Bookwild - Kara Confer and Emily Hone Are Getting Introverts to Go Out: The Wild Geese Event Staff

Episode Date: May 8, 2026

This week, you get to meet the book girlies who I haven't been able to stop talking about!  Kara Confer and Emily Hone are the event team at Wild Geese Bookshop, and they are bringing some incredible authors to Indiana.  Hear about how they have evolved into their current positions, some book event BTS, starting their podcast Fill Your Cup, and books that define their reading tastes! Books Kara Mentioned The Secret Lives of Church Ladies — Deesha Philyaw The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman — Deesha Philyaw Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead — Emily Austin Remarkably Bright Creatures — Shelby Van Pelt Done and Dusted — Lyla Sage Books Emily Mentioned The Hunger Games series — Suzanne Collins Superfan — Jenny Tinghui Zhang  The Song of Achilles — Madeline Miller Exquisite Things — Abdi Nazemian A Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends — Jamie D’Amato The Strength of the Few — James Islington The Poppy War — R.F. Kuang Seek the Traitor’s Son — Veronica Roth Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It — Brooke Averick Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba 

Anyone who's been listening to the podcast has heard me not able to stop talking about wild geese and by extension about Kara and Emily, who are a big part of the events team, which so many of you are jealous for. I have so many people that are like, I need a wild geese in my state. And I'm like, I wish everyone had a wild geese near them. So welcome Kara and Emily. Yeah. Thank you for having us. Yeah.

We're excited too. Yeah. So I've talked about wild geese itself. I've talked about you guys a little bit. But could you either like together or you can go one by one kind of talk about like what reading has been like in your life? And then, which is kind of funny because you guys talked about it on your podcast last week. So I don't know the answer. But can you, for the listeners, can you kind of talk about your reading journey and how you ended up at wild geese?

Yeah. So for me personally, I've always been a bit of a reader. I grew up with like books like always like in the house. I was a big library kid. I was constantly like walking to the library and like going to like get books like the ladies at the front desk like not even in like the children's department when I was a kid. They knew who I was. They were like, oh, hey, what are you bringing back today? Like what are you checking out? And then I just kind of like that kind of just stuck with me all throughout going into like high school. And then. And then. And to college, I graduated with a degree in English and creative writing. And I just like, I've always loved books. I've always loved reading. And when I was in college, just when I found Wild Geese, because I went to Franklin College in the same town. And I was a frequent customer. And then Tiffany, the owner's husband, was one of my professors. And he was like, they're hiring if you, if you want a job. Like, you can go take your resume and everything there and just, just see what happens and then I started working there just like in the bookstore while I was in college and

just like every now and then I was working like maybe like 12 to 16 hours a week like very part time during my senior year of college and then I graduated and I left and just was working part time for events from that point until this past July is when I came on full time in events. Wow. I forgot that it was so recent that you came on like I'm four. it because it like picked up yeah I guess it did I guess my journey with reading is a little bit different because I didn't actually start getting into reading until I was in like late middle school early high school my mom was always a big reader and she always tried to get me into reading and it was just something that didn't quite stick until I was probably like an eighth grade

And then from there, I just read constantly all the time. I was a student athlete. So I did a lot of like traveling for different meets or different games and things like that. And I would always be reading on the bus. I would be reading in the stands during like off time at games or different like athletic events. And to the point where like my cheer coaches knew me as like the reader. And I got like a bookworm award my senior year. And so I still have it.

It's like a little paper plate award and it says bookworm on it. And it was like it was a very well-known fact. Like I left cheer tryouts my either freshman or sophomore year. I can't remember. I did early because those went really late. And I left to go watch the Hunger Games and the IMAX because I had the night release tickets. Yes. And and then in college I got a degree in English literature.

I got a minor in creative writing and did a lot of reading in college as well, but less for fun and more for like research. academic writing and things and kind of fell out of like reading for fun and just recently got back into it right before I started full-time at Wild Geese. But very similarly to Kara as I was really part-time at Wild Geese starting in like end of 2020, early 2021. I got laid off because of COVID and Tiffany was like, well, you already work events. Why don't you come and work at the store for a little bit. And I worked at the store while I was trying to find a new job. And eventually I found a new job and just worked extremely part-time for events. And then she asked me if I wanted a full-time job this past April. And I was working at a local community college and was not loving it. And was

always my dream to work here full-time. And this was like the first time she was like, yeah, like, just come on. We'll figure something out. And it was for events specifically. And I've been here for over a year now it was April 28th so it's been a full year officially full time cool it's kind of special we're hit right around the anniversary yeah so with the events was there something that kind of drew you to wanting to do that was it kind of like she needed someone there and then you guys kind of like started to enjoy it was that basically was there a reason for the events part um for me Personally, the events were, at first it started that, like, events were the only thing I could work at the shop that, like, fit in my calendar and, like, the life I was working in for, like, a home health care agency. So I was, like, I worked, like, a typical, like, nine to five, like, schedule. So it was just hard for me to ever pick up anything, like, in the shop. And I was also living, like, an hour away. So I was, like, trying to figure out what would work for me because I still wanted to be involved with Wild Geese just because I loved working at the bookstore. so much and I loved Tiffany.

So it started that events were just like the only thing that worked for me. And then I was just like, okay, I actually really love it. And then when I came on full time in July, Tiffany was like, I have no idea what your job's going to be, but we need help in events. Plus, like, we need to find other things for you to do as well. And so then I was just like, sure. Then we kind of like rolled with it from there. and then now I do a little bit of everything.

