Bookwild - Getting to Know Us! Part One

Episode Date: October 4, 2022

Welcome to Killing the Tea with Gare and Kate!  We are two bookstagrammers who met on Instagram (obviously) and found out we have been reading the same books for years.  After blowing each other's DMs up for months, we realized we needed to do what every millennial duo does and start a podcast.  If you love thrillers, mysteries, crime fiction, and horror books, TV shows and movies, you are going to LOVE Killing the Tea with us.In this first episode, we get to know each other and realize just how many of the same books, show and movies we love.You can also watch the episode on YouTube.Follow us on Instagram!Garehttps://www.instagram.com/gareindeedreads/Katehttps://www.instagram.com/thegirlwiththebookonthecouch/Books We Talked About This WeekGoosebumpsThe Fear Street BooksGone GirlThe Kind Worth KillingThe Girl With a Clock for a HeartHow to Survive Your MurderDaisy DarkerThis is How I LiedHis & HersBlood SugarWhere the Truth LiesThey Come at KnightThe Last HousewifeIn My Dreams I Hold a KnifeKarin SlaughterThe SnowmanStalkerThe Chestnut ManThese Toxic Things Movies We Talked About This WeekI Know What You Did Last SummerScreamHalloweenWatcherIt FollowsBodies Bodies BodiesThey/Them 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. Hello. Hey. How was your day?

My day was pretty good. How was yours? Yeah, it was pretty good. It was busy, but I've been excited for this all day. Same. Me too. Yeah. It's a great day to start a podcast, don't you think?

It is a great day to start a podcast. It's like also a really great day to read a book. Yes. Yeah. It's been super rainy here. Yeah. I'm excited for the fall weather to start. Me too. We agree on that one. Yeah. It's too hot. Well, that's kind of how we started this whole thing because we started to agree on a lot of things. On everything. All of the similar interests that we had and everything we agree on. So, yeah. So this is the first episode of the Killing the Tea podcast.

Yeah. Which is all things chilling, thrilling, and killing. So we will be talking about all of our favorite murdery books and movies and TV shows and everything that, you know, kind of helps us celebrate spooky season all year round. Because it just should be. It just should be all year round. Yeah, 100%. Like there's-dos you disagree.

Like, I just don't get it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, the summer celebrators who just want to, you know, kind of enjoy the hot weather and things are harmonious. Apparently some people do that. I mean, I really feel like, I don't know about books yet, but I really feel like that there is a scary movie for every season, you know, like, I know, last summer takes place

on, like, July 4th. And then, you know, screen movies, they typically, like, I think are spring-ish. And then, you know, obviously there's the good old Halloween and Christmasy ones. But yeah, I think that you- Born in the fall? Is your birthday in the fall? No, I was born in May. I'm a spring. Okay. Yeah, I was born in October. So some people are like, well, of course, fall is your favorite. And I'm like, okay. No, I've always loved fall. I've always- Yeah.

I actually like it a lot more as an adult just because I don't have that dread of having to go back to school. That's a really good point. So now I'm, I still see kids get on the bus and I'm like, I am so glad I don't have to do that anymore. That was the worst. Like I loved back to school shopping, but then like actually going back to school and all of that nonsense, I just was not into it. No, shopping is much better than learning. Oh, absolutely. Especially like book fairs. I looked forward to them. Yes. Yes. Those were amazing. I actually got books. you know. I did too. I did not just dinosaur toys or something random. Not to shade my friends, but I was not buying posters or like erasers that were in the shape of like hot wheels cars and Barbies.

And they like snapped in half so easily. They're like the worst erasers. Yeah. Everything was like no give. The books were good quality. Yeah. They were. Everything else did not. Everything else like lots of three days. Did you read so did you read a lot as a kid? Now I'm thinking now might need to be one of our episodes like what we read when we were younger. Yeah. I think that that is kind of what got me into crime fiction is because I mean, obviously my parents read, you know, books to me when I was younger. But it was like chicken soup and rice and things like that, like those like kid tales. But like when I started to read on my own, I wanted those mysteries and thrillers like goosebumps, anything.

are all stuff. The Fear Street books, like everything like that I just absolutely loved. And then they started turning it into like a TV show. So that was a double win for me. That was a big win. Yeah. I read as much mysteries as I could like get, get close to. Yeah, my parents were restrictive. So I guess I didn't read as much as a kid as like the type of reading that I do now. Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah. So like I would like find the like acceptable versions, but like I would not have been allowed to watch goosebumps as a kid. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And then I found it like in college. In college, I found Gillian Flynn. And I was like, oh my gosh. Because that was like right when she was blowing up in terms of gone girl. And I was like, this is amazing. I need more of this.

