Episode 45: Welcome to Season 3 of Medium Lady Reads

Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads this is episode 45 - can you believe it? Season 3 is here! And, Erin and Jillian are excited to be back on mic.

Summer is in full swing, and if your brain is already in back to school mode, this episode is perfect for you.  Even if you’re stealing 10 minutes for yourself, books are your permission slip to slow down and check back in with yourself. If your TBR is overwhelming, or if you’ve got no idea what to read next, Jillian and Erin have you. So grab your iced coffee, ditch the guilt, it’s time to find your next favorite book!

In This Episode:

• The ladies check-in on how their lives and reading are going.
• Jillian and Erin jump right into their book review! Each woman brings 3 books to this episode.
• This week’s hot take is little less provocative and a little more heart-warming. This week the ladies are talking about the legacy Dan Pelzer left behind. You can see his reading journal by visiting https://what-dan-read.com/ . 
• Erin and Jillian end with the holds list - what they have waiting for them, and what’s up next in their reading queue.

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

• Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin
• The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja
• Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang
• Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
• A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn 
• Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
• Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
• Deep End by Ali Hazelwood
• Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
• God of the Woods by Liz Moore
• Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
• Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
• Maggie; Or, A Man and Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee
• The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
• Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau 
• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
• Winging It With You by Chip Pons
• Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Transcript

FINAL MLR Ep 45 Welcome to Season 3 of Medium Lady Reads
[MUSIC PLAYING] Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 45 and welcome to season three. We are excited to kick off another season of book reviews, Hot Takes, and Library Love. 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. Hi, everyone. I'm Jillian, an Instagram content strategist for Focus People, a 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 moment. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 45. We're kicking off season three of the podcast, which will air the week of August 18th. And we're so glad you're here. Summer is in full swing, and if your brain is already in back to school mode, this episode is perfect for you. Even if you're stealing 10 minutes for yourself, books are always your permission slip to slow down and check back in with yourself. So if your TBR is overwhelming, or if you've got no idea what to read next, we've got you. Grab your ice coffee, ditch the guilt, and let's find your next favorite book. Oh, Jillian, what an intro. I've given myself goose bumps. It's so good to see you. Really nice to get back into the podcast routine after a bit of our summer break. How are you and how's your reading going? It's great to see you too. And to talk about the ice coffee makes we want to run downstairs and grab one for myself. I'm doing OK. Summer's been going full steam ahead around here from the day after the kids school ended. We've been going, going, going. We had our first break last week, but even then, we were busy with the pool, movies and library. We've just been embracing summer, I guess you could say. So good. Reading is going well again. I did hit a bit of a slump mid-July. I picked up a book that I really loved, Home of the American Circus. And I've been in the groove of reading ever since. So that's good. My current read is The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nonja. Here's a short synopsis for you. Leah Juma returns to her family summer cottage on Pike Bay, where long buried memories and her first love, Wesley Forest, resurface. Torn between the polished life she's built and the dream she left behind, Liam must confront the secret that changed everything. As a past and present collide, she faces a choice, clang to safety or risk everything for the second chance at love. And I'm really, really enjoying it. It's very reminiscent of every summer after, even though it's totally different author, totally different characters. But it's got some of the same cabin love on the lake, sitting on the dock, flirting with the boy, all that fun stuff. So it's good. It's really good. I love that. I'm going to add it to my TBR. We love an nostalgic summer romance. Absolutely. And that's what this is. So how's your reading going and how are you doing? Yeah, good. I mean, I've also been having a great summer. I actually feel this year like I'm actually