Tackling the Book Talk Etc. Reading Challenge Prompts

Summary

Book Talk Etc. Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Tackling the Book Talk Etc. Reading Challenge Prompts
Date: January 13, 2026
Hosts: Tina (@tbretc) & Hannah (@hanpickedbooks)

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Episode Overview

In this lively, conversational episode, Tina and Hannah dive into their annual Book Talk Etc. Reading Challenge for 2026. They candidly discuss how themed reading challenges shape their reading habits as self-professed mood readers, dissect this year’s thoughtfully crafted challenge prompts, and share a broad range of book recommendations fitting some of these categories. The conversation weaves bookish advice, humor, and deep dives into recent reads, providing listeners with inspiration for their own TBRs and motivation to approach reading challenges—no matter their reading style.

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Key Discussion Points

Reading Challenge Philosophy and Prompt Design

• Intent of the Challenge:

  • Encourages readers to step out of their comfort zones with unique, sometimes quirky prompts.
  • Unlike past years, not all prompts are based on episode themes; this year’s are more “niche and specific.”
  • Both hosts reflect on how playful and inventive prompts poise them to read more thoughtfully and intentionally.

• Mood Readers & Challenges:

  • Tina and Hannah discuss how mood reading sometimes clashes with structured challenges and how they’ve found ways to make challenges a positive, motivating force rather than a chore.

• Community & Participation:

  • Over 219 participants in StoryGraph.
  • Hosts encourage sharing picks on social media and the fun of seeing how everyone interprets prompts differently.

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Loving Lately [03:15–08:55]

Tina’s Pick:

OGX Damage Remedy + Coconut Miracle Oil

• Hair oil for moisture and repair, smells like coconut and vanilla.
• Pro tip: good for slicked-back styles and works as a pre-shampoo mask.
  • “If you have thick, fine hair, use only on the ends, but I love how silky and healthy my hair feels.” [04:19–04:29]

Hannah’s Pick:

The Antiquarian Sticker Book

• 1000 Victorian-themed stickers, great for decorating reading journals.
• Stickers are organized by theme (flora/fauna, hands, animals, etc.) and include letter stickers for fun title pages.
  • “People, animals, nature. Some are just abstract. This has been a really fun addition to my reading journal.” [07:32–08:32]

Bonus Side Chat:

• The difference between being a bibliophile and bibliomania, with some Googling fun.
  • “Bibliophilia is the deep love of books… distinguished from the compulsive hoarding of bibliomania.” —Tina [09:35–10:19]

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Recent Reads & Recommendations

Endling by Maria Reva [10:49 – 17:02]

Tina’s Read

• Premise:
  • Set in Ukraine, 2022. Features Yeva, a scientist obsessed with saving rare snails, who moonlights as a romance tour guide for Westerners. Joined by Nastya and Sol, rebellious sisters entangled in the marriage tourism industry as a protest against their feminist mother.
  • As Russia invades, the women and a group of bachelors become trapped in a mobile lab.
• Structure:
  • The novel shifts into metafiction as the author writes herself into the narrative.
  • “Part two… really takes a hard shift. The author inserts herself into the story.”
• Tone:
  • Literary, experimental, with dark humor and social commentary.
• Recommendation Level:
  • “A light recommendation” for readers seeking inventive literary fiction and metafiction who aren’t put off by heavy topics or narrative experimentation.
• Audiobook Note:
  • Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, “one of my favorite audiobook narrators… try the audio or do a tandem read.” [16:51–17:01]

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Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy [18:05 – 25:36]

Hannah’s & Tina’s Joint Read

• Premise:
  • Centers on Waldo, a sharp, lonely 17-year-old obsessed with her creative writing teacher, Mr. Corgi—a man twice her age, weighed down by midlife burdens.
• Voice & Style:
  • “Raw… visceral… from the first page, you are kind of punched in the face by the tone—sexual, crass, hilarious, extremely strong voice.” —Hannah [20:34–20:49]
• Themes:
  • Obsession, complicated mother-daughter relationships, coming-of-age, and the emotional aftermath of inappropriate relationships.
  • “She [McCurdy] is seeing something and putting to words feelings that I think a lot of young women feel.” —Tina [21:01–21:07]
  • Candid discussion on how McCurdy’s memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” elucidates themes in this novel.
• Recommendation Level:
  • Both hosts rate it five stars and stress it’s not for everyone but praise the strong writing and authenticity.
  • “We’re not endorsing this type of relationship and the book doesn’t either.” —Hannah [24:20–24:29]

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Book Talk Etc. 2026 Reading Challenge: Deep Dive [25:40–36:19]

• Unique Prompts Spotlighted:
  • Year of the Horse: “Read a book about horses, with a horse on the cover, or horse in the title.” —Tina [26:46–27:30]
  • Pantone ‘Cloud Dancer’: “A book with clouds on the cover or the word cloud in the title… It’s surprising how many you have!” —Hannah [28:23–29:08]
  • Victorian Setting: “Victorian aesthetic… I’d love to read more with that setting.” —Hannah [29:19–29:58]
  • Published in Your Birth Decade: “Based on Readathon prompts… riffing for the broader challenge.” —Tina [30:37–30:49]
  • Nonfiction with a Niche Topic: “The world is full of so many nerds and weirdos and I love that.” —Hannah [31:01–31:50]
• Strategies and Mindset:
  • Both hosts extol the fun of “finding the perfect book already on your TBR for an oddball prompt.”
  • Not completionist? That’s okay! “Try a couple, have fun, no pressure.” [36:19–36:21]

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More Reading Challenge Talk [36:19–41:04]

• Other Challenge Participation:
  • Buzzword Reading Challenge & Book Riot’s Read Harder: Hannah references these for extra motivation if she’s in a slump.
  • Tina participates in the Aspen Words Literary Prize and patron-run readathons.
• Benefits Mentioned:
  • Reading challenges encourage higher-rated, more intentional reading and combat the habit of defaulting to “meh” new releases.

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Book Recommendations (Challenge Prompts & Beyond)

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach [36:56–42:23]

• Prompt: Niche Nonfiction
• Summary:
  • Humorous, insightful look at how human bodies are used after death (medical research, crash test dummies, space travel and more).
  • “Morbid humor… didn’t find it disrespectful. Kind of a gallows humor.” —Tina [38:06–38:07]
• Recommendation Level:
  • Highly recommended for medicine, science, or morbid curiosity fans; note for squeamish readers.

Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfer [42:23–49:04]

• Prompt: Niche Nonfiction
• Summary:
  • True crime examining 14 female serial killers with a feminist lens.
  • “Definitely has a feminist lens… challenges what we think we know about violence and gender.” —Hannah [42:23–42:46]
• Critiques:
  • Repetitive structure, but notable for the social commentary.
  • “This is a light recommendation… gave me a lot to think about.” —Hannah [48:14–49:04]

October Sky (aka Rocket Boys) by Homer Hickam [49:11–54:27]

• Prompt: Sky on the Cover / Book Owned the Longest
• Summary:
  • Memoir about a West Virginia boy’s rocket obsession and coming of age during the space race.
  • “It felt like listening to your papa tell you a story about his childhood…” —Tina [50:23–50:34]
• Recommendation Level:
  • Well-written, draws parallels with present-day cultural anxieties—recommended for Americana/space history fans.

