Bookwild - 2024 Mid-Year Favorites with Gare

Episode Date: July 19, 2024

This week, Gare is back!  And we share some of our favorite reads of the first half of 2024.Books We Talk AboutListen for the LieKill for Me, Kill for YouAn Inconvenient WomanThe Man on the TrainThis Family LiesThe Hollywood AssistantThe Hunter’s DaughterLove Letters to a Serial KillerBodies to Die ForHow We Name the StarsRabbit HoleMissing White WomanThings Don’t Break on Their OwnNo Road Home Get Bookwild MerchCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackCheck Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck out the Imposter Hour Podcast with Liz and GregFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrian 

I'm super pumped to be here tonight. I know. Gare's back, everybody, in case couldn't tell from his voice. From my voice. Yeah. I'm super pumped to be here. And yeah, I have been listening as much as possible. Am I okay?

Yeah, my tissue box just all of a sudden fell. And I was like, what just means? I was like, can you not hear me? I've been listening and I appreciate everybody asking how I am and all the kind of words. So I might as well just jump in and say, for once, I'm not overdramatic. I just finally got diagnosed with pots. So all of the illness and fatigue and not feeling well in the brain fog and all of that good stuff is not just me being a drama queen. actually have pops.

You're like, for all the haters who didn't believe me. For anyone who was like, oh my God, he just wants to take a break from the podcast. I don't. I didn't. I haven't had anyone ask me that. So there's that. Well, I'm sure. I'm just worried about you.

You know how some haters are, though? They wouldn't say it to you. They're probably just like listening. Like, oh, he probably just. There's probably nobody in my mind. I'm just like. It's okay. You're just addressing the possibility of haters.

Yeah, I'm just like, listen, I didn't just step away for the sake of it. Yeah. And I'll just pop in when I feel good and when you want me as a buddy. Yes, it makes it seem like some of the time I'm like, eh. Honestly, I would not blame you because I cause nothing but technical issues every time I try to do the podcast. I don't know that I'm supposed to accept calendar things. I just leave them in my inbox. And I'm like, oh, cool.

I'll just leave this in here as a reminder. I schedule things with you. And then something weird happens with my schedule. That's like last minute. And like I literally in person where I live have like three or four friends that I hang out with. So like I would not expect there to be a lot of things that would pop up. up until like I've had no plans the past months and then like we make this fan and it's like X Y Z social gear yeah well so on the road me and my pot and it's like 85 degrees and I feel like

I'm going to pass out everywhere that's totally safe yeah loving it yeah I'm not I am not loving the weather as everyone who has listened would know this is my hell Yes, this is my hell as well. I don't like the heat and I don't like the humidity. And it has been out of control. Disgustingly hot and humid here. And then to top it all off, it has today's day two of it just pouring down rain, which has cooled it off, but increased the humidity so much that I'm like, I want to die. It was the same thing. I almost got like a little bit excited this morning for the walk because it said it was 68 outside. and then I walked outside. It was 94% humidity. Like it felt like it was 80.

I was like, this is not 68. It's, I hate it so much. But while it sucked to have to pay for it, we did upgrade our HVAC last summer. So this is like kind of the last two summers, we were like, hope it keeps working. And so this is the first summer. I haven't had to worry about it.

So now I'm kind of like, Okay, it was worth it. And it is hella cool. I, um, my AC units are the wall units. Oh, yeah. That go into your wall. And I turn my air conditioner on when I go to bed at night, but I have it set at 65 because I like it colder when I sleep. And I like wake up in the middle of the night or wake up the next morning and it's like, it drops to 60. So it like cools my bedroom down. to like 65, but then it like continues to drop. And I'm like, oh, I love this. Like, it feels so good. I do too. But I'm noticing like how sore my throat is because it's like it's like an ice like ice box in here. Yes. Yeah, I'm to the stage where I'm having to use eye drops a lot.

Like when I wake up, they're really dry even. But I'm like, give me that AC. Oh yeah, I know. I'll crank that fucker. Oh. I just want to be cold as fuck. all the time. I know. Yeah. Well, I actually thought of an icebreaker. It came to me when I was drawing my hair. And then I was like, should I stop and write it? And I was like, no, I'll remember it. Didn't remember it. And then I was like, hopefully it comes back to me. And it did come back to me, thankfully. I'm really glad because I think it's a fun. I mean, it's probably like not the funest subject, but it just seems like a fun subject to me and is cracking me up that I'm like, this is so fun.

You like ask me and I hang up. You're like, uh, okay. Like, what's my favorite skittal? Grape or orange, of course. Orange. Yeah, orange is great. But so I've been, we've been seeing a lot more movies. Like, we're just on a movie kick.

And obviously I'm always on a book kick. but it was like making it because like when Tyler and I talk about movies afterwards he is used to an out of 10 system because movies are like out of 10 stars like on like IMDB and everywhere else like even rotten tomatoes is like percent so it's kind of that 10 thing again and then books are almost always out of five stars and it was bringing me to this like weird conclusion that like I actually give a lot of five stars, which is something I noticed when preparing for this topic. But I've never given a movie 10 stars. And so then it was also making me think about how like a 3.5 for a book makes me like, oh, like if I see someone gave it something like that, a three or 3.5. But if a movie is a seven, that's like a solid movie still to me. where I'm like, oh, okay.

