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- [00:00]
Anne Bogle
I think I understand the assignment.
- [00:03]
Tynesha Coleman
This is why they pay you the big bucks, Ann.
- [00:07]
Anne Bogle
Or not. You know what? I get paid in books and book talk and that works for me. Hey readers, I'm Anne Bogle and this is what Should I Read Next? Welcome to the show that's dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader. What should I read next? We don't get bossy on this show. What we will do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read. Every week we'll talk all things books and reading and do a little literary matchmaking with one guest. Readers, if you haven't heard, summer reading season is officially here. We kicked off summer with our 14th annual summer reading Guide and Live Unboxing just a few weeks ago. But if you missed the launch, no worries. There is plenty of summer left. And actually in today's episode we're talking about a book coming out today. You can still get your copy of the digital guide in the video replay from our unboxing party. Just like this show, our Summer Reading Guide doesn't get bossy or tell you what you should read this summer. Instead, I share 35 titles that I personally vetted for summer, and in the unboxing video I tell you a little more about each one, including who might especially enjoy adding each title to their summer reading list. We also include lots of backlist recs because we know how many of you want books that are available from the library right now. If that sounds like just what you're looking for this summer, visit modernmrsdarcy.com srg to get your copy of the guide. That's modernmrsdarcy.com SR SRG readers, we've relied on therapy in our house, and we're firm believers that everyone should have access to affordable mental healthcare. But finding the right therapist can feel daunting, and jumping through the hoops of making sure insurance is accepted and that you're matched with the right provider is a lot, especially when you may already be feeling less than your best. That's why Rula is so helpful. Rula connects you with in network licensed therapists. They have a network of 15,000 plus licensed providers who accept most major insurance with typical co pays of $15 a session. And Rula's not just focused on making your initial therapy appointments accessible and affordable. They stay with you through your journey, ensuring you're matched with the right provider and making real progress. And if you've never tried therapy before, no worries. Rula is the place to go for your mental health care. Even if you're not sure exactly what you need, join the thousands who have already turned to Rula for support on their journey to better mental health and well being. Getting started is easy.
- [02:41]
Tynesha Coleman
How?
- [02:41]
Anne Bogle
Just visit rula.com readnext today. When you sign up, they'll ask how you heard about them. Please support our show by letting them know we sent you. It's a simple way to help us while you take the first step toward the care you deserve. Go to r u l a.com readnextnow and connect with a licensed therapist who truly cares. Your mental health matters Readers now that we're settling into summer and the hot temperatures that go with it, I'm looking for ways to refresh my closet with pieces that will last and I will wear comfortably all the time. Quince has the timeless, lightweight and elevated yet affordable pieces I'm looking for right now. Quince makes everyday staples for summer that you will love, like 100% European linen shorts. Starting at 30 bucks, Quince keeps quality high and prices low by working directly with top artisans and cutting out the middlemen. Plus, you can feel good about what you order from Quints knowing that they only work with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices. This summer, I know I'll be wearing my 100% European linen square neck jumpsuit a ton anytime I want to look casual but still put together. Mine is in basic black, but those patterns are pretty appealing too. I ordered this jumpsuit on a whim and I love it so much more than I anticipated, even if you've been skeptical about jumpsuits in the past. And look, I don't think I've worn one since I was 12 before this one. You might be surprised by Quince's take on this timeless style. Give your summer closet an upgrade with Quince. Go to quinte.com readnext for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com readnext to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com readnext today I'm joined by Tynesha Coleman, a leadership development coach and university lecturer from New Jersey. Tynesha would love to feel more confident finding emotionally resonant books that will engage and distract her without sending her into the depths of despair. She doesn't mind books that tackle tough plot points, but need these to serve a sense of purpose in the story. While Tynisha reads broadly the escapism offered by sci fi and Fantasy really works for her right now, and she would love to explore these genres more fully while balancing that reading with other work she'll enjoy. I have ideas for Tynesha and I'm excited to explore both of her reading goals in our conversation. Let's get to it. Tynesha, welcome to the show.
- [05:01]
Tynesha Coleman
Thank you, Anne. It's nice to be here.
- [05:03]
Anne Bogle
Oh, I'm delighted to talk today. Tynesia, we'd like to start by giving our readers a glimpse of who you are. Can you tell me a little about yourself?
- [05:10]
Tynesha Coleman
Yes. So I live in New Jersey. I'm also, I have to say I'm going to be 40 next year, which is exciting and terrifying.
- [05:19]
Anne Bogle
Congratulations from the other side.
- [05:21]
Tynesha Coleman
But I live in New Jersey. I've lived here most of my life. Originally from Philadelphia, but I only spent my early childhood there. I am a mom of a 16 year old. She just started driving about a month ago. And so, you know, everyone I speak to, I'm like, give me your prayers, your positive thoughts, burn sage, whatever you do. I need all of that because it's a little bit nerve wracking. And aside from being a mom, I also am a small business owner. I left my full time job at a University back in July 2024 to focus on my consulting firm and I've been doing that since then. And then because I can't stay away from higher education completely. I also teach one class in women and gender studies, so. So I'm a part time professor as well.
- [06:10]
Anne Bogle
Okay. Congrats on the new driver. As nerve wracking as that can be. Speaking from experience. And also on the upcoming business anniversary.
- [06:17]
Tynesha Coleman
Thank you. Thank you.
- [06:19]
Anne Bogle
Tynesha, tell us about your reading life.
