BBB_Novella1

🎼 🎼 Welcome back. I'm Megan. I'm Kayleigh. I'm Aileen. And we are books, blackouts, and brunch. If you're listening to this, we're assuming that you are listening to episode 3.5? 4.5? Our first ever little... Oh fuck, we haven't decided when this is going to go out. Novela episode. But yeah, it's our first novella episode. Yeah. Welcome to the novellas from the girlies. That's so cute. It could be like novellas from the vault. There's no vault, it's just us. You know how people are like, oh I kept that secret in the vault? I don't have one of those. We're pulling from Taylor Swift's like, the vault success. But it's actually just all of the stuff that Aileen normally has to edit out of our discussion. There's no vault, it's just like stream of consciousness. So, let's chat. Wouldn't that be fun? Yeah. To have little mini-sodes in between our normal episodes recapping books. Where we talk all things our life, all things books, all things text messages, all things swishmallows. Just all the things. You just never know what you're going to get. So get ready, buckle up. Micro-dose us along the way. Yeah. In between. This is, I mean, for those of you listening without reading the books, you go. Because we love that. We love the support. But also, this will give you an opportunity to listen to an episode and maybe have some semblance of an idea of what we're talking about. I don't know that we can promise that. But we'll see. No. We can't make any promises. But it'll be fun, hopefully. I'll start us off. So I got a notification this morning. I'm working. I'm at my desk. And I get what I get probably every day, a Libby notification. And I say, ooh, what's this? I open it up. And it is for a book. Let me pull it up. It is called The Book of Dor. And I read the first paragraph of the description, because I don't need to know much. I need to know just enough. And I know that it's a book about a bookstore, which, a fun fact about me, I can't say no to a book about a bookstore. I feel like I need to cut in with a little, like, premature defense of myself here. Meg texted the group chat yesterday a cute little fun little rom-com book cover that was also about a bookstore. And we were talking about how fun little rom-com books are and how cute, like, when they take place in a bookstore they can be. I never said specifically rom-coms. I said I love a book about a bookstore. Oh, a book about a bookstore. I never said what. That one was, that one was, like, a rom-com book. Yeah. That was, like, a cute little romance-y book. It was. I'm fact-checking. Continue. Oh, thank God. Eileen, the fact-checker, is here. I will say, I sent a screenshot because I was browsing online yesterday, as I do, and I found, like, a rom-com that was very clearly a rom-com that was a book about a bookstore. So there was a rom-com. There was a rom-com, but yesterday. This is a different conversation. Yes. Okay, yeah. He decided to make assumptions about the book, about a bookstore that I sent today without reading the description that I sent approximately 20 seconds later. I made it in, like, the 20 seconds between you introducing us to this book about a bookstore and you sending the description that I had yet to read. Yes. So this book is the, like, long and short of it is. This woman works at a bookstore in New York, and she has this, like, long-time client who, like, comes in, and he's, like, an older guy. And, like, one day he comes in, drops dead. Okay? I don't know much else because, again, didn't really read the description. I send this, and not one minute goes by where Kaylee's like, you really dropped the ball. I thought this was a rom-com. Like, what on earth is this? Like, I can't decide if it sounds bad. This is not true. This is not true. I said, I read the whole thing, and I said, I can't decide if that sounds really good or, like, the equivalent of a really bad TV show that Eileen and I have talked about previously that I won't call out here because it's a whole other thing that we need to talk about. Today might be the time to do it. But then, like I said, I didn't read the full description. I just read the first part. And I said, I feel like you implied that it's a kitschy little rom-com book. This sounds like a whole-ass fantasy series. And she was like, when did I imply this? And I was like, I just assumed because yesterday's book for a book was a rom-com. That's on me, friends. But the first paragraph did make dirty. And the first paragraph, I said, how on earth could this be a kitschy little rom-com about a dead old guy and a bookseller? And I said, I didn't have that information. And what did Eileen come back with? That weirder books have been written. Which, true, but alas. So that's what happened this morning. I really missed the rom-com book yesterday. I was really like. It was the one with the cute title. Or the cute cover. That's how we got on the conversation. Is it on the Discord group chat? Oh, maybe. Oh, maybe. So a fun little fact about us is that we do have a Discord chat that we talk in because we, like, send links and things. And then we have our text chat. And I don't know when we switch between the two, but. Same, honestly. We do. And that's how the cookie crumble. Oh, my gosh. It was in the Discord chat. We were supposed to be working on stickers today. So if anybody has any input on logos or stickers or things you'd like us to, like, have, let us know. Like, drop a comment. Message us on Instagram. I don't know. What's the name of the book you dropped in our text chat today? The Book of Doors. Oh, okay. Yesterday's