The Readirect Podcast
Shifting the conversation back to books. Hosted by Abigail Freshley and Emily Rojas.
The Readirect Podcast
Book Characters We'd Vote For
Escape your Election Day anxiety by exploring an imaginary world where book characters run for office!
As always, follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @readirectpodcast. And if you're seeing this before the polls close, don't forget to VOTE!
Welcome to the Redirect Podcast. My name is Abigail Freshly and I'm Emily Rojas.
Speaker 2:The Redirect 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 show up in very real unfortunately real living experiences.
Speaker 2:So, on today's episode, it's election day, baby, and we're coping with our crippling anxiety and terror by breaking down the book characters we would vote for but first, before we get to that excitement, if you've enjoyed, if you have been enjoying the podcast, we would humbly ask that you support us in a few simple ways. First, you can leave us a five-star review on Apple podcasts and let us know that you love the show.
Speaker 1:We'd also love for you to follow us on Instagram and Tik TOK at redirect podcast and, if you really really like the show, today would be a great day for you to listen to this episode and share it with a friend who could use like a break from election news. Yeah and um, yeah, share our show with a friend. It's always fun to add, uh, you guys to our community and listenership. So, um, we plotted and planned many iterations of this episode. We did. We thought, I think at first, at first, yeah, you go ahead. Well, I think at first we were like, okay, let's, let's uh, let's do like a political memoirs episode. Right, that was our first and then I was like, oh, let's do.
Speaker 1:Who would book characters vote for? Yeah, which is funny, but also kind of like could easily get depressing. Yeah, so you suggested what book characters would we want to vote for?
Speaker 2:Yes, for president, so I think that's a good solution. We felt like also, like you can't ignore that this is coming out on election day. It would be weird to do something not related. I feel like so here we are, we're giving you people what they need.
Speaker 1:And I want to say about my approach, before we get into like our picks, is that you know, some of my book characters maybe aren't american or are from like a fantasy world or something like that, yeah, and so the way I approached it was like they are the principal governor of their place. So if they were british then like I would say, oh, they would be the prime minister, right, like I would want to. They would be the prime minister, right, like I would want to vote for them to be instead of them being the president of the united states.
Speaker 1:That's the way, like I mentally do I like that.
Speaker 2:I um will say, none of mine are american and canonically and um, I did think, though, of president, we're just going to bend the rules that someone who isn't born here could be or like. Maybe there it's a fan fiction, au, where these people were born in america, so and omg.
Speaker 1:I just noticed you're wearing your I voted sticker. I am.
Speaker 2:I voted today. I feel like I couldn't come on and record this episode and be like, yeah, I haven't voted yet. So how was your voting experience? It was a great experience. So I'm new to voting in Georgia. For most of my adult life I have been living in Tennessee and I have voted before just absentee in Georgia, so it was very fun Way more fun than Tennessee voting, big city voting. I feel like there's a lot more amenities, like it's way more organized and a lot more volunteers and the energy A lot more energy.
Speaker 2:I like the kind of letter.
Speaker 1:Look at the other people in line and you're like who are you voting for?
Speaker 2:I will say there was someone with uh no shoes on, which was disturbing to me. Um, but good for you. You got out and voted, uh, but yeah, it was a good uh like took me like almost an hour total because there was a long line. Everyone was really nice and I had a great time. So get out and do it. It's not too late. If you're listening to this on Election Day, you can still do it. Get your sticker. Did you go to a public library? Was that a library? No, it was at the Cobb County election headquarters or whatever, I don't know. That's the closest place to me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're all about to become super familiar with Copp County.
Speaker 2:Yes, we are Super intimately know that it is also such different vibes. Voting in a swing state Like I can't even tell you. Voting in Tennessee is like what's the point? I mean like I still do it, but let's all be honest, what's the point? But then then, uh, yeah, here I'm like oh, I really matter opposite spectrum.
Speaker 1:Like last presidential election, I lived in georgia.
Speaker 1:This presidential election I lived in california so it's like I mean I voted yeah but also, like I just want to say, moving from, like voter suppression capital of the united states to California, there are noticeable differences. They mail everyone a ballot that's crazy Like six weeks before the election or something like that, and so I've actually, or I mean, and then if you choose not to fill that out and turn it in, you just go and vote in person at wherever you want to vote. But I really like voting from home, yeah, um, because I can like have my computer open and like I'm doing research as I'm doing it, yeah, and like have my voter guides up and like all the different things I'm reading, and then you just you know there's like a million ballot drop boxes, so I just go drop it off.
Speaker 2:That's convenient I will say it's so easy.
Speaker 1:You don't have to request it, it's.
Speaker 2:It's even different to like tennessee, you have to like be on death's door to even qualify for an absentee. At least in Georgia you can just ask for one, like they don't send them automatically, but you can ask for one and get one. So it's so crazy how it's so different state by state. Um, so I had a great time in Georgia. I'm an elitist. They send me so much mail here like they really want your vote. They're people knocking on your door.
Speaker 1:It's crazy calling texting I'm, I feel like, just to be clear. I mean, I hope that this is clear, but we're good guys. Like we didn't, or no? You put a lot of energy and excitement around voting for calmly. Yeah, exactly, just like. Be like, let's just say the quiet part out loud yeah we are. This is the way we're going. Yeah, yeah, so okay, Notably and this may get cut from the episode Emily and I were together the night of the 2016 election.
Speaker 2:It was my 21st birthday, by the way.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 2:It haunts me to this day.