So where I'm headed with this is like, do you feel the discrepancy where like five out of five feels different than 10 out of 10 in the like reading systems? Um, hangs up. Now, quick.

Um, I don't, I will say if I'm very excited for a, book and like it's good reads is like a three three and a half i'm like right but if i'm really excited for a movie and it's like a five up i don't give a shit because all i'm doing is sitting my ass on a couch with like a snack of my choice and pressing play yeah so like if i want if i waste two hours on a movie and be like oh i did not like that it's not as infuriating as carving time out of my schedule to read a book. So I feel like I'm a little bit

more lenient with like movies. Yeah. I was kind of saying the same thing. We're actually, because I was saying like a 3.5 book, I'm like, oh, but a seven movie, I'm like, cool, sounds great. Yes. And I think that's why if it were me and like one thing I could do if I could change, like go back and change time. This is not the one thing, but like, this is one of the things I would do. If I wasted my time on this, my personal life would be in shambles. If I could go back in time and change a few things, one of the things I would do is I think that books should be one out of ten and movies should be one out of five.

Because for me, like, a six out of ten book is like good. enjoyed it, didn't feel like I wasted my time. But like a four out of ten book is like maybe I wish I would have picked something out, you know, instead of this. But like when you do that on the one to five scale, it's like, oh, like to me if somebody gives anything three and above, I'm like, oh, so they enjoyed it. And then two is like, wasn't my cup of tea and one was like, I hated it. And then like zero is like, this is just awful.

So, but like there is a big difference in a book when you're doing that. You know, like sometimes I read a book and I'm like, okay, that wasn't as good as I wanted or there was something missing or I just didn't vibe with me, but it was still like enjoyable. And then like a four for me is like, that was so good. I do not regret anything about reading it. And then a five is like, I want this book to be in my casket. yes yeah it's get level they're just going to have to bury me with my phone

they're going to have to bury me with like basically bright young women you're like that's the only five star ever I am so bad with five stars lately I am the complete like you're like joking around you're like I've been handing out five stars and I'm like I just have you know what some of it is is some of it for me is like if it's a 4.5 maybe if that's

what I maybe what I would give it like okay it's not like wildly the best book I've ever read but was like really fucking good but then if I go on good reads and it doesn't have many reviews or like some people are being like harsh about dumb stuff I'm like I'm giving it five because I'm also like it was that close to being a five for me anyway and so now I think I give more fives yeah usually like I think now I'm just like pickier where like I want if a book is a five star for me, I want it to be something that has changed me or completely dragged me out of a reading rut or just like something that like is going to stick with me. Yeah. Forever.

Otherwise it's going to be a four for me. Like if it's going to be something that I read and a month from now, somebody's like, oh, what did you think of this part? I'm like, I don't remember that part. It's four. Yeah. Yeah. But if I'm like reciting it line for line when somebody asked me that question, like it's five. Yeah. Yeah. Mine is sometimes I lose character names pretty quickly. Like if I'm reading, especially if I'm reading at least two books a week, I'll forget character names. But if I like it, I agree. It would be like I could still be like, oh yeah, the main character's sister. I just wouldn't have the name.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I understand that. Yeah. I'm the same way. But you're good with names. You remember names. I remember unique names. And I'll tell you what. if I could pick somebody out to name all of my babies that I'm not having, it would be Sarah Shepard, who wrote the Pretty Little Liars series, because all of her books have, like, the coolest character names. Yeah. Yeah. Like, I love her.

Like, she, like, introduced me to the name Sutton. Oh, yeah. Which I love before. I will always think of Sutton's track now. Yeah, I know. Like now all I think is like sat in strack. But like, I'm like,

oh my God, I love that name and like, the name like Aria. I love that name. Little Liars. Yeah, she's just like, she picks like really cool, cool, cool, cool names that are like

unique but not like trying too hard. Hmm. That's a, you see, there's a unique shout out for her. Yeah. And obviously Pretty Little Liars was like my 20. It's like, oh my God.

So good. I know. I'm trying to think. I watched Gossip Girl in my 20s. It's not exactly the same thing. Anyway. They both got ridiculous as the show's funny. They did both get more ridiculous as they went on.

I remember watching it because it like, binging TV was basically like new when I was in college. Dude, I just had a dream I was in college last night. And Gossip Girl was like one that had like tons of seasons. And I was like, ooh, I don't live at home. I can watch this. And now I'm like, gossip girl is what I felt that way about. It's so funny because, like, I, I, how much older am I than you?

I'm 31. Okay, so I'm six years older than you. Yeah. So when you were in diapers, but like when I was in college, the popular thing was the DVD box sets. Yes, because that was right. that was high school for me. Someone gave me the DVD box that of One Tree Hill. Yes. So that was how like I would binge my time. And I just remember like it was a sickness.

