What Do You Want From A Summer Read

Summer reading should feel like momentum you can’t shake. We’re German and Jacqui, and we’re bringing a stack of beach reads that are bingeable, a little unhinged, and surprisingly thoughtful, even when they’re dark. If your ideal vacation book is short chapters, high stakes, and characters making questionable choices, you’re in the right place.  We start with what “summer reads” actually means to us, then trade recommendations that hit very different moods. Jacqui breaks down Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier, a sharp, twisted satire about wealth, entitlement, and a tenant who refuses to be a pawn. German brings Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon, a nostalgic coming-of-age novel where childhood magic runs straight into real-world evil, plus a reminder that a long book can still be the perfect companion across slow summer afternoons.  From there, we go darker and more intimate: Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin blends anxiety, identity, and dark humor with a mystery thread, while Whalefall by Daniel Kraus turns grief and guilt into an action-packed survival thriller with an unforgettable premise. Jacqui also shares The Push by Ashley Audrain for readers who love domestic thrillers, unreliable reality, and stories that question the myth of perfect motherhood. And yes, we toss in a bonus horror pick, Maeve Fly, because summer is a great time for glamorous darkness too.  Subscribe for more book recommendations, share this with a friend who needs a new beach read, and leave us a review so more readers can find the show. What’s your go-to summer genre?

Books Discussed in this episode: 

• Good Rich People - Eliza Jane Brazier (2022)
• Boys Life - Robert McCammon (1991)
• Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead -  Emily Austin (2021)
• Whalefall - Daniel Kraus (2023)
• Maeve Fly -  C.J. Leede (2023)

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Transcript

Welcome To Literary Chaos

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to this book her book, the competition of happy life with a former athlete and someone happy when we try to understand each other's reading each way to happily. Together we'll tell you the stories from happy ends of the bookshop. Laughing, debating, recommending, and occasionally roasting each other's acts. Because in this relationship, there's one guarantee. The only thing that's earlier than his and unfold is my TBR shop. This is his book Her Book, hosted by German and Jackie. Sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy the literary chaos.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Welcome to this episode of his book, Her Book. We're your host, German.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

And Jackie.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

And last episode, we talked about some of our favorite historical fiction

What Counts As A Summer Read

SPEAKER_02 0:57

novels. This episode, we're going to move on to summer reads or uh Beach Reads. Beach Reads, yeah. Which for me, I think of books like Jaws, Summer of Night, Stephen King's It. Yeah, that's good, right? They're not necessarily short, which I know a lot of people, you know, equate to summer reads, but they do ring of summertime beach reads, at least to me. I'm not about you, Jackie.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Well, I kind of feel like an imposter talking about summertime reads. Everyone who knows me knows I'll read whatever, whenever. I don't really fit into the mold of a seasonal reader per se. Honestly, the availability of my library holds pretty much dictates my next choice. And if a book I've been waiting for is finally ready for pickup, I'm gonna read it really regardless of the season. But I do understand the concept of a summertime book. I think I can confidently say I know when I've read one. When we were planning on this topic, I was kind of reflecting on what I personally would think of as a perfect summertime book. And I'm thinking like fast-paced, bingeable, not really a specific genre, but engaging, kind of just an overall good time, nothing too heavy or disturbing. I wouldn't be recommending crime and punishment during someone's Disney cruise. I think a degree of escapism is on point for summer too. Maybe some characters behaving badly. So that in mind, I have come up with some fun recommendations, I think. A little something for everybody.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

Do you want to talk about your first choice?

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Sure.

