Episode 42: Thaw your Reading List and Get Ready For Summer

Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 42, “Thaw your Reading List and Get Ready For Summer.”

Whether you're building your summer TBR, looking for something to dive into on a sunny afternoon, or just hoping to discover a story that sticks with you, Erin and Jillian got something that might just become your next favorite. So settle in, get cozy (or throw on your shades if you’re listening poolside), and let’s talk books!

In This Episode:

• How are the ladies doing? Both Jillian and Erin start the show by sharing how their reading and lives are going.
• This week Jillian starts the show off with her review, Erin follows with her’s. 
• Each woman shares a total of 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.

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

• Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
• The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
• Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
• Things You Save In a Fire by Katherine Center
• How to Walk Away by Kathering Center
• Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob 
• Ducks by Kate Beaton
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice by Anthony Ray Hinton
• The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
• Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley 
• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Normal People by Sally Rooney
• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
• Black Wood Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
• Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
• The Hike by Drew Magary 
• Tilt by Emma Pattee
• Audre and Bash are Just Friends by Tia Williams
• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
• Mismatched by Anne Camlin 
• My Friends by Fredrick Backman

Transcript

FINAL MLR Ep 42 Thaw your Reading List and Get Ready For Summer
[Music] Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 42. We're so glad you're here with us again. Stay tuned for six new book recommendations and all the cozy vibes. Hi everyone, I'm Jillian and Instagram content strategist for Bookish People, a mom of two based in Buffalo, New York. And 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. Together we're thrilled to bring you another episode of Medium Lady Reads podcast about reading a self-care, passionate love for the public library, and all of our thoughts and opinions on book culture having its moment. Hi everyone, and welcome back to Medium Lady Reads. We're so glad to have you back. This is episode 42 coming to the week of May 27th. And we've got a great lineup of book recommendations we can't wait to share with you. Whether you're building your summer TBR looking for something to dive into on a sunny afternoon or just hoping to discover a story that sticks with you, we've got something that might just become your next favorite. So settle in, get cozy, or throw on your shades if you're listening, pull side, and let's talk books. Oh, that sounds very reality TV-ish. I love it. Hi Erin. It's good to see you. How's your reading and life going? Hi Jillian, it's great to see you. Life is going. Life is going. I got to tell you, I wish I was poolside right now. That's for sure. I'm feeling my reading switch from that late winter spring reading, the sort of like cold or the thaw kind of reading into thinking more and more about summer books and summer reads. There's a lot of buzz about books comes every summer. It's always like that. Books become busier and busier. And I have my eye on some of those authors that I read every year. So it's kind of a fun time of year to be a reader. I've also right now been trying to pay attention to my healthy habits. After I turned 42, I definitely felt a lot of pressure and hype around, you know, preparing for paramedics and lifting weights and eating more protein. And so I'm trying to work out more. I'm just trying to like be mindful of the current or maybe the next chapter of my life. And so that's been kind of what's going on in my life. I've set myself a challenge to work out 12 times in May. And today is May 17th and I've worked out twice. So, you know, I might not hit my goal for the month, but that's okay. I'll just set a new one. Yeah, I'm okay with it. I'm totally okay with it. I'll just continue to set new goals for the next month. That's all we can do, right? In terms of current reads, I'm making my way through Heavenly Tyrant by Zira and Jay Zow. Listeners might remember I reviewed Iron Widow, which is the first book in this series. Heavenly Tyrant is the sequel. I love this futuristic fantasy series. It's a great escape. This book has heavy feminist undertones. It turns a lot of the typical fantasy tropes on their side and calls out a lot of misogyny in the fantasy genre. That being said, this sequel is doing what sequels do, which build the world a little bit bigger, slow down the pace of the plot in favor of, you know, political machinations and things like that. So, you know, it's been a bit of a slower go than Iron Widow was, but that's okay. Jillian, how about you? How is your reading going? Well, reading has been going great. I've had a good string of books that I've had my, have held my interest and have been fun to read, which always makes reading easier. And we've also, as far as life is concerned, we've had a typical May around here with lots going on. Emmett has had track meets, Esther has gymnastics, plus all the school events that are going on. We've