The Readirect Podcast
Shifting the conversation back to books. Hosted by Abigail Freshley and Emily Rojas.
The Readirect Podcast
Our Favorite Fictional Schools
In honor of Back to School season, we're drafting our teams of our favorite fictional schools from literature, discussing what makes these educational settings compelling, terrifying, and gossip-worthy.
Team Emily
- One-room schoolhouse from The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
- Shiz from Wicked by Gregory Maguire
- Hawkings Independent School from The Cadence of Part-Time Poets by mostwolo
- Elligham Academy from the Truly Devious Series by Maureen Johnson
Team Abigail
- Forks High School from the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
- Catenan Academy from The Will of the Many by James Islington
- Basgiath War College from Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Crunchem Hall Elementary from Matilda by Roald Dahl
Recent Reads
- Love is a War Song by Danica Nava
- Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
- Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
- Wolfsong by TJ Klune
We'd love to hear which fictional school you'd want to attend! Comment on our Instagram or Bluesky @readirectpodcast, or leave us a note on Spotify!
Welcome to the Redirect Podcast. I'm Abigail Freshly and.
Speaker 2:I'm Emily Rojas. The Redirect Podcast is the show where we shift the conversation back to books. We discuss themes from our favorite books and how those themes show up in our real lived experiences.
Speaker 1:On today's episode we are deep diving school book. Nope, on today's episode, we are deep diving school book. Nope, on today's episode we are deep diving schools from books. But no, hold on. On today's episode we are celebrating back to school by discussing some of our favorite fictional schools from books.
Speaker 2:Nailed it but before we get into that, we would love for you to support the show in a few simple ways.
Speaker 1:If you like us, first you can go and leave us a review on apple podcast or spotify and let us know how much you love the show you can also follow us on instagram and blue sky at redirect podcast, and if you really really love the show, we would love for you to share it with a friend. Sharing our show with a friend is by far the best way to grow our community of book loving nerds, and we need community more now than ever, so true so true.
Speaker 2:Um, that's it right, that's it I didn't forget something.
Speaker 1:Again, I'm really excited for this episode. Honestly, I actually am too.
Speaker 2:I at first I was like, am I even gonna be able to think of any? And then I started going through, you know, my books and stuff and I have a very long list of possible schools to choose from.
Speaker 1:So I'm excited okay, I have five, I can take five. I would like really want to engage with perfect, so so how many?
Speaker 2:how many are we gonna pick total? Well, let's, let's see. Yeah, how many are we gonna pick total?
Speaker 1:what do you think?
Speaker 2:I don't know, three each, six total or okay, let's do that, yeah, okay six total. Then you have two backups just in case yeah, and we have.
Speaker 1:Obviously, we have not disclosed our list of books to one another.
Speaker 2:Yes, so that's before we get into all that, right, there's some book news major, major book major it's not the twilight news we were expecting but that's still yet to come, um, but perhaps the twilight news we deserve in in these trying times, which is that, uh, the twilight saga, and in their entirety, they're coming back to uh theaters for one night, and one night only, over the course of five days and one night only over the course of five days.
Speaker 1:And uh, literally we just had to like stop the podcast. Literally, as we're talking about this, I'm gonna go ahead and book my ticket for new moon, but because I'm stressed, but like, okay, we both got tickets to go see twilight, we're in, we'll be there, I'm going, me and zach are going. Last night we were literally giddy thinking about the experience of watching this in a theater with people.
Speaker 2:Yes, you know what I'm thinking. So I bought my ticket for twilight, obviously, which you just said. I think I might skip the rest because I that is like if you wanted to see all of them I just spent 50 on two tickets. So we're talking about, uh, 250 on tickets alone if you want to see all of them. But I'm thinking I will also go see breaking down part two, because that's the only one of the movies I didn't actually originally see at the midnight premiere in theaters. Yeah, because by that time I was like kind of past Twilight temporarily and I've circled back, as obviously all good things should happen.
Speaker 1:I think I'm doing. I actually just bought tickets for us to go to New Moon as well, and those tickets are more available. Yeah, that makes sense, but I'm going. Twilight and new moon, good call I mean new moon's great because I have to see where have you been, loca, and I have to see you've been lying to everyone, charlie. Okay, so anyways, they're really re-releasing twilight, yeah and we can't wait it's really really big news, especially for mentally ill people yeah and um. It's just in time for my birthday.
Speaker 2:What better way to bring in a new year of my life than a new decade of your life, a new decade, a new year, a new decade, the end of an era.
Speaker 2:Then by like, what better way to punctuate any part of my life than with twilight? So I agree, bonnie, shout out, bonnie, she knows what's up. Um, I'm not kidding, okay, uh. Also in book news, really briefly, I just saw today jeanette mccurdy, who we both really liked her um memoir uh god, my mom died. She is releasing her first fiction book in january 2026. It's called uh, half his age and it is about a 17 year old engaging in a relationship with her uh, married like creative writing teacher. So, okay, I trust her um and I thought I mean her memoir is not only like really insane and engaging but it's really well written. So I am interested. But, uh, that's not a book I would pick up on my own. I'll say that.
Speaker 1:I think she had great source material right for her memoir, obviously because her life was insane, right, um. So we'll see. Yeah, like I'm so neutral about it, I don't have high or low expectations.
Speaker 2:I'm approaching with curiosity, yeah I'm interested, so I just saw that on instagram while I was waiting to start recording, so I wanted to bring it up. All right, are we ready? Let's do it let's do.
Speaker 1:Let me pull up one of those. Uh, do a handy dandy wheel. Yeah, we'll select. Also sorry for any background noise. Uh, people are moving in next door to me. Oh, exciting. Hope they're normal, like a lot of. Okay. Already have one from last time, emily abigail, great. So I guess whoever it lands on you can decide if you want to go first. Okay, I won.
Speaker 2:Yay.
Speaker 1:I'm actually going to go second oh dang, I want to go second, okay okay, I think going second is better, because I want to know what your first choice was. I know, okay, okay. So I'm so nervous that that's the wrong decision, because I have one I really want to pick. But even if you pick it, I'm still going to talk about it.
Speaker 2:Okay and to be. But even even if you pick it, I'll still get to talk about it. Okay, and to be clear, I texted you earlier. We're just doing vibes. It is anything. It could be worse schools, it could be best schools. It could be schools you want to go to.
Speaker 1:It can be most chaotic schools we want we're just like really competitive people, so it's like I want to have chosen this one, yeah, but it's like yeah, you know books you want to discuss, or like yeah, your best or worst or whatever correct?
Speaker 2:um, okay, I'm gonna pick a book, a very recent read okay, and I'm gonna do this because I want to find a way to talk about this book without putting in my recent reads, because I've read a lot of good books recently and that is, I think I would be interested in going to the one room schoolhouse from the great alone by kristin hannah in alaska number one, because, uh, you just forced me to read this at gunpoint long time listeners will understand well, yeah, over the last like three years.
Speaker 1:I think I gave this book to you three years ago, I'm pretty sure before the podcast possibly, um, but anyways, this book follows uh, what's her name?
Speaker 2:lenny. Thank you, lenny and her mentally ill father, who we love mentally we just love.
