Welcome to Plans Are Booked, a podcast for every reader.
I'm Molly Geller.
I'm Stephanie Blackburn.
And I'm Caitlin Madison.
Welcome to chapter 37.
37.
I don't have anything to say about that number.
I think it was, I think that was a COVID time for me and I think nothing special
happened.
I can't think of anything to report for 37.
But we are recording today on Stephanie's actual birthday.
So, happy birthday.
Happy birthday!
We had brunch, she opened gifts, we're drinking bubble tea, we went to one of her
favorite stores.
We didn't go to a bookstore!
Darn it!
it.
The day is not over.
my gosh, we should have put that into this morning's itinerary.
feel like the center of Maynard is missing out on having a bookstore.
You know?
Hey.
Thought idea.
Business opportunity anyone?
Well, because Acton, the town next door used to have Willow books, it doesn't have
that anymore.
So I think the closest bookstore is probably Concord, which is nothing against
that bookstore, but it's small.
It's very small.
Just food for
is the year we finally become booksellers.
Right?
I mean, you never know.
So what's everybody been up to?
I volunteered to drive a shift to pick up a puppy on Wednesday.
the week before I saw, well, you guys both know the two sets of puppies that I
fostered this past year came up from Puerto Rico.
And so I started following the rescue down there that had sent them up here and,
Giselle who runs Obra PR,
had put out a request for
volunteers and I thought I'm not doing anything on Wednesday so I could for sure
help out.
So I spent basically my entire afternoon, I drove down to Douglas Mass, which I had
never been to, didn't know where it was or that it existed, picked up this adorable
puppy, Nina, who was such a sweetie, didn't make a peep, slept the entire time
in the car, drove her up to New Hampshire.
She's doing well in her new rescue up there.
And hopefully she gets adopted soon.
And then
on...
Thursday, I was at the barn.
was, it probably wasn't 90 degrees, but it felt like it was 100.
It was also humid.
We sweated through our shirts after the first lesson and there were three, because
it goes until 1130.
I was not wearing my normal barn shoes, which are steel -toed.
I was wearing just these other shoes I had.
And Mickey, who has a pony, she's not a horse, but she's still
of pounds stuck to her toe.
And you know that kind of pain that like steals your voice from you?
Like you can't even scream because it is so bad.
I for sure I'm gonna lose this toenail.
I think I'm actually okay.
It looks okay.
Have you watched a children's report?
if I have, I blocked it out of my head.
I want.
I have from ski boots.
It just rubbed my pinky toe a certain way and it would, know, snow, snow boots, ski
boots are just really uncomfortable in general.
So I didn't really think anything of it.
And also like where I go skiing is like regularly single digit degrees.
So I was just like, my feet are really cold.
Like whatever.
And then I like took my sock off and I was like, and it's gone, but like it didn't
or it didn't, it's so calloused.
Your toes are so calloused that like a piggy toe is no biggie.
If it was like my big toe, that'd be
Yeah, I'm looking at it right now and it looks okay.
but that was, that was our, I mean, the boots that I normally wear have been
rubbing my heels raw.
And so I was like, I'm going to give them a break.
And instead, then I hurt a different toe.
it's sort of like pick and choose.
but we had a really great day.
I got to use a horse named Monty, who was this behemoth, but like the slowest guy
ever.
So he was perfect.
we used him because there was
summer camp for horse girls going on.
So they were using the ponies we normally use.
It was wonderful.
They took me out for lunch afterwards.
We were all so gross in our outfits, but it was really lovely.
So I think that's all I've done this week.
I couldn't tell you.
One day leads into another and I've just lost track of time.
That does happen.
Well, I was at the Cape for like five days for the 4th of July.
And that was really nice.
We did all the Cape Cod things, walked to the beach, went to the Dennis bracelet
place, went to a Cape Cod baseball game, ate a hot dog, you know, all the things.
Went to some bars, saw two former students.
They did not see me or if they did, neither of us acknowledged each other.
I saw them when I was going to the bathroom and I was like, no, I don't
really want to deal with this.
And also they were with like a big group of people and I was like, I don't think
they want to deal with me and I don't want to deal with them.
And because they just turned 21 or maybe they're 22, like they're right, right on
the cusp of like being able to go out.
And so I was like, I think I'm all set.
But it was just kind of funny to see them out and about and like think about the
fact that that's like a thing that's probably going to happen a little more
often because my students are getting older, even though I am not.
So yeah, so that's the thing that I get to keep an eye out for now.
But it was a really nice week, played golf a couple of times.
It was great.
And
And then I came back, worked for few days, and then Wednesday, Saturday, to New York
City with my friend Jack because I got off the wait list to go to see a TV show
called Cool Bear Show.
