. Yeah, you unstick your stickers and then you put them on this wax sheet so that you can organize your stickers by theme. So, like, say you have three different sticker sheets that all have some type of travel element, for example, but you don't want them on those three separate sticker sheets. You want them on one sheet.
- [11:19]
A
Right.
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B
And so you're able to take them off those three separate sticker sheets and put them on this wax paper book or binder. But it doesn't, like, they don't lose their stick.
- [11:30]
A
Right. I love. Oh, God, I love that so much.
- [11:34]
B
I know. I know that this sticker subscription is a splurge. I mean, it's more expensive than even maybe like a Hulu subscription or something like that. So this isn't something that I see maybe even being maintainable, like, long term. But for now, for the stickers that I'm getting even to where I can do it for six months, and now I have, like, a really robust sticker collection. Cool. And then we can. We can reevaluate. But even if you did it for a few months, I feel like it'd be worth it because you would get so many new stickers even if you did it for just a month or two.
- [12:08]
A
Right. And sound like it's like a sticker or, like, two stickers. No.
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B
You're getting a lot.
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A
Yeah. Oh, I'm tempted, girl. I'm tempted.
- [12:15]
B
Yeah.
- [12:17]
A
All right, well, today is one of the podcast days where we have a mutual latest read. And I do believe that this is actually our legitimate latest read, meaning we had just recently finished it. Just finished it because it's our community read for booktok, et cetera, for July. And it is the Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson and I just finished this a couple hours ago.
- [12:43]
B
Nice.
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A
Let me tell you what this is about. It is about a young woman named Caroline who arrives in Greenhead, Massachusetts. She is there for a writing fellowship, and while she's there, she has this run in and ends up falling in love with Van Whitaker. He is an environmentalist, he's a kayaker, he's got a floppy haircut, and he is in this very tight knit friend group. He has been born and raised in this village and he runs with the same crowd he did as a kid. Bailey, who is. Who is his ex girlfriend, Augusta. Old money horsey and Snobbish and Fran, surrounded by brothers and sons. And together they sort of are still doing the things that they were doing when they were younger. They are now in their 30s, but they're still, you know, building their families, hanging out, going on vacation together, et cetera. And then there is a big reveal. But I maintain this is not a spoiler because one, it is in the synopsis and also it happens like on page 10. No, it's a little later than that, but it happens very early. His ex, Bailey, is pregnant with Van's son. And obviously, if you're Caroline or anybody else, that would throw you. And so the rest of the story sort of follows them as everybody tries to navigate it. Hannah, what'd you think?
- [14:07]
B
I really loved this one.
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A
I thought it was me too. It was really good. I was dead set on being a brat about it too, because I'm like, really? Yes. Because I was coming off of the Lion Women. The Lion Women of Tehran. Right. To be fair, gorgeous story.
- [14:26]
B
Really good book.
- [14:28]
A
Really? Oh, my God, so many layers. You'll hear me talk about that on the podcast soon. And then immediately I had to read this for the podcast. And I was like. The first couple pages, I was like, okay, how frothy is this gonna be? Is this gonna be too light? Is this gonna be too privileged?
- [14:46]
B
I had that concern too, you know, And I'm like.
- [14:49]
A
And I don't even know. It did not take me that long to really. I don't know if I fell in love with the characters, but really fell in, like, with the character particularly.
- [15:01]
B
They're very realistic, which means they're very realistic. Likable in some ways, but also extremely annoying.
- [15:06]
A
Exactly. And so I'm really happy to report that I did not find this to be too light at all. I thought it struck a really nice balance between sincerity, humor, seriousness. It felt really realistic.
- [15:21]
B
I agree. I felt like it was very realistic both in Terms of the character development, like we already mentioned, we liked these characters, but also, they were really annoying. We also kind of had a decent blend of characters that came from different, like, socioeconomic backgrounds. And so some of them were, like, very privileged and frustrating in that way, but then some of them were not and frustrating in different ways, et cetera. One thing that I thought that really stood out in this one is the banter between the characters I felt like was really well done because it was witty, but not in a way, you know, when a. When a.
- [15:59]
A
Yes.
- [16:00]
B
A book is so witty and the characters are so bantery.
