Ep. 115: Books I'm Excited About

[00:00:00] Welcome to Ink Drinkers, a Literary Tea Party Podcast where we discuss books and drink tea.

[00:00:31] Hello Ink Drinkers, so this week you're only going to be hearing from me, Jamie, because Marissa is at home with her family celebrating the birth of their new little baby boy, which I'm excited to finally tell you.

[00:00:49] The name is Griffin Joseph Kuhlann, and they're going to be calling him Finn, which is so cute. I still haven't gotten a chance to meet him, but I can't wait.

[00:01:00] He is so adorable. And Marissa, if you're listening to this, let this be a reminder for you to please keep sending me more photos. Okay.

[00:01:10] So since it's just me, I thought I would do something a little bit different and go through some of the books that I brought back from the Winter Institute with me that I am most excited about reading.

[00:01:24] And I have them here in front of me. It's 14 books, and I'll go through them in order of publication date, but I will say there's a 15th that should be in this stack that is not.

[00:01:34] And that's because I have already talked about it on the podcast, and that is Past Present Future by Rachel and Solomon.

[00:01:41] So a few of these books have actually either already published or are very close to publishing.

[00:01:48] So if these first three sound interesting to you, you should be able to get your hands on them relatively quickly.

[00:01:55] The first one is called That's Not My Name by Megan Lally. This was published in December, so it is available to you now.

[00:02:05] Megan came as part of the Indies Introduce Lunch at the Winter Institute, and that was this event where smaller authors and debut authors could come and basically pitch their books to us.

[00:02:19] And they read excerpts from the book, and it was really cool.

[00:02:24] And this one caught my attention because it sounded like an interesting thriller.

[00:02:30] So the premise is that this teenager wakes up on the side of a dirt road. She has no memory of how she got there, who she is, what her name is, and then a man shows up at the police station.

[00:02:43] And he is like, hi, I'm looking for my daughter. Here's her school ID and her birth certificate and some family photos.

[00:02:50] And he says he's her father, and that her name is Mary, but that may not actually be the case.

[00:02:58] So this one has already gotten really good reviews, and I am excited to check this one out.

[00:03:04] Next up is a Love Song for Ricky Wilde by T.O. Williams.

[00:03:08] I am actually in the middle of listening to this book right now because I heard that the audiobook was so fantastic.

[00:03:15] And it's out now again, so if you're interested, you can check it out immediately.

[00:03:19] This is the same author who wrote Seven Days in June, which I absolutely loved.

[00:03:24] And so far, a Love Song for Ricky Wilde, I'll say this.

[00:03:29] I started listening to it one night when I was trying to fall asleep, and then I had to turn it off because I realized it was keeping me awake

[00:03:36] because it was holding my attention so well.

[00:03:39] It's about a woman named Ricky Wilde who is trying to find herself because her family owns a funeral home,

[00:03:49] and she just has no interest in that personally. She wants to go and open up her own flower shop,

[00:03:54] and her family is not very supportive, but she ends up moving to New York.

[00:04:00] It's very specific about which borough, and I can't remember which one.

[00:04:04] Brooklyn or Bronx, or I don't know, anyway, she ends up moving there with this older lady who ends up being kind of a mentor to her

[00:04:13] and opening her flower shop, and there's kind of a magical component to it that I can feel rumblings of,

[00:04:21] but I haven't quite gotten to the magic yet.

[00:04:24] And I mean like magical realism, not like witchy magic.

[00:04:27] And then there's also a historical component to it with a guy who plays piano,

[00:04:33] and I haven't gotten to the point where they tie in yet, so I'm very curious what one storyline has to do with another.

[00:04:41] Next we have Olavetti, which comes out March 26th.

[00:04:46] So we're almost there. This is another one of the Indies introduced lunch picks that was pitched to us by the author.

[00:04:55] It's a debut novel. Her name is Ali Millington and she was so adorable.

[00:05:00] And this is actually a I think middle grade book, and it is about a sentient typewriter.

[00:05:09] And the tagline on the cover says typewriter is no more than we think they do.

[00:05:14] And it is about this typewriter that is talking to you as the narrator and has thoughts, and I'll just read a quick little excerpt from the book

[00:05:26] because it just sounds so adorable.

