Where I Left Off
Welcome to Where I Left Off, a bookish podcast. I'm your host, Kristen Bahls. Join me to hear my recommendations of a mix of young adult, new adult, romance, mystery, and thriller novels.
In each episode, I dive into the intricate worlds crafted by talented authors, exploring the characters, plots, and the emotions that make you want to throw your television out the window, because we both know the book is always better than the movie. Whether you carry a book everywhere you go and already have your own Bookstagram, or are just trying to make your Goodreads goal, Where I Left Off is the podcast for you.
From heartwarming romances to spine-tingling mysteries, I cover it all. Sometimes, I'll delve deep into a single novel, and other times, I'm filling your TBR with multiple reads.
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Where I Left Off
Reading Recap 3 - Sarah Adams, Alicia Thompson, Tahereh Mafi, and more!
Books mentioned in this episode:
- A Flicker in the Dark by Staci Willingham
- The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
- Only if You're Lucky by Staci Willingham
- All the Dangerous Things by Staci Willingham
- The Temporary Roomie by Sarah Adams
- The Off Limits Rule by Sarah Adams
- The Ex-Vows by Jessica Joyce
- The It Girl by Ruth Ware
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead
For links to the books discussed in this episode, click the link here to take you to the Google Doc to view the list.
For episode feedback, future reading and author recommendations, you can text the podcast by clicking the "Send us a message button" above.
For more, follow along on Instagram @whereileftoffpod.
Welcome back. I'm Kristen Balls and you're listening to when I Left Off a bookish podcast Today. On the podcast, I am sharing what I've been reading recently, and this episode has a mix of thrillers technically thriller slash horror, ya romance and a bit of fantasy. So I have a variety for you today, and I know that we all probably kind of need an escape right now. I feel like everyone that I've been talking to, like just all of my friends are just having a really rough time, and I'm also having a really rough time. So I think that we all just need an escape, and so if you need some books to escape to, then look no further. I have some recommendations.
Speaker 1:I have actually decided to rework my whole rating system, and so I'm going to explain a little bit about that. So, like, just change is happening, you know. Okay, so with my rating system, the reason that I decided to adjust it was because I, you know, I was trying so hard to make every book fit in a box like 4.5, 4.25. I also I gesture with my hands when I talk, so if that ends up coming across in my audio, I am sorry, but it is what I do, but anyway. So I was trying so hard and then I was starting to compare other books. Like, well, I gave this one a 4.5. So then does this one deserve a 4.25, but then as a 4.15 too low, but then as a 4.2, you know, like it just four stars, five stars, I don't know, it was throwing me off. I felt like I was trying to compare books to each other so hard that I wasn't focusing on like. Will the reader like this? And what do I really think I'd give it, you know. So I decided to make it way more generalized. So from now on moving forward, I will say that every book is going to go into either loved it, liked it or not. For me and as far as the okay. So for the loved it category, obviously it means I loved it. Probably would have given it five stars. There may be some that are like a four star that I loved. That it's just.
Speaker 1:The reading experience was superior and I would recommend it to other people Liked it. I would still probably recommend it to some people, depending on their book preferences, if I thought recommend it to other people Liked it. I would still probably recommend it to some people, depending on their book preferences, if I thought that it kind of matched, you know, and then say, I mean with liked it, it could be, you know, maybe it wasn't my genre or I see why other people enjoy it, or maybe it's popular or whatever, but it just something wasn't quite to loved it level. But it could be very close and there could be a lot of good things about it. Because sometimes I feel like, personally for those people me included that read a lot of books per year, you get pickier. But if I'm just an average reader and I want a fun experience, the tropes or the blurb or the plot line or whatever it is may just really call to me and I may really enjoy the book. And so, even though I'm only going to read five books this year, like I would give it five stars because I enjoyed the reading experience, because I'm not trying to compare it to a million other books, so that's why I liked it. It's still good.
Speaker 1:And then not for me is just not for me personally. That does not mean I hated the book. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't recommend it to a specific person if I thought that it fit within what they would really like and I would explain why. But then not for me, like something just didn't quite hit completely right with that particular book doesn't mean also that I don't like the author. I will always give authors a second chance, because sometimes it really just is the characters in those books that I didn't resonate with, or maybe the plot line in that specific book. And writers are always growing and changing themselves. So I feel like they just end up kind of outdoing themselves and learning and growing, and their writing can completely change from book to book. So I do not hold it against any writer. If a book is just not for me, I will give them several chances before I determine that an author maybe is just not for me, and that doesn't mean that I will never read them again down the line. It's just I don't prefer their books and I would probably check them out from the library. So there you go, because, yeah, I just feel like that will be better.
Speaker 1:This new rating system will be easier for you to tell if you would read a book. While I'm still giving you my opinions and my feedback. You can kind of tell by the tone of my voice, by how excited I get, by what I say you. You can kind of tell if I really loved a book or if I just really liked it. And sometimes it's really hard to decide because, like I said, I just read all these books and I read them quickly and I don't give myself a lot of time to process in between. So sometimes I'll think that I liked a book, or sometimes I'll think that I loved a book, but then, the more that I think about it, I'm like I don't know or like I just keep thinking about the characters and I can't stop. So you know, I don't know reading subjective, reading, subjective for everyone and no matter what season you're in, and all that stuff plays a role, a role in all of it and a role in your ratings. So that's why I decided to read my rating system.
Speaker 1:Also, I have ads. You may have started hearing ads. Some episodes will have ads, some will not. The whole ad thing is basically so I can hire an editor to edit this podcast, because I am tired. I have been recording, editing, outlining scheduling, talking to authors, finding them. You know all that jazz. Luckily, I've gotten lucky enough to where it's gotten to the point where a lot more authors oh my gosh where a lot more authors are asking to be on the podcast instead of me having to like, find them and ask them. So that helps a lot with that research part of it. But I still have to, obviously, read their books, tailor the outline to them, schedule it with them, get them on the podcast, record it, edit it, transcribe it, add chapters, link all the books, all that stuff, create social media promos and get it out into the world. So with all of that it is a lot of time.
