Loading summary
Transcript152 lines
- [00:00]
A
I'm ready to party.
- [00:02]
B
Party. Welcome to book talk, etc. A podcast bound to grow your TBR. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
- [00:20]
A
And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.
- [00:22]
B
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood readers who are easily distracted by new releases. And this week we leaned into our love of new releases and read.
- [00:33]
A
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.
- [00:49]
B
Hey, Hannah.
- [00:50]
A
Hey, Tina. How's it going?
- [00:52]
B
I mean, we are fine. We're recording, you know, we've got a couple marathon recording days in a row, but I am enjoying it. I'm digging our, you know, cadence. New Cadence. Exactly what I was thinking.
- [01:06]
A
Yes, yes, me too. Yes. It's been fun seeing so much of you and getting to talk so much and getting ahead. It has felt really, really nice.
- [01:16]
B
Yeah. And we also did a live. It was last week, which feels like a really long time ago, but we did a live reading sprint with our patrons. We're doing another one at the end of the month. We're doing a bookstore browse on the main show in a couple weeks. So I feel like we've just got so many fun things coming up for the podcast. And I was sent from Buzzspro, our host, it said, congratulations, this year will mark your fifth year of book talk, et cetera. And I'm like, huh? What do you mean five banana pan does it. I'm like, how do you mean five years? Time is weird. It doesn't exist. But I'm so happy to have been on Mike for coming up here. It's a, it's four and a half years at this point. Cause I think the five year mark is in May. But still, I mean, it's over four and a half years of podcasting. So yeah, it's been a great time.
- [02:03]
A
I can't believe how that feels. I. I'm not quite at my two year mark yet, so I can imagine that that five year mark feels, wow, huge.
- [02:12]
B
It does, yes.
- [02:13]
A
May will be two years for me.
- [02:15]
B
Yes, May is a big month for the podcast. I mean, boy, do I ever have a loving lately for you and for you, listener. Because my loving lately is also a podcast and it is called Beth is Dead. This is a pretty recent. Do you know this podcast, Hannah?
- [02:33]
A
No, but I'm intrigued because it Sounds like one that you and enjoy.
- [02:37]
B
Yeah, yeah, it's really interesting. Now they're calling this a true crime podcast, and I suppose in a way it is, but it's very meta. It is not a true crime podcast in the way that you have the hosts and they're telling you about this thing that happened. You have a host who is talking to two other podcasters who had this very strange interaction with one of their podcast listeners. And that's the basis of this entire.
- [03:00]
A
Interesting.
- [03:02]
B
Yes. So the host is named Monica Padman. She's from Armchair Expert. I don't listen to that, obviously. I know it's immensely popular podcast. But she is interviewing or having conversation with two other individuals. She knows their podcast hosts named Elizabeth and Andy, and they were on a show called Totally Lame LA I M E, which is their last name. And they are focusing on why it is that their podcasts suddenly shut down. And at first somebody had recommended it to me. So if it was you in my DMs who told me to listen, thank you. Because I'm always accepting new podcast recommendations, especially for limited series ones, especially True Crime. So thanks to whoever recommended it. But for this one, I put it on and I was kind of like, what am I listening to here? Because the two interviewees, Elizabeth and Andy, are very skilled podcasters. Obviously they're very comfortable on mic, but they're sort of going back in time to reference their show. I'd never watched or listened to their show, so I didn't know all of the things. And you don't need to, because they really do a deep dive on their show. Essentially. They would take people's comments and like, offer suggestions. They're a married couple, so they would often, like, tackle issues of marriage and parenting and other things. And so what this podcast as well is that it very much explores parasocial relationships, that is, the relationships that your listeners have to podcast hosts or to, you know, people on social media. A parasocial relationship is where the, you know, sort of host doesn't know about you necessarily, but you feel like you're friends with them. I've certainly had that feeling. I know some of our listeners here have said to us they feel like we're friends, but sort of in reality. Right. How much do they know about us? And that's sort of what this podcast explores. And it is unpacking this real life mystery that involves the podcasters. So Beth is one of the listeners and I'll sort of leave it there. It's 10 episodes and I will admit that I'm not fully done. I think it ended end of last year, so I'm not quite done. I feel like, though I know the meat of the thing. There's, like, a couple big reveals, and I sort of know what's going on. I liked it. Now, the reason why I am not done is that this podcast feels like there's a lot of inside jokes and a lot of, like, nudges. Oh, you know Dax or you know this person. And that's not bad. But I'm also like, is this true crime? Or what am I listening to? Because I don't know these people. And I liked the husband, wife duo, but again, I don't have that relationship to them, and it very much is. I feel like they could have definitely truncated the first three to four episodes. I mean, because they're, like, pulling clips from their show and really digging in as to who this couple is, which is fine. But I was like, come on. Like, I want to get to, who is Beth? Like, what's going on here? It felt more of like a. The. The woman who's interviewing them felt like a fan of their show, which she was. And that's totally cool. But we got several episodes of, like, tell me more about this podcast and how you got into that. And I'm like, get to the point. Who's Beth, and why is she dead or what happened to her? When you get there, I'm like, okay, I've got. I will say, I don't feel like there's too many ads for this one. You know, like, if there's a ton of ads, I'm like, okay, you know, let's. Let's keep it moving. I think it did a good job of balancing that. I just sort of wanted to accelerate the story a little bit more. Then when you meet Beth, there is a. They're. They're a very interesting person. And I was surprised. I will leave it at that. I was. I don't know. Pleasantly surprised is the right word, because it's pretty tough what happens, you know?
- [06:54]
A
I know. It's always so hard reviewing stuff like that. Yeah, I liked this horrible thing that.
- [06:59]
B
Happened, and she just is sharing this. And it's just fascinating to me, though, how people who listen to shows or, you know, maybe follow people on social media and just Internet culture and the dichotomy between who you are as a person in reality versus who you are on the show versus how people perceive you. So I think it's really interesting. I don't know. That's sort of My loose recommendation. If you want a podcast that feels like true crime but is not that dark and not that gruesome, go ahead and go for this in my. I think I'm seven episodes through. There's nothing that is, like, brutal because obviously we know true crime could really, really get wackadoo and. And intense. This doesn't do that. It's just more of a fascinating story that one explores, you know, parasocial relationships, but two also tells this mystery of what happened to these podcasters and why they shut down their show. Overall, I liked it. I understand the context of the beginning and what they were building up to, but y. Yes, there is a twist, and once you get to the twist, I feel like I was satisfied with what I was listening to. Overall, I do recommend it. And this is the podcast called Beth is Dead.
- [08:08]
A
Oh, I love when you bring a podcast because all of the podcasts that I've listened to because of your recommendation, I have always really loved. So podcast Listening twins.
- [08:19]
B
Podcast listening Twins. I'm forever chasing Scamanda. I mean, yes.
- [08:23]
A
Listening to that on your recommendation.
