Episode 5 - Mad Mabel

In this month's episode, you can hear about the ladies' start to their summer vacays - Ali's World Cup adventure, Riley's Lion King moment, and Bee's gardening journey. Then, they dive in to their thoughts, reactions, and ratings of Mad Mabel, by Sally Hepworth. Listen all the way to the end of the episode to find out our next (2) reads for next month!

Links from Ali's Aesthetics:

• Pressed Flowers 1
• Pressed Flowers 2
• Pressed Flower Frames
• Tweezers

Links from Bee's Bakes:

• Fudgy Brownies
• Stuffed Peanut Butter Brownies
• Caramel Filled Brownies
• Cookie Dough Stuffed Brownies
• Greek Salad
• Breadstick Bones
• Skull Pan
• Cheesy Skull Rolls
• Iced Tea Bar: use green and black teas, flavored or unflavored
  • Mix Ins: 
    • blueberries, raspberries, mint, blackberries, lemon slices, orange slices

Links from Riley's Radio:

• Mad Mabel Spotify Playlist

Join us next time for our next book chat! New episodes are released the first Monday of each month.

You can join the book club and be a part of next episode's discussion by sharing CQs, book questions, book recommendations, or segment suggestions by emailing us at: wellcoveritpod@gmail.com or sending in a fan mail voice message on our website: https://wellcoverit.buzzsprout.com/. 

Also, you can DM us or check out our Instagram account to see posts related to this and previous episodes at wellcoverit_podcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Welcome to We'll Cover It. I'm Allie.

SPEAKER_02 0:02

I'm B. And I'm Riley.

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Grab your book. Grab your bestie.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

And we'll cover it.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Together. That might have been the best one. I think it might.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

It was decent. It was decent.

SPEAKER_04 0:20

We're not saying it was great. We're saying it was the best one that we've done. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

No one said it was great.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

How are you doing? It's been too long. Thank God we put this on the book because butt by butt is gonna keep us drop. Go grab that newbie. Go on and sit. Yeah, we got a lot to say, but don't you worry, cuz we'll cover it.

SPEAKER_02 1:07

Oh man, it feels like it's been forever since it really has. See you two and talked to you, and like so much has happened. Summer's started, and yes, feels like it's almost over for Allie. I could cry.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

And your summer started later than either of ours, so you can really we don't need to rub it in. I just meant I feel bad. I have some sympathy for you.

SPEAKER_04 1:39

I'll be fine. It'll be okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

Well, how has your summer been?

SPEAKER_04 1:45

My summer has been kind of a blur, um, in a good way, doing lots of things. Um, but the most exciting uh thing that I've done this summer was go to a World Cup game. That is crazy.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

I how did you even get tickets for that?

SPEAKER_04 2:08

So I never really thought like I'd be able to go. Um my fiance is really big into soccer. Um, and football, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Please use the correct terms. You've been to the World Cup, so they all call it soccer. No one called it football.

SPEAKER_03 2:26

Okay, who's the Americans? All the Americans. Thousands of fans.

SPEAKER_04 2:33

Anywho, so it's been his dream to like go to a World Cup game. Um, and we had to enter into that lottery, and we didn't get tickets from the lottery, and so we had to buy them. Um, yeah, expensive stuff. Um, but we got to go from experience, yeah. I mean once in a lifetime experience. Um, and it only happens once every four years, and in the next four years, our life could be completely different. So now is the time to make it happen.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

So and it more than likely won't be in our country, you know, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 3:12

Like it's here we had to go. Yeah. So we went to um the Argentina and Algeria game in Kansas City. Um, and it it was just electric. Like as soon as you walked in there, it was just erupting, like with sound, and I was like, we paused where we were and just like took it all in. Like it was just amazing. Um, my fiance did tear up a little bit. Um and he doesn't show emotion like that. So I was like taken back. He'll kill me for saying that, but we're anonymous. Um, but it it was a beautiful thing to share together, and I'm really glad that we got to do that. Um, and I saw Messi Play, which my students are obsessed with him. Um, so I'll have some some cred next year, and he got his hat trick.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Um, so yeah, it was it was incredible. It was incredible. That's a you got to share your fiance's second love.

SPEAKER_04 4:19

So that's yes, second, yes, yeah. Second love. Yeah, it was it was beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

Oh, that's cool. And then you tooled around the city a bit. Awesome. Yes, snaps.

SPEAKER_04 4:32

Yes, we did, which was really cool as well. Um, getting to the stadium though was a whole nother thing. We took an Uber down there because we're like, okay, we don't want to have to worry with like parking and all that stuff. Um, I think it took us like almost two hours to get there when it was supposed to take us 40 minutes. Oh my gosh. And we were getting there early because we had hospitality tickets, which means we could get like unlimited food and beverage. Okay. Yeah. And that was like three hours before. So we missed an hour of that, but we still got two hours of that, which was more than enough, okay. Like it was it was more than enough, and then you could go like at the halftime and then after the game and stuff like that. So it was fun cool. So you still got to enjoy it. We were so nervous, like, because we were just in standstill traffic, and so we were like kind of small chatting with our Uber driver, and we're like, Oh, like, do you come to the stadium a lot? And he was like, No, this is my first time. No, sir, this is when you're choosing to drive to the stadium for the first time. We were like, We gotta get out of here. So finally we we ended up getting out of the Uber and like walking. We we walked in. That was my question. Uh, would you have yeah, arrived faster by walking than taking the Uber? That's what I was wondering. There was a couple points where like we saw people kind of getting out, we're like, should we get out? But we didn't know how far away we were. I think we probably walked like a mile. Okay, like it it it didn't feel that bad, so I'm I could be totally projecting that wrong, but I it wasn't terrible from where we walked. But yeah, so that was that was a lot.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

How much was the Uber? Like, did it cost a crazy amount since you were stuck with him for two hours?

SPEAKER_04 6:24

So initially the charge wasn't bad, but then they ended up charging us like more. I didn't pay for it, so I'm not exactly sure, but I heard the people we were with talking about it, and I was like, that's not fair though, because like we didn't ask to be in there, but I guess he should also be paid for his time. I don't know, whatever. But it was not the best, and everyone's tensions were kind of getting really high because we didn't know, like, whatever. I will tell you one more thing, though, that was funny. So we're in, we had just gotten through security, and you could only have like really small wristlets or clear bags, okay. Which I knew I had a clear bag, all everything was fine, but there was no signage before you got to security about the bags, so like people that aren't from our country, like we're like that. Maybe they didn't look it up, whatever. I saw people with a lot of people with like bigger bags, people were arguing with people, but you didn't know until you spent an hour in line to get their security. Oh, that's terrible. I saw this woman buy a garbage can holding her like Gucci bag, and she like was over the garbage can, like, and then she took it away, and then she was over, and I was it was like you have to throw it away, or you have to go, and who knows where your car is, if you even have a car here, and then that's another two hours in security because the line's only getting longer, and I was like just standing there watching this because I'm like, is she gonna throw it away? Like, what's gonna happen?

SPEAKER_01 7:58

This is more mysterious than the book, right?

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Wow, and I just saw the big choice that was. I know I didn't see her throw it away.

SPEAKER_04 8:09

I I left, but I left before that happened. But I just heard the husband saying, It's up to you. Oh my I was like, You're not helping. So that was a kind of a funny part, not for her.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

Oh yeah, whoa, the drama, the drama at the World Cup. That's more intense than the game, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Yeah, honestly, yeah, for the show before. I want to know.

SPEAKER_02 8:40

Okay, what do you think? Let's vote.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

I think she threw it away.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

I feel like she had to have.

