Bookwild - More Backlist Thrillers We Want to Read with Gare Billings and Steph Lauer

Episode Date: January 3, 2025

This week, we catch up on how our holidays went, talk about words/phrases of the year for 2025, and share ore backlist thrillers we want to read!Books We Talked AboutHostageTake it BackWhat January RemembersWe SpreadSuch a Pretty SmileThe Truth About Melody BrowneOutSummer RentalSuch Sharp TeethThe House on Needless StreetThin AirNotes on Your Sudden Disappearance 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 

Well, happy 2025 to everyone listening and to Gare and Steph. We're recording on New Year's Day, just so you all know. And as we've been learning, Gare has a bigger social life than Steph and I. I was like, let's not talk about everything we've learned. I think Gare is out there being a social butterfly, so. I do not consider last night to be social butterflyism. I like hung out on a friend's couch and then we went to the bar and I realized that like there was nobody there that I really wanted to talk to. So I like suck down a drink as quick as I could.

Drink my friend's drink. And then I was like, let's go. Well, I mean, you made it to a bar. I didn't, I did not. I did make it to a bar. I fully regret the $12 that I spent. But I did make it to a bar. Was that one drink or two drinks?

That was two drinks. Damn, that's it. I mean, it was a dive bar. It was a dive bar. I think if I would have stayed like one more hour, I probably would have gotten like, stopped in the kidney. But like, you know, live on the edge. Yeah.

Yeah, I fell asleep at like 10. I didn't even make it. It was the earliest age I ever fell asleep on the couch. It was like of all the days. It wasn't even 9 o'clock. And I was like, you tell I go ahead. Just go to bed. Yeah. It's like all the parties of Anderson and Anderson Cooper and Andy Coulher are cracking me up, though. And I'm like, damn, I should have actually watched it.

I took an hour and 45 minute nap in the afternoon yesterday. And then I, like, laid down for an hour before I even, like, left my house. And I, like, could have fallen asleep at 11 o'clock. I just don't know. Late nights are just not my vibe anymore. New Year's is not my vibe anymore. Like, how many of them have actually been good, like, looking back. on them. I like don't even think when I like made the effort, they were fine. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like it's a lot of money and a lot of effort and a lot of time just for you to like feel like shit. And like the thing that I've realized in my like social butterfly era that I've been in is like it's the random Thursday nights where you go out for dinner with friends and you have like a few too many drinks and you run into people that you like haven't seen in a while or something. Like those are like the fun nights. It's not the nights that you like, Nick New Year's Eve. that you like prepare for and think is going to be like amazing. Yeah. Or your birthday. You know, like you're like, oh, let's celebrate my birthday. And then like, bullshit.

Yeah. You're right. It's just like the random times. I don't know why this year I was also seeing all the stories about how people are wearing adult diapers. What? You get their spot in a Times Square. Oh, yeah. I forgot the house thing they always do, but I had not heard it until this year.

And I was like, you can't be fucking kidding me. Because you can't leave your spot. No. I know. That has to, it had to smell terrible to be in that crowd. Like, I went to, like, a fall fest in my very, like, upstate tiny, tiny ass small town. And, like, was there for two hours. And I had to use the porta potty once.

And it was, like, a disaster. And I would imagine that there's just a ton of porta potty's all over, like, New York City for Times Square. Because, like, no store is going to be like, oh, we'll stay open so you can use. That's what I was thinking last night. Yeah. I would never. No. And like I'm a child. Like at the end of the day, like the minute I start drinking and I like pee once, I break the seal still to the day. And I'm like, I have to pee every 10 minutes. Like once I'm drinking. So like, no way. No way. No. Dude, nothing reminds me how much, how lucky I am to be able to work at home as much as like going somewhere for like six hours. And being like, damn, I really just drink my walking. bottle and pee all day. Yeah.

I just don't notice it because I'm just here. Yeah. I totally get that. That's how I feel like if I go have drinks with like friends and like my friend will make fun of me because I'm like, listen, like if I know I'm going to have a few drinks, I have pots. So like I'm not supposed to really drink alcohol. But like if I know I'm going to have drinks, I'm going to drink a ton of water before so I'm like extra hydrated. But then I start drinking alcohol and then I'm like, like peeing every like 15 to 20 minutes and my friend like is like you have a tiny bladder and I'm

like no I'm not I'm just like literally full of water right now and I don't realize how much I pee throughout the day because like I don't have some like emotional terrorist reminding me every time I have to go. I know in the morning especially when I'm like coffee because I'm like comfortable and reading under my blanket and then I'm like God I have to like get up and get out from under my blanket in my perfect little cozy spot like 15 times. I think he's asleep. If I'm not ready to walk the dogs, I just try to like stay completely still in bed and not move. So they don't know that I'm awake yet. Because the second they know I'm awake, they're like, hey, let's go outside. Let's go for the walk. Let's do it all. Yeah. We're ready to cause chaos. Yeah. That's life. Each and of time. Well, Steph had a really good idea for an icebreaker for this week.

Yeah. Well, okay, I'm still struggling to figure out my answer, but you can go less. Because there's like my, I think this is one of the one times, maybe more, I don't know, that like my reading goals and my regular life are kind of opposite. So mine was, I've seen some really cool, like, what is your word of the year? Like the example is I saw one book account where she used the word refined because she's trying to like declutter her life and find her taste and be like, hey, that's really cool, but that's not for me. Like it's really cool, trendy, whatever. But trying to just like minimize her brain space. And I thought that was super cool. So I've been trying to figure out mine.

And I was wondering what year or two, what you two thought. I had a couple of things. So back in September. I think. Tyler and I listen to a book called Rich A.F. And it's all about like manifesting different things into your life, especially money, which is great. But she asks you a question at one point. And it is like what, like what would feel like your ideal day or like kind of the same question. Like is there a word or a phrase? And so when I was even listening to it then, it was made, I thought of like immersed in story. Like if I got to be immersed in story all the time, all day, every day, that would be very exciting. So that was what kind of came to mind. But then the other thing that she really talks about is like that I'm getting woo-woo here.

So if anyone doesn't like woo-woo stuff, just fast forward or something. But if you're the like, if you're not vibrationally in alignment with what you're saying you want, it's not necessarily going to just make it happen. And so a lot of that book was talking about, like, knowing what you would vibrationally be, like, attuned for. So if I was going to narrow it down to one word, alignment was the word that I was thinking, just like to be more in alignment with my skills. So, like, I would love this year to help authors.

with like book launches and stuff. So it's like that would be a little more in alignment with who I am and like what I have to offer, which sounds so silly. So I really I really want to do that this year. So it's like just more things that are in alignment with the skills that I have. When you say vibration, does that mean just like being in tune with what you want? Like you can't want one thing when it like goes against everything that you are. Like is that when there's. Yes. I think that totally makes sense. Like, thinking about what you have to offer and then making the goal rather than a goal. And then you don't really have that to offer. Yeah. And taking action.

So, like, the example I really loved was, like, actually, McKenzie Green, who was on this podcast once, she was who turned me on to this book. And then when I heard her talking about it, she said she had roommates who, like, were, like, they watched the secret in college. And they're like, I can manifest whatever I want. And so they put like a million dollar check on their ceiling. And she like came home one day and like he and his girlfriend were just staring at it on the ceiling. And she was like, what's that? And he's like, well, we want a million dollars. So we're going to, we're going to manifest it.

And she's like, how are you a vibrational match when you're just sitting in bed staring up at the ceiling? And you're like, oh, there's a million dollars. Like you're not going to get it that way. So the book does like a really cool job of helping you kind of think through that where it's like, what's the stuff that your actions will match it and it's stuff that you want to do as well. Mm-hmm. That makes sense. Mm-hmm.

How the fuck am I going to follow up with that? Yeah. That was like, that wasn't even woo-woo. That was just like probably one of the most like inspirational TED talks I've ever heard in my entire. Well, I'm glad. It's a great book. It makes sense. Yeah.

There's something about Kate Bell that like, I could read that book and be like, oh, okay, like, vibration, blah, blah, blah. But I'm like, when Kate says it, I'm like, holy fuck. Like, is this my life coach? Like, it's like the cloud separated. And I hear like Jesus, like telling me that like everything's going to be okay. I'm not even religious. My gosh, these are my.