- [08:26]
B
So I. Forever chasing that high. Also your own Backyard Season 2. Those are my two top recs. If you've not listened to those, I mean, fantastic listening experiences. So I feel like I'm always chasing the high of those two shows. This one is not on that level, but also still quite entertaining.
- [08:44]
A
Yes. Before I dive into my loving lately, you touched on parasocial relationships. And I just want to plug really quick because I think it's interesting. I know our algorithms are very different, but have you been getting Tina any of the Stranger Things conspiracy theory things in your algorithm? Because I know I have, because I do watch Stranger Things and I definitely think there is some pretty severe, like, parasocial relationship grief that's happening with some of the characters from the show. Because people didn't like the finale.
- [09:17]
B
Oh, they didn't? No, I know nothing. I've only talked to a few people in real life who had. But they were kids. We were at a party and it was like a teenager who was like, I think it was this. And another teen was like, I think it was this. So they were very activated about this. I don't know anything about, like, the. The culture of that.
- [09:32]
A
Sure. Well, I'm not going to bring that as a loving lately just because I think it's kind of been talked to death online a little bit, and I don't think that I have anything new to add to the conversation. But if you have watched and you want to reach out to me and discuss. Please do.
- [09:46]
B
Because stranger things.
- [09:47]
A
Yes, Stranger things. Yeah, I would really enjoy that. I just think that it. It's interesting, the whole concept of parasocial relationships and how that can even bleed into fictional characters when shows end. Like when Friends ended or.
- [10:00]
B
Oh, my gosh. You're absolutely right. Yeah. How I met you. There's another one. Have you watched that show? The ending was, like, devastated people. Yeah.
- [10:10]
A
People were also really angry with the ending of Gilmore Girls. They changed the writer.
- [10:14]
B
Watch that show. Yeah, I.
- [10:18]
A
It's interesting to rewatch it, because rewatching it as an adult, I'm like. I mean, it's enjoyable. Like, it's entertaining. But.
- [10:24]
B
Yeah.
- [10:25]
A
I used to think that the moms were. Or that Lorelei and Rory, the mom and daughter, were so cute, and their relationship is interesting right now.
- [10:34]
B
Now you are a mother and you're like, huh? Right. I don't know if I would do that. Yeah, exactly.
- [10:39]
A
Okay, well, thank you for indulging our side tangent there. I am going to bring my official loving lately for the week, which is the movie People We Meet on Vacation. This is the romance adaptation from Emily Henry's book, People We Meet on Vacation. And this has also gotten some polarizing reviews. Now, this only came out a couple of days ago, but I'm sure by the time this episode airs, people will have gotten a chance to watch it. Way more people will have gotten a chance to watch it. But this is a romantic comedy about two friends who have always vacationed together. They kind of have this interesting chance meeting, and through their growing friendship, they decide to take a trip together every year. And the movie follows two timelines. The current timeline, where us as viewers know that something has happened to their relationship. There's been a rift, and we don't know what. And something is also bringing them back together. Both of these characters are invited to Alex's brother's wedding, and so they have a chance to kind of make things right. And we follow this current timeline, and then we also get flashbacks to all of the vacations that they took together that, like, lead up to this current wedding that they're both invited to and that they both go to. And while the romantic comedy movie did not follow 100% the book, I am someone who's not really a purist with adaptations. I enjoy people making the movie right for the movie, changing the plot and elements that make sense for seeing it on screen. Do I think that this maybe could have been a TV show? Sure. But I also really miss movies and I think a lot of people do too. Since so many adaptations are happening to TV screen or to TV series now, I think that it's kind of nice every once in a while to just get a movie. It's two hours, so we definitely get a chance to get to know these characters. And I thought that the romance was really cute. There were some great moments of secondhand embarrassment, which I love in a. In like a romance. There were some just really endearing sweet moments. And I thought that they kind of tackled the slow burn nature of their relationship really well. Poppy, the main lead is definitely a type B personality. And as a type B girl myself, I just was so endeared to her and I thought that she was cast really well and put to life on screen in a really delightful way. And I thought that they cast Alex really well too.
- [13:16]
B
So as someone casting. Yeah, they did.
- [13:19]
A
I think they did a great job with the cast. So. Yeah, while this has gotten some kind of polarizing reviews and I totally understand, I personally enjoyed the changes that they made to the adaptation. I both equally love the book and I thought that the movie was really cute. So if you like a good rom com, I would definitely check this one out, knowing that it doesn't follow the book exactly. But, you know, they did a good job for tv. So that was People we meet on Vacation and that is on Netflix.
- [13:49]
B
I was just gonna ask you, did you go to the theater to see this? For some reason, I thought it was theater only.
- [13:56]
A
No, I. It's on Netflix.
- [13:58]
B
Okay. It's on Netflix.
- [13:59]
A
Yeah.
- [13:59]
B
I am glad that you liked it. I know you like Emily Henry and I thought it was interesting too, because I had heard rumblings. You know, I don't watch movies very much, but I had heard rumblings it was being adapted. And I was thinking, like, how awesome. Like, what a. That feels like a big get. Is this her first. First adaptation?
- [14:18]
A
I want to say yes, right? It's hard to say yes because I think that some have been bought, like the movie rights have been bought, I think for book lovers. And I want to say one more, but I do think that this is the first one that has actually been brought to life on screen. And it happened pretty fast, I want to say.
- [14:39]
B
Wow. Yeah, I feel like it did. So it looks like beach read, people we meet on vacation, book lovers, Happy Place and Funny Story 5 are currently being adapted into films series.
- [14:49]
A
You go Emily Henry.
- [14:50]
B
You go for good. For you go Women in stem.
- [14:55]
A
Anyway, I don't think Emily Henry is Women in stem.
- [14:57]
B
No, I don't think so either, but I'm just.
- [15:00]
A
But we're gonna just go ahead and just tag that on.
- [15:03]
B
Yeah. Women doing Big things. I love that.
- [15:06]
A
Women doing Big Things. Yeah.
