Tina (2:28)

But that you didn't have power for four days or. And you still don't have it as of right now, but hopefully you'll be getting this back tomorrow morning, tonight. I don't know.

Hannah (2:38)

I hope so. They said that most people in my area would be getting it back By Sunday night. So tonight end of day, which we're kind of already at end of day and we don't have it back yet.

Tina (2:48)

So.

Hannah (2:49)

But then it said that they're hopeful that everybody would have it back by Monday at some point. So hopefully tomorrow at some point we'll get power back. But we were able to go to my parents house today and all take showers and give the little ones baths.

Tina (3:05)

I love it.

Hannah (3:07)

And do some laundry because we'd had a couple like accidents and, and things like that. And you know, my 4 year old didn't have any underwear left and we had to, we had to, you know, respond really get stuff done.

Tina (3:19)

Creative. Yeah. For real.

Hannah (3:21)

Yeah.

Tina (3:22)

We also had wet weather in Chicagoland. We had the same storm you did. I was actually driving home from it. It was a very emotional week for me because my oldest graduated preschool, I did kindergarten orientation and I'm literally driving home with the girls from kindergarten orientation and I'm like, this guy is the craziest thing I've ever seen. I'm getting all these alerts. They're like, take cover 80 degree wind or 80 mile per hour winds. I'm like oh, here we go. So I'm like rushing to get home. Obviously, thankfully we're fine and our power just flickered and didn't end up going out for any significant amount of time. But the next day we were outside with my neighbors having a few driveway drinks on Friday and all of our phones blow up and it says dust storm warning. We're like, pardon me, what do you mean like dust storm warning? And then we're kind of laughing. I was. And I know Jonathan loves the weather. He's like, no, this is a serious thing. All of a sudden it was like a sunny day. We look up and I'm like, it's getting hazy. Dust came through. We haven't had a dust storm in Chicago since the dust bowl. And so everyone was just so thrown because we get em in, they get em in like Arizona where there's desert. But we were like, where is this coming from? Long story short, it came from the like cornfields basically of central Illinois all the way up through Chicago. And it was the craziest thing. So all of this to say we're really happy to be here together.

Hannah (4:39)

Yes.

Tina (4:39)

Against all odds we made it doing this podcast. But I will tell you about my loving lately and it actually ties in super well with one of my five star reads and I love perfect. So my loving lately is the Fallen Angels podcast. And I'll explain later on why it works well with my read. But this is a podcast, it is investigative journalism. It's 10 episodes and it's based on this journalist whose last name is Pringles book Bad City Peril and Power in the City of Los Angeles. And so what this is about, you're sort of in episode one, you're not really sure where this is going to go, but there is a drug overdose that happens in a very upscale Pasadena hotel. And LA Times investigative reporter Paul Pringle gets wind of this somehow, and unfortunately. Right. A drug overdose seems like a common story. Right. Something you've heard probably many times before. But it turns out the person who called the overdose in was very high profile and he was the dean of the University of Southern California's medical school. And it turned out that. And this is not the spoiler, this is all in the synopsis of this podcast. But it turns out this dean was leading the secret double life. And the. The podcast opens with them invest or interviewing the man that was like, essentially working the front desk that day. And he. He's like, I went up to the room and I looked at this guy and I was like, oh, my God, he looks so sketchy. Like he had no idea that this guy was a dean living this double life. And apparently this man had used it in his to his favor. And Pringle and a couple of his colleagues at the LA Times uncovered this sordid web of lies, drugs, greed. And it was fascinating because you might think, okay, this is a young woman, a guy who's definitely in power. There's drugs, it's an overdose, it's an open and shut case, if you will. No, there are 10 episodes for a reason. And it's about power and greed and how they real. The journalists really face obstacles at every turn from usc, from the cops, and even from their own organization, the LA Times. Because as it turns out, USC has a ton of power in la. And it was just fascinating. And it basically explores how money and privilege can corrupt all systems and destroy people's lives. I would say if you like journalism, if you like investigative podcasts, if you like stories of corruption, if you like higher education, because I work at a university and I loved that behind the scenes of it. If you like people that get corrupted, I mean, honestly, there was a lot to. I don't want to say like, but a lot to unpack and chew on with this one. And you can tell that Pringle is very passionate about the subject matter and not just necessarily getting justice for maybe some of the women that were exploited. But more so, his strength is in his belief in journalism and his refusal to stand down. Even when advised by senior members of their organization to stop the case, they continued to report on it. I will say I enjoyed the first eight episodes more. It kind of takes like a weird. Not weird, it's a tangential turn. The last episode, 10 is a where are they now? And that was enjoyable to figure out where the people are now. I say enjoyable. It was interesting because you find out where everybody landed. But it was also infuriating because maybe justice may or may not have been served in some cases. But I had a good time listen listening to this. If you like true crime but don't want something that's overly graphic. Obviously there are certain things that are pretty graphic with this one, but I would say it was not gratuitous. It was more black and white, just telling the facts. I had a good time listening to it. This was the Fallen Angels podcast. You can get it wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Hannah (8:37)

You always bring the best true crime journalism type podcasts. So I'm excited that you brought this one. I'd never even heard of it. It wasn't on my radar at all. It sounds really interesting.

Tina (8:49)

I think it came out two years ago and the case itself from maybe 10 years ago. So I don't even know how this got on my radar, but it's one of my passions is to find these exact type of podcasts. Like the short couple episodes. Yeah. Because you know, I know a lot of our listeners like to hear about them as well.

