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- [00:00]
Hannah
Oh, it always looks so close up when we're recording. And then, like, when you watch the YouTube video, it's not close up.
- [00:07]
Tina
I know you'll be able to see my nonsense piles next to me, but that's all right.
- [00:11]
Hannah
Yeah, I definitely have them too.
- [00:22]
Tina
Welcome to book talk, etc. A podcast bound to grow your TBR. Hi, I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
- [00:28]
Hannah
And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.
- [00:30]
Tina
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 leaning into that and sharing our thoughts on some new releases.
- [00:41]
Hannah
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 lovers.
- [00:57]
Tina
Hey, Han.
- [00:58]
Hannah
Hey, Tina. How's it going?
- [00:59]
Tina
Fine. How are you doing?
- [01:01]
Hannah
Doing okay. The kids are home.
- [01:04]
Tina
Oh, so it begins. Yeah. Is this your first week with. With them home during the day when you're working? Yep.
- [01:10]
Hannah
Her last day of school was yesterday, so today's our first full day.
- [01:14]
Tina
Nice. Mine was may, like 11th or something.
- [01:18]
Hannah
Like, you've been at it for a minute.
- [01:20]
Tina
I'm like, what on earth? It feels like the middle of summer to me. And it's not. It's barely June. We have a busy weekend, though. It's our oldest birthday party weekend, so I've got a lot to do for that setting up. And they have like 25 year olds here. Something crazy. I don't know. We'll see.
- [01:38]
Hannah
Fun.
- [01:39]
Tina
It will be fun. We will see how many folks show up. Because I'm like, I don't know, come one, come all, everybody's invited. And then I'm like, what if they all come? That'll be really fun.
- [01:48]
Hannah
This just recently happened to a friend of mine.
- [01:50]
Tina
Really?
- [01:50]
Hannah
Because she invited their whole school. Not the whole school, but the whole, you know, class grade the class, which is like 20 kids. And they all came.
- [01:56]
Tina
So I love it. I love it. I'm ready. I, you know, we're going to do pizzas. Jonathan's going to, you know, get a feel for how many people are there, and then we'll order. So we should have a great time. But I will be doing a lot of audiobooking this weekend as we lead up to that, I imagine. But I'm happy to share the books that we've read today. I have some really good ones, I think. I do I do, I do. Yeah.
- [02:20]
Hannah
A little bit of a mixed bag, but I'm excited to talk about each of them.
- [02:23]
Tina
Yes. All right, so we will start with loving lately. And I have changed mine, actually, because I just discovered my loving lately. Tuesday or Wednesday? It was Wednesday because I went on my Instagram story and I was like, I don't even know what on earth prompted me to do this. But I said, hey, does anybody have a good way of tracking arcs? I need help. Basically, I need help organizing my book mail. And I wasn't really. I wasn't sure what I was asking other than send help, because I feel like I don't have a good grasp on what's coming and going as it pertains to books that I get, whether it's audiobook through NetGalley Physical Mail. I'm like, I need help, and don't let it be a spreadsheet. And so I had a lot of people respond and I wanted to share this thing called the arc Calendar. I fear this is changing my life. I love it so much. And a fellow bookstagrammer created it. Her name is Michaela and her handle is Michaela Books. Underscore. Yes. And it's free. It is a free arc tracker and it's in Google Sheets. I will show. If you're listening on YouTube, you'll see it now. But what I'm looking at, it's got a couple different tabs, and it's simple, yet gives me what I want. The two tabs are the ARC list and the arc Calendar. And so what this does on the list you just got, pub date, cover, title, author type, which is. Is like, where is it at? Is it in NetGalley? Do you have a print arc? Do you have a final copy? What's the status like? Have you received it or did you request it? Where'd it come from? And then any notes, and then the other tab is connected to that one. And I'm looking at a beautiful arc calendar that's all book covers. And on this sheet, all it says is, received June 3rd book cover. Receive June 3rd book cover. And it's incredible because I'm such a visual person.
- [04:25]
Hannah
That's awesome.
- [04:26]
Tina
Oh, my God. These are the books that I need to review or bring to my new release Tuesday. If I'm doing that on June 10th. Like, I feel so excited because I have a real visual way to keep track of this. I have a real handle on it. I also added a pitch column because I often do new release Tuesday videos where I try and give a Quick pitch as to what this book's about. And sometimes in the email you get from publishers, they have a really nice pitch and I'm like, I'm just gonna take that and modify it for my own use. And she also has columns where you can track if you've reviewed it, if that's something you want to do. So she has Instagram, TikTok. I added YouTube and podcast because obviously, but that also shows up on the art calendar. I am buzzing. I'm so excited about this. I literally just want to sit there and fill in all of my books just because it's fun. And I know I said I didn't want a spreadsheet and I think what I meant is I needed something that was a little more visual because I can't deal with just a straight up spreadsheet. It doesn't do much for me other than like, obviously, sometimes it's unavoidable. This is beautiful, Mikaela. I hope your pillow is always cold. I want all good things in the world for you because this is an incredible resource and it's free. Shout out to one of my followers, Amy, who turned me on to this, she sent me this big long DM and I love when I get long dms like that and it's like, okay, this is going to sound crazy, but blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, hell yeah. I want to know your wildest tracking hacks. Like, I need other book lovers to really dig in with this on. We will link to it and if you, I hope you love it if you end up using it. This is an arc calendar.
- [06:10]
Hannah
I love this for you. I cannot believe that this resource is out there and we didn't know about it yet.
- [06:18]
Tina
I know.
- [06:19]
Hannah
Shout out to Amy and Mikayla.
- [06:21]
Tina
Just goes to show, right how many resources are out there. And I just can't believe that I'd spoke it into the universe. I'm like, I want something like this. And it was like a very nebulous request and I got a lot of good responses. Another one that I really liked, there were two that I've implemented is really just filters. Before I would just have my Tina TBR etc email address and it was just a hot mess. Everything was in my inbox and I'm like, I don't know, sometimes I'd read them, sometimes I'd just archive whatever. Sometimes I'd want them and I just leave them in the inbox. But now I have three filters and I did it on purpose. I only wanted a couple ways to Organize. I have. Well, I actually have fantastic fiction, which is that website I love. So anytime I see a book that's coming out from a new author or an author I'm following, I'll put that there. I also have PR completed, PR in progress, and PR not doing, which is so great because I'm like, cool. I can easily say, okay, I'm not doing, doing this, not doing this, or, yes, I'm in progress, meaning I've requested this book. I still want to post about it or else completed. It goes into the completed file. So those are my two big recommendations on how to stay organized. And I'm so excited. Now all I want to do, of course, is organize my crap, and I don't have time to do it. So when will I have time? Unclear, but at least I've got the framework in place.
