Ep. 138: It Didn't Blow My Socks Off

[00:00:16] Welcome to Ink Drinkers, a literary tea party podcast where we discuss books and drink tea.

[00:00:30] Get my tea in place.

[00:00:32] That mug is very hot.

[00:00:35] Hi.

[00:00:36] Hi.

[00:00:38] What's happening?

[00:00:40] Oh, living life.

[00:00:42] I feel like I've been running and gunning all day and I just want to like sit down on the couch for ten minutes and chill, but I don't have time for that.

[00:00:52] It's just one of those days.

[00:00:53] And it's a Friday. That shouldn't be the case.

[00:00:55] I know.

[00:00:56] And like I told her, I was like, I'm not coming in to work on Friday, like because I need to do stuff to leave for Iceland.

[00:01:04] Right?

[00:01:05] When this comes out, it'll be while you're in Iceland, right?

[00:01:08] Or when you come back.

[00:01:09] Like the day I come back, yeah.

[00:01:12] And I'm, I mean like not going to the office, haven't had to go to the office, but I'm still getting all kinds of like text messages and messages and teams and emails.

[00:01:20] And I'm like, guys, can you function without me for a day?

[00:01:23] Nope.

[00:01:28] Anyway, um, yeah.

[00:01:30] And I just, um, I know I already told you this, but physical therapy this morning was

[00:01:36] Kicked your butt.

[00:01:36] It kicked my butt.

[00:01:37] And she even like went easy on me because I told her, I was like, I've been sick for two and a half weeks.

[00:01:42] Like don't do any, and I'm going on a trip.

[00:01:45] Like please don't be too hard on me.

[00:01:48] And she wasn't.

[00:01:49] And I'm still like, oh my God, everything hurts.

[00:01:53] But I'll feel so much better tomorrow.

[00:01:56] Well, then you needed it.

[00:01:58] Oh, absolutely needed it.

[00:02:01] Um, I'm just rambling because that's what's happening in my brain right now.

[00:02:05] It's okay.

[00:02:06] Okay.

[00:02:07] Like it's just going nine miles per hour and we can talk about books though.

[00:02:13] I was just taking a deep breath for you.

[00:02:15] Thank you.

[00:02:16] I should probably do that myself, but appreciated nonetheless.

[00:02:20] Who goes first today?

[00:02:23] I think I do.

[00:02:25] Really?

[00:02:25] I was going to say I think I do being a first.

[00:02:28] Okay.

[00:02:29] Sure.

[00:02:30] Remember.

[00:02:31] I have no idea.

[00:02:32] All right.

[00:02:32] My book is first lie wins by Ashley Elston.

[00:02:36] Have you seen that?

[00:02:38] I have seen it.

[00:02:39] Have you read it?

[00:02:39] No, I have not read it.

[00:02:40] Let me know how it is.

[00:02:42] So I don't, I didn't look too much into Ashley's first novel I've read by her.

[00:02:46] I don't know if she's actually from Louisiana, but the book is set in Louisiana.

[00:02:49] Oh, well that's cool.

[00:02:50] Yeah.

[00:02:50] It's a fictional town.

[00:02:52] I don't even remember what it's called, but it's, I say it's fictional.

[00:02:55] I've never heard of it and I don't think that it's real.

[00:02:57] What's it?

[00:02:58] Do you remember?

[00:02:58] Something falls or something.

[00:03:00] We don't have any falls down here.

[00:03:02] Landing or something like that.

[00:03:04] I don't know.

[00:03:04] It wasn't anything I've ever heard.

[00:03:06] And they even went back and listened to it because I was like, I wonder if that's what

[00:03:10] I can Google it.

[00:03:11] I just remember thinking now.

[00:03:13] That's not legit.

[00:03:23] I don't know.

[00:03:24] I was like trying to do ASMR and then I was like, what can I do with this stick

[00:03:26] that I just pulled out of the bag for Teddy?

[00:03:29] Let's rub it on the microphone.

[00:03:30] That was weird.

[00:03:31] Sorry everyone.

