The Readirect Podcast
Shifting the conversation back to books. Hosted by Abigail Freshley and Emily Rojas.
The Readirect Podcast
Unpopular Book Opinions 2
We're here with a short and hilarious episode that had us CRYING laughing on multiple occasions. Today, we're sharing our unpopular bookish opinions, as well as the unpopular opinions of listeners & strangers on Reddit.
Want to help us grow our community of book loving nerds? Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow us on Instagram and Bluesky at @redirectpodcast, and share the show with a friend!
Recent Reads:
- Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
- Famous Last Words by Gillian McCallister
- You Didn't Hear This From Me by Kelsey McKinney
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 our real experiences.
Speaker 1:On today's episode, we are checking in with unpopular book opinions.
Speaker 2:Spicy. But before we get started, we would love for you to support our show in a few simple ways. We're very humbly coming before you and asking you, if you like the show, to just go. Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and let us know how much you love the show.
Speaker 1:You can also follow us on Instagram and blue sky at redirect podcast and if you really really like the show, you can share the show 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. Um, if you're new here, some of you are new here.
Speaker 2:Welcome, welcome and um. We also want to hear from you what like this summer?
Speaker 1:what kind and? We also want to hear from you.
Speaker 2:What like?
Speaker 1:this summer? What kind of things do you want to hear on our podcast? Do you? What's your favorite book? Do you want us to book club it? What do you want us to read? What do you want us to discuss? So true, I feel like we're kind of in a season.
Speaker 2:We are of the people.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We could use some suggesties. Yeah, I know, I feel like the problem is there's so many new good books coming out that we want a book club that it's like you forget there are actually other topics to discuss, because I feel like for a while we're in like a drought where there was no new books to book club, yeah, and now it's like that's all we do.
Speaker 1:But if there's other topics or older books we're always open, so we're down yeah, yeah, today we like we were like texting and we're like what should we do for this episode? And then I was like came up with a.
Speaker 1:I was like let's do a popular book opinions, like it was like the first time we'd ever done it, like it's like so, like new and fresh, and then I realized we had already done that and the way I realized that, oh my god, I'll have to tell the listeners okay, the way I realized that is because I was looking on reddit for unpopular book opinion threads and I found one we had already used and I was like because one of the controversial opinions was really funny to me and it was um, I actually really like all the descriptions of whales and yeah, I remember that in the giving tree there was some really funny comments about that.
Speaker 1:Yes, totally. But okay. So then I was like I'm going to make a post and I'm going to find. I was like, let me go to reading, like the reading subreddit, go on there. And I'm like, hey guys, I'm looking for your spiciest, most controversial book opinions. What are you afraid to say out loud in a group of book lovers? It could be a book you don't like, you do like, or just an opinion about reading, and I'm like eye emoji, I'm like book emoji. And then I'm like, hmm, let me see what's getting upvoted in this thread and I like go to check on it. A few minutes later and I realized I have posted in the Reading Pennsylvania community, so funny so funny.
Speaker 2:Oh, that would haunt me the, the mods quickly removed my post I bet that happens a lot.
Speaker 1:Come on, uh, it was so funny to me. I'm like sorry guys, like how earnest and eager I was, like this is gonna be a what a fun discussion but the good news is is I did find a good thread that we could harvest some unpopular. So we got some from listeners, yeah, but we also have a post in our books.
Speaker 2:That seems more. There's not a books Pennsylvania, to my knowledge.
Speaker 1:Anyways, before we get into it, how are you doing?
Speaker 2:Doing pretty good. I'm in kind of a reading slump right now, and you know what it is. Sometimes you're in a reading slump because you read a really bad book and you're like, oh, I was such a slog sometimes. Which is me right now. You're in a reading slump because you read too many good books in a row and now I'm like everything I start seems mid and I just have no desire to read something mid after. I've just been crushing really good books, dude.
Speaker 1:I know I feel like march. I was like because I posted on I'm just like a self-plug here at fabigal on blue sky um, I posted like my march reading wrap-up. Yeah, it was like the lowest that I rated something in March was like 3.75. Yeah, but like it was like five stars.
Speaker 2:I think mine were all four and above. Yeah, it was a great month. It was a good month.
