1 00:00:01,367 --> 00:00:05,287 Welcome to Plans Are Booked, a podcast for every reader. 2 00:00:05,287 --> 00:00:06,430 I'm Molly Geller. 3 00:00:06,855 --> 00:00:08,257 I'm Stephanie Blackburn. 4 00:00:08,510 --> 00:00:09,990 And I'm Caitlin Madison. 5 00:00:10,130 --> 00:00:12,531 Welcome to chapter 23. 6 00:00:12,531 --> 00:00:18,552 Yeah, 23. 7 00:00:18,552 --> 00:00:24,994 So we just podcasted a couple days ago, but Molly and Steph like have already had 8 00:00:24,994 --> 00:00:25,974 things happen to them. 9 00:00:25,974 --> 00:00:30,536 Meanwhile, I've just like been finishing my report cards. 10 00:00:30,976 --> 00:00:34,397 And I watched the Celtics lose a really bad game last night. 11 00:00:34,397 --> 00:00:36,990 They were leading by 30 at the half. 12 00:00:36,990 --> 00:00:39,051 and they lost by one point. 13 00:00:39,392 --> 00:00:42,436 They just like absolutely choked in the second half. 14 00:00:42,436 --> 00:00:44,057 It was ridiculous. 15 00:00:45,499 --> 00:00:45,820 And that's it. 16 00:00:45,820 --> 00:00:47,561 I don't really have anything else going on. 17 00:00:48,691 --> 00:00:52,929 Okay, Steph had an exciting start to her day, which I have been waiting to hear 18 00:00:52,929 --> 00:00:53,610 about. 19 00:00:54,583 --> 00:00:58,766 So a couple weeks ago, Olivia Bean, shout out to her. 20 00:00:59,387 --> 00:01:00,628 She knows I'm not on Facebook. 21 00:01:00,628 --> 00:01:08,134 And so she saw this request for volunteers, sent it to me as a screenshot 22 00:01:08,134 --> 00:01:09,935 and was like, I'm pretty sure that you'd be into this. 23 00:01:09,935 --> 00:01:11,056 And I was like, yes, I would. 24 00:01:11,056 --> 00:01:11,857 Thank you so much. 25 00:01:11,857 --> 00:01:16,921 So this is so random, but the person who posted it lives in my hometown of 26 00:01:16,921 --> 00:01:18,722 Pepperell, Massachusetts. 27 00:01:18,722 --> 00:01:19,882 Didn't grow up there. 28 00:01:20,223 --> 00:01:25,824 So we've never met, but she's a physical therapist, mostly dealing with children 29 00:01:25,944 --> 00:01:29,945 with disabilities, and she does physical therapy on horses. 30 00:01:30,125 --> 00:01:36,107 So she put out a request for horse handlers because they're someone leading 31 00:01:36,107 --> 00:01:40,548 the horse, and then she and another volunteer are on either side in case the 32 00:01:40,548 --> 00:01:45,309 child should decide to dismount or fall over or what have you. 33 00:01:46,870 --> 00:01:49,270 So I went today as the sort of, 34 00:01:49,932 --> 00:01:51,873 orientation, I guess you could say. 35 00:01:51,993 --> 00:01:55,035 And the two other volunteers are of parents' age. 36 00:01:55,035 --> 00:01:58,898 Both retired, and I wanted something that would help them get in their daily steps. 37 00:01:58,898 --> 00:01:59,818 They're both lovely. 38 00:01:59,818 --> 00:02:01,759 They've been doing it for a couple years. 39 00:02:02,099 --> 00:02:06,962 And I love both ponies that I'm going to be working with. 40 00:02:07,202 --> 00:02:11,805 And my Thursday mornings, I will be there probably from 8 o'clock till noon. 41 00:02:12,045 --> 00:02:13,446 What are the ponies' names? 42 00:02:14,814 --> 00:02:21,337 Willie and Mickey, they're both paint horses, but I can't be sure about that. 43 00:02:21,337 --> 00:02:25,938 They are owned by a nine year old who I have not met. 44 00:02:25,938 --> 00:02:34,782 She requested her mother shave a heart into the hindquarters of Willie. 45 00:02:34,782 --> 00:02:37,963 When I mentioned it to Marissa, she goes, oh, just like My Little Pony. 46 00:02:38,744 --> 00:02:40,724 Oh my god. 47 00:02:41,224 --> 00:02:42,725 Next thing you know he's gonna have purple hair. 48 00:02:42,725 --> 00:02:44,786 Yeah. 49 00:02:47,279 --> 00:02:54,421 Okay, so I, my family has a farm and they have horses and it was a dairy farm when 50 00:02:54,421 --> 00:02:55,821 my dad was a kid. 51 00:02:56,041 --> 00:02:59,962 So I should know a lot more than I do, but I don't. 52 00:03:00,142 --> 00:03:04,463 I've been on a horse twice in my entire life and I hated every moment of it, 53 00:03:04,804 --> 00:03:07,564 mainly because I felt like I wasn't in control. 54 00:03:07,564 --> 00:03:11,665 And also you're pretty far up off the ground, which I don't like. 55 00:03:12,118 --> 00:03:14,818 and I just realized I didn't really trust the horse. 56 00:03:14,818 --> 00:03:17,779 And if the horse could sense that, I was like, I'm doomed. 57 00:03:17,939 --> 00:03:20,400 So that was the end of that. 58 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,301 But my cousins are like really into it. 59 00:03:24,301 --> 00:03:26,882 And like, my aunt's really into it. 60 00:03:26,882 --> 00:03:31,703 And if people are into it, it's like, you're really into it. 61 00:03:31,703 --> 00:03:34,484 Like, it's not, you're not just like a little bit into horses. 62 00:03:34,484 --> 00:03:39,305 It's like you're actually a horse girl, which actually in my family was an insult 63 00:03:39,305 --> 00:03:40,665 for a long time. 64 00:03:40,930 --> 00:03:48,716 because my brother went to an all-boys school and the sister school was notorious 65 00:03:48,716 --> 00:03:51,499 for having horse girls. 66 00:03:51,499 --> 00:03:55,382 And Brad was like, I can remember when he was in middle school and going to dances 67 00:03:55,382 --> 00:03:58,565 and he's like, I'm just not into these horse girls. 68 00:03:58,565 --> 00:04:00,507 I don't wanna date a horse girl. 69 00:04:00,507 --> 00:04:01,748 And I was like, oh my God. 70 00:04:01,748 --> 00:04:03,989 And that's just what I think of now. 71 00:04:05,123 --> 00:04:05,443 I did. 72 00:04:05,443 --> 00:04:09,625 I was regretful all the time, as far as the money, I mean, with this very cool. 73 00:04:09,625 --> 00:04:11,325 that was like even available. 74 00:04:11,726 --> 00:04:12,546 I always enjoyed it. 75 00:04:12,546 --> 00:04:15,168 I always had a good time, but I just wasn't like great at it. 76 00:04:15,168 --> 00:04:18,189 And like the older we got, like there were girls who were real good and who could 77 00:04:18,189 --> 00:04:20,170 like do jumps and like. 78 00:04:20,339 --> 00:04:21,899 it will allow you to go on to the other page. 79 00:04:21,899 --> 00:04:27,241 And you know, I'm gonna try to find out what's going on. 80 00:04:27,241 --> 00:04:29,368 So I try to find out what's going on. 81 00:04:29,368 --> 00:04:33,770 this has been one see all later and I would say the last time I was probably 82 00:04:33,770 --> 00:04:40,053 like 14 maybe and then I hung up my boots 83 00:04:40,575 --> 00:04:43,816 Let me just tell you the level of horse girl that I was growing up. 84 00:04:43,976 --> 00:04:48,738 The first horse I ever rode, I think I was maybe six or seven, and it was a trail 85 00:04:48,738 --> 00:04:51,099 ride that my mom took me on in Acton. 86 00:04:51,099 --> 00:04:52,080 Her name was Candy. 87 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,921 I went home and immediately drew a picture of her, kept it on my bulletin board for 88 00:04:55,921 --> 00:04:57,062 many years. 89 00:04:58,082 --> 00:05:03,504 I used to, when I wasn't riding, take the two stools from the kitchen, put a blanket 90 00:05:03,504 --> 00:05:08,946 over them, create stirrups out of a jump rope, and pretend ride. 91 00:05:10,594 --> 00:05:12,014 This is very believable. 92 00:05:12,896 --> 00:05:14,256 This is very what? 93 00:05:14,297 --> 00:05:15,297 Believable. 94 00:05:17,259 --> 00:05:21,843 And then when I got older and actually started riding in elementary and middle 95 00:05:21,843 --> 00:05:27,008 school, my horseback riding instructor lived catty corner to my Nana's house, so 96 00:05:27,008 --> 00:05:28,949 I'd take the bus to my Nana's house. 97 00:05:29,230 --> 00:05:32,703 She would come pick me up when I would go horseback riding. 98 00:05:32,703 --> 00:05:38,165 and stopped in my late twenties because I just couldn't afford it anymore. 99 00:05:38,565 --> 00:05:39,166 So here we are. 100 00:05:39,166 --> 00:05:41,331 It's going to be, it's going to make my heart. 101 00:05:41,331 --> 00:05:46,712 really happy to like, even though I'm not riding, I'm spending three hours a week 102 00:05:46,712 --> 00:05:51,374 with horses and I get to see like, I have no idea what it's going to be like seeing 103 00:05:51,374 --> 00:05:57,455 these kids do physical therapy who are like mobily challenged on horseback. 104 00:05:57,455 --> 00:06:02,877 Apparently there's a young adult who's blind and he prefers to ride backwards, 105 00:06:02,877 --> 00:06:06,778 which I am, I, it's going to be, it's going to be a hoot. 106 00:06:06,898 --> 00:06:07,498 I'm excited. 