Bookwild - The Best & Rest of Summer Books with Gare Billings

Episode Date: August 7, 2026

This week, Gare and I share some of our best reads of the summer, and forecast ones we think we will love for the rest of summer! Kate’s Best of Summer Killer Vibes by Jack Friday Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim The Great Game by Arvind Ethan David Kate’s Rest of Summer Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm Mazywood by Tananarive Due The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw Gare’s Best of Summer Heather by Caitlin Mullen The Shark by Emma Styles Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier Gare’s Rest of Summer Saint Delilah by Isabelle Spotts The Crying Killer by Jess Lourey Fruit Fly by Josh Silver All the Bookwild Links:Check Out the Bookwild SubstackSubscribe to Bookwild on YouTubeGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramCheck Out Author Social Media Packages Follow Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mbaErin Ashley @bellametaphor 

I feel like we haven't had just a one-on-one episode in a while. It's a long time. We were with all the authors in July, I think. Mm-hmm. We've done, like, a lot of, we've done a lot of authors. We've done a lot of authors, guys. We've done a lot. We had a lot of author episodes, and then I think the last, like, feel before that was

us and staff. Yeah, I think so, too. And she's a busy girl. She is busy, but I am super excited. did. This is a fun one. This is so fun. You came up with a fun way. Oh, did you come with an icebreaker? We didn't even talk about

whether you did or not. Okay. What is your... I love this. I love this. I love this. Do you have a beige flag that you think you will never get rid of? Right? So like, if anybody hasn't heard, like,

it's pretty popular on like social media, but there's like a green flag, which is like people who treat puppies really well. And then, like, Like a red flag is people who like kick puppies. And then like a beige flag would be like somewhere in between where like maybe you only like dogs of like a certain breed or something. Yeah. But like obviously it's not all about dogs.

But no. I want to know if you have like a beige flag that you're like, okay, is this a problem? And then like some days you're like, no, this isn't a problem. I think I thought of a red flag. I almost thought I had a beige flag. Maybe your red flag is a beige flag though because you're. you're pretty hard on yourself. Oh, not towards myself, towards other people, I guess. That was what I was thinking. Okay. So the first thing that came to mind is not like other girl

behavior because that is at the front of my mind lately. Like the girls who are like, I'm not like other girls. And you're like, I don't know if I trust you then. It's very pickney. Yes. But I think that's more of a red flag, right? Like that's not a. ground or maybe sometimes. No, I would say that's a beige flag because I think the thing is is that a lot of the girls that say I'm not like other girls probably aren't like

other girls but like you like show it don't say it kind of thing. You know what I mean? Like show me that with your personality like you're probably right but like you don't need to like tell it's kind of like the girls that are like I only hang out with the guys because girls are too much drama and then they're like humans.

are drama. It is not just girls. Humans are drama. So yeah, I think that's mine. I like that. My I watch, I'm trying to like binge shows. Like I want

like good stuff to watch but like I am a lot more introverted than I've ever been. Because when I do socialize. Yeah. Because when I do socialize like last night I had dinner with a friend. we went to dinner, we sniffed candles at TJ Max, and then we parted ways and went home. And I was like, this is a perfect night for me, right?

Yeah. So. But then I get home and I'm like, well, I'm going to watch something on TV. And so I've been like binging all of these shows, but like a new show comes out that I'm interested in. And then like three or four days later, I'm like, now what? So I've been watching a lot of documentaries. even if it's a case that I know a lot about, like true crime-wise, I just, if there's a new one out, like, I've watched so many about the Idaho four case.

Oh, yeah, there's a new one, right? There's a new one on HBO, and I thought it was really good. Yeah, I think I just got it recommended. I have, like, thoughts about that whole case in general. I'm sure a lot of people do, but I just feel like it was very much like he did it, case closed. Right. I think that there was somebody else involved because it's like when you go through the logistics of it, it's very hard for somebody to do all of that in like 20 minutes or 10 minutes or however long he was in the house. So my beige flag is that I really enjoy listening to and watching true crime documentaries, but then I scare myself.

Oh no. So like anytime it's like a Brian Coburger, Idaho for one, I'm like very into it. and I'm like he's a piece of shit. I'm glad they caught him. Like I'm glad the family is getting like some sort of justice and answers. But then like I go to bed at night and I wake up in the middle of the night thinking that there's somebody standing over me. Yeah. Yeah.

And you have big sliding door fears now. I have a huge sliding sliding glass door fear. And I also am like, Garrett, you have to reel it in a little bit because if I see something, about like Ted Bundy, it'll freak me out. Ted Bundy only went after like women who were like, who were like, widows bay. He like prayed on like nicer kind women who would try to help out a guy who like, whatever. And I'm like, Garrett, like, Ted Bundy wouldn't have even looked at you twice.