SPEAKER_04 8:48

I I don't think she threw it away. Because if her car wasn't that far away, it would have been an easy, like correct. She would have not really because you would have had to go through back security again. That was like an hour line, so holy god, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:04

Maybe she just left. Maybe I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

I don't even want to be here anyway, right?

SPEAKER_02 9:11

But oh yeah, wild. That's so sad. I feel really bad for them. Yeah, but but that's true. I mean, unless you have gone to a sporting event in our country, you wouldn't know how strict stadiums are, and every stadium is slightly different too, with their restrictions and things. So yikes. Yeah, wow. All right, all right, Riley. You've done it.

SPEAKER_04 9:40

Riley, welcome back.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

Thank you. I'm back in the country. So um, my husband and I for our sixth year anniversary, we took a road trip with one of our dogs to Banff, Canada. We decided to leave the other dog with uh grandpa for grandpa boot camp because she cannot uh handle being around other dogs on leashes. She has leash reactivity. Um, and we knew we're going to dog-friendly areas and it would just be a disaster, and we didn't want that. But our other dog is very chill, very just happy to be there, and has no cares about other dogs at all. He is more excited by people than dogs. So we brought him with, and uh Banff is crazy gorgeous, it is definitely worth the hype. Um, the lakes are this like each lake is a different, unique shade of like a bluish turquoise color. Um, and it all comes from like the glacier melts on the mountains and the ice melts and the different like iron in the rocks. It just makes like a different type of color depending on where the lake is, and it's just absolutely gorgeous. So we did a lot of beautiful hikes. Um, I was worried that this dog that we brought would not be as excited about hiking because he's extremely lazy, he's a couch potato and just wants cuddles all day long. But he was the reason I made up I made it up to the top of the mountain half the time. He was just pulling me up. Um I traded him so that we could get up to the top of the mountain, which was great. But then getting back down the mountain was a bigger issue because he just wanted to take the shortest route down, which oftentimes is the most dangerous route, like just jumping over the edge. Um, he had a death wish for sure. No, and there was what one point we uh were hiking up, it was called the beehive, and it literally, if you look at it from below, it looks this this mountain portion looks like a beehive. Um, so we were at the top, we climbed up the backside, which was a little exhausting. It had what's called a switchback where you're steeply climbing up one turn and then you're turning and climbing up steep again. Um, but it wasn't too bad. And we made it to the top, and we saw the views and it was gorgeous. And we we heard from across the way these people who had seen us earlier and who had met our dog were like, Oh my gosh, I can't believe your dog made it to the top. Um we had a fan club, yeah, and we're like, Yeah, we made it, it was exhausting, but ooh, we made it. They're like, wow, man, some of those like icy patches and snowy patches, we barely made it through. We're like, Oh, we didn't we didn't really see that too much. They're like, Oh, we we came up the other way, and that was the way we were planning on going down because there was a tea house at um this lake down a little ways, and so we wanted to stop there. Yeah, and we're like, Okay, well, we're gonna try that path anyways, and we decided to take that route, and uh my husband was walking with the dog and had him like right on his his like um right by his knee and had the dog close to the side um of like the the cliff, and then my husband was obviously walking close to the edge, but the dog kept trying to push my husband like off the cliff. He was like, Nope, I want to just go down this way, this would be easier, we'd get there faster.

unknown 13:46

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

So my husband was battling him the whole time. Oh and then uh finally we got to this one curve of the switch back, which was extremely steep, and it was fully covered in snow and just like an incline, like almost 90 degrees. And if you missed the tiny little lip where you could start walking again, then it was another straight 90 degrees all the way down to like the rest of the mountain, pretty much. And so my husband had the dog, and then the dog started slipping on the snow, and it was pretty much like Mufasa's death scene where the dog was just hanging as best he could, but my husband pretty much had him by like hanging by his collar. And the dog's eyes were just like, oh my god, save me! And he was pawing and trying to climb. It was so and I was just in the back, like, oh my gosh, what? Hey, help him! And then luckily there was a really nice hiker below who just stepped back a ways to be able to catch the dog in case he did fully fall. Um, and finally my husband's like, you know what, I've just got to do it. So he slid down that steep incline with my dog instead of holding him by the cow collar. Yeah, and they luckily stopped at that one lip. And I was just freaking out the whole time, but obviously not helping at all. I was pretty much just like, damn, no, it was traumatic. It was so traumatic. I was like, I'm gonna lose my two men in this instance, yeah, and they were fine. We survived it, we got down to the bottom, but I'm still very traumatized.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

Oh, I can imagine. Did you get to go to the tea thing?

SPEAKER_02 15:49

The tea, yeah. The tea house was cute, but there was a huge line. Oh so we didn't even wait because we had to take a shuttle back. So I'm like, okay, well, let's just get down the rest of this, and let's just leave, let's just be grateful we survived today.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Well, one day you will laugh back on this, won't be traumatized, and it may it makes for a good story one day.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

And uh I will never watch The Lion King again. But I literally witnessed it. Not that my husband was scar trying to like release the dog on the mountain, but trying to save him with all of his life. He was trying so hard, but it turned out to be a really lovely trip. Other than that, we saw a black bear, but we survived it, it ran away. And I highly recommend Bamf. And it sounds like B, you're gonna be heading that way next summer. You already have plans for your 10-year-year anniversary.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

Yeah, we figured, you know, 10-year is a good time. It was offered to us to uh watch our children, and so we're like, yeah, let's go for it. And we've always wanted to go to Banff, which is really funny because you never knew that. And when you're like, Oh, we're going to Banff, I was like, Oh, we've dreamed of that place forever. Sorry, you enjoyed it. I know, yes, yes, we'll give you a lot of rest.

SPEAKER_02 17:18

So I'm sure you've already mapped knowing you, you've already got a lot of plans ready to go.

SPEAKER_01 17:24

I have notebook pages of each town, of course you do. I mapped it out, and my husband can be overwhelmed with the way I plan things sometimes. Um, and I said, Okay, yeah, I said, Okay, um, when you look at my sheets, please do not be overwhelmed. But there's a lot of information. He looks at it and his eyes go wise, like it's just we don't have to do everything, it's just you know, things we can pick from.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

He goes, Okay, in case you're for some reason bored, correct?

SPEAKER_01 17:57

Which I don't envision, but you know, and don't know what to do. Well, like other trips we've made, like I've made Excel spreadsheets, so like he know he knew it was coming, but I don't have it nicely organized yet because we still have to oh you've got to finalize exactly where we're gonna go and things, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

Yeah, well, what's been new with you for the start of the summer?

SPEAKER_01 18:20

Just playing outside every single day, and just uh playing outside every single day. It's been fun, I've been loving it. Um yeah, um, oh, we have radishes grown. Oh, cropped, you guys. Um, so yeah. I need pictures. I did it. All right, I'll send a picture. Yeah, some peppermint.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

I need to see like because you've done some landscaping stuff too, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:55

We're in the middle of it, okay. Yeah, we realize that why like we spray the weeds every single year, and nothing dies, and it grows back within like a few weeks, and we're like, what the hell? Why won't these weeds die? We spray them, they should be dead. Well, as we were ripping up, as I was ripping up the tarps, uh-huh. Um, we are about two, three layers of tarps. So all the weed killer was just hitting the top tarp, but nothing was ever getting to the roots. So it would kill the top layer of the roots, but it would never sink in. So we tore that up, and now I have to re-spray weed killer, wait for that to dry, put new tarps down, and then we can mulch. So I think we're gonna get maybe some of that done this weekend, or maybe I'll like spray early tomorrow, wait for that to dry, and then we can get going a bit. But yeah, it's so much work, it's a process. But we we decided we're gonna do mulch. Number one, it's cheaper, but we originally had mulch and we didn't like like how much the mulch spreads, but I found a mulch glue so it stays in place, yes.

