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The Currently Reading Podcast
Season 8, Episode 11: Book Bundles + Books That Zigged When You Thought They’d Zag
01:00:55
On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Roxanna are discussing: Bookish Moments: back to buddy reading and book bundles Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we’ve been reading lately Deep Dive: books that...
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- [00:00]
A
Foreign.
- [00:11]
B
Hey readers, 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.
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A
We're light on the chit chat, heavy on the book talk, and and our descriptions will always be spoiler free. Today we'll discuss our current reads, a bookish deep dive, and then we'll visit the fountain.
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B
I'm Katie Cobb, a homeschooling mom of four living in Arizona, and my goal is to put books in the hands of every reader.
- [00:40]
A
And I'm Roxanna Kasankara, a mom, a business owner, and a mood reader living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. And I love books that zig when you expect them to zag. This is episode number 11 of season eight and we're so glad you're here.
- [00:55]
B
Perfect. I am so excited to be with you on mic today, Roxanna. As we know, our beloved Meredith is traipsing through the uk. In fact, I saw on her stories this morning that she and Betsy have declared a stay at home and relax day. And I was like, damn you, woman. That's all I want in my whole life is to be in the UK and just declare stay at home and.
- [01:19]
A
Relax in a stormy, windswept place with a cute tour guide and some delicious cocoa bagpipes outside.
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B
God, killing me.
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A
Killing me.
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B
Ridiculous. All right, but we are here. We are so excited to do a deep dive today on Roxanna just hinted at it in her bite size intro. The books that zig when you expect a zag. I'm very excited to get into this with you, but we will get started the way we always do with our bookish moments of the week. What is yours, friend?
- [01:49]
A
Okay, well, mine, Katie, is actually a great time buddy reading. I'm buddy reading Katabasis with R.F. kuang with Meredith. I had to think before I said that. It's. I've looked it up. It's Catabasis. So I say it.
- [02:03]
B
I've been saying it wrong in my head.
- [02:05]
A
Me too. The whole time. But that's okay. I'm practicing now. I actually listened. I saw a video with her and she said she even pronounced it Katabasis and then was corrected good and called it Catabasis. So I feel better about that. And she also says Babel, but she's fine with people in UK saying Babel. So just now we know her two big books. So that's just an aside, but I'm bringing This because funnily enough, Meredith and I have not buddy read in a while. You know, there's been lots of life issues and bandwidth issues, and so we haven't done a structured buddy read. We've swapped Rex. Like, she recommended the Correspondent to me, which I read and love. I recommended a book to her that I'm gonna talk about later, which she read and loved. But this is a proper, kind of a little bit more structured for us buddy read. So not structured still. But, you know, we kind of update each other on what chapter we're on. You send each other back and forth notes. We'll take, you know, snapshots of the text and, like, highlight quotes that we think are really interesting. We'll have some discussions about. Like, what did you think about when she said this? Especially with this one. Cause it's about, you know, the journey to hell. We're having some really interesting discussions. It's just really brought joy back into my reading life. I forgot how much I missed this kind of, you know, slightly more structured buddy read. It's been so much fun, especially with a book like this that would take me a lot longer to get through if I wasn't working on it with Meredith here.
- [03:29]
B
Yes. Katie and I also read that one together, so I feel like it's a. I can say definitively that it's a great one to buddy read. I don't know if you guys are encountering this, but RF Kuang is so smart that sometimes I'm like, I don't know if I'm smart enough to read this book. And I have. I have a bachelor's degree with a focus in religious studies and a minor in philosophy. And I read that book and I was like, wow, I don't.
- [03:54]
A
Yeah, no, you're totally right, Katie. Sometimes it is a bit too heady for me, especially when it's nighttime when it's 9:30 and about to head to bed. I have to just sort of really skim those asides. But when I can, I do try to read them because I. You're right. RF Kuang is just so smart that I just want to absorb her intelligence. So we're finding it a really fascinating read. Lots to talk about, lots to try to unpack, but also just a. A fun read. It's been really interesting to see that journey into hell. So, yeah, having. We're really having fun with that buddy beat.
- [04:26]
B
Yes.
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A
And what's your bookish moment today?
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B
All right, Roxanna, I sent you a picture. And I was like, this is a spoiler but you don't know what it's about yet. So I'm just going to put this here. And you were like, a, I didn't get a picture and B, I don't know what this is. So we fixed all that. And so my bookish moment has to do with that picture. I am a part of the group putting on the fall festival at my church this year. And every year I put together collections of books for raffle baskets. So they're a big hit. And this year I'm building them out even more. But I was able to go through my, I've complained about this on the show. My overwhelming pile of like outgoing books. Like I've read these and for whatever reason I'm not keeping them, which is fine. And I also did another big cull on some of my keeper books, which I have to do sometimes because otherwise books will take over my house. I ended up with eight stacks of five themes each. So five themed books per stack. Eight different themes. Right. I've got gorgeous historical fiction, essays and nonfiction, Romance Plus Feel Good Family Stories, books that will mess with your head, the Creepy Crawlies, Fantastic Fantasy and Beloved Middle Grade. So those are my eight books that I'm putting together in baskets. And then each one will get a little something something to zhuzh it up a little bit as well. So it'll be a basket with those five books and maybe a little murdery post it note thing for the Creepy crawlies one, you know, maybe some cozy socks for Feel Good Family Stories. Right. So they're going to get built out a little bit more. End of October, they're going to be part of a huge raffle that we do for the fall festival. And I'm always so excited to see how many tickets get put into the book baskets. It makes me so happy.
- [06:04]
A
Oh my God, I love that so much. Oh, my God. If my school did that, if one of my kids schools did that, I would go crazy. I love those themed like baskets. How fun is that, Katie?
- [06:16]
B
Well, and it's so fun to go through the whole shelf of, you know, so that's 40 of the maybe 120 books that I have on that shelf and figure out where can I make a group of five? Like how can I pull together some kind of cohesive thing that can fall under an umbrella of bookish goodness? Right. So yeah, it's a lot of fun. Very bookish. Okay, let's get into our current reads. What do you have first for us this week?
- [06:42]
A
Okay, well, this is a rare double press on currently reading, because I'm bringing the Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lyon by Beth Brower.
- [06:53]
B
That sounds familiar.