Like right now my sickness is like buying bucks obviously and that's probably what it's going to be. Right. But like that was my sickness. Like I remember the first one I bought was the first season of the OC. Oh yeah. And I was booked. I was like this is a drug. And then I did One Tree Hill. And I think I did like Desper Housewives Dexter. Dexter was like college for me too. Yeah. Yeah. And I was like addicted.

Like that was what my paychecks were going toward. I was like I don't need to eat. I don't need to like pay for gas. I just need a pack of Marb lights and like the next season of Dexter. Yes. That was the first gift I got Tyler was because it wasn't on. We didn't have HBO at least or it. was it showtime sorry we didn't have show time um and so the first gift i got him was like the

blu-rays of all the seasons that it aired at that point and i got him because we saw them it's uh we still have it somewhere it's coasters that are like slides like his uh his the murder slides yes the the what is he called the thing that he keeps them in doesn't have a name for it i don't know but the blood slides yes It's like coasters that are glass, but have like blood slides on them. And then it's in like a box that looks like the box that he has. So that was the first gift I got him. I love that show. I'm actually going to be restarting that show probably end of summer beginning of fall because I don't want to have bad memories of watching it when it's like too hot.

But they're making a prequel series to it. And Sarah Mitchell Geller is going to be in it. I know. I am so excited. And she like started filming. Because that final season they did where like when they came back was good. So I like believe in their ability to make another good one.

I was like hoping they were going to continue that. Yeah. Because the ending to me kind of felt like you could give me a little more. Yeah. And it felt like they could almost go back to it if they wanted to or be like, oh no, it was an ending. Yeah. Yeah. Who knows.

Who knows? We love Dexter. Yes. And we love books. So we needed, I felt like we needed to do a mid-year favorites recap. Yeah. Do you call it something else? Mid-year.

I don't know. The only thing I see on Instagram. Oh, excuse me. the only thing I see on Instagram is people doing like Q1, Q2, Q4 favorites. Oh, yeah. But like I've been such a picky bitch this year. Like it was hard for you to find out. Yeah, I was like, I'm like reading things.

And I'm like, this is good. I enjoy this or like this is really good or like it's really fast pace or whatever. But like I'm not having anything that's not just can all ruined reading for me. Like I'm not having anything that's like knocking me off my feet like bright young living dead. Yeah. I feel like I'm an addict. Like, you know how they say that, like, people who do drugs are always trying to chase that first tie they got?

It's your euphoric recall. You're like, I wanted as good as that time. I'm just trying to find the reading experience that I get with Jessica Knoll, specifically bright young women. Yeah. Sadness. And some mystery. Not really. There's not really mystery because we all knew.

I don't know. It's such a unique book. That's also probably why it's hard to find one. Yeah. Yeah. There is one on my list that I will say, I think, is comparable for a specific reason. Oh, nice. Do you want to go first? Oh. It's your podcast. It is my podcast. Well, I'll go first. I'm just a guest in your home. Yeah, you go first. well this was the first one that I was obsessed with in the year I think I can't remember it was definitely like early on in the year but I loved listen for the lie by Amy Tintara like so good blew through that one everything about it I loved um but it has been a little I'll probably just read this one since it's been a while since I've read it and I don't want to give spoilers um I actually

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy's blood, everyone thinks she's a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town, pretty smart and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It's been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can't remember anything about, and she has since moved to L.A. and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit True Crime podcast, Listen for the Lie. And it's too good-looking host, Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy's murder for the show's second season. Lucy is forced to

return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend's murder, even if she is the one that did it. This one has so many. It has podcasts, which of course I'm always going to like in a story. But it had so, so snarky, my favorite type of narrator, like goes back to a small town and is just like making fun of the people in her head. And I also felt like they're the dynamic between her and the podcast host reminded me of The Last Housewife. So there's also that.

It's not as dark as the last housewife, but it's like they have a similar dynamic. And there's like a very similar scene too. I'm like trying not to spoil anything, but I had a crush on Ben. Oh my gosh. Me too. I had a huge crush on Ben. And Lucy was like, oh, my God. She's so fun.

She's so fun. I love Lucy. Yeah. That was a really good one, too. Yes, I agree. I had to print mine out because technical difficulties, I thought we were going to be doing this on my phone. So I was like, here's Grandpa Gere.

I wondered when you were waving papers earlier. Print out? I'm like, okay. I can't read it off my phone if I'm on my phone. So, but whatever. And even like the font is. My font's huge when I read. It's huge.

So one of the first books that I was like, oh my God, this is the automatic five star for me. And I like love, love, love and would make zero changes. It is kill for me, kill for you by Steve Kavanaugh. Yes. I loved that. Was this one of yours? Kind of, but I ended up moving it. So I'm glad you took it.

But it is so good. it's so twisty. It's bingeworthy. Like this is a weekend book, guys. Like, you start this on like a Friday night when you get done work so that you do not have a bedtime. You do not have plans. You just can just read it all weekend and get takeout. Yeah. Amazing. One dark evening in New York City's Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect. If you kill for me, I'll kill for you. Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded. She's attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes who disappears into the night.

Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there? Yeah, my sake on this one has always been that it is the most unique take on strangers on a train. since like a kind worth killing. 100%. Yeah. 100%. Yeah. It is amazing how the story comes together.