- [07:39]
Hannah
Yeah, I'll give you something to do. Is it something that you feel like you could listen to an audiobook and organize, or is there too much reading.
- [07:45]
Tina
That you can do? Oh, absolutely. I was doing that yesterday. I was like, this is so fun. It's almost like a video game. And I was trying to think like, okay, why are you doing this? What do you hope to get out of it? And I'm like, doesn't have to have a purpose if I never do it again. If it's fun for you in the moment, enjoy. Go crazy. You don't have to. You know what I mean? And it is productive for me. But anyway, I've really been having a good time with this little art calendar.
- [08:11]
Hannah
Oh, I love that. Yeah. I mean, with the book stuff. Yes. It's nice that we're able to do this. But ultimately we're doing this because we started the book thing because we love it. We like organizing them, we like reading them, we like shopping for them, we like talking about them.
- [08:26]
Tina
They're all a part of the same hobby.
- [08:28]
Hannah
It's fun.
- [08:29]
Tina
Different hobbies.
- [08:30]
Hannah
Yeah, this definitely sounds fun. Okay. My Loving Lately is a documentary on HBO Max. It's called they called Him Mostly Harmless. This is a true crime documentary. It follows the search to identify a man found dead in his tent along the Appalachian Trail, known only by the name Mostly Harmless Denham and Ben Billamy, which were all trail names that he used. He died on July 23, 2018, in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. And the person who discovered him described him as unnaturally thin, discolored, and completely alone. In the months leading up to his death, there were several hikers that had encountered him, and they're interviewed in this documentary, but they knew him only by his nickname, so he is a John Doe when they find him. The documentary delves into the mystery of his identity. They cannot figure out who this person is for a long time. And this documentary works toward uncovering who he was and the legacy of his unexplained death. And it also examines the culture of long distance hiking, the ethics of the true crime community and the hiking community, and the broader themes of modern disconnection, solitude, and the desire to completely disappear and leave the grid. So what was really interesting about this one is that although it's intriguing because you're trying to figure out who this person is, so there is a mystery behind it that you're. You're trying to uncover. What was really interesting and fascinating about this one for me is the people that he talked to in this hiking and trail community. It really is a very insular community that has very specific rules and morals and ethics. And then what was also really fascinating about this one is the law enforcement really relied on the community to kind of help figure this stuff out. One of the people interviewed was the CEO of the Atlantic. And he ended up being kind of a piece that pulled this together because eventually he was like, I'm just going to publish this article even though we don't know who this person is, and see if anybody comes forward and might know who this person is. There were two feuding Facebook groups that were like. That was a part of the story. That was the most interesting part of the story is these two feuding Facebook groups and these two feuding Facebook groups and the two moderators that were moderating. Moderating this group. It was messy and wild. Yes. You end up getting closure. You find out who this person is. But it was just a really fascinating case. When you look at the community, both hiking online, Reddit, Facebook, they even brought in people from the Atlantic. Really interesting case. And that was. They call him mostly harmless. This is a documentary on hbo.
- [11:32]
Tina
Max, two questions or comments? Do you find out why his trail name was mostly harmless?
- [11:38]
Hannah
Yes. You do?
- [11:39]
Tina
Okay. Because I don't like that. I don't like that. It feels weird. Also, do you know the book Heartwood by Amity Gage?
- [11:46]
Hannah
I do. It was a read with Jenna Pick a couple of months ago, right?
- [11:49]
Tina
Yes, I read a little bit of it. I did not get very far.
- [11:53]
Hannah
Okay.
- [11:54]
Tina
Because I decided that I wanted the print copy if I was going to try it. But this book sounds very similar to that documentary. Obviously this is fiction, but it centers on that same trail And a person that goes missing and they're interviewing a bunch of people, they're talking about their trail names. So I feel like that would be a really good companion to this documentary.
- [12:12]
Hannah
I was interested in that book for sure. You had mentioned that you had read it, and so I haven't picked it.
- [12:18]
Tina
Up yet, but I feel like you would like it.
- [12:21]
Hannah
I might be interested in picking that up.
- [12:23]
Tina
Yeah. I just lost track of it because I was reading or I was doing the audio and the audio was great, but. But it played with timelines, I think. I forget. For some reason I was lost and I was like, I need a print copy. So I just put it aside. But you, if you want to, if you're in the mood, you should read it.
- [12:38]
Hannah
Well, maybe it'll be a good pairing with this, so I might pick that up soon.
- [12:42]
Tina
Excellent. All right. Well, that sounds really good. I am actually crediting you with my latest read.
- [12:50]
Hannah
Ooh.
- [12:50]
Tina
Because you reminded me that I never brought this to the show. It is beautiful. Ugly by Alice Feeney.
- [12:56]
Hannah
Ah, yes.
- [12:57]
Tina
And the COVID I'm holding, can you see the holographic letters? It's from Book of the Month.
- [13:01]
Hannah
It's beautiful.
- [13:02]
Tina
It's really nice looking. And I swear a part of the reason why I grabbed this originally is because the COVID is so nice and I love the colors. I love that it's holographic font.
- [13:13]
Hannah
Yeah.