- [06:55]
A
Yes. Readers, listeners may have heard this perhaps on the last episode or a couple episodes ago, because Meredith just informed me that she brought this book. And Katie, you were informing me that you saw maybe Mary talk about this book. So I will keep the setup short, but I will just point out that I found this book and now I've gotten two of the four of us to read it and then plus me, gold star. So. So I get a gold star for digging up this book from 2019 that everybody is loving. Na na na na na. I love when this happens. Okay, I'm going to do a quick setup. Okay. And then I'm going to give you my take on this one. So it's 1883 in London. Emma M. Lyon is a 20 something gentlewoman of reduced, reduced circumstances and maybe more backbone than money. She comes to the lovely community of Saint Crispians to start over. She starts over, by the way, in Lapis Lazuli House on Whereabouts Lane, which already I'm in, which is a house she's inherited. She expects a quiet, studious, independent life, but instead the parish is teeming with with eccentric neighbors and odd traditions. Emma records it all in sharp, witty journals. So this is an epistolary novel from first page to last. She has an aunt Eugenia, who, as you can imagine, meddles quite a bit. She has a cousin Archibald, who is insufferable. He's chaos in a waistcoat and complicates everything. So with little income and fewer allies, Emma patches together work, draws her boundaries and insists on choosing life for herself. This is such a fun, heartwarming book and I couldn't wait to bring it to the show. Even though I did get scooped, apparently. Yeah. So I had to bring this to the show. I found it by chance on Goodreads. I just saw it as an update and clicked into it because, you know, unselected journals of Emma Emlyan already, like the title tells me I'm in. And then was surprised by the glowing ratings. Like, you know, I think it's up to volume eight now. And they each had like four, two four three ratings, you know, so it was like, okay, well, I will see if I can get this on Libby and put. Put myself on hold. Surprise. It was available right away. So I was shocked. I downloaded the first one. I happened to find it on audio first. Oh my God. Can I tell you, Katie, it's 125 pages. So like, an hour and a half, maybe, to listen to, and it goes down like butter. This book is everything I didn't know I needed. It is Gilmore Girls meets 84, Charing Cross Road meets Veronica Speedwell. That's what this book is. So it's got that community, that eccentric community and all the characters of Stars Hollow and all those traditions, the same kind of odd traditions here. It's got the, like, bookish, you know, gutsy voice from Charing Crossroad. And then it's got like, the anachronistic female kind of, you know, feminist heroine, like Veronica Speedwell. Emma's voice is gutsy. It's sassy. Her journals sparkle with humor and heart. I was laughing out loud from the first page, and I rarely laugh out loud from a book. The only other one I've done to is Richard Osman. So it takes a lot. I loved her network of friends, especially because she develops a series of platonic male friendships, which, agree, sounds improbable at.
- [10:17]
B
The time, but Sally says no. Yes.
- [10:22]
A
Yes, exactly. Like, I get it. It doesn't really sound realistic, though, you know, Beth Brower does bring it to life in an interesting way, how that happens. But you rarely see women with platonic male friendships that feel real and deep, and these ones really do. Now, is there maybe some tension with, you know, one or two of the characters? Yes, but at the heart of it all, they are real deep friends. You know, beneath. And beneath this wit, there really is, like, the story of this friendship, poverty, betrayal, and independence under pressure. So it's never too sweet. It's not saccharine. Every chapter is like its own little adventure. But she does really kind of tackle harder issues that Emma is dealing with underneath it all. Now, I finished this, and right away I, you know, press play on number two, which I never do, as, you know. Then number three, then number four. Then I got to number five and listened to it, and I got to the end, and I was walking and I went to download number six, and it wasn't there. And I literally, like, gasped and almost fainted on the sidewalk. It's like, oh, no. Oh, no. And I was like, oh, God, if someone's listening, they're gonna think, like, I heard, you know, that my dog died or something. But I was so. I was so bereft. Like, I was literally bereft. Luckily, they are all out, like, up to volume eight, but they're being recorded in audio now, which is maybe why I saw in Goodreads. And audio, I would say, is the way to Go. Because it really is like a little like a Netflix series. Like the way Bridgerton kind of brings you in. It's not like Bridgerton, but it pulls you in like that. And it's narrated by Genevieve Gaunt, who was Pansy Parkinson in Harry Potter. It's subtle, the accents are amazing. It's not over performed, though, and it's just an absolute delight in audio. So I'll say this is probably my favorite reading experience of the year. It was warm, it's funny, it's joyful, it's heartfelt. It's got a real emotionally intense core. So it's not just surface level. So if you want a series that feels small, but builds a whole world of friendship, wit, and quiet defiance, you can't do better than starting with the unselected journals of Emma M. Lyon.
- [12:32]
B
I love that. I loved hearing about it last week. And honestly, I feel no, like, chagrin that there's a little repetition here between what Meredith said and what you said. It just makes me want to pick it up even more. You said more backbone than money about our sweet heroine. And I want that on my tombstone, please. Because if that's not my life, I don't know what is. I mean, I just. Everything about it I do know. And I think Meredith and I may have talked about this last week, but if not, let's just clarify again. Sometimes epistolary novels on audio feel a little repetitive. Right. And that's oftentimes, especially if it's either email epistolary or actual letters. But this is journals, so I imagine that's not an issue here.
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A
It's not an issue here because, yeah, there's never a, you know, to this person, from this person.
- [13:21]
B
Dating this person, reading the address, reading the.
- [13:24]
A
Exactly. There's none of that, otherwise it would get tiring. So there. None of that is in here. And you're right to pull out. Like, she does have more backbone. Backbone than money. And so when I say, you know, she inherited this house, it's not that she just kind of comes into this beautiful house. Everything is set for her. No, like, this is 1883. She has to depend on a man for money. She doesn't want to get married. So this is actually a real problem for her and the issues that she deals with to kind of gain a small measure of financial independence. She's not trying to be rich. She really just wants to read books and live in her house. That's all she wants to do. Same girl, right? Same girl, same. Yeah, I hear you. It's really challenging for her. And she. It's an interesting part of the story that I found added a lot to it. Rather than being kind of like fanciful and escapist, it added a nice thread.
- [14:13]
B
It's giving a bit Valance y in the Blue Castle by L.M. montgomery to me in the way that you're setting it up. So have you read that one so long?
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A
I have ages ago. You're right. But yeah, I could see that.
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B
Okay. Yeah. Just the setting. I mean that one was written. It was contemporary literature at the time, but feels like there could. They could be friends, you know.
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A
Yeah.
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B
Very fun. All right. My first book this week was a listener press this summer. I'm going to talk about Zero Stars Do Not Recommend by MJ Wassmer.
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A
Okay. I've been wanting to hear about this one ever since I heard a bit. And the. Yeah, the listener press.
