Hannah (2:38)

Same. It's what I would rather be doing than pretty much anything else with the exception of reading.

Tina (2:45)

Right, I agree. I agree, exactly. And I loved our book. I love the chat that we had. It was the compound by Aisling Raul, and we'll talk about that here in a bit. But it was. It was really fun and I feel like it is getting mixed reviews, but is a very fun book to discuss.

Hannah (3:04)

I would agree. I can't wait to talk about it again.

Tina (3:09)

Again. This time with a microphone. Yes, I am excited too about the experiment we did for this week's episode because what we did was sort of pretended like was the 90s and we were little kids again and, you know, we're at the library and just grabbed books or, you know, got the books from whatever source, but we tried to read books that we knew nothing about going in. And it's kind of easier said than done, though, when you're so online.

Hannah (3:38)

Yes, it is. And this definitely proves to be a little bit of a challenge. But it was also really fun and.

Tina (3:45)

I'm excited to chat about it. I will first, though, tell you about my loving lately. And they are some two actually UK booktubers that I have been loving. And the first one, I have talked about her so frequently, so much lately that I feel like she's probably getting sick of me. But it's what Mikayla reads on YouTube. I adore her videos and I'm not going to imitate her accent. Jonathan, he. I have a bad habit of not on purpose, but like when I'm talking to somebody mimicking their accent. And I remember when we had Claire on, who is from the uk, she had a British accent and I was like, don't do it, don't, don't do it. And of course I did it. So I'm not going to try her accent. But she not only has a lovely accent, she's also big, big into mystery and thrillers and her books are just so. Her book recommendations are just so good. She's really great at distilling down into a couple of sentences why it is you should read these books. And to make matters even, she has a lot of recommendations that I don't see everywhere because, you know, they get different releases and there's just different buzz, I think, in different places. And I swear to you, I have some really, really good reading experiences on the horizon. I find too that she and I are pretty close in terms of if I liked it. She liked it and vice versa. So so far I've been loving her. And of course, we'll link to that in the show notes. That's what Mikayla reads. And then the other person I just found, her name is Carly, and at the pastel bookshelf, she is also in the uk. I don't know exactly where specifically, but again, great vibes. Just like when you put their channels on both, I'm like, this just feels like a delight, you know, I just settle in. It feels like you're chatting with a friend. And that's always the feeling that I hope people get from, like, listening to us. And so I'm newer to Carly, but I'm looking forward to catching up on some of her videos. And again, she does a lot of mystery and thrillers, which are always my favorite. I enjoy their recommendation so much that I made an order from Blackwell's. So my shelf edition is straight from the uk and I can't wait to share it with you. But my loving lately has been what Mikaela reads and Carly at the pastel bookshelf.

Hannah (6:11)

I know about what Mikayla reads. I love her videos. I agree, she's great. I'd never heard of the pastel bookshelf, though, so I'm grateful to add another booktuber to my list. I'm always looking for new booktubers to watch. I love my old favorites, but it's always fun when you discover someone new.

Tina (6:29)

Now, do you watch me?

Hannah (6:31)

Yes, I do. Sure I do. I do watch your videos.

Tina (6:36)

That's kind of funny to think about.

Hannah (6:38)

But your videos are nice because they're not super long.

Tina (6:41)

That is true. Yeah. They're not. They're not typically very long.

Hannah (6:45)

No. I paused there because I was trying to find you. I had you. I had you minimized. And I was like, where is she?

Tina (6:50)

Where am I? I'm here. It's probably funny because you're like, I just talked to her about that book.

Hannah (6:54)

Yeah. I like watching your vlogs because I already know what you thought about books, but it's fun to actually watch, like, your experience reading them and stuff.

Tina (7:06)

I love a reading vlog.

Hannah (7:07)

Me too. Fun stuff.

Tina (7:10)

What are you loving lately?

Hannah (7:11)

Okay, mine is a little silly because it's so random, but I love these things. It is a sliding glass door lock. It's like a toddler safety lock, but it's specifically for sliding doors and windows, which is what I have most recently started using them for. And you get these on Amazon. They're not expensive at all. Like $9 for a pack of two or three. And what they do is you press two buttons on the top and it like flips out. So if you're sliding a door or if you're sliding up a window, it blocks it from opening all the way. And if you shut it, then that way it makes itself really skinny again. So that when you slide can work normally. So you have to activate it. But I like that because I don't need them on all the time because I have to be able to open and shut. And it's really easy. It's just like a press and then just a little button and then it opens back up. So it's. I feel like so many toddler safety things are so complicated to open and shut and these are not. It's just a one button thing. But we live in a, you know, two story house and our windows in our second story overlook the driveway. And so it's just concrete out there. And it makes me so nervous because I'm an anxious being and I'm like, what if my kids one day we're like standing on our bed or something and, you know, opened the window.

Tina (8:49)

I think it's a legitimate answer.

Hannah (8:51)

My word. Anyway, so got those. And it has just relieved my. It's just relieved my anxiety so much. And then we use it for our slider too. Now neither one of my kids escape very much. They're not, you know, they don't like run off. They're four and seven. But it is nice even at night because, and this is a little bit of, I think, an anxious concern. But I'm like, what if they were sleepwalking and like opened the door and went out and we have water out in our backyard and it scares me so much. So anyway, I put these everywhere.

Tina (9:31)

Needless to say, I'm a big everywhere.

Hannah (9:34)

But I love them and I think that they're a great resource because they were ones that had to be recommended to me by a mom friend. They are not like sponsored or advertised a lot that I've seen on Instagram or on Amazon. And so I'm putting this out there because they were personally recommended to me by a fellow mom. So I am paying it forward. These are great. And they're sliding glass door locks.

