Bookwild - A BookTok Challenge

Episode Date: June 1, 2023

This week, we do a BookTok challenge Gare saw on TikTok this week.  Shout out to beau_reads for this TikTok with his wife that inspired this episode!  We share our favorite thriller, the book that shocked us the most, a book more people need to read, a palette cleanser, and what we are currently reading!Follow us on Instagram:Gare @gareindeedreadsKate @thegirlwiththecookonthecouchBooks We Talked AboutNever Saw Me ComingJar of HeartsIn My Dreams I Hold a KnifeNinth HouseThe Woman InsideThe WhispersA Likeable WomanThe UrsulinaA Density of SoulsThe New OnePretty GirlsThe Good DaughterCarrie Soto is BackYou & I, RewrittenAll The Sinners BleedAnd There He Kept HerMovies We Talked AboutUsThe Blair Witch ProjectBarbarian 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 

Hey guys, welcome to the Killing the Tea podcast. This is Gare and Kate. And we are going to be discussing all things, chills, thrills, and kills. Kate and I are going to be talking about our favorite books, TV shows and movies that are in the thriller or crime fiction genre, as well as some reading habits and other items related to how we met on Bookstagram that will fit in with this podcast. So, Thank you so much for joining us, and we hope that you have fun and get totally terrified. So I have an icebreaker. Oh, I know. I've been waiting and thinking. So when you're reading, what is or what are words that, like, you hate, you don't enjoy reading. So my example is I hate when the word ripe is. is used to describe like a woman or a man when it's used to describe a person this is it was that word that made me think of this icebreaker where i was like don't say ripe so do you have any

words no like it's like describing them as like fertile kind of or like hot like it's yeah it's like weird it's a weird way to describe like let's see I've heard ripe in the sense of like, oh, he smells a little ripe right now. No. It's a little stinky. Not like that. This has like more of an undercurrent of sexual connotation with women. Oh, who said that?

I can't remember now. I'm going to have to like, it wasn't someone that like I would have expected. And it wasn't like, like people just used it sometimes. And I'm like, why did you have to say? it, but it says like relating women to fruit in the way that they are ready for reaping, gathering, eating, or use. So it has to like do with like being like any man ever calls a woman right in that connotation. I hope they're castrated. I really hope I highlighted it. I think I did, but I might have been like so into it that I just made the note. But hopefully I highlighted it so I can

find where I saw it. Yeah, you win. I don't know if I can top that. I don't like the word moist. Yeah, I mean, I'm not a fan of that. Like, even when there was moisture in the air, the air was moist. I'm like, get the fuck out of here. Gross. I don't like that. I don't like that. Um, I guess I don't like, I don't like, I have, I thought of what I need to tell you off air, because if I tell you on air, people are going to be like, you're fucking psychotic. Um, I guess. I don't like the word moist.

Something I didn't notice drove me nuts until my friend Katie told me it drove her nuts is when they describe that men put their hand on the small of a woman act. Oh my gosh, yeah. I'm with you. That drives me nuts because it's not like something that people do all the time. Do you know what I mean? And if they do, it's weird. Like, if somebody touches my lower back, I'm going to be like, I do not want to be guided anywhere. Mm-mm. I was saying just fine. You may go

higher and rub my shoulders. You may go lower and squeeze my ass. But if your hand is on my lower back, I'm ripping your fucking fingers off one by one. Oh my gosh, that's a really good one. That drives me. I like that answer. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, good. Mm-hmm. We're in agreement there. I won't notice it until, like, moving forward now when I'll be like, like, you're just

going to get a rage text message that's going to be, like, all in capitals, like, I fucking hate when they put this in box. Oh, my gosh. Like, I'm not going to notice until, like, now, you know? Yeah. Now you're just everywhere. But yeah. Anytime the M word is used. Uh-huh.

Yeah. Yeah. That drives me. There was another one that I read and I just did not, clearly did not put it on my list. Because I had another one come up. So if I remember it tonight, I'll just interrupt you while you're talking. Yeah. Good.

Because I just thought, you know what drives me nuts? What? This doesn't really like count because it's not like a word. Uh-huh. But it's something that people do in books that drives me nuts. Like, I understand getting to know your character and having to. to know them in and out. But when you make your character

like the quirky girl from like a rom-com and like, do you know what I mean? I hate that. I hate when you have to be like, oh, she only eats spinach if it's sauteed and like mushroom juice and what-da-da-da-da-da. Like, stop making your character sound so pretentious and fucking annoying because if they're not dead

in the first 10 pages, I'm DNFing your book. If you make it be like, she hates the character. color purple, but she only wears lilac in the summertime. Oh my gosh. That's making me think of you... She dyed her hair with Kool-Aid in high school. Have you seen the TikTok trends where, like, girls do, like, act out whole scenes as the quirky girl in an indie movie?

And they're so funny. So it'll be like, she's, like, working at a diner, and she's like, who just walked in? And, like, it has all these quirks. Yes. Yes. Yeah. She is so good, but she drives me nuts because of how good she is. Like, she's like the girl who like can't live without coffee. Like most people can't. Like, oh, I love coffee. Oh, I only had three cups today. DECAB? What's that? Huh? Like, she like, does it. I'm like, you're so good at acting this out. But the girl that you're portraying is so fucking.

