Loading summary
Transcript178 lines
- [00:00]
A
Okay, get to shelf edition and we haven't done it yet. I'll give you a holler.
- [00:06]
B
That's fantastic. Sounds good. Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
- [00:24]
A
And I'm Hannah from Handpicked Books.
- [00:26]
B
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two midwest new readers who are easily distracted by new releases. And today we are talking about book to screen adaptations.
- [00:36]
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.
- [00:50]
B
Hi Hannah, how are you?
- [00:52]
A
Hi Tina. I am good. I'm excited. I think we're both excited about some just things that we're gon gonna be talking about and announcing on the podcast today. So we are buzzing and thriving.
- [01:04]
B
Yes, we're very excited about that. We're very excited about her summer content calendar. We were just spending some time with it beforehand, sort of working everything out. It really throws us off when there are five Tuesdays in a month because I'm like wait, now we have to come in with something extra. But anyway, we've got it down and I know we're pretty excited. I will just dive in and introduce one of our new regular episode series. It is called Tackling the TBR Shelf. This is going to be a regular episode on the main show where our goal is to for once shrink your TBRs. We are always adding to your TBRs. So this episode series is our way of trying to shrink those down. It is all about shopping our own shelves, discovering backlist gems, and finally making progress on our ever growing TBRs. And here's how it will work. Every month on the main show we will choose choose a reading prompt and we will dig through our own shelves and select books that Hannah and I already own that fit that prompt. Some months it might be broad, some very specific, but the goal is always the same. We really want to read books we own and uncover books that might have been overlooked. You know the ones that are sitting behind me here if you're looking on my this is my unread shelf. There's so, so many and I would love to take them upstairs where my red books get to live. But here's where you guys come in. The prompts are ones that our patrons will suggest. We already have an incredible list. There are 32 responses. And sometimes people left multiple. So we have a wide range to choose from. But most importantly, we also encourage you all to read along with us. Read from your own TBRs. These could be books that you own or books that are on your tbr, books that are on your Kindle shelf, your Kindle graveyard. We don't care. We're not going to police it. But what we do want you to do is read along with us. So for example, if it was a book set in Scotland, you would look for your shelves and pick books that have been set in Scotland. And then we will post a regular post on social media each month on Instagram to where you guys can tell us what you are reading along with us. So listen to the episode, pick a book that also matches the prompt, and share your selection with the community. And we're hoping that the series will help you find some forgotten favorites and reduce our unread book piles. Hannah, have I forgotten anything?
- [03:26]
A
No, Tina, I think you covered everything. I'm really, really, really excited for this segment. I think it will blow our hair back and I do something. I think it'll be something that our listeners are going to really enjoy as well and be able to participate in, which is my favorite thing to do. And I love that our patrons and book talkers are going to be able to take a special part in helping us choose and select the prompt that we pick every single month. So things that just delight me about this new series and I think it's going to be great for us and our listeners both.
- [04:02]
B
I agree. And if you're not already a patron, head to patreon.com booktalk etc. You can join us there and help make some suggestions for themes for tackling our TBR shelf. We also have a thread in our discord where we'll do some discussing. Hey, what are you reading over there? Because sometimes building your TBR is as fun as reading through it, as we have come to discover.
- [04:24]
A
Absolutely. Different hobby.
- [04:26]
B
Different. They're two separate hobbies. Dang it. All right, with that being said, I thought it would be fun if we could just go ahead and pick live on air. And John, I'm really hoping that if I share my screen, that'll record that. I believe that it will. If it doesn't, not the worst. But let me go ahead and share this. And let me see. Oh, I think it's working. Oh, fabulous. Okay, close your eyes.
- [04:54]
A
I can see it.
- [04:55]
B
No, I don't want you to. Okay, I'll do this.
- [04:58]
A
I can't see.
- [05:00]
B
So right now I'm having Hannah close her eyes. And what I want to do is randomly pick through one of these prompts. If they mentioned multiple prompts in each, I'm just going to go with the first one that's on the list. Down the line, I'll have a TBR jar where we can pick from. But for today, we're just going off of. Yes, me too. Sorry I'm talking so much. Your eyes are closed. But today we're just going off the spreadsheet. Hannah, please.
- [05:23]
A
Yes.
- [05:23]
B
Would you do me the honor of picking a number between 2 and 33?
- [05:29]
A
Oh, my gosh, this feels so. I'm okay.
- [05:32]
B
Truly sweating.
- [05:34]
A
Okay, okay, I've got it.
- [05:36]
B
Okay.
- [05:36]
A
Five.
- [05:37]
B
Okay. Okay. Number five. Okay. It is a book of the month book that you purchased that is more than a year old. I've got so many, and I'm so excited. Thank you to Melanie for suggesting this one. We also asked the patrons, why do you think this would be a fun prompt? And she said, because I am right there with you. And we also, you know, relatable. And she also said, we have a question if you'd like, share a book from your own shelf that meets the prompt. And she shared the wedding. People so very excited for this one. I have so many listeners if you want to read along with us. Hannah and I will be selecting two unread book of the month books that we own that we've not yet read. If you're not a member, you know, use your imagination. If you can just see ones that are on your TBR that are from book of the month, that's okay too. But. But I love this prompt.
- [06:27]
A
Me too. Oh, my gosh, this is so fun. And it makes me even more excited for the coming months. I'm like, these are going to be fun. This is going to be so much fun.
- [06:35]
B
I think so, too. And I appreciate Melanie. This is pretty broad. So some of them, I'm like, oh, my gosh. What if it's so oddly specific that I'm like, I can't even. I can't even find one. But yes, thank you for submitting this. And I cannot wait.
- [06:48]
A
Me too. I probably have like over 10 that I could do.
- [06:53]
B
10.
- [06:53]
A
Yeah.
- [06:54]
B
10 hand. Oh, I don't want to tell you how many. Maybe that would be a fun. That might be fun.
- [07:00]
A
Maybe we get on to hear.
- [07:02]
B
Yeah, maybe I get honest. But I will tell you listeners how many unread Book of the month books I have. But you have to promise not to judge me. Reminder that I've been a Book content creator for so many years and a member of Book of the Month for a really long time. So. Okay. Yeah, with all those caveats that'll be coming in two weeks. Next week is our July books on the radar. And then we will do our first episode of TVR Tackle.
- [07:26]
A
Yay.
