Episode 41: A Real Dud of a Thriller... plus What is a Novella And Do we Like Them

Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 41, “A Real Dud of a Thriller... plus What is a Novella And Do we Like Them?” 

Erin and Jillian are so happy to be back with you this week—and of course, they've got more great books to share that they think you'll love! Whether you're looking for your next cozy read, something to make you laugh, or a story that’ll completely sweep you away, they've got you covered. So grab your favorite drink, get comfy, and let's dive into this week’s bookish goodness together!

In This Episode:

• Erin and Jillian start the episode like they usually do by sharing how they’re reading and life is going.
• Erin starts the show off with her first review, followed by Jillian's review. 
• Each woman shares 3 books in this episode.
• Next up, the ladies discuss their Hot Take for the episode, tune in to learn what it is. 
• Finally, it’s time to check in with what the ladies have on hold and what they’ll be reading next.
• Mentioned in this Episode: Episode 40 & Missing White Woman.

Books Mentioned in This Episode:

• Penitence by Kristin Koval
• Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
• The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
• Orbital by Samantha Harvey
• Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi Robinson 
• Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine
• James by Percival Everett
• First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
• Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
• First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
• Kate & Frida by Kim Fay
• Foster by Claire Keegan
• Martyr by Kaveh Akbar
• I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
• Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett
• Starter Villain by John Scalzi
• Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
• The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
• Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
• The Sirens by Emilia Hart
• Weyward by Emilia Hart

Transcript

MLR Ep 41 A Real Dud of a Thriller... plus What is a Novella And Do we Like Them
[Music] Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 41. Is Spring finally here? We sure hope so. With the Spring comes six more bookrex for your listening pleasure. Hi everyone, I'm Erin, a mom of three, a hospital administrator in Ontario, Canada, and the host and founder of the Medium Lady Community and Medium Lady Talks podcast. I'm Jillian, an Instagram content strategist for Bookish People. I'm mom of two based in Buffalo, New York. Together we're thrilled to bring you another episode of Medium Lady Reads, a podcast about reading as self-care, a passionate love for the public library, and all of our thoughts and opinions on book culture having its moments. [Music] Hi everyone, welcome back to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 41, airing the week of May 13th. We are so happy to be back with you this week, and of course we've got more great books to share with you that we think you will love. And whether you're looking for your next cozy read or something to make you laugh or a story that will completely sweep you away, we've got you covered. So grab your favorite drink, get comfy, and let's dive into this week's Bookish Goodness Together. Jillian, what's your drink of choice? Do you have a drink? It's going to be coffee or water, almost always. What about you? I have been caught up in the flavored water trend that is sweeping Instagram. I don't know if you've seen there's like these fighters, they're making all kinds of usually sugar free powders and stir ups and all kinds of mixes and things. So right now I have water with a flavor packet of, it's like Skittles flavor packet. It's like tropical green. Yeah, you know, it takes me right back to like cool aid as a kid. Yeah, so you know, I'm mixing my waters with with a few with a few flavors here and there. So that's that's my thing. It's not that cozy, but it is refreshing and it helps me get my water. I actually just bought some this weekend, some doll. Their tropical yesterday I had, how was it? Peach mango. It was very good. Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. All right, well, everybody, welcome to medium lady drinks and no, I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding, but we all know cozy book chat pairs so well with your favorite drink. So, Jillian, let's get into the episode. It's so good to see you. How's your reading going? Reading is going good. Great. Actually, after struggling with penitents in April, I hit my stride of books and finished some month off having read nine, which I was super pleased with because I was not expecting that. As far as life is going, I've had a lot of car issues on Easter. We went to my sister's house and on the way there, as you're getting off the highway, my check engine lights started blinking and we had to have it toad from my where my parents live, which is about an hour from where we live to a car dealership around here and we had to get that fixed. Then this week, I was sitting at in car line with Emmett and all of a sudden I noticed a crack just slowly creating itself across my entire window. I don't know how because we didn't get hit by any stones or rocks or anything, but it just came across. So I had to go get my window, my windshield replaced on Thursday. That's enough things for 2022. That's enough car things. Yeah, and that's not it. There's like three or four more things that happened earlier in the year. So yes, we are good to go. Good to go for the summer. That's good. Oh, man, car stuff sucks. Car stuff is the worst. It is. It really, really