Speaker 1:I'm looking back. I'm like I was on a high. Normal people Shark heart. Yes, real Americans, careless people, uh careless people, which is a banger.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, sunrise and the reaping, yeah, obviously, five stars, so, yeah, so that's where I'm at, but I, I, I feel like I can get out of it maybe. Um, so I just got a couple holds in on libby, so I have hope. Anyways, um, but that's where I'm at with my reading. I'm just like I went on too much of a tear of like, really excellent, enjoyable books and yeah, it's ruining me.
Speaker 1:Well, we have my Great, big, beautiful Life right around the corner. I can't even talk about that. Yes, and if you have any recommendations for Emily hit us up.
Speaker 2:Yes, send me your ads. At Read Earth Podcast. At Read Earth Podcast. At Emily.
Speaker 1:Rojas Reads. I do any recommendations for emily?
Speaker 2:hit us up, send me your ad reader podcast at emily rojas reads I do need it. I thought about reading just like, because I'm really always. I'm right. Now I'm three books ahead on my goal right. I at one point was like eight books ahead, now I'm three I want to keep the advantage though.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I want to keep that advantage.
Speaker 2:So I was like, should I just read? Um, this is. I was talking to my friend ali on boxer and I was like have you ever read frida mcfadden? Because I'm like I think her books are genuinely not good. Okay, I want to be on the record. She just kind of rips off other people like it's they're stupid, but they you can read them in like one hour, an hour and a half.
Speaker 1:I mean they're so short and not not good, but like enjoyable numbers yeah, it's like when people like my brother does this all the time he will drink. I mean, they're so short and stupid, not good, but enjoyable Like beef. Up your numbers, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's like when people look my brother does this all the time he will drink a meal replacement shake instead of a real meal. That's what Frida McFadden's books are, anyways. So I was like, should I just dig into a book like that that I know I can sit down and read in one sitting very easily, even though it's not going to be good? Anyways, I very easily even though it's not going to be good.
Speaker 2:Anyways, I haven't done that yet but well, I saw it because she was like freedom, freedom, mcfadden, I got me, yeah. So, uh, yeah, send me your recommendations. If you have something that's actually good but also that I can read in one sitting, that will really hook me in. I will take that as a rec. Okay, yeah, all right, let's do this. Do you have any unpopular book opinions before we go to our listeners, slash Reddit. Oh sorry, do you want me to say mine?
Speaker 1:Because I thought about this yeah, say yours, because I kind of didn't think about mine or what I haven't already shared, I know Okay here's one that I thought about today.
Speaker 2:I actually like and prefer and want to keep uh, illustrated romance novel covers. I know people don't really like them, people don't like them. Okay, I think people don't like them because they're like oh, you're like, uh, you know what, if your 12? Year old picks them up because they are so cute and then they're like doing nasty things on the inside. But the characters in the front are cute. I don't care about that'm sorry If your kid is going to the adult fiction romance shelf in Barnes, noble and you're not vetting what they're reading.
Speaker 1:That's on you.
Speaker 2:That's on you, that's not on the characters on the front. So yeah, that's my unpopular opinion. I don't know if it actually is super unpopular or if people agree with me, but I see a lot of people be like oh I hate these stupid. You know, cartoon character, romance novel covers. I like them and want them to keep them around, and I think more books should be like illustrate your covers right, tell me what's inside.
Speaker 1:Yeah, without also embarrassing me.
Speaker 2:Yeah it's like a shorthand.
Speaker 1:It's like a shorthand, yes um, I don't know if this is like that controversial, yeah, but I was talking about I was just at like a long work event and I was doing something with one of my coworkers. We were talking about music and we're talking about like popular things are popular because they're good. Yeah, it's like fine to like the most popular romanticist book. I think that's good, it's, it's fine like you like it. Because you like it, it's popular because it's good. Yeah, you're not better than anybody because you only read lit fic. That's true. No, I agree.
Speaker 2:Obviously you know what I mean. Like that's our, our known stance on this pod. I think that you should like what you like, unless it's calling hoover and I'm starting to become that way with abby jimenez.
Speaker 2:I'm starting to have a short leash with both of them. If you like them, I don't know, like if you should be here. I'm such a hater. I'm such a hater, I don't know. I just don't like her. I think she has a new book out, so I keep seeing people talk about it, and I have only read one book by her, but it was just one of the least enjoyable romances I've ever read.
Speaker 1:So yeah, anyways, uh, but yeah, I have a question about something else, about books that's okay, sure tell me, what do you think is the threshold for what you should have lived through to be able to write a memoir?