SPEAKER_04 20:15

So we're gonna watch videos about this, yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

What it's so you can use it on rocks too, but since mulch is cheaper, why not? Allie, why are you watching videos about this?

SPEAKER_02 20:26

I also now I have a house. I have a house now. Okay, I also need to mulch. I never thought I would hear you get excited about mulch glue. Okay, never in my life. It's so sad.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

I think this is how we've known that we are in you know our mid-30s is that we are excited about actual mulch glue. Yeah, we're excited about mulch glue. And um, yep, we've made it excitement. We've made it playing outside and getting excited about that mulch glue. Oh well, that is exciting, but radishes are super exciting as well, and uh my poor son was so excited to plant radishes, and then he oh my goodness, I got a picture of him with the biggest smile on his face. He took the first bite and he was and hates them, and like we have so many radishes, and I was like, Well, I guess we're giving them to grandma because no one else in the household likes radishes, so why don't you try pickling them and then give it to him? Okay, um so number one okay, this is a miracle that I'm getting things to grow. My husband is very proud of me um for actually growing things and not.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

So, what you're saying is Riley, slow down.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Yeah, pickling is too much. Already, I already effed up. Tomato plant okay because I didn't know I just didn't know thanks. Um, and then I forgot to put the tower thing, the cage up right away, so then it got too big. But my lovely husband trimmed the cage so we could fit it in. We'll see if the tomatoes grow. But then my other tomato plant, I didn't know you had to take the bottom thing off to release the water, so it was just standing in some really yummy smelling water for a while. Um learning a lot. I'm learning a lot this summer.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

Yes, this is the learning summer. Yes. Well, that's awesome because then you're gonna teach it to us. I mean, Allie's not far behind.

SPEAKER_03 22:46

She's no I got the mulch glue, so now I'm ready for a garden for the next step.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

Oh, and our mulch, I think we're gonna do like a red a reddish color. Oh, yeah, that's what I currently have. We are doing a reddish color. Good job. We have it in the garage.

SPEAKER_02 23:06

I think the $500 worth of mulch that we already have is maybe gonna be the one we're gonna do.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

It's like a ruby red we thought would look really good with the bricks because we are the stones and like the greenish-grayish hue we have. So pop a color. Yeah, pop a color.

SPEAKER_02 23:25

Love it, love it. All right, okay. Shall we uh move along to the book? Yep, we sure shall.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

All right, stars.

SPEAKER_04 23:41

I really want to know what Riley thinks.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

I already know she hated it. Well, I know this.

SPEAKER_02 23:47

Yeah, I'm I'm sorry, B. You're not gonna like my star rating. I might be hit because I gave you a four stars. The highest rating so far.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

Wow, I gave it a three and a half. You're above me. Um really I really enjoyed it. It was good, but I just felt I needed a few more answers and a little unsatisfied with things.

SPEAKER_02 24:23

Okay. Should we go over the summary first and then maybe go into more?

SPEAKER_01 24:27

Well, what's what's Allie's rating? True. I gave it a 4.5.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

I really like a terrible book.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

It was such a good book. It was really good. Um, yeah, okay. Do um B, did you have a summary prepared for this book?

SPEAKER_01 24:48

I I do not. I know this comes to be surprising.

SPEAKER_03 24:54

Allie, do you have a summary? Um, Rally, can you just give us yours, please?

SPEAKER_02 25:01

Fine, fine. This one I spent a little bit more time on than the last one. I did. Yeah. I wrote all over my pages. So it makes a time.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

I think I really want to hear your summary because we heard of one of a book you hate, and now one of a book you like. Let's compare how you summarize between books you hate.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

You're gonna give me scar writings for my summary.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

It was strategic why we didn't do one. Correct.

SPEAKER_02 25:32

Yeah, okay, okay. All right, so Elsie, not Elsie, we'll tell you. Mabel Waller Fitzpatrick is an old 81-year-old woman just trying to live a quiet life in her Melbourne neighborhood on Kenny Lane when her irritating next-door neighbor, Aishon's dog Nugget, won't stop barking. Elsie, prompted by her invasive six-year-old neighbor, Persephone, goes over to investigate why Aishon won't answer the door and finds him dead. This leads to neighbors, police officers, and the media um casting suspicions on Elsie, formerly known as Mad Mabel, being the murderer because of Mabel's checkered past, of the untimely deaths and murders she committed. A YouTube team, known as Ad Lib, decide to interview Elsie to get her side of the story and find out along the way that Elsie was born to a man who only ever wanted one thing: the beautiful Victorian house. This led to him being a selfish, unloving father and husband, leading to his wife committing suicide, his daughter getting blamed for it, and her one-year-old sister getting polio and dying, and rumors getting spread around town that she is mad Mabel, causing her to get bullied and isolated, creating an imaginary friend and getting targeted by a teacher pedophile who got killed by his fiance. And eventually leading to Mabel killing her father after he killed the only relative that ever truly, fully loved her, her aunt Sess. Now, at the age of 81, Elsie finally realizes that she no longer needs her imaginary friend because she has true friends, especially the six-year-old who she jumps in front of a bullet for and dies in the end for.

SPEAKER_04 27:35

Beautifully said.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Okay. What were you hoping for?

SPEAKER_01 28:04

Uh 80-year-old serial killer.

SPEAKER_05 28:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 28:11

I mean, it like was like murder mystery, so I was just thinking, you know, old grandma, just you know, hacking away.

SPEAKER_03 28:22

Ellie is trying. I took a sip of water at the wrong time.

SPEAKER_02 28:28

Just hacking away.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

I was hoping for like a funny grandma serial killer, just you know, hacking away your enemies. And okay, think of like a nursing home, right? Like who like you make enemies. And I was just thinking like that, I was expecting like a serial killer grandma, but that's not what I got, obviously. But it was such a sweet, wonderful story that that's why, yes, still love it.

SPEAKER_02 28:58

So definitely not what you were expecting.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

No, not at all.

SPEAKER_02 29:04

And that's slightly concerning that that they wanted that.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

That's what I wanted like a fun murder mystery, and so that's what I would envision.

SPEAKER_03 29:16

There was both in it though.

SPEAKER_01 29:21

No, okay, no, not the extent that I was hoping for. No, I that I get. That I get anywho. But I still love the story for what it was, and so yes.

SPEAKER_02 29:35

Yeah, I mean, I agree. I loved Elsie. She was great, just her personality, her little like negative thoughts and quits, and yes, yeah, the whole green tea, all like just that.

SPEAKER_01 30:01

Oh, Libby and oh uh a dean. A Dean. Yes, just how she like was like so sassy and snarky, I loved it. I know, and the whole like her Persephone's relationship was just so sweet and like and Elsa, Elsa, it's not Elsa, like she didn't care, no, and then in the end, no, she didn't. Oh, yeah, and she just had to be, you know, even with her snarkiness, you know, the fact that everyone on Kenny Lane just rallied around her, like that just tells you who her true personality is and is just so correct, and the fact that no one else saw it before this makes me so sad of like her dad just set her up for this failure, which brings me to the question what happened to Kitty? Was it her dad? Like, was it her dad just killing everyone away so he could have Rose Hill? Like, I think that's where it dropped me down to 3.5 because like kitty was such a big deal, and then all of a sudden she wasn't. It's just like I want to know what happened to Kitty, who let her on the porch, and was it her dad? Just it had to be in it, it had to be someone who let her on the porch, yeah, because she couldn't have gotten onto the porch by herself. Like, I have young children, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:45

Probably they're sneaky, but you know, yeah, they're creative in how they get to what they want, but and even if it was Elsie, like you can't blame her, you can't she was a child for wanting to play with another child.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

No, which that makes me so sad that her mother felt that way too.