been very busy, but we're making it through. And of course, enjoying the beautiful spring weather we've been having. I actually, from Mother's Day by request from shame, it's got a patio umbrella. Not a big one. I just wanted one that would cover up my chair that I sit in outside. So it's perfect for that. So that when I want to go out there at like two, three o'clock in the afternoon, come summertime, especially. And it's sunny where we sit, then I can put the umbrella up and be covered. So I'm very excited about that. As far as current reads are concerned, I'm currently reading the Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner. Here's a short synopsis for you. Notical archaeologist Haven Ambrose arrives in Pasotano, chasing rumors of sunken treasure and secrets left behind by her late father. But as strange storms and disasters plague the coast, she uncovers the centuries old legend of oceanic magic and women who want to use it to protect their village. To stop the chaos threatening Pasotano, Haven must dive into the truth behind the Amalfi Curse before it's too late. And it is so good. I'm loving it. I have about, I have about 20, so percent left. And I can't wait to finish it. Oh, amazing. That's great. I actually just got noticed today that the Amalfi Curse is waiting for me at the library. You heavily influenced me to get that book on hold after our last episode. So I'm glad you're enjoying it because I, I'll have it coming up soon. It's good. And it's the cover and the inside of it is so beautiful. It's just very well designed. Oh, I love that. All right. Well, let's jump into our reviews for today. Jillian, tell us about the books you have for this episode. What are we in for? This week I'm excited to bring a contemporary romance, a true crymish memoir, and a literary fiction that has some fantasy aspects mixed in. And what about you, Aaron? What are you reviewing today? Yeah, for today's show, I'm bringing a graphic novel about parenting, a contemporary novel about artistry and music, and finally a new release from a romance author we all know and love. Okay, Jillian, you have today's first book. What do you have for us? The first book I'm bringing to the show is Happiness for Beginners by Catherine Center. I gave this book five stars and absolutely loved it. Here's the brief synopsis. A year after getting divorced, Helen Carpenter, 32, lets her annoying 10 years younger brother talk her into signing up for a wilderness survival course. It's supposed to be a chance for her to pull herself together again. But when she discovers that her brother is even more annoying, best friend is also coming on the trip, she can't imagine how it will be anything other than a disaster. Thus begins the strangest adventure of Helen's well-behaved life, three weeks in the remotest wilderness of the mountain range in Wyoming, where she will survive mosquito infestations, a surprise summer blizzard, and a group of sorority girls. Yet, despite everything, the vast wilderness has a way of making Helen's own life seem bigger too. And somehow the people who annoy her the most start teaching her the very things she needs to learn, like how to stand up for herself and how to be scared can make you brave. And how sometimes you just have to really, really get lost before you can even have a hope of being found. Like I said, I absolutely love this book. The relationship building between Helen and Jake is perfect. And there's no secret keeping. Everything is out in the open. There's no miscommunication, which makes me love the book even more. Catherine Center does an amazing job of describing nature and what it was like out on the trail. There were many times when I could easily visualize what the area looked like they were in. This is an older Catherine Center, but it was pristine and I can't wait to read more. That's my review of Happiness for Beginners by Catherine Center. What a great review. I love older Catherine Center. I'm not as taken with the latest releases she's had, but I don't think I've read Happiness for Beginners. So that's kind of a nice one from the back list to jump into. I think I've read things we save in the fire and maybe how to walk away. That's a good one. I'll walk away or some it says some kind of title like that. Those two are great. I look forward to adding this one. This sounds like a really good summer read to reach for. It is. It would be perfect for the summer. And I've heard when you mentioned that you prefer the older Catherine centers. I've heard that from a number of people. So you're not alone in that thought. I didn't realize. Yeah. Definitely pick it up. All right, Aaron. You're up next. What's your first review? Okay. Let's start with a graphic memoir that absolutely knocked the wind out of me in the best way. This is good talk by Mira Jacob. It's a stunning layered exploration of race, family identity, and what it means to raise a child in a world that doesn't always feel safe or fair. This is a memoir, but it's told through the unique lens of a graphic novel format and that structure for me adds something super powerful to the reading experience. Mira Jacob reflects on her own childhood growing up as the daughter of Indian immigrants. And she mirrors that story against the experience of raising her biracial son in post 9/11 America through a mix of memory, reflection and conversations. She shows how the questions we ask and the questions we are asked usually by our kids, how those questions can reveal deeper truths about who we are. What stood