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- [00:01]
Hannah
This is so unique. I'm just like, wow, this author's brain. Okay, I'm into it.
- [00:17]
Tina
Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
- [00:24]
Hannah
And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.
- [00:26]
Tina
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood readers who are easily distracted by new releases. And today we're talking about our November and December books on the radar.
- [00:37]
Hannah
If you enjoy listening, we'd love for you to follow us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And if you have a quick minute, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other book lovers.
- [00:53]
Tina
Hi, Hannah.
- [00:54]
Hannah
Hi, Tina. How are you today?
- [00:56]
Tina
I'm good. Happy birthday week to us. Yes, yes.
- [01:01]
Hannah
Tina and I have birthdays the same week. I know they're two days apart.
- [01:07]
Tina
I love it. Same year too. We are Both born in 1990. What? I don't know. Just kidding. Okay. I was going to say 97.
- [01:15]
Hannah
For some reason, I'm not that little.
- [01:17]
Tina
I am not a mathematician. We know this about me. But yes, today, as this episode airs, is my birthday, October 29th and yours was on Sunday. So I hope you had a great day. I suppose we'll. We don't know in this moment, but I'm sure it'll be a lovely weekend. I can't believe it is the last week in October. I'm a little sad about it.
- [01:37]
Hannah
I know. Me too. I am loving all of the like peak fall foliage. And I know that that just means it's almost over. I'm trying to just soak it in.
- [01:48]
Tina
I know. I'm trying to soak it in too. I was driving home. I was in central Illinois yesterday for a work thing. I was driving home and I pulled off and I saw the most spectacular leaf show. I sent it to you because I was like, look at the leaves, they're all yellow.
- [02:00]
Hannah
It was so pretty though.
- [02:01]
Tina
Beautiful. And I just love fall. I do, I love it. But of course there's always things to look forward to, such as new books.
- [02:09]
Hannah
Yes.
- [02:10]
Tina
But I'm going to share my loving lately is my birthday gift to myself. Very exciting. And Hannah, you've been to our house. You've seen our loft. We have a loft upstairs in our house. And I have wanted a cozy reading chair as long as I have had this house. We got to get something cute. So far it's just been kids toys and things, but I wanted to make it more usable for everyone. Especially us adults. We deserve a cozy spot, too. So I did it. I got the big Joe Delmont Chase lounge chair. I got targeted by an Instagram ad. I was like, they've been targeting me for a year. Not this specific company, but a lot of them. I always look at prices, and a lot of these chairs are like 300 plus. I'm like, I'm not doing that, but I don't know. This one got me. It's in vintage brown suede. I clicked on it and I posted a photo, and I said, someone talked me out of it. Everyone's like, no, we're not gonna talk you out of it. Like, of course. Especially given I have the perfect spot for it. So we bought one. It's in, like I said, vintage brown suede. I love this spot. Jonathan loves it, too. So much that we bought a second one for the luck. So now we have them next to each other. Upscale stairs. I love it.
- [03:24]
Hannah
I will say cozy nerd spot.
- [03:25]
Tina
Cozy nerd spot. I will share photos so everyone can see, you know, sort of what it looks like, if you care. But what I like about it is this chair has a curved shape to it. It's really interesting. So you're, like, laying down, but you can also sit up a little bit. Like, you can really adjust yourself in a lot of different ways. For reference, I'm 57 and Jonathan's 6 3. And we both fit comfortably in them. Not at the same time, but, like, separately easy. We. We both fit. Lily and I sat in it together, and it was a tight squeeze, but we can do it. But I loved it. It is also washable, so I suppose the fabric is machine washable. I wouldn't play too much with it. Like, don't continually take it on and off, but it's a nice option to have. And last weekend, I sat in that chair and read a print book over the course of 24 hours, cover to cover. I was so happy. It was truly like, a dream to be able to just sit there. My brain's always working. I'm always doing things. And so just to have this little spot, it's not like this funny. This is like a. A pro for it for me. You can't, like, jump out of it really quickly. Like, you really get sucked in there. So it forces me to, like, relax. Crazy. I know. Like, what do you know? I think the price is right. It's 225. So not crazy. I got a discount on mine, and I think sometimes they go on sale. But anyway, it shipped super Fast. It came in three days. I will say the box for the second one was mangled, but the product is perfectly fine. I love it. And it was also easy to assemble. I was a little worried it would be like a big old mess, but no, super easy to assemble. John did it by himself. I did. I helped the first time. But I am a big fan and I'm so excited for our book nook upstairs. This. This is the big Jo Delmont Chase lounge chair.
- [05:14]
Hannah
Oh, my gosh. I'm so excited for you. And I. I do wonder if, since this spot is like your dedicated, cozy reading spot, don't ever bring your work computer up there.
- [05:26]
Tina
Oh, I already did yesterday. No, I did indeed.