SPEAKER_04 32:07

Like, it wasn't just her father who was this horrible human being, yep, but then her mom felt that way about her too, and I'm just like, oh yeah, her how her mom like handled everything too, I was also not a fan of.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

But no, no, her mom sounded like the stereotypical 50s housewife who just like catered to her husband's will and was the trophy wife and entertainer. And if your husband doesn't love you, then oh the world is done for you, you're dead, you know. Like unfortunately, like that's kind of the persona she took on in this in this book. But yeah, like when you have a kid, how can you how can you not try to be more for your kid?

SPEAKER_01 32:58

And no, yeah, she didn't, she just didn't it made me I just can't even fathom of like not caring for my kid, yeah. Like she had no care in the world for Mabel. I know it's it's and she was only at the hospital when Mabel was injured because it reminded her of Kitty, like yeah, those couple pages.

SPEAKER_04 33:24

The I even wrote it down like the what was it 83 to 85? It was so fast paced where it was like she was like kind of saying, like, oh, he'll be able to explain why he went on another uh trip with like a woman, and then like all of a sudden she was slapping her, and then like then she was committing to and it was like whoa, like I was not ready for that. No, it was a shock. I was like, Whoa, did this did this really just happen? I reread it, I reread that part because I was like, What did I just read? Yeah, yeah, I thought I missed something, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:02

That part definitely threw me, and another thing that threw me was Daphne. Yes, oh my gosh, I never thought that Daphne was an imaginary friend.

SPEAKER_01 34:20

No, never book. Well, the way that they several times farted and snorted together. Yes, like I'm just like after realizing Daphne was imaginary, I was like, was she just farting by herself? Like, was she the one farting?

SPEAKER_02 34:35

Like, I didn't think that there, but I love that that's what you focused on. Was she farting by herself? Don't we all fart by ourselves? But I wrote at the beginning because I was like jotting my thoughts. Yeah. And like my third thought is does Daphne live with Mabel? How did Daphne move back from England? Like, I was already starting to question question this character because like right away it didn't really tell us how Daphne fit in the picture and why she was there when Persephone was coming over and trying to talk about Aishon and all that. So I was confused. Like, did she that they uh like live together, share a house together?

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Yes. Well, and then she's like and then Daphne. I did, and then at one point in the book, she's like, Well, Daphne hasn't come over, and why I was like, So you don't live together. I know, yeah, they're bosom buddies. I thought, like, okay, you're bosom buddies, but you didn't you okay, so you grew up and lived together, you didn't find or your husband's uh died, or like your significant other died, or you just never had a significant other living as a best friend, correct? And but then it was like, Oh, she hasn't visited in a while. And I was like, Wait, aren't you injured? Why isn't Daphne here? Wouldn't Daphne be right here?

SPEAKER_02 36:07

Your bosom buddies, yes, so there were a couple of those like clues that I was like, Oh, this is a little confusing, but maybe the author just left out never.

SPEAKER_01 36:18

That's what I was thinking, yes. I was thinking, well, and then because Daphne became less and less a part of the story, and I was like, Where is Daphne? I thought she was your bosom buddy, like shouldn't we be hearing more about how she stood up for you? Or like well, it also threw me because like I feel like she mentioned Daphne to Christos, oh yes, and like and she introduced them to Sess and Ness, and I was like, Yes, so how did that actually all go down?

SPEAKER_02 36:50

Like, but Sessaness had a kind of like awkward reaction to Daphne.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 36:57

I didn't remember and Elsie thought that it was because Daphne was like lower socioeconomic standards.

SPEAKER_01 37:07

Oh, yes, so maybe she like talked about Daphne, and they're like, Okay, something mental's going on, or like maybe that's what, and then Mabel just didn't catch on to like the adult that's what that look was, or that's what that looked like was like, Oh, our niece has an imaginary friend and she's 15 years old. Something is going on. Yep, yeah, I made the point better.

SPEAKER_04 37:34

Oh, yes, like because I was like, She went through all of this actually alone. Like, I thought she at least had a best one, and then like literally nothing. I was like, Wow, I'm surprised I wouldn't have been able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 37:49

Like, I no, no, no, no, like my heart went out. That's a great point. Like, she was just literally alone this entire time, where we all thought she had this person there for her, and yep, and then it broke my heart that um persephone had Daisy, like it's like okay, yeah, she's been through so much trauma now that you know she has to have a Daphne.

SPEAKER_02 38:21

I know, but I kind of loved that for her though, because she loved Elsie so much, and it was kind of a one-sided relationship for a long time, yes, you know, and now like that they finally had that true friendship and true love, she wanted to keep that going, and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

I'm hopeful that's what it is, and like yeah, that she has that connection, and but I'm hoping like it doesn't affect her like it did Mabel, where like that's what I that's what makes me sad, is like I'm really hoping that it doesn't have the long-term effect that it did on Mabel, where she I don't think it would no one because she had was her friend Del was was it Del Deli Deli or that little friend okay, yep. So she had that other little friend, and then but they moved, remember? So, like, is Deli still around? That is sorry. See, this is where I went at 3.5 because I just have so many unanswered lingering ideas, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:37

I know, like I didn't I didn't upgrade to a four out. I'll upgrade to a four. I didn't need to know more about that, I just like yeah, I wrote it down as soon as it happened because like they had had that conversation, like, oh, I would have named it Daisy, and then it was like Elsa died, I say to Daisy, and I was like, ah, like it was so sad, and then it was actually Daphne and uh yep, it was it was rough, but yeah, I I felt like right off the bat at the start of the book, it kind of gave me vibes of um the burrows.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Have you guys seen that show? No, it's on Netflix. Um, it's like a newer series, but it's about um these people living in a senior living community. And I won't give away any spoilers, but like it gave me kind of vibes of that in some ways, where like they're trying to figure out something about a neighbor and um just like old people, and I just love old people so much. So it's cute. So that was giving me those vibes, but I really liked on page 61 um the I choose you moment where Mabel realizes that this is the nicest thing to say to someone. Um, and that was when like Persephone is like, No, I choose you, and I choose you to be my friend. And um, like I feel like that's the start to when we see um Mabel's heart exterior start to break a little bit with Persephone, and she's like, Okay, wow, like this has never happened in my life, really, before. Right. Where people have chosen me who aren't like a part of my family, like Sess obviously chose her, but she was a part of the family, so it kind of like was forced to choose her in a in a way, um, because her own mom kind of didn't, and like this was just a kid who didn't have to, and that was beautiful. I also didn't mind that um Mabel was using nicknames for the police officers.

SPEAKER_01 41:52

This is what okay, this was my question. I wrote it down. What does Riley think of Baldi?

SPEAKER_02 41:59

I thought that it matches her character, though. Yes, like her character would give nicknames to people that she doesn't care about. Yep, correct, maybe doesn't value and like doesn't feel like deserve a real name.

SPEAKER_04 42:15

Yeah, it fit so well with her character.

