transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:02] I'm Kristen and I'm Maddie.

Speaker 2:
[00:04] We're sisters and heavy readers.

Speaker 1:
[00:06] Join us every single week to talk stories, interview authors, and collab with fellow book nerds.

Speaker 2:
[00:10] Welcome to the Kris and Mads show.

Speaker 1:
[00:12] Welcome back to the show, you guys. We're in a new location today.

Speaker 2:
[00:16] Welcome to my family room.

Speaker 1:
[00:18] This is so fun. I am finally, finally, after seven years, getting heating and cooling installed in my house. But that just means that our normal recording station is covered in drywall dust.

Speaker 2:
[00:32] Yeah, but it's going to be so much more comfortable. You guys can't tell the temp from the podcast that you're listening to, or perhaps watching if you're on YouTube. But let me tell you, in the winter it'd be cold, and in the summer it'd be hot, and there is back sweat happening on that leather chair. So today, we are going to be chatting in my living room, and we're doing all things quarter to planning.

Speaker 1:
[00:55] Yes. So you may or may not have seen, but Kristen did in fact ditch the TBR wheel for 2026. Did it serve us so well in 2025? Yes. I will speak for myself, yes.

Speaker 2:
[01:08] I feel like we were on a roll. Us and our wheels, we were like this.

Speaker 1:
[01:11] Yes. I got through my entire physical TBR, which had been my goal the whole year, and now I don't have a physical TBR, which I love. I feel so spontaneous and free with my TBR. I was just doing the wheel with you in solidarity because you have so much on your physical TBR right now.

Speaker 2:
[01:27] The problem is, here's the real problem, is without me and Maddie doing it together officially and with me not having a cap on my physical TBR, like I have not stopped buying books because I know I read from my physical TBR, but I'm also adding to it. It just doesn't have the same like high stakes, restriction, rules that really made it the perfect challenge last year.

Speaker 1:
[01:52] Yes. So we're going back to our roots and we're just planning for the quarter. And we are actually already three weeks into the quarter, but that's okay because I think we've both been focusing on our priority. We realized we both had a like priority TBR in our minds. And so we were like, why don't we just shelf the wheel for a second? Although the wheel gives us so much joy. So we have repurposed the wheel, if you will, and made it a TBB wheel. So if you're watching us on short form, and you want to see what shows we're finally getting to that have been queued up on our streaming platforms forever, go check it out. And if you want to buddy watch with us and sound off in our DMs or our comments or anywhere you can talk to us, that will be so fun. But we are going to shelf the TBR wheel for a little bit and just focus on this priority TBR for this quarter. And I think we're both very focused. We were very lean with this. We did not go crazy. We were like, what are the ones that we can commit to finishing, that we really want to talk about, or that we're buddy reading together, that we really want to get done before summer kicks off?

Speaker 2:
[02:58] Yeah, I think to be clear, TBB stands for To Be Bingenged. We were thinking TBW, like To Be Watched, but we stuck with TBB in case we didn't clarify that. I would have been listening to this podcast, and my brain would have just been percolating, like, what in the heck is that?

Speaker 1:
[03:14] To be bought, to be buckled, to be borrowed.

Speaker 2:
[03:19] Maddie, there's a lot of B words.

Speaker 1:
[03:21] How long are we going? But this is to be binged. This is TV shows that we need to binge because we are behind, let's just say that. Because here's the thing, when you prioritize reading as much as we do, we're always saying, like, yeah, we're going to get to that show, and then we don't. But I have learned, since I binged all of Peaky Blinders in anticipation of The Invisible Man and had the time of my life, and it didn't, like, deter my reading at all, that everything that I say is true. You can make time for anything that you care about. And so I am making a little bit of time for these shows.

Speaker 2:
[03:54] If you're new here, we are readers first, but we love a good adaptation, and really sometimes just great films. So we love incorporating both of those things and all that we do. So we'll be using the wheel to help us randomize what we're watching. However, we are not very random with our reading. I would say Maddie's the most spontaneous she's ever been, but she's still very easily when I was like, let's make our list of our Q2 TBR.

Speaker 1:
[04:19] It's already in my mind.

Speaker 2:
[04:20] She knew. She knew. So we are just going to give you seven.

Speaker 1:
[04:24] I have seven planned, and I think some of ours are the same because we're buddy reading them.

Speaker 2:
[04:28] We've got a little bit of overlap, and so we're going to give you this Q2. But if you like the books we're reading and you want to know how we get on with these books, we will be doing a reading wrap-up at the end of every single month this quarter. So you can subscribe now if you want to see those videos pop up at the end of every month, where we go way more in depth about our actual feelings and reviews on each of these books.

Speaker 1:
[04:52] We're also going to do a shorter little episode where we're going to wrap up what our best reads of Q1 are. That will be a little bit of a shorter piece of content. So if you want to stick around for that, that will be coming this week as well. But we're so glad that you guys are here for the priority TBR list. Let's get into it.

Speaker 2:
[05:10] I'm going to do these in order of must happen because I do think it's priority and it's prioritizing my priorities.