Emergency Contact by Lauren Layne & Anthony LeDonne [55:38–60:06]

• Prompt: Romantic Comedy
• Summary:
  • NYC lawyer gets a concussion, her ex-husband is called as her emergency contact, forcing a hilarious, forced proximity holiday trip.
  • “[It] feels like a ‘90s rom com. It’s really funny… everything that could go wrong goes wrong.” —Hannah [56:13–57:44]
• Recommendation Level:
  • A solid, funny rom-com, perfect for fans of breezy, low-stakes romance.

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Shelf Additions [60:36–64:18]

The Hostess by Courtney Sacks [60:36–62:32]

• Psychological thriller: city couple rents a luxe Hamptons home; dark secrets uncovered.

This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman [62:32–64:09]

• Multi-generational grief and reconciliation drama about two sisters reconciling after a decade-long rift.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Bibliophilia is the deep love of books, encompassing reading them, collecting them, and appreciating them… distinguished from the compulsive hoarding of bibliomania.” —Tina [09:35–10:19]
• “Clouds are everywhere.” —Tina, on the abundance of cloud-themed book covers [17:36–17:50]
• “If you want to read something that’s literary, that’ll make you work a little bit, but also does entertain, I’d recommend this.” —Tina on Endling [16:22–16:32]
• “From the first page, you are kind of punched in the face by the tone—sexual, crass, hilarious, extremely strong voice.” —Hannah on Half His Age [20:44–20:49]
• “This book overall is about Waldo and her obsession with this teacher. And it is raw… It is really visceral.” —Hannah [18:32–18:44]
• “Try a couple challenges. The worst that’ll happen is you don’t get to it. Not the biggest deal.” —Tina [36:19–36:21]

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Episode Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:19 – Introduction to podcast/theme
• 03:15 – Loving Lately segment (hair oil & sticker books)
• 10:49 – Main recent read: Endling
• 18:05 – Half His Age (joint read)
• 25:40 – Deep dive into Reading Challenge prompts
• 36:56 – Challenge books: Niche nonfiction (Stiff, Lady Killers)
• 49:11 – October Sky: TBR shelf winner
• 55:38 – Emergency Contact (rom com)
• 60:36 – Shelf Additions
• 64:18 – Outro / closing remarks

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Final Thoughts

Tina and Hannah reaffirm the joys of reading for fun but advocate for challenges as a way to reinvigorate reading routines, discover backlist gems, and foster community. Their “no pressure, all fun” approach invites listeners to adapt the challenge to their needs—just try a prompt or two, share your picks, and remember, “everything’s better with books.”

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Transcript

[A]

It's because I was trying to eat fast and I have a tiny esophagus. You know about my tiny esophagus, right? Yes.

[B]

Yeah, how could I forget?

[A]

Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.

[B]

And I'm Hannah from Hand Picked Books.

[A]

This is a conversational podcast about books and more from two Midwest Mood readers who are easily distracted by new releases. And this week we read books from our Book Talk, et cetera, yearly reading challenge.

[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 and love our show, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other book lovers.

[A]

Hi, Hannah.

[B]

Hi, Tina. You are looking gorgeous. How are you feeling?

[A]

I feel fantastic. Thank you for saying so. I worked out this morning and then put on a full face for you. So I'm feeling pretty good. How are you feeling?

[B]

I love it. I'm also feeling pretty good. It is, it is 60 degrees right now, so I can't complain. Wait, not great.

[A]

Well, good for the people, bad for the environment. In January in Michigan and Illinois feels weird.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean that's definitely warm for the winter for sure.

[A]

Very, very warm. I think it's a. If my computer is correct. You know how it sometimes gives you these little annoying pop ups that like tell you like facts and figures for the day? At least mine, one of mine does.

[B]

Or like last year at this day it was.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it was like record breaking temps. And then usually the next day it'll be like temps to plummet. Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So dramatic.

[B]

But it is dramatic. We did have a pretty cold first part of the winter, but it is still very warm for this time of year.

[A]

It is. It is so all good on that end. Other than that, we are well into our first week. It's actually exceeded the first week, technically.

[B]

Second. I guess we're in our second week.

[A]

Yeah, we're in our second week. Yeah, that's how you say that. We're in our second week of reading for 2026. So I think for today we will chat a little bit about reading challenges. We'll chat a little bit about how reading challenges affect our reading life. If they do, if they don't. How we engage with reading challenges, especially as mood readers, because I think that can be challenging. So I'm definitely excited to talk with you about that. Before we begin with the Book talk. We'll start with our loving lately as we always do, and my loving lately, you might be wondering, wow, that's a real slick back, Tina. Like, your hair is looking greasier than usual. And that's on purpose because I am wearing my loving lately right now. It is called the Damage Remedy plus Coconut Miracle Oil from the company ogx. It's a penetrating oil. It's really small. I mean, my hands are big, but this thing is so tiny. It's like 100 milliliters. But you only need a little tiny bit. And what you. What you can do, you can use this two ways. You can either apply it after you wash your hair and apply two drops to four drops and just sort of spread it evenly throughout your hair to give it some moisture. Or. Or you can do what I'm doing. I sort of did many drops. I did like three squirts throughout my entire head. And so I am going to wash my hair later. And so this is sort of soaking in everything. It's sitting on my hair for a couple hours. So when I do shower later, I'm going to have to shampoo it twice to make sure all of the oil is out of it. But I'm really enjoying it. I don't know, it leaves my hair very silky. It feels pretty healthy. I will say, if you have thick fine hair, probably not the best for you unless you really focus only on the ends because obviously it'll weigh your hair down. I also use this on my girls and they seem to like it. It smells really good. It smells as you might imagine by the name. Like coconut actually smells better than that because I don't love like a full sunscreen smell. It almost smells like coconut mixed with vanilla. It's very good. I hope you can hear my huffing sounds in the mic. Sorry about that, guys. Little as it's authentic. Okay.

[B]

You're really giving it a sniff.

[A]

Yeah, exactly. A little ASMR for you. But overall I've been enjoying this. I'm very happy to have given it a shot. It's got. Oh, okay. Well, it's coconut oil, essence of tiare, whatever that is, and vanilla bean extract. Do I know my sensor?

[B]

Vanilla.

[A]

Do I know my sensor? What? Also I got this on sale. I did get this from Amazon, but you can get it, I think from Ulta as well. And I got it on sale, so that's why I wanted to try it. But overall, I am a fan. This one is the OGX Damage Remedy plus Coconut Miracle Oil, a penetrating oil for your Hair. Good job.

[B]

That was a mouthful.

[A]

It was, it was.

[B]

Love a hair product. And your hair does look fabulous today. Can confirm. And I love it. Almost seems like it's. It kind of is like a mask a little bit for your hair before you rinse it out and just softens it and maybe does some damage control for those dry pieces and things like that.

[A]

So I think if you were someone who does a slick back often, this actually is been. Is really good for it because it's like good for your hair anyway. I don't often do slick backs, but I don't know. Plug there, I guess.

