Bookwild - Hyped Books That Were Worth The Hype

Episode Date: February 9, 2024

This week, we share books that had huge hype around them that we loved reading!Follow us on Instagram:Gare @gareindeedreadsKate @thegirlwiththecookonthecouchBooks We Talked About:VerityGone GirlWhere the Crawdads SingThe Girl on the TrainThe Silent PatientTwilightThe Hunger GamesFifty Shades of GreyBig Little LiesPretty Little Liars 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 

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. Well, I was reading this week, as I normally do. And, oh, my God, I'm going to restart that. So this week, I was reading, and I came upon a word that made me laugh. And the reason that made me laugh is because I feel like this happens more like if you read when you were younger. And so you hadn't heard all the words, but maybe this happens as an adult too. But it was one of those words where when I was younger, I had only ever read the word. I'd never heard it said out loud. And so I pronounced it wrong in my head. And so when I was a kid, I thought the word A-W-R-Y was ARI. I didn't know it was awry. And like, I remember the first time that I realized that like, awry, the word that I heard was the word that I was mispronouncing in my head when I read.

And then a couple of paragraphs later, I saw another one that I used to do that with and that's misled. So M-I-S-L-E-D, I used to read as micelled. Someone misled me. Micelled. And I remember, like, then, like, the moment realizing, like, oh, that, that word is misled. So my icebreaker for you this week is, did you have any words like that ever? I don't, I don't think, I don't think I had words. I think that there have been names or last names or, like, names of characters.

like for instance sometimes sometimes I'll watch like an adaptation of a movie or a show and be like oh yeah that's how you say their name yeah

which one of them is for one of the books I'm going to be talking about today so I'll just like pop that in but I guess there's yeah there's probably some like there's definitely some like there's definitely some words that I'm like even as an adult I will never never spell properly

yeah um but yeah I'm sure there were some I'm sure there are some that I mispronounce to this day that I will refuse to pronounce correctly um mine I think the only thing with me is I have certain words in books that make me cringe oh yeah definitely that Certain books have words that just, I mean, like, I use a different word, you know. Yes. Yeah. But I don't know if there's any, it's like probably one of those things where like 1130 tonight. I'll be like, oh, this word actually I always like mispronounce. It's something I don't think about a lot.

But then when I was reading it this week, I remembered seeing a TikTok of someone talking about this strange experience. Like, when you hear a word out loud and realize you've been like reading it wrong. So it doesn't like stick in my head. head. It just popped up for me this week. I will say. Not that I like read it a lot, either word as a child, but when I was younger, I thought productive and seductive were the same. Those would be funny ones to get mixed up. So like, in like movies, if somebody was like, oh, that's productive.

Like, I thought it was like a weird way of them saying it's like sexy. That's funny. I don't know why. I think it's just because like there are not a lot of words that are like active. Oh, yeah. But. Totally. Yeah.

I'm probably, I was probably smarter as a child. I know yours was just smarter than me. I was probably smarter as a child. It's now with the words as an adult that I'm like. Yeah. But yeah. That's a tough one. Yeah.

There is one word that I still, actually, I just thought of it. I've been trying to think of it this whole time. Definitely. Oh, yeah. I definitely or define. Definitely is how I used to say it because I don't think I learned how to spell the word definitely until I was like 25 because I just thought it was one of the trickiest words to spell. So if I said it like Death

Nightly Like N-I-T-E-L-Y Then So like now sometimes If I'm reading a book And it says like Definitely I like still in my mind Will chuckle and be like definitely

So I think definitely was like my tricky word Just because I always had a hard time spelling it Yeah It's one of those Now we have auto-correct so Now I just can't read the words more Moist or baby? Oh.

Moist doesn't like bug me the way it does people who it bugs, but I don't love it. And I'm definitely not a baby. I'm not a baby girly. I think like baby girl is like

one thing, but like calling something. Oh, yes. No, no, I agree. I don't know. Yeah. I fucking hate a baby. Yeah, sometimes like... I'd rather swallow glass than be called baby. I don't know if I could go that far, but I don't want to be called baby.

Well, you had a really good idea for a subject. I had an idea that I think it's so fun. And I'm trying to think of like examples without picking one of my examples. But like, we'll go with... Gone girl. God, girl's one of my picks. Okay, sorry, go ahead. We'll go with Akitar. But we always say...

