Summer Reading Bucket List

For today's episode, we're sharing our summer reading bucket lists, filled with exciting new releases like "The Guncle Abroad" by Steven Rowley, envisioning perfect reading spots from beachside getaways to cozy backyard hammocks. With plans for a season filled with adventure, relaxation, and great books, we capture the whimsical spirit of summer through our cherished memories and reading aspirations.

We're sharing our summer goals and vibes, summer TBRs, and new releases we're pre-ordering this summer.

New Releases: 

• The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
• Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
• Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
• The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
• The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
• The Examiner by Janice Hallet

Recent Reads:

• The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
• Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews

Follow us on Instagram @readirectpodcast! 

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:05

Welcome to the ReadRick Podcast. My name is Abigail Hewins.

Speaker 2 0:08

And I'm Emily Rojas. The ReadRick Podcast is a show where we shift the conversation back to books. We discuss themes from some of our favorite books and how those themes relate to our real lived experiences.

Speaker 1 0:20

On today's episode, we are making our summer reading bucket lists.

Speaker 2 0:24

But first, before we get into that, if you love the show, we would love for you to support us in a few really simple ways. First, you can go and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or anywhere else, and let us know that you love the show.

Speaker 1 0:37

And if you really really love the show, we would love for you to share it with a friend. Sharing our show with a friend is by far the best way to help us grow our community of book loving nerds, and we have so much fun doing this. I know that you guys hopefully have fun listening to it, so why not share it with a friend? Yeah, we do have a lot of fun doing this. Yeah, sometimes I forget people listen.

Speaker 1 0:57

It's like I know it's just like a fun little hot it's just fun anyways um can I be like a total girl for a second and just say that I realized, doing intro to this um podcast uh-huh, that this is the last time on the podcast that I'm gonna be like. Welcome to read our podcast. My name is abigail hewitts, because I'm getting married. We record the next episode that actually brought and I have, and I have decided to change my last name. I was gonna say I'm glad you.

Speaker 2 1:28

Well, yeah, you decided no more. I have a waiver no, totally neutral.

Speaker 1 1:35

I, um you know, I've been, I've been engaged for 18 months, yeah, and in the course of that time.

Speaker 1 1:47

It's like wedding corner If you don't want to hear about weddings fast forward. But you know you had a long engagement by necessity due to COVID, sadly, and you didn't plan to originally. But I loved the feedback that you gave me of like it was actually fun having a long engagement, like, yeah, it made things feel less rushed, you get to have more experiences, yeah, you get to have more things out, and like it just feels like things have been less compressed.

Speaker 2 2:17

Yeah, and like I'm not stressed right now you can enjoy each individual thing I feel like and like. Enjoy each individual thing I feel like and like, plan each individual thing. And I kind of did it both. I planned a wedding in a really short time that got canceled and then had a longer engagement and I feel like, yeah, the second plan of wedding was more fun because you you can just take one thing at a time instead of feeling like I have to do everything you know at once.

Speaker 1 2:41

So, yeah, I'm like I'm getting, I'm getting married in 15 days.

Speaker 1 2:44

I'm not stressed about it, so like I'm not feeling and I think it's partially due to having a long engagement yeah but, um, also, with the long engagement, it's giving me a lot of time to really ponder if I want to change my name or not, and I put a lot of thought into it, um, and ultimately I've decided to do it and I think I'm feeling good about the decision because I've given it so much thought and I'm not like making I think the tough thing was like making the decision really only based on what you think that you should do Whether you feel like you should change your name, like you have to, or you feel like you shouldn't, because it's like the wrong thing to do as a woman, right? Um, and so, instead of making a choice like that, I just made a choice for me.

Speaker 1 3:28

And so I think, that's what I'm going to do, but I do feel like a little sad.

Speaker 2 3:31

Yeah, it's weird Because it's like your name, you know, whatever associations you have with it, like I don't know, I've always felt like I had a bland name. Now it's more interesting, but it's still sad you know like there's a million I am.

Speaker 1 3:47

I am upgrading my last name yeah, actually is an amazing last name but also, like my entire life I've been abigail hewins everyone knows me as abigail hewins.

Speaker 2 3:57

So yeah, it's weird anyways um but yeah, by the time they're listening to this, you are married by the time they hear this when you are hearing your voices.

Speaker 1 4:07

We've had a great barring some kind of crazy circumstance, um, but yeah, so anyways, um, so it'll be a fun summer, because it's like the summer kickoff event for me.

Speaker 2 4:21

I feel like your wedding it's the. It's the like, end of may, beginning of june, wedding weekend. It's gonna be just like. I just feel like it's gonna be a great kickoff to summer.

Speaker 1 4:33

Like to me, summer will start once your wedding happens this is the feeling of the start of high school musical too. Yeah, they're all like what am I gonna do this summer? Should I get a job summer, summer? And then the choice like I got all the wildcats jobs at the country club, and then she's like you're crazy wildcat. That's what I feel like. I feel like, wow, you're crazy wildcat yeah, um and also, why aren't high school? I mean, maybe they are books, now Maybe someone, but like, doesn't that be great?

Speaker 2 5:08

Maybe Should I go read Heisler musical fan fiction? Yeah, like the college years, I would like to see that.

Speaker 1 5:14

Yeah, I want to know I'm really past which one.

Speaker 2 5:17

Besides Heartstopper and past Heisler books. But I would read a college years, high school musical.

Speaker 1 5:23

Yeah, but like what if we find out? Like yeah, one of them becomes an alcoholic, which is likely, I don't know.

Speaker 2 5:31

I feel like Troy is going to be on a sobriety journey in about 15 years.

Speaker 1 5:38

That seems real.

Speaker 2 5:39

Can we also have a moment for the um? What's his name? The sidekick um Cordon blue. What's his name? The sidekick um cordon blue. What's his name? Corbin blue cordon blue.

Speaker 1 5:49

His name is not like hold on blue, it's corbin blue.

