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- [00:02]
A
I love how I'm like, I'll dive right in. I have no. I don't have it pulled up. I got nothing. Okay. Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your TBR. I'm Tina from TBR, etc.
- [00:25]
B
And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.
- [00:27]
A
This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood Read. We're easily distracted by new releases, and this week we read books that we've been putting off all year.
- [00:37]
B
If you enjoy listening, we'd love for you to follow us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And if you have a quick minute, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other book lovers.
- [00:50]
A
Hey, everyone. Before we jump into the show, I just wanted to let you know that we will be taking a little tiny break. So you will not receive any new episode the week of Thanksgiving on that Tuesday. But we hope you have a wonderful holiday and we will be back in early December to talk all things end of the year reading. If you are a patron, you can expect our normal bonus content. And if you are not a patron and want to sign up on December 4th, we will be live reacting to the Goodreads Choice award winners. And we can't wait to chat with you all then. I don't know, did I get everything? Nice plug. That was good. Okay, fantastic. Thank you. I was like, okay, quick, say something about being off.
- [01:28]
B
So I was like, could she do that last minute? Nice.
- [01:31]
A
I did. I did. It came from my brain, which sometimes it's better for me to just talk on the fly and not.
- [01:37]
B
Yeah.
- [01:38]
A
Have things written down, not overthink it. And that is certainly the case this week because I felt like I had so much to. Not even so much to say about my books because honestly, I don't want to spoil it, but these were easy books to. To talk about, put it that way. So I felt like I didn't need to put too much into it. But how have you been?
- [02:00]
B
Oh, wow. I feel like we're changing up the format a little bit. I'm. I'm. I usually I ask you how you're doing.
- [02:05]
A
Oh, I like, I was like, what did I do? What did I do?
- [02:07]
B
No, no, it's okay. We're. I'm doing good. I am getting excited for holidays coming up. We have some kind of different fun plans that we're doing this year and it's beautiful today. I think we're getting like our last couple really nice 50, 60 degree weather days right now, which is just lovely. But how are you?
- [02:29]
A
Same here. We have a record breaking day coming tomorrow, the weekend as we're recording this. So I'm excited to get a couple more days of nice weather. It was so funny. I was talking to somebody today, they live in Arizona and just they were like, oh, what's the temperature? And I'm like, oh, it's like I don't know, 55. And he was like, oh, he's like, I'd be shivering. And I was like, it's perspective, right? Because I go outside with no coat in 55 degree weather. But yeah, we've definitely had our fair share of, of ups and downs and you know it's gonna be pretty cold from here on out, but such is life. Yep.
- [03:04]
B
Yeah. Today I took a little walk right before we recorded actually and I wore some biker shorts and a crew neck and I was getting warm.
- [03:14]
A
So that is my actual favorite outfit to wear. That's my number one favorite is a biker short and a crew neck sweatshirt. Oversized. There's a crisp in the air. It's actually 60 right now in Chicago. So I miss warm. That's heat wave 65. And then it goes back into the 40s and 50s for a high. But I will take it. I'm going to be sure to go outside and walk around tomorrow and on a Saturday. On a Saturday, since we're speaking about the Midwest, I'll go ahead and dive right into my loving lately. Because my loving lately is an Etsy shop that is out of Rochester, Indiana. So they are fellow Midwesterners, it's called Mystical Outpost and they sell incense. So this is actually a loving lately courtesy of my husband Jonathan. He is such an incense burner. And he one day there was this box on my table. I'm like, what is this? He actually no, it was not even the box. He was walking around the house with this incense stick, sort of like smudging the rooms. And I was like, what are you doing? What spurred this? And so I guess he had found this and made a big order from them. And what's great about this is they are hand dipped incense, they have cones, they have sticks and they have a ton of sense. They're also very reasonable. You can get 25 sticks for $2 and 30 cents. I mean it's like a great price and they have a ton of different options. They also come in 50 and 100 and they've sell candles as well. And they've been around for a while. It says they have over 20 years of experience making candles and incense. And you can tell. And what I like about this, the scents aren't overpowering, but they smell like incense. You know what I'm saying? Like, it feels like you're burning something nice. I also bought some from five Below recently and I feel like those just burn out so quickly and the scent is fine, but it's just nothing special. These definitely feel more special and they're a little bit longer lasting. Especially there's like these little sticks that I got and they burn a while. Hold on. And Jonathan, he's so funny. He sent me this long text right before we started recording about these because I was asking him about the incense. He like wrote my script for me. He's like, I feel like you can really tell their hand dipped because of the, the grittiness. Some of them are still not dried upon arrival, but you just have to leave them out for a bit and get them all the way dry. But it's nice because you feel like you're getting something that's like crafted with care. And again, the burn on these is pretty slow. Like I said, they have other stuff in their shop like roll on perfume, candles, wax for warmers, etc. He is a man of discerning taste, especially when it comes to incense. And I too enjoy this. So I wanted to bring it to the show. I'm also going to show you something that we bought. So every year in Chicago there's a Chris Kindle market, which is Chicago German market. And so we always buy like one nice gift for the house every year. So I'll show you on my video here and tell you about it. It's this bear. We actually have two. We have a bear and a wolf. And they are hand carved wood incense burners and they are the most special things that I own. Okay, maybe not the most, but they're, they're up there. So we take our incense very seriously in this household. So my loving lately has been the mystical outpost incense. And you can get it on Etsy.