[B]

Yeah, definitely. Well, my loving lately is not in the realm of beauty, but I'm really excited about it. It is this sticker book that I got for Christmas and it's called the Antiquarian Sticker book. It has 1000 exquisite Victorian stickers inside. I have been loving this. Tina. I'm going to show you some of the stickers in here in a minute and for those who are watching on YouTube, you'll see a little bit of the sticker content of what is inside. But these stickers are so unique and it's really nice how they are laid out in this book because they're kind of laid out in themes. So there are some like flora and fauna themed stickers in here. There are some that are like hands and different kind of body parts and things like that. There are some that are animals. There are some that are, you know, ravens or little like Victorian characters. But I really like this theme, especially for journaling. So I've been taking these stickers and using them to decorate my reading journal and also my other journals for even like my personal use and things like that. They also have some that are just abstract that you can just use for decoration. And then in the back they also have some fun letters that are stickers here and so you can do some fun lettering as well. And there are plenty of letters. There are plenty of designs for each letter. So you're less likely to run out if you want to use the those letters for like the headers in your journal pages and things like that. 1000 stickers are in here. I don't imagine I will be using all of them, but I love the options in variety. Like I said, people, animals, nature. Some are just abstract and this has been a really fun addition to my reading journal. I was just looking online as I was talking to see if they had any others and it looks like they do. Tina is being a silly goose. What are you doing?

[A]

I You know, I'm just listening.

[B]

Little Red Riding Hood put up her goth hood.

[A]

I got a new hoodie and it has a cowl neck as well as a hood, and I just put the hood up when.

[B]

He's so Victorian of you.

[A]

Very. It's very dramatic.

[B]

Carry on. Anyway, that was a fun little aside there. But this same brand, the antiquarian sticker books, they have several different ones. It looks like they have one that's bibliophilia. So they have one for books. They have a mysterium one. I'd be curious about that. So they have several different themes, it looks like, and they're not terribly expensive for what you are getting. This one, it looks like, is like $11, depending on where you're purchasing it from. These other ones run anywhere between 10 and $15. So anyway, if you are in the market for some fun stickers, whether for journaling or scrapbooking or just for fun, I highly recommend these. That's the antiquarian sticker books.

[A]

I love a good sticker book. I obviously am into journaling as well. Definitely have my fair share of stickers. Always looking for good recommendations. I also have not heard that word bibliophilia. I don't know why I'm like, I know what it means, but I'm like, it sounds like a sickness that we're all afflicted with. Yes.

[B]

Well, I've heard bibliophile, like someone who really likes books. But bibliophilia, I'm assuming just based on, you know, what bibliophile means and etymology in general, that it means someone or that bibliophilia is like things having to do with books.

[A]

Yes. So, you know, I googled that because I'm a little stalker.

[B]

Am I close?

[A]

And wait, this is crazy. Yes. Bibliophilia is the deep love of books, encompassing reading them, collecting them, and appreciating them for their physical form, often leading to individuals to become bibliophiles who enjoy vast libraries or rare editions. And this distinguishes it from the compulsive hoarding of bibliomania. What? Bibliomania is a thing that seems like a fine line. It is. I'm a little. It's an extreme passion or obsession with collecting books characterized by a frenzied desire to acquire them, often to the detriment of one's own life, health, or finances, and can involve buying multiple copies or accumulating books beyond practical use.

[B]

Yeah, so that sounds like it's more like recording and addictive behavior.

[A]

Exactly. Yes, it's tied to ocd. I did not know bibliomania existed. Anyway, sorry, I got very fun aside. What a fun aside. Now I think that we are both bibliophiles. I don't know that we have transversed into bibliomania yet.

[B]

I would agree. I could probably count on my hand the amount of books that I purchased last year. Like full price.

[A]

Yes, yes, exactly. Okay. Well, I did indeed purchase my latest read, full price. I ordered it from bookshop.org and it is Endling by Maria Riva. And I just had to have it because of this cover. I loved the. I'm looking at it now. It's red, blue, and then there's like this black and tan, sort of, I don't know, ground. And it's striped. And I learned that it is striped because of the snail. So this book heavily involves this particular snail. Anyway, so this is one that I did purchase for. For full price. It was long listed for the Booker Prize, and the reason that I am reading it, or read it was because it was long listed for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, which I'm reading all of those this year. So this one is such an interesting book. Wow. It's set in Ukraine in 2022. You're following Yeva. Yeva is a loner, and she is this maverick scientist who lives out of her mobile lab. She scours the country's forests and valleys, trying and failing to breed rare snails. And her relatives, like, they understand, but they really are trying to get her to settle down and finally start a family of her own. What they don't know is that Yeva already dates plenty of men because to fund her work with snails, she works for this company that entertains Westerners who come to Ukraine on guided romance tours, believing they'll find docile brides untainted by feminism and modernity. Okay, so that's your first character, is Yeva. It is a hard word to say, modernity. Then you're following two other characters, Nastya and Sol, who are also in the marriage industry. And they pose as a hopeful bride and translator. And they're sort of there to go on dates with men, but really what they're there to do is piss off their mom, because she is this radical feminist, does not believe in this industry. Industry. And she's ditched them. And so they. They're doing this because they see it as their mother's worst nightmare that her daughters are wrapped up in this industry. And they think if she. If they do this, that she'll come to find them. And so of course the three women meet up. They know each other and it's actually pretty funny how they come to be connected with each other. So they decide actually to again, they're trying to get their mom's attention and they link up with Eva and they're try to. And they kidnap bachelors. They end up kidnapping, I want to say like 11 or 12 bachelors in this mobile lab, which is a bad thing because, you know, you don't want to kidnap people. They lure them onto it with like, oh, this is like a secret date, like whatever, whatever. And then the worst thing happens, right? They're in this mobile lab when Russia invades Ukraine. And obviously this is very bad because they are now stuck with these men. They are stuck themselves. They can't get out and they don't know really what to do. And so part two of this book really takes a hard shift, understandably, because the author then inserts herself into the story and it becomes this work of more metafiction. So it chap. Part two says, I sit in my parents attic in a city that is not a suburb of Vancouver, blah, blah, blah. So it's literally her, the author, author talking about how she found out what was happening in her home country as she is writing this work of fiction. And so essentially the everything that the author is working on and the people slash characters in the book were working on suddenly begins to feel very trivial, understandably because she. The endling. The word endling means it's the last of a species. And so she's trying to save these snails and now her country is being invaded. So it's feels very much like she's sort of wasting her life. Like what do I care about a snail right now? That everything is. Is up in disarray. So you're in part two for about this much. Maybe we'll say 30, 40 pages. And then it does get back to the story. But it's experimental. I am not an experimental girl, typically. And so I'm glad we were actually doing this sort of as a pseudo buddy read with our patrons because some folks are trying to read through the Aspen words long list with me. And some of them bowed out, understandably, like this is not for me. I don't like metafiction. But others were like, okay, here's what I thought. Da da da da da. So I will say I think this is a book that is not easy. It's not one that I was delighted to pick up. I did enjoy it though. So let me just Say that, but it felt heavy. It is heavy. It's a heavy topic. I also was reading this on literal Christmas Day, so I'm like, let me put this aside and. And find something that's a little lighter. The ending is solid. You know, we do get a resolution. But I would say after part two, it does become a little meta because the author does insert herself a bit into the story. I think it's very creative. I'm glad that I read it. I feel like that I shed light on a lot of things that I just did not know about this particular industry, about Ukraine, and just, you know, about the history in general. I liked the characters. I was rooting for them. I found it easy to sink into, especially in the beginning. Like, I was enjoying it. I was kind of having a good time. I'm like, how are they going to get out of this mess? And then I'm like, oh, gosh, you know, things get tough. You also get introduced to one of the bachelors that I had a particular affinity. Affinity toward. I wanted good things for him as well. Overall, this is a light recommendation. If you want to read something that's literary that will make you. You work a little bit, that'll make you think, but also does entertain, I'd recommend this. I also switched to the audio toward the end, and Saskia Marleveld, who's one of my favorite audiobook narrators, does narrate. So if you're having a hard time with this, try the audio or do a tandem read. And I think that could work for you because Saskia is a great narrator. All in all, it is a recommendation, and this book is Endling by Maria Reba.