Speaker 2 5:52

Yeah chad, chad and lucas, the, the edits to them I've seen, uh, to so high school. Oh, can we get a story following them? Truth dare spin vows there is no straight heterosexual explanation for two characters switching clothes at the end of a romantically charged musical number. There's just no other explanation for it there is no explanation now.

Speaker 1 6:21

There is no heterosexual explanation for the hat. Yeah there's none anyways, at a row, anyways, all right, we're talking about summer reading um, because, obviously, clearly, our brains are already in a summer state of mind, girl.

Speaker 2 6:37

Yes, that's the great thing about working in education is summer although I don't get a summer break, like there's no summer vacation the feeling of the end of the school year, like things will slow down a lot, school's out for the summer. It's coming, so I think that is a great career to pursue because it's yeah, it's that same feeling like you still get it as a, as an, an adult, I think of like.

Speaker 1 7:03

I feel like to some extent in my job, working um like adjacent to the public sector, because um legislators and such, uh, they take summer breaks, they go on summer recess, and so you can't meet with them if they're on vacation. Right, you know, which is awesome and um, and yeah, all right. So the point is summer's great, it's gonna start um.

Speaker 2 7:32

the start of summer officially is my wedding for all people which was this past weekend so you guys are listening to this you are in summer congratulations you did what is it like? What's it? Anyways, god, we are we are.

Speaker 1 7:44

I think it's just because we're recording our seventh episode of the day, but it's not working.

Summer Reading Bucket List

Speaker 1 7:49

Anyways, no, it's great, they love it you guys love the content, but wait, I'm a star. So summer is a great time to read and it's fun. When you were a kid, did you ever like a summer checklist of like here's all the things like, not necessarily just reading specific, but like have you seen on tiktok people talking about like when they were a kid they're gonna like I'm gonna go to a baseball game, go to the pool, like I did not uh it seems like something I would do um to be fair for the question yeah, that really.

Speaker 1 8:23

I am surprised because you really romanticized everything as a child that's true.

Speaker 2 8:27

That's true, but I think I just maybe not an official checklist, but I had things I did every summer, like I always went to church camp and then I was always a counselor at church camp and we always went to the beach.

Speaker 1 8:38

You know, like there was always those tentpole things that I did in the summer yeah, I feel like for us in our growing up years it was like the big weeks that stood out. Yes, um like, and honestly I think I am the star because I think summer started with my birthday every year and there wasn't a summer before you.

Speaker 2 9:00

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1 9:01

And well, I, just because my birthday's on may 30th, so like we have a part. And then like, yeah, then you go to church camp, yes, and then. And then you'd be like a junior counselor for kids camp or whatever, and then you do, yes yeah, hey guys go listen to our episode how's the world?

Speaker 2 9:22

but yeah, I guess my whole summer was taken up by church but we had a hell of fun and uh that was the best years of my life. Probably I honestly the best summer is because there was nothing like going to camp. There was nothing like being a counselor at camp, then getting to hang out with everyone later in the summer when it was x play and vbs like the whole summer being spent.

Speaker 1 9:44

And, like we would do sleepovers, your crush is at church.

Speaker 2 9:47

Exactly. That's what I'm really mean.

Speaker 1 9:49

Yeah, like our crushes were at church Like all year round, right so like, but in the summer that was the only chance you really had to see your friends.

Speaker 2 9:58

For us, yeah, this is a very niche experience. Then you get to see them every day.

Speaker 1 10:02

Yeah. And so it's just like oh, my God, this is awesome. Yeah. And then, like you get to go to sleepovers, but like you don't have to be like, oh, I'm going to school tomorrow and you're not old enough to have a job, yeah. So, it's just like just hang out, and so I think, so I'm trying to recapture that feeling with like a summer reading bucket list and, you know, add some like whimsy and excitement into my reading the plans for the summer.

Speaker 2 10:36

I love how you brought that back around. I agree, especially like, honestly, if you guys listen, have been for a while. Last summer was one of the most stressful and difficult times of my adult life. It was just a lot going on, my job was really not going well and life was just having difficulties and so I felt like, and I didn't go on vacation, I didn't really take any time off, I was so stressed. So I feel like this summer I want to have a fun summer, I want to be relaxed, I want to do things, I want to take trips, like I really want to make the most of the summer, because I just feel like last summer almost didn't even happen. So yeah, I feel you on this. I want some whimsy, I want some childlike wonderment, I want to recapture what it was like to go on summer break when you were in school, so I'm with you totally, I'm here.

Speaker 1 11:29

So, um, we're going to share our summer reading bucket lists. Um, this is going to include some of our releases, the new releases that are coming out this summer. We're looking forward to a few books from our tbrs and then, just like, mood reading plans, like what are some plans that we have for the vibes of our reading adventures, and, um, encourage you to do the same and then to share with us, um, what you did or what you what's on your list because you want to do yeah, we.

Speaker 1 11:57

We put this question on our instagram a little while ago and people talked about um reading on the beach. They talked about reading in cafes, outside, reading outside in a hammock.

Speaker 2 12:08

Yeah, love that I went to um one of eric's co-workers houses for a little like cookout thing um last weekend and they had just I'm like I need a backyard, I really need a backyard, I really need a backyard. They had like a grill, a nice seating patio, a hammock like grass. So I just am jealous of you guys. If you have a backyard, really embrace that and enjoy it, because it just seemed like a great place to read, like they had so many different reading vibes set up.

Speaker 1 12:39

Dude, one of my LA besties shout out. Sarah Shout out. She and her fiance just bought a new house and it has this amazing backyard with a outdoor kitchen, a grill an outdoor seating area a garden and a water feature.

Speaker 2 12:56

Oh, wow, oh okay, so we're hanging out here all the time.

Speaker 1 13:00

And that's the people whose house. They want us to record an episode at their studio. Okay, well, maybe that's one of my summer bucket list items. Um to la, anyways, all right, so let's start talking about this. The content of the episode. So, um, some releases we're looking forward to you want to start with that yeah all right let's go.