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A
Hate it.
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B
But, like, nobody has a conversation like that.
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A
Yes, Agree completely.
- [16:07]
B
But this one was witty and bantery in a way of, like, these people have known each other for a really long time, and they can have this back and forth that's very organic and candid and witty and funny and. But in a way that you would have with a childhood best friend who knows you then and knows you currently.
- [16:26]
A
Yes, you said that perfectly. I agree. I don't like when things are too cheeky and, like, oh, they're so smart and too clever. It's not that. Even Caroline's best friend, Nina, who we don't really ever meet that closely. They have a lot of text exchanges, though. Even those are really funny and really something that I would, like, totally say to my best friend. Yeah, I love.
- [16:49]
B
Especially one that's on the outside of the friendship circle.
- [16:52]
A
Yes.
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B
I have friends where, like, I'm, like, I can talk to them about this thing because they're outside of this friendship circle 100%. And I have this banter about it, and I felt like that was done really well, too.
- [17:03]
A
That was legit. Something that completely threw me for a loop that I'm really, really happy about, is that you're not just following Caroline and Van the entire time. You're also getting to know the other members of this friend group. Bailey, Augusta, and Fran. You're following the other members of this group, and they all have their own issues. And it was fun to see their perception of Caroline, their perception of Van and Bailey and all that's going on. I think for me, I read earlier this year, so Old, so Young by Grant Ginder. I think this is the perfect comp for that. But younger. That one's in their 40s. These are in their 30s. Caroline's 28. So I definitely was like, okay, I'm seeing so much of the same. Well, that. And also they're in the very early days. Days of parenthood or or do I want children? Or, you know, they were still sort of finding themselves, which you often see. You see that at any age, but certainly I think you see it a lot in that particular age range.
- [18:03]
B
Yeah. Yeah. Did you have a. And I know we can't spoil anything here, but I'm curious if you had a favorite point of view or if you felt like all of the points of view were equally enjoyable.
- [18:18]
A
No, they were not. For me, they were equally enjoyable. There was one particular character that I never warmed to.
- [18:26]
B
Okay.
- [18:27]
A
And that's okay. I think that was probably by design. I really thought Caroline was going to be a thorn in my side. I thought I was gonna find her annoying, specifically because her mom is a famous author and you come to find out what their relationship looks like. And I was like, oh, she, though, is very self aware. She talks in many ways.
- [18:47]
B
She calls herself even a Nepo baby at one point.
- [18:51]
A
Exactly. So I was. Yeah, I really enjoyed parts of that. And I was expecting not to appreciate her point of view as much as I did.
- [18:59]
B
Yeah, I was endeared to her. And actually the character that I thought that I was gonna feel the most endeared to, I did not.
- [19:06]
A
Yeah. So there's some surprises I think I also really liked. I felt like the other friend groups, the things that they were going through were realistic. Now they were soapy and a bit over the top, but also very fascinating. This is definitely a book where you're going to want to talk about with a friend. We're doing it, like we said, for book club later, early next week, so we'll be able to chat through it with our patrons. But I think this would be a. I mean, again, read with Jenna picked it after we picked it for ours, of course. But she's right on the nose that this is a perfect summer. First is a perfect summer read. Second is a perfect read for book club. I lived in Massachusetts for a little while when in my early, early twenties, right after undergrad. I do, too. And then I'm reading this book and I'm like, oh, my goodness. So I was the outsider who moved to New England, and there's so much New England here. I mean, I even started keeping a tally. I mean, they're talking about chowder, they're talking about the. The different beaches, specifically drinking culture, certainly the Red Sox. And then one of the things that they do in the very beginning is paddleboarding. And my college, my roommate that I lived with out there, we went to college together. She is from that area. And for her bachelorette they were going paddleboarding, and I was like, fantastic. Of course I'll try it. Yeah, I can paddle board. What do you mean? I'm down, friends. I had to turn back. Literally. Everybody was so far ahead of me that I was about to be washed out to sea. I couldn't get myself to propel forward. I was so bad at paddleboarding, so I just turned around and went home. They had to drive me to the beach where they were meeting us at. And they were laughing at me.
- [20:51]
B
They're like hair, though. They probably thought it was funny.