Hannah (9:06)

Yeah, that's a good one. Okay. I was telling Tina before we hit record that I was so excited about my loving lately today. Obviously always love all of the loving lately that I bring, but today I was just so excited to talk about my current loving lately. And it's very simple. But it has been changing my reading game on my Kindle and it is literally that you can just put different fonts on your Kindle and previously I hadn't done this even though I knew that you could do this. I'd seen other people mention that they loved getting these different fonts on their Kindle, but it looked very complicated and it looked like it was going to take several steps. And you know, sequencing and doing things in a bunch of different steps is not my forte. But thank thankfully I have a friend in Alyssa from Worlds Within Pages and she was the guinea pig in this situation and she was like, hannah, it takes two minutes. All you have to do is plug your Kindle up into your computer and Download fonts from Dafont.com that's all you have to do. So all you have to do is take your Kindle and plug it into your computer. And when that happens, uh, well, I have a Mac, I guess I don't know how it works for PC, but for a Mac, when I plug it in, the Kindle drive becomes like a folder or like a drive on your computer. And so when you download a font from Dafont.com you just decompress the zip file and just drag and drop into the font folder in your Kindle and that's it. Then that's it. And she actually did a video on how to do it, which I can link because it's explained way simpler than I can explain via audio here. But I will mention some of my favorite fonts that I found. I did use dafont.com and some of the ones that I really like are Apple Garamond Light and then Tariff Arabic. And another great one that is kind of like an old classic type font is I'm fel English. I'm going to link all these in the show notes so that you'll know the spelling, but those were my three favorites. And then I don't know if anyone has heard of these fonts, but it's where the first couple letters are bolded and it helps for people who have like ADHD or are maybe even dyslexic and it helps continue to keep the reader engaged while they're reading. And I will link to where you can download those fonts too, because sometimes if I'm reading at night and having a hard time focusing, the fast sans and fast serif fonts that have those first two letters bolded have been wonderful for focus. So I have been having so much fun playing with these fonts on my Kindle and having different options. It has just made my Kindle reading experience so amazing. And I am excited to report that it is pretty easy to do. So I'll link to that video explaining how to do it and you know, mention my favorite fonts if you're curious to check those out. But my loving lately is putting different fonts on my Kindle.

Tina (12:29)

I love it. And sometimes the most simple loving lately is are the ones that are the most popular and they like hit really well. But at firsthand I literally was like, babe, you just open the Kindle app and then touch on the A and they've got different fonts in there. And I didn't realize you Were talking about your Kindle. Like, you're actually not in the Kindle app. Yes. No. That's really fun. And it's. I'm glad Alyssa made a video for it because truly, when you were like, plug it in. I was like, I'm gone. What? Unzip. I don't know.

Hannah (12:56)

I know.

Tina (12:57)

I was like, I don't know about all of this. This seems pretty intense, but.

Hannah (13:00)

But some people might be audio learners, so couple different options depending on, you know, how you learn how to do things, so.

Tina (13:08)

Oh, that's so fun. Okay, good one. All right, I will tell you about my latest read. It is the Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. And this is such a cutie pie book. First of all, I love the COVID but I want to be clear. I'm going to describe the COVID It is this really sort of. What kind of is this pastel, Hannah, or what would you call this color scheme?

Hannah (13:32)

Yeah, like a rusty pastel or a dusty pastel?

Tina (13:36)

Dusty. Lots of colors on it. And you've got a station wagon.

Hannah (13:41)

Yeah, rusty yellow.

Tina (13:43)

It's very like southwest, very southwestern. Southwest. Southwestern. Southwest. And it's got a man pushing this, pushing the station wagon. There's a cat, there's two kids in the car, and then there's someone laying on top of it. You see all their luggage. You're like, okay, what's going on here? And it looks very cutesy. I want to be clear before I even tell you about this book. This book is not that. That cutesy. I thought from this cover, I'm like, it's gonna be saccharine. But I also know the author, Annie Hartnett, and I know she writes really intelligently and just very. Has these interesting way of storytelling. And so I want to just say, like, it's not as light as you might think based on the COVID This book is quirky, sharp and full of heart. And it's got the right amount of darkness for this reader. So you've got 63 year old million dollar lottery winner, PJ Holiday. And people are thinking, God, he won the lottery. He must be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts. And he would be the luckiest man if it weren't for the tragedies of his life. And you find out very early on that his eldest daughter suddenly died and that sort of was the catalyst to dissolve his marriage. And since then, PJ spends his money and time at the bar and he doesn't have much of either left because he's already had three heart attacks and he's not taking care of himself. But then PJ sort of gets a new lease on life when he. I'm gonna laugh when I say this, and please know it's just this gallows humor. He reads it. He's reading the paper, and he's reading the obituaries, which, by the way, he's reading the newspaper and there's big gaping holes in it because he's still close with his ex wife. And she every morning cuts things out that she thinks will be too upsetting for him because she doesn't want him to have another heart attack, which is just funny and just cute on its own. So he's reading this and he's reading the obituaries, and he finds out that his old romantic rival from high school has died. And his first thought is, oh, my God, my. My high school sweetheart Michelle Cobb is finally single again. And so this is his new lease on life and decides to drive across the country from Massachusetts to somewhere in Arizona to win Michelle back. And before he can really get things off the road, a tragedy strikes their town. And he actually becomes a sudden guardian of his estranged brother's grandchildren, whom he didn't know existed. And they didn't know he existed either. A lot of other people would be like, great road trip off. PJ is nothing if not determined and headstrong. And so he decides, hey, maybe they will benefit from getting out of town. So he takes them with. And he also brings with Sophie, his daughter, who's in her 20s, to babysit. There's one other addition, and he is also on the COVID It's their cat, Pancakes. And Pancakes is a cat that has a point of view because he can predict death. So they. You find out throughout the book that anybody he gets close to ends up dying shortly thereafter. So all of these people hit the road and is this going to be a second chance at love? Are the kids going to be okay with this? Is his daughter going to. Is he going to reconcile with his daughter? Because. Because you find out they have a lot of struggles. And again, I was worried it would be too sweet, but it's definitely not. And I'm not sure I can fully articulate how crazy and yet wonderful this book is. He is for me, PJ is a winning character. I don't think he will be for everybody because he is frustrating. And I could see how if that was your dad, it would be a very frustrating character. I was like. I kind of like him. I don't know. He won me over. And you're basically following them on this road trip. So if you like a road trip novel, you definitely do get a road trip. Listen, when I say they have some really unexpected detours on their way to Arizona, and I like that. I think it was really smart to give these characters more depth and have them experience real things. It's not just this, like, light and fluffy, oh, we had a flat tire. It's like some really intense, off the wall, crazy stuff happen on their way to Arizona. This is dark comedy, it's wacky, it's heartwarming, and it gives you a little bit of hope. I found this to be a bit darker than her previous novel, Unlikely Animals, but in a way that felt honest. I loved Unlikely Animals. That one was an easy five stars. This one is probably 4.5 if I'm being nitpicky. PJ's great. He's deeply, deeply flawed, but underneath it all, a very good person. And he just wants a second chance at family. His daughter sort of was harder for me to come around to for no real reason other than I'm like, just. I. I had my own qualms with her. But again, whenever I'm arguing in my head with characters, I'm like, oh, this is a sign of good writing because I'm fully invested. Baby, I don't agree with what you're doing. I wish you would just do this or that. But I understand your motivation, and that is good writing. This is about broken people. It's about people trying to find their way back to happiness. And I think if you like books that are a little bit absurd but emotional, I think this could work. It's really good. This book is the Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett.