Speaker 1 13:23

So, um, actually, by the time this episode airs, this will already have released. But my plan, I'm so specifically excited for this release, which is the gunkle abroad, which we've already talked about many times. Um, the gunkle abroad by Steven Rowley, the uh follow up, the you know what, the surprise sequel, because the gunkle, I really believe, was written as a standalone book. I agree, he doesn't. Stephen Reilly doesn't really write series. Yeah, but he wrote this follow up. It's a time jump, I believe, and Maisie and what's his name?

Speaker 2 13:55

The kids are something like that Luke or Jake or hold on, anyways, they're like teenagers now.

Speaker 1 14:04

Oh cute, I didn't even know that so this is like a time jump and they're at the wedding I believe not really grant, grant and macy they are at the wedding of their dad to someone else getting remarried, and it's in italy, and so the first, so the whole thing about the gunkle is that mom died and he was besties with their mom.

Speaker 2 14:31

And he takes them in for the summer.

Speaker 1 14:32

He takes them for the summer and it's really heartwarming and wonderful and sad and cuts to the core of humanity. So they're going to go to Italy and I'm sure it's going to be absolutely wonderful, incredible vibes. I think, the perfect book to start summer with yeah and I plan to download it on my kindle and read it on the plane ride to my wedding oh, that has got to be the right, like I'm gonna hold, actually hold off reading it until we're on the plane.

Speaker 1 15:00

I just feel like I'm. The plane ride is like four hours. Yeah, it's the perfect time to read that book. I'm going to be totally in that mindset and vibe, so I'm really excited about that and I know you'll probably you're going to read it too, so we'll be able to have a conversation about it Okay.

Speaker 2 15:17

I'm all in. I think this is perfect because the gungle, stephen rowley, writes like happy, sad, so well, where you feel your heart warming but breaking at the same time. But the gunkle especially, I think, is so like it's. There's a lot of heavy stuff. Obviously, their mother dies, their dad is dealing with addiction, he has to take in these two kids. But it's also really funny and the gunkle as a character is so lovable and I think this will be similar of like. You know that's gotta be really hard. I can't imagine a parent dying and then the one who's left moving on. Like that would be very difficult, especially your teenage years. I can't even imagine. So I imagine it will be difficult, but I'm sure it will end very like in a lovely way and you'll like it.

Speaker 1 16:03

So yeah, it's gonna be perfect. Yeah, I can't wait, and it's probably gonna make me like need to go to italy well, you know, if that happens, it happens, it happens all right, what's your summer? What's the summer release you're looking for? So all the ones you're gonna talk about.

Speaker 2 16:20

I wanted to also co-sign definitely the gung-ho abroad and the other ones, um, not to spoil, but I picked a couple more. So my first one is the Summer Romance by Annabelle Monaghan, and she wrote this book. I read this year or maybe end of last year, nora Goes Off Script. I think I talked about it on here. It was a celeb, normal person romance and this one seems really cute. I liked that book a lot. It was just like nice and like a Hallmark movie in a book, but like pretty good. You know, not like this writing's terrible, but just like sickeningly sweet and predictable and I really liked it. So I thought this would be a great one. It's a summer romance in the title and, yeah, romance. So in the title and, um, yeah, I just think this I I not to spoil my vibes, um, bucket list, but I'm like all in on romance this summer. So I just want to read a lot of love stories and with happy endings and I don't want to be depressed about this.

Speaker 2 17:17

So don't recommend any sad books yeah yeah, I don't think summer is the time for sadness no now angst and yearning, as I've been begging you guys to send me recommendations. Fine, but a happy ending is a must, that's all yeah, that's fair okay what's?

Speaker 1 17:36

what else you're looking for? Um, so not in love by ali hazelwood? Um, I'm intrigued by this she has come out. She did post recently on Instagram where she was like not in love, my book that's coming out in July. It is different than my other books. It's not a rom-com. It is interesting, like more of a romance, like it is. There are some dark or like heavy themes, interesting. Um, I do think that because it's a romance, it does promise to still end happily, because romances cannot end without happiness.

Speaker 1 18:11

Um, but I'm really interested to see where she goes and, um, also just like really intrigued at the what the book's gonna be like, especially because this is her second release this year. Yeah, it's a lot, and so I wonder how long she's had it in the can and she's maybe just been waiting for permission from her publishers to release something like that. But yeah, I will read and I will report back on my findings?

Speaker 2 18:38

Yes, as will I, I'm sure, eventually when I can get it. On Libby, okay, I'm also looking forward to the Pairing by Casey McQuiston. This is about two exes who find themselves on a summer vacation together and they have a little friendly not so friendly competition to see who can hook up with the most people while they're going through europe and trying to beat each other. But I think there's a line in the synopsis that's like is this, is this a gay romance? I think they're both men. So, yes, okay, and um, well, it's casey mcquiston, as that's kind of seems to be their thing, and so, yeah, I think so, and they, anyways. It said something like sometimes having everything makes you realize what you can't have. Hold on, let me find it, because it was really. It got me that. I was like, okay, yeah, I want to read this book.

Speaker 2 19:34

Anyways, I really like Casey McQuiston. You guys know I liked both of their books that I've read. Abigail liked one of them Red White and Real Blue. Okay, sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have. Oh my gosh, I love a good second chance romance. I know not everyone likes those, but I love them. So I'm here.

Speaker 1 19:54

Okay, we're going to see what is. What's the name of it?

Speaker 2 20:00

again, it's called the pairing, okay and it seems good for me to put on hold, yet let's see it isn't coming out in august, so it's a little later okay okay, but I am looking forward to this again. I really like the both the books I've read by casey mcquiston. So, um, I'm excited and I like as I have loved happy place. I love books like that, where people maybe time apart is good and they can come back together. So we'll see, love it all right.