- [20:54]
A
They are like, you are from. I'm not really landlocked. We have Lake Michigan, but we're not paddleboarding out there necessarily. So that was like, a fun. Call it callback to my time in my early 20s in New England. But, yeah, I thought this book was great. I really had a great time with it.
- [21:09]
B
Me too. So glad we picked it. I think it'll be a great one to discuss. And I agree that it is the quintessential perfect summer read.
- [21:18]
A
Yeah. Well, that one is the Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson. I'm glad that you liked it.
- [21:24]
B
Me, too. We both liked it.
- [21:26]
A
I know. No, it doesn't. I love when that happens. Yeah, it was a good time. All right, so now that we've talked about that, I didn't tell you my thoughts. I was being purposeful. Well, at first, I forgot to respond to your message, and then I was like, I'm just gonna save it for the show because sometimes we. Yeah, because sometimes I'm like, you know, you obviously have the desire to, like, share. Okay, here's what I thought, but I try and save it for when we're on air, but let's transition to our book list for August. I was putting this together, and I say this a lot, but I really mean it this time. August is stacked. August is fully locked and loaded. There are some that we've already mentioned, like, as a shelf addition or as a part of our summer bonanza. So we won't bring those today. But I'm very excited for the new Chuck Wendig Calamity. Is that what it's called? Calamities.
- [22:14]
B
The. The Calamities.
- [22:16]
A
Calamities. And we have the Calamity Club. So a lot of calamities going on in 2026. But then also, this one is our upcoming community read. And stop me if you've brought it, but it's the Unknown by Riley Sager.
- [22:30]
B
Yes. I'm so excited about that. And I'm excited that we're Going to get to read a Riley Sager together.
- [22:36]
A
Me too. His 10th. That's going to be cool.
- [22:38]
B
It just feels fun.
- [22:40]
A
It does feel fun. But those are just kind of bonus recommendations for you. All right, I will kick things off with my first. And this is a book that I've had my eye on for a little bit. It's called Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. This one comes out on August 4th from Crooked Lane Books. It says, a washed up author will stop at nothing to claw her way back to relevancy, even if it means appropriating a young gay man's tragic story. So we have a yellow face comp here that I think sounds really legitimate. Mallory is the main character. She's buried under seven years of writer's block. Seven years, man.
- [23:15]
B
Whoa.
- [23:16]
A
And her status as a literary sensation is fizzling. So she'll do anything she has to do to resurrect her career. Enter Leo. He's a struggling addict, sleeping under bridges and trading sex for survival. He's vulnerable. He's enigmatic. He's exactly what Mallory has been looking for. Mallory needs Leo if she wants another bestseller. The world needs his story right now, and she believes she deserves to tell it. Really? It's her story. She's the one who wrote it, after all. But as secrets threatened to unravel more than just her career, Mallory must decide how far she'll go to pen the perfect story. I think this sounds so, so good. I'm speaking of fruit flies. There's one that just flew my face as I was talking about it. That's pretty creepy. Love that. Wonderful. But at any rate, I'm excited to try this book that is Fruit Fly by Josh Silver.
- [24:07]
B
Yeah, that sounds great. And doesn't this one have a really fun cover?
- [24:11]
A
It does. Good memory. It's an orange peel with a fruit fly on it. And it's neon green. It's really cute.
- [24:17]
B
It's like minimalist, but really bright and vibrant. I really like that. Okay. My first book that I am bringing also comes out on August 4th, and that is Sunlight Finds you by Laura Moriarty. And I feel like this is the month for Moriarty. It's the month.
- [24:40]
A
Yeah, right?
- [24:40]
B
There's like a Leanne Moriarty.
- [24:41]
A
Moriarty.
- [24:42]
B
There's this one. And then there's one other book that I'm not remembering the title of, but I remember when I was looking through lists, prepping for this episode, I was like, like, it's the month of Moriarty. There's like three different options. Last name.
- [24:53]
A
How bizarre. Is that I know.
