Bookwild - Books from 2022 You HAVE to Read

Episode Date: October 13, 2022

We are back this week to talk about our favorite books we read in 2022.You can also watch the episode on YouTubeFollow us on Instagram!Garehttps://www.instagram.com/gareindeedreads/Katehttps://www.instagram.com/thegirlwiththebookonthecouch/Books We Talked About This WeekStay AwakeThe Girl on the TrainThe Last HousewifeKismetHow to Survive Your MurderBlood SugarNotes on an ExecutionReal EasyPlease See Us More Than You’ll Ever KnowThings We Do in the DarkAlias EmmaA Flicker in the DarkDate NightAll Good People HerePretty GirlsTv Shows We Talked About This WeekNine Perfect StrangersHandmaid’s TaleGrey’s AnatomyThis is UsChuckOrange is the New BlackEuphoria 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. Let's just dive in. Yeah, let's just get into my whole list. Let's just dive into the books that we've loved from 2022. I guess late 2021 works too. So don't get too strict with yourself over there. Great.

I do that all the time. I feel like I get together like my favorites of the year. and then there's so many things that come out in December. And I'm like, save that for like the next year because I always, you know. So if anything, anything late last year counts as well. Well, now I'm going to have to go even further back.

But I also in the same vein as the last housewife, in my opinion, because it also explores like female rage. silly class structures, how like beauty and wellness culture have been like mixed together and like commercialized. But Kismet by Amina Akhtar was so good. And it's kind of like a slasher movie too. It has so many things in it. I've heard so many people say great things about that one. And I've I've also heard it kind of compared to like a Jordan Peel movie. Was it you that told me that?

Yes. Someone wrote that in their review and she shared it and I told her I was like, that is perfect. Like this is, that is what this is like. Yeah. I think the review said like if like a Jordan Peel movie was mixed in with like a Nicole Kidman show about like yoga and gurus and like.

Basically, very white culture takes on, like, other culture stuff. It's, and that's the perfect description. It's like Jordan Peel plus, uh, kind of, kind of, yes, nine perfect strangers. Yep. I love that. It is like that. Yeah. And then it's like very slasher.

There's some gore. Oh. And some explosions. Damn. I like that. I love the sound of that. Yeah, I'm all about, yeah, I'm all about Slasher

because that's like my favorite like horror trope. Like I hate like the saw movies and stuff like that, but we'll get into that. We'll get to that. We'll get to that. We'll get to that. There's plenty of time for throws, chills, and kills here. Yeah, all of them can fit in. Yeah. Nobody has to wait.

Well, that's kind of a good segue for one of mine then. Perfect. There's this new Y-A book and nothing against it I have not had great luck with YA in the past

Me neither but it's called How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine and it is like almost like a scream remake that is very

meta and self-aware and it is so freaking good it is like a slasher movie in book form there are a ton of like horror movies references like it references scream Halloween all of these like 90s slasher movies that kind of like

brought the genre back to where it is now and it is one of my favorite books this year I cannot stop thinking about it that is so good to know because I had that on I have that on my tBR and I was looking at it yesterday and I started a book that I did not know was YA and I was like no okay, this is not working for me. Yeah. So I was like, okay, what am I going to read next? And I debated that one. And then I saw that it was kind of YA. And I was like, I just said no to another one. But now I know I need to read it. Yeah, I buddy read it with a friend. And you were kind of talking about how it is YA, but there's a lot of like gore. There's a lot of like foul language. There's a lot of dark themes and like dark things that

happen in it that like it was definitely like borderline not going to be a YA book if she would have added like a few more scenes you know but right um it was so good I absolutely loved it and it's it's kind of like about this girl who like her sister gets killed in this Halloween corn maze kind of party situation and then all of a sudden she's like dealing with that for about a year, I believe. And then she wakes up one day and she's back to where she was the night her sister died. And she's like trying to save her sister and also figure out what's going on. And if the guy that is on trial for the murder is actually guilty or not, dun dun dun that sounds promising so good

