Annotating Books + Not Rating Books We Read (Season 8, Episode 46)

Summary

The Currently Reading Podcast
Season 8, Episode 46: Annotating Books + Not Rating Books We Read
Hosts: Kaytee Cobb & Mary Heim
Release Date: June 22, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into two main themes that resonate with voracious readers: the joys and logistics of annotating books within a group setting, and the often complex, sometimes fraught relationship readers have with rating books. Kaytee and Mary share their recent reading experiences, discuss setting up annotating-focused traveling book clubs, and unpack a listener’s question about choosing not to rate books. The conversation is honest, practical, and as promised, heavy on actual book talk and reader self-discovery.

---

Bookish Moments & Real-Life Connections

Anticipated Book Friend Meet-Ups (01:20–03:16)

• Mary’s Bookish Moment: Anticipates meeting podcast editor Megan Puttivong Evans and their families—a testament to online book communities translating into real-life connections.
  • “I am just so excited to get to be together in person…” —Mary (01:33)
• Kaytee’s Bookish Moment: Reunites with local book friends and launches a traveling book club focused on annotating books and passing them around.
  • “You read your own [book] and annotate it and write in the front your name with the pen you used so that it's easy to tell whose annotations are whose.” —Kaytee (03:40)

Notable Practices:

• Annotation is defined loosely as marginalia of any kind—thoughts, reactions, or even just “ew”—with each member using a distinct pen color.
• Planned bi-monthly meet-ups and book exchanges allows for both anticipation and sustained connection.

---

Current Reads: In-Depth Discussions & Notable Quotes

1. Hecate by Nikita Gill (06:27–10:43)

• Mary’s Pick: A lush feminist retelling of the Goddess Hecate’s story, delivered entirely in verse.
  • “I was just entirely captivated by this mystical, dangerous world of the Greek gods and goddesses and just buoyed by the lushness of her language…” —Mary (08:20)
• Notable for transcending typical YA vibes, and features next-level poetic prose.
• Sequel focusing on Styx coming this September.

2. Henry Tudor Must Die by Gillian Lane (11:02–15:29)

• Kaytee’s Pick: A witchy, feminist historical featuring Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, and a secret sisterhood plotted against Henry VIII.
  • “It is basically a witchy adventure story… There is queer representation, women who support and love women. The magic is esoteric, but feels familiar.” —Kaytee (12:28)
• Despite a "mushy middle," the book is highly recommended for historical and witchy fiction lovers.

3. The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon (16:53–22:05)

• Mary’s Mixed Review: Speculative literary fiction about AI and sentient appliances.
  • “Instead of that, I got this oddly distant, really speculative, ...near future that was far too close to the push into AI... in a way that was really unsettling for me.” —Mary (19:02)
• If you expect a heartwarming, quirky read, be forewarned: it’s more speculative and unsettling (“less TJ Klune, more George Orwell” —Kaytee, 21:28).

4. Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard Luck Jay by Julie Zickafoose (23:30–27:28)

• Kaytee’s Mixed Review: Gorgeous art and touching details about raising a blue jay, but writing lacked narrative depth.
  • “But her writing is not as compelling or layered as some of the other books that have caused me to really fall hard for animals.” —Kaytee (26:17)

5. The Q by Beth Brower (27:45–33:53)

• Mary’s Redemption Read: Engaging, slower-building historical about Quincy, who must solve a series of secret posthumous tasks to inherit her uncle’s newspaper.
  • “I was hooked by the writing from page one, but Quincy really is prickly… It takes a really long time for her to let down her guard…” —Mary (31:00)
• Not epistolary, but fans of character-driven, richly built worlds will love it.

6. The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (33:53–39:58)

• Kaytee’s Tearjerker: YA that delivers a gut punch; follows three seniors facing love, grief, and small-town struggles.
  • “This book wrapped me in a warm hug. It also tore out my heart and stomped on it—it was very rude.” —Kaytee (34:48)
• Recommended for those needing catharsis, not just comfort.

---

Readerly Deep Dive: Choosing Not to Rate Books (40:23–56:33)

Inspired by Listener Elizabeth’s Question:

Should you rate every book? Does not rating imply negativity?

• Mary’s Experiment: This year, she only rates five-star reads publicly to reduce pressure and avoid distilling complex opinions into oversimplified ratings.
  • “I would much rather write a review and not leave a star rating than the other way around… sometimes there’s so much nuance…” —Mary (43:08)
• Kaytee’s Approach: Now keeps ratings private in her reading log, only occasionally sharing them publicly.
  • “I essentially stopped putting ratings on my story graph. I use it to keep track of when I started and finished a book, but I'm only putting ratings...in my reading log...”—Kaytee (45:06)
• Both hosts stress reading is personal and rating systems should serve—not burden—the reader.

Discussion Themes:

• The value of thoughtful reviews over star ratings.
• How public personas and “book influencer” roles can create additional pressure.
• Exceptions for low star ratings: both agree 1–2 stars are only warranted publicly when a book is actively harmful (e.g., bigotry).
• A nuanced take: Ratings are not obligatory; complex feelings deserve complex expression.

Does not rating a book imply a negative opinion?

• Both say: Not necessarily. Most likely, it slips through, or lacks a strong reaction.
  • “You can’t control what people assume—lay it down.” —Mary (55:55)

---

Bookish Friend of the Week (56:34)

• Elizabeth Marnick: Celebrated for landing a literary agent and rallying a community for support as she prepares to send out a nonfiction book proposal.
  • “First of all because Elizabeth has been such a great bookish friend for so many years that I'm just thrilled for her.” —Kaytee (57:32)

---

“Before We Go” – Whale Wonders & Nature Reads (58:17–61:47)

• Mary’s Curiosity: Seeks fiction that features whales in the same celebratory way as books about octopuses, wolves, or beavers.
  • “I am really wishing that there were some excellent fiction focused on whales...I am so in and I would love to hear [recommendations].” —Mary (60:48)
• Kaytee’s Suggestion: Song for a Whale by Lyn Kelly—a heartfelt middle-grade novel about a deaf girl who connects with a misunderstood whale.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Low barrier to entry, high anticipatory fun is what we’re hoping for.” —Kaytee on traveling annotated book clubs (05:43)
• “If it had felt a little more grounded, ironically, a little more human...but I really hated how close this nanny state AI in the book felt to our own world...” —Mary on The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances (19:22)
• “I gave it five stars, even though I thought it was very rude how hard I cried.” —Kaytee on The Serpent King (39:18)
• “No should in reading; you can choose the rules that work for your reading life.” —Kaytee (47:39)

---

Key Timestamps (topic headers & discussions)

• 01:20 – Bookish moments start: bookish friend meet-ups & anticipatory excitement
• 06:27 – First current read: Hecate by Nikita Gill
• 11:02 – Henry Tudor Must Die by Gillian Lane
• 16:53 – The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon
• 23:30 – Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard Luck Jay by Julie Zickafoose
• 27:45 – The Q by Beth Brower
• 33:53 – The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
• 40:23 – Deep Dive: To Rate or Not to Rate Books
• 56:34 – Bookish friend highlight: Elizabeth Marnick
• 58:17 – Before We Go: Fiction about whales

---

Final Thoughts

This episode epitomizes Currently Reading’s “reader know thyself” philosophy. The hosts demystify annotation anxiety, celebrate reading in community, and offer a refreshingly liberated take on book ratings. It’s a thoughtful, warm, and practical conversation for book lovers seeking both permission and inspiration as they curate their next reads—and their own reading habits.