Tina (10:00)

I think that's such a great recommendation. And ask Jonathan about climbing out the window when he was a child.

Hannah (10:09)

He did some stories too.

Tina (10:11)

Well, I'm sure listening.

Hannah (10:15)

I will have to ask Jonathan though. Did. Was it him?

Tina (10:18)

It was him. He apparently climbed out the window and like was dangling and the neighbor Came over and was like, your son's hanging out the window. We laughed because he's fine. But, yeah, it was. You know, I'm sure he can tell the story better, but I just think, yeah, that's my husband, Jonathan.

Hannah (10:35)

You'll be able to hop in here and tell us about it.

Tina (10:37)

Tell us the whole story. But luckily, that has not been.

Hannah (10:43)

It's not happened to you guys.

Tina (10:45)

Hannah, can I just. Okay, I'm gonna be. I'm gonna be vulnerable, and we can decide. We can decide to share this or not. I live and die by. I live and die by alerts on my Apple Watch, okay? And today has been very, very, very busy because I'm going out of town tomorrow. So all day I've been running up and down different st. You know, work this and remember this later. Apparently, I thought it was important to set an alert for myself for 8pm that just says, bring my bra upstairs.

Hannah (11:21)

Is it in the dryer?

Tina (11:22)

Yeah, well, it's hanging. And I was like, well, I can't bring it up now because it's wet, so let me hang it. Recording the podcast later.

Hannah (11:31)

You definitely have to pack the bra.

Tina (11:34)

You know, it's the good one, right? Oh, my God. So someone remind me. Oh, my God.

Hannah (11:40)

Well, now you'll definitely remember now.

Tina (11:42)

I will. Definitely. We'll see. We'll see. Anyway, I'll mark that as completed. I'll mark it as completed. But that's risky because, you know, once you do that, you're gonna forget. Anywho.

Hannah (11:54)

I don't know, though. I do feel like once I. Or like if I tell someone, like, hey, don't forget to have me remind you to xyz. Yes, that will make me remember.

Tina (12:03)

Okay, I like that. All right, well, I'll report back and let you know if the bra made it on the trip.

Hannah (12:08)

I sure will. Or. Yeah, I want you to.

Tina (12:11)

Speaking of trips, I also told my friends, don't forget to tell me to pack my suitcase, because you remember, I left the whole dang suitcase on my last road trip. The suitcase will make it this time.

Hannah (12:22)

I gasped so loud when you told me that. I was like, that is. That would make me absolutely lose it.

Tina (12:29)

Yeah, it is what it is. But, you know, I would pro. This is a good segue because our latest read is the Compound by Aisling Radio, and it is a reality TV book. And we were talking in our discord about what. How good or bad we would fare on the show or in. On reality TV in general. And I really think I would do great until I came home and heard what people thought about me and then I would spiral, you know. But during the show.

Hannah (12:56)

Oh, interesting.

Tina (12:57)

I can live, you know, I can live minimally. I could play the game, I could do the things.

Hannah (13:01)

Okay, interesting.

Tina (13:02)

I.

Hannah (13:05)

Think I would do okay with like, relationship stuff. Like, yeah, I think that I would be okay to just, you know, use my acting skills, but I don't think I would be good at, like, the, I don't know, survival aspects of it. You know, that is just not my thing. Listen, I've never even been camping before. Not even like camp or camping.

Tina (13:32)

No, I've been camping when I was really little. But I too don't think I would fare well with that. But what this book is, I think we sort of described it pretty well. It's Love island meets Lord of the Flies. And I totally see those comps having watched a little bit of Love island and, you know, knowing Lord of the Flies. So it's about Lily. She's the main character and she is a bored, beautiful 20something who wakes up and is in the compound. It is this reality TV show. There's 19 other contestants and they're there. It's like the most popular reality show out there. And to win, whoever wins must outlast their housemates to stay in the compound the longest. And it sounds easy, but they do have challenges. And when they complete challenges and do well, they get luxury rewards. But. But then when things go poorly, they get punished, essentially. And so, Lily, we kind of come to understand as you're reading this that the outside world is falling apart. And so Lily is perfectly fine to go along, to get along. And then of course, as reality shows do, things intensify. Players start playing the game and eventually it forces, you know, there's a. There's a conclusion. Right. I loved this book. I loved it so very much. But I will say I know reality tv and I have forever been searching for a good reality TV book. And for me, this one delivered super well. And I say that because I do think how much you enjoy this is going to depend a fair amount on how much you care about reality tv. How, what say you?

Hannah (15:16)

I agree with that. I think especially the psychology around reality tv. And yeah, I really enjoyed this one too. I thought that it was really engaging. I thought that it was really fun. And then I do agree that if you have a particular interest in reality TV that you have the potential to enjoy this one even more. I really liked it. And then we had the discussion and I felt like I had an even greater Appreciation for the book on a deeper level. After discussing it, a couple people, yourself included, just made some really interesting points about things that they thought about and considered with this one that I had not. And it made it even more interesting for me, which is partially why I love having these discussions. So, yeah, I really enjoyed it.

Tina (16:08)

I'm glad to hear that. And I agree. Whenever we do these, my ratings tend to change. For this one I landed at 4.5 and I'm like, you know what, I'm bumping it up maybe 4, 7, 5. Because there's a piece that I'm like, you know, da da da da da. But I think it for me was so smart and so well done and I feel like it was very clear eyed. I think this author had a goal in mind and I think for me she achieved it very well. I will also say this now is our number one most discussed book in the community reads Discord. We. So that's cool. I think that's interesting. I wouldn't have ex. I didn't expect that going in.