- [15:07]
B
Yeah. Speaking of women doing big things, my book that I am bringing for my latest read is A Family Matter by Claire Lynch. This was a read with Jenna Pick from last year. This is also on the Aspen Words Literary Prize long list, which is what made me pick it up. I grabbed it toward the end of December, and I am so glad I did because I was in that December mood where I'm like, what do I want to read? I have no idea. Going back and forth. And I grabbed this on audio and it sucked me in right away. It's only 240 pages, so it's not terribly long. Who you are following in the very beginning is this man named Heron. Heron has just received word that his illness is terminal. And he sort of lives this pretty quiet life. He's very habitual. He's very close to his daughter. And he raised Maggie from a young age as a single dad. And now they're, you know, she's in a full adult, has her own family and things, but he just feels like he can't tell her about his diagnosis. He feels like that would be impossible. And he also is grappling with the knowledge that he has a big secret that he's been keeping from her for his. For her entire life. This one has dual timelines, so that all takes place in present day, and then it also intersperses the time period of 1982. In 1982, you're following dawn, who is a young mother who is still adjusting to life with her husband. She was a woman of the time and maybe didn't necessarily want to have a kid and get married as soon as she did, but also, that's what you did back then. And so she found herself in this life and really found herself not recognizing who she was. And then, you know, she's starting to branch out a little bit more, and she ends up making friends with this woman named Hazel. They have this really intense connection with each other, and she brings a lot of joy to Dawn's life. And essentially the two timelines switch back and forth between dawn and Harem, present and past, until you figure out what the big secret is. This they're calling historical fiction. And I would agree, because it did shed light on something that was very commonplace back then that I hadn't thought of. I'm purposely being vague because the thing that I learned in this Novel is the big secret. And it's a spoiler obviously for me to tell you what that is. And I want you to find that out for yourself. I really liked this book. The writing is solid, it's powerful, but sparse. I found that I was very invested in both of the characters. It's one of those books where you, as you get more and more information about the people, you're like, oh, gosh, wait, my opinion of you is changing. Like I, you know, I thought you were this one thing or this one kind of person. And then you find out more and more information and I'm like, huh, who am I rooting for essentially? Right. If you are a parent, this will be one that will gut you. Especially if you're a mom. Either a mom or a dad. I think this one's going to be pretty powerful. It is about how again, society influences us to be these people that we never thought we were or were going to be. But you sort of get, as you make more and more decisions when you're younger, your options become more and more narrow and you could potentially pursue other things, avenues. But in doing so, it's going to mean giving up a huge piece of yourself. And are you willing to take that risk and at what cost? I thought this story was powerful. Again, I thought it was really well written and this book wasn't overly literary. It read more like upmarket fiction, but really did take on some of these themes. And I'm like, very surprised.
- [18:53]
A
I love that.
- [18:55]
B
Yes, I think it is hard to do well. This book's not cheesy at all and it's pretty powerful. It's also, for me, kind of bleak. It's pretty sad.
- [19:06]
A
Yeah.
- [19:07]
B
And I like that, you know, I don't mind a sad story. It's one of those rare reading experiences where I wanted more. I could have used 50 more pages. And I rarely say that I wanted even more from this story and I would have loved to see even more. But overall I thought it was really well done. I'm very glad I read it. I do recommend it and I think if you are somebody who's in a book club or like to buddy read that, obviously this was, you know, picked as a celebrity book club pick for a reason. I think it's very discussable. This book is a family matter by Claire Lynch.
- [19:42]
A
That definitely sounds like a Jenna Reads pick.
- [19:46]
B
Definitely like it. Absolutely.
- [19:48]
A
Just from hearing you talk about it, I'm like, I could totally see that falling under her book club. Those are definitely the types of books that she Picks very hard. Emotionally resonant, but easy to read and digestible.
- [20:01]
B
And I love those books. I think that's why Jenna is often my top, you know, celebrity book club. A lot of her picks, I'm like, yep, that resonates with me. I'm also glad that the Aspen Prize had put this on their long list because it did nothing for me. The COVID is red and there's a coffee cup on it.
- [20:18]
A
It's not a great cover of a.
- [20:20]
B
Yeah, on the edge of a table and about to fall off. Gives me nothing. It's not ugly. Visually it's pretty, but I'm getting no information from it. So anyway, I'm very glad that I prioritize this because otherwise would not have because I just was like, oh, what's this about?
- [20:35]
A
Well, my latest read is one that I have been putting off for no real reason, but it's been on my TBR for a really long time and I am so glad that I finally got to it. And that is the Reformatory by Tananarive due and I literally have the advanced readers copy of this from 2023. What a fact. That's how long it's been on my shelves. So long. And I didn't get to it. Sorry.
- [21:06]
B
But you did. But I did.
- [21:07]
A
Now.
- [21:08]
B
Too late. Yes.
- [21:10]
A
So this one is set in Jim Crow era Florida. And this follows 12 year old Robbie Stevens Jr. Who is sentenced to six months at the segregated Graystown School for Boys after he kicks the son of the town's most powerful landowner while defending his older sister, Gloria. What is supposed to be a reform school quickly reveals itself to be an absolutely horrific place. One that exposes Robbie to the brutal realities of racism, injustice and violence inflicted on black boys in the Jim Crow south, both for the living and, as we find out, for the dead. Robbie, we find out, has the ability to see ghosts. And what once brought him comfort after his mother's death becomes a terrifying window into the truth about actually happening at the reformatory. These boys are forced into hard labor, they are punished cruelly, and some just go missing entirely. The ghosts that Robbie sees suggest something far worse than anyone on the outside wants to acknowledge. And as Robbie learns how to survive inside the school with the help of other boys, Gloria is on the outside. And she, in the meantime, is desperately rallying family members and calling in every favor that she can in order to get him out. At its core, this is definitely historical fiction and that is something that I wanted to do specifically with my horror reads for the year. So we are Starting out strong is to include other genres in my horror reading that I enjoy. And this definitely blends historical fiction and supernatural horror. And what makes it so effective is that the true horror really isn't the ghosts, it is the school. It's what's happening inside it, the people in charge and the system of the Jim Crow South. This definitely has ties to and reminded me of the Nickel Boys, which I also highly recommend. We talked about that a little bit in a Patreon episode recently, which was really fun to discuss. The Reformatory, though, very much stands on its own, even if it covers the same historical location and themes. This is a long book, it's over 500 pages, but I thought that the pacing was excellent. It never feels laborious or bogged down by its length, and at no point was I dreading to pick it back up. This was digestible and the plot is so riveting and it moves so smoothly that you are really invested in what is going to happen next. The entire time the story alternates between two points of view. We have Gloria and we have Robbie's perspective and I'll admit I was far more invested in Robbie's chapters early on and sometimes found myself impatient to get back to his perspective. But both perspectives are pertinent to the story and everything does come together really beautifully at the end. Once you get past I'll say 200 pages or so, it becomes a full on page Turner. The last 100 pages of this book had me literally breathless and the final events were simultaneously hopeful and devastating and just wildly exciting. Like I said, the last 100 pages I. I could not put this book down at all. It really impressed me how carefully these supernatural elements were handled. For a while I wondered how these ghosts were going to play a role in the overall story and I can't spoil anything, but trust me, by the end they add so much emotional weight and depth without diminishing what the book is actually tackling thematically. Ultimately, this was a hopeful read at its heart, even if it made me me really angry and also really misty eyed all throughout. I was blown away by the storytelling here and I would definitely read another book by Tananarive due again. This is my first book by her. I've heard really good things about the Good House by this author, so I might go to that one next. I'm trying to read more books specifically by Black women in 2026 and I'm off to a great start with this five star read. What a powerful way to start my reading year that is The Reformatory by Tananarive due.
- [25:22]
B
Really well done. What a great review. Anytime this book gets brought up, I'm like, yep. Like, I like to hear it because I read it and I enjoyed it very much. I think it's so. It's brilliant. It's so.