Transcript

[A]

Foreigners. Welcome to the Currently Reading podcast. We are bookish best friends who spend time every week talking about the books that we've read recently. And as you already know, we do not shy away from having strong opinions. So get ready.

[B]

We are light on the chit chat, heavy on the book talk, and our descriptions will always be spoiler free. Today we'll discuss our current reads, a readerly deep dive, and a little something bookish before we go.

[A]

I'm Katie Cobb, a homeschooling mom of four living in Arizona, and I am excited to start annotating.

[B]

And I'm Mary Heim, a therapist and mom living in Wisconsin, and my library holds have me in a chokehold lately. This is episode 46 of season 8 and we are so glad you're here today.

[A]

So glad to be here. So glad to be back on mic with you, Mary. It's been quite some time since the two of us got to record together.

[B]

I know. I'm so excited, Katie.

[A]

I'm very excited. Also, let's let everybody know right here at the top of the show that our deep dive today is about when we choose, for one reason or another, not to rate a book that we did finish. I'm excited to get into that, but first we'll get started the way we always do with our bookish moments. It's been a while. Mary. What do you got for us?

[B]

I know so many bookish moments, like compiled, waiting to be used, but I had to do the one, of course, most current, most recent to today. And for that reason, my bookish moment this week is a little anticipatory. Katie. So tonight, this the day of our recording, I get to go meet our beloved editor Megan Puttivong Evans and her sweet family for some dinner and some bookish fun. Megan and her family took a summer road trip kind of up through the Midwest and she is in my city for a few days. So tonight is the night that we are going to be gathering families and hanging out together and my little one is really excited to meet her little ones and I think the feeling is mutual. I am just so excited to get to be together in person and just hang out. Katie, you and I, a couple of summers ago, is that two years ago now we got to meet. Two years? Yep. For real life. So I'm just like slowly checking off my list of our currently reading friends who I have been able to meet in person. So Megan is next and I'm just so looking forward to it. It's gonna be so much fun. So I don't even have to have lived it yet to know that this is gonna be my bookish moment of the week for sure.

[A]

It's so true. And of course y' all are both great readers, so there will be so much bookish conversation to be had. As well as amongst the kiddos, which I'm very excited about them getting to meet each other. I also keep a mental currently reading bingo card of like, who do I still need to meet? And sometimes it even includes bookish friends. So I could have had this week an anticipatory bookish moment. Cause I get to meet our bookish friend Sidra for the first time this week. We're meeting at a bookstore here in Phoenix. That's not my bookish moment. But it's like it's those people that you've been around and you've talked to for so long about books and then it gets to become this real life thing, which is very fun, right? Yes.

[B]

Yeah. Oh, I love that. Well, I hope you two have a blast. And now I'm really excited to hear about your actual bookish moment.

[A]

Yes, my actual bookish moment. After a months long hiatus, which I will say is probably mostly my fault, I finally got together with some local bookish friends. My in real life close to me, location wise bookish besties. I've got Jen and Jen, Carrie and Lizzie, and we all like to meet up together. A few weeks ago I talked on the podcast about somebody in the bookish friends group starting a traveling book club situation and how I had gone directly to my girls and to see if they wanted to do it. So yesterday we met up for tacos and started our own traveling book club. We all brought a few books because we weren't sure, you know, is this something somebody thought already read or do they already have a copy of it? So we all had a couple that we were able to choose from, narrowed it down. So we've started with our five, went home with our own books to read them for the first time and annotate them. And that is key to the way that we are making this situation work for us. Nobody has read any of the five books yet. You read your own and annotate it and write in the front your name with the pen you used so that it's easy to tell whose annotations are whose. And then we're going to pass them along. We already set our August date, so we're doing every two months we'll pass them along and then at the very end you end up with the book that you bought that you took into the traveling book club. So highly rated, lots of variety. I'm very excited.

[B]

I am so, so excited to hear. Did you share. Was it social media or where did I see. Did you share your stack of books?

[A]

Yes. One of the bookish friends, Jen Brown, she shared the stack and I reshared her story. And it's a very cool photo, weirdly so I'll probably have to send it to Leigh Ellen for her to put up a second time when this episode airs. But yeah, it was. I mean, it was like tacos and books. We talked for two and a half hours. It's just the greatest Sunday.

[B]

I have done a traveling book club way in the past of history, in kind of the era in which you and Meredith and I met in that kind of version of the Internet book world. And I have not done it since. And it was so much fun. I love the idea of annotating in the book. I think when I did it, we passed around a journal and I think I would have much rather. I'm not a huge annotator, but I would love to have like the souvenir of this book with all of my friends thoughts in it. I am so excited for your report back when this is all done.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it's gonna take a while.

[B]

I don't know what it was like for you in a year. I can't wait to hear.

[A]

And we all kind of had to agree, like, what does annotating really mean? Really? We, as a little bit more lax readers, we are talking about like marginalia. Right. Rather than like a specific highlight. Color means themes or quotes that I don't want to forget. Like, we're not going hardcore annotation. We're going with what were your thoughts when you were reading this? You can write just ew. As long as your pen color matches the whole way through because then we can figure out who said what. So we're going low barrier to entry. High anticipatory fun is what we're hoping for.

[B]

I love that. I think it's time for me to gather. Gather a group and do it again. I'm inspired. That's so fun. I love that.

[A]

Me too. Let's get into our current reads, though. I bet you've got some good things to talk about.

[B]

I'm very excited. And actually I think one of the books I brought today actually might have been in that stack.

[A]

Oh, fun.

[B]

And I had a moment of panic and then I was like, nope, we're just gonna roll with it. This is gonna be good conversation. So we'll get there when we get there. But my first book of the week. I'm so excited to share this is Hecate by Nikita Gill. So Katie, Hecate, some of us may know, is the goddess of witchcraft and necromancy. She is a child of war, daughter of parents on the losing side of the war between the Titans and and the new Olympian gods. When the war threatens Hecate's safety, her mother brings her to the underworld under the protection of Styx and Hades who agree to raise her in her parents absence. Thus unfolds the ages long tale of the horrors and the beauty that Hecate experiences in the underworld. Desperate to find her powers, her divine purpose, and to find her place among the world of the dead, Hecate's power grows. She realizes that even the most powerful Olympians fear her, and her life has now shifted with her powers into territory wholly uncharted. Katie I need to start my thoughts on this one with that which I think is the coolest, most important part, that this stunning novel is written entirely in verse by the inimitable Nikita Gill poet. You may have seen some of her poetry on the Internet or read it in books. Of course. She is the author of many collections of poems, but also many other novels and verse that I had no idea about. And man does it show in just the stunning prose that she uses. I was not thrown at all by the format of this story. It's not just novel and verse, it's literally like, here's this poem. It's got a title and everything. Next page. Here's this poem, but absolutely reads like a story fully. I was just entirely captivated by this mystical, dangerous world of the Greek gods and goddesses and just buoyed by the lushness of her language and this really transcendent way that she constructs Hecate's story, which I really did not know much about before reading this book. I just was kind of peripherally aware of her. I will share this. My reading taste has taken a pretty sharp turn away from YA in recent years. Not that I don't still enjoy the occasional here and there, but I really don't grab for it the way that I used to. It did not occur to me truly at any point in this story that this is classified as YA until I read it at the end. And I don't know where that comes from other than maybe the fact that we're like watching Hecate's life from like young childhood into her early adulthood as like a young goddess. But she does not feel young to me. And I think the writing here really helps with that because it is stunning. Not to say that YA books don't have beautiful writing, but it feels elevated in a way that I wouldn't have automatically put in ya. So no, if that bothers you, just pretend I didn't say it. And if this book sounds intriguing to you, just know that this is really just an enthralling story of a goddess coming of age and into her power in this really vivid, terrifyingly beautiful world. I tabbed page after page. I cried and I gasped and I enjoyed every second of this story. I actually recommended it to our mutual

[A]

friend Candace, who has already pressed it into Katie's hands. By the way, I know Katie was buying it yesterday, so I love that. Well done you.