I always went back and forth with reading and like. high school and college. And I'd get really into it. And say to myself, I'm going to read more. I'm going to like focus on this because I enjoy it so much and I always have. I never felt like it was up in or something I had to do. But I think Gillian Flynn is when it really struck me too. I remember like everybody was talking about Gone Girl.

But I was used to book series and I was used to author. who did like the Easter eggs where their books would be connected. So everybody was talking about Gone Girl. I went and read her first two books before that just to make sure that there were no surprises. And then that's what really got me into it. I was like I need everything by this person. I need something that's similar to this. That was what got me hooked on reading again. And I just got sense. Yeah. I think we talked about whenever we started talking on Instagram because that the next one for me was Peter Swanson. And you said like that happened for you too, I think was that yeah, with the kind worth killing. And that was like the next one I found like

after I started like looking for more books like that. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing too. Yeah. I read his first book. I think it's called the girl. Is that the girl. Yeah. Yeah, the girl with the clock for the heart. Yes. I read that one and I, I mean, I enjoyed it. I liked his way of writing and I liked his books taking place in Massachusetts and having the like that kind of vibe to them. His first one, like it wasn't really my genre back then, but then when I was kind of worth killing, I was like, this is it for me. Like I'm going to devour this. Yeah. And I've rather sometimes being, I know, I need to reread it. I only read it once and it's been years now.

But it's like, I would recommend it to people for like years after it where they'd be like, how do you like get so into a book? I was like, read a book like this. This is how you get that into a book. It's so funny. And I feel like there's always ones that I'm really anticipating that always hit the nail on the head for me. But there's always.

Yeah, those are the twos that I remember just because they like got me into it. And then I'm sure there been plenty. anymore. Yeah. And there's always one I feel like every year that really surprises me. Something that maybe wasn't on my radar. Usually it's a debut author. So it's not something that's completely on my radar. But I hear about it on bookstagram or I, you know, see something on Amazon and I pick it up. And then it just absolutely kills me. Yeah. I love when that happens. Because then you're like, oh, I have another person to be excited for new books. Yeah. And I love when it happens on Bookstagram too because you have somebody that's already so passionate about reading.

Yeah. You can talk to about, you know, whatever book you're reading that you absolutely love or, you know, kind of like just chat with them about other things that are like that. It's like really exciting to find something you love and then find somebody that not only loves it as well, but might have recommendations for you that you don't. Yes. That's the best. That's what I was going to. I was just like, this is the perfect segue. Yeah, this is a perfect same thing to talk about

Instagram and how we met. Yeah. And also kind of, I think, because it was Ashley's thing was the first thing you saw, right? Yes. Yeah.

That's what I thought. It was Ashley and Jamie Lynn Hendricks. Yeah. And then she was after Ashley. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yep.

Yeah. It was like both of, the funny thing was both of them mentioned you to me in the episodes. And then like you started messaging me and I was like, whoa. Yeah. Well, they told me about it and they were like, oh, you have to check out this podcast. So then I started following you. And, you know, when you posted about it, I got to finally listen to the podcast episode. And I was like, yeah, but I was also like, wow. Like, I love all the things

that you say in your podcast. Yeah. Like, this is somebody that I think I could really have a good friendship with just because not only your taste in books, but the way that you talk. talk about books. It's not just like, oh, I like this. Like, I'm moving on. Like, you are just like, you know, you want something that's going to set the tone for like whatever mood you're in. And that's exactly how I am as a reader. Yeah. Yeah. That's, that is so cool. I didn't know that they actually told you about it. So that's like, I'm learning things this tonight. Yeah. Yeah. Jamie, I know Jamie Lynn Hendricks definitely told me about it because she was like, oh my God, I just recorded this podcast. I was talking to you about it. And even back then, I was like,

I want to do a podcast so bad. That's awesome. That's amazing. I was like, I want to do a podcast. Like, I love like listening to them. But yeah, I just, I don't know. I just, I want to do a book podcast because I feel like, and I mean, it's an enjoyable experience.

