B (2:28)

Who's to sleet?

A (2:29)

I know. I'm like, so help me out if I Get wet. I hate to be wet. I love snow though. So we'll see. But how is it in Michigan?

B (2:37)

I think we are maybe like one day ahead. So yesterday we had the day that you are currently describing. It was gorgeous. It was 55 degrees sunny. All of the back roads just looked yellow and red and purple. It was so stunning. And I had my last fall walk yesterday. Today it's cloudy. We're going to get some drizzles later. It's about 40, like 2 or 3 degrees and it's looking, you know, a little more wintry or pre winter I guess, where it starts to get really cold. But we haven't quite gotten the snow yet. But it's coming for sure.

A (3:16)

Winter is coming. I know every, I drop the girls off and I was driving home, every neighbor on the, in the neighborhood is blowing their leaves and trying to get them up before. Yeah. Meanwhile I'm just like, well they are, they'll, they'll decompose eventually.

B (3:30)

Yeah, no, we're the same way.

A (3:32)

Yeah, they're fine. But yeah, I am, you know, kind of excited though, because I do love winter when you're inside and cozy. Like I think I like the idea of it more than I like the actual being outside in it.

B (3:44)

I like the idea of winter too, especially again, being inside cuddled up under a blanket. Warm reading weather. It does stink to drive in. And it's not fun a ways to bundle up. However, I have one last question before we wrap up our weather report. What's worse? Bundling up children to go outside in the winter or having to get sunscreen on their entire body and pack up a beach bag?

A (4:13)

Oh, clothes for me. Yeah, same clothes for me. My kids have melanin, so I don't have to be as vigilant. We still wear sunscreen, but it's not. If I'm not as diligent about it, it's not so tragic. So for me, the bundling up is, is a, is a task. And I was just thinking too, now there's like the bus stop of it all. So we got to bundle up and then walk to the bus stop and then do it again. It's like a multi step process. What say you?

B (4:40)

I also agree that I think that bundling them up is a little bit more cumbersome because I also never plan well and I'll get my coat on first and then I'll start bundling up and then I'm sweating and it's way too hot.

A (4:56)

So no, I can't be hot and do Things I get verklempt. Like, I cannot stand it.

B (5:01)

I am the same way. And then, and then I'm very angry.

A (5:04)

Right.

B (5:05)

But that also is because now they make such nice tools to apply sunscreen hands free, even where you can roll it on and things like that. And so I think that helps.

A (5:19)

Yes. So, yeah, they've like preemptively helped parents with this chore. They did.

B (5:24)

Now we just. Although I don't, I don't know what we could do to help parents with, with bundling the kids up. I think we're just gonna have to do that.

A (5:33)

Put your coat on last. Put. Put one's coat on last. Yeah, I think that's the best way. It's actually a perfect segue though, into my loving lately. Because my loving lately is an Instagram account called Kids eat in color and there's like dots in between each word. Have you brought this before or have you heard of them?

B (5:50)

I haven't brought it before, but I do love this account. Did you say YouTube channel though?

A (5:56)

No, I don't think I might have. If I did, I'm wrong. I meant Instagram. But it is from this person, obviously. I've looked really hard into it, but her name is Jennifer and I know that she is a nutritionist and their goal is to really help your picky kid eat veggies and have a good relationship with food. I was like, great. I love that. I had been following them for a while, I think back when I was doing baby led weaning with both girls where, you know, you try and introduce or 100 first foods. You try and introduce a lot of foods, whatnot. But specifically what I wanted to bring was she is doing this incredible thing and the video here says stretch your food budget. And she has shared this resource. It is their 30 day meal plan and it has all of the. It's like flavorful, but it's also got the nutrition facts. It has your shopping list, it has your recipes, it's got photos, clothes. It also has like what items you can get by with WIC and just other things. And she is a registered dietitian. She used to work with a food bank. And so her one of her big missions is to reduce child hunger and she usually charges for this. But right now, because there's such a big need for it, everyone can use it and use the code flavor to get it for free, which is actually incredible. You can also pay, you know, there's like a pay what? You can type bucket with it. But what I have done with It. I just love this resource, and I think it's just so fantastic and kind to offer this because you can tell a ton of work has gone into this. So what I did is I bought it and I had it sent to my app that I use called Notability. And I use this same app on my iPad or my phone. And you can. What you can do is actually send PDFs there, and you can save them and bucket them in different groups and you can write on them, you know, if you want to, for your iPad, whatever. But now I just have this awesome resource and sort of right here on my phone. If I'm building my meal plan for the week, I'm showing Hannah. I mean, it's incredible how much stuff is in here. And what's great is that, you know, kids are not everyone, I think, could probably use more vegetables in their diet, but it gives you ideas for snacks, it gives you ideas for dinner, and, like, gives you literal meal plans for the week. So I'm really excited about it and I wanted to share it because I think anybody could use this as a resource. And I know I am sick to death of meal planning. So if someone's volunteering to make this resource available, I'm going to take them up on it. So this is the Instagram account Kids Eat in Color, and specifically her Affordable Flavors cookbook, if you will.

B (8:31)

Oh, I'm so glad that you brought this. I was looking at her website while you were talking about it, and that Affordable Flavors is right at the top banner of their website. So I will link to both her. I will link to both the Instagram page and the Affordable Flavors page on her website in our show notes.

A (8:54)

Awesome. Thanks for doing that. Yeah, I'm. I'm excited because I think it's just such a fantastic resource and something probably everyone could benefit from.

B (9:01)

Yep. I'm really glad that you brought that. My Loving lately is a game that I have been playing on my Nintendo Switch. It is the tiny bookshop game. And this is available on Steam as well. I just play on my Switch, so that is how I purchased it. And this is definitely a game that has been kind of blowing up and taking the book.

A (9:30)

Internet. Yes, the book.