was Better Than Fiction. Yes, which does look really cute. And that's how we got on the topic of. Of book covers, yes. Yes. Oh, my gosh. Book covers. We could talk about these all day. God, don't get me started. So true. I learned how to get you started. You have some wrong opinions on some book covers. I have feelings, okay? And my feelings are that I don't understand why the current trend is putting yellow font on a blue cover. Like, it was fine the first time. Maybe it was fine the second time. But now it's like every book is yellow font on a blue cover. And I, listen, I just don't want to shelve them anymore at the library. I don't want to see them at Target. Because I can't tell them apart at this point. Like, they're all the same. I don't know. And I feel like that's like, oh, that's a bad marketing scheme at this point. Yeah. I am a very, like, photogenic, like, color-oriented person. And so if I'm like, oh, yeah, the blue book, it has, like, yellow writing on it. If I take that vague information to someone at the library and I'm like, hey, I'm looking for this blue book with yellow font, do you know how terrible that's going to be? First of all, I'd be pissed at you. Second of all, I'd bring you a stack of minimum eight books and I'd be like, which one? Yeah. And there's probably none of them. Right. No, because there's so many right now that are blue with the yellow font. I went to Target today and I saw this wasn't – I didn't even text you all of the ones I saw. I just texted you the four that were, like, the most clear because they started getting blurry at a certain point because it was too many. How many was it? Like, four? Yeah. That's back in the text chat. That's back in the text chat. Yeah. Oh, I sent three. I took more. But, like, the house across the lake, a flicker in the dark, good half gone. They all sound also just, like, vaguely similar to each other. I don't know. Are they all thrillers? They all feel thriller. I think it's all thrillers. Which I just feel like makes it worse, you know? Because I do – like, I love a thriller, but they have to have a good cover. And I feel like that's one thing that I personally think rom-com books and, like, fantasy books have done pretty well with recently because they're so popular. They're, like, trying to stand out. Like, they're getting good cover art, that kind of stuff. Whereas thrillers, like, I think there could be more. I know there's only so much of, like, the house across the lake. Like, what are we going to show there? But it could be abstract. It doesn't always need to actually just show a house. Why can't the house be orange or purple? Or why does the font have to take up the whole entire front cover? Right. That's my view of that one. A Flicker in the Dark actually looks pretty good. Like, it's, like, navy blue, like, night with some darker black trees. And, like, the font fits really well in it, and that one looks really good. No, but you're talking about fantasy books getting better with their covers. I have mixed feelings. I feel like there's some of them. I mean, we just recently went through a phase where, like, people art was, like, a big thing for fantasy, where, like, they were putting, like, characters, like, stylized characters on the covers. Yeah. And I'm not sure that I was a huge fan of that. I don't like that. I don't like the people on the covers. The alternative to that right now is, like, the really modern covers, like, Dune, The New Recovering, Tor, Throne of Glass. Like, those are all, like, to me, those are the exact same covers. Like, the really modern abstract art, muted tones. Mm-hmm. Which, like, don't get me wrong. The Throne of Glass covers are nice. Like, it's good art. They look pretty. But, like, they look like every other series. Yeah. Like, there's nothing unique about them anymore. Not anymore. Yeah. Can either of you fill me in on the drama that happened with the Fairyloot covers of Throne of Glass? Because, like— I saw that, but I don't know. All I—I read, like, one comment section, so I'm not educated. However, the one comment section that I read told me that she does fan art and she got commissioned for covers, and then a bunch of people were, like, mad because the art that she ended up doing for the official, like, publication stuff wasn't her normal, like, style. It wasn't, like, the same characters they were used to seeing from her. So I don't know if it was, like, people felt like they made her do different art or if, like, she had done a different art and everyone hated it or it was something along those lines. And then there was, like, you know, like, the handful of comments that were, like, hey, this, like, artist has said that, like, she's going to stop doing art because of the negative comments. Like, you guys should stop saying it's bad art. But I also read somewhere that she did—she would change her art for the same character because she commissioned it, so, like, everything was different. She wasn't—like, she commissioned Manon, like, 20 times, but it would be, like, 20 different Manons for example. Yeah. But that's all I know. Like, I don't have any other context other than that. That's, like, the vaguest, like, any of that could be true, any of that could be false. I don't know. We won't be fact-checking, so— I will not be fact-checking that. As evidenced by the Crescent City episode, we are fact-checking anything. Yeah. Yeah, I did see that. I saw the drama. And then I feel like there was a part of it, which this could be a lie, straight up. I don't know. I feel like I saw it where it was, like, another