- [07:27]
B
Okay. Okay. So I'm going to. I. Okay, full disclosure. I had a lot of coffee. I had a whole Mason jar. I'm really amped right now, so hopefully you are excited listening to me as well. My loving latelies could not tie in better. Okay. If you want to join in with our tackling the TBR Shelf challenge, I am playing with two digital trackers now. One of them I have already mentioned on the show, I believe, and I will do it again. And it is libb. I love libb. They are a digital website or they have an app as well. And basically you can build whatever collection you want. You can do your entire library. You can split it out by read books and unread books. What I'm doing personally is building. I've built a TBR shelf. And these are the books that are for our episodes or for whatever. But basically you just look them up and you add them to your shelf. It's a beautiful interface to me. And they sort it by title. And so I'm just looking at some of the books that I have owned that I've not read. East of Eden, Fairfield County, Flesh, Good People, Heather. I mean, I'm just so. It brings me such joy to look through these books. And I'm going to continue to add to this so that when we're doing our tackling the tbr, I have a place where all of those live. And then down the line, eventually I would love to build my red shelf in Libb. So that way I can say, okay, here are all the books I read. Then I would take it off the TBR shelf, put it on the red digitally. It brings me a lot of joy and I hope I can find the time and attention span to do this. But that's the first recommendation that I think I have mentioned before. The other is brand new. I have never heard of this until someone mentioned it on Threads. And it's a digital tracker called the ARC Library app. And this is a digital tracker that specifically is made for ARCs. ARCs are advanced reader copies. Those are the books that content creators get in advance or readers get in advance, and we get to read them before they are published. This one is so impressive. What I've always wanted was some way to track arcs. By publication day to help me stay in line and help me say, okay, I know these books are coming out this month. Let's try and read them. I've tried lists. I've tried various things. This app specifically though, is made for arcs. And so it does have things like ARC requested, ARC offered. My biggest problem is I don't know where books come from. It'll show up at my house. And I'm like, did I request this? Is this unsolicited? You know what I'm saying? I have a hard time even like monthly emails some, you know, we tend to get that are like, okay, pick the four books, for example, from Penguin Random House. I'll pick them and freaking forget. And then I'll be like, ooh, it's a book of the month pick. Let me order it, like a big dummy. And I forget that it's coming. I know, Hannah. I called myself a dummy.
- [10:25]
A
It's okay. I'm. I'm accepting it. I'm not accepting that you're a dummy. I'm accepting that that's just your humor, you know?
- [10:32]
B
Just my humor. But anyway, this is a really good way to track the books that I have requested. You can also, they have a mark for did not receive or if you withdrew your request in NetGalley, for example, date requested provider. Oh, I mean the detail in this is so impressive. There's also now and it's, it's, it's.
- [10:52]
A
It also looks pretty. I mean, I'm looking at the website. I don't have it on my phone. I know it's an app, but their, their website is really pretty.
- [11:00]
B
Also, I have been enjoying it now again, I just found this recently. I like that they have reading pace. So this one that I'm looking at 122 days till publication deadline if that's something that would help you out. Anyway, I've really enjoyed this little app. One quick thing I will say sometimes it gets glitchy and I can't tell if it's glitch my phone or what. But like I'll be typing something in and the keyboard will get stuck up and it won't save. So I have to force quit the app and then go back into it.
- [11:29]
A
Oh yeah.
- [11:30]
B
Not anything that makes me not want to use it, but worth mentioning. Hopefully if we get. If they get more downloads and people using it, they'll continue to update it. But anyway, those are my loving latelys. I'm so happy to be able to do this. They are two digital trackers I'm playing With the Arc Library app and Libb.
- [11:47]
A
Love learning about a new tracker. Can you tell me where you heard about these?
- [11:53]
B
The. The libid one was a random thread and. And threads sometimes gets very specific with what you're interested in. And I know I'm always looking for ways to track my arcs and somebody's had that same thread and then someone posted just the Arc library app and I'm like, that's one I've never heard of. I looked into it and such is such a. You know, here's. Here we are. Yeah. Lib, I have had forever, probably. I want to say I feel like Renee used it or we talked about it a long time ago, but yeah, those are two that I'm going to hopefully remember to use regularly.
- [12:31]
A
Yes. And can you use your scanner with libid like that?
- [12:34]
B
Can.
- [12:35]
A
Okay, that was my question. Are you still. I know you said you kind of stopped using the scanner for a minute. Are you hoping to use the scanner again and organize with libid that way?
- [12:45]
B
Sorry, I got excited. I would love to use my scanner. I have lost the thing that plugs into the phone and computer, but I did. Oh, my gosh. Hold on a minute. So I did indeed lose that attachment. I feel like it could actually be right here, though. Is it right here? Son of a gun. Because we're talking about this. I have this little thing I'm holding in front of me with like little attachments. This might be to the scanner. So stay tuned. Stay tuned. There's two random things. Hopefully we just discovered it together.
- [13:20]
A
Please report back.
- [13:22]
B
I will.
- [13:23]
A
Okay. My loving lately is not book related at all. But it is the Bobby Goods coloring books. So I have gotten into coloring recently and I have lots of different coloring loving latelies that I am excited to
- [13:42]
B
that are on break.
- [13:43]
A
Yeah. That are on deck. But this is like my cream of the crop. These are my absolute favorite coloring books. It's an independent artist and she started with just a sketch pad and imagination and she started drawing the world around her. Picnics in the park, cozy bedroom, sunny afternoons. And with her coloring books, she adds these cute little characters to all of those scenes and settings that she is imagining. And she mostly draws these little bears that end up keeping her company in her art and in these settings that she imagines. And she named her little bear her main character Bobby. And Bobby is just like the first animal friend that she kind of created in these coloring books. Hence the name Bobby Goods. I was thinking about these coloring books. Well, first of all, let me tell you why I love Them. It's really the paper. It's cardstock. And not a lot of the coloring books you can get, like with Coco Wyo and things like that are made out of this really, really, really nice paper. And it helps you blend really well, whether you're using coloring pencils or crayons or alcohol markers. I use alcohol alcohol markers. And it makes the blending just really seamless. So much easier than just on like regular printer paper. And that is really what stands out for me about these coloring books. The artwork is also just so cute. The way that she lays out her pages make them just really easy and fun to color. And then when they're finished, they just look so good. The one that I have right here is the this and that coloring book. I would say that her most popular that you see like on TikTok and things like that are her day to night coloring book, which is probably next on deck for me. That one is it starts in the morning. Like, all the scenes start in the morning. And then the scenes toward the end of the book are at night. So it literally goes from day to night with all of her scenes. I just think that's so cute. She just came out with a new coloring book which is already sold out, but she will restock them at some point. And that is the summer break coloring book. So I think that's her fifth one. But people get so excited when she announces a new coloring book because her coloring books are so good and they're popular for a reason. But don't fret just because the summer break one is out of stock. She has four others that you can start with to start adding to your collection if you enjoy coloring and you haven't discovered Bobby Goode's yet. So, yeah, that is my loving lately. It's Bobby Good's coloring books.