soaking up every minute of the summer for the first time in a long time. I know we always feel like the summer rushes by, but for me, it hasn't felt that way. I've really felt like I've been in the summer. And I'm really glad for that. I think it has to do with my kids' ages. So my youngest Beckett is almost 6. Beckett will be 6 at the end of August. And he's not quite at the stage where he needs every minute of the day planned. He can kind of meander and he'll kind of find his own things to do. We've been outside a lot. And there's always, you know, for us, for me, I do still have a lot of screen time guilt. I definitely feel like when the kids get out of school, their days become unstructured. The screen time kind of can take over. And I think, of course, every family has their own limit with how much time screen time is too much. But genuinely, I have no complaints about the summer so far. I'm really grateful for that. My current reads-- so I just started, like, read the first two pages of Blood over Bright Haven by ML Wang. This is a dark academia fantasy. It's also a standalone fantasy. And I've seen a number of influencers rave about the fact that this book also packs a lot into one book, especially something that's not a series. And we know fantasy novels, typically, they love being more than one book, or more than one part of the saga in the world. So that's what I'm currently reading. And I'm finishing up Happyland by Dolan Perkins-Valdes. This book has actually taken me a while to get through. I've just been picking up other things instead of picking up this book. And that's about a young woman who is called to reconnect with her estranged grandma. They rediscover this past family history of a piece of land in the Carolinas that was once considered a kingdom with a king and a queen within the Black freed community. It's really, really good. It got really rave reviews. And I'm just kind of like chipping away at it. I'm not really blitzing through it the way I blitzed through other things. So those are my current reads. Let's jump into our reviews for today. I feel like I'm a little bit out of practice, Jillian. I don't know about you. Oh, yeah. But we'll get back into this wing of it. And editing can cover a lot of blemishes. Jillian, what do you have on deck for this week's episode? All right. This week I'm bringing a romance perfect for summer, an emotional historical fiction romance, and a young adult romance. Three perfect romances for us. Very nice. How about you? What are you bringing to the episode? OK. This week I'm bringing a fun historical mystery series, an epic vampire novel by a beloved author and my favorite book of the summer so far. Ooh, I can't wait to hear about it. Mm-hmm. All right, you're up first. What's the first book you're bringing to the episode? OK. Let's kick off season three. I love saying that. I love saying season three. With a book that came to me the way all of the best books do via a decades-long friendship. So my best friend Emily has been recommending the Veronica Speedwell series to meet for ages. And I finally picked up book one called A Curious Beginning this Summer. I have to say it really hit a sweet spot for me. And I always say, Jillian, how many times have I said on the podcast, I'm not really a historical fiction reader. Yep. And yet, here I am with a historical fiction book that I really enjoyed. So it's probably that bias I have about myself, which is not really even true as a reader, is probably why it took me a minute to get to this series despite Emily recommending it time and time again. So I'm still eating my words. Historical fiction-- I think maybe I do like historical fiction, because this book was so much fun. And I can see why this nine book series is so beloved. Many of the books average around four stars on Goodreads, and I have to agree I gave this book four stars. It was really easy to enjoy without feeling like I have to gobble up the whole series. And it's comforting to know I can reach for the next one whenever I want a cozy, clever escape, because that's what this book is. Here's a bit of a setup. Veronica Speedwell is our spunky, fiercely independent heroine in Victorian London. When her matronly guardian passes away, Veronica finds herself fending off meddling villagers and unwanted matchmaking suggestions only to return home and walk right into a robbery and nearly an abduction. What seems like a random break-in quickly escalates into something much more dangerous and much more personal. There are secrets, family secrets, political secrets, and some very fun twists that I won't spoil. Now I will say, the writing here is a bit of a choice. The prose is pretty old fashioned, especially in the dialogue. Around two thirds of the way in, I switched to audiobook, and I would highly recommend this by audiobook. It really brought the story to life. It has a great narrator. And it helped me sink into the tone of the novel that Victorian England vibe without working too hard to stay engaged with the writing. If you love books that blend mystery with a strong female lead, this