Exploring Under the Radar Celebrity Book Clubs!

Summary

Book Talk, Etc. — Exploring Under the Radar Celebrity Book Clubs!

Hosts: Tina (@tbretc) & Hannah (@hanpickedbooks)
Date: March 10, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Tina and Hannah dive deep into the world of under the radar celebrity book clubs— those beyond the big names like Oprah’s, Reese's, GMA, and Jenna's. The discussion spans their selection process, favorite under-hyped book club picks, and reflects on how smaller celebrity-curated clubs can influence readers’ choices and TBR piles. Alongside the main topic, they share their “loving lately” picks and latest reads—covering everything from clarifying shampoo to dystopian TV binges, and offer a rich, conversational exploration of both trending and overlooked reads.

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1. Opening Chatter and Warm Up (00:00–04:00)

• Casual banter about recording with Hannah’s daughter nearby.
• Midwest spring weather: “Foggy days that look like you’re living in a thriller book.” (Tina, 01:55)
• Introduction to today’s topic: Uncovering lesser-known celebrity book clubs, how the show’s format has freed up their “reading lives,” and the challenges of reading outside the usual picks.

Notable Moment

“We dove in and found new celebrity book clubs outside of Oprah, GMA, Reese, and Jenna. So I’m excited to sort of dive into that.”
—Tina, 01:53–02:34

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2. Loving Lately (04:00–12:14)

Tina’s Loving Lately:

The Abby Young Method & L’Oreal Ever Pure Bond Repair Shampoo

• Over-the-top 11-step hair treatment—Abby Young’s viral multi-step hair care “method” from the beauty community.
• Tina’s practical adaptation: L’Oreal Ever Pure Bond Repair (pink bottle), their sulfate-free clarifying shampoo (blue bottle) & bond repair treatment.
• Results: “Holy cow, does this make my hair soft?...My hair is very soft and we're working on day, I don’t know, three hair over here and it looks good.” (Tina, 07:00)
• Discussion on finding affordable clarifying shampoos that work.

Notable Quote:

“Who needs this many steps? Apparently I do because it’s worked really well and I’ve been enjoying it.”
—Tina, 07:16

Hannah’s Loving Lately:

TV Pick: Silo (Apple TV+)

• Dystopian sci-fi series based on Hugh Howey’s Wool—set in a 144-year-old underground silo society.
• “From episode one, you are left on a cliffhanger...I’ve got to know what the F is going on!” (Hannah, 10:02)
• Draws comparisons to The Hunger Games “districts” for its layered community dynamic.

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3. Latest Reads (13:12–23:09)

Tina’s Latest Read

Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson

• Historical fiction: Three POVs spanning post-WWII Germany, the 1960s US, mixed-race orphans (“Mischlingskinder”), and civil rights.
• “It toggles between the lives of these three individuals...I was hooked from go.” (Tina, 16:33)
• Inspired by Mabel Grammar, who helped 450+ mixed-race children find homes.
• Emotional, well-paced, deeply human but hopeful—not "devastating" like some historical fiction.
• Book club pick and personal 5-star recommendation.

Notable Quote

“It’s emotional but it’s also not devastating like it could be...I really enjoyed this one and I thought it was a fantastic choice.”
—Tina, 17:56

Hannah’s Latest Read

The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens

• Thriller: 1976, a couple in their RV pick up two hitchhikers on a remote Canadian highway—tension and secrets follow.
• Quick, tense summer thriller, but characters felt “flat but also annoying and immature.”
• “This book genuinely stressed me out...How are they going to get out of this?...But none of the reveals were surprising or did much for me.” (Hannah, 19:41)

Notable Quote

“I think this would be fine to throw in a beach bag over the summer.”
—Hannah, 20:40

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4. Deep Dive: Under the Radar Celebrity Book Clubs (23:09–35:21)

Discussion Points

• What counts as a “celebrity book club"?
  —Excluding content creators; focusing on those famous for things other than books/social media.
• Celebrate the underdogs—fun in following these clubs, predicting picks, and how they illuminate current publishing trends.
• Decision fatigue—smaller book clubs (if aligned with your taste) are great for TBR curation.
• Wide variety: Emma Roberts’ Belletrist (and its Tertullia subscription partnership), Roxane Gay’s Audacity Book Club (via Substack), Good Housekeeping Book Club (since 2021!), Jimmy Fallon’s club, Florence Welch’s Between Two Books, Dua Lipa’s Service95, Dakota Johnson’s Tea Time Book Club, etc.
• Many clubs (e.g., Good Housekeeping) have surprisingly little buzz, possibly due to “housekeeping” associations rather than bookish ones.

Notable Quotes:

“I think celebrity book club picks are fun to track...It can be a good way to get book recommendations.”
—Tina, 24:31
“It gives good insight into publishing trends, and trends in general in the literary space. Now, the smaller book clubs...was really kind of a new experience for me.”
—Hannah, 25:18

Memorable Moment:

[On Bellatrist picks]
“My second beef is that I can’t find a list of all their picks on their website or a link to their Instagram. So I’m like, come on, man.”
—Tina, 27:48

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5. In-Depth Book Club Picks & Reviews

Tina’s Picks

Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter

• Club: Roxane Gay’s Audacity Book Club
• Literary domestic suspense: Affair, falling out, murder—told from multiple viewpoints including the house itself!
• “It’s more of a why done it versus whodunit...It’s very sexually explicit and visceral. Lots of talk about bodies, gaining and losing weight, starvation—just know that’s there.”
• “A book you’ll either love or hate.”
• “A modest recommendation—I’m not mad I read it and would try this author again.” (38:38)

So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder

• Club: Good Housekeeping Book Club
• Elder Millennial friendship, change, and regrets—follows six friends over two decades and five parties.
• Structure “so well done”—opens with funeral, then moves backward time-wise.
• Music cues (“Get Low” by Flo Rida) evoke nostalgia and era.
• “This book is for us...Elder Millennials, listen up.” (44:56)
• “Not five stars, but 4.5 for sure.” (49:52)
• Audio well-narrated but might be easier in print for character tracking.

Hannah’s Picks

Night Watching by Tracy Sierra

• Club: The Fallon Book Club (Jimmy Fallon)
• Literary suspense/thriller: Mom with kids, blizzard, home invasion, secret room, “absolutely pulse pounding.”
• “Not an easy read as a mom...what would I do? It made every moment so much harder.”
• Tackles big themes: believing women, abusive family systems, law enforcement gaps.
• “I don’t think I’ve ever cried reading a thriller before, but this one got me...so gratifying from start to finish. Highly recommend.” (43:09)

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

• Club: Belletrist (Emma Roberts) & Good Housekeeping
• Dysfunctional family, small coastal town, daughters with wild storylines, corruption, criminal conspiracy.
• Kevin Wilson-esque energy: “Warm and funny and charming, but underneath there’s this quiet darkness.”
• “Listen to the children. They’re right—that really felt like the heart of this book.” (55:49)
• Timely and unsettling; adult dysfunction blinds them to what children see clearly.
• “It left me in a dystopian headspace, but also kind of warm and fuzzy at the same time...Highly recommend.” (57:09)

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6. Shelf Additions (58:41–63:00)

Tina

The Extra by Annie Neugebauer

• Sci-fi/horror novella, mysterious 11th person joins a group of 10 on a backpacking trip.
• “Induces paranoia, existential dread—who is this mysterious extra? Are we in another dimension?” (60:26)

