Loading summary
Transcript202 lines
- [00:00]
Hannah
You need to start. You need to learn vocal warmups. And just regardless of how terrible you sing, you should just do vocal warmups before the show.
- [00:07]
Tina
I can sing. I just don't know how you can. I can sing. I mean, I can sound like, you know, people on the radio, not like, amazing.
- [00:16]
Hannah
Well, we'll have to do a duet one day for our listeners, but only.
- [00:20]
Tina
If you yodel first.
- [00:22]
Hannah
You know what? That would be a fair deal.
- [00:24]
Tina
I saw yodeler on some things. It was. Somebody was flipping through something and a yodeler was on it. I was like, that's Hannah Grace.
- [00:32]
Hannah
That's Hannah Grace.
- [00:33]
Tina
They were trying to. They were trying to, like, make a avalanche start. And so she was like, at the base of this mountain yodeling. It was so bizarre.
- [00:42]
Hannah
That's me.
- [00:42]
Tina
Anyway, they didn't get the yodel or they didn't get the avalanche, unfortunately. Welcome to book talk, etc. A podcast bo grow your TBR. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
- [01:02]
Hannah
And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.
- [01:04]
Tina
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood readers who are easily distracted by new releases. And today we are sharing books that have been in our Goodreads graveyard.
- [01:14]
Hannah
If you enjoy listening, we'd love for you to follow us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And if you have a quick minute, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other book lovers.
- [01:28]
Tina
Hi, Hannah.
- [01:29]
Hannah
Hey, Tina. How is.
- [01:31]
Tina
I mean, I'm. I'm fine. I'm good. Good. And this morning you texted me, needing a little bit of extra time to prep, and I was feeling really bad because I was sitting in my wood room. I was like, oh, is that a new bird outside? Like, because I'd gotten up early, I was just chilling and I was like, I wish I could share some of my relaxation energy with you cosmically, you know, because I felt bad.
- [01:54]
Hannah
I'm like, oh, that's okay. I. You have texted me some days. You know, I've texted you some days and it's actually kind of nice. I feel like when it's happening to us on opposite days, because if we were both, you know, spilling our creamer, having yelling children, starting new, you know, jobs in the family and stuff like that, it. If it was both of us, it.
- [02:18]
Tina
Would be not good disaster.
- [02:19]
Hannah
So it's best, I think, if we do it one at a time. I'm glad that you are coming to this episode, you know, full of Peace and birding. There's no better way.
- [02:30]
Tina
Peace and birding. I need that on a sweatshirt. Yes. We can't both have meltdowns at the same time. So luckily. Yeah, today's your turn. I'll take the next one. But I am excited to do this episode now. You know, I'm such a advocate for new releases that I truly can't get away from them, especially this year. I feel like this year's new releases have been even better than years prior. However, I love that we've done this episode because it sort of forced me. Okay. Like, let's pick some books that you've been sitting on for almost a decade and actually get through them.
- [03:02]
Hannah
Yes. I'm really excited about this, too. I know you had done a Kindle Graveyard back in the day at one point, which I'd love to do that, too, but I was looking through my Goodreads the other day because I started using it again this year for the first time in a couple of years, and. But I had used it when I, you know, first started getting back into reading a long time ago, and. And I have books that are on my. Want to read from back then. And I was like, I need clean this out. But as I was cleaning it out, I was like, there are still books in here I want to read. So now we're going to.
- [03:37]
Tina
That's where this episode came from. And I'm glad you explained that, because I love. This whole time, I'm like, oh, Goodreads Graveyard. Like, obviously people know what that means, but you're right. It's something that we made up back when we, Renee and I did it back when we did Kindle Graveyard. Basically, these are just the books that have been buried in whatever place for a long, long time. I actually have a book that I'm bringing today that I swear to you, was my very, very first Bookstagram Made It Influence book. So.
- [04:05]
Hannah
Oh, my gosh, that's exciting. And you're finally getting to it.
- [04:08]
Tina
I finally got to it. And you'll have to wait and see which book that is. But for now, I am going to show you my loving lately. This is going to be one I will obviously explain for those that are listening to the podcast, but I also have a visual for those that are looking at me on YouTube because my loving lately is a gift that Jonathan bought me for our anniversary, and it's called a photon candle. And I will insert some video if you're watching us on YouTube, but basically it is this refillable, reusable Candle that you make at home and it comes with candle beads and wicks. And again it's reusable. So the bag that you get is like this and it comes with this little bag attached of wicks and it's almost like sand asmr. You can hear it's little sand beads. They're actually candle beads floating around. And I'm gonna flip my camera here and so you guys can see it.
- [05:04]
Hannah
Oh my gosh, that's so pretty.
- [05:05]
Tina
Okay, so I'm showing it right now and what's really cool is Jonathan got me. It's our seven year anniversary. So he got me this heart and it's copper because it's the copper anniversary. He's a very, very good gift giver. Yes, many of my loving latelies have been for him. But basically you just pour these candle beads in whatever vessel you want. So you can use old. You know when you like use up an old candle, you could use that jar. You can use this. I don't know if this is showing up very well on camera but it's a little tilted. It's a little tilted other.
- [05:35]
Hannah
Yeah, yeah. And then move. Yes.
- [05:37]
Tina
And it's a little like blown out. I wish I could figure out how to fix that. But anywho, you get the visual and.
- [05:42]
Hannah
So you just put the wick right in.
- [05:44]
Tina
You literally just jam the wick in there and you'll light it. But what's super cool is. And I'm going to show a video of this. If you're watching what happens is like these little things melt and then you just pull the whole wick out and toss it and then it's brand new. Like you just start over, over. It's so fun and just such a like interesting gift. The girls were. The girls are not allowed to touch it because it literally looks like a miniature sandbox. And so they definitely would mess this up. But it's just been a really fun way to play with a candle.
- [06:18]
Hannah
Play with a candle?
- [06:20]
Tina
Yeah, and it's fun. It's cool too. So if you happen like if I were to tip this over, the sand will put it out. So it's like good because it's not a fire risk. Yeah, exactly. I mean it's still fire anyway.
- [06:33]
Hannah
Never thought of that. Well done.
- [06:34]
Tina
Oh yes, and I wanted to mention that too. I'm glad you said that because first of all, it smells good. Like you can. It smells, it smells. It's not just like a, you know, novelty gift. It actually does make your space smell better. They have a Ton of different colors and scents and sizes. They literally sell them in tubs. So if you're like doing a wedding or something and you want to put this over water, you know, you could do that. They are all plant based wax pearls, so they're environmentally friendly. If you get unscented, you can put little essential oils on top to make it like whatever candle you want.
- [07:04]
Hannah
Oh, cool.
- [07:05]
Tina
Yes. And this is a family owned company out of Fort Smith, Arkansas and it's run by two sisters. So love that. If you're in the market for a really creative gift that I can see having wide appeal. Give this a shot. This is my photon candle.
- [07:19]
Hannah
Wow, you are really bringing. That's one of your best loving latelies.