Speaker 2:are you, uh, because of that uh influencer girl who hired a ghostwriter? Are you on that side of book talk?
Speaker 1:drama. Okay, so there's this influencer girl.
Speaker 2:I have never heard of her, but she has a book coming out. I think her name's like Tinks or something. Hold on, she has a book coming out called Hotter in the Hamptons. Yeah, her name is Tinks. It's called Hotter in the Hamptons and she is straight, and my understanding is that this book is a queer romance. It has come out that it is written by a ghostwriter and she has kind of like not admitted to that and then she did go on a podcast, I think like, oh well, I'm not queer. So in order to like capture the queer experience, I had help from a ghostwriter who is queer and you're the one making money off of it yes, which is extremely common.
Speaker 2:Like, first of all, yeah, that's extremely common, for if an influencer is releasing a book, 99 of of the time they did not write the book you know, or at least they had help.
Speaker 2:She's okay. But yeah, she did not say this was read. At first she didn't say anything. And then some people started digging on like tick tock, like hey, I pretty sure ghostwriter wrote this. Like the way she's promoting it is kind of weird. And then combined with having a ghostwriter, and then now she's kind of like downplaying this ghostwriter person and being like well, she's just helping me, you know, um, because I just don't know that experience.
Speaker 1:Anyways, I thought that's why you brought that question no, I did not bring that up, but also so that's really interesting and I'm happy to learn that drama yes I was talking about specifically memoirs. Oh okay, like, like, what. What should you have lived through to be able to write a memoir?
Speaker 2:Oh, like how much of your life.
Speaker 1:Like when should we? Or what kind of thing Like, okay, I guess it could be multiple, there could be multiple options. It could be like you've lived this long, yeah, or you've lived through this, much Like. Because I guess, like, whatever you can, anyone can do what they want. Anyone can write a memoir. But I'm saying like if we were in charge, okay, what would we say?
Speaker 2:because, yeah, I missed the memoir part of your question.
Speaker 1:But yeah, right, like I think there's like lots of like influencers for instance who like write memoirs and they do and they make money and that's fine. I'm not reading it. Okay, being on bachelor nation, does that credential you to write a memoir?
Speaker 2:I'm gonna ask you this, and while I think about that, smooch mary kill uh. Influencer writing a memoir, influencer writing a ghostwritten rom-com or influencer writing a cookbook, and let me think about what they need to have lived through I'm going to marry influencer writing a cookbook.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, that's fine to me. Yeah, agree, I'm going to smooch memoir. I think, yeah, and I'm going to kill. Like, I think, if you're going to have a ghostwriter, then you should be. Then it should be writing a nonfiction book because, you have the idea or the concept of something you want to talk about, but you don't have the skills to write.
Speaker 1:Yeah totally To me that makes sense for like, okay, I want to share my ideas in a book. Yeah, I acknowledge I don't really have writing skills, but you're just paying someone to write a book in your name, like a story for entertainment. That doesn't really feel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree, I think you picked right. Okay. So to answer your original question yeah, I think if you've been on the Bachelor, you should not write a memoir ever. That should be illegal, that if you're on the Bachelor. So we're just getting rid of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, unless something separately crazy happens to you, but if your only thing is that you've been on the Bachelor illegal, like now Rachel Lindsay's first memoir, which I actually really liked I don't think she should have been allowed to write that, though, but now that she's divorced I would like the tea actually, and so I think she should be able to write one now, but before she probably should not have been able to in my law. So something else interesting to you has to happen.
Speaker 1:There has to be at least one other interesting perspective.
Speaker 2:Yes, that we don't already know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is the memoir about your time on the bachelor?
Speaker 2:well, no, because I kind of want to know that if you're gonna spill tea, you have to like, you have to have, at least are you presenting new information? Yes, at least three things that are brand new information is what you're sharing in your memoir googleable yes, if or has someone else already spilled the tea on this, on a podcast like yeah I don't care.
Speaker 2:If it's not googleable, then sure you can put it in your memoir and the reason yes here's the thing we have not gotten a really good juicy celebrity memoir in a while because people keep already just re talking about things they already talked about. But you know what, like the reason prince harry's really popped off is because he said so many crazy things that people did not already know and our all-time most popular episode, right all time, yes for now and people wanted to know that stuff like it's not googleable.