Hannah

How to Write a Love Story by Katherine Walsh

• Romance: Writer’s block, Irish coastal estate, hotshot editor, forced collaboration.
• “I love romances where both are in the literary space—author/editor competitions. I’m excited for this. Cute, bright cover.” (61:20)

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7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Who needs this many steps? Apparently I do because it’s worked really well and I’ve been enjoying it.” —Tina, 07:16
• “From episode one, you are left on a cliffhanger...I’ve got to know what the F is going on!” —Hannah, 10:02
• “If you could get him to watch a show, I would be forever indebted.” —Tina, 12:30
• “Do I have any 5 stars? No, but I have a lot to say!” —Tina (03:30)
• On Hot Springs Drive: “You’ll either love this or hate this.” —Ariel via Tina, 38:55
• “Listen to the children. They’re right.” —Hannah, 55:49
• On So Old, So Young: “If you graduated in 2005-2007 and you are entering your 40s, this book just will make sense.” —Tina, 44:56
• On “modest recommendations”: “Not five stars, but 4.5 for sure.” —Tina, 49:52

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8. Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:27: Episode and topic introduction
• 04:00: Loving Lately: Abby Young hair method, Silo TV show
• 13:12: Latest Reads
• 23:09: Deep Dive: Celebrity Book Clubs segment
• 35:21: Club-specific reading choices & reviews
• 58:41: Shelf Additions (new books added to their lists)

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9. Overall Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode is a fun, engaging blend of recommendation, exploration, and honest reflection—a candid snapshot of two friends navigating their TBRs, modern reading trends, and the often surprising influence of cult and up-and-coming celebrity-picked book clubs. The hosts are enthusiastic but practical, never shying away from mixed feelings or polarizing books, and they maintain their signature Midwest warmth and humor throughout.

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For More

• All books mentioned are linked in the episode show notes.
• Check their social handles for more discussions and predictions about future celebrity book club picks.

Transcript

[Hannah]

I do have a child in here with me. But she has promised to be.

[Tina]

She is an absolute quiet angel.

[Hannah]

She knows the rules. She knows the drill. She just winked at me.

[Tina]

She goes,

[Hannah]

I love it.

[Tina]

A great silent acknowledgment. I love her. Okay, I'm ready. I'm ready.

[Hannah]

Me too.

[Tina]

Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.

[Hannah]

And I'm Hannah from Handpicked Books.

[Tina]

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 are again talking about Celebrity book club.

[Hannah]

If you enjoy listening, we'd love for you to follow us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And if you have a quick minute, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other book lover.

[Tina]

Hi, Hannah.

[Hannah]

Hey, Tina. How's it going?

[Tina]

Amazing. How are you?

[Hannah]

Amazing. I'm about to pop open my energy drink. Yours? Cheers already. Cheers. I'm having noise noises.

[Tina]

I know. I'm having a liquid death scary strawberry.

[Hannah]

I'm having an Alani orange kiss. My daughter is in the room with me. She just popped open her water bottle and said, having water.

[Tina]

Nice. Don't overdo it now on the water. Can't be too hydrated.

[Hannah]

Staying hydrated.

[Tina]

I love it. So how's it going? Everything good?

[Hannah]

Everything's good. I am so excited about this upcoming weather forecast. A little bit rainy on our end, but just We've got some 65, almost 70 degree days coming up and I am elated. I could not be happier.

[Tina]

I know it's like almost bizarre. Like it's very, it's weird. We've had very foggy days that look like you're living in a thriller book. And I'm like, okay, this is kind of fun. Yeah, I, I, I've been enjoying it. I'm also excited to talk Celebrity Book Club. And with our new format in terms of having a guest each month for bookstore browse, it's really freed up our reading lives and also has allowed us to have more time to plan and think about and read for our topic episodes. Now, for me, this was a problem because was I still reading one of my books this week? Absolutely, because I will get into it and tell you why, but I was struggling. I DNF'd quite a few books for this episode. But what we're doing is we're not just reading the regular old celebrity book clubs. We dove in and found new celebrity book clubs outside of Oprah, gma, Rhys and Jenna. So I'm excited to sort of dive into that. But how was reading for this episode for you?

[Hannah]

Reading for this episode went really well for me. I think I got really lucky. I explored some of the book clubs and went ahead and looked at their list of books and kind of saw what types of books that they were reading. And I think I just got really lucky because I was like, oh, this one kind of seems like they pick books that are all in my wheelhouse. Anyway, I'm gonna go with one of those. And both of my reads ended up being what I predicted, which was five star predictions. So I'm excited to share that I've got two five stars to bring today.

[Tina]

Wow. Well, I don't, but I have some. I have a lot to say. I've got a lot of good things to share.

[Hannah]

We're gonna bring some diversity, we're gonna bring some good conversation. I'm excited to hear more about kind of your process and your experience when we dive into book talk.

[Tina]

Absolutely. And it's so funny, I honestly almost forgot a regular format. Cause I was like, wait, I need three books today. Like, who am I? I mean, how long have we been doing this podcast? Podcast. I'm like, wait, what is my latest read? So before we get into that, I will kick things off with my loving lately. Now, listen, is what I'm about to share over the top and. And potentially some might say unnecessary? Yes. But I'm sharing a shampoo. And it's not just a shampoo. Like, easy breezy, beautiful. Here's a recommendation. No. If you are somebody that is chronically online, like myself, you may have heard of what's called the Abby Young method. Have you heard of the Abby Young Method, Han?

[Hannah]

No.

[Tina]

Okay, I will tell you about it and we will link to it when I tell you. This has taken beauty, YouTube and the beauty community by storm. I don't know who Abby Young is as a person.

[Hannah]

I think that was my question. Who is this?

[Tina]

I don't know her credentials and I don't care. What I've seen, though, is people saying, oh my God, I've tried the Abby Young method. It's life changing, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, fine. What is this method? Right? So basically what it is, it is a many, many step treatment to fix a person's hair. I say fix. It's. It's you to give you the high maintenance version of the hair that you've always wanted. Now, are there literally 10 steps to this process actually. I'm sorry, I'm still scrolling 11. Yes.

[Hannah]

Wow.

[Tina]

But I will say she, she does a really good job giving people that have caught on to this or starting using this a lot of different options. You have the really in depth, like super involved option that has all of these different things and then you have a pared down version. And we're going to share the post that I'm referencing in our show notes. So look for there. But this is on Instagram. You could look it up. But she also gives you different price points so you'll get like high price points, low price points, whatever. The Abby Young method is not necessarily my loving lately, but I wanted to give the creator credit where credit is due.

[Hannah]

Some context probably for.

[Tina]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

And some context. Shampoo. Yeah.

[Tina]

Because it's so. It seems very random now. What I've been doing, you know, I've been going to the gym more, go in the sauna and my hair was like. I felt like I needed a clarifying shampoo. Right. And I think that's how I came into this entire situation. I'm like, oh my God, what have I done? But specifically what I've loved is the l' Oreal Ever Pure line and it is the pink bottle. It is their sulfate free color care system bond and repair shampoo and conditioner. Now for the shampoo and conditioner, it's literally $17 on Amazon. I got mine from Ulta, but we'll link this too. And I will say the bottles aren't enormous, but holy cow, does this make my hair soft? I am so impressed. I have wavy hair bordering curly, but I would say wavy but it holds a curl really well. And it also can get frizzy. I've used this method I think three times now. And specifically the shampoo and some of the other things I'll mention, I have been able to just blow dry my hair and then straighten it lightly, which is massive. Like that is a big thing for someone with my hair texture. So I really, really like this specific shampoo that she had recommended and her whole treatment is there's like a pre shampoo oil if you want. Da da da da da. That same ever line also has a sulfate free clarifying shampoo in the blue bottle. Love that as well. I don't use it every time but I do work it in now and again. And then the other thing that I've used from her method is this bond repair treatment again from the same line. And it's just kind of a in depth really nicely moisturizing conditioner. Okay, so it's like a double conditioner. And again, listen, I understand and can hear myself. I mean this is insane. Who needs this many steps? Apparently I do because it's worked really well and I've been enjoying it. I think it makes my hair really nice and shiny and it also lasts. It's not just like, oh, one day it looks good and then the rest of it is just regular and my hair is very soft and we're working on day, I don't know, three hair over here and it looks good. And I've been in the sauna like and it's still really silky. It's up in a ponytail. So maybe you're not getting the full effect, but all of this stuff.