Like, don't get me wrong. And I'm sure you feel this way about your other podcast sometimes. But sometimes when I do lives with authors, it's really hard to keep the conversation going. about a book when you're trying to like a avoid spoilers right you're only talking about you know one title and I don't want to like ever you know sway the conversation and take it away from the conversation that we're having about whatever book they're promoting yes yeah I've always wanted to do a podcast just in the sense of like let's talk about what we love about reading let's talk what books we love, you know. And then you and I talked about some TV shows and movies that we love to

and how we had similar tastes in that. So I was like, okay, this kind of makes sense for us to start a podcast. It does. Because you, our DMs are on fire. Like, there's smoke from them. Like, we can't, we have to do that thing. I don't, I mean, I'm not very tech savvy. Like, you are. We have to do that thing where you click on the message to reply to a certain one because the conversation because they too get so quickly and the conversation is like changing every two seconds so i know i was like okay let's yeah let's get the ball rolling on this because this would so much fun for us to it would yeah i thought so too you recommended watchers uh well not you posted about it um and then my husband and i watched it and those like i still think about how fantastic that movie was especially the ending

And so then we were talking about that and I couldn't stop talking about it. I was like, man, like we need to, the quintessential thing that everyone says when they have really good conversation, they're like, I need to start a podcast with you. I know, I know. Well, I mean, we've been kind of plotting this for a while. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like since then I have seen so many other people that are like starting podcasts and

stuff like that. It's like our podcast, the new Instagram. Yeah, yeah. Are we going to have more? Yeah. Yeah. especially since you can promote them on Instagram too. But I just love that about like any conversation I've had with you in regards to movies and TV shows and anything like that because the minute I watched the movie watcher.

Yeah. Which everybody needs to watch because it's amazing. So good. The minute I watched it, I just could not wait to recommend it to you because I was like this is going to be one of those things where like you're going to love it. Yes. Like that I can't believe it's not getting marketed more because more people need to see it. I hadn't seen anything about it until you posted about it. And I like normally see like movie trailers or whatever that are like within the genre I'm always watching.

But I didn't even see anything about it until you posted about it. And I was like, this looks good. I feel like I've like curated all of my social media apps in such a like psychotic way. I get like movie recommendations on like Instagram and Twitter and TikTok everything like that. So, but I haven't even done it on purpose. It's just by like liking things or like saving certain things. But yeah, I also love Micah Monroe, the lead artist in that movie.

Yes. Maybe she posted something about it because I think that's what you shared. She was in It Follows, which I loved. Love, love. So, but this is a little bit more, like, I don't want to say mainstream, because I think it is very like. Yeah, I know, but it's a specific taste. Yeah, yeah. But it's a little bit more, uh, it does like reference.

Reference. Yeah, it's definitely a slow burn. Yeah. That's what I was kind of nervous because my husband Tyler does not like slow burns normally. Like that's just like too much sitting and having nothing happening for him. Right. And as we were watching it, though, he was like, every time that he likes a thriller or a drama that's like that, he's always like, you're just constantly asking questions. He's like, you're like, it's like a whole, like you never know what the truth is. It just like throws you right in there. I was like, that is the beauty of this genre. You never know what's happening. You never know what's happening. You never know what's happening. You never know what's going to. You're always trying to figure it out, which, oh my gosh, I can't wait until you see bodies, bodies, bodies. Same thing for that movie. Same thing. You do not know what's happening the whole time.

I cannot. It was amazing. People need to go see that too. I've really been looking forward to that for a long time. I bet. That is right up your alley. It is. It is.

And you know, there was one, it's called they, them. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I saw that, but I saw it as like when I was scrolling through options. Yeah. It's like a slasher for the LGBT community. It's like somebody killing. people in a conversion camp. Yes.