[B]

I love that so much. Listen, Candice and I had talked about this after I recommended it to her and she was like, why is this book nowhere? And I said, same girl. Why is nobody talking about this? I love this book. Certainly plenty of people have read it, but I just feel like it deserves so much more praise and attention that it's getting. I was also really excited to see that the second book in this series focusing on the story of Styx is going to be out in September this year. So if you love a retelling, if you love a Greek God and goddess story, a feminist tale, a little witchy, but not in the way you would think, or you're just really into lush, stunning language that will entirely transport you deeply into a world. This one is totally for you. That is Hecate by Nikita Gill.

[A]

I'm so excited about this. I brought Fierce Fairy Tales to the show probably two months ago, also by Nikita Gill, but I haven't read anything else by her. Also, as we were talking about it, I don't know. I love novels in verse. I don't know. The last time I read one, I want to say it's been four or five years at this point.

[B]

I think my last one was Jason Reynolds, as it should be.

[A]

It's probably Jason Reynolds for me too, which I love him. But what happened to all the verse novels I was reading? Where did they go? I don't understand what happened? Did I read all of them? I don't know. So I'm excited about this. I will definitely also be grabbing a copy. I also am going to tie it into my first current read because of the witchiness. So let me tell you about Henry Tudor Must Die by Gillian Lane. This book continues my we would call it a gentle slash, rabid Obsession with the six wives of Henry viii, which started almost exactly two years ago. Now, Mary, after you and I met with Liz Hein in Madison, I subsequently went to see six in Chicago with Shad on that 40th birthday trip. And I have been obsessed with the six wives of Henry VIII ever since. So whenever I get a little inkling of them, I'm very excited to pick it up. As this story begins, Anne Boleyn is in prison. She is awaiting a grisly fate. We all know it's to remove her head. Right? She's about to lose her head. She will be beheaded on the castle green tomorrow. But even with her, in this case, witchy powers, she can do nothing without a knife to draw blood and make her spells work. So when her previous rival, Catalina de Aragon, who was supposedly dead and buried, shows up to offer her a knife and the words she needs for a spell to save her, Anne jumps at the chance. Even if it's a dastardly trick, it's the one that she chose rather than leaving her life in Henry's hands. So she's like, I mean, the devil you know versus the devil you don't. Right. Catalina or Lena was quite publicly burned and spurned by Henry. She goes lives in a nunnery, and then she dies in the nunnery. So how is she in Anne's cell? He shoved her aside. For Anne, she's especially angry because she has had to watch her daughter grow up from afar, especially now that she's publicly been declared dead. The two disgraced but not dead queens are taken in by the Hellebore Sisterhood, a secret society of powerful women, especially those with supernatural powers. Together, they have to learn to trust one another, which is difficult based on their previous history, and hopefully take down the most powerful man in the British Empire before it's too late and more women are lost at his hands. I loved this book. I love this book so much. It is basically a witchy adventure story. Throw in a road trip, a secluded convent. There is queer representation, women who support and love women. The magic is esoteric, but feels familiar. It's passed down from one woman to another, usually following the female family line. There's blood involved, so it does demand of the witch. Right. The Boleyn family is especially adept at their magic, and it plays out really beautifully. Within this story. There is, and I'm just being honest here, there's a tiny bit of a mushy middle, maybe 10 to 15%. About halfway through the book in which our main queens, Lena and Anne, are Kind of questing across England and France in order to build their resources and their people and their power. It wasn't a long part of the book, but it felt long when I was in it, so I had to push through. I wanted to get back to England faster, back to court and the intrigue and the murder that awaited there. I especially wanted to get back to Anna Van Cleave, who is the unsung hero of this story. We all know the rhyme, or some of us know the rhyme, especially fans of Six Divorced, Beheaded, Died. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. Our second divorcee is Anna Van Cleave. She is witty, she's resourceful, she's funny and smart, and she is an asset to this sisterhood of queens that they didn't even know they needed. That piece of things made it really worth it to push through that laggy middle for me. I finished this book in April, and I've been thinking about it and wanting to bring it to the show ever since. But it comes out in mid July. Since we're rapidly approaching the end of the season, I wanted y' all to know about it now so that any witchy lovers or historical fiction lovers, and especially the Venn diagram where those two things intersect, can get your pre orders in for it now. I loved these killer queens, and yes, I did imagine all of them in their badass rockstar costumes from six the Musical. If we're gonna add to the historical record, let's enjoy it along the way. This is Henry Tudor Must Die by Gillian Lane.

[B]

Every single thing about that. Katie, I don't know if you saw me grab my phone immediately and put it on my TBR. And then I saw releases July 21, and I was like, what, are you kidding me?

[A]

Rude.

[B]

I want to read it right now. But it is going to be highly anticipated. Pre ordered, totally. Like, that's. That is absolutely the vibe. That sounds amazing.

[A]

It had the right vibes, you know, Like, I. Because I've read other, like, Anne Boleyn centered fiction and stuff, and I'm like, yeah, but like, what about the music? Yes.

[B]

This is how I feel after I watch a season of Bridgerton that I'm like, I don't actually want to read the old Bridgerton books. I want to read what Shonda Rhimes did with the excellent, like, musical Whatever. I don't want that. I want Shonda. It's like, I don't want just Anne Boleyn. I want it to be a little.

[A]

Yeah, new.

[B]

That sounds perfect.

[A]

Yeah. It really is so fun. And I have Been thinking about it ever since. Just like champing at the bit to bring it to the show and tell people about it. My bonus mother in law, my best friend's mom has been like, katie, can you, can you just remind me when it comes out? Cause you've been talking about it now for two months. I'm like, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have read it so early. This is why I don't read galleys early. It just ruins everything for me.

[B]

Okay, well, my birthday's coming up soon, so I think this is gonna be a happy birthday to me pre order.

[A]

Thank you. Thank you so much. Great idea. What's your next book?

[B]

All right, Katie, so here we go. The one I am bringing today. Well, okay, let's just get started, shall we? And then we will talk about this. My second book on the list is the Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Which I know is on. Right, is on that list of books.

[A]

It is.