- [06:32]
B
I love that you brought this and I love that name for a shop.
- [06:37]
A
Mystical Outpost.
- [06:38]
B
Mystical Outpost.
- [06:39]
A
For some reason you say it, it sounds so nice. I was like having a hard time. I'm like mythical. Because I want to say mythical. That's what I want to say. That's not right.
- [06:47]
B
Mystical.
- [06:47]
A
Mystical. Mystical.
- [06:49]
B
Oh, I love that. And the. You said that you had these like handcrafted incense burners holders. What are they called?
- [06:56]
A
They're like wood, Handcrafted wood incense figurines.
- [07:02]
B
Did you have family member make them or did you?
- [07:05]
A
No, we got them at the market. We got them at the Crystal Kindle Market. Maybe I didn't make the connection. No, I mentioned the market, but I didn't say so every year from the Chris Kindle Market.
- [07:14]
B
That's where you get those.
- [07:16]
A
Maybe not a helpful recommendation if you're not local to Chicago, but if you are local, go to the market. They are handcrafted and they're fantastic. Like, they're just so nice.
- [07:25]
B
Oh, I need to be a better listener. Shame on me. Okay, I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure you made that pretty clear. Okay. Moving on to my loving lately, which is really simple and I don't have a ton to say about it, but I genuinely have been using this every single day. And it is a waterproof shower Bluetooth speaker. If you do not have one of these, you've got to get one. It makes listening to things additional to audiobooks for me so much more manageable because oftentimes I want to listen to other things like podcasts and things like that. And finding the time, set aside time to do that is challenging with busy schedules. And I love having this as an option to listen to a serialized podcast or even just music. I love listening to music and finding time to do that. Especially, you know, the kind of music I like listening to isn't always, you know, kid appropriate. So, you know, having that me time is essential because I can actually get everything done that I need to in the bathroom without getting bored or not wanting to do it, which is a big deal for me. It's a big deal for me. I'm like, I do not want to, like, like, shave both of my legs. Are you kidding me?
- [08:43]
A
That is. You need to be entertained.
- [08:45]
B
I need to be entertained.
- [08:45]
A
Let's make this a fun experience.
- [08:47]
B
Exactly. And this has been so helpful. And you can get them at a really affordable price. Now. I've had mine for years and it cost me like 25 bucks. And we still use it. We just charge it up and it. Yeah, it's lasted for a few years at this point. So that is my loving lately. I have been loving it, and it's helping me stay clean. I mean, who can argue with that? That's the water. What's not to like? That is the waterproof shower Bluetooth speaker.
- [09:17]
A
I thought you were going to say you listen to audio books in the shower. And I was like, I actually don't. Like, now you're on to something. Yeah, I don't know that I could. I don't know that I could so something weird.
- [09:28]
B
And I don't know if other people experience this, like, if it's a universal thing or if it's a me thing. But I can listen to an audiobook on faster speed in my ears or using headphones. If I am in the car or listening to it on this waterproof Bluetooth speaker, I have to slow it down. If it's external outside of my ears, I have to slow down the speed.
- [09:49]
A
I bet it's because when you have your headphones on, it's like, less distracting. And then when you're listening to it out in the open, there's, like, people and there's other cars. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wonder if that's the reason, but I kind of. I wonder if I'm the same way. I feel like once I'm into it, I'm okay with that. But that's an interesting observation. I don't know that I've ever noticed if my listening speed differs. The only thing I've noticed is I cannot start an audiobook at 2.0. No, thank you. I started at 175, right? And then once I get the players, I will go ahead and bump it up to two. And I usually stick it to anything more than that. For me, I'm like, okay, what am I doing here? Like, unless I, like, have to read it by a specific time, which is so rare. But anyway, fun with audiobooks there. Let's do latest reads. What do you say? I mean, I feel like now's the time. As always, I. Okay. All right. My latest read is the Perfect Marriage by Geneva Rose. When I tell you I was not expecting to enjoy this, I am so serious. I actually thought I had read this before, but I hadn't. I read Best Day Ever by Kyra Roda, which is a different book, but for some reason I was conflating the two and I did not care for that one from Kyra Roda. The reason I picked this one up, you may know, I'm trying to read through all of the Goodreads Choice thriller award nominees. And so I knew that the Perfect Divorce was likely going. Going to be on it because it had so many reviews. So I'm like, I've never read the Perfect Marriage. Let me do this. In anticipation of the long list being released. So I grabbed the Perfect Marriage and had very low expectations, and I have been pleasantly surprised. What this is about is a husband and wife who have what looks on the surface to be the perfect Marriage. Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney. They live in Washington, D.C. and she's only 33. And she has been named partner, which is unheard of. And her life is going exactly how she planned. But unfortunately, the same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career, but they've been together since undergrad. And so, you know, they sort of are still together, still love each other, but they're at very different places in their life. And then Adam, unfortunately, has a wandering eye, and they have a second home, and he decides to engage in an affair. And then. And then one morning, everything changes when Adam is arrested for his mistress's murder because she has been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah's second home. And Sarah, wouldn't you know it, is a defense attorney. And so she is now faced with the task of defending her own husband of murder. Who's. And. And that's basically it. What a great premise. I mean, truly a fantastic premise. And I will say for this one, it's a great popcorn read. It really is. It has 1.1 million ratings on Goodreads, which is an insane number of people who have rated and reviewed this book. I think if you like popcorn thrillers, I think you should go for it. I really found Sarah to be this entertaining character. I was very entertained by her. She is not your typical woe is me, what am I gonna do? Type character. She is a boss for a reason. And I feel when I was reading this, the entire time, I was just thinking about Geneva Rose as a person and how she is on TikTok, and I was picturing the main character of this book as her. Like, they looked the same in my mind's eye. And for this one, I think you will be pleasantly surprised if you stick with it because kind of in the beginning you're like, okay, you know, I feel like I know where I'm going or what I'm getting with this one. But boy, oh, boy, was I delighted. By the end. I really liked the whole thing all the way around. And again, I wasn't expecting to, I guess, enjoy it as much as I did. So shame on me for going in with a less than stellar attitude. I'm gonna just go ahead and say that I did read the Perfect Divorce and I liked it a lot. I liked it just as much as the Perfect Marriage, and I loved reading those two pretty much back to back because the Perfect Marriage ends, the Perfect divorce picks up 10 years later. But you're still seeing a lot of the same characters that you saw from the first one and you're still getting a lot of the same overlap. So for me, I was like, fantastic. I'm up to date. I know who all of these people are. I didn't, you know, I kind of just went right into it. I really loved both of them and I'm quite happy having read these because I've tried Geneva Rose a couple times. I read one of hers and liked it. I read a few others in dnf. So I'm really happy that both the Perfect Marriage and the Perfect Divorce worked for me. So you're getting a two for one here with my latest reads. And that is the Perfect Marriage and Perfect Divorce by Geneva Rose.