Which, you know, tickets to the play are free.
You just have to sign up and you basically just have to show.
because they release the tickets in windows.
So like they'll get free visa and vote and get a list and so I'll get a list.
Which is why I'm here today.
the middle of July, which wouldn't be like my first choice, but that's what happened.
It was very, very hot while we were there.
It was like overcast two of the days.
And one of the days it was sunny, but all of them, was like 87 or higher, plus
humidity.
which I don't think I've ever really been there when it's that warm.
I usually try to go in the fall or the winter for just that reason.
But Colbert was really cool because it's at the Ed Sullivan Theater, which is
obviously really famous.
It's where Letterman taped his show.
But you have to line up outside, which like when I went to Fallon and Conan,
Those were both like line up inside the NBC experience store at 30 rock.
And then they like let you in a secret door.
And this was not that this was like wait outside where it's hot and people are
cranky.
Um, but it ended up being fine.
So we were in line from like three to four 30, and then you get like let in and they
have like a comedian that like warms up the audience and Conan comes out and
introduces himself.
The band plays a couple of songs.
And then a beer comes out, talks about what our thought is with the audience, and
it's a live, big show.
And we end up taking from the five versions of and then five versions
it's on the TV that day.
So there it's like very polished and very like.
There were like two times that he stopped and was like, I don't like how I phrase
that.
was kind of clunky or like it didn't come out the right way.
Or he said a little bit of the wrong thing.
And he was like, let's, you know, wind it back and I'll do it again.
but it was like so much, like the, was so, so minor that like, I'm not even sure any
of us would have figured it out.
He also does a Q and a before he starts taping and somebody asked him a question
about,
I guess, what's his name?
Peter Jackson, who does the Lord of the Rings movies.
I guess he came out saying that he's going to like do a reboot of something or other.
And so somebody in the audience was like also a Tolkien freak because Colbert is
like a premier, trivial person for Tolkien.
Like he is obsessed with Lord of the Rings.
And so somebody asked.
like, what do you think of this?
And like, you're gonna reboot anything, so it's like, you do it?
blah, blah, blah, blah.
And he went off on like a five minute tangent about how there are like six
chapters that were like never used in any of the movies and how he would do it.
And then he was like quoting lines from those sections of the books.
And it was like, I was like in awe.
I was like, this is, and he was like talking so fast and getting it all out and
And then at the end, he was like, clearly I haven't thought about this at all.
And then he also was like, and also I was on the phone with Peter Jackson, like a
week ago, like talking about this.
And I was like, whoa.
So he was like in hog heaven that somebody had asked him a Tolkien question.
and.
You know, the, the guests were not people that I really knew, but one of them was a
political correspondent.
And so there was a lot of chat about Biden and whether he.
should we look about?
Is it just a money at this point?
is it just a question of providing to be taken off the balance?
Because they're worried that the combo can't do it, or they're worried they're
not going to reach enough money.
November?
You know, like all these different kind of like scenarios and how it plays out and,
you know, and this was taped on Thursday.
we were in the studio at like 6 p .m.
and like at 8 or 9 p .m.
we did a press conference.
So that didn't happen yet.
We're just going to solve it off with his delayed performance.
And I'll carry on to see what is said on his email folder because I had a few worse
phone calls and just generally is acting like an old person.
not with the program anymore.
this in a political debate.
It's just like, the whole, whole thing is talking about, like, this is like a
playwright cocktail, and there are things that are funny, but
were moments that were crap.
It's like, this is like pretty depressing because he's so old.
He's so old and like.
there were all sorts of haircuts before, his lab was for head and not, like, is
supposed to be coming up, like, it's all sort of
where we can't even poke fun at it anymore because it's like that.
So there were just like some more somber moments than that.
was, I guess I was sort of expecting, but like it was more than I was expecting.
but it was still really cool.
And we ate so much good food.
And that's when I was sure we went home.
Museum of Modern Art, which is one of my favorite museums and Jen, my friend that I
went with had actually never been there before.
So that was cool.
And, you know, New York City is one of those things where like I hit day three
and I'm like, hey, I want to go home now.
And like that was really hitting by day three for me because I was like, I'm just
so sick of being hot.
Like I don't want to be hot anymore.
Like I don't want to be walking around in and out of Ubers and
I'm at the hotel rinsing off to be able to go to dinner because I smell and you know
what mean?
Like I just was like, I'm ready.
I'm ready to be home.
and that's also kind of a nice feeling, right?
Like of being like, I actually want to go to my home.
so yeah, so I just like, I feel like I haven't been home a lot, which also
probably contributed to me wanting to be
I would also feel after three days in New York City in the height of summer that I
would want to go home.
I feel like it's an intense place to be generally, but even more so if you are
like sweating from every orifice.