Speaker 1:
[05:16] I think that they're very similar for both of us. So yes, shoot. Tell me.

Speaker 2:
[05:19] So is your first one?

Speaker 1:
[05:21] Storm of Swords.

Speaker 2:
[05:22] Yes. So I'm Game of Thrones by George RR. Martin. Book three is Storm of Swords. I'm going to do that one. I'll be finishing this month in April, but May and June, I'm going to do the next two and finish out all five that are currently published. It is an incomplete series, but that's what we have.

Speaker 1:
[05:43] Okay. Okay. I may join you. I could see that happening because I have momentum.

Speaker 2:
[05:48] You do.

Speaker 1:
[05:49] But I have just put my goal that I want to be done with Storm of Swords by Mother's Day, which is like mid-May-ish, because— That's so rando. Well, our sister Grace, our younger sister Grace, who is also a reader, is also reading through Game of Thrones. And I believe she just finished Storm of Swords, and we go away on a cutie little sister trip for Mother's Day. So I just want to be able to talk, no spoilers with her on that trip. So that's why it is my goal. I'm like, so long as I'm done, by the time we go away with Grace, I'm good.

Speaker 2:
[06:18] Yeah, these are longer books. The Game of Thrones is not for the weekend read. Even if you read a lot, it takes a long time. But this series does feel like deep nostalgia to me, even though these books are very violent and some of the stuff that's happening, I'm like, what is going on? What in the Lost Limb? What in the New Battle Scene?

Speaker 1:
[06:43] What in the Incest is going on?

Speaker 2:
[06:45] I do have nostalgia because I broke one of our core rules, which is you always read before you watch. And I had watched this entire series a long time ago, and I watched and followed through. And so going back, it's the craziest nostalgia read I've ever experienced. I love listening to it.

Speaker 1:
[07:06] It does feel like coming back or coming home in some way because the characters are so, yeah, like cozy in some way, even though, yeah, the story is not cozy at all. I, so book one for me is so peak, I think because for how long of a book it is, it does such a seamless job of world building, of character layout, the world grows so steadily that I don't think you even recognize in book one, how complex of a world and political conflict you're in for. And everything is seeded so early. So even knowing where we end up from the show, it's like, oh, it's so satisfying to see how early everything is set up for you. And I do think the character moments are so strong. I think it follows a really kind of traditional structure of a story where the tension builds and the espionage builds, and you have this ginormous action twist moment at the end. I think Clash of Kings Book Two felt a lot more like a bridge book to me. A lot got introduced and not as much got wrapped up, even though we did get a really great and satisfying battle at the end. And I think politically, it does a lot of heavy lifting. It just didn't have the pacing and structure of Book One. So I am really hoping in Storm of Swords that we get back to either that pacing and cadence I was used to in Game of Thrones, the first book, or that we just get so many juicy character moments, which if I'm remembering correctly, we do, that I just don't care. Because I'm like settled in from Clash of Kings and I'm like, okay, it's not going to be that same pacing, but I'm going to get these really great character moments. Like I'm thinking, I think Jon Snow gets a lot of development in this book.

Speaker 2:
[09:00] Oh my gosh, does he have airtime? Yes, he sure does.

Speaker 1:
[09:03] And I feel like Daenerys gets a little bit more...

Speaker 2:
[09:06] Yes, I do think book two was, I'm not saying it was like a flop, but I was like...

Speaker 1:
[09:10] It was like bridgy. It was like, let's...

Speaker 2:
[09:12] I was like, thanks, thanks. On to the next one. Book three, I'm Halfway Through and Hot Dog.

Speaker 1:
[09:19] Hot Dog, it's good.

Speaker 2:
[09:20] It's so good. And I don't really know why, as such a sensitive reader, it doesn't...

Speaker 1:
[09:26] Disturb you.

Speaker 2:
[09:27] Disturb me, like I'm in the car, I'm doing this on audio. I started physical with book one, such a great choice. But as I was starting to kind of drag in book two, the audio book that I'm listening to is phenomenal. It's actually very easy for me to listen to. It is interesting to hear the gentleman being like a 13 year old girl in his voice, but I vibe out. And it's one of those things that I can just pop into since I already know the story. On a car ride, on a nice walk, I want a puzzle. So it's becoming also something that I'm doing in my cozy hobbies. So what's nice is I have two other long books after I finish this one to get me through all my really fun hobbies that I'm enjoying right now. So that's going to be my big audio book situation. This corner, it will give me a lot of time. Like they're long books.

Speaker 1:
[10:14] Storm of Swords is almost 40, 50 hours on audio. Yes, it's a lot. It's because I think they're like a thousand pages.

Speaker 2:
[10:22] Yeah, which we love long books, but it does make for a big investment.

Speaker 1:
[10:26] But it is my main priority. On the completely opposite side of that, like not intimidating at all, super light lift, I'm trying to finish Emma M. Lion for you and get caught up.

Speaker 2:
[10:38] Don't even do it for me. Do it for your soul and your future self.

