Where I Left Off

Reading Recap 6 - B.K. Borison, Mazey Eddings, Ruth Ware, and More!

• Kristen Bahls • Season 2 • Episode 54

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Read my book, A Flair for Trouble (Available on KU). 

Books mentioned in this episode:

  • Well Actually by Mazey Eddings
  • Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
  • The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
  • The Woman in Suite 11 by Ruth Ware
  • Sunday Supper by K. Sinko
  • The Trouble With Love and Coaches by Harriet Ashford
  • Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi
  • Crave by Tracy Wolff
  • The Infinite Infinite by M.K. Williams
  • Fearless by Lauren Roberts
  • Darkness Loves Company by Sarah Blair
  • Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

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.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome back. I'm Kristen Balls, and you're listening to Where I Left Off, a Bookish Podcast. And today I am bringing you something slightly different. So technically, this is a reading recap, but let me go into a little bit more of the detail and you'll see why it's a little bit different today. So basically, whenever I was trying to brainstorm what I was gonna do for the next episode, I really had two problems. Number one, I am in the middle of what feels like 50 different books, and I have really not finished a one. Over like since the last reading recap, I have only finished like two books, which is really bad for me. Normally I finish a lot more. Like I said, just in the middle of 50 different ones. Cannot finish one to save my life right now. So there's that. So I couldn't do a full reading recap. Two, I am currently editing the live panel from Inc and Indy, which, if you came here from Ink and Indie and you are following me just for that, trust me, I promise I'm working on it. Uh really, I'm working on it as much as a person with a full-time job and a book and a podcast and a social life and all that other stuff, you know, can. So I am working on that episode. It it will be out soon, but I needed something in the meantime. Also, all of my guests are scheduled later in this month. I I'm really scheduling out to like February, but um all my guests are not not right this moment. So basically, I didn't really have an episode for you today, and like to get in between when I'm posting that Ink and Indie episode. So I wanted to give you something. So this is this is that something. And like I said, I finished about like two books recently, so I'm gonna cover those first, and then I'll go into what I'm currently reading, which is a whole thing in itself. So that is how it is a reading recap, but there isn't that much to recap, so I'm also telling you what I am currently reading as well. Just got back from Inc. not that long ago. Um, and yeah, trying to get everything ready for the next round of um of author events and podcast interviews and all that stuff. And I am trying to work on book two. I am almost done with plotting. I've written a little bit of it and I'm almost done with plotting. I feel so much better this time around. I feel like I really have a plan and I have more of a process, and I feel like I'm really honing said process. So it's just taking me a second because this book does require a little bit more research on some things. So yeah, that's kind of where I'm at. But I am dying to just get into like the real writing portion. Like I have been writing a little bit of it, but I need to write more. Um, but like who has the time? Who has the time for anything? I feel like everyone, like I said, that I taught, I feel like I said this, I don't know, an episode or two ago, but I just feel like everyone is stressed out right now still. And I I agree. So hopefully, hopefully I'll be able to get a handle on everything and get more of a sustainable schedule. I'm getting there. Everything's starting to kind of taper off. It was really crazy in August when the book released, and now it's kind of finally starting to taper off a little bit. So I'm kind of getting back to everything. So in theory, I should be able to finish some books like by the next reading recap. I obviously I'll have to because it's a reading recap, but you know what I mean. Like, I think this season, this fall season, I'm finally gonna maybe be able to start like really finishing some books again and getting back on my normal kind of reading pace, because I have not been on my reading pace in a bit. So, with all that said, I'm gonna go into what I recently read. Uh, starting up first is Well Actually by Maisie Eddings. This is contemporary romance and it is open door. You heard me in the last reading recap episode say that I was in the middle of this and I had a five-star prediction. Shocker, I finished the book and I absolutely loved it. And this is that book, if you don't remember, that I said that I read like the blurb, I think like six months to a year before it came out, and I knew I just had to read it, and I was waiting, I was waiting for this book to come out, so I knew I was going to buy it. And like I said, read it, I was right, it was definitely a five-star worthy book, and it was so good. Anyway, it's about Eva, who is a talk show host, and she has like this kind of chicken shop date style show called Sausage Talk, and she gets drunk and she declares her disdain for her ex, who is now actually notably like a self-growth expert. His name is Riley Cooper, and that's what just like gets her goat about him, is that he's preaching, you know, self-growth and like being a good partner and all this other stuff when she knows how he was in college and she had the total opposite experience. So, in a moment of frustration, she just lets it all out on social media, doesn't have that many followers, and doesn't think it's gonna go anywhere. But then of course, it unexpectedly goes viral, and a bunch of stuff happens, and Riley ends up being a guest on her show, and basically he strikes up a deal for him to be able to like make up his behavior in college and take her on a series of dates and then like record it on his podcast and do like