Speaker 1 20:32

Um, I I will be reading that too. Yeah, um. Next on my list is the rom commerce by katherine center. We were on record last year criticizing her choice to write a love story about someone who has face blindness. Um, I would like to apologize. Um, it was good actually. I really liked it. It was cute. I mean, think about katherine center is like it's going to be really cute and sweet yeah like that's kind of her thing, it's not necessarily going to be like the spiciest book you've ever read.

Speaker 1 21:04

It's not going to be the most dramatic. No, it's going to be fluffy and yummy, and I still think my favorite of hers is the Bodyguard. I loved that book, yeah.

Speaker 2 21:14

The Bodyguard is so fun. What?

Summer Reading Plans and Book Recommendations

Speaker 1 21:16

is that going to be made into a movie? That would be a great movie that would be an excellent movie, and I think glenn powell has to be the glenn powell would be good, the main character but anyways that, if you okay if you haven't heard us talk about that before. That is a book about a male celebrity who has a female bodyguard who he falls in love with, which is just so oh, and it's fake dating.

Speaker 2 21:37

It's fake dating. They have to fake date because his family is scared.

Speaker 1 21:40

Yeah, the whole thing about a bodyguard is so cute I know and it was just like, just like intravenous drip to me but it was so good yeah.

Speaker 1 21:52

So I'm always trying to recapture that feeling with her and although I did not quite get that with Hello Stranger, I have to admit it was cute, and so I'm also going to show up this year and either buy or borrow the rom comers. So the tagline is for this book is she's rewriting his love story, but can she write her own? So the deal is, emma Wheeler is the main character and she is an aspiring screenwriter and she has spent her whole life obsessing over writing romantic comedies and she's also the caretaker for her dad. But one summer her little sister takes over for her caretaking duties for her dad. She moves to LA for like a once in a lifetime six week gig for writing and, um, she meets somebody, a celebrity, that, um, she's gonna have to write about and you can see where this is going.

Speaker 1 22:52

Yes, we are proclaimed and avowed celebrity, normal person someone. Someone from my book club the other day called it celebrity civilian. I like that, so I'm taking that. Uh, romances, um, so I'm so excited about that. And, um, also, now that I live in la and I have a better concept of now that I lived here for two years, like of what this place is, it's more fun to read books that are set here now. Yeah, so I look forward to that. I think that one comes out in let's see when's the release date july, I think.

Speaker 2 23:26

Oh no, june 11th, so that one's so soon yeah, yeah, she's actually coming on tour through atlanta and I was like, should I go? Because all you have to do is buy a book to go to this, wherever she's going um fun a bookstore somewhere.

Speaker 2 23:38

I'm like maybe I should go and get the book and see what she says, but I'll let you guys know if I decide to. All right, and I'm also really excited about that one. Um, it looks really cute. My last one is not even a romance, even though I said this was the summer of love, but I really like this author. It's janice hallett, it's called the examiner. She wrote a book I really liked called the Appeal, and then I've also like started Semi, the Twyford Code, which is also by her. I just like the way she writes. She writes like mysteries where it's told through like mixed media. So there'll be like emails, texts, voicemails. You know like almost like you get a package of documents and you have to read through and put the story together.

Speaker 2 24:19

So I really like that style. I just think it's interesting and fun. And this one is about six art students and someone's murdered and you try to figure out what happened. So I just really like her style of writing. I like that kind of book and I'm looking forward to another installment. And I really need to finish the Twyford code by her, um, because I haven't yet that is really, really fun.

Speaker 1 24:43

Yeah, I love books that, even if it's not the whole format, like at the beginning of a chapter, they have like a newspaper excerpt or you know, uh, a little bit from an interview or something like that I love that style, especially a mystery like that's just fun, a fun way to um read a book.

Speaker 2 25:00

So yeah, that's my last one for the summer.

Speaker 1 25:05

So, um, I'm really gonna read the women by kristen hannah this summer. Here's the thing. I had it on my kindle, like from libby, and then I was like I don't have, I don't have time to read this right now. Sure, so, um, I instead of just saying but I had already borrowed it, unfortunately so, and I couldn't extend the loan, so I had to return it and then place another. Hold, wow, and let me tell you I still do not have it.

Speaker 2 25:30

Let me see how much longer I have.

Speaker 1 25:33

I mean I could buy it or get it from, but I don't. I don't do that. Um, I have six more weeks, allegedly, so at some point this summer I will read this freaking book yeah um, but who knows when.

Speaker 1 25:46

Sunk cost, sunk cost, fallacy. Now that I've put all this time into it, I'm like I just gotta wait till I get it from libby instead of getting it through other means. Um, but again, yeah, that is fallacy. So I am going to read that this summer. I'm also going to read bringing down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, to continue on my um, historical fiction, historical romance vibes. I've heard that that's a good series to read. I'll let me know if you've read it. And then also, um, I'm going to read the remaining two red Sparrow books by Jason Matthews. I will talk more about the first one, which I just finished reading a couple days ago at the end of this episode, because it was my favorite. It was a really good read. But they are spy novels featuring a female spy for Russia who is also set in modern, modern times, which is fun. It's not like a Soviet era spy novel.

Speaker 1 26:44

Um and she kind of ends up going as this, um, as like a double agent for the Americans. So anyways, it's really interesting, really good, and I'll I'll give more of my thoughts with about this book at the end of the episode, but I do plan to read the final two books in the series this summer what about you?

Speaker 2 27:03

what's on your? Tbr on my tbr. First of all, I need to finish reading the Thursday murder club series. So my god, or catch up. I guess it's not like it's a complete series yet, but I have started reading the second book in the series very recently and really liking it.

Speaker 1 27:27

It's just, there's so much ahead of you. I know there are no misses. There are no misses.

Speaker 2 27:33

I totally agree, and I just feel like they're quite dense mysteries. So you, really it is, and I'm just too much of a mood reader. So I've had this book for like a year and anyways, I'm reading it and then I will read the third book and then I will be caught up. So I'm really enjoying it.

Speaker 1 27:47

This is the man who Died Twice.

Speaker 2 27:49

This is the man who Died Twice.