And I thought you said Avatar. I was like, Avatar. Okay, I'm with you now. So we'll go with like Sarah J. Mass or... Yes. We've always like said in the back of like previous episodes, like, we're going to talk about like the best books that we've read with like missing. persons or best fantasy. And like we always like kind of like crack a joke like we're not going to

be talking about gone girl because like everyone's read it or we're not going to be talking about like a court of thorns and roses if everyone's like read that for fantasy. But I just thought like sometimes those books are the best reading experiences when it's like a book that's like really hyped up by people. Yep. And it works for you. You know, like because I mean obviously we've definitely had conversations where sometimes a book is hyped up and like didn't work for us or like was overhyped. But I

wanted to like talk to you about like some of your favorite reading experiences when a book was like really popular or hyped up or all over and everyone was talking about and like you read it and had a really good reading experience with it. Yes. So that was an idea for week.

Yeah. I was like scrolling everything I've ever read just to like see which one's applied. It took me 10. seconds to pick my five. It took me longer. And at first, I was like, so like, I've read more books in general in the last like two and a half years, basically. Like once I kind of got onto bookstagram, not just like a reader.

Not that that's a bad thing. You know what I'm saying. Right. But I've read so many more. So it was funny because at first when I was scrolling through them, I was like, not, there weren't tons that are hyped because just like. I read more in general. Right.

So at one point I was like, like, am I an obnoxious, like, hipstery sounding reader that's like, I don't know. I don't know if I have five that have been hyped. And then I kept scrolling. And I was like, oh, no, here they are. Here we go.

Yeah. But mine are definitely, yeah, mine are definitely like, it'll be a good balance because mine are definitely like, your basic bitch answers. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. I have I have lots like that too. So do you want to kick it off? Do you want me to kick it off? Sure. Yeah. The first one that came to mind for me immediately was Verity by Colleen Hoover. Fuck yeah.

Because when I like, I remember it because I found out about that before I had a book Instagram and it was like just everyone was talking about it. And I remember one night being like, oh, I'll try it. and then literally reading it from like 5 p.m. until like one in the morning. And as you've all heard, I'm sure at some point, I can't normally stay up past my bedtime to read. And this book was one of them. So I was like, this one definitely lives up to its hype. So Loewan Ashley is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime.

Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Loewan to complete the remaining books in a successful series. His injured wife is unable to finish. Loan arrives at the Crawford home ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Loan doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of, of what really happened the day her daughter died. Lohen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy knowing its contents

would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lohen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her. It has a wild ending.

there's so much fun to talk about. And I will say as somebody who like, I still consider myself one, but I'm not like in that era, like as hard as I was, but like somebody who was in their Colleen Hoover era, like all of her books, even the ones that are not thrillers, like Verity, have that kind of pacing.

Mm-hmm. Like they're impossible to put down. You want to speed through them. Like you just get so wrapped up in them. Like, I don't care. what like any haters say, like, I will fucking ride or die for Colleen Hoover. Like, she is amazing. Amazing. She seems so sweet, too.

I also met my soulmate because of Colleen Hoover. Really? Yes. Mm-hmm. Oh, my gosh. So I'll just tell everybody his name for when it's official and, like, the wedding goes, like invites go out. But I was scrolling through TikTok. And there's a video on TikTok from.

Like a football account. San Francisco 49er, Mooney Ward. M-O-O-O-N-E-Y Ward. Somebody asked him what his top five favorite books were, and two of them were Colleen Hoover books. It was Verity and Ugly Love, which are my two favorite by Colleen Hoover. Nice.

And so he lists off, like, his top five favorite books. And then he's like, actually, you know, I was thinking, about this the other day and he pulls a bag out from like his cubby in like the locker room and he bought two big gift sets of Colleen Hoover books and he was like I can't wait to read these. So like there's just like tall handsome football player out there named Mooney Ward who is like going to have a bookshelf shared with me of Colleen Hoover Books. Oh my gosh. That's amazing. This little what a win.

Rate this way. These are all my Colleen Hoover box. All of them. I love them. I love her. I know. I love Colleen Hoover. So.

Yeah. Are you excited on the movie? I know. I am and I am and I'm not. Yeah. Because some of like the, like, I just picture Lily as being like super like sexy. And like some of her outfits, I'm like, a, What?