- [24:55]
B
Okay, so in this book, it is 1949, early in the Cold War, but St. Petersburg, Florida, is warm, lush and booming with newcomers seeking sunshine and opportunity. For 17 year old Nora, St. Pete feels like paradise, especially after she meets and wins over Leonard, the shy, brilliant son of a transplanted New Yorker. Nora and Leonard are soon spending balmy days and evenings together, and in her adoring, encouraging company, he grows more confident, even as he remains tender and caring. Leonard's sophisticated mother welcomes Nora into their lives, but his father distrusts her motives. When his suspicions are seemingly confirmed, Nora is forced to cut contact. In her longing and fear, she takes a chance that changes her life, exiling her from the family she loves and setting off a chain of secrets and betrayals that will follow her into adulthood. It is a mature Nora who tells the story of her turbulent past. Wiser and more worldly, she commits to an honest but compassionate account and to a future based on trusting, first and foremost, herself. Sunlight Finds yous is ultimately a love story set in the past that has much to say about our present. It is richly layered and propulsive and a book about extending forgiveness for ourselves and for others and about refusing to settle for a life that is less than full. When I read this synopsis the first time, I immediately thought about the story ever after the movie with Drew Barrymore in it, it's a love story from the early aughts. And in that story, which is a Cinderella retelling, it is the Cinderella character, whose name is Danielle in the movie as an older woman retelling this love story from her past. And she's like, let me tell you about it. And then. And then you go back to her, to her past. And anyway, I thought about that when I was reading the synopsis. I'm like, oh, that's kind of cool. We're getting kind of this older version of this woman who is recounting this love story from her past. And I think I am really into that narrative style. And I haven't seen that in book form, I don't think before. And that sounded really interesting to me. So that is Sunlight Finds you by Laura Moriarty.
- [27:08]
A
That does sound good. You know, I like a Cinderella retelling. Yes.
- [27:14]
B
Lady Tremaine.
- [27:15]
A
Lady Tremaine. Yes. Yes. Okay, so my next one is these Walls. Remember, this is by an author named Del Sandeen. And this one has a creepy cover. It says, when two estranged sisters inherit a home possessed by the horrors of its dark past, they must work together to survive. So this is a Southern gothic novel. And they. When they get house, it's. There's a note that says do not go into the attic, the note warned. But it's exactly what the sisters do when they inherit a distant relative's house in Savannah, Georgia. They tend to sell the property, divide the proceeds and go their separate ways once and for all. But the house has other plans. As the sisters learn about this house and its history, past wounds begin to fester and spill into the present. You know they're gonna see strange visions, memory lapses, unexplained accidents, and surreal echoes of the houses previous inhabitants, Some of whom disappeared after living in the home. They suspect the residents of the sleepy Savannah neighborhood no more than they're saying about what really happened there. And then Delilah, once adamant about selling and never looking back, develops an uncanny attachment to her house. Her personality changing in alarming ways. Mickey knows that she'll have to pull her sister out from the home's clutches or they'll both succumb to what hungers in its. Its walls. Yes, I mean truly. Have we seen this story before? Possibly.
- [28:45]
B
You love.
- [28:46]
A
I love a haunted house. I love a creepy crawly. What's in the walls? What's gonna happen? So I am. Oh well, as long as I don't have to see it. I can imagine because I can't see it in my mind. This was these walls, remember by Del Sandeen.
- [29:03]
B
Yes, I saw that one as I was putting my list together and I wondered if you might add that to your list.
- [29:08]
A
Yes, you know me.
- [29:10]
B
Yes. Okay, well I also have a haunted house story and I know don't always work as well for me, but this one sounds promising. It is called the House that Eats the Dead by Max Doty. And this one comes out on August 18th. This is about Claire who is getting a new house. It's going to be a fresh start for her and her family. It's a move away from the cityscape of a declining San Francisco and towards the quiet suburban life that she has always craved since her turbulent childhood. A step up the corporate ladder for her husband Tom, and a safe haven for their two children. Yet as they unpack their boxes, she senses something is wrong. All of the fresh flowers that they bring in are drying up. The eggs that they're buying from the store are all of a sudden inexplicably hollow. And her daughters favorite toy disappears. Claire soon confronts a series of impossible truths. The house is hungry. It is devouring anything that was once alive. And only Claire and Tom, the Owners of the house will remember that this food ever existed. When Claire exploits the house's power in a moment of weakness, she and the house end up forging a bond. So a similar theme there too. But its hunger intensifies and Claire loses control. She fears who else might be drawn to her home and what sinister appetites they will bring. Sounds spooky. Sounds good. No, this one sounds promising. That's the House that Eats the Dead by Max Doty.