- [06:22]
Tynesha Coleman
Well, I have always been a reader. I have been reading a bunch since I was a kid. I would always be having my nose buried in a book. My mom was one of those moms who was like, go play with the kids. And I'm like, no, I just want to stay inside and read my book. So I've been what I call a book nerd since forever. I really enjoyed the Babysitter's club when I was younger. I enjoyed Sweet Valley High when I was younger. And then apparently I started reading mysteries in high school and I didn't realize I wasn't the target demographic. So I used to get a lot of my books from my great aunt who's my grandmother's sister. And I would be reading like James Patterson and like Harlan Coben and, and not realizing that maybe I wasn't the target audience for that until I showed up at a book signing and realized that the age groups were much older than I was. So that was interesting and funny and I was like, oh, wow. Apparently I read like a lot of older people and you know when you're young you think everybody that's like two years older than you is really old. So yeah, that was interesting. I would like to share one of the nerdiest moments that I had as a kid. And I was in elementary school, my mom had all these friends that used to give her all sorts of things and they knew I loved books. And this one friend gave her a set of encyclopedias when he replaced his. And I was like walking around in school, my chest puffed out like I was the queen because I got this set of encyclopedias and I had a strong case of the did you knows? And people were quite annoyed with me. But. But yeah, that's how I was as a kid. Now I read most of the time and it's really my form of self care. So I know that things aren't going well if I'm not reading. So I typically have at least two books in rotation, something on audio, something in print, either an ebook or the hardcover book. And if I'm not doing that, then something's wrong. And then like early college I was mostly mystery thriller, so a lot of like Harlan Coben, a lot of like the type of Jane Patterson type stuff. And I spent so many years reading exclusively mystery thrillers. And then after a while I really figured out that it felt like I was doing too much of the same thing. So there's always you know, kind of this fast paced thing and I'm like, it's page turnery. I'm like skipping to get to the end and then there's a twist and then you know, either the twist is good or bad and then that, you know, that's the end of the book. And I really started to feel like, oh, I really want to do something different. I need to explore a little bit more outside of this genre. So I started reading more sci fi, fantasy and then also some literary fiction. And now I will read a little bit of everything. Mostly the genre I read less so is romance. If it's really good and comes highly recommended, I'll read it. But things that I tend to gravitate towards are like sci fi, fantasy, a little bit of literary fiction, I enjoy memoirs, things like that. And I haven't read as many mystery thrillers as I used to because I think I just kind of burned myself out on the genre. Although I did go and read God of the woods after it was in the reading guide last time, which I really enjoyed.
- [09:53]
Anne Bogle
So that worked out for you.
- [09:54]
Tynesha Coleman
It did, it did. And I think it was because I think I remember you saying on one of the shows that it was like literary. And so I think that's probably why it worked out. It was like not just the mystery thriller, but also this literary thing. And it was, I felt like a little bit atmospheric with the camp setting and all of that. So it was, it went really well for me. I really enjoyed it.
- [10:20]
Anne Bogle
I am happy to hear that, Tynesha. We get questions from readers all the time about literary festivals, how to find them, what it's like to go, how to get involved. And I know you have a story here. Would you tell us about your experience volunteering for the Morristown Festival of Books?
- [10:37]
Tynesha Coleman
Yes, I can. And I'm so excited. So I'm still volunteering this year, by the way. So I'm on the committee for the Morristown Festival of Books and I'm specifically on the authors committee. So again, I said, I live in New Jersey and this is the largest book festival in our state. And because the committee is filled with it's largely homogenous, I'll say there's not a lot of people who read sci fi fantasy on the committee. And so when I joined they were like, hey Tynesia, you read Sci Fifantasy. Can you select some authors for us and reach out? So I got to moderate the panel because again, typically these things, there's another author or someone on the committee that will moderate the panel. So. But they didn't feel comfortable doing it and they didn't have another sci fi fantasy author. So I got to moderate a panel with Helen Phillips to talk about the book hum, which I know definitely was in the summer reading guide. And then Seanan McGuire was also on that panel and we were talking about title creatures. I enjoy her work as well, but it was really fun. It was like one of those things where you get to scratch your book nerd itch and chat with some authors. And they both were really nice, really gracious. I remember meeting Helen Phillips like just a couple minutes before we were going on. And I introduced myself and I said, I'm just a reader, you know, because I know that a lot of them are used to these panels with other authors and other people of some sort of notoriety interviewing them or leading the panel. And I said, I'm just a reader. She's like, but well, we need readers. And you know, you guys are why we're able to do what we do. So, you know, she's like, don't just say you're just a reader. Like, that's important. So. So it made me feel really, really excited and just less nervous to talk with her and Seanan McGuire.
- [12:26]
Anne Bogle
I'm glad to hear that. Are you gonna be moderating any panels this summer?
- [12:30]
Tynesha Coleman
I'm not sure yet. So we are wrapping up our author pool. We have all of our invitations out. We have, of course, half of them came back, and we're kind of pounding the pavement to get the rest of the authors to say yay or nay. And then we'll talk about who's gonna moderate and what the. You know, what the titles of the different sessions are gonna be. So that's always exciting to me, trying to figure out, what can we title this, given the authors that are gonna be on the panel and given the titles that they're talking about this time. So I'm excited, and I can't wait.
- [13:02]
Anne Bogle
I love it. I can't wait to hear how that goes for you, Tynesha. I would love to hear what compelling question or, like, itch that needs scratching or what you're looking for that brings you to what should I read next?
- [13:15]
Tynesha Coleman
Right now, I am really in a space where I want to find things that are emotionally resonant. So I'm not necessarily particular about what genre it is, but I really want it to be emotionally resonant, and I really want it to be something that I can escape to, but not send me into what I'm calling the depths of despair.
- [13:39]
Anne Bogle
So.