My update this week is a slightly bigger update than usual, which is that I quit my
job.
Woo woo!
I don't wanna say it's been a long time coming, but boy, it's been a long time
coming.
this is your first time listening to Plans Are Booked or you aren't as familiar with
my kind of work history.
So I've worked in public relations for the last 15 years, almost actually always in
an agency setting, which has pros and cons, which is a topic for another day.
But I've been thinking for a long, time about transitioning out of this current
role.
I had been in this job for nine and a half years, which is just a long time.
Steph worked much longer at her last company.
You
the longest tenure of anyone sitting around this table, but for me quite a long
time.
And there were a host of reasons why I waited until now, but I think you have to
feel ready to make the leap.
And in my case, I'm not leaving for like another agency role or an in -house job at
another company.
This is really like a huge life change.
So I feel mostly happy, excited, relieved.
Steph and I actually went yesterday to buy my new computer.
for this next chapter of my life, so that felt like a big moment.
And I will keep all of you posted as things sort of move forward, but for now,
the short -term plan is just to enjoy the back half of the summer.
I have a couple vacations, including with these girls.
I'm hosting a bunch of family at the beach house and hall, so I'm gonna relax,
decompress, get my ducks in a row, and then I'm sure I'll give a more formal
update here to all of you listeners about the next chapter, but I am feeling
pumped to finally have made this decision and to be charging towards my own
enterprise.
I'm really proud of you for choosing yourself.
That's all I want to say.
Thank you, appreciate
I am just so excited for you to do things your way.
And I think that you have been in a lot of professional settings where you have had a
lot of influence on how projects are being done and how, you know, things are being
decided.
But I think the autonomy that you're going to get working for yourself is going to
just be such a high.
And it's a shit ton of
work, working for yourself and having an LLC and setting it all up and
it's a lot of work, but you're not allergic to that.
And you also have been working so hard that now if you know, all of the time and
energy that you're putting into it, you're going to get every dollar that that you
earn.
I think you've spent so much time earning money for other people and that you have
not gotten an appropriate proportion of how much you've worked.
that it's going to feel not much more satisfying and that you are going
be able to build relationships with the right people.
that may be working for an agency that hasn't allowed.
and I think that you have built a lot of really good relationships despite there
being like an agency and a contract and a deadline and a whatever.
And I just think that you are going to be like so much more hands on with how these
companies like launch themselves into the atmosphere and that it's going to
feel a little better and good.
you're going to be able to take on projects at a pace that feels good for you
as opposed to like, we need more clients, we need more clients, book them.
I'll be at the meeting, I'll be at this meeting, I'll be there, I'll drive here,
I'll do, you know what I mean?
Like you'll be able to like really focus on one or two at a time and like really
see them through what it is that they want to do.
coming back, and that's kind of like...
cookie cutter, agency priced, uninviting, not so warm experience.
like, yeah.
for people who maybe aren't as familiar with the PR or marketing agency universe,
I think the difference between working inside of an agency versus working for
yourself is when you work in an agency setting, ultimately everything you do is
what's best for the team.
Even if it's not something you're personally interested in, even if it's not
a client that you get along with.
even if you're having a tough time sort of like selling their story out in the world,
if it's what's best for the team, you move forward.
And I think what's exciting about this new chapter is like, I will have complete and
total say over the types of people I work with, the types of stories I want to tell,
the lengths of the projects.
And you know, when you are inside of someone else's company, someone can always
veto you, as it should be, it's their company.
But I'm looking forward to kind of being the master of my own domain, if you will.
So big thanks also to these gals who have listened to a lot of venting and sitting
on the fence and all kinds of other conversations over the last couple years
while I tried to like get the courage to do this and I'm excited that it's
Really excited for you.
It's going to be major and also like I don't I don't want to like say, my God,
the podcast is going to get even better.
But like I think the podcast might get better.
I know listeners probably think that that's not even possible, but I just think
that we are going to.
Steph and I already have like pretty flexible schedules and I feel like Molly's
going to have a more flexible schedule and.
it's just going to make things like things just get better in so many ways.
And like, as somebody who was in a very high stress environment job for a decade
and stepped down, can't, I'm so like the anticipation for me of what your life is
about to be is like, I'm going to, you know how there's like secondhand
embarrassment.
I'm going to get like secondhand euphoria.
I'm going to be like, I remember.
know.
I just want that to be my work.
went from five days to three and I didn't have to like grade papers on the weekends
anymore or answer parent emails or do any of that stuff that I couldn't stand.
And I don't know what the equivalent of that is for you, nor do I need to know.
But like, I know that there's gonna, there's a laundry list of things that
you're going to be like, like Sunday scaries, probably not going to really be
much of a thing for you anymore.