Insane. To the point that some people think it's like fake and that like she's not actually going to be wearing those outfits. I don't, I mean, I love that book. I love that book with all my heart. I probably will want to get back into Colleen Hoover very soon just having this conversation. But my only, my only stipulation is I feel like Blake lively is a very beautiful woman. Yeah. But like Lily does have.

red hair in the book. Mm-hmm. And that's, like, a big thing. But I feel like if they would have let Blake lively just have her blonde hair, it wouldn't have been, like, there's nothing in the book that's like, the plot twist is that she's not really a redhead, you know? Right. Or anything like that.

So I feel like if they pick somebody, like, a gorgeous redhead to play Lily, that would have been fine. But if they pick Blake lively, they could have just let her be blonde. And, like, the character still would have been. like she'd still do the character justice without the ugly red wig. So it is quite a wig. I just, there's a man that I have a crush on because my favorite Colleen Hoover book is ugly love.

Yep. And there's an actor model stud named Nick Bateman. Uh-huh. And he was supposed to play Miles in the adaptation. And then it just like never happened. Oh, man. So it's sad. but I also am just like one day it's going to happen for us.

Mm-hmm. So it will. I've met two soulmates because of calling her. I know. It sounds like that. I love. I love her. If you ever want to step out of the thriller genre,

she does have some like darker romances, but all of her books are just like wild and there's always like twists and the pacing's really good. So even if like, even if you're like, well, it's not a thriller. It reads like one. Nice. So. I'm chronically planted in the thriller genre. I just can't help it. One day you're just going to get on Marco Polo and I'm just going to read Ugly Love to you, like the whole entire book. It's going to be like a six-hour Marco Polo.

That's amazing. Well, I'm going to kick it off with my first one that I kind of hinted at in the beginning. My first one is Gone Girl. Nice. for sure, like, I know like everyone's like Gone Girl, Gone Girl, Girl. I just This, if it was not for Gone Girl, I would not have gone back into reading as much as I did because I have certain OCD traits

with reading and things related to books. Even if I'm like, well, I am reading a lot now, but even when I wasn't reading, like, I have to read the book before I watch the movie. Oh, yeah. If an author comes out with their third book, it's very hard for me to pick up their third book and not read their first two. Yeah. Because people were talking about when Gone Girl came out, it was this huge book. It was everywhere.

People were talking about the ending, the twist, all of these things. And so when I went to get it, I saw that Gillian Flynn had two other books. And I was like, I hope that I don't read Gone Girl and get to the end. and not think that the twist is wild and crazy because what if it's related to one of her previous books? And that's why everyone thinks it's nuts. So I read sharp objects in dark places first. And I was like, oh, my God. I love this author. Like, I love the way she writes. I love how gritty her books are.

And then when I got to Gone Girl, I was like, that's probably the best thing I've ever read. And I remember similar to you with Verity, I remember, like, this was when I was in my like wild party boy stage. So like me coming home instead of like going out with my friends or being social. Yeah. Coming home to like read this book and like staying up too late, reading in bed and like not wanting to put it down. And the whole like just one more chapter. Like that is 100% gone girl for me.

And that is the book that I was like, please let me find more things like this because I'm obsessed. Yeah. Yeah. And I love the fucking movie. I love Sharp Objects, too. I loved that one. So Sharp Objects is a TV show that was critically acclaimed. Everybody loves it. It's amazing. Gone Girl is a movie. Everyone's like they did a fantastic job with that. They made a movie with Charlize Theron for Dark Places. And it was not horrible, but it wasn't great. So now HBO is making that a miniseries. I saw that. I am excited about that. Yeah. Yeah. That's going to be good.

I felt kind of bad because I shared the news on Instagram and like people were like, oh my God, don't they know it's a movie? And I wanted to be like, I don't know how like nicely be like, yeah, but the movie like kind of sucks. So that's why they're doing it so they can have like a good adaptation. Because that ending to that book is one of my favorites. because it's so bleak.