- [05:29]
Hannah
No, because you have to. You have to keep that like your designated. I don't work here. You know, like, you're not supposed to bring your work computer to bed. I also do that sometimes.
- [05:39]
Tina
That's a good call.
- [05:40]
Hannah
You just want a cozy spot. But yeah, it might be nice for you to have a spot where you just don't work for a minute.
- [05:48]
Tina
I don't work for a minute. I can't compute. But I'll. That's a good suggestion. To be fair, I was grading papers and listening to an audiobook, so I was like, multitasking classic. Well, it's fun in my brain. It is. I enjoy it so.
- [06:03]
Hannah
Well, good. I'm glad that you have a cozy spot and it is fun to. Well, it's just wild how much your environment does impact your ability to enjoy the things that you love. And it's great that you've got a nice dedicated spot to do that now.
- [06:19]
Tina
Yes, thanks. You get it. You get.
- [06:21]
Hannah
Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm bringing also a book adjacent. That's not book adjacent. It really is just a book related product.
- [06:29]
Tina
Yeah, yours is, yours is.
- [06:31]
Hannah
Yours is more adjacent. Mine is just a kind of bookish product. But I know in the past I brought a book light, the around the neck book light, which I still really love. This is the same brand. It's the glocucent rechargeable book light for reading in bed. This is the portable clip on LED reading light. I don't know about you, but I get served this ad all the time, even from other influencers on TikTok. And I finally gave in and I was like, I'll give it a try. It's only like $15. It's super affordable and I just like to have multiple options. This is similar to the other one. It has three different colors, five different brightness levels, and what I like about this one is it's very compact and the battery life lasts a really long time. So I would see this one being even better than the other one for like travel purposes or for. For. I was about to say packing for work, but I don't know why you would. I don't know why you would need.
- [07:35]
Tina
I pack for work. Well, I don't know. Right. I don't know why you would leave it.
- [07:39]
Hannah
I don't know if you'd be like sitting in a, in the darkness at work. But. But it's very portable is the point. Perfect for kids. Like my, my daughter has used this light before and she really likes it. And it's very easily usable for kids as well. What I think is unique about this one, as opposed to other clip on lights, is that the actual light that sits on top of it, you can like move up and over and around. I feel like a lot of clip on lights, all you can do is just move the arm like up and down so you can't actually get it to angle on your book. Right. You can physically move this light around so that you can angle it depending on how big your book is, whether you're reading a paperback or a hardback, et cetera. And so I really like that it has that mobility and I do feel like that that kind of puts it above other clip on lights. I really like this very simple bookish product. If you do a lot of reading in bed at night or you have little ones, or you know, you have a partner that you sleep next to that goes to bed earlier than you, but you still want to read in bed, that's what I use it for. I've really been enjoying it. That's the Glocu SC portable clip on reading light.
- [08:58]
Tina
I love it. And I feel like you can never try too many different reading products, especially if it's like not a huge investment. Like why not give it a shot? But I'm glad it has been working for you.
- [09:11]
Hannah
Yeah. And my mom actually got me another reading light for my birthday that is a little bit different and I'm excited to try that one out as well. Clearly I have a thing with trying out different reading lights. You know, it's. It's okay.
- [09:27]
Tina
Well, it makes sense given what we do. I for the loft bought us a wall light, the light that I love, and we can link to this as well. I have them now over the bed, over some couches, and now we have it in the loft area. And this one has an option for colored light. So it's just a real vibe up there. Yes. So we can link to that as well. We'll link to all the lights, all the book things, you know, all the.
- [09:50]
Hannah
Book nook things that we need.