[B]

You did such a good job describing kind of who that book would work really well for and who maybe it would not work really well for. You did just such a good job kind of talking about what this book is factually and how you felt about it. Also, that book would count for one of our prompts, which is a book with clouds on the COVID because it does indeed have some clouds on the COVID which I'm finding through our BTE reading challenge. Yeah, that so many books do.

[A]

So many books have clouds.

[B]

So many do.

[A]

Yeah. Hannah came up with that one and messaged me and was like, what do you think? You know, is this too specific? And both you and I looked at our shelves and immediately found three books with clouds. And I was like, wow. Actually, clouds are everywhere. So I'm glad we did.

[B]

Yeah, me too. We have some really fun prompts on there. Speaking of fun. I am so excited to talk about my latest read because. And this is something that doesn't happen very often. Tina and I both read this recently.

[A]

Oh, my God, I forgot. That's right.

[B]

Yes. And. But it was one that she had said, you know, you can bring it to the show. This can be yours. But because we both read it so recently, I wanted to bring it kind of close to the time that she and I both read it. I think you read it, what, this past weekend. And I read it this week. So very recent for both of us. And it's Half his age by Janette McCurdy. What a juicy one, everybody.

[A]

What a juicy book.

[B]

What a juicy book.

[A]

Just from the COVID I mean, look at this cover. Insane. Insane. She's sort of got these really fiery nails, and she's sticking her fingers in her mouth. And I think that gives you a good idea about the tone of this book.

[B]

It sure does. And this book, overall is about waldo, who is 17. And she is a person that is just full of contradictions. She is both sharp and naive. She is both lonely and forceful. She is also both incredibly independent, but also desperate to feel understood and loved and wanted. And the person who sees her the Most clearly is Mr. Corgi, who is her creative writing teacher in high school. He is older. He is very disillusioned. He is weighted down by his adult life and everything that she is not. She can't really explain exactly what it is about Mr. Corgi that she is drawn to, but maybe it's his passion for art. Maybe it's the way he understands the world, or maybe it is simply that he notices her when it feels like nobody else does. So that is really the premise that I want to leave you with. I think that that says plenty. I think it says enough. And that is really the whole of what this book is about. It is about Waldo and her obsession with this teacher. And it is raw. It is really visceral. I mean, from the first page, you are kind of punched in the face of what the tone of this book is going to be like, which is incredibly sexual, incredibly vulgar, crass, hilarious, really funny, extremely strong voice from this character. And I think it's going to be one of those books that will work for a lot of people. I can also see a lot of people being like, absolutely not with this book, just based off of the first page. And at least you're getting what you're going to get from page one. So if I'm going to give Jeanette McCurdy anything. It's that you really know what you're going to get from the first page. Now, Tina, I don't know what you thought about this book at all. Can you tell us a little bit about what your overall feelings were?

[A]

Absolutely. I loved it. I loved it. So did I. Five stars, baby. It was. Yes. Okay.

[B]

I loved it.

[A]

It was so well written. I think that that is going to get buried with everything else because the first couple words I wrote. Crude, crude, crude. Holy cow. Hit you in the face with, like, the tone. But also incredibly sharp. Her. The author Jeanette McCurdy's voice is just. She is seeing something and putting to words feelings that I think a lot of young women feel. Slash, felt. And I was just so impressed with how strong the writing is. I keep saying that it's only 240 pages. I feel like we got a fully complete story. I'm going to buy a physical copy next time I get to a bookstore because I need it. I need to underline. I need to highlight. This is also a story about her mother. Wow. And so did you read her memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died?

[B]

I did. And I think that reading that book does set a really good foundation for her fiction.

[A]

A hundred percent. I kept thinking, okay, it's hard to actually separate Jennette McCurdy from Waldo. Right. The character. Well.

[B]

And it did say that this was based on a relationship that she had and was entangled in in her own personal life. As I'm assuming the setting was a little bit different because she was a Hollywood star from a very young age. So I'm wondering if maybe it was a relationship that didn't have to do with that industry, but really good translation into a different context.

[A]

Wow. Yes. A hundred percent. I think you should read both of those books. I think I agree together really well. I actually had a hard time separating. Again. Like I said, I'm like, okay, this is fiction. This not real. I think she just talked about obsession in a really raw and visceral way.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And about the chase and about just how very all consuming these feelings can be.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I had a. It was hard for me to read as a person who's the exact age as Mr. Corgi. Because I'm like, huh? She's like, using these words that are accurate. Midlife and this and that. And I'm like, ennui. And I'm like, are you talking about me? Because in my head, I'm closer to 17 than 42, which is not true. But it was very much A interesting reading experience to be like, oh, my God, I could be her mom. Like, yeah, I also wanted to be her mom. I wanted to mother this character and just give her some. I don't know.

[B]

She needed that.

[A]

She needed it.

[B]

And that is part of what got her to the point, I think, that she was in. I think, to your point, this is also really a book about her mother and how that relationship ended up kind of creating these. These problems and these deficiencies in Waldo's life as she's growing up. And she had these deficiencies that she was reaching for in other relationships when it really was something that she maybe should have been getting from her mom.

[A]

Yes. And I'm. It's very hard. We keep saying this. It's hard to continue talking about. I don't want to spoil anything for you readers. Obviously, we're not endorsing this type of.

[B]

Relationship and the book doesn't endorse it either at all. I think it's just a really good conversation on. And it's really messy and it doesn't spell anything out for you, but it doesn't at all endorse what is happening in the book. I think it's. It was also probably just a healing kind of response that Jeanette was doing in talking about these kinds of relationships and messy situations like this one.

[A]

I love this book and I hope you all love it too. I'm not intended to read it either.

[B]

I'm so glad that you did.

[A]

I was. I just. The only reason I, like, even sort of picked it up was because I saw it. We got it through our alc, through Libro FM Advanced Listener Copy. And I was like, oh, Hannah, you might want to read this. Because I knew we were recording twice this week. And so I'm like, this will be a quick one. And then I'm like, I kind of want to listen, too. So I did.

[B]

So fun.

[A]

At any rate, this is very fun. I'm glad we're able to read a book together that rarely happens and actually talk about it.

[B]

Well, I'm also glad that we both loved it. So a big recommendation from both Tina and Hannah that was Half his age by Jeanette McCurdy.

[A]

And that was so fun to discuss. We need to do that a little more often.

[B]

I know. So fun.

[A]

Yes. And so I'm wondering. Let's see. I'm opening now our Book Talk etc Podcast 2026 Reading Challenge in the story graph. Now, you don't have to be in story graph to participate. Obviously, you can find us wherever and Just tag us and things like that. But it's fun if you're in Story graph. Right now we have 219 participants and essentially what we did for this is up with 12 prompts. We worked together on some. Some of them we came up on our own. We thought it would be fun to give you some prompts that might challenge your reading life a little bit. Now it's different this year than we have done in years past. Years past, the book talk, etc prompts were always based on episodes we did. So for example, if we did a historical fiction that's not World War II, that would be a prompt. This year we did a little more challenging prompts, I think think. And I'm excited about that. I already feel like my reading is going to be enhanced by this. Yeah.