Speaker 1:I do have a full-time job during the day, so this is literally like what I do at night most of the time, and I'm also writing a book. So I'm just overwhelmed. I'm trying to take something off my plate and so if you do hear some ads here and there, it is really just so I can hire an editor to get something off my plate. So I'm not just sinking more money into my podcast, because, if you did not know, podcasts are expensive to be able to keep up, not only with equipment costs, but there are a lot of subscriptions that go with it, for, like, a hosting service to have your podcast on. You know, uploading it once and having it go to Spotify, apple, all those getting the analytics, all that jazz. There's so many different little services you can pay for and like editing software and all of that. That are, of course, all separate monthly subscriptions. How fun? So anyway it just monthly subscriptions. How fun? So anyway it just. It costs money to keep a podcast like this up and going, and so that is literally why I have ads, is just really to keep it going. That's about it.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, I felt also the need to explain that. Can you tell that? It's not as if I think that you will judge me for this. I just like to explain things so you understand why I'm doing what I'm doing, because I promise that there is thought behind almost everything, unless I'm really tired that day. Kidding, there's thought behind everything on the podcast, but yeah, right now it's still pretty much just me, so that's why I'm trying to do all the things. Who knows, maybe one day I'll get a co-host and me and that co-host can split up their responsibilities. I don't know, but for now, for now, I'm just one man banding it. So yeah, that's kind of where I'm at.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I did want to point out before I start getting into the books a lot of thriller authors have actually been releasing books that they have coming up, and I wanted to read you some of the early blurbs that I've seen, because I follow all the authors and I try to like, search their pages and stuff so you don't have to. So I can kind of tell you what's coming out in 2025, because, yeah, a lot of thriller authors have really started teasing things. Most of these books are coming summer 2025, but I will tell you what they have on their Instagram. So first up is Sherry Lapina, and of course, she is one of my auto buy authors. I am still in the middle of Everyone is Lying and I don't know that I will ever know who kidnapped the girl, because I really want to get back into that book and I have not been able to. So one day I will. But her newest book is coming out. Her newest book is coming out and it will be on sale July 29th 2025.
Speaker 1:Here is what she said about said book. Okay, this is straight from her Instagram, or from her publisher's Instagram, viking Books. So I'm reading this verbatim Brayden and Sam have it all Thriving careers, a small apartment in a luxury condominium, supportive friends and a cherished daughter the perfect life for the perfect couple. But when Brayden disappears without a trace, brayden and Sam's past seems a little less perfect and their condominium less safe, their friends, neighbors and relatives no longer quite so reliable. Ooh, sounds interesting. It's a thriller. It sounds thrilling, shocking, but anyway, I am looking forward to this one. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:The one book that I did not love from Sherry Lapino was the Couple Next Door. That one was just not my favorite, I don't know, it just stressed me out, I think, because they were just freaking out on each other and that was like the whole book. But I do tend to like her other thrillers and I have purchased a lot of her backlist. So that is a book that is upcoming. Also, hold on, I have another one. Let me see if I can find it. Okay, this is sorry. I'm trying not to peak the mic too much, but this is Stacey Willingham.
Speaker 1:If you have not read A Flicker in the Dark and you like thrillers, what are you doing? You've got to read it. I loved A Flicker in the Dark. That's my favorite by her. I did also really like why did the title just suddenly escape my brain? Um, all the dark, all the dark place, all the dark. No, okay, I'll look that up in a second, but I don't want to get away from what this book is going to be about here. I promise I will look about, look about. Oh my gosh, help me. I promise I will look up and tell you in a second what that book is called. I don't even know and I haven't read her latest only, if you're lucky, I had a friend that said it was just okay so, and she was a little bit disappointed by it. So I hadn't read that. But here we go Another Stacey Willingham coming out. Here is what it says. This is from her Instagram verbatim. It is coming out in August 2025, and it is called Forget Me, not.
Speaker 1:22 years ago, claire Campbell's older sister, natalie, disappeared on her 18th birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car. A man was arrested and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist, until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come home and face it all anew. With the entire summer now looming ahead, a summer spent with nothing to do in her childhood home with her estranged mother, claire decides, on a whim, to accept a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a vineyard in coastal South Carolina less than an hour away from where she grew up.
Speaker 1:At first glance, galloway is an idyllic escape for Claire, a scenic retreat full of slow-paced nostalgia, as well as a place where her sisters seemed truly happy in that last summer before she vanished, it feels like the perfect place to pass the time. However, as soon as Claire starts to settle in, she stumbles across an old diary written by one of the vineyard's owners, and what at first seems like a story of young rebellion and love turns into something much more sinister as it begins to describe details of various unsolved crimes. As the days stretch on, claire finds herself becoming more and more secluded as she starts to obsess over the diary's contents, as well as the lingering feeling that her own sister's disappearance may be somehow tied to it all. Galloway was supposed to be a place to help her move forward, but instead Claire quickly finds herself immersed in her own dark and dangerous past. Sounds like Stacey Willingham is back. Oh yeah, that sounds so good. All the dangerous things that's what it's called. All the dangerous things.
Speaker 1:I did like that book. It is very, very dark and it does deal with child death and mental health issues relating around postpartum. So I do feel like that is important to point out and, I believe, also trigger warning for miscarriage. I think that's in there, if I remember correctly. So that book is just really dark, but it is good. It is really good, really well written. Just it's pretty dark. So all the thriller authors are starting to release things Also. Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Speaker 1:So the Click. I know that this might seem very niche, but the Click was a young adult series following Massey Block, and me and my friends in sixth grade were obsessed with this. We read them. We would literally pass the books around and I'll read them. We were obsessed. We dubbed ourselves members of the pretty committee. We loved it. It is very like I don't know, she's, massey's a fashionista and they have typical middle school girl problems and we just loved those books. Well, the author, lisi harrison, is currently outlining a new book where massie is 27 years old and the whole pretty committee. So you get to see what they are doing and I could not be more excited. I cannot wait to read that series. So totally different than thrillers, but I am so excited, excited. I just I adored. And there was a movie and, oh my gosh, the Click was one of a series of unfortunate events the Click, divergent, maze Runner, twilight, all of those Yep, I read them all. I've read like all of those. So anyway, the selection series if you're a little bit younger I may have just dated myself by geeking out over the click Funny story about the click really quick, and then I will actually get into what I'm talking about today.