107 00:06:07,498 --> 00:06:11,441 Wow, I'm excited for more updates about this as it goes on. 108 00:06:11,782 --> 00:06:12,123 Right. 109 00:06:12,123 --> 00:06:12,783 I think that... 110 00:06:12,783 --> 00:06:15,998 I really think it's gonna be... 111 00:06:15,998 --> 00:06:20,739 know more about these other people that are volunteers because I feel like they're 112 00:06:20,739 --> 00:06:22,159 gonna be really cool. 113 00:06:22,359 --> 00:06:23,980 I feel like they're gonna be fun. 114 00:06:25,700 --> 00:06:26,466 Of course. 115 00:06:26,466 --> 00:06:31,895 One of them is pretty quiet but she's like kind of stern looking and the other one is 116 00:06:31,895 --> 00:06:34,254 like a chatty Cathy and all they could picture. 117 00:06:34,254 --> 00:06:37,096 that there are like everything that we want to do, because I don't know what you 118 00:06:37,096 --> 00:06:37,176 are. 119 00:06:37,176 --> 00:06:40,177 One of them lives in Newton, because I mentioned cabots. 120 00:06:40,898 --> 00:06:43,260 And one lives in a realm of nests, so... 121 00:06:43,260 --> 00:06:46,461 Okay, well first of all, the least we may not know about cabots is that an 122 00:06:46,902 --> 00:06:50,724 institution in Wheatonville, Massachusetts, which serves ice cream and 123 00:06:50,724 --> 00:06:52,785 cookies the size of the human hand. 124 00:06:52,785 --> 00:06:55,767 And I think it is like there's a kind of like, bonding moment. 125 00:06:55,767 --> 00:06:57,448 I don't know if you know this from there. 126 00:06:57,448 --> 00:06:59,989 If they don't like it, then they're not their kind of person. 127 00:07:01,708 --> 00:07:03,209 She knows the family. 128 00:07:03,489 --> 00:07:03,667 So. 129 00:07:03,667 --> 00:07:07,951 course, but of course, which is actually quite a good segue to what I was gonna 130 00:07:07,951 --> 00:07:10,073 share since we all last gathered. 131 00:07:11,755 --> 00:07:15,299 Those who have been listening for a while know that Dining Out is like a huge joy 132 00:07:15,299 --> 00:07:16,400 maker for me. 133 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:22,507 And I was just like clicking around on Instagram and a guy that Steph and I both 134 00:07:22,507 --> 00:07:26,470 know, his name is Brian, who's an amazing restaurant food photographer. 135 00:07:26,807 --> 00:07:29,448 had posted from a place I'd never heard of called the Gufo. 136 00:07:29,448 --> 00:07:30,588 And I was like, what is this? 137 00:07:30,588 --> 00:07:33,409 I feel like usually when he shares about things, it's a place like we already know 138 00:07:33,409 --> 00:07:36,711 and love that's refreshing their menu or has renovated the restaurant, but this I 139 00:07:36,711 --> 00:07:37,971 didn't recognize at all. 140 00:07:38,351 --> 00:07:43,354 So it's the same people who own SRV downtown, which is Italian and I've not 141 00:07:43,354 --> 00:07:44,834 been to, but I've heard great things about. 142 00:07:44,834 --> 00:07:46,555 So I was like, oh, okay. 143 00:07:46,955 --> 00:07:50,096 So I messaged my twin cousins who live very close to the restaurant. 144 00:07:50,216 --> 00:07:51,137 And I was like, have you been here? 145 00:07:51,137 --> 00:07:51,917 Do you wanna go? 146 00:07:51,917 --> 00:07:55,498 They hadn't been, but there were a bunch of reservations open, so we just snagged. 147 00:07:56,515 --> 00:08:00,556 This restaurant from the outside looks like it's in like an abandoned office 148 00:08:00,556 --> 00:08:01,056 building. 149 00:08:01,056 --> 00:08:04,417 Like you would just not from the street think that anything special is going on in 150 00:08:04,417 --> 00:08:05,077 there. 151 00:08:05,257 --> 00:08:08,618 And you go in through the front door to the host stand, which is in this weird 152 00:08:08,618 --> 00:08:12,399 like empty space where they do like all their takeout arranging of all those 153 00:08:12,399 --> 00:08:13,179 orders. 154 00:08:13,399 --> 00:08:14,940 And their pizza oven is there. 155 00:08:14,940 --> 00:08:18,060 But you kind of have to walk down a hallway to get into the dining room. 156 00:08:18,060 --> 00:08:22,322 When you turn the corner, it's like this huge, beautiful, feels like you're 157 00:08:22,322 --> 00:08:23,982 downtown restaurant. 158 00:08:24,662 --> 00:08:26,262 Gorgeous wall color. 159 00:08:26,339 --> 00:08:30,521 Beautiful huge plants big u-shaped bar just like stunning like I honestly was 160 00:08:30,521 --> 00:08:35,623 like whoa am I in the south end like this is beautiful It's Italian. 161 00:08:35,804 --> 00:08:41,647 We had the broccoli Caesar which was excellent The cacio e pepe arancini, which 162 00:08:41,647 --> 00:08:47,150 is like if you want to get me to do anything just like order me that We split 163 00:08:47,150 --> 00:08:49,972 a pizza two pastas and then we had two desserts now. 164 00:08:49,972 --> 00:08:54,154 It's an open kitchen So from our seat we could see everything coming over the 165 00:08:54,154 --> 00:08:54,655 island 166 00:08:54,655 --> 00:08:58,096 And that's how we decided which desserts to get, because we kept seeing them come 167 00:08:58,096 --> 00:08:58,776 over. 168 00:08:59,097 --> 00:09:00,297 I loved it. 169 00:09:01,018 --> 00:09:02,818 Free parking on the street in Cambridge. 170 00:09:02,818 --> 00:09:06,020 It was Sunday night, so that was also a great, for those who aren't from 171 00:09:06,020 --> 00:09:08,921 Massachusetts, it's still Puritan times, and you don't have to pay for anything on 172 00:09:08,921 --> 00:09:11,402 Sunday, so you can just park on the street. 173 00:09:12,703 --> 00:09:17,505 And it's been a while, I feel like, since I went to somewhere unheard of, totally 174 00:09:17,505 --> 00:09:20,366 new, and it just reminded me what a... 175 00:09:20,899 --> 00:09:23,561 fun experience that is when it turns out to be great. 176 00:09:23,561 --> 00:09:27,684 Like you didn't know about it, you sit down, it's 10 out of 10, and now I feel 177 00:09:27,684 --> 00:09:30,786 like I have another place to bring people when they visit Remodotown. 178 00:09:30,799 --> 00:09:32,500 I have a question for you. 179 00:09:32,500 --> 00:09:37,224 So, you told me that you were going to film which of course, is in the second 180 00:09:37,224 --> 00:09:38,505 June, April. 181 00:09:38,505 --> 00:09:39,345 Exactly. 182 00:09:39,345 --> 00:09:44,609 For a short, it's on Cambridge Street between Inland Square and the Litchfield 183 00:09:44,609 --> 00:09:45,010 station. 184 00:09:45,010 --> 00:09:48,152 So it's going to be a movie to a focus. 185 00:09:48,633 --> 00:09:51,515 That drives now for film is that you're describing it. 186 00:09:51,515 --> 00:09:54,477 Because I would say it's more than a movie. 187 00:09:54,757 --> 00:09:55,827 Or a film. 188 00:09:55,827 --> 00:09:59,264 or anywhere in that area that looks like that still? 189 00:09:59,264 --> 00:10:00,024 that looks like a mess building. 190 00:10:00,024 --> 00:10:03,866 It's this three story brick building that just looks empty. 191 00:10:03,866 --> 00:10:08,209 And in fact, my cousins were standing outside of it waiting for me and they're 192 00:10:08,209 --> 00:10:09,189 like, this is it, right? 193 00:10:09,189 --> 00:10:11,351 I was like, I think, let's just go in and see what we see. 194 00:10:11,351 --> 00:10:16,814 But a true hidden gem, and I'm sure now that I talked about it and posted about 195 00:10:16,814 --> 00:10:20,215 it, more people will show up there, but it was really easy to get a reservation. 196 00:10:20,215 --> 00:10:21,336 They had tons of open times. 197 00:10:21,336 --> 00:10:23,858 They also do brunch and they have an outdoor patio. 198 00:10:23,858 --> 00:10:25,938 So when it gets warmer, I feel like that'd be. 199 00:10:26,060 --> 00:10:28,261 Oh, yeah, put that on the sketch. 200 00:10:29,322 --> 00:10:30,802 Hmm. 201 00:10:30,802 --> 00:10:31,542 Yep. 202 00:10:31,542 --> 00:10:32,023 Okay. 203 00:10:32,023 --> 00:10:33,563 Got it noted. 204 00:10:34,083 --> 00:10:38,125 Um, well, that was a lot of joy. 205 00:10:38,465 --> 00:10:39,825 That was a lot of. 206 00:10:39,850 --> 00:10:44,612 Horses and new restaurants and report cards are done. 207 00:10:44,932 --> 00:10:48,074 And now we're going to switch it up a little bit. 208 00:10:48,074 --> 00:10:55,779 And we're going to segue into our topic of the week, which is sometimes we do topics, 209 00:10:55,779 --> 00:10:57,380 sometimes we do specific books. 