Speaker 1:So she and her now husband came over to my apartment, my college apartment in Tennessee. I voted absentee to North Carolina that year. I voted absentee to north carolina that year, yeah, and I was like omg, like you know, we were so pumped, yeah, and it was just a horrible.
Speaker 2:It was a really bad feeling, maybe one of the most worst birthdays I've ever had oh my god, so we don't live that again.
Speaker 1:You know what I did one more note.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, I looked it up august or september, I don't know, fall 2023. We recorded an episode book clubbing red, white and royal blue, and in that episode we said the biggest reach of the book is that um texas would turn blue and that america would elect a divorced woman president with a biracial child. And I just want to say Kamala may not be divorced, but she's married to a divorced man, she has stepchildren, she's a woman. So that reach is getting less and less. Let's make it even. That's not even a reach at all. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I wanted to say that we were texting in our group chat this morning and I was like what will you guys do if Texas goes blue like early in the night and it's just like over? And what did you say? You're like I would black out. I'll black out and watch Red, White and Blue. Yes, I will black. I think like, honestly, my only biological response would be to just like.
Speaker 2:We're just here to escape to imaginary worlds and talk about fake people. We would like to vote for, as president yes I needed this episode today it's gonna be so fun and get out of my head.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, would you do you want to go first? Okay, okay.
Speaker 2:So this is actually, my first pick is the character that inspired me to suggest this episode, because I was thinking about this person and I felt like this would be hilarious. So it's Carlisle Cullen. Okay, what? Okay, yes, is he not born in America? Yes, two.
Speaker 1:Does he have some? Oh, my God, I'm so glad we didn't put this in the outline. Okay, does he have problematic connections? My god, I'm so glad we didn't put this in the outline, okay.
Speaker 2:Does he have problematic connections to a confederate soldier? Yes, okay, so we'd have to get past those two issues.
Speaker 1:But hear me out was he a former member of? Like a weird oligarchy?
Speaker 2:he left that community of murderers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, whatever.
Speaker 2:That's far in the past. Okay, hear me out, we would save so much money. Number one, on secret service protection because he's immortal. Okay, assassination attempts are on the rise. You can't shoot this guy, he's literally indestructible. So we we fire all the secret service people. No need for him, you know, you just get his vampire family to be there in case the Volturi shows up. Number two I do think Carlisle is one of the most principled people in all of in any book I've ever read. He literally invented not being a blood-sucking vampire because he couldn't stomach killing people, like that didn't exist before him. He paved a new way. He's like I'm gonna eat animals, I'm gonna be quote, vegetarian, I quote. So he seems like a very chill, principled person. He's got the healthcare background, which I think is great. You know, doctor, dr cullen has ever been a doctorate holding president. Is that a stupid question?
Speaker 1:like a medical doctor?
Speaker 2:no, just any kind of doctor. I guess I don't think.
Speaker 2:President as a title supersedes doctor. So why would we call someone doctor, president, you know? But I just think that's a great quality. He's educated. Also, he has, like, so much, like, think of that. He has alice on his advisory, you know, in his inner circle, and he's like alice, I want to go to war. And she's like don't do it, that's going to be really bad. What you should do instead is do this and then you'll have world peace. So she's predicting the future for him. Edward, he can read the minds of all our enemies, our allies. He knows what's going on. You know, jasper, we're gonna, we're gonna forget about jasper.
Speaker 1:He can't be around I have, I have, I'm gonna poke a hole in this, okay, oh well, I think what his opposition would say right is without with, with, at best dubious consent, he decided to take esme and edward and just make them immortal.
Speaker 2:But they were gonna die anyways so he was really saving them, yes he is.
Speaker 1:He was pro aborting renesme right. Yeah, he's pro choice okay he was not pro.
Speaker 2:I think he was like whatever bella wants, isn't that what you want, like?
Speaker 1:yeah, but he wasn't in like the, the pro lifer, you have to give no, no he was like whatever you want, I'll be there for you.
Speaker 2:I'll take care of you. If you want to save this baby, I'll help you save it. If you don't, I'll help you out this is a really really crazy.
Speaker 1:Like bold also, he never has to sleep okay.
Speaker 2:Think of how stressed out presidents get their work tight schedules, this guy never has to sleep. He can be working overnight. He's like running at the speed of light. He is super strong. He can do all his own decorating. Think of the Christmas decorations that Esme would do as first lady. It would be the biggest Christmas blowout we've ever seen in the White House. Anyways, for those reasons, I pick as my first choice Carlo Cullen. Once again, we are going to have to get rid. Jasper, he, he cannot be around. We can't have a literal confederate soldier walking side by side with the president he's the donald trump jr of the yeah we gotta just put him, put him away.
Speaker 2:He can just stick to the side and uh not comment on anything.
Speaker 1:So other than that we're good um, I also want to just close the loop on this. Woodrow Wilson was awarded a PhD in history and government from John Hopkins. Congratulations, Dr Woodrow Wilson. President In 1886.
Speaker 2:So we need it's time for another one. I mean, was he a good president? Maybe not, so I'm not sure that that's a benefit, but go for Carlisle, yeah.
Speaker 1:Wow, okay, thank you, I have uh go for carlo yeah, wow, okay, thank you um, I would I would really need to get some voter outreach on that. Yeah, me, um, but you know, I'm open. I'm open to hearing his platform. Thank you, um. One thing I could say is I think that he's a pacifist.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like, I really don't think that he would just get us in stupid weird like colonialist wars. Yeah, I think he would be like using his mind reading and his future telling to avoid all that.
Speaker 1:So yeah, yeah, okay, thank you. Whatever I see, I see, I see the vision, um, okay, well, okay well, I took this more literally, so the first one.