[B]

Yep. So I, I am not typically one to bring a spicy opinion to the show, and that's mostly because I'm reading books, so many books that I love that I just, I have enough excellent reads between shows that I would rather spend my show time and energy sharing books that I really loved that I think people are really gonna love. This is a little bit of an exception today because I think that this book is going to find readers who will love it. It already has. There's lots of great reviews on social media. Lots of people enjoy it. And, and this is one that I can stand here and say, just because this wasn't for me, I would love to share what worked for me and what didn't so that our listeners can know, oh, I am an opposite of Mary. This sounds fantastic. Let me go pick it up. Right. That's like the intention here. And that listeners who are like me can just pass this one along on their library holds list to the next person who it is going to be for. Right.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

With all that said, here is the setup. In a near future where even the smallest appliances are sentient. We meet a household full of characters, but only a few of them are actually human. Harold and his wife Edie live in what appears to be a fairly normal middle class home. Edie teaching piano in her retirement. Harold, a former professor who spends much of his time poring over his signed first editions in his study. It is a pretty simple life until. And this is if it's not jacket copy. It happens very, very quickly until the cancer that Edie has been fighting finally brings about the end of her life. And suddenly, the technology known as the Grid, keeping this near futuristic world running, begins to take its liberties on Harold's life in a way that would upend his way of being entirely. With the help of Harold's long distant daughter, a precocious neighbor boy named Adrian, who likes to practice at Edie's piano, and of course, our beloved main character, Roomba, who has since named herself Scout. As the book kind of goes along, they must come together to outwit the Grid, lest they risk losing everything they hold dear. So this is an intriguing premise. I thought this one sounded really clever and interesting, and from the blurbs on the COVID I actually thought it sounded a bit too saccharine and sweet for me, but I picked it up anyways. I knew it was literary fiction. I enjoy literary fiction. I don't read it a ton, but almost always what I do read of the genre ends up on my top 10 of the year. So I did have high hopes. I thought that it would probably fall somewhere in the middle of the saccharine and the really literary. Right. So I was like, let's give this a go. Instead of that, I got this oddly distant, really speculative, and I think that's the key word here for me, near future that was far too close to the push into AI that we are experiencing right now. In a way that was really unsettling for me. I think this book could have worked for me if it had felt a little more grounded, ironically, a little more human. I actually really did love the sentient appl. I thought the connections to classic literature and the triumph of human art represented through Harold's collections of books was really beautiful. I loved the grounding provided through our young neighbor Adrian and his pursuits in Piano, kind of really pulling us back to human art. But ultimately, I really hated how close this nanny state AI in the book felt to our own world in a way that highlights my personal qualms with what this would look like in our life. It just felt stressful to read, given how near this future was written. And like I said, I really do enjoy literary fiction, but if I'd known just how strongly speculative this one would turn out to be, I think I would have passed it by. This is a reader know thyself moment that I just do not think a speculative fiction novel is for me, especially given some of the other themes that it pulls on. Ultimately, though, I think another big component of where this failed me was its marketing. I was expecting something entirely different than what I got. I Think one of the words on the front cover was quaint. I did not feel that. I think that it needs to be marketed. Maybe this is just how I received it. But really, like, this is speculative literary fiction. This is not like Roomba and humans save the world.

[A]

Right. So less TJ Klune, more George Orwell.

[B]

Yes, yes. So keep that in mind. And, you know, really, I just couldn't get past my unmet expectations. And that is where this one fell apart. So my hope is that I can give appropriate expectations so that you know what you're getting into when you go into this book. And I think the readers who will love it will love it. This story has a lot of love online from many readers, and I hope that this review can just be another one that helps you figure out if this is a for you or not. And that is the Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon.

[A]

I can see that it feels like a push pull almost in the title. The Infinite Sadness. That sounds more literary and a little bit darker and sadder. Right. Whereas the COVID is bright colors, cute little animated pictures. Right. Like it's an interesting situation.

[B]

Right. Especially to the point. And I wonder. I just keep getting hooked on that blurb. Whoever blurbed it on the front cover, I feel terrible that I keep calling them out, but I just think that it is a bit of a push and a pull. And that isn't to say, I think through the character scout, the Roomba, we do get this kind of. She's like a quote unquote younger appliance. So we do get some of this kind of more naive perspective, if you will, through the book. I can't wait to hear more discourse about it because I think it's really ripe for discussion. I actually do think this is a spectacular book club book. I think a lot of people are gonna have a lot to say about it. And I'm almost wishing I would have Buddy read it with someone because I wanna talk about that. So if y' all have read it, please feel free to hop on into my DMs and we can talk about it together. I wanna hear all perspectives.

[A]

So true. And I mean, as you mentioned at the top, that's kind of what I'm doing. Right. We're gonna have each person in our group read it and make comments throughout. So we'll get that kind of conversational experience when we. When I finally get to dive into

[B]

this one, I think that'll be a great way to approach it.

[A]

I'm excited. It'll be good. Okay. My second one this week is a little bit of a mixed bag for me as well. I'm going to talk about saving Jemima life and love with a hard Luck J by Julie Zickafoos on the recommendation of a bookish friend, which usually goes really well for me, Katie and I picked up used copies of this book at least a year ago and we finally ended up reading it. Julie Zickefus, the author, was already well known for her animal outward saving heart. She had experience raising orphaned birds and releasing them into the wild and drawing nature guides about them. So when a friend calls her to let her know that she found a baby blue jay on the ground and no nest nearby, Julie makes a short drive to pick up this fluffy little nugget she names her Jemima and turns the story that follows into the book that I end up with in my hands. This book is gorgeous. It's beautifully made. Julie has spent years doing illustrations of various avian species. So each chapter begins with like hand drawn gorgeous images of what's happening in Jemima's life. It's also peppered with photographs of this time in the family's life. So we've got her Boston terrier, Chet Baker makes an appearance. We've got her children, her husband, and they're showing up in the text as well. Which means it's also not a very long book to read because there's a lot of illustration and photography in it. Through Julie's care and keeping and then eventual release of Jemima, sometimes with fits and starts, we learn quite a bit about what are often maligned birds. I don't live where there are blue jays, but I do know about their reputations. They are pretty much known as pushy a holes. And I have friends get spicy over the ways that they behave at their feeders. In fact, Mary, I'm guessing you have some blue jay opinions, do you?

[B]

I love blue jays. They are a holes and I also love them. I think they're so, so beautiful. But yes, absolutely. Sometimes I have a talking to with the birds at my backyard camera feeder who are being a little pushy. They absolutely can be that way.

[A]

And that is partly because they're part of the corvid family with crows and ravens. So they have that smart and cunning mind. They're personable, they're pensive. And through the course of this book I really came to admire them, which is what usually happens when I read a book about any animal of any type. See also octopuses, beavers, turtles and more. Now I also have some critiques here as well. Like I said, this is a mixed bag. Julie, the author, is definitely a fantastic artist. She's passionate and knowledgeable, and she's willing to dig to find answers to her questions. But her writing is not as compelling or layered as some of the other books that have caused me to really fall hard for animals. This one is a case of like many corvids, the shiny thing is what kept my attention. The book is beautiful. It deserves to be read on paper, and in some ways it even reminded me of the Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan in the way that it's presented. It's just really lovely to page through. But where that one gave me a broader view of Amy's California backyard and the feathered friends who visit her there, I wanted Saving Jemima to plumb deeper and to feel more weightless in the way that she wrote her prose instead of labored the way that it actually came across on the page. That means that even though this one didn't hit five stars for me, it did hit the bird song of animal fealty and love that I really adore. I now look forward to my next adventure that brings me to blue jay country. Whether it's the scrub jays, which are not real blue jays of Northern Arizona and California that are only a few hours away, or the true blue jays of the central and eastern part of the usa, I look forward to approaching them as friends with keen eyes and sharp interest as they deserve. This is saving Jemima life and Love with a hard luck. J by Julie Zickafoos My husband really

[B]

loves blue jays, so I'm like, jeremy, don't listen to this episode. I think I know what book is gonna end up on your table soon.