[B]

So since we did some challenges that were a little bit more niche and specific, do you have any that you came up with that you want to call out and maybe tell us a little bit about why you chose those ones?

[A]

Yes. So the one that I think is the weirdest is Year of the Horse. Read a book about horses with the horse on the COVID or a horse in the title.

[B]

I was so excited when you chose this one. I was like, I don't know, I.

[A]

Was just thinking outside of the box, I suppose. And 2026 is the year of the horse according to the Chinese calendar. And so I just thought it would be fun to tie that in. Plus, I think this is a stretch now. I will say I. We were talking about this, you know, in one of our many recordings and I had a book literally right in front of me that had a horse on it. Lonesome Dove has a horse, in case you're wondering. I'm like, it's gonna be easier than I think we realize. And I think that's part of the fun of these prompts is like, gosh, a horse. I don't want to read a book about a horse. And then you're like, but this one's been on my TBR forever. And.

[B]

But what if you do?

[A]

But what if you love it? What if you end up loving it? Exactly. I think that's the one that I'm sort of the most excited for that I came up with.

[B]

Yeah, I'm really excited about that one. When you first brought that idea to me, I immediately went to my shelf and similar to the cloud one that we were just talking about, I found several books on my shelf that either were about a horse related sport or incident or that had courses on the COVID that were historical fiction novels, maybe westerns. And I was like, man, these have been on my TBR for such a long time. So I'm excited to get to those books because it gives you a good excuse to get to these things that you may not otherwise get to. And that's part of why I love these types of reading challenges.

[A]

I agree. And I want to know which one stood out for you that you.

[B]

Well, I do. I do love my. The pantone prompt. That is to read a book with.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

Which is to read a book with clouds on the COVID or with the word cloud on the COVID I just think this one is fun because, again, it's surprising how many you have. And also, I think so many people were disappointed in the pantone color this year. It's called Cloud Dancer. It's basically like an off white. And this is a way to maybe remedy that color and have some fun with it, because I know so many people were just disappointed in the lackluster nature of this off white color. Especially coming off a year when our color was, you know, like, it was chocolate mousse, but it was brown.

[A]

I'm like, I don't know. I just know it was brown.

[B]

It was brown. It was like a light. It was a light brown. So I liked that one. I'm also really excited about reading a book with a Victorian setting.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I, you know, brought those Victorian stickers today. I've really been enjoying the Victorian aesthetic. And at the time, I was reading a book which I will actually be bringing as one of my books for this episode here in a minute. And in that book, there were several sections in which there was a Victorian setting, which, again, that'll make more sense in a minute. And I was like, man, this is so fascinating. And I would love to maybe read a book that just had a Victorian setting. Read more books that had Victorian settings. And so I was like, I'll make that one of our prompts. I think that would be really fun to try to strive for.

[A]

I think so, too. It'll definitely push me. I know that I read one last year, and it was A Gentleman's Gentleman by. Oh, yes, T.J. alexander. And they have coming out this year that's in the same era, I believe. So I'm like, okay, that potentially could be a prompt, but that's one that I was excited about too, because I'm like, let's challenge ourselves. I also really like the one that is a book published in your birth decade, and it's a book published in the decade you were born so obviously, 70s, 80s, 90s, whatever. That one. I grabbed because Jonathan made it as one of his prompts for our winter readathon, and I was like, yes, I want. I want that because people seem to be having so much fun now. His prompt is pick a book from your birth year. And folks seem to be having a really good time selecting those. So I was like, let's do a riff on that for the broader challenge.

[B]

Yeah. Another one that I am really excited about, I know, for my own reading also, is to read a nonfiction book with a niche topic. And I love this one because I think that even if you are primarily a fiction reader, you could find a nonfiction book out there based on an interest that you have. I'm sure there's a book out there that is about that topic. The world is full of so many people who are into so many different things, and they're nerds and weirdos about it. And I love that. And I love reading about that and kind of getting to peek inside some really interesting pieces of people's brains and interests. And I'm excited to even see, like, what different books people pick for that particular prompt. So if you do read books from that prompt or any other, please share them with us because it is so fun to see what people are reading based on these challenges. And it's such a fun way to connect with each other as a community, too.

[A]

I agree. And like we said before, this is in storygraph, so we will go ahead and link to the challenge below in storygraph if you want to hook up with us there and join. Definitely. Feel free. I'm excited to see, like you said, what people come up with. Do you often complete reading challenges? Like, do you. Do you have them on your, you know, beginning of the year goals year after year?

[B]

Not typically. I will say the one that I've been pretty consistent in completing, I didn't do it last year, but I've done it every other year, and I plan to do it this year is Kayla from Books and Lala. She does a buzzword reading challenge every year where she picks different buzzwords from titles of books.

[A]

Books.

[B]

And she picks a different buzzword for every month that you can read from, whether that's pronouns in the title or games in the title. Like, if the title has the word like heart or spade or game or things like that. So she does. She picks, like a fun buzzword from titles and does a challenge based on that. That's a yearly challenge, and I've completed that before. But other than that I'm not much of a reading challenger completionist. Book Riot, though, does have a reading challenge called Read Harder every year, and I do reference that at least once or twice every year to give me a fun reading challenge to complete, where if I'm feeling, like, really slumpy, I will go to the Read Harder challenge. And they are so niche and specific. They're challenging challenges. And so it will give me kind of a fun project, even if it's just for one or two of those challenges on what to read next.

[A]

Next.

[B]

But what about you? Are you much of a. Well, I know you do love a challenge, but do you love a reading challenge?

[A]

Yeah, I do love a challenge. I love a reading game. I feel like I've gotten more and more into them Before I tell you about them. I want to correct myself before you correct me. I'm wrong. Totally wrong. A Gentleman's Gentleman is set in Regency England, which is around 1819. So I missed Victorian by a bit because the Victorian era is 1837 to 1901.

[B]

Oh, okay. I didn't realize the Victorian era went into the 1900s. So that's good.

[A]

1901. But yes, barely.

[B]

Barely into the 1900s. Yeah.

[A]

I had to look it up because I was like, I don't know exactly what that means. So I was glad to do that. But don't pick that book up on my recommendation for this prompt. Do read it, though, because I did really enjoy it.

[B]

Because it doesn't technically count.

[A]

Because it doesn't technically count. And we'll kick you out. Out. Just kidding. We're not going to be monitoring it, but okay. So, yes, I do like to participate in reading challenges. This year I'm doing ours. I'm doing the Aspen Words literary prize for 2026. So I'm going to be reading through all of those. I also like the buzzword reading challenge, and I like how she has the buzzword. And then there's the COVID I believe. Buzzword cover challenge.

[B]

Yeah, she does both.

[A]

Extra fun. And then that. Other than that, we're doing, of course, our Patrons New Year's Reading Challenge. And so that's more of a readathon. But there are challenges built within that.

[B]

Yep. For January, there are a lot.

[A]

I think that my reading, my beginning of the year reading has been so enhanced, though, by these reading challenges. Because typically, if I look at, you know, years past, what I do is dive into all the new releases is because I'm like, I can't be tamed. I want to know what I think about all of the new books that are coming out in January. And don't get me wrong, of course I still will. But I do feel like I'm being more discerning because when I do read all of the new releases, I end up reading a lot of meh books. And it's always my goal to reduce the number of meh books. So far this year, as we're recording this, I've read six books and the two highest rated our 20, 26 releases. So I'm really happy about that.