Yeah, yeah. I've always been interested in events. I was doing like event planning internships in college and that I like interned for a wedding planner and I've always really, really liked it. But like I did anything at the shop because I worked at a school before and summers were really light for me and I could have that flexibility. I worked in the shop during the summers. I picked up like lunch breaks and things on the weekends because I live really, really close

to the bookshop. and then like also did events but I think Tiffany knew my interest was in events so when she had like the opportunity to have a full-time staff member dedicated to events she reached out to me which I'm very grateful for because I was like extremely part-time I think Kara probably worked more events than I did at like towards like the end before I got hired full-time and Tiffany still asked me if I wanted to join and come on the team so I think it was more of like Tiffany wanted me to do and come on the team so I think it was more of like Tiffany wanted me to work for bogies, which I'm very thankful. Yeah. And then also like my interest has always kind of been in like the logistics and like event planning. And I love a structure. I love a routine, which is very funny because I'm very type B when it's outside of this job. Yeah. But this is like where I get to be structured and routine and it doesn't change up too much. So yeah. I think that's probably true for or it could be true for a lot of type B people is like their job can be like very.

routine because you're like, oh, this is work or something like that. Like maybe when it's that, it feels kind of different. But yeah, there's so much that go into the events. I learned a lot because you guys did an episode a while ago on your podcast talking about everything that goes into the events. I thought that was interesting. And then like every event I go to, I'm like, oh, yeah, someone has to do that part too and that part too.

It doesn't just magically come together. Right. I think a lot of people think it's really glamorous. Yeah. And it is. Like there's parts of it that are, but there's a lot of, especially the stuff that like Kara and I do, like behind the scenes, a lot of it's a lot of manual labor. Yeah. Like we have to move all the books and we have to check them all. We have to package them all. And then a lot of it is just like logistic planning. The time that we actually spend with the author is a lot smaller than I think people imagine it being, especially because they get there, they pre-sign. And then at 515, Kara's like going to merch and I have people going to do tickets. And then if they're not, done signing. I'm staying back there and helping them finish signing. And it's all very like clockwork from that point. So, but it's still magical because I think the magical part of events is like the people who come to them. And then also getting the reaction from the authors. We've gotten like really great reactions from authors recently where like they're just so wowed by like the bookish

community that Franklin has cultivated. And they always have great things to say about the people who come to our events. They always have great things to say about the bookshop. So it's it's been really great. Like, that's the magic. Yeah. Yeah. It is, you guys, like, it's so cool because there have been a few, like, parallels for me when I've even heard, like, Tiffany talk about how she started it because I started my podcast during, like, right before the pandemic. So, like, the December before that was when I recorded my first one. And I was like, I don't know. Like I was never finding people in IRL. Like I wasn't meeting people in Indiana who read as much as me or specifically like at the time I really only read thrillers and I read a lot more genres now.

But I wasn't just running into people in my day to day life like that. And I was like, I don't know if like authors would do podcasts. And then they did. And I was like, oh, okay, this is kind of cool. I can basically like meet with people or talk to these authors. And I wasn't even foreseeing how much of like an online. I didn't, I just didn't know if you haven't been in Bookstagram. You just don't even know what it's going to be like.

And it was so cool, like the community building that kind of just happened just because I was talking about something I loved and like other people love reading too. And then it just keeps growing. And you're like, okay, I'm going to keep saying like yes to these things. And but yeah, even when I interview an author, it's like maybe I'm spending like 30 minutes with them. like online, which is still cool, like exactly what you're saying too. But yeah, it's a lot of work. I'm glad you guys are doing it because I've said a couple times on the podcast. Some people know I was like driving to Chicago sometimes because I was like, oh, it is fun to

like see these people in person sometimes. So I went a lot of different places. And then I was at a Carmel Library actually. And someone was like, well, have you heard of wild geese? And I was like, no, what is that? So then now I'm seeing you guys every other week-ish. Yeah. Because you guys are booked.

You have so many this year. Yeah. I feel like even just since I've started, which hasn't even been like a year yet, like the way that events are period and all the different aspects like in how like our processes are and just like the booking and like the quantity in which we are booking has grown exponentially. Like I, even when I. came on full time. Like, I didn't expect that. Like, I was like, what we're doing now is a lot. And now,

like, what we're doing right now is, like, even more. It's just like, it's crazy just how much everything continues to grow. Yeah. But it's, it's really special. The bookish community always, like, in all the different genres, like, it kind of doesn't really even matter what genre you're in. They, like, they go hard for the things that they love. And I think that's part of the magic. Yeah. It really is. And I think, yeah. Go ahead. I just, I think that's why public. keep sending their authors here too. Like we put on the event and we host and that's a part of the puzzle. But I think the bigger part is the authors love feeling that like sense of community.

Yeah. And like they love being around people who love their books, but also just like love books in general. Yeah. And that's a lot of the feedback we get from them and the publicist is that like there's just like a magic in Franklin where people just all share like one common goal. And that's to love books and to support authors. to support bookshops and it makes them feel good and they keep coming back. So we wouldn't be here without people coming to our events. So we're very thankful for that.

I know one of the first ones that I went to, I can't remember which one. I also remember Tiffany talking about how, like especially when it's at the Art Crafts Theater, which is like for anyone who doesn't know it, it's like all volunteer run. And it's, we obviously want to keep it open. and it's considered the historical art craft theater as well at this point. But when I was at that one, you guys have like there's a pizza place around the corner called Greeks. And they do like they bring individual pizzas over. There are like other businesses that'll stay open like later so people can kind of walk around.

And when she pointed out like that like everyone even coming in is like changing the local economy kind of for everyone. And it's not even just, so you have all the bookish stuff, but then it was even like for a small town to be having these like events coming in now like multiple times a week sometimes is so powerful. Yeah. It's really great. We have really great community partners that we work with as much as possible. We work a lot with like Maine and Madison. We work a ton with coffee house five. We work a ton with Greeks. Yeah. And Lila, who is a manager at Greeks, but she also owns the bar cart. Oh, nice. And so that like when we have the bar cart, she's the one who's like owning and operating all of that. Yeah. The Sycamart Malloran has been a great community partner, even though they're not in Franklin. They're in the area.