Speaker 1:But with the click, the cool thing is that I accidentally wrote fan fiction for it before I really knew what fan fiction was. So our teacher gave us an assignment. It was like take a book that you really enjoyed and you have to write like an extra bonus chapter, as, if you know, you were writing from all the same characters in the world and you have to write an extra bonus chapter. And so I wrote a bonus chapter from the click and I really loved it. Um, all my friends enjoyed it. They thought it was good and that's when I first kind of got that. Well, that's not when I first got the writing bug. I'd always wanted to write a book. When I was little, me and one of my friends would literally sit there and like write fantasy novels, um, but anyway, that was like when we were in probably elementary school, elementary middle school and then we kind of stopped and I just kind of let that dream die until now. So so there you go, dreams coming true. But anyway, I accidentally wrote click fan fiction before I understood what fan fiction was. So now now I know, um, but it was really fun. It was actually really fun to do. So.
Speaker 1:Okay, getting into the books today. Remember my new rating system liked it, loved it. Not for me. I am sorry that I feel like I've held you hostage for almost like 20 minutes before getting into the books. I am starting off big with a bang. So this one is actually an ARC. It is an advanced reader's copy that I got through the publisher, so thank you to Dell for providing me a copy through NetGalley. I did get an e-arc of this, so it is on my Kindle, but this is Beg, borrow or Steal by Sarah Adams and it comes out January 7th. So, repeat, it comes out January 7th. This book is not out to the public right now. I just got an advanced reader copy through NetGalley to be able to review on said podcast.
Speaker 1:So I get to tell you all about it and if you know me, you know that I love Sarah Adams. I have read all of her contemporary romance books. As soon as I read Practice Makes Perfect, I literally got on Amazon and I bought her entire backlist self-published books and all Super excited that you know they've all kind of come that Del bought all of them and so, like the Temporary Roomie, the Off Limits Rule, all of those are kind of getting republished. But I have the original self-published versions and I did meet Sarah Adams last year at one of her events for the rule book. So I she is one of my favorite authors. So I would just like to preface it with that that I don't know that I can be fully objective because I just love her so much. So just keep that in mind.
Speaker 1:But I okay, this is her, her book. It's obviously romance. It is open door. This one is open door but it has modifications in the author's notes. This is the second book of hers that is open door. The rule book was also open door, but with the rule book and with Beg, borrow or Steal, again modifications are provided in the author's notes. So if you only read closed-door books, you can still read these books. Just check the author's note and it will tell you which chapters to skip. It gives you those modifications. So this is technically an open-door book, but do not forget about the modifications in the author's note. I've heard from several readers who did not know that and thought that they could not read the open door Sarah Adams books. So you can. There are modifications provided, so I just wanted to like scream it from the rooftop so you knew Okay, this book, I loved it.
Speaker 1:I loved it. Big surprise, rome Kentucky is one of my favorite book series. Practice Makes Perfect is one of my favorite books of all time. So on the one hand, I was super stoked to read this, but on the other hand, I'm always nervous because you know it's really hard, the standards that we put on an author to try to, you know, match or beat their previous books. That is a lot of pressure. So I was a little bit nervous. But I know Sarah Adams and I like anything that she writes, so I wasn't that worried about it. But I loved this one, absolutely loved it.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm going to talk about the plot for it first, and then I'll get into my reasoning and let you know a little bit more about the book itself. This is all going to be spoiler free. There are no spoilers here. I do not want to ruin this book for you. I want you to have the like unbridled joy that I had reading it.
Speaker 1:So this is the third book in the Rome Kentucky series. When in Rome is first, practice Makes Perfect is second, and then this is Beg, borrow or Steal, and this is Emily Walker's story, and I believe she is the oldest Walker sister. I'm pretty sure, if I'm right, that the birth order is Noah's the oldest, then it's Emily, then it's Madison and then Annie is the youngest and Annie's book was Practice Makes Perfect, and then Noah's book was when in Rome. So this is book three of four in the series. This is Emily's book, and then the next book will be Madison, the last Walker sibling to get a book.
Speaker 1:Okay, so Emily is an elementary school teacher just starting her summer break, only to find out that her arch nemesis, jackson Bennett, is back in town after a failed engagement. Emily tells herself that she's unaffected by his charm, but her limits are tested as the two become neighbors. When he moves in to fix up the house next door, the pettiness between these two reaches a crescendo. And will it dissolve into love or hate? You're going to have to read to find out.
Speaker 1:Okay, let me get to talk about this book a little bit more. So there's so much pettiness, but it's so fun. They are so petty with each other. I wish I could tell you some of the adorably petty things. There was some stuff that I have never even thought of. That I thought was very creative on Sarah's part, and it was really entertaining to read just how petty they were with each other. And it was really entertaining to read just how petty they were with each other.
Speaker 1:That being said, their personalities Emily and Jackson, or Jack as she calls him, is they're very different from the other Walker siblings. Both Jack and Emily are a little bit more abrasive. They're going to tell you how they feel they like Emily is just no nonsense. She is going to bulldoze you a little bit. She is not an Annie at all. So because of that, this book does have more language, um and I mean of the cussing variety and slightly more crude language, uh, than Sarah's other books.
Speaker 1:However, if you read a lot of romance novels, you are most likely not going to notice this. I'm only calling it out for Sarah Adams fans that are just used to maybe like less language and more cheese. This book has a little bit less cheese, a little bit more bite. So I did want to call that out just so that way you know what you're going into. Like I said, if you read just typical romance books, you are not going to notice that at all, like at all. But this is just for those Sarah Adams fans.
Speaker 1:Also, this is her spiciest novel yet. Like it is actually it's spicy for her other books. It's spicy compared to her other books. Again, if you're just reading like regular romance novels, you probably aren't going to think it's spicier. I would say it's maybe just a touch more than like an Emily Henry level, maybe kind of more on par with like Abby Jimenez. It's not quite Ali Hazelwood level, um. So probably I would say more on par with like Abby Jimenez, but just a smidge more than Emily Henry. Um, so not not super spicy in the scheme of things, uh, but if you're used to reading Sarah Adams books then you will be like Whoa, sarah, this this is a little bit spicier than your norm.
Speaker 1:So just calling that out, calling that out again because I felt like I mean of course I was reading it for review, which I need to go back and read it like for fun now, but because I was reading it for review. It's just a totally different experience and so I felt as if I were, you know, like I was paying attention to all of those things and a couple times just the slight deviations from Sarah's normal style took me out of it for a second. But that's because I was trying to really read it so closely. So I'm just telling you about those deviations so you know what you're going into. But you can still enjoy the book because it is so funny, it is so incredible. I loved it. I mean, practice Makes Perfect is still my favorite because it's just practice makes perfect, but this has fought its way to second place.