Hannah (16:41)

A lot of people showed up to chat and yeah, it was really fun.

Tina (16:44)

People had a lot to say. I think if you. Okay. You know, I love to share my favorite. I don't think it's. I didn't make it up, but it's not like a proper genre but literary suspense, you, you guys know, I love that this is literary suspense for me. Now it's not the most literary book I've ever read, but don't pick this up thinking it's going to be a popcorn thriller because it's definitely not a popcor porn thriller. And I love that. I love that the author had a point of view and I love that Lily is a main character. That is who she is. Whether you love it or hate it. She very much, for me felt like she was there for a purpose.

Hannah (17:25)

She was purposeful, intentional character.

Tina (17:27)

Yes, yes. And it was so fun to watch the other characters react. Now this is a pretty compact book, I want to say. It's what, 200. Yeah, 275 pages. So I think this could have been expanded great greatly and you would have gotten like all of these other elements. But I think for what it was, it made sense. I could go on and on. And I'm trying to be very vague because I think a part of what's fun about this is the reveal. But I think if you go in, if you're someone that likes reality TV shows and if you go in knowing it's not a proper thriller, then you should really like it.

Hannah (18:02)

I agree. And I will say, I think that this is one that you have to trust that even the things that might annoy you about it, at least for me in particular, had a point. There were certain characters that were really frustrating to me. There were also certain parts where I was like, oh, this is feeling like it's getting repetitive. I felt like all of that was done, like you said, Tina, with purpose. And I feel like that is what made this feel a little bit more, you know, highbrow than your typical popcorn thriller.

Tina (18:34)

A little more elevated. And I think to help sort of frame the book at the very beginning. I don't think this is gonna show up at the very beginning. They elected to put a George Orwell quote from Animal Farm in here.

Hannah (18:50)

So good.

Tina (18:50)

And it's so good. It's this quote where the white mare named Molly is asking if there will be sugar at the rebellion. Like that is. Just know that that's sort of the theme of this book is.

Hannah (19:08)

These are the kind of people we're dealing with.

Tina (19:10)

Those are the kind of people we're dealing with. Exactly. But overall, I say give this one a shot. I think it is short enough to where, even if you don't love it, it's not an immense time investment, I should say. Also, I did the audio, and I thought the narrator was really well. It was good narration, and I liked it. Anything else, Anna?

Hannah (19:28)

That's a wrap.

Tina (19:29)

Okay, baby. That book is the Compound by Aisling Rao.

Hannah (19:35)

Good discussion book.

Tina (19:38)

This week's episode comes with show and tell because Hannah's been waiting for this moment.

Hannah (19:46)

Like, this is the moment I've been waiting for.

Tina (19:48)

I mean, okay, so we, again, the theme of this is 90s, we're going to have a 90s summer. We're reading like we are in whatever grade you were in or wherever you were in life in your 90s when you didn't have the Internet like that, you didn't have Instagram and podcasts like the one you're listening to. So what I'm grabbing and showing is this enormous box of books. This is not even nearly all of them, but let me grab it. Oh, God, I can't.

Hannah (20:17)

She is lifting this giant box of books.

Tina (20:20)

It's a giant box of books. This is from my childhood bedroom.

Hannah (20:24)

I love that. Everything's just, like, shoved in there, too. It's just everything.

Tina (20:26)

Oh, please, please, no rhyme or reason. You wonder why I am the way I am. The first one that I'm holding is a Jodi Picoult book. Look at the condition.

Hannah (20:35)

I love the condition.

Tina (20:37)

I know that I got this from like a used bookstore. None of these books that I obtained were new at any point in time. So they were all from half, whatever the equivalent of half price books was. So in this bin are all of the books. Now, I should say these are probably high school. So I wasn't like in 8th grade when I was. Or I wasn't like in elementary school when I was reading these. But you know, I got my boy John Grisham here. There's got to be 20 books for. From John Grisham. Lots of Jodi Picoult. Oh, my God. It's actually so nostalgic. Look at the Shakespeare.

Hannah (21:12)

Watching you unpack. This is so much fun.

Tina (21:16)

Is it working?

Hannah (21:17)

It is working. Mine would probably contain a lot of Nicholas Sparks and Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Tina (21:24)

I'm sure he's in there, you know, I'm sure he's in here. But I was going through some of these books from my high school and I'm like, oh, my God. Like, I'm like over here annotating theme. I'm like, oh, he's too smart, blah, blah, blah. I wouldn't believe him myself. Like, who is she? Like, what? What? A little like, you know.

Hannah (21:42)

And you said that you're not a very studious reader.

Tina (21:45)

I love it. Not anymore. I was when I had, you know, time and all of the other.

Hannah (21:52)

Did you enjoy, like, your English classes in high school?

Tina (21:56)

Love them. Yes.

Hannah (21:57)

Yeah. I remember reading A Tale of Two Cities and the Count of Monte Cristo. The Count of Monte Cristo was a book I. In ninth grade. Yes.

Tina (22:08)

And I remember you said that.

Hannah (22:09)

Yeah, I like threw it against the wall. I was like, so mad. And then I picked it back up and then I fell in love with the characters and I was like, so invested. I just have such strong memories of. Of that time of my life reading those classics.

Tina (22:23)

I would love to read that one. I've never read it.

Hannah (22:25)

Tina, you will like it. It is so spicy.

