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- [00:01]
A
Also, Hannah, how could you not alert us to the fact that the COVID of Moonflow is absolutely insane? Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
- [00:26]
B
And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.
- [00:28]
A
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood who are easily distracted by new releases. And today we are sharing our September books on the radar.
- [00:38]
B
If you enjoy listening, we'd love for you to follow us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And if you have a quick minute, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other developers.
- [00:52]
A
Hey, Hannah.
- [00:53]
B
Hey, Tina. How are you?
- [00:54]
A
Oh, I'm good. It's Friday. I'm buzzing. I feel like I just mainlined caffeine and I haven't. I don't know what they put in these things. Have you ever drank these?
- [01:03]
B
No.
- [01:03]
A
I don't know. Sparkling water. It's Aldi's brand of sparkling water. It's big and it's not okay. I hate. What's that called? Lacroix. Don't like it. Hate. Feels like somebody thought of a fruit and then like burped and put it in the water and like, you know what I mean? It feels like somebody's thinking about fruit in the other room. You don't get real taste on those. This tastes like strawberries and I love it.
- [01:27]
B
I love how you just described Lacroix and as someone who enjoys Lacroix, I also think that you're accurate.
- [01:32]
A
You know what I'm saying? It's like someone had the. Okay, picture what you think a strawberry looks like. Now burp into this cup. That's what the taste is.
- [01:40]
B
I mean, honestly, I can't untaste that now, so it's spot on. You did well with that.
- [01:47]
A
I know. Somebody contact Aldi and tell them to have Pure Aqua sponsor me because this stuff is delicious.
- [01:53]
B
But anyway, to know I just ordered some groceries from Aldi today and I missed opportunity.
- [01:59]
A
Next time. Next time. Yes. Typically I put it in a glass or something instead of like a monster and just drinking out of this leader. But desperate times, babe. But I am excited to talk.
- [02:11]
B
I'm excited to talk too. There are a lot of great books coming out in September. I am excited to share them.
- [02:19]
A
Yes. And fun fact, we. Before we started, I was seeing Hannah sort of shuffle through the books. I said, show me that one again. Show me that last one. We had overlap and we actually had two that are overlapping so we'll point that out later on in the show. But I thought that was funny because typically we don't have a ton of overlap. It's just random that we had some this month.
- [02:37]
B
Yeah. And I. I do wonder if it's because we get some of the same bookmail. We're on the same list. I specifically decided to choose books this time that I had received copies of.
- [02:50]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [02:51]
B
Because I really want to work on reading through my books on the radar. And I've lately been trying to prioritize books that I have on my shelves. And so I thought this might be a good way to do that.
- [03:04]
A
That is really smart. And I also have been trying to do the same. I am falling back in love with print reading. I couldn't be happier. I'm so excited. Hold on. I'm so excited. And I'm still doing the thing that I was talking about last time. And I might do a video on this. Cause one person was like, show me your. Show us your process. I'm like, say less. But I'm holding a different book right now, and I'm showing Hannah the top, the front page, all my little notes. It just brings me such joy. I feel like I finally found an annotation system that works for me. But to your point, I, too, am prioritizing books that I own. And. Wow. Does it feel good? It feels so nice.
- [03:43]
B
Yeah. Whenever I read a book in print, I'm like, why do I not do this more?
- [03:47]
A
I know it's because we know why.
- [03:49]
B
We know why. But it is such a luxurious experience.
- [03:53]
A
It is. You know what I've been doing? Actually, I'll just tell you now. I will listen to it. And I sort of. When you're listening to books and doing other things, there's kids, you're cooking, whatever. I have sort of given myself the permission to, you know, you want to listen to a book, it's okay if you miss some of the finer points. Because what I've been doing then is going back into the print copy and sort of not rereading it all, but going back through and highlighting the parts that I missed. And then I was writing little summaries at the end of the chapter so that I could remember, and it's just been so fun. So that has been my little strategy. Yes. It takes me longer to get through a book, but I don't really care. It's just been nice to, like, have it on audio and then go back to the print and sort of read through some of the things and See what I missed or see. Oh, wow. The audiobook narrator really delivered this well, because when I was reading it, I read it differently. You know, it's like, really?
- [04:44]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [04:45]
A
It's like a tandem experience, but, like, not at the same time. You know what I mean?
- [04:48]
B
Yeah. I've done that before, too. And it's interesting that you mentioned the part about the audiobook narrator and how they deliver certain, like, pieces of dialogue or whatever, because I've done the same thing either with tandem reading or going back where it's like, oh, I wouldn't have read that that way. But actually, because the narrator did that thing, I. I wouldn't have liked it how I read it. I like how they did it.
- [05:13]
A
Yes. I like. I'm like, good. Good on you. You did that better than my brain.
- [05:17]
B
Better. It's like, you're really good at your job.
- [05:19]
A
It's like you've. You're a professional. Just like that, really, frankly, different things. Professional in different ways. I am so excited to tell you about my loving lately because what a delight this has been. And, Hannah, I would be shocked if you haven't heard of this before. It is called Focused Friend. Have you heard of it?
- [05:38]
B
No.