recaps. So that is that is kind of where we're starting out with the book. So is there a second chance available for Eva and Riley? You are gonna have to read to find out. I'm not spoiling anything. Um, I will preface this with because I know that this book has been very popular also on social media, so you know sometimes people love book talk recommendations, some people do not. Um, like I said, I'm not on TikTok, I just will go on Instagram, Bookstagram, uh, more than anything. So it's kind of whatever trickles down from there. But anyway, I will preface this with the fact that Eva, the main character, she could be considered unlikable. And I think if you end up not liking this book, it's probably a lot to do with her because she is very sarcastic, she's very prickly, she's ultimately very guarded. And you find out why there is a reason, a very good reason, uh, that kind of makes sense of why she is the way she is, of course. And basically, like her whole Ice Queen status is not just gonna melt super easily. It's not like one moment she's super sarcastic and borderline, kind of really mean slash rude to Riley, and then she just magically relents and is like, I love you. Like that that's not that's not happening in this book. But I really appreciate how she didn't like immediately change herself for Riley, who's the MMC. Um, I feel like he ultimately accepted her for her, and they both made each other better, and they really developed as characters throughout the book. So I really appreciated how it wasn't just like an easy pairing between them. Their courtship is hard won for sure. And I really appreciate the fact that she just isn't your like standard run-of-the-mill FMC, and it really takes them a while to figure stuff out. And she is just like very crass, very sarcastic, very prickly. And I just really appreciate the fact that with romance novels in general, you can just find anything that you're looking for if you want to read um like a plus size FMC and MMC uh Olivia Dade, Second Chance Romance, but you know, there are also so many other books. You can find, you know, um a very quiet female main character, you can find a super loud one, you can find someone who's crass, you can find someone who's whatever. Like you, there's just all different personalities. There's MM, there's Safic. Like you can find whatever you're looking for. It seems like there's a romance novel for that. And I really appreciate it because especially whenever I read romance novels with female main characters that are outside of my comfort zone or outside of, you know, like I don't necessarily feel like I have a lot of personality traits in common with Eva at all. Um, I feel like it was very interesting to be able to read a book from her perspective and hear her innermost thoughts. And I really appreciate that about romance. That even though I may not be able to like specifically relate to a main character, I can learn a lot about them and honestly kind of learn a little bit about myself by just getting the viewpoints and perspectives of different types of people and different personalities. So anyway, I'm just throwing that out there. I really appreciated that about this book. Um, I thought it was just very fresh, very new, very different, and I loved it. I really loved it. Felt like it was really well done. So I will definitely be reading more Maisie Eddings in the future. I have not checked out her backlist, and now I will. Now I definitely will. Okay. Then up next, the other book that I have read recently. Are we shocked? We are not. It's a romance. Uh, again. So this is Good Spirits by BK Borison. And if you're listening to this at this point, depending on what date it is, you might be going, wait a minute. It's not October 25th. This book is not out yet. You are correct. I did read an arc of this book. It is an interesting, somewhat interesting story of how I got said arc in my hands. So I will like tell you a little bit about it now. Uh, I do also say it kind of in the Ink and Indie episode, so I'm sorry that I'm gonna repeat myself, but I'm gonna give you the longer version here. Okay, so basically, I have a friend that was working at Barnes Noble at the time, and she got access to their ARC shelf, of course, and you know, they want their employees to read the books, to be able to talk about them, sell them, you know, come up with display ideas, like all that jazz. They need them to read the books. So, of course, Barnes and Noble is going to get sent ARC copies from publishers. Again, with an ARC copy, if you didn't know, again, stands for advanced reader copy ARCs or ARCs. I've heard of both ways, but I say ARCs. Uh, with ARCs, of course, you cannot sell them, they are not a final copy of the book. So most bookstores will like put them in a little free library or or send them home with employees, stuff like that, because you can't do anything with them. They're just like free books to be able to read. And a lot of people tend to like put them in little free libraries or pass them on to friends because it's a way to get other people reading that book. And so, like, the printing cost and everything are not going to waste because you're getting that readership and that audience with the hope that they will review it, is the main point of ARCS. So, um, that is how my friend got it at Barnes Noble. The ARC is obviously hers, like it is her book. I mean, yeah, it's like her book to go on her bookshelf, and she was kind enough to let me read said book. So I got to read Good Spirits early, a physical copy too, which is like insane. Uh, because you know that Berkeley is not sending me, sending me copies. They have um denied every single NetGalley request. And not to brag, but on NetGalley, I haven't done NetGalley in a while because I just can't like read ARCs right now with everything else for the podcast, and all of those books are are getting kind of overwhelming, especially if I'm interviewing an author with a series. I obviously have to read all the books in their series. So anyway, I'm very overwhelmed by my TBR and books for future interviews. So I have really kind of like ceased doing ARCs, but with ARCs on NetGalley, because