Speaker 1:I picked one of my figures wasn't literal was Saj district kid, but his dad is like the equivalent of a billionaire, right, and they moved to the capital, uh, and that ended up kind of saving him from experiencing uh, you know, district life and um. The reason I think he would be a good candidate for president is because he decided um actually literally, by joining the arena at times to protect his friend, to kind of like set aside his own personal privilege to do what he believed was right. And when he ended up getting deployed to district 12 with, uh, cory elenis, he um was like finding ways to like fight back. He had a lot on the line.
Speaker 1:There's like a lot of reasons for him to just like stay silent and do things that personally benefited him. Sure, and he didn't um. So imagine if he had become the leader of pinham instead of snow, not cory elenis, snow, um, that would have been more interesting. Yeah, I think like. Yeah, I was thinking about the hunger games and I was like I like katniss, no, I don't think she would be a good leader.
Speaker 1:I think that she was like thrust into a position of like having to be a leader because of these horrible things that happened to her, but I don't think that, like she would be great at it, I don't think pita would be great at it none.
Speaker 2:Of the tributes are all too traumatized.
Speaker 1:The only person from the whole hunger games universe that I was like, yeah, I think I would want you um, is to janice, I think yeah, I agree, I actually thought about the hunger games too and I was like no, none of them, so skip.
Speaker 2:But yeah, so janice is a good uh alternative if you have to pick someone.
Speaker 1:Yeah and the book.
Speaker 2:We we both said we don't really like it, um, but he is a bright spot as, like a character oh yeah, absolutely, and I think people are drawn to like um, people who have a more diverse backstory but who have also achieved success, like the fact that he was born in the districts but then also became really wealthy and like moved his way to the capital.
Speaker 1:I think people would be drawn to that as a candidate, so I think he could have a successful political career for that reason as well yeah, I just think that he would be able to like empathize and identify with people who have like lower circumstances than he does yeah, absolutely, and really like put their needs first. So totally, I love that one. Cjness has my vote. Oh, I never agree with jefferson once. Okay, guys, back in like 2017, me and emily were really into hamilton well it was the thing to do at the time yeah, and so you know I would they.
Speaker 1:We were early adopters, so maybe that was actually more like 2015 um no, I think it was probably around 2017, 2016, 2016, 2017 anyways, we loved it okay.
Speaker 2:So my second one's more of a discussion question than an actual selection, okay, okay. So here's the thing. Narnia aslan, not a good, not a good president, not good hold up, because I have some narnia notes on my list too okay. Well then, let's discuss. So I I don't like aslan not voting for him. He literally say more a band why don't you like? Us he just is cool with his country why don't you like jesus?
Speaker 2:okay, yeah, no, this lion, he's cool with his country being taken over by a dictator and no christmas for years and years. And he just shows up at the last possible second, once everyone else has basically done all the work and they're resisting and he's like, yeah, all right, let's take her down. Then he dips out after that, so I wouldn't vote for him. Um, he was way too chill for way too long with that.
Speaker 2:The pevencies, though I wanted to say and discuss of the four pevencies, we can't have four kings and queens. That makes no sense. That defeats the whole purpose of a king and a queen. Okay, and I know they're freaking like 11 years old Edmund. He's not reliable. There's no way this was like actually a peaceful reign that they had for years and years while they were in Narnia. So I'm not comfortable with four. So I'm wondering, of the four, which one of them do you think we should pick to be the presidential nominee? And you have to pick one of the four. I thought through this. Okay, yes, I want to hear what you think. I thought through this and I have an answer.
Speaker 1:So first I want to say no to Peter. Yeah, I think that his ego is too big, totally agree. I think that he would just be like inflated ego to whatever and like whatever. Not inflated ego to whatever and like whatever. Not good for him susan incredibly boring, yeah, and does not bring a lot of leadership skills. That's not her fault. No, I would like to say that she's a poorly written character. Agree with not a lot of depth, but yeah, no, not her.
Speaker 1:Edmund also no, yeah, um, for obvious for obvious reasons, I picked lucy actually I think that lucy has the most, um, compassion. She also has a lot of courage, yes, um, you know, to like wield her little dagger and like run around a battlefield healing people. And oh, a lot of curiosity. I think that was another thing I wrote down. I think she approaches life with curiosity and other people's points of views with curiosity. The way that she wasn't afraid of mr tumulus when she met him. She could have been very like, uh, xenophobic. She probably should have been.
Speaker 2:Let's be honest, yeah, probably, and you know, with the beavers and everybody else but she, but she was.
Speaker 1:You know I'm going to approach you with curiosity and try and understand your worldview. Sure, so yeah, I think I pick Lucy. I like that Actually.
Speaker 2:I think actually I'm going to argue with you and say, what about Edmund? Because I know he makes his mistakes but he comes around and he I haven't thought this through because I wasn't planning on picking edmund, but it just as I'm thinking about it. I'm like he, he, he tried, you know the other path. He was a kid and I think he learned from those experiences. Lucy to me seems a little naive to maybe a fault and maybe I want someone is my president who's a little bit more cunning, a little bit more like, has learned his valuable lessons in life and it takes a lot of courage actually to admit that you were wrong and to come back to your siblings and be like. You're probably gonna hate me forever because I did sort of empower this evil dictator and trap you guys all here and she's trying to kill us all. But I am sorry for that.