Because we just watched, we started walking new. Oh, we were starting to watch. Our friend watched this thing with Arnold Schwarzen. Schwarzenegger and he was like, you know what's crazy? He's like he's motivational without being motivational. He's not like this guy that comes at you with quotes and seems really like preachy about being like, you got to do this. You got to do this. Like he just is. And I think that's what like what I'm gathering. You're saying about Kate is like not like trying and you're just are. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Case just has like a very like level head with like every situation though. So I'm like it's like always a

little inspiring. Even when she's talking about like takeout, I'm like, yeah, she's right. On that in that route, that's kind of funny because sometimes, like, I get worked up about stuff too, though. And sometimes Tyler's like, I just want to know what it's like to be as passionate about something as you are. Like, you totally do. Yeah, sometimes it's not. It's cracked up to me. Exactly. No. But yeah, it's called, it's actually rich as fuck it's not rich a f but i did want to shout at amanda francis she's like that what you're saying too what's cool about what you just said about me is that's how we felt about her approach in this book where we're like this is like manifestation but also feels really practical and like grounded and stuff

that makes sense and i think that's why it clicked for us too she's very matter of fact and she reads the audiobook and she's just she cracks me up and had some really good points. I also like love when like somebody has like a book like that but they have like a good voice in it. You know what I mean? It's not like you have to like do this and because I've been seen like a lot of things about like manifestations as well and it's like kind of like what your example was of like the check and it's like you have to like if you want to manifest something and you want to like go after something like you have to like take the opportunities that come at you that like are you know related to this goal you have to like put in the work

yourself and you have to like also believe that you can attain it instead of just like waiting for it to come to you because you say something in the mirror three times or something you know what I mean exactly yeah yeah yeah that makes a lot of sense mm-hmm um um well you guys are just gonna be like same yeah um my I guess like outlook or word of 2025, I think, is like, oddly enough, like, intentions, but, like, also, like, being selfish with them. Yeah. And, like, the sense that, like, I felt like we've had so many conversations about, like, reading habits, being mood readers and, like, how the balance of that, like, affects, like, our lives and stuff. And, like, Kate was, like, I've had a great reading

year, but I also, like, read less books because I could go to the movies when I wanted to. Like, I took my dogs for, like, a W-A-L-K, I want them to hear me. Like, I was able to, like, do things like that. And I was, like, thinking about, like, 20-24 and I was like, I need to realize that, like, I love creating content for a bookstagram and I love reading. But, like, this is a hobby that I want to have fun with. So, like, I can't pressure myself to, like, read 150 books. I don't want to be that person that's like, I have to have this book done by this day.

Like, I want to be more selfish and like what I'm reading. I want to be more selfish and like taking time with my dog, my family and my friends. Like if I want to go out to dinner, if I want to go to the movies, like I'm just going to do it instead of being like, oh, no, I have to do like X, Y and Z. You know, other than like work because like I need to make money. Like everything else I think I need to be more like a little bit more selfish and like what I want. and what like aligns with like how I'm feeling in that moment instead of being like oh I don't really want to go out to dinner but like I'll go see this friend because I haven't seen them in a while you know what I mean like why should I be the one that like has to like be like I don't really want to go but like I'm going to force myself to or like vice versa you know so I think I'm just going to try to be a little bit more selfish and like intentional because I don't want to waste my time doing things I don't want to do or reading things they don't want to read or forcing myself to do things that like

really are not that big of a deal. Like I do not need to force myself to read three or four books in a week. If it happens, it happens. And if I read one, so be it. Yeah. I wanted to read this because you're mentioning we kind of discussed some of this on an episode, a couple episodes ago.

And so we had someone in the YouTube comments who said, this was an episode of Us 3, He said, I love you guys and I like forward to every episode. Usually I listen to the podcast during the commute, but occasionally I do watch on YouTube. I'm a voracious thriller reader. I notice a lot of book YouTubers who are stressed and pressured by the volume of books they read or expect themselves to read. He says, I think it's a he. It's Finriksen is like the username.

I literally never felt that way until I started watching Booktubers and now I'm starting to feel that way. too. I read on my iPad and I usually would average about 70 books per year and was totally happy. Now with YouTube, I'm like, I'm only going to come in around 80 books this year, but I feel all this unnecessary self-imposed pressure and all I can equate it to is my book tube watching. But at the end, it says, I don't know. I think a lot of us bookish people may have some similar personality traits. and I think that that might be why we turn our love of reading into a pressure thing for ourselves. And I was like, that is an interesting concept because you do hear, like, obviously we talked about it on some of our favorite subgenres episode. But it's like, I wonder if some bookish people are just a little more like high strong about goals and all of that stuff.

And you don't want to ruin something you love. I used to be like that. see all these other content creators being like well i read 255 books and it's like well what am i doing and they're just living your life and if you read 12 books you still like read eight but you also have like when you watch and listen to so many things you're also like your list grows exponentially i think that's kind of the pressure too of like yeah much you want to experience I like also like unintentionally read 15 books in December and like did not pressure myself. Like I think my TBR started off at like four or five.

And then the next thing I knew like I was doing my like wrap up for December and I was like these were all four or five because I was a little like selfish and like a little like I'm going to read this back list. I'm going to read what I want. And so like that's why I was like this was a really good reading month. but like when I see reading wrap-ups too, I kind of like take more from the ones that are like 10 and less in a month than the ones that are more than that because I'm like, if you read less than 10 bucks, you probably took away a lot more from those reading experiences than the person that read more than 10 and like was just like, okay, I just finished this. Like what am I reading next? Like what's on my TBR? Like what do I have to read by like this date or whatever? And so like I'm like, me. Maybe you didn't take away as much or like you weren't able to like fully enjoy the reading experience if you pressure yourself that much. Yeah. I think so. I think it's interesting going back to your goal or your intention scare.

I think that when you were talking, I was like, I think people that are good friends of yours would be like, yeah, those are good goals. And like you would want the same for them. Like when you were saying like if I don't really want to do something, I'm not going to do it. I think like your friends would be like, well, if you don't want to go, then don't go, you know? So it's just like, I think that if you have people that you love like in your life, like you'll do that for each other. So I think that that's cool or like I've learned that those are my people where it's like, hey, can you reschedule?

Because like, can you do this day instead? They'll be like, yeah, cool, whatever or something. Yeah. I honestly, I only have one friend. I only have one friend that would like give me a hard time over that and it's not because like they're necessarily selfish or anything. I think it's just because we spend so much time together that like if I were to try to cancel or reschedule they would just be like upset that we weren't hanging out. But like other than that I think that like I generally do like the people that I spend

time with in person and you guys too because you know we record a lot like our very understanding of like I'm not feeling it. I feel sick or like whatever like you know but like I also include you guys and the people that I spend a lot of time with because we do this so often and I love that. We have our unhinged three person group chat. Always. Which I gave the sweetest name to which is so unlike me. Sometimes what I'm looking for still, I'm like, where is Garen's where where is Garen's step?

Oh, yeah. I was like, oh my God, look at me. I was nice to two people this year in 2024. Oh my gosh. Well, okay. So my thought was I wanted to do unapologetic because I was like I want to do what I want when I want to and not feel bad about it. But I was like talking to AJ and I was like, I think I kind of already do. Oh my gosh.

I love that. Because I was like, I don't know. This last year I was like, I got to get out of here. So just like travel, you know, like we did an episode. I like travel by myself. I'm like, I just want to do that more of like do what I need that like what fills my cup. Even if people are like, what are you doing? Like there's people at your house.

You have animal, I don't know, whatever. Like make it work. So I'm still trying to figure out my personal one. And I'm also like pretty unapologetic about like my personality traits. Like I've been trying to just like own them and be more comfortable and confident and just like I am a structured person. I do like to plan ahead. I do have my calendar figured out for the next multiple weeks, you know? So, but book-wise, I think mine is kind of like chill out.

