Welcome And The Summer Reading Theme

Ellie Alexander 0:05

Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Reality Writes. I am author Ellie Alexander. This is the podcast where we take you behind the scenes for all things writer-ish, bookish, and uh whatever else we're feeling. And I am here today with the tech guy.

Tech Guy 0:20

Hello, hello. Yeah, we were off uh for a week or so. Um, and things have gotten a little busy with some book launches coming up, which we're gonna talk about a little bit. But we decided this week we were going to make it a fun episode, and we're going to talk about the books that we are reading. What's coming up? What's in our TBR, right?

Ellie Alexander 0:41

Absolutely. I'm calling this episode the last chance summer dance. And this goes out to all of our Portland friends. If you grew up in Portland, Oregon in the late 80s, early 90s, they always had the last chance summer dance with the Portland Zoo. This was a radio station. And um, I kind of feel like that because now we are fully in October. Um, as we know, thanks to social media, even though it's August, fall is uh fully upon us. And I'm feeling that anyway because I have quite a few fall books coming out, which I'm excited about. But I wanted to share my last chance summer reading dance. Um, because I'm holding on to the last few weeks of summer before I fully embrace fall.

Tech Guy 1:26

Yeah, totally. And we've got some good ones. I I I took a peek at your stack. Uh there are some good ones in there. Uh, I have a few. One of them even has sprayed edges.

Ellie Alexander 1:39

Oh.

Tech Guy 1:40

Yeah.

Ellie Alexander 1:42

Leveling up, tech guy. I'm impressed.

Tech Guy 1:45

Definitely. Definitely. All right. So do you want to get right into it?

Ellie Alexander 1:49

Let's

A Coastal Romance As Escapism

Ellie Alexander 1:50

get right into it. Okay. Okay, I'm going to start with the last two reads, and this is sort of cheating, but I read both of these books so fast that I read each of them in a week, and I really enjoyed both of them for totally different reasons. Uh, so these are the last two books that I read. The first one is Dolly All the Time. And uh, what I love about this, especially with this theme of last uh chance summer dance, is this is set on the New England coastline in summer. It's a true romance. Um, so this is for any of you romance darlings out there. It's slightly spicy, but not very spicy, I would say. And um it involves sort of the trope of the islander who's lived there and worked at her dad's fish house for years, bumping into a rich, handsome, um, like basically heir of uh the fortune on the island. And he owns this stunning estate, and uh, she helps him change a flat tire because he has no idea, of course, how to change a flat tire. And they have a meat cute and it goes from there, but it has lots of nice depth. It was pure escapism. I think I read this in maybe one day. Um, I just breezed straight through it. It was so fun. Okay, so that was my last read.

Dark Humor Road Trip With Pancakes

Ellie Alexander 3:11

And then right after that, I picked up The Road to Tender Hearts, and this was a recommendation by a dear friend of mine. And I always think book recs from friends are the best way to read for me because usually my friends and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to reads. This is uh darker, this has dark humor. Uh, so if you're not in the mood, it's still very heartwarming. You see it in the title, The Road to Tender Heart. So it has an ultimately uplifting story about humanity and grief. But um, it's it's a bit denser, it's a bit heavier. It kind of reminds me a little bit of do you remember Little Miss Sunshine? We saw that movie together.

Tech Guy 3:49

Oh, yeah. That was a great movie.

Ellie Alexander 3:51

It was, yeah, it's kind of those vibes. It's quirky. Uh, like I said, it has this uh dark humor. But the the premise behind this one is that PJ is in his early 60s. He's a former lottery winner, but his oldest daughter, Kate, died in high school and he hasn't been able to get over his grief. And this cat pancakes stumbles into his life. And pancakes is a harbinger of death. Whoever's lap pancakes goes and sits on, that person ends up dying. And so there is a lot of death in this book because pancakes ends up going on a road trip with PJ and his two like semi-grandkids that he ends up um becoming responsible for. So it's this wacky road trip all the way to Arizona to try to get to the Tender Hearts Club. And I won't say anymore, but I loved this one as well.

The Pancake Move Parenting Flashback

Tech Guy 4:44

That is so funny. I I'm cracking up because I the story sounds amazing, but I had an eat shoots and leaves moment there for a second because you said his cat pancakes and it was his cat, pancakes. Because, for the darlings out there who don't know, back when Sky Guy was little, uh, he and I had this whole wrestling thing where he developed a move called the pancake. And we'd be wrestling around, and I would be on the floor, and he would suddenly leap up onto the couch and come flying off WWE style and just full-on belly flop right on me and called it the pancake. Uh, and just it was fun when he weighed like 20 pounds. When he got heavier, it started getting if he were to do it now, it would I would be in serious trouble.

Ellie Alexander 5:41

Yeah, you'd be in we'd be in the hospital. There would be broken bones, there would be, yeah. And you were so great. I would always be like, just say no. And you're like, no, it's okay. But he'd fly off the bed.

Tech Guy 5:54

It's his maniacal laughing. Yeah, totally. So anyway, when you said my cat pancakes, I was like, whoa, that cat is pancaking somebody because that's when the when you say pancakes, that's that's what I think of.

Ellie Alexander 6:07

So you think of it as a verb, not as a name. Definitely.

Tech Guy 6:11

Okay, definitely.

Ellie Alexander 6:11

Got it, got it. In the Road to Tender Hearts, it is a name. The name of the cat is Pancakes, and you actually don't want pancakes to come anywhere near you because it portends to bad things.