- [13:39]
Tynesha Coleman
So I've read a lot of books over the years that are really emotionally resonant, and part of the reason that they are is because they make you want to cry your eyes out. And so I don't exactly want that feeling, but I want something to resonate really, really well emotionally. And just, like, I want to sink my teeth into it. I want to really get immersed in what's happening. So if that's the characters, if that's the plot, I'm agnostic about that piece of it. But I really just want to get into something. And, you know, for many of us, I mean, especially for me, it feels like the world is just on fire in many ways, and I just want to find a way to escape, have some good emotional resonance, but, like, not have anything gratuitously sad or gratuitously tragic, if that makes sense. Sense.
- [14:36]
Anne Bogle
I think so. I think so. So you're willing to go hard places, but not for the sake of them being hard, right? Okay, I'm gonna have more questions, but first, can we talk about your books?
- [14:47]
Tynesha Coleman
Yes, we can.
- [14:50]
Anne Bogle
Readers around here, we love a good session of Book Talk. Our show occasionally invites authors to chat. If you're looking for a daily dose of conversation with authors you know and those you haven't yet discovered talking about the books they've written and know best, you may enjoy the Webby Award winning podcast Totally Booked with Zibby. It's hosted by bookstore owner, author, publisher, podcaster, and past what Should I Read Next Guest Zibby Owens. Zibby hosts a whole range of voices on her show. She's recently hosted frequent what Should I Read Next favorites like Colin McCann, Ann Bar Rest, Charmaine Wilkerson, Annie B. Jones, Charlotte McConaughey, Georgia Hunter. The list goes on. I've had the chance to join her there as a guest too. In this daily podcast, authors from all genres join Zippy for 30ish minutes of conversation on topics that cover a lot of ground, from the best books you might want to know about to an immersive history of the American bookstore. If you love our show and can't get enough Book Talk, check out Totally Booked with Zibby on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening now. You can start with my two episodes Readers life doesn't happen biweekly, so why should Payday? With Earn in, you'll be able to access your money as you earn it without waiting for your paycheck. Earn in is an app that gives you access to your pay as you work up to $150 a day with a max of $750 between paydays. Just download the Earn in app and verify your paycheck, then access up to $150 a day. When your next paycheck comes through, any money you've accessed is automatically repaid. We all run into unexpected expenses, and Earn in provides a reliable, flexible way to access the funds you need without charging a credit card or dep your savings. There are no mandatory fees and no credit check. It's no surprise that over 4 million happy customers rely on Earn in for financial peace of mind. Download Earn in today, spelled E A R N I N in the Google Play or Apple App Store. When you download the Earn in app, type in what should I Read Next under Podcast when you sign up, it'll really help the show. What should I Read Next under podcast? Earn in is a financial technology company, not a bank. Cash outs are based on your available earnings Standard cash outs take one to two business days with no mandatory fees. Option to expedite your transfer for a fee. Tips are voluntary and don't affect the service. See the Cash Out User agreement for details. Services not available in all states. Tynesia I know you know how this works. You're going to tell me three books you love, one book you don't, and what you've been reading lately, and we'll get a feel for what you're looking for and suggest three books you may enjoy reading next. First, how did you choose these today?
- [17:30]
Tynesha Coleman
You all said not to overthink, and that is exactly what I went and did when I saw the request for the submission. So because I do track what I read, typically in like Goodreads and sometimes with Fable, I was like, let me go back and look at what I rated as four and five star reads. That was the first thing I did. And the second thing I did was I thought about the book that I read the most. And there's one book that I'm going to mention that I read four times, so that was an easy pick. And then I wanted to go with something that was a little bit more recent. So two of the books I read at least two years ago, but one of them I read at the tail end of 2024. And so I wanted to get something that was more recent, but I also wanted to get something that I read before but that still sticks with me to this day.
- [18:26]
Anne Bogle
I love it. Let's jump in. What's the first book you love?
- [18:29]
Tynesha Coleman
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. So I heard about this many years ago on a book podcast or maybe in a newsletter, and I decided to give it a shot because the COVID looked really interesting. It's, you know, the red, white and black colors. It looks really interesting. And I read it and I realized the thing that appealed to me most about this is that people on a journey, either if it's like a physical journey where they're physically moving, or if it's an emotional journey or a magical journey, those are things that really draw me in. So this book is set in this imagined Victorian, expired, like, London type area where there's a circus that, that travels mysteriously, it appears unannounced, and it disappears the same way. So no one knows when it's coming, no one knows when it's going away, but it just shows up and the people really enjoy it. And I really love the magic in this book. The magic was really woven into everything. It was in the tents, it was in the Other people that were a part of the circus in the relationships in the setting. And this one centered around two characters. I mean, there's a lot more characters, but the two that I really followed the most were Celia and Marco. So these are two young magicians who've been placed into a mysterious competition. So Celia, her father is called Prospero, and he is a magician. And Marco has someone who's more of like a mentor to him who also engages in magic. And these two people, Prospero and Marco's mentor, who is called the man in the Gray suit, which I love that he's called the man in the Gray suit, by the way. Those two gentlemen have this long standing competition, and they are thrown into this competition, but they are unaware. And so it's around magic and they don't even know that they're opponents. And eventually they meet and things happen. I don't want to give anything away. The circus cast is really, really, really nice. There's different types of people from different walks of life that have different talents. And my favorite two people in this circus are these twins. They're children, Poppet and Widget. Poppet is the girl, Widget is the boy. They are so adorable. They are so funny. And I literally could read a whole book about them. I like, I would read a book about them on their own. So I want to say what pulled me in initially was the very first sentence. It says, the circus arrives without warning. That had me instantly. I was like, okay, I have to know where this goes. Like, I need to know where this goes. And so it pulled me in right away. And every time I read it again, which this is the book that I mentioned that I read four times. I read it annually for four years in a row. And it just. It became this book that I was like, it's time for my annual rereading of the Night Circus. Because it, you know, it had a lot of emotional resonance. It had a lot of magic, it had a thread of romance, but it wasn't overdone. And I just. It felt so comforting to me. And even though the stakes are really high in this competition that they have, it really felt like, you know, I had this sense of wonder. I followed this circus. It was like, still this very gentle, sort of comforting read, even though the stakes were high with these two magicians in their competition. And so I really, really enjoyed it. And I'm like, as I was reviewing why I love this book, I was like, I think I need to read it again. So we'll see if that happens in 2025.