- [05:39]
A
Focus Friend. It is a new productivity app created by Hank Green, author, host of SciShow and the Vlogbrothers, and he's also John Green's brother. Okay, I will quote Hank and let him explain what this is. It's an app that installs a bean in your phone, and the bean really wants to spend more time knitting. You can focus for an amount of time, and that will let the bean make socks or scarves, and you can trade those socks or scarves for more furniture in the bean's room. That's it. Literally, that's it. That's what this does. And this week it went to number one on Apple's top free apps chart, surpassing Google Chat, GPT and Threads, which is so insane. And I'm showing Hannah what it looks like now. There's my Bean with her pink bookcase that I purchased because I had enough points because she felt I focused enough. It is. I have heard of this, actually most charming, dang thing you've ever experienced in your life. I'm going to set one right for 30 minutes just for funsies, you know?
- [06:42]
B
And it locks you out of your other apps on your phone.
- [06:45]
A
You. It can. And I love that they did that because you can do it where it locks you out of all other apps except for, I think, like, texts and phone calls. Maybe A few others.
- [06:56]
B
Oh, that's nice.
- [06:57]
A
Yeah. Or you could have it where it doesn't lock you out of anything. But if you pick up your phone and do something, it will distract the bean, and he drops his. Their knitting needles, and he gets really upset. So the more the user focuses, the more socks the bean can knit, which can be exchanged for bean decor.
- [07:15]
B
The heck?
- [07:16]
A
It's so charming. So cute, so cozy. The bean has butt cheeks, you guys. I've never seen something cuter. Look at these cheeks. Look at them.
- [07:24]
B
It's really cute.
- [07:25]
A
Look at the cheeks. I'm dying. I love the bean cheeks so much. It's so good. And there's also ASMR music. Like, so if you have your headphones in and you've got it going, you can hear. And it's a lovely sound. It's not too distracting. It's very quiet and very subtle. But I love it. You know who else loves it is my youngest, Cass. She loves it. She sees me with it on, she'll be like, bean, my bean, my bean. And, like, takes it. It's just the sweetest thing. So I think this will appeal to my fellow elder millennials who wish they still had their Tamagotchi. You know, you had to keep it alive, like, that sort of thing. But I think a lot of people would get a lot of joy out of this. So my loving lately is focused friend in a productivity app.
- [08:10]
B
I think that you're onto something there with the millennials, specifically, because I'm always seeing other millennial content of people being like, you know, okay, where they feel bad for inanimate objects. Oh, you know what I'm talking about all the time.
- [08:28]
A
Is that a thing?
- [08:29]
B
Yes. Where it's like, oh, I. I can choose this plate or this plate, and I really want this one. But what if this one was on top? And what if it feels left out? Okay, it's just a plate. It's just a plate.
- [08:38]
A
I get that.
- [08:40]
B
And this, I think, speaks to that in the sense that you don't want this bean to. To suffer or feel bad or not be able to have time for their hobbies. And so it's kind of like speaking to that. I think it's a millennial thing.
- [08:53]
A
I do, I do. You'll have to let us know.
- [08:55]
B
It's just a human thing. If you want. Let us know.
- [08:58]
A
Let us know. Maybe it's just an empathy thing, but, yes, truly, I do that. And I. I'm also kind of mean to our Alexa. Sorry, guys, if that triggered yours, but John yells at me. He's like, be nice to the robots. I'm like, you're right. You're right. Then she doesn't listen.
- [09:13]
B
She doesn't. And it's a good balance because my children tell Alexa that they love her, which makes me very uncomfortable.
- [09:21]
A
A little. A little. I'm like, it's a bit dystopian, you know? Right. Anywho, that's my loving lately. What's yours?
- [09:30]
B
My loving lately is. Well, it's niche. And it's not because it is kind of like a build up on kind of everybody's loving lately right now, which is the Summer I turned pretty season three.
- [09:42]
A
Great.
- [09:43]
B
But it's a specific YouTube video. And this YouTube video is from a creator, Sasha Raquel, and she goes into all of the Easter eggs and all of the, like, really niche things that have to do with the score, the color theory, all of these really, like, niche things in the show that made me have so much more appreciation for it. I mean, I'm completely immersed in the lore and shout out to Angela because she and I have been chatting back and forth about this show, and that has been so much. It really has been such a fun way to connect with other readers about something else other than books.
- [10:33]
A
Yes, yes.
- [10:33]
B
And so I've really just loved that in general. And it's always kind of fun to be a part of something that's currently happening. And yeah, I've just been totally obsessed. There's a few episodes left and I am on pins and needles waiting for Wednesday every week. But this video was great. And of course, I will link it in the show notes. It's called Analyzing Every Easter Egg in the Summer I Turned Pretty Season three.
- [10:57]
A
Oh, I love it.
- [10:57]
B
By Sasha Raquel again. Yeah, if you're a nerd. She literally gets into color Theory and explains, like, explicit scenes with each character and why the colors matter compared with the soundtrack. It's totally nerdy, which is way up my alley. If you like that kind of thing. I think you will love this. So if you're as obsessed with the show as I am and you want to enjoy it when it's not Wednesday, you should check out this video and other videos like it. And that is analyzing Every Easter egg in the Summer I Turned Pretty, a video by Sasha Raquel. That is my loving lately.