- [25:33]
A
Well, it really is.
- [25:35]
B
And it does a lot, and it does it really well. So I love hearing good reviews for it or reviews. And I've not heard a bad review, honestly, for that one. I have read one other book by her. It was the Between. It was her. I want to say it was her.
- [25:49]
A
You brought that last year, didn't you?
- [25:50]
B
Oh, I sure did. Yeah. I'm telling you guys as though you don't listen to know about every single book I've read for the last 5ish years.
- [25:57]
A
Well, it's hard to keep track of them all.
- [25:59]
B
True. But yeah, she's definitely an author that I want to continue to follow. Okay, so for book talk today, I actually wanted to talk to you about something Hannah doesn't. She knows the general vibe, but not, you know, we. We've not prepped each other in advance for this, so it's going to be a little more off the cuff. But what I wanted to talk about is the value of negative book reviews. And I have been seeing. I think it's because it's the start of the year. I've been seeing a lot of creators put out their worst books of the year list. And I feel like people have big feelings about worst books of the year lists. So I will start by asking you, do you have any strong feelings one way or the other about a worst book of the year list?
- [26:44]
A
I don't dislike them. I think that I enjoy them. I think that they're good. I don't. I don't. I don't dislike them. Is that a hot take? I don't know.
- [26:56]
B
No, I don't think it's a hot take. I want to know more. So you don't dislike them in that you like to see the books that people disliked?
- [27:03]
A
Yeah, I love a negative review. Also, in general, I think that not only are. Well, I loved what Tracy Thomas said when she was on our podcast last year, and I know that this is something that she talks about a lot in general, which is just that negative feedback and negative reviews are good for books. And I think that that is absolutely true. I would say that I'm a little bit more sensitive to how people do it.
- [27:30]
B
Right.
- [27:31]
A
But I think it builds credibility to you as a consumer of something because you're bound to have different opinions on different things if you are engaging with as much media, whether that's movies or in our case, books, because you're not going to like everything that you read or watch. And so I think that it builds credibility for you as. As someone who reviews books as much as it is good for those books in general.
- [28:02]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [28:03]
A
I don't know how you feel. So tell us a little bit about. About your feelings.
- [28:07]
B
Well, I don't mind them. I think that if people want to create content around books that they didn't enjoy, go hard, go for it. I like to see the videos. I know they're very clicky, meaning people will click on them and I too will click on a video if I'm like, I want to know what books you didn't like. Like, heck, yeah, I do. I do believe that reviews are for readers and that obviously you shouldn't be tagging authors in negative book reviews. Me personally, I will share my thoughts on any book that I read, whether it's good, bad, otherwise. I also recognize for me and for everybody, my time is finite and I can only create so many best of the year lists or whatever. And so I didn't create my worst books of the year, short or long form video on any of my channels, mainly because I didn't want to spend my time doing that. Not because I don't think they're valuable, but I'm like, I know I only have a certain amount of time to get out this content, and I would rather create a list of these are my best audiobooks. These are my best. This debuts, you know, these are my best, whatever. That's where I put more of my energy. And I also cannot help, but I am an empath and I feel bad. I'm like, what if somebody, like, put me on a list that was like, best and worst podcast. Here are the worst podcasts I listen to and it's like, we're on there. I would feel bad now. I should not be looking at those lists because me as a podcaster, I should know, shoot. My stuff could end up on there. You know what I'm saying? I'm trying to draw a parallel there. Meaning, like, if I were the author and someone was, like, panning my book, I'd be like, dang, that really sucks to see, but I should protect myself and not look at those types of things if I know that it will get to me. I just feel bad personally putting that out into the world now. I think you and I both do this And I think many people do this well, is that we are likely to say, okay, I didn't like, like this book for this, this and this reason. If you like those kinds of books, this might work for you. But you guys know I don't like blah, blah, blah and those types of reviews. Great. Love it. Love to see it. I don't like when people get online and are just like, this book was trash. This is garbage. Nobody should read it. Whatever, whatever. I don't think that's valuable. I think it's harmful. And I think it's meant to be spicy to get clicks. I think it's clickbait and I don't like it, frankly. I. If that's what you want to do and if that's how you want to spend your time, you know, go for it. It's just not how. I probably don't resonate with that type of reviewer because I'm more interested in, like you said, building someone who takes the time to build their credibility. And if you're not telling me why you thought this book was garbage, I just am not going to really engage with that. Right. I just don't think that's valuable. I also saw sometimes somebody, gosh, I wish I could remember where they had said, I think it was an. And they were talking about being tagged in negative reviews. And they were like, the middle was draggy or whatever the critique was. And it might have been perfectly valid. But also the author's like, my book's published, it's in the world. There's not much I can do with that information.
- [31:10]
A
My editor didn't give me that feedback.
- [31:11]
B
Right, exactly. Here we are. It's just one person's review. But I always think of that. I always laugh because I'm like, gosh, you're right. Like, the thing is, out in the world, there's not much you can do, but maybe you could receive that information and say, okay, noted. Looking towards my future work, make note of that. But maybe don't take that into full. You know, don't take it to heart. But yeah, I do take umbrage though, because I think there's some opinions that if you are a reviewer that only really shares the books that you enjoyed and why, that maybe you're not a true reviewer or you're not truly value. You're not offering truly authentic reviews. I've always said this. I hate when people say thanks for the honest review on something that maybe is less than glowingly positive because I maintain my glowingly positive reviews are just as Honest as any that are critical. Like, I don't like that people conflate.
- [32:05]
A
Yeah, honest review with, like, your positive ones aren't honest.
- [32:09]
B
Exactly that. I don't love that because we're not getting paid to sort of talk up any book. We're just offering our authentic opinion. But I do think you had said this earlier, that hearing somebody talk about books they liked as well as books they didn't like helps build value as a reviewer. Because now I'm like, okay, I know I typically tend to agree with Hannah, or maybe I tend to disagree with Hannah, but I kind of like that. And now I want to know, like, okay, let me see how I feel about this type of thing.
- [32:36]
A
Sure. I think it also depends on how many books you read a year and how many books you intend to share on your space. You know, I pretty much share every single book that I read, especially on the podcast. Not necessarily in individual reviews on my other social spaces, but especially on the podc share every single thing that I read. And I don't like every single thing that I read. And so if I'm going to share that with you, then I'm going to do it in the most respectful way possible. But you are going to hear about my feelings on it, because I read, you know, a hundred books a year, which is about how many that I need to read in order to be able to read for the podcast. And so, you know, if I was reading 200 books a year, that might look different because I would maybe only want to talk about the ones that I absolutely love, loved, but I don't have the capacity to do that. And so you get to hear all of my unfiltered thoughts on every single thing that I read. You get to hear the good, bad, and the ugly. So I think that this is also a good reminder of, you don't know people's lives. You don't know what they have the capacity for. You don't know what they have agreed to themselves to share. You don't know if they're the kind of person that just loves having a hot take all the time or if there's someone that just wants to love everything all the time and how they want to use their account, the personal goals that they have and things like that. So I think that that is also something to keep in mind as well.
