The Readirect Podcast

Fall 2025 Book Preview

• Emily Rojas & Abigail Freshley • Episode 76

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Reader's Podcast. My name is Abigail Freshley.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Emily Rojas. The Reader's Podcast is the show where we switch the conversation back to books. We shift the conversation back to books. We discuss themes from some of our favorite books and how those might show up in our real-life experiences.

Speaker 1:

On today's episode we are doing a fall book preview.

Speaker 2:

Yay. But before we get to that, we would love to ask for you to support the show in a few simple ways. If you love it, the first thing you can do is you can go on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leave us a five star review and let us know that you love the show.

Speaker 1:

You can also follow us on Instagram and Blue Sky at Redirect Podcast and if you really really love the show, consider sharing our show with a friend, because that is by far the best way to help grow our community of book-loving nerds. And you know what I was just thinking are we like approaching the third anniversary of our podcast, or did we pass it?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we started in September 2022.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh. It feels, like way shorter than that there's no way.

Speaker 2:

It's been three years but it has um, so we're approaching it, yeah we have not passed.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we are approaching it and just like it's really nice to think about how it's grown over the last three years yeah, and if you've been here since the beginning, then and you haven't yet to leave us, what are you doing?

Speaker 2:

you're canceled. I'm just kidding, but just reminder it's been three years. Um, no, that's crazy.

Speaker 1:

So, thank you if you've heard this every episode.

Speaker 2:

You've listened to this like I know 80 times barely changed it honestly we the only thing we changed is we used to say fictional books instead of just books.

Speaker 1:

Maybe we should. If you guys have any ideas about what we could do to mix up our intro, or if we should, yeah, let us know. You know, let us know.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I did your DMs on Instagram or Blue Sky at Redirect Podcast.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I think I needed to switch something up in my life, and maybe it's her podcast intro. Intro because literally right before we started recording, I impulse purchased a pair of crocs from plashmark okay, which feels like kind of like the choice you make when, like, everything is going great.

Speaker 2:

Yeah no, I mean, but it makes sense. But I got it for 20, that's reasonable I mean, how much do crocs go for? I think a new pair of myself.

Speaker 1:

How much do crocs? They're like 15. Oh my god that would be so funny they are. Oh my god, wait, hold on. I'm looking for the classic clog. Oh my god, wait, hold on, hold on, I'm looking for the classic clog. Okay, they're like $50. Okay, okay, you got a great deal then. So, yeah, I got over half, congratulations.

Speaker 2:

I was about to say if I bought these I'd mark up Cool.

Speaker 1:

So we are here today.

Speaker 2:

We're here to talk about the books coming out this fall, mostly in September. Like almost all of these books are in today, we're here to talk about the books coming out this fall, mostly in September.

Speaker 1:

Like almost all of these books are in September.

Speaker 2:

Correct and I'm so excited and I don't know how I'm going to possibly get through so many of these books.

Speaker 1:

Well, the thing is there's so many books in September we want to read, but there's really not, from what we could find, that many of note to us that are coming in October, november, december. So many of note to us that are coming out in october, november, december.

Speaker 2:

So the september list will just get us through the rest of the year. That's so true, yeah, and and that's an important distinction these are books that we personally are looking forward to.

Speaker 1:

There are obviously other books yeah, you guys know this is like abigail and emily's yeah the books we're gonna try to read in fall, exactly yeah totally so. Yeah, and I think this is like a pretty common list, like there's a couple books on the fringes that like maybe you put on or I put on that I don't like, so I'm excited to get into it. Should we go? Just well, first of all, like, what are you looking for in a fall book?

Speaker 2:

that's what I was gonna ask you. So I think, fall, obviously, spooky season, you know. So I'm, I'm down for I. I realized, like I when we started this podcast, I was definitely way more into thrillers and you converted me into being more into, uh, romance, for sure, and now I've been getting into litvic, so taste change. But I feel like I just read a thriller, um, which I can talk about in our what we read at the end of the episode. But I was like, oh, yeah, I know I really like these books. They're so quick to get through. Yeah, so I might try to read some more like horror, thriller, mystery, this, uh, fall. And yeah, I'm looking, I'm down, like to read longer books in the fall. I think like I really like to. I also just finished a book series. I've been reading a lot lately so got a lot to talk about. But, um, like a long book series or like a long book, I'm down for that in the fall.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think I'm not that same book in common. So, yeah, if you want to find out, you have to stick around to the end of the episode what we're talking about yeah so, but yeah, like a longer, a longer book or like um memoirs.

Speaker 2:

There's a couple memoirs I'm excited for, like I think the fall is a great time for a memoir. So, yeah, that's what I'm looking for in a fall book all those things being indoors more I could be down for a thriller this fall.

Speaker 1:

I, I think also I'm into something supernatural. It doesn't necessarily have to be scary, but I'm into something supernatural. Yeah, and maybe not necessarily thriller, but crime.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, mystery.

Speaker 1:

I read, I think last fall I read All the Sinners Bleed by SA Crosby, which isn't a thriller, but it was crime and kind of like domestic fiction, southern like thing. So yeah, I'm, I'm willing to do that. And something like fantasy too, I think. Yeah, supernatural fantasy, crime and like a dash of thriller for me, yeah, but we have a pretty well-rounded list here, I feel like we have some of everything, all of the above so starting off strong, how about this september?

Speaker 2:

september. What are? What's the book release? Before we dive into all of them, what's the book in september that you're most excited for? Yeah, just do most. Let's not say at least, because we picked all these. What's the book you're most excited to read?

Speaker 1:

this is so hard, it's tough for september I think probably the fifth thursday murder club. The impossible fortune by richard osman. I know it's gonna hit and I look forward to it every year yeah, what about you?

Speaker 2:

that's a good question that I just asked you. I think probably every step she takes by allison cochran um, because I again, it's the same thing, like you said, I know her books, I know that it's going to hit and I'm really excited for this one. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that. Okay, what else do we have coming out this September?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so Every Step she Takes by Alison Cochran is coming out September 2nd. Alison Cochran is the author of a couple couple great books we really like. We've said many times I feel like we said a lot, but probably people don't remember um, every step or that's the name that's coming out, uh, kiss her once for me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, here we go again here we go again.

Speaker 1:

That's the charm of another all-time fave. Yeah, um, yeah, she's great and I'm not to totally brag, but this is like really great timing for me, because every step she takes is a romance about a main character who is walking the camino portuguese, and I am actually going to be walking the camino portuguese at the end of the same month, so I'm god's favorite.

Speaker 2:

Yes, so do you think you're gonna save it and like try to read it on the plane? Or are you gonna read it? You know when it comes out what are your thoughts? I will probably or read it after.

Speaker 1:

So then you have the perspective you can picture I'll probably read it when it comes out, um, because it's only a few weeks before. There's another book I read right before I went on my first Camino. That's also a Camino romance.