B (9:31)

Thank you. I'm like, what word am I looking for? The book Internet by Storm. I have heard so many people rave about this, and I finally got curious enough to try it out for myself. And I have to say, I totally understand the hype. I think that this is so much fun. It is very cozy. And what you do is you Open up this tiny bookshop, you get to decorate it. At the very beginning, you don't have that many decor items, but as you sell books and you meet customers and fulfill their book recommendation requests, you can buy more items for your shop and continue to decorate it. And there is a little bit of a story. It's not super in depth at all, but there are some challenges and tasks and quests that you can accomplish throughout the storyline that help move things along and keep it interesting outside of the daily requirements of opening your bookshop and fulfilling book recommendations. So when you open up your bookshop for the day, people will come into your store and they will ask you for very specific and sometimes very, very niche requests. Like, I have to have a book about animals, but I mostly read romance. And you're like, okay, well, let's see what I have. And you go through all of your books that you have in stock and you try to find the best recommendation for them. And if they like your recommendation, then more people come in and you make more money and more people ask for books. And then if you don't give them a good recommendation, then it'll mean less people come into your store and less people ask you for book recommendations. It's so much fun. I will say I am someone who loves to listen to an audiobook while playing a cozy game. This is not a game where I personally can listen to an audiobook while I play, it's just playing the game for me. With this one, there's a lot of reading involved because you're reading the book synopses of books that you might want to recommend to people. You're reading people's very specific book requests and it's hard to obviously read and listen at the same time, so can't really do both. But this has been such a cozy way to wind down at the end of the day or a nice fun weekend bookish activity. My one complaint is that there are a lot of repeat books in each genre, but it is a brand new game and if you look on their Discord and Reddit threads, there is a plan to expand the game, add more books. In fact, they even have a request and a submission form for people to join their tiny bookshop team to help recommend books for them to add to the game. So I know that's definitely a plan in the future and I can't wait to see how it expands so that I can keep playing this one. And that is the tiny bookshop game. I play it on Nintendo Switch.

A (12:31)

This is a silly question I. Are the books that you're recommending real books or are they made up for the game?

B (12:39)

That's not a silly question. There's both, but most of them are books that are real and that exist. Like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is one that shows up on my bookshelves a lot. Normal People is a book that shows up a lot. Yeah.

A (12:53)

So fun.

B (12:54)

It's so fun. Like, they are real books. There are a couple that are. That have to do with the game. Like, the town that you are in in the game is called Buxtonberry, and there are some books that you recommend that are Encyclopedia of Buxtonberry and things like that. So there are some that are very specific to the game, but most of them, I'd say 90% of them are real books that you've definitely heard of.

A (13:19)

That is so fun. I was definitely thinking the books were made up. No, they're real, so that's why they have this. And then you said the submission form, and I'm like, ah, so this is. Oh, my gosh. Well, what a book lover's dream.

B (13:32)

Exactly.

A (13:33)

I would totally play that. And I'm not a. I only play one game and it's Stardew Valley. But I would like to be talked into.

B (13:40)

Yeah, I think that you would like it.

A (13:42)

I think so, too. Well, are we doing latest reads? It's been a long time. Okay. Yeah, it's been like two weeks since Hannah and I have recorded for no real reason. It's just how the schedule worked out. Almost a week and a half. Right. Because last week we've had birthdays in between, we've had changing seasons, we've had a holiday with Halloween. A lot of work stuff. I was away. Oh, no, Halloween wasn't last week, was it? I don't know. Yeah, it was. My God. Anyway, I've got a lot of things going on, so it feels like I've forgotten how to podcast, but I have not forgotten how to read because I've been reading what else is new like a maniac. And I knew this would happen to me because today they're all new releases and they're all in similar genre. I said it that I. For some reason, end of August into early October, I'm like, give me all the horror and thriller books. That's what I want. I want horror, I want thriller. Like, I want the, you know, jump scares, all of that. And you would think I would read those through Halloween. No, I get burnt out after that. And it's usually like the first and Second week in October where I'm like, I crave literary stories. Like, I crave them. And so that is what happened to me today. So today I'm bringing three there that are not thrillers and they're sort of more literary. So the first one I'm going to talk to you about is a book that I've been told to read, and it's called Life and Death and Giants by Ron Rindo. And I was told to read this one of our. I think they're a listener basically recommended it to me. And as one does, you know, I looked it up, and then it went into the memory bank, never to be looked at again. But then for some reason, this called to me. I don't know what made me grab it, but I'm really glad that I did, because this one is about Gabriel, who was born an orphan, because when he was born, he weighed 18 pounds. And unfortunately, he. His mother died during childbirth. And he is a very special person because he not only was born weighing 18 pounds, he could walk at eight months. He could communicate with animals. And he just seemed to be this extraordinary person right from the go. He at first is being raised by his brother, who's a bit older than him, and then, sadly, his brother passes away. All of this is in the synopsis. So then Gabriel gets taken in by his devout Amish grandparents, and he lives a life in their. On their farm, in their Amish community. But he's nearly 8ft tall, and he is now coming of age where he can decide does he want to live by the Amish way of life or does he want to explore. And then he was outside working, and a local football coach happened to come across him and was like, excuse me, who are you? Why aren't you playing football? And the rest is history. And so he ends up playing football. And then Gabriel's life goes from there. What is so incredibly interesting about this story is that Gabriel never has a point of view, meaning I don't. You're not hearing from him directly. You are hearing about Gabriel by those whose lives were transformed by him. So the first person you meet is named Thomas. He's a local veterinarian, and he ends up delivering him. And he has a pretty big role in Gabriel's life. You meet Hannah, who is Gabriel's Amish grandmother, and she grapples a lot with her faith and her love for Gabriel. You meet Billy, who is a salty bar owner and the bridge between the Amish and English communities in this town in Minnesota. And then you meet Trey who is the football coach. And so you are hearing about Gabriel through all these people's point of view. I really liked it. I thought it was excellent. It is a story that, for me, was unexpected. I did not know what to think. I actually, now I remember why I picked this up. I picked this up for our folklore podcast episode. Cause I was like, giants. Cool. Like, what do you mean? That's a mythical thing.

B (17:53)

Yeah.