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B
Right. It sounds like such a fun set up. Kristen set it up so well. It grabbed me right away. So before the episode even aired because that was part of our crush week time. So Meredith and I record a bunch of episodes and then they come out later. Before it even aired. I had picked it up. Here's the setup. Dan is finally taking a vacation after making a life as an underachiever. He and his girlfriend Mara escape off to paradise for a bit of R and R far removed from the day to day. And it's on an island that's nearly impossible to get to. There's like small plane, little boat, blah blah, blah blah blah to get all the way there. Right. Which means it's also very difficult to escape from when the sun explodes. Zero stars. So punny.
- [15:34]
A
Zero stars, exactly.
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B
Oh my gosh. I. I was laughing so hard just at the title. I was like, sun explode. Zero stars. Got it. I'm so smart. It's hilarious.
- [15:45]
A
I'm not sure I would have put that together. Okay. I love it.
- [15:49]
B
It's so funny. The island immediately starts getting cooler. The cel is non existent and we're not really sure how long they can survive on the provisions that they have. Mara keeps haranguing Dan about the fact that he didn't spring for the trip insurance, which is ridiculous. Like they can't get off the island. So how was trip insurance going to save them? And the hotel starts to divide itself into classes. The people with super nice ocean view suites take over as a ruling class of sorts. And Dan emerges as a leader of the underlings. The people who had like non presidential suites. Right. When a small six seater plane is discovered that could help a few people escape the island. Dan has to decide if this is an everyman for himself situation or if he needs to help everyone survive and get off the island. So I knew I was going to enjoy this one because the premise is just absurd. I was happily surprised by the way the story twisted and turned on itself. It was plenty witty all the way through, starting from the title that we already giggled about, and the narrator did a great job with the audio narration. I love the COVID and the fact that the characters are not people we would necessarily root for in the world at large. And that can be a thing that readers don't like, right? Sometimes we really like to have characters that we're like, yes, Dan, you can do it. I believe in you. That's not what we have here. Dan's an underachiever. He's kind of ridiculous, right? He's got a laissez faire attitude toward mediocrity in general, and at the outset especially, he's pretty annoying. It has a little bit of a Lord of the Flies societal breakdown vibe as the vacationers attempt to figure out a sense of organization at this hotel. There are a few weird pieces in regard to timing in this book. It feels like the first few days take forever and then we blast through two weeks, etc. Gets a little disjointed when the reader considers the passing of time. So it's not a perfect book, but it kept me happily entertained and I was legit laughing out loud. I gave it 4.25 stars. I enjoyed it plenty. This is 0 stars. Do not recommend by MJ Wassmer and thank you to Kristen for putting it on my tbr.
- [17:56]
A
Wow Katie, that sounds fascinating. This sounded so interesting when I heard about it in the reader press episode, but I had no idea it involved. I think I must have forgotten that involved the sun exploding. So this is just not. Is it just. Just a great title? But what a unique premise. And it sounds like, you know, despite some issues, it really worked for you.
- [18:14]
B
It really did. I I want to ask though, Roxanna, because I don't know if you and I have ever talked about this. Do you need to root for your protagonist? Like, do you need to feel invested in them or are you good with like, you know what, that guy's a loser and I still am interested in what's going on.
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A
That's a great question. I do need to root for them. I do. They don't need to be perfect. And this is where often YA doesn't work for me if I see them making stupid mistakes over and over. No, you're out. You know, and so much of ya is like that. Obviously this is not. I know why so much of why is like that. Because that's what your 20s are like. That's what it's like, right? It's not, it's not the fault of. That's what I was like too. But I think when I see people make stupid decisions over and over, that's when I find a hard time rooting for them. If they're just, you know, if they're not angels and they just are making human mistakes, I'm fine with that. But I do need to be able to, you know, root for them and want, want a good resolution for them, whatever that looks like. I think for me to want to finish the book.
- [19:15]
B
I run into that in thrillers a lot where I'm like, why? Why would you stay in the house? Just get out. Like, what are you doing right now? It makes me very angry. So I can empathize with that position on this issue. But let's talk about your second book. Hopefully you got something good for us. What do you got?
- [19:33]
A
I do have something good. I have a five star. It is the Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend.
- [19:41]
B
Yay.
- [19:43]
A
I am so excited to bring the fourth book in the Nevermoor series. So, you know, on this show we haven't traditionally brought, you know, further along in the series, but I know that you and Meredith are starting to do that. And because this is Nevermore, I just felt like I really had to bring this book because there's been a lot of chatter about it. So here's the spoiler free setup. This fourth book in the series still takes place in Nevermoor, which is a magical land with a magical school. But this one is mostly outside the classroom. It's in the back streets of Nevermoor, the new corners of the city and some of the Hotel Deucalion, which we all love. In this one, a body is found and the city rattles. The case pulls our protagonist, Morgan Crow into a web that touches old secrets and Nevermore's power structures. Morrigan works alongside her mentor Jupiter north, in and out of orbit of her best friend's Hawthorne and Cadence. There's a lot of fieldwork here. Instead of lessons. The investigation pushes the main series arc of Morrigan growing up and learning her identity, but still deals a lot with this murder mystery. New faces and factions appear while keeping the wonder and the witness and just the starry eyed delight of the original series. And I loved it. So I will say this series was delayed several times. I was nervous because, you know, it was originally planned for October 2022, then October 2023, then August, September 2024, and it was finally published, you know, in April 2025 in the UK. So, you know, I think a lot of us were a little bit nervous because this series has been such a juggernaut for, from the very first book. And seeing these delays, I think we all got a bit nervous. But Townsend said in an interview that she needed those delays to really weave the murder mystery into Nevermoor. She even stepped back from social media because there was so much fan pressure to write. And I think it was absolutely the right decision. You know, this isn't just a mystery that she decided to write and then kind of shoehorn into the Nevermoor world, Right? This is a mystery that's satisfying and purposeful, but it moves the series arc forward and deepens mordant growth. Right. So there's big identity questions of who Morrigan is. She's growing into adolescence and becoming more complex. And you see that Morrigan Jupiter relationship mature beautifully. But you have got a really intricately plotted, super intricately plotted murder mystery here, which really made me think of, you know, Louise Penny and some of her best books when she's moving the series arc forward. But also the, you know, the actual mystery of the book is so satisfying. This felt like one of those, one of the best Louise pennies. This is like one of the best Jessica Townsends for that. It deals with real world themes like, you know, Morgan is growing up, Jupiter is trying to parent her and not always doing the best thing out of, you know, fear for her and, you know, her kind of making her own choices. So you get some of that, but it doesn't never lose more sparkle. There's a chapter early on about Morgan's room at the Deucalion getting ready for a Halloween sleepover, which she calls a creepover. Oh, my God. It's like me and Kieran read that chapter together probably three times. It is like one of the most magical chapters. This whole book is still filled with magic and wonder and imagination and creativity, but it advances and deepens the plot and matures the characters. Like, bravo, Jessica Townsend for saying, no, a book a year is not for me. No rabid fans. You're not going to pressure me into, you know, submitting something that I don't feel happy with. Let me take my time to really submit something I'm proud of. She really does it here. So I'll just say in the end, listen, if you don't think. If you're like, God, these guys. And then. And they're never. More books this series, even if you're not into middle grade, this is a perfect series for adults who think middle grade is too simple. If you want to recapture your love of Harry Potter from when you were young, this is the series to do it. It is not a read alike to Harry Potter, but it is complex, it has that magic, it has that wonder. The language is quite advanced. Like I was reading it with my 11 year old and I was surprised. You know a lot of the language, the plot threads are super intricate. Like she does not talk down to her readers no matter what their age is. Like it totally kept me intellectually satisfied. So if you haven't read middle grade, pick this book up, people. I've just had start with number one, of course, but, but try it because it's. I guarantee it's going to deliver for you.