So annoying. Yeah. I hate. Yeah. Especially when you're in, like, anything, any age, like higher than. like 25, you don't need to explain to us how much you rely on coffee or caffeine. No. Unless you and I having a conversation and you're like, yeah, I took Benadry last night. Right. But like you and I having a conversation and you saying I took Benadry last.

I need to like get a little caffeine in me. Make sense to me because you and I are very sensitive to drowsiness with like melatonin and stuff like that. But like, if I Marco Polo you in the morning and I'm like drinking my coffee and I have to tell you like, oh my God, I just need this coffee so bad. I just can't live without. You know that about me. You know, I know that I will be a fucking psycho little bitch if I don't have my cup of coffee in the first like 15 minutes that I'm awake. You know that about me. I don't need to explain it to you. Most adults don't need to. So just because most adults are using some form of caffeine. Yeah.

Yeah. Like don't make your characters be way too quirky. Mm-hmm. That's like whenever there's a thriller and the main character is an artist, I'm like... Oh, I know. That can really get out of control. Yeah, because they try too hard to make them like any, unlike any other character that you've ever read. And I'm like, you're unlike any other character I've read.

And I am not... found two pins that I ordered. Yeah. So that was a fun icebreaker. Speaking of TikTok, though, you. Yeah. Let's trend on the TikTok. Yeah.

This is why I think it's very important for people, if you decompress that night by scrolling through TikTok for a half hour, an hour, hour and a half, whatever makes you happy. This is why it's important because it might one day. save your ass because you and I were set to record 630 Tuesday night like we always do and what happened we didn't know what we were going to record until Tuesday morning yeah last night I was scrolling through TikTok and there showed a couple and I'm going to apologize to this couple in advance because I didn't get the name of the TikToker and I don't know them enough to know if it was a friend friend or a relationship, boyfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend, fiance, husband, wife, besties, I don't know.

Whoever they are, God bless them, because they did a TikTok trend where they sat next to each other and they would ask the following questions and they would each pick up a book to describe. And they didn't have to give a synopsis. They didn't have to give like anything else. We obviously are going to go into it because we like to chat. But, you know, basically they answered these questions, and I wrote them down because I'm old school. 36 now. You are.

You are. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. Since we were, since we last recorded.

I'm going to have five years of your birthday dinner. My birthday dinner was really good. I went to Canada. Nice. Just casually. International birthday. Just casually. I went to.

Um, I went to Canada Friday night with my parents and I had warm pita bread and beer cheese dip, which was really good. That sounds amazing. I had a spicy moktail margarita, which was amazing. They put cucumber slices in it too. Amazing. And then I had a margarita pizza. But then the next day, my actual birthday, I went grocery shopping in Canada.

And like, they always ask you different. questions when you go through customs. Like, what are you going to Canada for? Are you leaving anything in Canada? Is there, like, any, like, guns, alcohol, tobacco, drugs coming with you? Just that kind of stuff. Right. Right. Sometimes they'll ask you, like, other questions. And he was like, when was the last time you went to Canada? And I was like, last night for dinner. You're like, I'm a frequent flyer. I was just like, dude, like, well, sometimes they give you, like, Sometimes they're like a little like abrasive. Like why are you going to Canada?

Right. Like I'll be like, I'm going to a bookstore. And he's like, why are you going to a bookstore in Canada? And I'm like, because Barnes & Noble is in Vermont, which is three hours from me. Or I'm going here and it's 20 minutes. 25 if you keep asking questions. I can't help that the border is so close to me. Yeah.

And I can't help that I'm indigenous. And I should just get to go through. You should. I do. There's like a treaty. Yeah. So I don't have to pay, I don't have to pay the tolls. Like I just use my like tribal ID card.

Yeah. They can still, yeah, they can still ask me questions. It's just like kind of one of those things where you should expect indigenous people to be like going back and forth often. Right. That makes sense. To my knowledge. At least that's why. I have no knowledge.

I have no knowledge of crossing borders. Nor being indigenous. So I have no info. I'm going to take you. I'm going to take you to Canada and show you all of the joys. Mm-hmm. So yeah. So that was the birthday.

And then I just scrolled through TikTok for the rest of my vacation and Cal U.S. And I was so fucking excited. So excited. So the count is Bo, B-E-A-U-U- underscore reads. And his bio says, husband, dad, veteran new to books in 2022. So I feel like that is, yeah, it is his wife. Okay. It was a couple. That's cute. Yeah. And they were doing a fun little TikTok challenge that we're going to do. Yeah. I saw it and I was like, well, I saw it and it kind of caught my eye because I love those

things where people are like, this is the book that, well, usually they do it singular. You know what I mean? Like, yeah. This is the book that like made me cry. Like this is, but it's just. But it's just, It just seemed like very like thriller edition. Yes. But then there's one question. So I'll just read them off. You pick your favorite thriller first. Second is the book more people should read.