It's so bleak. Yeah. I was like, fuck yeah, this is amazing. We know how much you loved it. Oh, my God, I know. I know. But yeah, I will always have a special place in my heart for God. Oh, I guess if I'm not going to be like, unless you were living in a new rook,

but Godgirl is basically about a man named Nick who wakes up on his fifth wedding anniversary and his wife is missing. And typical police, they're just like, the husband did it. So there's diary entries between Amy leading up to her disappearance of being like, I'm afraid of Nick. He's abusive. He's this. Like these things in her diary that like Nick is like, none of this is true.

So it's kind of like a he said, she said plot of like domestic. turbulence. Yes. And like basically as you continue to go on his plot gets twistier and so does hers.

So it's just they do. Amazing. It is. Well, my next one is also a book that was made into a movie. So clearly the ones with hype have adaptations.

And it is where the Croddads sing, which is another one I read when I wasn't like totally, totally into reading as well, but it was so hyped up. So, for years, rumors of the Marsh Girl haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Caya Clark is barefoot and wild, unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her. But Caya is not what they say. A born national, list with just one day of school. She takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kyya opens herself to a new and startling world until the unthinkable happens.

I feel like that's actually the synopsis. keeps talking about how great it is. So that's what you need to know. But it was such a good, such a good book. I'm getting tripped up on the book in the movie. And alternating timelines even, which, you know, I always love that. Yeah. And such a great ending.

So I loved it. And it's maybe it's that. And because midnight is the darkest hour. Ashley's team even compared it to where the crowd I'd sing. Those are the two only books I've read where like being in nature like doesn't bug me. And I'm like, okay, I can get on board with it. This character just really loves nature because like normally not something I'm looking for in a book. But like similar to midnight, they both like draw really interesting comparisons to like humans and nature.

so it's so good so good that was actually the one I broke my rule for I never read the book but I watched the movie yes I was thinking about that when you mentioned it and I was like I remember like I remember having that conversation I was like I'm gonna wait for it to be streaming

and you were like it's yeah yes so I was like oh but yeah the movie was fantastic I would definitely definitely read the book yeah but yeah that's such a good pick And yeah, it is really funny too Because like that would be my selling point of you recommending a book to me is like if you were like it takes place in nature

And I loved it like yeah So that's yeah That's obviously a very good thing My one of two nature books Mine I just look all of mine have been adapted I have one more that has I don't know what that says about me.

I'll probably just get the more obvious one out of the way then. The girl on the train. Yes. The girl on the train. That one was everywhere. Oh, my God. It was everywhere. And the thing is, like, people were hyping it up before it even came out.

Yeah. Which was, like, abnormal for me because I wasn't used to, like, people who get advanced review copies or. Yeah. stuff like that. And it was one of those moments too where like when I had heard about the book, it's like, it was like saying like soon to be a major motion picture. And I was like, oh my God, it's not even out yet. And they're already going to turn it into a movie. Like that has to mean something. And it was like one of the first books I read on a Kindle because I couldn't wait for it to be delivered. I had to read it like when it came out. And I loved the movie. Yeah. I loved,

love, love the movie. But Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is about a woman named Rachel who takes the train every morning and she starts to feel

like she knows the people in the houses as like the train goes by because she like obviously passes them every day. So she imagines this life of this couple that she named Jason and Jess she imagines what their life is like, that they like the perfect life, whatever. And then she sees something that shocks her.

And it's only a minute, but it's enough for her to question everything she thought she knew about this couple. And it kind of sends her into a spiral, basically, when she has a chance to become part of their lives. Yeah. And, I mean, obviously, I'm sure. lot of people that are listening. It's messy. Read it, but it's just a great book. But if you haven't read it or if you don't really, if you just like love listening to Kate and I, but you haven't read a lot of thrillers, it's a fantastic thriller. Yes, it is. And it was one of the first books I read with like,

yeah, like multiple POV. Oh yeah. Yeah. That's a good point. And I was like, I remember discovering how much I loved that. Yeah. Multiple POV. yeah well my next one this one was not adapted but wouldn't it be an adaptation the silent patient

by Alex michaladies I don't have said his name before I don't know why I'm struggling I couldn't not include it because it's another one it still gets hyped I still see it on like book talk and like people

Did I see a one? No. I just think that there's a lot of books that were hyped on Instagram before Book Talk. And like, Barity and Silent Patient, like, were hyped on BookTac years after they were hyped on books. Yes. Oh, yeah. I agree. I completely agree.