A (17:54)

And then I realized, no, no, you're in the world. You just are buying the fact that he's nearly 8ft tall. And then me being me, I was like, oh, well, I've heard about a condition like this. It's called acromegaly, where it's a condition where you can't. A person can't stop growing, essentially. And the tallest person ever had that, and he was nearly 8ft tall. So I'm like, okay, I'm going to suspend my disbel and just say this could happen. He does play football in this book. If you all know me, you know, I really love football. I've been to a million games at this point. And so I quite liked those sections I've heard from other readers who don't care for football were like, okay, this is very sportsy, but if you're a person that likes a sports novel, you'll totally be down for this. Because I was riveted by the sports parts. But I will say, you don't stay there forever. You're not, you know, obviously he grows and you kind of follow him throughout all of the challenges that he faces throughout his life. Was this perfect? No. Was this worth the read? Absolutely. I think this one was great. I think this is actually a perfect book for this time of year. Something you can really sink into. It's emotional. I feel like I learned a lot. It's sweet. It's sort of fair. It sort of fairy tale esque in some ways. So I probably could have brought it for our, you know, whatever episode that was our last episode. And it actually has an incredible rating on Goodreads. It's 4.42. There's only 2,000 ratings, but that's pretty dang good. So this comes highly recommended from me. It is Life and Death in Giants by Ron Rindo.

B (19:25)

I love when you bring books that I've never heard of before. I've never even seen this book. Well, aside from you talking about it, I think you mentioned this on an episode that we did for patrons a while back.

A (19:42)

Okay, that could be. Yep.

B (19:43)

I think for a mood reader, half the hour or something like that.

A (19:46)

Yes, I pro. I read this a while ago at.

B (19:47)

This point, but yes, and I remember you talking about that. But then now you finally brought it. So I'm glad that we finally got to hear about it. And fun that it had a sports element. I know that's something that you really enjoy reading about.

A (20:01)

So good one. And it's also very Midwestern. Not for nothing, it's a very Midwestern story.

B (20:06)

I love a Midwestern book and I did wonder when you were talking about it if it was going to be set in the Midwest. So fun that it has a Minnesota tie in. My latest read could not be more different at all. It is Dating after the End of the World by Geneva Rose and I've never read a Geneva Rose book before, but last week I really needed something easy and fast and I had heard that her books were just just really great books to read in a day or read really quickly. And so I picked this one up on Kindle Unlimited. And this is about Casey Pearson, who grew up with a doomsday prepping father. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Casey and her father and we find out that she was pretty heavily bullied as a teenager because of her family's very unique lifestyle. At 18, Casey gets tired of living an unconventional life and so she leaves home and vows that she will never go back. Then we switch to more than a decade later and a mysterious viral outbreak changes everything. Casey is an ER doctor, she's in her residency and she finds out about the outbreak while working a shift in the er and all hell breaks loose. This viral outbreak turns what used to be people into zombie like creatures. And it's official. It's the end of the world and no one saw it coming. Except of course, for Casey's father. With no place left to run and danger lurking around every corner, Casey does decide to return home, even though she swore she never would. Upon arrival, she is surprised to find that her dad has hunkered down with a group of survivors, including her arch nemesis, Blake Morrison, who was her high school bully and made Casey's teenage years a living hell. While struggling to live on the compound, face outside threats, and survive alongside her very handsome enemy, Casey, to her own surprise, learns how to live again. So I one of the reasons why I wanted to read a Geneva Rose book as well is because I love her presence on social media. She's really funny and she has a really funny response to the haters of her book in general and I genuinely love that. And I just think that she is a really fun person. What I did enjoy about this book is that it was it was easy to get through. I brought Run on Red by Noel Eiley earlier this year and this gave a really similar vibe in the sense that it was just such a fast and easy book to get through. This is definitely not going to win any awards, but sometimes you just need a book that is going to be entertaining and you're going to forget time while reading it. I really liked that this had a fun adventure, some complicated family dynamics, a romance thrown in and yes, some cringe dialogue here and there. But honestly the satirical end of the world vibes made that dialogue fit in just fine. Because while this is a post apocalyptic book, it's also kind of silly because it is not your typical dark making a lot of societal points and you know, deep themes about the end of the world. This is just a fun romance with a zombie apocalypse thrown in. Think Warm Bodies, which is a movie that I really like. I've never read the book, but the movie is again a romance and it's a zombie romance. So this reminded me of that. I thought Casey was was a little bit annoying and that was a little challenging for me to look past sometimes. But overall this was a nice palate cleanser and I would definitely read this author again if I needed a really fun and entertaining read. And that was Dating after the End of the World by Geneva Rose.

A (24:19)

I am so glad that you brought it. I. I know we saw some folks in our Discord who were making comments about it and I think they were reading it as well and so I'm glad that you picked it up. Her books, I've only read two now at this point and I agree maybe aren't going to be literary masterpieces, but are they entertaining? Heck yeah, they are.

B (24:39)

Yes. And that is needed sometimes.

A (24:43)

That's exactly right.

B (24:44)

Well, earlier Tina, you mentioned that you were really craving more literary books now that we are down to end of year reading and we don't really have a lot of themed episodes to read for at this point. Are you still feeling that literary vibe and do you have a plan for how you're going to tackle this upcoming reading season?

A (25:07)

That is a good question. Of course it's something I've been thinking through because right at this point I'm looking at my list of books that I need to read. I keep like a big notes in my phone. Big note. I know. Groundbreaking, right? I am done basically. Like I'm pretty much done reading specific books for the podcast Because I'm through. So my reading plans include we have to read, we have two book talk, et cetera, Community reads for the rest of the year, which we know we'll be reading. That's Cursed Daughters by Oyenkin Braithwaite and Best Offer Wins by Marissa Cascino. I've already read it, so I don't have to read for that.

B (25:49)

Oh yeah, that's right. So anyway, that's so nice.