I have the podcast, I am under um a journalist. I get pretty much all access to like any books. I get approved for almost every book that I apply for, even if they are pretty popular books. I, yeah, Tor, yes, they've approved me. Um Avon, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, all those. HarperCollins and Simon and Schuster will both actually also send me um widgets of links that I can read too. So anyway, all that to say, like I can pretty much get any book I request on NetGalley, except for Berkeley. They are like, nope, absolutely not. Every time I try, I have never been accepted for a Berkeley romance. So um, all that being said, there was no way that I was gonna get my hands on an arc unless I was reading um this physical arc this way. So that's how I got it. And well, actually, I just went on that whole rant for Berkeley, but good spirits is not even Berkeley. I think it is Avon, actually. Which yes, it's Avon, and Avon is an imprint of HarperCollins. So I literally went on that whole rant about Berkeley, and it was it was HarperCollins the entire time. Okay, you know what? I'm recording this at night after I've worked a full day, so that's gonna just be my excuse, I guess. Um yeah, sorry for going on that entire tangent only to realize wrong publisher genius. Berkeley is the publisher for BK's Lovelight Farm series, and wait, I'm pretty sure first time caller is too. Hold on, now I'm checking. Now I'm checking my bookshelf. Yes, yes, first time caller is also Berkeley. I was gonna say, am I wrong? No, I'm not. Oh man. My assumption is because this book is a paranormal romance, is why it's with a different publisher versus just uh like regular contemporary romance. So, anyway, this is Good Spirits by BK Borison. Longest preamble you ever heard, apparently. Uh, this is open door, spice scale. Hmm. Uh, it wasn't that bad. I'm trying to think of an author that uh if you've read honestly, if you've read the Love Light Farm series by BK Borison, you're fine. You're fine. I feel like I I feel like the spice was maybe a little bit more in depth in the Lovelight Farm series than it is here. And I feel, yeah. I think, from what I remember, um, I need to finish the series. I'm not totally done with Love Light Farms, but I've read about half of it. But anyway, uh yeah, I would say that it is pretty on par with those. Um First Time Caller. I think, yeah, I think it's kind of all on par with her other books. So unfortunately, I am comping her spice to her. Normally I I comp it to other authors, but none are really ringing a bell. Maybe kind of closer to Alexa Martin. Okay, maybe not quite iffy. Like maybe just under Alexa Martin. I would say. Now that I'm thinking about it. Yeah, I think that's what I'm gonna go with. I think that's my final decision. Sorry, it's hard to compare. Um, it's hard to compare that. So anyway, yeah, it wasn't that bad. It really was not not that intense at all. Um, it was definitely more about the story, which I personally appreciate. Uh, if a book is all spice, I am not reading that. I'm going to DNF it. Uh, that is not why I'm reading the book. So that is not my personal preference. Um, but everyone has their own preference. So use that as a litmus. If you want all spice, then this would not be the book for you. But if you don't really care that much and you're fine with having some spice in there, then this is perfect for you. So, okay, sorry. I then proceeded to go on like a second long preamble, but this book is about Harriet, the main character, and she, okay, so it's, I say it's not really a spin-off, it's kind of more like inspired by a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. So Harriet is drudging through life until Nolan, the MMC, he is also the ghost of Christmas past, crashes into her living room. He's convinced that something in her past needs correcting, and he is ready to find it so he can move on, so he can get her to move on to the ghost of Christmas present, and he can get on to his next assignment like he's been doing for hundreds of years since his death, because he is a ghost. Things don't go as planned, and Nolan struggles to find what is wrong with Harriet. He can't figure out why he has been sent to her. He even goes to his boss, who's like, we don't make mistakes, and he just can't figure out what is actually wrong with Harriet. So, can they solve the mystery of why she is even being visited by the three ghosts? And also reconcile their feelings that are kind of slowly coming about for each other. We'll see if that can all happen before Christmas Eve. You will have to read to find out. I was about to say something that I thought would spoil it, and I'm not gonna say it. But anyway, I did cry a lot while reading this book. I say a lot, maybe like two or three times. It's just Harriet. I feel so bad. Her past is probably gonna make you cry. It's pretty sad. It sounds like this sounds like it's just a fun, fluffy Christmas book, and it is not. It has a lot of depth in there, and that's why I cried was the depth. It just I don't know, it's hard not to empathize with Harriet and her background and how it has affected the trajectory of her life, and you can really see that when they are clearly going in the past. So that is a little bit sad, it's a little bit deeper than maybe you would expect. Um, but of course, there are a lot of funny moments too, so it's not it's not as if it's like the most angsty book ever. It it has a good balance of having that depth, having character development, some emotion in there, but then also being like a fun Christmas book with a very unique premise. I have not heard of anything like that before, FYI. Um, so anyway, I personally I related to Harriet a lot, and I do feel like that helped just kind of create like an extra layer of I loved this book. And um, if you were ever wondering, not that you asked, but if you were ever wondering what my personality is like in real life, I would probably say that I'm like a Harriet in this book, good spirits, mixed with like Annie Walker from Practice Makes Perfect. I have a lot of Annie, and then I would say maybe like a touch of Noelle from You with the