Hannah (19:03)

I know exactly what you mean about a character not necessarily being likable. You don't always agree with their decisions. But if you're sitting there arguing in your head about them, you're like, okay, well, I'm clearly invested in these characters regardless of whether I agree with them or not. So that's always a good feeling in my book when I am reading.

Tina (19:25)

So, yeah, it was a great feeling. And I. You have to have the right kind of humor for this because it is dark. It's much darker. Hannah got power back. We just got power back. Hannah got power back. You feel alive again.

Hannah (19:39)

Yay. Oh, my gosh. You called it. You were like, you're gonna get it.

Tina (19:43)

What if we get power back?

Hannah (19:44)

As we're recording, do you see my sudden glow?

Tina (19:47)

You are glowing.

Hannah (19:48)

It's probably because the lights came on. As always, and speaking of complex characters, my next book is a romance, but definitely had some complex characters. And that is One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune. And this is the new book from Carly Fortune, and it includes a character from her first book, Every Summer After. And this is kind of a controversial character, but I am so happy that we got a romance with him. And it is about Alice and Charlie. Charlie is the character that came from Every Summer after, but we're really following Alice. And she spent one unforgettable summer at Barry's Bay with her grandmother Nan, and captured a photo that changed her life. Now a professional photographer who prefers staying behind the lens, she returns to the lake years later, later to take care of her Nan after she had a fall. And she's hoping to recapture a bit of that old magic that she felt the first time that she visited Barry's Bay. But her plans are upended by the return of Charlie Florek, who was the boy in the yellow speedboat from her photo. And he is now a charming, handsome grown man. And their paths cross again, and Alice finds herself longing for the simplicity of that summer from long ago and fearing what might happen if someone truly sees her in return. It felt so. It felt so good to be back in Barry's Bay. I really, really loved Charlie and Alice both. I loved how their relationship developed. I felt like their romance was truly earned, which is something that I always look for in our love story. It's really important to me. I totally get why some people just want to get, you know, straight into the romance, but I personally love a little bit of a slower burn where it. There's a little bit more like pining and longing. And it takes time for them to get to know each other and for their romance to build. And I definitely felt that here. And I loved that the return to the setting was so nostalgic for me, especially since I read every summer after on a trip to Chicago when it first came out. And then I read this one on Mother's Day when I was in Chicago again, and it was totally unplanned. So it was just a really fun, serendipitous pattern that made this experience even better. Another thing that I really loved about this one was the side characters. They added so much heart this time around, instead of feeling like background noise, I felt like the side characters actually really enhanced Charlie and Alice's relationship, and it made me root for them even more, too. The third act breakup also just made sense. There was a little bit of miscommunication, but given the situation I honestly understood why these characters didn't talk about these things right away. And so I felt like the author understood the miscommunication assignment. And she was like, I know this is an annoying trope, but I'm going to give these characters a really valid reason. And she did. And yeah, I'm just so glad the author took the time to redeem Charlie from the first book. If you know, you know, it was the perfect touch to returning to Barry's Bay. My only real complaint about this one that made me not like it quite as much as her others is that the writing felt noticeably clunkier in this one and, like, it was noticeable. And I'm not even super particular about writing, especially in romance, but this one felt like it just needed a little bit of an extra hand in the final editing round. But that's, again, being super nitpicky. Overall, I loved it, and I have a feeling this is going to be one of the romances of the summer. And that is one golden Summer by Carly Fortune.

Tina (23:50)

I'm so glad you brought this. I have never read this author. It's. It's not my cup, not my cup of tea, but it's not my genre. And I remember I brought the book to new release Tuesday on my Instagram and I was like, like, I don't know what this book is about. Like, I. I just gathered that they were returning somewhere. And because I had like, no, no context, I was like, I don't know if this is good. I don't know what's going to happen, but this makes a lot of sense, sort of given the setup that you gave, because that Charlie is from the previous novel, but more of a side character there. And this is their story now. Got it. Okay.

Hannah (24:23)

That's right.

Tina (24:24)

I was like reading. I was like, I. I don't know what's going to happen. It doesn't sound like much, but I'm glad to hear that this has your endorsement.

Hannah (24:30)

Yes, it definitely does.

Tina (24:32)

Yay. All right, well, I'm glad to hear that We, I think, are going to have. And we don't know, I don't know what books you're bringing for your five stars from our spreadsheet, but we wanted to talk a little bit about five star ratings in general, the spreadsheet itself and that sort of thing. And I'm curious, do you consider yourself a generous five star giver or more of us dingy five star givers?

Hannah (24:57)

I would say, if I had to pick, I would say I'm on the stingier side. But I. I have definitely met pickier readers, for sure. I would say I'm definitely kind of in the middle. I read, you know, around a hundred books a year, and I would say I probably give a quarter of them, maybe a little bit less, but, you know, like around 15 to 25% of them. Five stars. I guess it's kind of a wide gap. But yeah, I don't know, like, maybe a quarter of my reading, which I feel like isn't super stingy. But, you know, I'm not. I'm not giving them out left and right.

Tina (25:32)

Yeah.

Hannah (25:32)

How about you?