box released, Throne of Glass books, but the art was vaguely similar. If not, like, the kind of same art with, like, very minimal changes, but they hadn't commissioned it from an artist. So they essentially, like, took it. But I don't know. I also— Did you see that? I saw something along those lines. Yeah. Of how I know that this is it. The Fairy Luke covers looked very similar to other covers. Yeah. And I— I don't know. I don't know. I didn't really look too deep into it. Maybe we will. They're so expensive. But, like, I knew I wasn't going to be purchasing them anyway, so I was kind of just, like, in one ear and out the other. As much as I'm like, ooh, that'd be kind of cool. Do I want them? Yes. Yeah. Do we need them, though? No. Maybe not. Especially when, like, Brandon Sanderson keeps releasing, like, fun covers. Right. Like, those ones are cool. Like, those cloth-bound ones? Mm-hmm. I'm obsessed. Oh, I don't know. I just pulled up Fairy Luke's Instagram in the pinned comment. So we are back-checking. I'm not really back-checking. I'm just getting more tea. We love the gossip. The pinned comment at the top of the Throne of Glass one is, we have heard your concerns about the Throne of Glass exclusive editions, and we will be in touch soon with updates. The online harassment our illustrators have received is unacceptable. We support our artists wholeheartedly and are proud to be working with them on these special editions. Thanks to the readers who have taken time to show kindness to the artists. And the first comment after that is, please think about lowering the price to XX. He's like, mwah. He's like, kiss, kiss. If you could do this a little solid and just— But I get it. They have to pay the artists. Yeah. But how much of that is just for Fairy Luke, you know? If Fairy Luke wanted to send us stuff. I'm really uneducated. We have been shitting on you for the last, like, three minutes. But maybe what if— I thought Fairy Luke was the artist. Fairy Luke is not the artist. Fairy Luke is like— No. I don't think Fairy Luke— Oh, okay. Clearly, I don't know what I'm talking about. Well, I guess I would just assume it's kind of like how— I don't know. Like, bands. Like, they commission artists sometimes to— Like, I know Harry Styles commissioned an artist to, like— Or he, like, saw someone's art and then, like, paid them to then, like, use it for his tour. Yeah. And then, like, proceed using it in other ways. You know what else we need to talk about? Okay. What? We need to talk about the official TikToks for— What is it? Onyx Storm? So, get this. I'll be honest. Can I have a hot take? Didn't watch them because I didn't want to spoil anything. Good. I mean, see, literally nothing is spoiled. Yeah. They look like— And I don't know. I feel like you have to be careful because I don't want to offend anybody who, like, puts time into creating things. But, like, for a big announcement, they look like they were cap— Like you said, like Aileen said in a text message, they look like they're, like, CapCut templates. Yeah. And they're, like, even, like, the writing with the announcement was, like, fly or die. And I'm like, guys, come on. We are three books into this. Like, you are a top-selling, like, series. Like, you can't do better than fly or die. I would have begrudgingly accepted Fly or Die for Fourth Wing as the first book in that series, knowing nothing. But given that this is the third book, given how book two ended— Yeah, we're not really fly or dying right now, guys. Hello? I'm so sorry. I just— No! I thought we were drinking from a little jerky drink. Tissues are on the side of your window. I was told not to, so. Yeah, I would just wait. I mean, to be fair, you don't have to wait that long. Apparently it's coming out in January. Yeah, I'll wait until January. I'll read it in December. Honestly, let me read it first until you have a team in private. I'll read book two in December. And then— No, but we mean it. You might just want to, like, leave off on book one. This is a hot take. Oh! We were going to cover Fourth Wing and Iron Flame on an episode, and then we decided that we probably should sit with it for a little while longer. Yeah. So maybe it'd be a future episode, but for right now, just know that Aileen and I have some not great feelings about Fourth Wing. And Meg is only— No, about Iron Flame. And Meg is only about Fourth Wing. Yeah. She's on a happy little land over there. I just got to see where it goes from here. I'm invested from the standpoint of, like, I want to see how bad it is. Yeah, like, when you're watching a car crash happen and you can't look away. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I feel like, too. Because I just want to see where it goes. Like, I love a spoiling, and I'm not— I'm not afraid to just look up the spoilers after the book comes out. But, like, I think I want to know the, like, gravity of how it gets written. Yeah. Because of the, like, such mixed reviews that I got. Like, it's a very much, like, fan favorite. And so I'm like, wow, if I just wait for a book talk to tell me how it went, they're going to be like, it was so good! And I'm like, I don't trust you. Some of the people in book talk, I don't trust them. No. The people who came out and said that We Were Liars was the best book they'd read all year, I read that eight or nine years ago, and I was unimpressed then. I hate to say it. Apologies. If you really liked that book, I didn't. I didn't like it. Have you read Vampire Academy? No. Okay, good. Should I? Good. After the first time I saw someone on TikTok compare Fourth