- [22:25]
Anne Bogle
I love that for you. Yeah. Maybe you can make it the nice round five. Yeah. Okay. Tynesia, what's the second book you love?
- [22:33]
Tynesha Coleman
This is the first in the series. It's called the Fifth Season, and it's written by N.K. jemisin. I don't really remember where I came across this book, but I do remember how intensely it made me feel. And I was in a period of life back, I think it was, like, in 2019, where I was in this huge dystopian reading phase. And I don't think this book is technically classified as dystopian dystopian, but it kind of is to me. And this became one of the most, like, resonant things that I had ever read. So it's set in this broken world that is really experiencing a lot of, like, seismic activity and natural disasters, from earthquakes to tsunamis. And then there's this extended winter that's really catastrophic called the Fifth Season, that the people in this world experience. So there's also this sort of group of. I'm going to call them people, but I don't quite know if that's the way that they're described. They're called the Origins, and they can control the Earth's energy and the seismic energy that's happened. And they are feared by, I'll just say, the regular humans, and they are, you know, sometimes slaughtered because of that fear.
- [23:48]
Anne Bogle
And.
- [23:49]
Tynesha Coleman
And so this story follows three women who are Orogenes at different stages of life. Their names are Essen, Damaya, and Sayanete. And each of their stories is really, really, like, fantastic. We meet Esen when she comes home and finds that her son has been murdered by her husband. And she's pretty sure that the reason this has happened is because the husband figures out that the boy is in Origin. And so she finds that. And her husband's missing, and her daughter is also missing, and she's grieving, and she wants to know what's happened. And we follow her. The other person, Damaya, we follow her at a point where her family really is trying to get rid of her because they discover that she is an Origin. And then Sayanete, we meet her when she's at this place called the Fulcrum, which is. It's an institution that trains the Origins in how to use their. I'm not gonna call it magic, but how to use their powers. And so she's going through this kind of. Anytime something has a school in it, it reminds me of Harry Potter. This school is not Like Harry Potter, but it's the thing that comes to mind whenever there's a school for me. So there's a, you know, this institution that she's in, preparing herself to use her powers. And so this is high fantasy, really good world building. But world building, that's so intentional. Because one of the things that I struggle with as a sci fi fantasy reader is that sometimes the world building can feel just like an info dump. And the way that NK Jemisin did this, it was like every piece of the world building mattered to the characters and to the plot. And so nothing was just a throwaway. I felt like everything was intentional. Like I sunk my teeth into. Really grabbed me from the beginning. And I just wanted to spend so much time in this world with these characters to figure out what was happening. And so I read this book in about, like, five or six days, and I feel like I didn't come up for air until after I was done. And then I properly had a book hangover for about a month where I could not read anything else because these characters, this was just in my head for so long that it took me about a month before I picked something else up.
- [26:14]
Anne Bogle
Whoa, that's quite a book Hangover.
- [26:16]
Tynesha Coleman
Yeah.
- [26:18]
Anne Bogle
Okay, that says a lot about your relationship with this title. Tynesha. What's the third book you love?
- [26:24]
Tynesha Coleman
Okay, so this third one is a little bit lighter than what I just mentioned. This is called Murder, your Employer by Rupert Holmes. So a friend recommended this to me and she said, you gotta read this. This is really funny. Like, even though the title is called Murder your employer, you gotta read this. And so I picked it up from the library, and the premise is so creative. So we meet this guy, Cliff Iverson. He's the main character. He is fed up with work, he's fed up with his boss. His boss is like the archetype of this corporate greed type person who will do anything to save a buck. And so they're working on a project that is having a lot of corners cut. And Cliff knows that based on these cut corners, people may die, right? Like, people may be harmed. And so he's really, really upset by this and tired of his employer. And then his colleague dies by suicide. And it is directly linked to the supervisor and how he's treated them and the things that he has them doing. And so Cliff decides, that's it. I'm gonna take this guy out. And he tries to take him out, and it does not go well. He gets picked up by the cops, and he learns that these cops are actually alumni of the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, where they teach students the fine art of deletion because they do not say murder. And so it's like, dark. It's satire. It's really, really funny. Like, they take this dark subject matter and they make it funny. And so because it's a school, I told you, anytime a school is involved, I think Harry Potter, right? So I feel like this is grown up Harry Potter meets Dateline meets, like, whatever comedy you love. And I was completely drawn in. And the characters are not all likable. Some of them are morally ambiguous. Some of them are terrible. But I still want to spend time with them and I still want to see what they're going to do next. And I also find myself in a weird position where I'm like, am I rooting for this guy to kill his boss? Which is like, an interesting place to be in. It's fiction. So I let myself off the hook morally for that. But the school setting is bizarre. The way they train people is just really bizarre, but, like, just really awesome. And the way that they train these people for something so high stakes, it's like we're preparing you for, I don't know, some type of corporate career. But this corporate career is in deletion. You know, the topic is serious, but it's like, enough levity to keep it weird and funny. And it's like, it's witty and the pace is really good. It's just a book that doesn't take itself too seriously. So I really enjoyed how funny it was, but that the dark elements were still there because, you know, you're talking about murder, so it has to be a little bit dark. So I really enjoyed that read.