- [14:37]
B
Love the double review. Look at me.
- [14:39]
A
Double review go. I figure I'm not gonna bring the the Perfect Divorce to its own, you know, show.
- [14:46]
B
Yeah, okay.
- [14:47]
A
Anyway, my. That's what I have to say.
- [14:49]
B
My latest read is surprising to me because it is a collection of poetry and I really don't read poetry very often. I would say that I read maybe one or two collections a year I do enjoy, but I'm a little pickier with them. And this particular collection is Climate by Whitney Hansen. And I had actually never heard of this poet before. Apparently she has a really large Instagram following, a social following, and is pretty popular. But I actually saw this book on my parents office desk and started reading it. And then I was really enjoying it and so I just, you know, popped it in my little work bag, Sorry, mom and dad. And I took it home to finish it. I will bring it back and place it on the office table for them. But this collection is about the only constant thing in life, which is change. Climate is a journey in embracing change both internally and externally, and guides its readers through all of the weather they face, from heartbreak to the storms we create inside our brain. And it reminds readers to embrace the sun, the storm, and the rain. And most importantly, it emphasizes the beauty, values, inconsistency of change. The poetry collection was divided into sections like Foggy, Stormy, and then at the very end, it landed on a section just titled Climate. That kind of wraps the entire theme of the collection in a bow at the end with this overarching theme of climate and change at the very end of the collection. I thought that these poems were lovely. I think that this poet does a wonderful job putting really universal experiences in short stanzas and sometimes even one sentence that will really just capture a very complex feeling or human experience in a simplistic but maybe really punchy or poignant way. This collection was about love, about healing, about grief, and honestly, just every emotion that you could think of, including the positive ones. This wasn't just. Just a sad collection of poetry, which tend to be the ones that I am personally drawn to. But I like that this one also focused on all of those good human experiences as well. And all of it was really just a metaphor for how climate is constantly shifting, just like our lives and the seasons that are in them. I recommend not rushing this collection. I think I read through it a little too quickly, but I would recommend maybe reading this one a section at a time or maybe a few poems at a time and really thinking about them. I think if you're a journaler, a lot of these would make really great journal prompts. And I flagged a couple that I think I would like to use for some journal prompting myself. So overall, this was the first and probably only poetry collection that I will be reading this year, and I'm really glad that it was this one. I really enjoyed it. And that was Climate by Whitney Hansen.
- [17:57]
A
I mean, color me surprise. I would not have expected you to bring a poetry collection.
- [18:02]
B
Well, and part of it was because I read a book last week that I just did not think that I could bring to the show. I really, really, really didn't like it, and I just didn't feel comfortable talking about it. And when I found this collection, I was like, you know what? What a great palette cleanser. What a great opportunity to find something else. Talk about on the main show. So if you're a patron, you might hear about this other book on one of our bonus episodes. But yeah, still deciding.
- [18:38]
A
Still deciding. I know sometimes it's like, this is so hard to talk about.
- [18:41]
B
It's so hard. Yeah.
- [18:44]
A
I like the COVID of this climate book, though. It's very interesting.
- [18:47]
B
Isn't it pretty?
- [18:48]
A
Yeah, it's really neat. I haven't seen much like that, but good on you for stretching your. For. For giving yourself a little bit of a brain. Not a brain break, but like giving yourself a little boost after what probably sounded like a pretty tough read.
- [19:06]
B
Yes, exactly.
- [19:08]
A
Well, we are talking today about books that we. Okay, so initially these were supposed to be books that we wanted to read before the end of the year. Initially, we were going to do all 20, 25 releases. Because I don't know about you listeners or you, Hannah. For me, I'm like, okay, I definitely want to read some of the big buzzy books in the year they're published. For no real reason, they will still be there. But in my head I just have it. I'm like, I want to read it in the year they're published just to see what I think about it because they might be on awards lists, et cetera. So initially they were going to be 20, 25 releases. And then I read a book that changed my brain chemistry that was a backlist and I'm like, nevermind, can we change it to just books that we want to read before the end of the year? So thank you for letting me pivot a little bit.