I thought it was really enjoyable for, I mean, when you watch the trailer, you know that it's going to be almost probably how people felt in the 80s when a new Friday of the 13th movie came out. Like, this isn't going to be super deep,

but it's going to be enjoyable. It's going to kill a Friday night. Yeah. Yeah. So I thought it was really enjoyable, but I need to add that to my. Super pump for bodies, bodies, bodies.

was, there's so many good things about it. Creatively, the score. It, like, has some satire in it. It's so good. It's so good. It truly is a comedy horror thriller. Like, it is all of those genres in one, which was really impressive to me. I'm looking for, you know, I actually just read a book like that. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Which one was that? How to survive your murder by, Danielle from time. Yeah. I absolutely loved it. It had so many horror movie references in it. It was fun. It had like a teen cast. It was like slasher movie in a book form. The villain was amazing. I mean, it takes place in like a huge cornfield on like Halloween and it's just crazy. But it was so, so good. I absolutely love that one. I need it. I have not been like last week was the first. week that I did not finish an entire book in months. And I feel so behind because I was reading like two books a week. And like even the Daisy Darker that came out, I am such an Alasfini fan. But like, I have so many other ones above that one on my TBR as well. I'm like, how am I going to

catch up to all of these? I don't know how. I got to hire an assistant to do my work for me. I'm game. whatever I can do to help you get through your TBR because it's like it's insane. How interested are you in editing? Yeah, I can do it. I can do it. I think you could. I feel like if you trained me on anything, I could do it because I feel like you are

very patient with me and I'm like shoes with technology. Or you're just really good at learning stuff. Maybe. Maybe I'm good. I catch a lot. I don't know. I don't know. I feel like sometimes I am like I'll notice like

trends and things, but then when, like, people do certain things, even on, like, Instagram, I'm like, how did you do that? Yeah. Yeah. I don't get it. I just do it for work. So that's the main reason I know it all. I think you will like Daisy darker, though. I'm so excited for that. I love Alice Fienney's books. I take like her. She's so good. Yeah. I haven't. This is how I lied. I loved that one. That was her, right? Yes. There are so many. with lie in the title, which like feels like it could be a story about all of the books that have lie in it. Yeah. Life. Yeah. Yeah. The lies. There's, yeah, there's so many. I think you love a girl. Oh my God. I don't know if you've noticed this in a like in a trend in thrillers.

And I have, but they used to have when a girl went missing in a book, it was the popular blonde bitchy girl. Always. And now I feel like. I'm noticing a trend of the blonde, popular bitchy girl being replaced with the wild redhead. Yeah. Every book I've read recently that has a missing teenager or a missing girl or something or any like sassy, fiery character. Yes. Yeah. Did you read Blood Sugar this year?

Yes, I did. She's redheaded too. I love that one. I love it. I just love that one. Yeah. It was one I read. I'm trying to think

of what it was. It's called Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey. She was a red. But that's a really good one too. It kind of reminds me of like a thriller mystery but it takes place in a small town.

And so like the vibe of the town kind of reminded me of one tree hill. Like these kids go out into like the fields to party and like you can just picture like all the letterman jackets and you know the kids that are like from like the bad side of town and then like the popular ones so it definitely gave me it was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be but um it definitely gave me one tree hill vibes which I'm always into oh my gosh I loved that show my friends had it on DVD and like smuggled it to me they're like you have to watch this I was like that

back when we had like portable DVD players that's so funny that is yeah i still think i have in this desk that we're recording at i think that i have my portable DVD player oh my gosh i don't have mine i do i do i don't even know where my DVDs are to be honest with you but i still have the player in case something happened in case like netflix starts mailing you DVDs again right oh my gosh that was i remember getting the mailed to my dorm in college and being like, this is so cool. I remember hating it, and the only reason I hated it is because I actually worked at a video store.

Yeah. So it was like, people were like, I'll just get it on Netflix. And I was like, Netflix is going to be the devil to us. And then I ended up getting another job. But it wasn't long after that I think like a lot of video stores are started. Yeah. That was like the most fun job I've ever had. Oh, really?

Hands down. Like the stat was. the staff fun or no, being by yourself was fun. Some of them were fun. Some of them were fun. But no, it was just like, it was just easy. You know, it was really easy work, but it was fun. So they would send you, I think like Thursday or Friday, they would send the stores, like what the new movies coming out were. And then we could rent them for, well, I mean, we could rent them for,

free and bring them home because what they wanted to do was they wanted us to watch like the new movies that were coming out before they were released on the shelves so that we could recommend whatever people needed. Nice. So it was like one of those, but it was also like one of those jobs that I was like, okay, I'm literally like working here and they're asking me to stay home on the weekends and watch a bunch of movies. Okay, that's definitely fun. I'm like, that's a dream. Yeah, that's amazing. That was really fun. That was like the most fun I've ever had at like any job.

