← Book Talk, etc.
Book Talk, etc.
Easily Distracted by New Releases (January 2025) + Our Favorite Bookish Resources
00:51:07
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- [00:00]
Hannah
That's not the kind of funny our people want to hear. No, that's trauma funny. That's trauma. Real funny.
- [00:05]
Tina
Yeah. Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
- [00:23]
Hannah
And I'm Hannah from Handpicked Books.
- [00:25]
Tina
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood readers who are easily distracted by new releases and. And today we're sharing reviews on a few new book releases.
- [00:35]
Hannah
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 lovers.
- [00:43]
Tina
Hi, Hannah.
- [00:44]
Hannah
Hi, Tina. How are we doing?
- [00:46]
Tina
I mean, medium. No, I'm great. It's good. It's very dark outside. It's nighttime when we're recording and I feel like I'm in a bunker. Truly. Like it's so dark in this basement other than the glow from my overhead lights. But, you know, we're good.
- [01:02]
Hannah
We usually don't record at night. We do it every once in a while. And so it's a little bit different. But honestly, sometimes it's nice to change it up a little bit.
- [01:11]
Tina
It is. I know. It feels like we bring different energy for sure. In real time. We are going on vacation tomorrow and I'm excited, but I'm jittery. You know how it goes. I'm like, I gotta bring everything that I own.
- [01:22]
Hannah
Yes.
- [01:23]
Tina
I don't know about you. I am a night before packer. I can't help it. I make lists. I make the lists for weeks, really, leading up to the trip. But I don't start. I have started. But yeah, I just got to put the finishing touches on that. But, you know, let's take a. I'm going to take a break and talk about books first.
- [01:40]
Hannah
I love that. And it's just nice respite from having to pack, which is kind of the worst.
- [01:46]
Tina
It is the worst. It's very much the worst.
- [01:49]
Hannah
Now here's the thing. Do you hate unpacking more or do you hate. Hate packing more?
- [01:54]
Tina
We hate unpacking so much that I literally unpacked pieces of John's suitcase, I think from last year. I'm not kidding. No, it's from. It's from a previous trip. I hate it. Hate it. So last trip we did, I forced myself. Forced. We got home, it was a road trip, I think, and I unpacked immediately and I felt great. But I was like, who is she? I don't know what got into me, but I know it Was kind of nice. And then John's suitcase, of course, was kicking around for the next two weeks.
- [02:21]
Hannah
But anyway, that's how I am. Yep.
- [02:23]
Tina
I, I, yeah, that's typically how I am. But I digress. I am bringing another loving lightly.
- [02:29]
Hannah
Yes.
- [02:30]
Tina
That is a Christmas gift that I got. Perfect. So we'll be running out of these soon. But this is a. John is a very good gift giver. He really, really is. He's very, you know, he doesn't mind spending a little coin. So I very much appreciate it. The loving lately that I have is called the Ito Wine Decanter. And just like the name suggests, this is a wine decanter. Now, it's not just any decanter. Right. It's not like a glass vase. It is very sophisticated. And I will say this is a luxury gift because it's not just a wine decanter. You can put an entire bottle in, just like a regular one. But then once you pour the glass, you can push down the top. And it keeps it airtight, right? Oh, cool. It keeps it airtight. It's very small too. It fits on the fridge door. But, but what's neat is like, okay, if you want one glass of wine, close it and it's good for two weeks. And literally we've had wine, you know, after you open it. And even if you cork it up, it's not very good the next day or two. This thing keeps it fresh as though you, you've just corked it. It's really cool. It's also beautiful. Like, I feel so fancy when I bring it out. I brought it across the street one day for this party we were doing, and everyone's like, what are you drinking out of? What is that? I mean, I didn't drink right out of the decanter, but they were like, I was pouring it mostly cause I wanted to play with it. It is great. It's sort of a wine saver slash decanter. If you've got a wedding coming up this next year, put it on your registry. Or if you have people you know, it's a very nice gift. I got mine in gold. They also got silver, rose gold, and some other ones. And you can engrave it if you wanted to. This thing is beautiful also. It, of course, decants it. So when you're pouring it in, there's like a little ball mechanism that kind of bubbles. Same thing when you're pouring it out. So it's always fresh and delicious. And I'm very impatient. I'm not good at disassembling things and reassembling it just in general. I don't like it. But this one's really easy. So it took me one try to like, Jonathan wasn't home and I had to do it by myself. You know, I had cleaned it and I was like, darn, I have to figure this out now. It's pretty easy once you figure it out. So I love this thing. I'm so happy he got it. It's the Ito wine decanter.
- [04:40]
Hannah
This would be perfect for me because I am a slow wine drinker. Like I'll, you know, have a couple glasses and then I won't have anymore for like a week or so. And I just am not someone who goes through a bottle of wine quickly. So I feel like this would be great if you are a very like wine dabbler or like an occasional wine drinker. This sounds perfect. What a good gift too.
- [05:03]
Tina
Very cool. Yeah, it was a really nice gift.
- [05:05]
Hannah
So it's hard when you've been giving gifts to someone for so long to find creative ones. And that's a good one.
- [05:11]
Tina
I don't know why he. I don't know what, where he finds his stuff. But thank you to our editor.