Speaker 1:

I may remember the name of it. It's been seven years since I read this book so I remember when I read it. I really liked it. Yeah, it's called Two Steps Forward Cool. It's written by Graeme Simpson and Anne Buist. I really enjoyed it when I read it. My tastes have refined Sure, so I actually don't know if I could still totally endorse the book, because I don't remember how it was, but I remember really enjoying it. So if you are into the idea of the allison cochran book and you like every step she takes, you might also like this other book. Yeah, um, but I'm excited about that. I think that's gonna like really put me in the headspace.

Speaker 1:

Totally, yeah, great timing.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, allison, for knowing exactly what abigail needed this month.

Speaker 1:

You nailed it, yeah, great another book coming out september 2nd is. Which one there's so many, there's three, oh my.

Speaker 2:

God, you do the next one. Okay, sweet Heat by Bolu Babalola. I have not read any books by this author.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I have.

Speaker 2:

But you have. So I was hoping you would talk about it, because maybe you're excited for it.

Speaker 1:

I read and spice by bolu babalola um, she has like a really interesting perspective that, uh, honey and spice is like set, it's college students. So for me at the time I read it I was like I don't really want to read about college students because I have like such negative associations with like the mental, like state of a college student yeah they were like these college students were so like emotionally regulated and stuff.

Speaker 2:

I was like this is weird, like not not my experience, but I don't think it was a bad book.

Speaker 1:

I I did still enjoy it. I just I just personally didn't connect to the characters. I think this is like a companion novel, maybe set in the future. Um, it's like somehow related to the characters. I think this is like a companion novel, maybe set in the future. Um, it's like somehow related to the characters of the first one but it's a really unique perspective.

Speaker 1:

It's about, um, the nigerian immigrant community in london or in great britain. Oh, cool, um. And so there's like really you learn a lot about an interesting subculture. Sure, there's lots of like the language and the way of speaking. It's like also slangy and I felt like I was really entering. It's kind of immersive, like you're entering a totally different world. And so if you want to expand your mind and like see what it might be like to experience that, that was good. So I think Sweet Heat is going to be similar. Sure, I would recommend reading, like with your eyes, this book over the audiobook. I did not really necessarily. I thought the narration from the first one was a little distracting. So I would recommend Sweet Heat for people who think that they might be into some sort of like contemporary new adult type book, cool With an interesting twist or an interesting component.

Speaker 2:

But read it with your. That's my great tip. I actually saw this in the library the other day and I almost uh, not sweet heat, but honey and spice. I almost got it because, of course, I've seen it everywhere. I feel like a lot of people recommend it, so maybe I'll check it out before sweet heat comes out, but I'm sure that this will be a good one great. Next, on september 2nd is sister wife by christine brown, which I am excited about. Like, I am deeply excited about this. If you don't know, this is christine from the tv show on tlc, sister wives, and she was the first of cody brown's wife's wives to uh divorce him, but not the last. She's not remarried and coming out with a memoir To be clear not divorced in the legal sense, because Right, that's true.

Speaker 2:

That's true. Honestly, they're like good for them. You know, like all of them were already even married.

Speaker 1:

It was already technically divorced from him, so you know it must be so nice because it's like like yeah, you do have financial entanglements that you need to disentangle yeah but like a divorce costs a lot of money, so like, like you don't have to go to court.

Speaker 2:

She got dinoed yeah divorce and name only yeah, yeah, because it's like, but it's also bad because like then they have like this property that they own together and it's like, how do you divide that up if you don't have it? And that's like this whole abusive person. He's horrible.

Speaker 1:

I mean, if people don't have their brains broken in the same way that we do, correct?

Speaker 2:

I kind of recommend don't read this, because then yeah, don't break your brain in the way that we are. But me and you we have been on the sister wife stream since season one.

Speaker 1:

We were there from season one, correct we watched together, we texted about it.

Speaker 2:

It was like oh, season two release.

Speaker 1:

Like we have been here on the journey forever, yeah, so I'm on sister wife snark tiktok. Oh for sure, I'm on the sister wife snark reddit know, the kids I know which ones are like which ones don't talk to them anymore? Yeah, which ones are excommunicated? Yeah, totally. Which ones are queer? Now, all of that, like basically all of them, yeah so we're really excited.

Speaker 2:

We're really excited. I think we talked about book clubbing this one, so stay tuned um, but I don't know.

Speaker 1:

I want to book club so many of these, but I know there's all on the same days I know, I know I know, yeah, I know. So you guys, okay, maybe at the end of september we'll ask you guys august, oh, I mean like at the end of this list, we'll say which ones do you want?

Speaker 2:

we'll give our options and we'll, yeah, we'll.

Speaker 1:

And then like maybe we'll do it, maybe we'll just do what we want to do yeah, you're not the boss of us.

Speaker 2:

Leave us a five-star review and tell us which of these books we should book club. You know what? My mom? She called me yesterday and she said are you guys going to do a podcast episode on taylor swift's appearance on the new heights podcast? I was like you know, that's not really like this, that doesn't relate to books. I don't know how we can relate that to books, but just so you know, people out there want to hear things from us. Kelly is with it she is with? Yeah, she's I guess.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, if you're curious about our thoughts about taylor swift, goes into our taylor swift books episode exactly and, to be clear, that episode has not dropped yet as we're recording this.

Speaker 2:

So you know if we're not reacting to something. Maybe she released a book and and we're not reacting to it.

Speaker 1:

You know yeah, that's so true. We actually don't technically know what she's going to talk. Yeah, so anyways.

Speaker 2:

Um, you can let us know, like my mom did, what you want us to talk about. Yeah, okay, next, uh, let's move to september 9th. This is a book that is up your alley, because this is an author you've recommended and you turned me on to this is straight horror.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, if you're in the mood for like a straight horror book, like read one every fall. That's what I do. Yeah, rachel Harrison has a book coming out called Play Nice and the cover of the book is really interesting. It's like a purple house and it has like a devil's pitchfork like wrapped around it. And, okay, a woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home. Stop, I'm totally in In this devilishly clever take on the haunted house novel from USA Today.

Speaker 1:

Bestselling author of Black Sheep and so Thirsty, cleo Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer. But beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so-glamorous secret. She grew up in a haunted house Well, not haunted Possessed. After Cleo's parents' messy divorce, her mother, alex, moved Cleo and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon, or so Alex claimed. That's not what Cleo's sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped her of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent. She even wrote a book about her experience in the house.

Speaker 1:

After Alex's sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Cleo and her sisters, where her sisters see childhood trauma. Cleo sees an opportunity for house-flipping content Only as the home makeover process begins, cleo discovers there might be some truth to her mother's claims. As memories resurface and Cleo finally reads her mother's book, a sinister presence in the house manifests revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Cleo's beautiful life to its very foundation. T that sounds so good, I mean I mean big like warning for her books. Usually there's something gross, yeah, and gory in detail like yes, this is like if you want a disturbing halloween book, yes, I have only read one of her books um the one that you sent me.

Speaker 2:

I think it was vampires. Right, there's a vampire one, there's a vampire one, there's a werewolf one yeah, I've read the vampire one and there are scenes from that that I like they're still in my mind because they're so like vividly and like horrifyingly described, and that was, that was pre-podcast. So yeah, more than three years ago I read that book and I can still picture it. So just, yeah, you know what you're getting into she's good at writing horror, so if that's what you're into, then go off.