[A]

Father's Day is next weekend, which is right before this episode comes out. So perfect.

[B]

There you go. Perfect. I love that. Well, good to keep in mind. I'll have my expectations, but it sounds like the paper copy. Also, I'm just like, I just want

[A]

to say, sounds beautiful. So pretty.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

All right, what's your third book?

[B]

Mary okay Katie, this one is going to be a redemption tale from my previous book. I am so excited today to share the cue by Beth Brower, our beloved author of the Emma Lyon series. This is some of Beth's backlist. Probably not as popular as Emma Lyon just because Emma is in a class all of her own. But also I know, myself included, a lot of us read Beth on audio because Emma Lyon on audio is just an absolutely next level experience. Some of her backlist books, at least this one, the Queue, are not on audio, so I think it's kind of fallen in the background. But let me tell you, what a fun ride this was. Okay, so the q follows Quincy St. James, prickly, cold, absolutely single minded in her pursuit of running her great uncle's periodical, the Q as efficiently and perfectly as possible. Quincy was a foundling, rescued from the workhouses alongside her best friend Fisher by her great uncle Ezekiel in her youth. Practically from the day she joined his home, she's been hard at work at his question Only newspaper. So folks will submit only a question. We have some fun threads through the story of, like, his suitors talking back and forth and all sorts of things. Really inventive and original concept, and Quincy has focused on bringing it from this, like, delightfully quirky piece of mail to the behemoth powerhouse in her fictional town just outside of London. But when Quincy's uncle Ezekiel dies, her certainty over becoming the heir to the queue is challenged when he delivers a posthumous challenge to her to complete 12 undisclosed tasks over the next 12 months, monitored by his solicitor, only to be confirmed for her after she's actually completed a task or risk losing the queue forever. So it would be, for example, I see your face. Like her uncle has written a list of 12 tasks and has told the solicitor, you have to watch Quincy, she has to do these things in your company and you can tell her once she's done one of them, you've completed the task. So let's say it was something silly and ridiculous like do a cartwheel. It's not. If she did a cartwheel on her own and the solicitor saw it, he would be like, aha, you have completed another task.

[A]

What?

[B]

So rightfully, she's like, not super excited about this, right? She's already cold, distant, walled off. She has come from a really rough upbringing and she's like, are you kidding me? I just want to write this newspaper, make it this business powerhouse forever. And now I have to do mystery tasks in front of this dude I don't even really like. Understandably, she is not so happy about that. Through the story, we spend the year not just with Quincy, but in true Beth Brower fashion, also alongside just this ragtag band of fascinating lov complex characters who make up her world, as Quincy battles her own demons and the challenges before her. So, Katie, pretty much before anyone had to say anything at all to me, but this book, except, hey, it was written by Beth Brower, like, that's all it took. And I was all in But I am so thrilled to say that this one really lived up to my sky high expectations. But also, I will say this not without caveat for my fellow Emma lovers. I recommend just kind of completely divorcing this story from Emma in your brain entirely. Just know that you are in trustworthy hands, perhaps in a fairly similar time and place. But Emma and Quincy could not be farther apart. I was hooked by the writing from page one, but Quincy really is prickly. You can tell there's so much to her story, but, you know, as a result of her hardships, it takes a really long time for her to let down her guard, to start kind of making forward motion in this story. It does take about halfway through the book to really set the scene, and I think it's worth every word. I enjoyed all of that exposition and getting to know these characters. The world is painted so vividly. Of course, you can, like, hear and feel these characters fully the way that Beth Brower does so well. It took me about a week to read the first half, and I inhaled the second half in like 24 hours. So just know as you're like, okay, I'm enjoying this. I'm not necessarily feeling motivated to pick it back up. If you're continuing to enjoy it, though, just give it some time. It absolutely is worth the unfolding. I had so much fun being completely and totally immersed in this one the entire way through. And I can tell already that I will be hitting a new record with my top 10 books of the year this year, with at least two making the list from the same author. That was the cue by Beth Brower. And I suppose I should probably say at least nine.

[A]

Right.

[B]

By the same author.

[A]

Nine of ten. No, wait.

[B]

Yeah, right.

[A]

Okay. Because it has this newspaper element. Is there an epistolary element to this one as well? Like, if that's the part that we

[B]

love about mli, do not expect there to be an epistolary component to this story. There are, if I recall correctly, some. Some mixed media bits. Not much, though. This is really excerpts. Maybe I even could be wrong. It's been a little while since I've read it now, but it is not epistolary format, but it absolutely. You will recognize the way. Just the delicious way that Beth Brower writes. That is what is here. If you are in Emma Lyon for the characters, for the way she builds worlds. I've even heard her say before when she's talked about her characters of like. And this character popped up in my brain from here and I thought, oh, where like to what story do you belong? Right. And I've heard her talk about, like, she had this character of Quincy kind of forming for her for a long time, and Quincy wasn't a fit. She didn't belong in Emma's world, but she kind of had her own world. Right? So if you're in it for. If it is primarily the, like, lightness and loveliness of Emma that gets you, or the epistolary novel, perhaps this is not for you. But if you are in it for the world building, the characters, the complexity of the story, the nuance of the way she fleshes people out, that's what you'll find in this one for sure.

[A]

Okay. All right. See, that's. These are all good things to know. Okay. My third book this week is Backlist. I'm gonna talk about the Serpent King by Jeff Zentner. Jeff freaking Jeffrey. All right. I already knew that Jeff Zentner had established himself as a YA author, but I still had to be cajoled into reading Colton Gentry's third act in 2024, his debut adult novel and his debut romance. It didn't matter, though, because I still didn't pick up any of his previous works. I was like, this is where Jeff Sentner lives for me, on this shelf in this part of my house. Until now. I grabbed a used copy of the Serpent King at one of my local bookstores because it has unbelievably high ratings. In fact, most of his books set well over four stars, which is just crazy to me because it.

[B]

I'm looking 23,000 reviews, right?