Tina (22:29)

For sure would like it. I for sure would like it. You know, almost a literary classic, but not quite. Are all of the True Blood books by Chardonniers? Yes, all of them. Dead and dark.

Hannah (22:42)

True Blood.

Tina (22:43)

I mean, truly, we have all of them in here. Oh, I was. I was obsessed. Yes. Now, this would have been whenever they came out, but I read them, I want to say, either before the show or during the show when the show was going on, which is kind of. Kind of crazy.

Hannah (23:01)

Yeah.

Tina (23:01)

More Jodi Picoult is There anything? Let's see. Let me look through this and see if there's anything interesting, and then we can move on.

Hannah (23:09)

Okay, cool.

Tina (23:11)

The Brethren. Oh, my gosh. I'm kind of scared what I'm gonna find. Oh, my God. I forgot I brought these. I was scouring my childhood bedroom. Would you look at what I found? Oh, my God. I'm gonna bring these back. The shoes. These are Doc Martens. They are original Doc Martens sandals.

Hannah (23:29)

Like, in good condition?

Tina (23:31)

They are still in decent condition.

Hannah (23:32)

They last forever.

Tina (23:34)

They last forever. This must be five pounds. So heavy. They are so unbelievably heavy. Truly, that's like a weapon. That is the greatest find. I knew that I had found them. Let's see if there's anything else in here I want to highlight. Just more Charlene Harris. This is not even all of them, sadly. There's more. There's more. Oh, God. There's a notebook. I'm too scared.

Hannah (24:00)

No, I want to read that.

Tina (24:01)

I can't do it.

Hannah (24:02)

I'll do it for you. I want to know. I want to know this notebook.

Tina (24:10)

Okay, Quick, and then we can move on. This notebook says, give us one line. It says, things I've learned, and it's empty. If that ain't me, baby. There's nothing on these pages. But I had good intentions, I'm sure.

Hannah (24:29)

Nothing. That is really rich. So what's the best thing that you found? The notebook or the Doc Martens?

Tina (24:39)

Oh, my God. No, I'm sorry. There are freshman year quotes in here I won't read. But it is. Oh, wow. I'll have to call my freshman year roommate and go through them. They're hidden on the last page. But anyway, very excited. I don't know what I'm going to do with all of these. I'm going to, like, have to find a spot for, like, all my little, you know, nostalgic books.

Hannah (24:58)

Yeah. Maybe you could do a. Maybe you could do a video. Have you done a video unboxing on YouTube yet?

Tina (25:04)

No, I have not. But, boy, that is something I should do. I gotta collect the rest of my collection, but.

Hannah (25:10)

Oh, I have a. Oh, I was gonna ask you a question.

Tina (25:12)

Go for it.

Hannah (25:12)

Unless you have.

Tina (25:13)

Please do.

Hannah (25:13)

Okay.

Tina (25:14)

Nope.

Hannah (25:14)

So my question is, with that box of treasure that you just shared with us, how did you. Back in the days when you were reading the books in that box, how did you pick them up, where did you find them? And where did you get your book recommendations?

Tina (25:32)

I definitely have strong memories. There was a used bookstore next to the Grocery store where in my hometown. And we would always go. And, like, you could get a bunch of books. I'm talking they were like a quarter 10 cents. Like, it was like, crazy. They had, like, back in the day, they had, like, some sort of system in the back. So I think it must have been a trading system. So, like, my mom always had credit, and so I'd go and pick out books. So a lot of them are from that store, which. Rest in peace. I wish it was still there. How I got book recommendations, I honestly have no clue. I think I used to find an author I liked and then read everything. John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, Charlene Harris. There are just some that. And that wasn't even, like that long ago. That was sort of in the very, very beginning of when I started reading for fun again after college, I think. I think I read it in high school, and then college was too hard. And then when I got out of college, I got to read for fun again. And so I think I just, you know, found authors that I liked. Do you remember when you got your book, Rex?

Hannah (26:41)

I definitely remember. Well, my mom and I used to very regularly go to. To Barnes and Noble. It was well before it was Barnes and Noble. Oh, gosh, I forget what the name of the bookstore was. It was in, like, a Plaza. The Plaza is now a strip mall with like a Plato's Closet and all that stuff. But it used to be an independent bookstore, and we used to go there. But then when that shut down. And it shut down because the Barnes and Noble opened up right behind it, which is like a very classic, you've Got mail type story.

Tina (27:12)

Right.

Hannah (27:12)

Kind of sad. However, we want a book, so that was the spot that we ended up.

Tina (27:17)

That was. That's what you had.

Hannah (27:19)

That's what we had. And we spent so much time there. And I would just browse for a really long time. I got a lot of book recommendations from my friends. And I at the time was in a. This is kind of a fun story because this was my foray into horror. And I would say that this was in middle school, very early high school, which was not the 90s, but, you know, early aughts. And my friends, we had, like, a small Christian homeschool community. That's my background, but one of my friends really enjoyed horror, and she was like, you need to read Ted Decker because he's a Christian author, but he writes horror, so our parents can't be mad. And also, mom, if you're listening, you know, I love you you did great. But I definitely tricked you with the Ted Decker because I was like, this is horror. But it's sneaky because I can just say, you know, it's. It's okay. It's an approved author. But I was similar to you. I would just read through all of those books and I read all of Ted Decker's books, science fiction, like sci fi, horror. I just have a really strong memory of reading those because one of the horror books was like a haunted house horror story. It was Frank Peretti and Ted Decker. I think the book was called the House. And I remember being backstage, it was like show week for the play that I was in. And they had to call me on stage because I was back in the hallway. And I missed my cue because I read the entire thing backstage and I just have a very distinct memory.