- [13:14]
Tina
Not usually a reason to pick something up, but not the worst reason ever. And I do like this author. I've read her several times before. This is about an author named Grady Green. He is having the worst, best day of his life because in the beginning of the book, it opens and he finds out he's just made the New York Times bestseller list. He's so excited, immediately calls his wife to tell her the good news. While they're on the phone, he hears her slam on the brakes, get out of the car, and then nothing. And that's it. She's not there. So he obviously goes to figure out where she is, what happened to her. And they eventually find her car by a cliff's edge. The headlights are on, the door is open, her phone is still there, but his wife has disappeared. Cut to a year later. So you literally don't find out anything for a year. And he again is an author and he has to make a living. He's on contract and this and that. And it turns out his agent has this cabin in Scotland and is like, look, go there. I know being here is too hard for you. Go to Scotland. Right. So he does, even though he's like still consumed with grief and can't sleep and he's having these issues. And then when he gets to Scotland, he sees something that feels a little crazy. He sees a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife. And that's all. I'll tell you, this book hooked me from the beginning. I listened to the audio and it was so, so good on audio. And I thought the production of the audiobook was fantastic. You hear some of the environmental sounds, like you hear the water, you hear the phone ringing. I. They really did a good job immersing you in the setting. And speaking of setting, you know, I love books set in Scotland and this one was excellent. It's set in this remote cabin there and you're really sort of feeling claustrophobic alongside of him. It's very much an in his head type read. And in the beginning it's pretty straightforward because like I said, you get this, you know, missing person story and it jumps right into that. And then when he gets to Scotland, it sort of spirals into the psychological maze. I couldn't figure out what we were getting. Is it ghosts? Is it something else? Is it mental illness? Is someone messing with him? Is it all of the above? Is he drinking too much? And all the classic thriller things. All the classic thriller things. And it's funny you say that because. Yes, but it's a male you're following this time. It's a man. Yep. And I, I liked that. And he is a deeply flawed character. He's unreliable, but at the same time, I didn't hate him. I was feeling for this guy because I'm like, I don't know what's going on either, man. You tell me. This sounds wild. He's also living in this cabin where another author used to live. And I loved that element because he is uncovering clues about what happened in this cabin previously. And I like that it's just an author's not behaving badly, but a behind the scenes in being an author story. And you know, I love my books about authors. This book had a locked room, room mystery feel. And it's funny I say that because this book and the two I'm bringing later all have similar themes in common, which I'm just realizing now. So it had that locked room mystery feel because you're on this very remote island. You're also getting some of the local lore, which I appreciated you're hearing about, like the name of the island. Why is this book, and you know, why is it called Beautiful Ugly. You do find that out. And I couldn't figure it out. And I also could not put this book down until I was finished. I remember I read this in January. I was like glued to my headphones trying to figure it out. This is a twisty thriller with, again, unreliable narration. It is classic Alice Feeney, but I do think this is one of her better works because I'm always. I'm a little bit hit or miss with this author. I would say an author comp is Sarah Pinborough. I really like her writing. So if you like Sarah Pinborough, who have recently brought to the show, you will like this one. Now, the ending, you'll want to talk with somebody about it, so feel free to message me. Not that I remember what happened because it was what, five months ago at this point. I do remember elements and I had so many theories. So if you want someone to float your theories to as you read this, feel free because I had some really good ones and I'm like, wow, I wish this is actually what was happening because I want a book about this. It's too vague. But anyway, I had a great time reading this one and I do highly recommend it. This one is beautiful. Ugly by Alice Feeney.
- [17:49]
Hannah
Yeah, I feel like Alice Feeney, if anything, will definitely get you at some point.
- [17:54]
Tina
Yes.
- [17:55]
Hannah
And Sarah Pinburn is the same way. And so I see what you mean about comping them. Having not read.
- [18:02]
Tina
Yeah. And God, I was. I really was. It was a good time.
- [18:06]
Hannah
That's part of what you want in a thriller. So. Okay.
- [18:10]
Tina
Oh, oh, I know what you're reading.
- [18:13]
Hannah
My. I love seeing your live reaction there. My latest read is the Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Liu. And this doesn't have like the prismatic cover, but it also kind of has fun text design here with the neon lights on the title here. So this is a memoir that was actually given to me by a colleague of mine and she thought that I would really enjoy this. So that is how it got put on my radar. The author, Susan wrote this when she was searching for answers about her family's past and about her own future. Her family had escaped to California as refugees from the Vietnam war in the 1980s after five failed attempts. And when they arrived, Susan's mother was their savvy and charismatic North Star. She set up two very successful nail salons and orchestrated every success that their family came into until Susan was 11 and her mother died from a botched tummy tuck. A plastic surgery. And after the funeral, no one was allowed to talk about what happened. Her dad would not talk about it. Her siblings would not talk about it. And she was really forced to grieve and process all of this completely alone. And for the next 20 and for the next 20 years, Susan navigated a series of cascading questions. Why did the most perfect person in her life want to change her body? Why did no one tell her about her mother's life in Vietnam? How did this surgeon who preyed on Vietnamese immigrants go on operating after her mother's death? Sifting through depositions, tracking down the surgeon's family, and enlisting the help of other people in her life, Susan uncovers the painful truth of her mother herself, and the impossible ideal of beauty. This was such a beautiful and emotional story. Susan went through so much as a girl, and how she navigated her grief was really messy and complicated. And the way she told her story created such a real and relatable space to explore the depths of the human experience of grief and loss and identity. And even though these experiences that she had were very insular to her, she simultaneously made it so personal while also being so relatable. She talks about also very openly about mental health. She talks about her bipolar diagnosis and sharing that part of her experience. While it wasn't this huge part of the story in her memoir, I really appreciated that she shared that part of her story as well, alongside everything else that made up who she is and how she navigated this really hard thing that happened to her. I have not seen very many people read this and talk about it, but I think that this is a memoir. Very worth reading. It was super impactful. It was well written, very emotionally resonant, and I think an important story to read. Overall, I would highly recommend this one. And that was the Manicurist's Daughter by Susan Liu.
- [21:39]
Tina
Good job on that. I remember this one. I think it came out last year and I remember seeing a couple reviews and thinking, I want to read this. I don't think I realized the author did a little bit of investigative journalism in there to try and figure out what happened. I love that. I love that.
- [21:57]
Hannah
Me too. And yeah, I don't want to say more. There are definitely some other kind of wild elements to this story beyond her. Well, not really beyond her sharing her grief, because it was all a part of that journey. But there are definitely some parts of her story that are pretty wild and make it for an even more compelling read. I don't want to say more than that, but I definitely, yeah, recommend this one.
- [22:27]
Tina
Super great, good recommendation by your Co worker.
- [22:31]
Hannah
Yeah, absolutely. She's also Vietnamese and she's always wanting to find more specifically Vietnamese books and literature memoirs. And so she's. I always tell her share, share them with me if you find a good one. So I'm glad that she passed this one along.