- [05:16]
Hannah
Yes, I love it. Okay, so my loving lately is the Archer and Olive undated planner. Archer and Olive is most famous for their bullet journals, which I also love. And I will link the one that I use for bullet journaling in the show notes also. But I wanted to shout out their planners as well because I've been loving them and Archer and Olive has just such good quality with their products. So with the planner, what I really like about it is that you can plan out your days, your weeks and your months all year long. And it's an undated planner. So they have dated ones, but they also have undated ones. And I need an undated planner because I am not consistent. And I need something that is still organized but can work with my chaos. And one that I can start from the beginning. I don't like getting a planner and having to start it halfway through and then go back to the beginning of the planner, et cetera. So this works really well for me. This particular planner features an intricate full cover design. It's so beautiful. The one that I have was inspired by their vintage special edition books and it is part debossed and part hand stamped with this foil with like a pewter and copper shift. It's so, so pretty. And it also features something that they're famous for, which is their paper. It's called like 160 GSM. I don't know what that stands for, but I am familiar like with that paper. I think it's like the grade of paper and it makes it so there is minimal bleed through and it's less prone to tearing or wrinkling. And it allows it to handle frequent flipping or like adhesive add ons like stickers and washi tape and stuff, which I like to use in my planners and journals. It makes it more fun for. Because organizing is something that I struggle with. So having something like this that is really high quality that I can kind of play with a little bit more is really helpful. I also flip through my planner constantly, so it's nice to have this thicker paper that won't like wrinkle and get damaged with me constantly flipping through it. So anyway, they also have a kit club subscription, which is this monthly subscription that contains materials that one could need to create a cohesive theme in your planner or bullet journal where each month you receive this new kit that includes like washi tape and stickers and collage paper and things that fit a theme. I've never done this, but I wanted to share it because it sounds really fun and like something that I would consider doing. I found it when I was preparing for our episode today and I was like, I didn't know they had this cool subscription option. So I wanted to shout that out because that's something that I'm considering doing because I love Archer and Olive products. And the one that I have been loving the most lately is the Archer and Olive undated planner.
- [08:12]
Tina
I can't believe you haven't brought this yet. Is this your first time using their planners?
- [08:16]
Hannah
Well, yes, it's my first time using the planner. I've typically. I'm very familiar with Archer and Olive. I love them. Again, it's that like one 160gsm paper. I love that paper. It's so nice. And their quality of their covers and stuff is really nice too. I've used it.
- [08:30]
Tina
Beautiful. Yeah.
- [08:30]
Hannah
Bullet journals.
- [08:32]
Tina
Yeah, that's what you said. That's right. But this is your first four way with the planner.
- [08:36]
Hannah
It is my first foray with their planner and I, I saw that they had an undated one and I was like, sold.
- [08:41]
Tina
Yes.
- [08:41]
Hannah
That's the price point I would say is a little up there for a planner. So it's like you can, you can find them. The one that I got I think was like 44 and they range between, I want to say like a 37 and 55 range. So for a planner, it's a little bit expensive, like more than you would spend at Target for a planner. But I don't think, like if you're someone that really values quality with things like organization planning, bullet journaling, I don't think that it's something that's super outlandish. So to give you an idea of.
- [09:14]
Tina
A price point cost per use, you're using it every day and if it's going to hold up, I think that's important.
- [09:19]
Hannah
Every day. Yeah, agreed.
- [09:21]
Tina
Don't tempt me. You know I'm on my low buy.
- [09:24]
Hannah
Well, you've got your. I know, but you've got your notion.
- [09:26]
Tina
I got my notion. I know I don't use. I, you know, I got my, my commonplace journal and my notion and I'm all set with that. So. Yeah, but I'm always tempted. Right.
- [09:35]
Hannah
Oh, me too.
- [09:36]
Tina
Let's get into latest reads and I am bringing three brand new releases today. I don't know what got into me. My January reading has been absolutely wonderful. I have read eight books so far in January. I don't know what's wrong with me. I am just on a terror. But I will say, I mean these are by and large pretty easy to read books. I've been doing a of thrillers. So today if you are a psychological thriller lover, you're in luck because I'm bringing three thrillers that I recently read. They all came out, I believe in January. So the first one that I'm bringing is the Note by Alair Burke. This one is about a vacation in the Hamptons that goes terribly wrong for three friends with a common history. It follows May Hanover. She was always the good girl in the group. Well behaved, top of her class and she ended up becoming a lawyer. She was raised by a first generation Chinese single mother with very high expectations. She sort of was not allowed to slip up. But when it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she's had her fair share of secrets. They became friends when they were very young. They withstood a tragic accident at the summer camp. There were individual scandals, heartbreak and loss and now they're reuniting. They've always been friendly, but you know, as people do, as they get older, they sort of pull apart. But they're having a girls weekend and they're seeing each other for the first time in years for a few days of fun in the Hamptons. And there is a chance encounter with a pair of strangers that leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly wrong. And they find themselves at the center of an urgent police investigation. And I'll leave it there. It caught me. I don't like pranks in my everyday life. Like, I always. I'm like, do I not have a sense of humor? Like, I don't like pranks. It's not something that I think is funny. But for some reason, the, you know, I love my girls trips gone wrong and, like, friends with secret. So I was curious to know what the prank was. This one was okay for me. I think it made sense. I think the prank, it's very plausible. This is not, like, totally outlandish. Something that you could never, ever see happening, at least for the setup in the very beginning. What I like, too, is that all three girls or three women had been canceled for different reasons. And I wish she had even played with that a little bit more, because I do love a character that has been publicly shamed or publicly canceled. I thought that's a. I just think that's really interesting. The thing that lost me a bit is it goes way back to when they were in summer camp and you figure out what happened back then. And I understand those chapters needed to be had. So you kind of got the full scope of their friendship. I didn't like these characters. Mae was fine. She was my favorite of all of them. The two friends were one dimensional to the point where I couldn't keep them straight. And I felt like they were the same person. I'm like, which. Is there a difference between these two? Are they just the same? Because in my head, they kind of merged together. I hated the boyfriend. May has this fiance in this book, and I'm like, I just don't need this character on my page at all. There were some good reveals, but overall it was just okay. Unfortunately, I found the ending to be pretty rushed and very spelled out, and I don't think it was my favorite. I gave it three stars.