Bruce is literally just rolling around and panting at me right now just chilling on his back are you done yet yeah he's like books books bucks bucks cool that sounds awesome though did you read about love in the time of serial

killers? I did. We can also cut it out if we need to. I did reach it. Okay. Because I was seeing reviews that made you skip. I was like, maybe it's good. I don't know. I, I mean, I didn't, it was okay. I just think that, I think I, like, wanted to do like a three, three and a half. Um, it just, I thought it was going to be like a rom-com and a thriller a little bit, but it was more or less just a rom-com about a woman who is really into true crime. So like there were any like mystery or thriller aspects to it that I really wanted to. Cool, cool, cool. A little misleading then. Yeah. Yeah. It was a little bit. Yeah. Um, yeah. Okay, hold on. Let me ask Tyler to call him upstairs because he's he's just not going to let us do this.

Okay. Bruce, you gotta chill. Fuck smocks, you probably talked about him for five minutes. Like shaking with anger over my shoulder. You're okay. This one gets too much attention.

We got him when he was like tiny, like baby puppy. And he's just grown up with two parents who have always worked from home. And he just needs all the attention. All the attention. Bruce, go upstairs. Go upstairs. You want to go eat?

You want to eat more? Go see your dad. Okay, well, he's not barking now, so we'll see. We'll see. Okay, so before that, you were talking about how to survive your murder. So, segue wise, what would I talk about next? Okay, blood sugar was another one of my favorite ones from this year. kind of in the same like bloody genre there.

So good. I was obsessed with that one. I still think about it. Yeah. You know what I really liked about that one is I love when books kind of give you that little twist of, you know, the plot saying something to the effect of she's being taken in for questioning on one of the murders she actually didn't commit. Yeah.

just saying it from the beginning. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I thought that was cool to you. And then it was because then it was very character driven and that was really cool. But there was like action still all the way through it as well. Yeah.

It was really good. I remember really enjoying that one. And I. Yeah. From the minute I got an email from the publisher that they were going to send me like an advanced copy of it. I was just like harassing my mailman. like give me that package now.

Yes. And the cover was beautiful. I love that cover. I love that cover so much. And Last Housewife. We've probably already mentioned that, but that cover was gorgeous too. Yeah, I'm really into all the vibrant colors on books for sure, especially with like how dark blood sugar and. Yes, both of them are.

Yeah. Very dark. Yeah. But yeah, I agree. It was definitely a very unique, and it also was really well-paced, in my opinion. I love the pacing with it. Yes. I was so interesting.

Yeah. Yeah, I really liked that one. And I also thought that the detective character was written really well in that one. It didn't come off. you better not skip town. And any of those like corny cheesy lines, you know, like, the detective. And that was just very much like,

I'm seeing through a lot of your bullshit and not going to let you get away with anything if you are guilty. Yes. Yeah. It's, that's the hard part sometimes like in those books. Because you're already not liking the cops in that. You're not a fan of the cops in that book.

And so, so then have it be like. the really like hardened bad cop detective is like even worse yeah i love that one i also there were a lot of actually not to say anything against any other thrillers that i came out but there were actually a lot of really unique thrillers that i wasn't expecting those kind of plots um yeah notes on an execution is one of my favorites yes that one was so unique. I cried.

And I'm not like, I did too. I'm not a big cryer. I know that my best friend, my best friend Tyler, like if he's listening, he will probably disagree. But I cried in blood sugar.

I definitely cried in notes on an execution. I loved the plot of the serial killer going to like the death penalty and getting ready to be executed and having his entire life story told by various women in his life from the day he was born. Not just when he started committing crimes, but the day he was born. I looked into that book.

I think that's probably other than the last housewife. I think that's probably my second favorite book of 2020. I cannot get out of my head. And it just brought so many emotions in a thriller that I wasn't expecting. I read her first book and I really enjoyed it. She's a wonderful writer and I knew that this one was going to be a little bit more literary. Yeah, definitely. I expected to be so emotional and also like pretty dark and violent.