- [30:46]
A
It's a great title too.
- [30:48]
B
Yeah. Because didn't your book mention, like, a bond between the house and the inhabitant?
- [30:54]
A
Yes. What a great.
- [30:57]
B
I mean, that's a tie you don't always see. I mean, you do see, but that is a certain tie where I'm like, okay, that's something unique. That could potentially be a unique piece of the plot. I also like this idea that the house is hungry, like it's eating. Yes, that sounds unique to me. So there are enough unique elements there where I'm like, okay, this could be a haunted house story that you can get behind me. Yeah, that I can get behind.
- [31:21]
A
I love it. All right, my next one. I actually have not read the synopsis and I am bringing it because it's an author that I've read many times and I always am curious what she's up to. The book is they say a girl died here by Sarah Pinborough, and yes, she is.
- [31:36]
B
I thought you were going to maybe bring the Karen Slaughter. That's why I was like, oh, okay.
- [31:40]
A
The Karen Slaughter is on my list as well. But it's a second in a series, so, you know, I'm not gonna. Yeah, I'm. I might read it, but I probably wouldn't bring it to feature because, you know, maybe spoilers. But this one, let's see what it's about together. Anna Maybourne never imagined herself living in a place like Harper's Creek. A nowhere town full of dusty farmland plagued by drought. It's supposed to be a new start for her and her family. But after dropping out of college, Anna feels stuck in place. Working a part time job, watching her little sister grow up, and taking care of her grandmother with dementia whose paranoid episodes have started to unnerve her. The only interesting thing about her new town, it seems, is the string of grisly murders attributed to a killer called the Farm Hand Man. And the clue she discovers that that reveals the case is yet unsolved. Along with the outspoken loner Melissa and handsome deputy Tom Greenborough. That's funny. Anna fills her Greenboro Pinborough. Anna Fills her hours with the town's darkest curiosity. But even though the prime suspect is long dead, the farmhand man murders begin to feel too close for comfort. As the anniversary nears, tension is building. Everyone can feel it. And the house is becoming more claustrophobic by the day. And her grandmother is growing stranger. I like that. Anna begins to wonder if her delusional moments are somehow the key to discovering the truth about the murders. And if the old house in her new start is haunted by its own bloody baggage. Oh, and it says too that this is a thrilling novel with terrifying secrets and with a mind bending twist that only can come from Sarah Pinborough. So.
- [33:24]
B
And if you know, you know, if
- [33:26]
A
you know, you know. I'm very curious to see what we've got going on here. This book is they say A Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough.
- [33:34]
B
Yes, I'm glad you brought that one. That was on my list. And then I was like, I am pretty sure Tina loves this author also.
- [33:43]
A
I do. You do too.
- [33:44]
B
She is the thriller queen. So I, I wondered if you wouldn't have it. So I put it as like my number six just in case. But yes, this is also massively on my list. I do like Sarah Pinborough. I loved Behind Her Eyes, which I know was kind of a polarizing one, but I enjoy the kinds of twists that she tends to put in her books.
- [34:06]
A
Boy, oh boy, they are something else.
- [34:08]
B
And they are something else for sure. Okay, my next one is called Nearshore by Steve Hawke. And this one comes out on August 18. It is set in West Virginia, and a small nuclear bomb detonates beside an Appalachian highway. This weapons explosive yield is meager, the death count low, and yet it is history's first act of nuclear terrorism, and it threatens to tilt the world beyond reckoning. So months later, surfer and lifeguard Jamie Palmer is patrolling his domain, which is a treacherous stretch of wild California coast, when he responds to a mysterious nearshore boating accident that jetson two people overboard. The victims turn out to be Palmer's best friend, a brilliant renegade Stanford University professor and the man's teenage son, Luca. The professor ends up drowning, Luca ends up surviving, and it leaves Palmer as the boy's guardian. Chelsea Wu, a math prodigy and doctoral student, confides to Palmer that she and the professor unearthed a link between a Silicon Valley megacorporation, its sociopathic billionaire founder, and the nuke that ended up going off in West Virginia. So there's that tie in from the beginning event. And when a second, second device is detonated, this unlikely team, the Surfer. The orphan and the math whiz must persuade investigators that the bombshakers are not only homegrown, but also hiding in plain sight. I love a story with like a motley crew like this or like kind of like a heist. Like almost like an Ocean's Eleven vibe. Obviously it's not 100% like that, but it just sounds interesting and different. And that is Near Shore by Steve Hawke. That comes out on August 18th.