Good Rich People And Bad Behavior

SPEAKER_02 2:33

All right.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Okay. So the first book I am recommending is Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier. This was published in 2022. Got the synopsis? I do. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

All right. Good Rich People follows a wealthy couple who invite self-made entrepreneurs to live in their Hollywood Hills guest house, only to conspire to destroy their lives for twisted amusement. The game takes a chaotic turn when their new tenant, who is secretly an imposter, fights back.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

So fun. Sounds fun. So fun. Such a fun concept. I think this book fully embodies the idea of characters behaving badly. Literally, all the protagonists are unlikable, morally bankrupt, but that's kind of part of the fun of reading it. You're really more interested in how these characters can outwit each other versus like rooting for anyone in particular. It's kind of a tongue-in-cheek sort of satire. So you're not really meant to take anything too seriously. There are some themes I want to make mention of. Wealth and moral corruption is probably one of the primary themes. And these are two things I personally find often go hand in hand in real life. It questions what happens when people believe they're above consequences. I would describe this as a sharp critique of entitlement taken to disturbing extremes, really like privilege-enabling cruelty. Other themes would be survival and resilience, specifically specifically related to the character of Demi, who's the imposter tenant. I would consider her like not to be a passive victim in this story. The novel kind of explores how people respond under pressure. There's a theme of like appearances versus reality. Of course, the surface aspect of Lila and Graham, who are the evil rich couple. Their life is kind of perceived as quote unquote perfect, but beneath it all, it's very deeply toxic. Lastly, the kind of darker side of human nature. How far will someone go for their own entertainment? And could ordinary people kind of become complicit? I don't want to get too much into the overall plot. I think that synopsis was good. It definitely, I think, is enough to pull someone in to read this book. I definitely consider it a summertime like vacation beach read. It's it's a fast read, it's just over 300 pair uh pages. The chapters are short too, which I just find kind of helps like move things along. There's multiple narrators, and that also to me moves a story along, makes it really like fast to read. It's definitely a bit outrageous and dramatic, which again, qualities that I find perfect for like poolside reading, escape escapism in kind of a twisted way. The over-the-top premise gives the book kind of like a guilty pleasure vibe. It's definitely conversation worthy too. So if someone is looking for a fun book for like a summer book club read, I definitely would recommend this. Overall, Good Rich People, I think is great for anyone who likes like maybe psychological thriller type books, satires with a darker edge. If you enjoy that cat and mouse dynamic in a story, or just looking for something that's juicy and dramatic during your vacation.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

I don't know. Like a lot of your books, I'm like, that sounds like something I'd like to read too.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

It's really fun. Takes place in LA too. So that's kind of uh you know, maybe summertime gittery spot. All right, German, your first book.

Boy’s Life And Childhood Magic

SPEAKER_02 6:16

All right. My first choice this week is Boys Life by Robert McCammon, published in 1991. Jackie, uh synopsis?

SPEAKER_01 6:25

All right. A nostalgic coming-of-age novel. Oh. Here we go again. Okay, okay, okay, start over. A nostalgic coming-of-age novel set in 1964 in the small town of Zephyr, Alabama. It follows 12-year-old Corey, who, after he and his father witness a horrific unsolved murder, embarks on a journey where the everyday magic of childhood collides with real-world evil. You find them. Do find them.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

And the coming of age thing, huh?

unknown 6:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:54

Anyway, so this book takes place over a year in the life of our protagonist, 12-year-old Corey, who lives in southern Alabama. And we love Corey. He's like such a just such a good kid. I mean, the story opens up with him getting up early to help his dad, who's the town milkman, which was just being a milkman was a thing back in the 60s. Actually, 70s too. On his route. He helps him on his route. Unfortunately, on this morning, he and his dad end up when he's seeing a car crash out of sorry, car out of control, crash, and sink into a local lake. But this tragic event is what sets the story in motion. Now, I can't remember where I read this, but somewhere I read an interview about this book, and it said that it's a book about murder, and it's barely about murder at all. And it really hits the nail on the head for me. The book is really about being a twelve-year-old boy in the 60s, and specifically about Corey's year and everything that can take place and change who he is and change his life and how fragile innocence is and how easily he can and will lose it. We hit all the tropes of the coming-of-age thriller here with Boy's Life. We have bullies, we have bike riding, we have red herrings, we have first crushes, how to deal with death for the first time. And actually, actually, on that note, there's a trigger warning for a pet death in this book. And it's kind of sad because I think I might have shed a tear when it happened. But to me, the main theme of this book comes back to the magic of childhood. Along Cory's year, we encounter and experience a river monster, a magical mystical lady, small miracles, a triceratops, and a new magical bike with a magic eye that he's given as a gift, and even a gun that shoots garden snakes instead of bullets.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