[Hannah]

But it looks like it hasn't frizzed or like curled up that much. I mean it's, it looks like you just blue blow dried your hair. Blue dry, blue dry, just blow dried, styled.

[Tina]

It looks like I styled it recently and I really, really haven't. I'm a big fan of this stuff. So we will link the, the things specifically that I like. And again, these are all drugstore so it's not like you're going crazy to break the bank. But I guess thanks to Abby Young, I am a convert.

[Hannah]

So I'm gonna have to look this, look it up.

[Tina]

She even has it.

[Hannah]

She's a fella. Look this lady up.

[Tina]

Look this gal up. It says she's a certified trick tologist. So of course I have to Google that.

[Hannah]

I was gonna say, what is that, Tina? Tell us.

[Tina]

It's a non medical specialist found on the scientific study diagnosis and treatment of hair, hair and scalp health. So Ms. Young is an expert in this. I mean she's got a million followers. So this is not this, you know, sort of fringe creator that I found. Again, this thing was everywhere for a few weeks, this method and I'm glad that I tried it.

[Hannah]

Well, I am going to be doing a beauty run soon and I have some things like this that I have on my list. I have been looking for a clarifying shampoo specifically because the buildup is real and it is so hard to find a good clarifying shampoo that's not. I mean I've used just some from the dollar store that you get. That's literally just like the 88 cent, you know, clarifying soap basically. But it's nice to have one that is actually good quality every once in a while but still doesn't break the bank. And it sounds like that's exactly what this is.

[Tina]

Yes. And it doesn't strip your hair. It's really great. I have really enjoyed it. So I'll link all the different stuff in our little show notes here.

[Hannah]

Perfect. Okay. My loving lately I am so excited about because I am loving it. It's a TV show and Dustin and I just started this this week, but we are already quite a few episodes into season one and that is Silo on Apple tv. Have you heard of this show at all?

[Tina]

Negative. I have not.

[Hannah]

So it's based on a book actually, and the book is called Wool by Hugh Howey and it is a post apocalyptic type story. And literally you are following a community of people that live in this underground silo. So instead of it being a silo that's above ground, the silo is underground. These people live in like 150 plus stories of communities that are underground. This community has been thriving for like a hundred plus years. I think it's 144 years is where you are when you are dropped into the story. They have, you know, agriculture set up. They have government. It's called like judicial in the show. They have a mayor. They have like, each level is almost like in the Hunger Games, how they had districts where each level is agriculture or mechanical or, you know, you, you name it. It's a different type of, a different type of profession or infrastructure. And it's just a really cool world in general. On top of it, starting on episode one, you are left on a cliffhanger and you are immediately like, I have to know what the F is going on right now and needs to know. I need to know. And we're, you know, like I said, four or five episodes in and I'm already like, okay, we're getting some answers, but I need to know more and more what the heck is happening. It is such an intriguing story and I don't really want to say more, but it's this dystopian science fiction story, post apocalyptic underground Silo, if that sounds of any interest to you. I also think it's really well produced and the acting has been superb so far. So that is Silo on Apple TV plus.

[Tina]

I love that. And I love that you have one that's kind of like a in the. You haven't even finished it all the way yet. And you're like, still, this is loving lately. Like, I know that you. Yes, it's a confident recommendation regardless.

[Hannah]

Yes, it is.

[Tina]

I love it. Okay, sounds good. I will add it to my list of TV shows that I Will never get to, but in my heart sound like ones that I would enjoy. That is not a knock on the recommendation. Yeah.

[Hannah]

While you're listening, maybe you'd be interested in this one. I feel like it might be a show that he would enjoy.

[Tina]

Yeah. Ooh. If you could get him to watch a show, I would be forever indebted.

[Hannah]

Wait, he doesn't watch shows? I thought that he maybe did.

[Tina]

No, you watch.

[Hannah]

Okay. So neither one of you are really.

[Tina]

No.

[Hannah]

Like, TV movie people?

[Tina]

No, not at all. And so I've gotten several comments lately. How do you read so much? Tell me your secrets. Literally. And I hate the sound of this. Like, we don't watch tv. I don't watch TV almost ever. It's always on. Don't get me wrong, but am I also doing other things and listening to audiobooks and reading while it's on? Yes. That's the secret is. Is really. And it's not anything flex. Right. And I don't mean maybe it's not the best. It's just sort of entertainment. Yeah.

[Hannah]

Anyway, it's your form of entertainment.

[Tina]

It's my form of entertainment. I also am able to read audiobooks or listen to audiobooks and get the story, and I don't get distracted. Like, I know. And is this true for you, Hannah, or can you read anything on audio? I know some people can only read certain genre or. You're pretty wide on audio.

[Hannah]

I'm pretty wide. I can do pretty much anything on audio, I think, as long as I'm in a good position when I'm starting an audiobook.

[Tina]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

Whether that's like 100% or uninterrupted. Like, I don't want to start an audiobook if I'm, you know, doing some data input for work. I don't want to start an audiobook while I'm actively with my kids. But if I am in a situation where I can kind of focus, then from there, I'm solid. I'm. I can. I can get going from there.

[Tina]

Yeah. Okay. Same here. And I would say it wasn't always that way. I think as audiobooks have gotten better for me, it's become even easy and easier because they're so well narrated. But I would say if you want to read more and you want to get into audio, just sort of know that. Oh, okay. You have to train your brain to focus on it and listen and get the most out of it. But I'm talking about audiobooks because my latest read is a book that was just fabulous on audio. It is Keeper of Lost Children by Sadiqa Johnson. This book, you guys, I said I didn't have any 5 stars but this book spoiler is 5 stars for me. I knew it would be though. It's one of those books that I was. It's one of my most anticipated for the year. The year any early buzz that I saw, I was like, oh, people are loving it. So I'm so happy I was able to prioritize it. So what Keeper of Lost Children is it follows three characters. It's historical fiction and it's sort of in Post World War II Germany, all the way through an elite boarding school in Maryland in 1965. But the three people you're following are Ethel Gathers, Ozzy Phillips and Sophia Clark. Ethel is a wife of an American officer. They are living in occupied Germany in the 1950s and she is looking for community, looking for connection. And she ends up stumbling upon an orphanage filled with the abandoned mixed race children of German women and black American GIs. And she immediately finds her calling to help place these kids in loving homes. So that's the first point of view of. And it does alternate between all three. So it's not like you're in one for too long. Then you've got Ozzy, he is a soldier and he is serving in Germany, meets a local woman and the two embark on a relationship that will impact their lives forever. And then you have the more sort of feels more contemporary even though it's still in the 60s and it's in a. In Maryland in this boarding school. You're following Sophia, who is attending this prestigious all white boarding school and she is a black student. And while she's there she, she discovers something that upends her world. So it toggles between the lives of these three individuals. And what I love is that I did not have to ever decide am I enjoying this? Is this good? Because I was hooked from go. You of course like anything else, have to figure out who you're following, where it's going. So I did my thing that I tend to do where I make my little charact characters on the side. There's not a ton of characters.