Like, so like that is kind of like my base flag is that like I'm maybe it's like a little bit of like narcissism where I'm like, oh my God, I would be in danger. No, you wouldn't. Or whatever, like, hypochondria is for true crime. Yeah. I bet there is a word out there. Someone's like, this is the word. And I'm like, sorry, I didn't know it. Yeah.

Because I said it to my friend Nicole. Like, she was, like, really freaked out. And I was like, Nicole, we're, like, almost 40 years old. Like, Brian Co-worker would want nothing to do with us. But then, like, I freak myself out. Yeah. And so that's, like, my beige flag is that I just continue to watch true crime and absorb all of these cases. and then completely scare myself.

Like scare myself stupid. Oh my gosh. That was like I told you a couple weeks ago. I had a friend come over and he was telling me about some like experiences he was having with ghosts and like feeling haunted by certain things. And it was like the second day that Tyler was gone. And that night Bruce was barking into the hallway at nothing. And I was like, oh my God, he left the ghost here. And like, if you would have watched a Disney movie or read like an Emily Henry book that night, you would have been like, oh my God, it's so annoying.

My dog's barking at nothing. Yeah. For usual. Like, our dogs bark at things that are not there all the time. Yes. But like, we just kind of get under our own skin and freak themselves out for no reason. Yes. I think I've told that story before, too.

There, I had, it was a couple years ago. But there was a book I was reading that I didn't think was even going to be like. scary like very much more mystery than thriller even but then like the reveals that someone had been living in the walls of the house and that is like one of the fucking most terrifying reveals to me ever I think I've read it like three or four times and every time there's two books that I can think of every single time my stomach drops creepy so we just scare ourselves is what happens sometimes and I'll never stop a lot more dreams than I do now though I have weird nightmares now.

I had a nightmare night last week and I was like, oh, I used to have those all the time. I know. I had like the strangest dream the other night. I used to, when I was very young in my late teens and rebellious, I went and got my nipple pierced. What? How do I not know this? Yeah. Yeah.

I was going to get both of them done. and it hurts so bad. Oh, I bet. Oh my God, it hurt so bad that I was like, no, I'll just get the one. So I had a nipple ring for a while, and I felt like I was, like, cool and edgy. And then I was, like, sick of it because it kept getting caught on things. Yeah. And so, like, I don't even know how long ago it was.

Like, maybe five years ago, I took it out. I finally got, yeah, I finally got the, it's like one of those, like, rings and it like presses onto the ball. Oh, yes. You have to like push the ball really hard. Yeah. And I was like, I don't want to rip this out. Yeah. So I like one day was just like holding it and like took my thumb and just like and push that ball out. And I finally took it out and I felt like I was free because I was like now I don't have to worry about it getting caught and anything. Anyway. Totally. The other night I had a dream that I was like swimming in my pool and I got out of the pool and it was back. And I was like, oh my God. Oh my God. I how did that like grow back or whatever and I was like completely freaked out and my friend

Nicole was in my dream and she like came out in this like beautiful dress and she was like what are you doing and like she's like the nicest person in the world to me and I love her so much but like she never talks to me that way oh like so she was like what are you doing like it is Thanksgiving dinner, like, everybody's here. We're waiting to eat on you. And I'm like, why is everybody in my house getting ready to eat? Why am I in a pool in November? And why is my nipple room back? And I was like freaking out when she was like using her like mom voice and being like, I don't care. Like just get in the house and get dressed and get ready. Because like this is. I was like being reprimanded by her. And I had this like nipple ring that I didn't want anymore. And I was like, what is going on?

How did this girl back? Those are my weird dreams now. Or the, or I think that I'm going to wake up and Ted Bundy's going to be standing over my bed. Wow. What a ride. I'm learning so much about you still. Life is so strange. It's so weird. But I have also had dreams where like

I'm looking at my phone and somebody like random will text me and then the next day I will get like I had like a friend that like I didn't talk to for like a very, very long time. Yeah. And we had like a little headbutting situation and then we didn't speak for a long time. time and like he recently reached out and I had a dream that morning that he had like that I woke up and like he texted me. Yeah. And then like the next day like he had randomly texted me. It was like, hey. That stuff is crazy. I know. I was like, oh my God, please, please let me be a psychic.

I want to be a little witch. I want to be a little witch. Well, do I have any witchy books? I don't know. I thought I might have a wonderful segue there. But I don't know. that I do actually. They don't tend to come out in the summer, summer, though, is like the other thing. But you had a really fun, rhyming idea. Yeah. I love, I'm so obsessed with doing wrap-ups with you.

It's so much fun. I love to, I mean, obviously I love when we have any topic, because it's fun to talk books with you. But, like, I love when we talk about books that we've already read and loved. loved and that we're very passionate about. But I also like the ying to that yang is me being like, is it more fun to talk about books that we're excited for or books that we already love?