Speaker 1:And now I believe in aslan and remember that moment in the musical when, when aslan's like look into my eyes yes I feel like you learned a lot from that experience, and me and emily uh also side note, we're also in a uh, a christian eye in an even more Christianized musical adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia. And when Aslan went to the stone table, what song are we saying? Black rose trampled on the ground. You took and thought of me above all.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was lit it was lit. That's what I'm saying. I think he learned a lot from that experience. I don't want pre-experience Edmund, I want post-experience Edmund. So I think Lucy was just a little bit like okay, like stop stop going with strange men, stop going into weird closets where you don't know where you're going. You know you're kind of dragging us. Is it really Edmund's fault or is it really Lucy's fault that they all got thrown into danger? Let's see.
Speaker 1:So I'm proud. I'm going to say those are valid points. I think Edmund would be better suited as the Speaker of the House or as even you know, the chair of the DNC or you know, a campaign manager for Lucy. I think he has a lot more political savvy and ruthlessness, I agree Okay. And think about someone like Nancy Pelosi, who was like really understands power Right.
Speaker 1:Okay, I think that you know, like her or don't like her, she's. She's a really understands power and influence, and like when to play your cards and how to play them. Yeah, I think he would be better in a more political role like speaker of the house.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, and lucy's like the front woman, but he's like the brains behind the operation yeah, she's like she's steering the values of the country.
Speaker 1:She's steering, like yeah political agenda of her coalition. Yeah, and he's more like pulling the gears to make it happen. I don't think that lucy has the ruthlessness or political savvy to pull the right lovers.
Speaker 2:I like that okay, I'm with you on that who were you originally gonna say? Honestly, I didn't really have an answer, I just thought we could talk. Okay, I do like. To me, susan is actually a compelling character, even though obviously she, you know, is like in hell at the end or whatever. Like the older sister, like what could she have been had she not had to be the older sister, you know?
Speaker 1:And what? It's not her fault, she was just made into this like matronly caregiving into this like matronly, yes, caregiving yeah.
Speaker 2:And I mean I would be too if my little brother was, like you know, enabling a dictator and my little sister was going into strange men's houses and taking tea from them and getting my older brother thought that he was like yeah, all this you know I mean so, uh, yeah, I feel for her, but yeah, peter is no, I'm not even considering him okay, yeah, not even, not even close yes, peter is like.
Speaker 2:Yes, I just wanted to bring him up because I feel like the idea of having four kings and queens and that actually being peaceful is like truly insane and one of the dumbest things ever decided that our siblings, yeah, four siblings.
Speaker 1:I don't know some of y'all get along with your siblings, but enough, I had a lot of. There was a lot of discord and like, yeah, my house growing up right between my siblings, we chased each other around with knives, right like you know, I'm seeing also children when they started becoming like it was not as adults that they became kings and queens.
Speaker 2:And even if you do get along with your siblings, do you get along with them enough to rule an entire nation? I don't think so. I don't think so. So, thank you, we have to pick one. That's what I'm saying. All right, what's your second choice?
Speaker 1:okay, let's see. Where else should I? Where should I go next on the list? Um, my next is going to be the first ever wife and husband president and vice president ticket. Amazing, it's going to be Joe March, the president, okay, and the professor, as Veep Love it. Joe is tenacious, she is a boundary breaker, she is brave and has a strong moral compass. She was willing, under the gentle persuasion of her mother, to give away her Christmas breakfast to kids who, you know, eventually infected her sister with the disease that would kill her, and she is going to put her principles first. Also, I think she does need someone to ground her, and that's what makes her relationship with the professor so great is that he's able to ground her and um, help make her better and help her refine her big feelings and bold ideas into things that are more actionable, and um takes a little bit of her ideas to the refining fire. So I want them to be the president, vice president I love that suggestion, I think and they're abolitionists.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they're ahead of the curve, you know, yeah, a hundred percent. It's like Ben and Leslie, like how did they decide which one of them got to run for president? Like, imagine the discussions in that house. You know, how do you pick if, like both of, if you end up marrying some. I think that's the key. If you're in politics, you can't marry someone who's also ambitious politically, because that would just be insane. Like what, if you both want to become president, only one of you can be president and then the other one has to be first spouse, which is kind of a joke, you know yeah, so you just have to like.
Speaker 1:I love that story about, um, I know, like you know, ever, literally since, like november 6th of 20 or november 9th of 2016, people are like, oh, my god, all the you know neolibs are like Michelle Obama should be president. Let me assure you she does not want to be president, no, um. But I love this story where she told, uh, when they, when they went to that restaurant and her ex was the owner of the restaurant and she went back to talk to him and then Barack was like, oh, you know, think about that. Like if you had just married him, like you know, this would have been your life. And she was like, no, if I married him, he would have been president of the united states what a slay.
Speaker 1:Yes, um, but yeah, gosh, it's first. Ladies are so interesting yes, very interesting, and soon to be, hopefully, for spouses are very interesting to me. Yes, totally agree what that role is.
Speaker 2:Yes, um, okay, my last choice is hermione granger, but specifically the version of hermione granger from draco malfoy and the mortifying ordeal of being in love. And here's why I, I guess in this case I would want her to be Minister for Magic, because it's specific to the magical world. I want her because I think the magical world has a real problem with muggles. Even once Voldemort is defeated, whatever Grindelwald's defeated, they don't ever, ever address these underlying muggle prejudices that cause-.
Speaker 1:There's no reparations.
Speaker 2:There's no reparations. There's no reparations. There's no like, even like fair trials. There's no like. Let's you know, let's do a reporting on what happened to cause, within a few decades, two different like hitler adjacent I don't know.
Speaker 1:No, for the audio. Emily, just like was talking and a bunch of balloons went across her screen.