And like, you know, being able to
Start your meetings at 10 a .m.
because that's what you feel like doing and that's what's best for your dog
schedule.
Like there's gonna be so many things that you're gonna be like, I didn't even know
that this was gonna make me happy and it does.
Let me just say that for years now I have like texted her every once in a while
being like, I wish you could come have lunch with me or something.
And like now we could go get so for breakfast before work and
Totally.
Steph and I, as you may know if you've been listening for a long time, live
around the corner from each other.
And so every now and again, when there's like a beautiful weather day, I would text
her and be like, I can't believe that I'm chained to my computer right now and I
can't like do anything fun with you or like come out and play.
It's like, can Molly come out and play?
The answer was always no.
So I'm very excited about that.
And also to what you were saying, Caitlin, I know there's going to be so many changes
that I like don't even know yet and things I'm going to discover as I start like
decompressing is really the work because
The work situation has really been a pressure cooker for the last couple of
years, especially for reasons that I don't need to get into here, but like it's been
very intense and very emotionally taxing.
And I think as I like move out of this, I'm sure there's just going to be so many
new things I discover, whether it's about how to organize my day or like ability to
see people with more frequency or like just go to like the F and dry cleaner
before it closes, like things that I just normally can't do.
So I think that's going to be awesome.
Um, and just having more like flexibility and who I work with, how I work with them.
Obviously when you work for an agency, there are certain requirements in order to
take them on because it's not just you, it's the team.
Like I said, it's the team versus your own independent decision -making.
So, um, this is a big, big new chapter and I am turning 40 in September and I really
committed to myself that I wanted to make this change before my birthday.
And I'm just so happy that I'm going to go into this new decade.
on my own terms.
Hooray.
it's going to be, it's going to be awesome.
And I just feel like Thursdays and Fridays, like, hello, the three of us are
going to be like, footloose and fancy, not footloose and fancy.
Obviously we all have obligations, but like, you know, if we want to meet midday
and like grab lunch and record a pod, we can freaking do it.
It's going to be, or if we want to go to Molly's Beach House on a day that's not
the weekend.
Amen.
You know what I mean?
Or go to a matinee.
How about a matinee mall?
How about
I feel like you're like talking dirty to me right now.
I have to tell you all of the errands that you're like, my God, like the pharmacy or
like any of those things that you like dread doing.
Now you can do them like the grocery store.
You don't have to go into the grocery store on the weekend ever again, if you
don't want to, because you don't have to.
And just those like little freedoms are like, at even booking like doctor's
appointments.
Amazing.
When you have a weekday that you can like do that kind of stuff.
have a golf pin and a cell phone or whatever, but I don't think it is hard.
And having dates where you can like,
actually book things that are important for yourself.
Like, Ooh, Mo, we got to get on the schedule for a mammogram.
Have you booked yours yet?
Yeah, I got a book.
I'm going to book mine because mine's coming in the spring, but it probably is
like far out.
So have you had one yet?
Okay, good.
doctor was like, you need to do
Yeah.
I should probably just get mine booked now for when I turn 40.
But yeah, Ellie is turning 40 in October and she just booked hers too.
So it's all happening, but it won't be hard.
You'll have so many days to pick from to do
Freedom and squishing of the boobs.
It's all happening.
Listen, this is what we have to do.
this is you want to go to Costco on a Friday morning?
Go to Costco on a Friday morning.
Amazing.
I like never run errands on the weekend anymore because like why?
It's punishment on yourself.
Yeah.
When given the opportunity, pick the weekday.
Seriously.
Market basket.
It's a dream if you go like when people are at their jobs.
the peak.
I'm sure you guys will advise me on what are the peak times of day to be doing all
of my errands that used to be at like 7 a .m.
or 9 p .m.
Well, I did have a business idea once upon a time that I was gonna call midnight
manicures where manicurists would come to your house between 9 p .m.
and midnight to do your nails because those of us corporate girlies really can't
do it any other time.
I think I would have crushed.
I feel like you still could.
yeah.
Copyrighted, no one take this.
Um, I don't know how often my friend Natasha listens to this, she would 100 %
take you up on
everyone I know who works a traditional corporate job like when I would float that
by them they're like yes done where and how much do I pay
It's a good idea.
It's a really good idea.
Okay.
We're getting into a book this week called, Even If It Breaks Your Heart by
Aaron Hahn.
And Even If It Breaks Your Heart is a line from a country song, if you don't know
that.
And so this book is, it's young adult, but the, the young adults that are in it are
like 18, 19 years old.
And they're dealing with some like really adult stuff.
I was at the library and I always check out the young adult section because I like
young adult lit.
And this was in the like new book section, which is like where I always start.