- [19:53]
B
I'm really glad that we ended up making that change too because actually the books that I am bringing today are Backlist and I decided to do that because of the switch that we made. And both of the picks I am so excited to talk about and this episode was just a really, really good reminder for me overall, a good reminder that guess what?
- [20:14]
A
You can read back list books. Like you don't need to read all frontless all the time.
- [20:18]
B
And they can be five stars.
- [20:20]
A
And they can be five stars. I know. And I think too, especially with Backlist, the appeal of it is they've got this longevity where you've got a lot of readers. You can kind of trust, I think people's opinions a little bit more because they've, you know, if they didn't stand the test of time, we're probably not going to be hearing about them anymore or, you know, there's not going to be much I don't know out there about it. And I chose to do one backlist and then one that actually comes out today as of this list. When you're listening, it's out today. So I'm really, really excited about that. So it sounds like you went back list for this. So I'm wondering if for next year you. You're thinking maybe you'd focus a little bit more on back list or you want to make it a priority.
- [21:00]
B
Yes. And I feel like I say that every year and then I get a little frustrated with myself for reading front list. But also I do really want to like over the summer especially we do those summer bonanza and I. I do also really want to maybe partake in a couple more challenges next year. Like maybe think about what's going to be on the Goodreads Choice Awards books throughout the year and things like that. So I think I'll wrap up my thought with saying next year I just want to be more balanced in my reading and think more about having like a 5050 a front list and back list, which is hard to do.
- [21:42]
A
Yeah. Was it. Was it the same way before you started to do the podcast, or were you.
- [21:47]
B
I think this is a question I grapple with every single year. Even before, Remember life.
- [21:52]
A
Oh, okay, okay, okay. Got you.
- [21:54]
B
No, no, Even before the podcast, it was like this. This internal fight and battle that I have with myself every year of. Of, oh, I really want to read more Backlist, but I also really want to read more front list too. And remembering. I can do both. I can just have this balanced reading life that I might not have to even overthink so much. Just be a little intentional. And I don't know about that from there, but I always end up overthinking it and then kind of being frustrated.
- [22:22]
A
So I wonder for Backlist, why it's hard to prioritize them. For me, it's because I forget about them. They go on the ephemeral TBR and they sort of get lost over there. So what I would like to do is, like you said, be more intentional about things, but also keep a better handle on what is actually on my TBR list.
- [22:41]
B
Yes.
- [22:42]
A
Because right now, actually, I've done a pretty good job. I think the way that I'm doing it. I think I've said this before. Goodreads is my catch all. Anything goes. Maybe I won't read it, but it's sort of, hey, I'm interested, or other people might be interested to know about this. Whereas on storygraph, that one's more for me. And I plan to go in and audit. I audited it once this year when we did our who knows what episode, but we sort of did an episode where I think we were picking books from our TBR maybe, and I took off a ton of them. And that was a really fun exercise because I'm like, okay, you know, it's not for me right now. Maybe it'll come back to me and maybe it won't. But that's my plan, is to really try and keep my TBR more tight next year.
- [23:28]
B
I think that's something that Renee actually used to always do, and she used to talk about doing this a lot, was sampling, and this was something that I used to do a lot more of. And I would like to get back into the habit of doing because I think that if you do this, especially if you're combining sampling with backlist books and front list books, you probably are going to find a natural cadence that is pretty balanced with what you end up reading. And. And that is something that I want to be more intentional about doing next year now that I've had a couple minutes to think about it for a second.
- [24:00]
A
Yes. No, I think that's a good plan. And you're right. Renee is so good at sampling, I assume.
- [24:06]
B
And they're free on your Kindle.
- [24:08]
A
I know. And I never think to do it. That is something that I could definitely do more because then it's fun. I love the reading experience. I've said this before on the show where you pick up a book and, like, immediately you're like, oh, I'm into this. One of my picks today, though, I actually did a rare sample for. And I remember falling in love with it pretty quickly, but it was too long to pick for that particular episode. But I was happy that I was able to prioritize it today.
- [24:32]
B
Yeah, there is something. There's so much to say about the right book for the right time. One of my books that I am reading today, I previously, I knew it wasn't. I knew it wasn't a full dnf, but in the past, I. I said the same thing. I was like, not right now. And oh, my gosh, am I so happy that I decided to pick it up again. I'm excited to talk about these books now.
- [24:56]
A
I know. Me too. Do you keep a not right now list?
- [24:59]
B
No.
- [25:00]
A
If not, I feel like I should.
- [25:01]
B
You know, but that is also partially because lists for me end up.
- [25:05]
A
Oh, just in the ephemeral. They're in the ether. They're in the universe. They're somewhere. Okay. No, somewhere out there. There's somewhere out there. I do have a DNF list on my phone, but I think I will start keeping a knot right now because I know it in my head like when I see books, but I actually like that for an episode next year and not right now books. Books that we choose that just not the right book at the right time for whatever reason, but, like, they still exist and we should try and prioritize them.
- [25:30]
B
That's a good idea. Well, maybe I will start keeping a list of that too, so that we can think about that for an episode in the future. Okay, so we read some books for this episode. Are there still books that you still want to read before the year is over that are either backlist or not a part of your current project that you're doing for the Goodreads Choice Awards and things like that? Do you. Or do you keep a list of those books?