[A]

And it's like 4.2 or something. Like, what's happening? I think he's drugging people. I don't know. I have some theories. He also has pictures on Instagram that I think might be impacting people's ratings. Anyhow, The Serpent King is about three teens who are just beginning their senior year. They're just starting to consider what the next few new adult years of their lives might look like. They're from a small town in Tennessee, and they're an unlikely found family group of characters. First, we have Dill. Dill is not popular, especially now that he has to deal with the fallout from his father's arrest. His dad was a popular preacher of a very small group of fringe Christians, and he ended up on the wrong side of the law. And his undoing is big news for this tiny Tennessee town. People who were previously part of his parish congregation are very angry, including at Dillon, for the way things went down with that. Fortunately, Dill has his best friends Travis and Lydia by his side. Travis is a misfit in his own right. He carries a staff wherever he goes. He's like a knight errant of our times. We all knew kids like this in high school. He's an odd duck, but his heart is just pure as the driven snow. All of us can relate to Travis's love for a book series that overtakes his life. See also Emma M. Lyon Right. He is in fan forums on the Internet about it. He's always hoping that one of his best friends will finally pick it up and love it. Also, he has pre ordered the next book in the series and tried to get the bookstore owner to just give it a chance. Lydia skates on the cusp of the popular crowd. She has a well known fashion blog where she shares thrift store finds. Her YouTube hauls are popular. She's got lots of followers. But that also means she won't publicly admit Then Travis and Dill are her ride or dies, her besties. And that's causing a little friction between them. Each of these kids, slash young adults stares down a different barrel for their senior year. Lydia is the most well off of the three. She's definitely going to college. Dill just hopes to fly under the radar enough to get a job and help his mom with their bills. Even if it means following in the same ruts that the men in his family have lived in for generations. Hopefully not all the way to prison. And Travis? Travis is in dire straits. He quietly deals with his situation at home, relying on Dil and Lydia to bring light into his darkness. Well, his besties and his online girlfriend. She's a little bit of a secret. This book wrapped me in a warm hug. It also tore out my heart and stomped on was very rude. I went back and forth between the paper copy and the audio narration and I got to a point when I was lying on my back crying so hard that my ear holes filled with tears. It was not pretty, not attractive. And I knew that I knew what was coming here because Jeff Sentner wears it as a badge of honor. He constantly shares stories where people say that he wrecked them, but I thought, no, not me. I'm a different reader than that. It has actually been quite some time since I read a book that made me sob. Not just like a quiet, cute little tear from a movie, but actual guttural crying. In fact, I was kind of starting to think that my divorce had changed me as a reader, that that level of emotion had been kind of put away for me. But it turns Out. I just needed Jeff to do this for me. Jeff, you did it. You broke through a heart that was hardening to get back to the tender underbelly of this reader. This story, Dill and Lydia and Travis was just what I needed at exactly the right time. It is ya. Yes, these are 17 year olds about to turn 18, but it also has these universal themes of love and loss and growth and friendship. It's about that launch year and finding feet in your own life and standing on them for the first time. But it's also about those people who are just with you and there for you through hard things. Even though I knew on paper or on his stories at least that this was a heartbreaker, I didn't know how hard I needed to have my heart broken so he could put it back together. So while I would not put this on the break glass shelf, I would put it on the feel something shelf. Because sometimes that's what you need, right? Not necessarily comfort, although I was comforted eventually, but catharsis. I needed to let myself be fully in my heart and my body instead of my head and put that aside for a minute. And Jeff Zentner gave that to me with this book. I gave it five stars, even though I thought it was very rude how hard I cried. This is the Serpent King by Jeff Zentner.

[B]

Well, you know, I love a book that makes you feel things about being human. And I was like, all right, fine, I will be wrecked. And I went to put it on my TBR Katie, and turns out it's already on there. So it is time for me. And I have not read any Jeff sent here, so nothing. So I think this feels like the

[A]

place people can detect shoes with lines from his books.

[B]

Like, gosh, all right, I'm missing out. Listen, if you're that committed, I gotta get. I gotta get with the picture.

[A]

He has one called into the Wild Light that is now very high on my list. And then his forthcoming release is called Love Like Apples. I think it comes out this summer. I don't have a galley of it, sadly. If somebody wants to send it to me, that would be fine. But I think I'm ready to, like, you know, commit, kiss Mary, kill Jeff Zentner. I think. I think I'm ready to like, give him a really good shot, you know?

[B]

Yeah. All right.

[A]

Okay. Those were our six current reads. And so now we're gonna get into our deep dive for the day and we're gonna talk about what happens when you choose not to rate a book. So we did get a Listener email from Elizabeth and here's what she says. Good morning. I am a new listener since last year. I could not cut this part out. So I can't wait to tell you all this next little chunk. My niece Alexis told me about the podcast after meeting Meredith, I believe while roller skating or rollerblading. Anyway, Alexis sent me the podcast link and I've been a listener and Patreon subscriber ever since. So record scratch. Right. I went directly to Meredith when this email came in and I said, excuse me, pardon me, what is this? And she said, oh, I think she means Johnny. And I said, what? All of it.

[B]

I love the visual of Meredith. I've seen it rollerblading through, maybe share. Yes, I love it. I love that so much. And I've also seen her share. I think this is the only way I could have seen it clips on like Instagram of Johnny's rollerblading. And I love that yes, Johnny is

[A]

a skilled roller skater or roller. I think it's roller skating is what he does. But I just love this little tangent into like, oh, rollerblading Meredith, no big deal anyway. And I was like, wait a minute, Elizabeth, come back, let's talk about this.

[B]

Hold please.

[A]

However, that is not the topic of this deep dive. No, Elizabeth, continues. The topic I will suggest may have been covered in the past, but I'm wondering if you ever choose to not rate a book. There are books that I've read that I'm pleased to have finished, but I don't feel or care to rate. Part of it is the constant request to rate something in life. Now which can I get an amen? There are also books that I have disliked so much that I did go and choose to leave a one or two star review. And finally, does not leaving a rating make you think a person has a negative opinion of the book? So this is three separate questions. Are there times that you choose not to rate a book even if you really liked it? Are you times that you finish it and go rate it anyway because of how much you disliked it? And if you see somebody has read a book and didn't rate it, do you automatically assume that they had a one of those two strong feelings? Right, Elizabeth, so many great questions. Cannot wait to discuss this with you. Mary. Where do you want to go with this?

[B]

So when you offered this up as an option for us to talk about today, Katie, I was like, all right, I am so in for this because I decided to experiment this year with not rating books unless it was a five star for me. Like, publicly not rating books unless it was a five star. I've made a few exceptions to this, but I was like, I just want to try it. I am a little stressed out at the thought. Not really. But, like, sometimes it's like I can't exactly figure out where my thoughts on this fall or that. Like, there's no. I would much rather write a review and not leave a star rating than the other way around. Because I think that there's so much nuance sometimes to my feelings. Even with unimaginable sadness of small appliances. I was like, that one didn't work for me, but it really made me think. I also think it gave me some new insight to reader know myself. And I think that I could have spectacular conversations about this book. So I don't want to just be like, three stars. That doesn't capture all that I feel. And this was a personal decision for me. Obviously, I begrudge nobody for how they choose to rate, not rate, share, not share any of their books. But I was like, I just want to see how it feels to only leave a rating when something was a big hit for me. Because that feels. As a few friends who have written books in the past have shared that I know that those ratings and reviews are important. So I'm like, all right, I don't want to take that away from an author, especially one who I think did a spectacular job with a book. But I also just, like, wanted some of the relief to not feel like I have to get it perfectly right with my rating. And, Katie, maybe you share this as well. I obviously much less than you. But, like, what we read and share about what we read is, like, very public. People are paying attention to that. And I'm like, I just want to back off on the pressure on that a little bit because I don't want that power. And so this was my experience. This is my ongoing experience this year with only rating fives. And I will say this, too, and we can get into this a little bit more, too. There are times where I would consider rating a 1 or a 2, but we'll kind of hold off on that. We'll get to that in a minute. I would love to hear your kind of initial thoughts on this.