- [07:23]
Tina
I feel like you think so.
- [07:24]
Hannah
Like this is indie. Not indie. Yeah, like an indie shop. Yeah, shop. It's super environmentally friendly. I love that it's not a risk, like a fire risk or.
- [07:35]
Tina
We'll see. I'm about to test that out.
- [07:37]
Hannah
Well, you have young kids too, as you know. Do I. And it's always like, oh, I want to have a candle going, but.
- [07:45]
Tina
But Lord knows they're gonna mess.
- [07:46]
Hannah
What if they shake? Like, even if it's out of their reach, what if they shake the table and it knocks over? Or what if they. I don't know. It's just nice that it's has that extra safety feature.
- [07:57]
Tina
It is. And we'll link to this too. They have a social media presence and like I got lost on their Instagram watching them put these out. Like they do demonstrations of like, how it works. So anyway, this is it. And we've linked it in the show notes below.
- [08:10]
Hannah
Perfect. Well, my loving lately could not be more different than yours, but that's okay. Keeping it spicy over here. Okay. So my loving lately is Ghost Adventures on Hulu.
- [08:26]
Tina
Excuse me?
- [08:28]
Hannah
The first few seasons because the later seasons get a little bit highly produced for my personal taste. They're still fun. But specifically the first three seasons of Ghost Adventures. If you are even a little bit into paranormal shows, these early episodes are so fun. It feels like you're just watching three guys with cameras and duct tape exploring haunted places and getting totally freaked out and actually capturing what they think and what seems like Paranormal Activity. It's just super raw, cheesy, spooky, very unpolished, which is fun. And it's just been so addictive to watch. I've been putting this on even while I'm working. Sometimes if I'm just working on a report or you know, doing some analytics on something Kind of mindless work. I've been having this on in the background, and it has been so fun. It's fun because in the first few seasons, they didn't stick to the usual spots either. That kind of everybody knows about. They go all over the map to some haunted places I've never even heard of. Some of my favorite episodes specifically are Bobby Mackey's the Gold, the Goldfield Hotel, and Moon River Brewery. And they even go to some overseas locations. It's just really fun. The early seasons are so simple. There's no Hollywood production. It's just pure curiosity, nerdiness, creepy vibes. It's definitely cheesy. I know this isn't going to be everybody's cup of tea, but it has been so fun for me. If you're looking for something spooky in the summer and fun to marathon through, watch seasons one through three of Ghost Adventures. And this is on Hulu.
- [10:13]
Tina
I feel like this sounds like the perfect comfort show because you're just like, let me put it on in the background. Let me just. Tell me a funny story. Or a spooky story.
- [10:21]
Hannah
Exactly.
- [10:22]
Tina
But the important question is, do you believe in ghosts?
- [10:25]
Hannah
I don't know. I'm. I go back and forth.
- [10:27]
Tina
Yeah.
- [10:28]
Hannah
I go back and forth, like, sometimes. Yes. Or like, if I'm. I'm easily influenced. So if someone is sitting there telling me a story and I'm gonna. I'm gonna be sitting there like, wow, that happened.
- [10:39]
Tina
Yeah, of course I believe you.
- [10:41]
Hannah
I believe you. And now I'm kind of, like, freaked out, and I feel scared. Especially if we're, you know, outside or it's dark out or whatever. But if I'm sitting in my bed thinking about it and really contemplating the, you know, semantics of it all, it's going to be more of a no.
- [10:58]
Tina
Yeah.
- [10:59]
Hannah
What about you? Do you believe in ghosts?
- [11:01]
Tina
Surprisingly, if you know me, you're probably going to say no. She, of course, doesn't. But I think I do. I think there are things in the world we can't accept, explain. And I think some of it is, like, for the cameras and cheesy and stuff. But then I think I see a show like that. Or there's this hotel in Chicago. I'm blanking on the name of it off the cuff. But, you know, there's been repeated sightings or repeated. And some of it, I think, is collective. And in, you know, collective, like, oh, this is supposed to be haunted. And then you, like, have that mindset going in and you're like, wow, that Was a bump in the night. How weird. But I feel like I kind of believe in ghosts a little bit.
- [11:37]
Hannah
Totally.
- [11:38]
Tina
I've never seen one, but I also.
- [11:40]
Hannah
What if the collective belief is what manifests them?
- [11:45]
Tina
I don't know, man.
- [11:46]
Hannah
You know what I mean? What came first, the chicken or the egg?
- [11:49]
Tina
I know. What if you're onto something? Now, we bought this house that we're in, and unfortunately, the man who. The family who had owned it, the guy had passed away in the home. And I think about him often. I talk to him all the time because I'm like. I feel like there's a. I feel like he's probably still here judging my choices. He's, like, looking at the book, the ground, like, could you pick those up, like. Because I know he was really clean. So that's what I think about him.
- [12:12]
Hannah
Like an imaginary friend, if anything, you know? Well, I can't talked about it. I can't remember if I've talked about it on the main show or if I've discussed it with our. Our patrons before. But there is a. There are some ghost vibes in our house, too. There's. There's a little. There's a little person that I believe. There's a little girl that I. I think that I've seen in our hallway, and it's just in our hallway. But it hasn't been like, cold air or given me goosebumps. I just feel like I keep seeing it every once in a while, and they look the same every time. It's like a little girl with black hair. I don't know.
- [12:50]
Tina
Hasn't your. One of your kids seen it, too?
- [12:53]
Hannah
And one of my kids has seen it too. Yes. And they described her the exact same way. But it's never been. I've never felt unsafe. It's never been to me. I don't have. I don't feel any cold air or anything. It's just been one of those things. We're like, oh, what if a little, like, ghost lives in our house?
- [13:09]
Tina
And that's what. That's how I feel like, presence. Oh, my gosh. Well, that's a fun side bar. And please tell us if you are watching. Please tell us if you believe in ghosts. Or even better, if you have, like, a ghost sighting or some sort of, like, experience that you've had that made you a believer.
- [13:22]
Hannah
Please tell us.
- [13:23]
Tina
I want to know.
- [13:24]
Hannah
Yes, absolutely. I love that stuff. I eat it up.
- [13:27]
Tina
No, but I'm glad you found that show because again, it's, like, nice to have things that you can just put on that are, I don't know, that.
- [13:33]
Hannah
Make you feel good, entertaining and easy.