- [22:47]
Tina
Awesome. Now for booktok. Today we are talking about reading tracking and sort of giving an update because of course I had this arc tracker which is basically reading tracking, but it is a hobby in and of itself. Before we get into that, I have a question. Earlier this week you said you've been cruising through books lately and I'm wondering if you had any insight as to why that is.
- [23:14]
Hannah
Well, now that you're making me think about my reading life, I think that, well, I did put a TBR together for this month and I would say that I've been following it mildly. I think that that has helped with decision fatigue because I do think that that is a really big deal. I mean books are being published like crazy. We both consume and create a lot of books content and that can be overwhelming with picking what to read. So While I'm not 100% following that TBR, I am falling back on it. And I would say that I followed it about 50%. And then the other 50% is where I'm just like, this has popped up on my Libby app and I really want to fast read. I'm going to go ahead and listen to this one or I keep seeing this on TikTok and I'm in the mood for this type of book and so I'm gonna go ahead and pop that on my Kindle. And so I think just a really good balance of having something to fall back on that TBR when I have that decision fatigue and then also not being unwilling to abandon it if the mood reading is so strong and something's available that I decide to pick up. So I guess it's like the bookish version of listening to your body. I like that Health, health. People are always saying that like, oh, just listen to your body.
- [24:41]
Tina
Intuitive eating, you're intuitive reading.
- [24:44]
Hannah
I'm intuitive reading. So yeah, I don't know how long that's going to be working for me. I'm sure I'll find a crash out at some point. But for right now I think that that's, for right now I think that that's, that's, that's why I'm cruising through them.
- [24:59]
Tina
Good. Because I am a very consistent reader. I'm two to three books a week mostly almost always. Right. And so I think there are some months where I read more, some months I read less, depending on, you know, what else is going on. But I'm very consistent with it. But normally I feel like you are saying, I feel like I'm behind. And then lately you were like, oh, I'm ahead for once. I'm like, I want to know why, what happened? What's new with that?
- [25:27]
Hannah
I also do think that I'm heavily reliant on inertia. And so, so true. So true. What? Now that I have this momentum, I actually am wondering if, if, if now that I have this, that it won't be easier to keep up because I'm very motivated with how that's felt with the podcast. And I found a really good rhythm. So I don't know, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself of. I'm sure I'm going to crash out at some point, right? I mean, this has been working for me for a minute. So I think we're on a pretty good, pretty good track moving forward.
- [26:00]
Tina
Good. Okay. I like that. I'm happy to hear it. And I've also been doing my tbr. I'm doing a June TBR as well. My thing is I just added. So what's different from my May TBR is I added more books to it. So I want to say, I actually don't know how many. I want to say maybe there's 15 books on my June TBR, which I like because it gives me room to DNF. And I'm still trying to not deviate from the books that I said I was going to read. And then if something pops up that's really exciting, I'm going to throw it on my July tbr. What I like about that is it really has helped me decide, okay, you, are you really interested in this or are you just buzzed about it? And then it gives me a couple weeks to think about it, put my holds in, and then in July, if I'm still that excited, then great, you're going to read it. So that is what I've been doing in terms of TBR work. I'm going to have to, I mean, if we, if we lean into the TBR too long, we're going to have to change our introduction because we won't be Midwest Mood read feels scary.
- [26:58]
Hannah
I know, right? Well, and I think too, this is such a good reminder that you can change your mind or change your routine based on what's working for you in the moment. I mean, we are ever changing people there are going to be parts of us that are always a certain way and it's okay to even say, even if we don't completely deviate from something to say, you know what, this is working. But I'm going to need to be able to allow myself to maybe one to two books a month deviate from this tv, TBR or something like that, you know. So I think those are good reminders. When you were talking about saving those books that you're excited about and making sure that the next month you're still excited to read those before adding, I think it's such a good way to decide if you want to purchase books too. Because I know that was something that I dealt with in the past. I don't as much now, but it's because I have been putting books that I want to buy in a notes on my phone and I have to wait a while, like a month or two. And if that book is still sparking an interest or I still want to purchase this in a couple of months, then I can go ahead and buy it. But so smart, because we can. We'll see a picture of a book online or we'll hear someone talk about it or Jenna or Reese says that that's their book club month pick for the month. And we get so excited and we buy it and then it sits on our shelves. And so I think it's a good option for planning your TBR and also maybe planning your physical collection as well.
- [28:35]
Tina
That is a good point. Yeah. And it's so crazy that I've been doing this TBR because I asked. I think it was the beginning of this year or last year, like, do people actually keep a tbr? And overwhelmingly folks were like, yeah, what do you mean? And I was like, oh, mine is just literally vibe. I had no rhyme or reason other than a general, loose, nebulous idea that I wanted to read certain books because I don't love tracking in a traditional sense. So I do use a reading tracker. And I'm actually really happy to say that this system that I have or this thing that I have, I've been using consistently now for I think two years or maybe a year. I forget how long it's been. But what I use is Book Mori. It is an app. I've shared it before. And what it is basically is a book tracker. And it's not social media tied. It's nothing like that. And I use the free version, but essentially it allows you to go in here and start a read and finish a read. And the reason I Like it is because it gives you a calendar. And I'm showing Hannah now, what I like about this calendar is that I can see. Hello, visual. I'm a visual gal, so I love that. I can see. Okay, now I can see quickly. April was great. May I read fewer books, whatever. And it also is small, but it gives you the star rating below. But that visual is really motivating for me personally. And I love when I'm like, oh, my God, like, I finished three books this last week. Anyway, I just like it. I like the visual.
- [30:04]
Hannah
I'm really motivated by this too, because I am in the app store right.
- [30:08]
Tina
Now, immediately downloading it because it's really good.
- [30:11]
Hannah
I know you've talked about it before, but, you know, sometimes it takes a few times. Hello, marketing people. You know, you see something several times, you know what? Finally gonna do it.
- [30:22]
Tina
Let's do it. Let's do it. Yeah. I started this in 2023. I remember mid year. I remember. So it's almost been two years of using this app literally every day. This is the thing I. I update first before anything else. The other two spaces I still use Store, or I use storygraph and Goodreads, obviously. And I use them both because they're for different purposes. I know a lot of people are switching to one or the other or even incorporating Fable. I can't do it. I'm really happy to say that I've settled in on these ways to track. I also wish that I was a spreadsheet person. And I love. I know you use a really big spreadsheet or maybe I assume you still use it. I would love to love that. I would love if someone would fill it out for me, but not really because, like, what would I do with that data? Nothing. Probably. All of this to say, how do you track your reading?