Speaker 1:I think Beg, borrow or Steal is a fantastic novel. I think a wide variety of audiences are going to love it. It was a favorite of the month and I just really enjoyed the book. The banter between Jack and Emily is just fantastic and it's swoony, it's funny, it's interesting, the plot is going, but also there's a lot of emotional depth and these characters really do get to know each other a little bit more.
Speaker 1:Last thing I'll say about like. Compared to Sarah's normal, um, there is something that she I'm trying, not like I'm not spoiling this for you, so I'm trying to give you a hint without giving you a hint, if that makes sense. So, okay, there's something that Sarah is pretty famous for not doing, that this book has something adjacent that might seem as if she is breaking her own rules, because it feels a lot like this thing. You could probably argue that like no, it wasn't really because they weren't this and you know, but it had it feels. It feels like that and I honestly, I had to put the book down for a second and I had to take a breather and I had to come back to it. Um, again, it was such a good book. I really enjoyed it all the way through, um, but I did want to preface that like.
Speaker 1:This feels to me like a deviation from her style. Uh, you definitely feel like you're still in Rome, kentucky, don't worry about that. And there are a lot of cameos from previous characters. There's more of Will and Annie, because they're actively kind of hanging around Emily the whole time. Well, and Jack, there's one hilarious like grocery store scene with I think it's Mabel I'm pretty sure it's Mabel and Phil the hardware store owner, if I believe, and Jack and Will Griffin and it's really funny. But there's a lot more Annie and Will, but there's also some Amelia and Noah, so they are also, they make cameos in this book and both of them make cameos, like several times and they interact with the other characters and stuff. So you don't have to worry about that. There are even phone calls and stuff with Madison. Madison is off in New York. I'm pretty sure she's off in New York at culinary school. So, matt, even though Madison's out of the picture, like, there are still some calls and stuff with Madison as well.
Speaker 1:And this book is also going to set up you. You are going to know there were subtle hints and practice makes perfect, um. But you are definitely going to know by the end of this book who Madison is going to be with for the next one and who the MMC is. You're going to know who he is and I knew it as soon as Practice Makes Perfect happened. I didn't know if he was going to be with Emily or Madison, but now I know that he's going to be with Madison. So that is also a thing that you're going to know by the end of this book.
Speaker 1:Like I said, it has Rome, kentucky, it has the cameos. If you have not read any of the other books in the series, you could open this up and it is a total interconnected standalone. You will not miss anything, you will just be along for the ride. I still think you would enjoy it just as much. Everything's explained really well, so nothing to worry about there.
Speaker 1:But ultimately I loved this book. It was a slight deviation from Sarah's normal style. It's just like Sarah Adams turned up like two or three notches from her normal style. So just know that, going in, I loved it. I just I had so much fun reading it and it's just so nice when you can get a true escape and just have all the fun. And I had all the fun reading this book. I can't wait to reread it and I'm definitely going to be getting a physical copy. That is, beg, borrow or Steal Would highly recommend it. It comes out January 7th. I loved it, so thank you to Dell for providing me an early copy.
Speaker 1:Oh, and I just realized, right as I was about to close it, dang it. I realized I forgot to tell you that both Emily and Jack are authors. She, nope, I can't even tell. Tell you, I don't even want to tell you what kind of authors they are. But they're actually both writers and so there are a lot of fun things that happen between them and their separate publishing journeys, which both look really different. But anyway they are both authors. So there there's a very strong bookish element in there, and they learn that about each other later on. So there you go, that's it.
Speaker 1:Okay, now onto my next book. This is the Art of Catching Feelings. Apparently, I just wanted to hit you with some romance at first, but I promise I will get to other books later. Hit you with some romance at first, but I promise I will get to other books later. Okay, the Art of Catching Feelings. It is romance. It is an open door novel.
Speaker 1:Spice level like it was kind of spicy, but it wasn't anything crazy. I don't know. I still feel like it's kind of on, like just standard. You know, ellie Hazelwood level like maybe a, I don't know. I feel like this one might be a little bit less, maybe like a two and a half. I would say maybe a two and a half out of five on the spice scale. I think, like it wasn't crazy, but it wasn't. It wasn't not spicy. Um, it was definitely open door. So on this one I can't decide. I'm really in between liked it and loved it, and I can't. I'm kind of on the fence. I'm like almost to loved it, but maybe not quite Like. I feel like liked it is not strong, liked it is not strong enough, and then loved it as maybe a little bit too strong for just a couple of the issues I found in there. I don't, I don't know, it's hard to describe, so I'm going to talk about the plot first and then I'll get into it.
Speaker 1:Daphne signs her divorce papers and, in a final act of self-defiance, she takes her best friend to the baseball game that her ex-husband wanted to go to. She knows absolutely nothing about baseball but gets caught up in the atmosphere and ends up heckling a player, making him cry as he steps up to bat. As she sobers up, the guilt really kicks in and she sends him a DM to apologize. But through a series of missteps, she forgets to say who she is and ends up forming an online relationship with him. When she fills in as a sideline reporter for the team, will her professional and digital life collide, as she's forced to see third baseman Chris Kepler, the very same player she brought to tears.
Speaker 1:Okay. So this book, it is told in I feel like I'm going to butcher this pronunciation omniscient. I think that's right. It's told in omniscient, third person. I didn't think that I was a person that really cared what what it was written in, whether it was first person or third person or anything, but for some reason this it took me out of it just a few times, and maybe that's because I'm just so used to reading first person romance novels. At this point it was not bad. Just a couple times it took me out of it a little bit, being third person. So I just wanted to throw that out there, that this book is written in third person, in case that bugs you. But I would say that Alicia Thompson she did I not even say that she was the author.
Speaker 1:The Art of Catching Feelings is by Alicia Thompson. This was my first book that I've read of her. She is so incredibly talented and I feel like she took okay, I'll tell you in a second, but anyway, I feel like she's just very talented and if anyone can write in third person I think it's her. But I just wanted to point out that it was written in that because it just took me out of it like a couple times, just a hair, okay. So here's where her writing skill really comes in.