Speaker 1 27:50

And then the last one is the Bullet, the Mist.

Speaker 2 27:53

Yes, I think so. So I will continue reading that. And when I went to buy Romancing Mr Bridgerton, I also bought People we Meet on Vacation, because that's one of I think I don't own. Didn't own that one and I don't think I own book lovers, but I own all of the other Emily Henry Universe books. So I'm trying to complete the collection and I really this was the first book by her I read and so I wanted to go back and reread it and make sure, because I love it. But I always feel like people put it last in their rankings, but it's one of my favorites. But I'm like, is that because it's the first one I read and it like imprinted on me? And now, if I go back and reread it, I want to see if I still will love it as much. But I think I will because I just I don't know, I just still think about those characters all the time and I really like the premise and so, um, I feel like that's a good summer uh book as well, like it's just about vacation.

Speaker 1 28:48

All of her books are great summer books. They really are beach read? Beach read is an amazing book. And also, have you been seeing the stuff about easter eggs, like she's putting her other characters sneakily? Uh, yes, I yeah did not catch that, but I didn't. But tiktok told me and I was like, oh my god, I'm just not smart enough or I just don't remember books.

Speaker 2 29:08

Yeah, honestly, it's in one side of my brain and then I finished reading it and it's out. So I don't remember these details from these books, but yeah, when you read it, when you read enough books.

Speaker 1 29:17

That happens like.

Speaker 2 29:17

You're right, we're just like, let's say you.

Speaker 1 29:20

I mean, yeah, if you have really only read the Emily Henry books in the last few years which that is some people's journey, and that is totally fine. But let's say you've only read those books, like, yeah, you're gonna remember them better, that's all I'm saying. So, yeah, but she has them like sneaky dropped in. I'm like I love the emily henry universe. It's giving taylor jenkins read and yes, she does that very well.

Speaker 2 29:46

She just said a little more obviously. I feel like emily, henry, it's almost like a real easter egg that you have to really yeah, it's great, um, so I'm excited for you to reread that.

Speaker 1 29:57

I you know what? I believe I actually own that one on my kindle because that was the first one I read and that was before I really was like in the libby game. I just like bought it, um, but yeah, that's really cool. Um, all, right now we have our so vibes. Here's some things that are on my vibes list. I mean, I'm sure this is on your vibes list too. I want to read on the beach as much as humanly possible for me. Um, I am privileged to live close to the beach, relatively. Um, I live, you know, it's about an hour drive for me, but it's still like a whole day affair. So if I am going to go to the beach, it's like it's going to be a whole day trip. Um, but I am, I am looking forward to making that more of a priority. The problem is I haven't really been able to start that yet because it's still pretty cold here in LA.

Speaker 1 30:50

Um, it really hasn't gotten over like 75, and at the beach it's in the low sixties so I'm gonna have to wait to late summer and honestly, probably more like early fall um to really enjoy that beach reading vibe. But I want to do that.

Speaker 2 31:06

You're just sitting on the beach reading.

Speaker 1 31:08

It does really need to be a certain level of warm yeah, or you're just kind of sitting there shivering, like let me see how the beach I have, like the beach I go to, how cold it is. Today it's probably freezing. Oh, it's 61 at my beach today. You can't like in all week it's going to be in the low sixties. That's just the way LA is. So, um, yeah, I'm gonna have to wait for that, but that is on my list. Um, do you want me to keep going or do you want to do one and then we can go back?

Speaker 2 31:42

Yeah, I'll go one one. Um, I also would love to go to the beach this summer, but I said I don't live as close as you do, so maybe a pool? My brother's apartment complex has a pool, which brother luke. Maybe he'll let me.

Speaker 1 31:51

Uh, come sit by, sit by the pool I am hoping for you that you get to do that. I mean, is your family still planning to go to, uh, do their their like Thanksgiving trip to the beach?

Speaker 2 32:01

Yeah, we go every Thanksgiving. So that will still happen and I'm looking forward to that. But I just feel like summer at the beach, like I haven't experienced that in so long. But it's just such a different vibe. You know, like you said, when we go at Thanksgiving it's probably around what it is at your beach now. It's like 50s, 60s, maybe you get in the 70s, but it's just colder. It's not as like fun to sit out. So, um, I would enjoy if I can get to a beach this actual summer.

Speaker 1 32:29

That's when it's really warm, you know I believe it, for you manifest I'm rooting for you, thank you um, another one of my goals this summer, something I'd like to do is read a throwback, nostalgic book.

Speaker 1 32:44

Here is what inspired this. So, um, I've already mentioned my friend Sarah on the episode, but I'll mention her again. When I was, um, when I was, I was helping her move and so we were going through like her basement and she had this box of like high school stuff and she was trying to get rid of some stuff and she had the entire Uglies series in her box. That is a throwback nostalgia. And so I was like I'll take these, and so they're on my bookshelf right now and I'm like, when, the when the moment is right and my body calls to me as deep calls to deep, I will pull out, yes, the sacred text by Scott Westerfield.

Speaker 1 33:28

I would love to reread that series um, so that is on my bookshelf right now and I will happily send them to you when I'm done. Um, but I was like all three, I have no excuse, like going to take me. I don't have to go through the thought and effort of trying to acquire these books, to read them Like they're just available to me, like I have no excuse. So I I hope, if it's not, that I'm going to capture something else with that vibe and read throwback book this summer.

Speaker 2 33:54

That's a great plan and this is the, to me, summer's a great reread time. That's why I said people we meet on vacation. I just feel like it's a good time to read something where your brain doesn't have to work too hard and think about it. You know.

Speaker 1 34:06

Yeah, totally what's on your list?

Speaker 2 34:16

I would like to get a library card for myself because I've been mooching off my mom's Because when I found Libby it was during COVID and my local library. You couldn't go in and I tried applying online for a library card because they had it set up but it never would approve me for some reason. So I just stole my mom's credentials and that has delayed me from actually ever getting my own library card as an adult. So there's really a really great library close to my new house and I feel like this summer I have no excuse, I'll have more time. I need to go get an actual library card and do it for myself. So that is my goal.