- [24:35]
B
Oh, so good. So good. I'm so glad you read it.
- [24:39]
A
Have you read this one yet, Katie?
- [24:41]
B
I have not read book 4 yet. My question for you is, did you revisit any of the first three books or are you a. You know, it's been years. I'm totally fine with it. I'm diving right in.
- [24:52]
A
Yeah, I just did that. I don't bother to go back. I think I wish I had like I remembered a little bit of what Hollowpox was about. Like the very broad strokes.
- [25:02]
B
Right.
- [25:03]
A
But I wish I had maybe gone back a bit and done a little bit of like just a summary, you know, not. I don't think I could. You know, Hollowpox was a very thick book. I don't think I could go back and read them all again. But maybe like a quick summary on Goodreads or something probably would have helped me out. But I'm also like, I just forget this world a bit in between and I just want to be immersed again. And I want Jessica Townsend to do it for me. Like not to bring me up to speed, but I just, I don't want to read a plot summary. I don't want to go back and experience it.
- [25:32]
B
Yes.
- [25:32]
A
So I did that. But that first chapter will. You'll feel a little bit lost. I think you're supposed to. It has none of the for characters. It's a little bit. It takes a little bit to get your footing, but when you do, then it really delivers.
- [25:45]
B
Yeah. Because that's definitely one of the things about having a 3, 4, 5 year break between books. Right. Is that then you are having to make that decision. Because even if you're not keeping every detail of every book you read in your head, having just read something one year ago is very different from re entering a world that you last visited four and five years ago. So it's an interesting. It's a pickle.
- [26:08]
A
Especially with books that are this thick and this intricate. Right. Like the plots are. Yes, it's middle grade, but the plots are fairly well drawn. So like, yeah, it was hard to remember. I remember the big things, as I said, but the plot threads, I had forgotten a bit. So the good thing is Kieran read, I bought Nevermore for her, like the last, this latest one with her and she had just finished Hollowpox. So she was able to sort of fill me in. When I was in reading Silverborn and saying, like, what happens here? She was able to fill me in. But I wouldn't say it was a huge problem because this is its own kind of murder mystery. It does carry the arc. But you're not reading it being like, what happened to the last one? I have no idea where I am. No, it's not confusing like that. So I wouldn't worry too much. I would read a synopsis and then I would go in.
- [26:55]
B
Got it. Love that for me. Pretty sure my 12 year old has already read it because I, you know, I gotta keep that kid in books. But he's very good about not spoiling. He'll. He'll touch. He'll do a little touch point every once in a while. Have you read this yet? So that he knows if he's allowed to tell me all the things that he's feeling about it. But he never spoils for me, which is very sweet. So.
- [27:16]
A
Oh, that is so great.
- [27:18]
B
Yes, he's a great reader. Oh my Levi.
- [27:22]
A
So that's the Mystery of Morrigan Crow. Nevermore 4 by Jessica Townsend.
- [27:28]
B
So good. Okay, my second book this week is nonfiction. So even though it's in the middle spot, we talked about this last week, it's okay that it's in the middle spot, y'. All. This is five star nonfiction. Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong. So I will say that five star nonfiction has been slim on the ground for me this year. I have read probably about my standard amount. Somewhere between 10 and 25% of my reading has been nonfiction again this year. But it's just, I don't know if it's the horrors or what. But just like five star nonfiction, it's I'm not feeling it. I was thrilled to find it in this backlist essay collection. So Cathy Park Hong is both a poet and an essayist, which, it turns out, is one of my favorite types of writing to read. She is careful with her words, but each one is razor sharp and precisely chosen. In this book, she uses memoir and history to expose her in quotes minor feelings which address her being a daughter of Korean immigrants in the U.S. she shows us how the constant American optimism of you can do anything contradicts the dissonance of her own feelings of shame and melancholy and model minority ism. Right. All of that. There is some humor and intimacy to this book that I wasn't really expecting. Oftentimes, when we're talking about a memoir that's tackling history and racial reckoning, it can feel a little bit like drowning because there's so much to hold in tension at once. Like you have to keep all your all your arm muscles flexed at the same time. There's many ways to doubt or get angry or to feel overwhelmed. And that's here. She doesn't shy away from any of the hard in her own life or within the broader historical context, but the New York Times said this one is shot through with glittering self awareness and it's one of the highest rated essay collections overall that I've ever read, so I'm clearly not the only one who loved it. Katie and I, my reading partner, both gave it five stars and we couldn't stop sending each other photos of pages and transcribed quotes as we read alongside each other. The writing is just so jump off the page, sparkling. If there are still readers out there, and I know there are, who have not been convinced that trying an essay collection as their morning reading or as a buddy read could be a great way to go, let this one be the place you start. Sometimes the Internet really knows what it's talking about and with more than four and a quarter average stars on the major review websites, this one is firing on all cylinders. It is an excellent book and now it's backlist so it's easy to get your hands on. But again, I don't recommend this as like gulp it all down in a very quick reading experience. Take time with it. Maybe one essay a day, maybe one every other day. Chat through it with somebody who can, you know, discuss minor feelings with you. It is worth it. It adds so much depth to the experience. This is Minor Feelings by Kathy Park Hong.
- [30:22]
A
I hadn't heard of this one before and you know I love my essay collections, especially Again, like you with poets. Katie, I'm so glad you brought this.