- [11:31]
A
I love this for you. And I am the type of person that I know something's going on. I have no earthly idea what people are talking about, and I don't care. I'm like, good for You. I'm so glad that everyone's into this thing that I know nothing about. I'm not a hater because I see these, like, memes and, like, reactions all the time, and I'm like, I don't know who Belly is, and I don't want to know because. Terrible name. So, like, I'm so glad that people are connecting about this because life is hard and, you know, there's. It's great when people. The general consciousness, you know, something finds its way into the general consciousness. So, yeah, I'm glad you've been finding joy in that.
- [12:07]
B
I appreciate that. I feel the same way when I am not currently obsessed with something, but I see other people obsessed with it. I also feel that because, like you said, life is just hard. And when you're a part of this fun cultural moment that is literally nothing but enjoyable and just a good time, then, I don't know, there's something special about that.
- [12:28]
A
There is. That's why I like live sports. Because, you know, very few things are live anymore and you don't get to, like, experience it with people.
- [12:36]
B
That's a good point.
- [12:37]
A
It's part of the reason why I like sports.
- [12:38]
B
I love that.
- [12:39]
A
Anyway. Anyway. What? Something else I like is murder. Just kidding. I do like murdery books, though. This one is too old for this by Samantha Downing. And this cover has got to one of my favorites for the year. I just think it's so good. It's this elderly woman wearing a black rubber glove, and she is holding a hammer behind her back. So that gives you an idea about the book that you're getting into when you read this. And basically, it is about Lottie Jones. And Lottie thought her days of committing crimes were behind her. Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Now her most exciting nights are spent at bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her church friends. And then one day, she's at home, you know, watching the tv, and an investigative journalist named Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie's past. And specifically, this woman has questions about things that are unsolved. Unsolved cases that Lottie was involved in. Let's be honest. But getting away with murder is hard enough when you're young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock at the door, she realizes this crime might be the death of her. This book was such fun. I was in the middle. Hannah knows this of the worst reading slump of my life. I swear to God, I could not get into Anything. And I'm laughing because I've accidentally locked myself out of all of my apps because I put my recording my focus friend on. Oh, I'm gonna have to lose all that progress. Oh, well, seeing it says if you stop it, it says, are you sure? They'll be really sad. Oh, that's focusing. Sorry, sweetie. It's okay. It says it's okay. We tried. Look how sad he is.
- [14:29]
B
What a sad butt cheek bean.
- [14:31]
A
What a sad butt cheek bean. But I needed to open my notes because this was one. I did all of it on audio. And I was sort of talking to myself in my notes app when I was, you know, reading it. So I got to pull those up really quick. But overall, I loved this book. I thought it was really, really interesting and so fun. And the first note I wrote for this one is finally a book that hooks me right away. And I was not expecting what happened in the first five minutes to happen. And that is fantastic. This one reminded me a little bit of you by Carolyn Kepnes when you have Joe Goldberg, when you're in the mind of this true psychopath. But, like, also, they're a little bit charming and you're, like, sort of rooting for them in a way. That's how I felt about Lottie. The main character is fabulous, and I love just sitting back and letting her tell us her story. And she did it in a way where you're in the moment, you're experiencing things with her in the present day, and then she pulls back, you know, and you figure out who her son's father is, and then she'll get you back in present day, and then she'll pull back. And it was just a joy to read. I also thought, so the author is probably my age, so maybe 40 or something. But I thought she took on the perspective of a woman of a certain age very well. She does talk a lot about aging, but I do think it makes sense in this book. I think she has a great. Something great to say about aging and aftercare and how after a certain age, people just overlook women. And also people in general, they're just like, oh, they could never. Right? They become invisible. I also love what the author had to say about how we don't take care of the elderly in our country and, like, what that looks like and how much money you have to spend to be in a retirement home. And this is one of those books. And if you're a thriller lover, you'll know what I mean. It just keeps getting worse and worse. Things just Keep piling up and you're like, there is no way on earth this is going to end well for anybody. And that's a part of the fun to see. Like, is she going to make it out? Is she not? What is happening? This one has a lot of dark humor. There were a couple of characters here that I was like, that wouldn't happen. But like, also maybe it would. Who's to say? What do I know about investigating? I also really loved the drama between Lottie and her church friends. That was really fun to read about. Like they were judging each other's this, this every, you know, couple of chapters, Lottie would bring something to the function and she would get judged so hard because sometimes she'd just bring like a store bought vegetable tray instead of baking something or making something and the women would like lose their minds about it. And it was just dang entertaining. Overall, highly recommend. This. This is up there with my favorite thrillers for the year. And this one is too old for this by Samantha Downing.
- [17:22]
B
Oh, I'm so glad you loved that one. Like so much.
- [17:25]
A
It was great. It was a good time. I had a blast reading it.
- [17:28]
B
Yeah. And I feel like when you are in a slump like that, it is important to not just have a book that you love, but also one that you can kind of like whip through.
- [17:36]
A
Yes, exactly.
- [17:37]
B
It's such a good feeling, especially if you're someone that kind of relies on that momentum, which I think both you and I do rely on that momentum. So I'm glad that you had that. I'm gonna bring us down a notch a little bit, both in subject matter and in my feelings about a book. But that's okay. It Is Not Alone by Sarah K. Jackson. Have you heard of this book?
- [18:00]
A
I don't think so. I'd have to look at the COVID.