- [16:37]
B
I love what you're holding in front of you. It literally looks like a storybook. Like a, like, like. It looks like a. Like you colored it in so well. It looks like it's a printed kids book.
- [16:48]
A
I think I sent you.
- [16:48]
B
I can't believe that. That's like remarkable.
- [16:52]
A
Thank you. It's nothing like what you see other people on social media doing. They are so impressive with their coloring.
- [17:01]
B
Freaking why people are so good at that. Well, no, I'm not doing it. I am now on their website looking and I am going to close this website. It is very, very cute though. But I am going to indeed close this website because I can't get distracted. All right. I am so delighted to bring you my Latest read. This book, man, is one of the few books that I've rated five stars so far this year. And it's John of John by Douglas Stewart. I know, Hannah, this was one that you had on your radar as well. Quick shout out. I know we're doing book of the month that are unread books, but I love Aardvark. I just love how they incorporate their logo into the title. It's just so cute to me. And their books are so soft. But I d. And you get a bunch of extras like bookmarks and things. But let me tell you about this book specifically. It was the Oprah's Book Club pick for last month. And it says, out of money and with little to show for his art school education, John Callum MacLeod takes the ferry back home to the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides to find that little has changed. Except for him. I am so sorry. It's in Scotland, and I am sure I said that wrong, but I did my best. So you've got John coming home to his small farming town. And he returns to the windswept croft in two pillars of his childhood. His father, John, a sheep farmer who is a lay preacher in the local Presbyterian church, and his maternal grandmother, Ella, a profanity loving woman from Glasgow whose steady warmth helped Cal weather the sudden departure of his mother. And so, Cal, you've got this guy. It's set in the kind of early to mid-1990s. He's coming home. He had gone to university and really bottom out bottomed. He was there. He's coming back home and his dad's kind of like, what's going on? His son now has long hair, he's wearing like a Nirvana T shirt. And he's like, what has happened here? Right? And he's like, if you're going to be in our house, you're going to have to live by our rules. But Cal has a secret. And this secret threatens to tear apart his family. And that's really it. That's kind of the synopsis. And I must admit, when I first heard of it, I was like, I don't know. Like, do I need to read that? I will say, yes, folks, you do need to read this one. If you like literary fiction, if you like emotional family stories, I liked so much about this book. I did it on audio. And for me, it worked really well because you're getting all the pronunciation, you're getting the. The setting. I will. I will copy what Ann Patchett said. She says on the COVID it's so Immersive, so all encompassing that I felt like I was living in it. And that is exactly the feeling I got. I was like, I feel like I'm in Scotland. And I loved the characters. They are not perfect, definitely not perfect. But I really appreciated that because it felt like they're real people. I loved the grandmother. She was possibly my favorite character. And I love that you're really getting this sort of dual coming of age story in many ways because father John, you know, John Senior has these ideas that are pretty antiquated, especially now that the 1990s are coming and like things are changing. And he really has to come to terms with the fact that he really has to come to terms with the, with the knowledge of who he is and who his son has become. And maybe his son doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps and he has to decide if he's okay with that. It's definitely sad. There's definitely parts that will make you emotional. But I also feel like I learned a lot and I miss this book already. I want to go to Scotland. Jonathan and I are loosely thinking of a plan for our 10 year wedding anniversary. How we can get over there for a long trip. Because in part, literally because of this book, I was like, I've wanted to go there forever. And now I'm like, I feel like I've. I'm missing a place that I have never been, oddly. But this one's a highly recommended book for me. I loved it. Great for book club. So much to discuss and I miss it already. It's John of John by Douglas Stewart.
- [21:21]
A
That is the best feeling coming off of a book of like missing it even. I know, like weeks after you finished it. That's just the best feeling. I love that it got excited. I love that it got you excited about visiting Scotland too. That's so fun.
- [21:35]
B
Yes. And unfortunately it's been a reading struggle ever since. And I finished that in early June, so I'm due for some solid reads. But anyway, you'll hear more about that later.
- [21:46]
A
Okay. Well, my latest read is Recitative by Toni Morrison, which is actually a short story. And I read the version with the introduction by Zadie Smith, which I also highly recommend. I think you must read that introduction at least before or after. I've heard people doing both before. Before you read the story or after you read the story. I think either one is fine. But this is a short story. It's a very, very slight book about Twyla and Roberta who have known each other ever since they were eight years old and they spent four months together as roommates in a shelter. They were inseparable at the time. And then they lose touch as they grow older, only to find each other later at a diner and then later at a grocery store and again at a protest. And they meet each other again and again in these different contexts and settings. They are seemingly at opposite ends of every problem and in disagreement every time they meet. And the two women still cannot deny the deep bond that their shared experience. Experience has forged between them. Morrison herself described this story as an experiment in the removal of all racial codes from a narrative about two characters of different races for whom racial identity is crucial. Recitative is a remarkable look into what keeps us together and what keeps us apart. And about how perceptions are made tangible by reality. This is a brilliant short story, and I think that this is such a good example of why. I think if an author can create a genius short story, I will trust them more with a full length novel. I think short stories like this are a great test of writing ability and craft. Because you are packing so much into a small time frame. I mean, a small page count, I guess I should say. And this story honestly takes the cake for all short stories that I've ever read. And I could talk about this book at length for a long time. And it was only 30 something pages. It is a masterclass in psychological manipulation in a way that's very intentional. I don't mean that in a negative way at all. I think some of the brilliance of this story is that you become the subject. You as the reader become the whole bit. And there's no way out of that. Studies have shown that white and black readers often arrive at opposite conclusions about who is who. Which just confirms Morrison's point. Our perception of race determines how we view a character's socioeconomic status, their education, their moral choices, and so on and so on. You almost feel like you're falling for the bit when you try to parse out who is who. But I also think that that is kind of the point as well. No matter how you try to take this short story on as a reader, you are falling into the exact thing that Morrison intended. There's no way out of it. And I think that that is part of the brilliance in her creating this story. The title is also brilliant. A recitative is a vocal style in opera that falls between singing and ordinary speech. An example for anyone who's into theater or Broadway would be like Les Mis, which is pretty much all singing except for the very Small bits of talking that they do, and they kind of almost sing those pieces as well. Or Hamilton instead of a traditional recitative. In Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda created rap as the modern equivalent. But what is brilliant about this title for the story is that it mirrors the story's dialogue, which kind of toes this line, so to speak, to imitate speech patterns without allowing you to easily label the speakers. I think that if you're intimidated by classics but want to get into them, this is a great place to start. Because not only is it really short in length, but the language and writing style is incredibly accessible. It gives you a lot to think about, like I mentioned, and it. But it doesn't make you struggle to get through those thoughts. Your takeaway from the story can be whatever you make of it. But the actual writing and plot movement is extremely straightforward, in my opinion. And so was the introduction by Zadie I. Smith. So if you want to get into classics but are intimidated, start with this one. I highly recommend it. That is recitative by Toni Morrison.