It was. There's not like a lot of like gory kill scenes. like she's not a Karen slaughter, but it was just dark in the sense of like really hitting you in the chest with some of the things that she had. I love that book. Yeah. When I talked to her about that one and she, I thought what was like super powerful was that like her point was like we kind of like we have a culture where we do glorify serial killers sometimes even if it's just because we're like pretending. that they're so smart and cunning and like better than us than that way. And she was like, I did kind of also want to write a story where it was like nothing this person did was remarkable.

He's not even that smart. Like there are just bad people who do bad things just because like they're bad and that's it. But also starts like with a really tumultuous relationship with his mom. So it was very complex. Yeah. And I also love. what she did with how she told the story. Because every time, I think his name was Ansel, Ansel Packer. Is that right? Yeah. Yeah.

Every time he was like in a scene in the book, it was just him being like, okay, I'm going to die in 12 hours. I'm going to die in 10 hours. There wasn't a lot of remorse. Like it wasn't one of those things where you really felt bad for him in any way, shape, or form. Yeah. But I also like how she wrote it.

because of the sense is one thing that I will say about culture and serial killers is people pay more attention to the Green River killer than they do any of his victims. You know, people, like, everybody knows who Ted Bundy is, but I bet you probably less than 10% of the people can actually name somebody who he killed. You know, and I think there's so much focus on, I mean, don't get me wrong, it is very interesting to find out why people do those horrible things. Like in a psychological sense, it is interesting. But it's also like, I think that we should probably pay more attention to victims than the actual killer. You know, like, and sometimes people focus so much on that that I, that's why I love the way she wrote the book.

Because it wasn't just knowing his victim's names. it was all of these people that not only did he impact their life, but like these murders also impacted their lives. Yes. Yes. Crazy, crazy ways. Yeah. Down to like paranoia and depression and all of these other things that can happen. And you don't really, you don't really think about that, you know,

when you hear about cases that happen in real life. You hear about, oh, I feel bad for their parents or their children or something, but you don't think of like maybe the neighbor who turned to Goros Ombic or right how something like that can you know really affect just an entire community yeah yeah and it is you mentioned how it was it is more literary like there's a lot more pros in it but it like you like really know the other women in his life like it's such a deep like it It felt like they had like texture almost is the word that keeps coming to mind when I keep trying to describe it. Like there were so many like sensory details. Like you really felt like completely engulfed in what they were experiencing. And she explored like so many of the women's emotions as well. Like there were so many different like pictures of womanhood even throughout it was like a whole other thing that the book did.

And she did kind of take the power from him where like it was like, it was not him telling his story. He's not the point of the story. Like the women are the point of the story. Very cool. Yeah. Yeah. He did not have much of a voice in that story.

And I love that. There's also, it kind of reminds me, it's not a book from this year, but it's one of my favorite books in the entire world. It's called Please See Us by Caitlin. Yeah. And I love that book because it's also a serial killer book.

but all of the victims are like what they consider Jane Do's and they all have a voice. So like alternating chapters will be from like Jane Doe number one, two, three, four, five. And you get a look into who they were prior to their untimely death. But it's not focused that much on the actual killer than it is the voice behind his victims. and I just, that's a beautiful book. It's very dark and it's very... I need to read out. I've had it on a...

I've seen it before. It's on my list, but I have not read it yet. I've probably read it three or four times. So when you do go pick it up, like, I will read it with you. Even if you want to, like, discuss every single page, I am in it to what it. I am obsessed with that book. It is so, so good. And I think she doesn't...

Yeah. Yeah, that looks great. Yeah. We definitely... have a serial killer streak here going a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. Not us.