Because all people do was they returned in their movies and you like, you scan it and then you put it back on the shelf. You know, like it wasn't insanely crazy. Right. You know, like we got busy. That makes you want to be a librarian now. I mean, I don't. Librarian would be stressful because I think that people do weird things in libraries. That's a good point.

And that's just from the romance books that I've read. Oh my gosh. You don't mean weird, weird things. I mean weird, weird, yeah. That's funny. So maybe you're right. I don't want to deal with that. But if I could find a job where I could just read all the time, be great.

That would be fun. I would love to. Hopefully this becomes our job that lets us read all the time. That would be amazing. That would be amazing. To just get paid to read and talk about it. Yeah. That would be fun. I would love to get paid to talk about books. I would love to do that. But I feel like my only concern is if I were paid, if there were some job that I was paid to read, I wonder if it would take the joy out of reading for me. That's a really good point. Because like books are such a good escapism for me.

You're right. A rough day at work. Or if I'm doing something that I don't want to do, I can be like at least. when I'm finished with this, I can relax at like 80 o'clock tonight with my book or whatever the case may be or, you know, but I just- Right when I get off this call. Right. No, I did start a new one today, so it's really good. It's really good. I'm enjoying it.

I'm on a like streak where I'm reading a lot of good things. Right now I'm reading real bad things by Kelly J. Ford. Yeah. It is so good. It is so good. I'm about halfway through. I started on my lunch break today. That's amazing.

Do you speed read? How do you read it 16 books a month? Were you the one who did 16, 15? Probably. You know what? I don't even know if I speed read. I probably do when I just don't realize it. Okay.

I do read on my lunch breaks. So I get an hour lunch break once. Once a day, most people do. Only lunch, once a day. Only get one lunch break a day. God, I'm calling HR. But I get an hour a day to read and I read on my lunch break. I read after work.

Yeah. And then the weekends, like I try to read a book on Saturday and I try to read a book on Sunday because my things are like my time. Yeah. Yeah. I do need to get better about just blocking. the whole day off. Yeah. I mean, I'll do like fun things, you know, like, I think the thing is, is that I'm really, really OCD with time management. Yeah. So if I pick up a book, like, I can plan out

when I can finish it. Where I know I can read 50 pages in this day or I can read 100 in this day, whatever. I do dinner with my friends every Thursday night. So like I kind of know when like my social evening is going to be. It's another thing we have in common. Because social men's a little bit tired. Surrounded by people that know that they're going to see me once or twice a week. Yeah. Yeah.

But it's hard too. I mean, I do have two jobs. I do have that one night a week where I do have dinner with my friends. And then there's just weird adult things that you have to do like grocery shops. shop and do your laundry and just clean dishes, dishes, whatever the case may be. Like, it just takes up a lot of, I feel like Sundays, I do all of my laundry. Yeah. I like to grocery shop on like, depending on where I'm going, either like a Wednesday night or

Saturday, like afternoon. Like I like to get up on Saturdays and have my coffee and then take off and run whatever errands I have to run or go shopping. or whatever the case may be. But yeah. Yeah. I do try to do a book a weekend and then like one to two. Yeah.

That's what I've noticed is like in general, that's what happens. We're like sometimes I will read a book Saturday and Sunday or all in Saturday. And then it just depends since we are like kind of essentially freelance and that we don't just like work with one client. So sometimes stuff just all comes in one week. And then I'm like, I didn't even read on the weekend. So it's just like weird adjusting to it. But I was getting like to a weekend where like it would seem like Monday through

Friday I would read a book. And then Saturday and Sunday I'd read a book. So like one book would always take longer during the week. And then the other one would be shorter. And then I got I got off my streak last week. But I'll get back. Send me your calendar and I'll hook you up with your like reading schedule. That's a good point.

Yeah. Can I get little stars? like we did in like kindergarten. I'll just break it up. That's what I do. I mean, it's, well, yeah,

I think it's hard to with your work schedule. For me, I have a day job working right. As a recruiting coordinator. I work Monday through Friday from home, eight in the morning to four 30 in the afternoon. My second job is freelance like writing for she reads. So that depends on what they want for me.