[A]

Yeah, I am, I guess, unpublicly struggling with the same thing. First, I publicly started the year by posting every book that I finished, y'. All. I only made it to book nine. And then I was like, well, I'm not doing that anymore. That's a terrible idea. Because of that Same thing. Like a. I wanted to put some words about the book in there, but then I felt like, well, I also want to use those words later when I talk about this book on the podcast. So then I felt like I was shooting my shot already. And then there was this weird tension of like, do I put a star rating on here when I know that this is a public thing that now lives on the Internet? So at the beginning of this year, I essentially stopped putting ratings on my story graph. I use it to keep track of when I started and finished a book, but I'm only putting ratings for each title in my reading log when I get caught up, rather than somewhere where other people can see it and access it and read about it. Which is weird because I do talk every week about the books that I've read. Although I don't usually say, like I said, I gave the Serpent King five stars, but the other two, I just said I enjoyed them for these reasons and I didn't for this reason and whatever. So it's like a tension to live within.

[B]

Yeah. And I really think what this comes down to, I have been in this place a couple of times in my reading life and I kind of ebb and flow. And I think I know myself much better now as a reader but also as a person that when something I really enjoy starts to stress me out, I'm like, back up. What are we doing here? And I don't think that writing books necessarily super stressed me out, but I do think that when reading feels more about for me, like, it's more than anything just about the joy I get in reading itself. When I start to get caught up in, oh no, I have to share it this way or I have to get my thoughts perfectly in a review, even if only two people are going to read it. That's when I know, like, my reading is about my reading. My reading is supposed to serve me, it's supposed to be fun. And if, like, I got too caught up in the oh no, am I perfectly hitting the correct star review that accurately captures how I feel, then I'm like, it's like time to go back to basics and just read and enjoy my reading for what it is. And there have been times that I very much, I really love, like, writing a review and sharing my ratings and sharing books and so absolutely nothing wrong with that. And I think I've even thrown, I think probably a couple four star ratings here and there on social media because it hasn't felt like a problem. You know, it's just Been like, oh, yeah, this, like, feels easily four stars.

[A]

Right.

[B]

It's when I'm like, oh, but I have complex and nuanced takes that I don't want to distill down into a star rating. I just don't have to.

[A]

You don't. Which is always something that we all need to remember. Right. That there's no should in reading, that you can choose the rules that work for your reading life. But on the theme of reader know thyself, this is also something that is super personal. Right. If it matters to you to take that time to really dig into your thoughts and put a metric on it, then you should do that. Right. If that is what works in your reading life. But if you are a reader who that adds weight or stress or hardness to your reading life in some way, it's okay to let it go. And to say, this is not something that adds to my experience of being a reader, of identifying as a reader. Right. Yeah. So I think it's important to know yourself well enough. And whether or not that is gonna be an add to your reading life or a detraction from it, you hit

[B]

the nail on the head, Katie. It's really like knowing yourself in that way. I also think too sometimes writing reviews, sharing and writing has given me really great clarity on what did I get from this book, what really worked for me, maybe what didn't. What really stuck out to me. I've had some good conversations with fellow bookish friends and other bookish people online and everywhere about a book because of a rating or a review that I have shared. And so absolutely, this isn't to demonize that. But I was just like, I wonder what would happen if I just didn't for a while. And it's been nice to not worry about it. And I know this about myself that it's easy to fall in absolutes if I'm not careful. So I was like, you know what? I just don't have to. Like, I can rate sometimes if I want to. Another thing that like, stuck out to me too is like, if something is maybe a one or two stars. Cause it's not my taste. I was feeling kind of like a jerk to put that out on the Internet. Now oftentimes I will say that doesn't happen for me very much because if it's not my taste, I'll just DNF with abandon. Right? But I was like, if I read something through and it just really wasn't to my taste, it feels like kind of a jerk move to put that connected to an author's really hard work. Yes, if it was a one or two for me, because it is really racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, et cetera, says something really terrible was like actively problematic. I don't think I have a qualm with posting a one or two because I think I want to amplify that to readers who might look and see and take that seriously and are looking for content warnings or to see like, oh, why did this really not work for someone? Because it may be applicable on a larger scale, then yeah, I would consider that. But if it's just not my taste, it just feels too cut and dry, too black and white for me to give like a negative rating in that light.

[A]

Well, and I do think that's the other side of this rating discussion, that for me, even if I am not publicly putting my rating somewhere on Goodreads or storygraph, there's so many places now where you can go put your rating. Right. Even if I'm not doing that, I still find it really useful for other people to do that. Right. I want to read other people's ratings, other people's reviews, especially after I find finished a book, whether I loved it or not, in order to get a better feel for like the complete picture of what type of reader this book will work for. Because if I'm going to go talk about it to somebody else, it may be that it didn't work for me, but it will work for them. And if I have more depth to more than just my experience to take into account there, it does serve me well. So even when I'm saying, well, for me, I'm not putting that publicly. I do put it in my reading log. It's kind of its own thing. I still want other people to rate, do as I say, not as I do, I guess.

[B]

Yes. You know, and I had that thought too. It's kind of like this idea of like if everybody did this, it would be actively bad. Right, right, right. Like, I recognize that, that this is not something we can all do at once. But it was like I needed to kind of distance myself a little bit from how over important I was making it to accurately choose writing. And I am still actively reviewing not every book. Some books I will write a couple sentences here and there, share an offhand comment on my social media, et cetera, but really just trying to like let that go. And my year of practicing doing this was really about helping me to distance the like always and nevers. And it's like, okay, I'm stepping back. I'm taking a break on this so that I can come back with a more nuanced take that I can maybe hold less tightly to this idea that I have to perfectly capture all my thoughts in a star rating or a couple of sentences for now and know that maybe when I'm feeling readier to do that again. Maybe somebody else will need a break from doing that and then they can rest on the fact that I will choose to share my thoughts again in that way. I know this can't work for all of us all the time, but I do think probably for some of us it would be a nice break.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. And you can choose when and where to apply these rules or commandments to your own reading life. Right. I still, for my personal life, find it really useful to go through my reading log and put a star number on there. But it's usually weeks or months after I've actually read the book, so I have time to really have let it simmer for a while rather than I'm done, I've marked it done, I've rated it, it's time to move on A. Then it's, you know, it's off my mental load pile. So nobody's thinking about it. I'm not thinking about it anymore because I'm all done with it. Right. But if I know that I'm going to come back to it later and in my private reading log put some information about it, whether it's my written review and a star rating or vice versa. I also allow myself to have quarter stars because it does play into that nuance a little more. I will put a two star in my reading log even if I wouldn't put a two star online because that helps me get a better at a glance and then I know to go look at the notes about it. So there are like there's. There is permission, there's gray area, there's nuance in this conversation.

[B]

Yes, totally. And you know, it's funny, I was thinking about this last component of the question of does it make you think maybe poorly or someone has, you know, thought negatively a book if they didn't review? I definitely don't now because I have the nuance of, well, I don't and I, you know, whatever I was trying to think back to had I in the past, I don't think so. I could see how you could fall in that category. But I think I'd be more likely to think that if someone just did like a three step star. This is very specific. If somebody just did like a three star and no words about it. Right Then I'd be like, oh, you really disliked that? I think I would more. Even though three stars, like perfectly fine, three stars, like it was middling, I enjoyed it. It passed the time and now we move on. But I think I'd be more inclined to assume negative experience with like a two or three with no words about it than someone who just did no stars and. Or no words at all. Yeah. What about you?