- [12:46]
Hannah
Okay.
- [12:47]
Tina
It was entertaining. Very quick popcorn read if you'd like popcorn thrillers. There's also a little bit of legal aspect because May is a lawyer, and I enjoyed that. But three stars. It was all right. This one was the Note by Alifair Burke.
- [13:01]
Hannah
Yeah. This one I haven't heard a ton about yet, but I. It was on my radar because I do always feel intrigued by a retreat or, like a girl's weekend or something like that. But. Okay. Fair review. Okay. So my latest read, you'll be so pleased to hear, Tina, it's. We Used to Live Here by Marcus.
- [13:25]
Tina
Yep.
- [13:26]
Hannah
I'm gonna. Yes. I'm bringing this one so this was one of Tina's top reads of the year. And I finally read this one after a push from both Tina and Alyssa from Worlds Within Pages. She's one of my best friends, and since she read it in the summer, she has been begging me to read this. You know, Tina's been asking me to read it. So now that there has been some time between Tina reviewing over the summer, I think is when you brought this one officially to the show. I decided to finally bring it. This is a story about a young queer couple who are flipping a house in a charming neighborhood and are thrilled by their bargain purchase until the home's former residents unexpectedly visit. And what starts as a polite gesture to let them tour the house starts to spiral into a chilling nightmare when strange occurrences, a missing child, and a very ominous presence start to create a sense of unease and dread. I am so glad that I read this one in the winter, which you actually, Tina, encouraged me to do, because it has a perfect atmospheric winter setting. It's again, like, set in the winter. There's a snowstorm. That kind of plays, like, a pretty big role in the story. I want to say that as I was reading this one, I kept thinking about House of Leaves, which I've heard a lot. If you have heard anybody talk about this book, that has been a big comp. And so I think if you liked that book and like these kinds of stories, that definitely is a solid comparison. I didn't know that it was actually a huge inspiration for this story. Again, I definitely feel like that is a very apt comparison. I feel like this one is a more compelling and readable story than House of Leaves, which is a literal puzzle and, like, Everest to get through. There was some discourse over the ending. I feel like I got just enough where I felt pretty, like, solidified and happy with getting some answers. There were definitely some things where it's like, well, wait, what happened here? And what happened here? I don't mind that. And I think that there was a good amount of both, which I really appreciated. And this book was definitely creepy. It did a great job of making things that normally would not be scary feel really ominous. And there was some other really creepy stuff, too, that was just flat out scary. And so there was definitely some of that, too. But also there would be moments that just seemed normal, like someone just standing there, but it was scary. So I thought that that was a really unique aspect of this one. All in all, I totally get why people loved this one and why they said that it was so creepy. I overall agree and really liked this and I'm really glad that I read it in the winter and that was we used to live here.
- [16:16]
Tina
Marcus Cleaver I'm very glad you read it. I was a little worried. I'm like, I hope you enjoy this. You know, I wasn't sure where you would land because I don't know exactly. And you know, I don't want to say the things that I wasn't sure about for you because obviously those are spoilers. But I'm glad to know. It's always helpful when you have mutually read the same book with somebody that you talk to a lot because it's like, okay, now I know what types of books you like. It like gives you more data every time you get to do that. So I appreciate your review. And if you've not yet read it, like she said, winter is a great time.
- [16:48]
Hannah
It's a great time.
- [16:49]
Tina
It's a great time to do so. And speaking of, you know, a great time to do so, I know a lot of us, at least me, of course we're building our tbrs for the year. And for booktok today, we're sharing a couple of things, a couple of bookish resources that we use just to build our tbr, to get recommendations, to just get bookish information from. And I think we're staying away from specific, specific people. Of course we've got our top recommendation sources from people that are on Instagram or wherever or fellow podcasters. But I think sometimes it's fun too, to look even beyond that and share things that might be a little bit off the beaten path or maybe things that y'all have not yet heard of. Does that encapsulate it? Hannah?
- [17:32]
Hannah
Yes, I. I'm definitely sharing maybe some more. Again, like you said, off the beaten path recommendations, but also kind of just some more general recommendations too, of just places and apps that I go to look for book recommendations outside of, like you said, kind of individual people and things like that.