Speaker 1:We are really big into the mentally ill father genre and this is a very like.
Speaker 2:He is the mentally ill father. Um, he went to nom, that's a classic. He's an alcoholic and is, like, desperately in love with him, which is really a bummer, and he also beats her. So, anyways, he moves them, as Bentalia fathers are apt to do, to the middle of nowhere in Alaska.
Speaker 1:Because he's like, I think he's like literally trying to outrun his debts and stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and he's like insane.
Speaker 1:He's kind of like you know what he's kind of like um the glass castle.
Speaker 2:Oh, no, he is like, oh, like, oh.
Speaker 1:We've burned all of our bridges.
Speaker 2:I've not paid anybody, any we're going back to nowhere so let's go to the non-contiguous united states and he gets there and anyways, uh, it's like terrible, but then they, they adapt and they grow, um, and it's a very like moving journey through the story of her many years of her life. And anyways, in this story, though, they live in a small town and she goes to a one-room schoolhouse, which fascinates me. I'm super interested in how I always think how is it possible to be a teacher teaching in a one-room schoolhouse with kids as little as like kindergartners, and then, up to like lenny, graduates from this school? Like she turns she's like 17 or 18 when it's over and there's like two, one, one other kid her age, and then there's like younger kids and and they're like all learning the same stuff but kind of different, and doing these like really cool field trips to like the wilderness of Alaska, taking a little plane out in the middle of nowhere.
Speaker 2:It's very cool. So I'm fascinated by it. I think it's very interesting and it's crazy to think that places like this, like probably really really really remote places like this, do still exist in the US, where there is like one class for all the kids in town or something. So I just think that's very interesting, or at least like maybe up some high schoolers, so they're like pros, small class yeah, one-on-one attention con your teacher is like some random lady you know what it's basically like being a dugger?
Speaker 1:yeah, like it's basically like being homeschooled. You're being homeschooled with a bunch of people like your siblings are different ages and everyone's learning to be different absolutely and so, like what was the education the best?
Speaker 2:maybe not, but does lenny know a lot about how to live in a remote territory? Yes, so that's my first pick and I really like the book and you guys should read it. Thank you you, abigail, for forcing me to read it.
Speaker 1:Sweet satisfaction yeah.
Speaker 2:That's my first pick. Okay, what's your first pick? Great, I'm scared.
Speaker 1:I'm so glad your first pick was something that was not on my list. Okay, great, check. My first pick is Forks High School.
Speaker 2:That is on my list yeah. So yes, say more.
Speaker 1:Okay, would I want to go to school there? No, like, not particularly, but I do think someone should go to school there and be like hey guys, these people are in their 20s, they are vampires, right, what's not clicking? Um, I also. I I actually feel like I went to a high school that was kind of like for a forks high school interesting, you know, small town yeah, it rains a lot in the mountains, everyone knows each other um.
Speaker 1:I feel like I could really thrive there and, and I don't know, I think I would just bring back bullying.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like bullying the vampires, like I don't know. I agree I think we should all be tuning into this more and someone needs to say something and I feel like I have the ability to do that. Yes, if I went to, I'd be like hey guys, we really need to look into this. Like why are the brothers and sisters dating?
Speaker 2:yeah, why are the?
Speaker 1:parents in their 20s and they have this like harem of really hot, really close in age people. They're all hooking up. Can't be right like let's maybe dig into that a little bit and also just like for the bit, I think it would be. Oh, totally also like imagine, imagine you went to school with bella the gossip thank you yes, oh, the tea. Imagine being invited to her wedding. I would love that, like in the movie, when jessica is like I mean, do you think bella's gonna be showing?
Speaker 1:that's me, yeah, like self I don't know if you've been seeing those tiktoks that are like oh guys, I don't know, I just feel like we're starting to gossip. Yeah, no, come to me. If you want to gossip and talk, come to me, yeah, for your girls let's speculate, yes, let's say like some really, really dark stuff about people.
Speaker 1:I would be very into that. I would really be into the gossip and, like you know, there's a bunch of group chats, are like oh my god, did you see, like bella and edward, and they like make them into that meme of like the people at taco bell with the, with the mannequin you know I'm talking about. So yeah, I just feel like it would just the gossip alone would be great I totally agree.
Speaker 2:I I imagine going to a school where, over the course of a year, this girl moves to your town. One year she moves to your town, she starts dating this guy.
Speaker 1:She will sporadically disappear for like oh and, by the way, like all the guys at the school like her.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for some unknown reason. Like it makes no sense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then she's like always gone and like always like weirdly injured and you're like is she really? Injured or is she just wearing a boot for attention?
Speaker 2:yeah, then then uh, he moves away, edward moves away, his whole family disappears. Then she's like psycho, depressed, and everyone's like not being normal about checking in on her. And then he comes back, she's fine, they get engaged, they get married like days after graduation like a month, their kid is like five years old they're like I've seen this weird kid around town.
Speaker 2:Uh, absolutely insane, the gossip would go crazy. I'm concerned about the level of professionalism at forks high school because the fact that no like school counselor, social worker was checking in on bella with her behavior it it deeply concerns me. Like also the cullens, they just miss school all the time randomly when it's sunny and that that's like there are laws against that. That's called truancy and it's illegal, or like no one's checking in on them. They're just like oh yeah, your hot 20 year old dad said it's cool, so we're not worried about it. Um, yeah, it's insane, insane. I love it. I would love to go there.
Speaker 1:Like the gossip would go so hard.
Speaker 2:It would go so hard, oh yeah. And then this guy from the Native American reservation locally shows up on your campus being really aggressive and he looks 25 for some reason. Yeah, like there's so many things. I could go on and on.
Speaker 1:the drama's crazy yeah, I would just go absolutely crazy okay great choice, great choice that wasn't my list, so I can't.
Speaker 2:I can't be too mad, but you know what? Shifting the conversation back to twilight yeah, uh, yeah, every episode we find a way. Um, okay, I think my second choice is man, we only get three picks we can do four. Let's do four, let's do four yeah, okay, my second pick is gonna be uh, shiz from wicked um oh yeah that was almost on my list, although that is a stupid book that neither of us enjoyed.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna defer. Defer to the musical here. It seems like a magical place. Speaking of gossip, like what better gossip? Like a fascist government taking over.
Speaker 1:Well, I actually think that shiz is what Hogwarts thinks it is. Mm, say more about that. Like shiz, like you can pick a track and be like really like you can basically pick a major instead of having to do all this stuff and like you're learning real you know, yeah, magic, yeah, like independent study, you get your own pathway yeah, and people are like dedicated, yeah, yeah. I don't know, I feel like it's just more. It's like ivy league hogwarts yeah, yeah, it's better.
Speaker 2:um, madam marble, is she evil? Yes, uh, do the the goat, you know, is he baaing? Yes, okay, but like things will be fine. If anything this is like it would probably be relatable because you know the wizard, he's like not great Like our current government, not great. You know, taking over kidnapping people in the middle of the night. So like transferable skills yeah, like I know how to deal with that. Yeah, so like transferable, yeah, like I'm, I know how to deal with that. Yeah, um, like I'm cool in that front. I think it would be cool to learn magic. I think it would be like really fun to like watch fiero dance around um. Also, speaking of gossip, like, oh, the gossip would go. So the alumni network gossip has to go crazy when he marries um glinda and then runs off to be with Elphaba and then she dies, allegedly Spoiler spoiler. So I just think that would be really fun.