And because I've been reading Steph's book over and over again, as she edits it and
has other iterations of it, I was like, okay, so this cover and this title kind of
has
Steph's book Golden Hour like written all over it.
And I feel like I'll get this and I'll just give it to her and she can read it
for like her own research.
And then I was like looking at the inside cover again, and I was like, I haven't
read a YA book in a minute.
I was like, maybe I'll just sit down and look at this.
And I sat down and read like 130 pages is what happened.
That's how this went down.
I think I read it in two sittings.
this often before.
She has a bunch of other books.
Some are old, some are new.
And this book has so many different things going on within me.
This is a pretty good point.
boy that lives on a ranch in Texas.
And he and his best friend Walker were like on the trajectory of being like
professional, like rodeo competitors.
And Walker, it's never said what he has, but I felt like he had cystic fibrosis or
some kind of lung disease.
a cancer feel to me.
Okay, so he had some kind of disease with his lungs during COVID.
And yes, he had been ill for a while.
And he passes away and he has already passed away when the book starts.
And case is like reeling from that and is trying
who he is about to get rid of.
And often it's also about him, this place would like to not get rid of the saints.
Like it's often the case that not a single saint you should try to get rid the
saints.
for him.
And other saints like the friend who's home with him.
And he is like, who she is.
to find out she's a ranch hand.
on his family's farm.
And this is like not any farm.
This is like supposedly one of the biggest ranches in Texas.
And they like, you know, they have like a touristy aspect to it where like people
come and like, you know, get taken on tours where they ride horses around this
property, et cetera, et cetera.
And Case is an only child and you know, his mom passed away when he was a baby.
And so it's just him and his kind of like rugged ranch.
old crudad.
And there just aren't really a lot of people around until a guy, Case, a
mentally healthy way, processed this rape of his best friend one.
And so he's just like, being ready.
Like he's being like an 18 year old boy, like he's kind of fucking around like,
isn't going to college right away, drinking too much, seeing a bunch of
different girls.
then he realizes that this wood here apparently works in that ranch and that
off it is trying to get out and be like.
didn't know anything about her.
And there are just all these like signs pointing to like they both need a friend
because she works at the ranch.
Her family has a lot of stuff going on.
I don't want to give too much away because it's kind of like revealed throughout the
book,
but her life situation and her life situation are like the complete opposite
of case, but they both love horses and they both love like rodeo life, and he has
the opportunity to rise to the top and she was
really have any opportunities because she doesn't even own her own horse.
herself.
So if you want to be more careful with your career concepts, go hold her out if
you're sure she doesn't really know how to resolve her problems.
Make sure you're just saying, I'm disappointed with my life.
We need find the responsibilities to help ourselves to get our thoughts out about
any of stuff.
And then of course, there's a family aspect to it.
You can talk about love.
But I thought this was.
Such a refreshing story.
Like I really felt like case's grief and that whole storyline made it like a
richer, more complex story than a typical like YA ranch cowboy romance.
Can I start by saying I think this is the first library book I have read in like 20
something years.
I was wondering, and I really didn't know what to do with it.
It came to me, you know, I just thought, which is a problem.
And it made me think that maybe I should actually go to the Watertown Library and
get a library card.
And maybe this is the year at 41 that I will actually do that.
Although I did want to like, not worry about the, you know, I read it at the
beach.
So I was like concerned about like getting...
suntan lotion on it and all that stuff.
But I think maybe this is the year that I get a library card because I haven't had
one since I was maybe in my teens.
That is capital B bonkers to me.
Capital B bonkers.
It's free.
I don't know if you knew.
I was gonna say to when I buy books I just tell myself that I'm stimulating the
economy and that's how I like get over
And I'm always saying like the germaphobe in me has really tough time touching these
pages, but I got, I got past it.
I should have thought of that, but I didn't.
She who doesn't want outside clothes sitting on her couch, of course doesn't
want to hold a library book.
I worked in this school for so long that if I had any concerns over germs, I would
have perished a long time ago.
I wanted to read a section because when I read this I was like, my god, it's me.
There's another section too, but this is the one that I really wanted to share.
This is at the beginning of the book, and it's not giving anything away.
This is from the perspective of Winnie.
There are two types of people in this world.
The ones that think quote unquote barn is the best smell ever invented and those who
are wrong.
Joanna Gaines could bottle this up, combine it with beeswax, drop it in a
refurbished tin can, and make the target crowd go spare.
It's that good.
And it doesn't change.
English style, Western style.
North or south, mountains or plains, a stable is a stable is a stable, and it
always smells like coming home.
Getting your shit together, finding your center.
I will say though, it's actually my second favorite smell.
My first favorite smell is my cat's, which I know is weird, but if you have animals,
you know that that is your favorite smell.