- [13:35]
Tina
Yeah. So my, my latest read is probably not something you want to pick up if you're like looking for like a fun, you know, light hearted read. Because my latest read is We Don't Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry. I, number one, love this cover. I think it's fabulous. It's. What are these called? Hydrangeas. Purple hydrangeas are on the front. So it's very beautiful. And actually my daughter picked this one out because I handed her my Libro fm. No, I handed her my Penguin Random House app and I was like, pick mommy's next audiobook. So shout out to PRH Audio and you know, shout out to Lily for picking this one up because this was great. This book is a debut novel about a dedicated journalist who unearths a decades old family secret that has a connection to a string of missing girls. So on the back here you can see it lists names of missing girls, last seen, her age, her ambition, and basically who these women were. And it opens with Sydney, who is dealing with grief because her grandmother had recently passed away. They live in la. Her mom, her sister, and Sydney and the grandmother lived in North Carolina. So they're over there cleaning out her old home. And when they're doing that, Sydney finds this photo and she's like, this is from the 60s and it looks exactly like me. And she's very creeped out by this. And she finds out that the mystery girl in the photograph is her Aunt Carol, who was one of the six local North Carolina black girls to go missing in the 1960s. And those are the women that are listed on the back of the book. And for the last several decades, nobody in her family has talked about Carol or where she went or what happened, including her dad. Her dad, that was her dad's sister and her dad in this book has passed away. And they definitely unpack a bit about that as well. But Carol used to be a journalist and she had to shift careers because she, you know, if you're an investigative journalist, you deal with some really troubling things. And she, what they call in the book, had a psychotic break after she was working on this case of a missing girl. And so she stepped away from that industry and is now doing something in athleisure wear. And she's not fulfilled. But this sort of reignites her love for investigating and, and basically everybody that she asks around the town because they have to go back to la, but she's like, lightly talking to people, and everyone's like, oh, no, we don't know. Yeah, she just disappeared. Right? It's just like this thing that happened, and nobody had really done their due diligence to figure out where these missing women went, or I should say these missing girls, because most of them were under the age of 18. Sidney is also going through some of her own stuff, naturally. And what I think the author did really well with this is she's presenting this full picture, like, I telling you this, not really looking at my notes, because I remember I'm like, oh, yeah. And Sydney, you know, is. She's married to this guy who's pretty decent. And the thing that's her big cross to bear in this book is she's going through fertility treatments. And so if that's something you don't want to read about right now, for whatever reason, maybe skip this one, because it plays a pretty prominent role in it. But she does become a bit obsessed with figuring out what happened to Carol. And her husband is understandably, like, dude, you're stressed out. We're going through this thing. Maybe not. Maybe now is not the time. But she is continually asking questions and uncovering more and more information. Jan covers this web of lies and secrets, and it has her questioning everything. It makes her question, why is she so fixated on these missing girls? It makes her think about her future as a mom and, like, whether or not, like, why am I going through all of this? Like, am I meant to be a mom? And it's of kind making her question her family as well and look back at relationships she's had. I think if you like. I think don't go into this thinking it's a thriller, because it's definitely not. I would say this is more contemporary fiction, really well done and very nicely crafted. And it does have that mystery element, and you do get a resolution. But it's not a thriller. It's more about family, community, secrets, and motherhood and whether or not you want to be a mother and all of those complicated questions that come up. I really liked those elements, though. Like, I really liked the relationships in this book. And Sidney as a character was solid. I also like that she's an investigative journalist by trade. You know, I don't love Scooby Doo mysteries that are like, oh, it was him. And, like, they're uncovering all these different things. This felt realistic because she also does involve police. She also does involve. You know, she does things by the book, essentially, and she uses some of her previous Connections to figure things out. I enjoyed the audio for this one and I thought the author did a great job giving humanity to what are often just pushed. Pushed aside as true crime stories. Oh, missing women and like, you know, things like that. I think she gave a lot of humanity to these characters. And the best of all is in the end here. The author, in her acknowledgments, acknowledges that this is a work of fiction, but the sobering statistics at its heart are based in fact. A disproportionate number of black people are reported missing in America every year. And she goes on to share some of these statistics and she also shares some resources that you can look into if you got inspired by her book, which I think is just great. She talks about, you know, her inspiration for this and then also gives folks a call to action if they like. Overall, I do recommend this book. I would seek this author out again and I'm glad I read it. It is We Don't Talk about Carol by Kristen L. Berry.
- [18:59]
Hannah
I got that one in the mail and was curious about it, but I hadn't seen too many people talk about it, so I'm glad that you brought it. When I first saw it, I thought that it was a not retelling, but I thought that it was based off of. Oh, that story. That documentary. Oh, There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane, which is about, like, this. I don't know. Anyway, there was something about the title and the COVID that made me think that it was based on this other story. And I was like, oh, that's kind of weird. It's totally different.
- [19:29]
Tina
It is totally different. Yes. I just quickly googled that. It's totally different. But you're right, the title, like, it's not my favorite. I can never remember it either. I'm like, something about an aunt. And then I'm like, we don't talk about Bruno. Like, what is the name of this book anyway?
- [19:44]
Hannah
But that's what popped up when I googled it is we don't talk about. Yeah, Bruno.
- [19:48]
Tina
Bruno. No, this is a solid story, though. I really liked it.
- [19:51]
Hannah
Yeah, I. And. And remind me, do you like stories about missing people in general? Is that like a micro trope that you tend?
- [20:02]
Tina
No.
- [20:02]
Hannah
Enjoy.
- [20:03]
Tina
Actually, no, I don't like. I'm sort of over missing women's stories unless there's a different angle to it. I liked for this one that it was a string of women missing. I like that they are black women. And like, I knew the author was going to address that. I also liked that There was a familial connection, but in general, honestly, I think this is so silly. Missing women or like older girls? I am okay with missing little girls. I don't like to read about. Like, I don't like.
- [20:31]
Hannah
Hey, you know, it's an important distinction. It is important. Well, and it can totally change the tone and the voice of the story too, so.
- [20:38]
Tina
Yeah, exactly.
- [20:39]
Hannah
Makes sense. Well, once again, I am taking us on a totally different turn with my latest read.
- [20:45]
Tina
Fantasy.
- [20:46]
Hannah
Nope, it's romance.
- [20:47]
Tina
Romance. That was going to be my second guess.
- [20:49]
Hannah
Yeah. Yeah. But still a little bit different. It's Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff. And have you been seeing these books everywhere? Like with this cover?
- [21:00]
Tina
I am confused because I thought you brought this. No, I'm thinking of. I'm a fan that you read. Big fan. No, I don't know anything about it.
- [21:10]
Hannah
They have. And yes, I got the other books, but they have such cute covers and I think that they're going for. And by they I mean 831 stories, which is a new romance imprint. I think they're kind of trying to go for a Harlequin type imprint vibe, but with contemporary romance stories. And Big Fan was the very first one that they ever published back in 2024 and they've since come out with a more books that I'm very excited to get to, but I love those.
- [21:43]
Tina
Covers so we will. They are beautiful. I don't know how to describe them because I'm not good at that, but look them up. We'll link to the Instagram because they're really pretty.