Yes. Could you hear his squeaky toy? I was like, why? What is she like, what are you scared of? He came running in so fast. And I was like. He stole your thunder. Do you have to get out of that house?

Tyler's home And anytime a human comes home Bruce has to find an object Because his feelings are so big So that was I keep seeing that on TikTok And Murphy does not do that to me Harley doesn't do it

Only Bruce does it Harley doesn't even care when we come home Murphy wants to know if I'm like When I come home he's very excited Because he's like I think he's like I'm glad you're not dead But he's also very excited to see what I brought home For like leftovers

And I've heard that that has to do with them thinking like you were hunting and gathering and that's why you left and so they're like what did you bring back for us oh my god we've literally talked about that it's so cute because i've literally talked about that with my parents before when like i get my hair whenever i get my haircut i pick up taco bell like that's pretty much the only time i have taco bell is when i get my haircut and i pick it up and murphy like is so pumped when i come home and i'm like i wonder if he even notices my haircut or if he's just like oh dad went and got me taco about Yes, I think it's that one.

Likely the latter. Yes. So sorry, Bruce. Really slowly your thunder. Last night, he was so excited. I had dinner with a friend last night after my hair cut instead of getting Taco Bell. And we like went to this Italian place that we haven't been to in a while. And best salad I've ever had in my entire life.

It's so good. You are brave eating salad. go on girl nothing's gonna take me down I feel like and we each got like our own like pizza and when they brought my pizza out they're like we're so sorry there's a hole in the middle of your pizza

and I didn't notice it so I was like I don't care it's literally like and they're like no we already made you a second one and it's in the oven so you'll just take that one when you go home oh and I was like okay I literally did not need two pizza

So like I literally had like two slices of one pizza and then I had a whole other one with my leftovers. So when I came home last night, I had two pizza boxes and Murphy was like, this is the best day of my life. Probably. He was so excited. Oh, happy boy. He loves it. Yeah. We always have dog appearances.

It's our life. But I. yes, I love talking with you about books that we've loved and we've already read, but I can ever decide which is more fun between ones we've already loved and read or the ones that we're really looking forward to. Right. So I was like, you know, unfortunately for some of you people, we're high tailing it to the end of summer here.

And for us, we're excited about that. But I thought it would be fun to do our summer best and next. Best and the rest. Best and the rest. Oh, yes. Best and next. I mean, it's very close. It's like a slant prime.

Yes, the best and the rest. So we're going to do three books that we've loved already this summer and then the three other books that we anticipate loving that we're still going to read before the end of summer. Yes. Yeah. It's been a good summer so far. It was actually been a good reading summer. Yeah. Well, and we discussed Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead.

You all know that that's both of our favorites. So that one is like our like Joker card or whatever the like free bingo spaces. You guys know we love that one. But actually, that's a good segue from Ashley Winstead because she is friends with this author and lives in the same city as well, his name is John Fram. But killer vibes by Jack Friday. Oh, did I take one of yours? It's okay. Already right for the get-go.

I literally was like, I... This is the only one I thought we might have in comment. I didn't even like think it because I was like, I never talk about male authors. I know. And I got to give my boy John some like love here. Yes. And so, well, you know what? It's another Joker card.

I'll pick another one. There we go. There we go. Well, this one is really fun. It's the beginning. new series. I'll have a walk right next to me, I think. But it is like kind of a mystery comedy a little bit. Like it, listen to my episode with him if you want to know what that, what type of comedy. But after inheriting a valuable Austin property from an uncle he barely knew,

laid back private investigator Peter Key, uncoveres a bag of cash and evidence that his uncle's death may have been murder. As greedy developers hidden agenda, and dangerous secrets close in, Peter must navigate a bizarre web of crime to stay alive and uncover the truth. And it is just such a fun balance of like mystery and thriller elements and just like really kind of like snarky humor,

which you know I'm in. It's so good. It's like it's not too violent. Right. But it's not shying away from violence. and it's not sexually graphic, but it doesn't shy away from sex. Yes. And it's like quirky without being cozy and like what you would expect from a quirky.

It's just like so entertaining. And I had such a hard time like taking breaks when I like needed to like put it down. Yes. It was so good. I love that one. I know. I'm excited to see what comes next. Yeah.

He already has the second one like written. hopefully there'll be a third one everybody go read it yeah that is so fun it must have been like a fun writing experiment for him too considering how like dark yeah and like complex a lot of his like horror thrillers are um because those are very much like They're very much like Stephen King and then this is very much like, like bad teacher with murder. Yes, I agree. Like it's like that like really fun kind of like snarky humor instead of like some of the cozy stuff. Yeah.

He is a bisexual stoner, so I was here for it in every way. Yeah. Yeah, I'm obsessed with it. I think it was so much fun. It was. I'm going to go the complete opposite direction. Do it. I'm going to do very complex, very harrowing, very dark, very like, just emotionally draining.

