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- [00:00]
A
I put eyelashes on though, right before we started and they're still sticky, so if my eye sticks together, just edit around it.
- [00:07]
B
John okay.
- [00:19]
A
Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from tbr, et cetera.
- [00:25]
B
And I'm Hannah from Handpicked Books.
- [00:27]
A
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood readers A are easily distracted by new releases, and today we're sharing our favorite books of the year so far.
- [00:36]
B
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.
- [00:51]
A
Hi, Hannah, how are you?
- [00:53]
B
Hi, Tina. I am better now that I'm here with you. Was having kind of a cranky morning and then I saw your chipper face and now I'm doing great.
- [01:03]
A
Well, I'm happy to hear that. And chipper I am. I am booked and busy. Ready. Had all my coffee. I was saying before we started recording, I don't know if I've ever been more prepped for an episode. I just got into it this morning really early. I was up and at them, like, click, clacking away.
- [01:18]
B
Um, and I took up and at it last night. You were messaging me and asking me some great questions, which I am so thankful for because.
- [01:25]
A
Yeah, I don't know what made me think of that. Oh, I was with the. The baby. I. Holding, cast and holding. Having. Having my thoughts, but then immediately passed out. That's why I was like, I'm going to get to this later. Not right now, because I will be sleeping in five to 10 to 10 minutes.
- [01:39]
B
That is one thing that I miss about having little kids. And there's not a ton that I miss about having very small, like, little, little kids because they're so dependent. But I do miss that bedtime where if they need you to fall asleep and so all you can do is really just sit there and if you've forgotten your phone or your Kindle or you literally are just there with your thoughts and it was great.
- [02:05]
A
I never forget my phone. Are you crazy? Just kidding. I really don't. But yeah, I tend to really do a lot of great thinking in there. You're right, because it's. It's nice and cozy. I do also some great napping in there, let's be honest. But yes, I was yesterday. I was apparently planning our episode. But I'm excited to Chat with you. I also feel like I have no idea how your reading year has been going. No clue. Um, so it's gonna be feeling in
- [02:33]
B
the dark with yours as well, which on the one hand is kind of nice because now I get to actually hear about it.
- [02:40]
A
Yes, exactly. It's kind of fun to be surprised. I also listened to our episode from last year. Like just bits and pieces. And then I started listening to the whole thing and I was, does it sound bad to say, oh, I'm entertained? Like, I was entertained listening to it. Fun fact, I never listen to our episodes. I can't. I get in my head about it. So I just have let that piece of me go. But I was listening. I'm like, hey, we're actually pretty good at this. Not too bad for two gals chatting on the mic. That's fine. But yeah, it was a good time. But let's get into it. I will kick things off as we always do with my loving lately. And folks, I have found the perfect wallet slash wristlet combo. It is called the Clusy wristlet wallet and I got it from Amazon. I know, but it is perfect. And let me tell you why. It's currently also on sale right now for $10. This print is. I'm holding it. This one's called the Leopard in the brown. And if you're watching us on YouTube or if you're not, I'm going to describe it. I'm embarrassed because my shirt is leopard, as is my wristlet. So I'm like feeling very matchy matchy. But that's okay. What I love about this, it is the perfect size. It is. So it's. It's about just bigger than my hand and it easily fits my phone, it fits my car keys, it fits a lip gloss, my Tums. You know, you got to have some purse toms if you're of a certain, certain disposition. And also it has a six card holder on the side. I'm going to try and not show you, like, all my credit cards, but you can hold your cards in there. The reason why I love it is because I am a bag lady. I'm always going from the gym bag to the work bag to the everyday bag or whatever. This just goes with me for everything. So I just put my most important essentials in here and then I just lift it and move it from bag to bag. I also love that the fabric, it looks like it's leather. I would. I think the bottom is leather, the top is this, like, I don't even know how to describe it? It looks like it would be fuzzy. It is not fuzzy. It's almost like a plasticky. But why I love this. My previous wristlet was much smaller, was not as useful. But it got so filthy. It got filthy dirty. This one will never get dirty. I mean it is definitely going to be durable and if it does get something on it, you just wipe it off.
- [05:09]
B
I was going to say it's nice when it has that material where you can just take a sanitary wipe or something and just wipe it off. Yeah, that's great.
- [05:17]
A
Take a wet wipe, get it wiped off. But yeah, it, it's been great. And you can also just carry it, of course, as a purse on your own. Like obviously. I feel like. Hannah, when you were in college was. Were wristlets a thing? Like a big thing? Okay.
- [05:31]
B
Yeah. But they were longer and skinnier and you could get them like at Target and they were kind of like, oh gosh, what was the material? It was kind of like a neoprene. But yeah, yeah.
- [05:43]
A
Ours, my culture, it was coach wristlets were a really big thing in the early aughts and like they were small. They were like, you know, maybe half of this. I would say I'm seeing some on Amazon right now.
- [05:58]
B
The coach specifically. And they are, they're a little bit, they're a little bit smaller.
- [06:02]
A
I was so into the coach wristlets. I'm sure I still have one at my parents house. But anyway, I like this because it is much bigger. This is a huge win. I'm so delighted. They have other patterns too, if you're not a leopard animal print kind of person. But I highly, highly recommend it and you can't beat the price. This is my wristlet wallet combo.
- [06:21]
B
Okay. I love this because I. You inspired me to get back to the gym. So I've been doing that. And I don't always want to get a locker. Like I don't always need one. Sometimes I'm just going in, I'm gonna do like a quick, a quick workout or even just like a quick walk on the treadmill or the elliptical or something like that. And I don't necessarily need the gym trip to be a whole thing.
- [06:43]
A
Right.
- [06:43]
B
And so it's nice to have a wristlet because I can literally walk in, check in and then get on the treadmill and just keep the that with me. And then when I'm done, you know, walk out and go. And I don't. But I don't have something like that right now. So like the other day I went into the Gym and I just had to put my keys and my AirPods just on the. And I felt like such a loser. I was like, I'm just carrying all my stuff in my pockets.
- [07:07]
A
I know, I know.
- [07:08]
B
Perfect.
- [07:09]
A
It's great. I. 10 bucks. $10. You can't beat it. Let's match.
- [07:14]
B
How do we. Yeah, let's match. How do we spell that?
- [07:19]
A
C L, U C, I. Oh, really quick too. I just searched up the brand. It's called Clusy and it's vegan leather. That's what I'm trying to describe here. Vegan leather. They also have their own website and I mean this is a. A slippery slope because they have. They've got a lot different. Different options. You know what? I'm actually just now realizing I used to have a little backpack that I wore into the ground. Believe it was the same. Yes, it was the same brand. Oh my gosh. What a full circle moment.
- [07:56]
B
Well, it's great when a brand is really affordable and also really durable because those two things are not usually one in the same. So it's nice.
- [08:03]
A
You said it.
- [08:04]
B
In this case it is.
- [08:07]
A
Wow. Okay.
- [08:07]
B
I love that My loving lately is actually something that we recently got for my daughter. Last week she'd been saving up her allowance to purchase this and she finally earned enough through all of her chores and things like that to purchase what is the yoto player. And Tina, have you ever heard of this?
- [08:31]
A
Yep.