[Hannah]

Yeah, like my brain Tina isms my

[Tina]

character list in the front of my book. And I also like to write this setting because at first I was like okay, where are we located here? But basically you're following these three characters. In the whole time I kept thinking how are they going to come together? How, why these three? Like what's the through line here? And you absolutely do figure it Out. I thought the pacing was really good. It's very realistic. I felt like these characters were real and you are getting to know a real person because it's based on Ethel. The woman who brought the children to the US is inspired by Mabel Grammar, an adoption champion and civil rights worker. So but it says by the mid-1960s this woman had aided in the placement of 50 afro German children in Black American homes and more than 450 in African American military family homes in Germany. So in anyway there are all these orphans and she was able to get them placed. I thought this was fabulous. Great pacing because there's different tension throughout. I mean there were many, many areas of this that I was like, oh my God, how is this going to work out? It's emotional but it's also not devastating like it could be given historical fiction. I feel like much of historical fiction really guts you or can have the potential to do so. I found this to be balanced and it did got me a bit because I was of course looking up the real. They call them Michelin kinder mixed child. Right. And I was looking up the story and it showed a photo of the orphanage with all of these mixed race children. And of course I couldn't help but think of our own little babies, our, mine and Jonathan's two kids. And I'm like, oh my God, they're not wanted. And it broke my heart a bit. But overall I really enjoyed this one and I thought it was a fantastic choice. My book club is going to be reading this next month. Sorry guys, I got ahead of you but I had to read it. Just know that I enjoyed it and it's a highly recommend 5 star read for me. So this one is Keeper of Lost Children by Sadiqwa Johnson.

[Hannah]

Oh, that one sounds so great and I feel like that is similar to how Yellow Wife was also where it's emotional, it's harrowing, but it also has this hopeful tone to it that I really like about the book that I've read from her so far anyway.

[Tina]

Yes, I have to read her other two. This was my first by her.

[Hannah]

My latest read is the Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens. Oh, this is a popular thriller author I'm pretty sure. Have you read from Chevy Stevens before?

[Tina]

Yes.

[Hannah]

Okay. This was my first by her. And this is a story about Alice and Tom and they set out on the remote Canadian highway in the summer of 1976 in their new RV. They are hoping to heal their broken hearts after a experiencing some hardship. They've planned the trip perfectly. They've taken care of every detail and when they meet two young hitchhikers down on their luck, they decide to offer them a ride. But the young couple seems to be hiding something and the tension builds very quickly from there. As the tension builds here, the lines start to blur and the question becomes what secrets? What secrets is everyone hiding? And who will live another day? I'm going to live there. I personally think that the synopsis provides a little bit too much detail and I like to go into books like these with knowing just enough information to hook me. But I really don't want to be spoiled as much as possible, I think. Here's what I'll say. This was fine. I thought that this book was fine. I think that this would make a good summer thriller. Was it anything special? No, not in my opinion. I don't think so. But it also wasn't bad in my opinion. I felt like I was able to get through this book really quickly. The writing was fine, the pacing was fast. I felt really tense while I was reading it. I will say this book genuinely stressed me out these situations. I was like, okay, this is a bad situation. How are they going to get out of this? And it just kept getting messier and messier. I didn't personally love the ending and the characters definitely drove me a little bit batty in a way that I don't know was wholly intentional. They just felt flat but also annoying and immature. I didn't necessarily find the plot reveals cheap by any means, but none of them were terribly surprising or didn't do much for me in terms of upping the stakes or improving my enjoyment. I would be open to reading another book by Shebby Stevens, but I'm also not in a super big hurry to do so either. So this is kind of. I feel like a boring like mid review for this book. But again, I think that this would be fine to throw in a beach bag over the summer. And that is the Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens.

[Tina]

What made you grab this?

[Hannah]

I got an arc copy of it from. I want to say Henry Holt is the publisher. Let me check that just to be sure. But I. I got a arc copy from the publisher and it just sounded good. I don't know. I like a road trip thriller and the stakes felt like they might be high. I like the idea of hitchhiking, especially in the 70s, like what a time. And I was like, oh, this could be. This could be interesting. But yeah, it was fine. And the publisher, oh, is not Henry Holt. It's St. Martin's Press okay, okay.

[Tina]

Yeah. Because I was like, this doesn't feel like your typical type of book that you would jump on.

[Hannah]

No, not.

[Tina]

And that's okay. I mean, who care, you know, I've heard. I'm actually glad to hear what you think about it because that one I was curious about. I read her once. I've read Still Missing, and this one's about a realtor that gets kidnapped. And I thought it was fine. I didn't love it. People love her books and I think I would still try them again. For whatever reason, though, it just that that particular book didn't work for me. Now, to be fair, I remember reading it and I was very pregnant, so I was like, my opinion in those last months on literature, you know, I'm will willing to be wrong and try them again. But yeah, I wasn't overly into that particular book.

[Hannah]

Yeah, that's kind of how I felt too. Like, I would definitely try this author again. Am I in a super big hurry to do so? No. But yeah, I would. I would do it.

[Tina]

Okay. Well, I had fun coming up with this topic. I'm glad that we've done it. So what we're talking about to get today is again, celebrity book club. And it's, you know me, I love a definition. And so, of course, while I was researching this, I was like, well, what are the celebrity book clubs? Like, one, why do I care? And two, what are they? And then I got into my head and I was like, well, three, what can. What really is a celebrity? And then I was like, you know what? Just leave it alone. If these come up with, you know, if I came up with a list, this doesn't include any, like, content creators as celebrity book clubs. These are all people sort of outside the realm of content creation. And they. They have other things that they. So they have other things. They do. And celebrity book club. I like celebrity book club. I've recently started doing the prediction videos.

[Hannah]

I love those.

[Tina]

Thank you. And I have fun making them.

[Hannah]

So good at them too.

[Tina]

I can, you know, sense a pattern and people. It's funny because I think there are people that have insider knowledge. I am not one of them. I make it up fully from my. Fully out of my.

[Hannah]

You're not following any Facebook groups?

[Tina]

No, I don't have any clue other than I think it's fun to make it up. But there are people that I think are in the know. And so now I'm like, oh, no, don't watch my video. I'm, you know, I'm just having a Good time.

[Hannah]

I'm just a girl.

[Tina]

I'm just a girl. Exactly. But people, but people are, you know, giving me some it. All of this to say this is a phenomenon that people are interested in. Right. I think celebrity book club picks are fun to track and it once you get you understand the patterns and the cadence and the books they tend to pick, it can be a good way to like get book recommendations because there's certainly books that I have picked up specifically. I was like, oh, I didn't know about this, but it was the Oprah pick. Like, maybe let me give this a shot. So I think it's a good way to really gauge what's of the time. Especially with a book club like Oprah's that's been around for so long. I think it's fun to look back and see that. Do you like celebrity book club or have I forced this upon you?