Tina (29:01)

Wow.

Hannah (29:02)

Doing that. I read the entire book backstage to a point. I missed my cue.

Tina (29:06)

They were like, hello, what are you doing?

Hannah (29:09)

Oh, that's funny. I still read horror to this day, but I would also walk to my library a lot. So, yeah, I just. That was kind of more of like a specific memory, but I don't know.

Tina (29:19)

Yeah, and that's the thing, right? I think it is really fun to pick up books with no context. I gave myself a challenge and I was like, just go to the library and see what speaks to you. And it was a really good time. I took, like, I don't know, 10 books out, as many as I could carry with me. And I tried to pick ones that I knew nothing about. So for you, what was your criteria? Like, what did you. How did you narrow it down?

Hannah (29:45)

Okay, so what I decided to do was first of all just like, browse my digital libraries and also my. My physical library and just pick up books that sounded really good that I hadn't heard of that just sounded up my alley. And I ended up putting down a couple of them. One of them I ended up continuing on with, which I brought today. And then the other one came as a recommendation and suggestion from a friend, because that's really what I did a lot when I was younger is I would ask my friends what they were reading, and I was like, you know what, I should phone a friend. And Emma, my friend that I buddy read with every month, kind of gave me a list of books that she was wanting to try. And I was like, there are quite a few here that I've never heard of before. And so I looked them up and I chose the one that sounded the most interesting to me and that's the one that I'm bringing today. How about you?

Tina (30:44)

Oh, I love that I have to beef with my friends because, guys, you never give me book recommendations. Like, I don't remember getting any recommendations from my friends. I just saw my three, like, dearest friends over the weekend and we were talking about books and I was like, I asked them that question. I was like, I'm always giving you recommendations. What. What do you have for me? And they basically, in unison were like, you've read everything. We can't. I was like, got it right. Yeah, that is a. That is true for me. When I was looking on the shelves, I was trying kind of drawn. I was like, okay, just whatever you're drawn to. So it was doing a lot of COVID browsing. And then I did allow myself to look at the synopsis and sort of like, give. Okay, publisher. You know, what is the one sentence thing that's going to make me pick this up? And so it was kind of fun to take a step back and try and, and be marketed to from the publisher. You know, I'm like, what are they trying to do with this? And the one that one of them didn't work so well for me. And one of them I loved, the one that I loved, I almost didn't grab because I was like, eh, run of the mill. But I'm so glad that I added it. I think it was the last one I added to my bag.

Hannah (31:56)

Okay, that's exciting. I can't wait to hear about that one. Mine were both interesting. They were both very interesting. I'll give them that.

Tina (32:03)

Interesting. I know.

Hannah (32:04)

And I'm excited to talk about them.

Tina (32:06)

I think I've seen the COVID for one, if memory serves. And I was like, what on God's green earth are you reading? So anyway, that's definitely one of them. That's one of them. Okay, I will begin with one of my books and I will tell you what it is and why I grabbed it. This is called Chloe A Novel of Secrets and Lies by Connie Briscoe. And you can probably guess why I grabbed it because it's a pretty cover. And then I opened it up and I was like, okay, what do we got here? And it says, connie Briscoe updates Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca in this chilling tale of domestic suspense. I said, great, say less. I love a Rebecca inspiration. And then I kept reading and I found that the main character, her name is angel, is a private chef for the Harrisons, one of the most powerful black families on Martha's vineyard. I was like, got it. All right, I'm in. And so that was really all I needed. And honestly, that's kind of as far as I got, which was a little bit fun because I didn't know when reading this if it was haunted. Like, is she literally haunted by the ex wife, or is it a metaphor? Like, what's going on? You know? And who is she going to fall in love with? Because in the beginning of this book, she is single. And then I kept reading the synopsis. I was like, oh, okay, you should have kept reading, because you do find out essentially who it is that she couples up with. And it says it in the synopsis. It's Everett Bruce, a black billionaire who is still mourning his first wife, Chloe. Anyway, the two get together. It's right there in the synopsis. And she ends up moving into this palatial estate. And that's when it starts to get Rebecca E. I loved the setup. This book is told in two parts. And it was pretty propulsive because literally, there's not that many pages. It's 215 pages, give or take. And so I was in it from the beginning. I enjoyed part one, though, more than part two, which I'm pretty surprised by, because part one was all about her being a chef. This family she's working for, they kind of suck. I liked Martha's Vineyard, and I liked getting to know this billionaire and, like, watching the two of them, you know, sort of hit it off. And then in the second part, which is, I think, supposed to be the selling point as it's comped to Rebecca, I was like, oh, no, you can sort of. I felt my interest waning, and I don't think it was as strong in the second part. And then I told myself I would not look at Goodreads at all until I was finished with whatever book it was I chose. And so this one hooked me. And then the ending, I was like, I'm pretty let down. So I am giving it, like two and a half stars. And then I went to Goodreads, and it has an average of three stars. And I feel bad because, not that I read it, I just feel bad because I see what people are saying, and this author has a lot of books, so I would totally be down to try it again. I just think it was an odd mashup that maybe was trying to be inspired too much and didn't do it well. You know what I mean?

Hannah (35:21)

Yeah.

Tina (35:21)

Becca's so classic. It is such a classic novel.

Hannah (35:25)

You have to be almost a purist to do that.