- [34:01]
B
I agree, and I think all are valid. I always think, too. And I think you and I sort of have come to an agreement. There's this idea, right? I only want to bring the best Books to the show. I only want to bring the ones that I love. But then we hear from you all listeners time and again. Like, no, bring us everything. Like if you didn't like it, I want to know. So it's fun to like sort of have that support, I think. And yeah, I guess at the end of the day, I do think there's value. That's how if you want to create that content and if it blows your hair back and you like it, as a reviewer, you think it's fun to do and you think it's interesting for people. Absolutely. I do support that type of content. I'm just thinking for me personally, it's probably not something I would put together just because I don't have capacity. Right. I only have capacity for a certain number of like, yes. Putting out a certain number of things in the world. One place where we do share stuff that's maybe not as wide is with our DNF video, is with our DNF podcast episodes. We do bonuses for our patrons a couple times a year where we're sharing books. We did not definitely get a little. Yeah, those are always fun. But it does feel a little safer because I feel like, you know, folks that are our patrons kind of know us and it feels less, it feels less bold. Right?
- [35:11]
A
Yes. I totally agree. One person that I think does a negative review really well and there are tons of people out there that do this, this, but one person is plant based bride. She's on YouTube. Do you follow her?
- [35:24]
B
I do.
- [35:25]
A
She does a really good job and this is just a good example of, of this where she is talking exactly about what she didn't like and why. And she definitely provides that caveat of these are my personal opinions and here's kind of my criteria for reading and what I like and don't like or what I deem as good or not good. And she does a good job of explaining that I'm thinking of her specifically because I just watched her worst books of the year. And it's funny because her thumbnail is absolutely clickbait as you do where it's like these books were bad. And then when you click into the actual video, she's so gracious and she's like, keep in mind these are just my opinions and I don't think any of these books are outright bad or that you shouldn't read them. And so, so it's also both. Listen, we are, you know, working to fight the algorithm, but our actual content, you know, you gotta, gotta click on the video to See what we actually have to say.
- [36:24]
B
I saw somebody. It was Tati. Who is this? She has like 8 million subscribers on YouTube. She's a beauty YouTuber. And she's like, if you are not clickbaity, you are not trying. And I laughed so hard with that because I'm like, you know what? Honestly, the whole enterprise is cheesy and we've just gotta do what we've gotta do to try and be seen.
- [36:40]
A
Well, that's why I clicked on that video.
- [36:42]
B
Yes, these books are bad.
- [36:43]
A
And I'm like, oh, I want to know.
- [36:44]
B
I want to know more about.
- [36:45]
A
She's so gracious in her video.
- [36:47]
B
And I do think there's value to it. And now that I'm saying this, I'm like, maybe I should put together a books that I didn't like video. Again, I reserve the right to change my mind. But going back to reviews and like thinking about, seeing and internalizing that if you're an author or if you're somebody that's creating something, you're creating content, you're creating a podcast, whatever it is. I'm going to share the wisdom that I heard from a author. His name is an Instagram. He's by Don Martin. I tell you this all the time, or I say it to myself all the time. And he says something to the effect and I'm probably going to botch it. It's something like art by community is.
- [37:23]
A
Oh, you've brought this up to me before.
- [37:25]
B
Yes. And he was responding to something else and he basically said, at the end of the day, art by community is never good.
- [37:31]
A
Art by committee.
- [37:32]
B
It's art by committee. Yeah, Art by committee is never good. And that really resonates with me because essentially what he is saying is, when you're creating something, you cannot have in head, like, well, I know people don't like negative reviews. Why? I know people like this. Oh, they said, I do this weird. You can't do that because you're going to be self editing and it's going to probably steal your joy and come out with an even worse product. So I credit to him. We'll link his. He's an author, but we'll also link to his Instagram account. He's a good follow. But I love that because I'm like, you are so right. And whenever I start to think, oh, I know people said, I say horror weird. I just think art by committee is never good, man. Just create and be you. Be authentic and do the things you want to do and people will find you You. Anyway, what a. What a tangent.
- [38:16]
A
As a marketer, I could not agree more with art by committee because, I mean, if. I know. I know there are people listening to this right now who work in marketing or creative design in some capacity in the corporate setting. And I cannot tell you how frustrating it is for review processes. You know, when you've got like, a creative design or, you know, a marketing plan or a creative brief that you've put together and by the time it has reached, you know, your manager and your director and then circled back to the proofing team and all this stuff, you're just like, okay, we're gonna scrap it. You just want to, like, cancel everything because.
- [38:51]
B
Never mind.
- [38:52]
A
You know, the executive suite wants this and your directors want this, and you're. And it's just like, at the end of the day, you just gotta. You just gotta do it. You gotta bite the bullet and you gotta go for it. Make what you want, do what you.
- [39:05]
B
Love, and done is better than perfect. That's my other life's motto that I.
- [39:10]
A
Constantly remind myself and you constantly have to remind me because I have arguments.
- [39:16]
B
Done is better than perfect and not always right. Sometimes things should, you know, obviously, whatever. We're getting off schedule here, but yes, I just wanted to talk about negative reviews and listeners. Of course, if you have strong opinion. If you have strong opinions either way, we'd love to know what you think about this. I suppose I don't have. Have. I do have a lot to say.
- [39:34]
A
You do have a lot to say, and we love that. That's why we're here on the mic.