is. My current read is Blackwoods Blue Sky by UNIV. I've really been enjoying it. Here's a brief synopsis for you. Birdie is barely holding things together as a single mom in the rugged, elascent town until mysterious recluse named Arthur saves her daughter and offers them a new life in the wilderness. Drawing to his solitude and the beauty of the wild birdie moves with Emily into his remote mountain cabin, but his isolation sets in she realizes Arthur and the forest around them may hold darker secrets than she ever imagined. And it's really good. This is actually by the author that wrote snow child or the snow child. I'm not sure which it is that alley loves so much. I didn't realize that when I picked it up, but it's on the front cover. So I put two and two together. Love that. We have to let us know how it goes. I will. I will. Aaron, how's your reading going? My reading is going really well. I feel like I found myself in this consistent groove with books, but unfortunately my April books did not hit the same level of satisfaction that my March books did. I pushed myself to finish a few books. I knew we're not going to get high ratings. That's a lesson to everybody listening that it's okay to DNF when you know book is not a fit for you, but I don't want that to overshadow the great books. I'm going to finish in April because there were lots of those two major shout out my favorite book from April was the frozen river Jillian which I finished. Yeah, it was definitely my favorite book of the month and a recommendation from you on the pod. So if our listeners have been considering reading it, let me double down on how great it is definitely makes it to the MLR Hall of Fame. Love it. Yeah, such a good one. And I think I'll be looking for more by Ariel Lawan. She is a pretty good backlist. That's good to know in terms of life updates. I'm heading into a very busy season of life. I don't know how it could possibly get busier, but two of my kids play rep baseball one place T ball. We're always going somewhere after school. It's taken me a long time to accept the baseball side of my life. But this year, I really want to lean into it. And I just want to embrace it because baseball is not going anywhere. That's for sure. Thankfully, we just banked a weekend of family time opening the cottage. I just got back yesterday and it looked like the weather was going to work against us, but honestly, it was perfect. It was chilly at night. Nothing a few layers of blankets couldn't handle lots of cozy fires and then outside time in the woods by the water with our family and a couple of books to boot. Sounds perfect. It was pretty great. It was pretty great. We thought it was going to rain the whole weekend, but it didn't. In terms of current reads, I finished a couple of books up at the cottage, but I've just started orbital by Samantha Harvey. This book won the man booker prize for 2024. This is not normally the kind of thing I reach for, although I certainly want to be the kind of person who reads all the literary award books. But this one has a gorgeous cover and Amanda from Australia insisted I check it out. It's about five people on a space station orbiting Earth. And I think they orbit the earth 16 times in one Earth day. So they see many sun rises and sunsets as they pursue their orbit. But I'm only about 20% in. It's a very short book. I'm not really sure. I think this is going to be a book where not a lot happens, but you kind of, you know, it's definitely a love letter to the planet. Lots of beautiful descriptions of what it's like to view Earth from space. So that's what I'm currently reading. All right. Let's jump into our reviews for today. Jillian, what do you have on deck for this week's episode? This week I'm bringing a real dud of a thriller and exciting, lovely new romance. And finally an epistolary coming of age novel. How about you, Erin? What are you bringing to this episode? You made me laugh when you said a real dud of a thrill. A real dud. It was. Well, hopefully I can balance that out because this week I'm bringing a coming of age young adult fiction set in Jamaica. A historical fiction with lots of magical realism, plus a busy historical fiction mystery that totally won me over. Okay, Erin, you're up first. What's the first book you're bringing to the episode? Okay, let's start this episode with a total gem rather than a real dud. I'm reviewing sweetness in the skin by Ishi Robinson. I gave this one five stars. Honestly, I went in with no expectation. This book was one of the recommended titles for the fold 2025 reading challenge. I think it was February's prompt. And I decided to try it on audio. I'm so glad that I did the narrator is phenomenal. And the voice acting brings so much depth to the story, especially with the heavy Jamaican dialect that's woven throughout the book. It felt like a true performance. This is technically a YA novel, although I didn't realize that until near the end. And honestly, don't let the label steer you away. The story centers on a character named pumpkin Patterson. She is tenacious, witty, and heartbreakingly hopeful. She lives in Kingston, Jamaica in a cramped house with her grandmother, her aunt, and her mother, each with very different visions for pumpkin's future. Her aunt promises to bring her to Paris if she can pass a French entrance exam, but when her grandmother dies, things start to fall apart at home. Pumpkin is determined to rise above her circumstances. And when she needs money to take her exam, she turns to something she's passionate about, which is baking. And from there, this book becomes a beautiful blend of resilience, food, culture, and identity. What made this book extra special to me was how