[B]

It's gonna be a good year for books. I just have a good feeling.

[A]

I think so, too. I think there's a lot of, like, big authors coming out with book releases, and I'm very excited. But I've also. I've also been able to read some backlist books. I've read two nonfiction so far, which. Excuse me. Yeah, right. And then other two other backlists. But at any rate, I am happy to be doing these reading challenges. And if you've never done one and you think I might not like it, just, just. But you're, like, kind of curious. Just, like, try and give it a shot.

[B]

Try a couple challenges.

[A]

Yeah. The worst that'll happen is you don't get to it. And, like, not the biggest deal. In our newsletter for each month, I think it's the third week, we give suggestions for books that are honor Reading challenge. So that's one of the Patreon bonuses. We will give you a selection of books that we've read that we recommend that fall under those particular challenges. So as always, we will link to our Patreon below. We'd love to have you, but. But. Any other thoughts on reading challenges in general?

[B]

I think we've covered everything.

[A]

We got it. We got there in the end.

[B]

I think we did. So fun.

[A]

So fun. I will kick things off with one of the prompts that you mentioned being excited about. It is stiff. The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. This has been on my TBR for I cannot tell you how long. And this book is. Wow. Was it ever fascinating. Now. I thought it was fascinating. You might not if you don't like body talk, because obviously that's what it's about. But I thought it was great. This humorously and insightfully explores the various uses of human bodies after death. From medical research and surgical training to crash to crash test dummies to space travel. And so in this book, Roach investigates the history and modern practices of using cadavers. She talks about everything. She talks about med school she talks about dissection, decomposition, and the ethics for using the deceased for scientific advancement. I love when a person is just obsessed with something and nerds out about it. I don't often care what it is. I'm like, mushrooms, great onions. I want to hear more. Like, you like it?

[B]

I love it.

[A]

You like it? I love it.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And I just like when people get very, like, dialed in on something specific. And I really do appreciate the detail in this book and how she was able to conduct research for this. This. She. Oh, my goodness. Opens. She opens the book by attending essentially, an anatomy lab for surgeons at university. And the thing she described for plastic surgeons specifically, and the way she's describing what they were doing to essentially learn, right? They have to learn. It was just fascinating. And she really does have this morbid humor that I thought was so fitting. It might be off putting to some. So just know that I didn't find it to be disrespectful. I thought it was sort of this gallows humor that one might need if you're working in this industry. It does remind me of my very brief stint as a physical therapy student at BU where they rolled out the cadavers. And I was like, huh? It took the mystery out of the human form for me. And I did not like that. That and I it. She also spoke about how people that work in this industry who work with cadavers have to essentially objectify them, meaning they are very respectful, but they take the personhood out of it. They have to just sort of like, essentially disassociate from that. So you're not looking at, like, someone's grandma. You're looking at this person, you know what, that donated their body to science. I was not able to do that. I just kept thinking, okay, I know what I'm looking at here. And I couldn't make that cognitive dissonance work for me personally, but I loved reading this. I think it's fascinating. It really also made me think about, okay, we're all going to be cadavers at one point. Which sounds so morbid and horrifying. But it made me think about, okay, what would I want my form to be like, what do I want that to look like? And I was, like, talking to Jonathan about certain things, and we had a good conversation about it. This was published first in 2003. 3. So I am quite interested to know how it would change. Like, what. I mean, it's been a lot of years at this point, right? 23 years. And so I'm like, Oh, I wonder what new advancements had come out. I do wonder if at some point technology will evolve to the point where we don't need human cadavers to, for, for surgeons and for, you know, med students and things like that. If they can sort of, I don't know, 3D print them. I don't know. Obviously, I, I, I have not done more research than reading this book, but it just gave me so much to think about. I highly recommend this. I think this one is definitely worth reading, especially if you're someone that likes medicine or just fascinated by human bodies. It was a great time. I did the audio. Audio was fine. Not my favorite. It was dated. You could hear the technology has come a long way in audio performance. Like you can sort of hear when she would stop talking, whoever the narrator was. But I still consumed it in that way and had a good time with it. This book is stiff. The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.

[B]

Yeah, great job with that one. Would you be interested in reading more from Mary Roach? Because I know she writes across a really broad spectrum of scientific topics and they're all so niche.

[A]

Oh, absolutely. For sure. I would. There was one that I was looking at. I mean, truly, what doesn't she write about? She wrote a book called Spook Science Tackles the Afterlife. I think, think if I'm not mistaken, she, yeah, she had one last year called Replaceable you, Your Adventures in Human Anatomy. I mean, I just think it's so fantastic like that she is coming up with these books and really making people think. I would definitely read her again.

[B]

Yeah, it's almost like she has these thoughts where she's like, oh, I wonder what this person would do in this situation. And it's really specific. And then she's like, you know what? I'm going to write a whole entire book about it.

[A]

Literally, I'm going to write a whole entire book. And she definitely gets more niche.

[B]

This.

[A]

I just read a sentence, it says, can an intestine provide a workable substitute for a vagina? So she really does get even. She goes there like, she goes there. That's in replaceable you in case one's curious about that. But yeah, I love when an author is really just able to get. You get your mind activated.

[B]

Yes. Well, speaking of which, I am bringing a book from that same prompt and that is Lady Killers, Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfer. And this is a piece of true crime and it is about women who were serial killers. And this spotlights 14 female serial killers throughout history who have been largely ignored. And this follows people like Tilly Klimick all the way to Kate Bender. There is such a wide spectrum of women in this book, across timelines and also across the world, but their crimes are just as calculated, brutal, and unsettling as their male counterparts. This definitely has a feminist lens to it. And she examines each woman's crimes, how the media framed them and talked about them, and a lot of the sexist myths that have shaped their legacies over time. This was really educational. It's very funny in tone, which, you know, some people might not appreciate. And it definitely challenges everything that we think we know about violence, gender, and who ends up getting remembered as a monster. So this is one of those genres that you definitely, I think, want to be delicate about. And she does talk about that in this, this book. And she in no way tries to justify these women or these crimes. She also does talk very much about the victims and how these victims were affected and how their families were affected and even how those families have been affected over time for some of these crimes that happened a long time ago. This book did get a little bit repetitive. So in the way that it's set up, it is set up in almost essay format. So each chapter highlights a different woman in a different case. And she kind of develops each of these chapters into sections where she gives us a little bit of backstory on this person. She tells us about the crimes that they committed, and then she talks about kind of the media framing and the history that took place after these crimes were committed. And each person that we learn about happens in that exact same format. So that formatting got a little bit repetitive. However, overall, I thought that this was just so interesting because some of these cases I'd never heard about, like the Bender family, this serial killing family that happened on the Oregon Trail, and the way this crime got found out was so fascinating. Moral of the story, tell everybody where you're going all the time. Just let them know where you're going, because you never know when you're not going to come back home. And, yeah, and so this. This book definitely took me on some deep dives for some of these stories, wanting to learn more. And one thing that I did want to mention in the conclusion, because a couple points in this book, I did get frustrated not only with the repetitive nature, but just kind of, what is the point in this story, beyond highlighting all of these cases and all of these really terrible people? But she really does bring it home toward the end, and she really talks about the obsession that we have with not only serial killers, but just our morbid curiosity as humans in general. She talks about how this obsession stems from the fact that we have a really strong drive for narratives and that we all kind of have that light and darkness in us and there is a piece of us that is connected to all of it. And she also really puts a lot of the responsibility of kind of every aspect of human nature on every single person that is alive and that exists in the world. And she really kind of brings all of that together. She does say, you know, she doesn't want to accidentally make murder sound trivial or funny and that that's definitely not her intent with any piece of the book. She doesn't want to make female serial killers sound like they are the ultimate feminists. You know, this book is not saying that at all or to be a part of that long standing tradition of glamorizing that. But she does say that she does believe in the illuminating power of narrative and she thinks that there is something to be gleaned from looking at the evil in every single person, including all of these female serial killers here, and trying to understand it and again, wondering if we're not all potentially a little bit responsible for it. So just some really interesting questions that are unpacked here. And I think thought that she did a good job kind of tying it all together at the end. Did I agree with everything that she said? No, but I did think that it was just a really interesting look at these cases and these women that I knew very little about. So I would say that this is, again, kind of a light recommendation. You've said that earlier and I liked that. I liked that. This is a light recommendation. That is Lady Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfar.