- [39:39]
B
That's why I have a podcast going off of that I will transition into the first book that I'm bringing. And happily, both of the books that I am bringing today will not be negative reviews. The first one is the Book of Luke by Level Holder. This is another one I finished at the very end of December, and it is incredibly under the radar. It only has 510 ratings and 3.95 average. Is a book for people that like reality TV books. I am one of those people, and I find that I'm often picky as heck with these. I. I have recently said that I haven't read a good one until I read the Compound by Ashlyn Ra. I loved that book, and so I know that one's polarizing, but I super loved it. This one I enjoyed as well. This is for fans of the Challenge and the book. Book less if you. Those are sort of some of the comps that I have seen and this is a debut. You are following Luke Griffin in here and he is a man that gained fame on reality television. He, when he was younger was set to be this big football star and then he was in a car accident and it wrecked his career. So he was sort of out of options and decided to go on Endeavor, which is sort of like the Challenge meets traitors, if you will. So it's this competition based reality show show that pits the tabloids darlings against one another in tasks of endurance and problem solving. And so this, this book, essentially you're following Luke the entire time, but it's over the course of many years and it's not necessarily linear. I did this all on audio. I would say get a print copy if you can, because it was a little confusing to follow with the multiple timelines. And you do get introduced to a lot of characters, but you're still following Luke and you come to know him when he's younger and how he and how ends up winning the show, it's in the synopsis. He wins it the first time, but now he is, it's 10 years later. He is now a father of two, he's a stay at home dad, and he's a husband to America's only openly gay senator. But then his husband cheats the jerk. And so Luke decides to, he gets invited back to Endeavor for like an anniversary show and he's like, I'm not going to do it. But then he realizes he needs cash and fast because his husband is going to go for sole custody of their kids. And he's like, all right, I need to like get on the, get on television again to get some money. And when he's back on set, you find out what happened to him when he was on seasons prior. You're getting all the rivalries, you're getting all the drama. And you find out that something pretty traumatic happened to him on the show with one of the contestants. And that's the story, right? And so you're following Luke as he tries to essentially win the show again so he can get money to essentially keep custody of his kids. This book is messy in a good way. And I feel like this is a book that did the reality TV angle really well. I don't see it done well often. This one, you're getting the drama, you're getting the characters, you're getting the. In the backstabbing, the alliances, the gamesmanship, you're like doing the challenges with them. My big critique with this is that there are so many characters. I'm like Gosh, I wish they would have maybe leaned it out a little bit because it did feel like a lot. And I was like, who am I following here? Right again, you're still following Luke, but, like, there's also these other people and, like, people he was friends with before, but they had a falling out. And I did have a little bit of a time keeping track of everybody. And so it was kind of going and going, and I'm like, all right, well, how's this going to end? And then something really juicy happens that I enjoyed in the present day. And I thought the from that point on, it was maybe 80%. And I was like, yep, I'm hooked. I want to know how this is going to end. I like Luke. I. He's not perfect. He's definitely a complex character, but he's also like this golden retriever boy. Like, that's how he is portrayed. And I also love that the characters in this book oftentimes are portrayed as archetypes as they are on real reality tv. Like, oh, this is the bad boy. This is America's sweetheart. You know, know, this is whatever, whatever. And you got that with this book. Overall, this was fun. I would say if you like reality tv, give it a go. If you like the inner workings and the behind the scenes of it all, give it a go. And I, I, if you don't like that, I don't know if I would recommend it because it's very much about the game as well as Luke and his family and the other characters, but you might get bored. Word. But you might not. I don't know. That's my overall thoughts with this. Overall, I did enjoy it. I do recommend it. And especially if you want one that's under the radar that you're not hearing a lot of people talk about, I think it's great. This was the book of Luke by Lovel Holder.
- [44:32]
A
Yeah. Where did you hear about that one? Because you're the only person I've heard talk about it.
- [44:38]
B
I'm so glad you asked because I heard about it from one of my favorite follows. His name is Brady. Dad bought a book and he reads a lot of LGBTQ plus books and he had, did he had just put out this one. It was awesome because he had, like, put out one video about this book and I was like, great, download it. Like, I immediately, I think I had a credit to use or something on Everand and they were expiring and I'm like, you know what? Let me just grab this one. And I was immediately hooked. So yeah, thanks to Brad bought a book and we can link to his. His account. Well, good.
- [45:11]
A
We got two recommendations there. A under the radar book and a new account to follow. Okay. The book that I am bringing first is Needle Lake by Justine Champagne. And this is one that I put on our winter reading guide and I'm finally able to talk about it, so I am very excited to do so. So this is about 13 year old Ida, who was born with a hole in her heart. She is forbidden from most physical activities and she is kind of looked at differently by her teachers and her peers. She definitely prefers spending time alone. She is really in love with maps and she loves geography and she spends a lot of her time memorizing countries and capitals on her globe. Globe. And imagining the world outside of the very tiny logging town of Mineral, Washington, which is where she lives. One afternoon, in walks her cousin Elna, who is going to stay with them for a few weeks over the holiday. Ida has not seen Elna since they were very, very young. And she is immediately drawn to her older cousin, who is everything that Ida isn't. She is mature, she is self assured, she's charismatic, and she is very daring. Elna lives in San Francisco, a city that Ida has only seen as a dot on her globe. And she doesn't treat Ida like she is this fragile child whose heart might give out at any moment. And so she is very immediately attracted to Elna. Likewise, Elna is not scared off by Ida's tendency toward rigidity and fixation. They are both enraptured by each other. But then on Christmas Eve, a man dies out in the woods near Mineral and the two cousins are suddenly sharing a secret beyond the scope of anything that they've ever dealt with before. And what follows is definitely not a traditional whodunit, but a very slow and psychologically tense exploration of the aftermath of that moment and the ripple effects that it has on both of their lives, their families and their senses of self. This is one of those books that starts really quietly and then steadily tightens the screws. The tension builds page by page with a constant undercurrent of unease that never fully leaves lets up. It is very much a story about girlhood, about learning who you can trust and who you can't and how quickly innocence can give way to awareness while there is a murder at the center stage of the story. Again, this isn't a mystery in the conventional sense where you are trying to solve the crime beat by beat. The mystery here is more emotional and psychological. It is about the consequences of witnessing violence and the complicated, sometimes damaging ways that people could hope afterward. And as the story unfolds, you discover that there is more going on beneath the surface than just this secret that Ida and Elna share together. There are additional reveals throughout this book that slowly reframe what we think we know about the characters that we are following. This book is really short and honestly, I think it's best to go in just knowing what I've told you. I don't want to say too much more because I feel like it will would just spoil the experience. What I will say is that while the ending is perfect, it's not, I guess, the strong word, the ending. That's a strong word, right? The ending was so good for what this book is. It also left me with this really overwhelming feeling. I don't even know how I felt at the end of this book. Just this really overwhelming feeling of blank. I don't know. I didn't know how I felt about it when I first finished it. And I don't know know how many people feel that way after they finish a book where you finish it and you're like, man, I can't imagine a different way that this book would go, but I don't know how I feel. I don't know if satisfied is exactly the right word. It's an ending that releases the tension of the book, but then you're kind of left with this feeling of emptiness a little bit afterward. However, I have not been able to stop thinking about this book and so. So I will definitely give it credit there. This is my second book by Justine Champagne. I read her debut novel when it came out, Knife river, and I really loved that one. It is definitely different from Knife river, which leans a little bit more into a classic mystery structure. But both of these books are similar in that they are far more interested in family dynamics and emotional fallout than they are in the mechanics of the mystery itself. And that is honestly what I think I love about her books, having only read two of them, but I really enjoyed both. This definitely solidified Justine Champagne as an author that I will continue to follow closely. And that is Needle Lake by Justine Champagne.
- [50:05]
B
I'm glad you brought that one. I was wondering if you were going to pick it up. And I love a book that is one where you're like, I don't know how I feel, but I can't stop thinking about it. I like that reading experience.
- [50:16]
A
Me too.
- [50:16]
B
I prefer that much more than it was good. It's a book, it was fine. It Was fine.
- [50:21]
A
Me too.
- [50:21]
B
Yeah. I always say make me feel something and it sounds like you felt tension and, you know, maybe it wasn't perfect five star banger. But you still enjoy the reading experience?