much it connected to my own family history. And I just wasn't expecting that. My mom's side is West Indian. She comes from Guyana and all of my relatives on my mom's side are Gainees. And in the way this book captures the rhythm and energy of Jamaican life, although Guyana and Jamaica are not the same country, they're parts of the diaspora. That life reminded me so much of my grandmother, my aunties, my great uncles. I could hear them in the dialogue, especially in the audio version. And that blend of warmth, pride, celebration, and pressure to rise. It all really hit close to home in the best way. If you love coming of age stories with strong voices, rich cultural settings and characters who won't let go of their dreams, this is a must read sweetness in the skin is funny, poignant, and full of heart. I did not expect to relate to it as deeply as I did. And that's what made it such a standout. And that's my review of the sweetness in the skin by Ishi Robinson. Oh, that sounds so wonderful. Yeah, it was just like, you know, where we say like your next book meets you right where you're at. I think this was like exactly that experience. That's perfect. I'm so glad it did. Okay, Jillian, what's the first book you're sharing with the pod for today? All right. The first book I'm bringing to the show is penitence by Kristen Koval. I gave the book 2.5 stars. It just wasn't for me. Here's the synopsis. When a shocking murder occurs in the home of Angie and David she and their lives are shattered desperate to defend their family. They turned to a small town lawyer, Martin Dumont, for help. Where Martin isn't just legal counsel. She's also the mother of Angie's first love, Julian. Now successful New York City criminal defense attorney as Julian and Angie's confront their past and long buried guilt from a tragic accident years ago. They must navigate their own culpability and the unresolved feelings between them. Spanning decades from ski slopes of rural Colorado to the streets of post 9/11 New York and back again. Kristen Koval's debut novel penitence is an examination of the complexities of familiar loyalty, the journey of redemption and the profound experience of true forgiveness. I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I was excited to read it based on its description. I mean that sounds really exciting. It sounds like you. It sounds like other books that you like. But it dragged on and on for a book that was only 308 pages. I sort of feel like this could have been a novella and it would have been a whole lot better. Additionally, the one thing that you always want to want to know why the person who committed the murder did it. You don't ever really find that out. I would not recommend this book unless you really, really like criminal justice books. But even then I don't know if I'd recommend this particular book. This is penitence by Kristen Koval. So the things that didn't work for you are sort of like the plot maybe didn't have enough going for it. Is it a crime procedural? Is it like a legal procedural? I don't think that that is its intent, but it definitely does have some legal procedural in it. Yeah, and I mean we all know for you, Jillian, that like if things cannot be reasonably circled back to why are we reading this story in the first place. Then that generally ends in something that's a dissatisfying reading experience for you. The only reason I'm dissecting it is because we're all out there reading books that we don't like very much. Like I said, my average rating for April was much lower than March. And I'm kind of also thinking about why didn't those books work for me and how can I not avoid them, but be mindful of you know Meredith on currently reading she always says reader know thyself. And having a really rich reading life is also can be also about getting to know you and getting to know yourself in a really awesome way. So I'm sorry it was such a dud for you. That sucks. Yeah, and I should have DNF dip, but I just kept going kept hoping it would turn around and I it was a waste of time, but you know someone else may very well like it. Yeah, I mean I wouldn't say waste of time like you got to know some of the things that you don't like you brought it to the show. So thanks for bringing it to the show. Yeah, and I hope that someone else who was thinking of reading it would avoid it. I always hate doing that too because then maybe they might have really enjoyed it. So what was it about this book that made you want to read it? If you remember sometimes we just like the whole synopsis of it seemed very exciting to me. Yeah, the shocking murder defending their family lawyers. Yeah, I know I hear you read that and I was like, I mean I think Jillian would really like that. All right, well listeners, if you have another crime fiction novel that you want to recommend Jillian instead so that she can. Penetence will at least help her get to the next better book. Please make sure to DM us on Instagram @mediumladyreads and say Jillian star star star read this next. Yes, please that would be wonderful. All right, Aaron, it's your turn again. What's your next review? Okay, my next book is Juni by Aaron Crosby X-Dene. Let me just start by saying this is one of those books I really wish I could read again for the first time. I was originally drawn to Juni by this dreamy painterly cover. It's a really beautiful cover. And then I started seeing posts all over books to Graham saying the inside was just a stunning as the outside. And well, they were absolutely right. Instagram isn't always right about books, but by Juni they were doing, they were doing her well. The story follows Juni, a 16 year old girl enslaved on the Bellarine plantation in