Not typically me because I just want to be like, all right, I'm clearing my neck galley shelf. I'm going to read what's on my shelf. And I kind of just want to go peruse the library or like I want to just like go to the bookstore and be like that sounds good. Or like, I mean, I want to pre-revelling. order to support authors, but another piece of me is like, you can always go get it. It's going to be a or it's going to be. Yeah. That's still supporting them. Yeah, you don't need to have it like right now, even though it's exciting. So I kind of want to just get into that. Like you've said, Gere, just like be a mood reader. So that's my bookish one is like chill out. That's like,

I'm really excited for my next trip to the bookstore because we've had so many conversations about backlist and like we've recommended so many things and we've talked about like so many things that like weren't necessarily on our radar that like now I'm excited to go to the bookstore because like before I'd be like I have an archive of this I have this on that galley but like now I can go and be like oh like here's a list of all of these things that are already out that like I haven't read we're on my radar and now I can go to the bookstore and like find them and take them home it just feels really good yeah I agree I kind of I may have mentioned this so I'm sorry if I didn't but I have like some of my like interviews booked into like may right now and it's kind of nice

just like knowing the ones that I will be doing and so I don't really have to think about it and it's like okay so I already know a lot of the 2025 ones that I'm going to read for interviews so then it's like I have the time open for other books and I and it's not like oh who am I going to get on the podcast on Tuesday so that's been kind of nice yeah yeah yeah and it's kind of um fitting that we're gonna talk about backlist books yeah since so much of our uh whatever those weren't resolutions those were like uh word of the year i guess that's just what we say yeah yeah yeah yeah and now we're going to suggest even more backlist. I just think it's like, I always have so much fun when we discuss like backlist books because

it's like something that like one of us could have already read and be like, oh, you'll love this or like somebody who is listening like might be like, oh my God, I love that book. Like I love like revisiting that reading experience by hearing them talk about it compared to being like, you know, here's a book that we're going to talk about that like nobody's read yet because it's not at me now. So like sometimes the backlist ones are like. fun for me because I feel like it's like sometimes it's more exciting to read something that's been out for a while than it is like something that just came out and everybody

going back and forth about. And I feel like it's accessible. It's more accessible to listeners I think who maybe do use the library or go store that like don't. I just realized like this year I just got into like NetGalley before I'm like I only read what books were already out. Oh yeah. I think it saves like money too because like even when we do when we do it and you guys recommend a book to me like the first thing I do is I check out like pango or I see how much it is on Kindle and like obviously a book that's been out for a while is like going to be cheaper on Kindle or more available on pingo than something that just came out like a couple weeks ago so yeah that's always like fun too like the hunt for like the best book price oh for sure yeah for sure totally so we check have four.

Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah, I'm going to start off with the one. So it's been these conversations that made me start Book Wild's Backlist Book Club as well. I mean, also I couldn't get, I couldn't pass up that alliteration either. It's just too perfect. Yeah. But Laura, who this month it was some emergency.

came up. So it was just me and Laura. And we just were shooting the shit about the bright lands. And then also we are both obsessed with who we used to live here. So we talked about all kinds of stuff. But she actually recommended a couple books. And this was the one we ended up choosing. It's hostage by Claire McIntosh. I'm excited because I think it's going to be very fast-paced. And we know how I feel about that. You can save hundreds of lives or the one that matters most. The atmosphere on board the inaugural nonstop flight from London to Sydney is electric. Numerous celebrities are rumored to be among the passengers in business class and journalists will be waiting on the ground to greet the plane. Mina is one of the hand-picked team of flight attendants chosen for the landmark journey.

She's trying to focus on the task at hand and not worry about her troubled five-year-old daughter back at home with her husband, or the cataclysmic problems in her marriage. but the plane has barely taken off when Mina receives a chilling note from an anonymous passenger someone intent on ensuring the plane never reaches its destination someone who needs Mina's assistance

and who knows exactly how to make her comply it's 20 hours to landing a lot can happen in 20 hours dang I know dang dang I don't think I've read anything by her but I've seen her name a lot.

I know. I feel like I see her name more and more lately. And I had seen people talking about this one. I just kind of forgotten about it. It's from 2021. Lisa Jewell blurbed it and says, feels like a blockbuster movie. So there's that.

But yeah, if anyone is interested, I'll just plug that here just in case anyone is. We're meeting on January 19th at noon eastern time. So, and there's a link in the show notes if you want to go sign up for it. That's awesome. I have not read hostage, but I'm very curious. I know. I don't think I've read.

Who's the one, who does the, who's the female author who does a lot of, like, is it drowning? She does, like, all of the plane-related books. I think it's T.J. Newman. Yeah. I just read the first one, which I think is falling. Falling. Yeah. I think I read, I think I read drowning.

Yeah, I basically, I haven't really read anything on a plane, so I'm excited to try it out. I will say I have read Let Me In and I Let You Go by Claire McIntosh. And they are very good for people who like Lisa Jewel and like psychological thrillers. I Let You Go is one of the best twists in a book that I've ever read. Same? Oh my gosh. Well, that's high praise. I want to read it again.

Yeah. Let me put this on my list. I would say like Lisa Jewel and Alice Feeney. Like you know how they always like have that thing where they like kind of like wallop you with like plot twists or like something you didn't see coming? Yeah. Yeah. So I let you go is the one you said has the crazy twist. Yeah.

Why can I spell her name? It's Claire with no eye. Yeah, there's no eye. I couldn't find it either at first. I had the losing. Butchering the last name, too, while I was just typing into Goodreads. Okay. Yeah, it is a unique spelling it for last name, too.

Gere, do you want to go next? Yeah, sure. I'm going to stick with Bleak. Hell yeah. Good. Mine are all over. I am so proud of this list. because they're not like, oh, here's serial killer.

Oblig. But, like, I'm actually really proud of, like, my little list here. There's only one I don't have a visual for. So this is all my Kindle. But it's called Take It Back by Kia Abdullah. The victim, Jody Wolf, a physically flawed 16-year-old, accuses four boys in her class of something unthinkable. The defendants, four handsome teenagers,

from hardworking immigrant families, all with corroborating stories. The savior, Zara Khalil, a former lawyer, one of London's brightest legal minds, takes on this case. She believes her client, even though those closest to her do not. Together they enter the most explosive criminal trial of the year where the only thing that matters is justice for Jody. But this time justice comes at a devastating cost. And it says it's a shocking, twisting courtroom thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page is turned. This one. Yeah, you mentioned this to me a little while ago.

I'm very intrigued. I have heard it's like super bleak, obviously. Yeah, it sounds bleak. But I've never really like read like a courtroom thriller. And especially one that's like twisty. And the only thing that I can think of that I've read was defending Jacob, which I absolutely loved. And. Debbie's habits, right.

Debbie Babbitt's had like a little bit, but it wasn't like a club row through throughout. I think it was just like a public or a judge. But yeah, like Night Swim had like the core aspect and so did defending Jacob. And I was like, you know what? I like really stuck with those books. And like those are really good reading experiences. So I'm going to give this a shot, especially if it's weak. Yeah.

It seems like a few of hers that I haven't read anything by her. But I think the ones I have heard of, I think a lot of them are. courtroom-ish. Yeah. I will think you end up kind of really liking the legal thriller. This one doesn't take place all in the courtroom, but the silent watcher by Victor Maphos, it has a really creepy serial killer element to it, but the main character is a guardian ad litem. So basically this girl's whole family is like violently murder.

I think she's, she's like between 12 and 15, I can't remember. And so she's trying to help her through this whole legal process while also trying to find out who killed her family. And the ending is creepy as fuck. So that would also be kind of up your alley since it has the serial killer in it too. Yeah, I'm going to, I'm going to. This is like one too that I think you. brought on my radar because you got a physical copy of it and like the inside. Yes.

The inside was like super crazy. So yeah, I'm going to rock the shit out of that. Did he there if you read 13 by Steve Kavanaugh? Oh, that looks good. And the eye cover has that too. I love that. Oh yeah, it's really funny. So yeah, I can also send it to you if you end up wanting to read it.

I'm one of my intentions is to use my Kindle more. Oh, nice. So I'm getting both of them on Kindle right, right now. The Steve Kavanaugh one I'm going to get to because I've heard incredible things about that and I needed to put that on my radar. Yeah. I've heard really good things. And then there's this show that just came out called like Juror number two. Okay.

And I think they have similar plots. That's why I brought it up. Did you? I watched Juror No. 2 and it was so freaking good, you guys. Okay. I think that's kind of what 13 is like a similar concept. Yeah. The setup.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, I would need to read 13. Yeah. I'm. Oh, my God. This is, you guys, this is just the best. Look at me filling up my little. This is much fun.