A (25:52)

I always kind of build from there. Those are the first two. I also have an in person book club and that we're reading something that's going to be my shelf edition. So I'm will show you in a minute. So, you know, we'll. We'll show you that. And then from there I sort of just go, okay, what do I, what do I feel like I want to do? I will tell you, historically, December reading is always not great for me because I feel untethered. Heaven forbid a girl doesn't have a schedule slash plan. Because I just am like, what do I want to read? I have no earthly idea. Because a piece of me wants to be like, okay, great, let me try and squeeze in all of the 2025 releases that I can so that I can maybe find one that's the best of the year. And I don't want to look back at this year and be like, dang, I wish I had read that in 2025. Which is kind of silly. But I actually messaged my friend Dennis at Scared Straight Reads yesterday. He had posted that he's done reading for 2025 and like done reading 2025 new releases. I said, dennis, what do you mean? And I said, do you then now, like starting in December, do you then count it in 2026? He said, yeah. And I was like, excuse me, that's allowed. What do you mean? Like, it kind of broke my brain because that's the thing, right? I feel like I, in my way that I read last year, I'm like, I don't want to start any 2026 books because what if they're the best that I read that year and I want to carry them over. So, for example, the favorites by Lane Fargo, I literally had two pages left and saved it January 1st because I knew it was going to be like one of my favorites of the year and I wanted to count it in 2025. Is this crazy? Yeah, it is. But that's how it goes. This is just how it works. So I do have a different plan for this year or something else. I'm incorporating which I'll talk about in a second. But first I want to know for, from you, does your reading change toward the end of the year? And I feel like I know the answer, but I want to hear you talk about it. It.

B (27:58)

Yes, it does for sure. I feel a little bit more liberated, I think, than you possibly feel. But also I do wonder if I, and I always wonder this at the end of the year if I am becoming more of a TBR reader because I'll feel liberated for a little bit and then we get to like the last week or really close to the actual holidays. And I do feel a little like, oh, do I want to read a holiday book or do I want to just read something short? Do I want to read something cozy? And that is where, yes, I feel, I feel liberated that I can read whatever I want. But I think what I need to do, and this ties into my plans for the end of your reading, is I need to put together a very loose TBR that incorporates a lot of different moods and plans for either early 2026 podcast episodes or just books that I am really looking forward to that I wanted to read earlier in the year but didn't get to. And I do have a small stack started and I think I'm going to add a few more books to that stack and really try to pick from there. We will see if it ends up happening. But I would really like to do that because it is stressful to not have anything to plan for reading wise and then just not know. And what if you don't know what mood you're in? It's nice to have at least some kind of guideline. So that is my very loose plan in terms of what mood I am in for winter reading. I don't really know yet. I'm still kind of trying to figure that out.

A (29:46)

Yeah, and that's totally valid. I, you know, I support the idea of having a loose tbr, like a semi structured tbr, you know, just like a long list. A TBR long list. I remember I said this to you in May and you were like, great, I'm gonna do it. And then we checked in the next month and you were like, I didn't read hardly any of them. Like it was, you know, it just sort of depends on what you want to do. But I think for me, I'm going to make a cutoff. It won't be now. It'll probably be mid December when I'm like, great, pretend this is January 1st, because I'll have already read the amount of books I want to read, I will. You know what I'm saying? I think I'm going to cut it early. But before I get to December, my reading plan, I'm going to read every. We'll see if I do it. Every mystery and thriller that is nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards, I'm going to read all of them.

B (30:38)

That is a commitment.

A (30:39)

It's a commitment. And I want to do it for YouTube video because I think it would be fun. I want to see if I can do it. And I think I can. I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to. I'm banking on the fact that I've already read a lot of them. So, yeah, usually they not they release a list of 20 that are on the long list for Goodreads Choice Awards. And then usually I'll have read, I think last year without even trying. I think I read around eight. So I'm like, maybe this year is more and I can try and get through all of those and film my reactions because I think that would be fun.

B (31:14)

Now, are you going to read from the initial long list or are you going to read from the short list?

A (31:19)

The long list, baby. I want to read them all.

B (31:21)

Wow. Okay.

A (31:22)

Read them all. And I'm already nervous because I made a video predicting the ones that I think will be on it. And some of them I don't want to read. I don't want to read the new Robert Langdon book by Dan Brown just because it's book five and I've only read books one and two. I don't want to read the new Stephen King Never Flinch because it's another Holly book. And I'm like, but maybe it won't. Maybe it'll be in horror. That would be helpful for me. But anyway, stay tuned. And that actually ties into what we're doing in November for our patrons because I think as you listener are hearing us talk about this, if you're listening on release day, the Goodreads Choice Awards may have already been announced. And so what Hannah and I are doing Tuesday night, tonight, if it releases tonight, or if it releases tomorrow, Wednesday, we're not 100% sure. But whenever it releases that evening, we're going to go live and react not to just the thrillers, but to all of them. And we're going to record it for our patrons and we think it'll be a fun time. I like we did it last year, but I want to do it even better this year. So I'm excited.

B (32:25)

It was really fun last year and there were definitely some surprises. And I actually always look forward to those surprises. And I think it'll be especially fun for you, Tina, knowing that you are going to be reading that list.

A (32:37)

I know.

B (32:38)

Yeah. That's going to be exciting. I wonder if there are any categories I could do that for. The only one I could think of is potentially romance.

A (32:46)

Romance. That would be.

B (32:47)

But I never want to read. I never want to read all the ones in the long run.

A (32:52)

Never. No, never. I'm so.

B (32:53)

I'm so picky. I'm so fussy.

A (32:55)

I feel like, like, actually, though, that is part of my reason for wanting to do this because one, I like a challenge. I just want to see if I can. But two, there are always some that I'm like, I don't want to. Usually with the Goodreads choice, especially thriller, that's like my lane. There's at least one or two that I've never heard of, which is pretty hard to do. But typically there's a curveball and I'm like, cool, I'll try that out. From an author I probably don't know. There's going to be your usual suspects. The freedom McFadden's. I'm thinking Geneva Rose might be on there with the Perfect Divorce.

B (33:24)

Yeah.