Third is the book that shocked you. Fourth book is a pallet cleanser. And then the fifth book is the book that you're reading now. And I was like, this would be so much fun for us. But I feel like with this, we're not narrowing it down so much. so much like we usually do because there's so many things to choose from. Yeah. And the thing is, is that with you and like historical fiction, Taylor Jenkins read,

and all of the things that you've been like kind of dipping your toes in, then me with like all of the male-male romances that I've been like binging like a psychopath. I'm like the palate cleanser. You've been dipping more than your toe in. Yeah. Yeah. I know I had to. But I was just like, you know, especially with the palaces, it would be so much fun.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. I love the variety, but that it still feels thriller-focused. Me too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Which is like us in a sense.

Yeah. I know. It just sums us up. And we're like book wife and book husband. So. Pretty much. Yeah. I'm with you. I agree.

We're an emotional thruple. Yeah. That too. With Bruce. Because he's just leaving behind me. Oh, my movie. So do you want to, obviously some people will be listening, but we thought since in the TikTok, they like, show the book. We're going to like hold them up at the same time and surprise each other.

Yeah. So I don't know how we want to do that. Do you want me, do you want to like do like a like, okay, so the first one is your favorite thriller and we'll just do like three, two, one, even though I just said one, two, three through with my fingers. That's hilarious. I didn't even notice. I'm like three, two, one. Okay. Three, two, one, go. Oh my god. I thought we might match on this one. So mine is never saw me coming by Vera.

Korean. I'm not quite sure if that's correct. That's how I pronounce it. And what is yours? Mine is Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier to no one's surprise. I'm obsessed. Obsessed. And it never saw me coming.

We've definitely talked about it before. Yeah. Not as much as Jar of Hearts, but. Name a book that we've talked about more than Jar of Hearts. It's probably like only like in my dreams I hold a knife, maybe. Yeah. Possibly the woman inside for me. Yeah.

Possibly that one too. I agree. But it's like dark academia, a group of, is a psychopaths or sociopaths? psychopaths. It's one of the two. Psychopaths are basically going to college on a scholarship where they're also being studied. And then they start getting killed off. And that's all you need to know. Really. Yeah. But it's amazing. It's so good. It's so good. It's like such a good textbook like thriller example. That was how I chose it. Yeah. Yeah. I think she does. a good job of really taking advantage of that campus setting. Yeah. Um, weaving in different

plot lines. Yes. Because there's kind of a police procedural. What was the other thing? Definitely a psychological thriller as well. Yes. And a serial killer thriller. Yep. Had a lot. And there's there's a subplot of the main character being at that school for a specific reason, because she's trying to kill a boy. Yes. You just don't know why. Very important part. Mm-hmm.

And then she's like, oh, shit. I got to put these plans on hold because somebody's hunting down all of the people that are in this study with me. Yeah. Yes. Oh, it's so good. Yeah. It was, I was torn between that one and ninth house.

And then Tyler was trying to help me pick one and was asking me a bunch of questions. And it made me realize that they're actually kind of, they're super similar in what I love about them. and Ninth House just has like some of the fantasy. But like they're both dark academia. They both kind of blend genres. They both have like lots of storylines going on. Yeah.

Yeah. Deaths. Yeah. So yeah, Ninth House was a close one for me too. I almost picked the woman inside, but I feel like it's more, um,

there's moments where it's more domestic suspense. Yeah. Um, and the ending is more of a thing. thriller. So, but then again, people know that serial killers are my jam. So I know. I can't. In dual timelines. Yeah. The whispers that I told you, I read here recently by Ashley O'Rane. It comes out early June. So sometime next week or two weeks from now. Harley Quinn, Harley's trying to talk to me.

that one when you said how the woman inside is like kind of it's also kind of like a psychological drama is too that's what that book was like and then the ending is kind of a similar like whoa i'm reading that this weekend i really loves it my the only thing i will say is it is like a slower it's more of a drama that's what it kind of made me start thinking of this yeah It's not, but it is dispensful because like you are like what the fuck happened but the characters are so real

and I really really appreciated the ending more than I thought I might. Okay good. I'm excited for that. That's what I have to say about that. I will piggyback off that and say I felt the same way about a likable woman by May Cobb. Nice. It felt a little bit more

Leanne Moriarty kind of slower drama especially like family ties and stuff. But I loved the ending. I mean, I really enjoyed the book, but I just think compared to the craziness of her first two books, this one's like a little bit different direction for her. But obviously it's makeup, so it pays off, you know.

Yeah. Yeah, basically what we're both saying is it's just for when you're in the mood to like dive into characters and like just have a slower start. Yeah, yeah. But it's still worth. very character-driven. Well, Dar of Hearts,

oh, my God. It's just, like, the ultimate thriller for me. Like, I love a serial killer plot. I love dual timeline. I love, like, a very diabolical cast, and this one is it.

Yeah. It's about three friends, Gio, Angela, and Kaiser, and they are three besties and Angela goes missing and disappears in their high school years. And Kaiser and Gio take two different roles in life. Gio grows up to like be very successful for, I believe, a pharmaceutical company. Like she's a boss bitch.