There is something about, I think it's because like Thursday mornings, I'm often
the only one in the barn when I'm like tacking up the ponies.
And there's something about like the darkness of like the sun is outside, but
inside it's still dark and everyone's quietly in their stall.
there's, you don't really smell the manure.
think people often think like it's going to smell like poop in there, but it
doesn't.
It's the hay.
And it's also like the worn, worn leather.
little bit of metal, something about the like animal horsehair smell.
I know that like some people are like, this sounds horrible.
It is like if I could actually bottle it, not that I would rub myself in it or
something, but if it came in a candle for sure, a legitimate candle, I would be
buying that by bulk.
Anyways.
We did buy a candle called Gallop that we used to burn here quite a lot.
I have so much to say about this book.
Also, I don't tend to read that many library books.
So I also, as I was holding it in my hand, was like, oh my God, the library.
Like, this is wonderful.
I don't read that much YA.
I really only started reading it because of these gals.
And I was not even like 10 pages into this book when I was like, this is so good.
And I feel like there are many people like me that tend to be like, oh, YA, I don't
know.
I just feel like people should ignore that label.
If you think that that makes somehow a less sophisticated or less interesting or
less complex, this book was so funny.
I laughed out loud so much.
She kept, she was reading it on the beach as well and she kept like pausing and
turning to me and like making like her like, my god, I can't believe this face.
And I didn't read out loud to Steph because she had already read it, but I was
just like, I just got to this part.
just got to this part.
The banter in this book is excellent.
Like we've talked a lot about Lynn Painter as kind of being like the master of
banter, but this was very close second.
I also felt like, and Caitlin said this already, but the kind of undercurrent of
coping with grief, how that impacts somebody's life long -term, the way it
impacts your decision -making, how you view yourself in relation to the person
that you lost.
There was just a lot
complex feelings around that.
I think their romance is also very real.
There are real differences.
know, Caitlin talked about sort of the haves and the have -nots, but there's more
than that.
There's ways about sort of the way Winnie has all these obligations, a thing he can
never really understand.
There's ways he's experiencing this deep loss, which like she can't really
understand.
Just, I don't know, I keep coming back to the word like sophisticated.
It feels so much more to me than what I think most people would think of when they
think about a YA book.
We've talked on this podcast about the book Done and Dusted, which is another
sort of Westerny story.
I love this setting for books.
Like, I think there's something really, just that like anchors the story when
things are set in this kind of universe
horse riding, ranching, rodeo.
It's just like, kind of know what the environment is that you're dropping into
for the story.
I also agree with Caitlin that this is so similar to your manuscript, which just
deepens my belief that it's going to find a home at a traditional publishing house
and get out into the world.
Because I feel like the people who love A Done and Dusted or will read this book,
even if it breaks your heart.
Golden Hour by Stephanie Blackburn, hopefully coming to press in 2025 is also
going to blow your mind because it's very similar.
yeah, I would just say above all, if you think you're not a YA person, read this
book because you will love it like you loved any other romance book.
And there are great side characters here, other family members, coaches and mentors.
Like there's lots of strong people in the community that she created.
and I hope that there can be more of their story.
I don't know if there will be another book, but I would love to read it if there
is.
I think many years ago, YA was sort of positioned as like, or maybe this isn't
true and it's just in my head, but it was positioned as like, if you're this age,
this is what you read.
And I think people are realizing now that like you don't have to be in your teens to
appreciate a story about teenagers.
And I can tell you when I think that started to shift.
I think it started to shift with Harry Potter.
Like I think that got the ball rolling.
I think Hunger Games really pushed that agenda of who should be reading this and
who's the audience and what's it for.
I think that Divergent also like reeled some people in and I think Twilight
because all those books are YA but
managed to capture huge adult audiences.
And then when they came out as movies, who's paying to see these movies?
Teenagers, but also adults.
Like you had people that were like, I'm going to take my mom to go see Katniss.
Like, this is what I'm going to do with my Saturday.
So I think that really pushed a lot of it and made people way more aware of young
adult books.
you know, think about how many adults watch teen movies, right?
And
I love TV movies and I think people are gonna watch them.
Pie, there's like no reason why I can't like pick up a YA book, you know?
And so I think a lot of those like dystopian series really caught the
attention of a lot of people.
And then more people were like, I love YA.
Like I can read whatever I want, whenever I want.
Another thing that I think that this book does really well is
It's charming and it's funny, but I also got teared up at a couple of points.
And it's not because Walker is dead and his best friend is like gone, which is
upsetting.
But there are real moments of adulthood and coming of age happening and Winnie and
Case both make pretty big decisions towards the end of the book about what the
next chapter of their lives are going to be and what that's going to look like and
what they want.