We're not serial killers. No. I mean, that is, I think that's my favorite, like, genre of thrillers, we'll say, or, like, trope and thrillers. I don't even know what you would call it. Yeah, maybe subgenre. Yeah, that's a good one. Subgenre. Yeah.

like did you read real easy by no i saw so many conflicting reviews and then i saw you recommend it last night and i was like okay i need to read that now too it is so good i think if you enjoy notes on an execution i did anybody listening who enjoys notes on an execution or okay i think you will love this book it takes place in a strip club in the 90s and there's this like one dancer who just does not want anything to do with the other girls like she is like I'm here to make money I'm going home like I don't want any I'm not here to make friends yeah then this new girl comes in and she ends up like trying to be nice to her and he goes to give her a ride home one of the girls is found dead and the other one is missing and it just sparks an investigation

But I mean, it's also, I think the thing that I really enjoyed about it is that it takes place in the 90s. So you don't have a lot of technology. Like they can't like drop a pin like where she opened her Instagram app the last place. Right. So but it also has that thing that's similar to notes on an execution where there's a lot of character perspectives, like even down to like children. Yeah. That was what I saw with some people said it was hard to keep up. or like keep them distinct but do you feel like they it was still easy to keep track of some people

just complain about that i i took i took notes i always take notes on characters when i read especially like if i mean if it's like a locked room mystery and there's only like four or five then then i'm fine but right if there's going to be a bigger cast i do take notes but i also feel like she did such a good job writing the book and she gave such a voice to all of them okay like you know when the detective comes on, like, you know that, like, she's like, I'm investigating these crimes. Right. Like, there's this witness. But then when there's like a child, like, they're like, it very much seems like something that, like, you're in a child's head. Like, they're wondering

about what they're going to have for like cereal, I think is like one of them. I guess that's what I just want cereal. But yeah, that is, that's another good one. Yeah. I need to read that. one then. I really, really loved more than you'll ever know. Another very, like, character-driven one, like a very emotional one, but, like, also unraveling a murder that happened, like, decades prior. And you're bouncing back between timelines and character perspectives. And the ending was just perfect and I just loved the characters so much. I still remember them. I'm dying to read that one. I really like it's another one that had texture. Like the characters have texture. I'm dying to read that one. I feel like everybody has talked about it. A lot of people did say like it wasn't

necessarily like a thriller but it had like thriller. Yes. So the plot. Yes. And I, I feel like sometimes that works better for me too. Yeah. If she would have written it, I mean, I haven't read it yet, but if she would have written it trying to make it this really twisty reveal kind of thriller, like I don't know if that would have worked as well. Sometimes I feel like that. So because I have read the plot and it does sound really good. It's, it's much more. I think the focus of the book is how women like actually can be messy to.

and that you can still really appreciate where they were coming from. And I'm trying not to give too much of it away. But there's still like it's some messy actions are what led to a murder. So like there's the murder there. But I would agree it's not like I wasn't ever saying like it's action packed. Like that's not what it is. But like you really get like emotionally torn with the character over something that like I didn't ever think I would totally buy into being emotionally torn over.

That's what I'll say. Really sold that for me. Yeah. You know, like the way that you describe it, you know, it almost kind of sounds like Jennifer Hillier. Like how she's like female characters?

Because I like absolutely. Yes, it would be, it's definitely similar to that. I've definitely seen it compared to Jennifer Hillier too. Okay. Yeah. That makes sense to me.

just in the way that she writes her character is not like it's super dark like Jennifer Hillier but right um did you read things we do in the dark yeah oh yes oh my god that was amazing uh amazing she i loves that one so much so good like yeah not her earlier stuff is a little different compared to like jar of hearts and things we do in the dark but they're still so good i have I've not read anything and finished it by her and been like, oh, that was a disappointment. Like, I'm always just like, oh, my God, she's so dark and twisted and I love it. And she's also like one of the nicest people in the world. I love that.