- [26:20]
B
That sounds so good. I had been hesitant to even try that story because I did not know how to say the title. But I loved hearing you say it and I didn't. I don't know music, and I did not know what it meant. So I appreciate that context and the example of Les Mis. I'm like, oh, now I understand exactly what you're talking about. About. I was like, how do you speak and sing? Oh, right, yes, yes, we have examples of that. I'm glad that you read that one. And it sounds kind of like one of those tests that you can take that uncover implicit bias. I make my Psych 101 students do it. And it sounds like this is like a short story version of something like that.
- [26:57]
A
Yes, absolutely.
- [26:59]
B
So for today, we decided to bring in some books that have been adapted, whether the adaptation was a movie or tv, whether it's available now to watch, or if it's, you know, just been optioned. I'm always fascinated by the process of stories getting adapted. And my goodness. The book that I have been waiting to be adapted for literal years is Devil in the White City by Eric Larson. It was first Optioned by Leonardo DiCaprio in 2010. And so various. It has had various studios attached to it. It was going to be a feature film. It is a story, historical fiction set in Chicago that follows this serial killer, H.H. holmes, who attacked women during the World Fair. And I mean, I'm still.
- [27:54]
A
The actual story is not fiction, right?
- [27:56]
B
It is nonfiction, correct? Yeah.
- [27:58]
A
That person but the adaptation that they did, if they do, if they do, it would be historical fiction.
- [28:04]
B
I don't. Who know? Nobody knows. I don't know. The. The latest. No, it says the latest article was. Gosh, Variety had one in January 2025. The film, which does not have a script. So I'm sure it's going to blur the lines between historical fiction and with some factual elements.
- [28:24]
A
Do you have any of these details? What production companies have looked at it?
- [28:28]
B
Do you know, according to the. The thing that I hate, the AI overview from Google, Warner Brothers slash Paramount, a Hulu limited series and then a return to feature film. So it went from feature film to a high budget limited series back to feature film through Century Studios. Listen to me. I know movies.
- [28:51]
A
Yeah, you do. I could see a 24 potentially being interested in something like. Like this maybe. I don't know if it would like completely fall into their style.
- [28:59]
B
I feel like that would be really interesting if they could do it in a really cool way from what I know about that.
- [29:04]
A
Agreed. If they wanted to do more of like an artistic approach, probably more of a historical fiction approach. Hulu I could see being. If they really wanted to make it like a miniseries and do like documentary style, which it doesn't sound like that's what they'd be doing based on the overview that you gave, but I could see that being cool and something people would be really interested in.
- [29:25]
B
But that is pretty much all I have to contribute. That's not true. I'm sure I'll find something to talk about. But more than this, I was the one, I think, that suggested this episode. But Hannah is much, much better about watching adaptations and, you know. So you're going to share some of your favorites, right?
- [29:40]
A
Yeah, I'm going to share some of my favorites. My ultimate favorite adaptation. I've actually never read the book for, so I always think that that's so funny. But it's my favorite movie of all time, which is Jurassic park, and I had no idea. That is like my favorite thing, of course, of all time. I do too. It is so good. Bring animatronics back, please. I'm literally wondering when I'm like, when is my daughter old enough to watch Jurassic Park? She's eight. She's not old enough yet, but.
- [30:14]
B
Well, she's not. I mean, I swear I was in the theater. What year did that come out? Because I where I saw it in the theater and I was like a little kid.
- [30:21]
A
Really? Okay, well, it gets. Because she was like, well, what's in it? And I was like. I mean, you know, the scene that I'm thinking of that I think is the scariest is first of all, all the anticipation, like when the dinosaurs are chasing people, which isn't, like, violent or anything. Or, you know, obviously the. The kitchen scene, which is just the famous scene. It's. It's all anticipation. That's where the fear comes from. So I'm not worried about that. I'm mostly worried about the small scenes where, like, the T. Rex bites the man off the toilet.
- [30:53]
B
Yeah.
- [30:54]
A
Do you know what I'm talking about?
- [30:55]
B
Yeah, I remember. Yeah.
- [30:57]
A
Yeah. There aren't. It's not very gory. Like, there's not a ton of blood. But I think ideas behind it are pretty scary. And I just don't know. I don't know. Because the. What scares her is confusing to me.
- [31:13]
B
Right.
- [31:14]
A
I've always predicted. I'm always confused at what she's scared of and what she isn't. So I don't really know.
- [31:19]
B
I was officially. I was going into the third grade. Okay.
- [31:25]
A
She's going into third grade.
- [31:27]
B
Oh, geez. Yeah, I turned out.
- [31:29]
A
And it didn't ruin you?
- [31:30]
B
I mean. No, clearly not. But I'm also a little, you know. I mean, you be the judge. Okay.
- [31:38]
A
Or not. Well, maybe it'll be. Maybe I'll add it to our summer list. Maybe I'll rewatch it again for the million.
- [31:44]
B
Just double check and make sure.
- [31:45]
A
Double check. Yeah, exactly. I do think that most of the Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli films are from books. I think Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery service. I think Arrietty, also Castle in the Sky. Those are all studio Ghibli films that I am positive come from books. I have never read those books, but I know that a lot of people, as a part of their challenge to, like, get through those movies, will also read the books that are associated with them. So those come to mind when I think of book to screen adaptations. One book to screen adaptation that I think was done really, really well that didn't have. Well, I don't want to say it didn't have anything to do with the book. They made a lot of changes is the miniseries that they did for Station 11. I think that they did such a fabulous job with that series. They made so many changes. They even included entirely separate plot lines for some of the main characters. And they also made a lot of the connections between the characters happen way earlier and in much, like, bigger ways. However, I think that the changes that they made made sense for a series. And I don't think that they took away from kind of like the point in the main messages of the book. I am totally fine with changes being made to the screen if they actually make sense, like this is a miniseries or this is a movie. And so we weren't really able to do like X, Y and Z from the book because as an adaptation to screen, it would not have worked. And so that is a good example of if you're going to make changes, make them make sense for the screen adaptation in a way that doesn't change, like, the integrity of the story. And I think for the most part that they did that. I had some qualms with the villain in the way they portrayed the villain in the miniseries, but ultimately would I say it's a good adaptation? Yes. And that's like one of my favorite books of all time. So I'm glad that it had praise coming from me. Yeah, I think that it held up and just like the. The actual camera work that was done. The. I don't know a ton about film, but I. My sister is a video producer and video editor and she's been doing that for years and years and years and has done a ton of really cool projects. She's very talented and she. That was one of the things that she mentioned about the Station 11 adaptation is just that the actual, like, filming and camera work was outstanding in that. So, yeah, I think if you're. If you're looking for a book to screen, like miniseries, that would be a great one. A movie adaptation that still makes me mad that I always think of when it's like, what is the worst movie adaptation that you've ever experienced is Ready Player One? Did you read that book or watch the movie?