A (33:24)

Anyway, so there's going to be some that are expected, but there's also going to be some that I never would pick up on my own. Probably some more like cozier ones, like the Murder. The Thursday Murder Club book. I think there's a new one. I've never read any of them and I. I generally don't go for the mysteries as much, but I'm like, you know what? This could stretch me and we'll see how I like it. Maybe it works and maybe I find something I really like. Who knows? Knows.

B (33:49)

Well, that is exciting. And I can't wait to hear about some of those books eventually, when you bring them to the show. I do have one closing question.

A (33:58)

Fabulous. What is it?

B (33:59)

How do you feel about holiday books? And do you plan to read any at the end of the year?

A (34:05)

I do like a holiday book. I like a holiday tie in just in general. Like, I like when a book is set around Halloween, during Halloween time. Like, I like to read books that are set during the time period I'm currently in. I think it's fun. I don't know. I'm like, I'm delighted, excited by it. And so, yes, I do like them in theory in that I like getting in the holiday spirit. I usually Read one or two holiday books a year. My thing is I want to read more holiday like mysteries or holiday, you know, whatever that are in that mystery, thriller, suspense genre. I have read some holiday horror which is always interesting combo. But yeah, I like to read about one or two a year and we'll see how I do with that. What about you though?

B (34:51)

I also read typically one or two a year. I think I'm done with holiday romances.

A (34:59)

Okay.

B (34:59)

I think I would like to stick to holiday family stories, literary fiction, thinking Claire Keegan is a great example, something like that. Or again, I do actually really enjoy a holiday thriller or horror. So I will probably pick from those two buckets this coming holiday. Holiday season. And I'm excited because this year we have decided to put together another winter reading guide available for purchase and available for our patrons. And I am already thinking about what holiday book specifically I want to put on that list. So I am really looking forward to that. We did this last year and it was a really big hit and it was really fun to put together.

A (35:47)

You are so right. And I have been. I mean I'll just kind of give you a quick look at my phone. These. It's a long, long list because I find that I hear about books that sound good for winter. So I have my own separate list of books that I feel like would be good to try for our winter reading guide. So I'm excited to dive into those. Looks like I have a lot of reading to do, frankly. I mean that's what I'm finding. But there are worse things.

B (36:15)

We have a lot to look forward to.

A (36:17)

Yes, a lot.

B (36:18)

And our too winter reading guide for those who are curious will be coming out this year on December 2nd. So stay tuned and get excited. And again, that is going to be available for our patrons. So if you are already a patron with us, you will have access to that guide on December 2nd. And it will also be available to purchase separately if that is what you prefer.

A (36:41)

Yes. And I am so excited to put it together. You did such a beautiful job designing it. Last year. Editor Jonathan, in our video put in some snowflakes because I feel like this is the I'm ready. Like I feel like I'm ready. I'm so excited for a little winter time.

B (36:57)

Yeah, me too.

A (36:58)

With that I will transition into our first, my first book. Not our first book. I feel like this could be a really good one for winter because my first book I'm bringing is Seascraper by Benjamin Wood. This one was long listed for the Booker Prize this year. And it is a slim little book. Look at this little guy. He is only, I want to say, maybe 200 pages, 163 pages. And what Seascraper is about is about a man named Thomas. And Thomas lives a pretty slow life. He lives with his mother in Long Ferry, and his job is that of a sea scraper, which means they scrape the sea for shrimp and sell them. And this is not something that he dreamed of when he was a young boy. He has taken over his grandpa's trade and they actually call it a shanker. And he rises early to take his horse and cart to the gray gloomy beach and scrape for shrimp, spending the afternoon selling them. And he's trying to wash away the salt, the scum. And he pines for a local girl named Joan. And he plays songs on his guitar. His deep down dream is to talk to Joan, but then also to be a singer songwriter. And he considers himself a folk musician, but that's his private dream. So you're following Thomas in the beginning. He's doing his every day. And then he comes home and his mom is this interesting character who is pretty selfish in my opinion. She just doesn't want him to branch out on his own at all. And we understand that her, his dad, her husband died. And so, you know, she's dealing with some things, but she's interesting. And she has a visitor over one day when he comes, and it's this man from Hollywood. And this man from Hollywood has all the promises in the world. He's a slick talker, and he ends up wanting to have Thomas show him the sea and the job that he does there because he's trying to make a movie. And that is what I will say about this book. This one is a lot more. More fun than I think it sounds on the surface. And I say fun. It's definitely literary. I don't know that it'll be for everyone, because it's slow. It's not like a rip roar. There's also not a ton of plot. It really is kind of what I just told you. It's about this guy from Hollywood, and what he does is he sets Thomas's soul on fire because he's like, what if? What if I could do this? What if I could? I found this to be uplifting. I quite liked it. It went in directions where I wasn't. I didn't know what it was going to do. I actually listened to this one, and I highly recommend the audio because the author narrates it and what the author does, and I hope I'm right by this. I think I am. But there are sections in here with singing and guitar playing. I am notoriously a music hater. I don't want music in my stories. Like I don't want it. Keep it. I don't want lyrics Lyrics. I don't. Except for this. I was walking around singing Seascraper for weeks. I can still hear it in my head. And that says a lot because it's a part of the song and it's a much longer song. And maybe we'll insert a clip here if we can. But I when I tell you I was just singing this song and it just put a smile on my face. I listened to this in the course of one day when I had a long drive. It was like an hour and a half each way. So per perfect little book to read. It's historical fiction. I didn't mention that, but it's set, gosh, I want to say in the 70s. Don't quote me on that. I'm not great with place and time. I know it's not present day, though, I can tell you that. Overall, I do recommend it. I think it was well worth the read and I had a great time with it. I kind of miss Thomas. I think he was a really kind character to read about. So this one is Seascraper by Benjamin Wood.

B (40:56)

Would I got this in the mail last week from the publisher and I was so excited to read it. I knew you were going to be bringing it, so I didn't start it right away, but it is one that I'm considering adding to that end of year TBR to sneak in there since it's really short. You did a great job hyping me up even more for it. I didn't know what a seascraper was. I didn't. That's what they did. That's really interesting.

A (41:24)

No, I had no idea. And oh also and I just confirmed that the audiobook is indeed narrated by the author, so wanted to make sure I was accurate with that.