- [17:50]
Tina
Perfect. Okay, that sounds good. I only have a couple because honestly, I get the majority of my book recommendations, good, bad, otherwise from I don't know where. Sometimes it's myself. Sometimes when I do my new Release Tuesday videos, I'm like, dang, that book sounds good. And I end up like picking it up because of recency bias. And I just think it sounds interesting, but sometimes it's, you know, just other people online. So the first resource that I thought of when I was planning for this episode is Crime Reads. Com I love mystery and thriller, and this goes Very well with my personal theme for today andwhatcrime reads.com. of course, it's a website and it focuses specifically on crime, but it also breaks crime down into very specific sub genres. Like you can get any sort of recommendation that you ever might be looking for on here. You can do true crime, mystery, noir, suspense, espionage, legal. And they've also got. Literary Hub is a piece of this as well. So those are two places that I will look at when we're doing our Sunday newsletter. And I'm trying to find like, links that the patrons might love. This is one of the spots that I go to. I always enjoy their emails as well. They send out a weekly email, new books coming out this week, which of course I love. Um, because it again, specifically focuses on crime stories. Like, I'm looking at this list. Granted, I look at new releases every week and there are. I've heard of like two of these. So I'm always like, how do they.
- [19:19]
Hannah
Oh, that's great.
- [19:20]
Tina
Yeah, right. It's. It's just sort of things that I don't know, missed or didn't hear of. So that's one of my very favorite first recommendations that I'm always perusing.
- [19:30]
Hannah
Yeah, I haven't used crime reads a whole lot, so I'm glad that you brought that one. Lit Hub was definitely one of the ones that I was going to talk about about as well. I just feel like this is such a great resource and they have so many like really big posts of like 300 books to look forward to in 2025. Or like they have an actual post that I'll link in our show notes, which are their most anticipated books of 2025. And again, there were some books in that list that, yeah, I had anticipated as well, but a couple that I. That weren't on. On my radar before. So I definitely look to Lithub for that. I also use Book Riot a ton. I use Book Riot like a Google search engine, especially when I am looking for something specific, like for one of our episodes or if I'm just in the mood for something really specific, I will go to Google and I will say climate fiction published in 2024. Book Riot. And almost always, even when it's really specific, someone on Book Riot, whether it's one of their contributors or someone that works there, has given you a list of books that fit into this special category. So they are such a good resource, especially if you're looking for something really specific and don't know where to go. I feel like Book Riot's A great, a great spot.
- [21:00]
Tina
And they also have this great book Riot Insiders. If it's like a paid feature, I think it's $5 a month. And you get access to their new release guide. And this, I mean, they have every book you could ever hope to read listed on this new release guide. It doesn't. It's not like that far into the future, but that's another really good resource that I will sometimes look at when we're prepping our, you know, new releases as a part of our newsletter. They do a really good job with that. Another site that I like to go to for book lists specifically is called Electric Lit. And I feel like they have some of my favorite reading lists, but they also have some very just interesting ones, you know, things that are not necessarily so. They, they tend to do a lot of like most anticipated queer books for spring 2025 or, you know, whatnot. But they also have some very, very specific ones. 15 Modern Indian classics in translation. Like again, you can get any sort of specific recommendation from this one. And they tend to do things that are not as obvious and sort of fun too. I just like their website. And they'll have a couple quizzes here and there. They'll talk about adaptations, there's interviews. But this is a good resource as well.
- [22:07]
Hannah
That is one that I hadn't heard of before. I just went to their site and I am super excited to check this one out. One other one that I wanted to mention is a blog called Booklist Queen. I think I brought this as a letter lately, last year. And I just love a list. I love something that's super simple and I can just look at book club books or hot new releases or nonfiction books published this month, et cetera. So again, another pretty simple but just great resource, especially if you read thrillers, contemporary and young adult books. I think those are mostly the books that I see on Booklist Queen's list. Some sci fi and fantasy, but. But for the most part, kind of more in that like thriller and commercial fiction lane, which I read a lot of that stuff. I know you do too. So that's a great resource as well.
- [23:00]
Tina
Yeah, and I'm glad you we said we're not talking specific people necessarily, but I do have a blog that's a specific person. It's Ashley Hastie. She runs Hastie's Book List. And what I like about her is if you like historical fiction, I think this is a good resource for you. She does a monthly newsletter. It just comes out and she always does a lot of author interviews, but via email, I suppose, and sort of, you know, she asks them questions, they respond back. So she has some author spotlights, but then we'll also share a little bit of lifestyle, a little bit of her favorite books, you know, that she had read most recently. I understand too that she's a fellow Chicago girl, so she's always somebody that I'm curious about when I get her emails.
- [23:40]
Hannah
Yeah, I will say too. And again, I guess I didn't think about a blog as being a specific person, but I guess it is because there is a face behind the blog. But I will say just in general in terms of social platforms and I'm curious about. I'm curious about you too, Tina. But in terms of social platforms, I would say the ones that I pay attention to the most where like when I say, oh, this has been really hyped, et cetera, I look at YouTube and Instagram the most. I'm curious, what are your current social apps that you feel like you get the most recommendations from?
- [24:20]
Tina
It's Instagram and it's specifically people. Now I couldn't even run down a list for you, honestly, because here's one thing about me and I feel so bad about it. I can't keep people straight unless I've like talked to them. Like I've actually like physically talked to them or I've interviewed them or like whatever we've met in person. But like I'm really bad. Like I'll recognize the letters in their handle but I'll be like, oh yeah, it's this person. So it's really hard for me to recall. But every time they pop up in my DMs or like we're having like a weeks long conversation, I'm always happy to see that. But I think Instagram is my top source in terms of book specific recommendations. Like if things are getting buzzed like you said, of course TikTok, which may or may not be going away, might be gone by the time you're hearing my voice. But I don't like TikTok for the recommendations. Oddly. I like it for the discourse and sort of the. I don't know, it's different.