And they've been really, really awesome about like allowing us to use their and rent their space, which is a beautiful space out in Bartersville. And they have bartenders come and serve wine and small bites. We've been very lucky with the community like backing the bookshunders. shop and backing these author events for sure. Yeah. And the food trucks at Sycamore. Yes. Oh, it is so good. I'm like still, I'm like still wishing I could get, I got like the carnitas bowl from them and it was so good. And I'm like, I need someone near me to have food this good. I guess I'm like, I don't know the next time I'm going to see them technically. But yeah, you really like, I mean, we're talking about events, but you really do make it an event. Like it's not even

I'll say the there's like a really really really big big box reseller and I've been to one author event there it was like crickets and there's all kinds of reasons but there also was like nothing else happening so then once I started going to your events I was like this is how you like make it like something that people get really excited to go out and do so I think it's pretty cool I think it's something really special that like Tiffany has like really created with like the events at the at wild geese because it's more than just like you're meeting an author you're getting to watch them talk like it's a full like experience like it's a whole like evening out like even if it's not like something downtown where you can like go walk around and shop while you're waiting like even when we're at somewhere like

the sycamore where it's like kind of isolated like you're just at the one place like there's still that experience factor that it's just it's more than just one thing that really like sets kind of what we're doing apart in a way. Yeah, I agree. Do you have any like memorable moments, good or bad or not? Do you have anything that like stands out in the time that you've been doing these events? The more recent one that comes to mind is we had Marcus Susack recently and it was a great event and he came all the way from Australia and he is very, very kind and very charismatic and great. His car didn't come pick him up. Like they hired a car service for him and they just didn't show up. And so he was running very late. We wanted to make sure we got all the books pre-signed

beforehand because it was also a read-go-fly event, which is our nonprofit branch that gives books to as many kids as possible for free. And so for that event specifically, we had 100 high schoolers signed up to come in and like get their books for free. And our worry was like we didn't wanted to run late. We wanted them to get a signed book because they have school the next day. And he came in and he signed every single book, but the doors had opened. And so actually, our volunteer grace was our savior that day because she went out there and like completely managed the entire like distribution of the books. Which for like a volunteer to do that is kind of wild to me. Yeah. Because I didn't have to ask her to. She just did it. And so that's

another thing that's really like awesome about our events and our team is that we have like some of the best volunteers in a whole wide world who step up and do it just because they love wild geese and they love to read and they love to me authors and so that that comes to mind just because grace i just remember coming out and grace had her hair up like on top of her headband on she came in she looked at she had her headband on she looked all cute and she came out she had her hair up she was like we just need this many more books and this and like was on it and i just thought that was so fun and And it just showed Marcus was like, you guys have a really great team and really great community to have someone be able to like step up and do that. He was like the communication was so good.

So like even though something went wrong, I think it really showed like our strengths as a team. Yeah. And our strengths as a bookish community because like we had people passing books down and like counting for people and like raising their hands if they didn't have anything. It was like a whole body effort to get everyone their books before. Yeah. That was impressive. I was there and it was. I was like, they're making this work somehow. Yeah, I think for me, just like with the events in general, like recently, I just feel like

we are like hitting like a good like stride with like our processes and just like how we're running things and being able to pivot like kind of like with the Marcus Zusack event. And then we've had like especially I feel like recently there's been more issues regarding like travel and like authors and like getting people here just because everything going on crazy. in the world right now. So just like being able to pivot and just like our team is very good at not panicking. So I think it makes most of our events feel very smooth on our end as well. So I think that's just something in general with the events that I've been grateful for. Yeah. Yeah. They are just, they're just so much fun. I'm excited. We're going to be at one here in a couple days, but it will have

happened by the time people are listening to it. So, well, I'm always in true. by like what people's reading tastes are, especially because they end up evolving, which is like the fascinating thing that I have like, I was realizing I kind of now have this like five year documentation of my like reading, like the things that I'm reading just like expanding and growing. So I know it always kind of changes a little bit, but I did want to know a little bit about like some books that basically describe your reading. taste. So I don't know if you guys want to go like back and forth like um talk about one and then another one can talk about another, but I'm dying to know.

Kind of like you said, I feel like my reading taste has kind of evolved since like I feel like I really, I've always been like a casual reader, but I really like took on reading as like my main hobby around like COVID. And like that like is when I really like started like reading like larger quantities of books like and prioritizing it as a hobby um right at the beginning of when i was starting like my reading journey again i read the secret lives of church ladies by disha phylia and i it is a short story collection which i know is a little bit of like a tougher like sell like people are very intimidated by short story collections but i read that very early in my reading journey and it felt so accessible and so cohesive and just like fully developed

that it didn't intimidate me like in a way that other short story collections have in the past because I'm not like a regular short story collection like reader but I think this one like really stands out to me because I reference it all the time and I go back to it and I annotated it And I think it like it has all the components of a novel that I love. And I think that is why I just go back to it. It's like these like women like taking a break from like societal expectation and the idea of being like a good woman. And like what does that even mean? And why does a woman need to take a break from being good to like explore desire and want and things like that? And I think all of the stories are not necessarily like directly connected. But they all like, work in tandem with one another. And I think that is a really special thing about this collection and why I just, I just, I just go back to it all the time. Yeah. I loved that one. I listened to it too for like anyone who likes audio books, the audio narration like is really fun and like for me it at least added to it. But I loved it. I'm so excited for her,

the true confessions of Lady First Lady Freeman. I'm like, this is going to be, I think it's can be pretty messy in a good way. Yeah. I have downloaded the arc for that one and I'm like, I need to work it in sometime soon because I've been thinking about the short story collection a lot lately and I'm like, I think I just need more writing for more. Yeah, I'm very excited for that one. Um, always the first thing that comes to mind when it's like my reading taste is the Hugga games, like the saga. Not like any specific book in it, but just that I think it's because anything written by Suzanne Collins has just like stood the test of time for me as a reader because I was reading her in eighth grade and I'm reading her now as a 29 year old woman and I get the

same of feelings and emotions that I got beforehand and I think something great about Suzanne Collins is that she does such a good job with being so timely but in a literary sense of like you have to kind of work for it to get what she means but once you find it and you can connect it to like real life and you can connect it to things happening globally or nationally. It means something more than just like a silly YA book because I feel like a lot of, especially adult readers tend to like write off YA sometimes as like silly or like young. But there's so much depth in Suzanne Collins work where it's fighting a lot of different systems and doing it in a way that's totally like unique to her and like her story.