one is absolutely for you. It gives off hints of Sherlock Holmes, even a little bit of like Anna Greengables, a lot of little women, but with a thoroughly contemporary twist. Veronica, our heroine, is clever, bold, she's kind of impossible not to love. Plus, I learned a new word, lepidoptrist, which is a person whose studies butterflies our moths. And Veronica is also a scientist in natural history. Her passion is the study of butterflies. It adds this kind of like elegant stem angle to these books as well. If you're not sure where to head next on your TBR, and you want something smart and character driven with a little bit of adventure, plus you love knowing there's more to a series. If you are somebody who is like a fan of knowing that there's eight more books after this one, I would highly recommend a curious beginning by Diana Raebold. That sounds so good. I'm also not a big historical fiction fan or so I say, but when you find the right one, that's other matters. - Yeah, exactly, exactly. All right, Jillian, what about you? What's the first book you were sharing with the podcast today? - Okay, the first book I'm bringing to the show is "Problematic Summer Romance" by Alie Hazelwood. I gave this book for stars, and the only reason it got for stars and not three, was because I absolutely loved the ending. - Ooh. - Here's the synopsis. Maya Kilgore is a 23 year old, and still in the process of figuring out her life. Connor Harkness is 38, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him. It's such a cliche, it almost makes her heart implode. Older man and younger woman, successful biotech guy, struggling grad student, brother's best friend, and the girl he never knew existed. As Connor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he is made it clear that he wants her gone from his life, but not everything is as it seems, and cliche sometimes become plot twists. When Maya's brother decides to get married, she and Connor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Connor might be hiding something from her, and as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer flame might be just what she needs, even if it's a problematic one. I struggled with this book for the first two thirds just about. It was slow and didn't feel like it flowed very well, like a lot of Alie Hazelwood books do. It felt disjointed and like I was reading someone else's work and not an Alie Hazelwood novel. Ooh. [laughs] All that said, I love Maya, our female main character. She's smart and funny and throws great one liners, Hark or Connor, who is the main male main character, is lovable too. Once you let's go of his need to control every situation. Do I recommend this? Yes, if you write all of Alie Hazelwood's other books and want to keep your streak alive, then I'd say you should read it. That's my review of problematic summer romance by Alie Hazelwood. Oh, I have this out from the library right now. Uh-huh. I'm just trying to finish up the books that I'm reading before getting to it. And you've got me thinking twice. The last Alie Hazel book I read and I reviewed on the show was Deep End. It was not for me. This book, did you read Not in Love, which was her release last year? Oh my goodness. It's got the pink cover. And they're making out on a-- They're making out on a science bench or something. There's test tubes and things. Anyway, this book takes-- These characters are in that book. OK. And I can't remember if I loved Not in Love or Not. But I'll probably read it. You know, Alie Hazelwood. But your comment of-- OK, I did read Not in Love. You did read that one. Yeah. So your comment that it felt like you were reading somebody else's book just gets my eyebrows raised because there's been some fun conversation about Ghost Writers in the bookish community. And Ghost Writers absolutely are contributing to some of these blockbuster authors. And Alie Hazelwood is releasing three books this year. This is her second of three. Her next book will release in October. I just can't help but wonder. I can't believe it. But we love Alie. We do. I do. I do, at least. I know she's also been-- we didn't bring the Alie Hazelwood drama to our hot takes. But she got in a bit of a bit of book drama. Oh, or something so silly. Maybe we'll bring that to episode 46. It was very stupid. Yeah. Google it. If you want to know, we're not going to talk about-- [LAUGHS] Look it up. You don't come here for the drama. You come here for the cozy vibes. Right. I know. I know. This is not a reaction channel. [LAUGHS] It's your turn again, Erin. What's your next review? OK, it's my turn. Get it together, Vandevin. All right, let's talk about the big new release from a very big name in fantasy. I'm going to review "Berry Arbones in the Midnight Soil" by V.E. Schwab. Now, many listeners I know will have heard of and read the Invisible Life of Adi Lurou. That book comes up for me, Jillian. I don't know about you. It comes up constantly when I ask people, what's the last book that really stuck with you? It is one of those titles that I think lives rent-free in a lot of people's