Sounds cute.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

I know. I love that, and I love the memory of how as a child we sometimes explain things away by creating these fantasy beings and moments because our mind can't comprehend or doesn't really know how to go, you know, to go there yet.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

Makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 8:58

Right. And in keeping with the childhood, magic of childhood theme, there's one part in this book, among many, that I really love. And it just takes me back to me being a kid. In the book, it's summer in Corey. I think he's at a like a public pool hanging out, and here's a beach boy, the beach boys I get around for the first time ever. And to him, it's just magic. He can't stop singing it to himself. He wants to listen to it over and over again. And I I feel like that's something that we all have experienced and all remember. Okay. The first time we sort of heard a song, we're like, whoa, what is that song?

SPEAKER_00 9:34

I don't want to put you on the spot, but do you have a song in mind?

SPEAKER_02 9:38

Of course. I probably have many, but the one that to me, at least as a kid, that comes back and it just brings me right back there to 12-year-old summers is You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth by Meat Loaf. Classic. You must have one too.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Oh, don't ask me that. It'll be like head like a hole by Natchell.

SPEAKER_02 9:57

Of course, it's moving on. But you know, that's what I love about this book. And McCann just puts you there in that moment. You know, you feel like you're there and you're part of it. I should say, summer read-wise, the book is over 600 pages. So it's one of those books that you know it's not like a one or two-day read. It's a one of those books you read over multiple lazy summer afternoons.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

If you're lucky enough to have a long victory.

SPEAKER_02 10:26

But oh, recommendations, right? Who recommend this?

SPEAKER_00 10:28

What would you recommend this to?

SPEAKER_02 10:30

I recommend this book to fans of nostalgia. I keep funny saying this. Coming up at age, like me. But I feel you can hand this book over to a lot of people and just give them a heads up about the dog, but they'll they will love it.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Have I read this book?

SPEAKER_02 10:44

You haven't, and you know now talking about it. I feel like you would. We do own this book. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Yeah, it's maybe this will be one of my.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

Because you read Summer of Night after I read it. So I think you'll like this one even better.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Okay, cool. All right, sounds fun. Yeah, boys like age book from German.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

All right, let's move on to Jackie's next pick.

Anxiety Comedy With A Mystery Edge

SPEAKER_01 11:09

Okay, my next book is Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead. This is the debut novel by Emily Austin, published in 2021. German.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Here we go. The story follows Gilda, a morbidly anxious, queer atheist who, through a series of awkward misunderstanding, accidentally ends up working as a receptionist at a Catholic church. Whoa.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Obviously, fun concept. I think the title alone should make you want to pick this book up. If it doesn't, I don't know if we can be friends. This book is quirky, it's tender, it's very endearing. The extent to which I related to the main character, Gilda, is maybe a little bit concerning, unhealthy. I fell in love with her immediately. Emily Austin is brilliant at creating characters who you just are completely drawn to, maybe despite their flaws and uncertainty of self, or because of these traits. I don't know. You just can't help but love them. I'll always love an unhinged main character. And I found myself wanting to just like hug Gilda a million times while reading this book. So our protagonist is overwhelmed with intrusive thoughts. She's in constant fear of death. And she's now working at this church that she initially only went into because they were advertising free therapy. So from there, she ends up entangled in a situation involving the mysterious death of the church's previous receptionist. And the story unfolds into a mix of mystery, humor, questionable choices, some heartfelt moments as Gilda tries to cope with her anxiety and guilt and like desire for human connections. This book is darkly comedic. I would say a fresh voice in existential dread. And I love existential dread. I think you like that too, Jim. As heavy as the topics may seem, they're balanced so well with the humor and compassion that Austin infuses in her writing. Some of the themes I picked up on this book are firstly what I felt to be a very honest portrayal of anxiety and obsessive thinking. Austin is really empathetic in her writing, and the inner monologues of Gilda do a great job showcasing the like ceaseless nature of mental illness. Another theme is identity and belonging as a queer atheist in a religious environment. Gilda feels as though she has to hide her true self in order to be accepted. This book explores what it's like to exist between two worlds and search for spaces where you're accepted as you are. I really found that this book leans into complex type topics, but in a respectful and insightful way. And again, it's so witty and engaging. All right. So why is this a great summer read?