I love things we do in the dark, though. And I felt like the ending was so good. And like sometimes with books that have that many things going, the ending is not like disappointing. But like sometimes it's not just like perfect, like stick the landing. And I felt like she stuck the landing on the ending. I loved the ending. Yeah, yeah. I, you know what the thing is with her, not anything against her storytelling, because I love the way that she writes her books, but she's also one of those authors that will completely like beguile me with her writing because I guessed one of the twists in that book. And I was like, I don't even care that I feel like I know what's going to happen. I want to know, I think with her stories, even if you guess something, it's just as important.

and how she gets you to that point, then it is if you guess something that happened. And that's something like always love, love, love about her writing. Because it is like a character journey that you are, you know, going along with. And also, she does not,

she does not hold back. Like she really puts her characters through the ringer. And yeah, she does. She's like, this is how like a realistic story is going to be. And I don't care if, you like think that I'm like emotionally and mentally beating the shit out of these characters like I'm taking them where they need to go and yes they're going to need a lot of therapy

when yeah yeah if you're working through mommy issues right now it might the book might piss you off a little bit yeah yeah what a good feeling though yes yes I agree amazing yeah that one was so good. That one will be in my list then too. I really, really loves alias M of, but it's a, it's a spy thriller. So I don't think you read it. I have not read it. I have not read it, but I also am learning that I could be more open to like different areas of crime fiction because I know that I think that you've mentioned this before that you love that book. I did. I just sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone.

Yeah. Well, and if it's not, I know we talked about, because I asked you if you read action or spy thrillers. And your point was like also sometimes it gets so political or whatever. I would say like this, it's not like there's really nothing political happening.

And it's kind of just like the main character. basically has to secure an asset, but then the office she was supposed to bring him to gets compromised. So then like the whole book is her trying to get this asset who like a lot of people are trying to kill through London to like of the complete other side of London in one night. And like it's the action was just so fun. Like every time you like, like, thought they were a little bit safe, then everything, like, totally blew up all over again. And it was just fun. It was fun for me.

So it wasn't a really, like, macho, political, like, all of, like, those maneuverings. It really was kind of a more feminine spy thriller, but she's still as cool as James Bond. I love that, though. Yeah. That sells me because I feel like almost every book, if not every book that we've discussed. so far. They're all written by women. Yeah. And I'm a huge fan of supporting women in crime fiction because I think that if there were not women writing crime fiction and thrillers and all of these different genres that we love

within crime fiction, like we would not have as many books to talk about. I know. That's what, because like, I'm obviously, I'm not against interviewing male authors. It's just there's only been like four that I've reached out to the whole time. And three of them said yes. So I just, like statistically, I just don't end up reading as many male authors. I just not against it. Yeah. I just also think that like I love how women write other women in such a more believable way

and that really sells it for me like especially when you said like with some of these stories that we're discussing like they're definitely more character driven like flicker in the dark I loved that one if a man tried to write

Chloe that would not work would not work like no the anxiety and the paranoia and all of the like mental health issues that that poor character had yes from the beginning to the end and well yeah the end of that book like right and a lot because of the men in her life you're damn right girl that was such a good bug. I love that one. Again, another serial killer thriller. I know. I even think it's not my main genre. And then I'm like, it is. You know, what's really funny that you say that too, because I was like, oh, I know I love serial killer thrillers because I love the, they almost remind me of more, they kind of remind me of like the slasher movies that I love, you know, because you don't know

who's going to be next. You don't know why. You don't know. You don't know. You don't know. who the killer is. You don't know their motive or their history. Like what turn them. So there's so many aspects of them that really like make me feel like I have to pay attention to every word in the book because I want to know what's happening and I want to figure it out at the time that I'm supposed to. I don't want it to register with me a week later. But that's just, there's so many different aspects to them that I feel like really makes me just fully admit that. that's my genre. Yeah.

But anything psychological, like psychological. I think that's because I was trying to narrow it down for myself too. And that is like a big part of it is if it's like really examining the psychology of a bunch of people in a situation, sometimes I think what makes serial killer stories more interesting for that is like it can be something that like spans time. and it's something that's like more rooted in the person's personality so sometimes there's like more to explore but in general I what I know the other like feeling I love when I'm reading at least is like with stay awake that I read last night like when there's like even if it's not amnesia but there's some general like you can tell you're a little disoriented even reading it and but you're still like dying to figure you're like dying to figure it out. I love that feeling. And that tends to be in like what I feel like people call like a pretty

traditional psychological thriller. But I love the one where it's like, what is the truth where you're kind of like going back and forth on it through the whole book? Yeah, I 100% agree with you on that. I love when a book like kind of makes me feel lightheaded because I'm like panicking and I'm like, wait, am I not feeling well or is this like just completely like ruining you now? Yeah. Especially when you get to the ending and it feels like a fever dream and you don't like, yeah, like I just, I love that. I love that 100%. Yeah.