Yeah. And I'm going to go with this one because it was one I was like, is this going to be one that we both have in common? So I'm going to go with Heather by Caitlin Mullen. Ooh, that's a good one. But I don't know if you read that in this. spring. So I think I did read it in the spring, but I was going off club date. Oh, I am too. I am too. Yeah. Good, good, good, good. Because I think I read this in the spring too, but I was like, you know what? I got to get this. I got to talk about this one. I am obsessed with this book. Yeah. Please see us is one of my

favorite books in the entire world. I think about it so much. And then I also think about this one now so much. So her third book is going to just like really become my personality. I know. So this one is about Callie. And she's a young police chief. And after a current arrest, she finds that the arrest that she just made is connected to a cold case that's decades old in which two twin sisters disappeared after it was revealed that one of them was having an affair with an older man. So as she looks into the case more closely, she starts to like question some of the secrets and some of the people that she's, like known in this small town that she's considered home her entire life and it's like dual timeline and there's like so much going on in each um timeline but then like the way that it like

weeds together toward the end of the book is just like really really good and there are some really like heartbreaking devastating moments in it and i actually cried at this one yeah you did And then I was like... Nothing happened very often. No. And then I was like, oh my God, I know I'm not going to be alone. And I messaged you and you were like, that was so sad, but I didn't cry. I know, I didn't. And I was like, ah!

I was like, if my heartless ass cried, she'll definitely cry. And you were like, oh, that was so sad, but I didn't cry. I know. It doesn't make any sense the, like, when you cry versus when I cry. I mean, you almost never do, though. No, no. And it's vice versa, too. I feel like there's like times where like you've told me like something made you really sad in a book or like cried and I'm like oh that was like very effective but like didn't shut a tear.

Right, right. So there's just one day we're going to find somebody who can make us both cry. There is a possibility that it's Emma Brody who will one day get you. We'll see. I've been staring at my copy of that book. It's on my little like bookshelf right here. I have one of those bookshelves. I think they're called like a tree bookshelf where like the shelves are like this.

Yeah. And I have it on there and I just keep staring at it along with like some of the books that like have already come out that I really want to read. But August is crazy. So I'm like, oh my God, I keep like staring at it. And I'm just like I can't wait to read you. Maybe fall. Yeah. We'll see.

It may or may not get you. I feel like it has the chance too though. I don't think I know I don't have any that I cried in this summer to to segue but I can't talk enough about sublimation by Isabel J. Kim and actually I just saw Severance is filming once again and this is this is very much like severance meets like um like xenophobia or immigration all of that Oh. When Rose returns to Korea for her grandfather's funeral, she reunites with a version of herself left behind after her childhood immigration, only to discover her other self plans to steal her identity and life in America.

The speculative thriller explores identity, regret, and the terrifying consequences of confronting the path you never took. It does so many things. It's one of those things where, like, if you love speculative fiction, if you love speculative fiction, if you love. to severance, you will love this book. And that's kind of all you want to know. But she does a lot of really cool stuff with like borders. And like every time you like cross into a different country, you like split versions of yourself. And yeah, she talks about a lot. And she's very cool. And you can go listen to my episode with her. Oh, everyone I chose I had on the podcast. I just realized that. Everyone I chose I want on the podcast. Yeah. I know.

I'd probably ball hysterically. That sounds really good. It sounds so familiar. I don't know if I've like heard about this or... Oh, you probably heard me talking about it since like May. Oh, yeah. Yeah. It came out June 2nd.

So... I feel like it's kind of like a sleeper too. Like not a ton of people are talking about it. So it's like a good like hidden gem. Yes. Which I love. I have a copy, but I can't remember how fun. down it is. The inner

cover has some really cool foil of like people splitting essentially. Oh, I love that. Yeah. That's one thing I love about like no matter how much our taste and genres and like our taste and like what we read

changes. One thing I always will say that you and I have in common is that like we will totally devour like the trending books that like everybody are talking about but we're also really good at like finding hidden gems that are worth it. It's such a fun thing to like I have both. I love that. Yeah. And I have a hidden gem. Go on. I have a hidden gem. I just wish that I knew where it was. I wanted to have a visual but I don't. So it's probably like with my favorites because this I was, I was upset. I was upset. with this book and I feel like I have not heard anybody talk about it.

Yeah. It is called The Shark by Emma Klein. Oh yeah. Oh my God. It is so atmospheric and cinematic. It is, it takes place in Australia. There's a serial killer who is hunting women. He's hunting like female swimmers.