And you connect so well with her characters because there's a character for everyone to connect with. And like Catness and the original trilogy was obviously great, strong female lead, which is what I think got me into it at first anyways. But then like the most recent one, Sunrise on the Reaping with Haymich, like learning his story and like switching like more to like a male lead was very interesting for me. But like finding that like there were so like many women in his life that lifted him up to be like the person he was in the games and like how that affected his decision making.

and like the found family he found through the games and afterwards to like even survive. Like she does such a good job with all those things. I just think she's an exceptional writer. Stance's Test of Time. I'm so excited for the movie. I talk about it at every event because one of our regulars is a big Hunger Games fan. And she comes and she's like, have you seen X, Y, and Z news? So I just love it.

It has to be like it's on every list I've ever talked about. I've talked about it on our podcast. I'll talk about it's people in person if you ask. And I think that's fair. Yeah. I recently, I read, I think, the first one when I was in high school, maybe. And then I didn't end up like following, like, I didn't keep reading necessarily. But I saw the movies.

And then as an adult, when not Sunrise on the Reaping, the ballad of songbirds and snakes. birds and snakes yeah um when that came out i was like okay i need to just read these like i know these are like so many things that i enjoy because like obviously it's also like very dystopian it's like i'm always like reminding people that it's weird that some people only think it's a love triangle like that is that is not the point of that story she was telling um and so i was like i'm sure i'm going to love this and i did i loved it so much um and it was really fun like rereading all of whenever that 2023, I think is when the movie came out. So I kind of reread all of them leading up to that.

And it's just, it's almost infallible. I know nothing's infallible. But I think she does do that so well. Like definitely talking about things that are going on, definitely also writing like a really good plot. Yes. Exactly. Yeah. I love it.

I agree. My next pick is everyone in this room will see. Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin. I love Emily Austin. She writes kind of like that like, in that like weird girl kind of like lit-fiction genre where it's just like very character driven and like not a lot's happening but like also a lot's happening. But it's like just like I, when I'm reading like a fiction book, I like to see like every aspect. Like even if people are like, oh, this was too long like this didn't need to be in there. I'm all for that. Yeah. I love. like mundane just like somebody's thoughts and i think in this book this was my introduction to her yeah

and it's like following this like main character named gilda who is like very anxious and very focused on death in general like she has like a very strong fascination in fear of death and she takes on this role at a catholic church and she is an atheist lesbian and so she's like living this kind of like double life like where she looks like well i can't tell my job like like what I'm doing, but like she's also like trying to like learn all of these aspects of this like other job. Yeah. And at the same time, the like person who was in her position before her like passed away. And she like takes over her email and everything and finds out she's been maintaining this like pen pal relationship on the church's email. And her pen pal does not know

that she's dead. And so she starts like pretending to be the previous reception. And then there's like this like little mystery aspect because like an investigation opens up on the death of the previous receptionist. And so she's like, do I come clean and say I've been pretending to be her? Like, wow. And it's just it's so good. And like the mystery definitely kind of takes like a back seat to a lot of the book. Right. But because at its core, it's kind of just like living in a world that kind of feels like it's on fire.

And like you don't really belong in the area that you're in or like the life situation that you're in. And, like, recognizing that, like, it can still be, like, beautiful and people can be kind. And you can find a place that works for you. Yeah. And that's just, like, a theme I love. Yeah. Go back to a lot, especially, like, in that kind of, like, literary fiction, like, genre. It's just something that works for me every single time.

Yeah. I have a friend or one of the co-hosts. I think this was the first one of Emily R. Austin that she read as well. So now it has come to me. twice so there's a chance I need to read it. It's really good. Yeah, that sounds really good. It also, did you watch big mistakes on Netflix at all yet? It just, it just aired. It's Dan Levy. I think he wrote it or he's just starring in it, but I think he even kind of wrote and directed it. And he is gay but closeted because he is a pastor at a church as well. So there's like that

random random connection there. But it's really funny. People love shit. I love him. It's like if you like the Schitt's Creek humor and then like the idea of like normal people stumbling into having to help like the mob, like that's the kind of funny that it is. Okay.

I'm interested. Yeah. Speaking of like kind of like unhinged off the kilter fiction, I also love anything. There's so many that I could pick for this like specific part of my reading taste. I'm someone that if I see a Goodreads review or any review that's like, hey, and what does this, like, what just happened? Or it's just like completely in left field, unhinged fiction, I'm in it. I want to read it. But one of the, like, I think my favorite book that I've read this year so far was superfan by Jenny Tingjong.

I was obsessed with this book. And I loved it so much. And it follows a lonely college freshman. as she navigates trying to find friends and trying to get into like the system of college. And she finds a lot of community and friendship in a K-pop community on like what I, they don't say this, but like what would be like Reddit or something like a dashboard like kind of thing. And she becomes obsessive with one of the specific band members named Halo. And it's a dual POV.