Tina (35:28)

Well, yes. And make it more modern. You know, it just, it wasn't that solid, so unfortunately I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. I'm not mad I read it, but it's not a win for me. But I'm glad I tried it. That one's Chloe A Novel of Secrets and Lies by Connie Briscoe.

Hannah (35:48)

I am glad that you brought that one. You were talking about it last week or a couple of weeks ago, and I was reading it and I was excited to hear you talk about that. Kind of a bummer about the second part.

Tina (35:59)

Yeah.

Hannah (36:01)

Well, I'm going to bring a. I don't know. I think that there's some redeeming qualities about both of the books that I'm bringing, so I will definitely try to highlight those. This is one that I found during my library browse, and this was available on Hoopla, and it's also Kindle Unlimited. Actually, both of my books are from Kindle Unlimited, so maybe that's my, you know, without the Internet taste, if you will. But this first one is Cannibal Killers, Monsters with a Taste for Murder. And okay, this one is interesting because it started out really good and really promising. I enjoy. I'm very morbidly curious and I was, you know, eager to learn about essentially the history of cannibalism. And this book was originally published in 1992, but then it was republished in 2022 with the inclusion of more modern cases, specifically those that happened or were initiated online. And this book just goes into great depth, as I mentioned, with the history of cannibalism down to like antiquity. And then she moves on into chapters that are kind of segmented as specific cases that she studied and talked about that involve cannibalism. So when I first started it, I was confused why the book has received such low ratings. It has like a three point on Goodreads, but I wanted to keep reading because I was interested in the cases that she covered, but also because I was curious why the ratings for this one were so low. There had to be a reason, and I did find it. Although this book was supposedly updated in 2022, it still reads like something pretty much out of the 90s, and not necessarily in a good way. At first I wasn't particularly bothered because authors are allowed to have their own opinions and speculate on things outside of the fact. But this author leaned a bit heavily on some kind of just not kind of very discredited psychological theories. And she often leaves out important context that you can literally find with A quick Google search. And it was kind of confusing when you considered how much she, in great detail, researched other things. And then she would just like, randomly leave out this important context that if you're familiar with any of these stories, which I was, felt like intentionally left out. But the real issue with this one for me is that the book is steeped in really harmful biases. It's very casually racist, homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic throughout. She blames culture and mothers and. But never fathers. And just. She is very outspoken about her distaste for certain communities and used slurs and outdated terminology that just didn't have a place in modern writing. This was updated in 2022. I do not see why this was not remedied and fixed. There's even a chapter that feels like a personal rant against teenage girls, selfies linking this to violence against women. And it felt very victim blamey. Ultimately, I ended up finishing this one because I was just so kind of invested in the atrocity of how all of this was being talked about. I think what could have been a really interesting journalistic account about something that, let's be honest, we're all curious about, ended up just being very frustrating and problematic. And that was Cannibal Killers, Monsters With a Taste for Murder by Moira Martingale.

Tina (39:57)

Well, damn, we are over two.

Hannah (39:59)

I mean, but it was interesting. As in, like, I don't know, it almost. I mean, it was. It was frustrating, but also eye opening too. And I did learn some things from the book, so I'll give it that, man.

Tina (40:17)

Okay, well, that's interesting. My next book. All right, now this one, I will say is hush little baby, R.H. heron. And it's the one that I almost disregarded because I was like, eh, this is gonna do nothing special, but this is why I cannot quit psychological thrillers. Because I loved this book and I gave it five stars.

Hannah (40:40)

Yay.

Tina (40:41)

And I almost passed on it because I thought, it's basic. I've been there before. This one only has 1,330 ratings on Goodreads. And this is a book. Okay, I already told my friends. This is a book I already told my friends I saw over the weekend to, like, put holds on it and check it out. And they were like, wow, I'm glad you said that, because I wouldn't have picked it up if I just heard the title. And I'm like, I get that. I get that. Because I too, was like, I don't know. Hush, little baby, just stay with me. It's About Jillian, she's your main character. She escaped her toxic upbringing at the hands of her religious zealot mother as a teenager. And after hitting rock bottom due to alcoholism in her 20s, she not only got sober, but she built a successful marriage and medical career. Even if she wasn't able to make amends for all the mistakes she made during her drinking days, I should say the religious zealot mother doesn't play a huge role in this. I actually forgot about it now that I'm looking at that. So in case you're like, oh, that's an anti buzzword or, you know, whatever, if you're looking for that, just know that that's not a big part of it. It. The book, though, begins a decade later when things are once again going downhill for Jillian because her wife Rochelle has left her. While Jillian is pregnant with Rochelle's biological child. That's right. She is carrying the biological child of her wife, who has left her for somebody else. And she is nine months pregnant in this book. She's also an OB GYN herself, and she's still staying in their house and is, like, completely unmoored. Understandably. She's like, what are we going to be doing? I'm having this baby. I really want it. But, like, also, I still. It's messy, right? And I kept thinking, oh, my gosh, what are the legal implications for this? And anyway, she is also obviously a very smart and capable woman. She, again, is a obgyn. And she starts forgetting things. She's like, did I leave this candle on or did I move this plant? And it's really starting to bug her because I think a part of what is worrying her is that she is losing it. And she's kind of really funny. And that's sort of what I loved about this book, is that the main character is very, very funny because she'll be like, I tell mothers all the time, hey, forgetting things is normal. And now I know it's worth nothing to say that, because it doesn't make it any better. She, though, does have a group that she connects with really well. She's been friends with them for a long time, and they're sort of her support group. They support each other through pregnancy, motherhood, sobriety, careers, all of these things, Right? And so that is her, like, one shining light is this group of women. And as things begin to escalate, she starts to worry about whether or not she is as trustworthy as she thinks she is and what would happen if Rochelle decided that she wanted to claim full custody of their daughter. This one, there's no way you can see how it's going to end. There's absolutely no way you would be able to predict the ending. Now, I will say it does get very over the top by the end, but I didn't care. I was just eating this up with a spoon by the end. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. This thriller made me cry, I have to say, because it is. I mean, I like, sob, But I was like, oh, my God. Because.