- [18:02]
B
It came out a couple of years ago and it's a post apocalyptic novel and one that had been on my radar for a while and I wanted to finally get to it. It is set five years after a catastrophic microplastic storm caused an apocalyptic event. New Fear. I tell you what. Microplastic storm, that's why I picked this one up, because I was like, that's a unique post apocalyptic premise. We follow Katie and her young son Harry, and they are barely surviving. They live in this makeshift fortress that Katie built to protect herself and Harry from the outside world. Katie has created really strict rules around their life. The big one being that Harry is never allowed to go outside. They have a really rigorous decontamination process every time she comes inside. But we find out that Katie's health is failing due to a lung illness that she, you know, likely developed from inhaling toxic plastic dust during the storm. And she worries about what's going to happen to Harry after she's gone. When she discovers a letter from her fiance who she thought had been killed in the storm, Norm, she makes a decision to set off with Harry on this perilous journey all the way from London to northern Scotland, and she's hoping to reunite him and secure a future for her son. This trek reminded me a lot of Bird Box and the Road. If you've read those two books, I will say the tone is definitely more similar to the Road. This book was just drenched in sorrow. Like you could palpably feel it. Like I almost felt cold while I was reading it. I still don't feel completely right again after finishing it. It was sad. Sad. Like it was really, really sad. The writing, I will say, was really good. I would read from this author again. I think that while I didn't enjoy being with these characters, Sarah Jackson is a good writer. I wish he had made Harry a little more likable because I think that we were really supposed to care about him making it, obviously, but I personally didn't and I always dreaded chapters where he especially did a lot of talking and there was a lot of dialogue between Harry and Katie. I know that sounds really cold, but I just feel like he was a particularly frustrating child to be with in an apocalyptic setting. Also, part of why this book was so sad and particularly hard to read is that in this post apocalyptic setting there are so few women left in the world. That sexual violence was so rampant and this theme really beats itself into the ground in this book and not in a way that I personally found very beneficial. I don't feel like it had anything to say other than making us tolerate way too many scenes where Katie was put into very graphically violent situations with men and it was very explicit. I understand this content being in books. I think that it's important in a lot of different contexts. But here it felt purposefully gratuitous and I did not enjoy that. I will always try post apocalyptic novels. I just don't know if I would particularly recommend this one. I would be very curious if anyone else has read it that is listening to the show. So if you have send me a message. It Only has like 643 ratings on Goodreads and has a 3.45 average star rating and I can see why? This one was kind of a bummer for me. That was Not Alone by Sarah K. Jackson.
- [21:47]
A
I can honestly say I've never heard that book before or heard of that book before. But I love an under the radar pick. Even if it's not the perfect book for you.
- [21:56]
B
I do, too. It's always kind of fun to have a book that has, like, under a thousand ratings and it just feels like you've found something because, like, what if.
- [22:05]
A
It'S a five star? You know what I mean? What if? What if?
- [22:08]
B
And then you. A lot of the times it is. And you get that intermittent reinforcement, baby.
- [22:14]
A
Oh, no. You are a psych major. Oh, my gosh.
- [22:18]
B
It's the most palpable kind.
- [22:21]
A
Yeah. Casinos, that's how they get you. Because you win sometimes. And then you're like, well, I want to chase that high again. That's what reading is, though. Truly.
- [22:29]
B
It really is. It's gambling with books.
- [22:31]
A
Gambling with books. Yeah. There's worse things to gamble with.
- [22:34]
B
Yeah.
- [22:35]
A
Anyway, let's talk about some of the books we're gambling on. For this month, we again are sharing our September books on the Radar. These are books that we have not read yet, but we have our eye on. I wanted to ask, before we hopped in, Hannah, do you have any themes that popped out from your September picks?
- [22:54]
B
Yeah, I think these are very broad themes, but I think most of my picks are very moody and a lot of them have, like, a love story. Not all of them, but definitely a few of them. What about you?
- [23:11]
A
I think I was drawn to very unique premises because these are not books that I've seen a hundred times done differently. I also have a couple in translation. I mean, not to brag, but I was genuinely just trying to pick ones that really jumped out to me, and that's what I found. I find typically, as we're heading into the fall, I like to go literary and I like to go horror. Those are like the two areas that I tend to find myself wanting to dive into. And I think my books sort of align with that.
- [23:42]
B
Yes. I also feel like unique premises are kind of few and far between, kind of like you said these days. And it's always fun when you feel like this one has the potential to be different.
- [23:53]
A
Yes. And okay. Some of these I'm like, I don't know, but that's.
- [23:58]
B
It can be fun.
- [23:59]
A
Okay, gambling baby. Here's my first one. It is a Blood As Bright as the Moon by Andrea Morstabellini. And this one comes out on September 2nd from Titan Books. The COVID got me. This cover is absolutely insane. It is so lovely. Like, I just immediately had to look into it once I saw the COVID And this is an unsettling, queer gothic horror novel for fans of T. Kingfisher and Silvia Moreno Garcia. And it's set in Frankenstein, Germany. It is about Ambrose, who is a young vampire, and he lives a life secreted away from the modern world with the rest of his clan. All of them under the spell of the charismatic Regina, who spins stories of salvation for their kind. Their grand plan is to build makeshift wings and fly to the moon, where a safe haven awaits for all vampires. But Ambrose harbors a secret. He is not ready to abandon Earth. And he is in contact with a human who believes that Ambrose can be saved. And as the rest of his kind prepare to flee their home, Ambrose is torn between loyalties. However, there's something else on the horizon in addition to all of this. It's the Royal Journal Society, a group with sinister plans for vampires. And they are closing in. And if Ambrose isn't careful, he could find himself at the center of a terrifying and mysterious experiment. So he is desperately torn between wanting to stay on Earth for this human and wanting to, like, fly to the moon with all of his friends or whatever, and they're being hunted down by a secret society. This sounds so good to me. I love books that explore humanity and explore what it means to be human. And I especially like when creatures sort of fall in love with humans and all of our failings. I think that's, like, such an interesting premise. So. So I'm gonna get this one. I got my hold placed, and that book is a Blood As Bright as the Moon by Andrea Mor Stabellini.