Like she's wearing like the very high heels. Like she's got money. she's, you know, Kaiser is a detective and like he basically is like, I want to find out what happened to our friend Angela when she went missing. And so like they kind of like reminisce. And 14 years after Angela goes missing, her body is found in the woods behind Gio's childhood home. And everybody kind of learns that, you know, that's the truth because Gio's, first boyfriend in high school was a serial killer named Calvin James. So she's being blamed or implicated for being part of Angela's disappearance and eventual murder. And then people start getting killed again. Yeah. And it's just amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Everything about it. If they make this into a movie or a TV series. If

Shea Mitchell does not play Gio, I'm going to be very upset. Very pissed. Yeah. There's another actress. Her name is Philippa Sue.

Yeah. She would also be a very good GEO. You're right. I agree. But yeah. That's my... It's such a good movie. It would be, I want it to be like a four to six episode series on HBO.

I was just about to say, or I could see it being a four-part series, and then you said four. Yeah. We agree. Of course. Kaiser, I need a stud for Kaiser. I have never wanted to be demolished by a character like him. I love this. Man, let me tell you what.

Oh, my God. who's the guy Oh my God, what's his name? Oliver Jackson Cohen. He's the brother in The Haunting of Hillhouse. Mm-hmm. That's my Kaiser.

I need to read Jar of Hearts again. Oh, yeah, he would be perfect. Oh, my God, I know. Mm-hmm. Well, hopefully they, someone hopefully like Reese Witherspoon hears us and is like, Hello, Sunshine, presents a jar of hearts.

be so amazing. Do you want me to break your heart a little bit? Yeah. Do you know who I picked for Angela? Lana Condor. I don't know who that is. She's in like, P.S. I love you or to all the boys I loved before. Okay. She's just like the sweetest, cutest, cutest thing. And everybody was like, I can't believe. Also, look her up. Yeah. such a good. Oh, yeah. Yeah. She would be really good.

Yeah. So that's all, folks. That's all. That's all for our favorite thrillers. Yeah. Those are our favorite thrillers. Have a good night. Goodbye.

Bye. It's like when you get to talk about, like, your favorite book, it's like, you know. Yeah. Trying to pick one, too. It was like so hard. So I, like, limited it to, like,

my favorite thriller I'd read in the last year, and that helps me narrow it down. I will just be kissing the ass, maybe literally, of any author that writes a book that I love as much as Jar of Hearts or More. Yeah. Oh, yeah. You know, like, that's just, that's it for me. I know. Okay. What is your book for the book that people should read? the book more people should read yep three two one go mine's the ursulina i love the ursulina

mine's a density of souls by christopher rice that's a great one too that i still need to read yeah you go first tell us about the ursulina so oh my god such a good fucking pick kate thanks I was kind of proud of that one. That one I spent time to think, I probably spent more time thinking about that one. So I'm just going to even read the literal description so I don't spoil anything. The mythical beast goes by many names, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, in Black Wolf County, he's called Ursulina. But to Deputy Rebecca Coulter, the beast is no myth. A serial killer has taken on the identity of the monster.

and with each body left behind there's a chilling message written in blood. I am the Ursulina. So good. And it's a prequel to the deep, deep snow. So you also would have two books lined up for yourself almost if you read it.

Yes. The Ursula is so fucking good. I also liked the Frost Easton series, that you recommended to me by him. Yep. Yeah. It was a really good, too. I am a pretty big Brian Freeman fan.

I've been wanting to read. I've been considering his book that is about alternate timelines. I have a side note. Okay, go ahead. I can't hear you talk about any books that you want to read right now because I am dying for us to buddy read. you look beautiful tonight. Oh, okay.

Well, we can do that one next, too. I just think that it's going to hit the spot for us. I think it will. I love the cover. I know. I love the cover, too. And if we don't like it, we can always touch about it. That's what it's fun.

Exactly. I know. It does help. Like, sometimes when I give up on a book, I like being able to go to the reviews and, like, you see someone else who complains about the same thing. you're like, okay, I'm not crazy. I'm not, like, we made a pact to never trash a book on here, but I will say that there is a book that you and I read recently together and our thoughts, like even down to how we felt in the beginning, how we felt in the middle, how we fell in the end, throughout the book,

our guess as to what the twist was, the reveal, everything was so on point that even though I didn't like the book as much as I wanted to, I was like. good for us. I know. I told Tyler it's like, we literally had the exact same feedback. Yeah, yeah, exact same feedback and like within minutes apart. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, one book you don't have to worry about that. It makes it more fun. It is a density of souls. Yeah. Exactly. I love that cover. I read. Oh my God. It's the.

original. Is it iridescent? Or is that just the way the light hits it? Okay. It's just your light. I think it's like a little iridescent. I think it's like a little. I'm just like is it shiny? This is an old one. This was like the original like I bought the hardcover of this and I believe 2001. Let me take a look here. 2000. Wow. So in real gear. The reason this is more people should read this. book is because this was one of those books when I was growing up, I had a really hard time finding anything that had queer representation in it. So when I found this and it was a character that was going through like things similar to like what I was going through with like discovering

their sexuality, being like bullied, things like that, I was like, this is it. And it's one of the best books I've ever read in my entire life, especially right now where bullying and homophobia are still present and it's ridiculous. But it is. It's about four friends in New Orleans who are pulled in different directions when they go into high school. They were all like inseparable. And then one of them is kind of shunned from the group. and bullied by the other three. But it says two violent deaths disrupt the core of what they once shared, and five years later, the friends are reunited when one of the deaths is discovered to be a murder.