- [09:52]
Tina
The book nook things. So we were talking cozy, happy times. This actually is a book that I read in the loft all pretty much in one sitting because my latest read is Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy. You know how we talked about horror and we said there's horror for beginners, for middlers and for people that don't mind extreme horror. This is toward the extreme. It's not complete extreme horror. But do not pick this one up if you're easily shocked or squeamish because this one is a wild ride. It's, it's short, it's a novella, but it totally did what it needed to do. It gave me perfect Halloween vibes, scary movie vibes. And it's about a young musician who finds himself locked inside a gas station bathroom in the middle of the night. When he's there, there's an unseen assailant, if you will, in and he gets caught in the rest stop bathroom. That's all you need to know. I love when horror books make me afraid of everyday things such as a rest stop bathroom. This is so effed up. I will never, I don't know if I can ever use a rest stop bathroom ever again. Especially certainly not with my. Without a phone or a partner with me, you know, in the main gas station. But what I loved about this. So you're very much in the main character's head throughout this whole time. He is a musician. He's depressed because, you know, his friend and the, his friend is kind of having fights with him and the girl that he likes doesn't like him back and he's heading home because his grandma is dying. That's sort of what's having him go home. So he's just like in this melancholy state. His brother keeps calling and asking where he was and he's like, whatever, maybe, maybe I'll stop here and something will prevent me from having to go home. And like, it literally does. But this is such a. What I love about Nat Cassidy is the way that he writes, he writes horror, but it's also so thoughtful. You get fully developed characters, you get, I mean, the horror elements to it, but it's not non stop, it's not nonsensical. It makes sense given in the context that you have. So I've read now I started Mary, I'm going to go back to it someday. I DNF'd it last year. Two years ago, I read Nestlings and loved it. And the author says that he wrote this somewhere in between both of those. There's also a car that plays a role in this, or a van, I should say. That plays a role in this story that has a really unique license plate. And he said that he saw this van with that license plate in real life, and that's what, like, kicked off this story. And I love that. I just thought that was such a clever, like, kicking off point. What I love about the way he does things, too, is he in Nestlings talks a lot about Judaism or being Jewish. And, like, that is a part of the plot. Not the plot, but that's a part of the characters in Nestlings. He definitely continues that representation here in Rest Stop, and I love that he packed that into a novella. Like, you're not just getting. It's not just surface. You're getting a lot of deeper commentary as well. Not to say that it's all deep and all in the character's head, because you really are getting very much extreme horror on the page. There was a couple things that made me gasp out loud and made me shocked. I loved it. I think if you like horror, if you like to be entertained, if you like slashers, this is perfect for those types of readers. Highly, highly recommend. But be aware, you know, if you don't like gory stuff, you might not like this, but it certainly was for me. This book is Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy.
- [13:26]
Hannah
Yeah, it sounds like it's more for the. For the slasher lovers rather than the slasher curious.
- [13:30]
Tina
Yes, exactly. Yeah. Not for the slasher curious. I mean, maybe if you're like, maybe I am a lover, like, go ahead, give it a whirl. But this one is messed up.
- [13:40]
Hannah
Yeah, for sure. I also do love it when an author has, like, a very creative backstory as to how, like, the origin of, you know, how a story came about. It's so fun when they share those things as well. Like, it just gives an extra little, like, gold nugget for the reader.
- [13:59]
Tina
Agreed.
- [14:00]
Hannah
So my latest read was also one that I read in one sitting. I was just telling Tina about this. It's not a novella, but I was just so into this when I was listening to it. I listened to it just in one go, all through the middle of the night. And that is Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rendell. And this is pitched as you've got mail for a new generation. It's set in the days of AOL and instant messenger. It is set in 1999 and we are following Sawyer, a freshly engaged editorial assistant who ends up spending her summer Fridays with the person that she least expects, a newly made connection and a very cynical stranger, Nick. Between Sawyer's assistant job in publishing, her secret dreams of becoming a writer, and her upcoming wedding to her college boyfriend, she's feeling overwhelmed. And to top it off, she is facing an incredibly lonely summer. Her fiance has been spending longer and longer hours at work with a very close female colleague named Kendra, and here is where Nick comes in. Nick is Kendra's boyfriend and he ends up inviting Sawyer to meet up and compare notes about their suspicions so you can kind of see where the you've got male tie in comes in. But when they finally get together for the first time, the meeting goes awry. She finds Nick to be confusing, annoying, cynical, and he finds her to be really stuck in her own head and lacking agency. And they are very honest about those feelings toward each other at first. But then Nick seeks out Sawyer online to apologize and a friendship develops and they start spending their summer Fridays together, exploring New York this was a romance that was released over the summer and I'd been meaning to read it since it had been released and I finally got around to it and I am so glad that I did. Like I said, I just listened to this in one go. I think this book found me at exactly the right time. My brain was tired, it had been a hard week and I started this book at night and finished it at like 4 o'clock in the morning. This book feels like a Nora Ephron movie, partially, of course, because the plot is very similar to you've Got Mail. It does stray a little bit, but those key elements are absolutely there. I love a romance that develops over email, letter, phone calls. I struggle sometimes with epistolary novels, but for whatever reason it works for me in love stories and it worked for me here. Our characters certainly do not get off on the right foot and I really appreciated how the two of them really had to work through their differences. It made their happily ever after feel really well deserved and worth the effort that it took to get there. I will say this book does involve an element that I know a lot of romance readers say that they really don't like, and if you're sensitive to that, I would recommend looking up content warnings. It is done tactfully. It is not this bad thing or negative thing that gets romanticized. I feel like everything that the author does in this book makes sense. It's addressed in a really thoughtful way. I don't want to say more without spoiling it, but I wanted to mention it because I know that it's a sensitive topic. I would also say that this book does have some spicy and open door scenes, but only one or two and they were not super drawn out. So this romance definitely focuses more on the relationship and not the spice. If that's the kind of romance that you are looking for. Summer Fridays was smart and emotional and it felt like a love letter to New York City. This is a story that captures the terrifying and electrifying feeling of being young and figuring yourself out uncertain what to do on your summer Friday, let alone for the rest of your life. For those who fondly recall the days of dial up Internet, the excitement of logging on, and the thrill of seeing a message from someone special pop up in your inbox, please read Summer Fridays by Suzanne and I love that you.