- [25:59]
A
I do. I have them. They're on my TBR Long list is sort of what I call it. And primarily these are books, like I was thinking earlier, that I know people have loved in 2025, and I want to sample them and I want to try them out and see if I'm going to love them like the other people do. And most of these, though, are ones that you've already brought, because I know you've brought them. And so I'm like, I can't, you know, I don't want to prioritize them, but definitely towards the end of the year, I. I hope to get to them. This includes the Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson, My Friends by Frederik Bachman, and the Bright Years that I. Oh, I.
- [26:34]
B
Think you're gonna love those.
- [26:36]
A
Yeah, I think I will too.
- [26:38]
B
I have a post, actually, that I recently just put up on Instagram and I'm thinking about using this as kind of a visual list for me because that's something that never disappears, it never goes away. And using that as kind of a reference point so that I'm not constantly creating these lists and things like my phone. And so I think I'm going to try to reference that stack of books that I said and still want to read by the end of the year. I know I'm not going to read all of those by the end of the year, but I think that will be a helpful visual TBR stack for me when sure enough, I know in a week or two I'm going to be yelling like, what do I read?
- [27:19]
A
Right?
- [27:19]
B
I know I've got that visual post that I can go look at at and pick from some of those books as well as look in the comments because I asked in that post, which one of these should I prioritize? And there were a couple definite standout favorites. So there are definitely some books from that stack that I am planning on reading by the end of the year. And I will link that post in our show notes in case you're curious about what I'm wanting to get into.
- [27:48]
A
I was just going to say that we need to link to that. I remember seeing it pass through, but yeah, I want to see which ones you end up selecting. But we are both, it sounds like we're both very excited about our books that we have picked for this so I can dive in to my first one. And that is you'll Never Know by Caleb Stevens. This is a thriller. It comes out, like I said today, November 18. And the reason I picked this up is because I saw it on TikTok a little bit and people were saying this is the Best thriller they've read all year. And I was like, yeah, right. No, it's not like I was being such a hater for no reason. I mean, no hate to the creators. I was like, just like, was it really, though? So for whatever reason I think it was on whatever reason, I was like, you know what, let me just prioritize this. I was doing a lot of driving and I needed a thriller. And let me tell you, this delivered. This one is about Grant. And Grant Wilson has never been happier. He has a wife he loves, a home in the country, and a brand new baby on the way. But all of that shatters when two masked men abduct his wife, Avery in broad daylight. And the instructions that Grant receives are bizarre. If he wants Avery back, he must solve a series of riddles that arrive one after the other. And the clock is ticking with every piece of the puzzle becoming more outrageous and complex than the last. Grant knows he's playing a dangerous game, but he is determined to do whatever it takes to save Avery's life, even if it kills him. This book was everything to me. I gave it five stars very easily. It was so good. Caleb Stevens typically writes, or he used to write horror, so he kind of writes horror and thrillers. He's got both. And I think this is going to be his breakout book. This is in my top thrillers of the year, hands down. I was stunned and surprised at many points in the experience of reading this. This is very plot forward, but also not too plot forward where the characters feel like cardboard cutouts, outs. They feel like real people. They feel like, you know, folks you want to root for. The audiobook is great. You have multi audiobook narrators and these are high, high stakes. I'm talking like very high stakes are at play here. And my heart was in my throat the majority of the time. I don't think you're going to be able to predict the entire plot of this. I was very surprised. Just know this is pretty gritty. I would not consider this a popcorn thriller. It does get pretty brutal. And I was like at one point, I'm like, oh my gosh. I can tell he writes horror because this is pretty horrific. So just know that I can't tell you other things. You know, I can't tell you specifics, but it had two of my favorite sub tropes in here that I love and I love to see them when I see them. It was intense, it was emotional. And this is a book you will want to discuss with your book club club, especially if Your book club likes thrillers, so just know like, don't just bring this out of the blue with people that you don't know. But if you know your book club or friends like to read thrillers, make this recommendation and read it together because this book is that good. This one is you'll Never Know by Caleb Stevens.
- [30:59]
B
I love the point that you made of. I think that at some point you're going to be surprised by something that happens because I think that's an important distinction with thrillers, that even if something predictable happens, if you can be surprised by at least one or two elements in the story to make a wonderful thriller. So I'm glad this one pulled that off for you. My. Oh, I'm. I'm trying to decide do I want to bring like the real banger next or. Yeah, okay.
- [31:28]
A
No, lead with. Do that. Do the banger last.
- [31:31]
B
Okay, okay, I'll do the banger last. However, this one was still a five star read. It is Persuasion by Jane Austen.
- [31:40]
A
Excuse me, this is poetry. Jane Austen. I mean, who is she? Who is she?