Speaker 1:

If not, maybe skip this one, but this would be a good option for you if you want to read something not just spooky, but kind of yeah like horrifying horror.

Speaker 2:

Yeah for sure okay, we're on to september 23rd. Two big books this day uh number one big books number one is a book, and actually I've edited out multiple conversations about germani fan fiction becoming published because it's such a fraught topic these days, but one of those which has not been the subject is as much scrutiny is alchemized by sin lenu uh, which is the book adaptation of manacled, which was originally published on archive of our own and maybe it's a book instead of an adaptation of a fan fiction.

Speaker 1:

I think it might be more of a book inspired by a popular fan fiction like. Is she following the plot like my understanding?

Speaker 2:

is she's following the plot because she had to take hers down, whereas the mortifying ordeal was the one that was more inspired to is irresistible urge. And she left that fic up because it is a original work that was published. So, yeah, this one. She had to take down manacle because it is going to be the same okay, it's my understanding don't listen to be the same. Okay, is my understanding. Don't listen to me the same.

Speaker 1:

But like, obviously I mean in terms of just the universe she had to have changed a lot in order to not be, I mean, so many details have to be changed. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Infringing on JK, she who must not be named her IP. So very interested to see how. I'm interested. More than reading this book, I'm interested to see what like the backlash is like, because the focus really was on the other one I just mentioned and then julie soto's book um, which were both also germani fics and this one the publisher is different and they haven't been like really hitting that it's a germani fic as hard and so I feel like the backlash hasn't been as bad.

Speaker 1:

So I'm just interested, once this comes out, like what the reception is if people are also also, I don't think that it's really being marketed so hard as a romance, because, well, yeah, this is like a very upsetting. It's very dark, yes. So I don't think it would even make that much sense to market it like a Dramini, because when you hear. Dramini, you think romance? Yeah, and while there is an epic romantic component, this is not a romance book. No, this is. It is pretty dark, pretty dramatic and dark.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, I'm intrigued by that. I don't know when I'll read this, because I just, yeah, like I've read manacled and I'm like, okay, like do I need to read this version of it?

Speaker 1:

I don't know I'm going to yeah, probably this actually might be like a christmas break book for me. Yeah, okay, because I originally read manacled over christmas break. It's gonna be so long. I mean she had to cut out.

Speaker 2:

No, it's like a thousand pages the, the, the public specs look like they say they're yeah pages.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, this might be like thanksgiving or christmas. Like I have a lot of time to just sit down and like immerse myself, kind of that's a good call.

Speaker 2:

That's a really good call. Yeah, we'll see, but it's available to you on september 23rd, september 23rd yep okay, another one on septemberrd which.

Speaker 2:

I did not even know was coming until I sent you the TikTok of her talking about the experience. So this is Awake by Jen Hatmaker and the TikTok I saw was her talking about finding her ex-husband at the time husband. Ex-husband at the time, husband um was having an affair because he was sending a voice message text, uh, in the middle of the night, to his affair partner being like I need you, or something like that.

Speaker 1:

I forget what exactly he was saying yeah, like I need you, I can't stop thinking about you, which is hello, why are you crazy? Okay, so if you guys did not grab christian um, jen hatmaker is like a very popular um like. Well, she used to be a popular christian author that wrote like not like bible studies, but like christian inspiration, kind of books yeah, christian living, yeah. And then, um, and she was married to this guy named brandon hat maker and they were together for a long time.

Speaker 1:

They have like hella kids. Some of them are adopted. And then when their older daughter was like in high school college she came out as gay and they like were totally affirming of her being gay and like vocal and like open, they became outwardly affirming. They actually didn't like publicize that their daughter was gay because that would be weird.

Speaker 1:

They just were like, okay, they changed their stance we later found out, in order to support her daughter, their daughter. Yeah, they were pastors of a church and they came out publicly as affirming of being gay and so and they were big on that and at the time. It was crazy at the time.

Speaker 2:

At the time.

Speaker 1:

Because this was pre-Aubergefell.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, actually, she was one of the first in this world to come out and be affirming yeah, and it cost her a lot, it cost her dearly. It was a very dramatic event.

Speaker 1:

She lost a lot of book deals, she lost a lot of whatever and like it was such a big deal for such for like like it's just crazy, whatever, yeah, so then she kind of was like she kind of went through her own journey and then her content like I think she still identifies as being a christian, but I mean, she definitely a lot of christians probably don't think that she's a christian, correct? Yeah? And then, shockingly, one day in the summer of 2020, the summer of just crazy whatever she posted.

Speaker 1:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but, like me and Brandon are getting a divorce after like 25 years together, and then her teenage daughter changed her Instagram name to be her mom's maiden name and then all this stuff happened, whatever and so, but she never really talked about it. What happened? Cause they had young kids at home, and I would go, for kids are like at college, yeah, even the youngest ones. And she's finally decided to come up with a memoir about the end of her marriage and, like what happened?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and it's something we just like she'd never she always said she would never like tell that because it wasn't anyone's business. So, anyway, we both have a lot of respect for her, obviously, for taking such a affirming and like pro-lgbtq stance, yeah, early in, yeah, like early days, when it was very unpopular to do so. So I will be sat sad?

Speaker 2:

Yes, I will be, and this is when I'm like, oh, I will buy this because I want to support her.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I will be listening to the audio book because I want to hear her say it. Oh yeah, for sure.

Speaker 2:

But let's just go back to this. If you're going to have an affair, first of all, don't do that. Second of all, why are you sending a voice message, laying next to your wife in the middle of the night, that to me screams I'm an idiot, or like I want to be caught, or like I don't know what I can't wait to read more about it. I want to be caught but I'm just like that's crazy or maybe it's some kind of weird like kink thing yeah, like the danger aspect but I don't know.

Speaker 1:

To me, what I've always said is having a fair. Having an affair feels like way too much work.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, exactly, to keep all these secrets yeah, I'm just like you keep your lies straight, yeah like.

Speaker 1:

I'm like, if you want to cheat on me, that bad, let's talk about it. Dump me yeah yeah, and like whatever, or like, or. If it's that much of a deal, then like, just leave me. Yeah, I'll be good like whatever, just come like. Honestly, having an affair just sounds so exhausting to me.

Speaker 2:

Yes, totally so can't wait to read it. Love jen hat maker. Um yeah, can't wait, I'm really excited I'm really excited about that one.

Speaker 1:

I that one that might be the one we book club I really would love to book club that one.

Speaker 2:

Okay, another honorable mention I'm really looking forward to, which I didn't even know this was coming out, but I probably will try to read this at some point. It is the Librarians by Sherry Thomas, and Sherry Thomas is the author of the Lady Sherlock series, which we both have read. I love the series. It is like the most goaded and most painful slow burn maybe I've ever read it's the slowest no, no, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 1:

It's not the slowest slow burn you've ever read are you talking about, like all the young dudes?