out to me most was how real this book felt, not just emotionally but visually. The art is really striking, but simple. It holds a lot of power in the narrative. As a reader, you don't just understand what she's saying. Mira, you see it, you feel it. Her characters come to life through the drawings and she has an artistic style of layering her drawings, superimposed over real photographs and family memories. The weight of her lived experience, it really lands differently when paired with the imagery of her family, her childhood, and then framed all by her son, he's six, her six year old son's innocent questions. There's a real intimacy for me that came from seeing the story untold frame by frame instead of chapter by chapter. And when that story includes moments of trauma, racism, family complexity, and navigating cultural expectations, the format actually for me makes it easier to hold space for the hard stuff. This is a book I'd easily recommend alongside other stand out graphic memoirs like "Ducks by Kate Beton" or "Persepolis" by Marjan Sattrapi. It's heartfelt, it's intelligent, it's funny at times, but it's really a must read for those who have been looking to diversify their reading or for folks who think they just don't get, I'm using air quotes, you just think you just don't get graphic novels, try this book. I really have to say, and Jillian, I know you would agree with me, don't sleep on graphic novels. They are real books, of course, but they're their own genre of literature and art. And Good Talk is a great example of what that can look like, and I'm so glad I read it. That's my review of Good Talk by Mira Jacobs. I had no idea that there were memoir graphic novels out there in the world, so I'm so glad you read this because it's something I can add to my list because like you said, don't sleep on graphic novels, I really enjoy them. It's not something I want to read multiple of in a month, maybe a couple of them in a month, but just here and there, they're fun. Yeah, and I found actually that graphic novel as a genre to get to like difficult subject matter can kind of like smooth the path for one reason or another. I'm kind of trying to think about why that's the case. Good Talk really reminded me of that, but those other memoir graphic novels are excellent as well and we'll have them linked in the show notes. Absolutely. Okay, my friend, you are next. Tell us about your second book review. All right, the second book I'm bringing to the show is the Sun Does Shine. How I found life and freedom on death row by Anthony Ray Hinton. This is the true crime mission memoir I mentioned at the start of the show. The book broke me open and had me bawling for at least an hour at the end of the book. I gave it five stars. An hour's a long time. Yes, I listen to this. That's why tell us more. All right, here's the synopsis. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity and believed that the truth would prove his innocence and ultimately set him free. But with no money and a different system of justice for poor black man in the south, Hinton was sentenced sentenced to death by electrocution. He spent his first three years on death row at Holman State Prison and agonizing silence. Full of despair and anger toward all those who had sent an innocent man to death. But as Hinton realized and accepted his fate, he resolved not to only survive, but find a way to live on death row. For the next 27 years, he was a beacon, transforming not only his own spirit, but those of his fellow inmates, 54 of whom were executed mere feet from his cell. With the help of civil rights attorney and bestselling author of Just Mercy, Brian Stevenson, Hinton won his release in 2015. The power of this book is undeniable. Anthony Ray Hinton's story is so heart-wrenching. I'm tearing up just reading this. The synopsis remembering what the book, what he went through. But yet he is so powerful, he spent 30 years on death row before he was released. And that makes it seem like it was simple, but it wasn't. He and his lawyer put so much work into prove his innocence. And finally after 30 years, he was set free. This book is remarkable and should be read by everyone. The criminal justice system is rigged against the poor and it needs to change. I loved this book. It is moving and worth every second I invested into it. Do yourself a favor that read or listen to the sun does shine. Like I said, I recommend listening to it on audio book. That's my review of The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton. Oh my gosh. That is a really powerful review, Jillian. I think a lot of people who love memoir are going to be reaching for that. Wow. You brought a couple of really good memoirs to the show. We both were bringing memoirs in different genres. And I feel like we're kind of proving ourselves wrong when we ask the question about celebrity memoir clogging up the best seller's list. And our life is not on medium-lady reads. We're going to diversify. You're always good at bringing the memoir. Actually, you read memoir. I think you read quite a lot of memoir. You've inspired me definitely to read more memoir. I do. I really like to listen to them mainly because this one is not read by the author. But it's okay. It's read by an excellent narrator who I don't know what his name is, but it was phenomenal. And but that's why I like memoirs for the majority of the time is because they're read read by the authors typically. And I just really like hearing them tell the story. And oftentimes they'll add in