- [25:55]
B
Yeah, this one definitely sounds like a unique premise. And also, can we talk about the.
- [25:59]
A
COVID It is so good.
- [26:01]
B
So beautiful.
- [26:02]
A
So beautiful. Yes. And if you're. We'll put it on our screen here if you're watching us on YouTube. Yeah.
- [26:09]
B
My first pick does not have as beautiful of a cover, but it does sound equally unique, in my opinion. This one comes out on September 23rd. It is called what We Can Know by Ian McEwen. Now, I have not read from this author before. This is the author who wrote Atonement, which is obviously a very famous book and movie. This one follows two timelines, which I personally love. One is kind of more of a recent past, and then one timeline is a decent bit into the future. In 2014, we are following renowned poet Francis Blundy at a dinner for close friends and colleagues he is honoring his wife's birthday by reading aloud a new poem dedicated to her. A lot of wine is had as the guests listen and a delicious meal is consumed. But little does anyone gathered around the candlelit table know that for generations to come, people are going to speculate about the actual message of this poem and a remaining and enduring mystery surrounding the poem. Flash forward to 21:19, just over a hundred years into the future. Much of the Western world has been submerged by rising seas following a catastrophic nuclear accident. So I guess this is a theme for me too in this episode is catastrophic accidents. And those who survive this accident in particular are haunted by the richness of the world that has been lost in a waterlogged south of what used to be England. We are following Thomas Metcalfe, who is a lonely scholar and researcher, and he longs for the early 21st century as he chases the ghost of one poem, this poem I referenced earlier. How wild and full of risk their lives were, thinks Thomas as he pours over the archives of that distant era, captivated by all of the freedoms that they had and the possibilities of human life at its zenith. He still stumbles across a clue that may lead to the elusive poem's discovery. And a story is revealed of entangled loves and a brutal crime that destroys his assumptions about people that he thought he knew intimately. Well, this sounds like it has a lot of things that I like. We've got kind of this future, either dystopic or post apocalyptic setting. We've got this crime or mystery, this potential tension that's going to be built throughout the novel and also potentially love story, it kind of sounds like is woven in there. So I am excited about this one. Again, have never read anything by this author before, but I'm eager to try. And that is what We can know. By Ian McKeown I have not either.
- [28:53]
A
I feel like that one's going to be a pretty buzzy book for this fall.
- [28:55]
B
Agreed.
- [28:56]
A
It's always so exciting to try and see and predict. My next one has a moon theme, so I had two books that are kind of tied to the moon. Interestingly enough, this one is to the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage comes out on September 2nd from avid reader Press. This one is a sweeping debut that follows one young woman's relentless quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut and how that ambition changes everything for the people she loves the most. And the main character is Steph Harper. When she was just five years old, her mother fled an abusive marriage, driving through the night with Steph and her younger sister to Cherokee Nation in search of safety and belonging. That moment shapes everything Steph does from then on out. She gets determined to escape Oklahoma and her family's painful past and sets her sight on NASA, convinced that reaching the moon is the only way to claim her own future. And this book spans three decades and crosses continents and weaves together the perspectives of the women closest to Steph, her sister Kayla, her college girlfriend Della, and her mother Hannah. And as Steph chases her dream, her drive threatens to fracture these relationships and pushes each of the women to confront who they are outside of her shadow. So this is ultimately a story of ambition and belonging and of mothers and daughters and ask the question, what does it really cost to chase the stars? And what do we risk leaving behind when we do I love it. I think I'm still on a astronaut High from Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I'm so looking forward to this one. So that is to the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramaj that one sounds really good.
- [30:32]
B
That is on my radar as well. I did not bring it for today but I definitely co signed. That one sounds really interesting. My second choice is Happiness and Love by Zoe Dubno and this is coming out on September 2nd and it is a beautiful 224 pages. My fave and this book starts years after escaping New York at the center of its artistic world. We are following a group of self important, depraved and unscrupulous arters, curators and hangers on, and our narrator has just gotten back in town. There are no plans to see anyone she once knew. She's wandering around the Lower east side thinking about the recent death of her former best friend Rebecca, and she runs into Eugene, one half of the artist curator couple at the heart of her old social set and group of friends. Despite her better judgment, she accepts his invitation to a dinner party. And though the party is held only hours after Rebecca's funeral, it is not a memorial of Rebecca, but a dinner held in honor of a young, newly famous actress whose lateness delays the party by hours. As the guests sip their natural wine and await the actress's arrival, the narrator, from her perch on the corner seat of a white sofa, silently, systematically and mercilessly eviscerate their manners, their relationships, their delusions and failures, and the complete moral poverty that brings them here. When the guest of honor finally does arrive, she sets in motion a disastrous end to the evening, laying bare the depravity and decadence of the host's empty little lives. A hollowness that the narrator herself knows all too well. This sounds like it's going to literally feel like people watching at its finest. Just we've got rich people behaving badly. It kind of sounds like. And I can't wait to see how this narrator describes this moral depravity, so to speak, that is Happiness and Love.