- [30:29]
B
Yes. It's so good. And like, it had been one that sat on our. Katie and I each keep a shelf that is our buddy read shelf where we know. We know that we both have copies of these books. So we set them aside and we know when we're picking our next one, we can choose from that selection. It has fiction on it, nonfiction, but it's just the Katy. Katy shelf. And it sat there for quite some time, but we were really glad to finally pick it up.
- [30:54]
A
I love that. Okay, I'm gonna put that on my tbr.
- [30:57]
B
Okay. I love it. What is your third book this week?
- [31:00]
A
Okay. My third book is the fallest fall book that ever falled. It is called.
- [31:06]
B
I almost started writing that down.
- [31:09]
A
It is called the Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman. Are you ready for this cover, Katie? Can I just show you everybody else, all the listeners? I'm so sorry. You're just gonna have to Google it. Isn't that beautiful?
- [31:23]
B
Yes. Look at all that purple. Yes.
- [31:25]
A
Yeah, exactly. A purple book. Okay, so let me give you the setup. Deadwood Forest is permanently stuck in autumn. Leaves are always falling. Everything is always in between. Flare is an undead fox rumored to be the ugly monster of Deadwood. But he isn't a monster at all. He's actually an usher guiding animal souls to their place of eternal rest, which is either peace, pleasure, progress, or pain. He lives alone and helps each soul find the right door. Things are going swimmingly until a badger soul, who's annoyingly chatty, disarmingly honest, and very hard to guide, arrives. This badger soul is called Ginger Snipes. That little name makes me giggle every time. For the first time, a soul can't pass through a door that breaks the rules of Deadwood and puts Claire's jobs and his place in the forest at risk. Claire and Ginger Snipes set out for answers, and they seek out Hesterfowl, who's a visionary grouse who has warned that trouble is coming. This is such an interesting book because things do not go as planned and Claire has to decide what's more important, his eternal resting place or the friendships he's making in this life. Katie, can we just have a moment for this book? This is a 10 star book. It actually might be my favorite of the year, which is saying a lot for middle grade. I've not. Despite what you might think from this podcast, I've not actually read a lot of middle grade this year. Hardly at all. But this one just went above and beyond and, yeah, might be my favorite book of the year. Okay. So my daughter Kiran, who, you know, speaking of big readers, actually found this when we visited Type Books in Toronto, which is one of my favorite independent bookstores here. She plucked it off the shelf and said, mom, can I get this? And it's, you know, like just that cover, the name is so perfectly Kieran that of course I couldn't say no. This is exactly her vibe. So I bought it for her and then I read it and I fell head over heels myself. This is cozy fantasy at its best, but it becomes something bigger. It's unexpected and deeply satisfying. So, you know, at the beginning we talked about books that zig when you expect them to zag. This is the book that made me think about that. You know, so much of middle grade feels predictable and not necessarily in a bad way. Sometimes in a very satisfying way. This one does not.
- [33:48]
B
Okay.
- [33:49]
A
It just takes turns that you don't expect it to take. You don't know where the story is going. You don't know exactly how it's going to end. You know, it's going to obviously, you know, be good news. It's a. It's a middle grade, but you don't know how it's going to get there. And I just find that in an author so virtuosic, you know, to be able to do that and sustain the reader's trust is a really. It's like walking a tightrope. And she does it so well here. Aubrey Hartman. This book is also laugh out loud funny. Ginger Snipes especially is very. She's annoying and she's honest and she tells stuff to Claire that he really doesn't want to hear and he just. She's just so funny. But it's also gentle about death and grief and family bonds. The world is pure autumn. There's amber light, there's falling leaves, there's a forest hush. And you know, as you just saw, it's got a gorgeous cover. So I'd say this is under the Whispering Door meets Monk and Robot, but also with adventure. Like things are happening in this story and they're moving you along. So it's. It's got that middle grade adventure piece. It's tender and kind and a little questy. So if you are looking for a book that's warm and witty and unexpectedly profound, this is an autumn hug that still makes you think that's the Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman.
- [35:11]
B
And it sounds like with this episode dropping 10/13 that you have brought us the perfect thing for mid month October.
- [35:21]
A
Well, and that is why I had to bring it, even though I did bring a middle grade in my second place. It's like, you know, this is going to be a five star book episode. Every, every episode I'm going to bring is five stars. Every book I'm going to bring is five stars. And this one is just so perfect for fall. It's not trying to be, you know, like the, it's not like the pumpkin spice cafe with the falling leaves and the Russell, you know, like some of them are just, they're leaning in and there's nothing wrong with that, like if, you know you're feeling that great. But I sometimes get a little bit, I, I give side eye to books that are like just trying real hard to be fall, you know. But this one, it's actually got it at its core and it's more about that in between season, you know, that I think she's trying to bring to life. Here is the metaphor. It's just really, really beautifully done. It's not sappy, it's not soppy, but it makes you think. And I just, I think everybody should read it.
- [36:14]
B
Excellent.
- [36:15]
A
So what's your third book here, Katie?
- [36:18]
B
My third book this week is Audrey and Bash are Just Friends by Tia Williams. So Tia Williams has been a hit for me in her adult romance for a few years now. So I was excited when this summer Libro FM sent me her YA debut. It was early in the summer. This one has a few sweet Easter eggs for those of you who, like me, loved Seven Days in June especially. But you don't have to have read the one to love this closed door YA romance. Here's the setup. Audrey is the junior class president and she's running an unofficial therapy gig as a side hustle because of how much time she has spent in therapy herself. This gave me vibes of the Netflix show Sex Education where we have a main character named Otis who gives sex therapy to his classmates because his mom is a sex therapist and he's learned so much from her over the years through osmosis, even though he's not, we'll say, very experienced in this realm. Right. Just like Otis, which if you haven't watched Sex Education, it's phenomenal and you should go watch it. Audrey constantly excels and has never met a good time. She spends her free time prepping for the debate team, for God's sake. Right. That's where Bash comes in. He's a brand new Senior, which makes him the guy to know. And now that Audrey's dad has canceled her annual visit to go see him for the summer in his Malibu beach house, she's going to have to stay home with her overproductive mom, her stepdad, and babysit their one year old baby all freaking summer. She was looking forward to the escape of the beach house, as we all do. That means she's going to have a very hard time finishing the self help book that she's been trying to get published. She's pretty sure this is not like she thinks this would be fun. She's just pretty sure that it's the key that will unlock her admission to Stanford. Everything Audrey does is because of the plan and staying on the path and getting the things done exactly as she planned. So for this summer, she decides to try and broaden her horizons a little bit. She wants to find new experiences and new outlets. And Bash, as the class's new king of fun, is the perfect person to be just friends with and have him help her complete what she has dubbed the Experience Challenge. Not only will this broaden her horizons, it will help her gain experiences. Then she can use them for her book and make it juicier and more tell all. Basically she's like, I want to write this therapy book, but nothing about my life is all that interesting, so I need to do some things that would require therapy. It's a little convoluted, but it works. His win in this weird deal is that she's willing to pay him for each hour he spends helping her make her life bigger. Live the bigger life, right? They'll keep things professional. Since it's a business relationship. What could possibly go wrong?