So it goes back and forth between many, the college freshman and Halo, the bad boy K-pop band members. And it starts off very like lit-fick-driven, where it's the story about these two characters and how they, like, would potentially interact in the future and many and how much she loves the band and how much the community of the band brings her, like, friendship and solace during her lonely, like, freshman year of college and Halo trying to find his way through, like, newfound fame as a K-pop member. And then, like, halfway through the book, it just gets completely flipped over and goes, like, off the wall.

And it's so fun. and talks a lot about, like, toxicity and fandom bases. Yes. And how, like, out of control they can get and how quickly they can go completely left field. Right. And I thought that was a really cool take, especially with, like, the rise of K-pop in the Western world and how obsessive people, at least in the United States, get over, like, celebrities and, like, parissocial relationships. It makes, like, a lot of good commentary about those. Yeah.

And I think the reason it hits so home for me as, like, in high school, I was a part of the One Direction. kind of like era of people where I like really liked the band. I listened to the music. I went to one concert. But like the people around like on the internet at that time were like making fan theories about how like one of their babies was fake and like how like this management was doing X, Y and Z to keep them like closeted because they believe some of like the band members were gay.

And like all could I guess be true. I'm not like disowning like this. Right. I don't know. I don't know these people. Like, yes. It's like, that's what this book is talking about. And I thought it was very interesting that you can like take what they're talking about in this book and apply it to so many different fan bases. Right. And it was just, it was such a cool like human case study on like, yeah, parisocial relationships and fandoms. It was very fun. Yeah. I remember sometimes like when I request something on net galley and like I don't get approved, then I like kind of forget about the fact that like, oh, it will be released. And I could circle. back and read it. I don't totally forget, but sometimes that's what happens. But I'm so glad you brought this one up because this was one I did really want to read because I do love a lot of what

you were saying. I think I love when there is commentary, like social commentary, really about anything. But then like when it's related to artists and performance and parisocial relationships, like all of that intrigues me so much. Yeah. And Jenny does a really good job too. There's a lot of like cultural references and things in it too because they're both like minnie's Asian American and Halo is in a Korean K-pop band but the K-pop band has like a westernized twist on it because they think it would sell better in like Western society and so like that's like a commentary that's being made and like Minnie gets bullied by like a girl and the college because of her cultural background and like those are all parts of the plot too and then it just all comes

together and gets it's it is the ending's unhinged in my opinion yeah in like a good way yeah because it's like all like all the pieces just fell together in a way that I wasn't expecting and I'm usually like I'm not I wouldn't say I'm pretty good at like guessing an ending but I'm usually like catching on as I read and this one I did not I was just like shocked at the ending of it which is also a great great book for me yeah I'm I'm okay with things getting a little unhinged The way you're talking about it was reminding me of Julie Chin is, is not dead or is dead. I can't remember which one of it is. But it's like a similar thing where like it's like an influencer thriller.

And then all of a sudden the third part either makes people love it or hate it. And I loved it. Yeah. No. Emily is kind of convinced me to read that one as well. Yeah. I have it on audio. It's on deck.

I just need to get to it. Yeah. The audio is good. The audio is good. It's dual. it's a dual audio narrator. So those are always fun. Yeah.

I am adding it. My next pick, I have always been a, like, I feel like one of my default genres when I, like, just need to, like, kind of like turn my brain off has been romance since I started my reading journey again. So I've really been developing my romance taste and figuring out what I do and I do not like because there's, like, it's such a popular genre and there's just so much. so much like varying like that's what i'm learning types yeah um and i think i've come to find that i tend to like a i'm i'm leaning more into like the literary like romances like it's like a love

story but not a romance so my next pick is into the blue by emma brodie i just finished this about a week ago and i immediately i was like this is one of my new favorite books period yep i like got to page two and i was like i actually need to start annotating this and so i was like hold on i like got up and got all the things. I was like, now I can read. So quotable. It has so, like, all the aspects of, like, a literary fiction that I love and also all the aspects of, like, a love story, like, a romance, like, that I also love. But it's done in a way that it's not like, this is explicitly like literary fiction or, like, it's explicitly

like a romance. Right. Because it's just a love story. And I don't think that necessarily means that it's a romance. Yeah. And that it, but both can't exist at the same time, if that makes sense. And I everybody's reading this book right now I feel like yeah but for good reason I just fell in love with the characters and even like the side characters like I was like so invested in every single aspect. Yeah. And I think one of the like biggest critiques I've seen of this book is that it has like it includes like details that are like not important and that it's like a little bit long, especially in like the middle section. And I just so strongly disagree with that. You do too. And because I love like what some people might be like that's like a minute detail.

Like it's not important. I disagree. I think it's there for a reason. And that it's important to like the greater like overall like story. And I think this book was like as a like in the love story element of without like giving too much way because I think this is also a book that I went in blind with and I'm really glad that I did and but I think it's intentionally frustrating. Yes. And I think that works in favor of the book because it just like builds all of these different characters and like going in different directions and you truly get to see the character development and just how they both grow in their careers as people just in all the different

ways. Yeah. And I think the book kind of, it also played a little bit with form in a, like, in a very, like, subtle way. Yes. And I think that's fun because it's kind of like, it is a linear story, but then it had like a nonlinear prologue. And I think that is fun. And I went back after I finished the book and then I reread the prolog and I was like, yep. Yep. Yep. That makes sense. Yes. And I just think I just was so blown away by this book and I I totally understand the hype on this one and I feel like it explains how I feel about romance in this phase of my life and like love stories in general so perfectly. I'm so glad you talked about all that because I didn't even totally realize that it really is literary. And so maybe that is so you bringing that up because

like literary is another genre where like there are times where I love like symbolism. and like good useful details the way that you're saying where people are like get to the point and like sometimes that's like motifs and aesthetic is like helped by those things and then sometimes with literary I'm like I need something to happen so that's like the literary that like I have to be in a very specific mood for but now you're helping me realize it might be some of those like because I kind of told some people I comped it to Lane Fargo's the favorites because as Lane Fargo always says, like, this is, this is a love story, but it is not a romance. And then, like, she talks about how, like, it's a love story romantically, platonically, familially, like,

and that is what it does. And I feel like Into the Blue did the same thing, even though it's not the same story. Now I think I know a little more about myself. Maybe it's the literary love stories that really work for me. And the other thing is I love stand-up, improv, Hollywood, behind the scenes, like that stuff. So like that was going to always work for me too. Yeah. I 100% agree. And I also really enjoyed the favorites.