- [25:13]
Hannah
Oh, I agree with you. It is different.
- [25:15]
Tina
Yeah, there are some people that do a really good job recommending books that are in my wheelhouse on TikTok and hopefully they'll be on other platforms. But in general that's not where I go to for like buzzy or really specific things.
- [25:27]
Hannah
I agree. I think that especially if you're looking for buzzy new releases or you kind of want to know what's happening right now? I feel like TikTok and BookTok, I feel like it focuses so much on Backlist. I mean, I remember when it kind of first became super popular. Like some of the most popular books on Booktok and I would say still are, are like Song of Achilles and 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which are popular books. But they came out a while ago and so that is something that I will miss if, you know, and when it does go away is kind of getting those like Backlist gems all the time. Because I feel like that it really promoted Backlist books, which is unique for a social app.
- [26:09]
Tina
You're so correct. You're absolutely right. Yeah. And now I'm like, of course I want to stay there and think about that. Why that is, why is Instagram so flash in the pan buzzy? And I'm certainly a part of it, right? I mean I always do try and look for like more under the radar books. But you're right, you know, the new releases get me. And maybe it's just the spheres that we're in on Instagram that very well could be it. In terms of YouTube, I have certain creators that I follow, but I'm still dabbling. I'm getting my toes into that world. I don't know, I don't have very many people that I'm looking to yet for reviews, but I hope that it will be a good resource here, you know, filling my TikTok void.
- [26:48]
Hannah
Yeah, for sure. And especially from a creator standpoint too, because I know you love that long form video and you know, hopefully again, like you said, YouTube could help fill that void a little bit. I am curious just because we're talking about, you know, bookish resources, et cetera, in terms of the creator standpoint from making videos and connecting with people on YouTube, do you feel like YouTube is less social or more social than the other apps? And how do you feel like that contributes to book recommendations and using that as a resource?
- [27:20]
Tina
I was so surprised with how many people are commenting. I'm like, oh, so I had some videos that are getting very low views, which is what I expected. And then I had one video do very well. For me having, you know, been on YouTube now for three months, ish. I got like 10,000 views on a video I did about my favorite mystery and thrillers for the year. And there were so many people commenting and I feel like it's just different people. I'm like, I don't. Some of them are the Listeners of the podcast. Some of them are patrons and, you know, folks that I know from Instagram. But I do think there's a lot of people that are like, no, I'm not on any social apps. I'm so glad you're here. I'm like, really? So it's pretty neat.
- [27:58]
Hannah
Oh, that's interesting.
- [28:00]
Tina
Yeah. And I have been getting some recommendations in the comments, like, oh, you should read blah, blah blah, which is kind of fun and something I've not explored at all. It's just, I guess, something I wasn't even thinking about when I started that endeavor. I don't know. Is that what you were asking?
- [28:15]
Hannah
Yeah, yeah, it is. And I just think that sometimes when you start in a new social space, it's just interesting to see, like, I don't know, it just sometimes amazes me how big the world is because, you know, Instagram is like such a small, little, little area and community when you think about it. And then like sometimes I'll. I'll post on threads or something like that and I'll. I'll get like 50 comments from people I've never even heard of and I'm like, oh my gosh, the world is so big and we're so used to these small little communities. But that was a little bit of a side tangent, but I don't know, something interesting to think about.
- [28:47]
Tina
No, for sure. But I will say one thing. I just said that I don't remember people's handles, but one thing about Instagram is I know who are in general, like, oh yeah, I've seen you before. You know this or that. I know who this person is. I know whatever, I know something about them. YouTube, Wild west, don't know who you are. I've gotten like two mean comments so far, which they're not even that mean. Somebody was making fun of me for saying this book is about blah, blah, blah. And I. This one's about the woman who I'm like, shut up. But I.
- [29:15]
Hannah
Why were they making fun of you for that?
- [29:17]
Tina
I guess cuz I say it a lot. But I'm like, how else do you set up a book? I don't know. Like, we all have our verbal tics, man, leave me alone. And I don't remember. Oh, the other one was yelling at me about audiobooks not being reading. Basically. You'll get that anywhere. But yeah, that's One thing about YouTube is like strangers, Strangers on a train. Like, it's like very wild. And I can't predict the algorithm yet, so it's Been fun.
- [29:38]
Hannah
But anyway, people are probably still figuring you out, too. Like, well, you know, with the communities that we've been in for a long time, you know, with, you know, for you, with the podcast and I'm. I'm getting there. With the podcast and with Instagram, we've been there for so long that, like, I don't ever see stuff like. Like audiobooks aren't reading anymore because people probably already know, like, where I stand with that. And also my algorithm and, like, the people that I follow don't feel that way. I don't really see that stuff. But like you said, especially because YouTube is a new space for you and people are getting to know you and your algorithm is probably still trying to figure it out. You're getting those wild west comments of people that think these asinine things, like audiobooks don't count as reading, you know.