SPEAKER_02 42:19

Yes, yep, but it was kind of funny how like later on in the story when she did want to call the police, she couldn't remember their actual names. Oh yeah, and it caused some problems. That was kind of funny. My favorite quote was on page 102, um, where she said, It strikes me that with all the cruelties in this world, there is still nothing quite as dangerous as kindness. And I feel like that was a really beautiful quote, and I feel like it kind of fit with like I mean it it just fits with our world still, and like people can use kindness more even as like a weapon for good, but like it could be used in so many better circumstances. Another quote that I found interesting was on page 121, where Sess was talking about Elsie's dad, and she was telling Elsie, your father has always had a preference for things that don't challenge or intimidate him. That's the same with most men, I'm afraid. Sess looked me squarely in the eye. You outshone your father from the moment you were born. There are very few men who can cope with something like that, and also I feel like that fits today's world still and is like spot on. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 43:52

Yeah, that that I was gonna say that quote really hit me too. I feel like there was a lot of quotes in this book that I was like, put. That on a t-shirt, like my t-shirt.

SPEAKER_02 44:03

And I feel like we could all like pinpoint a per like a guy in our lives or that we've met who perfectly encapsulates that. Like has to be the shiniest person in the room, has to be the one who is like stronger than the woman he's with, or you know, and yeah, that's just uh unfortunate that like her father was that way and couldn't handle being a loving father. I know it was so sad.

SPEAKER_01 44:38

Luckily, we all found men who are not that way, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 44:45

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 44:48

Um, going on the quote trend, um, I really liked the quote. It was on jumping a little bit because it's on two 296. Um, but she said, I may not have known why I felt compelled to go there that day, but I've always been glad I did because that was the day I realized that my father was a monster and it was never to do with me or about me at all. Yeah, that one really hit me, so I like had to write it down. That was my pivotal. Like she needed to realize that to be like, I don't have to hold it all in. I don't have to tell you if it was me. What did I do? Like, it was never about you. Nope. Bees crying again. Yeah, just yeah, the laugh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:37

Yeah, yeah. The nasty actions of others do not have to do with you the majority of the time, and to like realize that it was just so empowering for her.

SPEAKER_04 45:52

Yeah, um I feel like it started to turn everything around for her. She and she deserved to know that so much.

SPEAKER_01 46:01

You know, like yeah, she had the suspicions that her father was telling all the neighbors, like she's the one that murdered Kitty, just these terrible things he would spread about his own daughter. Yep, just to get fucking Rose Hill, like that just irritates me so much. But then for her to have that moment, that empowerment of like nope, he is the monster, I am not the monster, like I am not the person he has painted me to be. And I can like be a better version of myself because I don't have to believe this about me.

SPEAKER_02 46:43

Like, I mean, she had empathy for that little girl when she didn't have to, you know, she could feel sad and heartbroken and frustrated and jealous and angry that her dad was building a new family, uh-huh. But she like started to develop empathy for that little girl and empathy for herself, even, you know. And yeah, that was a powerful moment for sure.

SPEAKER_01 47:12

Yeah, yeah. That I think was my favorite part. Yeah, I loved that part. Thanks for bringing that up.

SPEAKER_04 47:21

Well, sorry, because I made you sad, but it's all part of I feel like we have to talk about Peter.

SPEAKER_01 47:30

Yes, yeah, that was my uh that was another I saw Daphne, like, okay, something's up, but Peter completes sealed.

SPEAKER_02 47:39

I should have known though, because she mentioned like she introduced him right off the way as like the Greek neighbor, and then Christmas was also Greek, and like we should have thought, okay, in Australia, how many Greek Greek people really maybe are there? I I mean, I personally don't know, but yeah, I guess that was really the only clue.

SPEAKER_01 48:05

Where's your research?

SPEAKER_02 48:08

I don't have it, that's what I'm saying. I don't really know.

SPEAKER_04 48:11

Um okay, the shrine though, and like wherever it came in the book. I what did you guys think of that?

SPEAKER_01 48:19

Because I was like, I thought she was just obsessed and in love. That's where I was like, okay, maybe she is a killer, she's gonna kill him.

SPEAKER_02 48:25

And then I thought she was in love for sure.

SPEAKER_01 48:28

Yes, yes, yes, but then she was in a different way. Well, no, yeah, because she was like, Oh, you can be with Joan, and I was like, What the f I know? Why are you giving him permission to be with Joan? I know Joan, your arch and nemesis, you're gonna let the person that you're in love with be with your arch nemesis, yeah. That's why, that's why, because he was his her son, not uh not lover, not a lover, which is a relief.

SPEAKER_02 49:02

I mean, she was totally stalking him if yes, either way, she was kind of stalking him, but it made sense why it made more to me.

SPEAKER_04 49:10

I was like, Okay, I'll let the shrine go now. Exactly. Before I was like, This is a little weird, no, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:18

Um, before I knew that Daphne was the imaginary friend, I had Jada notes about like how our friendships kind of mirrored Elsie and Daphne's friendship. Okay. Um, I just said, like, I fear I feel like we're all bosom friends, yeah. And um Daphne kind of reminds me of B's friendship in a way where she just kind of showed up and sat on our beds or our futons and was like, I'm here, I'm gonna be your friend. Yep, so you better deal with me. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 49:57

Yeah, I thought about that. We did, um, and then we heard some farts and snorts, you know. Yeah, we did it.

SPEAKER_02 50:05

I don't think we uh uh larted, laugh farted, but we lead, laugh peed.

SPEAKER_01 50:13

Oh yeah. I mean you inverted on your futon plenty, sorry, but but not through laughter.

SPEAKER_03 50:20

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_04 50:22

Uh good thing we carried that futon across campus way too long then.

SPEAKER_02 50:30

It should have been trapped a lot earlier than it was. Oh my gosh, my gosh. No tea. Okay, um, what else? Oh, so my question is well initially my question was before I knew who Daphne truly was, did Daphne push Billy down the stairs by the beach that one day? No, but now my question is did Elsie push Billy down the stairs?

SPEAKER_01 51:06

Yeah, because he had to have fallen somehow. I don't, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:13

Part of me was like, I don't care who actually did it. Oh, totally.

SPEAKER_02 51:17

Because you suck, yep, yes, and you well, I'm not gonna wish hurt on anybody, but but he was egging her on so much and like forcing himself right onto her in ways, you know. So I'm sure maybe there was like a scuffle at one point, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 51:42

I don't know, but like her point of view was that like she was walking away, right? And he was like following her, yeah. And so she's like, Well, I don't I didn't see what happened because I was walking away already. So yeah, I don't know. I kind of want to believe her that she didn't, but then who did? Correct.

SPEAKER_02 51:59

I don't know, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 52:01

That wasn't a question I really like needed an answer to. I was just like, whatever.

SPEAKER_02 52:11

It wasn't her. I respect it. The only negative thing, and it wasn't really negative, but the only thing that I was like, okay, this is kind of a waste of time. It's just like how many police and detective interviews and interrogations there were throughout the book of like oh, like it was just like nonstop, and I'm like, okay, this is getting old, like let's just move along here. Yeah, that's fair.

SPEAKER_01 52:37

Well, because like nothing came from them, and there was nothing that happened from them. Yes, like I get the I get the one where like Sess climbed across or under the desk to get to her, like, so she felt so much love from Sess. Like, I can understand that one being told, but the other ones over and over and over, I'm just like, okay, yes, we could have summed this up shortly. Like, yes, because she's been known as for murder for others, like they would suspect her, but yeah, I agree.

SPEAKER_02 53:12

Yeah, any other thoughts about this book or questions?

SPEAKER_04 53:20

I think the other questions I had we kind of talked about, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:24

We we covered the questions I had, covered it, we covered it. Didn't even think about that.

SPEAKER_04 53:31

Look at that, we always do. Oh, we didn't talk about Mr. Lucas. Oh, I not that I want to talk about him really, but um I was that was like a shock thing for me too, because like when she was like, I thought it was kind of leading us up to believe that she was like kissing the boy, I can't remember his name right now, but then like we found out she was kissing Mr. Lucas when she said yes, Mr. Lucas, and I like shouted like I knew he was a perv, like I just had that feeling the vibe I was hoping it wasn't true.