Speaker 1:So the entire book centers around miscommunicate the miscommunication trope, which is literally probably one of my least favorite tropes in all of existence. Um, however, like I said, leave it it to Alicia to change my mind a little bit. If Jessica Joyce could change my mind on Second Chance Romance and the X-Files, then Alicia Thompson slightly changed my mind on Miscommunication. Overall, this book is funny, it's quirky, it's heartfelt and it's really filled with a lot more depth than you would think could just happen from heckling a guy at a baseball game and falling in love with him over dm. So it's. It sounds more superficial than it is. There's a lot of depth behind the story. Uh, overall I just had some small issues with kind of how the characters reacted when the miscommunication hit. That gave me a little bit of pause because again, the entire thing really centers around this miscommunication.
Speaker 1:But the reading experience overall was great and I would still recommend the book. Like I really enjoyed my time reading the book. I was so excited to get back to it and I was constantly flipping pages, but I did want to point out just those things on the miscommunication and the third person. So you knew them so you could decide if this book was for you. But honestly, I just I really enjoyed the reading experience and I feel like, overall, if an author can change my mind on a trope that I normally don't like and I enjoy the book throughout, then I would still say that it's a really strong read and I would recommend definitely adding it to your TBR. And personally, I will be reading more Alicia Thompson in the future and I think that she is extremely talented. So I really enjoyed this book overall. I just had those few little kind of nitpicky things that I don't know like they bugged me enough to where I felt like I couldn't let go of them to an extent. But then also I had such a good reading experience that I didn't want to negate that for those small little nitpicky things. But the miscommunication stuff was ultimately kind of what bugged me about it. But I just really liked the book. So I would still say read the Art of Catching Feelings, add it to your TBR, but just know that it all centers around this communication.
Speaker 1:Okay, next up we have the Pumpkin Spice Cafe. This is romance and it is open door and I don't even know how to describe the spice. Honestly, I don't remember it that much. I may have blocked it out a little bit. Okay, this one was not for me. This is by Laurie Gilmore, and this book was just not for me personally. I originally thought, though, that based on the cover and the blurb, I thought it was a cozy mystery, so that could have some bearing on it. I did not realize that it was a romance novel going in. I thought I was going to be reading a cozy mystery.
Speaker 1:So here is the plot, and then I'll get into a little bit why it was not my favorite. So Jeannie moves to a town as an outsider to take over the Pumpkin Spice Cafe while her aunt is gallivanting around the country. It and she ultimately just needed to get away. So this kind of came at the perfect time. She meets plaid shirt wearing local logan and is instantly infatuated but tells herself not to get involved. Logan was publicly humiliated when he proposed to his city slicker girlfriend, only for her to turn him down in front of the entire town and leave, thus shattering his heart. He is determined not to fall in love with out-of-towners again until he meets Jeannie.
Speaker 1:There is a little bit of mystery in the air as the book goes on as well, and that is my little mini plot synopsis on the book. So, okay, the mystery solves itself halfway through and it starts out with just like a kiss and it's super sweet and it's a slow burn, and I'm thinking this is a cozy mystery where you know, normally in a traditional true cozy mystery there is a very slow burn romance that happens throughout the series. So they may or may not even kiss in the first book and in this book they kissed and I was like, oh, that's on par with cozy mystery. Then somehow we go into pure spice in the blink of an eye. In the blink of an eye.
Speaker 1:And I think my main frustration was just how did we get here? That's what I kept asking myself was well, how, how did we get here? That's what I kept asking myself was well, how did we get here? For me, the pacing started out really like cozy and slow and there was a lot of atmosphere going and I was enjoying myself. And then, randomly, it just kind of got really fast towards the middle of the end of the book, with almost no buildup, and it felt like everything just kind of like the pacing was too fast and it tumbled a little bit. So I liked the first half, but it fell apart for me in the back half of the book.
Speaker 1:I have heard, though, that the second book the Cinnamon Bun Store, I think, or something like that Cinnamon Roll Bun, cinnamon Bun Roll Store I don't know, I'm just messing it up now Cinnamon Bun Store, cinnamon, I don't know, I'm just trying to think too hard. Anyway, that one, the second book in this series. I've heard that it's a lot better, but, honestly, I just don't really have a desire to finish this series after reading the first one. So this is supposed to be based on Gilmore Girls. This is supposed to be based on Gilmore Girls, and I honestly I wouldn't know if that is correct or not, because I've never watched the series all the way through. Yes, I know, For me they just talk too fast and it kind of stresses me out. Now that I listened to audiobooks on 1.75 times speed, I think I may have actually trained myself a little bit. So maybe if I watched it back now, I would understand and I would really like it. But at that point it, you know, it just stressed me out. So that was kind of how I felt about it before. So ultimately I would say that if you want cozy, a cozy fall book, it may be worth a try, and I would read more books from this author later down the line. It's just, this series was not ultimately for me, but I would definitely read more books from this author. I think it's just the series and the characters a little bit. Maybe that is my thing for it. It makes it not quite for me.
Speaker 1:I am hitting you with a thriller. It was probably you were thinking I thought you said that there were going to be thrillers. I thought you said that there was going to be thriller horror. I thought you said that there was going to be fantasy, and then I proceeded to talk all about romance. Well, I saved them for later. So I'm talking about In my Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead. This is a thriller. I liked it. I liked it a lot.
Speaker 1:It was sold to me, though, as dark academia, and it's just. It's not that I don't feel that it qualifies as dark academia. Dark academia, I can never remember which one it is, anyway, so I'm probably going to say it wrong, sorry. I expect that the school really needs to be like another character if I'm going to be reading and classifying something as dark academia and I need some very strong imagery. So, for example, like I can tell you off the top of my head, I probably read the book like two years ago, but I can tell you without a doubt that the it Girl by Ruth Ware, which is another thriller, all centered around Oxford, and that is what I would truly consider dark academia.
Speaker 1:Also a fantasy rec. Ninth House is Yale. Ninth House is Yale. There's like a dark, secret, occult society in Yale that deals with different you know, I don't know ghost creatures. I can't remember what they call them. They have a specific name for them and so, yeah, that's those, those I can instantly tell you what university it is. They really cast a lot of imagery, but for some reason, I cannot for the life of me remember what school this takes place at, like I just I don't remember.
Speaker 1:Um, it is overall, it's dual timeline and it's basically this group of college friends at their college reunion. Here's my plot synopsis. So it's this group of college friends at their college reunion. Here's my plot synopsis. So it's this group of college friends at their college reunion. However, one of them has been accused of murdering their friend who was killed on campus when they were still in school. Everyone has secrets that are uncovered throughout the story and all of the dirty laundry is aired.