- [30:17]
Tina
Yeah. And I think the demographic is very different. Anyway, it's been fun. It's been fun to explore. And it's funny, too, because it'll be like, wow, you have such different books. I'm like, what are the other people talking about? Maybe I need to watch more BookTube, because I have no idea. I thought. I'm like, these are regular old recommendations. They're like, I hadn't heard of this one. I'm like, really? Everyone's talking about it over on Instagram.
- [30:36]
Hannah
But, oh, I love BookTube. Yeah, I love it. It's also a great resource for recommendations.
- [30:41]
Tina
I feel like, yes, yes, I'm excited to continue to get more into that community and just figure things out over there. But speaking of buzzy books, I have, I think, two of the buzziest books that have been buzzed so far, outside of the favorites, which I brought last week. But the first book that I'm bringing is the Three Lives of Kate K. By Kate Fagan. And this one is the one that's comped to the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. And it's a novel about a bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past. Kate K. Is an author, and she was very lucky with her career. She wrote her first book. Think of it like the Hunger Games. That's how big her very first book got. And Kate K. Is a pseudonym. She becomes, as you find out in the book, one of the most successful authors of her generation, and nobody knows who she really is. And that, like, lends itself to a part of her mystery. The book is her memoir, and it's told. It has an Oral history. So it's very interesting because you're hearing side plots from a childhood best friend, from somebody's mom, from the postman. Like, all of these peripheral people build this narrative, but at the center, it's a story of who Kate K. Is and how she came to be. And it's also a story about love. I liked so much about this. It was very easy to read for me. I sunk right in. At times, I got very frustrated by Kate. But I also feel like that is the mark of a really good story because I was, like, shouting at the world, like, shaking my fist, like, just blah, blah, blah. If you're somebody who the miscommunication trope really bugs you, you may not enjoy this that much. I didn't fully mind it. It felt authentic to the characters. And I will leave it at that. It is a story about an author. You do get a little bit of the behind the scenes of writing and shooting movies. There's a little bit of it set in Hollywood. Overall, I enjoyed it. I thought the ending was a little abrupt for me. I could have done with a little bit more, but again, that's the mark of a good reading experience. I did the audio very much worked in that format. And I do recommend this. I think I landed about 4.25. Oh, okay. I think. Yeah. I just finished it, like, 10 minutes ago before we started recording. So it's very, very fresh in my mind.
- [33:02]
Hannah
It's fresh.
- [33:03]
Tina
If you've read this and want to chat about it, this is a recommend. I do very much enjoy this. I might need to take some space away to, like, really give it a full, solid rating. But overall, I enjoyed it. That's the Three Lives of Kate K by Kate Fagan. I also want to say we do find out why her name is Kate K. It makes sense in the story. I'm still curious as to why the author Kate, chose to name her character Kate. But anyway, I digress.
- [33:28]
Hannah
Maybe she just had an idea for the story because you said that you do find out why, you know her name is.
- [33:32]
Tina
It worked.
- [33:33]
Hannah
Maybe she.
- [33:34]
Tina
It works.
- [33:34]
Hannah
Yeah. Maybe she just had this idea and she was like, I know it's weird, but I just gotta go with it because that's.
- [33:40]
Tina
Because. Why not, you know. Yolo. Yep. And this was a debut. Very good debut. Like, super good debut.
- [33:46]
Hannah
Yeah. Always fun to find authors like that that we can look forward to reading their next books.
- [33:51]
Tina
Yeah.
- [33:52]
Hannah
Okay. So my new release is the Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy. This one wasn't. It's so funny. Like, I think about why I pick certain books up, and I truly couldn't tell you other than the fact that I saw this and I was like, you know what I'm feeling? Nonfiction. And I feel like I have seen some people say that they're looking forward to this one, and I should just try some nonfiction that's out of my wheelhouse and see how it goes. And I gotta say, this went really, really well, because this isn't, like, a topic or something that I would have sought out, but I gave it a chance, and I'm really glad that I did so. The Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy is this blend of forensics, feminist history, and personal narrative. And it uncovers the story of Martha or Marty Goddard, who in the 1970s, really revolutionized forensic science by creating the rape kit to ensure evidence collection and dignity for sexual assault survivors and victims. Despite her groundbreaking work, Marty ended up kind of, I want to say, putting it in quotations, allowing a man to take credit for her achievements. And then she ended up disappearing. She kind of faded into obscurity. And our author or journalist, Pagan Kennedy, embarks on this quest to uncover Marty's forgotten legacy. And she unravels the history of forensics in America while reflecting on her own experiences with sexual assault. And I will say there definitely are some pretty, I don't know, I would say, like, graphic descriptions of things that happened to our author, this journalist. I had a couple people when I posted this that I was reading it ask if this was a really triggering book. And it's hard for me to say because I am not easily triggered by a reading experience. But on an objective level, I will say that the author does kind of go into some details of some things that happened to her. And the rest of the story really is this account that celebrates a pioneer's contributions and really examines the ongoing fight for justice and recognition in the field of forensics. What stood out the most to me was how the author wove together Marty's story with her own reflections. And she really created this. This narrative that felt really personal but historically significant. And I really like that combination. It made me realize how much progress has been made and how far we have yet to go and how many people's contributions still remain acknowledged. I will say, especially through again, getting some more opinions on this book. When I shared that I was currently reading it, I found myself and others found themselves wishing for maybe more perspectives from the scientists and people who actually process these kits. And because we don't actually Hear any perspectives of the scientists who actually process these kits. And hearing directly from those who used Marty's innovation in the field could have added even more depth to the story. But still, this is an incredible read. It left me with a greater appreciation for the fight for justice and the unsung heroes behind it. So I would definitely recommend this one. It's narrated by Claire Danes. I did listen to the audio, and it's a pretty short listen, I want to say less than six hours on audio. So, yeah, for the. For the topic that it covers, I think that this kind of shorter book, like did. Did that a service because, you know, it was a heavy topic. So I think that having it be shorter worked well. And that's the Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy.