Yeah. Like leaving their bodies on the shore basically, which is why they call them the shark. Because at first people thought that they were like shark attack victims. and then we meet two young women, Rach and Carmen, and they're connected to the serial killer in different ways. So Rach, her best friend was she believes to be murdered by the serial killer,

and Carmen thinks that she has her own, like, dark connection to the serial killer. So they kind of, like, form an alliance to track down whoever this is. But then the more that they like do their own little investigation and the more time that they spend together they like start to question the other person's like intentions so it's kind of like it's it's like a psychological serial killer thriller very strong like female cast um very cinematic and creepy because it's like that like a small coastal kind of town yeah um and there's like a lot of twist and turns in it and

I just absolutely loved it because like when I was reading like Rache I was like okay Carmen is a little suss and then I was reading Carmen's perspective and I was like what the fuck is Rache hiding something else and you don't really know what it is so it's like very much that like who's hiding what and like a psychological thriller but like also being like okay we are gonna unmask a serial killer here too right and there's like a lot of red herrings in it, which I love. It's so good. I remember you loving it.

Obsessed. Obsessed. I read it on my Kindle. Ooh, yeah. And then I ordered it from Blackwell's because I was like, I need a trophy copy of this. This is a stunner. Yeah. It's one of my favorites. Is the cover better from Blackwells?

I think it was, I think it was only in hard cover in the US and I got like a paper bag. But the cover is really cool. I just wish I knew where it was. But it is such a good one. I love that book so much. I know. I need to read that one still. Yeah, I think you'll have a lot of fun.

You're like loving it when you were reading it. It definitely gives off like if it were to be adapted, it would be like A24. Mm-hmm. Like, yeah. Yeah. A-24 vibes. 100%. It's very like, not everything's like glitter and pretty and.

Right. It's fun. Yeah, that's really fun. Nice. Well, I have one where the author hinted about an adaptation at the end of the interview. And it is called The Great Game by Arvind, Ethan, David. And it is basically Sherlock Holmes adjacent is like the shortest, shortest little thing to know.

But when a daring burglary ends with a brutal murder of a British general, Law student and gentleman thief, Balvander Singh becomes the prime suspect in a deadly conspiracy pursued by Scotland Yard and Sherlock Holmes. As he races to clear his name, Balmus can confront his past, his loyalties, and a plot that could shake the British Empire to its core. So this, sorry, I got distracted by a text message. this one is really super fun I think there are a lot of people

who would maybe not call themselves historical fiction fans but they would they've seen like the Sherlock Holmes movies or the TV show and enjoyed it is like that same thing we're like it is one of the more gnarly serial killer thrillers I've read

in description and actually he did a dramatic reading of it like his the first like depiction of all of the of the first murder um on that episode but it is so dark and so it's one of those where i'm like even if you don't like historical fiction but you love like the Sherlock vibes and serial killers it's a very good gateway to some historical thrillers well now i got to add that to my tvr yeah i think you would really really enjoy it. God, there was

like one that I ordered two that it kind of gives me like I think it would be good to read with that. It's like the women in the shadows or something. I don't know who the author is, but there's a book called the Women in the Shadows

and it's basically like Jack the Ripper era. And it's like women who are like hearing what's going on with Jack the Ripper. Harriet Fox. Okay, yes. And it's like basically these women who are like hearing what's going on with this serial killer who is Jack the Ripper.

And they're like banning together to like take him down. Yeah. So which I love that. Did you end up reading that one? I haven't read it yet. But I bought it and I was like, oh my God, I'm so excited to read this. Yeah. I do think that would be really good.

Yeah. So maybe I'll have to read them together. We should. Yeah. Yeah. What did we also read at the same time here recently? I can't remember. It was unintentional. Oh my God. It was something that really worked for us too. Mm-hmm. Oh, my God. What was it? End up telling the author, right? Oh, it was the Dahlia Suite. Oh, yes. By Corin Jade. Yes. Yeah. Oh, my God, I love that. Super, super, super, super fun beach read if you're looking for one.

Yeah, very white lotus. Yes. Like, I felt like you could hear the soundtrack. Very white lotus and like a little bit of like, I still know what you did last summer. If you know, you know. Oh, yeah. You're right. Yep.

And, oh, it's my turn. I thought you're like teeing it up. No, my last one is, or my last. Favorite. best. My last of my best. Yes. Before I get to the rest is Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier. Yes. I figured you would cover that one for us. It is probably my favorite book of the year.

Oh, wow. I can't stop thinking about it. She is just so fucking brilliant. I'm being dark and like hopeless and like trauma and. like heartbreaking. I'm obsessed. So we've got Nicolette, Barb, and Lorelei and they're like three besties. And then they meet

this like really mysterious guy at a carnival, of course. And then the next thing you know, Lorelei is found murdered. And this stranger that they met is arrested and charged with being a serial killer. 25 years later,

he's like yeah I killed all of these other women but I did not murder this girl that I met at the carnival and so like now 25 years later where he's like I didn't do that Nicolette and Barb who are kind of estranged their secrets and memories from that night that they've been trying to like hide threatened to emerge when another dead body washes up on the shore of their small town yes and there are so many things going on. Like that's even doesn't even like scratch the surface. Yeah. Yeah. It's very braided storytelling and like the best way. I love that. I love that. Tyler just learned the phrase from someone who is reading nonfiction that does braided storytelling and he was like, do you know about this? And I was like, boy, do I. I've never heard that term before. Yeah. I love that. Almost any,