SPEAKER_02 14:10

Besides the title.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Like the other book I just talked about. It's a shorter read. I know, German, you're not defining summer books by page length, but I like the idea of a book you can read in like a long weekend. This one clocks in at 256 pages. It's character-driven and just addictive, like such a super interesting premise. It's a bit outside the box from what some might consider a traditional beach read, maybe something a bit more meaningful, but definitely without sacrificing readability. Who would love this book?

SPEAKER_02 14:42

I was about to ask.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Similar to my last recommendation, fans of dark humor, people who enjoy dun dun dun, character-driven, maybe more introspective fiction, readers looking for LGBTQ plus representation. And I like this phrasing. I was recommending this to a friend, and I said, Oh, you look book, you like books that are sad but funny. You'll love this. So for all my fellow weird girl readers, I think you would enjoy this one. And I also want to mention Emily Austin's other books are equally quirky and brilliant. I loved interesting facts about space and we could be rats. Those are two of her other books. So if you like Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, I would say check those out as well. Her most recent book is Is This a Cry for Help? was her most recent one. So everyone, everyone in this room will someday be dead. I mean, it's true.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Sadly true and funny.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

I think it also stressing Quinlan out is he is in the room and panting that entire review. So sorry, buddy. All right. Well, let's move on to your next book, German.

Whalefall And Survival With Guilt

SPEAKER_02 15:58

All right, my next book is Whalefall by Daniel Krauss, published in 2023. Jackie?

SPEAKER_01 16:06

An underwater survival thriller about 17-year-old Jay Gardner. Consumed by guilt over his estranged abusive father's death, Jay dives into Monterey Bay to recover his remains. The mission goes violently wrong when he is swallowed alive by an 80-foot sperm whale, leaving him a single hour of oxygen to escape the belly of the beast.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