210 00:10:57,380 --> 00:11:04,424 We decided for this episode, we would do a topic and the topic is tear jerkers, books 211 00:11:04,424 --> 00:11:07,285 that made us cry. 212 00:11:07,285 --> 00:11:08,085 And 213 00:11:09,126 --> 00:11:10,346 I don't know when we came. 214 00:11:10,346 --> 00:11:14,448 I think when we first started cooking up ideas for this podcast, I think it's been 215 00:11:14,448 --> 00:11:19,250 on the list like since November and we just haven't done it yet. 216 00:11:19,370 --> 00:11:22,032 And I don't want to say that we're avoiding it because honestly, I kind of 217 00:11:22,032 --> 00:11:23,292 forgot that it was on the list. 218 00:11:23,292 --> 00:11:25,833 And then we returned to the list recently. 219 00:11:25,833 --> 00:11:29,195 And I was like, Ooh, this would be a good one because I know we all have read books 220 00:11:29,195 --> 00:11:30,115 like this. 221 00:11:30,121 --> 00:11:33,022 have records of that. 222 00:11:33,022 --> 00:11:34,823 So like, it's gonna be interesting. 223 00:11:34,823 --> 00:11:35,343 I'm gonna have to try. 224 00:11:35,343 --> 00:11:39,385 And also, it's kind of raining and gross today, and I feel like it like matches the 225 00:11:39,385 --> 00:11:39,985 tone of the... 226 00:11:39,985 --> 00:11:40,285 It's like rain. 227 00:11:40,285 --> 00:11:41,091 Yeah, it's like... 228 00:11:41,091 --> 00:11:42,011 fake spring. 229 00:11:42,011 --> 00:11:43,471 We got faked out. 230 00:11:43,551 --> 00:11:45,512 It's like barely 40 degrees and raining. 231 00:11:45,512 --> 00:11:46,972 It's disgusting. 232 00:11:48,173 --> 00:11:50,193 But I'm not mad about it or anything. 233 00:11:51,014 --> 00:11:55,235 So we picked books that made us cry. 234 00:11:55,235 --> 00:12:01,337 I've already seen Steph Stack and there's definitely like a little bit of a motif 235 00:12:01,337 --> 00:12:03,697 among what makes her cry. 236 00:12:04,054 --> 00:12:09,640 My book, that was a tease, I know that colleagues do, which I'm very interested 237 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:09,720 in. 238 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:11,882 Those are all sorts of reasons why we cry. 239 00:12:12,016 --> 00:12:12,757 I'm glad she's alive. 240 00:12:12,757 --> 00:12:14,658 I always want to cry because of her. 241 00:12:15,163 --> 00:12:19,625 somebody's missing someone, you could cry because somebody breaks up like... 242 00:12:19,658 --> 00:12:23,522 I would also say I got a text from Molly when she was reading something semi 243 00:12:23,522 --> 00:12:28,466 recently where she said, Did I make you cry or you almost cried because you were 244 00:12:28,466 --> 00:12:31,969 so worried that there wouldn't be a happy resolution. 245 00:12:31,969 --> 00:12:34,092 So sometimes there's like a relief cry. 246 00:12:34,092 --> 00:12:34,633 Yes. 247 00:12:34,633 --> 00:12:35,885 I was reading the draft of this test. 248 00:12:35,885 --> 00:12:38,908 current manuscript and there was a moment where I thought things were going to go a 249 00:12:38,908 --> 00:12:42,795 certain way and I was extremely upset about it and I was getting very watery. 250 00:12:42,795 --> 00:12:44,415 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 251 00:12:44,415 --> 00:12:45,736 I do remember that now. 252 00:12:46,036 --> 00:12:54,480 So, um, I, my, whatever it's called, what does Superman call it? 253 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:55,240 Kryptonite. 254 00:12:55,240 --> 00:13:01,262 That makes, that's just like, Waterworks galore, like don't even. 255 00:13:02,243 --> 00:13:07,545 Um, adolescent boys in difficult situations, get me. 256 00:13:07,545 --> 00:13:08,685 I don't know why. 257 00:13:09,428 --> 00:13:16,650 And I have never, ever, ever cried in any of my experiences watching a movie. 258 00:13:17,077 --> 00:13:20,698 Oh my gosh what is the name of it? 259 00:13:20,698 --> 00:13:24,380 Something about building a house. 260 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:26,080 Life as a house. 261 00:13:26,461 --> 00:13:30,603 I've only watched it one time because I almost threw up. 262 00:13:30,603 --> 00:13:35,385 I was crying so hard that I was like I can never watch this again and it's Hayden 263 00:13:35,385 --> 00:13:37,765 Christensen and Kevin Klein. 264 00:13:38,154 --> 00:13:43,276 And basically Hayden Christensen's character is like a teenage boy. 265 00:13:43,416 --> 00:13:47,858 The first scene of the whole movie, he's like huffing a paint can in his closet and 266 00:13:47,858 --> 00:13:50,820 trying to like get high and asphyxiate himself. 267 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:56,283 And he's like, you know, got like a dog collar on and he's dyed his hair black and 268 00:13:56,283 --> 00:14:01,225 like he's really like he's going through something and is not being very nice about 269 00:14:01,225 --> 00:14:02,485 it in the process. 270 00:14:02,706 --> 00:14:06,308 And so his mom's like, I don't really know what to do with him anymore, since he's 271 00:14:06,308 --> 00:14:07,117 off to the lab. 272 00:14:07,117 --> 00:14:09,139 with his dad, Kevin Klein. 273 00:14:09,379 --> 00:14:14,224 And Kevin Klein is in the process of building a house from scratch, which he 274 00:14:14,224 --> 00:14:15,945 doesn't really know how to do. 275 00:14:15,945 --> 00:14:18,447 He like sorta knows how to do it, but not really. 276 00:14:18,687 --> 00:14:23,772 And so he and his son that he doesn't know very well bond while they are building 277 00:14:23,772 --> 00:14:24,993 this house. 278 00:14:25,093 --> 00:14:29,597 And then there's a big plot twist at the end and you basically like lose your 279 00:14:29,597 --> 00:14:30,597 fucking mind. 280 00:14:30,924 --> 00:14:32,050 Sorry for the ass bump. 281 00:14:32,050 --> 00:14:33,270 bad though. 282 00:14:33,270 --> 00:14:38,732 And so I think I saw that movie maybe when I was in high school. 283 00:14:38,732 --> 00:14:44,934 And I think ever since then, those types of stories just like rip me to shreds. 284 00:14:45,134 --> 00:14:52,396 So I have two books to discuss that made me feel the same way. 285 00:14:52,717 --> 00:14:53,838 The first one is called, 286 00:14:53,838 --> 00:14:55,538 We Are Papers, You Hear It. 287 00:14:55,574 --> 00:15:01,237 which Gary D Schmidt wrote, and he has written a ton of books for middle and high 288 00:15:01,237 --> 00:15:02,958 school age students. 289 00:15:03,238 --> 00:15:06,660 I don't know if I would call him YA because I feel like that's only associated 290 00:15:06,660 --> 00:15:13,124 with teenagers and he really does like more middle grade, preteen, adolescent, 291 00:15:13,124 --> 00:15:14,504 whatever you want to call that. 292 00:15:15,045 --> 00:15:17,206 And this book, it's very short. 293 00:15:17,206 --> 00:15:18,387 It is not long at all. 294 00:15:18,387 --> 00:15:19,108 Very quick read. 295 00:15:19,108 --> 00:15:21,489 I think I read it in one day. 296 00:15:21,489 --> 00:15:22,849 And it's about 297 00:15:23,312 --> 00:15:28,335 a boy who's in great, who's coming of a very traumatic life. 298 00:15:28,715 --> 00:15:35,960 And he is getting fostered by a very lovely, orphaned family. 299 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:41,724 And he, there's all these rumors that are going around the school about this, 300 00:15:41,724 --> 00:15:47,868 because he's coming of finally passed, he's been a Jew, and there's a boy who has 301 00:15:47,868 --> 00:15:49,208 adopted a daughter. 302 00:15:49,488 --> 00:15:50,888 which is true. 303 00:15:50,949 --> 00:15:52,869 And he's like 14 years old. 304 00:15:53,826 --> 00:15:58,449 and he's never been able to meet her because of all these traumatic things that 305 00:15:58,449 --> 00:15:58,949 have happened. 306 00:15:58,949 --> 00:16:02,772 And he's like been in juvie and like he just hasn't been allowed to meet her. 307 00:16:02,772 --> 00:16:08,195 And so he's trying to live with this family, start going to school in this new 308 00:16:08,195 --> 00:16:08,576 town. 309 00:16:08,576 --> 00:16:11,077 I forget if it takes place in New Hampshire or Maine. 310 00:16:11,638 --> 00:16:14,340 And he's trying to like get it together basically. 311 00:16:14,340 --> 00:16:17,422 Cause he's like, I have a daughter and I would really like to meet her. 312 00:16:17,422 --> 00:16:22,305 And like, I have had all these bad, I've been in all these bad situations and I've 313 00:16:22,305 --> 00:16:23,506 kind of like, 314 00:16:23,506 --> 00:16:26,927 fight my way through them and now everybody thinks I'm this really bad kid 315 00:16:26,927 --> 00:16:31,208 and I'm not, I'm like misunderstood and that nobody has really ever thrown me a 316 00:16:31,208 --> 00:16:33,488 bone and la de da de da. 317 00:16:34,009 --> 00:16:40,871 And then you start to find out more about the mother of his baby and what her whole 318 00:16:40,871 --> 00:16:45,092 story is and how they met each other and like that whole backstory. 