SPEAKER_01 54:09

I know, uh-huh. I was hoping he was trying to be a mentor for her, but like oh, when his hand was against her thigh, and like I know he crept in when she was at her lowest, and I was like, Oh, and I was so pissed that his fiance was mad at her. Like, yep, I'm like, yeah, like you're fault, like it is your fiance's fault.

SPEAKER_02 54:33

Like, and this is the first exactly, and you're with him before, correct. But again, this is the 50s, yes, and I have to remember, you know, not saying that that's okay, no, anytime that this happened, but I mean pissed that the fiance was mad at her, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 54:56

When we did find out he died, though, I was really hoping it was the fiance. Yes, I was better not have been, and then on 298 is when we found out she actually did.

SPEAKER_01 55:06

And I was like, Okay, thank goodness, thank goodness, but like the fact that she see she pissed me off even more because she like led the police down a rabbit hole that it was Mabel, and I was like, This bitch, seriously, like you could have left him, but then you murdered him, and now you're trying to pin on somebody else.

SPEAKER_04 55:28

No, correct.

SPEAKER_01 55:29

Tell the police he's a pedophile, yes, I killed him, saved the world from a pedophile, and you know what? Get rid of it.

SPEAKER_02 55:39

Yep, yes. What we forgot to do was our CQ.

SPEAKER_04 55:45

Oh, I figured we were skipping it because we talked so long in the beginning. Correct, I agreed.

SPEAKER_01 55:50

That's what I thought.

SPEAKER_02 55:51

Okay, well, it is a very quick CQ. Um, and it comes from a listener. Oh um, it is daylight savings time. Yay or nay.

SPEAKER_01 56:07

Oh, that is a quick one. I like it.

SPEAKER_04 56:11

Um haven't thought too much about it. Does anyone have a strong answer to this? I do not.

SPEAKER_01 56:26

I really like tricking my brain sometimes into thinking I get more sleep, but overall, not a big fan. To go from switching back and forth. Yeah, listen, we don't have we're teachers.

SPEAKER_02 56:42

It is hard for kids to come back to school after all of that for me or to wake up early, and yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:52

Also, like I just the reasoning behind it, we don't need it. Like don't need it anymore, it doesn't exist anymore. Like, it's fine. Let's move on. Yep, I'll jump on the bandwagon. I agree.

SPEAKER_03 57:05

Okay, that was our CQ.

SPEAKER_02 57:08

Listen, listener, if you listener, any more CQs, please. Um, I believe we now have a website up and running that has a listener message board now so you can message us directly. Um, I think I set that up right.

unknown 57:31

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 57:32

Um, find it in the description for this episode and let us know your CQs or if you have any questions for us about the book that we're currently going to be discussing and things like that. That'd be great. Um, maybe suggestions for some of our segments as well.

SPEAKER_01 57:51

Yeah, we'll take that and book suggestions.

SPEAKER_02 57:54

Yeah. Oh, yes, book suggestions.

SPEAKER_01 57:57

What do you want to hear about? Yeah. What do you want us to read? There's my quote. That's what I wanted to say.

SPEAKER_04 58:07

What do you want to read with us?

SPEAKER_02 58:09

There we go.

SPEAKER_01 58:10

There we go.

SPEAKER_02 58:12

I like that. You know, it's been a long day.

SPEAKER_01 58:15

I had a glass of wine. I feel you.

SPEAKER_02 58:19

And I've seen you have that glass of wine. Okay, moving into our segments. Allie, take it away with aesthetics.

SPEAKER_04 58:31

Okay, our theme is the garden of secrets today. I like that. And so our tagline would like that. Perfect for that. Tagline is a cozy afternoon inspired by the hidden truths, blooming friendships, and women whose stories deserve to be heard. Ooh. Um, so the vibe is kind of like cozy, vintage, like cottage vibe, is what we're calling. I can feel it. I can see it. Yes. Well, you're gonna see it even more with my visual words here. Okay, here we go. That's not a weird.

SPEAKER_02 59:15

Visual words.

SPEAKER_04 59:16

You're gonna see the visuals in your mind from my work.

SPEAKER_02 59:19

With your description words, descriptive words.

SPEAKER_01 59:22

Descriptive words you teach.

SPEAKER_04 59:24

It's late.

SPEAKER_01 59:26

I've had water.

SPEAKER_05 59:28

I've had water.

SPEAKER_04 59:31

Okay, color palette. So we're gonna stay with the sage green, dusty blue, lavender, cream, mossy green. We'll add in some dusty robe and mauve in there too, and of course, antique gold. That's gonna be our color palette.

SPEAKER_01 59:51

Are we at Riley's house? Right.

SPEAKER_04 59:54

I might have to borrow some decor. Just post it there. Yeah, that's for centerpieces, thinking very like florals, hydrangeas, lavender, baby's breath, eucalyptus, and like moss for like the runners, kind of put it like all over. Um, table decor, thinking very like antique. So like antique keys, small stacks of like vintage books, um, candlesticks and taper candles, maybe like teacups. You can either have them like stacked on the book stacks, or you can put flowers in the teacups. I love that. Um, old photographs and like thrifted frames, which I can find.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:35

Um, and then just like twine and lace details. Let's pause for a second. Listener, she is the thrift queen. I don't know if we've talked about that already.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:45

We've talked about it a little bit. Okay, we could all go to the same goodwill, Riley, and I will not find a single thing. And Allie will come with a whole shopping cart of amazing finds. And I'm like, where the hell did you find that?

SPEAKER_04 1:01:00

I know we're jealous every time, it's a passion of mine. I went today, actually. Oh, what'd you get? Um, nothing super exciting. I found a really cute coffee mug and two pairs of biker shorts for when I work out. Oh, oh, that's nice. Nothing great. Nothing exciting. Do you need more coffee mugs? No, but this one was really cute. I did get rid of a ton. Oh, okay. When we moved into the house, yeah. Okay. Um, I'll give you that. And I'll probably get rid of one now to make room for this one, but it was like too perfect. So okay. So now we're gonna get into activities. So I have two different activities that we're going to do. So the first one is called What's Your Story? Um, so everyone's gonna receive a vintage style card asking a question. Um, and like just one person can answer the question, multiple people can. It kind of depends. But some of the questions that could be on there to start the discussion. And this just really gets us like to get to know everyone more and kind of getting back to that like everyone being heard kind of thing. Um, so some of the questions you could ask are what lesson have you learned that has surprised you? What's something people often misunderstand about you? What advice would you give your younger self? And what tradition do you treasure, like a family tradition? So those are some of the questions you can put on there. Um, and that just plays into the novels like exploration of hidden histories and lived experiences, which I really liked. Um and then my other activity is about tea, because Mabel loved her tea. So we have to have something with that. Um, so this is a mystery tea challenge, so something a little just more like fun. So you'll have like you can have as many as you want, but like four to five, like either different loose leaf teas or tea bags, kind of up to you. Um, and everyone will smell and guess it. And you can guess like the flavor, you can guess the ingredients, and then you can also talk about a character it reminds you of, or a character you would think would drink it from the story and why. That's fun, that's awesome. I like that. Um, so those are the two activities, and then of course, we have to have a craft. Of course, so for the craft, we're going to be making pressed flower shadow frames. Oh my gosh. So beautiful. You'll create your botanical artwork inspired by the garden image imagery and then themes of like the growth and remembrance as well. Um, so I found on Amazon these like little shadow frames that like you could get like four by six, five by sevens, and like you just want to make sure it like unlatches so you can like stick the flowers in. And then it came with like little chains on top so you could hang it in your window or on your wall or your door or wherever. Um, but they looked really beautiful, and I thought that'd be a really fun craft that we could keep like forever and also help us remind us of the book. Um, so for those things, you would only need three things. You need pressed flowers, floating frames, which is what they like call them after I did a little bit of research, um, and then tweezers to help put the pressed flowers on there. You could probably do it without them, but it would make it easier. And I'll have all of those links um in our show notes. That's I love that. And then the last thing I had was an optional dress code because we kind of added that in last time, and so I was like, okay, I gotta put that in. So the um theme is the curious neighbor chic. That's gonna be our dress. Ooh. So I'm thinking like cozy sweaters, plaid, vintage dresses, nightgowns because she runs out of the house in a nightgown a few times.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:04

Could it also be like the hundredth day of school where you dress like an old person?