little bits and pieces. And I just I love that. I love hearing that. Yeah. The last memoir was the many lives of Mama love. Did she read her memoir or narrate her memoir? Yes. She didn't narrate her memoir, but she actually is the ghost writer for the sun does shine. Oh, that's fascinating. Yeah. So it's as well written as her book was. Is that how you found this book? Yep. Yep. Oh, fascinating. Another Laura love harden fun fact is that she recently liked one of our Instagram posts. I know. I saw that and I thought that was the coolest thing ever. Yeah. So if you're not yet following us on Instagram, you can go ahead and give us a follow up medium lady reads and we post when we have new episodes, we post a flat lay of the reviews that we do. And so I try to tag authors in that flat lay when we're sharing their books. And so I tagged her and she liked the post. And so I thought that was kind of fun. That's another kind of kind of fun. So I love harden. Thanks for listening to medium. I don't know she listened, but maybe we love your books and we love your ghost writing. So keep keep going. Keep it up. All right. Erin, you're up next. Give us your second book. Okay. I'm going to talk about a quieter new release that I think probably deserves a little bit more love. I gave this book 4.5 stars and it's deep cuts by Holly Brinkley. This is a 2025 debut didn't get a ton of early buzz, but I wouldn't be surprised if it starts to build momentum as we head into summer. I found this one through a winter preview of new books. And I, you know, Jillian, we both try to be discerning with new releases. Let's be honest, this is the siren song of the shiny new book. It's really strong and powerful to resist. But meanwhile, my TBR is overflowing with amazing backless titles. So this new release I am glad that I made space for it. Let me tell you about deep cuts. If you're a fan of Daisy Jones in the 6 or normal people or even tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, you're going to want to check this one out. It shares the same intimacy, the same kind of emotional tension simmering beneath the surface. And it's set against a unique backdrop of music, creativity and self discovery. We meet Percy and Joe in a bar in Berkeley in the year 2000. Percy is sharp-tongued and full of music opinions, even though she doesn't sing or play an instrument. Joe is a student and a budding singer-songwriter. And when he asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs, the spark between the mignites, a collaboration that's messy, intense, and long-lasting. Now this might seem, Jillian like a romance on the surface because it kind of has that classic "Will they want they attention and set up?" But at its core, for me, this is a book about identity. It's about what it means to be a person with ambition, insecurity, and longing. It's kind of about how we try to find and then protect our creative voice, how sometimes even the strongest connections can hold us back from truly standing on our own and in our own light. There's a stretch in the middle of this book where I found myself kind of wishing for a few more plot twists to keep the momentum going. The ending, however, is excellent. It's subtle and satisfying and emotionally earned. And one really cool thing I loved is the music. There are references to songs and artists spanning the decades, and Holly Brinkley actually created an adjacent Spotify playlist for readers to go along with the novel. It's a perfect touch, and that playlist really kind of brought an extra layer of nostalgia and residents to the reading experience. If you're someone who loves books about creative people, layered relationships, if you're a swifty and you care a lot about lyrics, if you love slow-burn tension and the ache of figuring out who you are, I think Deepcuts is a great pick. I definitely see this one being passed around poolside or tucked in your travel bag for a summer road trip, especially with that playlist on the side. That's my review of Deepcuts by Holly Brinkley. This sounds so good. I love the idea of all that music and the smatching Spotify playlist. It's a great package. I know sometimes authors do. I'm thinking of like, "Saba to hear all my rage." There's a playlist that accompanies that. I just love when authors do that. I love when they give us the music that goes along as the story unfolds. It can make for a really cinematic reading experience. Yeah, I agree. It just expands the experience of the book into your regular life. You can listen to it while you're driving or whatever. Totally. Good book so far. This is our final round, Jillian. What's your last book? The final book I'm bringing to the show is Blackwoods Blue Sky by A.O.N. Ivy. This book was interesting and had a touch of magical realism mixed into it. I gave it four stars. Here's the synopsis. Birdie is keeping it together, of course she is. So she's a little hungover sometimes and she has to bring her daughter Emily into her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge. But she's getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth when she was free in the wilds of nature. Arthur Nielsen, a soft spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only on the change of seasons, brings Emily back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie he represents everything she's ever longed for. She finds herself falling for Arthur and the land he knows so well. Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emily moved to his isolated cabin in the mountains on the far side of the Wolverine River. It's just the three of them in the vast Blackwoods, far from roads, telephone, electricity and outside contact. Birdie believed she has come prepared. At first it's idyllic, but soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she could have imagined. And that like the Alaskan wilderness, a fairy tale can be just as dark as it is beautiful. I really enjoyed this book. It's intense and mysterious, but it's not scary. It is a bit slow in the middle, which is why I gave it four stars, but it made me appreciate the beauty that Alaska has and made me want to take a trip there. The one part that I felt wasn't very believable was the relationship between Arthur and Birdie. It's the basis for the whole story. I know, but the relationship just doesn't fit for me. But I was able to set that aside enough to make it through the story and still enjoy it. Overall, a good book that I would recommend just a little bit slower in the middle. That's my review of Blackwoods Blue Sky by A.O.N. Ivy. This kind of feels like, I don't know, Beauty and the Beastish? Yes. That's a people compared it to. Oh, is that? Oh, okay. Yeah, because that's kind of what I was getting. Erin, you have our last review for the show. What are you sharing today? Okay. I'll wrap up my reviews today with one from an auto-read author of mine. Allie Hazelwood, Jillian. We love our Allie Hazelwood. We do. Yeah. Her newest release, Deep End, came out in February. And if you've been following her publishing schedule, but maybe you haven't, and I'm just a nerd, and that's the kind of thing I like to do. You know, Allie is somehow on some kind of superhuman release streak. She's got this book that came out in February. She's got another book coming out in May. And another book later this fall. So Allie, we all want to know what is your secret to churning out these books. But here's my review of Deep End. Deep End follows Scarlet Vandermeer, a junior at Stanford, and a student athlete specializing in platform diving. She's laser focused on med school, recovering from a scary diving accident and rebuilding her confidence. No time for relationships, right? But then in classic Allie Hazelwood fashion, enter Lucas Blumquist, a Swedish swimmer, Olympic hopeful, and Stanford royalty. Q the chemistry, Q the arrangement, and Q the inevitable evolution from odds just physical to Oh no, it's something more. We love to see it. What I've come to expect and appreciate from Allie Hazelwood is her signature mix of quirky banter, smart heroines, and palpable chemistry. And that's all here in Deep End. And for fans of her style, it's going to be a hit. But for me, and I am a big fan of Allie Hazelwood style, this one wasn't a personal favorite of hers. I did love her expanding into a sports setting. I've not read her do any kind of sports related writing, diving and swimming. And then I was also googling the Stanford swimming complex, which if you look at pictures of the swimming complex, it's like a mix of like an open air cathedral slash swimming palace. It's very beautiful. And so I liked watching Scarlett the main character navigate her friendships and her academic goals. The open door scenes though, they just didn't quite land for me. Allie Hazelwood is clearly exploring a wider spectrum of sexual expression. She sort of started to do this in Not in Love, which was her 2024 release. And while I do appreciate her intentionally, she's doing this on purpose for her readers. And she's in this book, specifically representing kink and power dynamics in the sexual relationship. I just found myself wanting to get back to the emotional chemistry. I was more invested in the slow burn buildup, less in the sort of bedroom logistics of this book without getting into too many details. And honestly, that's very much a personal preference. This book did not give me the it in any way. I think it's just more a matter of what you want more of in your books and what you maybe want less of. And that's going to happen with lots of different books in the romance genre. Another small note, the characters age wise were very young to me. I think they're like 20 and 22. And that occasionally pulled me out of the story. But still, these characters are very likable. And I was invested in seeing good things happen for them. Even when I'm not totally sold on the plot details, I found myself, I always find myself reading for Ali Hazelwood's characters. That's a big part of why I will always keep coming back to her books time and time again. If you're already in Ali Hazelwood fan, I think deep end will definitely scratch the itch. And if you're a romance reader who loves college sports settings, emotional healing arcs, and a steamy lovers to in love plot, this might be your next perfect read. Not to mention, I think Jillian, we've been talking about summer reads. I think this is another easy win for your summer TBR. Okay, that's my up and down roller coaster review of Depend by Ali Hazelwood. I definitely am going to skip this one at least for now. Based on your review and you what you've said in our group chat about it, I just think that maybe this is not for me right now. There's so many other books to read that I probably will just skip this one, maybe come back to it another time. I totally think you could. And there's no reason to be a completionist. They're not books in a series. They don't, you know, you don't have to read one to read the others. And I could totally get why this might not be for some people. And I've