319 00:16:45,532 --> 00:16:50,113 And the whole time he's like trying to fit in at this school and doesn't really like 320 00:16:50,113 --> 00:16:51,533 know anybody and... 321 00:16:51,735 --> 00:16:56,597 There's other teens in the foster family that are like trying to help one another. 322 00:16:57,137 --> 00:17:03,646 It's just like, it's one of those stories where you see how people become products 323 00:17:03,646 --> 00:17:08,867 of their environment and how hard they have to fight to not repeat the past. 324 00:17:09,348 --> 00:17:11,268 And it doesn't have a happy ending. 325 00:17:11,369 --> 00:17:13,029 It just straight up doesn't. 326 00:17:13,309 --> 00:17:14,189 And... 327 00:17:14,247 --> 00:17:19,511 it's very thrilling and it's real and it's raw and characters are so good. 328 00:17:19,511 --> 00:17:24,234 You care about them in different ways and it really parts of us. 329 00:17:24,234 --> 00:17:27,896 And I'm really into books 200 pages long. 330 00:17:28,177 --> 00:17:31,754 Like it's real 331 00:17:31,754 --> 00:17:34,756 known who to recommend it to honestly. 332 00:17:34,756 --> 00:17:37,658 Like I can't teach it. 333 00:17:37,658 --> 00:17:41,581 I mean I probably could at the school I'm at now but the school that I was at I 334 00:17:41,581 --> 00:17:42,981 don't think I could have. 335 00:17:43,364 --> 00:17:43,564 idea. 336 00:17:43,564 --> 00:17:51,367 It feels like a lot of current stuff, and it's like, it, I mean, I don't really know 337 00:17:51,367 --> 00:17:55,768 that I'm the right person or that I'm equipped to have a conversation about a D3 338 00:17:55,768 --> 00:17:58,249 or something like that. 339 00:17:58,249 --> 00:18:02,190 You know, like, that's a lot, and so, just... 340 00:18:02,855 --> 00:18:06,796 it's a book that I would love to have a conversation with young people about, but 341 00:18:06,796 --> 00:18:11,064 I just don't know where it fits or who should give it to somebody or. 342 00:18:11,064 --> 00:18:12,625 or if you should leave it there. 343 00:18:12,625 --> 00:18:13,612 I'll talk to you later. 344 00:18:13,612 --> 00:18:17,013 to let you know if they know a little bit more about what kids are going through. 345 00:18:17,013 --> 00:18:22,435 Like, I don't know who it's for, because it's really difficult to read. 346 00:18:23,876 --> 00:18:24,777 But it's excellent. 347 00:18:24,777 --> 00:18:26,457 It's really, really good. 348 00:18:26,458 --> 00:18:29,479 And if that's what your public team knows about the books, they're like, I would 349 00:18:29,479 --> 00:18:31,359 love to just buy something to have in every book. 350 00:18:31,359 --> 00:18:32,359 heavy book. 351 00:18:32,559 --> 00:18:34,780 His other books are really, really good. 352 00:18:34,780 --> 00:18:36,880 I think I've read all of his books and he has quite a few. 353 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:37,441 So Gary D. 354 00:18:37,441 --> 00:18:39,761 Schmidt, shout out to him. 355 00:18:39,761 --> 00:18:41,221 The other one. 356 00:18:42,754 --> 00:18:50,076 is called Forgive Me Leonard Peacock and it is written by the same author that 357 00:18:50,076 --> 00:18:52,276 wrote Silver Linings Playbook. 358 00:18:52,536 --> 00:18:56,517 If you have seen that movie with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De 359 00:18:56,517 --> 00:18:58,278 Niro and a million other people. 360 00:18:58,278 --> 00:19:00,258 So Matthew Quick is the author. 361 00:19:00,639 --> 00:19:04,460 I had seen the movie and then I got this book. 362 00:19:04,460 --> 00:19:06,900 I had never read the book Silver Linings Playbook. 363 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:11,041 And I think that I don't really know anything about Matthew Quick, but my guess 364 00:19:11,041 --> 00:19:11,701 is 365 00:19:12,262 --> 00:19:18,065 He has some personal experience with mental illness, either himself or people 366 00:19:18,065 --> 00:19:22,928 in his family, because that is a lot of what Silver Linings Playbook is about. 367 00:19:23,148 --> 00:19:29,752 And then with Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, that follows a boy on his 18th birthday 368 00:19:29,752 --> 00:19:31,833 and nobody remembers his birthday. 369 00:19:32,394 --> 00:19:35,235 And he has no relationship with his dad. 370 00:19:35,235 --> 00:19:37,256 His mom's a workaholic. 371 00:19:37,497 --> 00:19:39,257 He doesn't really have any friends. 372 00:19:39,578 --> 00:19:43,921 and for a long time he has decided that this is going to be his last day on earth. 373 00:19:44,662 --> 00:19:50,308 And so the whole book is him going around living this day knowing how it's going to 374 00:19:50,308 --> 00:19:50,648 end. 375 00:19:50,648 --> 00:19:55,212 And as the reader, you don't know if there's anybody that is going to come 376 00:19:55,212 --> 00:19:57,894 along and make him change his mind. 377 00:19:58,615 --> 00:20:03,699 And so you have a lot of these pauses and holding your breath and you're like... 378 00:20:04,301 --> 00:20:05,365 And a lot of it... 379 00:20:05,365 --> 00:20:06,786 you can't do. 380 00:20:07,871 --> 00:20:12,515 It somewhat reminds me of the original Vibe, which is like a really popular, 381 00:20:12,515 --> 00:20:13,975 possible TV show. 382 00:20:14,456 --> 00:20:20,542 And it's not the suicide aspect here, it's the you and no, the you and no, the you 383 00:20:20,542 --> 00:20:22,743 and no, the you and that. 384 00:20:23,764 --> 00:20:29,189 And I'm not gonna go into a lot of this, because that's like part of the whole 385 00:20:29,189 --> 00:20:32,692 experience, but they're just... 386 00:20:33,173 --> 00:20:35,852 You have a moment when you're feeling it, and you're like... 387 00:20:35,852 --> 00:20:40,394 has a real role in your life, because you're not seeing my friends and people, 388 00:20:40,394 --> 00:20:45,836 and I understand why it derives from this. 389 00:20:46,016 --> 00:20:51,399 And that's almost sadder than the whole aspect of him deciding to do this. 390 00:20:51,799 --> 00:20:53,862 And so that you kind of have to be rapid with that. 391 00:20:53,862 --> 00:20:56,623 And again, don't know who this book goes to. 392 00:20:56,763 --> 00:20:58,283 I don't know. 393 00:20:58,884 --> 00:21:02,665 It's another book that I would love to talk to people about because I don't know 394 00:21:02,665 --> 00:21:04,305 anybody else that's read it. 395 00:21:04,653 --> 00:21:05,534 to them. 396 00:21:05,950 --> 00:21:12,435 It's a really powerful book and I think that it's really important to start having 397 00:21:12,435 --> 00:21:17,198 conversations that involve like, yeah, I felt really desperate and I felt really 398 00:21:17,198 --> 00:21:21,421 lonely or I felt like I was really seen and then all of a sudden this person 399 00:21:21,421 --> 00:21:23,883 dumped me and I didn't have any of these friends anymore. 400 00:21:23,883 --> 00:21:25,905 There's just so many. 401 00:21:25,905 --> 00:21:30,868 I feel like a lot of us had that at some point in our lives, but it might have been 402 00:21:31,009 --> 00:21:32,189 very brief. 403 00:21:32,914 --> 00:21:35,617 And for some kids, it's not brief at all. 404 00:21:35,617 --> 00:21:40,202 And I think particularly for kids that have to move around or are thrown into 405 00:21:40,243 --> 00:21:45,188 different environments and situations, it's sometimes really excruciatingly long. 406 00:21:46,670 --> 00:21:48,352 So those are the two books. 407 00:21:51,202 --> 00:21:52,542 Give me Leonard Peacock. 408 00:21:52,542 --> 00:21:57,404 I don't know if I would, I'm not gonna say it has a happy or a sad, and orbiting 409 00:21:57,404 --> 00:21:59,384 Jupiter, you're gonna be gutted. 410 00:21:59,384 --> 00:22:05,886 This one is kind of like happy and sad, bittersweet, mixed bag, kind of at the 411 00:22:05,886 --> 00:22:06,646 end. 412 00:22:06,747 --> 00:22:08,467 Both really well written. 