- [21:52]
Hannah
They're gorgeous. This particular story is about Maya, whose political career was on the rise until her ex husband's sex scandal nearly tanked it. So she's ready for a fresh start with a promising new candidate and no more drama. But just as she's getting back on track, an unexpected email throws her for a loop. And it is from Charlie, the former boy band heartthrob that she was obsessed with as a teenager. And she and her friend used to do some fun campaigning of their own just completely separately for this boy band. They made T shirts and. And things like that. Because this boy bands merch was terrible and they were like, we're going to make our own merch. And so that is how Charlie knew of Maya and decided reach out to her because he wants her to help with his solo comeback. So working with Turley definitely wasn't a part of the plan. But grown up Turley is smart, sincere and surprisingly aligned with her values, including universal Income, which is a huge plot point of this book, actually, and a big part of her political candidates campaign. Maya is not about to give up politics for a pop star, but if teaming up can boost the causes that she believes in, maybe it's worth the risk. I thought this was a fun romance setup. I. It's not one that I feel like I've read from before. It felt fresh. I was hesitant about this only because celebrity romances don't always work for me. I also like for the love story to be really well earned in my romances. And this book is just under 200 pages, so I wasn't positive that this one was going to feel like the characters had that. That connection and like their romance was fought for. But I genuinely believed Maya and Charlie's romance. I really enjoyed the political element, and I felt like the plot of this one, like I said, was just more unique than typical romances. I saw a couple of reviewers say that they didn't like the political element, especially with universal income, because it felt like it was trying to push a. Like. Like it was about that and like, hey, we should have this thing. I didn't personally feel that way. I also think that it's okay for authors to, I don't know, share, have.
- [24:16]
Tina
An opinion and put it in their books.
- [24:18]
Hannah
Yes, to have an opinion and put it in their books and. But I didn't feel like she was pushing anything at all. So if you've seen those reviews, I disagree with that completely. I thought that this one was really fun. I was really surprised by this in a good way. I don't really have much more to say about this one, except that it lived up to the hype for me. And I'm excited to read more from this new romance imprint that everybody has been loving. So that is big fan by Alexandra Romanoff.
- [24:51]
Tina
That sounds really good. It sounds like my kind of romance because I like big, big girl stories, like, you know, like, where there's like, big stakes involved. I also love the first one. You said somebody, the political candidate she was working for had a fall from grace. Is that right?
- [25:08]
Hannah
No, she had a fall from grace. So she. Her husband or ex husband. There was like a sex scandal with her and the political candidate that she ends up working for in this book was even kind of like, it's a risk for me to take you on.
- [25:24]
Tina
Got you. I love that.
- [25:25]
Hannah
Then she ends up blowing it out of the park. Right. So, yeah, I love feminist elements to this too. Right. In that regard of. Of women who've been in Politics and have had that fall from grace.
- [25:37]
Tina
I love a fall from grace story you were talking earlier about. Like, is that a buzzword for you missing kids? No. Fall from grace. Yes. Love that.
- [25:46]
Hannah
Oh, fun. Yeah, I agree. And I felt like it was done really well in this one.
- [25:52]
Tina
Well, good. I'm glad to hear that. And maybe I'll add that to my tbr, because what we're talking about today is our Goodreads graveyard. And I think this is a fun concept. And I encourage everybody who uses Goodreads and or storygraph to cull their TBR list. And I'm so curious too. If people ever do this or if it's one of those things where it gets on your list, it's there forever. So I guess I'll ask you that first question. Is that your typical way of going about things where if you add it to your TBR on Goodreads, it's there for a long time?
- [26:26]
Hannah
Yes. I am not that great at cleaning out my Goodreads tbr. I feel like I start different TBR systems and then I don't keep up with any of them. And so I have these endless TBR piles, whether that's virtual or actually physically in person. And then I just don't have a great way to clean them out. And so when I started using Goodreads again, like I mentioned earlier this year, I was like, I need to work on. On cleaning this up. But then there were still some books that had been on there for forever that I still wanted to read. And it's hard to choose what gets to stay and what do we take off and is there no timeline?
- [27:09]
Tina
That is a great question. And I am similar. More recently though, I've gotten better because I, you know, have been experimenting with more of a structured TBR month over month. And so for this episode, I went in to my. I have talk about different TBR systems. I have two digital TBRs. My StoryGraph. That one is my actual TBR because when I started this, I think I had 375 books on it, maybe. And I've culled it down to. I think I added a few, but it was under a hundred as of when I started reading for this episode, which it's a hundred. Exactly. Which I'm very proud of. So, wow. I have a hundred books over there in my story graph.
- [27:53]
Hannah
That's crisp.
- [27:53]
Tina
That's crisp. And now I'm like, now I'm like, kind of addicted. I'm like, maybe I should delete more. But anyway. But then I also have My Goodreads. Now I've decided for me I'm going to continue to use both. I like the reach of Goodreads, meaning a lot of people use it. But I like storygraph better just as a platform but on my want to read shelf. Currently on Goodreads I have 447 books and I'm cool with that because that is my catch. All that is my hey, I heard about this book. Maybe you will want to also hear about this book. People that follow me on Goodreads. So that's kind of how I use it. It's almost more of a public tbr, right? That people can use it versus an actual want to read list. That's how I view it it because I do, especially toward the end of the year, find a lot of books that are coming out in 2026 or the year, the next year and I'll just put want to read on them so that I remember they're coming out. But that is my way of doing it. But my story graph is my actual TBR and I'm happy both of my profiles are public. So I'm happy to share that. If you're curious like what is on your tbr.
- [29:00]
Hannah
I love how organized you have your different TBR systems. I really, really want to be that girl. You know, I have tried so many times but I just feel so disorganized with my TBR and I still have yet to find a system that works for me. But as it sits right now, I've just been adding books to my want to read list again on Goodreads. And yeah, I. I don't know. I've thought about getting one of those scanners. I think you had it where you had totally do and you scanned it and and you are so good. I know. At least for a while. I don't know if you still use it at keeping up with that.
- [29:39]
Tina
I need to do it again.
- [29:41]
Hannah
I've wanted to do it but then I'm like would I keep up with this? Because so far there has not been a single system that I've been able to keep up with. And it's frustrating for me because I know there is one out there that works for me. I just don't know what it is.
- [29:53]
Tina
You don't know what it is.
- [29:54]
Hannah
But for now I just keep hitting that want to read button, you know.
- [29:58]
Tina
Well, maybe I invite you to steal my system where you. I'm actually I need to focus because of course I like opened my want to read on or I opened my TBR on storygraph. And I'm like, do I really want to read that? Let me remove that book. Like, babe, get back in the game here. We're recording a podcast. But maybe you borrow my system of having Goodreads be your catch all kind of dopamine hit, like, yes, I want to read that. And then sort of having storygraph as your more serious solidified, like, more solid tbr, you know what I mean? And then that way when people are like, oh, that book's on my tbr, it means something. I remember I. I have said this before. I put out a tweet or a thread. Was like, do you guys actually have, like, a real tbr or is it just this ephemeral thing you say? Yeah, added it to my tbr. And so many people were like, oh, no. What? We genuinely have TBRs. And I was like, gobsmacked. I'm like, oh, I guess it's just me then, that it's this ephemeral thing.
- [30:52]
Hannah
Yeah, because a lot of times when I say that, like, if I'm commenting on someone's post or something like that, that's me just being like, yeah, this book sounds good.