SPEAKER_04 1:05:10

Absolutely. Okay, you definitely could. Um, the I feel like clothes that I'm saying is totally like what an old person would wear too. Yes, cardigans, tweed jackets, reading glasses, pearls. Um, and I feel like I have to add in the only thing Mabel ever liked about her father was his cool socks. Um you could also wear some of your favorite socks as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:38

Oh you could do like a sock swap. Oh okay. Or like like just like if you buy like a cheap pair of socks and like you can pick from a bag and like everyone gets a little sock to keep. I think that'd be fun.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:54

I like that we're adding it.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:56

Even though I don't know if I want to celebrate this terrible man.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:03

Yeah, it's not like celebrating me, it was just kind of like the one thing was very descriptive and distinct. Because, like in the end, wasn't she still wearing like she described socks that she was wearing? Do you guys remember that?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:20

Yeah, there was something about socks in the end.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:23

Yeah. And I was like, oh my gosh, she just described the socks that her dad wore, like in the first couple pages. And I was like, She's still wearing those.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:32

So that's why I added it in because it was, you know, maybe she uh wore it as like a power move. Like, yes, uh huh. Yep, and that's what we're gonna do it as as well. There we go.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:46

Okay, that's what I got. Love it.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:49

Um mine, baking with bee. Baking with bee. Right, all right. Um, also tea, very important. Um, so I have a tea bar. So you can have you have some hot tea, so different choices of um tea bags, different types of tea, green tea, black tea, um herbal tea, and just all sorts of different flavors. Um, and then different iced teas, too. Um, and then you can have different fruits, um, strawberries, cucumbers, mint, honey, um, different things where you can you could also add like a handheld frother and some milk to make your hot tea lattes, like just a whole tea bar of like different things. And I was thinking you could just like put up some signs of like how to make certain teas that um yeah represent the book. So that would be cool, like a passion fruit green tea, I think would be really fun. Like, cause Mabel's so passionate about certain things, okay, especially for hate for green tea. So, like passion fruit green tea.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:59

I like the plan words there. Okay, I see it now. I like it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:03

So just like a whole tea bar, but then Allie, as I was listening to your tea game, so you would think about in your game which tea you would assign the character. Well, then I was thinking you the guests could make a certain tea, like if you have in the um recipe cards, you could assign the tea and make a tea for someone else at the party or the book club meeting. That's that would be fun. Yeah, then you can take it home. I like it. Yeah, uh-huh. Or like you could drink it while you're there. Um, so yeah, that could be a fun little thing with that. Um, I have a spill the tea game, and it's very similar to yours, Allie, but like in so there's questions, and then everyone writes down answers, but then someone becomes the tea entrepreneur and they have to guess whose answer is whose. Okay, that's fun. I like that spilling the tea. So while you're drinking your tea from your tea bar, so I kind of had an idea of like the tea bar is first, and then you can play the spill the tea game while you're enjoying your tea.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:15

I feel like that would go really well with Allie's question. Uh-huh. Exactly. Everyone answers them. Correct. But then you gotta figure out whose answer is whose. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:24

We're very similar thinking here. Um blending together. Yes. Um, so then once that's done, I was kind of thinking just something light, you know, um, a Greek salad in honor of Peter. Yep. And then okay, this is where it gets a little funky. Um, there's so much death. So, like skull rolls, like in the shape of a skull. Like oh my gosh, okay, and then crossbone breadsticks.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:52

So this brings it back to what you initially wanted the book to be about. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:57

Murder.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:59

Chop, chop, chop.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:05

Oh man. So you got a salad and some breadsticks. And then for dessert, brownies. And I was thinking you could have some regular brownies, right? Because the dean brings brownies for the interview. Oh, um, but you could also do some stuffed brownies, like a little surprise. Like Daphne was a surprise, Peter was a surprise. So like brownies stuffed with peanut butter or stuffed with like have an Oreo layer in it, or have like a cookie dough layer in it. So just you don't know what you're gonna get. Correct. So some stuffed brownies assorted on a plate, so exactly you don't know which one you're gonna get, and you'll be surprised.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:44

Yeah, that sounds really good. Yeah, I like how you delicious played with all of that to make it fit within the the book. I liked it.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:54

Yeah, yeah. Um, okay. Well, listeners, if you try any of these for yourself, you should definitely tag our uh Instagram account for our podcast. Allie, do you remember the name of our I changed it?

SPEAKER_04 1:11:15

So I think I think it's well cover it now.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:21

Because without an apostrophe, we'll cover it, like we'll cover it, but without the apostrophe. So yes, well cover it.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:28

Yep, we'd love to see your variations on these recipes and games and activities and how you put it uh into action for your book. That would be so fun to see. We'd love to see that, yeah. Okay, um, so reactions with Riley has changed a bit. Okay. So I uh decided since like it felt a little like stilted, where I had to kind of not really say too much at the start of our discussion of the book so I could hold in my reactions for my segment.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:10

Um, and then we jumped back to the same kind of discussion points we already talked about. It just felt kind of clunky past couple episodes. This time I um decided I would just share my thoughts as we all share our thoughts, and then um B came up with an idea for uh Riley's radio. So I could create a playlist of songs that I think kind of go with the theme of the book or could be played at a book club that could have some connections to the book in some way.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:44

Now, listeners, Riley is amazing at finding these and putting them together, these playlists and finding these songs that are perfect for books. Like whenever no, when you host, you always have a great playlist playing in the background with so yeah, typically I don't make those playlists, so I can't take the credit for that.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:08

Well you find them, but I find them and then I play them. But this time I created my own playlist. Um, and uh if you go to the links in this episode description, you can also go to that playlist on Spotify if you have Spotify, and you can listen to these songs at a book club or just for fun to get the vibe of the book. So I'm gonna just go through the songs that I chose and kind of why I chose those songs. So the first song I chose was I Choose You by Sarah Barellis because of the I Choose You moment at the beginning of the book that I really love. Perfect. Yeah, um, I know it's a love song, but there's a love between Stephanie and Elsie for sure. Yes, yes, it's like grandma granddaughter. Yes, and then the second song I picked was Penny Lane because every time I read Kenny Lane, I just thought of Penny Lane from the Beatles.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:05