Yes. I also am considering being a two kind of guy. Two Kindle, what does that mean? Like, I have my paper white, but I also want, like, the little macho one, too. Oh, yeah. So you would still use both of them? Yeah. Okay.

I know people, I've seen people with multiple kindles. I saw a woman on TikTok quite five. Yeah. She's like, this is my bed kindle. This is my couch, Kendall. This is my purse, Kendall. This is my work, Kendall. Unless this is my vacation one in case I,

I was like, damn, mama, damn. The girl thinks that she's reading the same book. Yeah. You think? Yeah. Yeah. My phone is my everywhere, Kindle. Yeah.

Interesting. The macho one's adorable, though. I can't do it. Capitalism really popped off with that one. I want the macho one with like the clear case, but I also want one of those popsockets that, like, you can move around. like not the sticky one, but like one that like you can move like wherever. I just, I can't find them. I'm probably going to need help from somebody who's young.

You can get, you can get cases that are magnetic. And so kind of like how like the iPhones are. So like this is my pop socket for my iPhone that snaps on. I know you can get Kindle cases that are all magnetic and then you can put it wherever. Sometimes a magnetic one might be it. I just needed somebody younger. No, like literally did because I was like, like Kate was like, oh, like my phone is my Kindle on the go and I was like, I can't do that on my Kindle because like if I read on my phone

and my eyes started to hurt so then I'd have to remember to bring my blue light glasses with me and I was like this, I'm just turning into it old. Oh, that's true. I have it in my glasses. So I never even, so maybe that's why it's even different. Yeah. Yeah. That's nice. Because if I start, like, being the person that has to have, like, blue light glasses in my car and have my desk and, like, in my, like, to go bag when I, like, run errands and then, like, I start have to have, like, reading glasses. I'm going to be like, oh, God, Garrett.

I'm not forcing you to read on your phone either. This is more a general noun. So for anyone. But you can also turn your screen black and the words can be white. And I prefer that so much. and I don't even know if you guys can see it. I make my font huge, so just my tips for anyone who really is an obsessive digital reader like me. Yeah. I want to be. Do you ever like switch from reading?

Because you read, you both read all kinds of forms and then Steph even listens. Are you ever like, if you've been reading on your Kindle and then you're reading a physical, and then it gets dark, are you ever like, oh, this is so annoying that I have to find another light source?

I keep a light on anyways. Me too. I always like, I have like a little lamp near the chair that I read a lot in. And so like, I don't like read in bed that much when it's like dark. I don't know if I'm a lot.

Or the dogs wake me up. I'll end up reading in bed. Oh, yeah. To AJ's dismay, I keep the, my side lamp like overnight like from probably like 9 to 10 p.m or whatever oh okay okay that makes sense um otherwise i do have like a little book light but i don't that's that's funky now my travel but that's that has been the nice thing about having a kindle is like when i travel now it's like i'll i'll just make sure that's all i'm bringing yeah like oh man looking rack on when i'm like as a person who's paranoid about the condition of their book to travel.

Oh, yeah. I'm like, oh, God. Yeah. I also, like, think it's, like, really interesting, too because, like, traveling with a Kindle just, like, makes more sense because, like, my, when I travel, like, my biggest thing is, like, if I bring two books with me, what if I, they both suck? Or not, like, suck, but, like, what if I can't get into them? You know, yeah.

That's a good point. My friend is going to India, and so she asked me for recommendations for her Kindle so she doesn't have to bring Revisible books because I'm like, I was like just do Kindle Unlimited for the month. Like that's a lot of reading time if you don't like what you have. Yeah.

So speaking of Kindle Unlimited, I'm pretty sure this is on there. And I would like to read it this month based on the title. My next book in the Joel Vick series by Faith Gardner is what January remembers. And this one for people that haven't heard of it. It's like regular thrillers, but they have like a very near future,

slightly techy part of the plot. But if that's not usually your jam, you'll probably still like it. Tis the season for another dysfunctional family Christmas story, only this time with murder and robots. The jaggers were once a tight-knit family, but after their mother's tragic death years ago, the four children and their father have drifted apart. The children grew up, moved away, and now have lives of their own. And dad, well, let's just say his new living friend, January, also has a permanent residence in the uncanny valley. After a disturbing Christmas two years ago, the jaggers wish they could forget.

They're giving it one more shop this year. But in the weeks before they gather, the children each get a sinister note in the mail saying, Your mother was murdered. Could this be the bizarre work of January, or could one of the jaggers really be the reason their mother is dead? A domestic suspense novel with a sci-fi twist, this book is part of the Joel Vicks episodes. I think this isn't a... That sounds really good. I guess I probably could have read it for Christmas time, but we're going to do January, I think.

You're in... We're in January. You know what, though? We don't give a shit. We don't give a shit. Read it in the summer. We're not pressuring to read when we want to. We're just going to.

talk about books all the time and fill up our TBR until we all rip our hair out. Yes. And then we'll be the bald book wild book club. Book wild that's bald backlist book club. And Gare Bleak blowjob. What was the other one? Billings.

Bitchy. Bitchy, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Cynthia. I don't know if it's Winer. Is it Winer? That's my guess. she messaged me and was like your episode was hilarious

of that and like you guys talking about it and I was like this is amazing I love and she was like if you ever want to like know more about it just send me a DM oh my gosh well I mean I was gonna read it but we definitely have to read it she DM me when I tagged her yesterday

and she was like I already told gear this but I was cracking up hearing you guys talk about my book it meant so much You just don't think of it Like that the authors will be listening always I know it was like really cool To have somebody like reach out to me and be like I loved your like it hasn't I mean it's I'm sure it's

It's happened a couple of times since you started podcasting But like the first time was really cool When it was like Jamie Lynn Hendrix Mm hmm Mm-hmm Like she like reached out was like you need to like Hang out with Kate And we'd be friends

And then, like, authors started being like, oh, it's so cool that I heard you talk about my book. And I was like, yeah, it's crazy. Because for anyone who hasn't ever recorded a podcast, you really, like, we just feel like we're kind of hanging out right now. And it's easy to forget that there just are people listening or, like, because it's not 10,000 people listening. You're like, oh, how many people really are listening? But they really are. It's kind of fun having it. I feel like even if we did have 10,000 people listening, which like 20, 25 goals, right?

Yeah. But, like, even if we did, like, I just don't feel like anything would change. No, I don't know. Because you never start seeing the people. Like, we just see each other and we're, like, just talking with each other. Yeah. But, like, one of the things that I, like, love about my friendship with the two of you is that, like, I don't feel like I have to, like, reel anything in or, like, change anything about, like, you know, like, what I say or how I act or how like bitchy bleak and however many blow jobs I give like I can just be like

a true self I love that that's like my favorite thing for someone to tell me is that they feel like they can be themselves you guys are my safe space exactly because you know that quote that's like be who you needed when you grew up like I literally just want people to feel safe being themselves around me so that's my favorite thing for someone to say also as you're as I'm like nearing 40 years old, I am too old to be anything but me. You know, yes. It's just like if I'm going to make new friends at this point in my life, not that I'm old, but I'm like, right.

Who has, nobody should be putting their energy to like shaping themselves towards a group of people. Like, find your group where like you can be that. Mm-hmm. I don't know. Yeah. I think like I also like noticed too, like when even. if we're not talking about like books and stuff like I find myself like sending you guys like

silly little like drunk text messages and her god. I was like that's when you know like I'm like, all right, I'm obsessed with you guys because like I'm I'm tipsy or toasty and like well let you know I love you. You're like maybe Kate's awake and she'll read this. Or she'll just wake up to her. We might respond to 10 a.m. the next day. When the grownups wake up the next morning, they'll see. that's the best. I actually, I recorded an episode yesterday that was like a recap. And I was actually talking about that, how cool it was to meet so many cool people, you guys especially, through Instagram. Because I don't meet people this way in person necessarily. And so I love that the

internet could bring us all together. There are some good things about the internet. And also, you can meet people that aren't creepy, you know. Exactly. Well, it's, made by humans, so some parts are going to be good and some parts are going to be bad. I will figure, like, there's some people who aren't creepy, and I sent you guys the screenshot of, like, the creepy message I got on Instagram.

Remember, like, when you met people online, it was, like, in a chat room way back when, and your teammates all like, oh, my God, don't do it. You're going to get adopted. You seem cool. I'm like, and I always, like, lied about my age. Yeah, oh yeah.