And I'm like, this is saying a lot about what I'm, I think I'm like leading more towards now and how I'm growing in that, what I'm looking for in like a love story. Yeah. Me too. I didn't actually read a lot of romance or love stories until I started talking to Kara more.

And I think Kara is the only reason I ever picked up in a romance novel ever because we were working the Lila Sage event. two, three summer camps ago. And she was like, if you're going to get a book, you need to get this one and like handed me the done and dusted. And she was like, that's the first one. That's the one you should get. And I said,

is it worth reading? And she was like, it's worth reading. Just trust me. And I read it. And then that's, because that is like a true romance. Not like a love story literary, but a true romance. And so my, like, my next pick is because I gave that like romance and love stories a try

again because of that. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I started reading it back when it was like really, really big on like online scenes like on bookstagram and like on TikTok and all those things. And then I DNFed it probably like 30, 30 percent through almost halfway. And I was like, I don't want to read this anymore. But I loved Greek mythology and I studied it a lot in college and I loved Achilles and Patrocola specifically loved them. And I came back to it after I started realizing that like I do kind of like romance and I do kind of like love stories and that maybe I'm just looking at it wrong because Kara was talking to me about like her perspective on romance and

things and so I went back to it and I finished it in one day and it's like it's now one of my favorite love stories of all time because in college we talked about like Achilles and Petrochalus and like what their friendship was what scholars have like argued is actually like a relationship and like that they were lovers and like all these things and then I think battle Martin did a great job of kind of showing like what that would be like in that like time frame of like old Greek Greco timeline and it moving from like a friendship into like being lovers into being like infatuated into like their deaths. And it was just so good. And she did such a great job. And I loved it so much. And then like in the same vein, I'll just lump these two together because I do think they're more literary love stories than they are like anything else. So they're kind of same genre. I recently read a YA love story called Exquisite Things by Abidi Nazimian, Nazimian.

So sorry, that was, I looked up his name so many times before. It's okay. And I thought I had it in the bag. And it's better than what it was earlier. But Exquisite Things was phenomenal. It was, I listened to it on audio and the narrators are really great, but it's a love. love story that spans across 130 years. Wow.

And so the main character, he goes by Shaz during the whole thing, but he has a Persian name that's like Shahir, like Shahir. Yes. And he goes by, and he has something happened to where he is now immortal. And then he meets Oliver. And then they fall in love. And then things happen. I don't want to spoil it for anybody.

But things happen and it spans across 130 years of them being together. But what Abidi does really well is he incorporates so much history and so much like cultural phenomenons that happen within like the LGBTQIA community across that time frame. And these two characters experience it either together or at the same time but separate. And it's like the difference between like how Oliver experiences it and how Shaz experiences it and how they come together and how that affects their like timeline. as a couple or as not a couple or as whatever. And he does a really good job with the author with like found family as well.

And so like, which is like huge for like LGBTQ. I youth like that found family aspect is a big part of like a lot of their lives and things. And he does such a good job of like really making it rich and like important that like just because Shaz doesn't have like any blood relatives anymore because he's immortal. And they also like a little bit of spoiler they just owned him. once they found out that he was gay. And so, but, like, they're no longer living because it's, like, a hundred years later. But he finds, like, all these people and, like, it goes through different times with different family, found families and how, like, him and Oliver come back together or don't come back

together. It is very intricate, and it is YA, and it is very, very well done. Yeah. It's a beautiful story. One of my favorite love story. I read it this year, so it's, and so it's, like, favorite love story of 2026 so far. And I would highly recommend it for all ages because even as like someone who is not in that

YA age group, I found myself like going back and like re-listening to parts and writing things down and I don't like annotating. And I don't like doing that as much. But I found myself doing it for this book because of things that this author was saying were so profoundly important. And like it was showing it through these like two characters that were. struggling with their own identities and struggling with finding their way in different timelines. And it was just, it was fantastic. So good.

Well, you've sold me on this now. I kept here. When he did rivalry was happening, I kept hearing, like, you have to read Song of Achilles. There's a lot of people saying that. And now this even sounds, or I see why you paired them together. Because I'm like, now I want to read this one too. There's a lot of historical. It is very cool. It is very cool. And there's a lot of historical relevance to both, I think. Like, even though Achilles and Petrochalus, I guess we can't prove whether they were or we're not because it's Greek lore. But, like, it's so interesting to pair the two together. If you read them side by side, I would be really interested if I did not.

Yeah. But to see, like, how they take the relationships and the friendships and the found family because both of them have all those things. Mm-hmm. And how they put, like, historical contents and relevance into it. it to make it what it is. I think both books do a really good job of that. Yeah. So I loved exquisite things. I would not stop talking about it after I read it. And it took me a long time to read because I like I said, I was going back and I was re-listening to whole chapters because something would happen. And I'm like, oh, that happened at the end. That feels like I miss something

important. So I'd go back and I'd relisten. And I was really paying attention. It had me looking up different things like that happened specifically in England there were a lot of historical things that happened in England where a lot of this book takes place that I wasn't aware of yeah um so I went back and I researched those because it talked about Stonewall I know a little bit more about Stonewall because it's more US centered but then like there are things happening in England at the same time like there was a big fire that happened and I think it was a like a queer nightclub that they targeted specifically because of the audience said it like patrons and things yes and so i went back and i looked at that and i can't remember

what the names of them are but they're all in the book so don't worry yeah so don't take my word for it you should read it because he he does a much better job explaining it than i do well he did write it um but yeah i like when there are historical elements too is what i've really started to learn about myself is like it is fun to get to learn about real things because of the fiction that you're reading. I do love when that happens. No, I 100% agree. Emily and I were literally texting the other day being like, who's going to talk about the song of Achilles? Because one of us is, because that is like, when I got back into reading, like, as an adult, that's like the book I credit to it.