- [36:06]
A
I like the idea of a motley crue. Is that how you described it? Yeah.
- [36:10]
B
You know, it's like you've got the surfer, you've got this, you know, kind of kid that he didn't know that he was going to be a guardian for these. Watching that now is kind of a part of this crew, you know, and they team up with this other person who happens to know about this accident that happened and how it might connect to this big event and. I don't know.
- [36:30]
A
No, I like that.
- [36:31]
B
Like heisty adjacent.
- [36:33]
A
I can do with that. All right. I'm in a. I am in a spooky mood apparently, because I thought this sounded interesting. It's a book called the Unheld by Luke Larkin and it comes out on August 25th. And okay, get this. It's a chilling horror western. And it says startling monsters and occult cult oddities abound in this chilling horror western. As a girl journeys across the haunted Montana territory to rescue her father from an otherworldly creature. It says Charlie's life is a lonely one. When other 12 year olds are in school, she spends her days skinning the animals her mercurial father hunts in the woods just outside their cabin. And the woods and its twisted creatures. An owl with four wings, a boar with two heads, a fox with with gills, are becoming stranger by the day. One night, a nightmarish beast appears and drags Charlie's father into the wilderness. To find him, she enlists in the aid of two unlikely allies, also in search of the beast. An Englishman with a connection to a mysterious occult society. And a Northern Cheyenne policeman exiled for a crime he didn't commit. Yet. As the trio prepare for the confrontation with the beast, Charlie must decide if her father, a brusque man who has always withheld his affection, is ultimately worth saving. Thing. It's a blend of western grit and supernatural menace. It is an unsettling and atmospheric horror novel about loneliness, human connection, and how we find each other in a world that seems destined to alienate. And this is their debut. So this book is the Unheld by Luke Larkin.
- [38:09]
B
Right it's the month of debuts. I feel like. I feel like that is a theme that I'm bringing with my books, too. Several of them are debuts. I. This was not on my radar, but I am. I am sold.
- [38:21]
A
Doesn't it sound good?
- [38:23]
B
Really good. What's this about?
- [38:25]
A
Let's find out.
- [38:26]
B
It also, you mentioning this person, studying, you know, these animals reminded me a little bit of that book, Deadly Animals.
- [38:35]
A
Yep. I knew it.
- [38:37]
B
Yeah, she studies the roadkill and stuff. I don't know, I just. I love interesting characters like that and how they tie into the story. So glad that you brought that one. My next book is called the Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson. This is also another debut, and this is about Carwyn and his wife Rhian, and they've lived a very quiet life as sheep farmers in the remote Welsh mountains. It's also the year of sheep farmers.
- [39:08]
A
Lots of sheep going on, lots of sheep happening. Lots of sheep work, work.
- [39:13]
B
So they are shepherds, farmers in the remote Welsh mountains. And they have been doing this for decades, tending to ancestral land that has been in Carwin's family for generations. But recent years have taken their toll. Local friends lost one to old age or rising prices, the accumulation of debts. New English tourists more every year, disrespecting the land, littering, camping on private property, needing to be rescued when they have misjudged the elements. When Carwin finds a strange stone head in a disused corner of the farm, he realizes that the artifact is just one piece of something larger, something unfathomably old and ancient. Despite Rhian's protests, Carwin becomes very obsessed with unearthing the structure, and he soon starts neglecting the daily work of the farm in order to keep digging. Meanwhile, the sheep fall sick more easily than any season before, and a tragic accident on market day threatens to leave an increasingly isolated Rhian without a way to satisfy their ever more insistent creditors. Through it all, Karwen becomes convinced that unearthing and uncovering this site, determining its original purpose, will be the key to solving everything. But there is a reason his ancestors kept the past buried. And in disturbing the earth, he has called forth a power greater and more terrible than he could have ever imagined. Says that this book is enthralling and atmospheric and weaves together myth, psychological suspense, and supernatural horror in a sparkling new literary talent. That is the Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson. And that comes out on August 11th.