- [39:00]
A
Nothing, right?
- [39:02]
B
I super loved getting into this book and getting to know these young adults. Audrey and Bash story was fun and engaging and the little throwbacks to seven Days in June had me grinning like an idiot. I especially want to tell our friend Jesse Weaver that if she hasn't picked this one up yet, she should. It's delightful on so many levels. It's a feel good story that will hit all the right notes for lovers of the Kiss Quotient by Helen Huang that want a closed door book that they can hand to their teenagers. I am not saying, folks, listen to me, hear me say that this is not the kiss quotient. There is no like paying for sex lessons in here. That's not what we're doing. But that idea of like bringing someone alongside you to learn about things that you don't understand yourself because your Life has been closed off until this point. That's what Audrey is trying to accomplish here. And Tia Williams does it so well. This is sparkling, it's fun, it's delightful, and it just hit all the right notes for me. I really enjoyed it. It's. Audrey and Bash are Just Friends by Tia Williams.
- [40:05]
A
Okay, so this is closed door because her last one wasn't.
- [40:09]
B
No, her adult romances are pretty open door. They would be at least three to four on the chili pepper scale. She writes impassioned love scenes. And this is not like that. This is ya, so.
- [40:21]
A
Okay, okay, good to hear. I did like that one too. So what was Four Days in June? What was it?
- [40:27]
B
Seven Days in June? Seven Days was her breakout hit. She had had a previous novel or two. That one's the one that really put her on the map. And then she had the other one I loved about the time travel. She had one in between that I also super loved. And now this YA addition to her catalog.
- [40:45]
A
Okay, well, thank you for putting that on our radar, Katie.
- [40:48]
B
Absolutely. All right, Roxanna, those were our six current reads. So now we're going to get into our deep dive, which was one that you proposed for this week. We're going to talk about books that zig when we thought they would zag. And as we discussed this possibility, I did say, wait, wait. I don't want to run into the idea that we spoil for people that this book has a big twist. And so you said. No, Katie, that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm not saying all of these books, you think they're going one way and then scary, crazy twist. Oh, my gosh. And they actually go a different way. It's that you expected something different when you pick them up. Can you delineate that difference a little more for us?
- [41:27]
A
Sure, yeah. No, I think that's a really good point, Katie. So I. When I said books that zig when you expect them to z, I didn't mean one big twist, though of course that might apply. What I meant is books that keep doing the unexpected all the way through. And the reason I thought of this was because I just brought the undead fox of Deadwood Forest. And I realized what I really love, for me, a book that really works is a book that subverts expectations when there's a monster that turns out to be the good guy of the book, you know, and it flips or something like that. Or it's a predictable romance that ends up not being predictable and resolves, but not in the way you think it will. It's not always about where you get to in the end, but it's even just the plot choices that are made by the author through it, where you're like, wow, I didn't see that coming. And when that works, I find it so thrilling. I find it so satisfying. And it's like sitting back and watching a master at work. You know, when you can really trust it, like. Like a Louise Penny. You're like, okay, I don't know where this is going, but I know it's going somewhere good. It's not where I expect, but when it doesn't work, it. Like, if you don't trust the author or it doesn't deliver, then it can feel really random or outlandish. Which is why I wanted to bring it. Because, you know, even though I really like this, people might not like it because of that second reason. So that's why I actually wanted to ask you, is this, like, this element of constant surprise at work, does it work for you or does it feel chaotic?
- [42:56]
B
Yeah, it depends on where I'm at in my reading seasons, right? I do love a book that keeps me off kilter, where I'm not like, hey, this is a well worn rut and we're just gonna ride in it the whole way home, right? I like to be like, wait, wait, wait, wait, what's happening? Hold on. I have to pay attention. I have to understand what this author is trying to do. And I actually find this. As I was prepping for this deep dive, I figured out that for me, this happens most often with indie press list books, because they're not always the ones that I would have chosen for myself. The bookseller has put them in our hands and say, go ahead, give some of these a try. We think they're going to be a good fit. And I have to just say, okay, well, I got to do at least some, because that's the deal for the indie press list. I got to read at least a little bit. And then they end up surprising me. And it's because I have some preconceived notions about what's happening with that book. Right? It could be the COVID could be the blurb, could be the title where I'm like, okay, well, I know the rut that we're going to be in for this story. And then instead we've got little divots and things that keep me off balance as I'm trying to ride that rut.
- [44:06]
A
So, you know, I love how IPL has really opened up A side of your reading life and Meredith's reading life. Like, you guys talk about it a lot, like, how it does this. And I. I think you've even talked about how, you know, listeners at home, how we could do this even without an ipl just picking up a bunch of books we wouldn't normally pick. But that's so interesting that the ones that subvert expectations are the ones you wouldn't pick up because you expect them necessarily not. Not to be good, but not to be your kind of book. And so when they are, they really, or even if they're not your kind of book, but if they go a different direction, it really opens something up for you that's so interesting.
- [44:40]
B
Yeah, definitely.
- [44:42]
A
For me, I feel this most. You know, you would think I would be talking about mystery and thriller, but that's actually not where I mean this. I don't. As I said, I don't mean like a big plot twist necessarily. This is a book that, you know, to me, has an emotional through line, has trust from the authority. Right. But just keep surprising you and go somewhere different. So for me, you know, Piranesi would obviously be won by Susanna Clarke. That's kind of a very obvious one where it does set you off kilter. And you don't, you know, you don't know what's happening every step of the way. You're like, what? We're going to go this way? Okay, what now? This. Okay. You know, but even a book like, you know, another one that did this for me that really worked was Light from Uncommon Stars by Rika Aoki, which was like a book of the year for me a few years ago. That one is a contemporary fiction, but it starts with sort of this Faustian promise about, you know, are you going to sell your soul to the devil to be the best violinist? And then it ends in a completely different. In a completely different way that you would never expect, but somehow Aoki makes it work. And like, when I look at that, like, sell your soul to the devil and then ends at donut shop run by aliens, I'm like, what? But no, like, there is a clear arc that gets you there. It's amazing to me that she can pull that off. So, you know, books like that. And another one that does this for me is the Unseen World, which was a backlist pick by Liz Moore that Meredith and I both read this year. And also this is another one where we were constantly off kilter. We didn't see where it was going. It wasn't quite a mystery. It Wasn't quite a fantasy. And just what Liz Moore was able to do there was just such a wonder to behold. So I love books like that.