The New York Times magazine says that it's less than zero meets Donna Tart and Stephen King. Oh, wow. Which I could not agree with more. That's really... scriptive review. Yeah. It's very character-driven. It's very shocking. It's sad. It's amazing. It's dark. It's twisted. It is every fucking thing you want to book. And it's Christopher Rice.

Now I want to read that one next. He calls me the Prince of Pocket Gaze. I know. I love him. I love him. And that's another thing I love about Bookstagram. 13 year old, 14 year old Garrett was like literally like Christopher Rice saved me in high school with this book and with the snow garden. And I don't know what my high school experience or what my life would have ended up like if I didn't have stories like that.

Yeah. That he wrote because they weren't being published a lot traditionally. So for him to put that much heart and soul. into a story for me to read when I was growing up, I was like, I always will love this man. He will always forever be one of my idols. And now he's somebody that I could consider a friend. That is so cool. It's like. So Christopher Rice.

Hugs to your child self basically still. Yeah. I think I told him that too. Like I totally geeked out and was like if I could go back in time and tell 13 year old gear, like you're going to be friendly. Like you're going to have conversations with Christopher Rice often. And like inside jokes with him and like full on conversations. Yeah. Died. He would have died. That's so cool.

I love those stories. I know. And I feel like because sometimes or what it kind of like being like the token gay character is what what started to be. They'd be like, oh, we wrote in a gay character to the show. But that was like the whole personality or the. only facet, and I'm assuming that's not what his feel like. We're like

that's not the topic necessarily of like the whole character. You know what I'm saying? No, no. There was like a, I think there was a time where every gay character that was in a book or a movie or a TV show

was kind of more of like Jack from Will and Grace and they were like all of these stereotypes that they were like into musicals and they were very flamboyant and they were like, you know, all of these things that you see. Yeah. And this was very much like one of those situations where this character does have some of the qualities that are typically found in a game man, but it's just kind of one of those things where like

he's not doing anything to cause ruckus and conserve. like just leave me alone kind of thing. Right, exactly. Like it's not the whole point of his character. Like, oh, there's a gay character. It's like, oh, this is a character who happens to be gay. Basically.

Yes. Yeah. There's like a lot more to. What's his name? Why can I that? Jordan Peel says like he wants to write stories. He wants to write stories that happen to have black people in it, not write a story about black people, if that makes sense.

Yeah. he's like, why can't I, like, why, like, race doesn't need to be involved in every single movie that I write about. Like, I can just write a thriller. Right. That's what he's making me think of. Yeah. And, I mean, I agree with them.

Like, there's the commercial or the commercial, there's the trailer for us, I think. Mm-hmm. And that creepy, like, part of five on it. the what? The creepy part of like five on it, the song. Oh, yes, yes. And like the dad being like, you guys don't know this song? Like, this song's a fucking classic.

Like that right there is like a prime example where like this father of two children who is married to a woman and is black has something similar with a gay single Native American boy. because I'm like, how the fuck? Like people don't know that song. You know what I mean? Like, even little things like that just. Yeah. Totally.

Like, you totally can tell that's what he's aiming at with his movies. Mm-hmm. Oh, that movie was so good. And we saw it in theater and it was terrifying in theater. I need to watch it, but I'm so scared because it just looks scary. There's a lot of things in the trailer that I'm like, I don't know if I would have on. It was so scary. like I can I can handle up but watching it

that's like that might be one of the I wish I could have remember when Jamie Lynn Hendricks asked us what scared us the most most recently now I'm wishing I could have thought of that because that would be my answer that is the most scared I've been in a movie theater I think ever because you just feel it just feels like there is someone behind you and coming at you all the time the whole time it's just it's terrifying but so good

I think the most scared that I was in a movie theater was Blair Witch. Yeah, I didn't see that one in theater. That would be terrible. I was only like 10. I was only 10 or 11. I know. I was like, I had the cool dad.

Yeah. Yeah. Like, well, I had the cool dad. You know, like my dad was like, sure,

like I'll take you. Like, let's go see some scary movie. And even to this day, he's like, that's the scariest movie I've ever seen in my entire life. I bet, especially like on the big screen.

Oh, my God. Growing up seeing it in the movie theater from like motion sickness and stuff. So I bet it's very. I was going to say like me being like 10 or 11, I was like, this is wild. Like holy shit. But like me being 36 now with somebody who just found out they have vertigo, I probably wouldn't be able to watch it now. No.

No. The memories will last. Yeah, that's enough. You have your memories. Yeah. But I think the last thing that really really like scared the shit out. of me was barbarian. Yeah.

That one didn't scare me. Well, it disturbed me a lot. It grossed me out. Yeah, I would say that was like more in line. I was like, oh, a lot. It disturbed me a lot with when you find out what's been going on in the house. Right. Yeah, that too.

That's like a big line. Speaking of, what's the book up to the most? Great segue. Okay. Yeah, I know right. Three, two, one. Bingo. Nice. Mine's the new one. Yes. Yes. Yes. You go ahead and tell me about that one because that seems very shocking.