- [32:36]
A
By Zoe Dubno I this one has some funny words in the synopsis, but yes, the depravity and decadence of their hosts empty little lives. I really enjoy that.
- [32:48]
B
Me too.
- [32:49]
A
Books about I don't like books about the art scene necessarily, but I sort of like when it's. I like the setup of this. It sounds. It sounds fun. It sounds interesting. Anyway. Okay, so I feel like these two novels could get along. My next one is called Discontent by Beatrice Serrano, Translated by Maya Faye Lethem Comes out again on September 2nd from vintage. I have a big September 2nd coming up now. This one's a darkly funny book about Marissa, who on the surface, her life looks enviable. She lives in a beautiful apartment at the center of Madrid, she has a hot neighbor who is always around to sleep with her, and she's quickly risen through the ranks at a successful advertising agency. And yet she is drowning in a dark hole of existential dread induced by the banality of corporate life. Marisa hates her job and everyone at it, and she spends her working hours locked in her office, hiding from her co workers, binging YouTube and getting high on tranquilizers. When she has time, she escapes to favorite museum, where she contemplates the meaning of life while staring at paintings or trying to get hit by a car so she can go on disability.
- [33:56]
B
Okay, I've been there, right?
- [33:59]
A
I mean, who? Who among us hasn't? But Marissa's dubious success, which is largely built on lies and work she's stolen from other people, is in danger of being exposed when she is forced to go on her company's team building retreat. Isolated in the Segovia forest, haunted by the deeply buried memory of a former co worker and surrounded by psychopathic bosses, overzealous coworkers, flirty retreat staff, and an excess of drugs, Marissa finds herself acting on her wildest impulses and is pushed to the brink of a complete spiral. I must know how far off the rails this one goes. I love the COVID It's one of those covers where a woman is just over it. She's like lounging. She's actually this one, I think, hiding in her chair. And it just sounds like. Sounds fantastic. This book is Discontent by Beatrice Serrano.
- [34:51]
B
Yeah, this one sounds really good also. I just. You have really good picks this week. It's such a diverse variety. These. These synopses sound so good.
- [35:00]
A
I don't know, I'm just feeling it today. Thanks so much.
- [35:04]
B
You are so welcome. My next one, apparently, was a book talk sensation. I hadn't heard of it before, so it's new to me, but it sounds very interesting. It is called Follow My Voice by Ariana Godoy. Godoy. Have you heard of this one?
- [35:22]
A
I don't think so, no.
- [35:23]
B
Okay, so it is about Clara Rodriguez, and she has barely left her house in eight agonizing months. She is suffering from agoraphobia and anxiety, and her world has shrunk to the walls of her bedroom room. And night after night, one voice pierces through her isolation. Then an unexpected text message changes everything. This voice that has been her invisible companion suddenly has a life beyond the airways. Their connection deepens, and it becomes the fragile thread that Clara clings to while fighting to reclaim the pieces of herself. This book explores the question of can you fall in love with someone that you have never seen? Can a voice become your anchor in the storm? And is Clara strong to face not only the outside world, but this person or this voice that she loves? In a moment of desperate courage, Clara enrolls in community college. And now her greatest battle isn't just against the pull of her bedroom walls. It is. It is facing something that she is truly terrified of. So this one sounds like it could be really interesting. I do always have some concern over how authors are going to handle things like agoraphobia or anxiety, which are very real things. And I'm not 100% positive if this is an own voices novel, but I'm curious enough about the premise to give this one a shot. And I thought that it just sounded interesting and unique. So we will see. I'm tentatively adding this one, but it's definitely on my radar. That is Follow My Voice by Ariana Godoy.
- [37:01]
A
And what a risk. But what a risk. I feel like it has potential. Again, sounds unique. I also like the idea of exploring love in this parasocial relationship. And like, what's 100 come from that?
- [37:13]
B
You know, you worded that so well. I agree.
- [37:16]
A
I knew what you meant. I know why you picked this. Yes, I know you. My next one is a speculative novel. It's called Sympathy Tower Tokyo by Ria Kudan, and it's translated by Jesse Kirkwood. This comes out on, you guessed it September 2nd. It's kind of crazy. Now this one is already a best selling novel and Japan and okay, the synopsis reads, welcome to the Japan of tomorrow. Here the practice of radical sympathy toward criminals has become normalized. The incarcerated are considered victims, influenced by their environments to commit crime, and are labeled accordingly as Homo miserables. A grand yet controversial skyscraper in the heart of Tokyo is planned to house lawbreakers in compassionate comfort. For Sympathy Tower Tokyo, acclaimed architect Sarah Makina has been tasked with designing the city's new centerpiece, but is filled with doubt. Haunted by a terrible crime she experienced as a young girl, she wonders if she might inherently disagree with the values of the project, which should be the pinnacle of her career. As Sarah grapples with these conflicting emotions, her relationship with her gorgeous and much younger boyfriend grows increasingly strained. In search of solace and in need of creative inspiration, Sarah turns to the knowing words of an AI chatbot. And this one has already been awarded Japan's highest literary prize and is said to be an extraordinary novel from one of the most exciting new global voices. So anyway, I am so interested in that. Yes, another AI book. But listen, it's the wave of the future and I love speculative novels, so I will hopefully get to this one and let you know what I think. Think that is Sympathy Tower Tokyo by Riai Kudan.