B (41:34)

Okay. My first book is the Ten Year Affair by Aaron Summers and this was recommended to me from my friend Kat. We were sending each other voice notes and catching each other up on our just bookish reading lives and I said that I wanted something fast and propulsive and exciting and she recommended this one. And this book starts out at a baby group in a small town and Cora, our main character and narrator of the story, meets Sam and the chemistry between them is undeniable. Both are happily married young parents with two kids and neither sees themselves as the type to engage in an affair. Yet their connection continues to grow stronger and they start to spend more time together, going on walks with their babies and even ditching baby group to spend time with each other. And as their lives continue to intertwine, the romantic tension between them becomes all consuming and eventually their worlds unravel into two parallel timelines. As the reality splits, the everyday details of Cora's life, her depressing marketing job, her daughter's new fascination with the afterlife life, her husband's obsession with podcasts about the history of rope gain fresh perspective. The intersecting and diverging timelines blur the boundaries of reality and fantasy, questioning what might have been and what truly matters okay, this is another book that I just flew through. I am going to start by saying that I really liked this book and I personally found it addicting, repulsive, very easy to read. But I also love reading about characters who make bad decisions and deal with the consequences of those decisions. And we definitely get a lot of that here. This is one of the more unique Sliding Doors novels that I've read before because it's not the typical this could happen and then there's this other reality that could also happen. The narrator in this story will go through these moments after she's already made a decision where she'll go. So in another life, me and my husband are feeding the kids dinner after visiting my parents, and Sam is taking his wife on a date where they drink fancy wine and argue about whether or not Titanic was actually a good movie. And so to me it was, yes, a Sliding Doors novel, but one that I think more so our narrator was creating for herself. Like it could be this life, but it could also be this life that I'm already living and have right here in front of me.

A (44:11)

Me.

B (44:11)

But I keep seeing reviews where people said this book gave two clear and distinct storylines, but that is not how I read it at all. So if you've read this one, send me a DM on Instagram or something because I'm now really curious how others experienced this Sliding Doors narrative. I did this on audio. It's just over nine hours, so a really easy one to get through in a day or two, especially if you listen on 1.5 speed or higher. If you don't like messy and unlikable main characters, I wouldn't really recommend this one. If you don't want to read about an affair or husbands and wives who are cheating on each other, don't read this. I know that can be obviously and understandably a pretty big trigger and content that people don't want to read about. So that is very heavily a theme in this book. But if you want a unique take on marriage and books that explore the possibilities of other lifetimes, I personally really enjoyed this. This one. And if you have similar reading tastes to me, you might like it too. And that is the Ten Year Affair by Aaron Summers.

A (45:19)

That is one that I think is going to be polarizing, but I'm very glad that it works for you.

B (45:24)

Yeah, it worked for me. But again, that's why I added so many caveats.

A (45:29)

I'm.

B (45:29)

I'm not one to add that many caveats. You know, you do you babe. But I do feel like with this one, you got to know what you're getting into before you start it.

A (45:38)

I did not. I had a copy of this and I was like, oh, I'll read this. And then I realized it was Sliding Doors. I was like, never mind, I'm good. I already don't. I already don't love like an adultery. Yeah, point of view. And then I was like, sliding Doors. I don't think so. But anyway, that's good to know yourself as a reader to know. Like, okay, you know what? I noped out of there pretty quick, but I'm glad that it worked for you.

B (45:59)

Yeah, I mean, and it definitely was icky and made me uncomfortable, but I don't mind feeling that way while I'm reading. So.

A (46:04)

It was icky and I liked it.

B (46:06)

It was icky and I liked it.

A (46:08)

All right, well, this next one really challenged me as a reader and I will tell you all about it. It is the Wilderness by Angela Flournoy. Please admire this cover with me. It is probably one of my favorite covers. It's just an interior sort of abstract. There's animal print, there's leaves, lots of color, lots of black and white. And I just, oh, I love it. So I did buy a copy of this and this one is a friendship story. It is an era defining novel about five black women over the course of their 20 year friendship as they move through the dizzying and sometimes precarious period between young adulthood and midlife. And that's what you get with this one. I love stories about friendship. I feel like I often or I've seen a lot of stories or maybe I've just read a lot with male friendships that last years and years and for some reason less about a big group of women that have been friends for so many years. So I was super happy to Grab that. That was one of the things that drew me to this. You're reading about Desiree, Danielle, January, Monique, and Nakia. I was like. At first, I'm like, that's a lot of people. So I'll let you know how I did with that. And in the beginning of the story, they're in their early 20s, and what worked so great for me is that I'm the same age as these characters. And so it was the mid aughts when they were in their twenties, and I might have that. But anyway, I ended up being the same age as these characters, so it was fun to follow them sort of alongside me. Let's make this about me. But you know how it is when you can sort of see yourself in these pages, because this book also brings in a lot of current events that are of the time period, kid. And that was really fun to see because I was like, yeah, I was in college in that time of year. You know what I mean? It was just interesting. You have two sisters that begin the story, Desiree and Danielle. They are very different from each other, and they, you find out throughout, are a little bit estranged. You've got January, who is in a relationship with a man who she should love, but she finds herself in circumstances that she's not super thrilled about. Monique is a librarian and aspiring blogger, and she has plans to call out the university that she works for. And Nakia is trying to get a restaurant off the ground without relying on her family's support. And all of these friends move from the late 2000s into the late 2000s, and they go from young adults to grown women. And through this, they must figure out what they mean to each other amid political upheaval, economic and environmental instability, and the increasing difficulty of modern American life. Life. This one was a challenge for me. I say, because it's not a linear story. You're not following these characters from A to B throughout. You are following them. It has a lot of characters, and it has a lot of points of view. So as I mentioned, part one, the book opens in 2008, and that's when you're being introduced to the sisters. And that one was really an interesting story. I loved how it ended. I was like, oh, my gosh, what do you mean? And then you flash forward 10 years to 2018, and now you're reading about January. And I was like, wait a minute. What happened to Desiree 10 years ago? Like, I want to know about that. And you come to realize as you're reading through this that you are following them the next parts in 2019 and you're following Monique and you sort of get to know these women throughout their different sections. It almost reads as a short story collection that's very cohesive. But it's a, it's a novel because you're seeing the characters in each. And what I love is that I think she portrayed friendship very well. She did a great job portraying how sometimes you are each other's ride or die, especially when you're younger and you don't have kids and other obligations and jobs and you're there and like that's your life is being with these women. And that as you grow up and have other responsibilities, you, you grow apart naturally and sort of come back together. And when you do, you still love each other just as you had. So I liked it for those reasons. I did the audio for this also in, in addition to the print and I did not like the audio personally because I was getting lost. Like, whose time period am I, in which point, which character am I reading about? So for me, I think this works better if you're reading it with your eyes just because you are going to be able to follow it better, in my opinion. I still do recommend it, though. I definitely. It's worthwhile and the, the, the reason why I, I, I am going to recommend it and is because the ending. So the ending. The ending. Part 4. Politics and current events play a pretty significant role in this novel throughout, particularly as we get into the 2000s. Right. And part four is emotional. I'll leave it there. I, I liked the ending and I don't want to say more than that, but it is one that one of our patrons I know had read this book and I was like, can I message you about this? Because I was like, I need to process. And I reached out to her and we talked about it and it was good to have someone to chat with about this because, yeah, you'll think a lot of things after reading that ending. Overall, this is a recommend. I've never read Angela for Flournoy before. I understand people loved her previous novel and I totally could see myself reading that. I think if you like authors like Brit Bennett, for example, this one could work really well for you. Overall, I'm really glad that I read it and I quite enjoyed it. That is the Wilderness by Angela Flournoy.