There's a book from 2019 that I really specifically remember giving that that feeling too called date. night by Samantha Hayes. And I remember the whole time, like, I was like, there's just something that is off, like the whole time. You're just like, I don't quite know what it is, but something's not always lining up. And then at the end, you're like, holy shit. That's what it was.

Yeah. Yeah. That one was great. I actually, I haven't had like a reaction like that in a while. where a book made me feel like physically upset or ill I had

I actually when I read all good people here by Ashley Flowers I at the end of it felt like the anxiety that that book gave me upset my stomach like I was like I felt very queasy

and I felt very like just uncomfortable. Like my palms were really like sweaty and I just like fell off for like hours that night. But yeah. It's so good. Like that ending will stick with me for a very, very, very long time. I know. I know. I know. Yeah. I'll read it with you.

You're like, I'll go through it again. I'll go through it again. It's I was I think we both talked about the good daughter was one that gave me like a visceral reaction like that where I was like, whew. Yeah. That was like one of my most pronounced ones. Yep. Yeah, the good daughter by Karen Slaughter. Pretty girls by Karen Slaughter gave me.

There's one scene. There's one reveal, I guess I should say. Yeah. Including some things that they found out, trying to, like, get the spoiler-free. But there's something that they found out. and then when I read it, I was like very shocked in the description of some of like the graphic violence in that book.

Yeah. Yeah. But psychologically it hit me like a few hours later. Mm-hmm. How disturbing it was. And yeah. I was just like, wow. Like that hit me very hard.

Yeah. I agree. Like all good people here like, I don't, I don't want to say I wasn't expecting it because I really enjoyed the book. But I mean, you can. tell, I mean, she's really good with crime junkie and her podcast, and I

absolutely adore her from that. So when I read the book, like, I was reading it and I was like, wow, you can tell that she's definitely thought about a lot of the cases that she's done. Yeah. Some of the episodes and like things that they've covered. So when I was reading it, you could almost, you could almost hear it in her voice that she's

describing these things as if it was something that really happened. But then when I got to the ending, and it was getting to the point where things were being revealed, the truth was coming out and like realizing that like eventually there's got to be a last line in this book and the way that she did it just make me feel. But you know that feeling you get when you're so hungry? Like if you skipped lunch and you get to dinner and you're like, oh my God, I could eat everything and you eat so much and you eat so fast.

And then about 20 minutes later you're like, I feel like I'm going to throw up. Yeah. That's how I felt. That's how I felt when I finished on the people. So I will make sure that I'm not eating when I finish it. It's not anything that will gross you out. It just may feel so uncomfortable and uneasy. Right. And I definitely got teary eyed with that one. Oh.

I get that, though. It happens to me. There was a part in blood sugar that I would cry. about even if I remembered it. You'll have to tell me what it is offline because I think that one came out in the spring. Yeah. And I read it in like late winter because as soon as I got it, I was like, I need to read this now. Yep. And I try to read books like closer to when they come out.

Me too. But with that one, I just couldn't help myself. And I've read so many books since that I'm like, I just remember loving it. Do you ever like feel like that? Like you're like, I knew I love that book. Yeah, there are some books where I know I did, but I remember like a bit of the plot. Yeah. And I don't remember like the big reveals, but I'm just like, I remember being like floored when I read it.

And that's one of those. I used to cry a lot more easily in TV shows. Like I was such an easy crier. I'm a little better now. I used to be, you're better and I'm bitter. I used to cry a lot more easy. Now, like, now I just don't. But I used to cry a lot easier than.