- [39:04]
B
Now that I'm paying more attention to titles, I feel like a lot of the titles that we're bringing are kind of unique. Like Sympathy Tower Tokyo.
- [39:16]
A
Yes.
- [39:17]
B
What an interesting title. It doesn't really have any, like, specific patterns that you typically see. Follow my voice. Also, the book that I just brought, I don't know, it sounds.
- [39:29]
A
There's no buzzwords.
- [39:30]
B
There's no buzzwords in them.
- [39:31]
A
Except for moon, but true.
- [39:33]
B
Yeah, that's true. Actually, the next one, the next one that I'm bringing actually has the word moon in it as well, so really perfect segue. I am bringing Moonflow by Bitter Karela. And this one is also coming out September 2nd. It starts out, the synopsis starts out by saying, I see something out there in the woods. It does not have a face. Oh, they call it King's Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe. One bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo Forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of strange cults and disappearing hikers abound. We're following Sarah. She makes her living growing mushrooms. So, you know, this one sounds like it's going to be a little bit psychedelic in nature. But Sarah has a bad harvest and it leaves her in a desperate fix. The lure of the King's breakfast has her journeying into those vast, uncharted woods. And her only guide is the most annoying man in the world. And he is convinced there is no danger afoot. But as they descend deeper, they realize that they are definitely not alone here in the woods. And someone or something is luring them into the heart of the forest, and they must answer its call. Dun, dun, dun, that is. And that is Moonflow by Bitter Corella.
- [41:03]
A
Interesting these.
- [41:04]
B
I know.
- [41:05]
A
I'm kind of like, I'm excited to. I like our book that we've chosen for this episode.
- [41:10]
B
Me too.
- [41:11]
A
Cap off this list with one that you may have heard of before. It is the Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracasi. Speaking of unique titles, you're probably not gonna get another one with this title. And this one has just jumped out to me. The COVID is so good. There's a giant knife and a silhouette on it. This is going to take us right into spooky season. And I love the tagline because the tagline says, ruth dubois is not your average final girl. I love final girl books like, I just love that storyline. Now, this one is about Rose, who is in her late 70s, living out her golden years at the Autumn Springs retirement home. When one of her friends dies alone in her apartment, Rose isn't too concerned. Accidents happen, especially at this age. And then another resident drops dead in another with the body stacking up, Rose can't help but wonder, are these accidents or old age or something far more sinister? So together with her best friend Miller, Rose begins to investigate. And the further she digs, the more convinced she becomes there is a killer on the loose at Autumn Springs. And. And if she isn't careful, Rose may be their next victim. I have been loving this trend of elderly people as main characters in thrillers. They're like main character serial killers or whatever. I love that. And I like Frikassi's writing a lot. He wrote the book the Boys in the Valley, which was horrifying. And so I know this one is going to get beyond crazy. So this is the Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracas.
- [42:45]
B
Yeah, this was one of the ones that I almost brought also.
- [42:49]
A
Yes, yes.
- [42:50]
B
So I'm also very excited about that one. I am going to bring us into fantasy realm. I am bringing the Fairy Morgana by Louisa Morgan. This is the author who wrote A Secret History of Witches which was kind of buzzy a little bit back. I never read it, but I know a lot of people who read it and loved it.
- [43:12]
A
It.
- [43:12]
B
I am particularly interested in this one because it reimagines the story of Morgan le Fay. And it is. Morgan le Fay is a, you know, famous woman in Arthurian legend. I love books.
- [43:27]
A
I just nodded, like, of course, of course, of course. Never heard of her.
- [43:31]
B
I love an Arthurian legend. So does my mom. She kind of, you know, sparked that obsession a little bit. So let me tell you about this one. To the other priestesses of the Nine, a powerful council at the Lady's Temple. Morgana is haughty and arrogant as she performs feats of magic that no other human should be capable of. Rumors start that she must be a fearsome fae to King Arthur. Morgana is trusted and devoted, but his court is wary of her and her talent at divination. But his wife sees Morgana as a rival and a malevolent woman witch to brave Morgana's faithful acolyte. She is simply the most powerful priestess Camelot has ever seen. Morgana doesn't know why she is so different from everyone else, and she doesn't much care. But when she aids Arthur to ascend the throne before his time, she sets off a series of events that will change everything Morgana believes about her power. I just love the sound of this. And again, I love an Arthurian legend. I love an alternate Arthurian legend. And. And this one just sounds like a great book to sink into in the fall. Also, fun fact, Camelot is, like, one of my favorite words. I could just say the word Camelot over and over.
- [44:50]
A
Camelot.
- [44:50]
B
I love the way it sounds. I'm excited about this one. Yeah. I'm excited about this one. This one comes out September 16th, so we get a little bit of a break from the September 2nd. And that is the Fairy Morgana by Louisa Morgan.
- [45:04]
A
If I have the wizard of Oz, you have Arthurian legends.
- [45:08]
B
That's true. Yes. Yes.