talked to other people who are like, I think this is her best book yet. It's my favorite of all the books that she's written. And I can see features of the story as to why that might be the case. So yeah, you read her now know that I self. I think if you pass, you'll be fine. You're not going to, you're not going to, I don't want to give you bookfomo. Okay, those were our book reviews for today. So you know what's next. It's time for hot takes and our current thoughts on book culture. A hot take is an opinion usually formed off the cuff with little research and sometimes provocative. Today's hot take, Jillian, when you finish a book, do you dive right away into a new one or do you give that book you just finish space to take up room in your mind. And then some cases take up room in your heart for a little bit before you move on to a new book. It definitely depends for me. If it's a book that I wasn't really fully invested in and I don't have a lot of opinion on, I'm ready to go. Let's bring on the next book. I'll try to bring, you know, have one ready. If I know I'm only like 20 pages left, I'll try to pick out my next book. Have it ready for me. However, if it is a book where I'm really invested, I'm perhaps I'm bawling my eyes out. I'm making me think things like that. I let it sit a little bit not for too long, maybe a couple of hours. But I let it sit longer than if it's a book that I'm not really invested in. But yeah, it definitely depends on the situation. What about you? I mean, like I always have three or four books on the go. So it's not as though I'm ever going to take a break and not be reading while I let a book kind of like simmer for me. And I usually find that I'm never too sure of the books that are going to stick with me when right after I finish it. Like sometimes I finish a book and then I immediately go to good reads and I'm like, good reads has to know instantly that I finished a book. So that's maybe the dopamine hit that I get right away from finishing the book. But it's rare that in the same sitting, I would like close a book and be like, oh, that was nice. Put that book down and then turn to a new book and like that. That seems like I don't think my brain could change gears that fast to then to be like, and they all have happily after after the end and then turn and be like chapter one once upon a time into like a brand new story, a brand new plot, a brand new world. But what I might do is pivot to a book that I'm already in the middle of that I'm already kind of the mersten because that book is already taking up space in my mind. It is hard to end a book and then create a fresh space, a fresh blank page for a new book right away. That makes sense. But sometimes if I know I'm going to finish a book the next in the next sitting, then sometimes I get a little fussy about where I am and what I'm doing like I don't like to finish a book if it's audio. I don't like to finish that book while I'm commuting. Because I don't like the book to end while my commute is not is still in progress. That's like a weird dissatisfying experience for me. And if I'm reading like a print book, I also don't like to well, I have finished print books on the train print is a little different. But like I kind of get a little bit precious about like my ideal place to finish a book is right is in bed right before I fall asleep. Interesting. What a sad that's so satisfying to be like the end and then to like close the book, turn out the light and go to sleep. Oh my gosh, that's like that's like the best sleep ever. Interesting. I know, it's that weird. That's kind of no, it's totally not weird. I think it's probably pretty common. I have to say my favorite place to favorite time to finish a book is when I'm at one of the my kids events when I'm sitting in the car reading. Yeah. I really like to finish my books then because then I get home and I still have you know like an hour hour and a half to read another book. Oh, but you're going to change location. Yeah. Yeah, I can see I can get that I get that finishing the book you're in your car. You don't have anything else to read so you're kind of like protected to kind of let that book breathe. And then you go to a new location and pick up a new book that makes tons of sense to me. That's very satisfying. Yes, very satisfying. I love it. Oh, finishing books in the car. Okay, I get it. This is kind of fun. All right, listeners, we want to know from you when you finish a book, what do you do? Do you dive right away into a new one? Do you pick up something that's already in your queue or do you give your books a little bit of space to kind of breathe? Take up room in your mind, take a room in your heart. And let us know if you care about location, if you care when you're about to finish a book where you're at and what you're doing. We always want to hear from you. You can DM us anytime at medium lady reads on Instagram. All right, next up is our holds list. 