Wing to Vampire Academy, that set in for me in a way that, like, I haven't been able to think of it any other way. And I'm frustrated because It's true. It feels like Rebecca Yaros is, like, trying to do Vampire Academy, but she's doing it so bad. I haven't read it. Vampire Academy was so much better. I'm not familiar with Vampire Academy, but when I read Fourth Wing, there were scenes that were distinctly scenes from other popular YA novels that you could pull out. And I was like, this is a scene from Divergent. This is a scene from a different book in Divergent. This is a scene from Hunger Games. This is a direct reference to this happening in this other series that I read. And I had a list at one point, because I was just like, and I get it. If you're an author, that field is so full of things. I'm not against reading trope scenes. It was just like, everything about the scene was copied. There was almost no originality. Then you change some character names. And I was like, There's writing a trope, and then there's just copying a scene. Specifically the ending of Iron Flame. It feels like a very deliberate copy of a very pivotal thing that happens in a late book in Vampire Academy. And so now I'm waiting for book three, and in my head I'm just like, is it going to be that? It triggered something for me, but I don't know what series it really hit for me. I was like, this is so reminiscent of everything else. Which again, It's hard to write original shit. It's hard to write original shit, but I also feel like when I'm reading things that have tropes in them, or when I'm reading things within that same space, I am oftentimes not like, this is reading exactly like, I usually cannot identify the book or the moment that it's alluding to. And with Fourth Wing, I was like, this is a direct allusion. There was a scene in Fourth Wing that I could probably pull out the direct page in Throne of Glass later in the series that I was like, this is the same scene. This is the exact same scene. I was like, everything about it, the dragons, the people dying, everything about it, I was like, this is the same scene as the specific book in Throne of Glass. And there was like, too many similarities to even not make the direct correlation that I was like, we have just patchworked all of our favorite books together. Which is like, again, I get it. Take your favorite pieces, put it together. But like, it just didn't feel super cohesive and original. Yeah. Speaking of tropes, did you see, I don't know how much either of you read Tessa Bailey's books. I haven't. I read a few, but I haven't read like a ton. The last one I read from her was, the one with the fishermen. But the first one, Hook, Line, and Sink. Oh, yes. I read that. I listened to it. Is she going to direct the haul? Yes. But she released it in like, August. I was like, girly. Missed your chance. She wanted you to be prepared. Hate to say it. It was like August or like right after Christmas. Something like that, yeah. I think August. No, it was around Halloween. It was around Halloween. It was around Halloween. Yes, yes, yes. I was like, I'm looking for like, Lena Harper. Like I want like, Payback to Witch. I want to cover some of those. I would love to. I know. Which also, her last one's out. I'm so excited about it. I know. And the, Sengu Mandana, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Oh, yeah. And then, A Witch's Guide to Practical Inkeeping is her new one that's coming out in like, September or December. Is it a new universe? I don't know. I haven't read the description. I'm going in blind. Are October episodes are going to pop off? Oh, I cannot wait. We love to hear about witchy books. I love a witchy book. Also, Tessa Bailey's latest release, Fangirl Down. It's like, her first foray into sports romances. But, Bailey loves to do those like, Instagram graphics that are like, tropes in this book and whatever. One of the tropes that she was advertising was that it was a touch her and die. Everybody. Twitter. It's like, the man golfed. What do you mean? Touch her and die. I don't want to talk about those golf clubs. I don't want to talk about golf clubs. I don't want to talk about golf clubs. I don't want to talk about those golf clubs. Wait. I'm looking for I bet that's what it is. She's literally going to like, thread one of her. What is it? The, um, a driver? Golf club is like, the really big one. I'm picturing him like, swinging it. Like, uh, Like a baton. Well, yeah, like Taylor Swift in her one music video where she's like, you know what I'm talking about? Just like, I hope he's like, flinging it around and like chasing me a broken, beautiful, and all. I read it. I read, Choke Me. And I was like, you said, whoa. I didn't think I was on that page on Kendall Unlimited with Tessa Bailey. You're reading Salacious Players Club, but you're not there on Kendall Unlimited. I made my excuse by searching Tessa Bailey. I didn't realize Tessa had released an article like that. Yes, that is what I meant. But for the record, um, I am on book four of the Salacious Players Club. You're ahead of me. Wait, what's book four? Oh, that's with Maggie. Yeah. I finished that one. Although, I'm like really curious about it now because like, in book three, we get all this like extra info about how Maggie like, has nothing going on in her life. And I'm like, oh, but I know the next one's about you, babe. No, Maggie's got a lot going on. Can promise. Have you seen things? No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. No, I haven't. 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