- [08:31]
B
Okay. Okay. So this is a screen free kid friendly audio player that allows children to independently listen to podcasts, audiobooks, music, and also sleep noises like pink noise, brown noise, white noise. There's one that's like thunderstorms, there's a train, etc. And it's designed to limit screen time for kids. And it also has no cameras, it has no microphones, and it doesn't have any ads or advertisements which just makes it a really safe, intuitive entertainment for kids. And the. The cards that you can get for it for audiobooks are like these sturdy credit card sized cards and they come equipped with chips so that when your kiddo inserts the card into the top slot, the player automatically downloads and plays the corresponding content. You can get cards like for example, we got cards at our library that have audiobooks already downloaded onto these cards, these chips, but you can also get the app and you can purchase them digitally and you can link books that you've already purchased to blank cards and you can overwrite those cards at any point. So if you wanted to listen to one book, you could go ahead and Link that book to the card and then when your child is done with it, if you purchased another book on that app, you can then just link that new book to that same card and it will overwrite the progress and all of that. But it's kind of handy if you don't want to keep a bunch of physical cards. We personally have been utilizing our library because it's free. It supports our local library and it's been great too. Just in case my daughter doesn't love the book that she's listening to, but she's also just been loving the sleep sounds. It's been fun. My kids have been picking which one they want to fall asleep to at night. It also has a built in clock and it also connects to your local WI fi so you can look at the weather. So like my daughter, when she wakes up in the morning, she's like, oh, it's you know, cloudy and rainy outside. Because she'll see the little symbols on her yodo player. And it also does the moon phases. So at night it'll show like what phase of the moon we're in, which is really cool. Yeah. So this has just been a really fun screen free activity for my kids and also a nice built in clock and what it makes them excited about the weather and the moon phases and things like that. You can use an alarm which I'm sure we'll be utilizing during the school year for the summer. We haven't utilized that yet, but you can use it as an alarm for your kiddos as well. We have been loving this. That is the yoto player.
- [11:25]
A
I love the sound of that. Unfortunately we bought a Tony's some years ago. I don't love it. It's fine. It just is very basic and you have to have these little like characters. Characters that sit on top of it
- [11:41]
B
and people buy them.
- [11:42]
A
You have to buy the characters. It's just very limited, I think in its usage. I wish I would have gotten a Tony's instead. I think it sounds much more utilitarian
- [11:54]
B
versus a Yoda instead.
- [11:56]
A
Sorry, whatever. Yes, the Yoda, the one you were just talking about sounds much better than the one that we have. It's cute, but I'm like, I don't know if it's as useful.
- [12:05]
B
Yeah, I've seen, I've seen the Tonys before. We actually heard of a Yoda from a friend and I'm. I love that because she was able to experience it before she purchased it and she was like, yes, I know, I love this. And I know I'M going to use it and I want to save up for. For it. So that was also a good practice for her, too, to be like, oh, I really want this thing. It's kind of expensive. I need to save up for it. And of course, it's only like a hundred. I think it's 110, $120. So it's a decent purchase for a kid. It's obviously a very big purchase. You know, she had to save up for quite a few weeks to earn her allowance for that. But, yeah, we've. We've been loving it.
- [12:48]
A
It's so funny because my oldest just asked, am I old enough for an allowance yet? And I was like, how do you know what an allowance is? And I said, why? Yeah. She's like, I want to earn money. I was like, okay, cool. She's like, wait, really? I was like, yes. But you know that you have to, like, do chores in order to get the money. You don't just get the money.
- [13:06]
B
Right, right.
- [13:07]
A
She's like, oh, okay, okay. Like, she was like, putting it together. No, that sounds like a great purchase. I will tell you about my latest read, and I have this gorgeous, gorgeous copy in front of me. It is where the Wildflowers Grow by Tara Shelton Harris. And it is probably one of the more beautiful books that I own. It's got these sprayed edges that have floral. I'm a sprayed edge girl. I'm a maximalist look at the scene behind me. I love a lot of patterns and colors, and I think this one is really pretty. This is contemporary Southern fiction that follows a protagonist who's named Lee. And Lee is the sole survivor of a prison bus crash. And the story is about her essentially trying to rebuild her life. Lee is also the last of the wilds. That is her family name. And she knows that she is the last of them because she unfortunately experienced a ton of trauma in her early life and watched a lot of her family members passed. And of course, she's still consumed with grief about this. And it's pretty haunting. And the book opens with her reflecting on that, and then immediately she's on this prison bus, and the bus careens off the road, and everybody in the bus passes except for her. And obviously, this is troubling. And she's like, what do I do? Right? So she starts to walk, and while she's walking, she stumbles upon an unexpected sanctuary. Actually, someone finds her, and then she ends up getting to this flower farm, and it's set in rural Alabama, and she sort of has this Experience of found family and the people that are on this farm offer her a lot of care and a lot of tenderness and a chance to rebuild. But they don't know who she is. They don't unders. They don't know where she came from essentially. And she's being very cagey with her backstory. And the story is basically about her and what's going to happen to her next. I enjoyed this one. We did this for our in person book club and had a great conversation about it. And by and large it was very well loved by everybody. For me, the writing style in the beginning was heavy handed. It was so clunky. I was like, oh no, is it going to be like this the whole time? It was very lyrical and a little overdone, but once the story gets going, I had a fine time and I sunk in. The book also opens with this content warning about grief. And I was really expecting this book to be very heavy, but it wasn't it. It has these elements that are sad and traumatic for the characters, but I don't feel like it stays there too long. It doesn't wallow in that. It's really a story of redemption. Lee's life was very tough and she acknowledges that and goes through the process of coming to terms with her past throughout the story. I really appreciated the nature elements of this. I think that's for me. That for me is one of the standouts. There's a character in this, his name is Tib and he does a lot of work with her around grounding, stretching, being one with your body and gardening. And I loved that. I thought that was really fun. And speaking of side characters, there were many, but they were all great and they all had their own role to play in Lee's life. And I really had fun watching them interact with each other. I also love the flower farm setting and there's this idea throughout of a co op and essentially one of the characters, Jackson, is trying to get the people in town to work together and live in this co op to try and like build it up for everybody and how well or. Or how. How well or not well that idea was received. And I would say this is about the meaning of land and about finding your shell yourself and coming to terms with who you are in the past that you lived. I will say, in addition to the writing being a little too overworked in parts, I did think this was too long. I mean, it is long. This book is 458 pages. That's too much for me. I mean, you could have easily knocked off 100. And really, I feel gotten this story, but that doesn't make me not want to recommend it. Someone in our book club compared this to the wizard of Oz, and I was like, you are correct, genius. You kind of have. Which I love. You have all these characters that have their own archetype to show her strength, humor, mindfulness to the flowers and wizard of Oz. There's poppies. There's many flowers in this one. To the journey to finding home. It is a great parallel. And overall, I do recommend this one, and I had a good time reading it. This book is where the Flowers Grow by Tara Shelton Harris.
- [17:57]
B
What a fun connection with that wizard of Oz retelling. Ish.
- [18:02]
A
It was so funny. I was like, stop right there. I'm gonna write this down. Because I was like, I need to mention that in my review. Oh, I love that. Of the pod. Yeah, that's good.
- [18:12]
B
Well, speaking of connections, my latest read is the Missed Connection by Tia Williams. And I did just recently finish this. Did you just realize what book I was talking about?