- [37:43]
Tina
Glad you brought this. Look at you bringing nonfiction. That is something I aspire to do once a month, is do a nonfiction. I have yet to pick one for.
- [37:52]
Hannah
January, but I am determined. Yeah, I am determined to read more nonfiction that is not memoir in 2025. Memoir too.
- [38:00]
Tina
Right.
- [38:00]
Hannah
But other nonfiction also. Yes, memoir too.
- [38:04]
Tina
Well, this next one is not nonfiction at all. It is another popcorn thriller. Let me get it out of my system. Okay. It was Cross My Heart by Megan Collins. And this one is beautiful. It's a pink cover. A woman's, like, in the dark, and she's searching online. And it's just a great cover. And it is about a heart transplant recipient who becomes obsessed with her donor's husband. Okay, you with me?
- [38:31]
Hannah
Okay, I'm with you.
- [38:33]
Tina
And so it's about Rosie. Rosie's your main character. She is obsessed with love, bless her heart. She works in a bridal shop that her family owns and just wants to be loved. Her entire life, she's been told that she is too much and she is anxious for the happy ending that she gets to see other people embark on every single day. She gets this life saving heart transplant. She knows the value of her life and figures out that her heart donor is somebody that's notorious in their town. And so there is this messaging app that they're able to use if both parties consent to it. It's an anonymous service called Donor Connect. And at first, she wants to message the deceased's husband to figure out more about her donor. Then she's like, I think I know who he is, so let me, like, do a little more digging. And as they correspond, it turns out they hit it off and the book goes from there. I love this reading experience. I love the Donor Connect sections. You're getting Sort of that. Multimedia emails to help further the story. And this character, I wanted to give her a hug. She is flawed but somehow endearing. You also want to just sit her down and be like girl, you know, like I wanted a big sister her a little bit because she just made so many interesting decisions. She did such a good job walking the line of being unlikable, untrustworthy and unhinged. But still very much somebody that you wanted to care about. Right? It's a good character. The only critique I have is that the ending was way over the top. But there were some good reveals throughout. When it comes to mystery and thriller, especially popcorn reads. Popcorn thrillers. I'm rating on the overall enjoyability factor. That's like my primary thing. Am I titillated? Am I enjoying this? Am I like, what's going to happen next? Oh my God, Come on. And I'm just looking at my notes from this. This is a easy at least four and a half star read. It was fun. It was a really good time and I think the book had some good things to say. It had some really good things to say about being called, quote, crazy about obsession. And I just think the author did such a good job. There's one specific thing at the very, very end that I absolutely love that she chose to do. I thought this was such a good time. I highly recommend it. This one is Cross My Heart by Megan Collins.
- [41:09]
Hannah
Oh, listening to you talk about that was so fun. It is so fun to find, especially a popcorn thriller that just really works. There's something about it that's just so thrilling.
- [41:21]
Tina
It was a thrill. I was delighted. It was a good time.
- [41:25]
Hannah
Good. It's also really hard to find a main character that is equally unhinged and messy. But also there's something about him that. That you like or that you're rooting for, et cetera.
- [41:37]
Tina
Yes, it's very. I think it's hard to strike that balance. She wasn't dumb. Like she's made some decision. I was like side eyeing. But also she wasn't just like she had substance.
- [41:47]
Hannah
Well, good. It sounds like this is a thriller that has substance. So I'm glad that you told us about it.
- [41:53]
Tina
Yes.
- [41:55]
Hannah
My next new release is the Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young. This is Adrienne Young's newest book. It came out this month in January and I had tried Spells for forgetting by this author and didn't love it. And so I didn't end up reading her book that came out last year, but this one just seemed Like, I don't know, I had been seeing it everywhere and it just seemed like it might work. So I decided to pick it up. I'm really glad that I did because this is making me want to go back and read her other book from last year, because I really enjoyed this one. And it is about a small town that is filled with secrets. We're following James golden, who is drawn into unraveling the mysterious death of her twin brother Johnny. That did take me a minute because it's a her and her name is James. But you end up getting it eventually. Eventually, the twins had a deep connection, and when Johnny passed away, James felt really alone for the first time. And she delves into Johnny's life in Hawthorne, which is where they grew up, and confronts a shared and ominous past. And re encounters Micah, who is the only man she's ever loved. So they are rekindling not necessarily their romance, but their relationship. And mysterious remnants of her connection with her brother uncover hidden truths and secrets about their town and the people in it. And it leads her to question everything that she thought she knew about him. And in the end, James must decide which truths she is ready to reveal and which ones are better left buried. I again, really like this one and especially enjoyed the audiobook. This was another one I did on audio. This had such a good blend of storytelling and plot and mystery and relationship development and character development. All of those are really important to me. And I felt like she blended all of those really well. The narrative took a lot of twists and turns and kind of yanked the reader around a little bit with trying to figure out who and what were responsible for some of these dark secrets that our main characters were trying to find answers to. But I didn't mind it. I don't say that as a negative thing. I actually feel like it was very kind of realistic because things kept changing. But I don't know, I feel like even in real life, you never. There are always multiple sides to every story. And I feel like this book really shared like, oh, there are multiple sides to every story. And it just really, you know, showed that there's more to things than usually meets the eye. I would say that I gave this a 3.5 4 star rating and it made for a great audiobook to sink into at night while I wound down the day. It wasn't too complex, but definitely entertaining and engaging and even a little bit cozy in a way. So I want to go back and try this author's book that came out last year, the Unmaking of June Farrow. And when I read that, let you know what I think. But this one is Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrian Young.