[Hannah]

No, I think that it's fun. Now, I've typically only followed the big ones. Like I've always followed Oprah. I really enjoy Jenna's picks. Typically I loosely follow Reese. I definitely follow gma, like all of those big ones. I'm super into at least seeing what they've got out there because I also just think that it gives good insight into publishing trends and yes, trends in general in the literary space. Now, the smaller book clubs, which is really what we dove into today, was really kind of a new experience for me. I never really dove into them, but there are a couple that I found that I definitely think I'm going to be following if not for anything other than eliminating that decision fatigue of what am I going to read next? Let's see what this book club is doing. I think it can be so helpful for that, especially if a book club is really aligns with your taste. Really well. The one that I'm thinking of now, I don't know why I am avoiding saying the name of it. It's Belletrist, which is run by Emma Roberts. And gosh, like, I align so well with the picks that she chooses for this book club. And she also does something interesting. She is in partnership with this program called Tertullia, which is like this subscription box. But not every subscription through Tertullia is the same. You can go to the Belletrist link on Tertullia and you can literally get a book club box and it will send you the pics from her book club every single month, along with invitations to virtual book club discussions and things like that, which is, I don't know, it's just. It's just really cool. And it had me exploring this Tertullia program and book club box. Subscription box. I guess I should say more. It's not something I think that I will invest money in, but it's just a cool. It's just cool to see what the book world is doing. And so I kind of went on a big deep dive of that, and that was kind of fun.

[Tina]

That is fun. And I'm on their website now. I have two beefs. One, Bellatrist does not stay in my brain. I always want to call it Bellatrix for whatever reason. Right. I don't know what that is. 2. My second beef is that I can't find a list of all their picks on their website or a link to their Instagram. So I'm like, come on, man.

[Hannah]

I had a hard time. I had a hard time with this also. And I also had a hard time finding a list from Jimmy Fallon's Book club.

[Tina]

Yes.

[Hannah]

Which is the other one that I read from. Okay. Yes. Bellatrist. And. And Jimmy Fallon. I also didn't know if Jimmy's Book club really had a rhyme or reason, because when I was looking at the Instagram page for it, I was like, oh, so I guess they only pick one book a year, but they don't. I guess he has more of like a summer reading program.

[Tina]

Yes. I think you're right.

[Hannah]

So it's a little bit inconsistent. But that's really just because I think he does it more seasonally.

[Tina]

Yes. Versus, like, monthly. Like some of the other ones were used for.

[Hannah]

Versus monthly.

[Tina]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

But it's hard. It was hard to find a list of his books. I just went to the Instagram page for the book club and was like, well, just gonna pick one of these. Yeah, that's what I did.

[Tina]

It's as good as any. Right. And so we only shared what clubs we were. We kind of shared a list, and then we each picked a different book club to focus on. I did indeed find the archives, the Bella Trist pick. So we can link that below. And I agree with you fully. These look like books that I would certainly pick up. I didn't look at them because I knew that that was the one that you grabbed. The two that I ended up focusing on were. Keep people in suspense, were Roxane Gay, who is an author. Hers is called the Audacity. And hers is through Substack now. I don't log into Substack. I can't possibly take on another. I don't. I love it for people. It's not for me. I love, though, that it's there for folks that want to engage and participate there. But I really liked her picks, and so I like the books that she goes for. She goes for books that I think push the envelope that are a little bit. I don't even want to say controversial, but there are books that are not for everyone. They're the type of books where I'm like, oh, it wasn't for everyone, but it was for me. Right. As far as I can tell from some of the. The choices that she made, including the one that I read. The other smaller book club that I went for, I actually didn't know existed until recently, and that is the Good Housekeeping Book Club. I discovered Good Housekeeping's book club has been around since 2021. What? Where have you been? Like, I truly had. I've never.

[Hannah]

I didn't know either.

[Tina]

I. When I tell you, I literally am like, what do you mean? Because I have never paid attention to this, so I'm gonna change that now. They certainly have choices that I think are in line with. For example, like a read with Jenna. In fact, their choice is also one of the choices for bellatrist. I just saw for January. They had the same book pick, but I really enjoy it. Like, I see some of the picks that they have, I think, overlap with some of the other book clubs. I am wondering why this doesn't have more buzz. I don't know.

[Hannah]

I think I don't either. Oh, yeah. The. The January pick for Good Housekeeping is one of the books that I'm bringing today. So I am so excited to talk about it. And I. I think that this book is definitely worth all of the buzz that it's. It's getting both online and in these book club spaces. But, yeah, I'm looking at this list of books for Good Housekeeping, and I did not come across this in my search for this episode. But, I mean, we've got Best Offer Wins by Marisa Cascino, and even kind of more obscure picks like the Last Animal. That's a book that I. Has been on my TBR for a while, but I never see it around anywhere. I don't know. I'm very intrigued by these choices.

[Tina]

They have such great choices, and a lot of them that I've read or we've even picked for our book club.

[Hannah]

Yes, the Compound. Sorry, I'm getting excited.

[Tina]

No, I see you're activated, and I think that's good. That's what you would want. I would Imagine. Now, I've come up with a hypothesis. I think it's because people hear Good Housekeeping, they don't associate it with books. They're like, what? That's like a magazine for housekeeping.

[Hannah]

I was just about to say it seems like a home. Homes and Gardens.

[Tina]

Yes, yes. But what do I love to do when housekeeping? Listen to.

[Hannah]

Listen to.

[Tina]

So I think it makes perfect sense now. I don't know who chooses them, but I'm really now going to be paying attention to them. Them because I enjoy their picks. Some of the others that I was considering. Okay, so there's like you said, Jimmy Fallon. There's. There's also our shared shelf, which is the first one that I thought of. That's Emma Watson's book club. It's actually closed. She doesn't have it anymore. They discontinued it.

[Hannah]

She really disappeared.

[Tina]

Yeah, right. Maybe Good for her. She's got plenty of money, I'm sure.

[Hannah]

Right.

[Tina]

Kaia Gerber has one on Instagram called Library Science and they do author visits and discussions. Between two books is Florence Welsh's Book Club and Service 95 is Dua Lipa. I was like, I did not know that all of these people had one.

[Hannah]

I always, I don't know why, but it just makes me not like laugh. That's not the right word. But whenever like, Dua Lipa is like a reader, like a massive reader.

[Tina]

I don't know a thing about this person other than I remember that people used to make fun of the way she dances.

[Hannah]

Yeah. I don't know. I don't listen to a lot of Dua Lipa's music or anything like that. But I do remember Jack in the books before he became like almost celebrity popular in the book space. Did a video where he read Dua Lipa's favorite books when he was doing the series on his YouTube about like reading celebrities favorite books. And he kind of went on a tangent too about like, I had no idea that Dua Lipa was such a huge reader. But I, from what I can tell, excellent reading taste.

[Tina]

I Many things, but one I, Jack Edwards is Jack in the books. I did not know that that was that same. I'm like, what do you mean? Oh yeah, that guy, huh?

[Hannah]

He does interviews with like, like big a list celebrities.

[Tina]

Yeah, he really does. Ok. Dua Lipa is a British singer, songwriter and model. Okay, got it.

[Hannah]

Anyway, and James is British, so it makes sense why maybe he would know more about her celebrity status and her music and stuff than maybe we would.

[Tina]

But something I was Thinking too is we. I know there are book clubs that are popular in the UK that we sort of haven't even touched on.

[Hannah]

Oh, and Mindy Kaling too. Doesn't Mindy Kaling have one?