I'm 20-10. I'm definitely not 16. Yeah, I'm definitely not like jail bait. Yeah. I would never do that though, like, other than Bookstagram, because I watched the movie Megan is missing. Oh. And it was the most disturbing movie I've ever watched my entire life.

That sounds creepy. Pivoting a little bit. Obviously, very, very sad. movie. My brother-in-law, so Tyler's brother, his name is Cody. I'm assuming I can say his name. He basically, he bought, he's going to start reselling stuff on Shopify. You don't even need to know like what it is. But he drove like eight hours to Pennsylvania to like pick up this guy's like playing card collections. It's like, it was like hundreds of decks. So he drove to do that. And Cody is like, I think he's six, four, if not taller than that. Like, he's very tall. And as you can tell

from what I'm saying, he's a man. And he started calling Tyler when he was like 30 minutes away from this place. And he was like, okay, so like, I'm going to put you on like FaceTime. So like you can like see what I'm walking into just so like, I mean, if anything happens, then like you can do something? Um, all right. So, so yeah, can you just, can you just be available for like when I do get here since I haven't actually met this guy. And he got out of the phone and I was like, Tyler, he's talking like, he's like a hundred pound girl going on a date for the first time. Like, I think he's going to survive.

The guy's like my height. I'm like five, six. Unlike, some of that's my hair. It's like a dude in his 70s. Like, I was like, I think you're going to be okay. All the things to be picking up to. I know. Playing cards.

there's this um but you know what like protect yourself too right because right i i remember watching this um like true crime doc that was like every episode was like a different case or whatever and this girl had like lived out in the middle of nowhere and she talked to this guy online and he was like i'm in high school too and then like she and her friend were having a sleepover and they kept hearing weird noises so they locked themselves in the bedroom and then like they came out and like nothing was there and they were like, oh, like, we're just being, like, silly teenagers and got freaked out for no reason. And then a couple weeks later, she went to meet the boy on the internet. And, like, he did, it was a grown man and he did kidnap and murder her.

But, like, they found out that, like, when her and her friend were hearing noises in the house, he was in there. And it was just, like, terrifying. Those reveals are always the ones that creep me out the most in books. Yeah. And I can't talk about them because it would ruin it. But I, I know. I had two of those this year. Maybe more, but two recently.

I don't want to ruin it. I know one, but I would like to know the other. I know. You haven't read it yet. Am I going to? I don't know. Text me. Okay.

I won't pretend to you. I just got so needy. Like, oh my God. I felt like I was talking to Jacob Allorty. text me give it oh my gosh yeah

I'll let you know I mean if you want to know I do wow speaking of friendships and meeting new bookish people right I can't remember who was the first person

I remember I started to see we used to live here and then one of my friends who DMs me, her name is Silla, she was reading it and she was like, I really want you to read this. And I was like, okay, maybe I'm going to be able to fit it in. Then I started the bookwilds backlist book club. And in our first meeting, I brought up how someone really wanted me to read it. And both Justine and Laura who were there were like, yeah, you need to. Like, we loved it. Well, no, Laura hadn't read it. I can't remember. Basically, I had so many people tell me I should read it and then obviously you know the obsession that ensued.

So I also then recently read Ian reads, I'm thinking of ending things because people said you would probably like it if you loved who used to live here. Definitely not a book that I like blanket recommend because it's very unique. It's very, very, very, very, very unique. It's a lot like thought experiments in a horror. story, if that makes sense. So I've learned that it's called philosophical suspense when it's that. So kind of like how we learned emotional suspense with Mad Woman. I'm now learning that I like philosophical suspense or philosophical horror. So I loved, I'm thinking of ending things. That was Ian Reed. And then he has a couple books. But the one that I want to read next is called We Spread.

Um, his name also, if anyone's, what, trees? A tree on the tree. Yeah, like tree branches. Um, if anyone's looking him up, his name is I, A, I-I-N. Uh, so another different spelling. But this one is about- Pete's speaking all the authors who have different spelling. I know.

Um, so you need, guys. Wait till you, wait till I say the next author's name. Um, Penny, an artist, has lived in the same apartment for decades, surrounded by the artifacts and keepsakes of her long life. She's resigned to the mundane rituals of old age until things start to slip. Before her longtime partner passed away years earlier, provisions were made, unbeknownst to her, for a room in a unique long-term care residence where Penny finds herself after one too many incidents. Initially, surrounded by peers, conversing, eating, sleeping, looking out of the beautiful woods that surround the house.

all is well. She even begins to paint again, but as the days start to blur together, Penny, with a growing sense of unrest and distrust, starts to lose her grip on the passage of time and on her place in the world. Is she succumbing to the subtly destructive effects of aging? Or is she an unknown participant in something more unsettling? At once, compassionate and uncanny, told in spare hypnotic prose, Ian reads genre-defying third novel, explores questions of conformity, art, productivity, relationships, and what ultimately it means to grow old.

Wow. I would expect this one to be pretty heavy. So even his other one is very heavy. So it's like you want to be in that mood. But when you're in the mood, you kind of like chew on some stuff mentally. Ooh, two people I know that are like pretty picky readers gave it. four stars so that's pretty good yeah i just i love how we're like once a month i feel like kate finds like a very very very specific genre like what was it like dark acadania fantasy yes

whistle and academy for liars yeah i got all room for that and like now she's like oh like physiological horror is like when you jab like why and you never like you never like you never guess like what's going to come next. I know. I also learned, because we watched the movie Blade Runner this week, I also learned that one of my subgenres is definitely tech noir's. So there's another one that I was like, oh, it was a noir, totally. Dang.

I'm just all over the place. I love it, though. I really do. It's just, I never know what to expect. Yeah. It was like when you told me I was an adventurous woman, and I was like from my couch. Yeah.

Oh my gosh. Reading Adventures Count. This one girl and that, like the review list for that book, she put it as I want to read. And she wrote, if you write one book, I give five stars, you're stuck with me forever. I'm like a barnacle in that way or a stalker. Oh, I love that. So she wants to put a different book by him and then is like, you're stuck with me. That's how I feel about it right now, but that's the best wording.

The barnacle. I had, you guys are going to, you guys are going to love this. I had a story to tell you, and I can't believe I haven't told you yet, but one of my friends that I know in real life is like, oh, like, I want something really good. Like, recommend a really good book to me. So obviously I told her to read The Woman Inside. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So she's like, okay, and she's like, I don't know, I'm having a hard time getting into this.

And I was like, okay, just give it a little bit. That's kind of strange because I feel like it really takes off from the beginning. It does. So she finished it. And she was like, that was anti-climactic. And I was like... Did you read the same book? No, she didn't.

She didn't. That's why I thought it was going to her. She read the woman inside by another author. And she was like, she showed it to me. And I was like, no, because I was like, you didn't love Sheila. Like, what about Rebecca and Paul and they're, like, toxic? like back and forth. Like that was, the ending is very like, bashing. He's on anti-climactic. And she was like, who's Sheila? Who's Paul? Who's Rebecca? And I was like,

oh my God, you read the wrong book. You're three books now with that title. Yeah, I think I saw a different one as well. I knew that one other one. Yeah. Wow. Like, oops. Eipsy poopsies. Now I'm going to have to start sending people screenshots, but I recommend things. Right. Yeah, honestly. What's your next one, gear? Oh, yeah. My next one, I honestly think I'm going to piggyback off from Kate because I think that this has a horror element to it.

Oh, nice. Oh, it does. And I have visuals for my next three. So such a pretty smile by Christy Demester. I've heard of this. But she did a TikTok. that was like, here are all of the real-life locations that inspired the locations in the book. And like kind of like a little like video on TikTok and I was like, that made me buy it.