hearts. So when this new book dropped, I knew I had to pick it up. And not necessarily because I was personally drawn to it, but because I wanted to know if I could recommend it. And that's a realization I've been sitting with lately as sometimes I read as a reviewer more than a reader. And that's like a change that's only happened probably in the last year or so, which really surprised me. I'm OK with it. I'm always curious. I'm always trying to stay connected to the kinds of stories that resonate deeply with people. It doesn't make for a dissatisfying reading life. And I think now that I'm aware of the fact that I might read things as a reviewer, not as a reader, that I can keep that from becoming dissatisfying. Hopefully we'll cross our fingers, but you're going to have to stay tuned to the podcast and see if a future me agrees with that statement. But here I'll get back to my review. So "Berry Are Bones in the Midnight Soil" is a long one. It's about 530 pages. It unfolds across multiple timelines and points of view. We start in 1527 Spain with our character Maria. She's a young woman. She's beautiful, but she's trapped by the societal expectations that she married well. And then we flip to 2019. We meet Alice. Alice is lost. She's lonely. She's a college student. She's an international student from Scotland in Boston. She's really trying to find her footing. So we get grounded in Alice's story. And then finally, we jump to 1827 where we meet Charlotte. Charlotte lives a quiet, pastoral, closeted life. And these women are separated by centuries, but their stories eventually converge around themes of love, loss, power, and vampires. Yes, this is a vampire book, which was both unexpected and kind of comforting to me. If you were a part of the early 2000s vampire renaissance, like I'm raising my hand here, I'll totally confess that I gobbled up Twilight with a bunch of other readers in the early arts. So this book does feel unexpectedly nostalgic. And that's not usually what I get from V.E. Schwab. She's very refreshing. She's very contemporary. She's very innovative. But Schwab gives us something a little bit new with this vampire story because this is a queer vampire narrative that spans generations. All three protagonists are lesbian women. And Schwab doesn't shy away from exploring what queerness meant in the 1500s, the 1800s, and what queerness means today. And that part of the story is compelling. And it is very thoughtfully done. If you've read Addy LaRue, the structure of this book will feel familiar. Time hopping, great writing, lots of yearning with a capital Y. If you loved Addy, you'll probably love this too. That said, I did have a couple of critiques. Like Addy, I found the book way too long. The themes of love, identity, and immortality are all there. But I wanted a bit more depth to match the page count. I kept waiting for Schwab to reinvent the vampire lore. But aside from the queer framing that I mentioned, the fantasy is really traditional. It's vampires. But still, the writing is excellent. V.E. Schwab, she stands out in her circle of writers. The pacing keeps you engaged. I think V.E. Schwab knows exactly how to create a world that readers want to live in. I gave this book four stars. And I think for the right reader, especially anyone who loves an immersive atmospheric fantasy with romantic threads and historical sweep, it's going to be a huge hit. That's my review of Barry Arbond in the Midnight Soil, the new release from V.E. Schwab. You know, it's funny, because I was going to ask you whether you thought, because Addy Little Brew is also very long. And I also remember loving it, but it's also feeling like, wow, this book is really long. And I was going to ask if it was the same with Midnight Toil. And it is-- Identical. Yeah. That's good. That's interesting. At least she's consistent. Yeah. And I know people love those books. Love Addy Little Brew. I just like odds are 75% of people I talk to about books. And they're like, oh, can you recommend a book for me? Which is something that's also been happening to me more, which I totally love. I say, what's the last book that stuck with you? And invariably, 75% of people will say Addy Little Brew. And I think I'm glad I read this. I really enjoyed it. Four stars is not a bad review. No, not at all. And I think I gave Addy four stars, too. So I do feel like there's 100 pages you don't need in there, but that's just me. Yeah. I've been feeling that a lot with books lately, maybe cut it down by 50 to 100 pages. I know, right? Get at it. Get at it. Cut it down. Let us know. Listeners, if you read this, or if you're interested in reading it, I think I'd posted something about it. And a friend of mine, who's a follower, said, she's like, I'm 152 in line. So maybe you'll read it next summer, and you can forget some of the parts of my review and only go for the good parts. But it really was a good book. I mean, I'm complaining about length, but it's very good. She's excellent. She's a great writer. Cheers. Agreed. All right, Jillian. I'm looking forward to hearing your next review. The second book I'm bringing to the show is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reed. And this one has had so much buzz. This was a five-star read for me, beyond five stars, to be honest. This was an incredible literary journey. I was smitten from the minute I read the first page, and couldn't stop turning the pages until the very last line. Here's the synopsis. Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Francis. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA's Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few faces to go to space. Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston's Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates. Top Gun Pilot, Hank Redman, and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest. Mission specialist, Slidia Daines, who has worked too hard to play nice, warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets, and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer who can fix any engine and fly any plane. As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe. Then in December of 1984 on Mission STS, LR9, everything changes in an instant. Not only was I smitten with this book from the get-go, but it is a bit of a tear-jerker, too. There were a number of spots that throughout the book where I either teared up or full-on cried. It's just beautiful. Part of it reminds me of Project Hail Mary, but adding in the love story puts in a different category than Project Hail Mary. Taylor Jenkins' read has truly outdone herself with this book. I sort of wish there were a part two where we could follow Joan Vanessa and Francis onto the next stage of their journey. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for? Go read this book. That's my review of Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins' read. I also have this one out from the library. I also haven't jumped into this one yet. I haven't seen a bad review for this yet. Neither. Everyone I talk to who is reading has said you haven't read Atmosphere yet. When are you going to read Atmosphere? It's like the book on the top of everyone's list in terms of what they're enjoying this summer. So I guess if I had to pick between problematic summer romance and Atmosphere, I probably should read Atmosphere first. Maybe I'll do a catch and release of problematic summer romance. I think you should. I think problematic summer romance. If you get to it this summer, great. If you don't, it'll be their next summer. But so will other books, I suppose. But Atmosphere, while also will be there, will impact you more the problematic summer romance. All right, well, we know what I'm reading next. That segment's taking care of. [LAUGHTER] OK, Erin, back to you. Tell us what your final book. Oh my gosh, my final book already. OK, I am going to end on a high note with a book that completely stole my heart this summer. It's all the colors of the dark by Chris Whitaker. So it's interesting you say, if you don't read problematic summer romance this summer, it'll be here for you next summer. Because this book was everywhere last summer. It dropped last year, published in June of 2024. And I had it on hold at the library for a full year. And I endured months of FOMO as all the book influencers I love and trust, saying its praises. And so I'm happy to report a year later. The hype is very real around this book. If you haven't read it yet, I beg you. Don't read too many synopsies. Don't look up the twists. Just trust me and go in with this. Here's the synopsis. I'll give you. It's 1975. We meet, patch, and saint. Two kids living on the fringes of their small town, outsiders for reasons both economic and emotional. Patch is a pirate obsessed semi-feral child raising himself after the death of his father. And saint is his best friend. She's kind of like longing to make connection with anybody. She's really tough on the outside always trying to protect her tender insides. These two from the jump feel like familiar literary archetypes. Then one day, patch stumbles upon and attempted obnoxion. He acts impulsively. Much like his brave pirate hero is would. And from that moment, everything changes. That's honestly all you need to know. Because the ripple effect from that one moment spans decades across themes of family, friendship, trauma, and love. Here's what made the book work so well for me. This book is long. It's quite long, but the chapters are short. Some of the chapters are less than a page. And so that contrast between this like long chunker of a book and super short chapters makes it compulsively read readable. It's probably the book I've whipped through the fastest in a really long time. This book is a thriller slash mystery, but it's also literary fiction. It's beautifully written. It's a mystery, but it's also coming of age epic. It spans years and somehow every scene is really close up intimate and then urgent. You're wanting to read what's going to happen next. Plotwise, for me, it hit major emotional and narrative turning points at the 20%, 50%, and 80% marks, which again is really interesting storytelling, very masterful writing when you have a huge chunker of a book and yet you experience really dramatic plot twists at very specific points in the story. 