- [18:04]
Tina
Pitch that so well. Do you remember those days?
- [18:07]
Hannah
I do actually, but it's because my. Well, I. I do remember being in like early middle school and putting together my first email on aol. One of my best friends was long distance, actually my husband's sister. That's how I know my husband. Oh is because. Yeah, my, my husband's younger sister and I were like best friends growing up, but she lived in a different state than me and we would chat on Instant messenger. So What?
- [18:36]
Tina
Yeah, I love that I didn't know this.
- [18:39]
Hannah
Yeah. And also because my mom was a teacher online when like, that was a very new thing.
- [18:46]
Tina
Oh wow.
- [18:47]
Hannah
She taught at home for a private school for almost 10 years while I was growing up. So I very, very clearly remember the sound of her dialing up every morning getting ready to log on for work.
- [19:00]
Tina
So that's cool. She was a pioneer in the teaching slash, working from home space. How fun. Okay.
- [19:07]
Hannah
She's also a pioneer in audiobooks. She had like the MP3 players in the Audible account that we share. Started I looked the other day and it started. She opened the membership in 2002.
- [19:18]
Tina
Oh my God.
- [19:19]
Hannah
I know, I know.
- [19:22]
Tina
Cool. Yeah.
- [19:23]
Hannah
Fun facts.
- [19:23]
Tina
Fun facts right there. Well, we are going to do something a little bit different today. We're of course doing our Books on the Radar episode, but because the end of the year typically sees lighter publication weeks, we decided to combine November and December. We tend to do this every year just because it makes it easier and we want to make sure we're still bringing books that we are very excited about. But also it gives us room to create exciting end of the year content, which is some of my very favorite things. So instead of book talk today, we are each bringing five books. So we should get a nice long list here. Hannah, do you want to begin?
- [20:00]
Hannah
Yes, I would love to. Okay. So my first book on the radar is She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark. This is a short story collection. It comes out on November 7th by Harper Perennial. And the back of this book, the publisher's pitch is really short. So I'm going to read from that because I think it probably gives us all that it wants to. It says that this is a visionary and darkly comic story collection. A woman becomes a parasite into her body. A teenager longs for perfect skin. A scientist tends to fragile alien flora. A young man takes the night into his own hands. Unsettling, revelatory, and laced with her signature dark humor, Eliza Clark's debut short story collection plumbs the depths of that most basic human feeling. Hunger. That sounds so good. I don't always read short story collections, but when I do, they are typically horror or like weird fiction. I just feel like that is a genre that works so well in the short story format. I have never read this author before. I want to. This is the same author of Penance and Boy Parts, which I feel like have seen some some Buzz on both TikTok and Instagram. I haven't read them. They're definitely on my tbr. And this is another one that just sounds so good to me and that is She's Always Hungry by Eliza Clark.
- [21:30]
Tina
Yeah, when I I heard, I saw we shared our listen in advance because we just wanted to make sure we were not bringing overlaps this time. But when I saw that, I thought this seems like a very Hannah pick. Yeah, I had a feeling this would be going on your list. Also, I'm surprised you haven't read her because I feel like that would be. I mean, neither have I, to be fair. So both of us, she would be to our taste and for some reason have missed her.
- [21:52]
Hannah
I know. I do feel like she is an author that both of us could potentially like. I think at the first one that I might end up picking up that has kind of wiggled its way to the top of my tbr. Most recently is Penance. That one just sounds really, really good. Yeah. What is your first book on the Radar?
- [22:10]
Tina
All right, My first book on the radar is Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney and this one is a mystery thriller, comes out on November 12th and it is from Henry Holt and Company. This one is a debut mystery and it says Finding a Dead body is not normal. But Ava is not a normal teenager. In this chilling debut mystery, only the obsessive spirit of youth can save a sleepy town from the savagery within. Like, okay, so I guess the main character is a 14 year old named Ava. She's unlike other children. She has an obsessive interest in the rate at which dead animals decompose. The motorway she lives by regularly offers up roadkill. And in the dead of night, she likes Hannah's face.
- [22:56]
Hannah
This is so unique. I'm just like, wow, this author's brain. Okay, I'm into it.