It is so shocking. It is so shocking that sometimes, I still think about it. Like I read it a while ago. I'm trying to pull it up. So again, so shocking. I don't want to give spoilers. I still think about this book. I was walking the dogs a couple days ago,

and I thought again about how great this book was. So basically a couple of Tamsin and Ed have a teenage daughter named Scarlett, who has been like having really intense behavioral problems. Like she went from like basically an angel child to like acting out all the time and not listening and yelling really mean stuff. And so then she runs out of their trailer, their trailer. Yeah. One night because she's screaming at them and just leaves and gets hit by a car and basically goes into a coma. They don't have enough money to keep her on life support.

a doctor approaches them and says, we have perfected, they don't call it clones. I can't remember exactly what they call it, but they're like, it's not cloning, but like, we've perfected it,

and she'll have her personality and stuff, and so would you be down to do it? So they fly her to, like, Sweden, because it's, they found a legal loophole there, and they basically bring back to life a version that feels like their daughter,

except she behaves, and she's nice. And they're all getting along and they just have to take her in for some studies and stuff. And then some sketchy stuff starts happening. And then so many, so many shocking twists at the end. Anything that involves kids can get really fucking shocking. Yeah. Real quick.

Like orphan? Yeah. Yeah. So good. I loved it. I want more books like that one. I have you need to write them. If anyone can, it's you.

I know. I do want to write a sci-fi thriller. Mm-hmm. I want to try to write one of all of them. Have a sci-fi thriller, have a action thriller, like try to do different genre. You could do a sci-fi action thriller, like,

I could picture you writing something like bone music by Christopher Rice. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I really, really liked that whole series. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I could see you writing something like that.

Yeah. If I wrote anything like my book, I would be in a psych board. Because pretty girls. Mm-hmm. It goes there. I can't say what was shocking. I can't say why I was shocked with this one, but... I couldn't either.

20 years ago college student Julia goes missing and leaving behind a mother, a father, and two sisters. And now, you know, over 20 years later, Claire and Lydia haven't really spoke in 20 years.

Claire's trophy wife, you know, who's with like a millionaire of like atlianna's Lee and Lydia is a single mom who like struggles to make ends me and like lives with an ex-con and then Claire's husband is brutally murdered and the two

kind of speak again for the first time because they believe that the murder of her husband could be somewhat connected to their sister's disappearance over 20 years ago so they kind of put their differences aside to get to the bottom of what is going on both with Claire's husband and with Julia their sister and find the astonishing truth that they least expected and if you know you know but Karen Slaughter has so many things in this that are disturbing shocking yeah sad you will be like

totally disturbed and it just is one of my favorite books in the entire world. Yeah. Because there's not, how do I say it? Not related to Julia's disappearance, but there are things described in this book with things that have happened to other women and other people who are girls who have gone missing. Right. that she took everything out to write. Like, she did not hold back with anything. There's, like, very violent things.

Like, I respected that because as hard as it was to read, it's one of those things where, like, you have to be vigilant and understand that when women, especially, go missing, they're not just hit in the back of the head and buried somewhere. Like, there are really sick people out there that do horrible things to women. So, yes. This book uncovers the brutal truth as what happened to pretty girls.

Go missing. So it's just classic missing girl thriller. Yeah. But it's not ones that takes the easy route. And it's like, oh, she was just hiding out in her boyfriends, you know? Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. It definitely like, definitely like when I was reading it, I was like, oh my God. Because it was like my second Kieran Slatter, I think, maybe my third. Yeah. I think it was my first. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I think it was.

I remember reading it like back when I was working in an office. I was like reading it on my lunch break. Yeah. I'm just like, holy shit. And then I like go back to typing code. yeah i remember reading it and like because i read um pieces of her and the good daughter and i thought the good daughter was pretty disturbing and people were like you have to read pretty girls you have to read pretty girls and like you know other than serial killers like a missing person's case just

is like one of my favorite things in a thriller so i was like especially a cold case so i was like okay i'm just gonna do it like here i go like and i just remember like being like a beautiful like summer sunny day and I was like I'm gonna dive into this book and I'm like sobbing in a corner like telling my parents if I ever go missing like do something

find me a sap yeah I would I'm a pretty girl but yeah yeah you would yeah I would find you me and send you me and I drive like a fucking

psycho. So I know that Tyler and I could partner up and I'd be like get in the passenger seat. Yeah. I drive like someone who's nervous about breaking the law. I drive like somebody

who has been breaking the law since they were in diapers. But I've never had a ticket. I mean, that's great. I got one driving back from college, one time, but I was literally at the bottom of like a hill. So my speed had gone up like seven over and I'm just like really dude. So that's only one I've had. I should have known. It was a speed trap. It was like a notorious speed trap. Yeah. Yeah. There's one of those over

that way. I wrote like one of the towns that I go like grocery shopping in. Yeah. And I'm like, that guy took me. I just take a different way in the town. Not this time. Nope. Not us. All right. Are you ready for your palate cleanser? I'm almost ready.

Okay. Okay. I'm ready. This is the one I'm most excited for. I'm very interested. Yeah, me too. Three. You're like, three.