- [31:47]
B
It's romance though. It's a classic romance. And Persuasion is known to be one of the most beloved Jane Austen books, which I actually didn't know until reading this book and kind of diving into the lore. It is not necessarily her most popular, which probably goes to Pride and Prejudice, but Jane Austen lovers and readers love Persuasion. So I was excited to finally give this one a read. This is the story of Anne Elliot who at the start of the book is around 27 years old. So she is a little bit old to be unmarried in her time. And Anne not only is 27 and unmarried, but she actually used to be in love. Nine years ago she was betrothed to Captain Frederick Wentworth, who is the great love of of her life. But her family persuaded her to turn down the decision to marry him because he didn't seem like he was going to be wealthy enough and be a good match for her. And so we follow Anne after the fact and she is still grieving this choice nine years later. But Captain Wentworth ends up coming back into town and the whole story goes from there. It's a pretty short book. My copy was 200 pages. I think it's one of the shorter of Austen's novels novels and it's also one of the more melancholy. It has been years since I've read Pride and Prejudice. I almost don't feel comfortable saying I've read it because I. It's been such a long time. But I have read it. Technically. And I've also seen every. Pretty much every adaptation of all of the Jane Austen movies, so I'm versed enough in the Austen verse and. And feel like I can confidently say this one felt more sad in tone than her other stories. But it does still have, of course, that comedic touch that all of her stories have. There's so much yearning in this one. And with it being a second chance romance between Anne and Captain Wentworth, it was fun to see a trope that we still use today in such an older novel and see that trope kind of stand the test of time through this book and through their love story. I definitely agree with everyone that Persuasion definitely is one of the more romantic of her stories. And maybe that's recency bias for me or the bias of having read the book and comparing that to a lot of her movies and TV adaptations. But there is a scene in this book with a letter and the dropping of a pen if, you know. You know, it literally had me passing away. It was so romantic. And so. Oh, my gosh, it was just like, this is the most romantic thing I have ever read in my life. I love that Jane Austen's books still hold up so much to this day. She is witty, she's smart, and the writing here was just fantastic. It makes sense. Sense, because this was the last book that she ever wrote, actually, and so it makes sense that it was kind of her best written work. I could definitely see that. Overall, I am so happy that I finally gave this one a read, and I now want to read more of her novels that I have loved TV and movie adaptations of so much. And that is Persuasion by Jane Austen.
- [35:13]
A
Oh, I'm so glad you brought that. And you sold that really well. I'm like, maybe I should read that. Maybe I need to add that to my long list. Of course.
- [35:20]
B
You do love a classic.
- [35:21]
A
I do. I. I could be talked into a classic, especially one that sounds like it's, you know.
- [35:26]
B
I guess that's more what I meant. Yeah.
- [35:27]
A
Yeah, I could be talked into one. I don't gravitate toward them typically, but of course, as one does, I'm like, well, how did she die? Like, I need to know. And she died when she was 41. And there's some speculation as to what caused it.
- [35:39]
B
Yeah.
- [35:40]
A
I wonder. Is that why did she. Is that why she stopped writing? Because that was like. I wonder if.
- [35:45]
B
I think that she did die shortly after she wrote this book. Like, I don't think that there was. Was. I think that there probably were plans to Write more. And then she died pretty early, and I. I think, from my understanding, pretty suddenly, so.
- [35:58]
A
Oh, okay. Thanks for that. You know, I have to know. I have this.
- [36:02]
B
I could be wrong. I. I could be wrong. I did not do a bunch of research on that. That is just my, like, from what I have heard.
- [36:10]
A
And yeah, I. And I think that's okay. Folks should. Should know that we're not scholars of Jane Austen's work at this point. I have to do this thing, though, every time I don't watch movies, but when I, like around Christmas time, I have this morbid habit of Googling the actors to see if they are still alive. I'm like, I need to know. Like, I need to know. And I also need to know how they died. I don't know why sometimes some is.
- [36:34]
B
No. For the Jane Austen books or. I'm sorry, the Jane Austen movies and adaptations. Like, some of the characters are not. I know anymore. I know Alan Rickman.
- [36:44]
A
I do know him the best.
- [36:46]
B
Colonel Brandon.
- [36:48]
A
I don't know that reference, but.
- [36:49]
B
Oh, so many people that are listening will. I am confident to be nodding their heads along.
- [36:56]
A
Well, you said that I love a classic, and I would argue that this book is a classic. It is Lonesome dove by Larry McMurty.
- [37:07]
B
It sure is.
- [37:08]
A
It sure is. Folks, this book has my heart. I'm holding it very tenderly because I love this book so gosh darn much. This is a love story, an adventure, and an epic of the frontier. Okay? So I had to take a pause there and try and get a synopsis of this, because there really, really isn't one. They're just like, no, it's the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America. And I could totally agree about that. Agree with that, because this book is set in a dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove, and you get to meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaw laws, ladies and women that were considered less ladylike, and as well as settlers and other people of the time. This book, okay, is the one that I was talking about earlier, where I was. I was looking for books that had staying power, I think, or something like that. And this one came up time and time again. So this is when I downloaded a sample, and I was like, wait a minute. I love the beginning of this. Like, these two characters are cracking up, cracking me up. Because you meet Augustus and you meet. Meet Captain W.F. hall, and you can tell that they are longtime friends slash people that like to get on each other's nerves and they're cowboys. So basically what happens in this book is they decide to head to Montana and become cattle ranchers in Montana. But that is a long, long way from where Lonesome Dove is located in southern Texas. And so they basically take this epic journey from their comfortable, if a little bit boring lifestyle and Lonesome Dove all the way to their end of Montana. And that is really what this book is about. It sounds so boring when you say that. Like, okay, what am I listening? What am I reading? But it was riveting. It had highs, it had lows. But what stands out to me the most about this book is the characters. I love them. When I, I read this maybe two weeks ago, or I finished it two weeks ago, and when I grabbed it again because I knew I was going to talk about it on the show, I was like, oh, the boys. Yay. I was like, so happy to like pick a penny back up because I miss these characters already. Many folks have asked me, they knew I was reading this. They wanted to know if you can read this first. I say absolutely yes, because this is the first one he wrote, came out in 1985, but there are two that come after and I think one prequel. So there's, I think a total of four of these in the Lonesome Dove series, total. And from, from what I understand from people, you don't have to read them in order. I would recommend just diving in with this one. I've added the other three to my tbr, my ephemeral long list. Someday I will like to read them just so that I can, I don't know, see these characters again. But from what I hear from people, you are more than able to just stick with this one and write it out. I think this book was written in 19, you know, in, in the 80s, but felt authentic to the time period with, without feeling. You know how sometimes you read older books, you're like, oh, that's cringy. Oh, I don't like how they said that. Like, you wouldn't say that now. This didn't give me that feeling. Like I felt like, okay, yeah, it's, it's. I'm laughing because I can hear Augustus voice in my head because I did the audiobook for this and he's just so flipping funny. One of my all time favorite characters. I recommend if you are an audiobook person, absolutely grab the audiobook for this. It's narrated by Will Patton, who narrates a lot of Stephen King's books and I love his voice. He does the entire thing and is A award winning performance. I loved it so much. And that's all I have to say about that. I don't really watch movies, but I understand there is an adaptation and a television miniseries that has earned Emmys. And there, you know, all sorts of other ways that you can engage with this text if you have not yet already. I also had a lot of people message me and say, oh, this has been on my tbr. So here is my plug to you to go ahead and pick this chonker up. It took me. You're gonna. Don't laugh at me when you hear me say this. It took me a week to read and for me that's a long time. But it never felt boring. I was never like, ugh, let me pick this chunker up. In fact, I was sad when it was over. So I love this book and I love my reading of it. It's Lonesome dove by Larry McMurty.