Alright, so like Boy's life, Whalefall has a father and son story. But the similarities kind of end there. Father and son is the story in Whalefall. Mitt, Jay's late dad, wasn't going to win any father of the year prizes. He was abusive and emotionally manipulative with Jay. Not the best husband or family man, and wasn't really into working or making a living. You get it. You get the point that Mitt never wanted a family and to live the family man life. What he was was a legendary scuba diver in the Monterey area, and that's probably all he wanted. That and to make Jay into his own kind of mini-me. Now Jay is a very good diver, but not on a level his dad was. And he probably only did it because his dad forced him to. Now he's on this mission that is totally fueled by guilt to recover any piece of his father from the ocean. He ran away from home when his dad got sick, leaving his mom and his sister alone to take care of his dad. And somewhere in his mind he thinks this is gonna make up for abandoning them, abandoning them, and kind of abandoning his dad, even though his dad was not nice. Unfortunately, like Jackie said, yes, he does get swallowed by an 80-foot sperm whale. Accidentally on the whale's part, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now there's two themes here that stood out to me in Whale Fall. The first is the father and son relationship. Mitt, the dad, is outwardly a good father, is not sorry, outwardly not a good father to Jay, but I think in his mind, he just had this form of tough love. He's trying to make Jay a good kid, the only way he really knows how. And Jay did learn, begrudgingly, maybe, a lot from his dad. Here's what's crazy: the skills that Mitt taught Jay about diving and survival are exactly what's keeping him alive when he gets swallowed by the whale. Once he's in the whale's belly, he even hears his father's voice kind of talking to him and leading them and telling him how to stay alive. It's kind of ironic, but it makes sense. One thing I love that Daniel Krauss does with Mitt is that he makes it impossible for you as the reader to fully hate him. You can't forgive him either, but you can't really fully hate him. Now the second and maybe the core theme is this, and I love how this sounds, is that suffering doesn't settle suffering. When Jay decided I'm gonna go dive to the exact spot where my father died and recover any piece of him from my family, he had to know that the dive was gonna be treacherous and that he may not make it back. It's not like he was going on a dive in Hawaii somewhere. He was probably thinking, if I suffer and I go through this misery, it's gonna make it's gonna balance everything out with my family and my dead father. It's like when you hear of those like sort of freak accidents where many people get hurt, many people get killed, and then there's one person that walks away without a scratch. I'm guessing that one person would still have at least a small sense of guilt. Now I don't love this book. Well, guess what? Another Daniel Krause book. Again, I love it. The characters are rich. You feel like you understand why Jay thinks and does what he does. You feel the dread and fear he's going through with time and air running out inside the whale. And as bad of a father as Mitt was, a small part of me really felt he was doing what he thought was the best way of raising and teaching his son. Rich characters, insane, and I can't think of a better word than maybe cinematic moments with Jay and the whale. And also really emotional. It's five stars.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Speaking of cinematic, didn't they?

SPEAKER_02 20:07

This is a gonna be a comes out in October, I think. Summer reads-wise, you may not want to read this on the beach if you're planning on going for a swim. But it is a pretty fast read. It's like 330 pages, I think. So you could finish in one or two sittings, and it has a summer setting. Lastly, who would I recommend this to? People who love father and son stories for good and bad ones. Quick read, attention and action packed, but also packed with emotion.

SPEAKER_01 20:43

So you mentioned another Daniel Krause book that you loved. And I just wanted to remind everyone that last episode you talked about Daniel Krause's Angel Down.

SPEAKER_03 20:55

So good.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

And I had mentioned that I couldn't wait to read

Angel Down Writing Style Praise

SPEAKER_01 20:59

it. And I read it. Yay! I was so excited when you got to. Maybe we could talk a little bit about that again. I absolutely loved it so, so much. It was a five-star read for me. I think I read it in like two days. Really fast. I mean, I just devoured it. I'm so jealous of Daniel Krause's vocabulary. I did not know there were so many ways of describing the horrors of war. His writing is just phenomenal. In some ways, I would compare it to Donald Ray Pollock, who I also talked about last episode. Authors that just have this ability to write so beautifully about the ugliest of human conditions. And I wanted to mention that you had said that the one sentence structure was a little tough for you to get over.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Yeah, at first it took me like a day or two to like really get into it.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

I honestly didn't notice it at all. So that's so good. It didn't phase me. I'm attributing that to the fact that I read tons of Irish authors and I've noticed many of them write without paragraph breaks or quotations. So that wasn't an issue for me, but I did like that you had mentioned you would write an article about why he used that structure. And I totally agree. It like pushed the story forward. It made you feel this kind of extra intense anxiety.

SPEAKER_02 22:15

Yeah, like you were in Bagger's brain. Yeah. And just that's how he's thinking in the moment.

SPEAKER_01 22:20

So awesome recommendation. My best friend is reading it as well. I haven't gotten his opinion yet. I can't wait to hear that. I think he's enjoying it.