Speaker 2:Two I think you were like I was doing two, that was so I think you were like you had it like at an angle.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'll try it again.
Speaker 2:Two different um, that was so bizarre Two different evil wizards rose up trying to go against muggles. Okay, and also I think it's weird that the wizarding world, which is objectively incredibly small compared to the muggle world, I think it's weird that they literally do not do anything that muggles do, like they don't have any muggle technology, like muggle culture, because you know why, america is over here, the rest of the world is over there, but, like I feel like the rest of the world is infiltrated by like american culture, especially with like hollywood movies and music. So it makes no sense to me that the wizarding world doesn't have those same infiltrations from their muggle counterparts. So I think hermione would be a really great bridge to the future of the wizarding world, one in which they can embrace both muggle technology, muggle medicine and science, science and magic, because in the if you haven't read draco malfoy, the mortifying ordeal of being in love, which is a fan fiction we've discussed at length um, she is studying both magical healing and she is studying medicine in the muggle world and she's trying to bring those two things together and I think that's really important for the future.
Speaker 2:Uh, thriving of the wizarding community, because you can only stay in the past, using your magic as like a band-aid for technology for so long, and there are so many technological advances that would be helpful, you know, because, like operating honestly, I know it's fast but it sounds really horrible and you can splinch yourself. Why don't they just take a plane, okay? Um, I feel like there's a lot of the environment diseases. Probably they have like little healing things for, but also don't wizards like get cancer sometimes? And also, why aren't they at least trying to help muggles with some things that they could help like?
Speaker 1:hunger and stuff.
Speaker 2:So I just feel like she could be like okay, look, we're objectively very small. If we don't, like you know, get some muggles in our bloodlines. I know you guys are, all you know, racist, but if we don't do that, we're gonna die out. There's so so many of us. You guys are already marrying your freaking cousins. That can't be good, and so let's get some new. Let's take this to the future. We don't have to reveal ourselves to be wizards, but we can start integrating a little bit more into muggle society. Bring some things that we like from their society into ours, and that'll be the future.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like, why are you guys writing with quills? Yeah, like, what the heck computers Like you could type?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think truly in this world would make a great first gentleman or whatever. What are they called?
Speaker 1:The magic spouse.
Speaker 2:I don't know what's the prime minister? Nothing, probably they don't care as much. Um, but yeah, he would make a great you know partner and would support her. And he's also got the like appeal of, like, the old wizard family for all the racist wizards. They'll be like, oh a malfoy. He's endorsing this so we can safely do it. You know, he's creating that permission structure for the racist wizards to endorse her and support her. It's still just first lady, oh, cool, so he could be the first, uh, gentleman of the minister for magic. Um, yeah, so, and she's friends with harry potter.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's got to get her some points so, yeah, that will be hugely helpful for her campaign.
Speaker 2:Yeah so I would definitely support her. This one is specific like the other. They can come over to America and be president For her. I do want her to be for Minister for Magic because I think it's really important for the Wizarding World and for the muggle England. Thank you.
Speaker 1:That's a great one. Yeah, when I read that fic I thought the same thing. Like it discusses kind of the merging of the two worlds.
Speaker 2:yeah, like in their sciences and innovations yeah, it's like, why aren't y'all doing that interesting?
Speaker 1:thank you okay, my last one is um, born from a book I recently read in preparation for an episode that we're going to be doing later to the later in november.
Speaker 1:Uh, very soon for the movie release of Wicked. So I read Wicked and I won't for that episode. I won't spoil my general thoughts about the book because we'll talk about it then. But I actually think that book Elphaba would make a pretty decent leader. She is flawed, yeah, deeply. She is rough around the edges she. But I think a lot of that is just kind of due to like being weird Right and like being outcast from society, yeah, mm-hmm, but through the whole book her North star is capital a animal rights.
Speaker 1:So it's animals that are like sure, in the in oz, that are like sentient and can speak and whatever, and like there's this whole movement in their world to get them to like be treated like your regular farm animal kind of thing, right, and like kind of enslaved or, like you know, killed or whatever right, and that is her north star throughout she. You know all of her studies and like everything that she does that in the main story is kind of disguised as like her being wicked and bad is because she's fighting against this oppressive regime, against capital A animals, and she's weird and she's socially awkward and she's a little off putting. So I don't know if she would make an amazing candidate, sure.
Speaker 2:Could be difficult to get her elected.
Speaker 1:Yeah, she's not great at retail politics, not great with the grip and grin or anything like that, but I think she would be actually a good leader. She's very smart, um, she's compassionate and she has strong values and um also, like, she's not afraid to make an enemy when she needs to and to stand up to power. You know, she'll tell people to like sit in their place, she's okay with disagreement and she's okay with, like tension, and I think those are things that you need in a leader you know, I feel like she'd be good starting off in like a really small local position that didn't require a lot of campaigning.
Speaker 2:Maybe she runs in a post, then she slowly works her way up through the ranks. You know bigger and bigger offices as does. She'd be smoothed out. They'd polish out that backstory a little bit. She'd get the reps in with the interviewing and the speaking and the debating and by the time she runs for president she would be well prepared.
Speaker 1:Or maybe she just needs to be a captain member. I was going to say that too, like that could be good for her. She's very smart, yeah, but I just think because of her experience in Oz, she's not really. She's rough around the edges, that's what I would say, but she's. The book Elphaba is a very complex character. Yeah, that is really different, yes, from the musical Elphaba, like in a crazy way. So, yes, looking forward to that episode and talking more about that and saving that conversation for then but look forward to that a lot.