Speaker 2:

yes, that that is worse. This one, though, is like it's were they lovers worse, okay, are they lovers? Worse is the sherry thomas lady sure life books look this one is worse because it is like victorian times or whatever. I don't know what eras are called. It's it's, it's your, it's past times, it is so it's like victorian. Yeah, like, instead of the, the slow burn can't be like they brushed hands, like that's not chase the slow burns, like he uses her first name. You know what I'm saying?

Speaker 1:

the slow burn is like he looked me in the eye for like yes, yes.

Speaker 2:

So it's insane.

Speaker 1:

At first I didn't even really clock that they were going to be having a row right, right.

Speaker 2:

It takes like five books for them to like do anything and it and it's great. I love it.

Speaker 1:

So this is a standalone. It was torture I loved it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I loved every second of it. This is a standalone mystery, though, by that same author, called Librarians, and it sounds really fun and cozy. It's about four librarians that have to team up to solve a murder Like that just sounds fun. That's great. Shout out the library, shout out librarians. So that's on September. Shout out the library, shout out librarian. So that's on september 30th. I'm looking forward to that and if you haven't read lady sherlock, I really recommend it.

Speaker 2:

Those books are really good and that would be a great fall book, great series, yeah, to dive into. And then a lot of them are like really cheap on thrift books, so, um, like they're, they're available and probably at your local library, so check this out. Probably not no whole time yeah, all right do we get it?

Speaker 1:

um, okay, also on september 30th we alluded to this is the thursday murder club number five the impossible fortune by richard osman.

Speaker 1:

So, um, I'm expecting this one to have a lot of hype, yeah because on august 22nd, thursday murder club movie, much anticipated by us and everyone else who's ever read these books, is um going to be releasing on Netflix and I'm sure that's going to bring a lot of attention to the book series. So, um, I don't even really want to like tease this that much because I really, if you haven't read the Thursday murder club, I just want you to start from the beginning and like be surprised and delighted by everything that happens. But essentially this is about a group of pensioners in a retirement community who get together to solve cold cases, led by their fearless leader, who is a retired MI5 agent. So it's just perfect. It's like humor, heart, mystery, everything you could want, the best built out characters, just absolutely amazing. Everything I love. I love these books so much and I will be so sad when they are over yeah, I have to admit, I have literally only ever read the first one.

Speaker 2:

Oh my god and I own the second one. It's sitting behind me somewhere, I don't know, somewhere back there, but, um, I do need to probably dive back in, but I just haven't ever. I don't know what it is, but yeah, the first one's great, so really excited for that and I'm excited for the uh, you know, inevitable um episodes we'll do, maybe covering the, the movie when it comes out. Yeah, and excited to see please read the next one uh, I will.

Speaker 2:

Um, I'm excited to see the movie, though, because I feel like let's get a, let's get a vibe on how netflix is doing with the book to movie adaptations. Um, right, because we have a few in the queue yes, correct, including love uh hypothesis yes and uh people we meet on vacation so obviously netflix is like all over the place, so it's not like a perfect, you know explanation, but we'll see.

Speaker 1:

We'll see how it goes.

Speaker 2:

We'll see and we'll be sad. We will be sad.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay, that covers September. So that was all just in September. So that was a lot. There are a few more we'll tease for October and November.

Speaker 2:

But honestly, that should get you going for the rest of the year, honestly, yeah, so now that we've wrapped it up, I think our categories or our uh contenders for book clubs is sister wife by christine brown. Maybe every step she takes maybe sister wife. Maybe alchemist wait, did I say that? Maybe alchemize, and probably definitely awake by jen hatmaker. Um, so if you have any other feelings about that, we can't do all of them so let us know what you think.

Speaker 1:

Honestly, I would probably say sister wife by christine brown or awake by jen hatmaker, pick one yeah, pick which one's your favorite, and then uh, yeah, sweet yeah, okay, that'll inform the rest.

Speaker 1:

october we have mate by ali hazelwood. This is a sequel to brad, which was her supernatural omegaverse book. I am so excited we'll be, we'll be pre-ordering, we will be, we will be Very excited. And you know what I also have to say. What Say it? I was telling Zach this the other day because, like you, I have been reading the Wolfsong books which we'll get to, by TJ Klune.

Speaker 2:

It is a werewolf book series yeah, there's werewolves involved.

Speaker 1:

And then we have Mate by Allie Hazelwood, which will be werewolves, and Wolfsong is a great book and Mate will be great, and they'll both be about werewolves.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, devastatingly awful poor quality terrible werewolf myth book of all time. Whenever stephanie meyer releases the rabid god, oh god, oh god, and it's like I just erased that from my brain.

Speaker 1:

I got pretty sad about how crappy the werewolf myth because I'm reading these other books about werewolves and like the magic of the werewolves. It's all like so built up and intricate and it's interesting. Yeah, and her werewolves suck in comparison.

Speaker 2:

Her werewolves suck. Well, they're actually not werewolves, they're shapeshifters. They're shapeshifters, first of all. They're not.

Speaker 1:

Her wolves suck.

Speaker 2:

They're culturally appropriated indigenous shapeshifters yeah, it's awful.

Speaker 1:

They're stupid and I agree and imprinting is dumb.

Speaker 2:

In her world, it's all dumb. I agree with you. The whole thing is done dumb and we've.

Speaker 1:

The thing that pisses me off more than anything is that I have read it. I've read good versions of it yes, yeah, and I will have read like many good versions of it by the time this inevitable robitussin otc book comes out, and I can't please what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

Maybe it won't, maybe it won't, maybe she's gonna actually do something different and she's gonna surprise us.

Speaker 1:

Same thing when I read serpent and the wings of night because that is a vampire fantasy series, oh nice.

Speaker 2:

And the vampires and those books are so much more like built out, they draw on like traditional vampire myth, like yeah, like the whole thing makes sense more right well, the problem with stephanie meyer is exactly we're saying things don't make sense, like she had certain things in mind and then like wrote in reverse to back up to them, for example, the existence of redesme and like, but also whatever we don't need to get into the you know uh, the, the vampire, genitalia and reproductive system.

Speaker 1:

But it's like hey, you establish certain things and this is starting to not make any sense and then, like there's like a whole like lexicon, right Of like content that you could draw on about werewolves and vampires. Yes, and you, just like, gave the double bird to both of them.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and we're just like no, I can do something better. And it's just like sparkly guys.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Okay, whatever. Native Americans and sparkly dudes with skin like glass.

Speaker 1:

It's great, I'm just pre-mad.

Speaker 2:

I'm pre-mad, you're right, I didn't think about that because I we're gonna read some great loving the real wolf.

Speaker 1:

I've been really loving the real, real werewolf shapeshifter thing.

Speaker 2:

Yeah when it's done. Right, but it's gonna be done so bad that's correct. Can't wait, stephanie, if you're listening.

Speaker 1:

Also, she literally hasn't even announced it. But I'm so sure it's going to happen.

Speaker 2:

It feels so inevitable at this point. It feels so real to me. It feels so real to me, unfortunately.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's like is this an Easter egg for Reputation Tailors? I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding, it's real to me.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, correct, correct, just kidding, it's real to me. Yeah, correct, correct, unfortunately. Yeah, stay tuned for 9-11 this year, never forget never forget.