Speaker 1:This book is very dramatic, like if you want real housewives level drama, then this book is for you. That I know. That was like the world's shortest plot synopsis, but I can't like everything else I would give you as a spoiler. So that's kind of all I can tell you. But it is very dramatic book which some will see as a pro and some will see as a con. I've heard people say like I really like dramatic thrillers and I've heard some that are like I don't like dramatic thrillers, like kind of Real Housewives style drama. So it's a selling point for some, it's a con for others. I'm just pointing it out so you can decide. Either way.
Speaker 1:I listened to the audio book of this and it kept me decently entertained throughout, which I honestly can't necessarily say for that many thrillers this year. So I did enjoy the overall reading experience of this and I constantly wanted to know what happened next and I wanted to keep playing it to see what happened. The beginning was a little bit slow, but it really started to capture me pretty quickly and the ending okay. So the ending was slightly underwhelming and some of the plot twists were a little bit easy to guess in my opinion. But I do really want to try more of Ashley Winstead's books in the future because, like I said, overall I enjoyed the reading experience. This was a thriller that I found intriguing, which, like I said, I've kind of been in a thriller slump for pretty much the entire year. So for me to find a thriller intriguing is awesome because I love thrillers and I do want to read more of Ashley's in the future. For some reason, midnight is the Darkest Hour is the one is the book of hers is kind of calling to me. Next, but all the audiobooks are available to me through my library on Hoopla, so I can continue to try them out and I would say definitely check your Hoopla and your library for them. I think the audio book was well done and it kept me entertained. So overall I thought that this was a really solid thriller. I liked it and I enjoyed the reading experience. Wasn't my absolute favorite? No, I had heard of just a lot of hype behind this one and I had heard that it was at Dark Academia. So on those ends I was maybe a little bit disappointed, but overall I thought that this was a really solid, good book, like I enjoyed it. So I would recommend it to the right person for sure.
Speaker 1:Next I'm going to go into a fantasy before I circle back to thriller, slash, horror. So fantasy this is Shatter Me by Tahara Mafi, and this is young adult fantasy. Tahara Mafi and this is young adult fantasy. So for this particular book book one Shatter Me I would say it goes in the like dick category, but the series as a whole, the series as a whole, falls in the love dick category. So the great thing about YA fantasy is that there's not a lot of intense spice. I'm looking at you, quicksilver, so I appreciate the focus on the plot and even though a love triangle is the center of this particular book, it will get resolved eventually. So it's not going to be overly frustrating, which is very much appreciated. This is not going to be like a Twilight situation of will they, won't they, the entire time. Almost Well, I mean I guess not the entire time in Twilight. You know what I mean. I feel like this love triangle gets resolved more quickly and it's not as frustrating as the whole like Jacob Edward thing was in Twilight.
Speaker 1:I don't know why I'm comparing it to Twilight in any way, shape or form. I have not read those books since literally high school and I really just read them because everyone else was reading them and I did like them at the time. I just I have almost no recollection. No recollection, really. Basic plot points is all I remember at this point. But I I don't, I can't, I can't like give you anything interesting on Twilight now, because I just don't remember it enough, to be honest, um at all, and I don't at this moment really have a desire to reread it. So this is not me hating on Twilight, but this is not me saying I loved it, because I just don't. I remember really liking it, but I just can't, I can't remember and I don't want to reread it. So back to Shatter Me, okay. So here is my little plot synopsis and then I'll talk a little bit more about kind of the book, the series, all that jazz.
Speaker 1:So Juliet has powers that she doesn't know how to control and no one has really taught her how to wield, and because of this she accidentally commits a very serious crime when the book begins. She's been in solitary confinement for about a year and to keep herself sane. She writes in this journal day and night. All of a sudden she gets a cellmate, which sets off this chain of events that lead her to her captor, who has a task for her. Unsure of who to trust, not having a grasp on the state of the world that has crumbled around her as she's been in solitary confinement and trying to figure out really just the two male main characters' true intentions sends her into a tailspin. Will she find out her true purpose and are her powers more useful than she once thought? Will the cause of her pain be the catalyst to her power? Breathe to find out. And yes, like all of my plot synopses, I did write that. So I did write. Will the cause of her pain be the catalyst to her power? You're welcome. Maybe the catalyst to unlocking her true power actually might be better. Yep, I'll go with that Anyway.
Speaker 1:So this book, okay, the the journal entries at first they were just a little bit weird, cause again, you're kind of like you're in the mind of someone who is not mentally all the way there, I mean who would be after being in solitary confinement for basically a year. I mean they say I'm in solitary confinement for basically a year. I mean they say I'm pretty sure from all the like true crime books and stuff, I've read that like if you spend 24 hours or more, like I think it's even more than like 24 or 48 hours in solitary confinement, that you're going to have like brain damage, like brain damage or something that's going to happen. So anyway, this is a really intense scenario for her to have been locked up like this for a year. So you are inside her brain and a large majority, if not the entire thing from what I can remember of Shatter Me, is in Juliet's point of view. However, later on in future books you get different points of view and I would say so.
Speaker 1:There are six books in the series, six full length books, but then there is a novella for like one and a half, two and a half, three and a half, four and a half, five and a half and six and a half. So there are a total of 12 items in the series, but six are full books and six are novellas. But with the novellas they each have a different character's point of view and I feel like it really enriches the reading experience to be able to read them all at once. This is a series that is going to have absolutely positively insane cliffhangers like I have never read before, not even Lauren Roberts. I feel like this is more intense than a Lauren Roberts cliffhanger. The cliffhangers are just insane.
Speaker 1:I guess made the mistake. Well, I was really on a book ban and A I decided to just kind of start the series on a whim, which was very stupid, because I know myself, when I read a fantasy series this is why I shy away from them a little bit when I read a fantasy series I go all out and I cannot do anything but consume the entire series almost all at one time. So I cannot start a fantasy series if I know that I am like not going to be able to read the next book because I have other books I have to read. And I made the mistake of just going yeah, yeah, I'll just start the series. I didn't really commit. I got one from the library left me on an insane cliffhanger. I got almost every book from the library and the novellas from the library, so I had to constantly like wait multiple days and then try to read the novellas really quick and then read them in the middle of reading the big books. So I would not recommend that. Um, I'm not saying you can't get them from your library, but I would like check out books, maybe like one to two or one to three from the library if you're gonna, if you're gonna start the series. Like, be ready to start the series because it is going to grip you.