almost any time you have multi-POV. But I think it has more to do with like, you don't know how they're going to come together and then when they do you're like whoa which is that book oh my god and audio audiobook fans um there's parts that are like transcripts talking to the serial killer in prison and it's like produced like a real like kind of like a recorder is being taken into a jail what are those meeting rooms or whatever so it's very immersive you know january love boy is one of the narrators as well so shit i need to give the audio books peak audiobook delight is what i'm basically i'm obsessed with that i'm obsessed with that book it was so good it really was i like think about it so much and that's like one of the ones that like i think

that when we talked about books in like the beginning of the year i was like this is one of my most anticipated books and i was like i need this book now and that's also like very nerve-wracking because you're like, I want this book so bad and I'm so excited for it. Is it going to let me down? Mm-hmm. It did not. Not at all. That was actually, I don't know if I was worried if it would let me down, but sublimation, I know, was one of my mostly anticipated. So we both talked about some of our anticipated ones paying off. I shouldn't say let me down because I don't think Jennifer Hillier has ever let me down. True, true, true. Am I going to, will I love this as much as I hope I do? Yeah, yeah. I get that. I get that. And I did. I think I actually loved it more. And I did. And I did. Actually, I did.

And I did love it more. Because that actually rarely happens. But like, let's be honest, like Jennifer Hillier and Ashley Winstead are like my two queens that I know will never let me down. Yeah. It's always so awkward. I'm not going to say any names, but it's always so awkward when someone you at least like didn't really think would let you down and then you're reading it and you're like oh this one's not for me sometimes I don't know what to do but then I'm like you can just you don't have to read it I have I have somebody who's never let me down until like this year oh and I was like so excited for the book and I was like hyping it up and then like I read it and I was like that was okay I mean I didn't like hate it. I didn't love it. And I was like, and everyone was like, oh, my God, what did you think?

I can't wait to read it. And I was like, oh, like, it was definitely a wild ride. It's like, I don't know what to say when like this fell flat for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. You never want to tell people that, well, are you ready for our, our, the rest? Yeah. Neither of us can say this brilliant title. Here's the rest. Okay, well. This one. This one. what? Sorry. I love that I was like best and next and you're like, I thought it was best in the rest. You were like, hyping me up to be like, Gary came up this really fun topic and it even rhymes and then I say the wrong word. I'm like, best and next and you're like, it's best in the rest.

It's your own title. This is your idea. Just so, you know. Well, I can't stop talking about Tanana Reeve do. Everyone knows that. Ever since the Reformatory, I still have a couple of her backlist to read, but I have read a lot of her books in the last year. But she has one coming out called Maisie Wood in September. And like the blurb even on Goodread says like, all the sinners bleed meets my sister the serial killer.

so I'm already like, whoa. But when filmmaker Johnny inherits his legendary grandmother's secluded Mountain Lodge, he uncovers the dark secret that shaped her life and has haunted his family for generations. As the truth behind the famed black actress's past comes to light, Johnny must confront a supernatural evil before it claims his family as its next victims. So I know it's like Old Hollywood. And apparently S.A. Cosby vibes. And I'm like, say less. I just got a copy of it.

Oh, you got your copy? Oh, that's so exciting. I am getting this. What is it called? I'm trying to remember. There's a company that's doing a beautiful special edition of Maisie Wood that I basically ordered it from. What was it called? I can't think of what it's called now. do you have like the the audio already no it's it's not even the audio is typical for most books the audio tends to hit net galley like two weeks before it comes out oh okay so i have the i requested the text or the digital when it went up and i have that but then i saw that it's robin miles and jonesse abbott pratt who are two of my favorite narrators and so now i like

really want the audio so we'll see oh no I will buddy read it with you just Joni's Abbott crap but yeah let's read it together for sure yeah I will definitely read that with you that'll be fun because I have

one that I think you're going to want to read now because it is very much it sounds like a combination of Oh my God. Garrett, please. Real easy by Marie Rukowski.

Combined with Ask for Andrea. Wow. It is called St. Delilah by Isabel Spots. Okay. I have not even heard of this. And it's about Delilah. She was 19 when she was murdered by somebody she didn't know. And now she wants her killer to be killed.

So she is basically a ghost. And she believes that the only chance that she has to get justice is through a powerful medium named Magda, who also is the owner of the strip club that Delilah used to work at. So she's trying to communicate with Magda. And then this guy comes into town. And when he shows up to get Magda's help, he can see and hear Delilah. Okay. So he can see ghosts. And so the three of them kind of like come together to like find the killer that

murdered Delilah. Ooh, that sounds so good. It sounds so cool. Remind me what it's called because I thought it was St. Delilah. But what did you say it's called? St. Delilah.