- [29:36]
Anne Bogle
All right. I appreciate a change of pace. Keeps things interesting.
- [29:40]
Tynesha Coleman
Absolutely.
- [29:41]
Anne Bogle
Speaking of change of pace, Tynesia, tell me about a book that was not right for you, and I'd love to hear why it didn't hit.
- [29:49]
Tynesha Coleman
The book that was not for me was the Husbands by Holly Grimazio. And there's a few different reasons why it didn't work for me. The first reason is that I think. So the concept is that there's a woman who. And I forget the character's name. I'm so sorry. But she has husbands coming out of her attic. And, like, every time the door opens or the one husband goes up, a different one comes down and she doesn't know why this is happening. And I picked it up because it sounded really funny and really interesting and it was funny. But after, like, I don't know, maybe it was like the fifth or sixth husband. Maybe it was the tenth. I was like, okay, I'm kind of ready for this part of the book to be over. And it just kept going. Like there were some interesting things happening in there with one of the husbands she had that she was sort of trying to keep in touch with. And that was a little interesting, but it just felt like the same thing kept happening, and I didn't feel like it was going anywhere. So it just, it felt like it would have been better as a short story for me than a full book. And I finished the whole thing. I didn't DNF it. I finished it, but I didn't feel like it was worth the payoff at the end. So it started off really funny. It started off interesting. And then I felt like it was spinning. I felt like it was spinning and not going anywhere for quite a long time. And so that's why it wasn't for me.
- [31:24]
Anne Bogle
Tynesha, I'm wondering if you got lost a little bit. Not like you didn't know what was happening, but you just didn't care. When Lauren is having all these husbands, like coming down from the attic over and over, and we're seeing how that plays out. What I'm thinking of is Save the Cat, where he calls this the fun and games portion, where you see how the premise plays out for your characters, but you weren't really interested in seeing how it played out over and over again.
- [31:48]
Tynesha Coleman
Right, right. It was just happening a little bit too much.
- [31:51]
Anne Bogle
Like, what's the point?
- [31:52]
Tynesha Coleman
Yeah, exactly.
- [31:54]
Anne Bogle
That is helpful. Okay, Tynesia, to give me a sense of what you're willing to take a chance on in your reading life. I'd love to hear what you're reading right now or lately.
- [32:05]
Tynesha Coleman
There's two books that I read lately that have really stuck with me and have really been interesting. The first one is Death of the Author by Ennetti Okorafor. That book. I read it as a part of my book club and it is so good. It's a book inside of a book. So it's about a disabled woman. She's in a wheelchair, and she is really interested in larger things in life. Her family doesn't always treat her very well. They don't always understand her. But she's interested in larger things and she ends up writing a book. She's also like an adjunct professor at a college. And finally, the book that she writes, which is a sci fi fantasy book, it takes off. It does well. It gets optioned into a movie. And there's a bunch of things that happen as a result. The piece that was very interesting about this book to me is that you are reading the book that she has written, which was called the Rusted Robot. You're reading that along with the other parts about her life and her experience and everything that's happening to her. So it's like every other chapter or every few chapters you get a little piece of the book inside of the book. And I loved it so much that I started to reread it. But just read the parts of the Rusted Robot to get the full story all at once of just the book inside of a book. And it is so well done. It takes you into a interesting world. When you think about the robots, the regular world is very normal and typical. But inside of the book she wrote, it's just an interesting, interesting thing about different groups of robots and how they show up and how they interact with one another. So that's one that I've enjoyed. And then the other book I read recently was called Are Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. It was so interesting and so timely. And I don't know how I keep finding myself reading books that resonate with the times that we're living in. It really was one that drew me in because of the particular family dynamics and what was happening in society in this book. And so those two books that I've read are really, really good. And there's a one I just finished that I can't recall the name of, so I won't go into it. But sometimes I read books and then I forget about them.
- [34:34]
Anne Bogle
What? Just kidding. That happens to me too. I'd like to say it happens to everyone, but I won't speak for everyone.
- [34:41]
Tynesha Coleman
Yes, my friend says I read books. I don't remember books. And I'm like, yes, sometimes that happens. So if I remember, that means it was really good.
- [34:50]
Anne Bogle
Okay, I have Nettie Okorafora questions. Have you read her before?
- [34:54]
Tynesha Coleman
I have not. I actually have one of her books on my shelf that my boyfriend gifted to me. It's called Binti. But I have not read it. This is the first time I had read any of her work.
- [35:05]
Anne Bogle
I was just curious because she seems like a good fit for you and I'm happy for you to know you have another book waiting on the shelf by Okorafor.
- [35:14]
Tynesha Coleman
Yeah, she. I mean, she has so much. And honestly, I don't know that I would have picked this book up if it wasn't suggested by the book club. I just, you know, I Saw the advertisements about it, but I was just like, oh, okay, that looks pretty cool. But it wasn't something that I was like, oh, I'm gonna be so into this. But when one of the book club members suggested it and I started reading it, I was like, oh my gosh, this is so good.
- [35:37]
Anne Bogle
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Tynesia, what are you looking for in your reading life right now?