- [31:15]
Hannah
Yeah. So I was using a really big spreadsheet and I still highly recommend it. The currently reading Katie from Currently Reading. She puts together a really awesome spreadsheet every year and she makes it. She's like a guru with formulas and things like that, which is not something I can do. I can do, like, minimal, formulaic things, but I really do like what that spreadsheet has to offer. I think it's an awesome resource and one that, when I was in a position to put more time into that I loved. I have found myself falling so behind on it that I don't know.
- [31:55]
Tina
Podcast. Sorry.
- [31:57]
Hannah
Yeah. Yeah. And I have recently, I have just come into a place in my current work outside of this that is just More demanding, even mentally. And I. My kids are getting older, and so, you know, yes, the podcast, but also just life has been really busy and I just don't have the capacity and the time to sit in a spreadsheet. I love that. Like, I. I love that and I love the data. And maybe if I have time at the end of the year to fill it in, I probably won't, but even if I did, I. I would do that. But all that to say right now, I am filling things in, in the story graph for the stats that the story graph provides. And then on Goodreads, I have started using it again because Goodreads now also has some visual layouts that I like and they've made some updates to the website that are more visually appealing. And so I didn't use Goodreads last year or the year before, but I am using it now again and I'm enjoying using both. And I feel like that is doable for me because it's just a couple of clicks.
- [33:12]
Tina
Yeah.
- [33:13]
Hannah
So while I am definitely a spreadsheet person, I enjoy that. I think that there are some great spreadsheets out there that people have created that are great. I just don't have the time or the energy or capacity to do them right now.
- [33:29]
Tina
And that's okay. I feel a little more, like, validated in my. Because I always like the idea of a spreadsheet, but the actual filling of it out, filling it out. I think I forget to do it and then I'm like, oh, My God, I'm 10 books behind. I can't do it. I can't possibly catch up. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that we're on the same track on our tracking. I really think BookMori is going to be, like, your best friend because I literally just. I just love it. It's just quick, easy, and then, you know, at least I know, because if I don't write it down, I will literally forget. Like, I forgot about the. Like, I forgot about beautiful, ugly. Somehow I just didn't bring it anywhere. And I'm like, how did I miss that? Anyway, I digress.
- [34:08]
Hannah
And I'm starting to read more.
- [34:10]
Tina
Yes.
- [34:10]
Hannah
Because like, last year I read a hundred. Right now I'm on track to read like 120, 125. Cause I've just. I'm on a quicker pace. And I know that as that happens, I'm gonna have to have a more consistent tracking method that is doable for me to remember what I've read. Because like you said, it's Easy to forget. Unless you have that visual prompt too. It's like once you see it, you're like, oh, yeah, I did read that.
- [34:34]
Tina
Yeah. The visual is key for me for sure. I'll dive into my book list, if that's okay with you.
- [34:40]
Hannah
Let's get started.
- [34:41]
Tina
I am very excited to share both of mine. They are highly anticipated. And my first one is With Vengeance by Riley Sager.
- [34:49]
Hannah
Yes.
- [34:50]
Tina
And I thought this came out in July. It's actually, actually out today as this episode airs June 10th.
- [34:56]
Hannah
Okay. I thought that it was July also.
- [34:57]
Tina
I'm gonna double check that again for the hundredth time because I swear it was a July. Yeah, June 10th.
- [35:03]
Hannah
Weird. Why do we think that?
- [35:05]
Tina
I think it might have been. Okay. This is a revenge story set in 1956. Anna Matheson is out for blood because 12 years earlier, six people played a role in destroying her family. And what she does is under false pretenses. She has lured those responsible for her family's downfall into a luxury train that is going from Philadelphia to Chicago. It is an overnight journey. It's going to take 14 hours. And her goal is to confront the people who've wronged her, get them to confess, and to deliver them to the authorities. Once they get to Chicago and she feels like great justice will be served. And it says it in the synopsis, her plan gets derailed because one of the passengers dies. I'm going to leave it there because I actually think the synopsis isn't great and it doesn't do it justice because I was thinking something different would happen and it doesn't. But you do get a dead body pretty early in the book. I didn't read the synopsis beforehand. I just knew Locked mystery on a train. And I don't think you need all of that because it sets the wrong expectations. To me, this felt like a high stakes game of Clue on a moving train. And it was fun. I had fun with this. And I know a lot of people are hating on this, but I had a great time reading it. I did the audio. I thought it was well narrated. I thought it was easy to follow. And it is full of red herrings, it's full of twists. But I will say it's surprisingly cinematic because I could totally picture it. Like in my mind. I don't. I'm not a visual. Like, I can't envision scenes very often when I'm reading. But I do ride a lot of trains. And so I was thinking, I'm like, oh, I totally get how if you're on this big old train, how you can hide and how you're running from train to train. I could totally see this. And like, they're chasing each other, being chased, all of that. This is heavily influenced by Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train and Agatha Christie's and Then There Were None. And I'm okay with it. It felt like a. Even though it's sort of a historical book, it felt a little more of a modern twist to. Felt like it had a little bit more of a modern slant to it. Now, of course, this. Parts of this are really hard to believe. And I personally think this is where Sager gets it wrong. He can't be happy with just one or two big twists. He's got to add everything but the kitchen sink. And so by the end, I'm like, come on, Riley. Come on, Todd. Just land the plane. Right? But I was hooked. I had my suspicions throughout. I won't tell you if I got it right or not, but I had so much fun trying to unpack this. If you like summer thrillers, if you like locked room mysteries, you should try this. It's not perfect, but it is entertaining and fun and I'm glad that I read it. And actually, I'm working my way through all of Sager's books and now I've only got one left, which is the only one left, and I'm going to read that this month. So I will be a Sager completist officially. But this one gets a recommendation from me. It is With a Vengeance by Riley Sager.
- [38:08]
Hannah
Okay. Wow, you are so close to finishing up your list of all of Sager's books. That's kind of exciting.
- [38:17]
Tina
It is exciting. And he has, I think, nine on the list. That's a lot.
- [38:21]
Hannah
Yeah, that is a lot. I really want you to read the only one left. Like, soon I'm gonna.