- [18:24]
A
Yes, I heard. The Mist Connection. Like mist. You know, like air in the. Particles in the air, not.
- [18:32]
B
Tina's reading a fantasy book right now, y'.
- [18:34]
A
All.
- [18:35]
B
So she's.
- [18:36]
A
Oh, I know.
- [18:37]
B
Yeah, yeah, she's in the mist. She's.
- [18:39]
A
I'm somewhere else. Yes, carry on.
- [18:42]
B
No, no. The Mist Connection by Tia Williams. So this book was just pure fun? Well, not pure fun. There is some heavy. There is some heaviness, but we will get there. We're following Sasha. She is a casting agent, so she has this very, very specific way of reading people and slotting them into roles in her everyday life. She is great at her job, but she is not so great at relationships. Then she is on a flight to Paris, and she ends up sitting next to this mysteriously attractive stranger. And they have this really immediate and intense connection. And then they don't end up exchanging information. He just disappears. And it is, if you will, a missed connection. So in a moment of panic, she emails her work friend to help track him down, except she accidentally sends it to the entire company worldwide. So now there is this international manhunt for the guy from Seat Fox happening whether she wants it to or not. And then, meanwhile, she ends up hiring a personal detective to help her search privately, who, of course, turns out to be someone from her past who complicates everything in the best possible way. This is such a fabulous premise. And that is immediately, aside from it being Tia Williams, what ended up really drawing me into this one and made me decide to pick it up. This was so much different than Seven Days in June. But while this one was a lot lighter in ways and I really enjoyed that, it does still have those heavier topics that I mentioned before. This one definitely deals with stalking. And then we also have some kind of deeper familial struggles that Wes, our hero, is dealing with. And both of our main characters really have to work through both of those things while they also, you know, are on this manhunt to find seat f and are also learning to get to know one another as well. Sasha was a little bit of a tough character for me at times. I had a hard time rooting for her because she seemed to really be using Wes. And that is something that I have kind of newly discovered. I'm really sensitive to. Especially in romances. If I feel like one of the love interests is kind of using the other person in the beginning and they fall in love with them in the process, but if they are leaning into that a little too much, that is something that can really grate on me and get on my nerves. But that being said, the two of them really do work through a lot of this. And part of what I loved about this one was the growth in both of our characters throughout the story. This is definitely an open door romance. It was a bit steamy in parts, but only a couple of scenes toward the end. I thought that these scenes were really tastefully done. And I really appreciate the way that Tia Williams treats intimacy in general in her books. And these more intimate moments between our two characters were, I don't know, just really tastefully done, I would say. I want to say that I enjoyed this one even more than Seven Days in June, which feels like a big thing to say, but I did. I think that I really enjoyed that. This one was both playful and heavy. Seven Days in June felt really heavy. I loved that book, but it definitely was a little bit, I don't know, just heavier is the best word that I can think of to use. But that could be recency bias. So we will see. I just found the whole premise of this one really fun and unique. I think it's perfect for summer. And while a lot of it seemed a little bit unrealistic, like hiring this detective to find someone on a plane, and even some of the ways and strategies that he ended up, you know, using to help him find this person, they were a little bit unrealistic. But it was just a fun twist on a romance plot line. It kind of brought me back to, like, old 90s or early aughts romance plot lines where you're like, this would never happen, but it was just so fun that I didn't care. I will have to see where I land with this one when I've spent a little bit more time away from it. But for right now, I am riding the high of reading another banger from Tia Williams. So that was the Missed Connection by Tia Williams.
- [23:15]
A
I love that you compared this to a 90s Rom com in a way, because when I hear someone hired a private investigator to, like, find someone that she met on a plane, I'm like, that's a little suspicious sounding. But if you take it in the. You take it in the spirit in which it was intended, like a little fun, playful, like lighthearted, you know, sort of caper versus, like, insidious, then I feel like it could be fun. I also loved Seven Days in June. It's probably my favorite romance. I mean, would you call it if it's a romance, right?
- [23:49]
B
Yeah, it's a romance for sure.
- [23:52]
A
My favorite. So maybe I have to pick this one up.
- [23:54]
B
Yes, this one is definitely one that is not to be taken quite as seriously as that one. But I think that you could like that. So, yeah, you should definitely try it.
- [24:02]
A
Give it a whirl. Give it a go.
- [24:03]
B
Give it a whirl.
- [24:05]
A
All right. I'm so nervous. I don't know why you're nervous. Get into our chats. Oh, my gosh. No, don't be nervous. I am. I feel okay. I feel okay. I feel prepped. And I feel like I am the queen of consistency. Because as I said earlier, I was listening to some of the statistics I had last year and very similar we. And I'm landing in a very similar place this year. Last year I said I was reading a ton and our episode released a little bit earlier last year and. And at that time, I had read 78 books. This year we're a little ahead and I've read 82. So I'm literally like, right on pace as to where I was last year. And I'm cool with that. Like, I have no feelings about the number. Last year I was listening and I was like, gosh, I was like, apologizing for having read so many. I'm like, that's so weird. Just be who you are. I think I've gotten over that.
- [25:02]
B
Growth. Love it.
- [25:04]
A
Growth, growth.
- [25:06]
B
Do.
- [25:06]
A
Are you keeping track? I know you said earlier to me offline that you were not keeping your spreadsheet as you would like, but are you keeping track of how many books you've read?
- [25:15]
B
Yes, I am. I've read 53 books so far, and I'm really happy with that too. That's also right on par with what I normally read. I usually read anywhere between 75 and 100. And so I'm on track to read, like, between 100 and 105 books this year. And that's crazy. Exactly what I normally read. So I'm not surprised to see that. And I'm super, super happy with that as well.
- [25:39]
A
Yeah, gosh, when I hear you say a hundred books, I'm like, that is so many books. And then I think I do that plus some.
- [25:47]
B
Like, it's crazy.
- [25:48]
A
I know so many books a lot. And, like, thinking, too, that we rarely have overlap. So we really are reading a total of like, 240 unique books every year. Although we do have some overlap with our community reads. So maybe it's less than that. But certainly over 200 unique books are read by the 24 of these eyes every year.
- [26:08]
B
Yeah, I know. It is pretty wild. And really, when you take yourself out of these really public reading spaces that we are in and that our listeners are in all of the time, I mean, people who read 40, 50 books a year, that's a lot of books a year. I mean, most people read maybe one. And so even when I hear people, like, in the wild, like moms from my daughter's school or things like that, that they're like, oh, I've read 13 books this year. I'm like, wow, that's a lot. You know, it's definitely important to keep all of that into perspective. But, yeah, I'm. I'm super happy with 100 books a year. I read 125 in 2020, and I found that that was too much for me. I was like, I don't remember these books. I don't. I, like, I. I don't. I did not have fun with that reading pace. Granted, it was 2020, I think a lot.
- [27:00]
A
I was gonna say, what happened in 2020?
- [27:01]
B
What was a weird reading year? A weird everything year that year. So anyway. But I decided at the end of that year, I was like, I think we're gonna go with a hundred. That feels like a good base for me.
- [27:13]
A
I try and exceed my previous year every year. I don't. I. It's just. It is who I am, who I am. I don't know why I do that. Last year, I finished 160 books. Books. And I'm pretty much on target for that. Although if you were to look in Goodreads, my official number is so weird. It's. Why would I do this? My Official number is 138. Why would I set that as my reading goal? I don't know.