413 00:22:08,947 --> 00:22:11,688 Both about teenage boys really going through it. 414 00:22:11,928 --> 00:22:15,769 And maybe I'm... 415 00:22:15,818 --> 00:22:18,841 like attracted to these types of tearjerkers because I've never been a 416 00:22:18,841 --> 00:22:23,946 teenage boy and like I teach teenage boys and I'm curious about them and like how 417 00:22:23,946 --> 00:22:30,888 they learn and how they deal with things and um yeah so that's those were my two. 418 00:22:30,888 --> 00:22:31,328 how they are. 419 00:22:31,328 --> 00:22:35,111 Based on just what you described of the Leonard Peacock premise, I feel like I 420 00:22:35,111 --> 00:22:37,052 would cry at that even without knowing how it ends. 421 00:22:37,052 --> 00:22:40,555 I just based on what you shared about the overall arc of the story, I feel like it 422 00:22:40,555 --> 00:22:43,163 would be hard not to be like moved by that. 423 00:22:43,163 --> 00:22:47,426 older and older, and they don't really have a lot of things. 424 00:22:47,426 --> 00:22:52,570 That connection is really interesting because they're both quote unquote kind of 425 00:22:52,570 --> 00:22:57,914 at the end of their lives, but only one in the world is physically active. 426 00:22:57,914 --> 00:23:01,197 You know, maybe, but they don't feel like they're at the end. 427 00:23:01,197 --> 00:23:02,698 It's very, very good. 428 00:23:04,591 --> 00:23:09,052 Okay, I'm feeling heavy just like listening to that. 429 00:23:09,213 --> 00:23:13,095 I should preface that I cry very easily at everything including commercials. 430 00:23:13,095 --> 00:23:20,438 So I don't know that I'm a good barometer of what is worthy of tears or not, but I 431 00:23:20,438 --> 00:23:25,100 feel like my picks, most people would have an emotional response to. 432 00:23:26,761 --> 00:23:28,962 My first one is... 433 00:23:29,908 --> 00:23:33,711 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. 434 00:23:33,911 --> 00:23:41,358 And if you haven't read this book, and maybe you're like, I'm not really into 435 00:23:41,358 --> 00:23:42,339 time travel. 436 00:23:42,339 --> 00:23:43,159 I don't care. 437 00:23:43,159 --> 00:23:44,460 You're gonna love it. 438 00:23:44,461 --> 00:23:45,881 I cried during this one. 439 00:23:46,891 --> 00:23:49,528 This is a must, I feel like. 440 00:23:49,528 --> 00:23:56,914 honestly, there are very few adaptations that I feel emotionally carry over what it 441 00:23:56,914 --> 00:23:59,256 should from the page to the screen. 442 00:23:59,377 --> 00:24:04,721 God bless Rachel McAdams because she destroyed me in that. 443 00:24:04,993 --> 00:24:06,954 movie many times over. 444 00:24:08,054 --> 00:24:11,455 I'm not really normally a fan of time travel, I have to say. 445 00:24:11,756 --> 00:24:12,976 I like linear stories. 446 00:24:12,976 --> 00:24:17,098 This is not a linear story and that drives me crazy because I have trouble figuring 447 00:24:17,098 --> 00:24:18,718 out where I am in the story. 448 00:24:18,922 --> 00:24:22,563 But I don't even know what to say about this book. 449 00:24:22,563 --> 00:24:23,603 It just... 450 00:24:23,963 --> 00:24:30,045 It has a big, blossomed, well-grown, well cared for romance. 451 00:24:30,045 --> 00:24:32,385 Well, did you guys watch the HBO... 452 00:24:32,726 --> 00:24:34,507 that they came out after. 453 00:24:34,507 --> 00:24:35,367 I didn't. 454 00:24:35,968 --> 00:24:36,968 So I did. 455 00:24:36,968 --> 00:24:40,710 And in, I think it was the first episode. 456 00:24:41,216 --> 00:24:43,097 I can't even think of the character's names. 457 00:24:43,618 --> 00:24:44,498 Henry. 458 00:24:44,619 --> 00:24:50,203 Well, no, it's when Henry first meets child version of Claire, and in the HBO 459 00:24:50,203 --> 00:24:56,168 version, they made like a pun about grooming because he meets her when he's in 460 00:24:56,168 --> 00:24:59,290 his 40s, I think, at that point, and she's... 461 00:24:59,927 --> 00:25:04,388 10 or something and you know that is kind of uncomfortable to talk about nowadays 462 00:25:04,388 --> 00:25:10,651 but they did an okay job it's just the original is just beautiful. 463 00:25:10,951 --> 00:25:15,753 If you don't know the story it is about a male and a female. 464 00:25:15,873 --> 00:25:20,675 Henry travels through time it is a genetic thing that he gets from his father. 465 00:25:21,095 --> 00:25:22,916 He has no control over it. 466 00:25:23,396 --> 00:25:28,298 He doesn't know where he's going to end up and he always ends up naked when he lands 467 00:25:28,298 --> 00:25:29,219 whatever time. 468 00:25:29,219 --> 00:25:30,500 or place that is. 469 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:32,878 He meets Claire when she is a child 470 00:25:32,878 --> 00:25:41,265 at her childhood home and they create this sort of relationship where, I mean, it's 471 00:25:41,265 --> 00:25:44,228 hard to explain because he's coming from all different time periods. 472 00:25:44,228 --> 00:25:48,952 So sometimes he knows her before she knows him, but then there's times where she 473 00:25:48,952 --> 00:25:56,418 knows him and he's, it's too confusing, but their friendship grows as she saves 474 00:25:56,418 --> 00:25:56,756 him. 475 00:25:56,756 --> 00:26:01,859 her father's clothes for him so that he will not be naked when he comes and then 476 00:26:01,859 --> 00:26:07,483 we get to a point where she's finally an adult and meets him and they fall in love 477 00:26:07,483 --> 00:26:08,861 and have this love story 478 00:26:08,861 --> 00:26:16,028 that is tragic and heartbreaking but also beautiful and big. 479 00:26:16,028 --> 00:26:20,531 And it's just a really lovely, lovely story. 480 00:26:21,873 --> 00:26:23,734 My second one is... 481 00:26:23,799 --> 00:26:27,802 probably not surprising whatsoever because obviously I included an animal book. 482 00:26:27,802 --> 00:26:29,263 I have a lot of animal books. 483 00:26:29,263 --> 00:26:30,884 Most of them have made me cry. 484 00:26:31,765 --> 00:26:33,286 And this one I think everyone knows. 485 00:26:33,286 --> 00:26:34,507 It's Marley and Me. 486 00:26:34,507 --> 00:26:38,010 Can I tell you I pulled this off the shelf the other day in preparation for this, 487 00:26:38,030 --> 00:26:42,074 flipped to the back just to be like, let's remember this and immediately started 488 00:26:42,074 --> 00:26:42,934 crying. 489 00:26:43,895 --> 00:26:45,176 What? 490 00:26:45,557 --> 00:26:49,641 I, well, cause I wanted to like remember obviously we know how it ends. 491 00:26:49,705 --> 00:26:51,067 Especially if it's a team movie. 492 00:26:51,067 --> 00:26:53,311 But I just wanted to put one of these guys through a bit. 493 00:26:53,311 --> 00:26:55,753 And it was like, clearly, the same person. 494 00:26:56,218 --> 00:26:57,098 on my heart. 495 00:26:57,098 --> 00:27:02,859 If you don't know Marley and me, it is a beautiful memoir of a first time pet 496 00:27:02,859 --> 00:27:10,202 parent going through the struggles of picking out a puppy and a dog that puts 497 00:27:10,202 --> 00:27:13,622 every single thing in its mouth, including an engagement ring. 498 00:27:14,697 --> 00:27:19,539 But it's also a story of a family growing and the struggles of that. 499 00:27:20,664 --> 00:27:26,226 I wanted to include the art of racing in the rain because that's a similar sort of 500 00:27:26,386 --> 00:27:33,128 story but different because that one also did make me pull my eyes out. 501 00:27:33,128 --> 00:27:36,529 Anyways, anything if any sort of animal is going to make me cry. 502 00:27:36,529 --> 00:27:40,590 And then my last one I would implore everyone to read. 503 00:27:40,590 --> 00:27:42,270 It is a beautiful 504 00:27:42,502 --> 00:27:43,803 beautiful memoir. 505 00:27:43,803 --> 00:27:48,925 It is The Bright Hour, a memoir of living and dying by Nina Riggs. 506 00:27:48,925 --> 00:27:54,708 This, I feel like this was, I don't know how many years ago this came out. 507 00:27:55,729 --> 00:27:57,349 This was like everywhere I feel like. 508 00:27:57,349 --> 00:28:01,871 So she is the granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson. 509 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:03,281 She writes like him. 510 00:28:03,281 --> 00:28:11,015 She is a, she was a beautiful, beautiful writer and she wrote this. 511 00:28:11,015 --> 00:28:12,755 note for Docky. 512 00:28:12,896 --> 00:28:17,398 I can't even talk about it, you know, I'm so proud of it, but it is, it's so, it's 513 00:28:17,398 --> 00:28:19,419 all, yeah, getting to it. 514 00:28:19,419 --> 00:28:20,000 Thank you. 515 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:25,383 up just thinking about it i remember when you read that because you were telling me 516 00:28:25,383 --> 00:28:29,545 about it we met somewhere i was like sitting in the parking lot of poor square 517 00:28:30,490 --> 00:28:34,294 before meeting you for a meal and I think I was like crying in my car. 518 00:28:34,423 --> 00:28:38,984 I just remember you being like this is one of the most like beautiful moving things 519 00:28:38,984 --> 00:28:43,846 I've ever read I Can't get over the fact that this happened like she decided to do 520 00:28:43,846 --> 00:28:48,367 this I didn't remember the Ralph Waldo Emerson connection, but I distinctly 521 00:28:48,367 --> 00:28:54,809 remember when you finished that book that like you were I don't know if like 522 00:28:54,809 --> 00:28:59,890 Transform does it is a too powerful word, but just that like it really left a strong 523 00:28:59,890 --> 00:29:00,695 impression 524 00:29:00,695 --> 00:29:09,141 I honestly couldn't even tell you what she's talking about. 