Speaker 1:
[10:41] It's literally not a chore. I'm obsessed. I am four volumes in and I just want to finish five through eight so that I can deep dish with no spoilers with my mom and Kristen.

Speaker 2:
[10:52] Oh my gosh, you guys, The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower. This is an incomplete series. She's literally planning to do like 25. It won't be enough. I can tell you now.

Speaker 1:
[11:02] It won't ever be enough.

Speaker 2:
[11:03] It won't feel like enough, but there are eight volumes currently out. I believe we're getting the ninth this fall. So I feel like this is perfect timing for you to be going through them. I would love to do a recap at some point here on the podcast where we can actually talk about what's happened so that if people are crazy and don't want to reread before book nine, we can get them up to date.

Speaker 1:
[11:22] Love that.

Speaker 2:
[11:23] Oh, Maddie, you're in the juicy bits now.

Speaker 1:
[11:25] I am, and I don't want to give any spoilers, but I do just want to say the thing that I'm loving the most about this series is how the structure of how it's written as journals is such an authentic storytelling way for us to naturally grow with the character and her relationships. Because when we meet Emma, she's moved to a new home and she doesn't know anyone. As we meet characters in her journal entries, our knowledge of her community and our attachment and trust of her community grows as hers grows. And so it's such an authentic writing style. It so naturally progresses from such a, like, I don't want to call it simple, but such a like...

Speaker 2:
[12:09] It's like a bird's eye view in the beginning. It's just like you're just getting a little bit.

Speaker 1:
[12:13] She's literally just setting up house, visiting her banker, figuring out like what her living income situation is going to be. And from there into Vol. 2 even is just like a dramatic difference in how her circle grows and how the cast of characters grows. And so it feels interesting to not have a third person narration where like you have this omnipresent narrator of sorts who's like trying to introduce you to characters and like give you enough, but not be info dumpy. Like, it's just so natural that she's like, I'm just telling you about this person I met today, and I literally know nothing about them. And then the more and more time she spends with them, the more and more we learn about them. And so now I'm attached to all these characters. And I feel like I know that the exact same amount as Emma knows them. I think that's my favorite part of it. It's just such a clever and really effective storytelling style. And I love it. I've like, I'm, it's reminding me when we were little of the Diary of America books we read.

Speaker 2:
[13:15] Oh, my gosh. Yes. Dear America.

Speaker 1:
[13:17] Dear America. Yes.

Speaker 2:
[13:18] I love historic fiction because of those books. Like I think that they're what really birthed it. This setting is in the end of the 19th century. So like think Industrial Revolution, kind of think like Sherlock Holmes-ish time. And I do think that if you like historic fiction, you'll love this. But also the comedy pieces like Archibald Flat. Are you kidding me?

Speaker 1:
[13:39] It's so witty in such a like British cheeky humor way.

Speaker 2:
[13:42] Yes. The notes through the wall. I just remember squealing reading these and being like, Maddie, you have to read these. And now the fact that we're finally going to get to have the conversations.

Speaker 1:
[13:51] I love that she has so many potential love interests.

Speaker 2:
[13:57] May I say more than any other book I've ever read.

Speaker 1:
[13:59] But like she's so oblivious to them because she's so uninterested in matrimony. And she's still so I cannot give spoilers, but she is currently like, she's just not emotionally available. She's not emotionally available. But I will tell you, I am very down bad for one of them. I think it's a different one than you. Yes.

Speaker 2:
[14:18] We need to have like team. It's like team Jacob, team Edward.

Speaker 1:
[14:22] Whenever we do this debrief episode or this catch everybody up, who's read it episode, I think we just need to come very clean and wear those shirts and be honest about who our favorite man is.

Speaker 2:
[14:33] I will go to Etsy right after this episode. Okay. So that's going to be a little bit more reading for you, even though these are very snackish.

Speaker 1:
[14:40] Yeah. And I do love those on audio because I think the narrator is so lovely. So I may physically read Storm of Swords and listen to Emma M. Lion.

Speaker 2:
[14:50] I think you'll like it. It's way more of a page-turner than a book, too. I think you would be totally fine with that.

Speaker 1:
[14:55] So opposite, like one of those is literally like a snack and one of those is like...

Speaker 2:
[14:59] So I want to start counting the genres, the different genres. So we've got a high fantasy with Game of Thrones and we have a historic fiction romance.

Speaker 1:
[15:07] Yeah, love that. Love the variety.

Speaker 2:
[15:09] So now we're going to jump into another genre. We're going to go into some romanticy. Maddie and I have a buddy read coming up.

Speaker 1:
[15:15] Yes, because you guys, we are feeling nostalgic for our romanticy days. And I was trying to think back. I don't think I've read a romanticy. I did read Fallen City by Adrian Young, but it felt more like a historic fiction with some fantasy elements.

Speaker 2:
[15:37] Yeah, I would say that's not giving romanticy.

Speaker 1:
[15:39] It wasn't giving as much of a romanticy, which is one of the reasons.

Speaker 2:
[15:42] It doesn't have a good romance.