You aren't going to, you're not going to think it. No, no. This is how I felt reading the David Ellis book. Look closer. I agree. There were so many things going on. So much was going on. So much was going on.

and I thought I had thanks piece together or I had like a broad understanding of where it was going to go and like Steve Kavanaugh was like the fuck you do and like threw me in a completely different direction. It was so good. So good. Probably one of the top. It's very, it's pretty violent too. Yeah. Yeah. Listen, to be honest, guys, if I'm reading, if I'm recommending a book, it's either very violent, very bleak or there's a ton of sex between two men in it. There we go. So there's your trigger warnings. Yeah. Yeah. Because like some of the scenes are so like stuck in my mind because of how like visceral they were and painful actually. There's Ruth's attack scene that I won't spoil. Yeah.

There was one part where like she's in a certain part of the house and she says like, you can see like the blue light from the moon coming through the kitchen. That's what I think of when I think of this book. Like that's like the first thing I think of because honestly, this is probably one of the top 10 most cinematic books I've ever read. It's very cinematic. Like he really does a good job of like painting a picture for you to imagine when you're reading it. Yeah.

It's so good. I love so good. Me too. I think he has like, he was trending a while ago because there was a book. called 13 that he wrote and it's like part of a series but like he's somebody that like

I would love to go back into his back list. I know me too especially since I read that. Yeah. I love him. Yep. We both loved that one. Well, my next one is also one of my favorite covers ever

and it's called An Inconvenient Woman by Stephanie Buellens. There's an accent on the E in her name. So I don't know if it's like Stephanie. There's something going on. This one also has like a lot of things going on that come together at the end. Claire Fontaine is convinced that her ex-husband killed their teenage daughter all those years

back and believes he's capable of killing again. When she sees him move in with another woman to play stepfather for a girl, the same age as the one she lost, Claire tries desperately to warn the new bride of the danger her family is in. But when the woman dismisses her admonishments, she feels she must take matters into her own hands and stop the crime she failed to stop before. Sloan Wilson left the LAPD to work as a sin-eater, a contractor for hire who specializes in cleaning up inconvenient situations, situations which, for whatever reason are better handled outside the law. Like, for example, an ex-wife who stalks her former husband,

throws paint on his door, and makes vague, violent threats to his new wife. A domestic dispute like that can get messy when the cops are called. Plus, there's a risk that their presence will aggravate the woman in question. As Sloan investigates her newest mission, however, she finds that there is more to it than meets the eye, uncovering a history of trauma that casts aspersions on the stories of both Claire and Sloan's client. In a case where objective truth is increasingly muddled by passion, suspicions, and fears,

she soon loses the ability to distinguish fact from fiction. But Sloan knows one thing for certain. Sometimes the only way to prevent a crime is by committing one. The ending is amazing. Like, you're just, like, burning through the pages because it's, like, bouncing between perspectives and you're like, oh my gosh, what's going to happen? And then it like is just such a perfect ending. But the way that like Claire and Sloan stories intermingle and then come together at the end is so good.

I really want to read this now. And I do love that cover. So good. I this was another one like I read it as quickly as I could basically just did my responsibilities for the day and read. Like, no, that sounds like. incredible. That sounds incredible. I don't, the cover looks familiar. I don't know if I like, I know I sent it to you at one point because I was like, this cover. I think I remember when it came out and I don't know if I just didn't get a copy of it from the publisher or. I know she's a

French author. Like, it's technically translated and then it came out in 2020. That could be why too. I know COVID affected a lot of like review copies for publisher. So that could have been why. Yeah. But I... You're like some things I want to say, but I feel like it would kind of ruin the experience. But that's how many good things they're already in this book. I feel like I would love to get this on my Kindle.

Mm-hmm. But I'm with you. Like, I love the cover so much that I really just want to... Yeah. Have a physical copy of it. Yeah. it's awesome um and then like the title means like three things by the end is another really cool part i love that i love when the title like is very representative of like what happens in the story

it's not just like something to like grab you yeah you know like another girl book I hope you're enjoying this episode of Book Wild, and if you are, could I ask you a favor? Could you go and rate and review this podcast and whatever platform you're listening? Ratings and reviews make the biggest difference in discoverability of the podcast, and I definitely want to find all of our fellow thriller readers out there. So if you could go rate the podcast and leave a short review, that would make a huge difference. Thank you, and let's get back to the show. I'm nervous for my next one.

Nervous? I'm afraid it's on your list. Oh, well, I have lots of backups as we learned. Okay. My next one is The Man on the Train by Debbie Batat. I was so close. That one, it's like, it's what I moved to my backup.

So I'm glad. So these two I had first because I was like, I love these so much, but I knew that you loved them as well. I did. And I was like, fuck. Like, these are. the two that I really want to have because I loved them so much, but I knew you liked them as well. So I was like, yeah, I'm nervous. But that's fine. So this is another one that you may think

is just another retelling or like example of strangers on a train, but it is not, even though it sounds like it. But it is, one man is about to have a midlife crisis. Like, no man. has ever had before. Before his wife, the nightmare is just beginning. Manhattan assistant district attorney Linda Haley is awakened one early morning by two police officers at the door. She has no idea that her husband has been living a secret life during his daily commute into the city. Now Guy is the prime suspect in a brutal murder that could derail Linda's high-powered career and may be connected to a cold case. And Guy has disappeared. With a warn out for his arrest, Linda travels to the scene of a 40-year-old unsolved murder and a night of violence that shattered the serenity of a fishing hamlet on the eastern end of Long Island.