Tina (25:33)

No, I'm exactly the same. I just did a quick back of the envelope math And I've read 56 books this year so far. I had 13 rated five stars. It's so many. And 23% are five stars. And I'm sort of the same way. I do find that. And I understand that everybody has their different rating systems, but I wanted to like calibrate ours before we dove into like, what makes a five star reading read. And I know for some that five star is you'll give two a year, maybe you'll give one a year, you know, and that's their gold standard. It's a lifetime book, which I do appreciate. Me, I would call that like a five plus star reading experience. And I don't have those very often. And I like to reserve that because I do still think a lot of books are five star worthy without being like a lifetime book. You know what I'm saying?

Hannah (26:19)

Yep. I'm the same way.

Tina (26:21)

I rate on feeling, I rate on vibes, I rate on memorability, I rate on writing. But I'm also not holding these to. Not that I'm not holding them to a high standard, but like, I'm trying not to think too hard about it. You know what I'm saying? It's one of those things. You know it, when you see it, you're like, yeah, this is a five star read. And I don't have to like question myself. Which is why for the Road to Tender Hearts, I wasn't like obvious five star unlikely animals, obvious five star. This one a little bit less than that. So I'm going four and a half.

Hannah (26:50)

So I'm gonna lower the rating a little bit.

Tina (26:52)

Still loved it. I also maintain that this is gonna sound crazy. I also maintain that a 5 star on Goodreads is different than a 5 star in my notebook or on Storygraph or somewhere else.

Hannah (27:07)

Oh, I agree.

Tina (27:07)

You agree?

Hannah (27:09)

Yeah, because I feel like I'm going to be a little bit more generous on Goodreads. I mean, unless I'm feeling really spicy about a situation. But that's very rare and has like almost never happened. But in general, I'm going to be more generous on Goodreads because if I give it a 3.5 on story graph and I have to go over to Goodreads, I'm going to go ahead and probably give it a 4 just because. Unless. Unless I felt like it was more of a three. I don't know, I. But I. I tend to more often than not err on the side of generosity for Goodreads.

Tina (27:44)

For me I do too. And I sort of for Goodreads, think of it as my public diary. My public. I'm recommending. So a 5 star read for me on Goodreads means highly recommend.

Hannah (27:56)

Oh, that's a good idea.

Tina (27:57)

Four star. I recommend. It was good. Three star, it was fine. It's a book. Two star, I don't recommend. And that's pretty much it. I have not given one stars to very many, although I did get curious and I looked and there are some that I rated one star. My friend Angela recently was like, you really hated We Were Liars. You gave it one star. I'm like, I guess I did. And that was before I was public reviewing books. But that's sort of how I do things. So all of this to say I'm sort of glad.

Hannah (28:24)

I really like that.

Tina (28:25)

Yeah, feel free to borrow it because I don't know, it makes sense in my head. But I'm glad we're sort of on the same page with this because I think for me, one of us suggested this episode because what we have is this spreadsheet sheet that I put together. So each month we, or I should say each week our patrons get a newsletter from us. And like in some of our social places, like our Discord and our Facebook, a lot of folks share their monthly wrap ups. And so what I've done is now for the first newsletter of the month, I take those wrap ups and I look at all the five star books. I put those five star books on our spreadsheet. And then I feel like it's helpful for our patrons and for us to say, okay, one, it's helpful to us because I'm like, what are our patrons liking? What types of books are they gravitating toward? And not that I tailor my reading toward that, but I think it's good data to have. And then I also think it's interesting for the listeners. I think it's interesting for the patrons too, if they're like, hey, I want a five star read. Like, let me see what the other folks have thought. I know you took a look and sort of did a deeper dive on the spreadsheet. Did you notice any themes from the books that we have on there?

Hannah (29:33)

Yes, I definitely did. So the main theme that I noticed on a very high level, bigger picture observation based on all the books that our patrons gave five stars to, is that they really love emotionally resonant stories. So whether that is romance or a family saga or literary fiction, emotionally compelling books and plots were very, very apparent on this list. I would also say we have a lot of literary fiction readers in general, but I think that something that stands out is a lot of the literary fiction from our patrons is like really accessible literary fiction, which I think is so great. And it's such a small category that's almost based on vibes.

Tina (30:21)

Right, because what is accessible?

Hannah (30:23)

Because what is accessible?

Tina (30:25)

Right, but I know exactly what you mean when you say that it's not books that are necessarily going to be recognized from the Booker Prize. Or maybe they are. There's definitely some on here, but it's like, like more accessible, I think is a good word for it.

Hannah (30:42)

Yeah, I think they're books that really balance sometimes lyrical and beautiful writing with accessible storytelling that are going to be maybe generally appreciated by a wider audience. For example, family stories or, you know, stories that have maybe a little bit more of a plot than some very meandering literary fiction novels. But that brings me to the next thing that I noticed is that our patrons seem to be more character driven. So I really saw a wide swath of genres. We've got fantasy readers. There was some sci fi, we had a lot of middle grade on there, which I thought was really interesting. More romance than I was anticipating. You know, so a wide variety of fiction, genre fiction, some essays, but a lot of them, I'd say most of them were what I would consider character driven narratives. Stories that have really well developed, relatable or unique protagonists. So those are the three things that I feel like were very strong patterns in all of the books across genres and authors.

Tina (31:52)

No, I think you're absolutely right. And I had that feeling. I just don't know that I looked at it that closely. And I think what I want to add to this spreadsheet right now, I have title author, number of months mentioned because I think that's sort of fun. Like which is the top, top one that gets mentioned often as people rating it 5 stars. I also want to add genre because I think that's interesting information that will be helpful for folks to use. So, like, if they're like, I really want to read a historical fiction. Okay, what's on the five star list? Right. And it's not to say, yes, we're going to guarantee you will also rate it 5 stars. But like, I don't know, like my. You figure if you listen to our podcast, if you're a patron of ours, you like the books that we are bringing. So it may be that you'll have like a higher chance of agreeing with some of these ratings. I want to mention the ones that are mentioned now. I should say I've been, we've been doing newsletters since we had our Patreon, but I've only started this spreadsheet. I went back one year, so it's, it's a little bit more recent, so keep that in mind. But the books, there's only three books that have been rated five stars three or more times, and that is.

Hannah (32:58)

The.

Tina (32:58)

Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, which I know you brought to the show.

Hannah (33:03)

Yep, I love that one too.