Speaker 1:
[15:43] It's one of the reasons we love Adrian Young. She's such a genre blender. But I just mean a true, tropey romanticy that's maybe got some deadly trials or maybe got an animal companion. And we've got a hidden identity, some political machinations, maybe a broody prince. I'm feeling nostalgic for it. And I really think the last one I read maybe was Onyx Storm.

Speaker 2:
[16:08] Yeah, I'm trying to remember. It's been a minute. It's time. We actually had this book recommended to us by one of our newer friends in the UK. And she loves romanticy. And Laura, Laura was like, listen, listen, listen, book two is getting such great reviews. So just like in Akatar, where In A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass, book two like surpassed book one in greatness, right? She said to expect this. So it's Dire Bound. This is by Sable Sorensen. And I will say the next book, Fury Bound, comes out in just a couple of weeks. So we've timed it so that we can literally go to the store today, get Dire Bound, binge it together, have our sister buddy read. And then when the second book comes out, which is supposed to be top tier sauce, we will just jump directly into it. And hopefully this will quench our thirst. Do we know if this is just a duology or if it's planning to have more party favors?

Speaker 1:
[17:06] I think it's going to be a series. I need to do some research, but I think it's going to be a series. So this is how I'm going into this. Are you ready?

Speaker 2:
[17:13] Yes.

Speaker 1:
[17:13] I think when you've read as much romantasy as we have, and we know how tropey it can be, we have to be in the mood and we have to have our expectations right.

Speaker 2:
[17:22] Do we have to do 10 pushups every time there's a new trope?

Speaker 1:
[17:24] No.

Speaker 2:
[17:25] Okay. No, no, no.

Speaker 1:
[17:26] We're just going to lap it up and eat every minute of it. So from what I understand of Dire Bound, this is literally going to feel at some points like a fourth wing fan fiction.

Speaker 2:
[17:37] Okay.

Speaker 1:
[17:38] This is what our friend Kayla told me. And she is our guru of romantasy. She reads it all. So she says, you know, there's going to be a deadly trial. We're going to bond an animal companion. We're not going to bond a dragon. We are going to bond a wolf. I'm like, okay, I'm here for it.

Speaker 2:
[17:52] Okay.

Speaker 1:
[17:53] I'm cute. And there's going to be like the first love interest that we're like, it's giving. I'm not going to say something else.

Speaker 2:
[17:59] I don't want to be a part one and a part two.

Speaker 1:
[18:01] Well, she's just like, there's clearly like a dark and broody enemy later on that clearly is going to be the main love interest.

Speaker 2:
[18:08] She'll be riding him later.

Speaker 1:
[18:10] Later. Yes. So I think it's going to be giving everything we've seen before. I don't think it's going to feel like anything original. But from what I understand, it is based on things that have worked and that we love in the past. And book two, because Kayla got an arc, she said it gets way more complicated. It goes its own way. We get originality. Everything is coming full circle. And she happens to really like the FMC, which I would say in our low criticisms of Fourth Wing, we didn't love Violet.

Speaker 2:
[18:39] Sometimes having a female main character that you're not obsessed with can hurt a book that is awesome.

Speaker 1:
[18:45] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[18:46] So that's great news.

Speaker 1:
[18:47] Yeah. And to be fair, as much as I am so nostalgic for A Court of Thorns and Roses series and A Court of Mist and Fury is incredible, I think if there's any weakness I feel for that series, it's that I don't love Feyre always.

Speaker 2:
[19:02] Yeah. You're a little judgmental of some of the girlies, but you're entitled to that opinion.

Speaker 1:
[19:07] That's okay.

Speaker 2:
[19:08] I can't really remember. Honestly, that was a fever dream. I'm like Feyre who? I was in a...

Speaker 1:
[19:12] Feyre who? She's only the protagonist.

Speaker 2:
[19:15] No, I just mean I read it three and a half years ago and I read it in moments. Like I talk about lapping it up. I read it so fast. So my brain's just foggy.

Speaker 1:
[19:23] I think I just compare A Court of Thorns and Roses to Throne of Glass. And I feel like between Aylin and Irene and Manon, and I feel like, I mean, I'm trying to think of a single female character we love them all. I don't like in Throne of Glass. Like I love all of them.

Speaker 2:
[19:40] Yeah, I'm down bad for each of those girlies.

Speaker 1:
[19:42] Yeah. So I guess whenever I'm picking up a romanticie, when I'm feeling nostalgic like this, I'm just like hoping for some FMCs like that. So we'll see. We'll see what she's like. It's going to be an adventure. And I feel like we have looked around. And this is the one that I feel most confident is going to give us those nostalgic feelings.

Speaker 2:
[20:02] I'm really excited. I'm hoping you would have such a good time. I love.

Speaker 1:
[20:06] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[20:06] What other ones do you have on your list? Because I don't want to just be selfish and take all the airtime, my love.

Speaker 1:
[20:11] Well, so we're doing that pretty quickly so that we're ready for Fury Bound, right?