Speaker 2:It was stuff that they, the, the royal family, that's like should be the standards. Me, the royal family. They never talk about stuff like to me. Jill duggar, she did a memoir, obviously people like that, but I don't feel like she spilled enough.
Speaker 1:I feel like she should have been asked. There was perspective and her personal experience, but a lot of was already known yeah, it was just kind of confirming some things too.
Speaker 2:That was like okay, as people thought that was true. But now you're confirming it, but she honestly, the threshold should be higher. It should be somewhere above chill duggar right.
Speaker 1:And then, like, the other exception to me is, like, if you're not already famous and you decide to write a memoir, you, if you haven't, like, lived for a really long time, like, let's say, you're like under 65, yeah, then you need to be writing it with a specific like, specific perspective and like, yes, yes, like careless people, that was focused on this girl's time at facebook. Right, okay, I don't know detailing, you're not chronicling every moment of your life, right, okay, so you're gonna write a memoir about working on capitol hill yeah or like educate working, working in the restaurant business yeah, she's lived okay she's lived life or okay.
Speaker 2:So you have to be in perspective or you have to have how many? Like you know, the childhood ace scores you have to have, like, above a certain threshold if you have a high one. You're good, right Write that memoir.
Speaker 1:All right, so just in summary, you either have like an ACES score over seven. Yeah, okay, you have tea to spill. That's not Googleable.
Speaker 2:Yes, non-Googleable tea.
Speaker 1:Or you're writing if you're under 65, you're writing your memoir with a very specific perspective about something Narrow focus, narrow something, narrow focus, yes. And then, if you're over 65, pop off grandma, do whatever you want, honestly I mean honestly, do whatever you want, let your titties hang free and if you've been on the bachelor, do not write a memoir, don't write anything, just go back to your job. Go drink some flat tummy tea. Yeah, just be quiet.
Speaker 1:Stop writing books yeah, anyway, and if your name is tinks and also don't hire either write fiction because you're good at it, or don't hire a ghost or don't. But don't hire a ghost writer to write your fiction book for you, well yeah like that's just the problem I think with.
Speaker 2:I feel like publishing these days, like they're probably recruiting an influencer to I know I swear. Mark my words on God Anna X, on TikTok the Starbees girl. She is going to write a fiction book. Air quotes write a fiction book I would give it within the next two years.
Speaker 2:I have no idea who you're talking about don't know anna, the starbies girl, she's blonde dude anna x no please, when you look her up, please tell me, you know what she is I googled anna x starbies girl I mean, that's how she started, was like going to starbucks.
Speaker 1:Now she's just I have never seen a human being this is really shocking to me, because you and me we're normally on the same, the same page. We got similar fyps I know not on the, not in this way not in this way anyways.
Speaker 2:Well, she has a pretty big tiktok influencer. In the past year she has started posting about reading more, when she never posted about that before. I'm telling you right now she will be writing a fiction book and she will not have written it. That is the problem with today's society. Publishers are recruiting these influencers to write these books and then they're having them ghost written by actual writers. Uh, so if you see that, don't be surprised. I just feel like it's interesting that people are reacting so strongly. I think it has to do with, obviously, this tanks girl being straight and writing like a queer romance, but she didn't actually write it. Um, I think that's like a cocktail did she even have the idea?
Speaker 2:right, like we don't even know come up with the plot, yeah or did this other writer pitch this book and they're like hey, tanks say you wrote this, you know what I mean. Like. So it's just interesting to me, though, that there's been a lot of outrage about it, because this is something that happens all the time, to be clear. So circle back to me when anna announces her romance book, that's going to be called something stupid, you know. Like. Another day, another falling in love. Okay, let's get into the other, the listeners. Uh, okay here. Okay, should we start with what we have from reddit yeah, start with reddit.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's get into the other, the listeners' unpopular opinions. Okay here. Okay, should we start with what we have from Reddit? Yeah, start with Reddit. Okay, so I have. I've selected a few for your enjoyment, Thank you, and I have them in three categories. The first are ones that I think are correct opinions.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, here we go, let's go, I'll let you react.
Speaker 1:To me this is a correct opinion. Okay, here we go. I'll let you react. To me this is a correct opinion. Okay, this is on the subreddit rbooks. A Little Life was torture, porn, had no nuance, was exploitative and I don't know how anyone read all 700 plus pages of it and found it entertaining. Have you ever read A Little Life? I have not, and because I know this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I know this. Yeah, yeah, and I was without knowing.