Aided and embedded by an ex-cop who's in love with her, she searches for evidence that could clear guy's name. But as the manhunt intensifies and she begins to uncover the shocking truth and the past guy has buried deep, Linda must decide if the stranger she married is innocent or guilty. Yeah, it's like surprising how many things she packed into that book. Incredible. Incredible. So good. Oh, my gosh. I can't remember. So you know, oh, no, I can't say this. It's a complete spoiler. I almost just totally spoilered to tell you something.

You have to read this one, too. The first victim. It's so good. It's so good. And I think she has, I know she has like a third thriller called like Saving Grace. saving grace, I think. And I think it's a thriller with like religious aspects to it. It is. So you might want to check that out. I know. She's like an auto buy for me now.

I know. She's so good. She's so good. She was fun to talk to too. Yeah. She was cute. She gives me like Karen Slaughter vibes. I know.

That's what I compared her to too. And she was like, people keep saying it. And I'm like, oh my gosh. She's so cute. And I'm like, well, we all think it. Yeah. well my next one also takes place down south and I was glued to it I read this mother's day weekend and like when we were at Tyler's parents house for Mother's Day I was

sitting at the table trying to solve the book so that was how into this one I was and it is called this family lies by J.M. Cannon who I've talked about before too. IRIS ad, was supposed to be killed. In their home in southern Louisiana, Iris and her husband Joseph are both shot point blank in the head by an unknown assailant. While her husband is killed, Iris survives, but only by a ricochet. She wakes up with her memory fractured. She doesn't remember her husband's family, eager as they are to take her into their world of marble, maids, and prim southern manners. I'm having a hiccup attack. Not long after Iris goes to heal the families to hear...

Not long after, Iris goes to heal at the family's historic plantation. A girl is found dead in the sugar cane stalks nearby. And of these wealthy, strange people, Iris is surrounded by, she realizes one of them might still be trying to kill her. The only thing certain is not everyone is getting out of this alive. This is another one. where like there's so much more to the book even, but like you just can't, you like only want to know this much information. But some of the things that stood out to me was like she starts to be like,

I don't like these people. So like, who was I before? And like what was I capable of? And so she starts to like become scared of who she might have been. And that was like a next level of creepy. So it sounds almost like a serious version of Samantha Who. Did you ever watch that show? Samantha Who is like Christina Applegate and she's hit by like a taxi. And she wakes up from being in a coma and like she's like, who are you? And it's like her boyfriend, like her best friend who's like kind of bitchy, her family and stuff. And they're like like her best friend is like, oh, do you remember when you did this?

And she's like, oh my, like she realizes like I was a bad. person. Oh my gosh. Like she was like like before the car accident. She was like a complete utter like bitch. But it's kind of like a comedy because like people see her and they're like Samantha. Oh. And she's like, no, it's not that me.

Like I'm not that person anymore. That's like it's like a really like it's a really fun like. It's a good premise. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. This is a much much darker version of that. Yeah.

And like he just has like all of her. books like one they're all hot and like I still end up loving it because I'm not like really experiencing it but like all of her books are so like seedy and kind of feel like dirty in a good way like rig because also the stories are really gritty and one of the deaths that happens at the end was one of the most unhinged things I've read of us. a while. It was wild. So it kind of turns like super gothic and it's like creepiness and heaviness. Yeah. It's amazing. I love that. And the sequel comes out in like two months. Wow. Mm-hmm. Look at you. I'm so excited. Sequels. I love a good book sequel.

Yeah. And this one like needs it. It was like it definitely completed a story, but like you could do a other story. I love that. I love that something's satisfying, but like you could still have more. Yeah. So. Yeah, she's one of my faves.

She is really good. Mm-hmm. She is really good. What's the serial killer one? The Flash Girls. That was so good. Yeah. With like the Marbles for Eyes. It was wild

Your face was like so serious You're like the marbles for eyes Yeah that one's atmospheric They just all are Well speaking of atmospheric Nice I am obsessed with the Hollywood assistant By Macaw