I just think that if you would listen to Kate and I were way ahead of book talk. That's, I do agree with that. I said at least with thrillers and maybe Mail Mail, romance now as well. Oh, yeah, mail, meal, romance. But this one is, this one's a thriller. It is not a male, male romance about Alicia Berenson, whose life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer. She lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. One evening, her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, then never speaks another word.

Alicia's refusal to talk or give any kind of explanation turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art sky rockets, sky rockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. Her determination to get his determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations. A search for the truth that threatens to consume him. It's just iconic.

It's a very, very impressive twist at the end. I remember when that book came out there was like a picture of Rooney Mara walking but the paparazzi took a picture of her and she was carrying that book and like everyone's like oh my God she must be like playing in the movie

or she's going to be in the movie if they make it and I was like literally this is one of those situations where like everyone is reading the silent patient so like even if you see like a celebrity with it like it's probably just because like everybody's reading and they're obsessed. But I do hope that they adapt that because it would be such a good movie.

I know. It really would be. Mm-hmm. Oh. Please do it. Somebody. Please do it. My next one is Twilight. Ooh, that's a good one. I loved Twilight.

I ate those books up. And I was, again, in my party boy stage. What I was, like, reading them. Like, I was like, oh, my God, like, I worked at the mall at the time. So, like, my friends that worked at the mall, like, when we would see each other, like, we would be, like, talking about, like, Twilight. We're just, like, a big group of us that were, like, all reading it. And there was a bookstore in the mall.

So it was just such a good reading experience. And it was one of those times. where like, excuse me, it was one of those times where like you are going to read something outside of your comfort zone that really worked for me. You know, like, I was not going to read a teeny bopper book about vampires, but like here I was. Like, you know, it's about this girl named Bella who like moves to Washington. Yeah, Seattle-ish, right? Yeah, Seattle area.

and she like meets this boy and like he's a vampire and there's just like a lot of crazy shit that happens but it's like so much about like first love and vampires and it's not like he's not like a vampire that like sleeps in a coffin you know like there were like no stereotypes in it with like vampires or cliches um so it was just like really good and it was really interesting to me and I just could not stop thinking about them when I was reading them. And I couldn't wait for, like, the next one to come out. It was just such an exciting time to be, like, reading those books as they came out. Yeah.

And that's one of my names that I had a hard time pronouncing was Esme. Ooh, yeah. There were all kinds of names in that one. I thought it was Esme. Yeah, I thought so, too. And then, like, in the movie came out, they were like, Esme. And I was like, Esme. Who the fuck is that?

That's amazing. So, yeah. I had a friend sneak me a copy of Twilight because. Oh, my God. I would have been that friend. I would have. You totally would have. Yeah, I would have.

Oh, my God. It was like anything magical my parents said was satanic. So I would sneak read it at school. It's like so wild. I know. I know. It's so wild how different we were. because you were like

sneaking a book against your parents that that would have pissed them off and my parents would probably like we'll buy him all of these books because he's not out at the bar right doing God knows what like yeah

getting wasted and doing drugs and sleeping with everyone so let him read the fucking vampire book right um did you like vampire shows before then, or was vampire totally new for you then? I think my only experience with vampires prior to that was I've always been a fan of interview with a vampire. Oh yeah. And I enjoyed Anne Rice's books, but I think that I was reading

them too young where I didn't fully like grasp everything. And then the show True Blood. Yeah. I wonder about that. Like that was like and they're both very like I love Anne Rice. I will never say anything bad about her. Yeah. Like her books are very much like including the cliches of vampires. You know, like it's like the folklore and it's like mysterious but it like takes place in different a different time. And you know, there's like they probably were sleeping in coffins if I can remember or whatever the case may be.

But then like when True Blood came out, it was like. Hmm. Like they're not... Yeah. They're a little different. Yep. And so with Twilight, I didn't think that it was like as weird as true blood. Mm-hmm.

But it wasn't as full of like the myth that we're used to of a vampire with like... Yeah. Yes. So it was like probably my third. And then like obviously the vampire diaries I started watching that show after. But like... Yeah. I think that's kind of like one of those.

things that's like really fun with something that's like a myth or an urban legend or something it's like everybody can have their own different take on it. Yeah. And that's why like, you know, like nobody's going to watch like Twilight or Vampire Diaries or something and be like, that's unrealistic. Right. Right. Yeah. Like I don't know if you know what's going on here, but like the vampires and vampire diaries just like have like veins that come out and their eyes get really red. look like they're really hungover. And, like, Edward sparkles, like, my little pony. So, like...