Speaker 1:

Okay, sorry, every episode. We're shifting the conversation back to twilight, as you know.

Speaker 2:

So that's so true and mate's gonna be a great version. I really liked bride um, yeah, I know it's not for everyone, but I really liked bride and I'm really excited for mate.

Speaker 1:

So slay go ali okay, something that no one should read, but happening anyway. Sure, um is a book by nicholas marx with m night shamalan, called remain, a supernatural love story, which is coming out on october 15th october 14th, rather. Um, this shouldn't exist. And should I read a brief little paragraph about it? Why not? Here we go when new york architect tate donovan of course his name is tate donovan, this is the most ass nicholas spork's name ever, okay arrives in cape cod to design his best friend's summer home. He is hoping to make a fresh start.

Speaker 1:

Recently discharged from an upscale psychiatric facility where he was treated for acute depression, he is still wrestling with the pain of losing his beloved sister, sylvia's deathbed. Revelation that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world a gift that runs in their family sits uneasily with Tate, who struggles to believe in more than what reason can explain. But when he takes up residence in a historic bed and breakfast on the Cape, he encounters a young, beautiful woman named Wren, who will challenge every assumption he has about his logical and controlled world. Tate and Wren find themselves forging an immediate connection, one that neither has ever experienced before. But Tate gradually discovers that below the surface of Wren's idyllic small-town life. Hatred, jealousy and greed are festering, threatening their fragile relationship just as it begins to blossom. Tate realizes that in order to free Ren from an increasingly desperate fate, he will need to unearth the truth about her past before time runs out.

Speaker 2:

That is already enough for me. I've already heard enough.

Speaker 1:

This shouldn't exist.

Speaker 2:

You shouldn't read it here's my question with stuff like this obviously it feels obvious that probably neither nicholas sparks nor m night shamalan had had much to do with writing this. So how does this work? Are they just like slapping their names on it like I just would love to know what's. How does this come to be? You know what I mean, right?

Speaker 1:

I don't know, but we just don't read it yeah, but it's coming out in october and I'm sure the movie adaptation will come out shortly right, don't support nicholas sparks.

Speaker 2:

He is a homophobic, racist and a bad writer on top of it. Okay, see our episode nicholas sparks okay um november 11th.

Speaker 1:

We have a lot of episodes now, like we have lots of episodes to refer people to, I know.

Speaker 2:

Look at us three years um november 11th. The strength of the few by james islington. Need we say more?

Speaker 1:

we both love the will of the many uh, now is your time to read the will of the many. It's kind of long it's kind of dense get it now. Yeah, read it. If you haven't, so you can't be ready, or if you have already read it maybe refresh, because we don't know what happened, we don't remember, we don't know um, yes, I love this book.

Speaker 2:

I know this book is gaining popularity, or the series is because I've started to see a lot of people hating on it, and that's how you know that. Um, something is becoming more popular.

Speaker 1:

People are like this is stupid so it's like when we celebrated and we got our first one-star review.

Speaker 2:

Yes, exactly, it's like hell yeah, haters means popularity. So, uh, I'm really excited for this. Um, I'm interested to see how it goes and I'm interested to hear. I imagine once this book comes out, there will be more clarity on if this is going to be a trilogy, or he mentioned it would either be three or four books, so I'm interested to find that out. If it's going to be okay, more so, and when those will come out.

Speaker 1:

Uh, you'd think we could get, let's get the ball rolling, let's keep it going you know, this is like fantasy kind of dark academia draws on like ancient greece type. Beat um, it's straight fantasy. Yeah, um, it's really good. The pacing is incredible. Yeah, um, like every it feels like every 75 to 100 pages there's some kind of crazy reveal yeah yeah, and I feel like this is a I'm sure a good fantasy book for me, because it doesn't.

Speaker 2:

It doesn't front load you with the information you learn as you go and that's really frustrating, because you're like yeah, like wait, what's going on.

Speaker 1:

Do I understand what's going on?

Speaker 2:

yeah, but you will, you will. So it's helpful. If you're not like I don't know, if you're not really into like massive, if it's hard for you to follow a lot of world building, um, this is a good one because you learn things, as the main character learns things, which helps a lot. So totally can't wait. We'll probably book club this or at least talk about it a lot.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah I mean, yeah, for sure. So can we okay? Anything else you want to say about fall books?

Speaker 2:

no, just I can't wait and uh love that we're finally getting some like juicy memoirs again. I feel like we've been in a dry spell. So if any other celebrities want to come out with any kind of memoirs, we're really we love those, so I'm excited for that and for more ally hazelwood and uh, yeah, look forward to it yay yeah, that's my final thoughts okay, what have you been reading recently?

Speaker 2:

I've read a lot and I really want to talk about all of it good, because I have not should I start with what I was disappointed by and then go?

Speaker 1:

on, yeah, yeah okay, I was.

Speaker 2:

I dnf'd one of my most anticipated books of this year and what was it? It was um. It's a love story by annabelle Monacan, who I really like. I've given all her books five stars and this is probably a good book. I only got 20% of the way through, but I got to tell you I did not like the main character.

Speaker 1:

She was really dumb.

Speaker 2:

And the whole plot of the book.

Speaker 1:

Like me with deep cuts.

Speaker 2:

Yes, the whole plot of the book revolves around her telling a massive lie at work. She basically whole part of the book revolves around her telling a massive lie at work. She basically she's like a former child actress. Now she's like a producer and she says that she can get her old co-star to write a song for the movie that she wants to produce. Um, and he's like a massive star now and she doesn't even have his phone number and so like she's trying to figure out how to get in touch with him and this whole thing.

Speaker 2:

And I was just like I think you're an idiot for telling this big of a lie at work and then doubling down on it. And she was just like I didn't fight, I didn't like her. So I was a little disappointed by that dnf'd. Um, not saying you shouldn't read it because I really like Annabelle Monaghan. I just thought I I was like dreading it because I thought she was so annoying and I really don't like really big lies like that. It was stressing me out. So I'm like, okay, yeah, I'm just gonna dnf then another book.

Speaker 1:

This just goes to show like, like, deep cuts. I'm sure it was a great book yeah I just literally couldn't enjoy myself because I hate exactly exactly exactly. It's like, not a reflection on her writing, it's just like I, you, I couldn't get it yeah yeah, um, another one.

Speaker 2:

This wasn't like a huge disappointment, but I just want to say I don't necessarily recommend it. It's another one I was really excited about, which is love and other conspiracies by mallory marlowe. Um, this follows a it's like at buzzfeed and this old girl, she, has blue hair. That's her only personality trait, as far as I could tell pass and she, um, basically to save her job, has to find and successfully produce a web show and she finds this like conspiracy theorist guy who has a podcast and they team up and fall in love. And this is my thing.