Speaker 1:I won't write it, I won't and I won't yeah, and that's something for you to say, because you like reading books to cry yes, but man, we were just talking about being emotionally manipulated.
Speaker 2:But I wanted to like be earned. No, you know what I do, like I actually I like angst with a happy ending, and that happy ending doesn't have to be like they live happily ever after, but it has to like like I want to hurt the whole entire time, but I do want to end in a somewhat like okay place.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean and I don't get the feeling that that's what a little life is If you guys disagree with our opinion, our sense and our intuition about a little life is that? I don't want cheap sadness. Don't just like flog me with pain and torture.
Speaker 2:That's torture porn. Yes, don't just throw things in there to Okay. For example, I just read a. Do I have to bring everything back to fan fiction? God help me, but I just read a fan fiction. I'm not going to get into it, but there was a happy ending.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the New York podcast, where we shift the conversation back to fan fiction.
Speaker 2:It's either Twilight or AO3. Those are your options and we'll get to Twilight, I'm sure, by the end of this episode. Okay, I read this story and there was a happy ending, like in the, the, whatever the fic. But there's an alternate ending where one of the characters dies and like horrifically, and I get the opinion I was of the opinion in this that the death was not earned because actually, like the character who died, it was not like built up enough and like their romance wasn't the main focus, because there was like two separate parallel romances happening and I just felt like this is just written to just be sad. And actually I would have been fine if she had killed one of the other characters who was like more prominent.
Speaker 2:And so that's what I'm saying Like you have to earn your, your sadness. Yeah, like earn the sadness, don't just write something just for the sake of being sad. And I feel like this is where we diverged a little bit initially. I don't know if you've come around since reading the book on one day where some people might think one day, spoiler, spoiler, spoiler. Her getting hit by a bus at the end is like a cheap, sad thing. I did not feel that way, but I could see how you could feel that way, like it's just thrown in there.
Speaker 1:I think that when I was a little younger I felt that way and now I don't.
Speaker 2:But in the movie I think too, it makes like that's a right read of the movie. I feel like the book does it a little better, but but you know what I mean. This is our, this is our problem with coho.
Speaker 1:This is our problem with.
Speaker 2:Coho. This is our problem with Coho.
Speaker 1:Yes, she just throws the craziest, most like Doing random shit just to do random shit, Like why am I reading?
Speaker 2:this right now.
Speaker 1:Yes, colleen Hoover is a great example of this, so that is my impression of A Little Life and I will read it. You'll listen to our Colleen Hoover episode if you want more hating.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you two are a co-hoater, agree, agree with a little life, and I won't read it. Yeah, me either.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but if you disagree, prove us wrong. If you disagree.
Speaker 2:Make an argument and I will read it. If you make a compelling argument, I'll read it. Yeah, yeah, exactly, okay, go ahead.
Speaker 1:Okay, this is a long one, so I agree, okay, controversial. I think it's obnoxious when a female character that's clearly a self insert is described as scarily thin and in this sort of judgmental but also self fetishizing tone. Of course there's nothing wrong with having thin characters, but it's annoying to have to read shit like her thin wrist feigned to pick up the cigarette, for they were so pale and bony every five pages. I don't think you have to scream. This character is anorexic from the rooftops. But I also don't think it's good to have 1000 references to her forgetting to eat whoops and refuse to prod at it any deeper. In fact, so many female led books have to have this pathetic, weepy character. That's insecure. But her description is like her eyes were too big. Oh no, her bambi eyes must be so ugly and her thigh gap was so large and wide. When she tried to put her head in her lap to cry, it fell straight through. Yes, yes, no notes no notes.
Speaker 2:What can I say to add on to that, other than, uh, female authors, stop self-inserting yourself, self-inserting yourself, stop inserting yourself into your female main characters. It's, it's obvious and stupid yeah, please be original I think the key is you gotta spring. They should be sprinkling themselves around. You know Sprinkle your character traits. Don't just focus yourself into one person. Looking at you, Stephanie Meyer, with your personality-less Bella swan.
Speaker 1:Truly, she's so skinny, okay. The next is I disagree, okay, okay, but agree to disagree. I mean, yeah, I disagree, but whatever. I respect the love of the game of hating. Sure, andy Weir is massively overrated and you can't escape hearing about Project Hail Mary anywhere, especially this sub. Okay, also, I chose this one because there's like sub drama.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love it. Love it yes.