- [41:26]
B
That is the best feeling when you finish a book and you're just. You're sad that it's over.
- [41:30]
A
I know. Here's the thing now.
- [41:34]
B
Oh, I love that. That is definitely what I was alluding to when I said you love a classic.
- [41:39]
A
Because knew. Okay. Because I was like, since when have I brought classics? And then I was like, I know.
- [41:45]
B
Literally right now I was, I was. Didn't know if you were going to bring that one next. So I was like, maybe this is a good segue.
- [41:52]
A
Yeah, it was a good segue. I'm picking it up, you know, 15 minutes too late, but I'm here.
- [41:56]
B
That's okay. That's okay. I am bringing next my favorite book that I have read in a while and also what I think will eventually be a modern classic. So kind of fun that we're bringing Persuasion and then Lonesome Dove, which was.
- [42:12]
A
The 80s, and of course the Caleb Stevens brutal thriller.
- [42:15]
B
Sure. We had to plug in our contemporary pick and then wrap things up with this book that I believe will be a modern classic, which is Hamnet by Maggie o'. Farrell.
- [42:25]
A
Love it.
- [42:27]
B
Everybody who told me to read this book, I'm so sorry it's taken me this long. This story draws on Maggie o' Farrell's long term fascination and curiosity with the little known story behind Shakespeare's most enigmatic play, which is Hamlet. It is set in Warwickshire in the 1580s and we primarily follow Agnes, who is a woman pretty, feared by her community. She is also sought after because she has unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley Street, Stratford and has three children, a daughter, Susanna and Twins Hamnet and Judith. The boy hamnet, dies in 1596, and we know this at the beginning of the novel. He is 11 years old. You know this at the very beginning that he isn't going to live. And then four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet. And the story follows the trajectory that gets us up into to that point of him writing the play. Ultimately, Hamnet is a luminous portrait of a marriage, of a family, and at its heart, the loss of a beloved child. I am just going to gush about this book for five minutes because I will be shocked if this doesn't end up being one of my favorite books of all time. When I say this book had me weeping, I am not exaggerating. Dustin walked in at one point last week and, and I wasn't even at the end of the book. I was around the 60, 70% mark. And I'm reading this section of the story that is just so beautiful and so sad. And he looked at me as I was sitting on the bed weeping, and he just slowly stepped backward out of the room.
- [44:16]
A
Smart.
- [44:17]
B
He was like. I do not want to interrupt this moment that I was clearly in the middle of Maggie. Maggie's. We're on a first name basis. We'll just call her Maggie. Maggie's gift with words is unmatched, even down to the very first opening line, which beautifully lays out a foreshadowing of the plot's trajectory, even though it is just a few simple sentences about a young boy's movement down a set of stairs. Agnes is one of the most beautiful characters I have read from in a long time. She was so smart and lovely and had this stunning sense to not abandon herself while simultaneously being such a present and caring maternal figure. Watching motherhood happen to this woman and even the differences in her birth stories that were talked about with her two pregnancies, it was just so beautifully captured. This is genuinely a modern masterpiece. I see why it won the Women's Prize for fiction in 2020. It is truly set apart. Thank you to everyone again who's been begging me to pick this up for the last five years. It's worth every single tune here that was shed. And I am so looking forward to watching the film adaptation coming up around Thanksgiving. And that is Hamnet by Maggie o'. Farrell.
- [45:37]
A
Oh, I did not catch that this was being adapted somehow. I. Well, I guess. I guess now that you say it, I knew that.
- [45:43]
B
Yeah. The trailer looks really good.
- [45:45]
A
Does it? This is one that's on my tbr and I Would love to read it. I read the Marriage Plot by her, which I really enjoyed. But I've got to read Hamnet. I think it's been on my TBR since 2020. 2020.