I don't know when. Yeah, I have my things that will just always get me. And it's like very obvious why it does. And so like anytime there's a version of like, just like a really selfless mother. I'm like, oh, my God. I'm such a sucker for it. Like, I'm definitely past the trauma of it all. But if there's a sweet mom, I'm like,

Oh, my God. Animal deaths and like, have you ever watched? Oh, my God. What the hell's the name of that movie? Prayers for Bobby. No. It has the gorny weaver in it. Okay.

It's based on a true story. So this, like, is not a spoiler. but it literally is like this guy who like grew up gay and like maybe like the 70s or 80s and his mom never accepted it and she was always like you need to change you need to change and he ended up killing himself and like after he killed himself like she realized how she could have been more supportive and she became like a huge

gay rights activist like after he died and that movie I saw a TikTok of it the other day and like just like tears started coming down. I'm like my eyes are prickly right now. I would sob my way through that. It's such a good movie, but it is so hard to watch. But it's just. I bet.

Wow. I know. Are you a This is Us person? I feel like you should be. Wouldn't be? I probably should be. I used to cry. I used to,

I guarantee you there were about 10 years of my life that I probably cried every single episode of Grace Anatomy because I felt for the patients as well as. Like if their surgery was successful, I would like cry because I'm like, I'm so happy for you, Patricia. And then like if they died, I'd be like, oh my God,

how do you let this happen? I know. Yeah. I definitely think that I could get into This is Us. I just have to take the time to actually like get into it. Yeah. You know, and like it's just a lot of crying.

That was why I brought it up. Like, there's definitely good storytelling, but like if you don't want to just cry every time, that was what it got to for me. I was like, I don't want to cry every time I watch it. I think the thing is too, like, and I say this about like all media, like books, movies, and television, I think the thing when it comes to getting that sort of reaction where I'm teary-eyed or my heart feels like it's broken or any sort of reaction like that is almost when I don't, really expect it, which is why I think it really hits me hard when I read like thrillers,

because I'm not expecting that emotional connection. And then movies and television, a lot of the times it's the way that it's acted, that will really hit me hard. Yeah. So I agree. That's why. Like, I might not be too bad with This Is Us because I would probably be expecting to cry and expecting to have that like emotional reaction but like in like all good people here like I was not expecting that reaction. I was not expecting to be deflated emotionally from that kind of book, you know. In it, but you definitely are expecting to be moved that way when you read a thriller. So it makes sense that it could like sneak up on you. Yeah, I remember the last like non thriller book that made me cry, but like, I mean, I wasn't really expecting it, but at the same time, it didn't really

surprise me that much because it was so, like, well written and I really enjoyed the ending, but it was very emotional. But I think the last time that I had that emotional reaction and, like, a thriller was definitely all good people here. Yeah. And I think it's, I mean, you'll know when you read it. Like, I think it's just, there were so many disturbing aspects to that book that. weren't they weren't unrealistic you know and I think that's the thing that's tough yeah sometimes when things aren't you know like when you're like oh shit this could really happen and then it kind of gets that reaction out of you you're like oh yeah I mean I think of handmade sale have you do you watch handmade sale yes I do that one is brutal I've cried a few times during that yeah

yeah when you said the way it's acted that was like definitely what it made me think of Handmaid's Tale. Yeah, I love Handmaid's Tale. Yeah. It's so good. It was back soon, too. I know. I don't know if I'm ready. See, I was one of the people that started Handmaid's Tale after it was popular. Like, I probably started when it was like during season four and I dinged like three or four seasons ring in a row.

So I was like really burnt out from it because it is very emotional. It's so heavy. Yeah. When one of the seasons air. recently. Like I always wait until all the episodes are out anyway so that I can watch it straight through. Right. But even when it had all come out, I was like, I'm just not in the headspace for this. So I even waited a few months at that point because I was like, I love the show, but like it is a very different kind of show. It's so heavy to watch. Yeah. Yeah. That one's really tough, especially considering

just, you know, like how women are treated in society and everything. It's just, and this was before a lot of the things that have happened this year. So it's just so scary because that's what's really scary. Yeah, the first episode opens with like Roe versus Way has been overturned and hasn't been common law for like years. Yeah. Yeah. Freaky. It's freaky.