- [46:26]
B
Yes, definitely the ones that I was thinking of as I prepped for this. Again, I'm going to actually tell you every bookstore that put these on the ipl because they didn't all come from one place, which is another thing about this type of book. So first one that came to mind is actually a pretty recent one, Hazel says no by Jessica Berger. Gross. Which was put on this summer by fabled bookshop. And it sounds like it's about a young girl saying no to her principal who propositions her to be his, like, sexual conquest for the year. Young girl, meaning she has just turned 18, which is gross. I didn't want to read that book. And I actually told Elizabeth that I didn't want it on the ipl and it ended up on the IPL anyway because of another timing publication issue. And so I picked it up and I read it because that's the deal. And that incident, that little thing that I just mentioned happens in the first chapter, it's not a book about that. It's a book about what happens after Hazel says no. So instead of it being like the grooming and the principle and the ickiness and the blah, blah, blah, which is what I thought was going to happen, I end up bouncing between this family story that is much deeper. It's about a community, it's about a school, it's about a family where we get ever more nuclear into the center of the story. I really enjoyed it in a way that I had. I had held it at arm's length. Even accepting the fact that we were going to put it on the list. I was like, listen, I'm voicing my, my discontent. And in fact, it was excellent. And it's because it kept me off balance from what I expected.
- [48:02]
A
And can I throw in another one that is so similar to that or makes me think of that. Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. Right. That's another one that has a premise where when you first hear it, okay, young mother, you know, promoting herself on Onlyfans. Okay, not going to be good. But it's exactly what you said. It's actually a deeper family story and it deals with themes of feminism and, you know, why, you know, what is acceptable for women's work and how do you balance women, you know, a career with actually being there for your kids and non traditional lives? It's so interesting and so well done. And again, like you said, zigs instead of zags. It's so funny that you felt so kind of a visceral reaction with that book. Like, the ick. I felt the same with Margo's Got Money Troubles and then got into it and was like, oh, it's not. It is about this, but it's not about this at all. Like, it's a bit different in that it is a through line in the book in Margo's Got Money Troubles that, you know, the only fans is sort of, you know, it's woven through. But, you know, she uses it. Thorpe uses it to talk about so many other things which I found so interesting.
- [49:08]
B
Yes, exactly. And that's. I think that's the key to some of these for me. Like Piranesi, like you said, I Keep My Worries in My Teeth by Anna Cox. Not Piranesi, but another, like, small little book that was put on the IPL by Commonplace Books in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. And it came out early Pandemic, so it never got any kind of reception. But it is between the title and the COVID I had some ideas about what this book was going to be and it was going to be doing a thing and it was going to be weird, and instead it was vibrant and sang off the page in a way I didn't expect. And then it spoke to the human condition through this weird little story that I loved, that I didn't expect. So it's that same idea of, like, it's not. There's no twist in this book. It's not like, oh, that's where she. No, that's not what's happening with this book. It's a zig instead of a zag. Right. It's. You think it's gonna go one way, and instead she peels off and takes us in a totally different direction.
- [50:11]
A
I love that. And that's exactly it. It's not like a huge shocking twist. It's just. It takes you in a different direction than what you expected. Oh, and just what you said, that there, like, uses it as a deeper truth, sort of, you know, about human behavior and the human condition. That's exactly what I love. When you think the book's about something and it is about that, but it's about something so much deeper. And, you know, the author is taking you there with these seemingly, you know, different directions they're choosing for. For the plot or the character or the theme.
- [50:42]
B
Yes. I'm going to throw out a couple more really quickly just to, like, get a bunch more titles. Into this deep dive, but also all IPL books. I'm gonna say Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson, which Parnassus Books gave us our hideous progeny by CE McGill, which was a pick from Novel Neighbor in October a couple years ago. Hench by Natalie Zena Walshatz Pressed by an unlikely story. It's about a henchwoman, like an assistant to a villain, but so much more than that. Who's the villain? Who. Who's the real good guy here? What's going on? She loves spreadsheets. Of course. I knew I was going to love this one, but I didn't expect what it would do to me. And the fact that I would still have it on my favorites bookshelf more than five years after I first read it. That's a marvel right there.
- [51:27]
A
I love that. Okay, I'm going to throw out a couple more too, and then I'll wrap us up. So I'm going to talk about the Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday, which I brought earlier this year, which is about a post apocalyptic Dick Catman do and a demon God who wakes up and is bent on destroying the world and then finds out that AI has kind of beaten him to it. And what he does, it is like it's. And it's a novella on top of all that. So, you know, there's a lot going on in a few small pages. It sounds chaotic and it is, but in the best way. It's a bit of like Douglas Adams meets Jasper Ford, but has some real human truths to it that you can dig into. It was really, really fun, a great one to pick up. And then wicked. Nyx is a middle grade that does this, you know, who's the human, who's the monster idea, but so well and so touching. So I, you know, I loved those. I think for me, a book like this works when there's a clear core truth that anchors the story. Like you said, something true about the human connection. And left turns or unanticipated plot twists come from character or theme and not from shock value. This is why often the thrillers don't do this. For me, it's about trust, right? You trust the writer to land the plane and you trust the writer to create actions that, though they were unexpected, are not out of character for the characters. That, to me, is really important. You know, they can't just come out of nowhere. And when that happens to me, as I said, watching the author do that is so masterful that I get kind of a twin joy. The joy from a Satisfying story and also the. The joy of a master doing their craft. Such a deep, satisfying pleasure for me.
- [53:16]
B
Yes, I love that. And I love books like this. We definitely want to hear from you all about which books subverted your expectations in this way. When you thought they were going right and they went left or vice versa. And how you find books like that where. What puts them onto your radar, because that is a fun experience for all of us. It can be a fun experience for all of us. All right, let's scoot on over to the fountain and make some wishes. Dear Roxanna, what is your wish this week?