Tina (33:05)

I want to read it. I own it, but I'm going to read it someday. Next is Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. And I also love that, gave it five stars. And then the third one is the Wedding People by Alison S. Pack. I'm not at all surprised by those last two. I think they had their moment for last year, some of the more popular books. But I'm excited to continue this and, you know, see sort of the, the trends that emerge. So if you are listening, you want access to this and if you're not already a patron, we will link to our Patreon in our show notes and you can get this spreadsheet. It comes with all of our other fun bonus content. But this is something that we created that's relatively newer.

Hannah (33:45)

Yeah. And I think that, I think that those three titles actually perfectly kind of describe those things that I mentioned. Character driven, emotionally resonant and accessible. While Lion Women of Tehran is a historical fiction, I would say Margot's Got Money Troubles and the Wedding People are maybe not literary fiction, maybe more contemporary, but still like they kind of toe that line between contemporary and literary fiction and are just very accessible, universally wonderful books. And I just think fully depict kind of our patrons reading taste really well.

Tina (34:20)

Oh, I'm so excited. So tell me more about how you picked the books that you read for this episode.

Hannah (34:25)

I really tried to look through and see if there were books that had been on my TBR for a while already. And that ended up being how I picked my books. One of them I'm so excited to be bringing because it's literally been on my TBR for ages, but it's in a genre wheelhouse that I don't read from much. And so it's like, yeah, it's been on my TBR for a while, but it's enough out of my comfort zone that you don't, am I going to love it?

Tina (34:53)

Reach for it right away.

Hannah (34:54)

And then this was kind of my push. And then another one is from an author that I've read a ton from. And this was one of the books that I hadn't read yet. And so I went ahead and used this as an opportunity to read more from this author's backlist. Yeah, how about you?

Tina (35:09)

So I am doing my self imposed challenge. May I pick these out in advance? And I was like, I'm not deviating from it. I am not dnfing, like, this is it, this is it. You better pick well. And one of them I knew I would love, so it was an easy grab. And then the other one I only grabbed because I knew I had a print copy of it. And unfortunately I did DNF that and I had to call an audible, basically change it around a little bit. But the book that I DNF'd, I'll just tell you, it's called Breathing Lessons by Ann Tyler. This is an author I've never read. I wanted to try her and I had a bunch of her titles sent to me. She had a new one come out not too long ago and I thought, oh my gosh, this author's note they sent with it was gorgeous. I'm like, she's probably a great writer. This was my bad because I did not realize that this was a couple on a road trip who were going to bicker for the entire novel. And I'm sure it came around. I also didn't realize this was published along. It was published, I think, in the 90s. And so some of the topics that were being discussed were so dated and making me just in my mind like, I don't want to be here. And then happily, I asked on Threads, I'm like, for those of you that stick to a strict TBR for the month, do you DNF or what do you do you. And one somebody kindly wrote back and was like, idnf, I don't treat this like a syllabus. And I was like, I love you for that.

Hannah (36:29)

Oh, I love that, because that's perfect.

Tina (36:30)

Because in my head, I'm like, I'm gonna have to finish it, because I want to react. I wanted this and that. And I'm like, I think a DNF is a reaction. I think that dnf. I'm very set. And this is not a sample and not right now. I'm like, no, I'm good. Like, I don't want to read this. And so I called a quick audible, and luckily, our patrons came through. And I'll explain when I share my title.

Hannah (36:50)

I love that description of it's not a syllabus and so relatable to you because you literally are a teacher, a professor.

Tina (36:59)

I literally knew exactly. I was like, no, you're right. You don't have to do all the assigned readings, because guess what? This is not your class, babe. So I will.

Hannah (37:09)

Oh, you.

Tina (37:09)

Okay, I'm having stretch. I have a tailbone issue. It's. It's very. It's no good.

Hannah (37:14)

But from gallbladders to tailbones. I tell you what, aging is fun.

Tina (37:18)

Aging is great. But you. What is really great is my. The book that I ended up finding for this and that is Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zang by Kylie Lee Baker. So what I did, I was sort of panicking. I'm like, well, I have this set. Tbr. I'm like, let me just do this. So in my disc, in our discord, I took a photo of my stack, and I said, hey, has anybody read any of these? And did you rate it 5 stars so that I could still fit the episode? And one of our patrons, Genevieve, was like, yes, Bat Eaters, five stars. I'm like, soul, let's do it. Okay.

Hannah (37:51)

Genevieve has such great taste.

Tina (37:52)

Genevieve has such great taste. And I was like, fantastic. I already knew, like, if you gave it five stars, like, I know the type of reader you are, I stand a chance at really enjoying it. This one is a new book, so it's not as. It actually hasn't made it to the spreadsheet yet, but I imagine it will this month. But this one came out, I think, in April, maybe May, and has a 4.22 average with almost 5,000 ratings, which is pretty good for a new book. And it is about Cor Cora Zhang, as you might guess from the title. And she is a crime scene cleaner. But the bloody messes don't bother her, not when she's already witnessed the most horrific thing ever. Her sister being pushed in front of a train. But the killer was never caught. And Cora is still haunted by this list. These days, nobody can reach her. Not her aunt, who is trying to get her to prepare for what's called the Hungry Ghost Festival. Not her colleagues, and especially not the slack jawed shadow lurking in her door frame. Because he can't be real, can it? As you're getting this very insular story about Cora trying to deal with the grief from losing her sister, trying to deal with the trauma of being a crime scene cleaner and seeing ghosts, you are also getting this bigger picture because this takes place at the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic. And you're getting a series of unexplained killings, specifically in Chinatown. And Cora starts to believe. Cora and her friends start to believe that someone is targeting East Asian women and they're actually leaving bats at the scene of the crime. And then she starts to feel like, I think I am on their list of targets. And soon she will learn you can't just ignore hungry ghosts. This book is so innovative. It's so creative. I remember I first heard about this book. I requested it on NetGalley because I loved the COVID frankly. And I was like, what is this about? And then Genevieve said, tina, you need to read the first chapter of this because you're gonna wanna like, continue. And she was absolutely correct. Cause it's wild. That's when she's with her sister and that thing happens to her. And then she also, the author also just does such a really good job combining horror and this character driven sort of contemporary fiction story. I immediately felt for Korra because you know, and can see what she's dealing with with. You also immediately fall in love with her co workers who are her fellow crime scene cleaners, because I get, I think they're both East Asian as well. And they are also dealing with the trauma of doing this horrible job. And in the beginning of the book, Cora is very insular, very isolated. She's living alone thanks to her aunt, sort of helping fund her apartment. But you see her, the friends sort of start to bring Cora out of her shell. And I love that Cora is anxious, she's raw, she's very, very human.