Speaker 1:Or like you'll never guess who I went to school with. Yeah yeah, You'll never guess who my roommate is.
Speaker 2:Oh my god yes, and everyone's asking you, like in the beginning, when they asked Glinda, did you really know her? You?
Speaker 1:are a primary source.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm going to be making tiktoks regularly, like so I went to part one. Who the that would be me?
Speaker 2:I am always hoping that me with my yeah, me with my chat gpt like literally every day, every year, and I'm getting too old now, like, unfortunately, but I'm, you know, on the cusp. Every year, though, when they reach release, like the bachelor bachelorette cast list, I pray that one of them will be someone I went to high school with, so I can go on reddit and I can say something about them, like that is my dream.
Speaker 1:Now we're like decrepit that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:I'm aging out, I'll have to wait for the golden bachelor. So my point is this would be my dream come true that would be.
Speaker 1:Imagine your enemy from high school is going on the bachelor. That would be my dream.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for. Next best thing would be survivor, but I don't care. Like I'm rooting for the survivor people, I'm rooting against the bachelor bachelor people yeah so, um, yeah, that's. My dream in life is for, like someone I didn't like in high school to become famous. If I was friends with glenda or alphaba, I'd be like, or if I knew them, I would be spelling the t about them. So that's my second pick. Moral of the story is we're focused on gossip when we pick our schools.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just exactly like. I love the gossip, I want to. I want to be like oh my, did you just see what just happened? And not like really deeply involved in it. But yes, I want to have, like, I want to have my own group.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, whatever, love it, that's my second pick.
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm really vacillating between two. I know it's so hard between two. I know it's so hard, okay, well, whatever I'm telling myself.
Speaker 1:If you pick one of them, it's fine, I can still talk about it, okay, um, I'm gonna pick katenin academy. Oh, from um. The will of the many. Okay, this is top of mind, because I'm almost finished with my will of the many. Reread yes and um. For those of you who don't know, this may be like a less popular magical school, but it's actually not a magical school. It's just like a really cutthroat school in a fantasy book yeah.
Speaker 1:But people like you go to this school and there are different classes and it's meant to mimic the way the society is set up, which is like a pyramid, and so in class seven there can be the most people and it's the least rigorous. But to be able to advance to class six you actually have to take the spot of someone who is currently in class six, so they would have to be demoted. Yeah, and there's less and less spots the higher up you go in the pyramid until you get to class three, and then the three people in class three compete in this challenge class three and then the three people in class three compete in this challenge um, and the person who wins a challenge is named domitor and um, so that's kind of what you need to know just about the school. It would be way too hard to explain everything about the book.
Speaker 1:But, um, our hero viz goes to this school and is uh, he has like lots of different motivations for like spy stuff he's doing and like information he's trying to gather, but he really needs to get to class three, and so it takes a lot of like politics and scheming and hard work and figuring out okay, how am I going to demote someone from above me. How do I prove myself to take their place? And, um, like the insane part of me would love that. Yeah, like that. Then, like I don't know what, do you like 30 of me? I feel like 70 of the time. I'm like a lot more chill than that, but like that 30 would take over and like my high achieving side would kick in and there would be no stopping me. Yeah, actually, I think the thing that would stop me would be the physical challenges.
Speaker 2:I'd be like, yeah, yeah, it is a lot of like just like academics and like winning people over.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because that's what it's not really based on your performance, it's based on the what the preceptors who are like the teachers and the administrators of the school who they think should be promoted but really just based on what the preceptors who are like the teachers and the administrators of the school who they think should be promoted but really just based on their discretion and I feel like that's where I would really thrive is convincing people that I'm better than everyone else, not based on any data point, but just vibes. Yeah, I think that I would really do well at that.
Speaker 2:I think you would actually too. Yeah, I think I fear I wouldn't love this school, but I am fascinated by the concept of it and like, yeah, like having to beat someone out to move up is crazy.
Speaker 1:And it's a great book school because, like it sets up a really great plot, Like, oh okay, I understand this. I understand what it would take to move up Right In a fantasy world where there's not a lot of rules. This is a rule that I can understand.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a good context. I think that's what's like when I was thinking about this episode. It's like man, there are actually a lot of schools in books, whether it's like teachers or a book that takes place in a school, um, or just like a school setting in the background, and I think it's such a great like. It's a great way to more subtly info dump on the audience, because you have like lessons and kids can learn things, or like students of any age can learn things through the school, and it's also just like it forces proximity, um, like the characters have to go there all the time. So, especially in the world of the mini like.
Speaker 2:This is a. That's what it is great at. It teaches you a lot about the world and helps contextualize it in a way, um, because it's sort of like a microcosm of the how the greater magic system works. And it makes sense because it's a school and everyone's familiar with what school is like, um, so it's a great way to just like share the information in a very complicated world of that book. Exactly, yes, exactly okay, great choice not great, not as great gossip.
Speaker 2:I don't think a contendant no, it seems like people hold their cards close to their chest at that place, so it's like but I guess a good strategy like you could plant a rumor about someone.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And a lot of stuff is going on. There's some weird stuff. Someone died really mysteriously. Yeah, exactly. There's some other weird stuff going on in the forest Also.
Speaker 1:you have the level of most of these kids. Their parents are high up in the hierarchy of the society. And so they're all like basically the equivalent of trust fund kids and yeah, that would be fun connections.
Speaker 2:Who knows what's going on up there exactly. Okay, great choice. Great back to you. Okay, this one. I know I know it's not on your list because you haven't read this, but I'm picking uh hawkins academy from the cadence of part-time poets which is a fan fiction.
Speaker 1:It is I actually have. I know what hawkins is because I have read like 20 percent sure, sure sure, so you're you're familiar um.
Speaker 2:So this is a. It's a.
Speaker 1:It's a hogwarts equivalent boarding school in the highlands you found a way to get out of picking hong w, that's what I was thinking, part of me, but also.
Speaker 2:this school just seems so much better. There's no Dumbledore in this world. First of all, McGonagall is the headmaster or headmistress, so that's better.
Speaker 1:Why do you think the fanfiction author decided to take Dumbledore out of the world?
Speaker 2:I think a lot of fan fiction authors might choose to do that, because dumbledore is a very complicated character who, yeah, I think, is weird to write. I think mcgonagall is more straightforward. And, um, if you need like a morally gray weirdo, then dumbledore works. If you just need like a street, like stern, but maybe loving headmaster or like you know whatever principal, then I think mcgonagall works better. That's my thought, anyways. Um, this is where remus lupin is sent after being kicked out of every other prestigious school, basically in the entire united kingdom. Um, he gets shipped off and he doesn't want to be there and he is put into a room with the you know the people you know you love sirius black, james potter and peter pettigrew. They eventually decide to start a band together.