Speaker 1:If you don't connect with the humor, then the book is basically unreadable in my opinion. And how many more times do we have to hear about it? There's a post about uh project hail mary every day, sometimes twice a day. I feel those posts should be removed for flooding the sub and all of the recommend me a book post the mods keep removing should be allowed to stay. Wow.
Speaker 2:Bit of shade to the mods they're like. Let me use this opportunity to actually say what I hate the most about this. I love it.
Speaker 1:Okay. The last category is crimes against humanity. Oh God, I love it. Okay, while I don't do it myself, I don't see anything wrong with tearing a large paperback in half to make it easier to carry in your pocket. And then someone replied and said if someone sat down next to me at a coffee shop with half a book, I would assume they were a suicide bomber. What do you mean? You're tearing a book out of half and you're bringing the first 200 pages with you in the back pocket of your.
Speaker 2:Wranglers. Okay, the funniest part to me about this is saying I don't do it myself, because that's crazy, because where are you at?
Speaker 1:That's crazy, because where are you at right now? Why did you say something? Why did you say that it's giving you very much? Have done it yourself, because when have you ever seen a human do that? You're like not me, but someone here might be kind of scared. How do?
Speaker 2:you feel about this, just throw it out there. No, that's crazy, that is a crime against humanity and that I know, thank you, you understand why I made that category like ripping a paperback book in half, just buy a kindle. My guy like what are you doing? And what are you doing there when you're done, I don. Okay, here's the last crime against humanity.
Speaker 1:There's one more. Okay, someone said I prefer dog earring to using bookmarks, which is insane, and to me, do you do that?
Speaker 2:I prefer dog earring to using bookmarks. Oh my God, like what are books if not meant to be a little bit damaged? Yeah, I do dog ear all my books.
Speaker 1:Oh I hate, meant to be a little bit damaged. Yeah, I do, doc. You're all my books. Oh I hate it, I hate it. And then someone said, um, uh, someone said, fun fact, dante never actually finished the inferno. He was going to add a 10th level of hell for people who do shit like this, but got caught up with other projects wow I guess I'm damned uh no, I don't like bookmarks, because where do you put them If you're out and about?
Speaker 2:where do you put the bookmarks In the book? Well, that's stupid.
Speaker 1:At the beginning of the book, and then you just take it and then it's just.
Speaker 2:All of my books are dog-eared for sure. That I own, for sure, unless it's a hardback with a Dust jacket.
Speaker 1:Thank you a dust jacket, then I don't like doing that to my dust jackets because I want them to stay like oh no, all right all right, yeah, okay moving on, what do we have from instagram?
Speaker 2:okay, from instagram we have pages and paces. Who said I actually think both of our if we had to categorize both the ones we got submitted through instagram, uh are correct opinions. Uh, in my opinion. So they said authors need to start selling us stories again and not just tropes come on, speak on it.
Speaker 1:Speak on, do art. Be art, do art yes and and marketing.
Speaker 2:Like people need to start marketing books as books again, not just tropes, as well um I think that tropes are like if you enjoy tropes, that's fine.
Speaker 1:I think that's crafts, not art. Like there's arts and crafts, yeah, I think, for instance, like I like doing crafts at home.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And they're crafts, because I'm following instructions. Yeah, or making a copy of something, or I'm just kind of there's no perspective. I'm just like putting elements together to create a finished product, and that's called crafting.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then I'm not. You're not art. I'm not painting. I'm not like trying to convey an emotion or a message through my crochet. I'm following a pattern, so like there's arts and crafts and, I think, really, really trope-y books. While enjoyable and serving a purpose, I think that crafting is fun. I'm looking at people's crafts online Cool, but it's not art, it's crafts.
Speaker 2:Totally, and I think this is when I talk about the fanfic-tionification of romance books. If you just want to read specific tropes, literally just go on AO3 and you can read them for free and you can filter down by the exact tropes that you want in your book and literally to your exact specifications. But I do think, like I don't want my romance books to be like that, I don't want it to say on the back like an enemies to lovers with one bed and forced proximity, like let's just calm down, just just write a story, you know right and like write compelling characters.
Speaker 1:You, you. Tropes are a tool that can help carry your story along. Little like that's fun, like some of our favorite romance.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, I think we talked about this a lot with um, I want to say with ali hazelwood's second book, which I blocked from my mind, which one even is that love on the brain?