Because it was, and I think it kind of sparked that like love story over romance kind of discussion for me because that book is not a romance. It is a love story. And it just, I love that book and I will always talk about that book and then with exquisite things I've started the audio book for that one but I think for me I'm so impressed that Emily

only listened to it because I'm like I need to like immersive read this or something because of like the different timelines I was getting a little confused but I was like I know I'm going to love this but I'm like I need to wait until I have like the physical thing in front of me as well so I'm really excited to dive into that one

that one soon too. That's an important distinction that not everyone thinks about is there are some books that like even if you're the biggest audiobook listener there might be something where you're like well for this one i don't know it's just not going to be audio for me and sometimes it's not even what you expect but yeah oh well i want to i'll probably try listening to it and then if i think i need to read read it or immersive read it i will the timelines would be tough it does jump from like it jumps from present to like past and then to a different part of the past and to present, it does jump around a lot.

And I think that's why on top of like just like needing to listen to like what happened again just because it was so good. There were times when I was like, oh, we're not where I thought we were. And so I do think an immersive read of that book would be really, really great. And I have considered doing that, like rereading it and having the physical copy and the audio going at the same time

because the narrators do a really, really good job. I do like the audiobook narrators a lot. But that will probably be like. like one of my top breeds of 2026 too along with super fans. I got him done really early. You really did. Well, that's how I feel with into the blue. Like I know, I know without a doubt that that will be in my top five of the year. Like, I just know because it was such a uniquely powerful reading experience. But I have a friend I'm going to recommend this too as well, Gere, on the podcast because he obviously loved heated rivalry as well. And I'm going to be like, hey,

I think we found some M.M. kind of romance, kind of historical that we could read together. So I'm probably going to pitch him. Yeah, he has a couple of he really loves that I need to. How we named the stars. It was kind of reminding me of that one because it has some like tragedy involved a little bit. So maybe it'll be a good match for that. There's a good YAA upbeat one that is, it is so good. And it's good for Halloween time. So I made a specific Like a conscious effort to read more like LGBTQ Romances because I just wanted to It was just like a goal of mine last year Because I just felt like I wasn't hitting that market

As much as I wanted it like I personally wanted to But as much as I feel like I should Because there's great stories out there And it was the first one I read Is it everything she does is magic? That's also good That's a really good one I'm singing of the good vampire's guide to blood and boyfriends by Jamie Dibbindo.

And they are local-ish. They are from Louisville. And it is a very fun, upbeat, Y, A romance about a vampire and a college student. That's a beautiful. But the vampire is also a college student. So there's no age gap, actually. Oh. It is super fun.

That's nice sometimes. That one is really good. That one is really good. I also, Emily convinced me to. read that one as well and it was it was good the audiobook's really good the narrator's super fun oh my goodness okay well you're just adding to my list which is the name of this podcast was that three or do you have others okay I was just making sure I think that's what it was are you reading anything right now that you're enjoying not that you have to know that you're

going to love it by the end. But I'm currently reading Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Yeah. I'm really loving it so far. I have like a hundred pages left. I've had I literally, this book has been on my shelf. Like I bought it on Pub Week in 2022. Oh, wow. I've had it for so long. Yeah. And I just like put it on my shelf and then I kind of just like forgot about it. But then the movie's coming out on May 8th. So I was like, I guess it's time. Like, really? I'm like, I was like, I think I own that. And I'm like, yes, I do. So I just started it a couple days ago and I'm almost done. And I, I'm, it's worth the hype. It's another one of those books that I'm like, I feel like everybody's read it. Yeah. Or like, is in the process of reading it, whether that's like in

preparation for the movie or just because a lot of people really love that book. I'm really, I'm really enjoying that. I need to. I bought the audio. it was on sale a while ago. And then I get scared of how emotional I hear that it is, but like, I've read into the blue. I can handle it. Yeah, it is pretty emotional so far. I think something that makes it a little bit different, though, is that it has like the perspective of, I didn't realize this. And I knew that it like, it's like an unlikely friendship between like the octopus at this aquarium and like this like older woman. I didn't realize we also get the perspective and thoughts of the octopus. I didn't realize that. And so I'm really loving that, like,

difference. And I've just, like, never, I've never seen that. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm, I'm really liking it. Oh, okay. I need to bump it up. I am currently reading because of Kara. That's a lot of, a lot of my readers are because of Kara. She'll, like, convince me to read things. I'm reading the second book to James Islington's. Oh, yes. The Strength and the Few. I cannot think of the name. The Strength of the Few by James Islington. I haven't gotten very far in it yet, but I am reading it currently. And I'm also listening to Phoebe Berman's Going to Lose It by Brooke Affrick.

Okay. Yes. As like a little like also a care pick. As like a little pallet clipper too. Yes, exactly. I just can't stop talking. and we like work in a very small space just the door of us. So I'm just like talking her ear off the other time.

I'm like, well, I just read it. You need to read it right now. That is what I read. As fast as Kara. So like my list gets longer because she'll be like going through books. And I'm like, okay, I'm writing them down. Just like, wait. But yes.