B (51:52)

Oh, I'm so glad that you brought this one. I, one of us brought it to the September Books on the Radar episode earlier this year and I remember mentioning that cover.

A (52:04)

Was it me Me? Was it you?

B (52:06)

I think I did. And I remember mentioning the COVID I mean, it's just stunning.

A (52:10)

It's a stunning cover.

B (52:12)

It is. I have never read a book by this author either. The Turner House is one that I have grabbed from a little free library a couple years back. Haven't read it yet, but I want to.

A (52:23)

So what a gift. Classic from a little free library.

B (52:26)

Yes, I agree. I remember when I saw it, I was like, I'm snagging that. So many people love that book. And now that you've described the ending well, I gotta know now.

A (52:36)

I can't tell you. I can't.

B (52:38)

I know. Well once well, if and when I read that one, I'll have to text you about that ending so that we can talk about it.

A (52:47)

Feel free.

B (52:48)

My next one is it's different this Time by Joss Richards. And this is a romance book that I have seen again all over the book Internet and I was so curious about it because its tropes and themes really appealed to me and it seemed like it was going to be one that I personally really liked and I'm so glad that I chose this one. This book follows June Wood, a TV actress whose show just got canceled when she receives a mysterious email that completely throws her off. And the subject reads 74 Perry street, which is the address of a place that she used to live a long time ago. This email is from the management company of that New York apartment, and when she lived there, she shared it with her best friend, her former best friend, Adam Harper. And she has not spoken to Adam in years. Curious and with nothing left to lose, June ends up flying from LA back to New York to figure out what is going on with this mysterious property and email that she received. It turns out due to some bizarre legal loopholes, if she and Adam can live together in their old West Village brownstone for one month, they get to keep it and own it. And really, who could say no to a rent free brownstone in the city, especially in the fall? But of course it's complicated with their shared history. June and Adam have a lot of it and we learn through dual timelines exactly what happened with their friends, friendship and why things feel so rocky now. As they try to survive a month under the same roof, old resentments, misunderstandings and buried feelings start bubbling up between the two of them again. And the question becomes, are they willing to risk what is left of their friendship for a chance at something more? This book was such a surprise for me. A great one. I love when a second Chance Romance uses two timelines because you actually get to see that relationship build in the past and feel all of that tension carry into the present timeline. It makes that third act breakup, or any kind of drama or tension that happens in that third act or throughout the story feel so much more organic and earned rather than just thrown in for drama. I listened to this book on audio and it was actually really good that way. One of those books that's just really easy to sink into. And I have to say I loved the Les Mis tie in as well. The main character is a total theater kid living her Broadway dream in New York, which just gave me all of the cozy city in the fall vibes. I was kicking and screaming when she had these opportunities come her way that anyone who has ever been in the theater world would just be absolutely stoked to experience. Spice wise, I would say that this is medium. There are definitely some open door scenes and some steamy fun moments, but they don't happen until about 75% in. So this one is really more about the emotional connection between these two characters and the slow build up to their eventual happy ever after. I felt like the stakes were so high with this one in such a good way. I love Adam and June so much and I missed them so much already. I just loved this romance so much. This is a really great fall or cold weather romance read also, which I don't feel like we get enough of. It's set in that quintessential New York City in the fall backdrop with just the right mix of nostalgia, pining and second chances. I loved this one and it might be my favorite romance of the year so far. And that is. It's different this time by chance. Joss Richards Wow.

A (56:43)

High praise. That's awesome.

B (56:44)

High praise. And I. I had it with me and I forgot to pop it out. But I. I do have a physical copy of this one and while I did listen to it on audio, I also eventually read along to it and I actually read the last like third or quarter of it in print because I wanted to read it faster than I could listen to it on audio. So I had to get the physical copy.

A (57:07)

I love that and I love the COVID of this one. We talked about this previously earlier, Hannah. We were prepping for the episode and I don't think you noticed, but I was doing something. I was in my Goodreads looking at my books and I go oh damn. And what I had done was I accidentally accepted a friend request and for me and Goodreads I added this thing that says, how do you know me? Or where do you know me from? And most of the time It's Instagram, podcasts, YouTube, whatever. Sometimes it's people I know in real life and I said, dang, because I accidentally let a man in and he had just said Goodreads. And I was like, whatever, maybe it's fine. Lo and mother. Lo and behold, we're not even done recording this podcast yet. And I have a direct message from this person.