- [45:14]
Tina
This one, as soon as I saw it coming out, I thought, oh, that's a Hannah book. Don't know why, just thought, this is going to be one that you will read. Lo and behold.
- [45:22]
Hannah
And lo and behold, here we are.
- [45:25]
Tina
Here we are. Let's do shelf additions. Eh, let's do it. I have a weird one. I got a weird one. It's coming out in January, and I say weird as like a endearing adjective. It's called Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan. Do you know it?
- [45:41]
Hannah
Oh, no, but I know this author. She would have bellies.
- [45:47]
Tina
Yeah, I don't know that I saw that as a part of the thing, but I was like, I don't. I have no reference of that. But.
- [45:52]
Hannah
But I hadn't heard about this one.
- [45:54]
Tina
It's. It's interesting. It's about Max, who's 30, they're published poet, and grossly overpaid legal counsel for a tech company. She's living her best life. Or is she? The debris of years of dysphoria and failed relationships rattle around in her head, and then she falls down the stairs at a New Year's Eve party and wakes up in the hospital alone. She decides, you know what? I gotta make some changes in my life. And so the first change she's going to make is a stab at good old fashioned heteronormativity. She meets Vincent, who's a corporate lawyer hobby baker, and they have this traditional friendship group, whatever. And he is Chinese, and his Chinese parents never pictured their son dating a trans woman. It's definitely uncertain terrain. But Vincent cares for Max in ways she'd long given up as a foolish fantasy. Yet Vincent is carrying his own baggage. On his gap year in Thailand a decade prior, he ran into somebody that, you know that bad things happen. And it sounds like this person comes back into their current life. What made me add this to my list is that it's got an absolutely. It's like a great one sentence pitch. A disillusioned trans poet falls for a charming corporate lawyer in a love story that grapples with the explosive ghosts of relationships past. That's all I need. Like, I want to know a little bit more about this. I'm also kind of interested that the a head injury is what kicked off this relationship. So I'm curious. Needless to say, it's also got a great cover. Not the one in Goodreads, but The one from the publisher, it's a woman laying on a couch, a green couch, looking very, you know, forlorn. So still. Woman laying on a couch is a. Is a trend in cover art.
- [47:37]
Hannah
Yes, it is.
- [47:38]
Tina
Yes. This one is Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan.
- [47:43]
Hannah
The synopsis of this one, first of all, it sounds. Sounds so good and weird and fun. It reminded me a little bit of Hurricane Girl by Marcy Durmanski. Oh, yeah, did you read that one?
- [47:55]
Tina
No.
- [47:56]
Hannah
Did you? Head injury? Yes. She gets into the show. I don't think so. I read it very pre podcast. But in the book she gets a head and the main character gets a head injury and then from there, like her life just is banana pants and. Okay, so this one kind of sounds like it might be in that same vein, which makes me excited about it because I loved Hurricane Girl. But anyway, good one.
- [48:21]
Tina
Interesting, right?
- [48:21]
Hannah
So interesting. Yeah. I'm glad that you put that on our radar. So my shelf edition is We Lived on the Horizon by Erica Swiler. And this one is coming out also in January, January 14th. And this one dives into the AI conversation again, which has been working for me in this book in particular. We are in the walled city of Bulwark, which is a community ruled by AI that rewards sacrifice, the elite sainted class and thrives on the legacy of their forebearers. And St. Anita is a renowned bioprosthetist, and she faces the end of her life and decides to preserve her legacy by creating Nyx, who is a physical being imbued with her knowledge. And as she works, a fellow saintess is murdered, and the city AI mysteriously erases all traces of the crime. So she is drawn into the conflict between Bulwark's oppressed underclass and its rigid systems of control. And Anita and Nyx become key players in a battle that could reshape the city. So this one sounds thought provoking, a little bit weird, kind of a complex plot there, an exploration of utopia and also some body horror, it says, and the future of humanity and AI. So I don't know, this one sounds interesting and I'm looking forward to trying it. And that is We Lived on the Horizon by Erica Swiler.
- [49:52]
Tina
All right, I love the beginning of the year. I swear, there's so many exciting books to read, I just can't stop. But hopefully my reading streak continues because it's been a great one. But that's it for today. We thank you for spending a 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.
- [50:28]
Hannah
If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us at booktok. Etc. You can also connect with us both at Booktalk Etc. On Instagram and tinabrec and hannahandpickedbooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. And I'm Hannah from Handpicked Books.
- [50:56]
Tina
This is a I don't know why Handpicked Books box. Handpicked Books. Okay, let me start right.