[00:03:35] Okay.

[00:03:37] Be gone.

[00:03:37] Hopefully Teddy is alone now.

[00:03:40] It's he, Theodore or is he Teddy?

[00:03:41] He's Teddy, but I call him Theodore sometimes.

[00:03:44] Okay.

[00:03:45] So anyways, yeah, said in Louisiana.

[00:03:49] The, it's a thriller mystery sort of.

[00:03:55] So Evie, sorry.

[00:03:59] It's okay.

[00:04:00] Maybe he can pick up on the cast and your mind and he's just trying to,

[00:04:04] Must be trying to keep you calm.

[00:04:06] Well this is not helping.

[00:04:10] Opposite of that.

[00:04:11] Ready?

[00:04:12] All right.

[00:04:13] Ready?

[00:04:13] Yes.

[00:04:14] Okay.

[00:04:14] So Evie Porter is a Southern gal from some small town in Alabama and she's recently

[00:04:23] moved to Louisiana and she has a cute little boyfriend named Ryan who lives in his grandparents

[00:04:29] house.

[00:04:30] They left him whenever he, when they passed away and you know, he's got a really close

[00:04:35] group of friends and.

[00:04:36] Is this accent going to continue the whole time?

[00:04:39] I mean, I'm fine with it.

[00:04:40] If it is.

[00:04:42] Only problem is, is that Evie Porter doesn't exist.

[00:04:47] I'm sorry.

[00:04:47] Yeah.

[00:04:49] Nope.

[00:04:50] Wait.

[00:04:50] Nope.

[00:04:52] I'll continue.

[00:04:53] Yeah.

[00:04:54] I'm immediately not understanding.

[00:04:58] So she's an agent of sorts.

[00:05:01] She gets in, gets the job done.

[00:05:04] She works for a.

[00:05:05] Okay.

[00:05:06] So there is a human.

[00:05:07] Yeah.

[00:05:07] I'm like, okay.

[00:05:09] Thank you.

[00:05:10] She works for a Charlie Angels of sorts.

[00:05:13] I think his name is Mr. Smith.

[00:05:15] She doesn't know him.

[00:05:17] She gets her.

[00:05:17] She just gets phone calls.

[00:05:18] Yeah.

[00:05:19] She gets her orders on projects and she pretty much has to become these characters that

[00:05:27] are laid out for her.

[00:05:28] She's got to learn everything about her marks.

[00:05:32] And.

[00:05:33] So she is Jennifer Garner and alias.

[00:05:36] Yeah.

[00:05:36] Okay.

[00:05:37] Yeah.

[00:05:39] It was, I liked it.

[00:05:41] I don't think it was a five star for me.

[00:05:42] It was probably about four or so, maybe a little bit higher.

[00:05:45] It was interesting.

[00:05:47] Obviously like that it was set in Louisiana.

[00:05:48] The boyfriend went to LSU like they make mention of that.

[00:05:52] They make mention of Baton Rouge once or twice.

[00:05:56] Wait, can I interrupt you for a second?

[00:05:58] Even though you still barely told me anything about it.

[00:06:00] So there's, there's a Netflix show and I can't remember what it's called, but it's with Rob

[00:06:04] Lowe and his son.

[00:06:05] Uh huh.

[00:06:05] Like his real life son.

[00:06:06] And in the show they play a father and son and Rob Lowe's character's name in the

[00:06:11] show is Ellis Dragon.

[00:06:13] Okay.

[00:06:13] And I think I've seen the previous for this.

[00:06:16] It's, it's kind of stupid, but it was something mindless to watch their two seasons

[00:06:20] out and their short episodes, short seasons.

[00:06:23] Anyway, in season two and one of the episodes Ellis, he's like crazy.

[00:06:28] Okay.

[00:06:29] He's like Elon Musk type.

[00:06:31] Okay.

[00:06:31] Crazy character.

[00:06:32] So in one of the episodes, he decides that he wants to start his own university and he

[00:06:39] decides he's going to call it Ellis U because his name is Ellis and he tells his son his

[00:06:44] own idea.