525 00:29:09,141 --> 00:29:10,582 I literally couldn't tell you. 526 00:29:10,582 --> 00:29:15,666 I think it's a, well, I mean, she's a young mother at the time of diagnosis. 527 00:29:15,666 --> 00:29:22,170 I think I could be misremembering, but I think she had already gone through cancer, 528 00:29:22,631 --> 00:29:24,392 thought she was okay, had kids. 529 00:29:24,392 --> 00:29:28,330 I could totally be misremembering this and then gets diagnosed again. 530 00:29:28,330 --> 00:29:33,044 and this was terminal, decided I need to write this book before I could. 531 00:29:33,044 --> 00:29:33,585 I pass. 532 00:29:33,585 --> 00:29:38,667 Um, and I will say that it's finished by her husband, which is the part that gets 533 00:29:38,667 --> 00:29:39,027 me. 534 00:29:39,027 --> 00:29:41,068 So, yeah, it's just beautiful. 535 00:29:41,068 --> 00:29:46,970 If you love beautiful writing, I'm not a memoir person, but this memoir like did me 536 00:29:46,970 --> 00:29:47,610 in. 537 00:29:48,005 --> 00:29:49,325 I know that's true, but this time, you are just dead. 538 00:29:49,325 --> 00:29:53,327 OK, I'm just laughing internally to myself for how perfectly you teed me up for my 539 00:29:53,327 --> 00:29:56,948 selections, which you did not know because I didn't share my picks before we started 540 00:29:56,948 --> 00:29:57,788 recording. 541 00:29:58,768 --> 00:30:02,029 In the very first episode of this podcast, I talked about memoirs as being one of my 542 00:30:02,029 --> 00:30:03,270 favorite genres. 543 00:30:03,270 --> 00:30:06,410 So two of my picks are from that realm. 544 00:30:06,807 --> 00:30:13,472 The first one is called When Breath Becomes Air, which is by Paul Kalanithi, 545 00:30:13,513 --> 00:30:19,879 who was a neurosurgeon who had incredible physical and mental health, was at the top 546 00:30:19,879 --> 00:30:23,662 of his field, and all of a sudden was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. 547 00:30:24,223 --> 00:30:29,888 Similar to what you just explained, he decided to write about it, and knowing he 548 00:30:29,888 --> 00:30:32,050 was gonna not survive this, 549 00:30:32,803 --> 00:30:36,445 And it talks about the beginning of his life, his decision to become a doctor, 550 00:30:36,445 --> 00:30:40,068 meeting his wife, their discussion around whether or not they should have a child, 551 00:30:40,068 --> 00:30:44,451 knowing that he would not be around for most of her life. 552 00:30:44,471 --> 00:30:48,053 Um, I won't say what wound up happening, but similar to what you just said about 553 00:30:48,053 --> 00:30:52,416 the Bride Hour, he does pass before the book is finished. 554 00:30:52,777 --> 00:30:56,219 His wife writes the remainder and the epilogue. 555 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:01,042 I got to the back half of this book while on an airplane, and when I tell you 556 00:31:01,645 --> 00:31:02,806 oh, I was probably crying. 557 00:31:02,806 --> 00:31:04,087 Like, people are looking at me. 558 00:31:04,087 --> 00:31:05,528 I couldn't control myself. 559 00:31:05,528 --> 00:31:08,850 Like, I just didn't, I mean, I guess I should have known it was gonna be a hard 560 00:31:08,850 --> 00:31:13,773 ending, but there was something about the fact that to... 561 00:31:14,300 --> 00:31:18,522 honor his life, she like pushed through to do this thing for him and to help him like 562 00:31:18,522 --> 00:31:20,622 bring this project over the finish line. 563 00:31:21,043 --> 00:31:22,843 And this is kind of an interesting connection. 564 00:31:22,843 --> 00:31:24,844 So his wife's name is Lucy. 565 00:31:25,124 --> 00:31:30,106 She is the twin sister of Joanna Goddard, who writes a very famous blog called Cup 566 00:31:30,106 --> 00:31:30,926 of Joe. 567 00:31:30,942 --> 00:31:31,983 Mm-hmm. 568 00:31:32,464 --> 00:31:33,846 How did I not know that? 569 00:31:33,846 --> 00:31:36,298 Yeah, and Jill and her family with Lucy and Ed. 570 00:31:36,298 --> 00:31:41,222 opportunities over the years to share about her husband, about her grief 571 00:31:41,222 --> 00:31:41,862 process. 572 00:31:41,862 --> 00:31:45,245 And I've actually found that to be some of the most moving content that has ever been 573 00:31:45,245 --> 00:31:48,026 shared on Cup of Jo, is the stuff that comes from Lucy. 574 00:31:48,267 --> 00:31:51,949 It was just interesting that not only did she live through this and then helping to 575 00:31:51,949 --> 00:31:56,312 promote the book, but then her sister had this huge platform that reaches millions 576 00:31:56,312 --> 00:31:59,774 of women talking about what it's like to be a young widow. 577 00:31:59,995 --> 00:32:04,196 what it's like to try to move forward after that she can interview about what 578 00:32:04,196 --> 00:32:05,557 she ever considered dating again. 579 00:32:05,557 --> 00:32:06,557 This was years later. 580 00:32:06,557 --> 00:32:10,918 Anyway, this book of all the books when we decided we were definitely going to do 581 00:32:10,918 --> 00:32:16,020 this topic today, I was like that this is the number one position I was destroyed in 582 00:32:16,020 --> 00:32:17,260 a public place. 583 00:32:18,140 --> 00:32:22,281 Did he give a really famous commencement speech as well? 584 00:32:22,975 --> 00:32:23,898 I don't know. 585 00:32:24,234 --> 00:32:29,421 Was he affiliated with a college? 586 00:32:29,421 --> 00:32:33,786 I think I'm thinking of, I think I'm thinking of the right person, but I'll 587 00:32:33,786 --> 00:32:34,667 look it up. 588 00:32:36,013 --> 00:32:43,298 My second choice, also a memoir, is called Crying in H Mart, which is by Michelle's 589 00:32:43,298 --> 00:32:44,038 Honor. 590 00:32:44,258 --> 00:32:45,139 It's in my TBR pile. 591 00:32:45,139 --> 00:32:45,439 I know. 592 00:32:45,439 --> 00:32:49,161 It's kind of the same. 593 00:32:49,161 --> 00:32:49,621 It's not too much. 594 00:32:49,621 --> 00:32:50,221 It's also in the right one. 595 00:32:50,221 --> 00:32:51,401 Because I'm not going to be talking about this, but. 596 00:32:51,401 --> 00:32:54,823 have two copies by accident because Molly and I both bought it. 597 00:32:56,104 --> 00:32:56,865 But it's okay. 598 00:32:56,865 --> 00:32:58,326 I know a lot about what it's... 599 00:32:58,326 --> 00:32:59,207 It's fine. 600 00:32:59,207 --> 00:33:02,813 And we don't spoil anything for our listeners anyway, so... 601 00:33:02,813 --> 00:33:07,054 Let me think about how I want to explain this in a way that will not say too much. 602 00:33:07,054 --> 00:33:13,136 Basically, Michelle is talking about her relationship with her mom, who is also 603 00:33:13,136 --> 00:33:18,217 actively dying, and how they don't always see eye to eye. 604 00:33:18,217 --> 00:33:22,798 She grew up in a pretty strict Asian household and she's a musician. 605 00:33:23,085 --> 00:33:27,328 and not like a jealous or violent, like a punk musician. 606 00:33:27,628 --> 00:33:30,890 And she is trying to find... 607 00:33:30,896 --> 00:33:34,818 common ground with her mom in these final months. 608 00:33:35,119 --> 00:33:39,561 And the thing that they bond over is making food together. 609 00:33:39,942 --> 00:33:45,566 So I felt like it was the type of thing where I cried because it was just like, so 610 00:33:46,687 --> 00:33:51,070 moving the way they tried to figure out a way to like speak to each other and make 611 00:33:51,070 --> 00:33:52,690 new memories and 612 00:33:53,271 --> 00:33:57,392 Um, just stuff that she would be able to do even after her mom passed. 613 00:33:57,392 --> 00:34:02,713 And because she's a musician, she also just has like a gift for words and the 614 00:34:02,713 --> 00:34:05,674 rhythm of words and, um, just beautiful. 615 00:34:05,674 --> 00:34:08,395 I, after I read it, I felt like I talked about it to anybody who would listen for 616 00:34:08,395 --> 00:34:09,715 like the next six months. 617 00:34:09,935 --> 00:34:13,296 Um, so when you do read it, we can revisit what you think. 