- [27:41]
B
That's interesting. You had to have had a reason.
- [27:43]
A
I'm sure I did. What?
- [27:46]
B
It was four books a week or something like that, right?
- [27:50]
A
No, Why I would do that maybe last year. I don't know why I did that.
- [27:56]
B
Yeah, because three books a week, three times 52 is like 156.
- [28:01]
A
Yeah. I'm not sure what I was up to with that because last year it says I read 157. I think I read 160, but it doesn't matter. I have no clue where that number came from. Anyway, that's what it says in my Goodreads, so I'm on track for that now. Here's the thing, though. I number doesn't matter as much as how much we are enjoying them. In last year's episode, I was going on and on about how great my reading year was. It is definitely down this year in terms of books I've enjoyed. My average rating is 3.92, which for me is low. So I was like, what is your
- [28:36]
B
normal average rating by this point?
- [28:39]
A
Probably four. Two, I would assume. Like, I'm usually closer. I. But I realize that I am a good picker and also a not generous rater, but I use a lot of half and quarter stars and I know a lot of people don't, so that is.
- [28:57]
B
That impacts your overall rating too.
- [28:58]
A
Exactly.
- [28:59]
B
Average.
- [29:00]
A
Exactly. So, yeah, 3.92. It's not bad. But yeah, I think I was like, oh, that's probably lower. I had a few. A fair amount of two stars that I was like, yeah, that's not my fave, but what are you gonna do?
- [29:11]
B
Yeah, my average rating right now is a3.5, which is really not great.
- [29:17]
A
You're a stinker, though. You are a hard rater in my experience.
- [29:20]
B
I am. But I also feel like I just really need to be better at picking up books I know I'm going to really enjoy. And I am getting there. I would say.
- [29:31]
A
Breaking news, right?
- [29:32]
B
Two months. I have really been like, stubborn with myself and I'm like, don't pick that up. You're picking it up because it's a new release, not because you know you're gonna love it. And I'm. I'm trying to be better at that. And I. I would say over the last couple of months, I've really honed in on that. And I have a couple actually five star reads that I'm going to be bringing in the next couple of weeks that are attributed to me really like narrowing that down and reading books. Because I'm like, no, I'm picking this up because I know I'm going to love it. But obviously my overall stats for the first six months of the year aren't going to reflect those decisions that I've made just over the past couple of months. So I am actively working toward increasing that. Usually by the end of the year, my average is at least a 3.8. I really want to get to a 3.9 by the end of the year and I think I can do it if I really continue practicing. Like, okay, why am I picking this up right now?
- [30:31]
A
Yeah, no, that's a good point. Now I'm wondering. 4.2 is probably high. I don't actually know. I'd have to dig in and see. But that would be, I mean, 4.2. I'm rating all books basically four and five stars. So maybe that's not the case. Speaking of five stars, I have 14 so far this year. And I went through and I was like, was that really a five star? I was like, yeah, I'm gonna give it a five star. But out of what, 80 something books? That's. That's pretty decent.
- [31:00]
B
Yeah, that is. That's a really good ratio. I have seven five star reads this year. And honestly that's not a horrible ratio either. I think, I think the issue for me this year is I've actually read quite a few, like two stars. And I've read a lot of three star reads, a lot of three stars. So that has impacted my, my overall rating. But five seven, five star reads is not horrible. Out of 53?
- [31:26]
A
No, that's not too bad. If you think a book is just fine. Do you give it a three or a three and a half?
- [31:35]
B
Like a 3 usually.
- [31:36]
A
Yeah, because you.
- [31:38]
B
A 2.5 is technically mid. Because that's exactly. That is halfway on the rating scale. No, technically, mathematically speaking, that is halfway on the rating scale.
- [31:47]
A
No, that doesn't work for me. In my head. 2.5. I mean, I understand how numbers work, but I don't give books one star ever. Like I've maybe given a few one star. So I can't see.
- [32:00]
B
I give at least one stars a year.
- [32:05]
A
What's a one star versus two star?
- [32:07]
B
A one star is. I hated this book. I would not recommend it. I hated it. Usually a one star Is like, I thought that this book was problematic.
- [32:17]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [32:18]
B
I could have done without reading it at all, ever. I would never recommend it to someone.
- [32:24]
A
I wish it was off this earth and Right.
- [32:28]
B
Two for me is like, Like, I really didn't like this. Do I think that there is a reader out there for this book? Yes, probably.
- [32:36]
A
Okay. Okay.
- [32:37]
B
I can, I won't go into my whole rating.
- [32:39]
A
No, I would love to hear it from tip to tail. Quite honestly, like, I'm riveted. I love hearing about people and how they rate books, but, you know, I suppose that's a tale for another time.
- [32:49]
B
But the reason I brought up the 2.5 thing is because to me, three stars is being generous for a middle book. I'm like, well, I am. I'm on the generous end because 2.5, technically, mathematically speaking, is halfway, and halfway is the definition of mid. So if I give three stars or even 3.5, I am being generous. That's how my brain works.
- [33:10]
A
2.5, though, that's like nothing. There's nothing below that.
- [33:14]
B
That I do understand that that is not a. I, I, I understand.
- [33:21]
A
You're like, I hear what you're saying.
- [33:23]
B
That's not like the normal take.
- [33:25]
A
No, you might be. I mean, you're the one. That's right. Mathematically, readerly, it doesn't translate, though. Really? It doesn't compute in my brain.
- [33:34]
B
And I agree with that. Like, when I see other people rating, I don't assume that they're rating that way.
- [33:40]
A
Yeah.
- [33:40]
B
Mathematically speaking,
- [33:45]
A
you broke my brain. I was like two and a half.
- [33:47]
B
No.
- [33:49]
A
Yeah. Anyway, okay, I'm, I'm getting off track. I really am. Top genres, Same as always. What can you guess? Thriller, Literary mystery.
- [34:00]
B
Same as always. Fiction and horror a lot of year. So I love it. It's been great. What about your audiobook to print ratio? Do you have that? Do you have that stat?
- [34:11]
A
I sure do. I have read a little bit more in print. I would say I always want to read more in print, but it's not always possible. My audiobook has been 66%, which actually, for me is good. That means I've been reading more with my eyeballs than I did in years past. Yeah, good.
- [34:30]
B
Yeah. I am not reading more with my eyeballs than I did in years past, which was a goal of mine. We still have half the year ahead of us. My ratio right now is 88% audio and 12% print. I have been reading. The books that I've been reading in print have been my classic reads. And so that is primarily what I've been saving it for. Or like really heavy literary fiction books. That statistic for me, though, does not take into account the tandem reading that I do, which I would say is probably more at 50, which is when I'm listening while I am reading a book in front of me.
- [35:03]
A
Yeah, yeah. And I always struggle, too, because I often switch between formats. So I'll listen to some of it, I'll read some of it with my eyes.
- [35:10]
B
Yeah.
- [35:11]
A
That I just do whatever the majority was. That's the format that I tend to go with. So audio probably is a little bit higher. In terms of your genres, how has fantasy been? Have you read as much or have you been doing okay with that?
- [35:25]
B
I have made an effort to read more fantasy. I would say, though, that the ones that I have picked up, I haven't loved that much.
- [35:34]
A
Yeah.