- [31:00]
Tina
Plus one.
- [31:01]
Hannah
I definitely want to read that one day. Yeah, plus one for sure.
- [31:04]
Tina
Can I show you my new system? You're gonna laugh. Okay, hold, please.
- [31:07]
Hannah
No, please. You got a TBR jar?
- [31:14]
Tina
I do have two TBR jars because I can't do things by half. So if you. If you follow me on my YouTube, you'll see that I talked about my seasonal TBR over there, and I've got two little jars, and they look fancy because these were from our wedding, which was seven years ago, and I've just been holding on to them ever since, and I'm like, great, now I finally.
- [31:31]
Hannah
And now they have a use.
- [31:33]
Tina
A purpose. And so what this one is is my TBR jar. This would be from Jane, who I know is one of our listeners, and she recommended Her Majesty's Royal Coven for me. And so this one is for people that follow me online somewhere, and they're like, hey, Tina, I think you'd like this book. It goes in here. This one is the TBR shelf behind me. So the physical books that I own. And so every quarter, my plan is to pick a couple from a jar. And this one is the creative act and add those to the actual tbr. So this has just been a fun new thing that I've introduced, and it's a way to gamify my reading a little bit.
- [32:10]
Hannah
Oh, I love that. And what a fun addition to the conversation about TBRs. I have always loved when people have their own TBR jar, but it has a specific purpose or there's like, color coded with different themes or things like that. And I love that you're doing it on recommendations because it's so easy to have those recommendations get lost in the sauce.
- [32:34]
Tina
Exactly. And then I write who wrote it or who recommended it to me. And then I'm like, that is so good for me. Because I'm like, oh, yeah, I remember. And then I called him out in my video, and then someone responded like, Patty was like, oh, my God, that's my poll. And I'm like, anyway, it's a good.
- [32:47]
Hannah
Way to incorporate Connected.
- [32:49]
Tina
Exactly.
- [32:50]
Hannah
I love that.
- [32:51]
Tina
Okay, so for the books you picked for today, did you have any specific strategy or just sort of was like. Like, they just rose to the top?
- [32:57]
Hannah
Well, I started off by saying I'm just gonna go to the oldest ones that I have ever picked, and I'm going to pick, like, from that list. But some of the oldest books that I added, I've had Goodreads for a long time, and I ended up getting rid of them. But some of them were like the Chronicles of Narnia and things that I've already read. First of all, I've already read that. And second of all, I'm not in the mood to read that right now. I am a mood.
- [33:23]
Tina
After all, I don't want it.
- [33:24]
Hannah
So I was like, I need to make my system work for me. And so for me, I decided to, yes, reverse my want to read so that my oldest ones were sitting at the top. But I did allow myself to go through them and kind of clean it out a little bit and then decide which ones still sounded really exciting to me. This was a great way to make it through my. My list, by the way, because I cleaned so many out. One of them was pretty old on there. And like, one of the. One of the first ones, I would say within the first 50 or so that I'd added. And then one of them was just from a couple of years ago. It was one that, you know, when it was published in 2023 or 2022, maybe 2021 in the 2000s. Okay. When it was published, I had added it. And. And it's been one of those ones that has won awards, and people still recommend it to me all the time. And it's like, man, it's been a few years and I still haven't read it. It's sitting here on my, you know, Goodreads graveyard. I really want to finally get to it. And so that's how I picked that one. No, not a super solid system, but just kind of a natural way of thinking about what I wanted to read while I was making it through this want to read list. But what about you? I'm gonna guess that you had a system.
- [34:47]
Tina
I did have a system. And I. It was similar to you. Right. I just went into my storygraph, I think I did storygraph and reversed it and was like, okay, which ones do I not want to read anymore? I looked in both Goodreads and Storygraph because I think it is a little different. And for my Goodreads, a lot of the oldest ones had been nonfiction, which I still want to get to, but I wasn't in a nonfiction mood, so I selected. I ended up selecting about four books that I wanted to try for this, and I DNF'd three.
- [35:18]
Hannah
Oh, wow.
- [35:19]
Tina
So what a good way to make.
- [35:20]
Hannah
It through DNF list. Right?
- [35:22]
Tina
And then I had to remember, I'm like, you know what a DNF is a review, and it's a way to, like, cross it off your list. Right. So I'm like, I just sampled it very briefly and I'm like, I know. I don't want to read this now or anytime soon. So I went ahead and just bumped those off the list. But then the ones I landed on, one of them is a more recent recommendation from a fellow podcaster. And the other one, like I said earlier, was one of the first. I think it was the first book that Bookstagram made me do. It made me add it to my tbr. So I'm so excited to share about that.
- [35:50]
Hannah
I cannot wait to hear about that one in particular.
- [35:55]
Tina
Well, I will dive in then and not tell you about that one. But I'm going to tell you about this one first.
- [35:59]
Hannah
Perfect.
- [36:00]
Tina
So this one that I'm holding here is a tiny little copy of a book called the Enchanted by Rene Denfeld. Have you heard of this?
- [36:07]
Hannah
Yes, I have. It's on my ephemeral tv.
- [36:09]
Tina
Okay, fantastic. And so it's a slim little book. Look how small it is. It's pretty, it's cute, and I really like this cover. But anyway, let me tell you about it. Okay? This is a book that is about the Enchanted Place. And the Enchanted Place is an ancient stone prison. And when you're reading this book, you are viewing it through the eyes of a death row inmate who finds escape in his books and in reimagining life around him, weaving a fantastical story of the people he observes in the world he inhabits. This means this narrator is fearful and reclusive, and he senses what others cannot. So he very much picks up on people's energy and just the other things that are going on in the. In the jail, in the prison. And he is sort of in what's almost like solitary confinement, but in his head, he has these magical visions of golden horses running beneath the prison and all of these other things that he is imagining. And it is a way for him to get away from the devastating violence of prison life. There are two people that join them on death row regularly. One is a fallen priest, and one is somebody named the Lady. And the lady is an investigator who searches for buried information from prisoners pasts that can save those who are soon to be executed. And digging into the background of a killer named York, she uncovers wrenching truths that challenge familiar notions of victim and criminal innocence and guilt. I got this recommendation from Amy Allen Clark from the Booking podcast when I was a guest on her show, and we can link to that podcast episode. So thank you to Amy for giving me this recommendation. I knew literally nothing about it other than Amy recommended it. I bought this on Pango when I had gotten a gift card from them, and I was just adding things left, right, and center. And this does not this edition. It's one of the Harper Perennial Olive editions. It does not have a synopsis at all. So I was like, I don't know what the hell this book is about. And had I read the synopsis, I probably wouldn't have picked the book because, you know, I don't love fantastical elements here. It's just not something that I can imagine.
- [38:17]
Hannah
Yeah.