And Case in particular, the decision that he makes like really made me teary because
it wasn't what his dad would be expecting.
don't, I think he surprised himself.
And I think that his friendship with Walker really motivated a lot of it in a
really like beautiful way.
And I feel like in YA in particular, we don't see a ton of really close guy
relationships.
and so that was a great connection even it sounds like talking about often past tense
like
I would give this book to a guy.
I'd be like, give this a shot.
Like it might not totally be for you, but the main character really is Case.
It's not Winnie.
And I feel like most YA books, particularly romance ones, are not based
on the guy.
They're based on the girl.
And this was really like different and interesting.
Molly, did you read the acknowledgments and did you find anything interesting
about them?
Because I had a couple comments.
I did read the acknowledgments, but you begin.
Okay, so Aaron Hahn lost...
It's either a friend and a family member or two family members.
of his or two family members.
I think it was two family members, wasn't it?
Father -in -law and someone else.
Yeah, I can't remember.
let's call it two close people to her got COVID pre -vaccine and died.
And she was in the midst of writing this book when that happened.
So she says, everybody says they have a book that almost killed them when they
were writing it.
And she's like, this was mine.
And she also said that she thinks she's going to step away from YA for a while and
focus more on adult books.
I'm not sure if those things are related to each other for any reason.
But I thought that that was interesting.
She has another book coming out in the fall that looks really good.
And I also have another one of her books from the library in my stack right now.
In addition to that, she herself has cancer right now.
And she has been tweeting photos on her Instagram of, you know, this is today's
bandana.
I'm feeling good.
I'm on the up and
You know, whenever you feel tired, I'm going to try to get a drink and I'm going
to say, I'm going say good -bye.
And I'm going to calibrate with the bucks.
So, good.
vibes and also to your point about her mentioning how hard it was to get through
this.
remember when I read that section thinking to myself, if this is what it's like when
she feels like she's struggling through a draft, like goddamn, because I thought
this book was so good and so strong.
And if, if she felt like she just needed to get to the end, which happens, like
many of the authors we love and admire have talked about
especially like the curse of the second book.
But I couldn't get over learning that this wasn't like something that flowed from the
fingertips because it sure didn't read
I I just want to look and see what the other book is by her that I am.
shoot.
Yeah, it's about a country music star.
thought there might be a list at the beginning of this, but there wasn't.
It's about a country music star and she has a fall from grace because something
scandalous happens to her and it has to be cleaned up.
And I saw it at the library and was like, and on to the next one.
What are you guys reading right now?
I just finished reading this book, A Love Like the Sun by Rhys Nielsen.
I pre -ordered this because I get the weekly newsletter from Belmont Books and
months ago they had posted that it was like coming soon so I went in, pre
-ordered it, got it when it came out and then it sat for a few weeks unfortunately
on my TBR pile.
But anyways, I read it, I loved it.
I had some back and forth with the author.
I'm now following her.
She sounds awesome.
so this is a, this is sort of two tropes.
is friends to lovers.
It's also fake dating, which you know is my favorite.
It is about two childhood friends, who it takes place in, in Rhode Island in
Providence.
so Linnea grew up across the street from Isaac.
He was in a foster home and she was in a tiny apartment with her parents and,
In flashbacks, you kind of see her parents' relationship, which was a
beautiful, loving one, and her father was dying when she was a teenager, which also
strengthened her friendship with Isaac.
But in present day, he is now a famous artist.
He has very big Instagram following.
People adore him for his positive messages and just his entire vibe.
And she and her mom have a haircare.
store in Providence that is struggling.
And they're about to shut down because they cannot afford to lease the space
anymore.
he goes and he like finds out about it.
He tried to like offer money.
She was like, no, we are not taking money from you.
And instead he goes and posts a picture of her doing his hair, like in the privacy of
her apartment and like very intimate photo and instead basically makes as if they are
together.
And so people who are fans of him start showing up at her store.
So then they don't have to close, but they need to maintain this facade of the two of
them dating.
then, go ahead.
This, think because.
Laura and Peter, anyone?
I think because they're now adults and they have this intense friendship that
they've had for like over a decade, it just made me love their story more.
It made me cry at the end.
And then the author note about the aspect of this story that is real to her life
made me cry further, which is why I messaged her in the first place.
I'm excited to read everything else by her because this was just a really fun,
beautiful story about love.
I just finished a book that I'm not going to say too much about because our next
episode is going to be about it.
And it is called Home is Where the Bodies Are.
It's a mystery.
It's got three siblings that have all come home because a parent has died, which I
feel like is always a good premise for fucked up stuff to happen.
It was very good.
I read most of it on the train to and from New York City, and I'm looking forward to
talking about it in a few days.
So I'm reading a that Stefan Katelyn already read.