View. That would probably sum up my personality, in my opinion. I would have to ask friends and family to see if I'm right. But anyway, I really liked this book. I thought it was fantastic. Um, I thought it was really different, and what a great way to kick off the first Christmas book of the season. So I would recommend Good Spirits by VK Borison, and this book releases October 25th. Now getting into what I am currently reading. So I am unfortunately one of those people who's gonna read a million books at once. I am not really exaggerating when I say a million, a little bit. It feels like that. So have I ever really read this many books at once? No, this is pushing it for me. It is slightly concerning, and I feel like you're going to judge me a little bit, and you're probably gonna be stressed out hearing just how many books I'm in the middle of. But you know what? I'm honest, I'm gonna tell you what I'm actually reading. It's a lot. Hopefully, for all those other people that are in the middle of other things and in the middle of reading slumps, maybe this will make you feel a little bit better. But what keeps happening is I'll start a book knowing that I have a deadline. Like I am talking to this person at this point, or we're talking about this thing, and or I am discussing this book with them. Like, even if they're not the author, maybe I'm just discussing the book with them. So then I'll read most of it, and then I won't totally finish it, and I'll start something else. And then I'll need to talk to them about the book, won't totally finish it, and then I'll just start another one because I'm like, oh no, that deadline's coming up too. Gotta gotta start with that. So that is a big reason why I'm juggling so many, but also uh I just have not had the time to read. It has been Crazy Town, so I think that that also is not helping me as well. So there's several reasons why I'm in the middle of this many books. This is not what I try to do typically. Um, I mean, I do read multiple books at once, but not to this level. So try not to be too scared. Um, I'm sorry now, because this is gonna be a lot. But okay, you know what? I'm a human being. I'm trying my best to read the books that I have before starting something else. We'll see if I can actually do that. So, anyway, one final thing before I get into them. Do not take the fact that I haven't finished these books into account. It's me, it's not the books. It does not mean anything against the books. I am enjoying them. Um, it is not the book's fault. Please do not think that because it has taken me forever to finish a book, that means I don't like it. That is totally not the case. I am just splitting my attention between way too many books. And that is my like trait. I am great at focus. And the fact that I have to split my focus amongst so many books kind of stresses me out at this point. Just know that it has nothing against the books. Um, it's really just all me trying to balance reading and life together. So, going into that. First book I'm reading, this is for book club. I better get on this one because I have book club next week. This is The Woman in Suite Eleven by Ruth Ware. And this book is a continuation of The Woman in Cabin 10, which was actually recently released on Netflix. And this book itself is very near and dear to my heart. Or let me rephrase that. Sorry, The Woman in Cabin 10 is very near and dear to my heart because it's what got me into Ruth Ware. I have read a decent amount of Ruth's backlist, and she's one of my favorite thriller authors, and so I really try to keep up with each new release. Um, and yeah, she she's the best. She is in like auto-by-author territory. So whenever this book, whenever I found out that it was a book for book club, I was like, yes, please, I would love to have an excuse to read this. It's kind of like I keep staring at the newest Riley Sager and thinking, I'm gonna read that one day, and then I have not really been reading thrillers. So that's about how all that's going. Same with Megan Miranda. I'm literally now two behind on her her releases. Stacy Willingham, behind. I all my favorite thriller authors, I am really behind on. But that means that I have a lot of good books I can read. So, I mean, I guess that's always a bonus. But anyway, I'm just saying that I am biased, so I feel like I needed to point that out first. That I know I'm gonna like this book. I'm not very far into it, um, but I will say, mmm, slight spoiler for the woman in Caventin. It's not really a spoiler when you know that there's a second book. Mmm. Okay, I'm just gonna say slight spoiler, and then I'm gonna say this one thing that really isn't a spoiler, and then I'm gonna have like uh what's it called, timestamps in the show notes, so that way if you, you know, really don't want that many spoilers that you could totally figure out from common sense, then I'm just putting that in there just in case, because I personally hate having books spoiled for me, so there you go. Okay. So obviously, the woman in Cabin 10, you know that she's going to survive because she is in book two, the woman in Sweet Eleven, like the the woman lives. Shocker. So that I feel like is kind of self-explanatory based on the titles and the fact that it's a continuation from that. So the point I was just gonna make with that was that I think that it's very interesting because normally in thrillers it's like I upended my entire life, but it was worth it for the truth. Or, you know, I am now in the state of complete and utter turmoil, and then the book's just like, bye, the ends, we'll never know what happened to you. Just, you know, got close to this character for the entire time. Most of it was probably in their perspective, and now I have no idea what happened to you. As soon as the case is closed, the thing happens, they survive whatever near-death experience is gonna happen in a thriller, blah, blah, blah. Book just ends. So, what I like about this is that I get a continuation. I get to see how that happily ever after played out from the first book, how her life turns out, what it's like, and then as she's going into this next book, and it also really sets