618 00:34:13,916 --> 00:34:17,077 My final one is, uh, actually a fiction book. 619 00:34:17,677 --> 00:34:19,458 It's called A Place For Us. 620 00:34:19,458 --> 00:34:22,118 It's by Fatima Farheen. 621 00:34:22,314 --> 00:34:23,515 in the U.S.A. 622 00:34:24,715 --> 00:34:30,398 This was the first book by Sarah Jessica Martin, which I don't know. 623 00:34:30,778 --> 00:34:31,574 It is about... 624 00:34:31,574 --> 00:34:36,135 a Muslim family that moves to the United States and has a very difficult time. 625 00:34:36,135 --> 00:34:40,700 kind of finding their footing here, including they have three children and the 626 00:34:40,700 --> 00:34:43,782 youngest son develops a substance abuse problem. 627 00:34:44,043 --> 00:34:47,686 And they all come back together many years later when the oldest daughter is getting 628 00:34:47,686 --> 00:34:48,506 married. 629 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:52,800 and everyone is like on pins and needles the entire time about the youngest son, 630 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:54,320 like, is he gonna get too drunk? 631 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:56,161 Is he gonna ruin this for everybody? 632 00:34:56,221 --> 00:35:00,823 And they wind up sort of an emotionally charged conversations, kind of unpacking 633 00:35:00,823 --> 00:35:06,145 all of the hardships of their relationships about the move and about the 634 00:35:06,145 --> 00:35:11,146 cultural transitions and about the youngest son sort of being ousted from the 635 00:35:11,146 --> 00:35:12,306 family and... 636 00:35:12,419 --> 00:35:16,102 there are just so many conversations where you, your heart just breaks into a million 637 00:35:16,102 --> 00:35:19,965 pieces that this life for each of these family members, the parents and the kids, 638 00:35:19,965 --> 00:35:26,631 so freaking hard and that they couldn't like tell each other how bad it really was 639 00:35:26,631 --> 00:35:29,453 because they didn't wanna make it worse for anybody. 640 00:35:29,754 --> 00:35:35,979 And I was just so like, I don't know, I keep saying moved, but like that's how I 641 00:35:35,979 --> 00:35:36,360 felt. 642 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:39,062 I was just like, God, this is so freaking hard. 643 00:35:39,062 --> 00:35:39,842 And like. 644 00:35:40,112 --> 00:35:42,033 there are so many families who have experienced that. 645 00:35:42,033 --> 00:35:45,615 We're coming here, it's just not at all what they thought it was gonna be, and it 646 00:35:45,615 --> 00:35:47,135 tears people apart. 647 00:35:47,536 --> 00:35:52,438 I also just think many families have one either parent for you or sitting that is 648 00:35:52,438 --> 00:35:57,020 an outcast, and it's very painful, and the relationships are strained, and it just, I 649 00:35:57,020 --> 00:36:00,762 think it will be relatable to people in a lot of ways, but it's definitely not an 650 00:36:00,762 --> 00:36:01,882 easy read. 651 00:36:01,882 --> 00:36:03,183 And I think she, 652 00:36:03,784 --> 00:36:08,846 writes so beautifully that that's what keeps you going is like her prose is so 653 00:36:09,185 --> 00:36:16,448 that that's what keeps you going is like her prose is so special that you can push 654 00:36:16,448 --> 00:36:18,688 through the hard stuff because it is a beautiful experience to get to be able to. 655 00:36:18,688 --> 00:36:19,149 I have two things. 656 00:36:19,149 --> 00:36:22,790 One, if you like that book then you should, I haven't read it but it sounds, 657 00:36:22,790 --> 00:36:26,791 it has a lot of similarities to All My Rage by Saba Tahir that I just had to read 658 00:36:26,791 --> 00:36:28,071 for my class. 659 00:36:28,792 --> 00:36:34,033 I think that this is like the teenager version, like the YA version of that book. 660 00:36:34,754 --> 00:36:37,896 and that book did make me tear up and I almost talked about it but I also wanted 661 00:36:37,896 --> 00:36:40,757 to do an episode about that book so I didn't put it on the list. 662 00:36:41,178 --> 00:36:45,060 The other thing I want to say is the reason I thought crying in a corner is 663 00:36:45,060 --> 00:36:48,263 because Michelle is the author of that book. 664 00:36:48,263 --> 00:36:50,984 Her speech in Japanese 665 00:36:51,055 --> 00:36:53,376 and I really like that band. 666 00:36:53,376 --> 00:36:58,879 I've seen Japanese Breakfast before, and they were supposed to be at Newport 667 00:36:58,879 --> 00:37:03,333 Folkfest one year and basically got all messed up because... 668 00:37:03,333 --> 00:37:05,294 I think people wanted to get through COVID. 669 00:37:05,294 --> 00:37:10,157 So she was supposed to be on time for the youths. 670 00:37:10,157 --> 00:37:12,719 There were two groups that had to switch grades. 671 00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:15,121 They were performing at one time because of COVID. 672 00:37:15,121 --> 00:37:17,662 And one of them, she doesn't get on a flight. 673 00:37:17,662 --> 00:37:18,987 And that's where her band was. 674 00:37:18,987 --> 00:37:20,148 her band was. 675 00:37:20,168 --> 00:37:24,172 But anyways, she got put on Sunday up against somebody else that I wanted to see 676 00:37:24,172 --> 00:37:26,454 and so then I, but I did see her another time. 677 00:37:26,454 --> 00:37:27,755 But that's why I bought that book. 678 00:37:27,755 --> 00:37:30,556 I haven't read it yet, but I bought it because I know. 679 00:37:30,556 --> 00:37:33,178 her and actually was like this. 680 00:37:33,178 --> 00:37:36,641 And I was like, oh, this is so sad. 681 00:37:36,641 --> 00:37:37,501 And so sad. 682 00:37:37,501 --> 00:37:43,046 You have to be a mentally prepared person to like, oh, and then it's kind of going 683 00:37:43,046 --> 00:37:47,810 to jump further right down into your dark, lonely, and narrow life. 684 00:37:49,578 --> 00:37:50,868 What's everyone reading? 685 00:37:53,832 --> 00:37:59,973 I'm currently in the midst of a racist book club book that I picked up a week or 686 00:37:59,973 --> 00:38:04,554 two ago when Caitlyn and I had an H Mart BNN day. 687 00:38:06,035 --> 00:38:08,656 What's interesting about this book, I don't want to tell too much because I 688 00:38:08,656 --> 00:38:10,836 think it would be interesting to do an episode about it. 689 00:38:11,036 --> 00:38:14,857 Before, or I think I was maybe five pages in, I made the mistake of going to 690 00:38:14,857 --> 00:38:18,778 Goodreads just to see if anyone I knew had read it, but then I started reading the 691 00:38:18,778 --> 00:38:19,738 reviews. 692 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:22,281 It does not have good reviews. 693 00:38:22,581 --> 00:38:24,041 Like a lot of. 694 00:38:24,604 --> 00:38:25,845 like, Reese, are you OK? 695 00:38:25,845 --> 00:38:28,686 Did you really mean to put this on your list type thing? 696 00:38:28,686 --> 00:38:30,967 Yeah. 697 00:38:30,967 --> 00:38:33,128 Yeah, I could not put it down last night. 698 00:38:33,528 --> 00:38:35,929 I'm worried that maybe it takes a turn at the end. 699 00:38:35,929 --> 00:38:40,271 But what I wanted to say that's interesting is so it's a present day and a 700 00:38:40,271 --> 00:38:42,772 past, and it alternates each chapter. 701 00:38:42,872 --> 00:38:48,754 The present is in the past tense, and the past is in the present tense, which I feel 702 00:38:48,754 --> 00:38:49,079 like 703 00:38:49,079 --> 00:38:50,760 it must have a purpose. 704 00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:52,380 And I haven't figured it out yet. 705 00:38:52,721 --> 00:38:54,221 But that's like an interest. 706 00:38:54,221 --> 00:38:54,741 short. 707 00:38:54,741 --> 00:38:56,462 That seems very confusing. 708 00:38:57,022 --> 00:38:57,402 I know. 709 00:38:57,402 --> 00:39:00,424 Steph said she's also just very, very stressed that she was wondering, like, are 710 00:39:00,424 --> 00:39:01,964 these people who can deal with this person? 711 00:39:01,964 --> 00:39:04,431 So we're asking if you can convince her to make her some medicine. 712 00:39:04,431 --> 00:39:06,506 and then some things were confirmed? 713 00:39:06,506 --> 00:39:13,451 the main character, Maya, in present day is coming off of a cold turkey stop to a 714 00:39:13,451 --> 00:39:20,817 clonopin addiction, which I will say from knowing someone who did that on her own, 715 00:39:21,218 --> 00:39:25,822 severe consequences of doing that without doctor supervision. 