Alabama. She's grieving the recent death of her older sister, Mini, while navigating her daily reality, tending to chores, managing her emotions and caring for Violet, the master's daughter. While Juni and Violet are close, the book doesn't let you forget how precarious every relationship is in this context. And that tension deepens when a group of wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, bringing with them the weight of expectation and uncertainty. Juni is desperate to feel connected to her sister again and in a bold emotional act, she calls Mini's spirit from beyond. But Mini doesn't come back sweet and serene. She's angry. She's powerful and she's not going anywhere unless Juni can help set her free. And what follows is a propulsive, emotionally charged journey, one that touches on a legacy of love, grief, and the hope for liberation, both spiritual and physical. What made this book really unforgettable for me is the sensory richness of the writing. You can practically see and smell the landscape. You can hear the hush of the woods at night. You can feel Juni. You know, she's breathing and her breath catches in her throat when Mini's ghosts speaks to her. The prose is so evocative and textured and I found myself flying through chapters and then going back to reread passages just to kind of soak in the language. Like I was making my way through the plot and then I was like, okay, I know what happened, but now I want to kind of go back and appreciate the writing. This book also makes a really thoughtful companion to James by Percival Everett, which I reviewed earlier this year. So both are deeply felt new narratives that offered layered and complex portrayals of the enslaved experience. And while Juni has a supernatural thread running through it, the story is really grounded in the truth of that experience. And we all know no one's story can hold every perspective of what it was like to be enslaved. But Juni adds to the conversation with something that I feel is reverent and graceful and really, really powerful. If you love historical fiction that's atmospheric, emotional and unafraid to wrestle with hard truths while still being ultimately about love and hope, then this one's for you. And that's my review of Juni by Aaron X-Deen Crosby. I was actually going to say when you were before you mentioned James that it sounds like a really good book to read alongside James. It sounds amazing. Yeah, I mean James is about a journey like he moves through many different parts of the South. And Juni, it almost exclusively pretty much takes place in this one plantation. So it's interesting to see and also like the difference between men and women, the ways even black men were allowed or not allowed, but what could move around and black women absolutely would never move around in that way, even as enslaved people. So it's just, I think the comparison because James is still so fresh in my mind, it felt, it felt really natural. But again, I certainly don't want to make the statement that one book could ever speak to want to the experience of of a of many. Oh, absolutely not. Right. I agree with that. All right, Jillian, I'm looking forward to hearing your next review. All right. The second book I'm bringing to the show is First Time Collar by B. K. Borisin. My feelings toward this book are the complete opposite of my feelings toward penitents. I absolutely loved this book and gave it five stars. Here's the synopsis. Aiden Valentine has a secret. He's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls into the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and heartstrings into the limelight. Lucy Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job and incredible family and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her life or lack thereof, she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing. Everyone wants Lucy to find her happy ending, even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks begin to fly behind the scenes, Lucy must make the final call between the radio sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her. Oh my goodness. I love this book so much. There was so much goodness packed into 420 pages. Lucy and Aiden are made for each other and it's very apparent in this book. I can't wait for all the future heartstrings novels because this was the first one in the series. If you've been listening for a while, you'll know that some of my least favorite things in romance novels include miscommunication and lying. And there's very little of that in this book, which makes me very happy. Not only that, this book gave me all the warm fuzzies to so much love, love of a significant other, love of a child, love of other family members. It is the perfect ode to love. It is definitely worth the read if you've loved other B.K. Borison books or if you're a fan of other romance novels in general. That's first time caller by B.K. Borison. Well, that's immediately add to cart in my opinion. Yes. I've never read B.K. Borison. Where would you put their writing in terms of like spice? Are we like open door, closed door, a couple of love scenes, one love scene? A couple of love scenes and it is a little open door, but it's not like super duper open door. But there is spice in there. For sure. Great. Okay, everyone. A home run from Jillian. That's an easy recommendation. I bet that's going to be the first thing most of our listeners want to pick up. All right, Aaron. Back to you. Tell us about your final book. Okay. So I keep saying I'm not really into historical fiction, but maybe. I don't know, Jillian, maybe it's time I admit that I am, especially when it's paired with rich character driven mystery like broken country. This is