So good I just read it this weekend It just came out Tuesday I am so glad that I am so glad that I read this before because like this, there's no way this cannot be included. It's actually my favorite makeup book now. Yeah. And one of my top

five of the year so far. But it is about Cassidy Foster who is heartbroken, stuck in life, and getting a little too obsessed with plants. When a well-connected friend becomes sick of Cassidy's moping and gets her a gig with famous Hollywood couple Marisol

and Nate Sterling, Cassidy jumps at the chance to move to sunny L.A. The Sterling's are warm and welcoming, the perfect couple. All she has to do is be available for a few hours a week for errands. In return, she has access to luxury, designer clothes, a sparkling pool, great pay. But when Nate takes interest in her, asking her to read scripts he's written, she thinks it could be the key to kickstarting her writing dreams. As their business relationship grows, so does their attraction. Nate is sexy, talented, and Cassidy can't believe her luck. Clearly Marisol doesn't

know what she has. Maybe that's why the two are always fighting when they think Cassidy isn't around. But Cassidy learned she was hired for a different purpose. The Sterlings are not the perfect couple. Marisol is not the perfect wife. And when one of them is found dead, Cassidy becomes the

perfect suspect. It is so drastic. I I love May Cobb. Yeah. Always. With all of my heart. But I in the middle of that book was like

fuck I have this figured out oh yeah I was like I know what's gonna happen but now I'm kind of excited to see how she gets me yeah and then I realized that I was way left field and Maycob was like you do not have this figured out

like nice tie I legit have never felt so tricked by a book in a long time because I wasn't even really disappointed that I had figured it out. I was just like, okay, Garrett, like, you know, like you are on to something. And then like, in the end of the book,

I was like, son of a bitch. I actually did not have this figured out whatsoever. Right. But it was just so, so, so good. I want Cassidy's job because I love shopping and I actually love running errands. Like, I run my errands on Saturday.

And like that is like something that I look forward to. I love running errands. So for that to be my job, I would be like it would be my dream. Like organizing her closet. Yeah. Organizing someone's closet like the I actually helped a friend who just moved into an apartment a couple months ago with his closet. And I was like color coordinating his shirts. But I also was like you have to have the top button buttoned so that your collar does not get like all messed up. And like. I would check. Like going to his apartment later on, I would check and be like, are all of your top? And he's like, why do you do that?

I never, and I'm like, because I told you that's how we're going to do it. Like, if you want my help, that's how we're doing it. So, yes. Yeah, like, things like that would be my dream job. But also, like, I actually ran my errands super quick when I was reading this so I could get back to finishing it. Yes. Yeah. It's perfect for the summer too.

Yeah. Yeah. It's very atmospheric and it's very cinematic and it's just a stunner. Yeah. Well, I have an atmospheric and cinematic stunner as well that you also introduced to me the Hunter's Daughter by Nicola Solvenick. I actually was like, I kind of was torn between this and the man on the train because I read them around the same time, so I just happened to choose this one instead.

But it all worked out. I am going to say this was going to be on my top five. Oh, nice. But like, I knew how much you loved it that I was like, I'm not going to steal this from her. Because I knew you were going to talk about it. Oh, my gosh. See, we were in sync. And we still got to mention both of them.

Yeah. But this one is about Anna Corre, who escaped her father. darkness long ago. When she was a girl, her childhood memories were sealed away from her conscious mind by a controversial hypnosis treatment. She's now a decorated sheriff's lieutenant serving a rural county, I almost said country, conducting an ordinary life far from her father's shadow. When Anna kills a man in the line of duty, her suppressed memories return. She dreams of her beloved father, his hands red with blood, surrounded by flower-decked corpses he had saccharactered. to the god of the forest.

To Anna's horror, a serial killer emerges who is copying her father and who knows who she really is. Is her father still alive or is this the work of another? Will the killer expose her destroying everything she has built for herself? Does she want him to? But as she haunts the forest using her father's tricks to hunt the killer, will she find what she needs most or lose herself in the gathering darkness? so atmospheric. That was even part of how you sold it to me.

It was like how, because you said it was like Karen Slaughter met where the Croddads thing. Yes. It was very accurate. Yeah. Thank you. There's so much like the main character really does love being in the forest

and has all these really visceral memories. In it. But it's also like this one, similar to this family lies, It's another one where like she's kind of scared of her own mind because she's her father's daughter. And that is just like next level creepy to me. There were so many descriptions of things that were uncomfortable or painful for the character. Yes.

I was so uncomfortable the entire book. And it's not like necessarily like gory. It's just like the. uncomfortable inconvenience of some things like having stitches and like pulling a stitch or something and just being like it's like it doesn't forget about the fact that she was injured the way we like just forget in thrillers yes yes yeah and it's kind of like that just like you kind of like cringe a little bit like you're like oh god i yes but then like something crazy happens and you're like okay like let's keep going.

Yeah. You're so tough. Yes. But yeah, it was so good. The ending is so cinematic and amazing. So is the beginning. The beginning sticks in my house. Like I can picture that beginning in my mind.

Me too. You do. Play by play. And just. Me too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

It's so good. It's so good. Loved it. Me too. So. Speaking of serial killers. Nice. And if you don't want to hunt down one, you can always possibly fall in love with one.

Oh, yeah. Because I need to talk about love letters to a serial killer by Tasha Corio. One of the things I loved with bright young women and what it represented was that it is a book about the Ted Bundy murders without being about Ted Bundy. It's more focused on the victims. And there's a part of the book that Jessica Null talks about, like, going through these court transcripts where he wasn't that bright. Like, he was not doing a good job defending himself.