Oh. Why can't I find? Okay. That I'm not crazy at least. Oh, there it is. I think I typed ST. Oh. Oh, the cover.

Oh, my God. Oh, yeah. Oh, wow. Look at you with a horror wreck. I know. I was like, this is like exactly, because it also kind of gives like Jacqueline Bublitz vibes, but yeah, this is the cover for all you YouTube people.

Oh, yeah. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Pink and blue. Sign me up. It's published by Berkeley, and they are really good at like, publishing very like original things within like thriller and horror so yeah i'm anticipating this one is going to be very good i actually i think it comes out soon so i kind of want to maybe read it this

weekend so keep your eye out instagram people oh yeah next oh the 11 next tuesday i love that oh my god okay well i have a horror one actually i think that first one was horror too um but there i am obsessed with the cover for this one and i think there's a palestinian cover i love both covers is my point um but it's called our call arca of salt by dina helm um and it's like kind of a haunted house vibe after her grandmother's death marina travels to her family's abandoned home and i feel so bad hafa i think in Haifa to uncover the history that was kept from her, only to find the house haunted by both supernatural forces and the trauma of the Nakva. As three generations of women confront the secrets

buried within its walls, they must face the past before it destroys them all. Typical haunting shit, you know? Past is coming back. I love that it's like haunting, but it's also like the thing that I really love about like the synopsis or the jacket cover of a horror book is that it does not give too much away. No. You're just, you just vaguely know what you're the vibes. Yeah. Because I feel like sometimes like that's what I don't like about like a thriller is like when they're like, they mention something in the synopsis and then like you're like halfway through the book and you're like that party hasn't even shown up yet and you could have surprised me. Yes. Yes. I hate when that happens. Because sometimes then it's just an expectations thing where like I'll be like,

I thought this was going to really be about this. Yeah. And. really it's it's simply literary fiction or something like that yeah no i totally agree yeah i love horror i do too i'm like so much better watching it than reading it sometimes it's like lost on me when i read it but i do have some that i'm trying to dip my toes in between the end the summer and fall because i have st delilah and maisie wood and maybe more along the way yeah see. We'll see. We'll see what I can, how far I can pull you. Yeah, just reel me in. Um, well, speaking of somebody who can reel me in. Oh. There is a new book by Jess Lowry coming out this summer. Oh, yes. And it sounds so good. And it's like right up my alley. It's giving typical Jess Lowry.

Like it's going to be like very dark and creepy and suspenseful. And I'm very excited for it. It's called the crying killer. Um, and it's about a woman named Tuesday who has been trying to run from her past for eight years. And she's haunted by the memories of her sister screaming and Arson Bauer, who was a serial killer known as the crying killer who was shot down when he tried to run away from the crime scene. Um, but now she changed her last name. She moved away and she's a private investigator who tries to like protect. herself and her daughter. But then she starts thinking that she sees Arson Bauer, the serial killer, like on the streets of where she lives now. And she thinks it's impossible, but then people start getting murdered in like the same

MO as he used to kill people. And she's like, okay, maybe I am seeing him and maybe something funky is going on. So start on page one and find out with me if something funky is going on. It sounds so cool. And I like the color. The cover really stands out too. She did her PR box. If you're unfamiliar with Jess Lowry, she does incredible PR boxes.

They're always so much fun. I never realized she did it kind of all the time. Oh yeah. She did this. She sent this with the book. it's a crying killer like VHS with all gummy bears

oh my gosh the nostalgia which I might have a pack of all this like old snack but it even has so it's like the same thing as the it's the same cover as the book

but it has the little sticker that says please be kind rewind and it actually has her cast on it so it's got like Helen Hunt Jody Fawsey Alexis Arquette Ethan Hawke. It says it's directed by David Fincher.

Wow. So this is like you and just have similar vibes. Yeah. And it has like even the back of it looks like it has like the cast and like all the credits down here. There's like Cissel and Ebert say it's a chilling heart stopping thriller that will haunt you long after the last scene.

Oh, that's amazing. Yeah. So it's like really really cool. like very old school. Like it even says like North Star Pitchers 1993. It's rated R. About 112 minutes. Yeah. So it's really

it's really cool the way she did that. Well, I have no segue but I do have another book. Somebody didn't send you an old VHS tape. Oh my gosh. I know. Seriously. But the

true confessions of First Lady Freeman by Disha Fielia. I think that's how I pronounce her last name. I hope it is. I am very excited for this one. So when a scandal erupts, just as she's poised to earn acceptance among the elite wives of mega church pastors, ambitious first lady Cherise Freeman watches the life she carefully built begin to unravel.