20% in, I really like I cried. I had to put the book down and just like sit in my fields. - Oh wow. - I don't want to give any spoilers, but at 20% the story hits what would be the climax in most thrillers and then the book keeps going, which just amazes me. I feel like that's how you know you're in the hands of a master storyteller and whoever edited this book, 'cause we want to give props to our editors too. Take my money. I really actually should look up who edited this book and see if I can find out any of the other books they've edited. If you loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zeven, which is another very beloved, very well-reviewed book, this book isn't similar in style, but it shares the same sort of emotional depth, especially when it comes to friendship over decades, grief and sort of the long shadows that can be cast by childhood trauma. Patch and saint will live forever in my heart. I will never forget them. And I genuinely can't think of a person I wouldn't recommend this book to. It's kind of cinematic, it's heartbreaking, it's beautifully crafted. It's one of those rare books that reinforces why you read. I read for books like this. So go put it on hold and then forget about it. And I know it will find you exactly when you need it most. And that's my review of All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. I actually will be putting a hold on this because this is one that's been on my TBR for a long time. And I know I did see all the reviews and buzzingness about it last summer, but never really got a personal review like I just did. Sometimes that's the thing that makes the difference. It really is, it really is. And now I'm super excited to get it. Oh my gosh, please like live-tweetening when you're reading it. I would love to like be alongside you as you read that. This is a book like I've read it, but I might buy it. Wow. It's one of those. It's one of those. The other thing is the other buzzy book of last year. I'm like, now I feel like I'm like this weird person who knows these things. It was God of the Woods by Liz Moore. Yeah. I would say. I'm surprised those books were in contention with one another because I think all the colors of the dark is by far better than the God of the Woods. And you really liked God of the Woods? I did. I really did. I gave it five stars. I love Liz Moore as an author. She's incredible. This book is just unforgettable. Unforgettable. I've already forgotten parts of it. I've already forgotten parts of it. And I just think this book is really, really special. OK. All right, Jillian. For your final review. All right. The final book I'm bringing to the show is Tokyo Ever After by Amiko Jean. I gave this book four stars. This is such a fun story. I loved Izumi, our female main character, while she learned of her imperial heritage. Who doesn't love a princess story? All right. Here's a synopsis. Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in. It isn't easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it's always been Izumi or Izzy because it's easier that way. And her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father's identity. And he's none other than the crown prince of Japan, which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess. In the whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet her father. She never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn't all ballgowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, scowling, but handsome bodyguards, who just might be their soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight. Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds and between versions of herself. Back home, she was never American enough. And in Japan, she must prove she's Japanese enough. Well, Izumi crumble under the weight of her crown, or will she live out her fairy tale, happily ever after? Not only is this a princess book, but there's forbidden love, too. But don't worry, it's low steam, perfect for a YA book. The only part I found unbelievable was that they let her miss so much school, because they really do miss so much school, even if it was to go meet her family in another country. This is completely different books than Amiko Jeans, the Return of Ellie Black, but not in a bad way. I loved both books. They're just so different from one another. That's my review of "Toku Ever After" by Amiko Jean. This sounds like a perfect slumpbuster. We're actually a perfect for a book hangover. I was talking about book hangovers on Instagram the other day, which is like, I had a book hangover after. I think that's why I'm kind of slogging my way through Happy Land right now, is because I have had a bit of a book hangover after all the colors of the dark. This sounds like a really good slumpbuster or a book hangover and to don't. Definitely. It's an easy read. It's fun. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, you just suspend your disbelief. You're in it for the ride. You're in it for the plot and the main character energy and princesses. And I like it. I like it. I'm going to keep this one in my back pocket. OK. You do that. And then let me know when you read it. I will. I will. 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. Except our hot take today is a little less hot and a little more heartwarming. We want to tell you about Dan and his incredible list of reads. Now you might not know Dan personally, but if you've spent any time on books to gram or in online reading communities, you've probably seen his name floating around. Dan Pelser recently passed away, leaving behind his personal list of over 3,000 titles. He had read through the last 50 years or so. Yeah, this is an amazing story. And thanks to all the people, there's a bunch of people who shared this with me. I cannot stop thinking about this legacy that Dan left as a reader. So Dan is this man. And he basically started a handwritten list of all the books he had read and the dates he had read them. And then he just kept up that list for years and years and years. And he's also the kind of reader I think that we all aspire to be. I want to be a joyful reader. I want to be a voracious reader. I want to be curious. I want to be reading what I love. If you take a look at this list, it's really clear that reading was never a chore for Dan. And he never felt pressure to read the right books. I love that when Dan passed away, his family wanted to print his reading log to give away in his visitation, but it would have been too much paper. But they've done the next best thing and created a beautiful website, whatdanred.com, where you can see Dan's handwriting and then his typewriter log of his book titles. And I've also seen the reel done by the Columbus Library. So that Columbus Library in Ohio was Dan's Library. They now have a shelf called What Dan Red to encourage lifelong readership from their patrons. And for me, I think what's really inspiring, if you click in the link and we'll put the link in our show notes of that website, you'll see, it's literally like a scanned version and it turns like pages in a book. You can really see how much Dan followed his reading instincts and how important it is to share our love of reading generously with kindness and enthusiasm for other readers. There's lots of different genres of books on there. He read a lot of religious material. It was obviously a big part of his life. But he also read broadly across religions, across genres. He read a lot of like the number one top bestsellers, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow is on there. I think when the crowd adds saying, you can find a lot of those books that have had buzz over the last little while. He was picking up those two. Not so much a hot take. But as we kick off season three, we had to share this heartwarming bookish news story. And if you're interested, you can Google What Dan Red and you'll be able to see his reading log for yourself. - What do you think about this, Jillian? Would you ever do this? Would you ever just start like your own handwritten log? - Or so attached to good reads now. - I know. - It's different. - I know. And after hearing this story, it makes me want to start. I mean, because he didn't review the books. He just literally wrote the title of the book down and probably in the author. I honestly haven't looked closely at his at what Dan Red dot com. But I totally am driven now to create my own list of books and keep track of it. Because I would love to be able to say that when I die, I read 3,000 books and here's my list and now you can read it. - Yeah. - What about you? What are your thoughts? - Yeah, I mean, I've been like archiving and cataloging my reads probably for the last three, three and a half, four years. But it's not in a way that I could give it away. And I wonder too, I think if you've always felt the appeal of like tracking what you read, this is like very accessible and simple. And I think sometimes we overcomplicate, how do we capture the books that we've read with like what genre were they? When were they published? Who was the publisher? Who was the author? This really strips it all down. He says book number one of the year. He says the title of the book, the author of the book, and when he finished it. And then line number two is the next book. And it's just like, it does the job. It's like serves the purpose of creating a manifestation of your reader life, of your life as a reader. I think it's really beautiful. I would encourage anybody if you've got a bit of spare time to just find that website and enjoy it. - Absolutely. Okay, 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 readers, we both have very active holds lists. And we feel like that's something we don't hear a lot about on book podcasts or book talk or even IG. So we know it's something we can offer the bookish community. Plus we'll be sharing what's up next. Let the listener know what we'll be reaching for on our TBR. Okay, Aaron, what's on your holds list? - Okay, so I have way too many