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 have 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 IG. So we know it's something we can offer the bookish community. Plus we'll also be sharing what's up next to let the listener know what we'll be reaching for on our next next on our TBR. All right, Aaron, what's on your holds list? Okay, I have a bunch on my holds list. I'm going to have a scary stack. I'm so nervous. So I spent a fair bit of time. I just really needed to relax. And so I went through the modern Mrs. Darcy summer book preview. And I put a bunch of holds on. Now unbeknownst to me, I was unintentionally probably first in line for a lot of the new releases. And so I have two waiting for me and four in transit. And I already have 18 books checked out right now. So I'm going to be in a bit of a bit of a bit of a shit show over here. But that's okay. That's all right. We love abundance. Ready for pickup. I have the Amalfi curse, which I mentioned. And then I have the hike by Drew Marguery. And listeners might remember I mentioned this book before and actually wasn't able to finish it. I had to do the Jillian catch and release. So the hike is waiting for me. This is about a man who's on a business trip. And he decides to take a walk in the woods to kind of unwind during the conference. And unfortunately he realizes he won't be able to give up his path that easily. And this is sort of like book turned video game. So I'm excited to read that amongst when. When am I going to read? I don't know when I'm going to read that. It's like who knows. It's kind of scary. And then in terms of up next up next, I'm going to be reading a book called tilt by Emma Patty. And I'll just read the synopsis for you really quick set over the course of a single day and electrifying debut novel from a powerful new literary voice is following one woman's journey across a transformed city carrying the weight of her past and a fervent hope for the future. So Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib in IKEA when an earthquake hits Portland, Oregon with no other way to reach her husband, no phone and no money and a city left in chaos. There's nothing for her to do but walk. And this book was recommended to me by a podcast that I've really been enjoying called TBR, etc. And they really exclusively the two hosts their post quote focus quite a lot on new releases. So this was a book they had read. I think they had an art copy of it and advanced reader copy. And I'm excited to read it. That sounds really good. Just looking it up at my library right now. All right, Jillian. What are you waiting for from the library and what do you have coming up on your TBR? So I just made a trip to the library on Thursday so I don't really have anything waiting for me, but I am in it right now in transit is Audrey and bash are just friends by Tia Williams, which is a brand new me to in transit also have. Can I tell you how quickly I'm going to ignore my 18 books to read Audrey and bash. Yeah, yeah, so you're your book. This is your book. No, no, that's quite all right. I like that you rate. She raised her hand. So I could call on her. Okay, go back, go back, tell the people Audrey and bash are just friends. I think it's called. Yeah, and this is my Tia Williams. This is a young adult book. And Aaron and I are very psyched about it because we love Tia Williams. And most her previous two books. I don't know that those are her only two books that but the previous two that we've read were adult books. And this is a young adult. So it'll be fun to see her take on that. And then books that I just picked up last week were big beautiful my big beautiful no great big beautiful life by Emily Henry. Miss matched a modern graphic retelling of Emma and my friends by Frederick brought by Frederick Bachman or I was picked up. So I'm excited about those. As for next up, I'm going to be reading great big beautiful life by Emily Henry and here's a synopsis for you optimistic writer Alice Scott and brooding journalist Hayden Anderson are competing to pen the biography of elusive ares Margaret eyes each granted only fragments of her story as secrets unravel on the sunsoke little crescent island. So does the tension between them sparking a rivalry that's equal parts professional and romantic but with truth and attraction tangled in mystery their own story might depend on who gets to write the ending. And I am so stoked about this because I really enjoy Emily Henry and I really liked her last two books. So get it up on this one. That's going to be so good. That's going to be so good. I think I'm like number one million and five on the news and I'm really so I'm happy that that you got that number 50 only number 50 on 24 copies, you know, it might actually not be that bad. I might get to read it by the summer. So that's exciting. I can't wait to hear what you think this this book is getting wildly mixed reviews. Yes, mostly positive mostly put like some people are like this is her best book yet. And then there's some other people who are saying, not my favorite and we just love that we love to see authors doing that we love to see our authors evolving and growing and changing. And you know, good for them. They're not the same authors. They were back in 2020 or back in 2019, you know, Ali Hazelwood does the same thing. I mean, I kind of complained a little bit about Catherine center, you know, I don't feel like she's quite the same as she used to be, but hey, good on her. And she's got huge readership and there's lots of people who probably disagree with me. So that's cool. I can't wait to hear what you think, Jillian. Absolutely. You know, I'll bring it to the show. So there's a question there. All right, everyone, we hope you had a nice cozy little bit of time to yourself. We hope you've been able to add a few more books to your holds list that wraps up episode 42 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 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 your holds arrive quickly. And your next book finds you right and you need it most. We'll talk to you soon. Bye. Bye. [Music]