the stakes for her. Like, I haven't finished it, so I have no idea what's gonna happen in the book or how she's gonna end up at the end, but I feel like it really helps build the stakes of like, okay, now she has this life that she wants to continue living, and she has something to fight for as she's gonna have to figure out this case and have to figure out how to get out of the situation that she's currently in. So I haven't gotten very far in this yet, but I am really liking it because it is classic Ruth Ware. I love her writing style. She does obviously write thrillers, they are very suspenseful, they have a lot of mystery, they have a lot of intrigue. But what I like about her books is that they also have like it's just it's interesting. You feel kind of like you're reading like general fiction sometimes, like you're getting some of her family life and what's going on in her day. And it's not just like boom, boom, boom, something's always happening. It's like there's a real buildup to whatever is about to happen, and you really get to know the characters, and her characters are very, very fleshed out and have a lot of character development over the course of her books. So I really enjoy Ruth Ware's writing style. So I am I'm loving this one. I am loving it. So thank you, Ruth, for giving me a thriller that I can enjoy. Then I already told you I just got back from Inc and Indy not that long ago. Um, when I was there, this book was already on my radar, and I met and talked to K5 not only on the podcast, um, but I got to talk to her at the event, and she is an awesome person. Um, so I would just like to point that out because for me, I love following authors who are really awesome, nice, kind, humble people. That's gonna be the difference that's gonna make me like auto-buy your books no matter what. Like, I will go hunt out and search out a signed copy of your book if I like you. That sounds bad, but like it's something about getting to support someone that you know is a genuinely great person. So uh when I met Lila Sage, like all my author friends, I am just extra stoked to be able to read and enjoy and buy their books. So I would say that K5 definitely falls into that category now. So I ended up getting, okay, so I've read some of her books and I've loved every single one that I've read. Um, and now I switched over to her adult contemporary romance book, and this is a standalone and is not a series. So if you're looking for a good standalone, and a fall standalone, Sunday Supper by Kay Sinko is the way to go. I am about a hundred pages into this, so I obviously am not done with it. Um and I have actually been watching The Bear a little bit. My friend was like, you gotta watch it. So I did, I had previously watched season one before reading the book. So I can confirm that this book is giving me a very similar feeling, but in a more like fallish, kind of romantic way, if that makes sense. Like there's more of a romance um element in this plot, obviously, because it's a contemporary romance novel. But I was absolutely entranced with this book on the plane ride back from Maryland after I got my signed copy in Inc and Indy. I like crushed a hundred pages while on the plane. That's all I did, was I read. So it was great. And I actually had it on my Kindle because when we were uh flying back, it was really early in the morning, so it was still dark. So I literally had it pre-downloaded on my Kindle. Um, so I was switching between my Kindle and the physical book whenever it got lighter. So anyway, Sunday Supper by K Sinko is great. The banter, the banter, it is so good. I am laughing so much. Oh man, the way he talks to her is great. And she she snaps right back at him. I love it, so I cannot wait. I cannot wait to finish this book. It is great, it is really great. I'm very entertained. Okay, speaking of romance books, because you know, I have a couple, I have a couple different genres here, but obviously, of course, I have romance because duh, it's it's me. Um, so like I can't, I can't not have romance books going. Anyway, so The Trouble with Love and Coaches by Harriet Ashford is also the other book I'm reading, and this is open door. Uh, this is book two in the series, so this is an interconnected standalone series. And I actually already had my second copy before I went to Ink and Indie. It's no secret that Harry and I are friends. She is great. She is so supportive. She is such a kind human being. She is hilarious. And I feel like because she has such a fun personality, it really comes across in her writing. Like there's just so much personality characterization, like her prose. It's just the way that she writes. It feels like you're talking to your best friend. So if you want that kind of book, you 100% need to get on Harriet Ashford's books. Start with the Trouble with Love and Ink, and then go to the Trouble with Love and Coaches. She is writing book three, and I believe her series is gonna have a total of four books. I'm pretty sure she's stopping at four for this particular series. So definitely read it, would recommend. But right now I'm in the middle of book two. I'm also about a hundred pages into this. So I um I was reading this on the way down to Maryland on that plane ride, and then I read Sunday Supper on the way back. So I again I'm about a hundred pages in each. Clearly, the flight was the same length. Um, I read about a page a minute, so I am actually pretty consistent on based on time past, I can get pretty much like the same length in a book. Um, so yeah. Anyway, side random fact. But I feel like with Harriet's books, you literally cannot read one of them without laughing and smiling. Like I'm convinced that it's just physically impossible. She is so funny, and her books are so funny. So, also, if you're into running, biking, swimming, or really just anything like Iron Man related in general, because April is trying to compete in an Iron Man, then you are going to absolutely love this book. And April, the FMC, she even works at a triathlon shop. So you're gonna get a lot of like behind the scenes of everything, too. So, again, if those are your passions, then this is really going to