- [50:30]
A
Yes, I definitely did and I would definitely recommend it.
- [50:33]
B
Cool.
- [50:33]
A
Yes.
- [50:33]
B
Okay. Good, good, good. Cool. Anyway, moving on. Okay, so. Oh, yes. I'm like, what am I, what am I bringing? I don't remember. But that is a lie because I do indeed remember. Oh, mama. Does she have a lot to say about this Next read. It is My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney. I am so happy to be holding this book in my hands. I got it from book of the month, but thank you to the publisher, Flat Iron. I was able to get an advanced listener copy. So I actually listened to this the end of 2025. But if you hear it on my best thrillers of 2026. Six, don't be surprised because I loved this book. So the latest, Alice Feeney is about Eden Fox and it has this crazy opening. Eden is an artist. She's sort of really coming up in her career. She's also a runner. One day she's running in her community and she and her husband just recently moved into this house called Spyglass. It is an enchanting old house in Hope Falls. And, you know, sort of everything's going, coming up Eden, she's really excited about where her life is headed. She's on this run and then she heads home and she can't get in her house. She's like, what the heck? My key is not working. Like, what's happening? Why am I locked out of my house? So she knocks on the door even though she feels ridiculous doing so. And a woman answers. And this woman looks just like her, but maybe is like, I don't know, 10 years older than her. And then her husband steps next to the stranger and says, this is my wife. How can I help you? Okay, and you're also following this character who's six months earlier. Her name is Birdie. She is reeling from a life changing diagnosis. She inherits Spyglass. Okay. It's the same house, two different people. And it's this unexpected gift from a long lost grandmother. And it brings her to Hope Falls. Birdie is this piece of work and I really liked her. I really liked this character. But she is just sort of of a mess, right? But also very smart and shrewd. She ends up running into this sort of shadowy clinic, if you will. And the clinic's claim is that they could predict the day of your death. But the key is they're doing this. It's kind of like John Mars is the one, if you all have read that book where it's like, oh, they could use some sort of data and blah, blah, AI, whatever to predict your day of death. Or in John Mars case, to predict your perfect match. In this one though, she. You have to be selected for it. And so she gets selected for this. She's like, whatever, let me go. And they predict her day of death and secrets start to unravel. And so you're like reading these two very disparate perspectives that technically tentatively center on Spyglass. But you're very much wondering, are they going to converge? How are they going to converge and what will that look like? I, like I mentioned earlier, did this on audio, Fantastic audio. You're getting the running, you're getting the heavy breathing. You're hearing the key in the door. I mean, the production is just.
- [53:37]
A
She loves a good. She loves a good audio experience.
- [53:39]
B
She loves a good audio experience. You're absolutely correct. Almost all of the books I've listened to hers on audio were fabulous. And this felt like beautiful, ugly in many ways. Not plot wise, vibes wise, but it's even better. This is my new favorite, Alice Feeny. I'm giving this one five stars. And. And it's one of those books where I'm like, what on earth am I reading? Because I don't know. How are you going to pull this off? Will you pull it off? I don't know, but I'm here for the ride and I thought it was an awesome reading experience. Hold on, please. This is another oddly overly specific niche that I love is when there's a person claiming not to know you, but you're like, no, but I. But that's me. And they don't believe you. Like, I don't know what it is. Like, there's a couple books that I've read that have plot lines like that. And I think it's so fun. Cause I'm like, what do you mean? How do you prove you are who you are? Who do you case? Who do you trust? In Eden's case, all of her stuff's in the house. She doesn't even have her phone. So, like, she can't really get to anything that would, like, prove her identity. And that was very interesting to work through. I will say stick with this one. There are some shifts in the narrative. And I loved it. Again, I was along for the ride. There are so many times in here where I am like, oh my God. And then this happened. And then this happened. It's, like, fun to have those things revealed because you sort of have those questions lingering as you're reading, and then, like, the author predicts it and, like, gives you that information that you have been waiting for. There's fun dialogue in here at some points, which I don't always expect from a thriller. And I'm going to leave it there. What a tantalizing, convoluted, yet satisfying reading experience. My goodness, I feel like I could read this again. And of course, you know me, I'm half tempted to go back through and annotate like I always say that I want to do. But I am just. If you have not yet read this, because I thought it was such a fun ride, and I'm so glad I picked it up early in 2026. This book is My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney.
- [55:40]
A
I will say I think I'm gonna read this even though that you've read it, even if I don't bring it to the show, because hearing you talk about it, I think I would really like it. And one thing that I really like about Alice Feeney is that whether, like, regardless of how I feel about her stories overall, I've never once guessed anything in her books ever. And I'm like, such an anxious reader. And I've. Every time, I'm just like, okay, well, I would have never guessed that. So she does such a good job of concealing information from you that you need to have in order to be able to figure it out in a way that you don't realize that she's concealing information from you. And it's so smart. I think she's such a smart mystery writer. I'm glad that you brought that one because I know so many, many of our listeners are going to be so excited about that one, too.
- [56:27]
B
Yes. And this one doesn't feel gimmicky. It doesn't feel cheap. I hate when thriller authors, like, totally put the deus ex machina. And it's like, what on earth? How could we have possibly guessed this? Like, no one's ever going to guess that. No, this felt more grounded, yet still, like you said, she is concealing the information from you. And it's so satisfying once you figure it out.
- [56:45]
A
Oh, good one. Okay. My next read is one that I brought, actually, for our January books on the Radar. And I. I got to it right away. Who is she? Thank you. Thank you. That is Crux by Gabriel Talent. And this one, I'm really excited to Talk about it follows Dan and Tama, who are two teenagers in their final year of high school and their lives revolve completely around rock climbing, cold desert nights, and the intense bond that they have built while dreaming of escape and adventure. Dan is definitely the gifted golden child type, and Tamma is this really sharp, tough, and far more precariously positioned in the world than Dan is. As graduation approaches and adult realities close in, their differences in class and experience and opportunity begin to matter in ways that they feel like they can no longer outrun. Making their choices and the risks that they decide to take feel increasingly dangerous and inevitable. I am really glad that I stuck with this one because I came very close to dnfing it pretty early on at like two or three different points where I was like, I don't know if I can continue reading this. This is firmly literary fiction, but the main characters are teenagers and they talk like teenagers. There's a lot of dude and bro and I mean there is a lot of that in the dialogue. It is very blunt, it's messy. They talk like teenagers and this book does not let up on that. And early on that was definitely a hurdle for me. However, there are also several deeply frustrating secondary characters and the dialogue is intentionally grading with them in a way that drives home how selfish, negligent, and frankly undeserving of parenthood some of these adults truly are. I slowly started to realize as I was reading that there was a where point point to the dialogue being the way that it was and it actually ended up by the end, making me appreciate this book that much more apparently. To start the year, I have been reading a lot of books about characters with truly awful parents. We talked about this recently in our last episode with Half his age by Jennette McCurdy, and this book felt very similar in that regard. Tamma especially is dealing with a very emotionally abusive home life. Her mother and her mother's boyfriend are absolutely terrible. It is honestly hard to read some of the things that Tamma's mom says to her. There is constant blame, emotional manipulation, and an inability to let Tamma succeed or thrive if it threatens the mother's own needs and ego. That dynamic was really hard to read at times, but it was also incredibly compelling and really made you feel attached to Tamma and just want her to succeed and want the best for her. What ultimately won me over was the balance that this book strikes between the high adrenaline rock climbing sequences that you definitely get in this story and also the deeply emotional friendship at its center and Also the deeply emotional friendship between Dan and Tamma at its center. Their bond is absolutely the heart of this novel. They love each other fiercely, even as their lives pull them in different directions and their struggles look nothing alike. This book gives space for both of their individual traumas and paths toward healing, while still treating their friendship as something central and necessary to the story. There is a scene at the end that had me genuinely so anxious about how this book was going to wrap up, but the ending completely surprised me. It was beautiful, it was emotional and honestly brought me to tears considering how unsure I felt at the beginning. I was so shocked by how deeply this book ended up affecting me toward the end. Ultimately, I loved this one. It's raw, intense, and frustrating at times, but incredibly moving, and it's a powerful exploration of friendship, survival, and what it means to change your life when the odds are stacked completely against you. That was Crux by Gabriel Talent.