- [38:27]
Tina
Because I got to.
- [38:28]
Hannah
I read that one.
- [38:29]
Tina
Oh, you did? Okay.
- [38:30]
Hannah
I want to know what you think, because I. We have some different opinions on other Riley sacred books. So I'm like, I wonder if we're like opposite Riley Sager people. Maybe that's true. Then it would be interesting for me to go through his books and read and kind of see where each of us.
- [38:45]
Tina
Where you land. I know.
- [38:46]
Hannah
Because his books are so polarizing.
- [38:48]
Tina
They really are. And I can't explain it.
- [38:52]
Hannah
Why.
- [38:53]
Tina
I think because he's so consistent. He literally has one out every year and it's sort of fun to keep up. I found him at Final Girls, so I've been reading him for from the beginning. And so I think that's sort of why I am attached now. Some of them I've hated, some of them I've loved. This is on the I liked a lot scale. Not my number one favorite, but it's up there. I think it's in the top three. So for what that's worth, it's kind.
- [39:15]
Hannah
Of fun when an author is like that, though, because I know.
- [39:17]
Tina
Me too.
- [39:18]
Hannah
You're like, I don't know what I'm gonna get. I'm gonna love it.
- [39:20]
Tina
Or it's kind of fun to hate, like, hate on books, too. But I. I will say I really think that's become popular for folks to, like, be down on this specific book for whatever reason, and maybe they really didn't enjoy it. But I also think that there's an element of, like, dog piling. It's in for certain things on the train. Oh, my God, you did it. Yes, exactly.
- [39:40]
Hannah
Something on the hate train.
- [39:42]
Tina
Exactly.
- [39:43]
Hannah
Well, I. I didn't love this next thriller, but I didn't hate it either. So we'll talk about it. It's Count My Lies by Sophie Stava, and this is about Sloane Caraway, and she is a compulsive liar, but her fibs are usually harmless. That is, until a small lie at the park lands her a job as a nanny for a wealthy and seemingly perfect couple, the Lockhart family. Jay and Violet and their young daughter. They live a very charmed New York life with a brownstone, private school, and their summer escapes to Block Island. But Sloan is not the only one keeping secrets. And behind the Lockhart's polished facade lies something much darker and far more dangerous. So that's all I'm going to say about what the story is about. I think that one thing I can always count on for thrillers is that I'll get through them quickly, and sometimes that is enough. And this was absolutely a fast read and really compelling for, I would say, the first half of the book. I'd heard a lot of mixed things across the board about this one from other reviewers. I think that it was kind of a bold move as a debut thriller author for this to be so similar to so many other thrillers. I mean, just think the housemaid by Frieda McFadden, which is a wildly popular book, one that I've read. This was really similar. And. And I think she did a lot of other really familiar tropes and carried them in a very familiar way. And so, yeah, I think for a debut author, I would have appreciated her, maybe Making a. Taking a few more risks per se. Now, I haven't read as many thrillers as other folks have, certainly haven't read as many as as Tina has. But yeah, this just felt very copy and paste from other books and didn't do anything super new in my opinion. I did kind of enjoy the perspective of Sloane because she was just really messy and unreliable. And for the first 60% or so of the novel I was really enjoying being in her head, even though she was a liar and we knew that it was something that made her unreliable. And I couldn't decide if that was was a cheap way to make her unreliable or if I liked it. I still haven't fully decided, but I think we're gonna say that regardless of whether it was a good or bad choice for making her unreliable, I personally enjoyed it. That was probably the one thing about the book that I can say me as a reader, I thought that that was fun. The last 30% of the book is where it kind of fell apart for me. It felt almost simultaneously predictable, but yet super unbelievable, even for the bubblegum type of thriller that it was. I had a hard time enjoying everything that happened at the very end. But again, this entertained me for a day. I listened to it while doing chores on a weekend and then winding down that weekend day with Stardew Valley. It kept me company until I, you know, was picking my blueberries on my farm. So while I am not wildly endorsing this novel, if you enjoy a popcorn thriller that you can read in a day, maybe you could check this one out. And that was Count My Lies by Sophie Stava.
- [43:10]
Tina
You did great with that. I love that you are reading more thrillers, I think, because I feel like you're entertained by them and I know it's not your number one preferred genre. This one I have a feeling I will read by the end of the year simply because it's quick and I know it's going to be on that damn Goodreads Best of the Year list for sure. I already it was buzzy and now I'm curious. I'm like, well, I kind of want to see how close it is. I don't know why I don't need to. But also, what's it. It sounds like you can do this in a day, so I feel like I have time to do that.
- [43:48]
Hannah
And it was good on audio. I enjoyed the audiobook narration and I thought that she did a good job. So yeah, for those who listened to audiobooks, it was definitely good on audio.