- [34:53]
B
I read the book. I didn't know there was a movie. Yeah.
- [34:56]
A
Yeah, that's probably for the best. It. This is an example of. They changed everything and it made no sense. And I really wish that they just hadn't called it Ready Player One. I don't even think it would have been a bad movie if they just had not called it.
- [35:10]
B
Inspired by Ready Player. Yes. Or inspired by. Yeah, something. Because it was too. They changed off.
- [35:17]
A
It was too far off. So if you've read the book, you know that there were kind of like different scenes within that book that were. That were kind of like cinematic, you know, like they were cinematic scenes of. Because Ready Player One is kind of like this game that these. These players, these main characters are playing in the book. They still did that in the movie, but every single scene was different. And I was just like, why did they do that? They didn't need to do that. And that really frustrated me. So that was just me gabbering for.
- [35:54]
B
Ooh, gabbering.
- [35:55]
A
Gabbering for a long time about movies and books to screen. But those are kind of some of the main things that I think about. If someone asked me at a party, like, what are your thoughts on book to screen adaptations? Those are the things that I would bring up and talk about.
- [36:09]
B
I'm just enjoying the ride. I could listen to you talk about it for a long time. I was considering what ones, if they were to be adapted, I would be tempted to watch. Now, if I actually would or not remains to be seen. But I have three. One of them. Razor Blade Tears by S.A. cosby. I don't know how they would do this in a way that wasn't too violent. Maybe they lean into it. I don't know anything about movies, but I really, really thought this was like one of the only books that I was like, oh my God, this is cinematic. And so I would love to see that. And I do believe it's been optioned, whatever the terminology is. I would also love to see Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Oh my gosh, could they do a fantastic thing with this? I'm thinking Armageddon, but queer. I mean, there's nothing I would love to see more. And then also the book the Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey that is a recent five star favorite. I can't tell you why, but it could be such a cool sci fi scene. Oh my God. If you've read this book, the scene with the rose garden. Just the scene with the rose garden is all I need to say. It was so good. I was kicking my feet and giggling. Very macabre. But also so, so, so good. So those are my three Wish List adaptations. What about you?
- [37:30]
A
This is such a great question and I'm going to answer it kind of backwards because I just had this conversation with one of my friends, my childhood best friend. We were just FaceTiming it and when she asked me this question, I was like, I can't think of what would be on my wish list to adapt. But I can tell you what I, what I don't think would ever work and that is movies like, or, I'm sorry, books like Fourth Wing. I just. Because I think about like all those big fantasy ones and I think unless you're going to make it like a production value like Game of Thrones, that's exactly right. So hard to do. Unless you have $10 million for every episode, which, like, who has that? Well, you know, HBO has that. I don't think it's 10 million. I think it was 1 million per episode. But that is an astronomical amount. And when you're like an indie film company, that's like, I'm going to pick up Fourth Wing. It is just not going to work. So I know that that's literally the opposite of what you asked me.
- [38:36]
B
That's okay.
- [38:37]
A
I can't think of. I can't think of something right now off the top of my head.
- [38:41]
B
That's like a wish list that I would be.
- [38:43]
A
Yeah, that's like a wish list for me. I could maybe think of some romances. Okay, I lied to you. Better than the movie. Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter, I think would be such a cute romance. I'm thinking in the same vein as, like, to all the boys I loved before the Summer I Turned Pretty. That kind of thing. And then I would love to see some of Emily Henry's. Oh, yeah, more of Emily Henry's. I think they're doing Beach Read. Yes, they're definitely doing Beach Read because people have some feelings about Patrick Schwarzenegger as being.
- [39:15]
B
Right. The lead.
- [39:17]
A
The lead. Is he. Is he problematic?
- [39:21]
B
I don't know a thing about that young man.
- [39:23]
A
I don't know anything about that young man either. Except for that he was in season three of White Lotus, and I loved him.
- [39:29]
B
Oh, yeah. I'm not sure why people.
- [39:32]
A
Maybe it's because in. I know in that film or not that film, in that series, he was kind of questionable. Very questionable. Not kind of very questionable. And like, very rich, snotty, Like, I'm just here for the babes kind of a guy.
- [39:50]
B
It could be.
- [39:51]
A
And, yeah, they. Maybe that's conflating.
- [39:53]
B
I don't know why people don't like.
- [39:54]
A
Maybe they're conflating. But I don't know anything about that young man.
- [39:58]
B
I don't know anything about that young man. That is beyond my scope.
- [40:03]
A
But I do think that he's cute. I like. I don't have a problem from an aesthetic perspective about.
- [40:09]
B
Aesthetically, he's fine. He's 32. Okay. So I thought he was like a young. I mean. Anyway, we're getting off topic really quick before we go into the book reviews. Fourth Wing is being adapted by Prime Video, and I agree that that will be challenging. It's produced by Amazon, MGM Studios in part.
- [40:29]
A
I mean, Amazon has plenty of money.
- [40:30]
B
Yeah, yeah. In partnership with Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society. So who knows? We'll see. I mean, I don't know if it's
- [40:37]
A
Michael B. Jordan gonna be in it. I mean.
- [40:39]
B
Well, that would turn me right around.
- [40:41]
A
I'd watch that.
- [40:42]
B
Give me. I am officially interested in movies now. All right. Well, that was fun.
- [40:49]
A
It was kind of a roundabout discussion, but yeah, that was fun to. To chat through some of that.
- [40:54]
B
And again, I love hearing you talk about it. What?
- [40:56]
A
And I almost forgot. We did get an announcement. We did this week.
- [41:01]
B
Oh.
- [41:02]
A
Matt Deniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl is going to be adapted into a TV miniseries, I think.
- [41:09]
B
Yeah, right.
- [41:09]
A
Not a film. TV miniseries.
- [41:11]
B
I think it's a TV miniseries. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Dungeon Crawler Carl is being adapted. It's so funny. We were just talking about this at Mood Reader Happy Hour and a bunch of people were saying it's really hard to say Dungeon Crawler Carl, but it is being made into a TV series by. Ordered by Peacock, it looks like.