- [38:17]
Tina
And I don't have that vivid memory. So I'm like, I don't know that I would have grabbed this. I enjoyed this sort of. I found it to be too lyrical for me personally. It's very ephemeral in parts. It's. The chapters are pretty long. I think there's maybe seven chapters total, you know, throughout the entire book, and that's fine. But while you're in the chapter, you're in this person's head, and then you're over here, and then you're over here. And I had a hard time. I did mostly of. Mostly the audio. It's like, whose head are we in? So at one point I had to search. I'm like, okay, who's the narrator and who is York, and are they the same person? It, like, took me a minute to figure that out. And it does have that touch of magical realism in it. And that is not my particular jam. But I did find this to be a very human novel. I loved the sections with the priest and the lady. I think those were fantastic additions. And I love that the author gave humanity to these people who often are discarded because of what they've done. They've done horrible things. But the book is not about the horrible things that they've done. The book is about the lady who's trying to uncover their pasts and basically save them from being executed. And what I think is so fascinating is that the author has a background in that she was a death row investigator. And so she was inspired by her own work in real life to write this story. And I love that I found those sections to be really human. And it sort of made me examine whether or not people are born evil and if circumstances could pushed people to doing these terrible things. I thought the woman was a great character. I wish she had a name. But I also understand that that makes sense given that the narrator of the book is this death row inmate. Like, he doesn't know her name. She's just the lady that comes. Right?
- [40:08]
Hannah
Yeah. Right.
- [40:09]
Tina
I gave it three stars. I thought it was okay. Not my personal favorite. I think I would read this author again. I know the Child Finder is one that people really like. Although I just said I don't love missing children, but that's okay. Listen, I can. Could. I could try it.
- [40:25]
Hannah
We can surprise ourselves sometimes.
- [40:26]
Tina
We can surprise ourselves sometimes. But overall, I'm glad that I read it. I'm glad to cross it off. I'm not like, donating it or anything. It will go on my shelf. And I'm glad that I now know what the Enchanted place is. So this book is the Enchanted by Renee Denfeld.
- [40:40]
Hannah
I think that you did such a good job of talking about that one in a way that even it. Even though it wasn't 100% for you, you know, three stars. I personally feel like this is one I would really enjoy. So my point being, I feel like you did a really good job of setting it up in a way of, like, this is what this book is, and if you enjoy those things, then.
- [41:02]
Tina
You might like it more than I did.
- [41:05]
Hannah
Well, I loved this one. And this is the one that has been on my TBR for a while, and people keep pushing me to read it. I finally bit the bullet and I did it. It's the Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Bouley. And this is a story about Donnis Fontaine, who has always felt caught between worlds. She is a biracial, unenrolled tribal member, and she doesn't feel. And she doesn't feel she fully belongs in her hometown or in the nearby Ojibwe reservation. After a family tragedy, she puts college on hold to care for her mother. And then she meets Jamie, who is a new recruit on her brother's hockey team. And things are starting to look up. Things are going well. But when Donnis witnesses a violent murder, the story takes a wild turn and you end up completely losing yourself in the world. The synopsis in the back goes into a little bit more detail. I personally think it gives away too much classic. I feel this way very often, but I feel like this is one of those stories that you kind of have to let just take you. Once you kind of know this pivotal point in the novel that takes you on that journey so you know, this act of violence happens. And from there the story takes a turn and it changes in tone and things really take off from there. I cannot believe that I let this book sit on my TBR as long as I did. I think the fact that it was young adult kept me from being more excited about it than I was. It's been one of those books that I've always kept on my tbr. Every time I see it, either on my shelves or in my Goodreads, I'm like, no, I. I definitely still want to read it. But it was young adult and I still do read young adult. I brought one last episode, actually. I'm just a little bit fussier with it. And it's not a genre or an age range that always calls to me. I have to be in the mood for it. But this one won the Michael Prince Award for excellent literature, for excellent young adult literature. And so typically, this is kind of the type of young adult and middle grade that I really enjoy. And so I gave it a shot. This book was so rich in its storytelling. The characters were beautiful and they had these fully fleshed out lives and experiences. I thought that the book just did a really good job at making these characters real. I don't know how else to say it. I was just very, very attached. And that doesn't often happen when we have an 18 and 22 year old character. One thing I thought this book did specifically well was the dialogue and the conversations that happened in the story were really moving and emotional and served the plot really well. To make everything more believable and immersive. And there was one conversation between our main character Donis and her mom that happens when Donis is apologizing for her life and that her mom's life got kind of stuck in limbo after having her. And her mom just had such a beautiful and raw response and tells her, you know, children are never to blame for how a parent's life turned out. And her mom ended up saying, my life, my choices. If I got stuck in limbo, it's because I made the choice to stay and be there with you. And it was just so beautiful. And there are moments like that all throughout the book that just really make you feel things, you know, I love to feel things when I read. I'm definitely more of a heart reader than a head reader and this book totally got my heart. And I thought that it also did a really good job balancing really challenging content, including sexual content. And also a major aspect of this book is drugs, specifically meth. And it did that in a way that was really respectful for I think, audiences of probably 17 plus. This book is technically young adult, but the characters are 18 and the other main character is 22. So there were some closed door but implied scenes within the romance that's in this book. But I would say that overall that stayed pretty PG13. But just know if you are listening to this and you have a young adult reader, I would definitely maybe look up more of the specific content that is in this book before handing it to your teenager because there are some heavy things explored, including drugs and there is some sexual content, even though it's closed door. But I absolutely loved this one. I think that I will read the other books that follow Donnis's story.
- [45:53]
Tina
Great.
- [45:53]
Hannah
And that is the Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley.
- [45:57]
Tina
There is a series like she has more books in this.
- [46:01]
Hannah
I guess there was a sequel to this one, it's the Warrior Girl Unearthed. And I don't know if it is following this story because I feel like this definitely had an ending like this story ended. And so I don't know if this follows her when she's a little bit older or maybe after college because it's maybe implied toward the end of the book that she has a specific future ahead of her. And so maybe the next book follows that future, but the mystery that happens in this one and the specific plot definitely ends and is conclusive. So I'm not 100% positive where the next book goes, but I enjoyed this enough to want to read kind of whatever this author does, even if it's still Donis's story. So perfect. I feel like I didn't do a wonderful job of setting that book up or talking about it. I loved it, though. It's hard. It's hard for me to talk about books that I love so much. Like, it's so good.
- [47:02]
Tina
I'm glad that you loved it. And that's one of the books too, that I've seen around forever.
- [47:07]
Hannah
Yes.
- [47:08]
Tina
And I was sort of curious about it myself, so good job on that. That I also have a book that has characters. The main characters are 13. And I was like, I don't know. I don't know about this. And that's probably why. It's probably why it sat on my TBR for so long. But this is the first book that books a gram made me do it. It is the Summer that Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel.
- [47:31]
Hannah
Is this your first Tiffany McDaniel?
- [47:33]
Tina
No, I read Betty. I did not read on the Savage side. I think you brought it to the show, if I'm not mistaken.
- [47:39]
Hannah
But I don't know if I brought it to the show, but I loved it.
- [47:42]
Tina
I know you've read it. Yes. And I am going to read that too. Have you read this one?