[A]

Yeah, I would agree. I also don't really know how I would know that that somebody had read a book but chose not to leave a rating or review. I guess I would have to go specifically looking for that book, that person and try and make them match. But I just don't spend that much time actively wondering what other specific people rated a book, I guess.

[B]

Yeah. Sometimes I think that maybe if I was looking at a book on a social media site. This of course depends on how it's set up. Storygraph, different from Goodreads, different from Instagram, whatever. Maybe I would see and think, oh, interesting. This friend of mine read this book and didn't have any thoughts about it, but I would have had to actively pursue it. And I just don't really do that. So I think to that I would say live your life. Yeah, people are gonna make assumptions and you can't control them, so that's okay.

[A]

Yeah, I think it's okay to lay that down. Just lay it down. However, Elizabeth, A, I thought this was a really good thing to discuss and kind of dig into a little more. B, we really love the roller skating story. And C, y', all, we want to know what you think about what your ratings convey about you publicly as a reader and how do you feel about putting star ratings or reviews out there. What does that mean to you? If somebody doesn't read a book, what does that mean? Do you actively finish a book in order to leave a one or two star review? What does that mean for you? So we're interested in your also nuanced and gray area lined takes about this conversation.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

Okay, before we go, I will highlight our bookish friend of the week. I checked in with this person beforehand to make sure I could share what she posted. So bookish friend Elizabeth Marnick posted this week. Hi friends. Are there any other current or aspiring book writers here who may be interested in some sort of support chat group? I've been working on a nonfiction book proposal for a few years now. I'm so excited that I signed with a literary agent last week. I'm still in awe, but now I need to buckle down and get my three sample chapters ready for them to send it out. I really value having others working towards similar goals to chat with. So if you know of anything or would want to be in one with me if I started it, please let me know. I just about wept when I read this. First of all because Elizabeth has been such a great bookish friend for so many years that I'm just thrilled for her. And secondly, because the idea of like sistering through this together, or as mentioned, we do have like 3% of our bookish friends group is the intrepid men that keep us grounded. So partnering through this together, friending alongside each other and saying we can do hard things together. The bookish friends group is such a perfect place for that. So A cheering Elizabeth on and B just excited about these aspiring writers coming together because of their love of currently reading.

[B]

Yes, I saw that this week. Katie and I just like burst. How cool. How exciting. Elizabeth, that's amazing. And also it was fun to see other bookish friends in our group. I think I saw it when that had just been posted, so there were only a few replies so far. But so cool to see other people working on their own stuff. It's just very exciting. I love our little community. Just so joyful.

[A]

Yes, so much joy. All right, what have you chosen from our menu this week?

[B]

All right, Katie, so before we go, I am curious this week. This is one I haven't done yet. And I am curious about whales. Okay, now there. There's more to come.

[A]

Just whales.

[B]

Just whales. That's it. Bye, everybody. No, I am really wishing that there were some excellent fiction focused on whales. The same way that we have seen our beloved octopuses and wolves and beavers and other animals that we have talked about take center stage in stories. This all weirdly started for me around the time I read Charlotte McConaughey's Wild Dark Shore at the end of that last year. And it's so funny because when I bring this up to people, they're like, there was a whale in that book. Like, this is not the thing that most people hang on to. But I like the book just fine. I thought it was. It probably landed around a four star. I have more nuanced thoughts on that. But like, what really stuck out for me and oddly, strangely, was a scene with a mother whale and her baby. I won't say any more than that, but it was around the time I was struggling with a really exhausting and emotional ectopic pregnancy loss that was going on for multiple months. And I just found the scene and the allegory in this story to be so beautiful and particularly moving for me in the light of my really tough year with pregnancy in general. This absolutely sent me down a rabbit hole watching documentaries. I even crocheted a giant three foot whale, which has since become very popular in our home for cuddling up on the couch. And I was like, okay, I want to like read. I would love to read a story that more prominently features these like gorgeous, beautiful, incredible marine animals. Mammals, right. But there just aren't many that I have found. I did happen to have a nonfiction book on my shelves that featured whales, but as I started reading it, I was like, this is more logistical science heavy than what I want. I wanted something a little bit more in like the magic of nature, right. And like the beauty of nature. This book was not quite doing it for me. I would love to read a Marcellus in whale form, but I think more than anything I just am craving reading more about the natural world, especially kind of in these uncertain times. Katie, when you said earlier and mentioned in your blue jay book, like all of these books that have sparked this feeling and animal joy for you, there is a reason that I am bringing this up as my before we go this week because I'm like, Katie will tell me she'll give me five to get started with, but I don't have five.

[A]

But I do have one to get you started that I haven't read yet. But this author just wrote a new book about an octopus, so she is high on my radar right now. This book is Song for a Whale by Lyn Kelly and it's a middle grade novel about a deaf girl who connects with a lonely whale named Blue 55, whose unique song is too high pitched for other whales to understand. So this whale is lonely and its song doesn't communicate correctly with the other whales around it. It is based on a true story and Bumi has talked about it with me a number of times and it's been like, you know, on my, I guess my sonar rather than my radar. But now three blue hearts is recently released or just about to come out. And that one is about octopuses. So I'm very excited to like finally get into this author and I feel like we could both like dive in at the same time. Dive in literally, because these are both ocean based books and get a little feel for some of these animals we really love.

[B]

I love that. That sounds absolutely perfect. I am welcome to any and all if a listener has a recommendation, of course it doesn't have to be whale. I'm just like get me connected back to the earth. Remind me again all of the beauty right of the world around us if it happens to feature a whale. I am so in and I would love to hear it. I am leaning into my Nature girl fiction and nonfiction era. That is what I'm curious about today.

[A]

Katie, I think that's great and I know that our bookish friends will deliver for you.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

All right y', all, that is it for this week. As a reminder, here's where you can connect with us. You can find me Katie Notes on bookmarks on Instagram and Meredith is at Meredith Monday Schwartz on Instagram and you

[B]

can find me at Mary Reads and Makes on Instagram.

[A]

Our show is produced and edited every week by Megan Putamong Evans and you can find her on Instagram at Most of Megans reads Full show notes with the title of every book we mentioned in the episode and timestamps so you can zoom right to where we talked about them can be found on our website@currentlyreading podcast.com or in your podcast app.

[B]

You can also follow the show at Currently Reading Podcast on Instagram or email us@hellourrentlyreading podcast.com if you head over to

[A]

our website or a substack, you'll be able to sign up for our Reader Know Thyself newsletter, which came up quite a bit in this episode. You definitely want to get subscribed to that. It will help you hone in on exactly what works and your reading life. You can also watch us on YouTube now, where we're constantly adding new features. And if you really want to help us become a patron a bookish friend, you can keep the show commercial free, you can enjoy tons of bonus content and you can join our fabulous bookish community. We'd love your ratings on Apple podcasts or Spotify and shouting us out on social media. All of that helps us find our perfect audience.

[B]

Bookish friends really are the best friends. Thank you for helping us grow and get closer to our goals.

[A]

Until next week, may your coffee be

[B]

hot and your book be unputdownable.

[A]

Happy reading Mary Happy reading Katie.