- [43:58]
Tina
Okay, this one Was good on audio, too. My next book that I'm bringing is the Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. And this was my number one spot on my Summer Bonanza list. And you will have to listen to hear what I thought. This one's about the Taylor family and it takes place. Part of this book takes place in June 1975, leading up to a terrible night when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. It is now decades later, and the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets. Then you have ghostwriter Olivia Dumont, who spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is actually Olivia Taylor, the only child of Vincent Taylor. She has run into money troubles, she's on the brink of financial ruin, and she gets this job offer to ghostwrite her father's last book. All the publisher and all her employer knows that he, Vincent Taylor, specifically asked for her. And she's like, dang it, they don't know that he is my dad. She's not quite sure why he is having her do this. And you do find out right away what's going on. But it's not a horror novel that he wants her to ghostwrite. It is his memoir. And after 50 years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975. I love Julie Clark. I am a Julie Clark. Stan. I've read both of her other. Oh, no, that's not true. She has more books. I've only read two of her books. The Last Flight's my favorite. Also really enjoyed the Lies I Tell. This one is right up there. It is one that has that classic literary suspense that I really enjoy. This is not a popcorn thriller. This is much more tightly written and it's a slow burn mystery with great atmosphere that pulls you in slowly. You're not going to get a ripper in this one. You're like, okay, let me figure this out. You're setting this scene, you're getting to know Olivia, you're getting to know Vincent. What I love is that this is not just told straight in terms of like, oh, we're not just following Olivia's journey the whole time. We're getting flashbacks. And some of the flashbacks that we are getting are that of the deceased. So you hear from Poppy, which is the sister that died. You hear from other people that were around at the time. So you as a reader are brought in on this. You, you know, things that Olivia Doesn't. Right. And so in present day, she's trying to figure them out. You as a reader then get to see what actually happened. And I thought the setup was really unique and I haven't read things that do that quite in the same way in a while. You are also, along with Olivia, trying to figure out what happened. Is it Vincent? Is it not what's going on? And it had almost this nostalgic sort of summer camp vibes, even though there is no summer camp in it. But it has this. I don't know, you're feeling that nostalgia in it. And it's definitely set during the summer and it's got a nice blend of darker elements and family secrets and long, long held trauma. This is so well written and you can tell right away that you are in good hands. The voice is strong. She's not pulling any cheap tricks. It doesn't feel like a cheater brand. Meaning she didn't. I don't feel like she borrowed anything from any other books. It just felt realistic. I also think Vincent is this very fascinating character throughout because you know him in present day. You know he's not perfect. You know who he was as a father, but then you also come to meet him when he was a teenager and it was fascinating. And she like, gave this man a personality and I love that he. He's very much a three dimensional character. Same with Olivia. If you like books about writers, you'll like this. If you like books that take you behind the scenes of how memoirs are shaped, you'll like this because you're literally like in the room with them as they're like, shutting down some chapters and telling her she has to do other things, things. And the book that this reminded me of is the God of the woods by Liz Moore. And I say that as a compliment. Throughout, Olivia's trying to figure out what really happened and she's trying to, like, triangulate her sources, but it's harder than it looks. What I appreciate that it's not this, like, Scooby Doo. She's not like knocking on doors like, you know what I mean? She's not like doing crazy things to get the story, but she really is doing a lot of her own boots on the ground research to figure it out. If you like mysteries with depth, if you like books about books or family dramas with long buried secrets, this is definitely worth a read. You could not pry this book out of my cold, dead hands. For the last 10% of it, I was like, oh, my God. I was like chopping Random vegetables. Because I'm like, I need to find. I need to keep busy because I gotta figure out how this ended. It was excellent. That is the Ghostwriter by Julie Clark.
- [49:01]
Hannah
Oh. And isn't that just the whole point? Like, those are the reading experiences where when you're reading, you're like, this is the whole point.
- [49:06]
Tina
This is the whole point. This is why I'm doing it. I also just noticed I'm holding the COVID up really close to the camera, and it's probably not in focus, but, yeah, these words play. These are words from his memoir. She shouldn't have gone. She shouldn't have Gone. Like, these are words that are pertinent to the story. I just noticed that.
- [49:24]
Hannah
Clever cover.
- [49:25]
Tina
God, what a clever cover. Kudos to Julie Clark. You did it.
- [49:29]
Hannah
Well, from the sounds of that, it sounds like Julie Clark actually might be the type of thriller author that I could really hop on board with.
- [49:36]
Tina
Yes.
- [49:37]
Hannah
So maybe I'll try some of her backlist books to start.
- [49:41]
Tina
Have you read the Last Flight?
- [49:42]
Hannah
I haven't read that one, but I don't know if I can even picture the COVID Do you think that that's one that I would like in particular?
- [49:50]
Tina
I do. Good thing I have these piles behind me. This is the Last Flight. I know you'd like it. There's no question in my mind you'd really enjoy this. Now I want you to read it because I want to see if I'm right. This one's about two women who take a flight and they sort of. It's a trope you've heard before where they switch planes, but one of them goes down and the other one doesn't.
- [50:11]
Hannah
Well, maybe we do an episode soon where we're reading books that we want each other to read. Because I really want you to read that, Riley Sager. And you want me to.
- [50:19]
Tina
Fantastic. I would be happy.
- [50:20]
Hannah
Maybe we could.
- [50:22]
Tina
Happy to oblige.
- [50:23]
Hannah
Let's make it happen.
- [50:24]
Tina
Excellent.
- [50:25]
Hannah
All right, my next one is the Bright Years by Sarah.
- [50:30]
Tina
Finally. I've been waiting for you to talk about this one. Like, I'm like, did she talk about it? And I hallucinated and I blacked it out. Tell me everything.
- [50:39]
Hannah
I started this one and I wanted to save it for this episode because we were talking about new releases and this is a recent release. This is an emotional family saga about Ryan and Lillian Bright, and we followed them through the inception of their relationship all throughout their marriage and their family life. They are raising their baby, Georgette, but both Ryan and Lillian are keeping a secret and both come into play in huge ways and create most of the tension and narrative drive as we get to know more about this family, these secrets, and their history. A tragedy ends up befalling their family and Georgette, who was the baby in the beginning, she is now older and she distances herself from her past until something else happens that forces Georgette to return home and confront her family's history. This story is told through the voices of three perspectives, and it is really a moving story about the lasting effects of family wounds and addiction and the complexities of forgiveness. I have honestly really complicated feelings about this book. As someone who has been close to loved ones experiencing addiction, this was is equally heavy and poignant and really relatable. I related to so many pieces of the narrative while also really struggling very deeply in it, which is probably a testament to her storytelling and her writing. I think that it really speaks to her ability to really emotionally connect to this topic. And I thought that that was the highlight of this debut. The writing felt a little confusing because there would be pages and pages of sections that I would highlight. Really thoughtful, reflective, concise writing. And then there would be paragraphs where the same word was used four times and it was really clunky and hard to connect with. So. And that could have been an issue with the editing as well. While this was a beautiful book, I think it could have used again a tighter edit and I think it also could have benefited from being a bit longer, which is not something that I feel like I ever say. The story went by so fast. I loved these characters so much, and I wish that we'd gotten more time to spend with them, even through their hardships and tragedies. Overall, while I have some complicated thoughts here, this book made me cry. I read passages out loud to my husband that were so stunning and thoughtful. It had such a beautiful storyline about forgiveness and hope, but also the cycles of addiction and abuse and how to have hope through those realities. So despite my critiques, this is a beautiful story and I'm excited to see what this author comes up with moving forward because I think her books are going to be ones that really emotionally resonate with myself and other readers. I know so many people are loving this one right now and I could totally see why I co sign and would recommend it. And that's the Bright Years by Sarah Damoff.