Speaker 1:It's like the first book was pretty weird again, just because Juliet's a little bit unhinged and you're kind of only getting her very skewed, very narrow-minded, because she doesn't actually really know what's going on with the world's point of view. But in later books you're going to get other points of view and everything kind of starts to zoom out. Like it's very focused on Juliet in the beginning but then you zoom out and you get a lot of other perspectives and you learn a lot about the other characters and the banter between the characters is just fantastic. It is fantastic and there's so many funny and good moments. Even though it is a very intense and borderline like this is kind of depressing. It is very dystopian. It is a very dystopian YA fantasy series. So it is not going to be the happiest, but there are a lot of little happy, joyful moments that happen within the really intense, painful, action-packed scenes. So there's a lot of depth in this book and all of these books. They are so incredibly well written. You will fly, fly through them.
Speaker 1:I personally think that books three through six were my favorite. I thought book one was kind of weird but I gave it a chance because my friend told me to read it. Shout out to Michaela at Max Library on Instagram, I'll link it below. She was the one that just really said hold on, hold out through the first book and I said, okay, michaela, I'll try it. And then by book two, I was still kind of a little bit on the fence. But book three I was, I was fully into it, didn't care if it was weird, I really was into the series and, uh, the love triangles between Juliet Adam and Aaron, adam Kent and Aaron Warner.
Speaker 1:And with Warner, like, if we are considering morally gray male main characters, kind of on a tint scale of gray, a hue, if you will, a little bit of a tint on there I would say that, like Kai Azur from Powerless is more of he's a light gray, that like Kai Azur from Powerless is more of he's a light gray, and then I would say that Aaron Warner is. He's more of like a mid, medium toned gray, um, and I would classify so. You know, kai didn't want to be in the enforcer life and he was, whereas Aaron, like, didn't also want to be. I am blanking utterly and completely on what position in his army he is. Is Warner a commander? I don't know, I can't remember, I'm blanking. But anyway, warner did not necessarily want to be in his position and he didn't want to have the kind of life he did. But in a way I think I think he enjoys a little bit too much. I think he's a little bit stab, happy. So he's a little bit more gray, morally gray, than a little bit. He's more morally gray than Kai Azor is. Um, so just be be prepared for Aaron Warner, cause he's about to be morally gray. Uh, just know that that's coming along.
Speaker 1:And With this one, while of course, the romance is a big central plot point in Shatter Me, I feel like there are a lot of other things going on as well and there are a lot of things happening and there's a lot of action and there's a lot of development between the other characters. So while it is romance heavy, I don't feel like it's totally just all about the romance. Like there are a lot of other B plots going on that add a lot of texture to the story. So Shatter Me was a win as a series.
Speaker 1:If you read the first two books and you're not sure, keep, keep going and also don't forget about those novellas. They add a lot, like a lot, a lot. So I would definitely recommend, if you're going to read the series, read the novellas. I'm not telling you to like buy an entire series, because a box set like that with all the novellas I think it's probably like 60 to a hundred bucks. So I am not saying do that, but if you're going to get it from the library, maybe just go ahead and like get the first couple books and novellas. So that way maybe you have like book one, book two and then the novella one and a half and two and a half like have those. Have those ready to go from the library. If you're before you're going to start it, because you're going to get really sucked in and it's going to be physically painful to not know what happens. So that is shatter me.
Speaker 1:Like said, liked the first book, loved the series. It is gold, it's absolute gold and I very much enjoyed my reading experience. I don't even know how I would compare it to Powerless, like I really enjoyed reading Powerless, but I don't know. There's something about Shatter Me that was maybe just, I don't know like a little bit more texture, depth, weaving, craft to it. You know what I mean. But I still really did like Powerless and I enjoyed reading it.
Speaker 1:But again, I don't tend to read a lot of fantasy. So this is my perspective, coming as someone who does not read a lot of fantasy and who mainly reads YA over adults most of the time. I'm not saying that can't change. I'm about to read Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, so, and that's an epic fantasy with, I've been told, a very small subplot of romance. So it's way less like romance to see why a dystopian heavy. So I can't wait to see how I get on with that and then I'll have more of kind of a frame of reference, I feel like, for general fantasy, just the more that I read. And I'm reading Quicksilver, which is my first adult romance to see, and that that's a ride that I will tell you about that one, um at a later date, but anyway. So I am reading more fantasy overall and I'm starting to kind of get the hang of it a little bit, I guess.
Speaker 1:Um, I don't know, romance and thrillers are just kind of my, my cozy at home genres. I'm not saying that thrillers are cozy, but you know what I mean. Like they are just kind of my cozy at home genres. I'm not saying that thrillers are cozy, but you know what I mean. Like they are just my preferences, that I feel comfortable and have read a bunch of. But on the train of Tahereh Mafi and her books.
Speaker 1:So there is going to be a spinoff series that is happening and, okay, there is a spinoff series that is coming, uh, with James. I think James is kind of the center focus and it's like a spinoff series of the younger generation. Um, for, for this series, the, the spinoff series, centers all around James, who is Adam's younger brother and kind of like the younger generation. And Juliet has a daughter, I believe I have heard. I don't want to tell you who with, because then that would totally spoil the love triangle for you before you even start it. So I'm not trying to do that to you, but it comes out in April, I believe, and at first I was a little bit like, okay, no, I'm so tired Because I know that I'm going to get hooked into this spinoff series and then I'm just going to be back into another fantasy series because I'm not going to be able to let this one go. And it sounds fantastic. But I'm also like, why so many books, so little time? So we'll see how this goes, but anyway, I'm very excited for it. But I'm also a little bit nervous to get hooked into yet another series by this author because she is just so talented that I know I'm gonna get hooked again.
Speaker 1:Okay, enough fantasy talk. For today we are going into horror slash thriller. So, to preface it, when I started this book, I thought it was going to be a thriller and then I found out that it was actually horror slash thriller. So, to preface it, when I started this book, I thought it was going to be a thriller and then I found out that it was actually horror slash thriller. And Goodreads like on the Goodreads reviews or Goodreads nominations for the book of the year, it's nominated as one of the picks and it's in the horror category. So this may lead a little bit more horror.
Speaker 1:I am a chicken, I am a scary cat and I can still read this book, of course, could I only read it in the daylight. Yes, yes, couldn't read it after about 3 or 4 pm because I don't know something about that just kind of freaked me out. So I did have to read it in the mornings. I listened to the audiobook and there are a lot of really cool sound effects. So, yeah, let me get into the plot synopsis and then I'll talk about it.