[00:05:28] It's possible you've never seen a typewriter before either.

[00:05:31] Most young humans have not had the pleasure.

[00:05:33] What is this thing? I'm often asked when children meet me.

[00:05:36] They'll move their hand over my steel frame searching for something that isn't there.

[00:05:40] Where's the screen? It looks like a broken computer.

[00:05:44] I personally, this is me speaking again, not reading the book but I personally have always had a fascination with typewriters.

[00:05:51] So to me it just sounds so fun and you know since it's middle grade it will be a quick read.

[00:05:58] So I will hopefully dig into this one pretty soon.

[00:06:03] Next on sale on April 16th is Doris Kern's Goodwin's latest.

[00:06:10] This one, you know she's known for her presidential biographies.

[00:06:14] This one is actually more of an autobiography so it's called an unfinished love story, a personal history of the 1960s.

[00:06:23] And it's about her life and her husband's life and how the two of them worked with several different presidents

[00:06:32] and just all of the incredible things that she and her husband have done and gotten to do.

[00:06:38] And you know, she worked with Lyndon B. Johnson and like her husband wrote all of these incredibly famous speeches

[00:06:50] that people still quote today and like that was her husband.

[00:06:55] And to me that is just absolutely incredible.

[00:06:59] Doris Kern's Goodwin was actually the closing speaker at the Winter Institute and oh my gosh she was so charming and charismatic

[00:07:10] and she's this adorable old lady but she had so much spunk and energy and I just I want to be her one day.

[00:07:18] She the amount of knowledge and like dates and historical facts that she just keeps up in her brain

[00:07:26] and can rattle off at the drop of a hat was absolutely incredible to me.

[00:07:31] I think everybody was super just taken with her because it was silent in the room we could have heard a pin drop.

[00:07:36] And she talked about what made some of these leaders like John F. Kennedy, like Lyndon B. Johnson such great leaders

[00:07:46] and how it's so different today with the leaders that we have had recently.

[00:07:54] But she talked about it in a very hopeful way of like we can find these leaders again and we can unite America again.

[00:08:02] And honestly by the end of it I was like yes Doris Kern's Goodwin you are the leader that we need.

[00:08:08] Please run for president but it was so so cool like such a treat to get to see her at the conference and to be able to snag a copy of this.

[00:08:19] Oh man I can't wait to dive in. I don't know if I'm gonna wait for the audiobook.

[00:08:25] Oh I don't know, I can't decide we'll see.

[00:08:30] The next one is another historical book and it is oh my god it is so thick like over 500 pages.

[00:08:38] Yeah, this is a door stop. It is the demon of unrest by Eric Glarson.

[00:08:45] I think Eric Glarson is just such a fantastic storyteller he does a lot of narrative nonfiction

[00:08:52] and I will read anything that he writes but this one in particular is about Lincoln and the Civil War.

[00:08:59] And I have always been extremely fascinated by Lincoln and I will read like any book that I can about him so the fact that Eric Glarson wrote this, I'm pumped I cannot wait.

[00:09:13] I actually the book that I got my dad is a huge Eric Glarson fan and his birthday is in April.

[00:09:21] And so I actually got Eric Glarson to sign this copy of the book to my dad.

[00:09:28] So I can safely say this because I know he doesn't listen to the podcast but I'm just I'm really excited to give this to him.

[00:09:37] I think it's going to be a treat for him.

[00:09:40] Next up is The Ministry of Time by Collian Bradley.

[00:09:46] I am certain I butchered that first name but every single bookseller at the conference was talking about how amazing this book is.

[00:09:58] And so like it wasn't on my radar I had never even heard of it.

[00:10:03] Apparently it's already an international sensation which I didn't know but everyone else was like this is going to be the book of the year.

[00:10:11] And so when I heard that I was like all right well let me go back to the gallery room and grab a copy because I'm going to need to read it.

[00:10:17] It comes out on May 7th and I honestly don't know much about it.

[00:10:23] I know that it's a debut novel. I know that it's like speculative fiction.

[00:10:29] The back there's like quotes that say it is a boldly entertaining pagejourner.

[00:10:36] Deeply thoughtfully engaged with our past present and future.