He was picking his nose in court. And somehow things got lost in translation throughout the years. And, like, women are like, oh, my God, like, Ted Buddy was so hot. like I would totally get in that car. And like, yeah, it's disappointing or creepy and unsettling when a serial killer or somebody who is capable of a heinous crime gets caught. And it's not the creepy janitor or truck driver. And it's an actual good looking man who's capable of doing horrible things.

Like, I get that. But this book plays so much on those whole, like, women being attracted to men. And, like, if they were capable of things like that, if they were a serial killer, like, would that stop some people? Yeah. It's just so good. Nice. It's about Hannah, who is an aimless young woman.

She starts writing an accused serial killer while he waits trial. And then once he's acquitted, decides to move in with him and take the investigation into her own hands. So basically, she is, like, sick of the dating life. Like, all of her friends are getting married and she's still single. she's in her 30s. And she ends up like finding a bunch of friends in a true crime forum that is on a mission to solve a bunch of murders of four women in Atlanta. And then this really handsome lawyer named William is arrested for it.

And she thinks that like in order to get out her pent up frustration and rage, she's just going to write him a ladder and be like, you fucking suck. And basically he writes back. and then she kind of becomes obsessed with the case and like her entire life just kind of blows up around her and she loses her job and she ends up going to Georgia to attend the trial and goes with other true crime junkies that she's befriended through this forum. But then a fifth woman is discovered, murdered and basically the jury has no choice but to find it not guilty. And the two of them find themselves in domestic bliss, even though she's still not 100% sure if he's guilty or not. Rippy.

So crazy. Yeah. That book... Yeah. Yeah. It's a really unique premise. And her way of telling that story around Hannah makes me think that like Emerald

Fennell could turn this into a movie because I got the same feeling reading this that I got when I watched Promising Young Woman for the first time. Oh, wow. Like, I just, like, was like, like, this is just so unique. And it's not necessarily what I thought it was going to be. Mm-hmm. But in such a positive way.

That's awesome. Yeah. I love getting surprised by a book. Oh, yeah. I loved it. And the cover is, like, fucking awesome. It's so cool. It's so cool.

Yeah. A dog started barking, so it might get loud here. We'll see. Well, I have another one with a really cool cover that is subversive. I loved Bodies to Die for by Lori Brand. Like, I will be thinking about this book for a long time. So, why can't I find? Oh, so popular fitness influencer Gemma has transformed herself from, a before into an after, complete with washboard abs, thriving business, and a gorgeous husband. But social media can be deceiving. Online, the cutthroat world of bikini bodybuilding may just eat her alive. That's if she's not first devoured by the secret nemesis that lurks beneath her polished surface waiting to destroy her. Software engineer Ashley is fat and frustrated, frustrated with failed diets, with a world that wants her to shrink, with biased doctors, online trolls, and even her own mother, until Ashley falls in with a mysterious and radical sect of fat activists who are fighting back by any means necessary. She's never felt so alive, so full of purpose. She'll do whatever it takes to ride this high, destroy diet culture, and win the approval of her charismatic leader.

But when Gemma's toughest rival turns up dead and more fitness girls fall like dominoes, it's beginning to look like. the body image war has gone too far. It was so fun, so freaking good. And the way it talks about both sides of like fitness influencers and navigating the world when you're overweight, so fascinating how she like talked about both sides of it and how their stories came together in the end was wild the way their character arcs came together. And it's just like a really fun thriller in general.

it's very unique it's very unique which is what I respect about that story too is it's like nobody else kind of has a thriller out there that centers around that

yeah yeah world of fitness it's like a crazy wild climax at a bitching you bodybuilding competition like no one else has that kind of imagination

yeah that's awesome yeah So yeah, I talk about it a lot. So if anyone wants to hear more about it, there's a whole episode for it. I love it. Yeah. If you want something bleak and depressing.

I know. I ended on kind of my like campiest note in your like bleak and depressing. This one is not a thriller, which is why I saved it for last. but it is probably my favorite book of 2024 and I don't know how that would ever change. Yeah.

Like no shade to my TBR or anybody who has written anything but this is like one of those books that I like saw. I might, I'm going to give this a shot. I don't know how it's going to work out and it was just phenomenal. And the book is called

How We Named the Stars by Andres and Orderica or Derica. Andres, I love you in your book. So I'm sorry if I butchered your last name. When Daniel de la Luna arrives as a scholarship student at an elite East Coast University, he bears the weight of his family's hopes and dreams and the burden of sharing his late uncle's name. Daniel flounders at first, but then Sam, his roommate, changes everything.