- [35:44]
Tynesha Coleman
I am looking for something that I can really dive into, like heart, soul and mind. Like, I really want to be in this book for a while and I want a book that goes beyond, like surface level emotions. Like, I want. I want something that's going to stick with me for a while. So earlier I said that I had taken a break from reading a lot of mystery thrillers because those are what I. This is my language. Those are what I call popcorn books a lot of times, which is just like, reminds me of like a blockbuster that I would see in the summertime in the movies, like, I don't know, the Meg or something like that. And it's not something that means a whole lot to me, but it's like, it's entertaining and I enjoy, you know, reading it or watching it while eating my popcorn. And I want something deeper than that, but I want it to not be so gut wrenching and like traumatic and traumatic in a way that doesn't serve a purpose. So there are a couple of books that I heard that are really traumatic heard about. And I was like, oh, I don't ever imagine myself reading that book. And so I want to make sure it's not something that's too traumatic in terms of what happens to the characters. But I'm willing to go to a certain level of depth. I'm willing to experience some hard things, but just not things that are gonna leave me sobbing or pulling over in my car. If I'm listening to the audiobook, which I actually had to do once. I can't remember what I was listening to, but I was so like, oh my gosh, this is horrible. I need to pull over for a second to do some deep breathing. So I'm not. I don't wanna go that heavy.
- [37:25]
Anne Bogle
Oh my gosh. Okay. You know, we all wanna know which book this was.
- [37:28]
Tynesha Coleman
I can't recall. Oh, you know what? It might have been one of the books in the book of the Unnamed Midwife series. I can't remember which one. I turned it off and I was like, okay, I'm just gonna listen to music for a while and I will go back to this book later because I may not make it home.
- [37:49]
Anne Bogle
I'm glad you made it home. Talk to me about genre. I hear that sci fi fantasy is one that you really enjoy. You're looking for escapist works. We've also talked about mysteries. I think you mentioned your submission being interested in exploring different kinds of sci fi. What are you feeling right now?
- [38:08]
Tynesha Coleman
I have read a lot of sci fi fantasy that has been kind of dystopian. So, you know, talking about the fifth season, which I'm classifying as dystopian, maybe it's not necessarily classified as that. And the book of the Unnamed midwife and a book, bunch of others that are just like, there's this place and things are hard and difficult and people are trying to make do or find some way to fight against something. And I want to move a little bit away from that to something else. And so I recently read, I believe, a couple of Becky Chambers books, which was really interesting. It had enough of the fantasy element, enough of the emotional resonance, but it wasn't like, super hard stuff happening. And I also read there was the one that was called the Teller of Small Fortunes, which I think was in one of the guides you released.
- [39:07]
Anne Bogle
It was.
- [39:08]
Tynesha Coleman
That was also a really good book. And part of what was good about that is, again, the journey aspect of it. I love that they were sort of traveling and, you know, at some point they're traveling to someplace. At some point they're trying to get away from another place. So that was really good. So I don't know if what I'm saying is helpful at all. I just want to. I want to not be necessarily in dystopia, but perhaps in a world realistic or not, where things happen. And the things that happen are important and they resonate emotionally and they're, you know, and they're deep things that are important, but not so much that I'm pulling over and sobbing in my car.
- [39:58]
Anne Bogle
All right. While you never know what's really gonna connect and hit you right in the gut, I think I understand the assignment.
- [40:06]
Tynesha Coleman
This is why they pay you the big bucks, Anne.
- [40:10]
Anne Bogle
Or not. You know what? I get paid in books and book talk and that. That works for me.
- [40:17]
Tynesha Coleman
Awesome readers.
- [40:19]
Anne Bogle
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- [42:55]
Tynesha Coleman
I remember the name, but not what you said about it. And I have to tell you, I'm one of those people that take notes. So I'm like, taking notes the entire time you're talking, and then I have to go back and read them to make sense of what I've written.
- [43:06]
Anne Bogle
We'll do you one better. We'll have a transcript for you.
- [43:08]
Tynesha Coleman
Awesome.
- [43:09]
Anne Bogle
Okay, so this is a debut from author Allison King, and it actually releases today, the day this podcast is airing, June 3rd. So it's ready and waiting for you. This is a debut novel and the origin story is so interesting, it's inspiring. And we're going to talk with her in book club in. I don't want to put words in Alison King's mouth, but I'm going to share a little bit of what I've been fascinated to hear her share in interviews and in the. There's a little letter in the copy of the advance review book I got, but she says that her grandparents used to own a pencil company back in Shanghai, and she always thought that was so fascinating and romantic. There was this tactile thing that she used, but they were making them, you know, decades ago in a different countries. And in this book, the pencils are magic. But first, more about the personal inspiration. Alison King said her grandparents didn't talk about their history in Shanghai, and it wasn't until they no longer had the ability to do so that she realized, gosh, I wish I knew more about their stories. What a loss. And she said in this book, she created this really sweet grandmother granddaughter relationship. And this granddaughter, in her story, the fictional one, finds the satisfaction of learning her grandmother's history that Alison King herself never got to experience. But about these pencils, they are magic because they can be reforged. And that means one with the power, the inborn power, but also the knowledge can bring, the memories they contain, the words that they have written back to life, whether that's something as prosaic as a grocery list, whether it's a missive sharing state secrets, whether it's a love letter to someone that, well, whether it's a secret love letter, we'll just say that. So these pencils are powerful, and the way the secrets are extracted made me wince every time I read about it. Something else I love about this book for you, Tynisha, is that you've enjoyed dabbling in various genres. I guess today we really only talked about sci fi, fantasy and history mystery. But this one is a real genre blender. So you have. I called it a blender. Don't we usually say Bender? Yeah, it does all these things as World War II era historical fiction. The grounded fantasy, like much of it, is set very much in the real world. But these pencils, I've never encountered such a thing. We have family drama, we have romance. The characters are compelling and well drawn and they're very sympathetic. And the emotions of what's happening to the characters, the relationships between them really matter in this story. King is really wrestling with some questions that matter to us today, like data privacy, what does user consent look like for technology, and what can happen if we don't realize who we're giving our stories to and how they might be used. And that feels like straight out of the headlines. Not in like a heavy handed way, but it does feel like very deeply, practically and emotionally pertinent to right now. But also we have this close look at Chinese histories. The relationships in the book, the race to keep the powerful pencils out of the wrong hands. There's a lot here. How's this sounding to you?