my next book. And this one grabbed me right away with the opening line. The farmer is dead. He is dead. And all anyone wants to know is who killed him right from there. We're pulled into a story that toggles between timelines, secrets and simmering relationships. So we follow our main character Beth as we unravel not just a murder, but the emotional map of her life, her first love, Gabriel, and her present husband, who she adores Frank, all of it. Her past, her choices, her grief is quietly threaded through the central mystery, who killed the farmer and why? What I really appreciate about this book was how well it handled perspective. It constantly reminded me how much of life happens behind closed doors. How little we really know about other people's relationships, motives or choices. Writing is very beautiful and layered and there's this constant tug of kind of needing to know more, not just about the murder, but about Beth herself. There are a lot of well-timed twists in this novel that refresh the pacing, just as things start to settle. And that's kind of the thing that always gets me with historical fiction is generally, there's times when it can just become a little mundane as the events are moving you to the next, you know, the next action. I particularly find this with like World War II historical fiction where there's so much obvious like real-time milestones that the authors trying to get you to that sometimes the in between of those milestones can be really slow. The craftsmanship of this book is so good. This is one of those books that reminded me just how much editing, you know, that kind of editing that you don't notice is what turns a good book into a great one. Because this could have been fine, but it was great and I'm going to credit the editor for that. But I don't have any evidence as to why I would do that. I just feel like you can really feel like the puzzle pieces and the timelines were placed were really considered. And I feel like that's often in my mind the invisible hand of the editor because we've all read books where we're like, well, I think if like if it had gone this way or if it had been, if this piece had been over here, then it would have kept me going in a different way. Anyway, by the time I finished writing this review, I had originally given this book 4.5 stars. And as I wrote the script, Jillian, I've moved it to a full five broken country is quiet in some ways, but it's emotionally explosive in other ways. Perfect for readers who love atmospheric mysteries, complicated love stories and protagonist that you really just can't stop thinking about. And that's my review of Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall. I have this book sitting downstairs from the library waiting for me. And I am it's one of many $770 books that I have. So I have to decide which one goes first, but man, after hearing that review, I'm like, maybe I skip everything else and read this after I finish. What I'm reading. I will tell you, similar advice to what you told me about first lie wins, you can probably finish this in a couple of sittings. It's not that long. And it's very fast paced. Okay, that's good to know. That's how I found it. You know, I mean, if you get to 30% and you're not feeling it, then just bail. Right. But I mean, I've heard you can kill the farmer. I'll tell you. Everybody has almost that I've heard that has read it has loved it. So I feel like it's worth the read. It's another one of those Reese book club picks. And I'm going to like pay a little bit more attention to her picks. I think she's really good at mysteries. I think she's really good at picking really good mysteries. And I'd have to maybe pay a little bit more attention to some of the other stuff that she promotes, but this was a good one. All right. I will have to bump it. Time for your final review, Jillian. Let's hear it. The final review I'm bringing to the show is Kate and Frida by Kim Faye. Kate and Frida is a story told in the epistolary fashion, which is letters being written back and forth between the individuals. And I loved it. Another five star read for me. Like I said earlier, my month really made up for the two weeks it took to read penitence. All right. Here's the synopsis. Twenty something Frida Rodriguez comes to Paris in 1991, relishing the city's butter soaked cuisine and seeking her future as a war correspondent. But when she writes to a bookshop in Seattle, she receives more than just a book she requests. A friendship begins that will redefine the person she thought she wanted to become. Seattle bookseller Kate Fair is transformed by Frida's free spirit spurred to kiss her handsome coworker to believe in herself as a writer and to find beauty even in loss through the most tumultuous years of their young lives personally and globally. Kate and Frida's friendship sustains and nourishes them as they show each other how to overcome doubt and the necessity of embracing joy even through our darkest hours. This story is such a joy despite the hardships and the indescribable horrors of war the book oozes joy. I absolutely love this book the back and forth between Kate and Frida made it in a quick and easy read if you like really quick chapters you'll absolutely love this book. There were so many book recommendations throughout the book to I didn't add that many to my TBR but if you're looking for new book ideas you might find them within the pages of this book. I can't choose who I love more Kate or Frida so I won't choose and I'll just say that I love them both equally. These two women had so much to learn and throughout the book you witnessed them learning from each other and the experiences each one has had such a good book. This is