Speaker 1:is that the one we don't like? I liked love on the brain. No, no, I thought that's no love theoretically.
Speaker 2:I thought that's what we did like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think we didn't like love on the brain.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think we talked about this a lot because, yeah, allie Hayswood's second book was like one where it was like, okay, she's clearly just jumping from trope to trope.
Speaker 1:Like there's a difference between oh, and that was the one with the girl.
Speaker 2:that was like man, a pixie dream girl? Yes, aggressively, I hated that. Yeah, that one was not good.
Speaker 1:But she's come back. See the first thing that we said in this about so skinny.
Speaker 2:Yeah that was her, but I feel like she's come back from that and it's like her books still have tropes in them, obviously. So it's not saying don't use tropes, but yeah, sell us the story, build something around a trope if you must, or like, let the tropes happen organically. But yeah, we need to chill with the tropes. We need to chill with the tropes. Yeah, heavy on that, okay.
Speaker 1:Our next one. Yeah, great opinion.
Speaker 2:Yeah, great job. Thank you From Daltese Diary. If you like horror, you'll like romance. They follow similar expositions and heavy tropes, heavily tropes, heavy tropes. Yeah, I actually agree with this, and I think you can throw thrillers in there too. If you like one, you'll like them all, I agree.
Speaker 1:Again with the tropes. Yeah, I think, like also, horror doesn't always have to mean gory and slasher yeah, this was another thing that I saw come up in this on the subreddit was like not all horror is slasher, and so if the thing, if the thing that's keeping you away from like exploring the horror genre is blood and gore, there are absolutely, yeah, so there's so many different types of books.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I totally agree. So I think this is vice versa, like if you like horror horror, you would like romance and if you like romance, you actually probably would like horror thrillers If you found one that was suitable for you, because, yeah, there's like a formula to them and they follow like similar pacing and different beats and normally, you know, have a lot of I don't know. I feel like a similar vibe in a weird way. Yeah, yeah, great, take Agree. Yeah, know, just have a lot of I don't know, I feel like a similar vibe in a weird way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, great take agree, yeah, cool.
Speaker 2:I think that wraps up our conversation about unpopular book opinions yeah, I was trying to think if I had any more, but you know probably I feel like I share my unpopular opinions. I know I learned that, uh me really liking what's the book the Aliens, the one I liked.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah. You liking, not In Love.
Speaker 2:Not In Love. I learned that's an unpopular opinion, so thank you for hating on me. You keep me humble.
Speaker 1:I don't care I still like it. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, I don't care, I still like it. Yeah, okay. Well, I know you're in a reading slump, but have you read anything good recently? Yes, I finished deep end by ali hazelwood, again with ali. You forced me to read this. Uh, I liked it okay I don't want to talk about this book without thinking I'm going to have to cut all of it.
Speaker 1:It's very mature subject matter.
Speaker 2:Very, here's what I'll ask you.
Speaker 1:Did you think, like I felt, that it was earned though.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, earned though, oh yeah I just like I didn't, like I didn't like enjoy reading some of it, but I did like their relationship. Like I just think you know that's not my flavor of tea that I prefer, but like, right, their relationship. I look, what was I saying? Okay, no, no, here's the thing. I actually love so much when a character, especially if it's like a male main character, is like hey, like you know how I feel, but I'm not gonna say it because you're not ready to hear it Like I love that. That was this guy. So I really liked that about him Very like silent, broody type. I liked them. I liked the characters, characters I liked, I really liked all the diving stuff. Look, ally hazelwood. I saw someone say that she needs to write a hockey romance and I'm, I'm here to join that plea.
Speaker 2:Right, because she just like, everything is great, like picking a setting and, yes, it's like so specific but it feels real and I really liked learning about. I felt like it was a genuine look into what it would be like to be a college diver.
Speaker 1:Swimmer and diver yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I liked their like competitions. I liked, yeah, I liked her.
Speaker 1:The trips, yeah, the traveling, here's what.
Speaker 2:I'll say, though, the friend I didn't like her. She was a bad friend, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:Or me, either A horrible friend. I feel like that came around at the end, but then she was a little too forgiving of her.