Speaker 2:

Okay, re-heterosexual romance, which you know I'm trying to give you guys a chance, okay, but sometimes I think it's written for women by women. And so the mailman character in this, a dreamboat, I mean, he's weird, he likes Bigfoot, but like he's hot, he's tall, he reacts perfectly to every situation, he's sweet, like he's vulnerable, he does everything perfect, and then the female in character is stupid and boring and literally her only characteristic, as far as I could tell, was having blue hair and like I don't like that and I feel like the third act breakup suffered because of it, because he reacts perfectly and then she is acting annoying and it's like, well, this whole thing seems like it doesn't even matter, like it feels like you're just making this up out of nowhere because, because you're not willing to let your mailman character do something bad like and be a human and make the mistake, and I just didn't like it. So I got really mad at the third act breakup. It was probably just too long. They could have just not had that and it so would have been a good book. It so would have been great.

Speaker 2:

So that's my thing. And you know, like I'm mad because I love conspiracies, I love bigfoot, I I want to believe in aliens. I'll believe in anything if you show me a well-edited, you know youtube video about it, and so I was really all into this and I really liked the mailman character, but I was disappointed. So that's my disappointments. Everything else bangers. Okay, I'm gonna go fast. Well, you can stop me if you want to chat about anything more, and I'll save. I'll save wolf song for the end, since we both have read that or are reading that.

Speaker 1:

Okay, yeah, I'm not done with wolf song yet unfortunately, but I'll circle back, so don't like say no spoilers because I am going to read the rest of the series, so you know, don't okay.

Speaker 2:

Well, that's good.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay, um number one is anxious people by friedrich bachman yeah, you text me about this that it was one of your favorite books ever.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I have not wept like this over a book in so long you would if you read the great alone what it's next on my list. It is sitting right there. I'm gonna read it okay. Um, this book is about a bank robbery that goes wrong and I actually didn't know anything about this and I feel like it's fine if you don't know anything like go into this blind. But it follows a big wait I truly would not guess that exactly.

Speaker 2:

you wouldn't guess it. It's about a bank robber who robs a bank, flees the scene, goes to hide in a what they think is an empty apartment building, but it's actually an open house and there are like seven or so people in there and now it's turned into a hostage situation against like the bank robber was not trying to take hostages, but now they have and you get.

Speaker 1:

Yo, this is like what's that book?

Speaker 2:

Oh, famous Last Words. Yes, it feels similar in some ways. But then you take. So you take this moment and there's this bank robber, there's two cops, there's the cast of people who are at the open house, and then you zoom out and you get all of their life stories and all the things that led them all to this moment, why they're at the open house, why the cops became cops, what their relationship is like, why this bank robber decided to rob the bank that day, who all these people are and how all of their lives are maybe more connected than they would think. I genuinely like it's so funny.

Speaker 2:

Friedrich Bachmann obviously I have never read anything by him before, but he's an incredible writer and he's very funny. But then, literally the last third of the book, I was sitting here like fully sobbing, like you know, like couldn't catch my breath, crying Because it's just like the things you do have effects on other people. And also everybody is like grieving, everybody has anxiety, everybody like has uncertainty about their life, everybody's like going through something, and you don't see those things right away. But then, if you just like zoom out a little bit, you might find that you have like a lot in common with the people around you.

Speaker 2:

But it's like that, as I was reading this, I was thinking in another, more horrible timeline, friedrich Bachmann is writing self-help books because he like just knows how to say things in a way where like, yes, that is what it's like, but luckily he's writing fiction and I feel like it's it's all those things, without being like hokey or like overly cheesy inspirational. It's just like very earnest and genuine and well written and like funny and heartwarming and heartbreaking. And I will say, if it does have like a lot of mentions of suicide, uh, suicidal ideation and attempts, so if that's tricky for you, maybe don't read this one, but otherwise I literally think anybody would like it. I think I told my mom to read it like and that's my, you know barometer uh I think anyone would like this for me not too happy for your mom?

Speaker 2:

I don't think so. I think she'll like it. I hope because it's. It's very like it made me cry in, like the way soldiers coming home might make you cry. Or like a dog that recognizes their owner after five years. Like it's like Hope Corps crying. You know what I mean. Uh-huh, it's not like rip your heart out sad. Got it Okay. Okay, I'm not going to these. I have several more though hey, take your time, pastor you're right.

Speaker 2:

You're right. Why am I rushing? Okay, the next one is the dead romantics by ashley poston, which I also mentioned to you in passing. Um, she also wrote the seven year slip, which I really liked and I didn't remember that until after I read this book. But that makes sense and this book I also think you, I don't think you should read the blurb for this, and all I think you should go into it knowing is that this is about a ghostwriter who thinks love is dead and she also can see ghosts and talk to them, I don't know, like a Nikki Sparks, like a prolific author who no longer is writing their own books and she can't bring herself to finish the final book in her contract because she no longer believes in love and it's hard for her to write about.

Speaker 2:

Um, and that's what I think you should know. I I think the blurb gives away more, but I don't think you should go into it knowing that um, and there's a line that really stuck with me from this book where she's like love is not dead and it's also not like life, it's the stuff that's in between and it's like the ghost that she sees, and this is really heavy on grief. Her family owns a funeral home, so there's a lot of that death and dying, um. But I really liked it. It's about love and grief and how those things are kind of the same and two sides of the same coin. So, um, I thought it's really good. If you read the seven year slip, you would really like this. And if you like romance books about grief which I do, uh, that's like your favorite thing, okay, moving on, uh, the prospects by kt hoffman. This book made me care about baseball. Okay, uh, it's about it's a, it's a baseball romance. So, guys, I'm branching out and from one sport to another yes, from one sport to another.

Speaker 2:

Um, is it gay? It's gay. It follows gene as our main character and okay, no, that's gene. But Jean is trans and I'm like you're transgender and the name you picked is Jean. Okay, that's fine, that's fine, but you had your pick of names Any name. So Jean, but I love Jean.

Speaker 2:

Jean, he plays for a minor league baseball team team. He is like, so like funny and like like upbeat but and like beloved and like, but like you know, not vulnerable. And um, he like loves baseball so much and but he's like, okay, well, I'm never gonna be, I'm never gonna make the major leagues. First of all, I'm short, um, and also I'm trans and no major league baseball team is going to like take that bet on me because it doesn't matter how good I am, like that's a liability, right, and so Gene is just chill, he's happy with his life.

Speaker 2:

And then his former college co-worker, teammate that's what you call people who play on the same sports team uh, luis, luis estrada, I think. Um, he is transferred to their team and they are like nemesis is nemeses. They hate each other. He hates playing against luis. They like don't talk anymore. Something happened between them in college, um, but you don't know, like what's the deal there, um, and so he's gene's like great, and they also play the same position. So then gene is forced to go play second base and he used to play shortstop and my understanding is that shortstop is like a sexier position to play.

Speaker 2:

It's the sexiest position, yeah and then second base is like ew, gross. But then louise is like, no, you actually are better at second base and he's's like, well, that's rude. And then it's like, no, actually I am better at second base. And it's like they're enemies to lovers. But then they become friends. They become like really good friends and I will say this is like one of the books where I truly believed that they became friends. Like their friendship and the conversations they have was really well developed.