Kate and Frida by Kim Faye. Where did you find this book? On the Modern Mrs. Darcy Spring book review. Oh awesome. So was it published? It's a recent publication. This looks really good. I think I'd really like to read this. I could see it being a good summer book. Yeah, that would be a great time to read it and it's fun because I like I said I didn't add a lot of the books that they mentioned to my TBR but there were so many books mentioned within the pages and I spent a lot of time going on good reads and checking what they were about. This is something I'd actually want to read. A lot of them are from the 90s and earlier but still it was fun. It was a fun read. I really recommend it. I love that and that sounds like it would be a good book for a book club too. Yeah, for sure. That's actually a great idea. I should recommend it to my mom and her book club. Oh yeah. Yeah. Hi Jillian's mom. Hi, it's time for hot takes and our current thoughts on book culture. A hot take is an opinion formed off the cuff and with little research sometimes provocative. Our hot take today is novellas. Are they worth your time to read? Aaron, you start us off. So my first reaction is no novellas for me are a hard pass. I rush. I get super disengaged when I know the plot is going to wrap up in less than 100 pages. I really don't like that they become part of this money machine of book publishing where it's like a kindle exclusive and it's like five authors that are well known and well published. And they're all writing their own little 70 page novella. I feel like 70 pages is the amount of time it takes for me to know the characters to know how much I'm invested and I just feel like when you read a novella. I'm going to get cut off at the knees, you know, too quickly. Now that being said, there are a couple of really short books that I would not call novellas, but maybe I should investigate that a little bit more. Claire, I think it's Claire Keegan wrote an amazing book called Foster and that book is probably just under 200 pages. I would not call it a novella. It's a beautiful book. So I guess maybe I'm circling to like, what is a novella? What's the definition of novella? But Julian, what are your thoughts? So I really want to like novellas because they're a great way to beef up your reading list for the month. But the ones that I read over the last year have not been good. And so I kind of feel like there are no for me to like I really want to read some of the ones like Ali Hazelwood wrote one and I can't remember who else. But I just don't know if I really want to invest the time in it when I could just invest the time in reading an Ali Hazelwood that I haven't read yet. Yeah, you know, I guess I think too is that like we assume a novella is going to have like one singular plot point and you're only going to spend time in that plot point. So the world feels kind of thin to me. Yeah, that's really good point. I think it kind of like it feels sort of like you just can't sink into it in the same way in my opinion. Yeah, that's true. And they're not always because they're such a short story. They're not always that well written because the authors themselves don't have the ability to add in all the juiciness that makes them you know a wonderful author. So it's kind of ends up being a not great story too. Yeah, because when I did a quick search here, it says that one of the main difference is length, the second difference is complexity. So a novella is usually under 50,000 words and a novel is usually 50,000 to 100,000 words. So you can also imagine it's like the writing has to do less with less words. But the other thing I do want to say is like if what you feel like you have time for an attention span for is novellas, then you should go for it. Absolutely. If that's going to be the thing that you love to read, then read what you love always every time. And don't read what you don't love. So we certainly don't want to I wouldn't want to also say that like a book needs to be long to to be worth my time. Because we also know I have the reverse issue where I get like I have bookings I have page anxiety when a book is like over 450 pages I start to get stressed. So I think it's really about knowing yourself. And if novellas are the thing that right now are keeping you reading and are keeping you entertained and are allowing you to like enjoy how you spend your time, then you should definitely be reading them for sure. Agreed. Agreed. No shame and no reading what you want to read. And if you feel like the complexity is hitting you at a perfect perfect sweet spot for you and for your reading, then that's good to it's become a really kind of interesting pivot point to usually people write a novella and then that's their step into becoming a debut author. But we're seeing this like reverse thing where well known authors are being asked to write novellas I always kind of feel like it's a bit of a side project for them while they write their their real books and I shouldn't be saying that I'm sorry. But like Ali Hazelwood, for example, she's going to just like sit down for a weekend and write this novella and then she's going to go back to writing the next bride or whatever she's writing, you know, like it's always kind of like a side quest for them. It feels like it's not part of their own main their own main process to write the books that they're known and loved for exactly I completely agree with you. Well, you have to let us know what you think you can always DM us at medium lady reads on Instagram. Let us know what you think novellas are they your thing or they are jam have they got become your gateway into into reading some special authors. Let us know what you think. We're going to