As the relationship evolves from brotherly banter to something more intimate, Daniel soon finds himself in love with a man who helps him see himself in a new light. As a relationship takes flight, Daniel's pulled away, first by Sam's hesitation and then by a brutal turn of events that changes his life forever. As he grapples with profound loss, Daniel finds himself at his family's ancestral home into Mexico for the summer, finding joy in the setting, even as he struggles to come to terms with what's happened and faces a host of new. how does the person he is connected with this place his family comes from how is his own story connected to his late uncles and how might he reconcile the many parts of himself as he learns to move forward it sounds harrowing i think it's one of the only books i've read that's in second person oh wow and just like even like starting it i was like

oh, this is going to be a very different reading like for me. I'm not used to the second person very much. And I think within like the third page, I was like, I don't, I'm not even paying attention to this being in second person. Like I was just like

completely lost in it. And the ending made me like the last chapter made me sob. Yeah. And it's like like when people are like what do you think of the ending in this book like i will be like this is one of the most visceral emotional harrowing poignant awful sad moments i've ever read in a book that will stick with my god wow i love it it's just like a testament to the writing anytime you're that moved by a fictional character

yeah yeah and you know it's not it's not it's not it's just like a testament to the writing anytime you're that moved by a fictional character yeah yeah and you know it's not It's not a thriller by any means. It's definitely like, kind of like a call me by your name type of story. But the funny thing is, is there were actually a lot of moments where there were twist and turns in it. Oh. Kind of like reveals or something. Yeah. Yeah.

And I was like, whoa, like, I was not expecting that. I'm just thinking I'm going along with the story kind of not prepared for that. But it was just so good. It was so good. Steph was actually making fun of me this week for like. how much I love like bleak books and I was like if you want your heart completely ripped out like one of my favorite books in the entire world is how we named the stars yeah and like when you came up with this idea for this episode I was like this is the first book I'm picking yeah yeah yeah

well at least you did have five you were a little worried at first it's a little I was I actually had six I actually had six because I thought I went through my list of like everything I've read this year. And I did find six because I thought for sure we were going to have Steve Kavanaugh and Debbie Babbitt in common. Yeah. So I did have six, but I got it down to five. Yeah, me too. I had nine. And so part of how I made the decision was some of them haven't come out yet. And so I was like, okay, well, I'll just talk about those in the next half of the year. But I've read some great ones recently.

Yeah. Yeah. My sixth one was Rabbit Hole by Kate Brody, but I feel like, I feel like I gushed about that book so much before I stopped recording the podcast with you. Yeah. That I was like, people know that I love this book and like, it's already been recommended so many times. Yeah.

But special shout out to Kate Brody. Rabbit Hole's amazing. Yes. That's how, that was some. about because I had since she's been gone by soggy shorts but I've talked about it a lot recently and missing white woman I really enjoyed that one a lot and that was a really good one it was just it was so good I was so engaged the entire time um but then my other two are ones that are going to be episodes that are coming out in the next two weeks so I really love things

don't break on their own by Sarah Easter Collins. I am having an allergy attack as I speak, so sorry to the YouTubers watching it. And then No Road Home by John Fram loves those so much. But they're not out yet, so that's just a little teaser.

It's like you had your allergy attack the minute you mentioned that book and you were like wiping away tears. I know. It's like, all of a sudden my eyes are just killing me. Yeah. I am. An inconvenient woman and what is the name of it again?

Maybe. No. An inconvenient woman and the one that you just mentioned that you said was weak. Oh, things don't break on their own. Things don't break on their own. Things don't break on their own. I always want to call how we named the stars. I don't know why.

Oh, that's funny. Or there is a while that I wasn't always sure of how much of the title I needed to say. Yeah, there's also one called the Bright and Tender Dark. that is like another literary like story that's very similar and I'm like oh my god I always forget the title of that book but like those are the two that like I need to get to ASAP

Yeah you do Yeah because I I can still talk about both of those so that we can discuss And Steph is the one who introduced me to an inconvenient woman so shout out to her Yeah it is so good I know

me too we're just fan girls over here of everyone yeah we didn't make it through a podcast without saying ashley winstead until i just said it but um i don't think we did i said the last housewife you said the last housewife never mind i'm trying i don't feel the vibes of us talking she can feel the love yeah she's traveling europe right now i did not i did i will never make it through an episode of the podcast without mentioning Descanol. Yep, that's true. And I did it. I mentioned her like,

at least we're consistent. I mentioned her multiple times. There, we need, I need to hire an intern that can go through all of the episodes that we've ever recorded. Yeah. And just do like a 30 minute reel of every time that I mentioned Jessica all. Yeah.

AI could kind of do it. I've been needing to like upload. everything into that because then it can categorize stuff by transcripts. Yeah. I have a book recommendation for you. Ooh. Go on. It is a book that was pitched to me.

Hmm. That is, it says it's Frankenstein for the age of AI. Whoa. It is called William by Mason. Foil. C-O-I-L-E-P-O-E-P-O-E-O-Y. Oh, yeah. It says it blends psychological horror with cyber noir. Whoa, that's unique.

Yeah. And that cover is creepy. Yeah. So I was like, oh, my God. If I can introduce Kate to a book that, like, should be on your radar. Yeah. It sounds really good. sounds really good and it's just perfect for you.

So. Yeah. Fascinating. Yeah. That would be perfect to read October. It says it comes out in October. Oh, yeah. It gives all vibes.

Mm-hmm. I do love a story like a Frankenstein-esque story. I don't think I've really read one ever. I love Frankenstein. Oddly enough. I think I'm neutral. It will always be one that I'm like, no matter how many different movies there are of it, like, I always check it out. Yeah.

I'm a big Frankenstein. Just like creating a monster and then having it go haywire on you. It's kind of interesting. Yeah. Yeah. It's a pretty terrifying concept.