Speaker 2:This book is long, or fic, sorry, is longer than the bible. It is over a million words. And you go through uh, I think it starts in year five. And then you know, I don't know these years, what are they talking about? Why can't you guys just say sophomores or whatever, like normal people? And then it goes till a little after they graduate from school. But I think it would be a lot of gossip here, you know, because it's the 70s, so I feel like people are doing weird stuff and also like they're trying to start a band. I think that'd be really interesting to talk about. You know, you're watching. There's also like tons of like iconic pranks. They pull the most iconic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's like the ballroom blitz scene, if you know. You know they they during a chapel, like a chapel. I love the disruption of religious activities with rock and roll and yeah, it's great, like it's just, it seems like a really lovely place, it seems. Boarding school is so interesting to me because, having never been to one myself, it's weird to think about having like that much autonomy over your life when you're a child. Still, like, obviously there's like teachers and you know whatever Student, student, what do they call those? You know, like students who are older than you, who are watching over you. Um, but like it's crazy that like they just like sneak off and go into the local town. I mean, I guess normal high school kids also might sneak out of their houses, like not me, but but like they're, they're living on their own, they have to, like take care of themselves. I just think that's interesting and that would be like a completely different life experience. So maybe it'd be fun to try it out, um, and this would be a great place to do it.
Speaker 2:You're, like you know, just finding seems beautiful, seems great, yeah, yeah, so that's my pick good pick, thank you, I feel like, yeah, boarding school gossip would go great, boarding school gossip, like you're with these people all day, all night, uh, the same people for years and years, and it would, yeah, it would be crazy like you're just privy to so much.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, yeah and the pranks and stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so much fun and like the relationships I would be like hey, have you guys noticed that these guys seem to be spending a lot of time together, a lot of time together?
Speaker 1:A lot of time together Like anybody ever looked into that?
Speaker 2:No, okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, I don't know Interesting. Okay, good pick, good pick and way to get out of picking Hogwarts, yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:Last one for me next. This is not your last one, this is your second to last one.
Speaker 1:Okay, sorry, I'm just making sure I'm on the right track. Um, I think okay. Hmm, I think ranking among the worst schools to go to Please.
Speaker 2:I have two like worst schools.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to pick out which to go first.
Speaker 2:Um, really trying to channel what I want you to pick so I I can have a different pick, but so you can, I'm gonna pick bazgay off.
Speaker 1:Thank you, that's what I want. Bazgaya, okay, okay, let's talk about it go ahead. Okay, so bazgayath war college um is obviously, uh, the school from fourth wing series. It is a death wish. I mean definitely don't go there. So in this world, you, when you like, enter adulthood, you have to enlist in like one of the quadrants of the society, and it's like infantry scribe, or is it three? No, I'm pretty sure it is quadrants. So, riders, which is the uh bazagaya for the college?
Speaker 1:uh, healers, healers, healers healers, healers, yeah, healers, scribes, healers or doctor scribes are basically librarians. Um, infantry is like regular military and then rioters is like navy seals. So, um, you bond with a dragon if you don't get like killed by a dragon trying to bond one and you basically could die any day you can kill other students. You can kill other students. It's very cutthroat, um, but also maybe worth it. If you bond with a dragon, that would be so lit, I think. So, yeah, sure, sure, and then you get powers from your you.
Speaker 2:So you, the powers would be cool.
Speaker 1:The powers would be you channel power from your dragon and the power is like a reflection of, like, your personality and your dragon's personality mixed. Yeah, that would be cool. Yes, and then maybe you meet a super hot tattooed shadow daddy.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah yeah, I'm with you on that. I don't. I'm not going there's no way. I'm not going to school.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to school there quickly, quickly, um enlisting in the scribes for sure I was gonna say which quadrant would you want to go to? Definitely scribes clearly the scribes. Yeah, um, I'm doing that, please. Um, I'm definitely, definitely not going to the writer's quadrant, but, um, but you know what? Oh my god, okay, baz guyeth, not the war college, but like they have the scribes right there I think that head library right, that's ideal.
Speaker 1:I think I want to be one of those friends who works at that library. Yes, you get all the tea from the war college. You get to see all the hot guys. Yes, you do have to be around dragons, which is a little scary because they don't like yeah, but they're not gonna kill you probably probably, probably, but that's what I want to do, totally.
Speaker 2:That's great. I'm very interested to see if it will ever be like revealed over the course of the series that, like Bezgaeth, is like stupidly set up on purpose a nation that is in perpetual war, basically, and constantly under attack, that they would willingly let like at least a third of every incoming class um, I think it's more than a third, like it's a significant amount just perish, like, just die right off the gate. They have to walk across this like parapet thing and like half of them don't make it across.
Speaker 1:I would not make it across that seems like.
Speaker 2:What are we doing? Like what's like? I understand, kick them out, but why are we killing?
Speaker 1:or demote them to infantry.
Speaker 2:Right put them in the infantry, but don't you need the bodies? Like are we chilled? And like you would think the people trying to get into, uh, like to be flyers that they would be like the toughest, like smartest. You think like it's the best of the best for the most part right, oh my god, wait.
Speaker 1:No, I know what we want to do. We don't want to go to baz gaieth, we want to go to the place where the um, the griffin riders yeah, maybe we want to go there because they're more chill again, I forget but they don't kill the people there.
Speaker 2:So they're like wait, you guys just like let your people die. And they're like, yeah, you guys don't do that. They're like no, cliffsbane, yeah, I want to go to Cliffsbane.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, that's where I'm going. Put me with the Griffins. I get to be with the Griffins, I'm not going to die. Yeah, like worst case scenario. Get like they're like big challenge I think they mention in onyx storm is they're like flying, like they fly over like this lake or something. Yeah, and if you fall off your griffin you fall in the water yeah, and you don't get.
Speaker 2:Life goes on, but you live, I just don't get it. So I mean that to be like a conspiracy that they're like this is set up intentionally to inhibit the the world because their government is not good, it's not tracking, it's not making sense, but yeah, I don't want to go there, but I I do think the gossip, the gossip must be insane. Everybody's hooking up with everybody in this place like people are dying. People are trying to kill each other like that's crazy.
Speaker 1:The stakes for the gossip there have to be insane yeah, yeah, 10 out of 10, um, yep, so send me, send me to Cliff, spain. That's where I'm going. Yeah, put me in it. Cliff, spain or no, you know what? I'm still choosing Cliff. Well, okay.
Speaker 2:I want to be a scribe. I don't want to go to war, I want to be in the library. Cool, great pick, great pick. Okay, this is actually my last one. Okay, this is my actually my last one. Okay, I'm gonna pick this because, um, again, I know this isn't on your list, but, um, I just saw that the I think, let me see fifth or sixth book in this series was just announced, and I would like to go to ellingham academy, which is the truly devious book series, which is a ya series, um, by maureen johnson, and this is the school of all the schools that I actually would want to go to. So, basically, it's like a, it's like a private school, but it's free to attend and you just apply if you're like some kind of low-key, genius kid, like savant um so, but big ego boost, if you even get it oh yeah, like incredible to get in.