And like, especially like all of the people trying to like escape the United States and get to Canada as quickly as possible to. Yeah. Yeah. You live a better life. And like there were so many people talking about that like the past few years that just like when I was watching, I was like, I don't know. Because it was also like during the height of COVID that I was bingeing it. So I was like, that would be rough. That would be really rough.

I felt like I watched like Schitt's Creek really quickly. And like that was good during the height of COVID because it was like funny and uplifting. But then like Handmaid's tail was like so dark and just like, guess what? Like you could just be living your best life and be completely happy and have the next day like everything. Rip to shreds. Yes. And I was like.

That's what it does really well too is that juxtaposition. because so much of it, especially in the first and second seasons, is showing how normal these characters' lives were just years before. And then you cut to what they're dealing with now and you're like, oh, it could happen. I love the way they do that in that show. Yeah. Love the way they do that. And the music. They're, oh, my gosh, the music, the way episodes end with certain music, like, they do so many things right with that show.

and Elizabeth Moss is just perfection. Oh my God. He's amazing. Yvonne Strahowski. Is that her name? Yes. Yeah. She's so freaking good too.

Yes, she is. She is such a talented lady. I know. I used to watch her in Chuck. Okay. It was like a, like a dromedy on maybe CBS. I can't remember. Yeah.

I don't know. I love the backstory that they, do with their characters and like how they do it and flashbacks. Yeah. It also reminds me of Orange is the New Black. Yes, actually. I wasn't thinking that, but yeah, it reminds me of Orange is the New Black. And I also, it reminds me of kind of euphoria. Yes. Yes. Because in euphoria, every episode starts with like a character's backstory. And I love the way they do that. Mm-hmm. It's so good. I just love that show. I love shows that do that. I think, it's so valuable when they like nail that to be able to really see different perspectives.

That's what's so cool about it. Yeah. I also feel like I have the reason I really like to do that too is because you know what it's like in this time and like digital age where you can't watch one episode of a TV show without a text message and email a notification on something. So like it's so effective like in that sense because. The only other way for them to do that would be through dialogue. And I feel like if you miss something, you're going to be really confused.

Whereas like they do something like that that makes you, like forces you to really pay attention. It's just so effective and it does like stick with you more. You know. Yeah. So I'm just like having one line of dialogue that's like, oh, and I was 10 years old. Oh my gosh. When they're like when they say like show don't tell. And when they're just really obviously telling.

you and you're like okay tell me this is a pilot episode without telling me it's a pilot episode they're like i haven't seen you in 10 years since we were in high school together you're like no agrees each other that way no like the other like unless it's like a story about somebody waking up like with the amnesia yeah that is one exception we were watching what we were watching we were watching something where they were just spelling out everything that was happening and we were like this movie could have been 30 minutes shorter and better if they didn't like explain it to us like we were five I hate that I also hate when you're watching a show and it's like episode like 8 of 12 or 8 of 10 and you're like oh my God, I can't wait to see what happens next. And then it's like some dumb filler episode that like if you would have skipped it,

you wouldn't even give a shit what happened. Yes. Yes. There was definitely a period where, where seasons were getting too bloated because we're just now getting to a point where like shows could be six episodes or eight episodes. And like for a bit, it was everything was like 20 episodes on cable. Yeah.

And then when we kind of got into digital, they're like 12, that must be the lowest you could go. And then they're like maybe 10 works. And now like sometimes eight works and sometimes six works. But there's a period where like everything was getting bloated because they're like, oh, people do have long attention spans. And you're like, yeah, but sometimes like keeping everything like really mattering to the plot is going to actually make people watch the whole thing. Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed the episode. Be sure to follow us on Instagram so that you can keep up with everything we're reading and talking about. You can follow Garrett at Garrett Indeed Reads, and you can follow me, Kate, at The Girl with a Book on the couch.