Speaker 2:
[20:15] Yeah, I'm going to the store today.

Speaker 1:
[20:17] Yeah. So the other one that we are reading actually with our Patreon book club, and this is the longest we've ever taken to do a book because it is a long book, is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. So we're only halfway through this. If you want to join us, there's still plenty of time to join and get in on the deep dive of the Count of Monte Cristo. We're having a great time. I will be done with this on schedule mid-May.

Speaker 2:
[20:43] Yeah, same. So it won't be in my reading wrap-up this month. It'll be up next month. This is such an awesome classic because it was written in short stories, guys. So it actually kind of works the way we're reading it very episodically while PBS Masterpiece has been releasing a new adaptation. So we like always in our Patreon book club, we read books and then if there's shows or movies, we do those as well.

Speaker 1:
[21:12] We do the adaptation.

Speaker 2:
[21:13] So fun to do the adaptations. So yeah, I mean, we're taking our time with it, but I honestly don't know if I could have done it a whole lot faster because it's a chunker.

Speaker 1:
[21:23] And in the US, at least, the show is being released literally on our schedule. So we couldn't even watch the whole show until all the episodes are out. So we've been literally getting a new episode drop every week. And yeah, I think it's been so fun. Yeah, it was written serially. So we've definitely noticed that aspect of it is like, oh, it definitely comes out like in parts and portions.

Speaker 2:
[21:47] But the 2002 movie that we watched when we were younger literally changed my life. Watched it again recently, still lives up to the hype. And I think that if you want to love classics or if you do love classics, doing the deep dives with us, we help clarify things that are confusing, or we make sure you're on pace knowing who all the characters are, what's going on. Also, Maddie's husband has been joining us for those. And what's so fun is he has this historic context that he brings into all of the weekly deep dives.

Speaker 1:
[22:14] Yeah, so that we understand what the heck the Napoleonic Wars were.

Speaker 2:
[22:17] Don't know about that. Don't know her. Don't know her. But I love a good pirate, revenge, escape, murder. I don't know. I mean, it's so much intrigue, really.

Speaker 1:
[22:28] It has a lot of juicy, juicy, juicy moments. There are little parts that I'm like, am I reading a period French soap opera?

Speaker 2:
[22:36] No, there are.

Speaker 1:
[22:37] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[22:38] It's crazy because like it still holds up today and then you're just confused.

Speaker 1:
[22:41] What do you mean he had an illegitimate child with his friend's wife?

Speaker 2:
[22:45] Why is she so interested in poisons?

Speaker 1:
[22:47] Right. It's very intriguing. Just like, wait.

Speaker 2:
[22:51] So we'll be finishing that chunker during this quarter. Very excited about that. I'm going to jump into Margo's Got Money Troubles, which is a brand new adaptation on Apple TV. Really, we just spun our TBB wheel. Okay. And our very first one was Margo. So we're also doing this one together. Maddie, are we reading everything together, Q2?

Speaker 1:
[23:14] I actually didn't have this on my list because I'm going to watch the pilot before I decide to jump into the book. I don't know why I'm on the fence about the book because I'm sure it's great. In fact, Olavi Blake, who's an author we love and trust, she recommended it. So I think I would love it. I think I don't... I guess it's more just the things that I'm trying to finish at a certain time. I feel like I might end up watching the show and reading the book later. But if you're loving the book or I watch the pilot and I'm like, Oh my God, I need to read this book. Yes, I'll probably throw it on the list.

Speaker 2:
[23:47] I'll let you know. You know, I'm going to be honest sister talk. I'm going to be like, Listen, it's fire. I'm going to be like, Listen, just enjoy this.

Speaker 1:
[23:54] Just enjoy this show. I'm sure the book is great. I think it just might be one of those like good books will be good forever. So maybe I'll enjoy this show. And then I'll, you know, when I'm missing it or I'm in the mood for something like this, then I'll pick up the book.

Speaker 2:
[24:06] I'm embarrassed. I didn't give the author's name.

Speaker 1:
[24:10] Thorpe, maybe. Am I wrong about that? Look it up.

Speaker 2:
[24:14] Margo's Got Money Troubles book, not show. The show is getting all the hype right now. It is by something Thorpe.

Speaker 1:
[24:22] I could have swore.

Speaker 2:
[24:23] Rufi Thorpe.

Speaker 1:
[24:25] Rufi Thorpe.

Speaker 2:
[24:26] Rufi. Oh, Rufi Yo.

Speaker 1:
[24:28] Rufi Yo. Yeah. Rufi.

Speaker 2:
[24:30] Okay. Rufi Thorpe. Got it.

Speaker 1:
[24:31] Anybody watch it out there? Anybody else get that reference?

Speaker 2:
[24:35] Robin Williams. Okay. So I'm going to be reading that. Honestly, it's kind of me cheating in my life. I feel like The Count of Monte Cristo and I feel like all the Game of Thrones are like heavy and very thick and I'm doing like a series. I'm like, I need a standalone. I need like just a contemporary something or other.