- [46:25]
Tynesha Coleman
It's sounding really good. First of all, when you said keeping the pencils out of the wrong hands, I'm like, okay, I enjoy a tale when it's like we have to keep these people from doing this thing or using these things. But I also really liked the part about the grandmother granddaughter relationship because I've started to realize that I appreciate those family drama stories more than I thought I would. So historically, like I said, I used to do mystery thriller all the time. So I didn't realize that, you know, literary fiction and family drama was something that I would even be interested in. But as I've been following more people that talk about books and learning about different genres, I've read quite a few and I really am always interested in the relationship between the women in the family. Just because I come from a family with a lot of women, really, really strong women. And the dynamics between the women in the family and my family are always very interesting. So I love reading other books, people's stories and how the women in other families interact because it's always just very interesting to me.
- [47:40]
Anne Bogle
I'm glad to hear that. Have you read any Robin Hobb?
- [47:43]
Tynesha Coleman
I have not.
- [47:45]
Anne Bogle
Okay, so she writes high fantasy, lots of world building. She writes long books. She could keep you busy for a really long time. Or you could just read the first one and see what you think. It is called the Assassins Apprentice she wrote it Robin Hobb in 1995, and she is still writing. She has constructed this whole world called the Realm of the Elderlings. She's written multiple series that all fall under the same universe, the Realm of the Enderlings. And we're going to start with the Farseer Trilogy. Have I lost you yet? Is that too complicated?
- [48:20]
Tynesha Coleman
No, it's not.
- [48:22]
Anne Bogle
Okay. Amazing. You can tell you belong in the fantasy genre. Then we are going to start with the Farseer Trilogy with her first novel in the Enderlings universe, and that is called the Assassin's Apprentice. And. Oh, gosh. I find it really challenging to describe these books that have a lot of world building, but this story is very much about the characters and about the relationships between them. Our protagonist is Fitz. He is the bastard son of a prince who was abandoned at a young age by the women in his family because they didn't want to raise him. So when he's very young, I want to say six or seven, he goes into the care of the royal family and he grows up. He bops around the royal servants until he is finally apprenticed at the age of like, 14, 15 to an assassin. This serves everybody well because with this job, he's not believed to be a threat to the line of succession. And also it's going to keep him busy. And also because of his power that he possesses, he is well suited to this work. Let me tell you about the setup of the book Tynesha, because what we hear is a whole lot of adventures that Fitz has gone on, which might make you think it's fast paced, it's really more leisurely, it feels very cinematic, and the tone is a little bit wistful, brooding, melancholy. But each chapter starts with Fitz, the old man, where he's either talking about what's happening in his life right now, or he's sharing a snippet from the book. He's writing about the history of the kingdom he grew up in, which I find this really satisfying as a reader, because sometimes when you're reading adventure stories where the character is in peril, you wonder, like, are they gonna make it? Are they gonna make it? He's telling us his. His reflections from where he sits now as an old man so you know that he is going to make it through. But in this book, we see lots of courtly intrigue, lots of major but also minor characters that you come to care about, and this really interesting kind of magic called the wit and the skill, which are very powerful, but those who wield them pay A cost for doing so. This is the first book in a trilogy, but in this Wider world of 25 books, as we watch Fitz the outcast grow up and find his place. All right, how does this sound to you?
- [51:03]
Tynesha Coleman
This sounds really interesting because I'm hearing themes of, like, maybe a little bit coming of age in addition to everything that's also happening. And. And we didn't talk about this, but I enjoy coming of age books as well. Like, it doesn't have to be ya, but you know, when people are going through a journey.
- [51:21]
Anne Bogle
A journey. Oh, and I forgot to say, yes, journey is very much in mind with this story.
- [51:26]
Tynesha Coleman
Awesome. I love that. And I'm also a sucker for an old man telling a story, and I know that's probably hilarious, but even in movies, if there's an old man who's like, so schooling somebody on something or telling a story, I'm like, I'm there. Where's the old man telling the story? I'm in there. So I love that. And I also love that you said he's reflecting on this. And so while there may be tension and like this, you know what happens. I don't know where this is going. There's also a little bit of safety in knowing that this is a reflection. So you hope that at least at the end of this, he is okay enough to tell the story. So that makes me feel good.
- [52:10]
Anne Bogle
I feel that myself. All right, can we do another journey tale?
- [52:16]
Tynesha Coleman
Absolutely.
- [52:17]
Anne Bogle
I'm thinking the Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley. Have you read this?
- [52:21]
Tynesha Coleman
I haven't.