Forced to confront painful secrets from her past and the hypocrisy of the church. So we know. I'm in. I was like religious scandal, please. Tell me why you want to read those. Cherise must decide whether protecting her images were sacrificing the truth. Yeah, so she also wrote the secret lives of church ladies, which is a like, it's kind of like a short story compilation, but like actually like the diary entries of a bunch of women who went to church but had all these. like very conflicting experiences with it essentially. And so it's really good nonfiction.

So I'm fascinated. Someone who pulled all of that together for a nonfiction story, I'm very fascinated to see her take on hypocrisy in mega churches. And this one's fiction. Yes. That's what I very- This is her fiction debut, yeah. That's what I think is very curious too,

because like when you have something that's very similar in a non-fiction way, it's very like interesting to see what somebody does with fiction because like then you can kind of take the story your own. Yeah. You know, kind of like Ashley Flowers. Like you could tell that like she had done so much true crime reporting.

Yep. And so then when she wrote fiction, it was good. Mm-hmm. And it's also like that thing that I always talk about how much I love with like, obviously Jessica Nol did it with bright young women. Mm-hmm. how you can kind of like take a true crime case and kind of tell your own like version of it to usually embarrass a man. It's embarrassing the church.

Yeah. The cover is fantastic because never in a million years would you think pastor's wife when you first see it. It's just amazing. There's a lot of like juxtapositions going on. I love this. Yeah. She's coming on the podcast too. so come back September 29th if you'd like to hear.

Be tuning in. What'd you say? I said we'll be tuning in. Yes. Because I just aggressively itch my nose. That's a good ending. Do you have another one? Because I started.

I have fruit water. I have to talk about fruit block. Oh, yes. That one. Oh, my God. We'll be tuning in with such a good ending. Oh my God, my fucking brain today. That's okay.

Yeah, my last one and the one that I'm very excited for, no help whatsoever to Amazon.com. So, thanks Jeff Bezos. So I got to buy independent. I have no independent. I have no independent. I was going to say, just kidding. The shipping is much slower. I have no bookstores around me because I live in the middle of nowhere.

I'm in the woods, people. Yeah. I'm in the field, the cornfields, and you're in the woods. Oh, you do have cornfields right there, maybe. Oh, we're both on the cornfields. So I'm very excited for Fruit Fly by Josh Silver. Yes. You lucky duck are currently reading it.

I know. I got very lucky. I got the audio copy the day before it came out. I am waiting for my paperback copy because I'm a brat. So unfair. I'm just waiting and waiting and waiting. But I have high hopes that it'll be here soon. Yeah.

I'm so excited for this one. Everybody's talking about it because it came out in the UK before it came out in the U.S. Yes. So I like that because then, listen, the people who live in the UK are a lot pickier than us. So when they say that a book is fantastic, it is going to be fantastic. It was like, kill for me, kill for you was the first one that I experienced where I was like, there are so many reviews. And then I was like, oh, it's out in the UK. Okay.

Yeah, right, wild. Just wild. So I'm really excited for this one. It is a queer thriller, which I feel like we don't see very much of, but also like literary. Sign me up. So it is about basically an author who had a successful first novel, and then she is trying to come up with an idea for a successful second novel. and when she like looks up how to write a successful book, it's like go dark, go sad, go gay, which is like all my vibes. So she basically downloads either Grindr or something similar to it.

It's Grindr. It is Grindr, okay. Yeah. There's a quote that everyone's using that says Virginia Woolf would have loved Grindr. Oh my God, that's amazing. I know. It's a very quotable book. So she downloads it and she uses her husband's picture to try to like find a man that she can like basically interview for the story.

And she ends up coming in contact with a gay man who I believe is possibly a sex worker. He is in the world of Kim's sex where you're kind of having sex for drugs and money. Okay. So she ends up stalking him and becoming obsessed with him to get ideas for her next book. Yeah. And I had to go off all of that blind because I did not get a copy of the synopsis in time for the podcast. Yeah. So that is basically what it is. It is a like literary queer thriller with stalking and that's all I need. Shenanigans. Shania against. I hear the thing that's like a very

what's the word I'm looking for? The thing that makes me very like excited for it and curious about it that I find intriguing is that I've heard that it's literary but it's also very high pace. Yeah, the chapters are so short. They're so

snappy. And then there are big time jumps kind of like heated rivalry but not like heated rivalry too. I like that. Okay. I will say for anyone, it is like yellow face meets barrier gays. And then the other one I would now add to this is there is an element of it that is like to me very reminiscent of my husband by, she's a French author. And I often, Maude Ventura.

the woman's story her brain feels a lot like kind of similar to how neurotically intense my husband is so those are going to be my three I had this to your TBR if you liked these for my post cool yeah yeah I'm very excited for it I'm so excited to talk to you about it I haven't seen one person be like oh this was okay or this was just good no no i you always get the reviews where you're like i don't think this was the right book for you though like why did you pick this up yeah yeah but yeah but yeah i'm very excited we have a lot to like forward to amen tune in there's another good ending