- [35:34]
B
And so I, I. And I think what always trips me up whenever I say, oh, I really want to read more fantasy. If I see that it's a long series, I am immediately dissuaded from reading it. And so I. And I do realize that I could pick up a book and then if I don't move on in the series, I don't have to. But I think about a couple of this fantasy series that I ended up starting last year when I really wanted to make a goal to read more fantasy, I was like, oh, I'll finish this series. I really liked this book. And I have not picked up the next books in the series. And now I've really lost a lot of the pieces of what happened. And so I have not figured out how to remedy that with the podcast and my reading life.
- [36:15]
A
Yeah.
- [36:16]
B
And that's still just something that I just haven't figured out yet.
- [36:20]
A
The eternal struggle, reading what we want versus making it interesting. And I think I would say people would want you to read what you want, but I understand in terms of, like, how are you going to fit that into a themed episode, for example?
- [36:34]
B
And it's also so hard to be like, okay, and now this is the fifth book in a series. Let me tell you about it without spoiling anything.
- [36:41]
A
We're like, great. Yeah, that's a good point. That is a very good point. So, yeah, how. How about this backless versus front list? Do you have a general sense of, like, how you've been going with that?
- [36:53]
B
Yes. This is my one really positive stat that I'm very happy with. Well, not my. Okay. But I have read 45% backlist and my backlist books are my higher rated books actually.
- [37:05]
A
And I knew it.
- [37:06]
B
I knew happy with this. What about you?
- [37:08]
A
32% backlist. They are my lower rated. Okay.
- [37:13]
B
So which we got to know who we are. Yeah, exactly. Sense that that stat is lower for you because those books don't work as well for you and that's great. Leaning into that in.
- [37:24]
A
Yeah.
- [37:25]
B
Like percentage wise.
- [37:27]
A
No. Yeah, it worked out. I do like to read backlist. I feel like I'm happy with that number. Like 30 backlist is good for me. Although now with our TBR tackle episodes, I'm sure that number will skyrocket because we're going to be reading books that we own that generally will be backlist. At any rate, before we talk about our favorite five, let's do a little bit of superlatives.
- [37:51]
B
Yes, let's do it.
- [37:53]
A
So do you have any Almost made it that almost made your final five?
- [37:57]
B
Yes, I do. I have two. I have Crux by Gabriel Talent, which I almost put in my five slot. And then I also have the Girls who Grew Big by Leila Motley which I feel like I could also put there. So they didn't quite make it to my top five, but they were really good. Crux was a Crux was a five star read. I think when I originally rated the Girls who Grew Big, I gave it a 4.5. But it could honestly be a 5 star.
- [38:23]
A
Yeah.
- [38:24]
B
Now that I've sat with it, I think about it all the time and I'm like, wow, that was a really. That was a really, really good book. So those definitely. I could even see I could change my mind at the end of the year if they've really stuck with me and I could see them ending up on my top 10.
- [38:39]
A
No, I completely agree. And it's funny that you say they could end up in your top 10 even though they're not in your like top five right now. Because that's how I feel about two of mine. Specifically five by Ilona Bannister. Probably my favorite book that falls in the thriller mystery suspense space. I just really, really enjoyed that. Didn't quite make the top five, though. And then the other one is Burned Down Master's House by Clay Kane. Now that one boy, the reason why it's in my Almost made it because it's one where you're reading it and you're like, oh my God, what happened? It makes you uncomfortable. It's provocative, made me think. But I haven't stopped thinking about it. And I read it in February, so definitely for that reason it's like, right in the best of like, again, I always try and think, okay, when I look back at 2026, what books will stand out as books? I read that year and that is definitely one of them. Yeah.
- [39:37]
B
I've heard really good things about Burned Down Master's House. That it's really horrific and heavy, but that it's just so good, so, so poignant.
- [39:46]
A
Don't do the audio, though. But I digress.
- [39:48]
B
Okay, good to know.
- [39:50]
A
Now, my biggest surprise. This is the one day you were my husband by Rosie Walsh. I don't know why, I just loved this dang book. It's about a woman named Carrie who gets mad married to this man John that she knows. But, like, not super well. But it was. Was like love at first sight. They are in Thailand and they're like, let's get married. And they are having this wedding and he gets abducted and he's never, like, seen again. Right. And I would say this is going to be too much fiction and not enough thriller for most people. But for me, I really liked it. She's a surgeon, which I love. She's grappling with motherhood. And I just love the thought experiment of what would you do if you were in this situation? I was not going to read it because I hated the title. I'm like, what do you mean? The one day you were my husband. But it makes sense, knowing the plot.
- [40:37]
B
Okay. Yeah. My biggest surprise was one that is so I'm mostly surprised, kind of similar to you, that I read it and it's all the Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce. This was when I was on this, like, I don't know, serial killer podcast and book deep Dive, specifically with like, the Oregon Trail murders that happened. Yeah.
- [41:06]
A
I don't mean to laugh.
- [41:07]
B
I'm like, how do I say this without just being super blunt about this specific interest that I had during the time? It is what it is. So that was the Bender family. It's a historical fiction novel that covers the, the Bender family and the Bender murders that happened during a very specific time and place on the trail in this period of American history. And I didn't. This wasn't like a five star book for me, but I think because I picked it up because of the book Lady Killers that I read, that was a story in that essay collection that really interested me and I was like, I want to know more about this. And I saw that there was a historical fiction book about it. And so I picked it up right afterward, which was just kind of fun. I ended up Enjoying it. I had a. I had a good time, and so that was just a pleasant surprise for me all around. I feel so bad saying that about such a gruesome topic, but.
- [42:05]
A
No, no, it is what it is. And I. It sounds like you had a really organic reading experience, though. I'm like, again, I love when something piques your interest enough. You're like, I must know more. I must continue on this thread. Another topic or a superlative that I always like to think about is Biggest disappointment. All right, so the biggest disappointment, I think I'm going with Vigil by George Saunders, because we had picked that out for one of our community reads, and I was, like, buzzing. I was like, oh, my gosh, this sounds so great. It's about this. This angel, essentially, that helps people cross over into the afterlife. I really disliked this book because I felt like it was a lot of reasons, and. And the patrons know what we talked about during this. I just was so let down by it. I really was. I did not like the protagonist. I did not like the main character. I did not like the storytelling. And it just really. In fact, I'm gonna change my rating. I'm gonna pull a Hannah and give it a. I'm gonna lower my rating. Dang it. I G. Story graph. No, no, I gave it a three and a half, and that, frankly, is not true. So I'm gonna lower it right now.
- [43:10]
B
What are you gonna lower it to? Will you tell us?
- [43:14]
A
Sure. I think I'm gonna lower because here's my thing. I'm like, is it. Is it a poorly written book? No, it was just not for me. And I always. I always do that when I'm reading. I don't really use as much of my own feelings about it as I should. I always have people's. I. I always have, like, the. The larger picture in mind when I really should lean into just my own opinion. Does that make sense at all?
- [43:38]
B
Yeah, it totally makes sense.
- [43:39]
A
Okay.
- [43:39]
B
Of course.
- [43:40]
A
Two and a half. In the spirit of that. Two and a half.
- [43:42]
B
Two and a half.
- [43:43]
A
Dang it.
- [43:45]
B
Love that. I am cheering you on.
- [43:46]
A
Thank you.