[Tina]

She. She does. Okay, so all of those are listed, but the one that I initially thought I was going to read from is Tea Time Book Club by Dakota Johnson. And I was like, yeah, this is going to be great. She has some interesting picks, but the first one I picked up by her I DNF'd. It was disciplined by Larissa Pham. That's on me. It's about an artist I should have known. But then I was looking through her picks and I have DNF'd so many of her books, including the Ten Year Affair, including Beauty Land, that I've tried to read twice and I'm like, okay, so maybe Teatime Book Club is my anti book club. But I know that she picks very polarizing books, like for example, Audition by Katie Kitamura that I know was one where people either loved it or hated it. So all of those were the ones that we that I at least kind of considered. And I ended up landing on two books that I'm glad that I read.

[Hannah]

Okay, well, should we, I mean, do we have anything more to say? Should we dive into our picks?

[Tina]

Sure, let's dive into our picks here. So we've got my first one. It's Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter. And this is the pick from Roxanne, Roxane Gay's Audacity Book Club. And one I have an arc of this that I'm holding now. And one of our listeners, ariel from literally January 2024, asked me if I ever read it. For some reason that never left my head. And what she had to say about it was that it's super unique and you're either going to it or hate it. And I think she is spot on with that description. So Hot Springs Drive says Jackie Nome's best friend is dead and everyone knows who killed her. And that's one way to get me hooked. But Jackie is an ex emotional eater and mother of four who has finally lost the weight she long yearned to be free of. But leaving her old self behind proves harder than she ever imagined. She believes she should be happier, but misery still chases her and motherhood threatens to consume her. Her. Her only saving grace is Teresa, her best friend whose life she desperately covets. Their bond is tight, but that doesn't stop Jackie from having an affair with Teresa's husband, Adam. And When Teresa catches Jackie in the act, the consequences ripple far beyond the ruins of their friendship. And so this book is essentially about the build up and then fall out from this affair. I loved a lot about this. It is a book that is written. It's got a unique writing style. It's literary in that from the beginning, they do something that I love. They give the house a point of view. It says a house on Hot Springs Drive. And it's. The house is the one that's describing the murder in the very beginning. And I really like that. I thought that was a cool touch. I like that. You are getting a lot of different viewpoints in this, but you're getting to hear from Teresa, who we know from the synopsis is the one that's deceased. You hear from Jackie, you hear from other people in the community, such as the realtor. You hear from some of their children. Now you. You really get a lot of point of view in this book, which is okay. I think by and large she did pull it off. It might make the reader feel a little disconnected. I still though, was interested enough to see how this all happened. To keep reading, I called this one more of a why done it versus whodunit. You certainly do find out who did it, but that's not even necessarily the point of the book. It's much more about how did we get here. This book also is very sexually explicit that I. In ways that I wasn't expecting. I'm like, oh, oh, you're in this affair with Jackie and Adam the. Almost the entire time. And I'm like, okay, got it. Open door. Also, it is very. The whole thing is visceral. Lots of talks about bodies, both gaining weight, losing weight, starving oneself. So just know that is if that's something you don't want to read about, sort of be aware. I just thought it was interesting. I think this is domestic suspense. It's got a little bit of that literary fiction feel. I was satisfied by the resolution. I do think Ariel is correct. You'll either love this or hate this. I give it a lukewarm, modest recommendation. I'm certainly not mad that I read it and I would try this author again. So this book is Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter.

[Hannah]

Oh, yeah. That one sounds really emotionally intense, but also definitely sounds like one that Roxane Gay would pick.

[Tina]

Yes, 100%.

[Hannah]

That just makes sense.

[Tina]

Absolutely. Because she has that book hunger, and that like, completely makes sense to me.

[Hannah]

Yes. And also, you did a video on your YouTube about the WhyDunits.

[Tina]

Yes, I did. Yes. Yes.

[Hannah]

Yeah. So we'll link that in the show notes too, if you want to dive deeper with Tina on that topic.

[Tina]

I think that's really.

[Hannah]

I, I prefer that too. I want a why done it. Also, I think that it's way more like propulsive and exciting to read about than a whodunit, personally. So I am with you on that. Okay. I am so excited to bring my first one. It's one that I know, Tina, that you have read before, and I thought that this one was very well loved and it is, it has good ratings and I think the people in my circles really enjoy it. But I also, I didn't realize that the reviews overall as a whole were pretty polarizing. And that's Night Watching by Tracy Sierra.

[Tina]

What? I had no idea.

[Hannah]

Yeah, a little bit. A little bit polarizing. I think overall positive. But I was. It was really interesting diving into the reviews after I had finished this one. So this story follows a mother who is home alone with her two young children during a blizzard when she realizes that they are indeed not alone. After hearing slow, heavy footsteps climbing the stairs in the night, she catches sight of a shadowy figure in the hallway and makes a split second decision. She quietly walks her children and hides them in a secret concealed room behind a wall in the oldest part of her house. They are trapped in the dark in this secret room and she desperately wants to stay calm and form a plan while the intruder, the intruder is actively searching for them. And when she gets a closer look at his face and hears his voice, her terror deepens because she thinks that she knows exactly who this person is and what he is capable of. This book, I thought, was absolutely pulse pounding for me from the very first page. I read this in print, which is not as common for me these days, and I feel like if I am going to read a book in print, read it quickly. I'm gonna have to be locked in from page one. And I'm so glad that I chose to read this one in print because I was definitely locked in from page one. Again, as I mentioned, there are some polarizing reviews of this one and I think that the number one thing that people have said is that the pacing felt a little bit off. But personally, I loved how this story was set up. I think the pacing was perfect. I thought it was exactly what it needed to be. Tina's nodding. Because you loved this book too, right?

[Tina]

I did. And I think folks sometimes need to be more patient with thrillers. I like books that are thinkers that make you feel like this could happen in real life. And like this does that sometimes you're not going to have short chapter rippers aren't always the thing. And like I don't love when people are critical of books that are objectively good. If you're like this isn't for me, fine. But like it's not meant to be a ripper. That's not what this book is. Right? So it's like maybe have if I think if folks have the correct expectation going in, they might like it more.

[Hannah]

I completely agree. I think that what sets this particular thriller or literary suspense, if you want to call it that, I think that might be a more accurate term for this one. I think what sets it apart is really the way that it handles its themes, particularly around believing women, navigating abusive family dynamics, gaps in law enforcement systems. As a whole, it tackles more than that. I'm not going to go further because it gets into spoiler territory, but just know that the thematic depth here is genuinely impeccable. And there's even more here, like I mentioned that I can't say. I also want to say I'm not sure I've ever cried reading a thriller before, but this one got me. It was such an emotionally immersive experience on top of being truly exciting. And you get really invested in this one character in particular, our main protagonist, and you just care for her so deeply. And that makes every moment of tension in this book hit so much harder. As a mom, this is not an easy read. Those what if feelings are so real and they're so heavy. Like, what would I do? This is absolutely a what would I do kind of a book. The whole time you're like, would I have done that? I mean, oh, I think that was maybe the best decision. But oh my gosh, to have to make those decisions was really tough to think about. But I'm so glad that I powered through and let myself sit in that discomfort because the payoff was worth it and it made the experience so much, much richer. I do want to continue to set expectations. This is not a thriller that is going to blindside you with a twist that you never saw coming. But there absolutely is a reveal. Things get resolved. The way Tracy Sierra ties up, every single loose thread was immaculate. She didn't leave a single string untied. There were even things that she mentioned at the end where I was like, oh yeah, that was a string that she needed to tie up. And so, so she did such a good job thinking of everything that she needed to do to make the whole reading experience so gratifying from start to finish. So if you couldn't tell, I highly recommend this one. I absolutely loved it. That was Night Watching by Tracy Sierra.