- [47:48]
Hannah
No, I haven't. It's, I think, the only Tiffany McDaniel I have left to read.
- [47:52]
Tina
Yeah, her. Okay. So the Summer that Melted Everything. I love this cover too, by the way. It's just nostalgic and it's set in the summer of 1984 and I just think the COVID fits the bill for that. And it is about Fielding Bliss, who has never forgotten the summer of 1984, a year a heat wave scorched the town of breathed Ohio. And as the year he became friends with the devil. This book, man, okay, it is about the Bliss family. The dad is named Autopsy. That's his name. So Autopsy Bliss. He is a local prosecutor and he publishes an invitation in their local newspaper for the devil to come to breathe at Ohio. And that's it. You're like, okay, he published this invitation and you get to read the invitation there. And then the devil shows up. And they didn't expect anyone to show up or respond to it, but they certainly didn't expect the devil to show up and be a tattered and bruised 13 year old boy. The story is told from the point of view of Fielding, who is the son of Autopsy. And he finds the boy outside the courthouse and brings him home. And the boy's like, no, I'm the Devil. And he's like, okay, you want some ice cream? Like, totally unaffected by this. This. And he's like, well, my dad called for you, so I better bring you home. So he does. He brings him back to the Bliss family. And the Blisses believe the boy. The boy ends up calling himself Sal. And he believes that they believe that he is a runaway and that he's, like, using the fact that he's the devil as more of a cover. But then a series of strange things start happening around the town of Breathed. And it's a heat wave to define all heat waves. And so people are baking and losing their minds a little bit. And some people are saying, you know what? It's Sal. He really is the devil. And so they're sort of using him as a scapegoat. Whether he is a traumatized child or the devil incarnate. Sal is certainly a strange boy. And he seems to know things that he really should not know about people. And the things that he knows and things that happen around them, him and Fielding ultimately affect the entire town. This book is sad, man. This book is really, really melancholy, but also extremely well done. Put it this way, as I was reading it, I immediately this. I'm holding a library copy, but I immediately got a copy off Pango Books because I need to annotate it it. And I feel like I did most of this on audio because of time constraints, but I feel like if I had read it in print, I would have loved it even more because as it stands, I liked it a lot. But it did take me a moment to really fall in love with the characters. But I did get there eventually. Tiffany McDaniel's writing is just singular. She's so fantastic, and I know a lot of people probably have read her. This is not as dark as Betty, so if that helps you temper. But know that this is still extremely dark. Don't get me wrong, it. She is not afraid to really unearth the depths of humanity in a way that is beautiful and heartbreaking. And this, I think, is a story about community. It's also a story about collective psychosis, sort of. And if you've ever wondered why it is and how it is that people get into the situation where they're believing cult leaders or cult like leaders. I think this book does a really fantastic job in unearthing that, and I found it to be very relevant today. Even though this book was written in 2016 about the summer of 1984, we are still seeing some of those same themes today. This book uncovers racism. This book addresses homophobia, And I'm sad. I'm really sad. This book is a book that's going. No, I'm sad because I'm thinking about what happened in this story. It's a sad story. And gosh, I wish there was a different ending because I don't. Because it's. Because I do miss the characters. But I'm so glad that I read this. Shout out to actually, I'll say. Who recommended this? It's so funny. It's almost been 10 years, but hey.
- [52:12]
Hannah
We finally get there.
- [52:12]
Tina
We finally get there. But I still can tell you who recommended it. It is someone on Instagram. Her name is Johan and she goes by jobis89. Yes, I love her. She loves this book and she normally reads horror and like thrillers and so I just remember her talking about this and saying she loved it. And I was like, well, what the.
- [52:31]
Hannah
She's like the biggest hype person for this book.
- [52:34]
Tina
She is. And I am really glad that I finally got to it. So I highly recommend this book. I am going to annotate it and come back and give you my official star rating at some point because I don't know, it's. Right now I'm like, maybe it's a five star because I feel like this one's going to stick with me. And it almost made me cry just now thinking about what happens to some of the folks in this book. So maybe that's a sign. Overall, I loved it. It's the Summer that Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel.
- [53:00]
Hannah
I know exactly what you mean when you're like, oh, I'm still thinking about the ending and still getting sad. That's how I felt about on the Savage side. The that book just. I still think about kind of how that book ended, and it still gets me in the feels. She has a way of having those books that stick with you.
- [53:18]
Tina
She really does. And I feel like on the Savage side is behind me. So tell me about your next book and I'm gonna look at my shelves while you do that.
- [53:25]
Hannah
Okay, sounds good. Good. So my next one is one of the oldest books on my tbr. Now I have read a lot of works by this author, by this poet, but I hadn't read this collection yet. And that is Upstream by Mary Oliver. I love Mary Oliver. She is just such a beautiful poet. I feel like her work just really resonates with me. She talks a lot about poetry, literature, writing and nature. Her nature writing is my favorite of anyone out there. And this particular collection is her kind of reckoning with her willingness to lose herself in her love of nature and literature. And she specifically talks about how her childhood best friend growing up, Walt Whitman is his name. I wanted to make sure I got that right. Her best friend growing up, Walt Whitman, really inspired her to also lose herself in her writing. And he really inspired her to kind of become the poet that she is today. And I also have a personal reason for picking this up kind of outside of the Goodreads challenge, which is that in my personal growth journey, I am kind of working on some self discovery. And something that my therapist encouraged me to do is when you are doing something you love to do. So for me, that's reading and also annotating, kind of think about some adjectives or things that you're feeling while you're doing this thing that you love, because that's going to kind of bring you closer to your values and who you are as a person. And we kind of did this exercise during one of our last appointments. And she had noticed that a lot of the words that I used to describe how I was feeling while I was reading and annotating and doing those things were very like forward motion adjectives. And so I saw this book upstream and I was like, you know what? I'm going to annotate this after I read it. And I'm going to kind of highlight all of the themes in this poetry collection that align with these kind of pieces of myself that are very forward moving and I feel like kind of help me to understand myself better. So I have. And this isn't private or anything, but I have like all of these hearts of words that I've circled in here of things that I really relate to that kind of call to me and make me feel like. Like myself. And I've highlighted, you know, just like some random. Well, they're not random. They're actually very intentional words and phrases in the book that just align with myself. So obviously that's a very personal reflection and not necessarily a review, but it's also hard to talk about poetry in a way that's not extremely personal. So, yeah, I obviously really loved this. And Mary Oliver continues to be a poet that I just. Just think does such a good job at humanizing life in general and also finding pieces of nature that relate to very specific human experiences. So I think if you like nature writing, I think if you just really like poetry that's accessible and doesn't feel too lyrical or too out of touch, this is very much, if you are a person living in the world that likes Metaphor or things like nature to relate to things that we've all experienced. She is a great poet to try and I really loved this collection and how it was very thoughtfully put together. And that was Upstream by Mary Oliver.