- [41:31]
A
Yes, yes.
- [41:32]
B
Okay.
- [41:33]
A
I'm excited about that. I just want, I wanted to. For. I wanted to remember that announcement because we talked about it ahead of recording this episode. I was like, we have to share the announcement.
- [41:43]
B
I know, because I think a lot of people will be excited about that. All right, I will dive into my first. The first book that I read for this episode and it is Strangers Behind Closed Doors by Katherine Adele West. This one, I'm very happy for the author. I loved the author's book Saving Ruby King, one of my favorites. And this one I had on my summer bonanza list as my most anticipated. This is about Giovanni Mason. She is the first black head concierge at Chicago's glamorous Ivory Hotel. She has dual personalities really at work. She is got self control and she's very poised. And then as you read in the book, she really does have a temper. To her. She. One of the days that she's working at the hotel, her former best friend comes to visit and they have this pretty tumultuous fight in the restaurant at the hotel. And people, of course, as they are often film it. Unfortunately, hours later, Natalie is missing and evidence piles up against Giovanni because people saw them the night before get into an altercation at the restaurant and now they're like, dude, like you're the suspect. You also have a detective named Reading Stark. She is not buying that Giovanni is the suspect, even though she's getting pressured by the police to sort of close the case, if you will. She sees parallels, a target between Missing black women. And she's like, I think this is all connected. So together, the detective, Redding and Giovanni get pulled into this web of trying to figure out, okay, is the Ivory hiding something? Are the police hiding something? Where are these women? Are they actually dead? And can we find them if they're not? I really loved the opening scene. That's what made me so excited for it. You have a woman who basically gets taken from the street as she's on her way home. And I was like, I am comp. I'm hooked. Booked. Unfortunately for me, that's the only time you see that character. That was like, the beginning, the kickoff point. That's tying everything in. And I would have loved more information about her. I love that it's set in Chicago. I love that the author went this route because it really does read kind of like a typical detective story, a mystery. But she did a really great job at bringing in other elements. She really did a great job tying in important conversations about race, about class, about privilege, and about, you know, who. At one point, one of the characters is like, yeah, if she was a missing white woman, you know, she would of course be on the news, but because she's not, we're not hearing about it. And I really liked that. I think both of the protagonists were frustrating in their own ways. Perhaps not my favorite to read about. I did love the hotel setting. And I think anytime there's like, a hotel with sort of insidious happenings, is it really insidious? Or, like, what's going on? Is there more than meets the eye? I always enjoy that. There are some reveals in here that I think readers will enjoy. I didn't love it, unfortunately. I have to be honest. I gave it three and a half stars. I like some elements, but honestly, a lot of it was confusing. I was like, I am not 100% following. I'm not picking up what you're putting down. I will continue to read this author. I'm very happy that I read it. I will say I absolutely can see this adapted in a really fun way with the Ivory Hotel as the backdrop, with the police set in Chicago. Chicago's a beautiful city. We have all those, like, Chicago PD and Chicago Med and whatever type shows. So I totally can see it working in this city. Overall, just a sort of middle of the road recommendation, and that's what I'll say about that. The book is Strangers Behind Closed Doors by Katherine Adele West.
- [45:39]
A
Well, hopefully the television series ends up doing it some. Some justice. Not that it. You said that it would enjoy that. Other readers might enjoy this twists and
- [45:50]
B
turns, but I read a lot in this arena. Right. So it takes a lot to really stand out for me. And I think that's ultimately where I was like, okay, you know, fair enough.
- [46:00]
A
Yeah, definitely. It looks like the television series is being done by Universal Television, and it says that latoya Morgan is going to be working on it, and she is known for the Walking Dead. So that is.
- [46:15]
B
Oh, I like that.
- [46:16]
A
Exciting. Yeah, that's exciting.
- [46:18]
B
Yeah.
- [46:18]
A
Okay. My first book that I am bringing is one that you have also brought to the show. But it has been a while, so I decided that now was finally my time. And that is the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. This is a Hunger Games prequel, and it follows a young Coriolanus Snow, who we know as the villain of the original Hunger Games trilogy. But in this story, we are following him when he's 18, his family is broke and desperate, and his one chance to turn things around is to mentor a winning tribute in the 10th Hunger Games. So this is like, early on in Hunger Games history. The catch is that he gets stuck with a girl from District 12, basically the worst possible assignment for him. And as he's trying to scheme and charm his way to the top, something unexpected happens. He actually starts to care about her in his own way. So you've got this really interesting tension between the ruthless survival instincts of the man that we know he becomes and this moment where he could have gone in a different direction. I had kind of complicated feelings about this one in the sense that the actual reading experience was fine. I did not find this actual story to be super propulsive and engaging. I found it fairly slow moving and the writing style kind of sparse and not. Not engaging. However, this is one of those ones where I do think it's worth it to read it all the way to the end, because I do think that what Suzanne Collins did with his villain origin story was really smart and really well done. Just in terms of the actual story that she told, I think she kind of turns villain origin stories on their head with this one, because I think typically with a lot of villain origin stories, we're kind of meant to sympathize with the villain and understand how they got to where they end up Right. And with this one, while there are some moments where you kind of start to maybe sympathize with him, he is always making kind of quote unquote, the wrong choice, and he continues to do it over and over again. And I think you really Start to see why what you do is less important than the motivation behind it. Because a lot of what he does in this story might seemingly be good to an outside perspective, but then you kind of slowly start to see that his motivations ultimately end with him being full of greed and need power. And, yeah, I really thought that the way she told that story was just really smart. There are two side characters. Well, I don't know if they're side characters. They really play a big role in the story, so you almost hate calling them side characters, but they kind of exemplify and represent the juxtaposition that Coriolina Snow is always feeling in. In the story. Like, is he going to end up like Dr. Gaul, who is just this, like, evil villain, or is he going to kind of more take the side of Lucy Gray Baird, who exemplifies this goodness and pureness and humanity, ultimately is going to make these good and right choices? We obviously know if you are familiar with the Hunger Games trilogy where he ends up falling on this spectrum, but. But his journey to get there was really, really interesting. I don't want to say any more because I feel like it goes into spoiler territory, but I had a lot of fun kind of piecing this one out when I was done reading it. I'm going to show Tina here. I ended up journaling a bunch about this one and.
- [50:28]
B
Oh, I love it.