Speaker 1 34:49

I'm excited for you to do that and then you'll also be able to check out physical books, place them on a hold online. Just swing by on your lunch break, pick some up. Yes, you know, you know. Yes, also just like go to the library to sit in quiet. My library does these like puzzle marathons, where they just like have a bunch of puzzles out on tables and like people can just go and like work on them and then leave and like the whole community does a puzzle together, it's fantastic, that's cool. Libraries are important.

Speaker 2 35:18

They are and I need to walk the walk and get my own card. Yeah, Also I'm using up like all the available holds, and that's probably rude to my mom. So it's time to get my own.

Summer of Love

Speaker 1 35:34

Okay, Speaking of libraries, another one of my goals is to visit the LA Central Library in downtown Los Angeles. It is huge and beautiful and like historic. There's like a room that has like a 3D printer that anyone could use. There's all these like crazy beautiful things there. I'm like I need to spend a day, I think that would be so fun and free way to spend some time in air conditioning.

Speaker 1 36:04

This, yeah, totally, it's to go enjoy a day reading at the la central library. So, um, any of my la homies, if you're listening to this and you want to spend a day reading at the la central library, hmu, let's do it.

Speaker 2 36:15

Let's make a plan yeah, I look forward to hearing about that um yeah so feel like I could. You know we both work remotely. You could definitely go work at the library 100%.

Speaker 1 36:26

Like on a no meeting day. Yeah, exactly, that would be amazing. Just go crank out some work Free Wi-Fi. It's like going to work at a coffee shop, but you don't have to spend money. Yeah, it's free.

Speaker 2 36:38

It's free. That's the point, and you yeah.

Speaker 1 36:44

All right, you're protected from spending money. In fact, yeah, nothing there is for sale. All right For you.

Speaker 2 36:47

I already said this, but I do want this to be my summer of love. I'm going to your wedding. I want to read happy stories, I want to read romance. I feel like I haven't really. You know, I've always I've been making a shift. I don't think I ever read a lot of romance, like several years ago I read mostly like mystery thriller, like things like that, the spooky books. But now I would say it's more split, a little more evenly, where I read also a lot of mystery thriller, still some romance. But I want the summer, I just want to be happy. I'm reading a lot of romance this year.

Speaker 2 37:21

Anyways, you got me into Heartstopper, which was like the cutest thing I've ever experienced. So I just want more of that feeling. Even the Bridgerton one, which you guys know my feelings about that, but I had a great time reading it. So like I just want that feeling all summer long, because I don't know A murder mystery. Yeah, you get the resolution at the end, but someone still got murdered, so that's not fun, I want to just have a good time.

Speaker 1 37:45

Fall is murder season. Fall is murder. I'll go back to them.

Speaker 2 37:48

I love them. Riley Sager has a new book coming out this summer. I didn't mention that because I will get to that in the fall, but I just want to be happy and I just also feel like romance a lot of times. It's like super easy to read, so you get that like feeling of just finishing a lot of books and flying through things, so send me recommendations.

Speaker 1 38:11

I want to be happy. Look, a book doesn't have to be good to be enjoyable, fun, yeah, and I want to like you can enjoy reading a book and yeah, and not be like the best thing you've ever read in your life. Like it's fine, that's what summer is for.

Speaker 2 38:26

Yes, exactly what's summer.

Speaker 1 38:30

Okay, um, all right. My last thing is that I want to visit um more indie bookstores in LA and attend an event at them and um spend money at them. I know that I just said that I don't spend money on books, but if I'm going to spend money on books, I'm going to do it at an independent bookstore, except for when I pre-ordered the Emily Henry book from Amazon, because I needed to have it quickly.

Speaker 2 38:56

And that is an extenuating circumstance, I agree.

Speaker 1 39:00

So, anyways, yeah, that's my plan. There are some great ones in this giant sprawling metropolis that I live in, and I intend to visit them and make a little day of it, that's a great one, so that'll be fun you could do like an indie bookstore, book crawl. Yeah, just like an enjoyable little afternoon of walking around and just looking at books and being near them. So that is my plan. Is there anything else that we've neglected to mention about what we want to do this summer before we move on? I?

Speaker 2 39:30

just last thing I wanted to get back into audiobooks. I feel like I went through a phase but now I don't have a commute, so I haven't been listening to as many audiobooks. I can barely keep up with my podcasts, know, because sometimes I don't know, I just, yeah, I listened to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks when I was commuting every day, but now I don't listen to as much working from home. So I do want to try to get back. If I travel this summer, which I am having some travel plans I like think audiobooks, I gotta get back into them and I have some credits on Audible. Libby has great stuff. So I don't know, and I think I need to get better at like getting a physical copy or ebook copy of a book and audiobook version. Yeah, because that's when I really enjoy them the most, when I can listen to them, like during the workday and then read after work, you know, and yep kind of yep kind of do of do both. So I need to get back to that, but that's it.

Summer Vibes

Speaker 1 40:23

I agree, Ready for a great summer. My summer vibe last year, which I'm trying to recapture this year, is the last year. On my summer break from work I got a bunch of puzzles from the Magic Puzzle Company and I would sit there and listen to audiobooks and do puzzles. Oh my God, that is the best. That is puzzle company, and I would sit there and listen to audiobooks and do puzzles. Oh my god, that is, that is elite.

Speaker 2 40:45

And then you have a little coffee next to you that you made on your espresso and, oh my god, you should sponsor us honestly. We love you. Yeah, I know and partnership.

Speaker 1 40:54

Um, and then you know, you go take your dog for a walk and it's hot outside, and you come inside and you like walk into the freezing cold for a walk and it's hot outside, and then you come inside and you walk into the freezing cold of your AC and it's just this is what. I was made for what was. I made for to do that.