Hannah (44:01)

Emotional. Yeah. Yeah.

Tina (44:02)

If you're a mother. Yeah, I would. I, too, would do the things she does in this book. Right. Like, think of it that way. And that's not a spoiler, really. It's just sort of if you understand the emotion that comes with that time in your life, man, was this a. This was such a fun story. And I can't wait to read more of this author. She has another book called Stolen Things, which I am putting. I think I put a hold on already. It has the two little feet. Do you have it?

Hannah (44:35)

No, but I have heard of that one. I hadn't heard of Hush Little Baby, but I'd heard of Stolen Things before.

Tina (44:40)

I can't believe that this is so, like, under the radar. So you heard it here first, folks. Go ahead and pick this one up. If you like psychological thrillers. I. I loved it. I did. It is Hush Little Baby by R.H. heron.

Hannah (44:53)

Well, I am so glad that you brought a winner because I, you know, I'm gonna. I'm gonna take us back down just a little. Although I didn't hate this one as much, and it's not problematic. So we've got.

Tina (45:05)

Okay, that's for us.

Hannah (45:07)

And it's fun to talk about. So this is the Color of Blood by Mona Cabani. I had a theme going. I was really going back. I see the hallway at theater. You know, the. The horror. I was really going back there.

Tina (45:22)

You're behind the curtain again. Or whatever.

Hannah (45:24)

Okay. We were reading like, it's 1997, so happy to be back. This is a story about an artist named Void, which I did like that. I thought that his name was, you know, interesting, dark and mysterious. And he is a pretentious and bloodthirsty artist with a big job to do, and that is to produce a fabulous new art exhibit for his manager at the art gallery. And he revels in his fame, but hides his greatest success as it is attributed to his uncanny ability to see the color of a person's soul. So this has some magical realism. To it. And if that sounds extra, it is, for sure. But it was also a fun element. This color not only infects a person's aura, but it also affects their actual anatomy, and it turns their insides into the special pigment that he uses for his art. Void targets those with the rarest colors and drains their blood for his paintings.

Tina (46:29)

Sure.

Hannah (46:30)

And, yes, lovely, lovely. None know of his secret, and he has found solace in the solitude and secrets of his life. That is, until he meets an unprecedented muse who is more than happy to bleed for him. So I am still not over the prose in this book. I am not even positive I can say it was well written. It was. It was well written. But. But because even on the sentence level, this book had really lyrical purple prose. And I really couldn't find fault in even, like, the sentence structure. I was like, no, like, that was worded kind of perfectly. But it was trying so hard. And I really do think that it was purposeful for the author. And, you know, whether it was intentional or not, I just had a hard time taking the book seriously because the writing was just so extra. I realized that was definitely, I think, probably the point. But I think because we were following a man and he was just so insufferably arrogant and into himself and pretentious, I just had a hard time hanging with the writing. But at the same time, if anyone has ever seen the show Penny Dreadful, which is a horribly dark show, it's like, one that I don't even always recommend to people because it's just not one that you loosely recommend. But in that show, there is a character, Dorian Gray, because in the show Penny Dreadful, all of the characters from Victorian books are characters in the show. So Dorian Gray is a character in the show. And the actor who plays Dorian Gray like that was this character in this book. Just this kind of attractive and very. You want to talk to him and you're interested in him, but you also know that he's just this terrible person. That is who the main character in this book reminded me of. My favorite parts were the visceral body horror. There is a scene when you as the reader know what is happening, but the characters, the NPCs, if you will, are completely unaware of the gravity of what they are experiencing. And I want to. To vomit. Like, it is like, you know what's happening and why the characters are responding the way they are, but they don't know. And you just want to, like, reach into the book and tell them. You just want to reach in there. Just tell Them what's going on? This book was cosmic. It was graphic. It was so extra. And although it. I don't even know if it worked for me or not. I don't even know. I'm honestly undecided. But I am not mad that I read it because it was definitely kind of one of those once in a lifetime horror experiences. I always feel like with horror, I am sometimes still happy I read it in the end because it just makes me so flabbergasted at what certain minds can come up with. And to bless you all, I will share a quote from this book. And it says, do you know what's inside of you? Did you know that there are entire worlds inside of you? The snails. Oh, God, the snails. That's it.

Tina (49:55)

That's it.

Hannah (49:55)

That's my quality.

Tina (49:56)

Why do I have snails inside of me?

Hannah (49:58)

Listen, only the artist knows.

Tina (50:00)

Only the artist knows. Okay. That felt very. I felt like a theater kid. Like, I felt like you were performing for me. That was nice.

Hannah (50:07)

Thanks. You're welcome. I don't know why I said thanks. You're welcome.

Tina (50:12)

Because it was a compliment.

Hannah (50:14)

Okay.

Tina (50:14)

It was nice. Yeah.

Hannah (50:15)

Okay. I received that. That.

Tina (50:17)

I receive it.

Hannah (50:21)

And that was the Color of Blood by Mona Kabbani.

Tina (50:24)

Hold on one second. Oh, no. I'm trying to Google the Color of Blood and like, the worst ever is coming up. God, Hannah.