[A]

That sounds so interesting. Did you tab that book?

[B]

I did tab it because there were some really interesting cases. There were a lot of community driven murders that happened in here, especially with women who lived in communities like in, you know, the 15, 16, 1700s, where these women kind of banded together to protect themselves in these communities and some really sinister things happened. And I just thought that the whole communal aspect of some of those cases was really, really interesting. So, yeah, I mean, there were some really interesting things about this book. I just, again, I don't know if I 100% agree with everything that she tried to unpack, but it definitely gave me a lot to think about.

[A]

That's good. Okay, well, what more can you ask for in a good reading experience?

[B]

Totally.

[A]

Gosh, I was just enjoying you. I not thinking About.

[B]

I love when that happens.

[A]

Tell me more. Crazy stuff, huh? Hold on. So my next one crosses reading challenges because this one is. This one works for our book talk, Etc. Reading challenge and story graph. And this one also works for our readathon. The book that I am bringing today after owning it for 24 years is October sky by Homer Hickam. Now you might be thinking, Tina, if you're watching, I'm not holding the book. You said you owned it. I have. I've owned this book for 24 years. I keep bringing it from house to house and I can't find it. And it's making me nuts because I was like, I want. Finally I've read it. Finally I'm bringing it to the show. My friend bought it for me when we were seniors in high school.

[B]

I have a special memory too.

[A]

Yeah, and it's so funny. He texted me and I said, hey, I'm finally reading October Sky. And he goes for fun. And I'm like, yes, you gave it to me. But anyway, I did indeed finally read October Sky. Now, many of you are probably familiar with this. It's also called Rocket Boys. So depending on. They actually changed the name of this. They thought October sky had more. More appeal and it was adapted into a movie and so they changed the title from Rocket Boys to October Sky. But it is the same book and this one is non fiction. This was originally published, I believe, in 1999. And it talks about the author's experience in 1957, living in a town of Colwood, West Virginia. And it was also the year that Sputnik raced across the Appalachian sky and he saw it. And this town of Colwood, as you might guess, is very much a coal town. And it is unfortunately, slowly dying. Faced with an uncertain future, Sonny Hickam, AKA the author, nurtured a dream. He wanted to learn how to build rockets so he could work in the space business. Now, his dad was this big foreman at the coal mill. Sorry, at the coal mine. And his brother was his football star. And so he really struggled to find his niche. He was smart, but, like, didn't apply himself and didn't have what he would consider a quote, unquote, a lot going for him until he found this obsession with rockets. And so he ended up gathering five of his friends and convincing them to help him build a rocket. And along the way, the boys essentially learn a lot about themselves. They learn a lot about physics and scrap metal. And they end up giving the people of their town some hope. And it gets them to think about that, what the world is and what life is beyond their small town. I ended up doing this on audio and I liked was it's highly rated. I mean people seem to really enjoy it. It's got a lot of ratings. Got like over a 4.0 average. And I did enjoy it. I will say parts of it felt very rambly and it felt like listening to your papa tell you a story about his childhood. Like for a lot of it. Like I'm talking, we're at the dance and he's telling me this lady's first and last name, this guy's first and last name, this person's name, all their business. And I'm like, if you don't leave this dance and tell me more, more interesting things, I'm going to lose it. And he does, he gets there and things start happening. The rockets building of it all. I don't didn't care for it just didn't interest me. I think he did a great job and explained it and he ended up going on to work in NASA, which is freaking awesome. I just was like, I don't care about this personally, but what I did care about is listening to him tell the story about the town and how it revolved around the coal mines and all the workers and how it started to, you know, they were sort of given these homes and given this salary and given all these different things as a part of working in the mine. But then the mines got bought and, you know, the man essentially moved in, started taking the houses away from people. And I found that part to be absolutely fascinating. It's just another book that I call maybe Americana. It's a slice of life, of what it was like to live it in the US Particularly in a small town in West Virginia in the late 1950s. I thought it was interesting. It was hard to not draw parallels between a lot of what's going on in today's US and what was going on back then in that they were very afraid of Russia and being outpaced by Russians on the space race and all of these other things. And they had felt a lot of threats from the others and a lot of. Of us versus them, not only with US and Russia, but also with like people in big cities. And it was very interesting to read that from a 2026 lens. And I also enjoyed those pieces as well. This is well written. I think it's a great story and sort of hopeful in the end. I also love. In the end he tells you like, where everyone ended up because, you know, I'm Nosy. And I love people, so I'm like, wait, what? What happened to this person? Did you end up marrying her? Like, all of that was interesting to me as well. Well, so at long last, I finally read the book that was on my shelf, the longest. So this one, I should have said in the beginning, meets the prompt for sky on the COVID but also meets the prompt for the book that I've owned the longest, which is in our readathon. And I'm very proud of myself. This book is October Sky, AKA Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam.

[B]

Now is this the same book that the movie was based off of?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay, that's wild because the movie also came out in 1999.

[A]

Huh. That's weird. So maybe the book came out before. This might be a. You know what?

[B]

This is maybe that edition.

[A]

This is the edition. I'm sure. Yeah, I'm sure there was like the. I had the blue one.

[B]

Maybe they did them. Maybe they did like a new edition the year the movie came out.

[A]

Yeah. Yes. That would have been eight. But it did get adapted.

[B]

Still a fast turnaround man. Jake Gyllenhaal and Laura Dern, when they were so. So we. We little.

[A]

So we little ones. I have never seen it. Surprising no one. I don't know that movie.

[B]

I remember watching it at church camp a really long time ago.

[A]

One, of course you did. Like, that is a perfect movie to put on at church camp. Not in a derogatory way.

[B]

No, I know.

[A]

Yeah, it's totally appropriate.

[B]

Ikana and. Yeah, totally.

[A]

And they go to church a lot in this book.

[B]

Book.

[A]

That's where a lot of the gossip and drama happens. Yes.

[B]

Okay, well, that was. That was fun. My next book also meets that same prompt.

[A]

I know we did not plan that. And then I knew anyway. I knew I was doing that one of the same. I didn't realize we did both of the same, but I was like, yeah, that's okay for two of our prompts.

[B]

We sure do. Okay, so my next read is Emergency Contact by Lauren Lane and Anthony Ledan. And this is a romantic comedy that is set over the holidays. And I did read this over the holidays. I would not say that this has to be a holiday read.