Three. Three, two, one, go. Ooh. Very us of us. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

His Carrie Soto is back. Mine is you and I rewritten by Chip Pons, who is books over bros on Instagram. And listen, I know that I love this man. Like, I know that he's like one of my dear friends. Yeah. But like... this book. This is not like, oh, he's my friend, like read his book kind of thing. Like, this is like, this book, if it was written by my worst enemy, and Kate knows who my worst enemy is,

if it was written by my worst enemy, I would still be like, that was a good fucking book. That is how good it is. I love it so much. Is it related to writing? Is it writing adjacent, I'm assuming from the title? I don't want to spoil anything. It's like he's never read the book. Yeah, this book is so good. I don't know. No.

No, it is. I'm just going to, I don't want to, one of them works in publishing. Nice. That's what I was asking. So, that's all I was asking. Yeah.

There's like a mysterious manuscript, but it's not a mystery. It's a romance. Okay. So basically, after receiving a dream promotion, I want a New York. city's most renowned publishing houses and moving in with his oldest friend, he is ready to dive headfirst into this new chapter and take the literary world by storm until he crosses

paths with Graham Austin. And no matter how hard he tries, Will Cohen can't help but put the wrong foot forward in front of all the business and inconveniently gorgeous air to the publishing empire. So when a heartbreakingly beautiful manuscript, lands on his desk, Will seizes the opportunity for a win. Could this prize new author be his big break or his downfill? So it's basically like grumpy sunshine enemies to lovers. And it's amazing. Everything in it is so perfect. It is funny. It is witty. It is at times like just your heart feels like it's going to explode out of your chest. And then like there's some steam. And

And I'm not talking about people lying about steam. I'm talking like there's actual good steam in it. That's good. These boys, let me tell you what. They know what they're doing. Because if you say that, it's true. Yes. I'm assuming there's no fade to blackness.

Nope, there is. It's all there. It's all there. It all shows up. But yeah, it's just the cutest, sweetest, funniest rom-com. A lot of heart. I would say if you took like two queer characters and put them in One Tree Hill as adults. Oh, okay.

You know what I mean? Like, you know how One Tree Hill kind of had like the drama, the comedy, the romance, like a little bit of like mystery. Like that's how I feel about this. Oh. That's amazing. That's such a good blend. If you want to read about two men fall in love and you love One Tree Hell,

this is book you have to read. That's what you read. You and I rewritten, Chip Ponds. Yeah. That's what you read. One of the best books I've ever read in my entire life. Not just mail mail romance. Like one of the best books I've ever read in my entire life.

Oh my gosh. Just ever. I love it so much. Mine, mine's similar. I would say something similar in terms of how memorable it was and how invested I was in the characters. With Carrie Soto's back. basically Carrie Soto is like

a phenom from like childhood into adulthood and then she retires I can't exactly remember exactly why she does but then six years after

she retires she's watching the U.S. Open Championship and all of a sudden is like I'm coming back because the girl who wins it is about to take Carrie's record. And so she wants to go back. And so it truly then is just the story of someone coming back out of retirement

and being amazing at tennis again. But it's also a lot about how women were perceived in sports at that time. if you were competitive and like the different treatment that she got for just being obsessed with winning that like the men at the time didn't have to contend with so there's also all of that which is pretty good but it did it does have some heartbreaking scenes I did cry a lot finishing kerry Soto I'm looking like I just feel like you've talked to about Carrie Soto so much that I need to just take the plunge. Like you've convinced me I need to read it.

And I'm like looking to see if I can find my arc of it. Because I know I have an arc somewhere. I love, she's just such a badass, which is like anytime like a layered female character like that is created, like I'm just like fascinated by the stories that like authors put them in and stuff. So I ended up reading a book about tennis. I did not see that on my, what are they saying on TikTok? That wasn't on my 2023 bingo card. It wasn't on mine either for you to be. You were into like really dark books when we first started talking. Yeah, I did not venture too far out.

I tried to, but like, I just feel like at this point I am... You did. You're the king of my... Yeah, but I only want... I know, I'm trying to be. But I do feel like...

I do feel like... I was telling this to my friend the other day, that, like, I either want steamy, male-male romance or a very dark thriller. Like, I don't want, like, a light, like, Yeah.

To-tapping thriller. I want something that's, like, really, like, fucked up. I get it. That's kind of how I feel. It's, like, otherwise, it needs to actually be a really good, like, psychological. Oh, there it is. I found her. It is long, but I enjoyed it.

I feel like it is one that you could read while reading other things. since you are cool like that. Well, some of those, some of the male-male-male romances I read, I'm like, I can't read this in the daytime. Well, yeah, that makes sense. You know, I'm like, oh, my goodness. I don't need the sun beaming in my face right now. Yeah. Nope.

That's like, have you seen the day talks of, like, women that are like me on my hot girl walk and, like, people thinking I'm listening to music and then, like, you actually hear it. it's like just like a vulgar sex scene. She's just like walking through her. I've seen that. I've also seen the ones that crack me up about people that have headphones in are the ones where it shows Patrick Bateman from American Psycho walking into his office. And it's like, call me maybe. Or like some like really like crazy pop song.