Speaker 2:In my opinion, and the guy, honestly that was his flaw, because he was like, yeah, come stay on my couch, I know you're going through a hard time. I would be like I'm sorry, no, no, I like you, like me and you are sleeping together. You're not having your ex girlfriend come sleep on your couch, I'm sorry. Like she surely has someone else that she could talk to, you know, and if not, that's her problem. Or she can come stay with me. We're friends. Why is she staying with you?
Speaker 2:Anyways, right, but other than that, I did like it, even though, yeah, some of it I was like this is like too.
Speaker 1:I can't. This is like too're talking about.
Speaker 2:I can't, I can't include any of this.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, whatever edited version they get, one thing that I didn't find true to life about the book was they're in college. Yeah, that's so true. They're way too emotionally intelligent.
Speaker 2:I feel also, especially the guy I forget his name. Yeah, he was way too emotionally intelligent.
Speaker 1:He was way.
Speaker 2:Sven.
Speaker 1:I don't know, he was way too emotionally intelligent, like he was I don't know way to I don't know, like he was way too just.
Speaker 2:I felt this is somewhere and like what happens in books that are trying to be woke. A little bit, a little bit similar vibe to this. Oh, that's woke this piece of crap no, but when they're like, when like there's like a, a 15 year old or something, okay no, this is the heart stopper problem too. I love heart stopper, but they'll be like mom, I'm gay and the mom's response will be like the most woke appropriate response trauma informed emotionally regulated.
Speaker 2:That is great to read about but it doesn't feel very real. I that's how I felt with them. So I I do feel like that was a little bit of a leap of uh jump of of strut to the imagination, but I did really like their. Their love story I really liked. I related to the main character a little bit in some ways with like control issues. She was relatable. I felt like in her like mental health struggles were like really interesting and I liked their dynamic and I liked it. Allie Hizlwood hockey romance. When please.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think she'd do a great hockey romance. Yeah, what do you think is a hockey romance? That sets them apart from other sports romances?
Speaker 2:You know, because they can legally fight each other. That's really hot yeah.
Speaker 1:I think that's part of it and it's like what you got going on under all those pads.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. Yeah, under all those pads, you know what I mean. And it's like I don't want to read football, like I don't want some guy with cte, you know, like I'm sure obviously they're punching each other in the face. They might have it too in hockey, but it doesn't have the same baggage as, like, the nfl also canadian. I have so many thoughts about the hockey, the hockey world yeah, so I would love that of you. Allie Hazelwood, what have you read recently?
Speaker 1:I read a couple things worth mentioning. Well, I read Famous Last Words, oh yeah, which you mentioned that you'd read on our last episode. Yeah, what'd you think? I really enjoyed it. I thought it was really really good and like up until the end I was like, oh my God, how is this going to work? Out, I know, Like I was like, oh my.
Speaker 2:God, how is this going to work out? I know Like I hope it works out. Did you feel like, did it make you think? This is why I actually genuinely would like also Zach to read it and come on the pod to talk about it, because I was like, okay, how long would you hold out hope for your husband if he did like, if Zach did this, would you be like I still love him? Look, I know it doesn't go away overnight, but this is five years later and you think your husband's like a okay seven yeah, sorry, that was five seven years later, your husband's like a domestic terrorist and he might be dead. Like would you still be like holding the candle? I probably would.
Speaker 1:I probably would, because she's like I just don't believe, like. First of all, I don't know the whole story, I don't believe everything that went down, or like no totally, I get it.
Speaker 2:I do too, like I think that would be. I think that would be so hard to. In general, I think about when, like if someone goes missing, like it would be so hard for me to like ever move on, because it's like there is always going to be that part of you that would wonder like what if they come back? Like after years? Probably he's not coming back, but what if he does come back and you're like remarried to someone? Like that's horrible, so I don't know. Yeah, it's just crazy to me to think about.
Speaker 1:Anyways, Well, I really enjoyed it and I thought it was like her first the mother, and I feel like this one is really more about like the love of a partner.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally, and like also like the sister and um, like, I just like that whole dynamic yeah I really liked it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the other thing I read was um, you didn't hear this Me by Kelsey McKinney, the former host of Normal Gossip. It was good. It's like a collection of different essays about gossip, the history of gossip, the uses of gossip, and I recommend it was really nice and a slower read and you know it's nonfiction, it's more like expository kind of situation, but I liked it. Cute-fiction it's more like expository kind of situation but I liked it. Cute, love it, great stuff. Well, that concludes our episode thanks for listening.
Speaker 1:All right, guys, we'll see you next time.