[00:10:40] There's one quote that says I missed it when I was away from it which to me like I have felt that feeling before

[00:10:46] and that to me is like the ultimate compliment of a book to say I loved it so much that it stuck with me and I missed it.

[00:10:55] I don't know, I have a feeling I'll be talking about this one on a future episode so I will leave it at that.

[00:11:02] Next up is The Last Murder at the end of the world by Stuart Turton.

[00:11:07] He wrote the 7 and a half deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle which to me did not get nearly the praise that it deserved because it was such an original idea.

[00:11:17] It was so well done and fascinating. It kept me guessing until the very end and I feel like okay so his last book was called The 7 and a half deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle right?

[00:11:29] Well it came out about a year after the 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I mean those titles are so similar.

[00:11:38] So I feel like it kind of got lost in the shuffle because of Evelyn Hugo and maybe that's just me talking maybe nobody else feels that way but I loved Evelyn Hardcastle

[00:11:50] and so I can't wait to read The Murder at the end of the world, the last murder at the end of the world.

[00:11:56] And it says on the back solve the murder to save what's left of the world and like that's all I need to know.

[00:12:03] It says that if The Murder isn't solved within 91 hours the fog will smother the island and everyone on it.

[00:12:09] How I have no idea but I can't wait to find out.

[00:12:12] Next up Not in Love by Allie Hazelwood which comes out on June 11th and you know Allie Hazelwood has been a little hit or miss for me and Marissa at times.

[00:12:24] So we loved her first book the next two felt a little too similar to her first book but then her YA romance came out and I loved that.

[00:12:35] And then I think Marissa enjoyed her fantasy that came out of nowhere.

[00:12:42] So we will see according to the back it is gloriously nerdy and sexy which that is that is praise enough for me.

[00:12:52] This one has a biotech engineer promising startup in the field of food science which sounds interesting to me.

[00:13:00] A business partner who does a hostile takeover and so obviously with the hostile takeover it sounds like it's going to be an enemy's celebrity type of romance.

[00:13:13] So we I don't know I'm keeping an open mind and hoping for the best.

[00:13:20] Next we have another romance this is the ROM Commerce by Catherine center on sale June 11th and this is about a couple of screenwriters who again I think this is an enemy's to lover's story.

[00:13:36] And you know I'm a little nervous about the fact that it's screenwriters again I'm keeping an open mind my friend Carrie said that this is one of her favorite Catherine center books to date.

[00:13:48] So you know I always appreciate Carrie's opinions on books and we usually tend to align with those so hopefully I'll enjoy it.

[00:13:57] Catherine center's last book did not necessarily work for me but the one before that did so it could go either way.

[00:14:06] Then we have rainbow rouse slow dance which comes out on July 23rd and this one is about it seems like when when Carrie and Shiloh were teens they were like really good friends and there was maybe kind of a missed opportunity there for romance.

[00:14:28] And 14 years later Shiloh is 33 and she's kind of stuck in a rut and like back in her hometown not not really feeling it but she gets invited to this wedding where like all of her old friends and people she used to hang out with will be and she's not really sure if she's going to see Carrie there or not

[00:14:48] and how she'll feel and how it will go I mean I can guess I can guess how it will go.

[00:14:56] And I think I'm going to enjoy the journey.

[00:14:59] And then we have the wedding people by Allison Esbach again probably saying that wrong but this one is also out in July and it sounds like it's going to be about a woman kind of trying to find herself again.

[00:15:17] It takes place in Newport Rhode Island which I got to visit a couple of years ago and so I'm going to enjoy I think reading about that city and kind of picturing myself there.

[00:15:28] I'm thinking maybe kind of an Ellen Hilderbrand type of book but again I've never read anything by Allison Esbach but Carrie said this was really good she like texted me I was like hey I think this was in your stack of books and just a heads up it was really good I think you'll enjoy it.

[00:15:46] So I'm going to take her word for it and check it out and I'm always down for some solid women's fiction which I think is what this is if I'm wrong I apologize.

[00:15:58] Then we have the pairing by Casey McQuiston this one's on sale August 6th and it was so fun to get some meat Casey at the winner institute and get her to sign my book and all of that.