- [52:22]
Anne Bogle
This is speculative fiction, which you said you've enjoyed. An alternate history, a time slit tale, and there's also a romance element. So what Pulley imagines here is what if Napoleon conquered England in the Battle of Trafalgar? And also what if there was a stone portal in the dangerous seas that served as a passageway between centuries? The story begins with a man named Joe getting off a train in the city of. Gosh, I hate that. I set myself up to try to pronounce things in French, but he's in the city of Londres because it's not London, because Napoleon won and France took everything over. But it's Lundres, 1898, and he has a postcard in his pocket written in forbidden English. French is the only language that's allowed. And the postmark is dated almost 100 years ago in 1805, though he can definitely tell that the postcard has the image on it of a lighthouse that was only recently constructed later in the 19th century. So this is pretty weird to him because this seems impossible. And the postcard says it's written to him, dearest Joe, come home, if you remember. And it's signed M. So I should have told you that there's also a mystery embedded in this. Who is M? How is this impossible postcard possible? And what is Joe going to do about it? So his search sends him on a journey over the sea to the Outer Hebrides and then back and forth many times through the stone portals on a quest to reunite with his family. But if this is going to work, he cannot change the course of history. It will all fall apart. Nor can he do anything that might erase his own existence in 1898. Laundere, how does that sound to you?
- [54:09]
Tynesha Coleman
That sounds really interesting. I can't recall if I've read a lot of like Time Travel Adjacent or Time Slip, which is. I like the way that's described books, but I definitely have watched a lot of that and so it really sounds interesting. And I do also like alternative like histories. So I read a while back, not related to sci fi, but I read Curtis Sittenfeld wrote it. I think it was the. I think it was called Rodham. Like what if Hillary Clinton chose a different path? So I enjoy reading those types of books where it's like, let's imagine, let's play out what might have happened if this went a different way. So that sounds really interesting and I'm all into this mystery element of like this postcard, you know, this is in his pocket. Who's em? What's happening here? This sounds really interesting.
- [55:00]
Anne Bogle
I'm glad to hear it. All right, I want to leave you with one more if that's okay.
- [55:05]
Tynesha Coleman
Absolutely, absolutely.
- [55:06]
Anne Bogle
We were talking Phoenix Pencil for fans of title I used in the summer reading guide was Alexey Harrow's the 10,000 Doors of January. I think that would also be an excellent pick for you. But she wrote these really fun, short, zany escapist books. Just two of them. There's a pair, she calls them Fractured Fairy Tales and the first is called A Spindle Splintered. It's very short. It's in a cute little hardcover or you can get the ebook. I listened to the audio, it was great. But when you said coming of age, this is where my brain went. And also we were already incubating the escapist idea. But in this story we have a soon to be 21 year old named Xenia Gray and she believes this is going to be her last. I almost said her last 21st birthday. Her first and last. But when she was young, she was in an industrial accident and she now has this rare condition that isn't well understood. But no one has lived past the age of 21. So she thinks this birthday is going to be the end for her. And her best friend's name is Charm, and she is determined to make this birthday special. And she's getting the full Sleeping Beauty treatment. There's a tower and a spinning wheel and the whole shebang. But then when she pricks her finger, as she does in the original fairy tale, something completely unexpected happened and she. She falls through worlds and finds another sleeping Beauty who also wants to escape her horrible fate. This is fun. It's a little bit snarky and sassy. And when I think delightful escapists read, this is where my brain goes. How does that sound to you?
- [56:44]
Tynesha Coleman
That sounds really good. And I'm really interested in this coming of age piece and this piece of, like, you know, her life might be over and what's gonna happen for her. I love that.
- [56:57]
Anne Bogle
Well, I'm excited that you do, Tynesha. We talked about a lot of books today, including the Phoenix Pencil Company by Alison King, the Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, the Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley, and A Spindle Splintered by Alexander. Of those books, what do you think you might read next?
- [57:20]
Tynesha Coleman
Hmm, I'm thinking I want to go with the Phoenix Pencil Company. That was it, right?
- [57:28]
Anne Bogle
That's the one.
- [57:29]
Tynesha Coleman
I think I'm gonna go with that because I'm really interested in this. First of all, the backstory of why Alison King decided to write this book. Also because it's a debut, but the premise just sounds really interesting and I'm really interested in this magical element with the pencils and then the relationship between the grandma and the granddaughter. So I think I'm going to go there.
- [57:52]
Anne Bogle
That sounds like there's a lot there for you.
- [57:54]
Tynesha Coleman
Yeah.
- [57:54]
Anne Bogle
I'm excited to hear what you think.
- [57:56]
Tynesha Coleman
I'm excited to let you know.
- [57:58]
Anne Bogle
All right, Tynesha, this has been a pleasure. Thank you so much for talking books with me today.
- [58:03]
Tynesha Coleman
Great. Thank you so much, Ann.
- [58:10]
Anne Bogle
Hey, readers. I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Tynesia and I'd love to hear what you think she should read next. Find Tynesia on Instagram and at her website. We have those links plus the full list of titles we talked about today at what Should I read next? Podcast.com. follow our show on Instagram at what Should I Read Next? And be sure to tag us in your summer reading related posts. Make sure to follow along in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, whatever your favorite podcast platform is right now. When you follow or subscribe, you'll get each week's new episode automatically in your downloads so you can listen from anywhere you may find yourself this summer. Plus, following helps us out by demonstrating to our networks that listeners like you love our show. Thank you for supporting our show in this quick and free way. Sign up for our email list at what Should I read next podcast.com newsletter for straight to your inbox updates about our newest episode and the latest happenings at what Should I Read Next hq. Like our new summer reading guide, seasonal merch, upcoming events and more thanks to the people who make the show happen. What Should I Read Next Is created each week by Will Vogel, Holly Wokachevsky and Studio D Podcast Production readers. That's it for this episode. Thanks so much for listening and as Reiner Maria Rilke said, ah, how good it is to be among beautiful people who are reading. Happy reading everyone.