[00:06:44] He's like, yeah, I'm making my own school.

[00:06:47] It's going to be great.

[00:06:48] We're getting accredited.

[00:06:48] I'm calling it an LSU and his son is like, dad, that's already, that's already in

[00:06:53] a college.

[00:06:55] Like he, it's already taken.

[00:06:56] Funny.

[00:06:56] And he's like, really?

[00:06:58] He's like the LSU taggers.

[00:07:00] Yep.

[00:07:00] That's it.

[00:07:01] I was just like, yeah, go ahead.

[00:07:03] That's super funny.

[00:07:05] Yeah.

[00:07:05] Yeah.

[00:07:06] Anything when I'm reading a book and it happens to be set in Louisiana, you just feel a

[00:07:08] little bit of connection.

[00:07:10] Yeah.

[00:07:10] It's exciting.

[00:07:11] Um, so Evie is on a job right now in Louisiana, like I said, and she's dating Ryan.

[00:07:19] Right.

[00:07:19] Ryan is the mark.

[00:07:21] Okay.

[00:07:21] She's starting to get somewhat attached to Ryan and she's trying to figure that

[00:07:25] whole situation out.

[00:07:27] I don't know whatever your real name is.

[00:07:29] Yeah.

[00:07:30] She's had a situation prior to this in her last job that she failed.

[00:07:36] And so this is kind of her last redeeming job.

[00:07:39] So she can't screw this one up or she go.

[00:07:46] Um, but things are starting to get a little twisty, a little uncomfortable.

[00:07:52] Um, and she's slowly starting to realize that, um, things are not as they seem.

[00:08:00] And she needs to figure out her next move so that she does not become the target.

[00:08:07] Um, and just things are starting to not work out how they typically do.

[00:08:14] Um, it was when you typically go on undercover missions and everything goes the way it's

[00:08:19] supposed to.

[00:08:20] Right.

[00:08:20] Right.

[00:08:21] Um, I will say, I thought it was, it was fun.

[00:08:24] It was fast paced.

[00:08:24] I enjoyed some of the characters because it was kind of comical like his friend group

[00:08:28] with very Southern.

[00:08:30] Um, and some of the things that the women's top, the women talk about are just, it's

[00:08:37] amusing.

[00:08:37] Yeah.

[00:08:38] They have some type of understanding of it.

[00:08:41] Um, they have like a Derby party and she's like what we're not even in Kentucky.

[00:08:44] What is this?

[00:08:45] You know, um,

[00:08:46] But people in Louisiana do get really into the Derby.

[00:08:49] I know.

[00:08:49] I don't know.

[00:08:50] Is this like a nationwide thing?

[00:08:51] I don't know.

[00:08:52] I don't know.

[00:08:52] Louisiana thing, I don't know.

[00:08:53] But that's what she's saying.

[00:08:54] She's like, what is this?

[00:08:55] You know, um, so anyways, it has all the makings of being really great.

[00:09:01] I liked it.

[00:09:02] Uh, it just wasn't a five star for me.

[00:09:03] Yeah.

[00:09:04] But I do like it.

[00:09:04] I'd recommend it.

[00:09:06] Um, and I did like that everything was wrapped up at the end.

[00:09:10] That's always very nice.

[00:09:12] Yeah.

[00:09:12] Uh, and there was a couple twists and things, you know, it was, it, I

[00:09:17] don't know that I thought it was going to go there necessarily.

[00:09:19] So that was nice, but it did, um, it ended when he with everything

[00:09:24] tied up, which doesn't often happen.

[00:09:27] But, uh, I guess sometimes in thrillers it does like you figure out all the,

[00:09:31] I do occasionally enjoy like an open ended like book where I kind of have to fill

[00:09:37] in the blanks myself.

[00:09:38] But sometimes yeah, I just want everything to be wrapped up in a nice bow and let

[00:09:43] me just move on with my life.

[00:09:44] Yeah.