appeal to you because she's helping everyone pick the right shoes and get the right gels and all that other kind of stuff. And she really explains like a lot of the training that's going into doing something like an Iron Man. And you get a lot of different like facets of the race from different perspectives of the characters because there's pretty much one of her characters like at every aspect. Some are volunteers, some are competing, some are the MMC is a coach. Gabriel, he's a coach. But yes, so The Trouble with Love and Coaches by Harriet Ashford. I am also reading that. Next up, I am reading Watch Me by Tehara Moffey. So I've been reading this for a while. This is closed door YA Fantasy. This is very, very dystopian. If you have not read the Shatter Me series, all of the books that she writes that I've read so far are very dystopian, um, which is not a bad thing at all. I I love them. I love YA Dystopian Fantasy, but like if you don't like dystopian, then I don't know. You this may not be for you. But I loved Shatter Me. My friend Mac got me into Shatter Me, and I have read all six books plus six corresponding novellas. So, yes, I have read them all. Let me just also say that, um, okay, so this is a spin-off series. The Watch Me is a spin-off series. It's book one in the spin-off, and basically, um, I would say that you don't have to read Shatter Me First, you could start in the spin-off, but if you are ever planning to read the Shatter Me series and you want to eventually get to it, then you need to read Shatter Me First. I am so sorry to tell you that because there are massive spoilers that are even on the blurb for Watch Me. Um, and some of the explanations are like big plot point spoilers um that are in Watch Me. So if you ever wanted to read Shatter Me, you're gonna have to read that one first. But if you don't care and you just want to get into it and you wanted to start with a book in by her, then I would definitely you could start here and you would be fine. Um, as weird as it is, for it being very dystopian, this book is hilarious. And James, the main character, he is Adam's little brother in the Shatter Me series, if you remember, and he is a mixture of the people that raised him, and so he is kind of like a mix of an Adam mixed with a Kinji, because you know that Kinji and him are very close, mixed with a Warner, and it is it is so good. Her writing just gets me every time, it is so well done, and he is hilarious. And I was just laughing, like I was laughing out loud so many times with this book. I had to like close it a couple times for a second to like laugh all the way and then go back into it. And I am almost done with this book. I have 40 pages left, so I'm very close. I won't go into any more because um I do plan on eventually having an episode dedicated to this book. So that might be way, way down the line. So don't get excited yet because yeah, that may be a bit, but um, me and Mac are planning on talking about this book in an episode and covering the whole thing. So because of that, I will not give you any more details on this one specifically. Okay, next up, yeah, I know I'm still reading more books. I have four books left. I know, wait, five. I have five left. I'm reading nine. I think I'm reading nine right now, or eight, eight or nine in that range. It's bad. Okay, I am reading Crave by Tracy Wolf. Um, so so far I am not that far into it. I'm only a couple chapters in, and this is feeling very okay. This is why I fantasy, uh, and this is feeling very like Twilight-esque. And for the record, I have read Twilight, but I would in no way consider myself an expert on the books, on the series, so please do not ask me any questions. It has been so long since I have read Twilight. I cannot remember any actual details. I do not know. I do not know, but just the overall feeling that I get when I read this book, and honestly, the cover is very kind of Twilight adjacent, is what I'm getting so far. But again, haven't gotten that far yet. So later on in the book, I may say that is absolutely not the case. I have no idea, just kind of from like first impressions of the first couple chapters. But basically, her parents die, she's going to a magic boarding school that her uncle is the headmaster at. She doesn't know that it's a magical boarding school. Think she's about to find out, is what I'm pretty sure is happening. Like, I think there are werewolves and vampires at this boarding school. I think these books are huge. This is like a five-book series. Um, it is very entertaining so far, but I have absolutely no idea what's going on because guess what? My main character doesn't know what's going on. So I am in her POV and I am just trying to figure it out along with her and what is going on at this like wild boarding school. So yeah, that's kind of about about where I'm at, is where she's trying to figure everything out. Next up, I am reading The Infinite Infinite by MK Williams. And I also just started this book, so I am not that far in. I have read um Interview with the Van Lifer by her. That's a novella, which is a great book by MK. I, of course, like again, I'm just pointing this out. It's not, I'm gonna enjoy a book regardless. I wouldn't talk about books I don't enjoy, but I also like to say when someone's my author friend, just so that way you know that like I am extra stoked and extra excited to read their book because I know that they're an amazing person and I want to support them. So, anyway, that to say, Harriet author friend. K Sinko, now I would consider an author friend after meeting her and talking to her a bunch at Ink and Indy, um MK Williams author friends. So while I love their writing and I love their books, whether I knew them or not, I like them a little bit extra because they're really great people and their personalities are fantastic. So, anyway, that just pointing that out again. But I just started this. Um, I had already read, like I said, I'd read Van Lifer and I really liked that book as well. So, okay, I feel like this would be a book for you. This is a sci-fi thriller, and I think that you would like it if you liked Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Definitely