[Tina]

I love that you loved this one. I think it's fabulous. And I agree. Cosign.

[Hannah]

Yay.

[Tina]

Let's see now. I am gonna close out that tab because that has nothing to do with it. Okay. Okay. I was still on Dua Lipa. That's not going to get me there.

[Hannah]

Nope.

[Tina]

Okay. So my next book that I brought for Celebrity Book Club is a book that I'm glad that I read. It's called so Old, so Young by Grant Ginder. I keep mixing this damn title up. I keep calling it so Young, so Old. But it's so Old, so young. You may have seen the COVID of this because the COVID is really striking. It's a upside down gold figure fish. And you can. There's a glass of wine next to it and there's like a party going on. This fellow Elder Millennials, listen up. This book is for us. Okay? This book is for us, baby. I'm talking if you graduated in 2005-2007 and you are entering your 40s, this book just will make sense. Okay? Not to say you must be in those specific demographics to enjoy this, but. But I feel like it was just extra special that I had that connection. So this book is a novel about the impending millennial middle age, and it is part love story, part tragic comedy. And you're following five friends over the course of two decades. You're following six friends over the course of two decades as they come together for these five different parties. So you've got Marco, Mia, Sasha, Theo, Richie, and Adam. Those are the players. And boy, did it take me some time to get them straight. But that is a me problem. But for these six people, the one constant about life after college has been change. New jobs, new cities, new spouses, new children. And through it all, they always thought that the one thing that would stay the same is their friendship. But time has a way of breaking even the strongest bonds and testing what we thought we knew. New this book is structured so well. I am going to share something that I don't think is a spoiler, but the reason why I think it's structured so well is because the book opens in present day and one of the characters is going back to the US For a funeral. She is traveling for a funeral. And I'm like, oh, dear, what's going on? And I love books that start like that because I'm like, okay, that's so emotional. What's going on with the deceased? Who is the deceased? Do I find out early? What's the deal? So I love that. And then from there you work backward to the early 2000s and he literally structures it to where it's these five parties. One of them's a wedding, one of them is just like a Halloween party. Etc, but you know how it is with long term friends. There's events that bring you together. And throughout that he would explore the different characters and the different things that all of these people went through and the different choices they're making. Some of these sections, he just really did such a fantastic job describing this time in your life. I don't even know what I should call it. Adulthood, early emerging adulthood into middle age. And it's that idea where the more choices you make, the fewer choices you end up having. So in the beginning of the book, they could do anything. They're college grads. They have all of these, you know, the world is their oyster. And then as they go on and on and on, things change for them. And I love that they that he was able to unpack that. This is character driven. This has got a lot of characters. And so if those two things aren't for you, maybe this isn't your bag. But I think it really, really worked well for me. I did the audio very well narrated. You have a multicast narration. I like that we got just enough for each of the characters now. Now it's not a really in depth dive onto everybody because I don't think it can be when you're following six people. But I like that he did that because it felt fresh, it felt different and it was able to give me a lot of different people. Brett from Brett's Bookstack has a great interview with the author, so we can link to that too. We keep talking about linking things, but I think it's worth your time because watching that I was like, oh, yes, this all makes sense. Sense. It is a heavy ish story. The characters are not the most likable, but that's relatable. Right? He also did a really good job to make a point of pointing out songs that were playing in the background during each of the sections. And what was it? Get Low by Flo.

[Hannah]

By Flo Rida. Yeah.

[Tina]

That was obviously one of the earlier scenes in this book, but he would do that every time and yeah, have, you know, music that would immediately tie me back to that point of view. I don't think this will be for everybody. I think if you maybe. I don't know. I. I really don't know. I think I really liked it and I'm very glad that I read it. Am I. What am I giving it? I think I'm giving it.

[Hannah]

I was just about to say did you give it five stars?

[Tina]

No, not five stars. I think I'm 425 feels too low. So I think it's got to be a 4.5. Why is not a perfect 5 not

[Hannah]

quite that favorite like or 5 star book but you really really liked it?

[Tina]

Yes, I think that is fair to say. I think that is fair to say. I also desperately wish that I had a print copy of this. I feel like maybe I would have felt even more for this had I had a print copy in front of me so I could mark it up and annotate it. But I swear to God I kept thinking who is this person? Because I was only doing the audio so maybe that's my bad. Why it wasn't a full five stars. Either way it really resonated with me. And that book is so old, so Young by Grant Ginder.

[Hannah]

Yeah, I am in the middle of this one and I also am really enjoying it. I think, I think that it's great but I completely see what you mean about this isn't going to be for everyone. I posted on my stories that I had started it and I've got quite a few comments so far of people who are in the middle of it saying I'm struggling through with this one, you know, are you liking it? And I'm like I am. I'm really liking it.

[Tina]

Me too.

[Hannah]

So I think that if you enjoy some of those things that Tina mentioned and more character driven stories then this really is a tender hearted and. And good book. But again I can see why it wouldn't be for everyone. I am doing the print and I have tried the audio also and I will say I'm preferring my print copy.

[Tina]

Yeah, the audio is well narrated. It was just harder to sink into. If you like, if you need your characters to make good decisions or decisions you understand then you probably won't like because I feel like sometimes they're very frustrating it also. But you know what? They feel realistic because I can think of all these different characters.

[Hannah]

Who among us has not made a decision where we're like I like whether you regret it or whether you just wish maybe you'd made a different choice in the moment but you're grateful for where you are or however you want to look at that who hasn't been able to look back on their life and been like, that was a bad choice.

[Tina]

Yeah. But like some of these people, I'm like, God, you're being a jerk. Just like, be nice to each. You know what I mean? But again, I don't know. It's working and obviously I'm still talking about it, so I'm glad you're enjoying it too, though.

[Hannah]

Yes. And I do think it would make a good discussion book, as you can see, between our conversation.

[Tina]

The two of us now.

[Hannah]

Yeah, exactly. I am really excited to bring my last book that I. And if I didn't mention before, Night Watching was from Fallon. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that this one, Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash. This was January's page pick for Belletrist. And like we mentioned during our book talk, it was also January's pick for Good Housekeeping. And I totally see why. I think this is a very discussable book and absolutely one that I think would be fabulous for book club. This centers on the Flynn family, who are slowly coming apart at the seams. Catherine and Bud's open marriage. And I say that in quotes for a reason, which you will find out when you read this book. Their open marriage is reaching its breaking point. Their three daughters are each unraveling in their own completely chaotic ways. We have Abigail, who is the oldest, and she is dating a man in his 20s, nicknamed. I know. War Crime. Wes. It makes sense when you read it. Just. Just trust me. You guys, trust me.

[Tina]

Just.

[Hannah]

Then you have.

[Tina]

Go with it.

[Hannah]

And then you have Louise, who is the middle child. She is secretly corresponding with an online terrorist. And then you have Harper, who is a brilliant. A brilliant kid. She is the youngest and she's become convinced that someone or something is surveilling their small coastal town. A fixation that lands her a one way ticket to a wilderness reform camp. I am telling you, this family is a mess. Like, it is such a mess. But it seems unrealistic when I'm setting up the story. But actually, while you're reading it, it does feel like real life. Looming over all of this is Paul Alabaster, who is a billionaire shipping. Hold on. Who is a billionaire who is shipping things into their town. There is rumored corruption that nobody dares to question. He kind of runs this small town and nobody has him figured out. Except for Harper, the youngest child of this Flynn family. And when her obsession with these mysterious. And when her obsession with these mysterious shipping containers pulls the whole family into a criminal conspiracy, the Flynn's find themselves hurtling towards something that might actually end up bringing them back together. So this is a mess, but I really love it.