Speaker 2:In two weeks we'll be talking about that. So very exciting stuff. Oh, is that our next episode? Our next episode? Wow, have you read it yet? I've started it, so I haven't finished it. It's, it's different.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, tbd.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right, t, as michael scott would say, tdb do you have any like honorable mentions you want to throw out there before we wrap up this discussion?
Speaker 1:my one quick honorable mention was elizabeth from the thursday murder club, former mi6 agent. I think she knows how to break the right rules. Yeah, and I think learning how to knowing like someone who knows when to break the right rules would be a great leader, but she would be pm, I guess, because she's british.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I mean whatever I'm I'm saying, a mortal vampire born before the united states existed could be vampire. So I mean could be a president so be impressed.
Speaker 1:That was crazy. I can't believe you did that All right.
Speaker 2:Great, I love it. I don't have any honorable mentions. Those were my three. What have you read recently, man? I have read two bad books, but I want to vent about them, so these aren't recommendations.
Speaker 1:Okay, what are they?
Speaker 2:Number one. This isn't necessarily bad, but have you heard of Two Can Play by Allie Hazelwood?
Speaker 1:I literally listened to it today.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, oh my God.
Speaker 1:Did you like it? I saw this on Storygraph that you had reviewed it as well. Yes, I think. For what it was, it was good so bringing the listeners in to this conversation. It is like a Spotify audiobook exclusive. It's only an audiobook novella by Ali Hazelwood and it's like an enemies to lovers slash, yeah, I guess like rivals to lovers. In like the video gaming, the indie video gaming world, which was interesting. But it's just audiobook and it's short and it's like kind of winter themed. It takes place in the winter time.
Speaker 1:So, it's um so, yeah, so what did you so? So what are your thoughts? Okay, so.
Speaker 2:Number one. I will say I did like a lot of parts of this. It is what it is. It was fun, A good time. I like the video game stuff. I guess what I thought is that, first of all, for an audiobook exclusive, I thought the audio was kind of bad. I didn't think the narrator was that great, I thought there would be more.
Speaker 1:I specifically don't like that narrator.
Speaker 2:Yes, I've heard her before. I didn't. I don't like her, and it's not just that. It's like there was no like she's not great with like some narrators are really good at making it obvious when there's like dialogue. She's not great at that, and so there's certain parts where, like, is she thinking this in her head or saying it's that loud? There's no like production value to it. I just assumed, I guess, as a only audio there is no book that it would be a little bit higher quality, I guess, or like a little more to it. And I'll say this really shows ali hazelwood's fan fiction, because background, because this definitely could have been a fan fiction, um, oh yeah, I thought the same thing. It just like the characters don't have a lot of personality, it's just kind of like a little bit of conflict, then they hook up, then it's over.
Speaker 1:So I just found that to be kind of uh, meh, also I might that this all derives from. Is it every single one? I don't know if she did this but um, it's definitely a theme, I think it all adam driver yeah, like that's her thing about him sure, here's what I'll say.
Speaker 1:I think, um, I'm so forgiving of like a novella, especially like a seasonal, like special thing, right, like this. Okay, what I have, I would probably be a lot harsher on it. There's no page count, so like let's say that it was an eight hour audiobook, yeah, I would be a lot more critical, absolutely.
Speaker 1:This was a four hour audio book. If you listen to that on 1.3 speed it goes a lot faster. So, like to me, I was just like oh, this is something I could do in like two sittings of doing a puzzle or, you know, cooking or cleaning my kitchen or something like that, so like it.
Speaker 1:Well, whatever, I just was like I liked it and I was thinking about my rating system for books today because after I rated this, I saw your rating. You gave it three stars. I did, I gave it four, okay. Um, I was thinking that the star system for people, really there's so much subjectivity in it and I was thinking like okay, what do I? How do what does that mean to me? One is like this book offended. Yes, yeah, I, I hated it. Yes, and not only did I not, yes, not only did I not like it, but it offended me, yes. Two is this book was not good and I did not enjoy it.
Speaker 2:Yes, Like the writing was bad.
Speaker 1:I would not recommend anyone read this. Yeah, I would dissuade you. Three is it was all right, yeah, which I think for some people, three is like it was good, I liked it. Yes, for me, three is not an endorsement.
Speaker 2:No, it's like it's fine.
Speaker 1:I liked. No, it's like, it's fine, I liked it or it was fine. Yeah is what I would say for three. Four is sorry, four is I liked it, uh-huh. And five, what is I loved it. Yeah, see, I think the difference is like I liked it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, four to me is like I really really like this book, but I probably won't think about it ever again. And five is like I loved it so much I'll never stop thinking about it. Like five is a little bit higher of a bar, I think, for me. Um, although I give a lot of books fives, but it's just like, yeah, it has to really make an impression on me to get over to the five.
Speaker 2:Like some of my favorite books I read this year. I put four stars, so three to me is just like I mean sometimes I rate them four and a half.
Speaker 1:It's like I really really I guess, maybe that's it for me because I think the jump from three to four to me is pretty big yeah three is just like okay, yeah. And then four is I liked it, and then five is I love it. I really like this is one of my top books of the year yeah, yeah, I agree okay so you gave it a three, I gave it a three one other book I read on I just have.
Speaker 2:I have to get a call for help.
Speaker 1:I texted you about this. Wait, hold on Time, time time. Would you recommend that people listen?
Speaker 2:Yeah, if, you like fan fiction, pretend these are your two favorite characters and not real people that she's trying to flesh out, and you will really enjoy it. Probably like it's fun.
Speaker 1:It's short, it's short, it's like it's all about the situational thing. It's like you can do a self-insert basically, yeah, okay, this one.