SPEAKER_02 22:29

Also, I think I walked past your collection and I see Whalefall waiting to be read.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

Whalefall was one of the books I picked up this last Saturday at the library. So it might be, it actually might be my next read. So it's also fitting because it's one of your summer recommendations, and it is in fact summer. So good. You're gonna love it.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

And Jackie, you have one more.

The Push And Unreliable Motherhood

SPEAKER_01 22:49

I do. That is The Push, which was the debut novel by Ashley Audrain, published in 2021.

SPEAKER_02 22:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

Can you read the synapses?

SPEAKER_02 23:00

Yep, here I go. The push follows Blythe, a woman determined to be a better mother than her cold distant ma. But when her daughter Violet is born, Blythe starts to feel that something is just off. What unfolds is a tense emotional spiral where love, doubt, and perception collide. And the question becomes can you trust your instinct even when no one else does?

SPEAKER_01 23:24

It's a bit reminiscent of the omen. I love the setup of this book. Conceptually, it's just such a trip. Much of the book is written as a letter from Blythe to her husband, Fox. I found this refreshing and very unique. The letter format really pulls you right into Blythe's mind, and you definitely feel like you know her intimately. I really think it's impossible to elaborate on the plot without giving too much away, but I do stress checking trigger warnings on this one for sure. As always, I do have to dive into some of the themes of this book. Definitely, generational trauma is a big piece of this story. Blythe is desperate to break the cycle of abuse imposed by her mom and grandmother, but her daughter Violet turns out to be more than difficult from the start. She's hostile towards Blythe, aggressive with other kiddos, just lots of disturbing and concerning behaviors that her husband Fox continuously dismisses. And that brings me to the theme of gaslighting and unreliable reality. As a reader, you're constantly questioning what's real. The author does uh a really great job of just creating this doubt. Is she right? Is she unraveling? There's definitely a theme of nature versus nurture. Maybe that's a bit more subtle in this book. The question of whether some behaviors are innate kind of suspends in the backdrop a little bit. And I love how this book challenges the myth of perfect motherhood. Drain basically dismantles the idea of maternal love always being natural and effortless. Blythe's experiences as a mother are complicated. They're at times uncomfortable. And that just really kind of flips the narrative of what I think most people believe they're supposed to feel as parents. I mean, I am not a mom. I'm not a mom to human children anyway. So I did have a bit of a voyeuristic kind of feeling when I was reading this. No aspect of it could really be related to my own experiences. So it was just like a no-stakes, fully enjoyable ride. I don't know if that's bad.

unknown 25:41

No.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

All right. So why is this a great summer read? It's another fast one. I think it's like 300 pages. The chapters are short, which again, I really find often makes the story move along quicker. It's emotionally gripping. The writing style makes the story more fast-paced. Again, I love that kind of letter format aspect. Like with my other recommendations, I'd say it's dark but digestible, deep themes, but without dense writing, so super bingeable. The readers that would like this book, I would say fans of psychological or maybe domestic thrillers. If you like an unreliable narrative, sorry, an unreliable narrator, maybe a bit of moral ambiguity, readers interested in a darker, more like honest portrayal of motherhood. And again, fans of character-driven novels. I think we need to start a drinking game.

SPEAKER_03 26:34

Yeah, character-driven for you. Every time, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:36

Coming of age story for you, character-driven for me, drink. And honestly, I'd be interested to hear what maybe some thoughts that parents had if they've read this book to see if they had maybe just an overall different experience than I did. Be interesting. Yes. All

Maeve Fly As A Summer Horror Pick

SPEAKER_01 26:56

right. Not to push this episode. But I wanted to mention there's a horror book that German we've both read and that we both really loved that I do believe falls into the category of summer reads, and that is Maeve Fly by CJ Leed.

SPEAKER_03 27:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

I'm totally obsessed with. Love Mae Fly.