He sparkles. It's just... Whatever it is, it is. It's your jam. So... It is. I will always love a vampire story. I love that.

We've... Unintentionally made, like... So I'm thinking of midnight is the darkest hour again, had Twilight, and where the Croddads, like, references in it. So we're just, this is a subtle homage to Ashley Winstead, which is no surprise. I think that's the thing, too, is like, even Ashley said, like, Midnight is the Darkest Hour was very different than her other books. And I think that's why it worked so well for me, because it kind of gave me twilight vibes without seeming like it was ripping off Twilight.

Yeah. And, you know, like, the references in it just, I was like, this is like a trip down memory lane but also something new that I can enjoy. Yeah. So yeah. Well, my next one is from a very similar era and had a very similar cult following when it was adapted, adapted from book to movie. Adapted. So I had to include The Hunger Games since I got just totally obsessed with it last last year. It sounds weird saying that, but it was like 2023. Yeah. It's just great. It's another one where like, I do think enough people generally know what happens in it, but basically it's about living in a post-apocalyptic world where the capital requests each district to contribute to tributes. And it's like always children between age of 12 to 18 and they have to go fight to the death in an arena, basically.

And it's televised and totally fucked up and terrible. So it actually is really bleak through a lot of the series. But it also like asks a lot of great questions about like war and government and controlling people. So it's like kind of deceptive as a YA because there's actually a lot of like those deeper questions going on throughout a lot of it. And I just love Catness. I love Catness so much. One of my favorite main characters. And I did a TikTok about this.

But she doesn't trust anyone. And I saw like when the movie came out like everyone was talking about like the movies are great. but like imagine like reading these books like catniss is so paranoid and unhinged and the whole time I was reading it I was like I don't think she should trust those people either so so I was like going into it expecting her to be just like crazy and I was like she's fighting to the death like of course she shouldn't trust these people but it's very good it's a great trilogy the final one's very heartbreaking but where are you going to do in a post-apocalyptic world? True that

Yeah I haven't watched the movies That's what I didn't think you had any like Experience with it They sound excellent I feel like there's gonna be a time where like I get into this weird era Not weird yeah I shouldn't say weird

But I feel like there's gonna be one of those times where I get into this like era of like Stepping as far as I can out on my comfort zone And I'm gonna be reading a court of thorns and roses and like binge watching Hunger Games and like all of the stuff I'm like I'm like curious. Yeah like when I'm like curious about but I like have like fully dove into yet. But yep. I get that. But yeah. Everybody loves the Hunger Games. They do. Itita. Yeah. Peter's best. God, I want to say maybe I did read. Is like somebody stealing a loaf of bread in the beginning? Yes. Now you've put you may have just. seen a lot of clips because he's like colloquially, I can't I speak today. Known in the fandom as Bread Boy because like that is like the key memory about PETA. But yeah, maybe you did read it.

Maybe I did read the first one. Or maybe I watched a movie. I don't know. Party Boy. Yeah, you could have seen fan edits of PETA because they love him the way people love Edward. Is there a little girl named Rue? Yes. Okay. Then I think I watched the movie or I read the first book.

Okay. But my next pick is definitely one that no one's going to be shocked by. Give it to us. Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James. I can't believe I didn't even think of that. I mean. Yeah. Yep. I haven't read it, but I meant like in general. I was living in Boston and like everybody was talking. me about them. Everyone. Everyone. Everyone. Everyone. They were like,

these books are so dirty. And they're like, I can't believe like everything that happens in them. But they're also like, people were saying they like had a lot of twists in them. Which I agree with. Yes. But I was like, I got really curious. So I downloaded the first one on my Kindle. And I was like reading it, reading it. It could not put it down. And I was like, because like for me, like one of my favorite movies is like basic instinct. Like in a. like erotic thriller or an erotic like drama like sign me up and I was like how dirty are we talking here you know yeah so as I was reading it I was like wow this is like so good and then I like

ran to the bookstore um by my work as soon as I like finished it and bought like physical copies and like I remember like reading them everywhere like yeah I read the trilogy every single place I would go I brought it to work with me I read it on the train I like took one of those small eight-person planes back and forth from home to Boston and had no problem reading it on that. Wow. I just brought them everywhere with me. Yeah.