Hannah (50:31)

This one Color of Blood book by Mona Cavani.

Tina (50:35)

I know, because. Right. I should have added that. Right. But I wanted to. I wanted to see because I knew that this one was the COVID that I was thinking of earlier. And it's just like, I don't. I don't like that tongue. I don't like that tongue. I don't like it. So look up the COVID folks. Or if you're looking at us on.

Hannah (50:52)

YouTube, the book called Dirty Heads. It's on limited.

Tina (50:58)

No, and why would I want to.

Hannah (51:00)

Well, I don't know. The COVID is kind of striking.

Tina (51:03)

Here we go. Dirty Heads.

Hannah (51:06)

Okay, Aaron, Dries, give me.

Tina (51:09)

Let me pull this bad boy up.

Hannah (51:12)

That's gross. But interesting, you know what I'm saying?

Tina (51:14)

I don't like that either.

Hannah (51:16)

You don't like it? Okay.

Tina (51:17)

No, I don't like all those teeth.

Hannah (51:20)

Like watching you live react.

Tina (51:22)

I don't like that. You have any other coverage you want me to live react to? No, I don't like this. No.

Hannah (51:28)

We'll save it for another time maybe.

Tina (51:29)

Okay. That's a tale for another time. Anyway, I do have a shelf edition I would love to tell you about it. I would like nothing more, in fact, because I don't like the COVID of it. I don't like the COVID of it at all. And it's the book that I got from Blackwell's, a recommendation from Michaela, and it is is Redemption by Jack Jordan. Number one. I'm mad. No, it doesn't have wings, but it's got pincers, and I don't like those. Oh, I don't like those either. I'm gonna have to cover that because I hate it so much. I also don't like that it came with the sticky thing. I don't know what that is. It's making me mad. But anyway, that's what I do like about it, is he killed her son. Now she's out for revenge. This is a revenge story. And you know I love a revenge story. It's also blurbed by Andrea Mara, who I really like, and I will read the back for you. Aaron has just been released from jail after causing the death of a boy in a hit and run. Now a free man, all he wants to do is to leave his trouble past behind him. Evelyn is consumed by grief and rage and has been counting down the days until this moment. After 11 long years, she is finally able to exact the revenge her late son deserves. Curbs. So she's going to get revenge on the guy that killed her son. Tobias knows what his wife is planning, and as they embark on a breathless pursuit across the Nevada desert, he is determined to do everything he can to save her from herself, even if it means protecting the man who killed their son. So this husband's going to protect this dude? I don't know. This sounds wild. It's also a road trip story, and I'm going on a road trip tomorrow, so I will be bringing this with me. And I can't wait. So this one is Redemption by Jack Jordan.

Hannah (53:11)

I liked your little sing song that you did there. I like it. I love it when you can plan a trip or something like that around, like a theme or a trope or the subject matter of the book you're reading.

Tina (53:25)

Yes, I like a road trip book when I'm going on a road trip. And I've taken quite a few this year.

Hannah (53:31)

Yes, you have. Well, I hope that it keeps you good company. My shelf edition is the Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang.

Tina (53:40)

Finally. We needed an upper. We needed an upper because it's kind of dark.

Hannah (53:45)

It has been dark. This cover kind of reminds me of it has the name Pineapple in the title. About the family story.

Tina (53:53)

Yep, the Pineapple People. No, the Pineapple Hotel.

Hannah (53:59)

Okay, well, while Tina is googling that.

Tina (54:01)

Pineapple Street.

Hannah (54:02)

Yes, Pineapple Street. The COVID is reminiscent of Pineapple Street. I like it. It's very busy, but pretty. So this story is about Joan Liang, and her life is a series of surprising developments. She never thought that she would leave Taiwan for California, and she definitely did not expect her first marriage to implode, especially as quickly and spectacularly as it did. And she definitely did not expect to fall in love with and marry an older, wealthy American and have children with him. Though all of this wrestles with one persistent question. Will she ever truly be satisfied? So as Joan and her children grow older and their circumstances change and evolve, she ends up making a drastic change. And she decides to open a cafe, the Satisfaction Cafe, where people can visit for a bit of conversation to be heard and understood. This is a radical yet pragmatic business, and Joan is hopeful to construct a lasting legacy. And that is all there is to that one. And it is called the Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang. It sounds like it's going to be, like, emotional, but also kind of an upper, you know, like.

Tina (55:22)

Yeah, yeah. So not quite as, you know, bloody as some of the other ones we've had today.

Hannah (55:29)

Yes, not quite as dark. That was definitely. Those were some dark books that we brought. Ready to turn it around?

Tina (55:36)

We might need to turn it around. What's our next topic? Easily distracted by new releases. So we. That's kind of a choose your own adventure type thing.

Hannah (55:44)

It sure is.

Tina (55:45)

But that is it for today. Mama needs to go to sleep.

Hannah (55:50)

Yes, you do. You've got a big day tomorrow.

Tina (55:52)

I know. We thank you for spending a part of your day with us. Links to all the books mentioned can be found in the show notes. And if you enjoyed today's episode, you can help us by following wherever you listen and by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps us get our show out to new listeners and grows our audience. And don't forget, if you would like access to exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.

Hannah (56:16)

If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both @booktoketc on Instagram and YouTube. You can find Tina TBR etc and Hannah @handpickedbooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books.

Tina (56:42)

Someone in our discord. Her new hyper fixation is mahjong I would love to play mahjong. Mahjong?

Hannah (56:49)

Is that a game? That game?

Tina (56:50)

Yeah, the tile game.