[A]

Yeah, even the COVID does not give holidays.

[B]

Yeah, it doesn't give holiday. It's definitely one that, yeah, is great and fun to read over the holidays, but I would not strictly say you have to read this over the holiday season. This is about a very high powered New York City attorney, Catherine, who ends up getting a concussion and she needs to be monitored for 48 hours. And the hospital ends up calling the one person that she never meant to see again, her ex husband, Tom. Because as you can imagine, based on the title of this book, Tom was her emergency contact. So that is who the hospital reaches out to after she has gotten this concussion. With no other option, Catherine reluctantly heads to Chicago with him for the holidays. And of course a blizzard turns their very quick trip into an overnight disaster. And it forces them into close quarters just as old feelings resurface and just as Tom is planning to propose to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve. So I'm really glad that I read this because it really wasn't. It kind of fell into my lap. I was looking for kind of holiday adjacent reads. And I also really wanted to read something that I already had. And I happened to have this one in my Libro FM account. And this was such a great book to read over the Christmas holiday in December when that reading time just feels really weird. And sometimes you don't want to think too hard about what you are reading. This book from the very beginning feels like a 90s Rom com. It's really funny. It's sometimes trying a little too hard to be funny, but other scenes genuinely just felt so authentically fun and hilarious in that very quintessential rom com. Like, this is ridiculous and would never happen way, but you're just gonna roll with it because it's fun and it's the story that's happening. And it also part of that part of that comedy is that everything that could go wrong, that could possibly go wrong on their way to Chicago goes wrong. And it continually brings them back together and forces them to have these conversations that they didn't get to have apparently while they were married. And you know, Catherine, our heroine of the story, is very protected and she definitely does have kind of this wall around her and she has a really hard time being vulnerable. And as the trip kind of escalates and things keep happening and happening, Tom is really able to break through her shell and figure out more of her vulnerabilities that make him see her differently based on the split that they had a long time ago. And he's kind of able to see more from her perspective what was happening in her heart and mind when they were going through this eventual breakup. And I thought that it was really sweet. I definitely tend to want a little bit more emotional high stakes from the romances that I'm reading, but I honestly don't have really anything bad to say about this. Book, like, it was a really solid romance. It was super cute, super fun. I think if you want to read a romance that leans more heavily into romantic comedy and has fun with it, and you have to kind of suspend your disbelief with everything that happens, but just have a good time reading it, I think that this would be a great option. Again, I don't think that you have to read this during the holidays, but I also think that it is a perfect holiday read, and that is Emergency Contact by Lauren Lane and Anthony Ledell.

[A]

I'm glad you talked about specifically romantic comedy, because I feel like sometimes romance books all get lumped into that umbrella. Like, I just hear like, oh, it's a rom com. And it's like. But is it though, or is it just a romance? You know, like. Right, yeah.

[B]

Like Abby Jimenez books, I. I think in general don't really fall under rom com, because her books, oftentimes I. I cry in her books, they always have something really heavy happening, and that isn't necessarily where I would slot a book like this. There's definitely heavy on the comedy here.

[A]

I was gonna say there's not as much calm in some books, but it's. I'm glad to hear that that one's more of a balance. I am not a great podcaster today. I should have brought a book that I wanted to read for one of our prompts, but instead I brought a book that just came in the mail and I was like, okay, I am intrigued. I know literally nothing about this. It's called the Hostess by Courtney Sack. So this one came through. I didn't know anything about it. The COVID is interesting. This woman looks like she's wearing her dress back, so I'm not quite sure what I think about that, but I like the sound of it. It's also from Hotter Books, which is a publisher. Hotter. And Staughton, which is a publisher in the uk and it says Natalie and her husband decide to escape the city for a much needed break after suffering from a terrible accident. Natalie needs some time and space to recover. So when they find a gorgeous rental on a home in an estate in the Hamptons, available at the last minute, it seems too good to be true. The owner of the estate, Sadie, is beautiful, elegant, and wealthy, and Natalie is immediately drawn to her. As the women begin to bond, Natalie can't shake the feeling that Sadie is hiding something beneath her polished exterior. When Natalie discovers that a previous guest disappeared without a trace, dark questions surface. Who exactly is the hostess? What are her secrets? And can Natalie uncover the truth? Before it's too late. This sounds like a quintessential popcorn thriller. Going to be a great palette cleanser between stuff that's a little more literary or a little tougher. And it's got my favorite, one of my favorite tropes ropes in that there is a sketchy home or a home with a sketchy past or a rental, a vacation home. I might bring this with me. We're going on vacation in a bit. And I might bring this on the plane with me because nothing says enjoy your vacation like reading about a stor than reading a story with characters who are in a terrible rental situation. You know what I mean? But this book is the Hostess by Courtney Sack.

[B]

Okay, I'm really excited about my shelf edition. It is by an author that I. I have grown to really love. And that is this is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman. This comes out on February 10th and has a really fun cover. It's got a bundt cake on the COVID with one slice taken out. It's kind of cartoonish, but very aesthetically pleasing. It's just a very fun kind of poppy cover. And this is a grief story. It is about two sisters, Sylvia and Helen Rubenstein, and they've drifted apart after their sister has died and a small misunderstanding over apple cake hardens into 10 years of silence between these two sisters. Life keeps moving with divorces, career disappointments, and busy kids who would rather stay out of it. And the grandchildren don't stand a chance. It says that this book delivers a warm and sharply observed story about sisterhood, family grudges, and the quiet ways love persists across generations. It says that it is funny, tender, and deeply human and a big hearted look at growing older, growing up, and the bonds that we never fully escape. I love Allegra Goodman. She seems to write with a really wide range from historical fiction to family drama. And I'm excited what she does with this story about sisterhood. As one of four sisters, my sister, myself, and that is this is not About Us by Allegra Goodman.

[A]

That is so many sisters. Like I. Every time you say it, I'm like, are you sure? Did you count? Right? That just is a lot set as a true only child, right?

[B]

Little Women.

[A]

Little Women. I do love a sister story myself just because I think it's fascinating, but I often find I'm like, you know, I'm glad I don't have sisters. Depends on the book that I read. Sometimes I've been.

[B]

Especially when she hears some of my drama. No.

[A]

Well, that is it for today, we thank you for being. Is that it? Is that how I do?

[B]

That's how we do it. Yeah.

[A]

Okay. Is that how I do? Well, 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 up to new listeners and grows our audience. And don't forget, if you'd like access to exclusive bonus content in the community, you can join us for $5 a month on patreon.com booktalk Etc.

[B]

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 Tinabrec and Hannah at handpickedbooks. Talk to you next week. And in the meantime, remember, remember, everything's better with books.

[A]

Before we started recording, you said that I look like I'm going to a gymnastics meet, and I do. And you are absolutely correct about that. There's a few reasons. One of them is my loving lately. The other is because I got a. I got a hyper fixation, we'll call it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And I was like, oh, I'm gonna give myself eyelash extensions. Like I. At home. Like, I need to do that right now. Now. So I had the glue. I had. This was two, three days ago at this point. I had the glue, I had the lashes. They don't go together necessarily, but I'm like, why can't I just put permanent glue on these individual lashes? And I did. And they look good.

[B]

So they do look good.

[A]

I am.

[B]

They look really good. And they make your green eyes pop.

[A]

Oh, thank you.