I remember being like really, really, really sad at the end of the third book. Not because it had like a sad, bleak ending. Just because I was like, what do I do now? Like how do I find anything that's like this, you know? Yeah. And, um... It's about a young, innocent woman named Anna. Or Anna.

Anna. Anna. I can't remember. If I heard people pronounce it. We'll go ahead. She's like, innocent, sweet, like young, and she needs this guy named Christian Gray. And he is fucking drop-dead beautiful and sexy and mysterious. And she's completely, like, mesmerized by him.

But he is also, like, mesmerized by her. but he's part of the kink community he's in like to like BDSM and he's like one of those like I don't date I just fuck because like I've been hurt in the past kind of guys and like Anna's like okay well like maybe I can fix them exactly if there's anybody I can relate to it's maybe I can fix them kind of girl my gosh I have to tell you Taylor Swift's track list came out and that for this new album and one of them is called, I can fix him and then in parentheses, no, really I can.

And it made me think of you. It's probably going to be like my like, the one Taylor Swift song that's on my phone. I know exactly. But yeah. So there's just like a lot of twists and turns in the book and the whole series. And I just like love

angst because of it. Like will they end up together? like the drama, the tension, the angst and all of that. And like, yeah, it's very much on par with, like, what I enjoy now and, like, M.M. Romance. Yeah. That's cool. So, yeah.

50 shades. There's a little precursor. I know. It took me, like, 15 years. A decade. To get back to you. Like, oh, I really did enjoy that. Actually, you know what?

If you just take this book and put two dudes in it, I don't know, I don't. actually kind of be really into this. That's awesome. Yeah. I, maybe I should read it sometime. I don't know. Oh my God. Tyler better hold on tight.

Because those books will give you some ideas. I'm sure they do. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Every single idea works. I'll see you from experience or anything. I was like, I read these when I lived in Boston Boston's like, we'll never forget.

We remember when Gare read them. I hope someone listening, he was like, yes, yes, this was true. Yep, yep, yep. It was that and the fact that I would never go to this one bar called Mary Ann's because I thought that if I, like, legit thought that if I walked into it, I would get murdered. So it was like the best of both worlds.

It was like my romance era and my thrill era were like, I'm going to stay at home and read 50 shades because if I walk into that bar, I'm going to end up dead. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm glad you didn't walk into that bar. It probably would have been like my favorite spot. You ever have those moments where you're like, you all never eat there and then it's like the best food ever. Oh, yeah, totally. So who knows?

But yeah, I'm still alive to tell that story. You're still alive to tell. Yeah. Well, my last one is another one that was adapted. We're just more big on the adaptations, which makes sense. sense with hype ones. But I couldn't not talk about Big Little Lies by

me and Moriarty. Yeah. Fuck. It's another one that like a lot of people know a lot about it. Especially since it was a series. But it's mostly about three women, Madeline, Celeste, and Jane who are like very unique

like Madeline's like you're really bubbly over in all. It's like PTA mom. Celeste is like beautiful. I'm seeing if this is a spoiler. And in a, and in a difficult marriage. And then Jane is a single mom who just moves into their like really upscale, ritsy, wealthy town. And so as they all get to know each other, some, some secrets are revealed. And at the top of the book, you know, someone's been murdered. And kind of like the affair, if you ever watch The Affair on HBO, you're like, you know that happened. And now you're kind of like jumping back in time to see why it happened. So the suspense is amazing.

It was just what, and it was another one of those books were like, everyone was reading it all of a sudden. And then it was a TV show. Oh, that original cover. So like what I'm reading on Goodreys obviously has like the updated like TV cover now. But I remember that cover. Oh, oh, that is so cool. He has a signed copy for people.

Oh, yeah. I always forget that people don't want to watch me on YouTube sometimes. Yeah. Same. Same. I'm like, don't you want to see me? Yeah, don't you want to see? Yeah.

Big Little Lies. One of my jams. Oh, so. I'm actually, like, so annoyed that I didn't think of that. Well, I'm glad I did. I'm glad you did, too. And there's going to be a third season of Big Little Lies. I just saw that last week or something.