- [41:05]
A
Okay, next for me, let's see if it's a debut. I'm not actually sure. If it's. If it is or not. It's called A Portrait of a Witch Undone. And this one comes out on August 20th. Yeah, right. Okay. Get a load of this. And the reason why it may sound like it's not for me, but it's comped to A Discovery of Witches, which is a book that. I really enjoy that whole series. So I'm like, okay, I'm like, listening. It says once Maeve Ryan was the strongest witch of their generation. But Maeve messed up a spell to contact the lady of the Fens, an eerie revenant who lures the unwary to their deaths in the brackish marshlands of the North Shore. Maeve destroyed her reputation, hurt her best friend Ash, and tainted herself with unbound wild magic that transformed witches into insane revenants. With unbound power eating away at Maeve's mind, All she wants is to get rid of her magic forever. But Ash's research into how the spell went awry leads in an unexpected direction. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and a link between the lady and a decades old art theft worth 500 million. When Ash disappears through a stolen painting's empty frame, Maeve has to follow. Inside is Other Marsh, a haunting, deadly realm where only the ladies rules apply. Within this half world lie secrets about North Shore's history, Maeve's failure, and the fate of the masterpieces that disappeared over three decades ago. But as Maeve fights for the truth, she risks her friendship, coven, and her life against enemies hiding in plain sight. So she falls into this. This witch falls into a painting. And in there is Other March. It's like the Coraline we were talking about, right? Yes.
- [42:49]
B
It's like Portal. Yeah, it's like portal fantasy.
- [42:51]
A
Portal.
- [42:52]
B
Portal.
- [42:52]
A
Portal Fantasy.
- [42:55]
B
Portal Horror.
- [42:58]
A
Yes, Portal horror. Wow, that's a toughie. But anyway, I. This one comes out on the 25th. I think I may have said that. And I want to say I may be a debut from this author.
- [43:11]
B
It is.
- [43:11]
A
I see.
- [43:11]
B
I did.
- [43:12]
A
Thank you.
- [43:12]
B
While you were talking. And it does appear to be a debut novel.
- [43:16]
A
Gosh, gotta love it. And the author is from Massachusetts, which, like, makes me feel like, oh, it's a witchcraft story. Massachusetts.
- [43:24]
B
It's like, you know, they know they're
- [43:25]
A
witches, they go hand in hand. But this book is Portrait of a Witch Undone by KS Shea.
- [43:32]
B
Love it. We've got some really good ones today.
- [43:35]
A
I'm excited, too.
- [43:36]
B
I'm equally excited about my next one, which sounds really unique, really fun. It's called Crocodileopolis and it is by John Manuel Arias. I know, it's quite the title.
- [43:48]
A
Crocodileopolis.
- [43:49]
B
I feel like I did pretty good. I feel like I nailed it. Saying that without having to first take saying it. This comes out on August 25, and once a powerful, cold blooded politician in Costa Rica, Seth Oriomundo is now living in exile in Washington D.C. his younger brother Osario is to blame. Born into a corrupt political dynasty and raised on a seemingly idyllic coffee estate, the Oriomundo brothers were destined for greatness. But a dark family secret and a scandalous double crossing sent their lives into a tailspin, changing the country forever. Osario must pay, and Seth decides that the only way to do so is to return home to Costa Rica and feed his brother to the infamous river of crocodiles from their childhood. So got a revenge story here and a spellbinding story alternating between Seth's murderous plans and memories of the brothers upbringing. And it says that this has wisdom of biblical myth and the soapy wit of a telenovela, which sounds like an interesting, you know, like, combo there. And it says that Crocodileopolis is a masterful interrogation of power, masculinity, destiny, and legacy from a literary star on the rise. This might be a debut also. I know. So I don't know. That one sounds really interesting. I do tend to love sibling stories also, even if they're darker in nature, which this one definitely sounds like it is. That is Crocodileopolis by John Manuel Arias. And that comes out on August 25th.