716 00:39:25,822 --> 00:39:26,402 Yeah. 717 00:39:29,905 --> 00:39:32,226 So she goes into it. 718 00:39:34,838 --> 00:39:36,854 Basically, I don't know. 719 00:39:36,980 --> 00:39:41,163 sometimes if the things she's seeing are real or if they're hallucinations that are 720 00:39:41,163 --> 00:39:46,566 a reaction to basically weaning oneself off of a drug. 721 00:39:47,067 --> 00:39:51,650 But in the past, when she was about to graduate from high school, she met this 722 00:39:51,650 --> 00:39:57,694 older guy and you can just tell there's something super dodgy about him and she's 723 00:39:57,694 --> 00:40:00,676 missing hours of time that she spends with him. 724 00:40:00,676 --> 00:40:04,078 Like she'll start off doing something totally normal. 725 00:40:04,118 --> 00:40:06,579 and then five hours have passed and she's like 726 00:40:06,710 --> 00:40:08,312 how did that happen? 727 00:40:08,312 --> 00:40:12,237 Type thing, or she'll end up somewhere where she's like, how did we get here? 728 00:40:12,237 --> 00:40:13,077 Type thing. 729 00:40:14,003 --> 00:40:19,286 and you're sure that she's not a ghost right because i know you were saying that 730 00:40:19,286 --> 00:40:23,389 you were some of the other people seem suspect but like yeah no i think that's me 731 00:40:23,389 --> 00:40:27,591 just being like very suspicious okay all right got it got it basically in present 732 00:40:27,591 --> 00:40:32,673 day she finds a youtube video where he and this young girl who look exactly like her 733 00:40:32,786 --> 00:40:33,046 that? 734 00:40:33,046 --> 00:40:34,187 Like, this is like Suzy T. 735 00:40:34,187 --> 00:40:34,407 B. 736 00:40:34,407 --> 00:40:35,927 for a German diver. 737 00:40:35,955 --> 00:40:39,436 and the girl just dies, keels over in his presence and dies. 738 00:40:39,436 --> 00:40:42,797 And in the past, her best friend died in his presence. 739 00:40:42,797 --> 00:40:46,098 So there's something that I was like, is this a cult type book? 740 00:40:47,292 --> 00:40:50,373 I was worried that there was magic involved or something. 741 00:40:52,314 --> 00:40:55,496 That would explain the bad readings though, if all of a sudden they're like, 742 00:40:55,496 --> 00:40:59,142 and this guy has a wand and it's like, okay, that doesn't work. 743 00:40:59,142 --> 00:41:00,162 a good point. 744 00:41:00,162 --> 00:41:03,104 No, it's very different. 745 00:41:03,244 --> 00:41:07,066 Quick factor, I mean, it depends on the type of person. 746 00:41:07,190 --> 00:41:12,513 and I need to know what the heck is going on I'm really hoping that this does not 747 00:41:12,513 --> 00:41:15,054 like take a turn that I'm like no this is. 748 00:41:15,557 --> 00:41:19,022 why did everyone give it like to start reviews is basically what I'm asking. 749 00:41:19,022 --> 00:41:20,920 I'm just looking at you describe this character. 750 00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:21,601 as dodgy. 751 00:41:21,601 --> 00:41:24,482 I'm still holding on to that word choice. 752 00:41:26,834 --> 00:41:32,717 I'm only five pages in, but I'm reading Funny You Should Ask by Alyssa Sussman. 753 00:41:33,297 --> 00:41:36,539 It's a little bit of a homework assignment that I've had for a while. 754 00:41:36,539 --> 00:41:42,603 It's been in my TBR forever, and Molly and Steph really want to do an ep about it, so 755 00:41:42,603 --> 00:41:43,703 away I go. 756 00:41:43,863 --> 00:41:50,967 But it seems really charming and I'm getting like Amy Sherman-Paladino banter 757 00:41:50,967 --> 00:41:54,880 dialogue vibes just in five pages, so that feels good. 758 00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:57,681 to be by myself the entire time. 759 00:41:57,782 --> 00:41:59,522 I'm too nervous. 760 00:42:00,515 --> 00:42:03,555 from Boston to Minneapolis and Minneapolis to Jackson Hole. 761 00:42:04,456 --> 00:42:06,717 I ignored all the people that we were with. 762 00:42:06,717 --> 00:42:12,939 And I just committed to this book and I just couldn't be stopped. 763 00:42:12,939 --> 00:42:16,940 I really was into it and then I couldn't wait to pass it on. 764 00:42:16,940 --> 00:42:22,482 And I just feel like that is like a very, I don't know that immersive is the right 765 00:42:22,482 --> 00:42:24,682 word, but it just hooked me right from the get. 766 00:42:25,286 --> 00:42:29,027 I hope, have we mentioned on the pod that we're going to Jacksonville? 767 00:42:29,428 --> 00:42:30,968 Oh, well, we're doing it. 768 00:42:31,228 --> 00:42:32,569 I'm the only one that hasn't gone. 769 00:42:32,569 --> 00:42:35,150 So we're going and we're doing it. 770 00:42:35,490 --> 00:42:40,653 Um, and I hope that I find a book for those flights that I'm just like 771 00:42:40,653 --> 00:42:42,273 completely enamored with. 772 00:42:42,985 --> 00:42:44,146 I'm a professor, so I don't know. 773 00:42:44,146 --> 00:42:45,867 And I've been informed through the swipes that I've been completely blinded. 774 00:42:45,867 --> 00:42:46,087 Totally. 775 00:42:46,087 --> 00:42:48,589 Speaking of the West, my book is set in Montana. 776 00:42:48,589 --> 00:42:52,072 I'm reading Famous for a Living, which I mentioned at the end of last week's ep is 777 00:42:52,072 --> 00:42:55,194 my blind date book that I unwrapped on air a couple of weeks ago. 778 00:42:55,739 --> 00:42:57,920 So what page am I on? 779 00:42:57,920 --> 00:42:58,180 Jeez. 780 00:42:58,180 --> 00:43:01,022 Uh, page 90. 781 00:43:01,323 --> 00:43:06,686 So this story is about an influencer who leaves New York City and goes to small 782 00:43:06,686 --> 00:43:07,687 town Montana. 783 00:43:07,687 --> 00:43:11,550 I have now learned that her uncle got her a job where she works for the park 784 00:43:11,550 --> 00:43:13,591 service. 785 00:43:13,591 --> 00:43:17,854 They have enlisted her to become the social media coordinator for the parks. 786 00:43:18,014 --> 00:43:23,418 She has to share a tiny one room cabin with like a 22 year old eager beaver park 787 00:43:23,418 --> 00:43:24,238 ranger. 788 00:43:25,243 --> 00:43:29,572 And my favorite moment of the beginning so far is she arrives in the dead of winter 789 00:43:29,653 --> 00:43:34,102 and she booked a rental car for herself that is a convertible. 790 00:43:36,424 --> 00:43:40,107 So her uncle's like second in command from the truck service has to come and press 791 00:43:40,107 --> 00:43:40,747 me. 792 00:43:40,747 --> 00:43:41,507 Oh, she's great. 793 00:43:41,507 --> 00:43:43,088 And she drives it off the road. 794 00:43:44,749 --> 00:43:46,430 Yeah, okay, yep. 795 00:43:46,430 --> 00:43:48,611 I'm loving it in a surprise way. 796 00:43:48,912 --> 00:43:51,693 And I've mentioned this before, but... 797 00:43:52,423 --> 00:43:55,904 they have these cool like interstitials between all the chapters where it shows 798 00:43:55,904 --> 00:43:58,985 her like taking Instagram pictures and it looks like the inside of an iPhone. 799 00:43:58,985 --> 00:43:59,865 And it's just very fun. 800 00:43:59,865 --> 00:44:04,086 I haven't seen that particular visual decision in a book that I've read before. 801 00:44:04,929 --> 00:44:08,253 This is very small book, which is why I'm on the complete idea of a book that I've 802 00:44:08,253 --> 00:44:09,513 written about by the author. 803 00:44:11,108 --> 00:44:12,409 But I'm really enjoying it. 804 00:44:12,409 --> 00:44:16,592 I'm looking forward to what I know will inevitably be her falling in love with 805 00:44:16,592 --> 00:44:18,854 this gruff person that just rescued her. 806 00:44:19,935 --> 00:44:21,376 But I will follow along on the journey. 807 00:44:21,376 --> 00:44:25,119 So if you guys wanna follow along with everything we're reading, all the books we 808 00:44:25,119 --> 00:44:28,822 discussed today, if you feel like a good cry, we will get the whole list up there 809 00:44:28,822 --> 00:44:30,182 for you on Instagram. 810 00:44:30,307 --> 00:44:31,647 We are at Plans Are Booked. 811 00:44:31,647 --> 00:44:34,108 We would love to chat with you, see what you're reading. 812 00:44:34,108 --> 00:44:35,529 Please comment, like, share. 813 00:44:35,529 --> 00:44:38,770 We appreciate every single moment of engagement. 814 00:44:39,070 --> 00:44:40,271 And you can write to us too. 815 00:44:40,271 --> 00:44:44,773 You can email us at plan Let us know what you're reading, anything you'd like us to 816 00:44:44,773 --> 00:44:45,593 cover. 817 00:44:45,713 --> 00:44:47,254 We love hearing from you, so don't be shy. 818 00:44:47,254 --> 00:44:47,874 Really. 819 00:44:48,362 --> 00:44:52,625 Really don't be shy because we're going to be doing some giveaways soon so we want to 820 00:44:52,625 --> 00:44:56,788 hear from you and we want you to participate in what we have going on. 821 00:44:56,788 --> 00:45:00,070 Until next time, our plans are booked.