No, I really, I was shocked because I didn't think I'd like well of the many. Because I don't, I just didn't think I've never read something that epic. in a really long time. I think the last big epic fantasy that I read was the Poppy Wars by Arak Huang and I was obsessed with it and I loved it but a big component of that

that trilogy that I loved was like all of the cultural significance behind it and like she had like the glossary in the back and I could look and I could learn about it was the historical stuff that I really enjoyed about it. Well, the many doesn't have that because it is a completely made up world like James Islington

did a completely world building. There's no like historical context as much. But I did, I really enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised. It's my first time reading an epic fantasy by a male author. I typically read female fantasy authors. Sometimes when I have like straight white men authors on the podcast, I'm like, how do I talk to you?

Like it's so rare. Like if anything, like that's where my diversity problem is. I don't talk to a lot of them. like, what are you going to be like? I would say that's probably very similar to me. Because then the other, like, the other, like, more epic fantasy style as I just finished, Veronica Roth's new book, Seek the Trader Sign. It was phenomenal.

I just love Veronica Roth, though. I read anything she writes. I know. Automatic buy author for me. Yes. I want to read that one so bad, too. It's really good. Yeah.

I just started one called Heather by Caitlin. Mullen and her she had one other one years ago called Please See Us. That is like a really cool. It's kind of like a supernatural mystery thriller because there's a woman who is like she can see the ghosts of these girls who have been murdered and no one cared about them. So that's kind of the vibe of her first one. I just started this one and it has some like eerie. It has some eerie vibes to it already. basically says like a small town detective reopens an unsolved case sending shockwaves across generations of women and there's like all this folklore because they live near the pines in new jersey and so

like there are a lot of people talking about devils and like what's in the woods and I'm like this is like atmospheric and I'm in chapter three so I have high hopes see I feel like I could get behind that I feel like a genre I really like lack in like knowledge and like that I don't like approach very often is thriller. Yeah. And like that like kind of like mystery thriller genre. I just like it intimidates me and I just I want to be that girl so bad. I just haven't gotten there yet. I can give you some.

If you ever like, okay, I am in the mood that I need a thriller that's not intimidating. I can definitely find one. Okay. I'll have to. I'll have to hit you up. Yeah. Are there any genres? I mean, it sounds like you said thrillers.

Do you have any genre, Emily, that you're like, I kind of wish I, because I'm like that even with romance where sometimes I'm like, there'd be so many more books to read if it was like romance, not just like love stories that worked for me. Do you have any genres that you're like every now and then like, I'm going to test this out? I'd say probably horror is my big one. Yeah. Because I like thriller. I just like very sparingly. read them just because they don't come up as often for me. So I would say I'm more, I would more likely read a thriller than I would read a horror

novel. Our inventory manager, Emma, loves both. Yes. And so she's always telling, like, me to, like, read all these things. And I'm like, horror, I love horror, too. That's so funny because, like, I love slasher films. I love horror movies. I like Halloween.

I like those things for some reason. Horror novels intimidate me. And I think the big one is because you just never know what you're going to get with a horror novel. And I have some very, like, specific, like, horror elements that I don't, I will not do. Like, I do not like body horror. I don't like medical horror. Like, anything that has to do that kind of stuff really freaks me out. And I, like, ruminate on it and spiral.

And so I have to be very picky when I read horror. Yeah. I think Rachel Harrison is one that Emma introduced me to. She does a really good job with horror because it's, very like women's horror adjacent and it's more literary yeah it's like I I can I can handle a haunted house being like mean to somebody I can't I can't handle body horror stuff that's not my I get weird about body horror I mean I'm sure there are some more like technically some of it popped up but like I can't do it like I even movie wise I can't think of what it's called now

but the one with Demi Moore the substance the substance I'm like the themes are so up my alley but body horror. I'm afraid I'm not allowed to watch that. I tell myself I'm not allowed to watch that because I'll like I'll get really interested in it because of the plot. Yeah. And then I'll have like like Kara's watch the substance. And so then I'll be like, I think I would be really interested in this TV show or this movie. And she's like, no, you would not. And I'm like, got it. I don't need to ask. I'm like, cool, cool, cool. I'll watch and read those things for you. I'm like, I don't think you can.

You're our surrogate or whatever, maybe our guinea pig, so you can always tell us if we shouldn't or not. There's one. I want to be slashed beauties, but I know there's a decent amount of it there, but it also sounds up my alley. So we'll see. It's so tough. It's tough to like, it's tough to be like a fan of horror and then like not like body horror specifically because I feel like horror as a genre in all media, like is in a body horror era. Right. I was just going to say that.

I was like, body horror is like kind of like big right now in the horror genre. So it's tough. There's like every now and then I'll be like, well, have you watched something like, actually maybe you would like that. Yeah. Forget I asked.

Yeah. I like, what I'm learning is I kind of like, I like psychological and like social horror. And then if there are some supernatural elements there, but it's kind of also psychological for the main character, then that tends. to be my lane is what I'm learning but yeah it's like I only just started reading it gothic stuff tends to work for me because it's so much like it aligns with psychological horror so well since like

the hauntings are often like things they're haunted by from the past or choices they made so that version works for me but it is it's a picky it's a tricky one to figure out yes well I am so glad that we got to talk I'm glad people got to meet you virtually, where should people follow you guys to stay up to date with everything you're reading and doing? Yeah. So we have a Instagram now for our podcast. It's at Fill Your Cup, WGB on Instagram. And then our podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. Nice. Perfect. Well, I will put those links in the show notes. Everyone needs to go listen to their podcast. I think it's very, very, very fun. And I do get excited every Sunday. I'm typically like, oh, it's a Sunday with this. So I'm going to be able to do chores and listen to Emily and Kara.

Too sweet. Yes. So it's a lot of fun. But yeah, thanks for coming on. And I will see you guys soon.