Penny Lane.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:06

Yes, so I thought that would fit perfectly. Little play on words there. Um, and then in the book it mentioned a song by the Everly Brothers, Platter Parade. And for some reason I couldn't find it on Spotify. So I found another one of their songs that um I think kind of relates to the book a little bit called All I Have to Do Is Dream. And it's about like dreaming of you know, someone you love or something you want to do and with the one you love, and it kind of just reminds me of how Elsie kind of lived in her own world and imagination a little bit. The fifth song I picked was Choke by One Republic. Um this is a song I I love One Republic, but this song is kind of about like you've lost someone and your like memories of that someone that you get when you think about things or look at things. Um, and it just kind of reminds me of Elsie's life, you know, after her mom died, and the thoughts she would get and feelings she would get about all of that, and even once she learned about her younger sister, and just feeling those feelings when something comes up. Another song I picked is from Paramore, another one of my favorite bands, um, one of those crazy girls. And it's kind of about a girl who's going like love crazy a little bit, um, where she's going way over the top for a boy and like thinking all of these things that are a little extreme and definitely out of the ordinary, um, and kind of going crazy. And it kind of relates to Elsie, I feel like, you know, she's mad Mabel in a way, um, and she has those like early teenage love views that kind of escalate things a little bit more, and you know, we've all been there, we've all been teenagers in love, and I feel like that song fits very well. Another song I think fits really well is Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats. Yep. Did you get that? Yep, yep. Um absolutely, yep, that's a good one. Like digging the key into the side of his four-wheel drive. Um, just pretty much embodies those feelings once she realized that uh her pedophile teacher had a fiance. Um, Allie, you'll like this. I have a couple T Swift songs in the middle. All right, let me hear them. So I thought the fate of Ophelia relates to her thinking about Christos and how he kind of saved her from ending up to be like Ophelia, just longing for a lover who didn't love her back. Um and that song perfectly fits. The anti-hero song, I think fits as well. Yes, definitely talks about at tea time. Everyone agrees that I'm the problem. So yes, I love it. Um, look what you made me do. Oh my gosh, it's perfect. Yep, yep. I think that relates as well to the whole keying the tires in the car. Um, and then I went to some 50s classics because this book in her childhood is set in the 50s, right? Yeah. Um, so one song is by Dion and the Belmonts, and it's called A Teenager in Love. Again, perfectly relates. Um, a song by Brenda Lee is it's titled Is It True? Um, and it relates to all the rumors that were spread about Mad Mabel, and like, are these rumors true? Um, you know, all these people are saying these things. Is this what really happened? And then I picked an Elvis song called Hard Headed Woman, um, and I think it fits the father, the father's perspective a little bit, because in the song he says, a hard-headed woman is a thorn in the side of a man. And I feel like that is exactly what Elsie's father would have said. Yep. Um I uh picked Bad Guy by Ellie Billy Eilish. Yeah, yeah. Everyone is assuming she's the bad guy. Um, Kill Him with Kindness by Selena Gomez because of that kindness. That kindness. And then there's a new song that I listened to that I was just looking for a song about like just good like neighborhood vibes because this neighborhood is such a cute community in the end. Like it started out like everyone was their own stilted worlds in their houses, but then they really came together and loved each other in the end. Um, and I found the song titled Neighborhood by Tropodelic with crazy bone and crop, I think. I can't read my handwriting very well. But it was like really fun vibes and just talking about being in the neighborhood and like knowing your neighbors and loving them. So I thought that was the perfect end to the playlist. So yeah, I love long list of songs. But if you listen to it, hopefully it'll make you remember this great book that I gave a four-star to. So Riley, you did so good with that.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:19

That was such a good playlist. I love it.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:23

I'm trying to listen to it tomorrow.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:25

Yes, oh yes, I love it. Okay, oh, it's my turn next. Um, yeah, because it's my book next. So I have been messaging you guys because I've been in panic, I feel like. Because I've been trying to figure out what the next book should be because I had a thought and I just wanted to make sure we're all okay with getting on board with it. But um we're on board. I don't typically have like an author that I really love. Um, I know like books that I love, but I don't really follow authors and their like series or books that they write, but there is one author that I love, and most people who have read fantasy books probably also love this author, Sarah J. Moss. Um, I introduced you two to this author we did a couple summers ago. Um, we read the Aquatar series, Aqua Thorns and Roses. Um, and that was like my third reread of the series because I just loved it so much. Um, but I initially was introduced to this author when I read her first series that she ever wrote, which is the Throne of Glass series. And it's a long series, but I feel like if you like Akatar, you'll like this series. Um I've heard great things. Yes, and some people say it's better than Akatar. Oh wow, there's a hot debate. Um, I think Akatar is definitely heavy romanticy. Um, the Throne of Glass series is more fantasy, but there is definitely romance in there. But um, if you like fantasy in general, I think you'd like the series. All right. So I was also doing some research about what order we should start the series in.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:25

I was gonna ask you about that because there's a big debate.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:28

Yeah, yeah, yes. So I decided. So we decided. I'm sighing. This is how it works. I'm still worried.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:39

How stressed are you right now?

SPEAKER_02 1:22:41

I'm stressed on the scale of five stars. Okay, I'm gonna give that three. Um, this is gonna be a reread from me, but I've only ever read this series once, and it's been a while. So I don't fully remember all of the details and even in all of the books, like what exactly happens in all of the books. So that's exciting, but it was kind of hard for me to figure out like what order we should read. Reading online, I think based off of what we're gonna want to do, I think we're gonna try. Are we gonna try to read two books in a month? Did we decide we're gonna do that? For this month, I definitely for this month, yeah. Okay, so since we did we're gonna read two books this first month, um I think we're gonna start with the Assassin's Blade, which is a set of novellas that introduce you to one of the main characters in the series and it gives the backstory. Technically, the author wrote this book um when she was like in the middle of the series, but she wrote this uh this clump of novellas as a prequel, but um, some people say like it gives you some good background to start the series, and then the second book that we will read will be the like official start to the series, the throne of glass book. Okay, does that make sense? Yes, okay. Um listeners the the first book is The Assassin's The Assassin's Blade Blade by Sarah J. Moss. And then it is it is titled like Throne of Glass Novellas, but they're all inside of one book. Okay, that's what I was wondering. Yep, and then we will start the official first book of the series, which is the throne of glass. Okay, after that, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, alright.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:45

So I have been wanting to read the series for a very long time, but it's intimidating. Yes, yes, because it's so much, so like I'm glad we're doing it together because I'll actually read it now. And I'm really excited.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:58

I didn't have the courage to do it before. It was just like, oh, there's other books, there's a bunch of other books I want to read, so I'll read all the other books when in reality I could have just finished the throne of glass, but yep, I didn't because now we can read them together.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:13

Because now we're gonna read them together. And listeners, we are discussing whether or not like you would enjoy listening to a few episodes, a bunch of episodes, about the same series of books and our discussion of them and our segments about them. But hopefully, you even if you've read these books before, you wanna, you know, maybe reread along with us and join in the discussion or um like hear what we have to say and see if you agree about each of the books and kind of refresh your brain a little bit about those books. So we hope that's questions. Yes, yeah. If you've read it before, reach out, ask questions. We'd love to have that. Okay, um, so with that, I think we've covered it together.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:09

No, until next turn. Let's try that again.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:19

I think we've covered it. Until next turn.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:27

Oh, that's never getting better.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:29

No, it gets worse. Thanks for listening to we'll cover it. This podcast is produced and edited by Allie B and Riley. The music is created by Riley. Check the podcast description for links to the items mentioned in this episode segments to host your own Mad Mabel book club. This podcast is released on the first Monday of the month. So join us for our next episode on Monday, August 3rd. We'll be discussing two books this time: The Assassin's Blade and Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Moss. If you'd like to be a part of the club and our next episode, you can tag us or reach out to us on Instagram at we'll cover it underscore podcast, no apostrophe. You can also email us at we'll cover itpod at gmail.com. Again, no apostrophe. Or you can send us a fan mail voice message on our website, we'll coverit.buzzsprout.com. Again, no apostrophe. We'd love for you to be an active member of our book club. You can send us CQ recommendations, questions for the book discussion, book recommendations, or suggestions for aesthetics, bakes, or songs. We hope you'll join us next month for our next club meeting.