So sometimes I can do that when I get done work. I'll work for them for like an hour and be like, okay, that's enough because they are really good at giving me my assignments ahead of time. So it's not so last minute. That's good. And then I just like read in between. But the thing that really helps me is I know that I'm going to read one book on a Saturday and one book on a Sunday. So whatever those two books are, I try to make it something that I'm really looking for. to because I want to read it. And if there's something I'm kind of iffy on or if there's something

that I haven't heard a lot about or I don't know if it's a genre or a plot that's going to work for me, I'll save it for the week because I know that it would be easier for me to put it down. That's, that's really strategic. I like that. That is your, that's how to tackle your TVR with here. Yes. How do you tackle your TV? you are and you just like gave everyone the answer. I'm going to have a bunch of Instagram DMs. I'm like, here's my schedule. Help me like read three bucks and away. You get all these calendar invites. Oh my gosh. You can be like just listen to the recording. We'll have to like make it a separate clip. So you can just send the link back to people.

It'll be just, yeah, it'll just be like find that like when you're boiling water for your pasta, you can read 10 pages. I do do that. Tyler, sometimes like if we, before, in the car and he like goes into the gas station or something he'll like come back in I'm already like reading he's like you just sneaking a few pages in and I'm like yeah that's what I'm doing I do that too sometimes I just leave and I sit outside for like 10 or 15 minutes before my hair appointment to get my and I just read for like five or 10 minutes 15 maybe I will read when I can I always have a book with me yeah because you read as your amazing bookshelf shows, you read physical books. And I want, I like just want

access to, I have my, my candle right here, actually. And then I can always read on my phone. So I'm the, I'm the one that's like, I just want access to it no matter where I am. But it sounds like you're doing okay carrying yours with you. I'm jealous of that, though. So, yeah, I do not even want to say this is a problem, but I've been on bookstagram for about five years now. So I get a lot of physical advanced reader copies. And I want to keep them. You know, if I really enjoy the book, that's something that's like almost like a reader's momentum for me. You know? Yeah. Yeah. So that kind of getting a lot of them from the publishers helps. There's certain authors that I want to have physical copies of. but I definitely have my Kindle and it is jam-packed with like a bunch of other goodies because

I need net galley or I'm a big mood reader so yeah I might be like I'm in the mood for something and I want to start it now I don't want to wait for shipping so I'll just get it on my Kindle yes that's what I tell people sometimes where I'm like does it ever do you ever just want to just buy it so you can immediately read it sounds like you do at least I do read it faster on my Kindle than I do. Yeah. I don't know what it is. Yeah. I love it. Yeah. It's so much better than just like having it on my phone too.

Like obviously I'll read on my phone like in public if I'm bored or whatever and don't have my Kindle with me. But it's even so much nicer on my eyes. Oh yeah. And you don't get the notifications like popping up like I love it so much. Oh yeah. I'm reading it right now. now from that galley are you which one are you reading are you told they come at night from yasman on go it's a spy thriller it's like the second in a spy thriller series i have seen that all over

because the cover is absolutely beautiful and the first one was beautiful too the first one was beautiful too yes yeah yeah she was like my fifth guest i think for that for the first one really Yeah, I'm obsessed with that. Do you read, do you read action thrillers very often? I feel like we haven't talked about any. I don't. I'll read. If something has a good plot and it sounds like something I could get into, I will read it.

Yeah. Spy espionage, things like that just usually go over my head. So it doesn't fully move into me because it's, It's like hard for me to put myself in that position. Yeah. But it's easier for you to be in a position of killer. I'm a murderer. Oh, that's hilarious.