- [23:02]
Tina
Okay, so she likes roadkill, and she likes to go and find them in the middle of the night. And one night when she's doing this, she stumbles across the body of one of her classmates. And fearing that her secret ritual will be revealed, she makes an anonymous phone call to the police. When the detective is given the case, Ava decides, yeah, I'm not going to just let her take it. Not when teenagers in her sleepy town are going missing. Because how hard could it be to track a killer? Here's the thing. I don't typically like amateur sleuths, but I like them when they have a very specific reason for being into it. Like if they. You. They're classmates in this case and she has this interesting hobby and there's that tie in. I feel like this could be cool. I don't know, I. That sounds really strange to say given what it's about, but I'm into it. We will definitely have to see how it is. This one is Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney.
- [23:56]
Hannah
Well, you definitely sold me on that one. I actually was thinking, yeah, okay. Hey, it definitely sounds like a book for you, for sure.
- [24:05]
Tina
And Dead Animals. Yeah, weird little kids. Got it.
- [24:09]
Hannah
I'm also very, very interested. I'm morbidly curious, if you will.
- [24:13]
Tina
I will.
- [24:14]
Hannah
Okay, so my next book is Shy Creatures by Claire Chambers. This comes out on November 12th by Harper Collins. It is set in 1960s England. This is a literary mystery and it follows Helen Hansford, who is an art therapist at Westbury Park Psychiatric Hospital. And her life is disrupted by the arrival of mysterious new patient. William Tapping is a mute man in his 30s. He is discovered living in isolation with his elderly aunt in a crumbling Victorian house. When his aunt dies, William, who has not been seen by his neighbors in decades, finds refuge at the hospital. Helen grows fascinated by William's enigmatic past, and she realizes that he is a sharp and gifted artist. She becomes driven to uncover the reasons behind his confinement. And also in the process becomes entangled in her own story, the cracks in her own life begin to show. Her once controlled existence, including an illicit affair with a married colleague, starts to unravel in ways she never expected. Rich with emotional depth and lyrical prose, Shy Creatures explores the many forms of isolation and connection. It reveals how the walls we build, both literal and emotional, can either imprison us or set us free. The blurb says that it's perfect for fans of Ann Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver and Tessa Hadley, and it says that this novel examines the fragile boundaries of love, identity and redemption. So I've never read a Barbara King Solver or a Tessa Hadley, but I have read Ann Patchett and I really do like and I could totally see the connection here just based on the synopsis. So I really like books that connect two characters stories together, and I'm already excited to see how the connections between those two characters form. So that is Shy Creatures by Claire Chambers.
- [26:15]
Tina
Sounds like it's good for this time of year as we're heading into the wintering season. I feel like that could be a good pick for you. Yeah, I like that we're bringing variety. My next one is variety too, because I am bringing a contemporary fantasy. It is the City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, Translated by Philip Gabriel. This one comes out on November 19th from Knopf, and this is literary fiction and again, a contemporary fantasy. And if I read it, it will be my first Murakami.
- [26:48]
Hannah
Exciting.
- [26:48]
Tina
Yeah, and it's his first book in six years, so there's a lot of buzz behind this. I loved how it sounded. It begins with a nameless young couple, a boy and a girl, who are teenagers in love. One day she disappears and her absence haunts him for the rest of his life. I'm very into that. Like I want to know more. He becomes, of course, obsessed with searching for this lost love throughout his life. And the story follows him into middle age, on and on a journey between the real world and another world. A mysterious, perhaps imaginary walled town where unicorns roam, where a gatekeeper determines who can enter and who must remain behind, and where shadows become untethered from their selves. Listening to his own dreams and premonitions, this man leaves his life in Tokyo behind and ventures into a small mountain town where he becomes a head librarian, only to learn the mysterious circumstances surrounding the gentleman who had the job before him. I love that sub trope. Like, where is he? What happened to him? As the seasons pass and the man grows more uncertain about the porous boundaries between these two worlds. He meets a strange young boy who helps him see what he's been missing all along. This is a love story. This is a quest and an ode to books in the libraries that house them. I mean, hello, this sounds really good. It actually reminded me a little bit of Fairy Tale by Stephen King, which I know a lot of people didn't love. I enjoyed it. It was a departure for him and I really liked it. I feel like, though, it also is reminding me of the Midnight Library a bit, and I didn't love that one. So I'm like, maybe it's somewhere. I don't know. Maybe it's something different. Yeah. And I'm just totally off base. But at any rate, I am curious. It is the City and its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami.
- [28:37]
Hannah
Yay. I'm glad we have a fantasy on this list. It's exciting.
- [28:41]
Tina
I was like, babe, stop bringing mystery and thriller to books on the radar. So that's where we are.
- [28:46]
Hannah
I mean, I think that we. We have to have at least some of those, you know?
- [28:49]
Tina
Yeah, always.