- [45:58]
B
Yeah, exactly. Same. I have read her memoir I Am, I Am, I Am, which I also gave five stars. So she's a two for five stars for me. So I think she might have to be one of those authors for me that I. I read her entire catalog. Do I challenge myself to do that next year?
- [46:15]
A
I think I should. I think you should. I feel like she has a lot of books, though. I don't know.
- [46:19]
B
She does.
- [46:20]
A
Does she?
- [46:21]
B
I don't think too many. Like, I think I would maybe have to read five next year.
- [46:26]
A
She's got. Yeah, I just of course went to my favorite website of all time, fantasticfiction.com. yeah, naturally, as one does. And yeah, she's got 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Oh, she's got one coming. I would have to read eight.
- [46:41]
B
No way.
- [46:42]
A
Yeah, she doesn't. Sure does.
- [46:45]
B
Oh, my gosh.
- [46:46]
A
Sure does.
- [46:46]
B
Sweating.
- [46:48]
A
You want me to. Do you want me to bring it as my shelf edition? Would you like to hear about it?
- [46:52]
B
I do want to hear about it. Yeah.
- [46:54]
A
Well, let's transition. I'll go into shelf edition. Right. Can we.
- [46:57]
B
Okay, it's time. Wait. Yeah, it's time. At first I. I forgot that you brought the Caleb Stevens book, but we brought that one and then we. Yeah, we did.
- [47:05]
A
Lonesome Dub. I just didn't have. Okay. I didn't have much to say about Lonesome other than read it. I loved it. Okay. All right. So my shelf edition for Hannah is Land by Maggie o'. Farrell. I don't believe we have a cover yet. Cover to be revealed. This one's going to come out in June of 2020. Hannah's face is so funny right now. I'm so excited, it says. Inspired by the mapping of Ireland in the mid 19th century land, the new novel from the author of Hamnet is at once intimate and epic. A portrait of family navigating a legacy of upheaval and loss with love and hope. It's set on a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic. Tomas and his reluctant son Liam are working for the Great Ordinance Survey Project to map the whole island of Ireland. The the year is 1865, and in a country not long ago since ravaged and emptied by the great hunger, this task is not easy. Tomas, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster. The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day expecting the work to be completed. But Tomas is unexpectedly set off course by an unsettling encounter with a corpse. His life and those of his family will never be the same again. Liam's terrified and because he's afraid because his dad's acting totally different. What is it that caused such cracks to open in Tomas? And how is liam, aged only 10, going to finish the mapping and get both of them home? This sounds fantastic. It's a story of survival and it's about separation, reunion, tragedy and recovery, and a particularly loyal dog. So I think this one sounds fantastic. So everyone add it to your tbr. Now this book is Land by Maggie oh Farrell.
- [48:45]
B
Oh man, I want to throw up.
- [48:48]
A
Pass away, throw up. I'm so excited.
- [48:51]
B
I'm so excited. Okay, well I am also pretty excited about my shelf edition which is called Would Be by T. Kira Madden. This comes out in March of 2026 and it's a debut novel from the award winning memoirist T. Kira Madden. She wrote Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls I believe was the title of it. That came out a few years ago. And this one follows three women connected through one man in the aftermath of his murder. So we're following Birdie, who knew nothing about Whidbey island when she chose it, only that it was as far away from her life as she could get. She is a woman on the run. She's desperate to escape the headlines back home. Her girlfriend's wor gays and Calvin Boyer, the man who abused her as a child and is now resurfaced on the ferry. A stranger offers her a chilling proposition, a sinister solution and a plan for revenge. But Birdie wasn't the only girl that Calvin harmed. We have Lindsay King, who was a former reality TV star and has written all about him in her best selling memoir. And though the women have never met, their stories are intertwined. When Bertie reaches Whidbey and finally opens Lindsay's book, she finds too much. She recognizes and across the country, Calvin's mother, Mary Beth receives a shocking call from the police. Her only son has been murdered. Calvin's death sets off a chain of events that sends each woman searching for answers. It's told in alternate points of view and is a complex and perceptive whodunit that examines the long reach of violence, violence and flaws in our systems of incarceration and rehabilitation. This sounds intense. It sounds really good, it sounds interesting and I'm really curious about it. I haven't heard many other people talking about it, so we'll see when the time comes. It comes out in March. That's would be by T. Kira Madden.
- [50:58]
A
I don't know much about this one, so I'm glad you brought it.
- [51:01]
B
Yeah.
- [51:03]
A
Well, folks, that is it for today. We want to hear from you. Tell us what books have been on your TBR for the way too long. Have we enticed you? Has your TBR grown as a result of listening to this episode? 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'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'd like access to exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.
- [51:41]
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. On Instagram and on YouTube. You can find Tina at TBR Etc. And Hannah at HandpickedBooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, everything's better with books.
- [52:01]
A
I was on Goodreads the other day and you know how sometimes they have, like, when their website is glitching or they'll give you like a quote to show you that, like, they're working on changing the page for you or something. The quote was, everything's better with books. And I was like, excuse me, Goodreads. That is ours.
- [52:20]
B
That's our thing.
- [52:21]
A
How dare you. And of course it like flipped too fast so I couldn't, like, take a screenshot, but I was like, we made that up. That is not yours to have.
- [52:31]
B
But anyway, I guess we'll share, man. Goodreads. Come on.
- [52:36]
A
Do better reads in many ways, right?
- [52:38]
B
Do better as a just general statement. Okay, get with it.
- [52:43]
A
Get with it.