- [45:36]
A
Why do I feel like our books go together? Like, I feel like we've got.
- [45:39]
B
Like, I feel like. Yeah, I do too.
- [45:41]
A
A good flight.
- [45:43]
B
Special mix today.
- [45:44]
A
A good mix for you today. I am delighted. And clearly I'm like, okay, we're heading into August. You know what that means. Pumpkin spice time. It's time for. Sorry.
- [45:57]
B
I know that's gonna really like six weeks away, guys.
- [46:00]
A
Yep. I know that's really gonna anger the summer folks. But, you know, it is what it is. I will tell you about my current read. I think I've mentioned this before as a current read, but listen, it is. I want to tell you what I'm actually reading. And I had to pause this poor book because I had to read two books. Books. It. Listen, it's a whole delicate balance. What I'm reading is Die for me. Surely nobody. But I'm a little bit further into it. Talk about witty banter. We were talking about that with a shampoo effect. Very good dialogue. Very good. This is the one about a cardiologist who falls for a much younger man with a suspiciously old soul. And in I'm like maybe 20% in, and nothing really has been revealed yet. It's a slow burn. But also what I like about it is that it's a workplace book. So you're in the operating room with her a little bit. So. So I'm enjoying it very much. So far. That is Die From Me by Shirlene Obuobi.
- [46:52]
B
My current read is the Children by Melissa Albert. This was on my summer bonanza, and I am really enjoying it so far. And this is the adult debut novel. So Melissa Albert has written young adult fantasy before. This is her adult debut, and it's following two estranged adult children of a legendary author. And we're following these two kids both in the present as they're adults and they are estranged. And then we're learning more about their past and it's kind of more sinister. And we're learning about the house that they grew up in. And is the house haunted? Is their mom haunted? Did they just have a rough upbringing? You're kind of trying to figure out exactly what's going on. I would say I'm about halfway through, not even quite halfway through, and I still have no idea what is happening. So I am excited that she is still holding us in suspense and that there is still a lot to figure out left in the novel. It's keeping me on my toes, excited to see where it goes. That's the Children by Melissa Albert.
- [47:59]
A
Both of our books also fall in line with the theme of the Books on the Radar episode. How about that? I know. We, like, really did wrap it up. We're like, here's the shampoo effect, here's your summer read. And then everything else is going to be literary.
- [48:14]
B
Getting ready for movie?
- [48:16]
A
We are. Exactly. Well, that is it for today. We thank you for spending a part of your day with us. Links to all the books mentioned can be found in the show notes. If you enjoyed today's episode, you can help us by following wherever you listen and by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps us get our show out to new listeners and grows our audience. And don't forget, if you'd like access to exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.
- [48:43]
B
If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both @booktok Etc. On Instagram and Tinabrec and Hannahdpickedbooks talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. Three, two, sip.
- [49:06]
A
We've been doing this, like, deep breathing class, and I swear to God, the one lady in the mic was, like, four in and out into the mic. It was like. That's a little aggressive. I know what exhaling sounds like.
- [49:22]
B
You probably can't handle the whisper. Asmr.
- [49:26]
A
I hate it. I also hate this class because everyone. You're supposed to be quiet in this class, and everyone's, like, talking.
- [49:34]
B
You're supposed to be quiet in this class.
- [49:36]
A
This one's yoga. Hit is good. Hit is different. The yoga one, it's like, you know, it's a yoga class. It's like a deep stretch restore. So everyone's, like, setting up and, like, talking quietly. And I don't mind it. And the music and the lights and the red panels, and there's these people just talking about, that's my seat. Oh, no, I'm number 20. Oh, hey, let's save a spot for John. I'm like, shut the up. So the whole time I'm laying there trying to find my center, breathe, you know, whatever, and they're just yapping away. This morning, people had alarms going. I was like, you're really harshing my buzz here. I don't feel centered.
- [50:13]
B
I don't feel centered.
- [50:14]
A
I don't feel.
- [50:15]
B
I also don't like this class.