[00:09:45] Um, so anyways, if you're looking for a easy read, um, fun thriller with kind

[00:09:55] of that cat and mouse type, you know, that's how it kind of felt like it was

[00:09:59] very right.

[00:10:01] Cause the two of them were obviously, um, yeah, seems like maybe they were

[00:10:05] kind of after each other, but yeah, someone.

[00:10:07] And then there's, there's also some, obviously the mark is the mark

[00:10:10] for a reason.

[00:10:11] Right.

[00:10:11] Exactly.

[00:10:12] So he's obviously a bad guy, like, or, or maybe I don't know.

[00:10:17] Yeah.

[00:10:18] I don't want to say anything.

[00:10:19] I don't want to get anything away, but um, but yeah, so.

[00:10:21] Okay.

[00:10:23] Well, mine was also a compulsively readable mystery thriller.

[00:10:26] Okay.

[00:10:27] Great.

[00:10:28] Um, cause apparently I've been into those recently, but this one is

[00:10:31] from an author that I know and have read and I think you have two.

[00:10:34] It's Laura Dave who wrote the last thing he told me, um, which

[00:10:38] became the TV show with funnily enough, Jennifer Garner.

[00:10:40] Right.

[00:10:41] Um, and so this is her second thriller mystery that she's done and it's

[00:10:45] called the night we lost him.

[00:10:47] Okay.

[00:10:47] I don't think I've heard about this.

[00:10:48] It's new.

[00:10:49] It just came out September 17th.

[00:10:51] Okay.

[00:10:51] I got an advanced listening copy of it and um, it's similar in like

[00:10:59] tone to her first one in that it's not, it's really not that

[00:11:05] a thrillery.

[00:11:06] It's really more of a mystery, but it still kind of has some

[00:11:09] components of a thriller to it.

[00:11:10] Um, so in this one Nora's father has recently passed away and the

[00:11:16] way that it happened is he was at his like cliffside home in

[00:11:21] California, which he's had for a very long time.

[00:11:25] It's his kind of like getaway and he fell off a cliff.

[00:11:31] And so the police have ruled it an accident.

[00:11:35] Um, there were a couple of witnesses.

[00:11:37] They were out like walking their dog.

[00:11:39] They didn't necessarily think that anything weird went on, although

[00:11:44] they did see a runner who had kind of disappeared and they didn't know

[00:11:48] what happened to him.

[00:11:49] But Nora thinks that something's not quite right.

[00:11:54] Sure.

[00:11:55] And cause she knows her father knows that land those cliffs like

[00:11:59] the back of his hand.

[00:12:00] There's no way he would just fall off.

[00:12:01] Right?

[00:12:02] Okay.

[00:12:03] So that was, I don't know, maybe a month ago and she

[00:12:07] meanwhile lives in New York.

[00:12:08] She's like an interior designer.

[00:12:10] She gets a new job.

[00:12:11] She shows up to this house in Brooklyn and there's this bride

[00:12:15] Zilla who's like, I'm getting married.

[00:12:18] I'm buying this new house and the house is like amazing and

[00:12:20] gorgeous and beautiful all on its own.

[00:12:22] And she's like, we have to redo everything because it's

[00:12:24] awful.

[00:12:25] And Nora's like, okay, like whatever it's money, I'll do

[00:12:28] it.

[00:12:29] She's like, well, my fiance is on his way.

[00:12:30] He'll be here soon.

[00:12:31] Well, in walks the fiance and it is Nora's brother Sam who

[00:12:36] what she's not super close to.

[00:12:39] They have the same dad, but they have different moms.

[00:12:42] Okay.

[00:12:42] Okay.

[00:12:44] She's kind of like her by the way, her dad was super rich.

[00:12:48] He had this huge like, like he's like a hotelier, like

[00:12:52] they have a ton of money, but she never bought into that.

[00:12:55] She wanted to like be on her own and do her own thing.

[00:12:57] Well, Sam obviously he's into the money and into all

[00:13:00] that kind of stuff.

[00:13:01] Okay.

[00:13:01] So she's not super close with her half siblings and Sam

[00:13:05] walks in and he had kind of orchestrated all of this

[00:13:09] because he believes that their father was murdered.