And he's just like scowling as he like walks through. Yes. Because I have that, um, that poddoll. song by Kylie Minogue stuck in my head because it's in so many TikToks right now. Yeah, it is. And everybody, like, the biggest love Kylie Minogue. I love Kylie Minogue. But I don't know what a Padam is, but it's so catchy, that song.

Yeah. That's a good point. Butam, padam, I feel it in my bum. I'm going to figure it out. No, I can't figure it out. E-A-D-A-M. I guess I could have looked at it out before I mentioned that. That's okay.

I don't know. What is Padam-P-D-D-M-A-Dom? The Kylie Minogue song is taking over TikTok and causing some confusion at the same time. Okay, so we kind of don't know. Maybe she just liked what it sounded like. Yeah, I don't know. That's interesting.

I don't normally... I mean, nobody knew what the locomotion was until Kyla and Elks. So I guess that makes sense. Right. That's true. I don't know. But good for her.

Yeah. She made up a word. Maybe. Possibly. Probably. Probably. Probably. I love her.

Okay. Now, last one is the book that you're currently reading. I cheat it a little bit. Oh, yeah. How did you cheat? Because I technically haven't started this one yet. Oh. But like, I don't have anything that I'm currently reading.

Do you know what I mean? Like I finished a book yesterday and then I worked today and I went and got my haircut and then I came home to record. So like, I haven't started. I'm not currently reading anything, but like this is what I'm going to be picking up. That makes sense. Tomorrow. So, three to one, go. Mine is in there. He kept her.

Yeah. And mine is, all the sinners bleed by S.A. Cosby. That looks so good. Oh, my God. I know. I know. I look so good. The cover is beautiful. Yeah, it is. I was about to say that. Yeah. So what is and there he kept her about? And who told you you should read it? You. You have the other cover. right yeah yeah this is the hard cover cover creepier cover

it is but the paperback cover is like your vibe because it's such a good book and it's your favorite color on the font it is it's less creepy but it's my vibe so that's where it wins um shit i just saw a book that would have been perfect for my shocking one you can share it um we'll just do it we'll just do it we'll just do it backwards next week Yeah. What are you currently reading? What's your palate glitzer? What's talk to?

We really could, though. I did think about that. I was like, this is kind of always a good go-to. Yeah, right. But, and there he kept her, is about two teenagers break into someone's house to steal drugs. And the house they broke into is. the guy named Emmett who has a lot of secrets

that he wants to protect. So it's kind of the wrong house to break into. And then we have Detective Ben Packard are haughty. Oh my God. I just...

He's just saving a small town in Minnesota with his tall stature. And which does get mentioned so yeah he's looking into it because one of the teens that went missing that night

is his cousin's daughter so he starts really looking into it and a lot of secrets I don't technically know the ending but this says secrets are uncovered from the dark past So.

Yes, they are. Dark secrets everywhere. Oh my God. Ben. I just want to be in. I'm a fan. I just want to be in the book. Like, not even like in the book, like, mentioned my name. I want to be in the book.

Like, I want that to be my life. Like, I will move to Minnesota in this, like, chilly town that's always fucking cold. I will live there. And I will be wearing, like, a fisherman's, like, cream colored sweater when Ben gets home from like a tough day on the job and it's just like oh I'm chilled to the bone like today was so rough and I'm just like oh I've been working from home in this like sweater let's go to bed and I'll make you feel better I made you soup I ordered Chipotle you know I'm like but I also feel like if that were my life I would be dead because you know what happens

when you are the spouse of a detective You get kidnapped and threatened. Murdered. And murdered sometimes. Murdered. But to be in a cold place where I could always have my hair down, sounds really nice.

I'm like, I just want to have sex with Ben Baggeron in Egypt. I'm like, I just want to have my hair down. You're like, I just want my hair down. That's too funny. Yeah. But yeah. Oh. So you're.

Tell everybody what all the sinners I'm just obsessed with this cover It's so good I know I love that Titus Crown is the first I have to read the synopsis because I don't want to spoil anything but I also don't have it

memorized so Titus Crown is the first black sheriff in the history of Sharon County I believe Virginia in recent decades this county has only had two murders. After years of working as an FBI agent, no one knows better than Titus, that while his hometown might seem like a land of moonshine, cornbread, and honeysuckle,

secrets always fester under the surface. But a year to the day after Titus's election, a schoolteacher is killed by a former student. The student is then fatally shot by Titus's deputies. As Titus investigates the shooting, he unearths terrible crimes and a serial killer who has been hiding in plain sight, haunting the dirt lanes in woodland clearings of Sharon County. With the killer's possible connections to a local church and the town's harrowing history weighing on him, Titus tries to project confidence about closing the case while concealing a painful secret from his own past. At the same time, he also has to contend with the far right group that wants to hold a parade in celebration of the town's Confederate history.

I mean, this man can do no wrong. incredible. Yeah. His are. Sounds incredible. I know what's going to be. I know it's going to be. Like he has his own unique tone.

Yeah. Yeah. And he's not afraid to get like gritty and like, his books just always have like such like a gritty like noire, but like so much heart and soul. Right. Yeah. I say Cosby.

You can't go wrong.