Speaker 2:So the main character, her name is stevie and you have to have like a special interest, basically. So, um, you like you just tell them what you're interested in studying and they decide if they accept you, and so her special interest is like solving crimes and she gets admitted to the school because, like I don't know, a couple decades ago there was a murder at the school and it was never solved. And her application is basically like let me come and I will solve the murder, because I love solving murders and I'm really good at it and I'm super smart, oh fun. And she gets accepted and she does, in the first book, solve the murder.
Speaker 1:So that's exciting do you feel like you spiritually connect with that character?
Speaker 2:I love stevie, so sure, why not? Um, but everybody there has like different interests. They like there's like uh, a kid who I think he like wrote a movie or something. This is all. It's been a while since I um read this book or he wrote like a novel as like a kid that was like a bestseller, and then now he's trying to write his like uh sophomore book and he can't do it so, but that's how he got admitted. One of her friends, like an amazing artist, um, one like there's a love interest whose like dad is like a uh right wing politician who he hates and um, he's trying to like get away from. There's a lovely cast of characters and I think it would be just a really fun place to go because, like every like the, the classes are so engaging and you get to like basically say this is what I'm going to study, so they just help you shape your own program of study, which would be really cool and fun, and so you like would actually want to go to school here.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it's a boarding school too.
Speaker 2:It's like they live there, um. So yeah, for the school would be fun. So, and I'm really excited because she just announced the next book, and the last book in the series ended on the most insane cliffhanger, and it has been like two or three years since it came out. She's been writing other things in the meantime and that was really upsetting to me personally because, again, it was the most insane cliffhanger.
Speaker 2:Um so rude, very rude. I think if you do a cliffhanger in a book, you should be contractually obligated to have the next book coming out within a year. That's my opinion.
Speaker 1:I think at one to two years.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I'm really excited though, because the cover is coming Like it's going to be revealed in a couple days, so really excited that that's coming in the near future. But, yeah, I would love to go there. It seems cool, I mean, besides the murder part, and murders do keep happening around her.
Speaker 1:So but gossip would be crazy.
Speaker 2:Crazy because you're like, why does she keep solving?
Speaker 1:murders. That seems weird, you know. So, um, yeah, also the love, the love thing. I just like it back and forth with them. I would love to talk about them, yeah. So, yeah, great fun. Okay, good pick, good pick. Yeah, maybe I should read those you honestly they're.
Speaker 2:They are ya, but they're really really good and it's got really great characters. So I think, um, I recommend a lot of ya for someone who says I don't like to read YA, but there are the exception. I have a TBR like a mile long, but oh yeah, same, but it is a good one If you get to it, okay. Okay, what's your last pick?
Speaker 1:My last pick, hmm. It's a toss up between. I think I'm going to go Crunch'em Hall Okay, from Matilda Okay, and while on the surface this seems like it would be a bad place to go.
Speaker 2:It does.
Speaker 1:Because of Madame Trunchbull or Madame Trunchbull, I think it's actually Trunchbull but you know she's crazy, okay, but you know she's crazy, okay, the students and the good teachers basically like unionized to overthrow her, and I think that would be fun to be a part of. I think being in school with a girl who has, like, telekinetic powers would be cool. And also I love Ms Honey so much and, um, I would want to be in her class for sure, for sure. Um, yeah, I feel like there's a lot of camaraderie and like, imagine being at school on the day where the kid has to go up and eat all of that chocolate cake like the emotional, like fortitude and the that would be forged.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the spirit of camaraderie, yeah like trauma overthrowing oppressive powers. That would go hard. I feel like that would really like imprint you for the rest of your life yeah, we need that energy and then like, yeah, let's take down madame trunchbull. Yeah, like actually there's more of us than there are of you and you think that if we ever find that out, you're gonna die, and that's pretty much what's gonna happen so period, yeah, time crunchable uh, crunchum hall that sounds fun.
Speaker 2:Did you have any teachers like miss honey when you were growing up who made an impact on you?
Speaker 1:oh, I did. Oh, that's. I had a few. I had um in kindergarten. There was like a what do you call it? It's like not that I had two kindergarten teachers, it was like a main one like an aid yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And when I was in kindergarten was when joel was in the hospital. My little brother was in the hospital for um his liver for like a long time, and my dad, um, unfortunately fulfilled the stereotype of like not being able to do like some parenting functions, like putting my hair in a ponytail. Sure, yeah. So I would go to school and I'd feel like really insecure because my hair wouldn't be like in a ponytail, and so my teacher, miss keifer, told me to come early so that she could do my hair every day before school.
Speaker 2:Oh, my god, I don't made a profound impact on my life.
Speaker 1:So shout out, jane keifer, if you're listening to this, we know you are and then in third grade I had a teacher named miss guy shout out, elisa, guy, if you're listening to this. She, um, was her first year teaching. It was like her first year out of college. And she I went, that was my first year at a new school and it was like the first time I was ever having trouble like making friends or like fitting in at school. And she used to hold my hand in line, like when we'd be walking places, and she would like squeeze it and then I would like squeeze back and she would be like no, when somebody squeezes your hand, you have to squeeze it back harder.
Speaker 1:And she was like teaching me this lesson of like standing up for myself and um, so she made a huge impact on my life and my fifth grade teacher, mrs Hazlett, taught me she was like the first person who ever really taught me about like feminism oh nice, and that changed my life Radical. What about you? Oh yeah, um, she was like the first person who ever really taught me about like feminism oh nice, and that changed my life radical what about you?
Speaker 2:oh, yeah, um, okay, I would say I feel like my fifth grade teacher, miss saplicky. She was great because in fourth grade I had a teacher who I feel like really didn't get me, um, like in a deep, serious way. Uh, she did not get me. And I mean, to be fair, I struggled a lot in elementary school with, like I talked a lot in class, I didn't do my homework, I just was bored. I think that's my explanation. And so she, yeah, she told me, like my fourth grade teacher, that like I would never be successful in life because I couldn't be organized, uh, which is really funny to me now, but it was traumatizing to me at the time. And, um, then my fifth grade teacher though I feel like she really like saw me and got me. It was like very encouraging and like just yeah, so shout out, miss saplicky. I think about her all the time.
Speaker 2:And then, um, my biology teacher in high school, miss k, she was the best. She like she just went above and beyond for her students and would like she did like saturday morning tutoring sessions and was like always available. She had like a google phone number set up that we could, you know, text or call if we were ever like really stressed out and I feel like I learned a lot in her class. It convinced me that I should be a science major in college, which was emphatically untrue, but she was such a good teacher that, like I did start up short-lived short-lived biochem, yeah, and then um, also I would say dr johnson from university, which we usually bleep out the name of that from dr johnson.
Speaker 2:You taught humanities class um, because specifically one incident we he made us this is probably too intense for the pod, but you know what? He made us write a essay about hell and like articulations of hell in like ancient literature or whatever. And I remember like I sat and stared at that screen for like hours trying to write it and in the end I wrote this, like I don't know, like that was basically my conclusion I don't know, because we had to say what we thought um and like analyze whatever the stuff we had been studying in class.
Speaker 2:But I was like he's making me say something that I believe in and I feel like I don't know what to do about that, and so I put like I don't know, and he wrote a big moment, yeah, he wrote this note in the margin of my paper and I thought it sucked.