[00:13:12] And he's pulling Nora in so that they can go investigate.

[00:13:17] So we don't like this with the wife, but the future wife.

[00:13:21] She's such a minor character.

[00:13:23] Okay.

[00:13:23] She's not important at all to the story.

[00:13:25] I was just setting up how she and Sam got,

[00:13:28] okay, like in so working with each other.

[00:13:31] But it was kind of comical.

[00:13:34] But no, she's super annoying, but also not at all important

[00:13:37] to the story.

[00:13:38] Okay, got it.

[00:13:38] So anyway, the two of them started investigating.

[00:13:41] They go to California to check out, you know, what's going on.

[00:13:45] They talk to their dad's brother.

[00:13:46] They talk to their dads like, you know, personal assistant

[00:13:50] and like all this kind of stuff trying to figure out

[00:13:51] what happened.

[00:13:52] They go talk to the police.

[00:13:55] And so they're slowly uncovering things along the way.

[00:13:58] And so for that reason, it was compulsively readable.

[00:14:00] I mean, I constantly wanted to know what was coming next.

[00:14:04] But in the end, I felt a little bit just underwhelmed.

[00:14:10] The resolution, it was like when they named a person

[00:14:14] who may or may not have been involved.

[00:14:16] I can't really say too much.

[00:14:17] When we got to that part, I was just kind of like,

[00:14:20] I don't even know this character.

[00:14:22] Like I didn't, clearly that person was so unimportant

[00:14:26] to the plot before then that I didn't,

[00:14:28] they didn't even register.

[00:14:28] So the resolution was just a little underwhelming.

[00:14:32] But at the same time, it was an enjoyable read.

[00:14:37] Right. That's kind of how it felt about mine.

[00:14:38] Yeah. Not, it didn't blow my socks off,

[00:14:41] but or knock my socks off.

[00:14:44] I was combining blow me away and knock my socks off.

[00:14:47] It didn't blow my socks off, but it was a good read.

[00:14:52] And I enjoyed it and I gave it four stars

[00:14:54] and I'm not mad that I read it.

[00:14:57] Two four star reads?

[00:14:58] Yeah. For the week that we both enjoyed.

[00:15:01] Yeah. And would recommend.

[00:15:02] Right. I would absolutely recommend this.

[00:15:04] Totally.

[00:15:04] Yeah. I'm so glad.

[00:15:07] All right, you want to talk about the tea?

[00:15:09] Yeah. I'm underwhelmed.

[00:15:11] I like it.

[00:15:12] This is one of our first that we haven't agreed.

[00:15:17] Yeah, that's true.

[00:15:17] I think it's delicious.

[00:15:19] I just really, I can really taste the cream flavor.

[00:15:24] I think it smells really good, which is adding to.

[00:15:27] It smells good, but for some reason to me it has like a buttery flavor to it.

[00:15:31] I think that's what I like.

[00:15:32] I don't like it.

[00:15:33] It does not belong in Earl Gray.

[00:15:34] Okay, I like it.

[00:15:35] I like it. I like it.

[00:15:36] Well, you can have that box.

[00:15:37] Do you want to tell us about it?

[00:15:41] Let's see.

[00:15:45] Ingredients are our organic black tea, natural cream vanilla flavoring,

[00:15:51] organic American holds natural bergamot flavoring,

[00:15:54] organic cornflower petals.

[00:15:58] This is cream of Earl Gray by David's Tea.

[00:16:01] Sorry, I didn't even do that.

[00:16:02] That's okay. By David's Tea.

[00:16:04] Yeah, David's Tea. Sorry.

[00:16:05] La creme de la creme.

[00:16:07] So it says how it tastes rich black tea with creamy sweet vanilla

[00:16:11] and a citrusy hint of bergamot.

[00:16:13] And also weirdly butter.

[00:16:15] Why?

[00:16:16] I don't know.

[00:16:17] Black tea from Assam, India, Hunan in Anu Hai China.

[00:16:24] I don't know.