- [45:10]
A
Also. Hannah. Yeah. How. How could you not alert us to the fact that the COVID of Moonflow is absolutely insane? You. You held it up. You held it up. Okay. I couldn't see it. It was out of.
- [45:22]
B
I don't know if I held. I don't know if I held it up.
- [45:24]
A
Oh, okay. It's wild. That was not. You know, you could have given me a hundred tries, and I never would have even gotten close to guessing that.
- [45:32]
B
Yeah. That. Well, I think that it's. I mean, I think we're dealing with Mushrooms here. So we're dealing with, you know, like a, it says a gloriously queer psychedelic trip into the heart of the Eldritch wood and the horrors of sisterhood. Sisterhood spelled C I S like sisterhood. Sisterhood.
- [45:55]
A
Okay, that's pretty clever. Very cute.
- [45:58]
B
I know. So honestly, if you are looking for something weird and if you're looking for something to cross off of our reading challenge for the year, which is to read a queer horror novel, hey, maybe pick up Moonflow by Bitter Karella. Because this one's going to be a wild time. I guarantee.
- [46:13]
A
I want to hear about that one. So hopefully you are able to get to it.
- [46:17]
B
I hope so too.
- [46:18]
A
All right, I will tell you about my current read. It is, it's called Best Offer Wins by Marissa Cascino. And this book, unfortunately for us, does not come out until November. I got an arc of it and I. Okay, it's. I got an arc of it and I started reading it not looking at the pub date and I was like, oh dear. It comes out later this year. But now I'm too far gone. I need to know what happened. So forgive me if I end up bringing this early. It is about this woman who becomes absolutely desperate to buy her dream home. They are in the D.C. area and they're trying to get into this enchanted, just fantastic suburb in D.C. they have put something like 11 offers on houses and they keep getting outbid. So she becomes desperate. I don't know that if I've ever experienced this much second hand embarrassment while reading. I am literally getting hives reading this. And I'm not kidding. She's just making me so uncomfortable. I'm like, girl, you've got to get yourself together. But don't. Because like, I want to keep reading. It's really fun, but again, it's giving me anxiety a little bit reading it. And I'm so curious to see if they get this home. We'll find out and I sure will report back. This is Best Offer Wins by Marissa Cascino.
- [47:38]
B
Oh, well, I can't wait to hear about that one. It's always interesting because when you're feeling that much secondhand embarrassment, it's hard as a reader. But it also reflects on the writing too.
- [47:50]
A
Yes.
- [47:50]
B
So it's, it's always kind of interesting to review those kinds of books well.
- [47:56]
A
And if I didn't care about the character, I wouldn't feel embarrassed. I'd just be like, whatever. But like, because I care about her and I don't want her to get in trouble, I'm I'm feeling nervous.
- [48:04]
B
Exactly. Okay. My current read is actually one of my Summer Bonanza picks, which I am super excited about. It is called in the Family Way by Leni Katz Becker. And this is about a group of suburban women who are trying to help one another navigate their personal challenges, their marriages and their pregnancies. Some of these pregnancies are wanted, some of them are unwanted. The timeline is in 1965, so it's definitely dealing with some, you know, challenges that I've certainly never faced. Conversations are really, really interesting and some of these characters I am loving and some of them are pretty insufferable. So it is. I'm really enjoying it. It's a really interesting read so far and I'm eager to see where it goes and to talk with you all about it once I finish. And that's in the Family Way by Lainey Katz Becker.
- [48:59]
A
Was this on your Summer Bonanza?
- [49:01]
B
Yes, it was.
- [49:02]
A
Okay. I was like, I feel like I know this tree. I'm so glad that you are reading it. We are crossing off our Summer Bonanza list. We're wrapping things up, whether we finished it, DNF it, whatever, kicked it off our list, whatever. And our patrons in September are going to get a full length bonus episode where Hannah and I really break down our Summer Bonanza picks, why they worked, why they didn't, and all of that. So if you're interested, go ahead and subscribe to our Patreon for $5 a month at patreon.com booktok etc.
- [49:33]
B
Yeah, plug, plug, plug, plug, plug. But, but it's, seriously, it's so fun to break this down and to, you know, talk about what worked, what didn't. And it's just fun.
- [49:43]
A
Excited to do that. I'm excited to hear how your books went and all of that.
- [49:47]
B
I am too, because I, I mean, I, I know that you've brought, you know, some books and stuff, but it's hard to remember from the last few months. So I'm excited to kind of get like a full rundown and we kind.
- [49:57]
A
Of reflect back because obviously when we pick our Summer Bonanza picks, we don't know really what they're about other than the synopsis. And so we can say like, yeah, this totally aligned, or no, I can tell you I have one that I DNF'd within 4% because I saw the way it was going and I was like, this is a no, thank you from me.
- [50:16]
B
Well, I am excited to hear which one that is when the time comes.
- [50:19]
A
Absolutely. But that is it for today? We thank you for spending a part of your day with us. Links to all the books mentioned can be found in the show notes and if you enjoyed today 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.
- [50:46]
B
If you'd like to connect with us, you can email us@booktalk etcmail.com you can also connect with us both at Booktalk etc.
- [50:53]
A
On Instagram and YouTube.
- [50:54]
B
You you can find Tina at TBR Etc. And Hannah at Handpicked Books. Talk to you next week.
- [51:00]
A
And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. You were great. You.