- [53:42]
Tina
Good. I. I can't wait to read it. That's one of the ones that I have on my list that I want to get to before the end of the year because I have A feeling it's gonna. I'm going to love it. I was looking at my June TBR and thinking, gosh, I. What I left offered these types of books, I don't know what they're called. Contemporary fiction, emotional stories. I don't have a single one. I have the weirdest books you can imagine on this June tbr. So I'm like, okay, I'm looking at this at like my kickoff to summer. Go, go crazy. And then hopefully for the rest of the summer I will level off and like bring in some of more. Some more of these emotional stories. Although I will say this one, you know, the ghostwriter definitely had depth. It wasn't like a popcorn weird book, but I got my fair share of those coming up.
- [54:27]
Hannah
Yeah, we need our, our hello beautifuls, our bright years, our, you know, we gotta have our emotional family stories.
- [54:35]
Tina
Yes.
- [54:35]
Hannah
It's like our one of you and I's big crossovers.
- [54:38]
Tina
Yes. That's our Venn diagram. It's like a real crossover for us. Weird books and horror and emotional stories. That's where we are.
- [54:46]
Hannah
What a fun blend.
- [54:47]
Tina
I know. All right. My shelf edition is a literal shelf edition that I just purchased for myself. It is the Book of Alchemy by A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jawad. And gosh, I don't know, I was just called to pick this book up. I did not read her memoir, Between Two Kingdoms. I know Renee did. I know she loved it and I will read it at some point. I, for some reason really needed this book. I took it out from the library and I realized I'm like, oh, this is one you're going to want to have in print because you're going to want to highlight it, which is what I started doing and what it's about. It's okay. It's written and collected by Shelika Diwad who has, from the time she was young, kept a journal. She's used it to mark life's biggest occasions and to weather its most ferocious storms. She has an author who has battled leukemia three times and I think still currently is. And she uses journaling to get her through illness, heartbreak and deepest uncertainties. And of course so many people journal as well. And so she created this collection essentially to encourage people to journal and to stop maybe being so precious with it. And I think that's where I. She also shares like all the things she's learned and how to create this life altering practice and how journaling can help us tap into that mythical trait that exists in Every human creativity. And it's not just her writing. It's a collection from 100 other writers, artists, and thinkers in the form of essays and writing prompts. And so she breaks this book up into several sections. There's actually, I think, 10 different sections on purpose on fear, on seeing, on love, what have you. And I was skimming through this, and I'm like, oh, okay. I see a lot of authors that I am familiar with. Just opened it up randomly. This is Elizabeth Gilbert. Big magic. I read her, loved her. What's great about this collection is that it's really short, while the book is long, but each essay is quite short. I would say no more than three, four pages, maybe five pages. And then at the end, it ends with, this is your prompt. Write a letter from love. Begin your letter with this question. Dear Love, what would you have me know today? Da, da, da, da, da. And it's written by each different author. They offer a different prompt. So if you are somebody.
- [57:11]
Hannah
I love that.
- [57:12]
Tina
Yeah. If you're somebody that wants to journal, wants to write, but needs a little bit more structure other than just like, I don't know, just start, write, man. You know, what do you got to say? This, I think, would be really good. Not to be too cliche or cheesy, but I am a child of the 90s. It's reminding me a little bit of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
- [57:31]
Hannah
Oh, my gosh.
- [57:32]
Tina
When I tell you I read so many of those. I loved them.
- [57:36]
Hannah
Me too.
- [57:37]
Tina
And it's sort of that, but more so creativity focused. I'm loving it. I think it's great. Also, this cover is incredible. Look when I take the jacket off. Could you imagine? And it says, this book of Alchemy belongs to Tina. I wrote my name on it. I love it so much.
- [57:53]
Hannah
I love that.
- [57:55]
Tina
Holding this makes me realize you like physical books, right? Like, this is just a reminder. It's soft. There's just something different about it. Anyway, I'm reading it this month. I'm loving it. That is the Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jawad. Yeah.
- [58:10]
Hannah
That is a really beautiful book. Striking cover. Beautiful on the inside. I'd seen that one pop up in, like, my Libro FM app. And when I've been perusing my Libby shelves at my library, it's been popping up as a new release. And I've been intrigued by it, but didn't really know exactly what it was about. So I'm excited to hear you talk about that one soon.
- [58:34]
Tina
I will bring it when I am Finished.
- [58:37]
Hannah
My voice is like. I'm like, literally losing some of it. Like, it's not vocal fry.
- [58:40]
Tina
It's like it's dying. That's usually me.
- [58:45]
Hannah
Okay. I fear that I am entering, like, a pretty intense Romantasy era. Yeah. So I have been picking up a lot of them. I'm reading one currently that I was sharing with Tina that I will be bringing to an episode soon. And in the middle of it, I was like, I think that I need to read more of these. And so the shelf edition that I am bringing is one that's been on my TBR for a while, but has been recently picked up by a publisher and traditionally published. And that's Sword Heart by T. Kingfisher. I'm really glad they did something new with the COVID because this cover is stunning. And before, when it was independently published, it was just a gray cover. Literally just plain gray with, like one sword in the middle of it. And now it's this beautifully intricate sword in the middle that's covered with birds and towers and foliage, and it's stunning. But it sounds really good and it has really great reviews. This book is about Hala, who is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great uncle's estate and unfortunately, all of his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. And while Hala draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in laws. And the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all. That is all. The synopsis gives us short and sweet, but I have heard that this is just a God tier Romantasy. And it's a standalone, y' all.
- [60:34]
Tina
Finally.
- [60:35]
Hannah
Could not scream Hannah any louder because I struggle with series and this is romantasy, which is what I'm feeling. It's a standalone. Sounds so good. I'm excited to pick it up. And that is Sword Heart from T. Kingfisher.
- [60:51]
Tina
Well, you know I always say I want you to read more fantasy Romantasy, so I'm happy to see this one on your tbr.
- [60:58]
Hannah
All right, well, I gotta stop talking because I am running of out esteem.
- [61:01]
Tina
Let's do it. That's 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 and 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.
- [61:28]
Hannah
If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both at Booktok. Etc. On Instagram and YouTube. You can find Tina, TBR Etc. And Hannah at HandpickedBooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books.
- [61:52]
Tina
Should I turn my head the other way?
- [61:54]
Hannah
Think. Nope, I got it. I got it. We're both like, it just takes me. It just takes me a minute. Okay.