[00:16:25] It says on the front black teas from India and China.

[00:16:28] And then it's a high-cap tea.

[00:16:30] Oh, interesting.

[00:16:31] I do not need high caffeine right now.

[00:16:34] It's organic.

[00:16:35] And no added sugar.

[00:16:36] Yay.

[00:16:38] I don't know.

[00:16:39] Yeah, I liked it.

[00:16:40] I'm glad you like it.

[00:16:41] I don't think it's bad by any means.

[00:16:43] I could totally drink this whole cup.

[00:16:44] I just...

[00:16:46] There are other cream Earl Grays that I would much prefer

[00:16:49] that don't taste like butter.

[00:16:53] I mean, I didn't get overly buttery, but I did like...

[00:16:56] All I'm tasting.

[00:16:57] Okay.

[00:16:59] Well, I will surely take it and drink it.

[00:17:03] I'm so glad.

[00:17:04] I just had a sip that wasn't as buttery.

[00:17:06] I don't know what's going on.

[00:17:08] Oh, also my taste has been off because I've been on steroids for so long.

[00:17:15] Like my taste is not right.

[00:17:17] It is buttery.

[00:17:18] It is.

[00:17:18] Okay.

[00:17:19] So I'm not making that up at least.

[00:17:21] No, I mean, my brain didn't go there, but when you said it,

[00:17:24] I was like, yeah, that's it.

[00:17:26] That's the description.

[00:17:27] I'm...

[00:17:27] Yeah, I'm drinking popcorn.

[00:17:28] It's on the back end.

[00:17:30] I'm not drinking popcorn.

[00:17:31] It's not that buttery.

[00:17:32] Okay.

[00:17:32] Sorry.

[00:17:32] I'm exaggerating.

[00:17:34] I'm all over the place.

[00:17:36] I am just thinking about trying to get all of my clothes

[00:17:42] and things into one carry-on suitcase in a backpack

[00:17:45] and it's just an impossible task.

[00:17:47] And I'm stressed, but it's going to happen.

[00:17:51] It has to.

[00:17:51] I believe in you.

[00:17:52] Thank you.

[00:17:53] Thank you very much.

[00:17:55] You've got this.

[00:17:57] I'm going to...

[00:17:58] After we finish recording, I'm going to show you...

[00:18:02] Because I'm like, I'm packing everything...

[00:18:03] You gave me many suitcases in your...

[00:18:05] I'm like packing everything in the extra bedroom

[00:18:07] and I have like my suitcase in the next to it

[00:18:10] like all of the other things that still need to go in there.

[00:18:13] It's not good.

[00:18:15] I mean, I am...

[00:18:16] I'm the worst person to...

[00:18:19] I want to overpack because I don't want to be somewhere

[00:18:22] and think...

[00:18:23] This is not even me...

[00:18:24] Oh, this is literally me packing the bare minimum

[00:18:26] and I'm like,

[00:18:26] I'm going to have to wear my hiking boots on the plane.

[00:18:29] I'm going to have to wear my heavy jacket on the plane

[00:18:31] in order to fit all of these things.

[00:18:33] Yeah.

[00:18:34] It's tough.

[00:18:35] It's tough.

[00:18:35] But Hillary, my sister-in-law, has some like

[00:18:39] compression packing cubes that she bought for Italy.

[00:18:42] So she's going to let me borrow those and hopefully...

[00:18:45] I don't know.

[00:18:45] Maybe that'll help.

[00:18:47] Okay.

[00:18:47] So we'll see.

[00:18:48] Yes.

[00:18:48] There is hope.

[00:18:49] Yes.

[00:18:50] Always.

[00:18:51] Okay.

[00:18:51] Well, on that note...

[00:18:53] Cheers.

[00:18:54] Thanks for listening.

[00:18:56] Be sure to check out the show notes

[00:18:57] for the full list of books we discussed today.

[00:18:59] You can find that in your podcast app

[00:19:01] or on our website,

[00:19:03] intrinkerspodcast.com.

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[00:19:15] Cheers.