- [57:18]
Tina
Many things I have to respond to. One great job by your therapist. I love that they gave you a, you know, sort of activity that is very personal and will resonate with you, and one that you'll actually do. That book is gorgeous. You holding it with your annotations. I'm like, I want to live in that. It's just so sweet. And that just looks like such a impactful time. And I love nature writing, so maybe this is my headway into poetry. I don't know.
- [57:46]
Hannah
I think that you could enjoy Mary Oliver. Like I said, I feel like. Because I'm not really a poetry reader either. I like poetry that's more contemporary, at least usually. But she's is kind of a more like classic, although modern classic poet that. I just feel like anyone could fall in love with her.
- [58:05]
Tina
Yeah. And I love that you said this. She's friend with somebody. What's his name? Let me make sure. Walt Whitman. And I'm like, the Walt Whitman? Or is this like a pseudo?
- [58:12]
Hannah
Well, that's why I was. Well, that's why I was like, let me make sure I've got that right. Because I. I didn't. I. I don't know.
- [58:19]
Tina
Yeah, no, it's the Walt Whitman.
- [58:20]
Hannah
I think it is the Walt Whitman.
- [58:21]
Tina
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Because I.
- [58:22]
Hannah
But it was like her childhood best friend.
- [58:24]
Tina
Yeah. I'm like, wait, wait, what? He's the childhood best friend? Okay, cool. Anyway, so, yeah, well, that's why I.
- [58:30]
Hannah
Wanted to make sure I had it right. I was like, wait, no, be. Well, yeah, no, that was her childhood best friend.
- [58:34]
Tina
Be. What that meant.
- [58:35]
Hannah
But yeah, she writes he's kind of the. Like, a apex of this collection. And a lot of the works that she has made that I think he inspired.
- [58:47]
Tina
Sure. Well, that makes sense.
- [58:49]
Hannah
Yeah.
- [58:49]
Tina
Okay.
- [58:50]
Hannah
Well, also, maybe I should just not script my things more often, because I.
- [58:55]
Tina
Feel like it's better when you have less written down. Not you, but just in general. I didn't have anything written other than the synopsis for both of mine. And I'm like, hey, that worked out pretty nice.
- [59:04]
Hannah
Maybe. Yeah. One day I'll figure it out.
- [59:06]
Tina
One day I meltdown. I have a book that I was gonna bring a different shelf edition, but instead I'm bringing this one because it just came in the mail. And it's called Twist of Fate. Yes, it's really good. A Twist of Fate by C. Ah Jang translated by S.L. park and this is a thriller. And I feel like it's gonna be really good. Okay, so let me tell you about it. Jay Young has just left everything she's ever known. Not that it was much. She has a thankless job, her infested apartment, and her abusive boyfriend who happens to be dead on the kitchen floor. Murder was never the way she envisioned leaving, but times were desperate. She is now on a train to the bustling city of Seoul, and she is hoping to escape her transgressions and to become invisible. Because if she's invisible, then she feels safe. On the train, she meets a chatty mother fleeing with her infant son from an unfaithful husband and hoping to find refuge with the in laws she's never met. To avoid further conversation, she excuses herself for a moment, and when she returns, the woman is nowhere to be found. But guess what is there? The baby this lady left behind. And she's pleading Jae Young to take him to his father's family in a remote province far from Seoul. It's not an ideal pit stop, but for the sake of the child, she's like, okay, I guess I have to do it. When she gets there, the house takes her by surprise. It's this gated manner, and it's very opulent. And what's more, the family is assuming that Jay Young is their daughter in law because they don't know, and they invite her to stay. And so Jae Young's like, you know what? This is the perfect cover. Let me do this. Let me take this lady's identity. But both women have ghosts in their past. Though unaware of the rot lurking beneath the shiny veneer of her new life, Jae Young will do whatever it takes to make sure she never goes back. This sounds freaking fantastic. It sounds right up my alley. And this was not on my radar. I don't. I didn't know anything about it. I think it actually comes out in July. But I just think this one sounds fantastic, and I am excited to give it a whirl. It is a Twist of fate by Sia Jiang.
- [61:08]
Hannah
Yeah, I love that cover. Right? When you pulled it up, I was like, that looks fun. And I haven't heard of that one. I haven't, like, seen that one at all.
- [61:17]
Tina
I know. From Bantam.
- [61:19]
Hannah
Can't say the same about my shelf edition. Oh, about my shelf edition, which is Culpability by Bruce Hulsinger. I feel like I didn't hear any early buzz for this one. And then all of a sudden, everywhere. It just came out. And it's everywhere. Probably because it's an Oprah's Book Club pick, but I did just pick this one up. And this is from the best selling author of the Gifted School, which funny enough was one of the books I almost read for this episode because it's.
- [61:49]
Tina
On my TBR too.
- [61:50]
Hannah
It's been on my TBR for so long and it still sounds good to me. It still sounds relevant. But this one also sounds so good. This is about Cassidy Shaw, who's A autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car and 17 year old Charlie is in the driver's seat with his father Noah riding, riding shotgun. Then in the back seat we have tweens, Alice and Izzy, who are just on their phones. While their mother Lorelei, love that name, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. I'm almost lost here because I'm personally a little bit tired of the A.I.
- [62:31]
Tina
Yes.
- [62:31]
Hannah
Thing.
- [62:32]
Tina
Yes.
- [62:32]
Hannah
But this one, from what I've heard, it sounds like it's not similar to a lot of the other books about AI that are out there. So in this book, all of these family members are harboring secrets, implicating them each in the tragic accident that happens. This explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other non human forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative. So I don't know, I do like the idea. I guess I shouldn't say I like the idea. It sounds interesting to me of like this car accident kind of being the catalyst for this story. I don't know, it sounds really interesting. I also admittedly love the COVID I just really have been loving these like vertical text on the covers of things. It's really interesting. And there's like blurred pictures on the COVID Anyway, that's Culpability by Bruce Holzinger.
- [63:42]
Tina
No, that's good. And it's so funny, you say that you heard nothing and then you heard everything. And I can tell you I did not include it for new release Tuesday because I'm like, what is the synopsis? I'm like, I don't follow. And then I was like, you know what? And I'm also over AI so I'm gonna. I just didn't bring it it because I was like, this is too hard for me to summarize quickly. But you could have, I could have just said AI, Car crashes, self driving, car crashes and chaos ensues. And I think that would get you there.
- [64:07]
Hannah
I didn't even read the entire synopsis. It kind of goes on, but I think that to your point, that first paragraph there and then kind of summing up the themes of the book is all I personally need to know. So if you want to read the full synopsis of everything that happens happens, you can. But that was enough for me.
- [64:25]
Tina
I agree wholeheartedly. But that's 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 us wherever you listen and by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. And if you're watching us on YouTube, leave us a comment. And don't forget, if you'd like access to exclusive bonus content and community, why don't you for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.
- [64:51]
Hannah
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 YouTube. You can find Tina TBR etc and Hannah at handpickedbooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books. I. I don't know.
- [65:17]
Tina
Give them a screen. It's fine. They will survive.