- [28:50]
Hannah
We got to. Always. Okay. My next one is one that I'm really excited about. I'm excited about all of these, but this one gets a little asterisk next to it, and that is Private Rights by Julia Armfield. Yeah. This one comes out on December 3rd by Flatiron. And this is the same author as Our Wives under the Sea, which is a book that I read a year or two ago, and I really loved it. In this one, we're in a world where unrelenting rain has transformed the land and revived forgotten rituals. We're following three estranged sisters, Isla, Irene and Agnes, and they're reuniting after the death of their father, a brilliant but merciless architect. They're drawn back to the grand glass house that they grew up in, their father's most iconic creation. And the sisters sift through memories and buried secrets. But their fragile reunion is shattered by a stunning revelation in his will. And this revelation ends up pushing the sisters further apart. They struggle to regain control of their unraveling lives. Old wounds resurface. Irene's relationship is teetering on the brink. Isla's ex wife refuses to let go. And very cynical Agnes finds herself unexpectedly falling in love. Beneath all of these personal crises that these sisters are having, a darker truth is emerging. And it's one that's tied to their mother's mysterious disappearance and the strange, persistent interest others have taken in their family. So what begins as an attempt to reconcile their past soon spirals into something far more dangerous. The sisters discover they've been chosen for a purpose that threatens not only their family's future, but but for the survival of their already imperiled world. So this sounds like it's going to have kind of some maybe magical realism elements. I don't know. Definitely like an adjacent dystopian or post apocalyptic vibe. It sounds like that's not going to be the focus, but it is going to be set in a world that is kind of crumbling and falling apart. I love messy family stories as well. And this is an author that I have previously had a good experience with. So I'm very excited for this one. And that is Private Rights by Julia Armfield.
- [31:08]
Tina
Yeah, I'm excited for that too. I really enjoyed Our Wives under the Sea. It's very interesting what she does.
- [31:13]
Hannah
Yes, agreed.
- [31:14]
Tina
She's a really storytelling.
- [31:15]
Hannah
Yeah, she's a very creative storyteller.
- [31:17]
Tina
Alrighty, let's see. Next for me is City of Nightbirds by Jooheee Kim. This one comes out on November 26th from Echo and our patrons will have heard of this one because it is our December community read. This is a literary coming of age story about a once famous ballerina who faces a final choice. She has to decide if she wants to return to the world of Russian dance that nearly broke her or walk away forever. And this is a novel of redemption and love, two themes I really enjoy. On a White Night in 2019, prima ballerina Natalia Leonova returns to St. Petersburg two years after a devastating accident that stalled her career. Once the most celebrated dancer of her generation, she now turns to pills and alcohol to numb the pain of her past. She is unmoored in her old city as the ghosts of her former life begin to resurface. Her loving but difficult mother, her absentee father, and the two gifted dancers who led to her downfall. One of these dancers, Alexander, is the love of her life who transformed both Natalia and her art. The other is Demetri, a dark and treacherous genius. When Demetri offers her a chance to return to the stage in her signature role, she has to decide whether she can face the people responsible both for her soaring highs and darkest lows. I really like the sound of this. I like books about ballet, about athletics, about a comeback and, you know, coming back after injury. So I'm very intrigued. I hope this one is excellent. It is City of Nightbirds by Juhye Kim.
- [32:51]
Hannah
I didn't know that you liked books about ballet.
- [32:54]
Tina
I've only read like a Few, but yeah.
- [32:56]
Hannah
And you liked it?
- [32:57]
Tina
I did. I like books about. I'm thinking the Megan Abbott book, the Turnout. So that one is the one that came to mind. But just in general. Books about sports, I dig.
- [33:09]
Hannah
Yeah, that makes sense. Tying it into sports. Cause dancing absolutely is sports related. I was thinking, like art related, which I know isn't quite your thing.
- [33:18]
Tina
No, but, like, sometimes I can't avoid it. There's so many art like, subplots out there. I'm reading one now and I'm like, fine, she's an artist. All right, I accept.
- [33:27]
Hannah
Oh, you know, it's good to know what we do and don't like. Okay, my next one is Rental House by Weike Wang. And this comes out on December 3rd by Riverhead. This is about Carew and Nate, who are college sweethearts who marry despite their very clashing cultures. Carew is a Chinese immigrant whose parents demanded perfection, while Nate's rural, white, working class family views his intellectual pursuits and foreign wife that's in quotes with skepticism. So now, years into their marriage, they find themselves trying to balance these differences while figuring out how to build a life that truly feels like their own. Together. In an attempt to bridge the growing gap between their families, the couple plans two vacations. One at a Cape Cod beach house and another at a luxury Catskills bungalow. With their giant sheepdog in tow, Carew and Nate brace for tense visits from in laws, unexpected guests, and awkward moments. But as their cultures collide and old tensions resurface, they are forced to to confront deeper questions. How do you navigate the friction between your partner and your family of origin? And what really makes a family a family? And when the whole pack starts to unravel, can love and patience actually bring everyone back together? And where do you figure out how to draw the line between your current family and your family of origin? With sharp humor and tender insight, this book delivers a vivid exploration of marriage, identity and the messy beauty of family. This is likened to Nora Ephron, which is the second time the queen has been mentioned on this episode. But I am not mad about it. I love books about marriage, and this one sounds like the perfect blend of messy and tender hearted, which are some of my favorite types of books. And that is Rental House by Weike Wang.