check out The Infinite Infinite by MK Williams. Just saying. So this has time travel in it. It is the first book in a series. Um, like I just said, it was a sci-fi thriller, and we're starting off with a bang. She basically like wakes up in an alternate reality, and that's about as far as I've gotten. Like, she's trying to figure out what's going on and what is happening, and that is where I'm at. And I am very intrigued. Um, I cannot wait. I cannot wait to get to the rest of this book. And yeah, I have no idea how she's gonna get herself out of this, how she's gonna figure out what's going on. Like, uh mm-mm, I don't read a lot of sci-fi, so the fact that this is like a sci-fi thriller is what made me feel like it was more approachable from like a sci-fi standpoint. So, anyway, I am enjoying reading a book out of my comfort zone that feels really digestible, easy to read, but still like strong world building and stuff, if that makes sense. Like, I don't know, it's it strikes a good balance. It's kind of like I feel like it's kind of like a sci-fi equivalent of Mistborn, where like, yes, Mistborn is epic fantasy that sounds really scary to read, or like, yes, the infinite infinite is a sci-fi thriller, which kind of sounds scary not in my comfort zone. But the way that, you know, the way that they write it makes it really approachable. It's not as if it's like easy or like, you know, super short prose or anything. It's just the way that they do it makes it make sense and makes their world come to life with like minimal, I don't know, like I'm not having to draw a map or try to figure out exactly what's going on. It's really easy to follow. So anyway, just throwing that out there as well. Can't wait to get to the rest of The Infinite Infinite by MK Williams. Next up, I am on the like the last three books now, so there you go. Next up is Fearless by Lauren Roberts. Okay. Okay. This is YA. This is YA fantasy, really YA romanticy. Um, just for the record, I and I'm just telling you all this because I want to let you know my reading preferences. I if yours are different, that's totally fine. But I feel like it helps when you're trying to decide if a book is for you or is not for you when you know, like kind of what my litmus is, basically, and then you can gauge it off of me, whether you're the same or different. So with romanticy, um, I tend to like YA romanticy or YA fantasy better than adult fantasy or adult romanticy because adult fantasy typically has too much world building for me, and I just I don't know, I get bored and lost with that. Um, again, I say typically, that's not always there's some great series like the Play to Prisoner series, that's an adult romanticy one that I really enjoy, you know, but by and large, it's not really my genre. Same with adult romanticy, like I was just saying, it typically, you know, it has a lot of spice in it, and I I don't know. It's just not, I don't know, it's just not my thing. Like I can't, I feel like I've read adult romanticy and I like like the books okay, but I haven't loved a lot of them. Played a prisoner is really kind of my exception, to be honest. Um, but all that being said, this is YA. It is closed door so far. I mean, I haven't finished Fearless, but so far this entire series has been closed door. So if you're looking for a closed door Y romanticy series, Powerless could be for you. I loved Powerless, I love the first book. The second book, Reckless, was like pretty good. I mean, I just enjoyed my time with the characters, so I was happy. But then we're coming up on Fearless. So Fearless is the last book. There is a novella in between Powerful, which, and she's coming out with a new novella, but I haven't read those yet. I have them. I even have signed copies from when I went to the teen book festival, but I just haven't read them yet. So, anywho, I am on the third book, and I need them to get off this pirate ship. I really need them to get off the pirate ship. I am so bored. I'm so bored. And I loved the first book. Like I said, the second book was eh. Third book, I'm just uh and I really just want to finish it at this point. I feel like the reason that I'm finishing it is so I don't get it spoiled for me because I've already seen a few spoilers. And yeah, but basically, I need something to happen that isn't them staring at each other or talking about the ring. Like I I need, I need it to not be one of those two things that has been this entire book so far. And I'm also not a huge fan of love triangles, so that it's just starting to get on my nerves a little bit. And I need to finish this book. I don't know. I think I'm like on page 300. I don't know, somewhere in there. It's a hefty one. Uh I just need to finish it. I think that it'll pick up towards the end, but right now, this whole pirateship thing is like I had to put it down for a second and come back to it, and I just haven't yet. And I there were parts where I'm like, this, this is what I loved about Powerless. So excited to read it. And then there were other times where I'm like, why is this dragging on so much? So I don't know. Could just be me. There's so many metaphors in this book. It just feels like we're saying the same thing over and over again. Um, again, it may just be me. It may be because the first two books were just so like out of the park that this one is just not hitting for me personally. But again, I've heard people say that this is their favorite book in the series. So just because it may not be for me does not mean that it's not for you. And like the series as a whole, I've enjoyed. I literally went to an event for this book. I have it signed by Lauren. My copy is signed by Lauren. Um, we didn't have a signing line for that one, but we met um at Barnes and Noble to hear her talk about it. So, and I literally have character art. I have a Kai sticker. I have a Kai sticker, and uh so I'm not saying that I'm not a fan of this series, but I don't know what it is about this third book, but I just have not gotten into it yet, and I think I'm almost on like page 300. I'll have to look up when the pirate ship thing is. I haven't opened the book in a