Speaker 1:This is we used to live here, by marcus queller, and I believe that this is his debut novel. So eve and charlie renovate houses and they live in them. While they do, they move into this old house with a lot of, shall we say, history, history. Eve is by herself when this family comes to the door and they basically ask for a tour because they used to live in the house. The dad used to live in the house as a boy and he wanted to see, like just wanted a tour. So he said you know, we used to live here and asked if he could have a tour. And Eve is a really big people pleaser and she has a hard time saying no and she's not really sure, like she doesn't get a good feeling about them. But she says yes anyway and she lets them into the house and from there the only thing I can tell you is that all chaos ensues, all chaos ensues.
Speaker 1:So this book has been compared to I've heard it like compared to a mashup of Get Out versus Parasite, kind of like a Get Out, parasite mashup of a book, and I cannot confirm or deny that because I have not seen those movies, because I am a chicken, so I cannot actually watch horror movies of any kind. I don't even care if they're like suspenseful horror, I can't watch it. But it has been compared by other people to Get Out and Parasite. So if you enjoyed those movies then you would probably enjoy this book. I loved it. I loved it. I would say that this is on the list of one of the best thrillers, slash horror, that I've read this year. It was just really entertaining for me.
Speaker 1:I was dying to know what was going to happen next on the audiobook and I was just listening with bated breath. This is more like suspenseful and creepy and kind of ominous over like truly scary. I mean there are a couple parts that get real weird and get real like creepy, but again I feel like it's a little bit more creepy, more ominous. It's kind of like so in.
Speaker 1:Okay, so in Middle of the Night by Riley Sager, there's this part and this is not a spoiler for that book either but there's this part where he's looking out his window. I think the main character of that is Ethan, but anyway, he's looking out his window and the like motion sensor porch light goes on and then it goes off, and then the next house, it goes on and then goes off, and this happens for several houses and he doesn't see anything that is setting off the light. But it has that cadence of going on and going off at the next one and he cannot figure out, like why that cadence of going on and going off at the next one? And he cannot figure out, like, why the lights are going on and off. That is a situation that in itself you're like oh, wow, scary, the motion detector lights wouldn't go off. But come on, if that happened to you, would you be? I would not just go back to sleep, I would be freaked out for the rest of the night. Like that is creepy and kind of terrifying and just more realistic because it feels like something that could kind of actually happen. So that's kind of more what this book is. It's like just really creepy.
Speaker 1:It does get into the paranormal. It does get into the paranormal a little bit later in the novel and I will warn you that this ends on a cliffhanger, like a major cliffhanger, and I believe I have heard that there are supposedly other books coming out, um, like in a series, for this, and all I have to say is there better be? Uh, because I was listening to the book and then it was like Simon and Schuster audio. This has been Simon and Schuster audio. Thank you for listening to. We used to live here and I was like wait, what, what, what? They are not leaving it at this point, are they? And they did.
Speaker 1:Um, the ending's gonna make you mad. It's gonna leave on a major cliffhanger. You're gonna, if you want, if you want your mind to go on a journey where you are frustrated and don't know what's happening and can't figure out where this is gonna go and want to know how the characters are going to get themselves out of this. This is definitely the book for you. It's going to pull at your patience. Um, it's going to make you second guess yourself. The more that you think about like, the more that you think about this and the characters and what could actually be happening, the trippier it gets, basically. So so this is a mind bending, kind of like thriller horror.
Speaker 1:It was really good and I enjoyed it, like I enjoyed the ride. This is perfect for kind of this darker, colder season. I think that the atmosphere would be perfect to read this and I will give you one hint that is not a spoiler, if you are listening or reading the book. I didn't catch this the first time and my book club actually read it, and so they pointed this out to me. But pay attention to the Morse code. There is Morse code in this book. Pay attention to what the Morse code is saying. You may want to write it down. There is a special message in the code, so keep that in mind. This book was a wild ride, wild, wild ride, but I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed every minute of it. It was just really unique. Like I said, it is very creepy. I don't feel like you really got that many answers in the end. I feel like you almost kind of have just more questions than answers. So I am really hoping that there is another book to this. It was really interesting. It was really entertaining. I would recommend this book. It is on the list of some of the best thriller horrors I've read this year.
Speaker 1:I keep saying thriller horror because I was expecting it to be a thriller. And then, as I read it, I kind of thought this sounds like horror, like I was expecting it to be a thriller. And then, as I read it, I kind of thought this sounds like horror, like just the way that this is paced or written. I felt like I just got a horror feeling off of it. And so then I looked it up and it said thriller slash horror. So, and Goodreads is classifying it as horror. So I don't know, but I am a chicken and I can handle this book. That being said, there are some very creepy parts, so just know that going in.
Speaker 1:But it's a little bit more accessible to the average person who is kind of scared of these kinds of things. Aka me and my overactive imagination. Um, I cannot watch horror movies. Yeah, I, you know my whole spiel with the butcher and the Wren, uh, by Elena Urquhart and how I read that book. And then I went on the biggest thriller slump ever and could only read romance because I was too scared to pick up another thriller. So I am probably not the target audience for this, but I still really enjoyed it anyway and I would recommend this book and it is really good. So audiobook, physical book still liked it either way. I really enjoyed the audio, so I would have to recommend the audio. And that is all for today on this reading recap.
Speaker 1:Stay tuned for more reading recaps in the future. I will always tell you what books I'm reading. We have a Christmas reading recap coming up and we have a sports romance reading recap coming up, both closed door and open door, so be on the lookout for those. Eventually, I have been reading some really interesting books, so I'm very excited to bring you some of these roundups. It'll be me kind of talking about a lot of books.
Speaker 1:Of course, as always, I have a bunch of author interviews coming up.
Speaker 1:A lot of the authors that I've been talking to lately have kind of given me really big sneak peeks into what their next books are going to be and all that kind of stuff and the way that they've answered the questions. They kind of they kind of give a lot away. So keep on your toes for that. Make sure that you really listen to the next couple author interviews if you are interested to see what they have in store for the series, and thank you, as always, for listening. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review, and also you can send us a text message and text me with any books you want me to read, anything you want me to talk about. If you have a specific genre that you would like me to read more of, or any recommendations, or you want recommendations, you can literally click on the show notes, send us a text message and ask me any of those questions and I will respond to you. That's it for today on where I left off a bookish podcast.