- [50:29]
A
Yeah, just had a. Yeah, I had a lot of thoughts about it. Again, I can't. I can't read from my little journal entry here because it would just spoil everything, but I think that this one is worth reading. I wasn't originally going to read this one at all because I just wasn't interested in President Snow. He's just so terrible. And I was like, I don't want to sympathize with him at all. But I did want to read it before I read Sunrise on the Reaping. And I knew I wanted to read that one. I knew I wanted to read Haymitch's story, and. And so I decided to give this one a shot. And I'm glad that I did, because she did really surprise me with the unique way that she set up this villain origin story. I listened to it in part on audio and read the rest on my Kindle, and I would recommend the audiobook. I thought that it was pretty good. I am only halfway through the movie adaptation, and I think so far they're doing a good job. I keep falling asleep. So I have. I have not been feeling great this week, and I have just not been able to make it through more than half the movie in two separ. Separate sittings now. But I will say, from what I've watched so far, they're doing a good job. I think that Tom Blythe is doing a fabulous job portraying president Snow. So more, I guess. Stay tuned on how I feel about the movie. In whole, I'm gonna end it there. That was the ballad of songbirds and snakes by Suzanne Collins.
- [51:55]
B
I'm very glad you read it. I will maintain, if you're a fan of the series, you've got to read them, all, right? Because I just think it gives a full, complete PA picture. I've read all of them. And I will say, with the latest one, it's not. It makes it more of a robust story if you have all of the pieces, because, yeah, you get to see some characters, you know, come back in the. In, hey, Mitch's story or not come back. You get to meet them, you know, at various times in their life. And you need to know who they are from that book. So I think they tie in nicely.
- [52:27]
A
That was something. I'm glad that you brought that up, because there was. And again, I'm not going to say who because it kind of spoiled things, but there is a character that shows up in this one also that if you've read the original trilogy, you're like, oh, my gosh, that makes sense why they did this in the Hunger Games, because of their connection to the characters in this book. I really love when authors do that and they really put those Easter eggs of, okay, wow, this makes this character so much more rich knowing that this is their history.
- [52:59]
B
Agree. Totally. And I think she's so good at that. I'm so impressed that she was able to have so much time in between the original trilogy and then the more recent books and keep the same sort of heart to them.
- [53:11]
A
I completely agree.
- [53:12]
B
All right, the second one that I chose for this episode is a book called a little known book called Shutter island by Dennis Lehane. And this book, I'm obviously joking, it's got 235,000 ratings on Goodreads, and it was famously starring Leonardo DiCaprio. And this book, it starts in 1954. You're following U. S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new park partner Chuck, who have come to Shutter island, home of the Ashcliffe hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Multiple murderous Rachel Solando is loose somewhere in the remote and barren island, despite having been kept in a locked cell under constant Surveillance. You've got one of my favorite sub tropes. A killer hurricane is coming through. And. And while they're there, the case takes on stranger and more darker shades, with hints of radical experimentation, horrifying surgeries, and lethal counter moves made in the cause of a covert shadow war. So they're sort of trying to justify. It sounds like they're trying to justify things that are going on there. And they keep saying, no one is getting off this island unscathed because nothing at this hospital is what it seems. I grabbed this because I like Leonardo DiCaprio, frankly. And I was like, if I like the book, I could see myself watching the adaptation. Have you seen it?
- [54:36]
A
Yes, I have seen it. I have not read the book, but I have seen the movie.
- [54:39]
B
Was it good?
- [54:40]
A
Yeah, I loved it. Now I haven't watched it again since I first watched it, and I watched it, what, like 10, 15 years ago, and. But I do remember, since I didn't have as much experience with thriller, horror books at the time or stories, you know, you get to the end and you're like, what? That's the twist. I think for the time, it was kind of a new twist.
- [55:01]
B
I totally agree, and I'm glad you say that. And when I was doing my research for this book or for this episode, everyone's like, the twist. It's the twist for me in this one. And I said, okay, cool. I did not care for this. And I'm so in the minority. There's 4. The average is 4.14. So people love this book. And I do wonder, to your point, if it's because they read it when it came out and they had less experience with books like this. I was like, I don't know, though. People read it more recently and really like it. So I don't know. I really dislike this for so many reasons. And I'm so sorry to say that, but one of the things about Teddy is that his wife has died, and he does a quarter of the book talking to her and grieving. And I feel bad. And I get that as a part of his character, you know, it's definitely, you know, a central part of who he is. But I was like, I gotta. We got. I gotta move on from this. I mean, not from your grief, but, like, I cannot possibly listen to you talk to her any longer because you find out what happened to her. And, like, I just really. I didn't care for this. I don't know what else to say.
- [56:14]
A
I probably see it not aging well. I could totally see this aging well for people who are avid thriller and horror, that.
- [56:22]
B
But also the language. I was like, no, no, you don't need to include that. Very problematic in multiple spots.
- [56:33]
A
Try the movie.
- [56:34]
B
Try the movie.
- [56:34]
A
I would still try the movie.
- [56:36]
B
Yeah, I would still consider the movie because, you know, like I said, I think this would be. I could see why people wanted to adapt it. You get. I would say the big reveal comes in about 80%, so you're pretty far into the story when you start to get the pieces. And that's fine. That's if I don't mind waiting if the payoff is satisfying for me. I don't think this, the payoff was satisfying. And I know I'm maybe the only one with that opinion, but I just don't know that this author is for me. I also read his book Since We Fell a while ago and I did not like that either. And I feel like, you know, that one's not as widely loved as Shutter island, but another one that I'm like, I gave that one two stars. I'm giving this one two stars. I just don't know if he's my cuppa. But that's okay, because you can't win them all. That is Shutter island by Dennis Lehane.
- [57:27]
A
Yeah, you can't win them all. And it is harder with these older books. I will say I DNF'd a book for this episode for the same reason. And this one, I just, I couldn't. I couldn't even make it through. Our patrons will get to hear about that in the DNF episode that we do for them every once in a while. But, yeah, just, it was, it was an older, it's like 1997 book and I just, yeah, sometimes it through for some similar reasons. Yeah.
- [57:57]
B
All right, what else have you got for us?
- [58:00]
A
Yes, my next one also, unfortunately, like, didn't really work for me. Womp, womp, womp, womp. So sorry, y'. All. It's the Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald. Had you heard of this one? Because I had not.
- [58:14]
B
No, I have not. I don't think.