- [53:43]
A
Okay, so my fountain wish is actually a press this week, and it's a book that fits perfect into that deep dive about a zig versus a zag, but also is perfect for this time of year. It's called the Ghoul of Windy Downvale by Jake Burt. Now, this is a book I brought last year, and I loved it. It's a rough little western town that's built on a stinking, sucking mud pit. Copper Inskeep. I love that name. He's our main character. Protects Windy Downvale when suddenly Annabella arrives, claiming that there's the ghoul that rules avail took my father. A big blustery salesman rides in to kill the ghoul, and Copper's friendships and family legacy hang in the balance. This book, on the outside, is middle grade, but it's not middle grade. Okay? It's creepy, it's twisty, it's sometimes graphic. Okay? Think of corpses getting sucked down in that mud, and there's actually a huge twist in the end, but it's totally fair. It's got true Cheeto chapters, and it's unlike anything I've ever read before. It is atmospheric. It is unexpected. The language is just stunning. The writing is beautiful. Think Dickens in the Wild, Wild west with horror elements. It's just such a fun book for this time of year. It flips monster and protector in a way that stuck with me. So that's the Ghoul of Windy Down Vale by Jake Burt. And my wish is that everyone would try the first chapter and see if it gives you that same mix of shivers and heart that it gave me.
- [55:25]
B
I will do that. I will let you press a book into my hands.
- [55:29]
A
Oh, I'm so honored. I really think this is one that. I mean, I didn't see anywhere. I just found it off the library shelf. And it was such an unexpected win for me that I would. I'd love you to try. And this one Actually might be one that would work for Levi, too, I think. Read it first and see. It's not like it's not graphic in a gory way, but it's certainly. No. You know, it's. No, it's not spoopy. I wouldn't say.
- [55:52]
B
Okay. Okay, I will check it out. He's pretty. He can handle quite a bit in his reading, so I think he'll be okay. But I'll get it for both of us.
- [55:59]
A
Yeah, I love that. And what's. What's your wish today, Katie?
- [56:03]
B
All right, well, mine's a little bit petty, but I'm going for it. I wish that Libby would hear us, that we want Deliver later back. So Libby is our favorite library app. It's the best way to get digital resources from your library to your devices. And that can be digital ebooks and audiobooks. Right? Some of us have an embarrassing number of library cards and library holds. And we're not judging. There's no judgment here. We listen and we don't judge. So the best way to deal with that embarrassment of riches was to use Deliver later to push back holds that all came in at the same time. You can't just deluge yourself with reading, right? You could say, I would like to get this in a week or 26 weeks or 52 weeks, and delay the painful realization that your TBR will definitely be what kills you. But now they've gotten rid of Deliver later and left us with Suspend hold, which is where holds go to die. How dare. How dare. Libby, you're not going to gaslight us into thinking that this is what we wanted all along. It's not. Some of us had meticulously planned Jenga towers worth of TBRs, and they have been collapsed by this change from Deliver later to suspend, which is like you have to go in and actually unsuspend it to get it back on your hold list, and then nothing good comes of that. Nothing. So, Libby, I know. I'm sure this is for the greater good somewhere. I do believe that Libby has people's. Has the best interest of either readers or libraries at heart, one or the other. But. But here it feels like it's the libraries and not the readers that are winning. So, Libby, hear our plea. Reintroduce Deliver later, please, and thank you.
- [57:48]
A
Oh, my God, Katie, I didn't even know that it happened. While you were talking, I literally went into my Libby app, and of course I had a hold that was ready, and I went to suspended and. No, not suspended like Deliver Later.
- [57:58]
B
You wanted to deliver later.
- [57:59]
A
Yeah. And I don't think I would have even thought until you said suspend hold. But you're right. I don't. I don't want to suspend the hold. I want you to show up again in three weeks in my list. Like, suspending the hold. Then I, you know, who knows how long that takes? And then even when I put it back on, like, where am I in the line?
- [58:16]
B
And who knows?
- [58:17]
A
Oh, my God, Katie.
- [58:18]
B
Well, and they put out these, like, cute little posts on social media, like, you guys, this is so exciting. And it's like, no, no, it is not. It's not what we wanted.
- [58:27]
A
And I don't even have a perfectly curated tbr. Like, what I do is when I hear about a book, I just put it into Libby. And that way, okay, if it shows up and I feel like a great. If not, I'm just gonna. I'm gonna push that hold, you know, for a few weeks, like, and then maybe it's because of that that they stopped it, but I don't like that. I don't do it a ton. Okay, people, please don't get mad at me like you have for other things. I don't do it a ton. I sometimes do it.
- [58:51]
B
I don't feel like suspend was hurt or deliver later was hurting anyone.
- [58:54]
A
No, I know. Because then they would just pass it on to the next person. Great. Next person.
- [58:58]
B
Everybody wins. Yes.
- [59:00]
A
Oh, my God. That is heartbreaking. Oh, Katie, why did you have to let this me know this on air? It just ruined my day.
- [59:08]
B
See, this is the real reaction. This is real emotion you're hearing on Mike.
- [59:12]
A
Folks, honestly, honestly, this is. This has been the. The low light of my week, clearly.
- [59:18]
B
Okay, well, we're gonna let Roxanna process that. That is it for this week. As a reminder, here's where you can connect with us. You can find me, I'm Katie at notesonbookmarks on Instagram and Meredith is @meredithmonday.
- [59:31]
A
Schwartz on Instagram and you can find me Roxanna. Roxannethereader on Instagram.
- [59:36]
B
Our show is produced and edited every week by Megan Putabong Evans. You can find her on Instagram at most of Megan's 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. It can be found on our website@currentlyreading.
- [59:50]
A
Podcast.Com youm can also follow the show at Currently Reading Podcasts on Instagram or email us@currentlyreading podcastmail.com and if you really.
- [59:59]
B
Want to help us become a bookish friend, a patron over on patreon.com you will find tons of bonus content, keep the show commercial free, and be rolled into the warm hug of our bookish community. You can also rate and review us on Apple podcasts or shout us out on social media. They all make a huge difference in finding our perfect audience.
- [60:19]
A
Bookish friends are the best friends. Except when they give you heartbreaking news about Libby live on air.
- [60:25]
B
Oh no, she hates me now.
- [60:28]
A
No, no, I'm not going to shoot the messenger. It's not your fault. I. I just. I need time to process through my cha. But thank you. And thank you listeners, for helping us grow and get closer to our goals.
- [60:39]
B
Until next week, may your coffee be.
- [60:42]
A
Hot and your book be unput downable.
- [60:44]
B
Happy reading, Roxanna.
- [60:46]
A
Happy reading, Katie.