Hannah (40:48)

Him.

Tina (40:49)

But also, this book is visceral. This book is visceral. The writing is so good. You are on the crime scene with Cora and her friends. You are also recognizing very quickly that these are not random killings. These are not just run of the mill things. They are being targeted specifically for their race, specifically because of the time and Place it was during the world. Right. And. And Korra is this very flawed, vulnerable character that I was so invested in. She's working through grief, she's working through loneliness. And I think the author did such a fantastic job of capturing that anti Asian hate that people went through or perhaps are still going through. This book is raw, it's clear, it's painful, but it at the same time didn't feel heavy handed. What absolutely shined for me in this novel is that it is a scary ass horror novel. This book is a scary horror novel. I was like laughing to myself because I like being scared in fiction and some of these elements that the author included were just like, I'm getting chills thinking about them. It's creepy. It's getting to be dark here and I'm like, I don't know if I'm comfortable being alone in my basement. It just worked for me. It's bizarre and surrealist but also very grounded and I don't know. Listen, I could tell you I could keep going on and on about this book. Book. It also made me cry. Like what horror. If horror can make me cry, chances are it's going to be a five star book. And I honestly loved this. I feel like I could keep going on, but I think I'll leave it there. Check Trigger warnings as always, you know, specifically for horror novels. But bravo. I thought this book was fantastic and I'm excited that I also rated it 5 stars. Highly recommend this book. I loved it and I'm sort of missing Cora and her friends. And this book was Bat Eater and Other Names for Kora Zang by Kylie Lee Baker.

Hannah (42:53)

I'm excited that you brought this because it was already on your radar. I think you brought it as a book on the radar.

Tina (42:59)

I think you're right as well. I think you're right.

Hannah (43:02)

And I remember when you talked about it, I was like, this sounds like a really unique, intriguing, just like really interesting book. And it sounds like it was. And I'm so glad that you looked at it.

Tina (43:12)

All of those things. Yeah. So if you read it or if anybody reads it and wants to talk about it, come my way.

Hannah (43:19)

You know who to hit up.

Tina (43:21)

That's right.

Hannah (43:22)

Okay. I am happy to say that this is another incredible book that I am bringing and that is Long Way down by Jason Reynolds.

Tina (43:30)

Oh, yes.

Hannah (43:30)

Have you read this, Tina?

Tina (43:32)

No, I can't remember. I think I did actually. Now that I said that, yes I did. Did.

Hannah (43:38)

It's a little bit older, so it was written in 2019, but it is still considered a bestseller. This is a young adult novel written in verse. And that was the out of my comfort zone element that I was a little bit like, okay, is this. I know this is a really good book. Is it going to be for me? We follow 15 year old will, whose brother has been murdered. And now Will is set on revenge.

Tina (44:04)

Revenge.

Hannah (44:05)

He has a weapon tucked into his waistband. Just like the rules say, no crying, no snitching, just get revenge. But as he rides the elevator down from his apartment at each floor, a new ghost from his past boards the elevator. And each one reveals something more about the truth behind his brother's death. And he only has 60 seconds all the way down. So we have the that time construct as well, which I just think is so interesting when authors make that choice. This is a powerful book written in verse. It explores grief, violence and the impossible weight of choice all in the span of 60 seconds. This was such a beautiful book. It's very short. It's a book written in verse. So although this is incredible, a part of me is like, well, what, what to even say without giving all of this away again. I'd heard amazing things about it from so many people and now I see why. I'm so glad that when I saw it in our patrons five star list that I finally gave it a shot. I will say I definitely recommend reading this one in print. I listened to the audiobook while I was reading the print copy, which was really powerful. But the print version has unique formatting that really enhances the emotional impact. Jason Reynolds tells a story about the cycle of violence all structured within this 60 seconds on an elevator ride. And it hits really hard and I felt like it hit harder reading it in print. He uses words very sparingly here, but he has so much to say. The imagery was just incredible. Sometimes just two words carry a whole world of meaning. There is so much packed into this novel and although it's written for a young adult audience, I felt like it really resonates across all ages. I know I was really emotionally impacted by it and there are also some illustrations that add to it as well. It's a hard book to describe, but just pick it up if you haven't already. And that is Long Way down by Jason Reynolds.

Tina (46:25)

Yes, I remember I did read this book and I just looked it up on Goodreads to see and I sort of think you get. If you are wondering about the book in verse, you get the feel for it even based on the synopsis because it sort of listed out and that is what you're getting. It's also was a nominee for reader's favorite poetry in 2017, which I think makes sense. I love this book. It's incredible. And Jason Reynolds is one of those authors that I'm like, I'm so glad you exist.

Hannah (46:53)

Thank you.

Tina (46:54)

For you, I want to read everything. I know he has a track book, like a track series. And I'm like, okay, I need to read that because my husband and I both ran track. And anyway, I'm glad you brought that one.

Hannah (47:05)

Yeah. And I'm so glad that he exists for teens too.

Tina (47:09)

Yes, exactly.

Hannah (47:09)

And I've just found a quote that I had written down while you were talking from this book that's a great example of really sparse writing that just really packs a punch. And at one point he said, says the rules weren't meant to be broken. They were meant for the broken to follow. And just lines like that that are just so good.

Tina (47:31)

They're bars. They are. It's poetry. It's poetry.

Hannah (47:34)

Poetry.

Tina (47:34)

Like they so good. Oh like they shelved it as it's.

Hannah (47:37)

Actually fresh stars for me too.