Nice. So I'm super excited for this one. If I butcher anything in the snotice, Christy, I am so sorry. He's known as the cure, C-U-R, and he leaves no trace except for the victims he viciously slays every 15 years. young women who refuse to conform and don't know when to shut up. In 2019, 13-year-old Lila Sawyer has secrets she can't share with anyone, but when young women around her begin dying, wild speculation ensues. Soon, Lila feels haunted from within terrorized by a delicious evil

that shows her how to find her voice until she's in danger for using it. In 2004, Caroline Sawyer sees dogs everywhere that no one else seems to notice. As these snarling teeth-beared delusions begin to take shape in the sculpture she makes in a trans-like state, her fiancée is convinced she needs help from a professional. But Caroline's past is a dark cellar filled with repressed memories and a lurking horror that others around her can't understand. As past and present demons converge, Carolyn and Lila must chase the source of its unrelenting power to its core, either to obliterate it or lose themselves forever. That sounds very good

That sounds super creepy Yeah I've seen really good things about that Oh it's Kindle Unlimited too Oh good Yeah It says publishers weekly called it Darkly Viceral and I was like signy

Wow Yeah that sounds good But it kind of sounds like horror Like fuck the patriarchy Dual Timeline dual P-OV So I'm like It does have feminism I'm listed as one of its genres.

Hell yeah. Hell yeah. I realize. I mean, granted, I think it's in a lot of thrillers right now, but probably, I'll just say majority of my top reads of the year, whether it be quarterly or my, like, all my five stars. So many of them are dual timeline. Yeah. I like a dual timeline.

I probably have read, like, I don't even know that many books that aren't say anymore. Yeah, especially with thriller, I think. because I think when withholding information is an important part of the reading experience, which I think is the case in mystery and thrillers, I feel like that's why the whole dual timeline works, because it's like, you'll find out eventually. Yeah, like how it connects. Yeah. A dual timeline combined with a dual P-O-B, just like.

Oh, like Society of Lies. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That just like, especially when they like kind of like start to intertwine. Yes. She gives me goosebumps. Oh, yeah.

Love it. My next one is an author that I've been obsessed with for a long time, and I'm working my way through her backlist. And I think her books get a little more, like, drama going back, less thrillery. But my next one is Lisa Jules, The Truth About Melody Brown. I think it's more like a mystery, not like her dark thrillers now, but I'm not sure. I can't say. Melody Brown can remember nothing before her ninth birthday.

Now in her early 30s, Melody lives in the middle of London with her 17-year-old son. She hasn't seen her parents since she left home at 15, but Melody doesn't mind. She feels better off on her own. But when fragments of her past reemerge, she slowly pieces to, begins to piece together the real story of her childhood. With every mystery she solves, another one materializes. With every question she answers, another appears. and Melody begins to wonder if she'll ever know the truth about her past. Moving and memorable, Lisa Jewell proves once again she's a master storyteller.

I agree with that. Bustique. Yeah, like if I are in a slump, I pick up one of her books and like even her older ones that aren't as thrillery, like they still get me. So I think it's just her style that I like. Yeah. Kind of like Lane Fargo. Yeah. She's got really good.

way of um just got a really good way with pacing that is a typical of authors like yeah there's something like special about the way she paces her books yes because i think you like somehow get to know characters without that many words like you get to care about them but she doesn't over explain anything it's not flowery like you just keep it going and i think like you said with lane fargo like that's a skill that's really interesting to me like either you care without knowing that much or like she just has the right way of describing them.

Yeah. It was reminding me of when I interviewed Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado but he was the one who said it. He said like his approach to writing is that like the words should like melt away into the reader's brain. Like it should just be so like easily consumed that like you are just like in the story going through the story not overly thinking about the words you're reading and obviously sometimes beautiful prose I can sometimes really enjoy it but I was like I am the kind

of person who does just want to like get into the story essentially yeah that's exactly as you are saying that like where I struggle sometimes with lit thick like I just finished a thriller that was kind of both. And it was really good, but there are also moments where I did not feel the way you're describing, and I think those were the times. Yeah. So

it's interesting. People's taste. I feel like Yarre's good better with lit fic than we are. It has to be like really devastating, yeah. Or like, yeah, it has to be I was actually thinking about that the other night about like

how some of my favorite books are lit-fick that I didn't know if they would work for me. Like, the paper palace. I have to read that sometimes. I loved it for so long. A density of souls. How we name the stars. They just have to really, like, emotionally, like, punch me.

But, like, also, like, you get so used to the characters that it's not, like, you don't know something bad's going to happen when it does. you know it's all like it's like oh this person got murdered and like here's you know it's like here I'm just gonna make you fall in love with these people and then put them through like wild shit well I did realize too that sometimes like in the one I just finished it was like the main the persons whose head we were in that was a little more literary like still had a strong voice and I think that's how like that's how I think sometimes it makes a difference to me

is like the tone, I guess. Uh-huh. I agree. Well, my next one, I told you it has a wonderful name as well. This was a book that Hallie brought to my attention. It's called Out by Natsuo K-I-R-I-N-O-K-I-N-O, K-I-R-I-N-O, if anyone's actively looking it up right now.

This book is from 1997. Hallie just has like the coolest deep cuts. ever like I just love it um so it starts I'll just read the synopsis as they wrote it not suo carino's novel tells a story of random violence in the stayed Tokyo suburbs as a young mother who works a night shift making boxed lunches brutally strangled her deadbeat husband and then seeks the help of her co-workers to dispose of the body and cover up her crime the ringleader of this cover-up, Masako Kachori emerges at the emotional heart and is one of the shrewdest, most clear-eyed creations in recent fiction. Masako's own search for a way out of the straight

jacket of a dead-end life leads her to take drastic action. The complex yet riveting narrative seamlessly combines a convincing glimpse into the grimy world of Japan's Yakuza with a brilliant portrayal of the psychology of a violent crime and the ensuing game of cat and mouse between seasoned detectives and a group of determined but inexperienced criminal women. Carrino has mastered a Thelma and Louise kind of graveyard humor that illuminates her studying her stunning evocation of the pressures and prejudices that drive women to extreme deeds and the friendship that bolsters them in the aftermath. Like, how have I not read it yet?

some good revenge some dark revenge well what's her first name not suo n-a-t-s-u-o man I'm just making me want to pick it up today it is written in Japanese so this is

a translation but yeah I really want to read it she brought it up for our the female rage thrillers that we did right after the election results necessary I made AJ

this is so rich when I wanted for Christmas it's a lady parts necklice That's amazing I also love that it kind of looks like the cross necklaces but it's not I wore it out in public

to two things and I thought someone would say something and I'm like I think they're not because I think they think it's true They're like crazy Jesus I love that Well I don't know how to follow that Kate

I am Okay well this is one That was on my radar And the reason it's on my radar is because it's said it's a combination of mean girls and scream Whoa Gimme give me give me Summer rental by Rectoc Ross. What a name.

Riley March and her friends are headed to Ritzie Remote Palm Key Island for one last blowout party weekend before college. It's the vacation of a lifetime, beautiful beaches, epic nightlife, and hot guys like Riley's crush. Superstar soccer player Sebastian Ramos. There's just one catch. Everyone on the trip is hiding something. Riley's hiding her pass in order to fit in. Sebastian is hiding his feelings for Riley and someone is hiding what really happened to Jordan Chang,

a classmate that mysteriously died last summer. Things seek a dark turn after one of the friends goes missing and a hurricane cuts the group off from civilization. Trapped inside their rental house, a killer stalks them one by one. No one is safe. Everyone's a suspect. As the body count rises,

Riley and her friends will have to confront the secrets they've been keeping if they want to stay alive. Wow. Yeah. Scream meets mean girls has to be. Yeah. Yeah. I'm really, really excited for it. The Kirkus Review on the back says,

Brace for Impact readers. Ross holds little back. Wow. My gosh. She is beautiful, too. She's stunning. She is stunning. I think she has like a wintry thriller too that like sounds really does. Ski weekend.

Ski weekend, yes. And spring harvest. She's really going through the. seasons. Interesting. That's exciting. Yeah. New author is like a nerd.

In the move for like a little like Y.A. Yeah. Something kind of you know. Bingey. Mm-hmm. And she's... Wow. Her ski weekend one, it says the breakfast club meets Lord of the Flies. Oh.

So yeah, she's just doing some interesting concepts. I like that. I'm looking at some for other things, and there's one called the pop star and the devil. Oh my gosh, I just got to that one. That's a really cool name. That sounds like something I would love. That's wild. I wonder why she's here.

Her name is Liani Coacher. I wonder if she's the name Rectoc. I know, right? I wonder if there's something to that. Oh, my gosh. Trial attorney. That's why I just said. Good God.

Wow. Spring Harvest says his Coachella meets the vampire diaries. Oh, my gosh. Give me all of it. She's just kind of strong concepts. I know. They're all like kind of similar. Like the style of the comps are the same.