SPEAKER_03 27:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

I love Mae Fly and I love CJ Lead. I would say, well, yeah, check the trigger warnings.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

Seriously, check the trigger warnings. Yeah, I'll give you a quick, quick synopsis of my own if somebody asks me. Maeve Fly is about Maeve, who day plays as a theme park princess, but Big Butt at night is a serial killer. But I mean, there's so much more to the book than that. So much more, yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:46

I think the Los Angeles backdrop is an entire vibe in itself. Um, Lead gives us theme parks, Disney princesses behaving badly, yeah, dive bars with possible celebrity regulars, TG lounges, a protagonist that you really can't help but root for.

SPEAKER_03 28:06

Seriously.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

Yeah, this book is just like an addictive read. It's so fast and feverish, I would say devour over a long weekend.

SPEAKER_02 28:15

I don't know the page count, but it's I remember, yeah, it's a shorter one.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

It's probably, I think it's under 300, maybe closer to like the 250. Yeah, something like don't quote me on that one. But yeah, just a fun mix of glamour and darkness.

SPEAKER_02 28:28

Yes, yeah. With a spooky soundtrack throughout the spooky soundtrack, the whole like speaking of LA, the whole public and private person, you know, part of yourself.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

I like that. Yeah, the duality of this character is super fun. And I would love to talk to CJ Lead about the end. I'm not gonna give anything away. I have strong feelings about it. I know, German. I think you kind of agreed with my feelings. I would just love to pick her brain a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 28:56

And also CJ, for listening. Hi, CJ. Also, I was gonna say, even just from us coming, having been lived in LA for years, it was kind of it's always kind of cool, like going, Oh, I know where that is, and I kind of think I know what she's talking about here.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

And I I just like the way that she overall writes about LA. Yeah. Just kind of the seediness of it all, and of juxtaposition too, of like to the princesses, the yeah, yeah, the really glamorous aspect, and then the not so 100%. Yeah, so another horror may fly, summer would definitely work for the summer.

SPEAKER_02 29:30

For sure. Yeah. All right.

Wrap Up Plus What We’re Reading

SPEAKER_02 29:33

Well, with that, I think we should wrap this up.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

Yes. We've gone on for far too long.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

Sorry, guys. All right, so don't forget to follow the show on your favorite podcasting service and connect with us on Instagram at podcast underscore his book, her book. Share the episode with friends too.

SPEAKER_01 29:51

And I wanted to quickly shout out one of our listeners, Andrea.

SPEAKER_02 29:55

Hey Andrea, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

Thanks for hanging out with us.

SPEAKER_02 29:58

Thanks for listening. Also, I wanted to ask or say, what are we reading right now? Yes. Jackie, you first.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

I'm currently reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I think that's how you pronounce it. I think so. It's too soon to say. Too soon to say. I know this is an extremely popular book. I was kind of shocked to see it has like millions of ratings on Goodreads, and it has a very, very high star count on Goodreads, and it's now a movie. So lots and lots of hype about this one. I'm just gonna reserve my opinion for now. Yeah. How about you? What are you reading?

SPEAKER_02 30:39

Right now, I am reading The Fisherman by John Langham, which I can't remember when I first heard it, but it was recommended to me. And again, too soon, but I mean, actually, not too soon to say that so far. I am really like I'm really enjoying it first person, which is a little different from what I've been reading lately, but really good.

SPEAKER_01 30:58

Yep, well, what are we gonna be talking about next episode?

SPEAKER_02 31:02

Next episode, we will be talking about the same author, but different books. So Jackie will have one author, two different books, maybe three.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

Actually, I have two authors, two books each. I think I'm going to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 31:17

It's a big episode for Jackie. I'll probably have one author with two books, but I have a few actually authors to choose from. So I'm I'm really excited about that one.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Nice. Yeah, I can't wait.

SPEAKER_02 31:26

All right. Until then, I hope you join us for that next episode. Uh, thank you for listening to his book, her book.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

Hopefully, they become your books. Bye.