Tina (47:39)

Love it. It's actually so funny that you picked a book that had been on your TBR for ages, but it was just for one reason or another, not something that rose to the top. Because that is true for me for my second book. It is Know My Name by Chanel Miller. We talked earlier about five plus star books. We talked about Lifetime books. This is on the list. This is on the list. I feel sort of very, very late to the party, but I wanted to bring it because one, I read it specifically for the show and thanks patrons for rating it 5 stars. But also if you are somebody who hasn't read it yet, I wanted to bring it to hopefully get you to bring it to the top of the your list. Chanel Miller was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford's campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on Buzzfeed where it instantly went viral. Viewed by 11 million people in four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress. And ultimately it ended up inspiring changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the of case case. Thousands wrote in to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time. And that is what this is about. What makes this so incredible and mind boggling is that I didn't realize that this memoir was the first time that she came public with her name. Obviously it's called Know My Name. That was a line from her letter. But I didn't realize the first time this came out, that's when people found out who she was. And in this memoir, she is reclaiming her identity to tell her story of trauma from her own words, to tell her story of what this did to her. And I don't think I can adequately express how powerful this is. And I think this book has absolutely transformed the way that we as a collective think about sexual assault. It has changed our beliefs about what is acceptable. It hopefully empowers people to speak up and also gives them a very real, accurate depiction about what could happen and what likely will happen. This book is very raw. And what I thought was so fascinating was because was that she, right from the gate, is telling the story about the night she went out. She ended up going out with her sister who was still an undergrad. She had graduated, Chanel had. And they went to a frat party. And she's just very much giving you the raw details of what happened that night. And then you think, okay, well what's the rest of the book about? The rest of the book is about how long it frickin took for them to get any semblance of justice. And I'm using that very heavily with air quotes. I. I'm so curious. And I read this and had to know, know how she's doing. So I googled her and was happy to see that she is doing advocacy work as it pertains to sexual violence and is doing talks and is doing other things. She's writing, I think, a middle grade novel based on this. And I was so happy to see that. I also googled Brock Turner and was not at all surprised to find that I couldn't find very much about him. Him. Thank you, honey. I didn't dig that deep because honestly, it's not about him, right? It is, but I was like, I, I'm choosing to focus on Chanel in this moment, but it also really was a freaking reminder that if you have enough money or your family has enough money or power or if you look a certain way, that privilege exists. And it's easy to get things scrubbed or buried. Like he doesn't have a Wikipedia page, which I think is very interesting. This book will stand as a modern classic, there's no question about that. I don't think I have anything to add to what's already been said about this Memoir. It is difficult to read. Definitely just know yourself going into this. You, you can hear what the content matter is about. And I just think she brought so much humanity to this, this experience. God, it is, it's very powerful. This book is so well written. I think that's part of what made it not stand out. And I hate to think like, oh, if it hadn't been this well written, it wouldn't have been received in the same way. But she is just so eloquent and so able to tell her story in a way that shakes you. And I'm applauding her for the courage it must have taken to tell this story, to attach her name to it. And it is deeply, deeply inspiring. I did the audio. I loved it. And it's a book that I want to go back to and read in the physical so that I can annotate highlight. But I have a feeling I will be highlighting every page. Five stars. Obviously this is a lifetime book that everybody should read at some point or another. It's Know My Name by Chanel Miller also. It has 237,000 reviews and a 4.69 rating on Goodreads. So that should tell you that has got to be up there with the most. One of the most highly rated books.

Hannah (53:01)

So yeah, wow. We have some amazing book talkers because what good books. And I'm so glad that we've brought so many that have resonated with us as well and that we can pick out what we think are going to be five star reads for us as well. It's just great that we both have had a good reading experience overall.

Tina (53:26)

I know this was my, I actually put this in my book. 12 books I want to read this year because I want to try and read one nonfiction a month. And this is one of the ones I grabbed. I got this from a little free library. Can you imagine? I was so excited to grab it, but I finally, finally picked it up.

Hannah (53:43)

That's also one that has been on my TBR as well for ages. And I will pick it up one day. I know I will. I was able to hear her speak last year. She came to my city and I was actually able to help with the event and through my institution. And it was a really powerful experience getting to hear her speak and advocate.

Tina (54:08)

Oh, I'm sure.

Hannah (54:09)

So yeah, I can't wait to read her book at some point someday. My next book is one that I've read a lot from this author and this was just one book that I hadn't read yet and Then. And I'm very happy that I went ahead and knocked this one out. That is Things you save in a fire by Katherine Senter. Yes, this is a book about Cassie Hanwell, who was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse. She has seen her fair share of them and she is really great at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it is an emergency that Kathy has never anticipated. The tough old school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. There is a lot of hazing that she experiences. There's a lack of funding, the facilities are not great, and the firemen that she is working with are not exactly thrilled to have a lady on their crew, especially one that is as competent and smart as Cassie. She is definitely competition for them, but there is the handsome rookie who does not seem to mind having Cassie around. But she, for the first part of the novel is not thinking about that because she is not thinking about love. She is not ready for that. And because of the advice that her old captain gave her, don't ever date firefighters. So we have a forbidden romance here, which is definitely a trope that I can get on board with with. I felt like this was in very Catherine center fashion, a heartfelt and affecting emotional novel about life and love. And she does a good job in her books to definitely tie in life things with her romance, but I think that she does a really good job with that. Her books feel hallmarky but with depth. So yes, like totally feels like a Hallmark movie or show, but they're definitely deeper than that. And I appreciate that with her books as usual in this one, she does well to capture the readers with her quirky characters as well. And they venture to discover their true selves and find love. And you get to follow them on their journey to doing that. I thought that Cassie was a really great and relatable protagonist. She was so wholeheartedly good and just such a breath of fresh air and such a good firefighter. And she really fought for the goodness in others and expected a lot from herself. And she also expected a lot from everyone else, if you're familiar with the Enneagram. She felt like a total Enneagram, one to the max. And I, I have such a soft spot in my heart for characters like that. The love story felt really rushed in this one and that is my biggest complaint. The romantic dialogue seemed a little bit Juvenile, immature. There was this mystery element that didn't feel that mysterious, but it kind of felt like it was trying to be plugged in there. So. So that was something that kind of took away from the story for me. Overall, though, I would say I liked this one. I didn't absolutely love it. There are definitely books of hers that I have enjoyed more. But am I glad that I read it? And do I want to be a Katherine center completist? Yes, I am glad that I read it and I will continue to read her books. And that is Things yous Save in a Fire by Katherine Center.