books checked out right now as you've heard through this episode. Then I'm not reading. And while we were on summer hiatus, I completely lost track of my hold. So I really like this segment because it helps me keep me more organized as a library patron. And I have gotten a little out of control during our break. So what I have on hold, but I have delayed delivery is a book called Maggie or a man and a woman walk into a bar by Katie Yeet. So this is a debut author and I was influenced to read this book because of what Maddie read on Instagram. Brief synopsis is a woman's husband cheats on her with a woman named Maggie. And when the woman finds out she also has cancer, she decides to name her tumor, Maggie. So that premise was compelling enough for me to put this on hold. In terms of what I have up next, I've written here what I thought I would be reading next, but I've been heavily influenced to read atmosphere next. I'll be reading atmosphere. But also the Phoenix pencil company is a book that I have on my TBR coming up. This is a woman who discovers a secret family history with the help of her skills as a computer programmer. But while she does that, she recovers her family's own special powers to reforge a pencil's words, bringing the memories they contain back to life. I honestly have no idea what to expect from this one. It's kind of like intergenerational family plus a bit of like magic. Yeah. Okay, it sounds like. Yeah. Jillian, what's on your holds list? Okay, so I only have one book or one book coming up for "Waiting for Me" right now, with just "Shop Girls" by Jessica Anya-Blow, which I know you loved, and that's caused me to put it back on my holds. And then I'm waiting, I'm number nine in line for "Dungeon Crawler Carole" by Matt Deniman, which, have you heard of this? Yes. Okay, I have not until just recently. And the cover of the book "On Goodreads" is ridiculous and is not something I would ever read. But they read it. Yeah, I'm surprised. They read the cover and it's apparently beloved. Yes. It's apparently beloved. And I am going to read it. I'm looking at it. I'm looking at every now. I can't wait to get it. I gotta wait a little bit, but I can't wait to get it. So that's what's on hold for me. I am shocked that you're... But look it out if you look at all the people that... I'm trying to find the newest cover because you said they read it the cover. No, so this, yeah, "Dungeon Crawler Carole" is like one of those weird quirky books that men are often recommending on Instagram and TikTok. And I have no doubt it's very good. I can't wait for you to read this. But I had a list, like when I go on good reads and you can see who read the book of your friends list. I have a ton of female friends who have read it and enjoy it. Oh sure, sure, sure. I didn't mean to say that women don't read it and don't enjoy it. It just seems to me that male book influencers of which there are not that many, very consistently recommend "Dungeon Crawler Carole." And I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try to kill Mary and books like that. And if I hate it, like if I'm 23% in... No, I'll bet you're gonna love it. This is a weird quirky book and I love weird quirky books. So you read it and you tell us. I will. I will. But we gotta wait. I'm ninth in line, so I got a bit of a wait. Okay, perfect. All right, next up for me is "Winging It With You" by Chip Ponds. Here's a little synopsis for you. When Asher is dumped at the airport just before a reality travel show, he recruits charming vacation-chipilot Theo to be his last minute replacement and fake boyfriend. As the cameras roll and sparks fly, their staged romance begins to feel surprisingly real. But to win more than just the competition, they'll have to unpack their baggage and take a chance on the real thing. Another romance. I've been really in my romance, Sierra. - Live it up. - Live it up. - Burn you 'em all here. - That's great. This one sounds cute. This reminds me of Red, White, and Royal Blue. - Yeah. - It does. - Can't wait to hear about it. - All right, everyone. That's probably enough book chat for today. You've got a lot of books to consider for your TBR as the summer winds down. That wraps up episode 45 of "Media and Lady Reads." And we are so glad to be back behind the mic with you. You can probably hear the smile in my voice. Whether you're easing into fall reading mode or still hanging on to the last golden bits of summer like me and Jillian, we hope today's reviews gave you something to look forward to, reflect on, or escape into. "Media and Lady Reads" is a spin off of the "Media and Lady Talks" podcast and Instagram community. On Instagram, you can find me, erin@mediam.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 on Instagram @mediam.lady.reads. - If you like this episode, please share it 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, erin. Until next time, we hope that your holds arrive quickly. - And that your next book finds you right when you need it most. We'll talk to you soon. Bye. - Bye. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)