Speaker 2:I was like I'm getting an f, like this is horrible. But he wrote a note and he was like thank you, emily, which just putting someone's name is really meaningful. And he was like, please, like, keep asking questions. Like this is like just a really nice, lovely uh reflection on like it's okay to ask questions and I feel like nobody had ever said that to me before, uh, especially about like faith and stuff. So, yeah, it was very meaningful to me and I think about his class a lot. It was a great, he was a great professor. So shout out to all those guys.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, I don't know if there's still many professors like this who haven't been pushed. I know our alma mater, yeah, but I also had a professor, a couple of professors like that, where, like they really made me critically think about things yeah and like push the boundaries of like what otherwise was kind of like a rigid yeah doctrine. Yeah, totally, um, so you guys are appreciated. Yeah, I think you guys are listening, yeah I would be amazed if you were if any of those I just named were kind of horrified I would be scared and amazed, but yeah, yeah, shout out to all you guys love it.
Speaker 1:We love education, teachers and educators.
Speaker 2:Yes, we love you yeah um what was your honorable mentions? What did you not pick?
Speaker 1:um, I didn't pick camp half-blood from percy jackson. Great one yeah because a it's not technically a school, but it kind of has a vibe of school. But also, like there's always like I don't want to fight, like yeah, like gods apollo, yeah, you know, like just cut it. Yeah, cut it. But it would be cool if I was like, yeah, I've never met my dad, but he's zeus. Yeah, like never met my dad but he's Zeus.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like never met my dad, boo, he's a god.
Speaker 1:Yay, so yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so anyway, love it, great choice.
Speaker 2:Did you have an honorable mention? I had probably too many, so I'm just going to go really fast. Valentine Academy from In they Were Ro, they were roommates, which I recently recommended. Uh, special agent training from the naturals, which was a ya series I recently read as well. Um, blah, blah, blah. We picked those. The school where rosemary and logan are my teachers from. Here we go again.
Speaker 1:School where everyone's gay from heartstopper oh my god wait, I almost picked the heartstopper one too, because like like. Why is everyone like so?
Speaker 2:chill about everyone, everyone's woke.
Speaker 1:Yeah, utopia. But you're such a great point about Rosemary and Logan being my teachers. Talk about gossip. They hate each other and now they're together Is there any crazier tea than when you think two of your teachers are dating?
Speaker 2:Let me tell you, when I seventh grade, we had two teachers in my school, my french teacher and an english teacher, and they actually were married but nobody knew it. And then all of a sudden, one day he like asked, he like sent someone with a note, like they were always like flirty and joking back and forth, but like no one thought they were married. And then one day he why didn't they?
Speaker 2:tell anyone they were married they had different last names, like I just think that never came up like they, they, yeah, nobody would have guessed they were married. Um, and so one day he sent like a student, with a note lit and it was like something was about like a credit card or something like, where people made the connection and then everyone started finding out and the school was a buzz. It was the best day ever. So, yes, oh my God, that was elite.
Speaker 1:Finding out the details about your teacher's personal life. Yes, amazing when you, I mean, I'm sure, for teachers, it's horrifying when you see your students in public.
Speaker 2:Sure, You're like.
Speaker 1:God, what the?
Speaker 2:I'm just trying to have my enjoy my dollarita at Applebee's, but like when you see your teacher in public, yeah, but like when you see your teacher in public, yeah, it's like like you're a person like what are they wearing at school?
Speaker 2:yeah, crazy. Um, okay, yeah, everyone's gay and hard supper. Uh, danny brown's my professor and take a hint, danny brown, um, if you know, you really thought outside the box. I know I did because I didn't know. Uh, if we were villains, I don't know if you ever read that, but they have. There's like a college and it's a job. I don't want to go there, but there's a drama program. No school at all, like Educated by Tara Westover.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, I almost put that on my list. I almost put that on my list, like you, get. Educated by Tara Westover's parents in Idaho thank you.
Speaker 2:Um, also, I read this book series called the royal we, which is basically like loosely based on um, yeah, what are their names?
Speaker 2:well and k so I was like college with them. That would be crazy gossip. Um, oh, that would be t phd school, but I don't know what you call that with olive from the love hypothesis, the mysterious benedict society school with connell and marianne from normal people and this book is my favorite book ever. It's like my comfort read is the juliet club by susan harper, where they study shakespeare and romeo and juliet. So I didn't pick that because it's also it's like technically not a school, it's a summer program. But I could yap about that book forever and I have already on this podcast before what if you went to um the deep end school?
Speaker 2:I almost put that on. What if you were like I don't even want to, I don't want to be around those guys? The gossip would be going crazy there too okay, they didn't did things in public way too much for me to be comfortable because, like, they need to chill, they really need to chill. It's, it's, it's a sanitary issue. At a certain point, one time I can forgive. I can forgive one time. But this is we're talking like three or four times in the course of the book. That's, it's all chlorinated.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, I'm, I'm done so uh, yeah, those are my, those are my alternate images those are really good points and I will be thinking a lot on if my teachers were logan and rosemary from uh here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I almost picked that one. That was a really good one, I think, because I would love that, because just imagine they hate each other and then they come back Listeners tell us when would you go to school?
Speaker 1:Comment on our Instagram or Blue Sky post or whatever. Comment on this podcast or on Spotify.
Speaker 2:We've been getting a lot of comments over on Spotify, which I didn't even know was possible. So go comment on our spotify posts and let us know what you think yeah, where would you want to go to school, or what did we forget?
Speaker 1:yeah and don't say hogwarts yeah, we didn't forget it trust me. We didn't trust. I believe remembered, we remember. Okay, all right um. Can we talk about wolf song?
Speaker 2:now yes.
Speaker 1:So this is good because I'm going to talk about, because, let me tell you, I have been in a slog. I can't finish anything. I know Life has been busy. I also have been reading long books and so I have not finished a book. All the progress I made in July erased, so I'm going to have to catch back up again. Yeah, I'm close to finishing the two books I'm reading right now, but I'm still way behind. Yeah, but last episode I was about 70% of the way through Wolfsong and I finished Uh-huh. So are you sure I hadn't finished it in?
Speaker 2:the last episode. You had not because you didn't let me talk about it, so you said we might do a bonus content. But here we are. This is our bonus content.
Speaker 1:All right, I thought Wolfsong was great, good, um, so we did. What we did. Talk about a little bit was like that it's a good depiction of werewolves.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we talked about that yeah.
Speaker 1:In terms of like Twilight and stuff. So yeah, I mean I have not like immediately started reading the next books in the series.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think I would like to parse those out over the fall. I think that would be like a nice little thing to focus on. But I wonder also if I writing correct, correctly guessing that like the next books aren't actually going to be following the same two main characters from the first?
Speaker 2:that is correct there's. Every book has a different main pov character and a different couple, but it progresses linearly, I guess, based on the name of the second book.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that would be the good call so um, okay. So for those of you who are like, what the f**k are you guys talking about? So wolf song is, uh, the first book of a series. Um, by tj clune. Have you ever read anything by tj clune?