So I'm like, did she come up with these or did someone else or like her publisher? Yeah, I mean if she approached it that way. Yeah. It's just like the way that she combines like two pop culture things that like. I wouldn't normally combine, like, mean girls and scream. I love separately, but like combining them, I wouldn't. And like, I love like the Coachella vibe, but I also love the vampire diaries. Yeah.

This other one prodigal is the summer I turn pretty meets Friday night lights. She really might have been writing with that perspective because I was following Danielle Valentine or I do follow her for a while. And she talked about how she even like a way to. to get readers hooked even faster is to be able to write from a perspective

where you're like this is like Rosemary's baby meets summer camp or whatever was what the example she gave and she was like and so then you've kind of hooked your this was just like advice to writers then you've like hooked your readers because they kind of know what the

suspense is pulling them toward so I wonder I do wonder if there are some people who approach it that way even when they're like coming up with the idea for the book. Yeah. That makes sense. Mm-hmm. Now I'm just thinking about there's a, there's a Daniel Valentine book of that I

really want to read too. We were literally talking about like a YA book that was like, scream meets like happy death day and it's like YA. And like stuff was like, well, we can cut that out. And I was like, I don't think that we could ever get Kate to read this when she's like in her like physiological horror era. You don't go from like, we used to live here to like

Daniel Valentine's Hawaii stuff. It's a definite mood shift. It has been hard getting so obsessed with that and then reading other books. Like it gave me a book hangover. That's for sure. I did realize that. What's the one things have gotten?

And worse since we last spoke. Is that what it's called? Oh, I've heard of that. I feel like I know what you're talking about. It is interesting. I was actually just having this book, this conversation with a few people in a book club because there's, there was, we read a YAA book.

Oh, it was the new of Megan Lally. Oh, yeah. And so, and it was just interesting, like, how some people felt it was like to YA, juvenile kind of compared to like some of the other books we've read but I was just like but it's a totally different genre like you know what I mean like an adult thriller compared to like a Y a thriller like it's not the same they don't have the same audience like it's inappropriate to have the same expectations right like so it's just kind of interesting that like people were like

well I liked this one better than that and like comparing and then I'm like what are you I was like you can't. You have to like yourself, you're reading a different genre, like that they're not going to be comparable. Yes. And interesting. Yeah. My next one, I think, has a little horror element to

one of my, I recently posted my spotlight authors of 2024 and one of my favorites that I've discovered was Rachel Harrison. So I just got one of her books that short teeth that came out maybe

two years ago. And I love her a lot so far. A young woman in need of a transformation finds herself in touch with the animal inside in this gripping incisive novel from the author of Cackle and the Return. Sorry, okay. Rory Morris isn't

ill thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it's only temporary. There are bad memories there, but her twin sister, Scarlett is pregnant, estranged from the baby's father, and needs support. So Rory returns to the place she thought she'd put in her rear view. After a night out at a bar where she runs into Ian and an old almost flame, she hits a large animal with her car, and when she gets out to investigate, she's attacked.

Rory survives miraculously, but life begins to look and feel different. She's unnaturally strong with an inversion to silver, and suddenly the moon has her in its thrall. She's changing into someone else, something else, maybe even a monster. But does that mean she's putting those close to her in danger, or is embracing the wildness inside her? the key to acceptance. This dark comedic love story is a brilliantly layered portrait of trauma, rage, and vulnerability. I don't know. I'm into her stuff so far. She has a really snarky voice and I love it a lot. I know. I really want to start

reading hers ever since you said that. I recently watched Nightbitch with Annie Adams and I really loved it. Okay. Did you read it? I didn't read it. I don't know how I would have, I think I would have had to be in a very specific mood for the storyline of the book,

but the movie was really, really good, and I really enjoyed it. Nice. I fell about watching the movie. Mm-hmm. And also, when you're done reading that book, if you are into that plot, there is a movie called Wolf with Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer, and it is one of my favorite movies in the entire world. And it's not very similar,

but it's like very dark and like horror noir with like psychological yeah sweet torture it's really good I also I talked with he bringing her up but I talked with Laura about this too because she said she had tried to read the book

oh my gosh I'm having hit up attacks all the time and she was saying she brought up how Steph well and then Gary you read Mad Woman but when Steph and I first talked about it, we were like sometimes having the mom stuff in it works and then sometimes it does it. And she said when she started reading the book, she was like, it is so,

which is the goal of what the person's going for. She's like, it was just like suffocatingly about motherhood, which makes sense for the book because she was even saying like the movie might be easier to digest in that, like that time frame. But I will say for people who might consider reading it,

it shoes that you just feel so like claustrophobic. It feels like living in hell. But, you know. Because I think that's kind of part of it, right? Yeah. The claustrophobic, yeah, I heard from what I've heard. Yeah. The parenting aspect of the movie just felt like funny, darkly comedic,

frustrating. And then like, I guess like something, as somebody who does not have children, It's like kind of like relatable in the sense that I've heard stories like this from my friends who do have kids. So like it was like that, it was a lot easier to digest in a movie. Yeah. That's what I was realizing because like it definitely sounds relatable. But eight hours of it would be hard in a book.

Yeah. Yeah. I think so. But yeah, the movie is very fun. Yeah. I have to watch it. And it's streaming. It is.

It's so. It's on... What else did it? It's on Netflix. Yeah. Something else started streaming this week. Oh, it was Wiccan. Oh, yeah.

Juror number two, though. Yeah. That was on Max. The past is freaking to die for. Yeah, it's Nicholas Holt and Tony Collette, right? Tony Collette, Kiefer Sutherland. I still have to finish. What's that one with?

It's... The great. Shrinking? No, the great with Nicole. It's one of his first things he was in, I think, where she's like Catherine the Great, the princess or the queen. And it's like funny.

Oh, yeah, that's on Hulu. Yeah. I got to the third season and then like, unfortunately it wasn't as good, but like he's really funny. Yeah, he's kind of having a moment. He's definitely like been to more stuff. Yeah.

Either do you see him, has seen Nosferatu or Baby Raw. I was, supposed to see baby girl on Christmas Day and instead I had COVID and I have not gotten over how mad I am that I still have not seen any of these movies

Lakeley Florten said it was good which he was skeptical so I was head and he's piggy yeah I know I was one of it incredible I know I can't tell Popcorn bucket was a little casket I saw that I can't

tell I hear there's like a lot of like body fluids and stuff and sometimes gross stuff is the thing that does it for me but everyone's raving about it and how beautifully shot it is and all of that. So I kind of want to see it. I almost convinced myself to go when I was not testing positive anymore. Whatever. I didn't go yet but I want to. Is it supposed to be I don't find vampires scary, but is it supposed to be like scary or more like a drama? It's gothic horror. He's not to terrify you. Most people don't feel terrified or like overly scared.

What I hear, the most like intelligent explanation that I've heard is that it's exploring the fine line between lust and revulsion. So it's not as much that he's scary. He's just evil. But then, like, what makes us attracted to that sometimes? Oh, I get that. Okay. Nospheratu is, like, the original vampire that, like, was not attractive. Like, you know, when you see, like, Dracula, it's, like, Gerard Butler with, like, Fabio

O'Hare. Like, this is kind of, like, like, like, he said, like, repulsive. But there's something about him that, like, makes everybody want to drop their panties. everybody. Interesting. Yeah. And we get full frontal Bill Scars Guard at one point. I mean, it's a prosthetic. Didn't you, is it Nick Holt that has it now?

Yes. I just thought that. I was like, oh my God. That was amazing. Oh, wow. I love it. I want to see a complete unknown too, because like, I've surprisingly loved, like, Bohemian Rhapsody is probably my favorite biopic of all time. we saw it and we're like sobbing at the end of that movie.