Speaker 2 41:13

I too, went through a phase of audiobooks and puzzles, especially during the pandemic times. I was doing that a lot. So that should be my thing now, like, if I have free time, audiobooks and puzzles, especially like during the pandemic times, I was doing that a lot. So that should be my thing now, like, if I have free time, do a puzzle, listen to an audiobook. That is just yeah. It's so because, like, when you're doing a puzzle, you're you're fully engaged but your mind really, like, can focus also fully on the audiobook, listening to you it's like you're using two different parts of your brain, exactly.

Speaker 1 41:39

Yeah, because you're. You're looking for colors and shapes, and then the other part was listening to words. So you can do all of these things and totally it's just, it's, it's elite, it is so.

Speaker 2 41:48

Elite, it is um love it cool.

Speaker 1 41:52

All right books we read recently. Yeah, I'll go first. I will, okay, you go first, sure um probably for the best.

Speaker 2 42:02

So, as you guys know, we're recording this back to back and, as you also know, if you listen to our last episode, I've read four uh, remus and serious fan fictions in the last couple weeks. So I haven't finished an actual book since our last episode, but I have read a good bit of one. So I'm gonna just shout that out, but I haven't finished it, so fair warning. But I have been reading the book of two ways by jodi pico. Um, she wrote, I think, my sister's keeper as well, so that's what you may know from she's very prolific author. Um, but I got that on my kindle and it I actually got it because I saw it's a new release, I think by her, but I saw her talking about it on her TikTok. Okay, it came out in 2020. Oh, yeah, she has like a pretty prolific TikTok. Yeah, she's very active. So it's not that new of a release, but she was talking about it and essentially the premise is and I think.

Speaker 2 43:00

Anyways, let me just tell you the premise first and then give you my thoughts. So the premise is that this main character her name is Dawn and she was previously studying to get her PhD in, like Egyptology, and she had been working in Egypt. She studied specifically burial sites and tombs of mummies in Egypt and she was doing these digs. While she was out there studying, doing her research for a PhD, she got a call that her mom was dying of ovarian cancer and so she kind of had to leave her studies and everything behind, fly home her mom. She didn't realize how serious it was. Her mom ended up passing away and she was left as the guardian of her much younger brother, and so she never finishes her phd. There's a man named wyatt who she left behind, who you think maybe she had some kind of romantic, but you don't know exactly what happened with them, and she ends up, um kind of completely changing her career path. She becomes like just to survive.

Speaker 2 44:09

She gets a admin job at the hospice where her mother was dying and then she eventually gets her social work um degree and becomes a death doula and starts helping people who are dying you know, transition into that's intense so then, this is what's happened and she is on an airplane after her husband has had an emotional affair maybe physical, probably, just maybe not, but some kind of you know light infidelity and the plane crashes and she survives, but as the plane's going down, all she can think so much has happened.

Speaker 2 44:48

I know it's a very long setup, and this all happens in like the first couple chapters. But what she, um, as the plane's going down, she doesn't think of her husband, she doesn't think of her daughter, she thinks of Wyatt, who she left behind. And so when she gets rescued, um, but there's like, it's like a, you know, a rough landing where a couple people die, but you know, it's not like a full-on plane crash maybe. So they offer like, hey, where's your final destination? We will give you a ticket wherever you need to go in the world. And she asked for a ticket to Egypt. And so this book is like what would have happened? It's her thinking, what would have happened if I had never left, and what would my life have been like if I had studied my Egyptology and I had never abandoned my PhD, and I hadn't come back home and I hadn't had to raise my brother. And I think this is so good because you guys know I'm wary. What was that book I didn't like by Taylor Jenkins Reid?

Speaker 1 45:49

First Loves or something.

Speaker 2 45:56

One something, yeah, the one. Hold on, hold on, I have to find it, jenkins Reid. One True Loves. One True Loves, yeah, one. Yeah, the one. Hold on, hold on, I have to find it, jenkins reed. One true love, this one true loves. Yeah, I didn't like that because I just don't like it when they pick the new love over the old love. But this to me is like so much more interesting.

Speaker 1 46:12

Was it justified because her husband had an affair? It feels a little justified.

Speaker 2 46:16

That was at first. I was like, okay, you're kind of well, and I'm also like, aren't you kind of doing the same thing by flying out to egypt and eating the sky? But anyways, I think that's why it's like it's all very complicated and I think it's more. So far I almost don't even care, like who she ends up with in the end, because it's way more of her being like introspective, of like it's not just this guy, it's like her career, it's her entire life, and it's more like did I make the right decisions? What if I hadn't made those decisions?

Speaker 2 46:48

and less of like which guy should I end up with? It's way more, I think, complex than that. So it's. It's setting it up to where I don't really mind either way of like well, yeah, this is like this author's whole yeah stick.

Speaker 1 47:01

Yeah, it's like writing about the experiences of women and it sounds like without, because she didn't make the the protagonist a mother, did she? She does have a daughter, she does have a daughter okay, yes but her like she makes her into a caretaker by her having to quit her PhD, coming to like take, become the like custodian of her little brother and becoming a death doula, like she's.

Book Swap and Spy Novels

Speaker 2 47:27

You know, her life circumstances have led her to this place where she's taking care of others, but now she's getting to explore what it would be like if she was taking care of herself and then like the tension in between those things yeah, and it's like, um, I think everyone in life like if it's a small thing, if it's a big thing, you have moments where you're like if I had made a different decision, my entire life would have changed dramatically, and like whether for her, it's something maybe she regrets or wonders about, but it's not always that for everyone. But I think everyone can relate to that of like wow, I didn't realize it at the time, but this one little thing that happened set me on a whole different path and maybe like what would it have been like if things had been different? So I really like it. I think the Egypt stuff is fun. There's like hieroglyphics, there's mummies, there's research, so it's cool. But it's also, yeah, it's like, like you said, the experience of women and her having this crash landing, wake up call of I maybe need to do something for myself right now, not for my husband, not for my daughter, not for all these other people that I've given my life up to, but for myself. So I will let you guys know when I finish it, but I'm really enjoying it and I think I'm liking.