Speaker 2:I have heard so much about Abby Jimenez, and as have you, I'm sure, and so I keep saying I feel like I need to read her books Because, because you know, I feel like everyone's telling me to read her books, and so I read the friend zone by her, which I have since learned is her first book that she ever published, so I think that does contribute to it. Okay, this is the first time I've ever been compelled to like write a full review, because I hated this book so much. First of all, what did you give it?
Speaker 1:I gave it a two, so it didn't offend you. It did not I have.
Speaker 2:I don't think I've ever given a book, a one Like that would be a lot for me.
Speaker 1:What would it take for you to give something a one like a hatred to the author?
Speaker 2:Yeah, like the author would also have to be like personally repugnant to me.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I don't, and I also I also feel like, yeah, if I feel like no one could ever like this book, that would also make me do a one. But this I'm like, okay, a lot of people did like this book so, and I did think the writing was good. It was just the characters and the plot that I hated. So, yeah, first of all, that's it.
Speaker 2:This is a book is about kristin and josh. Kristin is, um. She is starts off the book in a relationship with a guy who's in the military, um, and they've been together for two years and he's about to unenlist and move in with her. Also, she has fibroids in her uterus and she thinks she's infertile and she's about to get a hysterectomy after her best friend's wedding. Um, because it's, wow, this is a lot. It's a lot. It's causing her so many problems. Her best friend is about to get married, her best friend's fiance, his best friend, is josh, josh, yeah, josh, um, and so the two of them obviously meet because they're going to be best man made of honor. They all start hanging out the two. They become friends. Okay, here's what I want to say to Abby Jimenez Emotional cheating is cheating and these two are freaking heavy emotional cheating. And in the book she's like I am not committing infidelity, like okay. Also, he's always saying constantly how Kristen is not like other girls, she's a cool girl, she wears sweatpants, she drinks beer, don't come at me.
Speaker 1:Miss me with that. Miss me, miss me with not like other girls, a woman.
Speaker 2:She takes him at one point to a taco truck in Skid Row at 2 in the morning and is like don't worry, joshosh, I am familiar with this place. He's like she's so cool, she knows where she wants to eat. Okay, um, unlike other girls, and he's not like other guys because he has six sisters and he'll go buy her tampons at the store and, um, he knows about women and stuff, so anyways, they literally that is so like that's strike one.
Speaker 1:Okay, do you know it's? It's in 2024. You can, in most large cities, hire a robot to pick up thank you tampons for you at the store, girl girl stand, stand up.
Speaker 2:That's the bars on the floor but her current boyfriend wouldn't do that for her, even though she has debilitary periods. So that's the bars on the floor. But her current boyfriend wouldn't do that for her, even though she has debilitary periods. So that's another problem. More moving on, she doesn't break up with this guy. He breaks up with her, kind of because she tells him if you re-enlist in the army, I'm we're done because you have to come home. I only see you, like every you know whatever six months, I don't know like you have to unlist, move in with me or we're done. He calls her. She's been avoiding his calls to spend time with Josh who's, by the way, living with her with his gun, because a neighborhood kid has been hiding in her backyard to like smoke cigarettes and sneak out of his house and he's convinced that it's like some kind of stalker home intruder. So he's like let me get my gun and come, stay at your house, you can't be there by yourself anyways. So literally she's been avoiding her boyfriend's calls to like hang out with him.
Speaker 1:He calls her and is like, by the way, I re-enlisted, not even she's not even done.
Speaker 2:Listening to the voicemail she starts making out with him. That's, that's cheating, I'm sorry. He doesn't even say we're broken up, he just says I'm re-enlisting. That's like the whole first part of the book. Then she's like we actually have to just be friends with benefits because I'm infertile and you really want kids. So they just become friends with benefits. And he's like I don't understand, maybe she's just getting over this relationship because she doesn't say that she's infertile. He doesn't know.
Speaker 1:Please, please do you see where this is going? Do you see? No, no, no, no. The end of the book.
Speaker 2:No, I'm just spoiling this for you because you don't need to ever read this guys, she's, she gets pregnant by him not only does she get pregnant by him, which is bad enough, her best friend, who the whole thing has been leading up to this wedding, her fiance, gets hit by a drunk driver and dies.
Speaker 1:What? Okay, let's. This is the thing that me and Emily remind you guys of all the time, just because a book has a bunch of dramatic things that happen does not mean it was a good book Just because she has fibroids and there's the enlisting and Skid Row and Gun and Drive-By.
Speaker 2:That's not even the full thing.
Speaker 1:That is actually a red flag for a book not being good. Yes, because it's just filler padded with extreme events to make you think that something is good, feel emotions. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So he dies. Actually it's even worse. He gets hit, he goes into a coma. He's about to make a full recovery, like they're about to wake him up from the coma, and that night he has a catastrophic stroke and dies. Um, yeah. So then this whole time they're having this miscommunication, like they can't freaking talk to each other, and she won't say to him I'm infertile, you want a whole family. We can't do this. And she's not even giving him the opportunity to be like I want to be with you. Eventually she tells him he's like I want to be with you, I don't care about that. Like I don't care about having kids that much, I care about being with you. Also, like do a surrogacy or adopt whatever. She's like no, I'm not doing that. So then they don't talk anymore. This guy dies. That brings them together. Literally he dies. And all of a sudden they're like we have to be together, which is rude to the memory of your friend. Okay, like, don't make out on my grave. And then, um, she gets magically pregnant. So they end up having a son. Then she does have a hysterectomy, but then they're going to go through a surrogacy to have more kids. And it was very disturbing. So this is my cry for help.