- [43:47]
B
We're here for what. What's the right word? Just believing in your own opinion. Yeah.
- [43:56]
A
Yeah.
- [43:57]
B
Yeah. Okay. Well, mine is really disappointing. And it's funny because I actually. I didn't rate this one super low, and I'm. I'm not going. I'm not going to. I think I do stand by my rating of. I think I gave it four. No, I don't stand by my rating. I think I'M gonna give it five. Three, Three, four. I don't know. Disappointment for me is not one that you hated. It's just one that you really wanted to be. Five stars.
- [44:21]
A
Yes. Yes, exactly.
- [44:23]
B
It wasn't. And so this is into the Blue by Emma Brody. This had my name written all over it. I did like it. Like, I didn't hate it. But the last 150 pages of that book was so emotionally tumultuous in a way that I hated, that I just ended up finishing the book, frustrated when I enjoyed like the first half of it. And I did talk about that in my review and I mentioned the things that I didn't like. But the things that I didn't like about this one just really hit hard. Like I really didn't like them. But then the parts that I really liked about it I really liked. And so it just couldn't make that five star for me. But it's a Friends to lovers. It's emotional. You know, it has. It has my name written all over it. But I. So yeah, I was expecting to give it five stars and I ended up being really disappointed by the things that I didn't like in this one.
- [45:18]
A
Yeah.
- [45:18]
B
So that was such a.
- [45:19]
A
No, that's so fair. Such a whomp. And that's okay. You know, we have those. Lastly, I will end with best audiobook. And I was really looking kind of at a couple of the ones that I've read. I've read so many good audiobooks. This year. I'm gonna go with Cleopatra by Sarah El Arifi. And it's specifically because of the narrator, Adoja Andoh. She is an actress from Bridgerton. Now I don't watch Bridgerton, but I know she's an actress. And what I do know is this, this woman narrated the absolute pants off this book. I cannot think of a more perfect voice for Cleopatra. I mean, it was fantastic. I loved listening to it. Highly, highly recommend the audio.
- [45:59]
B
I remember you talking about that when you reviewed this book on the podcast. And I think that the, the narrator, if I'm remembering correctly, I'm not super great with actors and actresses names. I'm sure if I looked it up and saw her face, I would know who she played on Bridgerton. But from our conversation that we had, I think it's the. The woman who plays the queen. Maybe. Now I want to know what's the, what's the narrator's name?
- [46:26]
A
The narrator's name is a D J O A Adjoa.
- [46:32]
B
And okay, I found her. I found her already. No, she doesn't play. She doesn't play the Queen. She. Oh, she plays. Well, she's. She's Queen Charlotte.
- [46:42]
A
Yes, Queen Charlotte. Okay. Okay. In.
- [46:45]
B
In the actual Bridgerton series, like the. Not the Queen Charlotte series, but in the, like, original Bridgerton family series, she plays Lady Agatha.
- [46:55]
A
Oh, okay. So if you're a Brit, thank you for looking that up. Lord knows I'm like, vaguely. I vaguely could name the show she was in. I was like, I certainly don't know what character it is, but whoever she plays. Yes, fantastic.
- [47:08]
B
I had to figure out who that was. Yes, yes, fantastic. Okay, now I forgot what question we were asking. We're doing best.
- [47:15]
A
We were.
- [47:15]
B
Book. Yeah.
- [47:16]
A
Best audiobook. Yep.
- [47:18]
B
Okay. Gosh. I don't know. For this one, I really enjoyed the audio for yesteryear, and I can't remember exactly why, but I remember just really enjoying the audiobook for that one. I thought that it was really well done, and I think that the audiobook is what helped me really stay engaged. I mean, I enjoyed that book overall in general, but I felt like the production for Yesteryear by Clara Carol Claire Burke was really excellent.
- [47:55]
A
Yeah. Natalie was well narrated, and it felt. I think for me, it felt like it was her talking to us. Like, it felt really well done. And I wasn't thinking too hard about it. It just felt like I was being told a story. Imagine that.
- [48:08]
B
Yes. We have both talked about this before where we agree that that, for us, is a good audiobook narrator. Like, yes, a performance is nice, but I want it to be performed in a way that it feels like the character is talking to me, not like I am watching a really overly dramatized performance. I don't necessarily want that. I want it to feel really organic and natural.
- [48:32]
A
Yes. You can nail that.
- [48:35]
B
Yeah.
- [48:36]
A
All right, let's dive into the book list now, at least for me. I believe I spoke about all of these on air, so of course, I'm not going to stay here too long. But I do want to tell you what my top five of the year so far are, starting with the Caretaker, Marcus Cleaver. I always say that there are just certain authors that are me authors that they write anything, and I'm gonna love it. Probably. He is now one of these authors, even though this is only the second book I've read of his, and I think it's only his second book book. This is the one about a woman who takes a job as a caretaker in a strange house and chaos ensues. I thought this one was fantastically creepy. Speaking of good audio. The audio for this, excellent. I loved it. I loved the ending. I stand ten toes down on that. Lots of people hate the ending. But you'll have to read it and see that was the caretaker, Marcus Cleaver.
- [49:27]
B
Yeah, I heard some really mixed reviews on that one. And so it must have been, it must have been maybe that ending that is so polarizing. Do you think?
- [49:35]
A
I think that. And I think the main character is very frustrating. And I didn't mind. It made me giggle.
- [49:41]
B
Okay, okay, okay. My number five is surprising to me, but I just loved this one. It's Night Watching by Tracy Sierra.
- [49:50]
A
Oh, I love that book. Yes, good one.
- [49:52]
B
Never rate thriller. I shouldn't say I never. I really rarely rate thrillers five stars. And I think that's what made this stand out so much for me. But I, I just thought that it did a really good job of being well written, but still a straight thriller in my opinion. Like, it wasn't. I don't know. Would you put this in literary thriller?
- [50:14]
A
Literary suspense.
- [50:15]
B
Literary thriller. Your literary suspense. Okay.
- [50:17]
A
Yeah.
- [50:17]
B
So maybe it's not like a true, true thriller, but I thought that it did a really good job of being really well written but still being so fast paced. Couldn't put this down. And I just absolutely loved this one. It made me not want to put it down while also think about things like what would I do if I were in this situation? Because it's about this mom who's trapped in a house with a potential killer and she's got her kids with her. What would you do?
- [50:46]
A
Oh my gosh.
- [50:48]
B
So scary. Yeah, I loved this one. That's Night Watching by Tracy Sierra.
- [50:52]
A
Definitely co sign that. That was fantastic. My next one, number four is Keeper of Lost Children. Sadiqwa Johnson. I am so glad I loved this one. Did we have this as a community read? Hannah? I can't remember.
- [51:05]
B
Nope.
- [51:06]
A
No. Right.
- [51:06]
B
We didn't have it as a community read, but we. I feel like we've talked about this one with our, our patrons, with our community a decent amount. And so we've definitely had conversations about it. I haven't read this one, but I love this.
- [51:19]
A
Oh, I just love. I, I want to read more by this author. This was my first by her. And this is the one. There's many you're following three.
- [51:27]
B
You.
- [51:27]
A
Essentially it takes place though in and around post World War II Germany. And I just loved how the characters came together. It's so good. It's just really fascinating. I feel like I learned a lot while reading this, it was also entertaining. It was just really, really well done. It was moving. And oh my gosh, parts of this just absolutely gutted me for very personal reasons. But I highly recommend this book, man. Keeper of Lost Children Sadiqa Johnson in.