Speaker 1:no, I never have, but I'm like familiar, you know I read house on the cerulean sea, which is maybe one of his most famous um, which is young adult actually and very like lightly. The main character in that is queer um you don't really like, totally know that I don't think till the end but it's anyway. It's there. Um so this is a long span is time spanning story about.
Speaker 1:Ox and Joe and they are in love, but they don't start out in love. They start as kids that are friends with this crazy connection. And also some of them are werewolves and some of them are werewolves and some of them are witches, and there's more. Everything that you could imagine is out there. Yeah, and pack, pack, pack, yeah, so, um, it's, I don't know. It's a book about magic and werewolves and love and fate and choice, but also I think it's a book about found family, community, what it means to be like in a tribe of people. Yeah, yeah, what would you add to that?
Speaker 2:okay, I'm gonna be careful because I don't want to spoil the remaining three books, but I think I agree with everything you said. Um, and to me, all of these books and this one is a good example, but they all were made in a lab for me, in terms of romance, because they're incredibly slow, burn the slowest. And the angst. This, this angst. There's a lot of angst in this one. It is the mildest of the four. Like the angst is this angst? There's a lot of angst in this one. It is the mildest of the four. Like the angst is insane.
Speaker 1:I'm really excited for the Gordo story.
Speaker 2:I can't talk about Gordo. I cannot talk about Gordo, no.
Speaker 1:I know that one's going to go hard. That is the next one in the series is.
Speaker 2:Gordo, because this is like second chance.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and they're older. And yeah, yeah and they're older. And, yeah, I can't okay the pain. So, yeah, the angst goes crazy in all of them. Um, which is what I want? Like, I want a high angst love story that they don't get together till the end. I want it to be really sad. I want it to make me cry. By the way, are all of them love stories? They are all love stories. There's four couples and, uh, different, like I said, different point of view characters, and then, like this, but the other story also progresses. So there's like sort of a bad element, like there's a bad guy element.
Speaker 2:There's a big there's an overarching, yeah through line um with like action that takes place. It's not just strictly romance, um, but I really like the whole series. I think, yeah, like they was cooked up for me, and I think really interesting with this one is the age gap in printing and how it compares to the Twilight age gap in printing and how I feel like this is the way to do it.
Speaker 1:No, it actually feels like TJ Klune was like it's like TJ Klune read Breaking Dawn and was like what the actual Correct read breaking dawn and was like what the actual correct? Yes, okay, and then he was like all right, wait, hold on, I gotta do a better version yes or he was like talking and his boyfriend was like dude, do a different.
Speaker 1:Please do this better so um like stop talking about it and write a better version so in this story you don't actually know that imprinting is kind of like it's not even called imprinting.
Speaker 2:No, no, but it's a similar vibe the reason.
Speaker 1:it's so clear that it's a response. God, we always end up talking about the d*** on Twilight. We have to, oh my God, but anyways, because they make a couple tongue-in-cheek jokes about Twilight throughout the book. Like, oh, jokes about twilight throughout the book, like, yeah, oh, it's not like werewolves, like in some kind of spark, right, whatever. So anyway, um, he joe imprints on ox, kind of.
Speaker 2:But there's also and joe is younger ox is a little older, yeah, by like five years. They're both minors when this happened.
Speaker 1:They're both minors but ultimately, like at some point before anything romantic happens, ox becomes educated about the fact that he could choose or reject the bond between them. Yeah, and so he has agency. He's not like enslaved yes, right and like. And also the bond between them changes over time. Right, when they're little kids they're just like really close friends. They have like this really, you know, intense like soul tie connection and and it's left open that like maybe it could always just stay that way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, genuinely there has to be a romantic element one of my favorite scenes from the entire series, though, is when ox first starts to see joe in a romantic way and he's like, oh my god, oh my god, his little shorts, oh my god, he's like spiraling out.
Speaker 2:That was so much fun to me, so I liked that part as well. It's like very, very clear that ox does not think of joe that way until are much older. And then he like very clearly has a moment where he's like, oh, what the hell established canonically that mate bonds can't be platonic and also that, like you said, it's pretty clear that it can be like you can have more than one over your lifetime. So it's not like twilight, where it's like you're enslaved, like you said to this person, forever.
Speaker 1:Um and the other person can reject it yeah, and just say like no, I don't want to, so I do like that.
Speaker 2:I think it's just done better. Um, yeah, I loved it. I love whole series. I thought it was fun. Join us in reading them, if you want. We'll keep talking as Abigail makes her way through the rest of the series. I'm really excited. Gordo's story is the next one, but my favorite was the last one, so that's what I'll say. I won't say anything else.
Speaker 1:Well, that is good to know. As far as other recent reads, I have been rereading the will of the many nice um, in preparation for the release of the second one, yeah, and I've also been reading another book, but I want to save talking about it till I'm finished with it there, um, but yeah, it's. Otherwise, it's been a slog and I'm feeling like there's other books I want to get to. And no worries, you know you'll get there. I feel like you were there most of last year. So, if you have, I'm feeling like there's other books I want to get to and no worries, you know, go, get there.
Speaker 2:I feel like you were there most of last year, so if you have any advice, have you tried?
Speaker 1:Kenwell Unlimited Hockey Romance. Let me tell you guys, I don't. I am not connecting to romance at all. I get it, I get it yeah.
Speaker 2:I would just do, like a novella. Do some short books. Yeah, I just like a novella. Do some short books. Yeah, yeah, who cares? You want to hear my recent reads? Yes, I do. Okay, I will be quick. Number one I read a book that you have read, which is Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, so I won't spend very much time on it, but I really liked it, so you liked it. I really liked it.
Speaker 1:I really liked it. I do recall that, but I would be really interested to hear your interpretations of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I really. So. If you missed Abigail's talk about this a while ago, this follows it's a married couple and one of them goes under the sea into a submarine and something weird happens For work, for work, but you don't know why. And then the other one's back on land and then when um, I don't remember their names when old girl from under the sea comes back, she is something's wrong with her. And then the girl who was left behind she's like trying to cope with that and figure out, kind of what's going on. Um, I just really like this. I thought it was like to me. It's like to me. It feels like an obvious, like your spouse has a terminal illness book, you know, and there's like nothing you can really do. Um, or like being the caretaker for someone. Um, and I really liked that part that is so interesting.
Speaker 2:That's not how I how did you interpret it? Okay, what did you?
Speaker 1:think? Well, I think, first of all, it's literary fiction, yeah, and horror, yeah, so you can interpret it, sure. However, and it just invites you to interpret it, um, but to me it was like your partner experiences some sort of like foundational change in their life, or they like go to war, yeah, and they come back, and now they have an experience that you can't relate to at all, yeah, and you're basically grieving them while they're still alive yeah, I feel like that's the same kind of thing, though, like if someone not I mean the grieving them while they're still alive thing, because yeah, like if someone has a diagnosis or whatever, like that's kind of the same thing, I thought is like they're already gone in some ways, yeah, and a lot of like and you.