I don't even think it's like that because typically I don't think there's a lot of books that I've read where you're reading from like the point of view of the killer. Yeah. I think my thing is is I'm just very nosy. So if I'm reading from the perspective, of somebody who is watching things on the news or if I'm reading from the perspective of like a detective, then I can follow along with that because I'm nosy. I want to know who did something. I want to know why they did it. I feel like when it's espionage and spy, they almost always go into something political. Yeah. And I'm not savvy when it comes to a lot of political, like,

firms and things like that. So I feel like that would probably, like I would probably read it and say like that was really good or the ending to me would make a little bit of sense. But I wouldn't have like a full grasp as I would like something by Ashley Winstead. Oh, anything by her. Anything. Yeah. Literally anything. She could write a kid's story and I would read it.

yeah she could write about a snail having food poisoning and I would be like best book of 2022 or maybe it would be right underneath the last housewife for 22 last housewife that's my favorite of 22 so far we agree on that one too I really do that there are a lot that I have really loved in 2022 I did put a bit of a list together but that one. It was just everything. Like the vibe. The, like, the rage. Like, all of it was so good. The storytelling, the pacing. So good. Having her right female rage in such a poetic, like, beautiful pose. Miracle. Yeah. Yes. Mm-hmm. Just amazing. Like, Okay, I can't talk about spoilers. That's why I keep pausing. I keep trying to make sure I don't say anything.

Well, if anybody's listening still, if anybody's who hasn't read Ashley Dunstead, my thing is, is in my dreams I hold a knife is one of the best dark academia thrillers that I've ever read. Yep. But it also has my favorite reveal in it. because it is like psychologically so disturbing. Yeah. But it's almost in two ways. I think there are like two punches at the end where you're like, whoa, whoa. And I never saw it coming. Nope.

But the last house life has the most intriguing best first chapter I have ever read in my entire life. Yeah. Like if you're not hooked, there's a problem. Yeah. With you. Yeah. You don't. like I don't understand how anyone could read that and not want to read the rest of it.

It's just amazing. I do want to know what happened are in college though. Like in my dreams and last housewife. I'm like, what went on in the college years for you? I need to ask her. She just, I don't know. That's a really good question. I didn't even put that together.

I was thinking about it because we talked. about her doing a podcast for The Last Housewife, I think she's just like busy. But when I started thinking about questions, I was like, wait a second. What did college do to you, Ashley? I never even thought. You know what the thing is, though, I will say that as a true testament to her storytelling capabilities is the fact that I did not even notice because while both books do have that college setting. Yeah. They are both such different stories. that I did not even put that together. Yeah, I didn't put it together until like a couple, like a month after I'd read

the last housewife, a month or two, I was like, wait a second. She's just that good. Yeah, for me more. Yeah, because the characters, the characters are like really distinct too. That's like, like the characters aren't even like, uh, similar, really. Yeah. Yeah. So this is our, this isn't Ashley Winstead Stan podcast just in case anyone can't tell.

Yeah, yeah, it's just all about us running the fan club. Yes. I actually think that, and I told her this because we did a live recently. But I think to me she's like this year's like Gillian Flynn. I agree with you. And I just like she has that way of writing that's like beautiful and sinister like Gillian Flynn. Just not hold back with her plot. It was very sharp objects e.

Yeah, yeah. And the twists are all so good. And the characters are just like, at some point, you're like, wow, I can't believe that this person ended up this way. Yeah. But then again, you're like, I can kind of see why they do the things they do, even if I don't agree with it. That's what she does so well. Because when I asked her, like, how she plotted out her character. Because, for example, in my dreams I hold a knife, it's five main characters, four.

I don't know. It's an ensemble cast, basically. But every single one of them has their own thing that they're struggling with. And when I was asking her about, like, how she got her backstory, she mentioned that she uses this book called Story Genius to write her stories. And that, like, the main thing you focus on is what's the core misbelief this person has, this character has, where did they get it? And what would help them overcome it to like follow the story arc?

And when she said that, I was like, yeah, I can answer all of those questions for all of your characters, which is not always the case when you read stuff. No, no. I think there's a lot of people who when they write, they have characters in there because they want them to do something specific. That's really a plot. Like they're kind of like the bone carrier, I guess you would call it. Right.

Right, right. With her, like, I actually said that to her too. I was like, I feel like you could, I could interview you as whatever character you've written and ask you questions. Like, what's your favorite color? Like, what's your favorite potato chip flavor? And you would be able to answer it for all of your characters because you really do have that mindset of knowing everything about them before you start something.

I think so too. Hey, guys. I hope you enjoyed part one of this episode. If you did, make sure that you come back on Thursday for part two. And don't forget to stay out to date with everything that we're reading and talking about on our Instagrams at Gare Indeed reads and at the girl with the book on the couch. Links are also in the show notes. So make sure you follow.