Speaker 2:I actually have done a lot of Reddit research to see and TikToks. A lot of people didn't like this book. Some people felt like her books do get better. I believe that, but I also seem to have understood that the like aggressive drama, um, and plot twists are like kind of her mo and I'm really not interested in that. So what do you guys think? Should I give her another chance? That's my problems with this book and that's like this. That's just scraping the iceberg. There were so many issues I had with this book and that's like this. That's just scraping the iceberg. There were so many issues I had with this book. So many random, like dramatic things like she has this horrific, abusive mom and then that's just like never brought up again. It's just like there's so many different things where you're like what is the point of that?
Speaker 2:you know it's never paid off it's just drama for drama's sake, like you said I don't, that's not my thing.
Speaker 1:And look, that might be your thing if you're listening it's just not my thing, yeah. So like I want better characters. If you're gonna do all of that, then the characters better you're not like other girls.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry yeah, come on annoying. No, no, no, we're so beyond that. But look, if the book's gonna have a bunch of dramatic stuff in it, that's okay, as long as the characters can stand up to that, right, and it informs the development of the characters, right.
Speaker 2:But if it's just like stuff that happens to them and then there's no like lasting impact or you don't see that in their inner world, or anything like that, I don't know, it's just and I don't like it when the trauma like is just there to move the plot along, like it did sort of feel like, um, she had to write this best friend dying because this girl had been so annoyingly adamant that she wasn't going to get back together with him, or like wouldn't you know try it with him because of the infertility thing, and it felt like there was no other way to get around that other than them having their literal best friend die and that forcing them to re-evaluate their lives. And I don't like that. I feel like if something happens, I do want it to affect the characters, but I don't want it to feel like it only happened to advance the plot. You know what I mean? Yeah, that's just me, anyways, okay, unfortunately I have not read anything good lately, so I accept any and all recommendations.
Speaker 1:I'm wishing you something better. Thank you, I did read a book I enjoyed. Have you read the Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides?
Speaker 2:Yes, did you like it? I really liked it. Yeah, I did too.
Speaker 1:I don't think that it was the most fantastically written book that I've ever read, but I really enjoyed it. So it's a thriller about a woman who is a painter and her husband dies, and the night of his death the neighbor calls the police because she hears gunshots, and they go to the house and the wife was bleeding out, her wrist was slit. The husband is tied up in a chair and has been shot five times, and we are reading the story from the perspective of her therapist. So, or a therapist so uh, she uh, is like it's determined that she needs psychiatric help and so, instead of being imprisoned, this is this is the UK.
Speaker 2:This is not America but she gets put into yeah, she gets put into like long-term treatment.
Speaker 1:The thing is not America, but she gets put into. Yeah, she gets put into like long-term treatment. The thing is she never speaks another word again after she, after they're found in the scene of the crime, she never speaks a word again. But she does make one painting, and this is like her last communication. And so we're told the story from the perspective of a psychotherapist who is really interested in this case and applies to work at the hospital that she's at specifically so that he can provide treatment to Alicia, the main character, or the woman, woman, and um, see if you can get her to talk. And um, it's very fast moving. Yeah, um, quick read. Um, very readable, very, um, good twist. Yeah, um, great twists, interesting characters, interesting setting. I think it's a great time of year to read it. I enjoyed it. It was four stars for me yeah, this is a great one.
Speaker 2:Um, if you I feel like, if you're also like just getting into thrillers, this is a really good place to start, because it's kind of like the platonic ideal of a mystery thriller. It's a really fast place, it's got a good twist.
Speaker 1:Um, that I didn't see coming, but I know some people probably did I mean I knew a big twist right, so I was trying to figure it out, yeah, and I think I got pretty close, yeah, like there's a.
Speaker 2:I didn't get it quite right. So I think, this is a good place to start yeah, and it's super fast to read, so I think this is great for a lot of people who are getting back into reading too, like it's a quick, fast-paced read that you can. Yeah, the chapters are really short, yeah, which helps.
Speaker 1:Like you know, they're two or three page chapters, so you're like, oh, I should read one more, oh, I should read one more. And then you're flying through the book. So, um, yeah, I really, I I really enjoyed it. It's not again for me, it's not five stars because it's not like a book I'm going to be thinking about forever. Yeah, right, but it was, it was really good and I liked it. Yeah, love that. So totally agree. Sorry, I could not recommend anything else.
Speaker 2:No, it's okay I got, I've got so many things on my tbr and and they'll be good. These just two and honestly, the ali hazelwood one, like you said, it was like fine, it was like for what it was, it was fun, it was a really fun audiobook.
Speaker 1:So also, it was short which is helping me.
Speaker 2:Yes, that reminds me I met my reading goal for the year with these two terrible books. I have officially finished 50, so that was my goal and I wanted to share that.
Speaker 1:Um, so we'll see how far I get. I know you could really let me push yourself the next two months. I could.
Speaker 2:I feel like I've been increasing as the years gone by. So we'll see.
Speaker 1:That's good. Yeah, okay, yeah, I am pushing myself to try and reach the goal. That I'm secretly doing, I'm not officially doing this.
Speaker 2:That's what I was going to do.
Speaker 1:But now I want to do it, but I really am. I'm having to step on it, yeah, cause there's only two months left of the year.
Speaker 2:I know here we go. This is the reading time.
Speaker 1:I'll read a lot of books. Let's do it. Let's lock in. Yeah, all right, y'all All right. Bye, see you on the other side, catch you on the other side catch you on the flip, bye.