And ever since then we've been chasing the high of a biopic like that. So we'll probably try out a complete unknown too, even though we're not Bob Dylan fans. Oh. Dude, Timothy Shalmay's on everything lately. Yeah, no. He's on a moment, too. Well, speaking of horror, my last one is horror. And this is another one that someone said could feel that we used to live here.

sized hole in my bookshelf. It is called The House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. This is the story of a serial killer, a stolen child, revenge, death, and an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. All these things are true, and yet they are also all lies. You think you know what's inside the last house on Meadless Street. You think you've read this story before. That's where you're wrong. In the dark forest, at the end of needless street lies something buried but it's not what you think and i am just all about getting my mind bent as much as i can dude all the people i know that like i follow on gahry

gave this like five stars or four stars everybody is obsessed with that yeah i've seen a lot of love for her books in general yeah i know i feel like i have one of hers on my tvr that wasn't this one I've heard they're all like a little And maybe this is like the philosophical horror that you've talked about And a lot of people have said that they're like A little weird or whatever And maybe this is just like that abstract like I don't know But I think like they all have a certain quality to them

And maybe it's that Yeah It's what I love about Westworld I've been thinking about that too Westworld really makes you think about things But that would be more in a tech sense But yeah it sounds like she does it in the horror sense I didn't know that there was a serial killer in this book.

I know. It opened up with it. I didn't think so either. So now Gare's going to read it. I was going to say, so it's actually on Kindle Unlimited too for anybody listening. But I just added it to my library. So maybe when you read it, I would read it with you. Yeah. I think, I'm not sure. I think there is a perspective of a cat. That's cool. You guys know more about this than I do. Just from reviews.

Yeah. But I, you guys know that I would be a cat in over life, so. I think we, I think you and I were just talking about how like I have a cat personality, but I'm a dog person. Yeah. They're not always the same. Exactly. And yeah, I'm allergic to cats, so like, that's why. I'm allergic to cats too.

I definitely think I would be Yeah I don't know enough about cats But like I know that like some people have said that there are like certain like breeds of cats that are like a lot meaner Like it's like really bitchy Yeah And they're self-absorbed and I just know I am Like I'm not going out of my way

Like how dogs are like oh my gosh you're here I'm going to say hi I'm going to jump in your lap Yeah Cats are like oh you're back I'm going to get room I just send this thing to Kate that was like so jealous of cats to be honest. Imagine being a huge bitch literally all the time and the person who takes care of you is like, aw. Yeah, exactly. That's what I like love about cats is that like one person can be like, oh my God, like you're disgusting. I'm

to attack you. Like you make me want to throw up. But then like you see somebody that you like and you're like, oh my God, I can't wait to cuddle you and like love you. And like that's kind of how I feel like as a person. Yeah, exactly. Like you can either. like get a huge hug from me and like I'll take you out to dinner for no reason and just like spoil you or like I will emotionally rip you apart. Yeah.

I guess I have a cat. My emotionally ripping apart is once I'm done with you, I am done. Like done. I don't care. I won't even tell you we're done. You will just never hear for me again. And that is your punishment for treating me way that you did. I'm not good at that. I haven't had to do it many times. I am very good at arguing.

And emotional chaos. Speaking of emotional chaos. So I've read a couple of books by Lisa Gray, and I absolutely love them. So I really want to read thin air by her. This is the first in a series and it is there's four books and they all have like thriller tropes in them that I'm like very invested in but this is the first one and it's about private investigator jessica shaw she's used to getting anonymous tips but after receiving a photo of a three-year-old kidnapped from los angeles 25 years ago jessica is stunned to recognize the little girl as herself eager for answers Jessica heads to the L.A.'s dark underbelly. When she learns that her biological mother was killed the night she was abducted,

Jessica's determined to solve the case the police have forgotten. Meanwhile, veteran LAPD. Detective Jason Price is in the midst of a gruesome investigation into a murdered college student loomiting as a sex worker. A chance encounter leads them into crossing past, but Jessica soon realizes that Price is hiding something about her father's checkered history and her mother's death. To solve her mother's murder and her own disappearance, Jessica must dig deep into the past and find the secrets buried there. But the air gets thinner as she crawls closer toward the truth and it's getting harder and harder to breathe. That is not where it's horrible.

I think you're muted. Yeah. Okay, great. Yep, I was coughing like way too much. So then the harder to harder to breathe part, I was like, you look horrified. I was like, yes. Yes. And I think like, I think the second book is they're investigating, she's investigating like the murder, like, a cold case murder of college students like decades prior, which I love a cold case.

The third book is like women who are missing and murdered on like a highway. And she thinks it's like they're connected. And then book four is about the murder. of a woman who had a child with a man on death, bro, who was a serial killer. Damn. So I was like, this series is like, these are all things that, like, will keep me invested. Totally. That's what I want to read.

When I just saw the title, I thought it was going to be like a survival thriller more. Like in the mountains or something. Yeah. Than the pollen trees. Yeah. My last one actually, it's interesting that we did a lot of thrillers, but like a lot of horror today. This one is going the other direction. I think this is more of like a drama suspense.

This year I really loved one of the like Bookstergram darlings was The Wedding People by Allison S. Spock. Spach-E-S-P-A-C-H. And her book Pryor is called Notes on Your Sudden Disp. disappearance, which definitely said. She wrote before. Yeah. But I really liked her writing style, and so I want to get into more of her stuff.

Shockingly, the blurb is from Rufie Thorpe, who wrote Margot's Got Money Troubles, which I've never shut up about. For much of her life, Sally Holt has been mystified by the things her older sister, Kathy, seems to have been born knowing.

Kathy has answers for all of Sally's questions about life, about love, and about Billy Barnes, a rising senior and local basketball ball star who manned the concession stand at the town pool. The girls have been fascinated by Billy ever since he jumped off the roof in elementary school, but Billy has never shown much interest in them until the summer before Sally begins eighth grade. By then, their mutual infatuation with Billy is one of the few things the increasingly different sisters have in common. Sally spends much of that summer at the pool, watching in confusion and excitement as her sister falls deeper in love with Billy until a tragedy leaves Sally's

life forever intertwined with his. Opening in the early 90s and charting almost two decades of shared history and misconnections, notes on your sudden disappearance is both a breathtaking love story about two broken people who are unexplainably inconveniently drawn to each other and a wryly astute coming-of-age tale brimming with unexpected moments of joy. So, I do, I will say I got into some dramas this year and they've been some of my favorite of the year, some of the women's fiction, I guess you'll say. It's so silly calling it back because we don't call men's fiction, men's fiction. I have an idea of men's fiction of like stuff blowing up and like some bloody-a-thrillers or something. Jack Reacher.

Like when I read a like miller's hairy thriller, I'm not like, oh, I read min's fiction. I know. Huh I mean Same Pinsel Lebe helps me be interested But like I don't know

I agree I'm like what is that Contemporary fiction Yeah I would say that's more than it I do love a contemporary fiction That has like a little bit of a mystery element to it Yeah

I think the crooked tree By Una Manon Is one of the ones that I really enjoyed It's like a it's like a mother who's like fed up with her kids fighting and bickering and stuff and so like a short ways from their house when they're driving she gets out and makes like her daughter or son walk home as like punishment but he never comes home and like vanishes wow and the cover's sensational the crooked tree yeah i think that honestly a lot of contemporary

fiction like we've talked about a couple times like i read um the three lives of kate k and like even if you think about like the popular seven husbands of them you go like there are reveals like there are unknowns and I think that makes it is it exciting it's that same thing with Steph and I are just going to keep talking about it that with the favorites is the same thing like there are constant reveals when you're reading it

even though it's not a thriller well that's how I felt with like tell me lies and a lot of like Corolla Lovering books and like those always hit with me. Mm-hmm. I'm trying to think about. Wahala. That was a really good one.

Oh, I have seen that all over and heard like up and downs, so I never really knew as far as you'd pick it up. I loved it. I've loved it. I've never even seen this. Oh, it's good. What's like, what's your like one sentence plot or like two sentence plot of Wahala? I don't even remember what it's about.

I know that it was like messed up friendships. Evan says female friendship between the lethally glamorous fourth woman who infiltrates the group. Yeah. So it sounds like like an outsider comes in. It's like toxic friendship meets like shocking reveals. That cover is so pretty Mm-hmm I think they did like international covers too

Where like every cover had like one of the different four main women Oh that's real Oh yeah I see one like that too with four women Mm-hmm That's cool When I was looking up such sharp teeth I saw a cover that like I like having hard covers of like my trophy books But the paperback cover looks so good

I almost thought it was the UK cover But it's just the paperback That was, Dean. Oh, short teeth. I want to look at that. Yeah, but I just want to, like, I like having matching format collections of certain authors. Which can be, like, a type A person struggle when their first books are only paperback and then... Mm-hmm.

But you prefer hard covers like I do for my collections.