- [58:16]
A
Okay, so this was shortlisted for the Booker Prize at some point, I don't know the year. But this is about Florence Green in 1959. She is a very kind hearted widow with a small inheritance and she ends up risking everything to open a bookshop. And it's the only bookshop in the seaside town of Harboro. By making a success of a business so impractical, she invites the hostility of the town's less prosperous shopkeepers. And by daring to enlarge her neighbors lives she crosses Mrs. Gammert, the local arts doyen, and they do not get along. It is Mrs. Gammert's life mission to ruin Florence and this bookshop and the success of it. And Florence's warehouse ends up leaking, her cellar seeps and the shop is apparently haunted as well. And only too late does she begin to suspect the truth. Which is a town that lacks a bookshop isn't always a town that wants one. I found this book when I was actively searching for books that became movie adaptations. Like I said, I ended up dnfing a book and I was kind of like I need. I need another book to bring to this show. And I ended up finding one that I was unfamiliar with, but it sounded really interesting and cozy and I was like why not? Let's try it. It was on the Booker Prize website and I almost picked up Atonement instead, which was shortlisted in 2001. I know, but I wanted to read something I was less familiar with and so I grabbed this. This one. I do own Atonement and I think I am going to find an opportunity to read that one because I think I'll enjoy it much more. Maybe with TBR Takedown, maybe with TBR Tackle for sure.
- [60:06]
B
Tackle. I keep calling it the wrong name.
- [60:09]
A
That's okay. I love. I love a Takedown too. I mean that also fits. But this book did not work for me personally and I do not think I'm alone. This has a Goodreads rating of 3.28. So not great. I know, and I do think that I know why, based on how things go plot wise with this story. I felt like when reading this that I wanted it to be similar for what we look for when we pick up a Claire Keegan book, but it didn't have all of the pieces that we need for it to hit as hard as Claire Keegan's books do. How they are warm but also poignant and politically deep, but not in a way that pulls you out of that ultimate hope hopefulness that her stories have. That's what I wanted with this story, and it never fully went there. I think it tried to, but I didn't think that the points made about class and establishment versus outsider or the cost of censorship. I just don't think that it went there with those topics and themes. All of these points were there, but they felt a little slapped on to me. And maybe that is because this is a shorter book, but as I mentioned with Recitative for example by Toni Morrison. That book was even shorter than this one. And yet it went so much harder and deeper with its themes than this one was able to do with its themes on, like I said, censorship and establishment versus outsider, etc. So unfortunately, this one was just a flop for me. I don't have much more to say about it. I do think I want to watch. Watch the movie. The movie looks promising. So I do think that I'll still do that. That's the Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald.
- [61:57]
B
I have never heard of that. And sometimes, you know, you gotta just. I don't know, I don't. I don't know what you're saying. You gotta try something new. Glad we tried it. Etc. All right, well, I will lay on the plane here with my shelf edition. And it's one that just came through recently. It is a box book called Nine Lives by Katherine Stedman. It is a thriller. This one comes out in June and I love the idea of this one. It is for all the voyeurs out there, for all the people that like, enjoy that. Me included. Okay, so you're following.
- [62:32]
A
Enjoy reading about it.
- [62:33]
B
Enjoy reading about it. Enjoy reading about it. So you're following Frankie. Frankie has moved into a new neighborhood in London. It's glamorous. She has just recently gotten a divorce and she's putting down roots with Blue, her beautiful Persian cat that she got in this in the breakup up. But doubts about her perfect new life start to grow when Blue the cat returns one night from slipping into places he shouldn't. And two words are scratched into his collar. Help me. So her cat comes back and his says help me on his collar. She's like, what the heck? So she decides to put a little cat cam on him. And what slowly begins as voyeuristic fascination with her neighbors and the secrets they're hiding soon turns into a perilous quest for the truth. Truth that threatens to bring untold terrors to her doorstep. This is a riveting thriller about the terrible secrets hidden behind the pastel colored facade of London's most upscale enclaves. Come on. Could this be more.
- [63:28]
A
What a unique sounding.
- [63:29]
B
I thought so too. I'm like. It's a fun take, right? It's like Rear Window, but with the cat. I am really intrigued now. Katherine Stedman wrote the book Something in the Water, a thriller that I actually quite liked from years ago. I am curious. I might have to just bump this up. Anywho, this book is Nine Lives by Katherine Stedman, I hope.
- [63:51]
A
Yeah, I want to hear you talk about that. The title is also great.
- [63:53]
B
It's so clever. I will also let you know if I do end up reviewing this. My big concern, I hope nothing happens to the cat. I feel like nothing will because they wouldn't do that. But I'll keep you posted.
- [64:03]
A
I mean, you never know, I guess.
- [64:05]
B
I know I say that I'm like,
- [64:07]
A
oh, these days I don't know if an author would do that, but. But yeah, I guess we'll have to. You'll have to read it and find out and let us know. My shelf edition is called A Love Story by Anna Maria Volkova. And this one also just hit my doorstep from William Morrow yesterday. And this one sounds juicy. It is about Lily Marwan, who is seeking to escape the unrelenting pressures of her master's thesis, a recent rejection from her foster family, and unresolved grief. Grief from the death of her parents. And she has a one night stand with Alexander Petrov. And her restless mind finally goes calm. At 22, Lily is already very opinionated beyond her years, whether it's astrology, democratic socialism, veganism, or the ravages of late stage capitalism. But when a tall, dark stranger buys her a drink in a bar, she suddenly meets her match. Alexander is formidable, fiercely intelligent, and infuriatingly disarming. He's also more than two decades older than her, a Capricorn with a birth chart full of red flags, and a neoliberal capitalist and a strong believer in the power of free markets, Having escaped from the Soviet Union in his dying days. I'm sorry, in its dying days, not his dying days. He's not that much older than her. He is the opposite of Lily in nearly every way, and he challenges her at every turn. But she can't stay away. Over the course of a heady New York City summer, Lily and Alexander reach across the divide of their differences and the decades of their lives, discovering startlingly shared experiences. Their casual arrangement gives way fast to unexpected intimacy, and then it turns devastating. Quickly, Lily struggles to understand herself and the complicated threads of her ambition, pain and desire. And she's going to have to decide, is she willing to risk great loss again for the hope of profit that is finally within reach? So I don't know, this one sounds like it could go really either way. I'm like, I don't know how far they're going to take the reaching across those political divides conversation. And I think sometimes that that can be done really tastefully and sometimes it's not. So I'm curious where I will land with this one, but I don't know. Sound sounds juicy. It sounds like it could be dramatic. And I like the idea of a New York City summer with a kind of problematic love story. It sounds like. So that is a love story by Anna Maria Bokova, right?
- [66:49]
B
That sounds interesting. And it's one that I have not yet heard of. That's it for today. Thank you so much 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 believe in 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 to submit some prompts for our tackling the TBR episodes and you want to join our Patreon community, head to patreon.com booktalk etc.
- [67:20]
A
If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also can also connect with us both at Booktok 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. I know when I, when I said I was like, well, so let's pick next week, you were like, oh, okay,
- [67:45]
B
we could, we could. Or we could pick right now.
- [67:49]
A
Or we could pick literally, right?
- [67:51]
B
Literally this month. Comment.