[Tina]

It.

[Hannah]

The best way I can describe it is it does kind of have that Kevin Wilson energy, you know, where if you've read a Kevin Wilson book, you know that his books feel really warm and funny and charming. But underneath all of it, there's this quiet darkness, there's this kind of looming threat that's happening. And that is exactly what Lost Lambs feels like. These characters are very, very purposefully flawed. Again, you've got, you know, teenagers chatting with the wrong kind of people on the Internet. You've got. You've got all kinds of stuff happening. The parents in this book, Catherine and Bud, while I, again, similar to the book we just talked about, and so old, so young, are making decisions that you are just like, what are you doing? You still feel somewhat endeared to them. They're messy, chaotic, and just outright baffling, but they feel so real and genuinely lovable in their own way, and you can't help but root for them. One note that I actually wrote down in my phone as I was listening to this one, and I quote, it just says in all caps, listen to the children. They're right.

[Tina]

Yeah, right.

[Hannah]

And honestly, that really felt like the heart of this book. There is something so compelling about the way Cash positions the kids as the ones who actually see what is happening, happening, while the adults are honestly too distracted by their own dysfunction to pay attention or believe the kind of outrageous things that these kids are telling them. But they are correct because they are paying attention. And I loved that. It definitely has this blend of small town drama, slow burn mystery that just keeps you hooked plot wise throughout the book. Yes, yes, the characters are there to keep you reading and flipping through the pages as well, but also there is a really compelling plot here that also keeps you very hooked. What really struck me was this book feels timely with a lot of things that are happening in the United States right now with this undercurrent to the story. And it had me feeling extremely unsettled. So if that is something that you might find challenging, just know that going in. However, I think that how this book tackles it was brilliant. And there's definitely enough distance within those themes to kind of create that emotional distance, if that gives you any consolation. It kind of left me feeling like I was floating in this dystopian headspace, but also kind of made me feel warm and fuzzy at the same time. I don't know how to Explain it. But I loved it. It was irreverent. It was addictive and surprisingly tender for a debut novel. I think that Madeline Cash has done something really special here. I highly recommend it. That is Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash.

[Tina]

I am so glad you recommend this. I hate the COVID I hate it. I'm sure that it's. It's eye catching, it's memorable, but when I saw it, I was like, no. Immediate. No. So I'm glad to hear you recommend it so that I can, you know, sort of dive in despite the COVID that initially didn't called to me.

[Hannah]

Yeah, the COVID is interesting. There's a little girl on the corner of like a sketched kind of version of a little girl on the bottom corner. And there's a fly flying towards her. At the very beginning of the novel, you are in a church and there's a gnat problem. And that is kind of like the starting point for all of these issues that come to this small town. So I think that's why they have kind of that little drawing there.

[Tina]

Oh, but see, I don't mind her. She was. Okay. It's the. It's the text. I hate it so much.

[Hannah]

Well, it's not why they made that choice.

[Tina]

It's. It's written with crayon. It looks like it is.

[Hannah]

Yeah. But, yeah, it has that, like, smudgy.

[Tina]

Yeah.

[Hannah]

Text look. It looks like a kid drew it.

[Tina]

And I think that makes sense, given the story.

[Hannah]

Listen to the children.

[Tina]

Listen to the children. Okay, well, I will wrap with my shelf edition. Speaking of covers I don't like. I don't love this. This one. Now this is a book I grabbed from.

[Hannah]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tina]

What?

[Hannah]

I'm excited about this book. You're holding it up.

[Tina]

I'm holding it up.

[Hannah]

I'm. Yeah, I'm excited about this one.

[Tina]

You know this book.

[Hannah]

I do.

[Tina]

This book is the Extra by Annie Neugebauer. And. Okay. I just. I don't even know what made me put this on my list, but I. My hold came in. In fact, I think I requested that my library order this. So I must have felt very passionate about it when it came out. And then it came it. I think, you know, once you request that your library order something, it comes in and then you're like, the first one on the list. And I was like, what. What book is this? Why did I request it? Okay, so this is a sci fi slash horror nolla about a university backpacking trip where a group of 10 students and staff find an 11th person has joined them despite everyone remembering only 10 people. And then they try and figure out who the extra person is. Is. That's it. And again, this is a novella because we're working with about 115 pages here. And I just have to know. What do you mean? What do you mean? It's also supposed to be the first book in the outsiders sequence, followed by the other in the spare. So I guess there are other novellas in this group. But I felt it came in and I was like, this sounds like it's for me. It's one of those books that I will induce paranoia. It's the unknown, this exodus feeling of existential dread. And like, who is this mysterious person? Are they human? Are we in another dimension? Have we all died? I don't know.

[Hannah]

But I'm already asking so many good questions.

[Tina]

So many good questions. Now I know nothing other than what I've described to you. So hopefully you know none of that is a spoiler unless I happen to get it right. But that's what this book is. And I will have to report back. The book is the Extra by Annie Neugebauer.

[Hannah]

Yeah, that one sounds really good. It's on my list as well. My shelf edition is how to Write a Love Story by Katherine Walsh. I do like this cover.

[Tina]

I have that one too. Can you imagine?

[Hannah]

Did you get it in the mail today?

[Tina]

No, I got it from Book of the Month. They better not send it to me too.

[Hannah]

Okay, I got this in the mail today from Dutton. And this is a romance novel. And it is about Ciara Sheridan. And her father has left her with with three things. A sprawling and distinctly ramshackle estate on the Irish coast. If they're saying that as like a bad thing, I don't know why. Ramshackle. I don't care that it's ramshackled.

[Tina]

I know.

[Hannah]

In a state on the Irish coast. Hello. The outline for the finale. He's also left her the outline for the finale to his best selling epic fantasy series that he wanted her to finish. And he's left her with writer's block as well. And then enter Sam Avery, Frank Sheridan, fanboy and hotshot editor. Sent from the New York publishing house direct to Ciara's doorstep. Read. Pen ready. At first, Ciara and Sam butt heads with crackling energy. But with the deadline looming, Ciara and Sam have just a few weeks to stop bickering, write this novel and secure Frank's legacy. As the summer heats up, so does the tension between them. Will their own love story be the plot twist neither of them see coming. I love books about, like, romances, specifically, where both of them are in some kind of literary space. Like, one of them's an author, one of them's an editor, or maybe they're both authors competing for something. I just. I really enjoy that dynamic. I've never read anything from Katherine Walsh before, but I have heard really good things about her romance books. So maybe this will be a good kind of initial book to start with this author. I'm really excited for it. I do really love the really bright, cute cover. It's how to Write a Love Story by Katherine Walsh.

[Tina]

Yes, I have that one on my list, too. It sounds cute and great for, you know, March being St. Patrick's Day and all.

[Hannah]

True. Oh, my gosh. True.

[Tina]

Good color, right? Can you believe it? March is here.

[Hannah]

I can't.

[Tina]

I can't. All right, well, the weather isn't giving March, but that is a. Okay, in my book. I need to clean up these notes. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Can someone please tell me what I'm supposed to say now?

[Hannah]

That's it for today.

[Tina]

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.

[Hannah]

If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both at Booktok. Etc. On Instagram and YouTube. You can find Tina TV and Hannah at HandpickedBooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. I would be open to reading another book by Chevy. I have Chevy Chase in my notes.