while, so I don't even know. But yeah, I'm just getting through it a little bit right now. Then I have Darkness Loves Company by Sarah Blair. So Darkness Loves Company is actually the prequel to one of my favorite fantasy books of last year, which is called Darkness Shifting. So you can start with the prequel, you can start with Darkness Shifting, you can read them in the order that you want to. I really enjoyed starting with Darkness Shifting, and I'm enjoying getting like some of the background now from the prequel. So do what you will, but I'm liking it that way. And this is actually a buddy read with Randa, and I will link her account uh in the show notes. She recently changed her name, so I am drawing a blank. I'm doing a buddy read with her. We both have like abandoned it for a couple months because she's so nice and she's like, whenever you want to get back to it, and I just have not gotten back to it yet. So I do definitely plan to, and I got to a really good part. And because Sarah, again, Sarah's one of my author friends, um, she told me, like, oh, this is where it's about to get really good. So I'm very excited. And I I really love Sarah's writing. That's so entertaining. It is so entertaining. I don't know how Sarah does it. She really mixes like references and humor and you know, the like, this is urban fantasy, so she does really take that like urban fantasy elements, but then she also has a little bit of like a side plot of romance. And anyway, she's able to craft so many different things at once, but make it really funny and really interesting. So I'm about 75% done with it, and I cannot wait to continue this book. And uh, oh, so ultimately, okay, so this series, it is three books and a novella, and so Darkness Shifting, like I said, is what I would recommend starting with, but you could start with the prequel, which is what I'm reading right now, Darkness Loves Company. So, anyway, it's got humor, it's got a lot of like detective slash like kind of buddy cop banter because Sydney and her entire crew are trying to, you know, figure out what's going on. They're trying to solve like a paranormal mystery of uh demon koalas in this book. So it is very interesting. So you have that kind of like detective buddy cop thing going on with a lot of humor, and then you have the urban fantasy elements, and then you have found family that is a huge thing in the series, very found family-esque, which is probably one of the reasons I like it. I've noticed that the fantasy books that I do really enjoy have a very strong found family element to them. I feel like that really rounds out the fantasy part for me. And then there is also a side uh side plot, subplot, subplot of romance in this as well. So I love Sarah's books. I think she's a bill I think she's a brilliant author, and I cannot wait to finish this one as well. Just every book has jumped in front of this one. I don't I don't know what my deal is. Same with Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. That is the last book I am reading. So, of course, this is Epic Fantasy. Um, I have annotated this book within an inch of its life. Like I've written all over the margins, I've highlighted, I have extensive notes in the book. I'm about 50 pages into this one. Um, and it was recommended to me as like a must-read by a very enthusiastic Brandon Sanderson fan of my life. So anyway, they were like, you have got to read this, and I said, Okay, and then proceeded to read it for probably have I been reading it for like a year, probably, but I am enjoying it. It's my first epic fantasy, um, and I'm very new to that side of the genre. Have mainly read like YA or Romance C, so I have not read any epic fantasy. Well, no, that is a lie. I did read The Hobbit for class, and I'm pretty sure that that counts because Lord of the Rings counts as epic fantasy, but I have not read anything else that would fall in that category. So this is one of my first in that genre, and Brandon Sanderson's awesome, obviously. I listen to his like lectures and all that other stuff, so I really appreciate him, and getting to read his work is really cool, and I am enjoying it. He definitely has a style that makes it more relatable and it makes it easy to understand what's going on. Um, so basically, this is not really a spoiler because it and if you haven't read it, you will have no idea what I'm talking about. It's so brief. So where I'm at is where Kelsey R has basically gone all like, I'm the captain now, and he's in charge of Vin's like Army of Thieves, and that's where I'm at. So I'm still about like 50 pages in, super duper early. But I am really enjoying the book. I definitely see why everyone loves Brandon Sanderson, well deserved, and I love listening to his lectures. So of course, like of course, I'm gonna like his books. So I just need to keep reading his books, um, and yeah, just reading more of Mistborn. I even have the other two books in the original trilogy, so yeah. I will get to them one day. I will get to all these books one day. I'm hoping to maybe kind of make a push towards the end of the year to like finish up some of the books that I feel like I've just been reading forever, just so that way I can start off with a clean slate at the beginning of the new year. All the books are great, you know that. Um, yeah, I I wouldn't I would not waste my time on books I didn't like. I would just DNF it or give it away or put it in a little free library. So even though I'm slow progress on them, I'm reading all these books because I want to be reading these books. So that was my currently reading. This reading recap was really different. Thank you for sticking with me through almost an hour of me talking about what I'm currently reading. So that that's interesting. But anyway, thank you. That's it for today on where I left off a bookish podcast. Don't forget, you can always leave a review on the podcast platform of your choice. It would be greatly appreciated. Um, and you can always hit the send us a text button if you want to give me more book recs or talk about a specific book. I do love to geek out about books. So thank you for listening, and I'll see you next time.