- [51:55]
B
Yeah, I will definitely be picking that one up at some point. I read Yellow Wife by that author, which I would definitely encourage you to pick up. I also learned a lot while reading that one and her characters are just so good.
- [52:09]
A
So very. Yeah, very fully realized in my experience.
- [52:13]
B
I agree. My number four is the Reformatory by Tananarive Du, which is another one that I know that you've read and loved. This is a. A horror novel that takes place in a fictionalized version of the Dozier School for Boys set in Florida. And this one was just such a great combination of horror, historical fiction, real life terror. Like these things happened and they were put in a fictionalized, terrifying horrific narrative story. The characters were really, really good. It also has. One of my favorite things that I'm realizing in a horror novel is when it's a really slow build and then at the end you get a hundred pages of holy crap, what is happening? Everything is happening. There is a chase, there is a. There are. I'm not, I can't say everything that happens at the end because that would be spoilery. But everything kind of gets dumped on you at the end in a way that I really like because it's so action packed. And that definitely happens in the reformatory. And I'm even thinking of like the Bright Lands by John Fram, you know, like the last whatever, you know, 50, 100 pages. You're like, oh my gosh. So that is one of the things that I loved about the reformatory. But yeah, that's the Reformatory by Tananarive Duke.
- [53:42]
A
Great one. Read that when it came out. Loved it. Definitely was on my favorites list.
- [53:48]
B
Yes.
- [53:49]
A
Next up is my guy, John of John Douglas Stewart. Now who is my guy in here? Unclear. I just loved this book. I will say the reason why I loved it so much. Ann Patchett is the blurb for this and she just nails it. It's so immersive, so all encompassing that I felt like I was living in it. And I feel the exact same way. I was in Scotland with these people. I loved the, the characters. I love the side characters. I love the trajectory they went on. I love that the characters were not perfect and I just, I loved it. I loved how this author writes. And I'm so excited because much like Sadiqwa Johnson, I have not read this author's other books. Young Mungo or Shuggie Bain. I'm gonna read them both and I just have so much good reading ahead of me. I'm excited. But that one is John of John Douglas Stewart.
- [54:36]
B
Do you have those books. Books on your shelves?
- [54:39]
A
No, but I need them. I'm gonna visit Pango.
- [54:42]
B
I'm gonna give Pango a little visit.
- [54:44]
A
Yeah, give her a browse.
- [54:45]
B
Okay. It's so funny. You saying my guy to that book just got me thinking. I do. I do feel like I sometimes will, like, gender my books. I'm like, this is my girl. This is my guy.
- [55:00]
A
This. Yeah, this is my guy over here.
- [55:02]
B
That's your guy? Yeah. And mine. Nesting by Roisin o'. Donnell. That's my girl.
- [55:07]
A
This is your girl.
- [55:08]
B
It might just be because. Because those are the main characters. But. But yeah, I loved. I love this book. Nesting by Roisin o'. Donnell. This is a motherhood story. It is also, like. It's definitely literary fiction, but it is also suspenseful and had one of the most, like, powerful literary motifs and symbolisms that came into play at the end of the book to the point where I was like, oh, my gosh. That is why she had this in the book the whole time. And it just made me, like, weep at the end of it. I could also see this one, like, moving its way up and being my favorite of the year, but I don't know. So that's Nesting by Roisin o'. Donnell.
- [55:55]
A
I need more books that make me weep. That's my second half of the year.
- [55:59]
B
Goal, five stars.
- [56:01]
A
Okay, well, my number two. It's funny, we're talking about gendering our books. My next book is Non Binary. It is Wife by Sarah Gailey. This book broke my brain. I love everything about it. It could be my number one. It's about clones, man. And it's so good. You. You. Not only is it about clones, you're following the woman that created the science to make cloning real in this. Then guess what? She has a clone of herself. And that clone is having an affair with her husband. Can you imagine? I mean, I love everything about this book. Easy, five stars. It's also very quick. It's 250 pages. My goodness, am I just obsessed with this book? I really am. I mean, it's one of those books that make me think about what it means to be human. The science was good. The ending is so. I don't visualize books, but this one made me. I could even. I Could come up with something. I could see it. It was so awesome, and I loved it. But that's the echo wife, Sarah Gailey.
- [57:02]
B
Okay. That has been on my TBR for so long, and I just haven't read it yet. But I do love. I do love that author. Sarah Gailey is great. My number two is Lost Lambs by Madeline Cass. Loved this book. It was so funny. It had a family story element. It had, like, some very relevant political and social commentary that didn't feel so close to home. Like, it was really close to home. Like, really close to home. But also in a way that felt like. I don't know. I don't want to say relatable, because that's not the right. That's not the right word, but it just made me feel, like, connected to the. To the book. And it made me feel like the author was very connected in a way that was like. To get, like, togethering. I don't know. That's like, the best. I think I just made that word up.
- [57:57]
A
But that made you feel seen. Is that where we're going?
- [58:00]
B
But not me. It just made me feel like one of a collective, that we are, like, a. Experiencing these terrible things happening in a way where, like, we love each other and we are connected, but, like, there's this outside force that's, like, really ugly and heinous. Right. But we are finding love and togetherness within each other. And that book made me feel, like, connected to people in that way.
- [58:25]
A
Got it.
- [58:25]
B
That describes it very well. But it was also just really funny. Really just absolutely bananas. Family story. That's terrible, but also funny. If you can sense a theme there. I'm like, wow, these things are really terrible, but also terrible, but also funny.
- [58:44]
A
I like it. I like it.
- [58:46]
B
And so I think that she. She had. That held that balance very well in this story that is Lost Lambs by Madeleine Cash.
- [58:54]
A
Yes. That is one I'm certainly curious about. But I was turned off by the COVID if I'm being honest. And I think that's true for lots of people. But I like the COVID You like it? Yeah, Yeah, I like it. I don't know. No, I know I saw some chatter in our discord. Discord about people picking that for ugliest cover. I was like, is this the ugliest? No, but it's not my favorite.
- [59:12]
B
Yeah. Yeah.
- [59:14]
A
All right. Number one, baby, is Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hawkhouser. I am having a hard time imagining that a book will top this for me this year. I loved it. In fact, I've already lent this one out two different times, and I need to go back in and finish annotating because I started. I definitely want to finish. Oh, I loved this book. It is. You know how it's pitched is Cinderella told from the evil stepmother's point of view. I don't even love that because it's so much more than that. This is a story of motherhood, of strength, of making the best out of a terrible situation and giving it everything you've got. There are some twists in here. Certainly you see this familiarity of Cinderella, but I think it's just so, so much more than that. I loved this book so much. And also, it's a debut. Not for nothing, that is pretty fantastic, but I highly recommend this. It's Lady Tremaine. Rachel Hawkhouser.
- [60:12]
B
Yes. I loved hearing you talk about that. I love how much you love this book. Love it. Feeling. I would really like it, too.
- [60:19]
A
I think you would, for sure. Yeah.
- [60:21]
B
Okay. Guess what.
- [60:22]
A
What?
- [60:23]
B
My number one is one I haven't brought to the show yet. Oh. So I can't tell you too much because you'll hear more about it soon. It's Everything to the Sea by Alicia Upano.