So that's really exciting. I'm excited to see what they do. me too me too there's so many freaking twists in that book that I was like holy shit yes let's be honest when it came to apples never fall yes the reveals in the end of that book were not my favorite they're not this so when it comes to like big little lies I'm like oh my god this is like so amazing and like why did I pick up on this but like I just will always love big little lies so much. Oh yeah. What's a good one? Such a good title, too.

Oh, God, it's so good. It's so freaking good. If you like Big Little Lies, but you want to see these characters as teenagers. Ooh, nice. My last one, and one of my favorite reading experiences ever was binging

the entire Pretty Little Liar series by Sarah Shepard. This, for me, started. Oh my god. I wonder if you can see your activity on goodreads. Wow, this is me learning that this was a book series first. Oh my god. It is like a huge book, not like huge like huge popular. I mean, obviously it's popular. Yeah. It is. No, there's like 16 of them. Oh my gosh. There's literally like 16 of these books. Yep. 16. I started reading them when there were four.

Wow. So I saw a trailer for Pretty Little Liars, the pilot episode, like when they were like, oh, like new show coming on ABC Family, Pretty Little Liars. And I was like, ooh, like this sounds, this looks really good. And so I looked it up and I saw that it was a book. And I was in Virginia Beach. And I took four of the books with me to Virginia Beach and finish them in one vacation. Oh my gosh. That's amazing. It's just so good.

It's so good. It's like four friends, Aria, Emily, Hannah, and Spencer. And they all have like some drama or some stuff going on in their lives. And the thing is, is that like a year prior to when the book starts, their friend Allie went missing during sleepover. And like hasn't like not been seen since. and somebody named A keeps like harassing and texting them and knows everything that's going on in their lives and is like blackmailing them. Yeah. And it's just so good. I love like a stalker story.

Yep. And this was just like every chapter ended on a cliffhaker. That's impressive. That was one of the first times I had read that, you know? Nice. So like I binge all of those books. And I remember like the eighth one I think was supposed to. to be like the last.

And then the show became popular. And then like she was like, I'm going to write four more. And then like those sold like cupcakes. And then like she was like, I'm going to do four more. And that's a, that's awesome. It's been such a while since she wrote these books that I like honestly think we could like go back and like see whoever's left as adults. And it would be really entertaining for a book.

Nice. But the books were just like so good, so bingeworthy. They were like so much fun. And like I just could not stop reading them. I think I have gift sets of the first eight. I bet you do. I believe it. And they're just so fun.

There's like a Barbie on the cover of each book. It is. I like this. This is a really smart cover. Yeah. And they're just amazing. Like, I distinctively remember, like, exactly what my hotel room looked like in Virginia Beach, like, the sliding glass door with, like, the water noises and, like, being like, I can't stop reading these books. That's so cool.

Taking my little Kindle with me everywhere because I was like, binging, binging. And it was probably, like, I would say it was, like, my favorite reading experience. Wow, that's saying a lot, especially with everything we talked about today. Like in my entire world. Like, yeah. Pretty Little Liars is my favorite. That's so cool. I'm learning all kinds of stuff today.

Yeah. Yep. I remember where I was when I read all of them. Yeah. I think I probably do too. I remember with a silent patient literally like, I was trying to read walking down the stairs. Like I was like, I'm going to finish this book.

Just like burning through the pages. Yeah. Oh my God. 100%. Oh, that's so wild. You know, it's funny too, because I think that I've had three reading experiences since January 1st that I'll never forget. You're having a, yeah, you're having a really good year. I mean, I've read 21 books so far this year. Yeah. So to have only three isn't like great, but to have three of those experiences. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah, you don't always get that. Yeah, yeah. How We Named The Stars, Amazing. The Teacher by Frieda McFadish. Oh, yeah, you were just talking about that one. BOM.com. It's so good. And the new book, Want You Still by C.E. Ritchie and Marley Ballanty.

Like, I was, like, screaming, reading it. Like, I was like, I believe you. And shit. Like, is this really happening? I was, like, laughing. Like, I was, like, laughing. having those like reactions that you usually like see in a movie or like a TikTok and you're like acts like that when they read a book. Right. And like you're like, oh my God. I do. Yeah, I do now.

But yeah. That's awesome. I just love a fun reading experience that you'll never forget.