Speaker 1:
[24:56] Do we know what Margo's Got Money Troubles? Like what the blurb is?

Speaker 2:
[24:59] You know what? Let me just pull up exactly what was on my phone.

Speaker 1:
[25:04] I mean, the title is very descriptive. Oh my gosh, Maddie.

Speaker 2:
[25:10] As the child of a Hooters waitress, an ex pro wrestler.

Speaker 1:
[25:13] I love this.

Speaker 2:
[25:14] Margo Millett's always known. She'd have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can't imagine how she'll ever make a living. And then it stops.

Speaker 1:
[25:26] So that's actually she's got money troubles, but she's trying to turn a life around. I it's giving messy, messy woman. We love it.

Speaker 2:
[25:35] It's going to be great, but but she's still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor.

Speaker 1:
[25:43] Oh, juicy.

Speaker 2:
[25:45] And while the affair is brief, it isn't brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant.

Speaker 1:
[25:51] Wait, are you reading so many spoilers right now?

Speaker 2:
[25:53] It's literally on Amazon. Okay, it's the back jacket, Maddie.

Speaker 1:
[25:57] Okay, I'm just making sure.

Speaker 2:
[25:58] Oh my gosh, she decides to keep the baby cute.

Speaker 1:
[26:01] Okay, stop. I don't want to hear anymore. I want to go in blind from here.

Speaker 2:
[26:05] I'm literally going to have so much fun reading this. It's actually giving like comedy the way this is written. They're being cheeky.

Speaker 1:
[26:13] Yes, it's definitely a comedy.

Speaker 2:
[26:14] It's entertaining and lovable. Okay, so I'll let you guys know on the reading wrap up how it goes. I bet I'll be done with it this month. If not, it'll be the beginning of next month. But I really feel like Olive E. Blake, though, has so much humor in her books. So I wonder if that's really going to work for me. I hope so.

Speaker 1:
[26:32] I'm excited for you and maybe for me. My next priority read was a recommendation from you, sis.

Speaker 2:
[26:39] The Correspondent.

Speaker 1:
[26:41] It's The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Oh, I love the cover of this book. You could give the premise since you've already read it, but I don't want any spoilers. I just understand that it's told in letters.

Speaker 2:
[26:54] Yes, it is all letters or emails, right?

Speaker 1:
[26:58] And that it is a woman later in her life. So the protagonist is an elderly woman and it's not a thriller.

Speaker 2:
[27:04] Her name is Sable.

Speaker 1:
[27:05] Her name is Sable. But there's like, I understand just this is just from people like on social media, like giving their reactions at the end, that it's quite like an emotional, potentially a little bit of a twist of an ending. So I'm very excited.

Speaker 2:
[27:19] Yeah, I think what was really fun about this story was not just the layout of the story, which is good. I will say that it feels sometimes like abrupt stops because you're reading letters that sometimes aren't like super close in the timeline.

Speaker 1:
[27:35] Oh, right.

Speaker 2:
[27:36] It goes in the correct timeline. But yes, but there's some jumping. So I remember sometimes feeling like that was a bit jarring. But stick with it and trust what Virginia is doing because by the end of the book, there is like, I would say a twist or an aha, where some of the parts that might have felt like they didn't quite make sense. Everything makes sense. And that's when you just want to put the book down and slow clap for an author because you're like, brilliant job. I actually think I had recommended this to my sister-in-law. She texted me yesterday and this was like, that was an amazing rec.

Speaker 1:
[28:12] Oh, good.

Speaker 2:
[28:13] She loved it. So I'm not the first person to love this book. I'm trying to remember the very first person who told me it was good. But I do think it's going to win some awards this year. I think it's going to be on bestsellers for a long time. So I hope you like it. We both like reading about old people.

Speaker 1:
[28:30] I love it.

Speaker 2:
[28:30] We love wisdom. We love people who are looking back and they're using the perspective from what they know now to look at their life through a different lens. And there's a lot of that.

Speaker 1:
[28:39] Dude, I can't wait for my Crone era. I'm like, I think about it all the time. I'm so excited.

Speaker 2:
[28:45] Fast forward me to 80, please. More 70s maybe.

Speaker 1:
[28:49] My last two are like wild cards. Like we're not on my TBR wheel from the beginning of this year. Like they're just wild cards, but I'm very excited about them. One of them is called I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. And it was just given to us by one of our lovely Patreon members who met us at our meetup in Edinburgh. And I loved her. Shout out to Kate. She was like, I need you guys to read Iain Reid. So I'm reading, I'm Thinking of Ending Things. And I don't think I ever would have had it on my TBR if it wasn't for her, but I trust her. She knows our taste. She gave me a good little setup for why she thinks I'll like it. And actually, I just saw that Jesse Buckley is in the adaptation.

Speaker 2:
[29:32] We love Jesse. Congrats on all your awards and your life.