- [60:33]
A
Really?
- [60:34]
B
It is so, so, so good. Oh. Loved it.
- [60:39]
A
Oh, my God. I can't believe it.
- [60:40]
B
This is exciting. Renee talked about it on the show, so, you know, those who've listened throughout the year will have heard her talk about it. I agree with everything that she said, and her talking about it is actually what made me really move it up. It had been on my netgalley shelf and I'd heard about it. But then after I heard Renee talk about it, and knowing what I know about our similar tastes that we have in books, which usually lies in, like, the emotional literary fiction space, I just knew I was going to love it. This is a book set in Hawaii, and it is a love story. And it also is about natural disaster. A natural disaster hits our main character's hometown. And so you're dealing with the aftermath of that and. And following these two characters, too, and their love story and their friendship and their journey was just heartbreak put back together. Take it apart and put it back together just a few times. And that's my favorite thing in a book.
- [61:40]
A
Yeah.
- [61:40]
B
Really well written, lovely story. That is Everything to the Sea by Alicia Upano.
- [61:46]
A
Can't wait for that. That comes out in July, I want to say. Is that right?
- [61:50]
B
Yep. It will come out, I think maybe the Tuesday that this episode.
- [61:55]
A
Oh, well, how about that? A new release. The 12th a new release for you.
- [62:00]
B
What?
- [62:00]
A
Was that him? Is that a child?
- [62:03]
B
That's a child, yeah.
- [62:04]
A
Oh, it sounded like an alarm, like. Like the fire alarm. Anyway. All right. My current read is a book called the Elementals. It's by Michael McDowell. And this has been on my spooky TBR for so many years. I recently did a video of books that actually scared me. And a lot of people were like, these weren't scary. So I said, okay, wise guy, you tell me the scariest book. And this one came up a lot. And then discovered that Michael McDowell wrote the screenplay for both Beetlejuice and the Nightmare Before Christmas, two movies I love. Listen to me watching a movie. This is about the wealthy Savage and McCray families who retreat to Beldame, three isolated Victorian beach houses on the Alabama coast, after the matriarch's bizarre funeral. You know, I love a book that opens with a funeral. This opening is really good. It's also oddly funny, kind of in the way that Beetlejuice is. So I'm really enjoying this. So, so far, that's the elementals. Michael McDowell.
- [62:58]
B
Okay, I am reading the Calamity Club by Katherine Stockett.
- [63:04]
A
Yes, I know.
- [63:05]
B
I can't believe that I'm picking this up. It's like, almost 700 pages. I'm so nervous. But I think it's a type of historical fiction that'll probably move pretty quickly. It's set in 1933, Oxford, Mississippi, and it is a story of friendship. It's a. About women. It's about a group of women. You know what that's about? All I know about it, I didn't read the full synopsis. I just knew the author and knew that, you know, this is a really buzzy book right now. And so I was like, you know what? 700 pages for a new buzzy historical fiction. Why not? So that is my current read. I do have the physical copy. I think this is going to be. Be one that I listen to and pick up in print as well, because I feel like with long books like this, I have to do that. I have to have multiple formats or I'll just never get through it. So that is the Calamity Club by Katherine Stockett.
- [64:07]
A
Can't wait to hear what you think about that. I've been so tempted. People are calling this, like, the book of the life, their life. So really?
- [64:13]
B
Okay, I haven't seen that.
- [64:15]
A
Oh, my God. Oh, my gosh. So many people being like, I loved it. So happy to hear you talk about that one.
- [64:21]
B
At some point, I'll give an actual synopsis next time.
- [64:25]
A
Okay, sounds good. Well folks, thank you so much. That is it for today though. We thank you for spending a part of your day with us. Links to all the books mentioned can be found in the show notes and if you enjoyed today's episode, you can help us by following wherever you listen and by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps us get our show out to many listeners and grows our audience. And don't forget, if you'd like access to exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.
- [64:54]
B
If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both ooktalk Etc. On Instagram and YouTube. You can find Tinabrech and Hannah at HandpickedBooks. Talk to you next week at. In the meantime, remember, everything's better with books.
- [65:17]
A
You want to see my fun party trick?
- [65:19]
B
Yeah.
- [65:24]
A
Can you do.
- [65:25]
B
I don't know what you did. Like, you're just closing one eye and then doing what?
- [65:30]
A
No, not.
- [65:31]
B
I just don't know what you're doing.
- [65:32]
A
Not just closing. It's a doll eye. Nothing else moves. Moves.
- [65:39]
B
Oh, I don't think I can do that.
- [65:41]
A
You?
- [65:41]
B
No, no, I can't do that.
- [65:43]
A
It's a real fun party trick and it's really funny to. To show people and then they try and do it and they're like. Because it's. Yeah, I have no idea what you're doing. I'm like, I know you had a fun party trick to open last year's episode. You said you could yield yodel.
- [66:04]
B
Oh yeah. I would still like yodeling. I was yodeling around our house this week. Everybody's ears.
- [66:10]
A
I wish we would have heard. I was gonna say, I still have not heard you yodel a year later.
- [66:15]
B
So maybe next year maybe when we're a couple margaritas deep and I come visit you.
- [66:20]
A
Oh, okay, okay. Okay. It's more of an in person experience.
- [66:24]
B
My other weird party trick is just kind of gross because it's like a.
- [66:30]
A
I can you burp on command?
- [66:32]
B
I can burp on command, actually, but that's not my weird party trick.
- [66:36]
A
Oh, many.
- [66:37]
B
I. I didn't know that other people couldn't burp on command. You just swallow air.
- [66:40]
A
I can't burp. Not on commands. I can't burp, period. Like there's nothing. I have a weirdest. There you go.
- [66:47]
B
I just did it.
- [66:49]
A
I. I haven't burped in 10 years. Include it, include it, include it.
- [66:58]
B
No, but I can. I don't know if the camera will show me. No, it won't, because it's gonna follow me. But I can. I can make belly roll. Elbow is, like, right here.
- [67:06]
A
Oh.
- [67:07]
B
Like, I can completely twist my arm around.
- [67:10]
A
Oh.
- [67:11]
B
But whenever I do that party trick, people are like, hannah, that's disgusting. Don't do that.
- [67:15]
A
Like, double jointed.
- [67:17]
B
Yeah, it's similar to that. Yeah.
- [67:19]
A
I can't turn mine, but I am double jointed.
- [67:21]
B
Yeah, I can. Mine, I think, is the double joint is the shoulder, I think, not the elbow. So. Yeah, but that's.
- [67:27]
A
That's. No, I'm too ripped for that. My deltoid won't let me. Oh, my God. So muscly.
- [67:34]
B
How's your gym journey going?
- [67:35]
A
Very humble.
- [67:36]
B
Going.
- [67:38]
A
Yeah. In fact, you're gonna laugh because they're doing a challenge in July and there's nothing me and Jonathan. Jonathan and I like more than a challenge. And so they said, if you can go seven times in eight days to this, like, classes, you get a T shirt shirt. I was like, obviously, I'm going to do everything I can to get to seven classes in eight days. Like a real nut. But I'm excited. That's at the end of July.
- [68:06]
B
Okay, well, I'll check in at the end of July and we'll see where we're at.
- [68:08]
A
We'll see if I have my T shirt on.