- [35:28]
Tina
Interesting. I would not have gotten Nora Ephron from that.
- [35:32]
Hannah
Me neither.
- [35:33]
Tina
But I mean, fair enough.
- [35:35]
Hannah
That's what the blurb says.
- [35:36]
Tina
If that's what the blurb says.
- [35:38]
Hannah
I know.
- [35:38]
Tina
Great.
- [35:39]
Hannah
We'll find out.
- [35:40]
Tina
I guess. So. Report back.
- [35:42]
Hannah
I will.
- [35:42]
Tina
All right. My Next one is I Might Be in Trouble by Daniel Ailman. Comes out on November 3rd from Grand Central. I don't know why I put it as book four. Anyway, it comes out soon.
- [35:53]
Hannah
Oh, okay.
- [35:54]
Tina
I don't know why I've put it all the way at the back, but I will tell you about it. It says, this is a suspenseful dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before is dead. And he has to decide how far he's willing to go to spin the misadventure into his next big book. Did I dream this book? Did I write it? Because, like, I want to read it so bad. So it's about this man named David Alvarez, and a few years ago, he had it all. A six figure book deal, a loving boyfriend and an exciting writing career. His debut novel was a resounding success, which made the publication of his second book a total flop. All the more devastating now David is single, lonely, and desperately trying to come up with the next great idea for his third manuscript. One that's going to redeem him. And you know, he wants to redeem himself in the eyes of readers, the entire publishing world, and maybe even his ex boyfriend. But he's having a little bit of writer's block and good ideas are hard to come by and the mounting pressure of a near empty bank account is not helping. So when David connects with a sexy stranger on a dating app, he figures a wild night out in New York City might be just what he needs to find inspiration. Lucky for him, his date turns out to be great. He's handsy, confident and wealthy and the perfect distraction. After one of the best nights of his life, he wakes up hungover but giddy, only to find Prince Charming is dead next to him in the bed. And there's only one person he can call to help, quote, unquote, bury the body. His literary agent, Stacy. So together, David and Stacy must untangle the events of the previous night, cover their tracks, and spin the entire misadventure into David's career. Defining novel. If only they can figure out what to do with the body first. I can't wait to read this. I'm going to read this. I think very soon. I'm hoping I have a netgalley copy of it because.
- [37:45]
Hannah
Anyway, crossing your fingers for those approvals.
- [37:48]
Tina
I think I have it. I think I have it.
- [37:50]
Hannah
Ooh, nice.
- [37:50]
Tina
I know I have a physical, but okay. Anyway, I'm really excited for this one. I'm going to bump it up to the top of my November tbr. And this book is I Might be in Trouble by Daniel Ailman.
- [38:01]
Hannah
Ooh, that one sounds fun.
- [38:03]
Tina
Doesn't it? What happened to the man? What are you gonna do with him.
- [38:07]
Hannah
And your literary agent?
- [38:08]
Tina
I know, I know how fun that sounds.
- [38:11]
Hannah
Really fun. I am excited to hear you rip talk about that when you. When you bring it. You do. Okay. My last book is another one that. I mean, does it. Do I have to say it? That I'm excited about. Obviously I'm excited about all of these. But that is Apartment Women by Gu Byeong Movie and that comes out December 3rd from Hanover Square. This is about a woman named Yeojin who moves in with her husband and her daughter into the dream future pilot communal apartments on the outskirts of Seoul. She is hoping for a fresh start. This is an experimental community. It's a part of a government initiative to boost the national birth rate, and it requires all residents to commit to having at least two. Two more children within the next decade. But almost from the moment Yeojin arrives, she feels uneasy with the forced camaraderie and the pressure to embrace this collective lifestyle. Her discomfort deepens as communal childcare begins, revealing tensions and unexpected sides to her neighbors. Through intertwined stories of four women, each with distinct dreams and struggles, this book explores the challenge of finding harmony in a community shaped by very rigid expectations. Can these women forge genuine connections? Or are the cultural demands of parenthood destined to drive them apart? This is a sharp, thought provoking novel by an award winning author that examines the invisible burdens of motherhood and the limits of communal care, which I feel like is a really interesting conversation. It says that this book challenges the familiar adage that it takes a village to raise a child, shining a light on the unspoken imbalances in parenting labor. I obviously love family stories and stories that kind of have commentary on unique social issues. And this is one that I don't know if I've read a book that kind of tackles this very specific issue of communal parenting. And I think that it sounds really interesting and I'm curious what the author has to say about it. And that is Apartment Women by Gu Byong Mo.