It's called Ninth House by Lee Bardugo.
I was trying to think earlier today, like what genre you would say that this book
is, because it's a little bit like...
academia is what the kids like to call
Dark Academia.
Okay, I was gonna say it's like a little bit mystery.
It's a little bit culty.
It's a little bit paranormal.
It's like, there's a lot going on.
This is extremely outside my usual selection of book.
But in addition to these gals loving it, I also know there are a lot of Goodreads
folks who raved about it.
I'm about, gosh, I think I'm like a hundred
Yesterday you were like 50 pages in and ready to tuck it out the window.
I'm at, Steph's just blowing up my spot right now.
I'm on page 146.
I would say that if I didn't know that you guys loved this, I probably would have
quit it yesterday.
You can quit it.
figure out like what it is that everybody loves about it.
Not just the two of you, like more broadly, because I know that it's beloved
and I'm feeling like maybe I'm just not far enough in.
I'm on 146 out of 450.
know if I would say that I loved it, but it was definitely something I had not read
before.
So it just like held my interest.
But I'm not offended if you if you decide to give up.
I just want to say
Yeah, you can give up if you want to.
And the reason that I say that is because the tone isn't going to change from where
you are in the book.
And there is no like real romantic interest that occurs.
And the story doesn't really get resolved.
Like you're going to have to read the second one probably.
And but this is the book that my student, my former student Martha said changed her
brain chemistry.
And she's like
why I read it.
like a real reader.
Like she reads a lot and like this is, I've read other Leigh Bardugo books
because she does a lot of YA.
This is either her first or one of her first truly adult books.
and I thought her other books were okay.
I was like, these aren't really meant for me, but the writing is really strong for
YA and it's very creative.
But like, this is not
my...
Like, Z -BAR is a good one.
I feel like it has such a fan -call.
that people like have tattoos from her books.
Like it's, she's, you know, a big deal.
And I read it.
And if you are not somebody that likes
How do I want to say this?
She plays around with how you can structure a story in a way that I think
the Night Circus did.
And her world building is really, really good.
But if that is not like a turn on to you as a reader, then I would say pull the
plug on
Yeah, what I was saying to Steph when I was around page 50 was I could tell I was
still in the world building initial phase.
I had not yet gotten to the point where there could start to be real action.
because there was still so much explaining of how everything works and the rituals
and all these things, which is why I've kept going because I feel like perhaps I
haven't gotten to the rising action section of the book and maybe that will
change my mind.
But also, you have so many books at home.
like, if it's not fully worth your time, then it's okay to move on, you
gotten to her backstory yet?
Do you know how she ended up in this position at Yale?
Yes, but that was revealed pretty early
I honestly don't remember.
I will some of its revealed and then there's more like have you gotten into
like why she knows Spanish yet?
Okay, remember that bit with her grandmother and her mom.
Like I feel like I want to keep going.
And if I go another hundred pages and I'm still not into it, I'll stop.
But I just want to see...
I like understanding what those mega fandoms are about.
And I feel like we do a lot of kind of dancing around the same, you know, seven
or eight genres with stuff that we share.
And this feels very different.
from like expanding my own horizons perspective, I'm interested.
Can I tell you that I forgot because Caitlin gave it to me months before I
actually picked it up, I forgot the paranormal aspect.
So I went in just being like, we're going to talk about like the secret societies.
I'm so excited.
And then the paranormal aspect happened.
And I think I texted her.
was like, ugh, like I was ready for one thing and got something else and was like
not okay with it.
But then I had to just like, okay,
I'm forgetting that and moving on.
I think if you can stay open -minded about the paranormal stuff, that it has a lot of
like similarities to like, my God, why can't it?
The secret history.
Like it's got, did you guys read that?
What?
I'm sorry.
You haven't read the secret history by Donna Tartt?
my.
Okay.
Well, I'll be getting that from the library for you guys, since you guys don't
go to the library.
did that come out before or after the goldfinch okay because I hate read the
goldfinch another one that I finished because I wanted to understand what
everybody else was like buzzing about
it out.
I never figured it out, though.
read it because you hated it so
like every now and again on book talk bookstagram.
There's like that prompt like what book did you just hate read and Number one for
me is the goldfinch.
I'm like anytime I see someone holding it.
I'm like Praise yourself Anyway, so Ninth House.
I'll report back On where I land, but I have another book that I'm gonna start
after this That we got as one of our arc
blind date books when we went to independent bookstore day a couple weeks
ago.
So I'm excited to start that.
So if you're not already following us on Instagram, please join us over there at
Plans Are Booked.
We share all kinds of fun content and memes and giveaways for books.
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Shoot us a note to plansarebooked at gmail
And until next time, happy birthday Steph and our plans are booked.