- [61:00]
B
Oh my gosh, what a good review. I love when. Yes, I love when you stick with a book. Not you specifically, but in general. When one sticks with the book and you're like, wait a minute, this is actually awesome. I was planning to bail and you. It kind of damages my ability to dnf, though, because sometimes what if. But what if. What if it gets really good and I miss it.
- [61:23]
A
But the books will always be there for us. You know, I think about you. DNF'd even like paper palace that one time, and then you came back to it when the timing felt right and it worked. There have been plenty of books that I have originally DNF'd that I ended up coming back to and loving. So you gotta wait for the right season in your life sometimes.
- [61:42]
B
That's right. And the same goes for unhauling books. Y' all might need to hear this. I know I do, where I'm like, oh my gosh. But like, what if someday I need it? You're not deleting the book from the Library of Congress. You're just donating it. You can get another copy if you.
- [61:55]
A
Need from your library.
- [61:58]
B
Right? It will come back to you if it is meant to be. Okay, so we will wrap things up with our shelf edition, as one does, and I'm bringing a new release I am holding in my hot little hands. I cannot wait to read it. It is called the Better Mother, a thriller by Jennifer Van der Kloot, and it has got a black and neon pink cover and it's got a baby bassinet in it. I think this is going to be fabulous. It comes out on. It comes out in February on the 10th, and it says, okay, get a load of this, would you? A woman is still recovering from a devastating breakup. She is 34 years old, her name's Savannah, and she feels like she has finally managed to put her life back together when she gets the shock of her life. After a brief fling with a guy named Max, she's pregnant. When she gets in touch to tell him, he reveals that he has just gotten back together with his ex, Madison, and he will need to like break it to her like, oh, this is not great. Messy sitch. Surprisingly, Madison isn't upset. In fact, she is excited and wants to help. So this woman is pregnant, her first baby, and the baby daddy ex girlfriend, who's now back to his current girlfriend's, excited and wants to help. Okay. Max is like, no, it's totally fine. Madison has the best intention, she's genuine. And Savannah finds her efforts anything but helpful. I guess Savannah is popping by uninvited, like criticizing what she eats and is like trying to dictate her pregnancy. And then when Savannah finally stands up for herself, Madison's treatment, treatment of her goes from casually cruel to downright dangerous. All Savannah wanted to do was form a friendly co parenting relationship with the father of her child. But his new girlfriend obviously has much more sinister plans in mind. She has no plans to co parent at all. What, is she gonna steal the baby? I feel like she's gonna try anyway. I think this sounds great in a kind of messed up way. It is the Better Mother by Jennifer Vanderbilt. Look how gross this cover is. Look at this. I hate.
- [64:07]
A
I don't like it when covers do. What is that? It's like a type of matte, but it's not.
- [64:11]
B
Yes, it's matte and it shows every single solitary fingerprint. I have hyperhidrosis of the hands, so my hands are always sweaty. Look how it looks now.
- [64:19]
A
Oh, that's unfortunate.
- [64:21]
B
Very gross.
- [64:22]
A
I feel like I never hear the name Savannah anymore. That's a great, like as a, as a main character name in a book. I don't know if I've ever read a book with the main character's name is Savannah Hannah. It's my sister in law's name. So I hear it a lot in my personal life, but. But I never hear it on the page.
- [64:37]
B
You know what name I hear all the damn time? It's Hannah.
- [64:40]
A
Hannah. Oh, Hannah is like, like Hannah Katie. You know, it's like in there with some of the most popular names ever. And it doesn't help that my last name is also ridiculously common, so indeed, you know, makes me at least hard to find.
- [64:55]
B
That's true. There you you go.
- [64:58]
A
Okay, my Shelf edition is not a new release. It is actually a backlist. But I'm going to bring it because it is the most recent one that I've added to my shelves. And this is the Marrow Thieves by Sherry dimaline. And this is again a backlist title. It was winner of the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers Literature when it came out and it is one that has been on my TBR for quite some time and I wanted to finally add it to my shelves to read this year. This is, from what I understand, a climate fiction novel. Humanity has nearly destroyed the world through global warming, and now an even greater evil lurks. The indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost, which is the ability to dream. In this dark world, Frenchie and his companions struggle to survive as they make their way up north to the old land hands. For now, survival means staying hidden, but what they don't know is that one of them holds the secret to defeating the Marrow Thieves.
- [66:02]
B
Wow.
- [66:02]
A
I have not heard a single bad review about this book. I am so excited. The premise alone just sounds so good. I love climate fiction. I love indigenous literature. I know this one has won some prizes. I was looking at Goodreads because I know I mentioned this was winner of the Kirkus Prince Prize for Young Readers Literature, but it also was winner of the 2017 Governor Central's Literary Award. In 2018 it won the Sunburst Award. It won three awards in 2018. So this is a loved book and I am excited to finally be someone who has read it. That is the Marrow Thieves by Sherry dimaline.
- [66:41]
B
That sounds really good. And yes, I just looked up the COVID real quick and it's got all of these award circles on it. Yeah, so it must be good.
- [66:53]
A
Excited?
- [66:54]
B
Well folks, I'm excited too, but that is it for today 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 it, exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.
- [67:22]
A
If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both at booktalk. Etc. On Instagram and YouTube. You can find Tina at TBR Etc. And Hannah at HandpickedBooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. Yeah, baby.
- [67:46]
B
Bye bye.
- [67:48]
A
Vacation time.
- [67:49]
B
Vacation time.