[00:16:15] This one the situation is just so hilarious so Theo and Kit were together they were in a relationship and then they were flying to do this dream European food and wine tour and then they broke up on the plane there so they never took the tour but they still have vouchers for the tour.

[00:16:40] So four years later they both decide like okay I'm past this this always was my dream to go do this tour I'm finally going to do it and they both decide to take the tour separately like they they don't discuss this with each other.

[00:16:53] And then they get there and yep they've both had the exact same idea which what are the chances honestly but this is hilarious I love that they're being thrown together in this situation and I can't wait to see what comes of it.

[00:17:06] Next up is truly madly magically by Hazel Beck and I have no idea what's going I don't know what this novel is about really I mean I can read the back of it but it doesn't really tell me that much just that there's a witch named Eloyn good and she has a newly formed Coven and needs to survive and she's dealing with her first love and I don't know.

[00:17:32] But the cover is adorable and it's magical and you know Marissa and I are always looking for good magical books now the interesting thing about this is it says the author Hazel Beck this is the description on the back.

[00:17:48] Hazel Beck is the magical partnership of a river witch and an earth witch together they have collected two husbands three familiars two children five degrees and written around 200 books as one their books will delight with breath to the end.

[00:18:01] It's a great way to do that.

[00:18:03] So I think it's really fun and look here's more a witch cursed to tell the truth and the man who won't let her lie to herself anymore I don't know it could be a flop but the covers is wonderful and so I'm going to give it a shot

[00:18:26] and then the last one we have is magical meat cut by Jean Meltzer which comes out on August 27th and I got to meet Jean at the conference and she was she was honestly just so adorable and funny and wonderful that it made me want to read the book even more even though like I was already planning to read it.

[00:18:52] She wrote the mots of all which is the only other book of hers that I had read but I liked it and so I definitely want to read more by her but she was so cool she had her friend make these like bracelets that are I guess a traditional Jewish bracelet that is supposed to bring like luck and love and all these things and she started telling me about it and I was like oh man yeah I need all of those things and she was like take two bracelets like here you go you could double everything you know it sounds like you really needed so she was just like

[00:19:21] she was just so fun and funny and I loved it but these books are just a fraction of what I brought home if I told you about every single one of them this episode would be like three hours long and I'm not going to do that to you

[00:19:35] but if you want to see all of the books that I brought back you can check out my personal Instagram at jme.gov.all.trades I really got to change that it's kind of annoying that it's so long

[00:19:46] but I did a real with them and so the photos like flip by pretty fast but I think if you hold down the screen then it'll pause it maybe I don't know I can't remember how Instagram works but anyway if there's any books on those lists that you think sound interesting that you want to check out just shoot me a message I'm definitely willing to send books to people who will give them love and give them a home because I certainly I can't read every single one of them

[00:20:15] I can't read every single one of these but I do think that every single one of these books is worth reading I pick them up for a reason I'm excited about every single one of them but if I can't read it I definitely want someone else to be able to

[00:20:29] I will say some of them are signed so if you message me about a book that's signed I'm sorry but not going to send you that one but I will send out ones that you know I'm not going to get to myself

[00:20:43] I'm not going to write a few so please go check them out send me a DM and then let me know which books you're excited to read from the ones that I talked about today because I want to hear about it and if you've read any of them like let me know that too I am so excited I love books let's do this

[00:20:58] thank you for listening today oh I forgot to mention the tea that I am drinking today is it's just a boring old English breakfast from Harnie and Sons but I needed something solid because I and just a couple of hours

[00:21:12] heading to the airport to get on a flight to Disney I am pumped you will actually hear a little bit more about the Disney trip on the next episode which I recorded with Adi Yoder

[00:21:23] these are kind of going out of order from when we recorded them but anyway I have talked so much you're probably tired of hearing my voice

[00:21:31] thank you for listening and I hope you have a wonderful week cheers

[00:21:36] thanks for listening be sure to check out the show notes for the full list of books we discussed today you can find that in your podcast app or on our website

[00:21:44] in drinkers podcast dot com and please support us by subscribing anywhere you listen to podcasts and leaving a review

[00:21:52] you can find us on Instagram and on Twitter at ain't drinkers pod cheers