wrap up with the holds list Aaron and I are very passionate about the library and because we're both avid users we both have very active holds lists and we feel like that's something we don't hear a lot about on book podcasts book talk or I. G so we know it's something we can offer the bookish community plus we'll also be sharing what's up next to not to let the listener know what we're reaching for in our TBR. Okay Aaron what's on your holds list. Okay so currently on my holds list I have a couple of books that I've been waiting a little while for one is martyr by Kaveh Akbar it's this yellow cover it was really kind of busy last year that should probably be ready for me to pick up later this week also in transit I have some questions for you by Rebecca macaque. Jillian I think that was one of your favorite books in 2023 maybe think when we did the best of the year or maybe I miss maybe I miss remembering but somebody I think it was Amanda from Australia recommended that I check out I have some questions for you after she read first ly wins after I read it and shared my review on the show. Oh no it wasn't first ly wins it was missing white woman which I just reviewed in episode 40 and then waiting for me right now is a book called starter villain by John Scalzi one of the books that the currently reading host they're often recommending so here's a little blurb inheriting your uncle super villain business is more complicated than you might think particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast a divorce substitute teacher living with his cat and the house his siblings want to sell all he wants to do is open a pub downtown if only the bank will approve his loan but then his long lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his super villain business complete with island volcano layer to Charlie. But becoming a super villain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits Jake had enemies and now they're coming after Charlie and I'll leave you to the rest of it but the cover has a hilarious image of a cat wearing a suit like a headshot of a cat wearing a suit so that'll be a fun one and we always love a little bit of a superhero superhero Jason book at least I do at least I do absolutely. Up next is I'm going to finish orbital and then I'm going to dive into heavenly tyrant by zero and J. Zow that's the second book in the iron widow series that I reviewed a couple episodes ago so that's what I have going on Jillian what about you what's on your holds list. So I don't have anything waiting for me at the library currently I went and picked up stuff on Thursday but I have the Malfi curse by Sarah penner waiting or in transit to me so that'll probably be ready sometime next week. And then done and dusted by lilas say hmm which I know has been a little buzzy is that the first one yes that's the first one in that series oh you'll have to let us know I will so those ones are in transit to me and then up next for me I have the sirens by Amelia heart. Here's a brief synopsis for you in 2019 Lucy wakes from a violent dream to find an ex nearly strangled then flees to her sister's coastal town only to find just missing an eerie rumors swirling meanwhile in 1800 to Irish sisters aboard a convict ship to Australia begin to experience strange unexplainable transformations as Lucy's dreams intensify past and present blur in the haunting tale of women myth and the mysteries carried out on the city. Very excited about this who a little paranormal sounding yeah I haven't read it yet but Amelia heart wrote wayward which I've been saving to read for the fall so and I know my sister love that one and I think my mom loved it too so I'm hoping the sirens will be as good as the wayward was for them. I can imagine wayward it's that cover that green cover with the crow. Yeah nice I mean it's crazy Jillian that we're already thinking about our fall reading I know I know I know the cover of the sirens looks really cool too it is it's so pretty. The other book that's really pretty right now is the malfi curse which I haven't transit I don't know if the library copy will have the spray edges but the one at Barnes and Noble when I was there searching and buying books for my birthday was so pretty it was like really vibrant blue and like splotchy yeah yeah and Sarah penna wrote the lost apothecary which I haven't read but I think that was a well reviewed to. Yeah I've read it either I actually think it's on our buddy reads list I think alley may have added it to our buddy the read right that would be fun I'm remembering correctly we'll get to it eventually yeah we're going to do abbie J may for our buddy reads if anybody is interested we'll be reading part of your world by Abby him and is after finishing. Autumn by alley Smith that was that was a fever dream of a book yeah that's the only review you'll get here yeah not something we recommend. All right lots of good books today lots of good books tomorrow thanks everyone for listening that wraps up episode 41 of medium lady reads medium lady reads is a spin off of the medium lady talks podcast and Instagram community on Instagram you can find me Aaron at medium. lady and you can find Jillian at Jillian finding happy for more of our current reads and other shenanigans and of course you can follow the podcast itself on Instagram at medium lady reads. If you like this episode please share with another bookish friend it really helps us to continue to grow the show to reach more readers thank you for listening I'm your host Jillian and I'm your other host Aaron until next time we hope that you're hold arrived quickly and your next book finds you right when you need it most we'll talk to you soon bye. Bye. [Music]