Tina (58:01)

My. One of my dear, dear friends is a female firefighter. And immediately I was like, kelly, you need to read that. This. Please read this. I want you to read this.

Hannah (58:09)

I bet that would add an element to it.

Tina (58:11)

Yes.

Hannah (58:12)

Yeah, it would make it a good experience.

Tina (58:13)

I was. I don't. I never followed up. So I'm wondering like how realistic it is. But I read this in 2023. I gave it four stars that it's the perfect summer read. Sweet but not too saccharine, funny with depth. And I liked the totally badass protagonist. So I think I'm like in line. I didn't. It wasn't like a five star all time favorite, but still very enjoyable and definitely worth your read. Read.

Hannah (58:32)

Yeah. Wow. You recapped that perfectly. I mean, you gave like the one sentence review. That's perfect.

Tina (58:37)

Thank you to 2023 me, who apparently was still writing words on Goodreads.

Hannah (58:42)

There you go.

Tina (58:43)

Because I no longer do that. My shelf edition, hot off the bus. Just received. It is the Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocombe. If you're not familiar, Brendan Slocombe is the author of the Violin Conspiracy. This title is freaking me out. I don't know if they printed it wrong or if it's supposed to look like this. This, but it looks like it's like super blurry and there's like dirt on it. Like, what is happening? Anyway, it's very possible that one of my children got to it first. But this one is interesting. It is about a family that goes into the Witness Protection program, which I'm like. That is kind of a buzzword for me because I'm very curious. Curtis Wilson is the main character and help me, Hannah. I feel like such a ding dong, but you know music better than mean. C, E, L, L, O. Is that a cello?

Hannah (59:31)

Yes.

Tina (59:31)

Okay. Cello. Not cello. It's a cello.

Hannah (59:34)

It's a cello. It's basically like a really big violin. It has a little Bit of a deeper, richer sound.

Tina (59:40)

Perfect. I was probably. I. Now I imagine it's probably this here on the COVID Yeah, that's what we're looking at. But it's turned to the side because I just looked at this and saw, ooh, a robber mask. So, yeah, which I think it's. That was the purpose. Right. And.

Hannah (59:54)

Looks like both.

Tina (59:55)

Looks like both. You probably know him from the Violin Conspiracy. I read and loved that. This is about a young black musical virtuoso at the peak of his career who is forced into hiding when his family runs afoul of a ruthless international cartel and he uses his music to fight back. I have no idea how he's going to do that, but I suppose I need to read. But it's about Curtis Wilson who is this musical prodigy. He's played the cello since the age of five and he is that rare performer who didn't come from a upbringing that should allowed him to pursue this career. And yet he was so talented. He ended up soloing with the New York Philharmonic. His father was a mid level drug dealer and his father's girlfriend is a loving mother figure to Curtis and she's the heart of their family. But then his father runs a foul of the kingpin who has provided his livelihood and nurtured his son's love for music. So the family is now in danger. They have no choice but to run and they enter the witness protection program and abandon their former lives, including Curtis's musical career. And law enforcement doesn't seem to be doing a good job of keeping them safe. So it sounds like the three of them realize that their only chance of returning to the way things were is to take on the cartel themselves their own way. So I guess they're gonna like music.

Hannah (61:13)

I see.

Tina (61:14)

Unclear, but.

Hannah (61:15)

Well, we know how that worked out in Ozark, so I don't.

Tina (61:18)

But I imagine if you saw the.

Hannah (61:19)

Show, you saw the show, you know, you know.

Tina (61:22)

No. Anyway, I still think this is interesting and this one is out now. It is the Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocum.

Hannah (61:28)

That is definitely one I'm so excited about as well. I also read the Violin Conspiracy and really enjoyed it and I'm not even a mystery reader, so to have an author that I know that I have liked and have a good track record with is always a good sign for me. So I'm excited about that one as well. My shelf edition is one that doesn't come out until November, but I just got it on my Kindle from NetGalley and that is cursed Daughters by Oyinkin Braithwaite.

Tina (61:57)

Oh, oh, I can't wait for this one. I'm so excited.

Hannah (62:02)

So in this one it sounds really interesting. We follow a girl who is born on the same day that her cousin is buried. And the striking resemblance between them sparks a family belief that she is the reincarnation of the dead woman and she is doomed to repeat her tragedy. Tragic fate. Adding to this legacy is a long standing curse passed down through the generations. No man will call your house his home. This is a prophecy that has left a trail of heartbreak and abandonment in this family. So when she ends up falling for someone she saves from drowning, the weight of the family history becomes impossible to ignore. She is desperate to avoid the same fate and she turns to the spiritual underworld of Lagos in search for answers. Blending superstition, humor and sharp insight, this is a story about breaking generational cycles, reclaiming identity, and learning how to live. This one sounds so good and I am so excited to read it. Come November or sooner, we'll see. I'm not great about reading galleys ahead of time, but there's always a first time, you know. So regardless, I'm super excited. And that is Cursed Daughters by Oyinkin Braithwhite.

Tina (63:21)

Yes. And I made such a fuss about this. She is the author of My Sister the Serial Killer.

Hannah (63:26)

Yes.

Tina (63:26)

And if memory serves, this is her the novel right after that. I don't think she's had anything since then.

Hannah (63:31)

Yes, which I just love to see that authors coming out with books at their own pace, having an idea for a story and waiting until they are ready to tell it to do so. So hopefully this one is just as good as her debut, which was fabulous.

Tina (63:46)

I'm excited for that one. All right gang. Well that against all odds, that is it for today and 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 up out to new listeners and grows our audience. And don't forget, if you'd like access to exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.

Hannah (64:15)

If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both at BookTok Etc. On Instagram and BookTok Etc on YouTube. You can also follow Tina at TBR Etc and Hannah at HandpickedBooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. Can you believe we did that?

Tina (64:44)

No, I truly can't believe it.

Hannah (64:46)

We got power against during the episode.

Tina (64:49)

Yay. Go enjoy your power.