- [40:27]
Tina
I love that concept. I love books about neighbors, especially if they're living like right in the same apartment complex or whatnot. And especially communal parenting because it does take a village. Like I can definitely. Yeah, I'd be curious to hear what you think about that. Yeah, I would like to correct myself. I Might be in Trouble comes out on December 3rd. That's why it's at the bottom of my list because it does come out in December. My error, but I did confirm I have a netgalley but last for me is called the Shutouts by Gabrielle Korn. It comes out on December 3rd from St. Martin's Press. This is a queer dystopian novel with a cast of characters on the margin of a strange and exclusive new society. Hang with me for this because it's a wild synopsis. The year is 2041, and it's a dangerous time to be a woman driving across the United States alone. Deadly storms and uncontrollable wildfires are pummeling the country while political tensions are rising. But Kelly is on the road anyway, desperately needing to get back to her daughter, who she left seven years ago for a cause she's no longer sure she believes in. Almost 40 years later, another mother, Ava, and her daughter Brooke, are on the run as well from the climate change relief program known as the Inside Project, where they've spent the past 22 years being treated as lab rats. Very interesting. When they encounter a woman from Ava's past on the side of the highway, the three continue on a journey that will take them into the depths of what remains of humanity out in the wilderness. At the same time, way up north, weather conditions continue to worsen and a settlement departs in search of greener pastures, leaving behind only two members drawn together by a circumstance and a mystery they are destined to unravel together. This is a captivating story about those who have been shut out from the inside. Their fight to survive in the interconnectedness larger than all of them. Very intrigued. I love climate change novels. I love road trip novels or novels like where people are sort of having to move their entire lives from one spot to another. I am curious, I will say too. It says it's set in Gabrielle Korn's world that she created in yours for the taking. I don't know what that book is, but if you do, this one is set in the same world. But this book is called the Shutouts by Gabrielle Korn.
- [42:49]
Hannah
Yeah, I'm really excited about that one too.
- [42:51]
Tina
It has a good cover. That's what initially grabbed me.
- [42:54]
Hannah
Yeah. And it's got that, you know, post apocalyptic element that we love.
- [42:59]
Tina
So curious.
- [43:01]
Hannah
Okay, so my current read is one that I was putting off because it's fantasy and I have felt like, am I a fantasy reader anymore? But I really do want to get back into fantasy and I felt like this was a good segue. Back in it's Heir by Sabaa Tahir and I thought that this would be good because it is just gonna be a duology which I feel like is such a doable. It's such a doable series number for me. Knowing that I just have one more book to read after this one. I get very intimidated by series. So I, I just started this. I am only about 10% in. It's an, I'm doing it on audio. So far the audio production is fantastic. It's a full cast and I haven't read from this author before. Very famous and well known YA fantasy author. She wrote an Ember in the Ashes, that series and that is a very beloved series. I haven't read that. I do want to and maybe I'll give it a shot if I read Air and end up really liking it. So yeah, I'm excited to continue and bring it. It's a little bit chunky, but yeah, that's Air by Sabah Tahir.
- [44:18]
Tina
Well, good. Hopefully that one continues to be a winner. My current read, I've been reading for a long time because I only have it in print and I'm just ready for it to end at this point. I'm enjoying it, but I'm just sick of being in the same world. It's the Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins. I will bring it next week because I'm like maybe 60% through at this point. And this one is what I was talking about earlier. I'm reading a book with an artist in it and it's this interesting setup. This notorious artist has passed away and the book follows the executor of her estate, Grace, who is in communication with this other group that she had sold a lot of her art to. And there's a startling discovery in one of her art pieces and they're trying to do some research on it, but in doing the research, they have to destroy it. It's very quiet. Grace lives on this very remote island and I want to know what's going on. And I, I, I'm very intrigued by the mystery of it and what's wrong with this art piece which is what is keeping me reading. So I will report back. This one is that this actually comes out today on October 29th, but this book is the Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins.
- [45:27]
Hannah
Nice. I know you were really anticipating reading that. So glad you're finally getting a chance to get to it.
- [45:32]
Tina
Yes. All right, that's it for today. We thank you for spending a part of your day with us. Links to all the books mentioned can be found in the show notes. If you enjoyed today's episode. You can help us by following us wherever you listen 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 would like access to exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month on Patreon.
- [46:00]
Hannah
If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both at Booktalk etc on Instagram and tinabrec and hannahdpickedbooks. Talk to you next week. In the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. Transitions are very hard.
- [46:24]
Tina
Transitions are hard. I learned that. I learned something new about myself a long time ago. It doesn't help.
- [46:32]
Hannah
Listen to it.