Speaker 1:The whole thing is really from. I can't remember her name either, but the wife who didn't go yeah her point of view yeah so the book, like it's kind of unsatisfying in some ways because you actually don't get that many details about what happened under the sea.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but that's not really the point doesn't really matter, yeah the point is that you don't actually get to know what happened under the sea. Yeah, and you'll never experience it, and that's another thing, yeah, and like that is like a component of this. It's not actually about what happened, it's about you not knowing what happened and also like you're not being able to relate to it totally like, um, you can't relate to it.
Speaker 2:But also no one can relate to you. Like your friends won't understand what you're going through, as the person who is now like surviving this secondhand. Like you don't understand what your spouse went through and also like nobody understands what you're going through, as the person who's having to take care of the situation, and like it's impossible to describe. And so I really liked that. Yeah, I thought it was really good, really well written.
Speaker 2:It made me really emotional, um, because I think, like in small ways, in large ways, if you're in a long-term relationship with someone, like there are times where it's like, oh, you are a different person than the person that I first met and like this doesn't have to be like this, where she disappears back into the scene, that's well, but like, or they don't have to die, or like go to war, but like, in small ways, like just might be like oh, wow, like that's not what you were like before, and there is like a grief of that of like and same with yourself, like hey, I'm not the person I used to be, and that's like something to grieve as well. So I I just thought there it was really well written of talking like there's a lot of flashbacks, of like when they first started dating and like what their relationship was like and just the way that was written about. I really thought was really nice, so yeah I really liked it.
Speaker 1:I'm glad you liked it, thumbs up, but I really don't think it's for everyone. It's not for everyone.
Speaker 2:No, this is not a universal recommendation okay, I have two that I think are more crowd pleasers. So number one is um. Love is a war song by danica nava. This follows uh lexus and she is a muskogee. She's a muskogee, muskogee, yeah. Okay, she's muskogee um, native american. And she um is also like. This is basically the plot of the hannah montana movie. Okay, so she's a pop star. She's like a child actress and she's trying to become a singer. So she's like very Miley. You know, she grew up on like she's just being Miley.
Speaker 2:Yes, she grew up on Disney Channel, essentially whatever the equivalent of is that is in this world. And then now she's trying to be a pop star and she is indigenous, but she has like, no, her mom doesn't talk to her grandmother for whatever reason, you don't know why, and she's never been back to her, like reservation where her family's from. She doesn't know them, she's never met them, and so she has like no connection to like her culture. But she obviously presents that way, and so they start promoting her album and they basically they, um, they film this music video with her. That's like these guys, like these, like loincloth things, like tribal dancers, not great. And then she's also simultaneously on the cover of rolling rolling stone in a feather war bonnet, like headdress whoa, and like that's not chill, but not chill at all. And so then people are like, oh, so you're a fake, like native american, like you're uh, I think they call it pretendian um, and she becomes like this pariah. She's like losing sponsorships, um, people are like canceling her and then, um, they're like they dig into her past. Hey, there's no one who can like vouch for you. Like you have no connection to like, so maybe you actually are faking your backstory. They're calling her Hilaria Baldwin. And so she's like starts getting like credible death threats.
Speaker 2:So her mom sends her to Oklahoma, to her grandmother Lottie's ranch and on this like native american reservation out there, and she has to stay there while the world is swirling around her. And while she's there she meets lucas iron eyes, who hates her. He thinks she's the worst, and then eventually they become friends and he's like, okay, I'm going to teach you, like what it means to be um, to be native and to be part of our culture. And they have this, they fall in love and they're trying to save the ranch and it's just really fun. Like, it was really fun, it was really cute. What's it called? It's called love is a war song. Um, it was really fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I read it really quickly, um, and I thought their chemistry was really great and it was just a nice. Like, yeah, like there are legitimate reasons maybe, why the family's estranged. But it was a nice like, hey, like you can forgive and you can make different choices this time and move on. And, um, yeah, fall in love. And I thought lucas the love interest. He is like one of the best male main characters I've read. He has like a very complex backstory and like genuine motivations that I thought were well written.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:Okay, the next one Sounds really good. This is a five star. The next one I'm about to recommend it was so good, here we go. It's called Margot's Got Money Troubles by Rufy Thorpe. Have you heard this?
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Okay, troubles by rufy thorpe. Have you heard this of this? Okay, it stick with me. Okay, when I describe this book to you. So this follows margo, she is a 19 year old college student, community college student, and she enters into an affair with her writing professor, who's older. He's married they it doesn't last very long, but unfortunately it lasts long enough for her to get pregnant. So I'm again not normally a pregnancy trope girl, but this is worth it, so just stay with me. Um, she has a baby.
Speaker 2:This all happens in the first few pages. She has a baby and this causes her roommate two of her roommates out of three to move out because they are not on a lease and they don't want to live with the baby. So she now is out that rent money, um, and she gets fired from her job because she can't find consistent child care and she has this complicated relationship with her mom. Her mom's like oh, I'll help you, and then she's not really available to help, and so she calls her dad, who is a former professional wrestler and who also had her out, like he has a family. She's like the affair child, and she's like I have literally never asked you to do anything for me in my life. Can you please just send me two thousand dollars so I can pay this month's rent and then I won't ask you for anything else, like I promise I'll find a job, I just need $2,000 to cover the extra rent of my roommates who moved out. I've literally never asked you for anything, you've never paid child support. And a few days later he shows up at her house fresh out of a 90-day program for heroin addiction. Oh, wow's like hey, I'm here, here's your two thousand dollars. Also, can I move in? And she's like, well, you know, yeah, so his name is jinx. He moves into their apartment, so it's margo jinx and their third roommate, who is like a nerd, larper, like, like cosplay, uh-huh, all of that. So these three people are now living together, raising a baby and, through Jinx, moving in. Basically, she learns about OnlyFans and, in order to provide for herself and for her child, she starts an OnlyFans. And this is the story of what happens next.
Speaker 2:That sounds so good, it is so good, it is so like shockingly tender and emotional and a little bit stressful, like I was really worried for her, um, but it like this is found family to the max. It's these like three weird people and her father is like an addict and she is a 1920 year old kid like trying to figure things out, and how they all like are coming together to like really, in a weird way, make this work for the baby, who's like just an innocent little baby. And, um, yeah, like, I think, like it was funny, it was emotional, it was just like her trying to figure things out. I don't even know how to describe it any more than that, but, um, I thought it was great. I thought the characters were great. Um, that sounds so good. I put it on. It was so good. I think any person would like it.
Speaker 2:I know it sounds weird, but um, no, it sounds delightful, yeah, I think it's like everyone can relate to an extent like this is a very dramatic version of like complicated family dynamics and trying to live as an adult. Like what it feels like when, like you can't keep up with all the things in your life. So I really recommend it. It was so good, outstanding Applaud, 10 out of 10. That's it. Those are my recent reads.
Speaker 1:Wow, you really inspired. Me.
Speaker 2:I, yeah, I think you should keep trying, Keep going.
Speaker 1:Also. Yeah, you know, you just mentally get into a slump. I get it.
Speaker 2:Marco's Got Money Troubles is. It's less than 300 pages so it was a pretty quick read. It's like 200 something, All right.
Speaker 1:Well, great episode, this All right. Well, great episode. This was a ton of fun.
Speaker 2:It really was a lot of fun. Thanks you too.
Speaker 1:Bye.