Speaker 2 48:37

I like this tension in this trope, but I don't always like how it plays out. I just felt like in One True Loves, I guess, which is the closest thing I can compare it to it was all about this guy or this guy, and it felt like she had already kind of made up her mind and I just didn't like that. It was like, well, that was your husband, like I wanted it to be more difficult for her, and this, I feel like is, is way less about like this guy or this guy and it's more just about her life, and so I'm liking it, but I'll let you guys know when I finish. Okay, on to you, abigail. What have you read? That's great.

Speaker 1 49:10

Tell us about your spies. I know it's very interesting. So, inspired by our book swap episode, my friend Colleen had this idea to do a three-way book swap with me, my friend Sarah and Colleen, and that's actually how I read the. I didn't mention this in the last episode, but that's actually how I ended up reading um, how to Fall Out of Love, madly, because that was the book that Sarah wanted us to read. And the book Colleen wanted us to read was, uh, the Red Sparrow, which is also apparently a movie starring um Jennifer, which Jennifer, the one who plays Katniss Everdeen, lawrence, jennifer Lawrence, obviously J-Law. I have not seen the movie, but I've heard that the book is better.

Speaker 1 49:54

But okay, so this is the story.

Speaker 1 49:58

It's a long and winding story and it took me a while to read, because I've never read a spy novel before and so a lot of the jargon and nomenclature of the spy world just took me a while to catch on to and I felt like I had to pay a lot of close attention, especially through the first third, to make sure I knew what was going on.

Speaker 1 50:19

And so I first started trying to read this book, like before I went to bed at night and I was like this is not a book you can read sleepy, like you have to be able to, like, follow along. What's going on? Sure, but it's the story of this young Russian woman named Dominika, and she is essentially she's an injured ballerina who has to find another life for herself and is basically, through the pressure of her family, forced into becoming a um, an agent for the russian government. And um then kind of falls in love with an american who's counter spying on her, who is then also trying to enlist her to become an agent for the us, and then, like all of these twists and turns happen, um, and the ending is crazy. The ending I was like I didn't realize that this was a series and when I finished the book, like I'm not, like I'm not even kidding you, I'm like in the last like five pages of the book, I was was like this is not coming to a conclusion.

Speaker 1 51:20

This is like this is only speeding up, Like what is happening right now. What's going on?

Speaker 1 51:29

And I finished it and I was like I so furiously Googled, like, is there a sequel? And I found out there's two more, thank God. Um, but one fun thing about this book is that at the end of every chapter there is like a, a recipe for some sort of food that was mentioned in the chapter. So I'm looking forward to maybe having a little movie night where we watch the book and like, or sorry, watch the movie and, um, make some of the recipes.

Speaker 1 51:53

Here is the criticism and the warning I will give about the book. It's written by a man and you can tell, uh, it, the main character is a woman. Yeah, and it's written by a man, and there are moments that's tough where you, where you would say you know, there's this whole theme throughout the book of dominica finding this like found family vibes and like the emotion and like the, the kinship that she has, these americans that she's met. But like that, the way that it's described by the author is just so through the male gaze, yeah, and that doesn't make it a bad book, it's just something as a woman.

Speaker 1 52:34

I noticed you can tell yeah and um, like her thoughts and feelings and the way that she might be interacting with the world. It just felt just a little bit disjointed, sure, and I think in later books he finds apparently I've been told he finds some ways to remedy that. It by no means makes it a bad book. It a bad book. It's just something to think about and notice that like, yeah, this is a book about a woman who's going through a lot of like immersion, a big emotional journey. Right, and it doesn't feel totally connected to the female experience is what I would say. That's fair.

Speaker 1 53:15

But yeah, that would be my one critique. Before you're like, oh, I have to go give this book a full send, like, yeah, um, that's what I would say, but um, otherwise it was really good and you know, uh, I would read it at the same time as something else, like I, you know it took me, I really took my time with it, but I'm looking forward to reading the second one and seeing what the heck is gonna happen, because I'm telling you it ended in such like a jarring way, stressful yeah, so and like I think, maybe like spy suspense, like crime situation, like I think that that might be a new opening up, a new genre for me.

Speaker 2 53:50

Yeah, um, I enjoy those books. I feel like they can be like also cheesy sometimes. So, yeah, it's hard to find good ones, I feel like this, did not feel so.

Speaker 1 53:59

actually, something very important I didn't mention is that Jason Matthews, the author of this book, is a retired CIA, so it feels true to life. Yeah, and being set in present day it really made me think about. There could just be spies around me me in my everyday life.

Speaker 2 54:22

I feel like spies, feel like a thing of the past, but obviously there are still people who are uh, yeah, there are spies again.

Speaker 1 54:29

Governments yeah there are spies that get busted, like who work in congressional offices yeah, and stuff like that, like that happens so that's cool.

Speaker 2 54:39

Anyways, it's really interesting to think about cool.

Speaker 1 54:42

Thanks for the wrap. Um all right. Well, we are totally tapped out of book recommendations.

Speaker 2 54:47

It's probably we're not gonna record another episode for like a month, um, because we're out, yeah, so I say too, as abigail's wedding present you guys go, leave us a five-star review, because she's getting married and she deserves it. So there you go. That's your challenge, but I agree, yay, top down yay me, everyone celebrate me for falling in love.

Speaker 1 55:09

Yeah, I feel weird. It's a little weird but you know what?

Speaker 2 55:12

I'm leaning into it because I do want people need to be happy.

Speaker 1 55:16

Exactly, people want to do it and I want the presents and money. But it does feel weird and on some level being like okay, everyone come to this thing and like throw, I'm throwing a party for me, but yeah, it's okay that's like.

Speaker 2 55:31

What is anything like your birthday? Hey, I was born. Come party with me, you know it's nothing it is what it is.

Speaker 1 55:37

It is what it. Is all right, talk to you guys in the summer.

Speaker 2 55:43

All right, bye, bye.