B (57:50)

No.

A (57:50)

Well, I stumbled across your profile. You caught my eye.

B (57:55)

You caught his eye.

A (57:56)

This is not what Goodreads is for. It's not for that. So I immediately.

B (58:03)

It's not for a meet cute.

A (58:04)

It's not for a meet cute. And it makes me nuts. I swear to God. So if you've ever tried to friend me on Goodreads reads and you're like, why do you have a question? That is the reason why? Because if I don't, I don't know where people found me from. And they. I just accept and I get all sorts of creepy messages. Trash. Yeah, that's trash the message. Not trash the person. Just throw that away. But it's just so predictable.

B (58:29)

Yeah.

A (58:30)

Anyway.

B (58:31)

Does it have to be so predictable? Sometimes you want to be wrong.

A (58:34)

I was like, I'm. Do you have. Yeah. Anyway, whatever. I don't need to stay here long. But I had to vent because I'm sure I'm not the only one, only book reader who uses Goodreads who has people that feel like they're making you uncomfortable in a reader space.

B (58:48)

Oh, definitely not.

A (58:50)

Don't like that.

B (58:50)

If you've been on Goodreads, I feel like you've gotten at least one creepy message.

A (58:55)

It's a part of the Goodreads experience, I guess.

B (58:59)

I guess so.

A (59:00)

Not a fan. But I was a fan of listening to you talk about that book. And I'm so glad that that one worked for you. This is not the way. This is not the meet cute.

B (59:08)

This is not the meet cute you need.

A (59:09)

No. All right, so the book that I'm bringing as my shelf edition, this is one I alluded to earlier that has a holiday tie in. It is Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason. And it says, one haunted house, one impossible crime, one killer weekend. I quite like the COVID for this one as well. We're looking at some sort of chalet and there's snowflakes and there's. Looks like some sort of letter opener and a key. It's giving clue. But I will tell you what it's in about. It is set at a grand country estate. And on her last day as a detective, Midge McGowan is given the retirement present from hell. A ticket to a haunted house tour. She'll have to spend a weekend ghost hunting in an isolated mansion with a group of misfits, including a know it all paranormal investigator and a has been pop star. The guests soon realize that the house has a mind of its own and that they might not be the only ones there. An eerie figure appears on the property, and then the unthinkable happens. Happens. Say it with me. Somebody is murdered and they were murdered in a room that's been locked from the inside. When a blizzard cuts off the group from help, the house's own dark secrets begin to surface. And Midge can't shake the creeping sense that they are walking into a nightmare. Could a ghost really be responsible? Or is the culprit one of the guests who have somehow impossibly endeared themselves to Midge? I don't understand that last sentence, but that's okay.

B (60:35)

Is Midge a name?

A (60:37)

It is the name. She's the detective.

B (60:41)

That's. It might be a nickname, like in Marvelous. Mrs. Maisel, Miriam. They call her Midge.

A (60:47)

No, I mean, that's her name. That's fine. But I don't know what they mean by. Or is the culprit one of the guests who have somehow impossibly endeared themselves to Midge? I guess I'll have to read and find out because what does endearing themselves to Midge have to do with anything? I don't know.

B (61:00)

That they're unex. That they're unassuming, like you wouldn't expect them maybe.

A (61:05)

Yeah. So she's. Yeah. And like, they're. They think, oh, Midge will never guess, but my thought is that Midge would guess.

B (61:12)

Sorry for mansplaining Midge to you. I thought that's what you were talking about.

A (61:17)

No offense taken. That book is Murder Most Haunted, starring Midge by Emma Mason.

B (61:23)

Love that.

A (61:24)

No, no. And I just.

B (61:25)

Little plug for Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

A (61:27)

I love that. Yes. That's one that I've not watched yet.

B (61:30)

It's really fun. It's. It's cute. Okay. My shelf edition is one that I am really excited about. It doesn't come out until next year, and that is Frida's Cook by Florencia Echevez. And I'm excited about this one in particular because my daughter, who is in second grade, really loves Frida Kahlo kind of randomly, but she just. She loves her and. And she had a little golden book about Frieda when she was little. And then she had this longer picture book biography about Frida and her life when she got a little bit older. And then this year in second grade, they actually spent the first part of the school year in Mexico in their art class and they studied Frida and her art. And my daughter was so excited about that because she knew who Frida Kahlo was and she loves her. So that is why I was particularly excited to get this book in the mail. And this story has two timelines. Mexico City, 1939. We have young and determined Nayeli Cruz, who flees from her home to escape the fate of a life devoted to marriage and children. Arriving in Mexico City with neither friends or a clear path forward. Alone and armed only with her sharp wit and extraordinary talent in the kitchen, she finds herself in front of La Casa Azul, the home of Frida Kahlo. And as she begins work as the artist's cook, Nayeli is pulled into Frida's world of pain, passion and defiance. But it isn't long before, amid the vibrant tapestry of all the flavors, scents and colors, these two women form a deep bond. One that will shape the course of Nayeli's life and leave behind a secret buried in art. Then we have Buenos Aires, present day, and we are following Paloma, who is Nayeli's granddaughter. And she stumbles upon a mysterious painting depicting her grandmother as a young woman. The artist's identity is unknown, but the artwork's existence threatens to unravel long held family secrets. As Paloma delves into her grandmother's past, she uncovers the tale of friends, friendship, betrayal and resilience that challenges everything she thought she knew about the woman who raised her. It says, this is a lyrical and timeless portrait of the human side of one of the world's most famous painters. And it celebrates the power of female friendship, art and love. So this sounds really great and had a little personal tie in that you got to hear about. And that is Frida's Cook by Florencia et show is.

A (64:09)

I love that. And I love that your daughter, Lex, Frida Kahlo, we read about her recently too in this book that my kids have. And I just think what a great person to be introduced to. And I love that cover.

B (64:22)

I agree.

A (64:23)

Well, folks, that is everything for you today. We are finished and 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 booktalk Etc.

B (64:54)

If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us us both at Book Talk 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. Y.