Speaker 1:
[29:36] Yeah. Although I did watch the trailer and I was a little unsettled. And she did tell me like it is unsettling, but it won't give you nightmares. So I'm so excited to just have something so different on my TBR. I think it's going to stand out and feel original. And if I really like the writing style and Iain Reid, like he has a backlist. Kate gave Kristen one of his other books. So I'm very excited that this could just be a new avenue for me to explore unsettling fiction that's not quite horror. Because I don't know how much I can just load my TBR with horror. It just isn't going to be my genre, I don't think. But I absolutely love having something that just disrupts everything else and doesn't feel like everything else.

Speaker 2:
[30:16] So we've added horror into our genres.

Speaker 1:
[30:19] I don't think it's horror. I think it's unsettling fiction.

Speaker 2:
[30:24] Is it like thrillery, you think?

Speaker 1:
[30:25] Maybe psychological drama, maybe.

Speaker 2:
[30:28] Okay, we'll add that. Still, we're getting the variety. You know what's one of my favorite things about you? Every time you say horror, you say who-er. Like you're talking about, like, I am but a who-er. Horror?

Speaker 1:
[30:39] Horror. Horror.

Speaker 2:
[30:41] It's really like horror.

Speaker 1:
[30:42] Horror.

Speaker 2:
[30:43] That's not even worse.

Speaker 1:
[30:45] No. Okay. I only have one left. What do you have left?

Speaker 2:
[30:49] I have a couple. So I have a beautiful physical TBR. So I was just looking at her and I said, oh, I want every one of you. But I landed on The Alchemist.

Speaker 1:
[30:59] Oh, yes.

Speaker 2:
[31:00] This is by Paulo Coelho?

Speaker 1:
[31:03] Coelho. Wait, how do you spell it?

Speaker 2:
[31:06] C-O-E-L-H-O. Coelho. Coelho.

Speaker 1:
[31:11] Paulo Coelho?

Speaker 2:
[31:13] I am so sorry. Will somebody please put in the comments how to pronounce this or I will be Googling afterwards. Anyways, Paulo, thank you for writing this book. It is like a fan favorite for the ages.

Speaker 1:
[31:24] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[31:24] Everybody talks about this book. I am sick of being on the outside of the circle of the no. You know what I mean? I am trying to put my foot in there like you haven't read it yet. I am like fine. So I am going to read this. It is also not that long. Not me looking out for myself in my time. So I am going to pick this up. I will let you guys know how it goes. Our sibling, Sam, absolutely love this book. One of their best reads ever. So that is like a big sell for me.

Speaker 1:
[31:48] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[31:49] So I am going to go for it.

Speaker 1:
[31:49] I forgot Sam was really into this one. Okay. Cool. Can't wait for your review.

Speaker 2:
[31:56] And then the last one, okay, it was a toss up.

Speaker 1:
[31:58] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[31:59] My last one was a toss up. But I will always choose a buddy read. Obviously, I love buddy reads. So my daughter just read All the Fault in Our Stars. This is by John Green. And she was like, Mommy, you have to read it so good. She turns 14 in a couple of days. Also, I'm just wanting her to like me.

Speaker 1:
[32:16] John Green is a local author.

Speaker 2:
[32:18] I know he's from Indiana.

Speaker 1:
[32:20] He lives in Indianapolis. What? We could probably get a book signed. That's all I'm saying.

Speaker 2:
[32:24] Maybe. Or maybe he's like weird. Weird. Just because we live in the same state doesn't mean you get to have a book signed.

Speaker 1:
[32:30] You never read or watch The Fault in Our Stars? No.

Speaker 2:
[32:32] And she wants to watch the movie. And I said, don't watch it without me. So I'm going to read it.

Speaker 1:
[32:37] You guys need to hydrate before this experiment. You are going to cry so hard.

Speaker 2:
[32:43] Last year, we did Outsiders together. The Outsiders bawled my eyes out.

Speaker 1:
[32:47] Just hydrate first.

Speaker 2:
[32:49] She did ask me if I'd rather do that or Twilight. And I said, oh, oh, I will be choosing not Twilight because I don't know if it's going to hit the same as an adult that's never read it.

Speaker 1:
[33:01] I will say it is a bigger time commitment. Like reading Twilight is a much bigger time commitment than The Fault in Our Stars. Yeah, yeah, fair. OK, the last one on my list, I need to look up the author really quick. It's called Family Drama. I literally bought it off the end cap at Barnes and Noble because I was obsessed with the cover.

Speaker 2:
[33:20] Covers do sell books, don't they guys?

Speaker 1:
[33:21] Dude, I've heard nothing about this book. Don't know if it's good. I hope it's not Trash Panda. But I read the synopsis, I looked at this cover and I said, she's coming home with me. This is by Rebecca Fallon. And when you guys see this cover, tell me I'm wrong. Tell me it's not intriguing. So it's about a woman who is a mother. She has two children, they may be twins. I'm trying to remember from the back jacket, can't remember, but it's the two kids. And she has this whole life in Hollywood that she works, like she goes there and works and then she comes home. When the kids are older, which is I think when this book takes place, they're kind of uncovering some mysteries about like the life their mother had when she was there. Because they obviously only know the mother that was with them. And I was just like, this sounds so intriguing.