Speaker 2:

And this book is about Jean learning that it's okay to want things, which I think is a very universal message Like it's okay to want to play in the major leagues, even if it never happens. Like you can handle the disappointment, you know, but like it's better to try and to want something and to want, like this relationship with Luis, and to want to be successful and want to be accepted. All of that's okay. So I really liked this. That's lovely, Really good. I think this is Katie Hoffman's his first book, so I really liked it. Oh, wow, debut author. Yeah, I would love to read more by him, so love that. Okay, I'm almost to the end, probably. Then we have a little section I like to call following our conversation on wanting to read more Hispanic authors, so I have two in that category, and one is Archive of Unknown Universes by Ruben Reyes Jr. This one was super interesting.

Speaker 1:

What kind of book is it? Wait, what's the name of it again?

Speaker 2:

archive of unknown universes. It's oh, it's a great one for this category because it's very, it's pretty short. It's less than 300 pages, it's like 200 something. Um, I read it in a couple hours and it is weird.

Speaker 2:

It's like a speculative fiction kind of um, but it takes place in you start in 2018, so like kind of present day, and in this world there has been an invention of a device called the refractor which can show you kind of glimpses of your alternate universes, like your life, if you had made different decisions and, um, it's not very like super tech savvy. It feels very much like if chat gpt became like a alternate universe portal, because no, um, but it's very apt to like dealing, talking about ai, like a lot of the you know, warnings and issues are similar, but, um, basically anna, our main character, she like sees another version of her life where she's with a different partner, t, and she's like who is that? And like it can only show you 12 minutes at a time. There's like no context and you have to ask it a question like what if I hadn't done this in my life? And it's only supposed to be used for research, but obviously she's using it for personal use, um, and so then, like she and her current partner are also traveling to, they're going to Cuba, but like it also has a lot to do with the El Salvadorian or the Salvadorian Revolution, which I did not know really anything about, and like Civil War that happened there and like civil war that happened there.

Speaker 2:

And then you go back in time to the actual revolution, civil war itself, and you get this story, this like really horrible, lovely love story between these two men who are revolutionaries and they are like connected to our present day characters in ways that you'll find out, and that's really interesting, because they like grapple with questions of like one of them is very idealistic and like our future is going to be amazing because we can shape it, and then the other one's, like the revolution we're fighting, like there is still no place for us, like as men who love other men. What?

Speaker 1:

are we fighting for?

Speaker 2:

we're fighting for a better future but like the people we're fighting with still don't accept we can't be ourselves, even with the future that we're fighting for and kind of like anyway. So that happens. Then you come back to the present and there's another present day which exists in a world where the Salvadorian revolution is successful, where the US doesn't get involved which I believe is what happened in real life and the revolutionaries are successful in winning the war, and how that not how that impacts the whole world, but how that impacts anna and then her like partner's life and this other guy that she saw in the refractor. And so you go back and forth, like you get the one past timeline but then you get the two future timelines. It took me a while to figure out that's what was going on, but because there's no clear like indication when you're switching back and forth, other than that like maybe different characters are doing different things. But it was really well written. I wish it was longer, like I wish there was more, and it really kind of like made me a little emotional at the end. So I really recommend this.

Speaker 2:

This is a great one, and this is it's on my to-read. This is Ruben Reyes Jr's. He has a collection of short stories, but this is his first full-length novel as well, so great job. Okay, I'm almost there. Okay, I read Futbolista by Johnny Garzavia. I could probably write a dissertation on this one. Um, I have it right here if you want to see the cover, which I think is really cute. I saw it on your tiktok. Oh yes, okay, so this is about um gabrielle pina, and he is a goalie for his college soccer team.

Speaker 2:

He's a freshman. You start off like the first day of school with him, and he's like in this philosophy class. And the philosophy teacher asked him on the first day like school with him. And he's like in this philosophy class. And the philosophy teacher asked him on the first day, like do you feel like you're still changing? And he's like no, I know exactly who I am.

Speaker 2:

And the guy's like okay, anyways, but obviously he doesn't know exactly who he is. Um, and he's also mexican-american, which is important. And he, he is allegedly straight and he heavy on the allegedly. And like he's dating a girl and he's on the team and everything's going great. He's like doing really good. He's like leading the division in shutout minutes, like nobody's scoring on him. He's doing really good. They're starting him as a freshman, which is like unusual and he meets his uh, his philosophy classmate valet, who uh starts tutoring him because he's like a philosophy major or whatever and he needs a lot of help in this philosophy class obviously, and they become really good friends and then maybe there's like a romantic tension between them but maybe gabrielle is to uh like in in his own closet to see what's going on and maybe his friends are like, hey, it's cool I see if you have feelings and he has to like realize that about himself.

Speaker 2:

And then, once he does realize that, he has to decide, because it's been explicitly made clear to him by people in his life and like passively made clear to him that maybe Mexican soccer does not have any room for a openly queer player, especially when he's just getting started. He's only a freshman. He has dreams of playing for the Mexican national team one day and he's certainly good enough to do that, dreams of playing for the mexican national team one day, and he's certainly good enough to do that. Like you really get that impression. But, um, will the, will the sport continue to accept him and love him back if he was to like pursue this relationship, um, with someone he loves? And he has to really grapple with that.

Speaker 2:

It honestly, I mean, you have talked about like not always loving, like when books use like modern slang or reference like pop culture, and so for the first like couple chapters I was like I don't think I'm gonna like this because there's a lot of that.

Speaker 2:

But once I got into it I was like, oh okay, I do actually think it's really important in this case Because, like, if you aren't into soccer culture.

Speaker 2:

There is a very like, uh, intense discourse about the mexican national team fans and a homophobic chance that they repeatedly use, despite like, uh, you know, like censors from fifa, fifa pausing games, um, like a lot of like backlash, um, and so I think it really does matter that it's like rooted in the modern day, obviously, with him being mexican and like wanting so badly to play for this team and looking up to these players, um, and so I think that's important and I think it it like adds to it. And I just found, like I don't know, I found gabrielle really relatable, because I always say like I'm the last person to know things about myself, and I feel like he really goes through that in this book, and I'm so sure about you yeah, like, people are always telling me stuff, and he has that experience like where a friend tells him like hey, you seem like you might be part of my community and he's like, huh, what me?

Speaker 2:

and uh, comunidad, and so like, but and then that's like, oh shit, like, and then he realized, you know, and so I just really found him relatable. I really liked this like story and I want good things for both of the characters and, um, I really like this. I think it's an important book and I hope that maybe people will, um, who like aren't as open to maybe like a queer soccer player, would find this book and I think, find it to be like just a really good representation and him being like you know, why does this matter? Why does why do I have to be the first one? Why does it have to matter at all? And, yeah, I loved it. That's basically it. I read a book last night called hidden pictures by Jason Rakulak, which which is a very disturbing thriller and it literally has a child drawing pictures and then you like see the pictures in the book, which is really horrifying.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I've seen this, so I liked it. It was good. It was a good read, but I was very surprised by the twist, which I don't want to reveal, but it wasn't what I expected, like the ending, uh, so definitely got me off guard. And it was really fast to read because a lot of like the page. It's a thick book but a lot of the pages have like full page pictures on them so you can flip through it pretty fast. Um, creepy, okay, sorry, I just talked forever. And then I read the wolf song, the entire wolf song series. To be clear, all this is in the last two weeks. I don't know what came over me. I have read so many books recently.

Speaker 2:

I really envy that yeah it happens, it ebbs and flows.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it ebbs and flows. No, I enjoyed hearing all that. I definitely added some recommendations to my TBR. Yeah, I've read a few books. Let's see when was our last thing? Had I read Rose Code by the time we talked? I don't think so.

Speaker 2:

I don't think I finished it. I don't feel like we've talked about it. Yeah, okay, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So on your recommendation I read the Rose Code by Kate Quinn. Yeah, we hadn't talked about it.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

It was. I really, really liked it. It was not a five-star read for me. Yeah, it like four and a half. I just think it could have been shorter. Yeah, it probably could have been shorter, but I really, really resonated with it.

Speaker 2:

I didn't cry Like you did.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I don't know why. I it just didn't hit me like that, but I really enjoyed it. So this is a World War Two historical novel with romantic elements interwoven, and the characters were really compelling. I think Beth pissed me off a little bit sometimes when I was like Beth, just Stand up, girl, like grow up Jesus.

Speaker 2:

Christ Totally.

Speaker 1:

But I really, really liked it. So yeah, amazing recommendation for me. I mean, the book was made in the lab for me yeah, um, I think, like. My issue is like, maybe if I had read this book like a year or 18 months ago, it would have been a five-star read, but I feel like I've been reading more quality books recently, and so your barometer is reset yeah, exactly, I think my five star is shifting totally get that but I did enjoy it a lot I to.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna redact this for not spoilers, but I only I didn't cry, except when, weirdly, when that really got me for some reason, even though it's like that's the one you know is coming more than anything, obviously, um, but just something about that, like I don't know, like it just made me sad for her. So that's what made me cry more than like francis dying didn't really get me, yeah, so anyways, that was so sad yeah, although that was devastating.

Speaker 2:

So but I knew it was coming yeah yeah, from the moment we introduced oh yeah, as character I was like oh yeah, he's dead yeah. Okay.

Speaker 1:

Anyways, and then I also read a really great book called Come and Get it by Kylie Reid, who is author of Such a Fun Age which I also read this year, so Come and Get it is.

Speaker 1:

So when I was at the bookstore buying Sky Daddy, they tried to upsell me on getting Come and Get it and they were like this is like college mean girls. And I was like that's probably not the best, like yeah, that is not a good description of the book. Yeah, but I knew the author and I was like that's great. I don't want to buy it, but I immediately put it on hold. We're standing in line. I got it like a few days later. Yeah, so get books from the library, but, um, anyway, uh, come and get.

Speaker 1:

It is a book that came out this or last year, but it's set in 2018 and it's set at the university of arkansas and it is. It follows three. It follows like a group of young women, but particularly three. There's like a professor, researcher, the ra of a hall and then a girl who has transferred from another school, a transfer student with kind of like baggage. And there were moments in this book that were so cringe, like you can't, like I would be, like I had to put, like I can't look right, yeah, like oh my god.

Speaker 1:

And then I'd be like, pick it back up, like I would be like I had to put like I can't look right, yeah, like oh my god. And then I'd be like pick it back up and I'd be like, okay, because the way that kylie reed masterfully handles the race dynamics. It is also a book about money. It's really like I said there. There are race elements in the book, uh, and people's race plays a role in their worldview about money and the South and college.

Speaker 1:

I mean, it's like such a Southern college experience. It's crazy. Yeah, it's such a subculture, but it's ultimately a book about people's relationship to money. Okay, and it's which is fraught. It was so freaking good man Like I. Just it was so good. Okay, I'm so cringe at moments, so highly recommend I'm looking that one.

Speaker 2:

I'm getting that on my holds, so continue yeah I think you'll really like it.

Speaker 1:

Okay. And then what I've been working on um, I'm reading three books right now, so I'm rereading the will of the many. Sure, I'm reading wolf song, which has I actually proposed. Maybe we put a pause on talking about this until I at least finished the first one, okay? And or the series I'm.

Speaker 2:

I'm just glad to hear that you're. I, honest to god, did not know if you would like. Well, okay, here's the thing. I almost did?

Speaker 1:

I almost stopped, okay, because the first 100 pages of wolf song, yeah, are so boring they are. They're so slow. I'm like, what are you doing? Like, honestly, he should have cut the first 100 pages. They weren't good and they didn't do anything for me. Yeah, no, I'm like 300 pages in and I'm in totally so the first 100 pages, I was like this sucks. Yeah, and they're like kids. Yeah, I'm like a little bit of the kid stuff. I get it like you're trying to help show their history.

Speaker 2:

But like, yeah, I will say my one critique is that probably all of these could lose 100 pages, um, maybe 50. Maybe it gets a little tighter with some of the later ones, but I do feel like the pacing is my, my biggest critique. So, anyways, I'm glad to hear that you're gonna keep going. That's all I'm gonna keep going it clicks around like 150 pages.

Speaker 1:

I was was like, okay, yeah, no, I'm in, yeah, um, so working on that. And then I did a cool thing where I had a gift certificate to, uh, the ripped bodice, which is a local romance bookstore in LA, and, um, I did one of those blind date with a book. So it was like wrapped in gift wrap and, um, I can actually read you. So I'm working on this book. I mean, hmm, I think it's okay. Okay, the book. So here's the outside said um, I was somehow convinced, this beautiful duchess. I somehow convinced this beautiful duchess to show me all the pleasures of paris before I have to go home and marry a man. But now I've realized she's the greatest pleasure of them all, female. Oh, okay. So then I opened the book, um, and honestly it's really good that I got. I probably wouldn't have picked this off the shelf based on the cover. So, okay, blind date with the book. It's like a hot pink cover, so what it looks like.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I mean the listeners won't be able to see it, but I can't really see it either. Oh, there we go, okay, yeah, yeah, I feel like I've seen that around.

Speaker 1:

Um, it's called an island princess starts a scandal by adriana herrera and it is exactly what it sounds like. So, um, you know what? I don't think it's a bad book. I think it's pretty good. I just actually haven't really been in the romance headspace for a while I don't know. I'm just like, okay, I don't know, I'll come back to it. But just recently it hasn't been hitting for me.

Speaker 2:

Makes sense, goes through phases.

Speaker 1:

Anyways, that's what I'm reading right now and I'm hoping that I will conclude these three pretty soon so I can catch back up on my goal. Um, I've been reading less than I wanted to recently just because of things in life, yeah, and it's kind of making me sad, like I'm like other things are getting in the way of my reading time yeah, totally so like work which I have to get back to yeah, exactly, so we gotta wrap up this podcast so you, the listener, go read wolf song so you can come back and have us discuss it once out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, maybe we'll do some bonus content, or sure we'll do like a bonus mini episode?

Speaker 2:

I could talk for 30 minutes about it, yeah, like we'll do a bonus mini.

Speaker 1:

So read wolf song and if then you can talk to us, yeah, circle back, or you listen to us, yeah, okay, bye you guys. All right, bye guys.