Speaker 2:
[34:12] Whoa.

Speaker 1:
[34:12] Look at this cover.

Speaker 2:
[34:14] It is giving old Hollywood.

Speaker 1:
[34:16] Isn't it? I'm very excited. I think it's supposed to be actually more like 80s, 90s, not old Hollywood. So, okay. Yeah, it's a debut.

Speaker 2:
[34:23] 80s and 90s was a while ago.

Speaker 1:
[34:24] It's a debut novel. She is a soap opera star and she lives a double life between Hollywood and New England. And yes, they are twins and they uncover her secrets after her death. But I believe it's present day and they're like in their 20s after she dies. So I think she was like a soap opera star like in the 90s in Hollywood. I know.

Speaker 2:
[34:45] I need to read this because if it's really good, I'm going to read it. If it's not really good, I'm still going to be like, tell me what the heck happened.

Speaker 1:
[34:50] Oh my gosh. I'm like in a contemporary fiction mood. I just read Yesteryear and loved it. I just read Into the Blue and loved it. So I think I'm just like liking sprinkling a couple of those in some of these just like popcorn, current fiction. They're on people's book clubs. Like I'm just interested in like tossing those. I always love reading older stuff too, but it's just like fun to have the variety.

Speaker 2:
[35:14] Wait, I know this is not the topic. I know that this video is about the TBR.

Speaker 1:
[35:18] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[35:19] But do I read Yesteryear?

Speaker 1:
[35:21] Kristen, do I? It's so disturbing, but it is so gripping. Like you cannot put it down.

Speaker 2:
[35:30] Disturbing like I won't be able to sleep.

Speaker 1:
[35:32] Oh, no, no. Disturbing like what the hell is going on?

Speaker 2:
[35:35] Oh, I love those.

Speaker 1:
[35:36] And then at the end, you're kind of like, oh, God.

Speaker 2:
[35:39] Wait, it's not a happy ending.

Speaker 1:
[35:42] I know it's a redemptive ending. It's just not. It's just the twist.

Speaker 2:
[35:47] The uncovering is unsettling. Oh, no.

Speaker 1:
[35:53] Do you remember? I don't want to spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it.

Speaker 2:
[35:56] I'm like move the mic.

Speaker 1:
[35:57] Do you remember the movie Shutter Island? With Leonardo DiCaprio. And the whole time you're watching this movie.

Speaker 2:
[36:04] Don't spoil the movie either.

Speaker 1:
[36:05] People will be upset. I won't spoil it. But the whole time you're watching this film, you're in Leonardo DiCaprio's point of view, and he is trying to understand what is going on in this creepy island, Shutter Island, right? And so you're very invested in this plot line. But by the end of the movie, do you remember the end of the movie?

Speaker 2:
[36:26] Nope. So I need to add it to the TBB.

Speaker 1:
[36:28] I don't know because it's so disturbing. The end is so disturbing. It is such a phenomenal twist. It is such a phenomenal twist. But it's just like you never see it coming. It's completely unpredictable. And by the time you get there, you're just like, oh, God.

Speaker 2:
[36:47] Really? Okay.

Speaker 1:
[36:48] But you're not disturbed the whole time during the story because you just never see it coming. It's just like that very final moment when it's like, it's the last page or just like, pop, that's what happened. You're like, wait, what? And that's really disturbing, but you're not disturbed the whole time reading it.

Speaker 2:
[37:02] Well, I've heard a little birdie told me there's going to be an adaptation. So, you know, I'm going to be feral.

Speaker 1:
[37:07] Yes. I heard Anne Hathaway about the rights. Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[37:11] Okay, Anne.

Speaker 1:
[37:12] And I think she did. Well, she's acting in it anyway. It's like her film, I think.

Speaker 2:
[37:17] Wait, so she acting in it or did she buy the right?

Speaker 1:
[37:19] Okay. Let me fact check this one second.

Speaker 2:
[37:21] Because Anne Hathaway does seem perfect.

Speaker 1:
[37:23] Oh yes. She'll be amazing.

Speaker 2:
[37:27] Her career is long.

Speaker 1:
[37:29] Oh, I think she's playing the long game. Yes. Yesteryear and Hathaway is set to produce and star in the film, a 2026 debut novel and it is her company Somewhere Pictures. So yes, she is making it and she is starring in it.

Speaker 2:
[37:44] Does everybody have their own publishing house and their own studio now?

Speaker 1:
[37:47] Only the coolest people.

Speaker 2:
[37:49] I'm literally like, they are multi-layered people.

Speaker 1:
[37:53] We love to see it.

Speaker 2:
[37:54] They have so many talents. Well, I hope you guys are thinking about your quarter two. You could also just go back and see the best books from our quarter one to build your quarter two because my quarter one was so good.

Speaker 1:
[38:07] Yeah, we'll be dropping that this week if you want to check what our best books of quarter one were. But if you already have your quarter two planned out, let us know what you're going to be reading in the comments below and we will see you guys in the next video. Bye.