Tech Guy 6:23

Got it, got it.

Ellie Alexander 6:24

Okay, well so what did you read last?

Dungeon Crawler Carl And Time Travel Dread

Tech Guy 6:27

Well, my last my last two reads. Um, this is not going to surprise anyone, I guess, but uh was the first one was The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman. Uh this is book four, I believe, in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Um and it was great. I mean, it was great. Um the uh Carl and Princess Donut survive. So don't you know maybe I hopefully that's not a spoiler. Hopefully that's not a spoiler. Um I if you uh if you haven't heard Dungeon Crawler Carl is a great series, uh, and I'm kind of a fan. Uh so anyway, I I I enjoyed that one, but I don't have any Dungeon Crawler Carl books in my TBR right now because I have to take a break. I got to this point with the MurderBot series too, where I get worried when I know that there is, you know, uh an end to a series or potential end to a series where there's just a number of books that are out, and I don't want to run into that end, so I gotta kind of stretch it out. Um so I grabbed when we were at the library the other day, um, I I grabbed The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi. Um, this book is trippy. Uh I know. So this book I don't I don't I haven't read it.

Ellie Alexander 8:08

I just know from hearing you as you're reading in bed, like yeah.

Tech Guy 8:13

So uh as one might imagine, this book has to do with time travel. There's a husband and wife scientist team that uh invents a machine that allows you to time travel. The take on time travel in this book is a little bit different than most movies or other books that I've read, though. So it was very interesting. Um, as you can imagine, traveling through time has consequences. So um it is gut-wrenching and sad and shocking and scary. Um I I I enjoyed it and I read it pretty fast, and I'm not a super fast reader, so that was um that was that was

Library Hauls And Indie Store Magic

Tech Guy 8:56

really good. I and I should mention before we get into this, I will include the names and links to all of the books that we're talking about here in the show notes. Um, so be sure to check those out if any of these sound interesting to you.

Ellie Alexander 9:09

Oh, yeah, I'm glad you're gonna do that because I didn't even say author's names. I just said I'm like, oh, and then this book and then this book. So good. Yeah, let's do that.

Tech Guy 9:16

Yeah.

Ellie Alexander 9:17

Uh one thing I was gonna add is we both love a library visit too. So we have library cards to multiple libraries in California. So not only will we do indie bookstore visits, but we will also do library visits. And I did read back to back the two new Rhys Bowen and Her Royal Spyness because they were on a lucky day. So before I read those two, I also consumed my quick library books. Plus, we hit the library book sale.

Tech Guy 9:44

Yeah. So many. Oh, I know. Yeah. We we need a new bookcase.

Ellie Alexander 9:49

We do. We just need our entire house to be bookshelves, really,

A Bookish Wish Turns Into Thriller

Ellie Alexander 9:53

ultimately. Okay, now we're gonna move on to what we are currently reading. Okay. And I picked this one up at Beach Books, If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberly. And uh it was on an end cap at Beach Books when we were there a couple weeks ago. And what I love about an indie bookstore, and Beach Books does this so well, is they'll have little cards on the shelf and recommendations from the booksellers. So this one was on their recommended list, and I knew I needed it immediately because the premise is that um our protagonist is sort of forlorn. So this is a mystery meets a rom com. And uh she has this sort of like you know, the movie Big, she has this encounter with this semi-mystic person on the street, and she wishes out loud that she could be the heroine in her favorite author's new book. And so pixie dust is spread. She wakes up the next day, she has this incredible meat cute with this dashing young man who asks her out on a date. But then she checks her favorite author's social media and realizes that this best-selling romance author is actually writing a thriller. And so her meat cute wants to kill her.

Tech Guy 11:15

Oh, whoa, what a twist.

Ellie Alexander 11:17

Such a good premise, right? I'm only five chapters in, but I'm already loving it. Um, and I can tell that there's going to be another romance in addition to her actually trying to survive being tossed into a thriller. So I can't wait.

Tech Guy 11:32

That's great. That is awesome. Are are we going back and forth? Are we taking turns? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Current.

Ellie Alexander 11:38

What what's your current read?

Operation Bounce House And Gamer War Machines

Tech Guy 11:40

Okay.

Ellie Alexander 11:40

Uh what's on your bedside table right now, sir?

Tech Guy 11:45

So I'm laughing because I said that I was taking a break from Dungeon Crawler Carl. But the at the top of my TBR stack is Operation Bounce House by none other than Matt Dinniman. Uh, so this is not part of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, but it is uh um by Matt. And um because I have not started reading it yet, I'm gonna read you the backcover copy.

Ellie Alexander 12:15

Okay, perfect. As a series writer, I and someone who has always written multiple series since I started my career. I love it that if you have an author who you enjoy their writing, it makes sense to try something else that they've written too. Oh, definitely. Um, oh, is this world as immersive? Is his voice the same? Like all those things. So I'll be eager to hear what you think about this one. But yeah, give us, hit us up with the back cover copy.

Tech Guy 12:38

Yeah. So um one thing you should know about Matt, uh he doesn't stray too far from the dungeon. Um, so he liked the dungeon. The the gaming slash dungeon thing. So what happens when you become your planet's final boss? Uh all colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family's aging fleet of intelligent agricultural bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, new Sonora. But there's a complication. Even though the settlers were promised they'd be left in peace, Earth's government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Industries is hired to commence an eviction action. Yeah.

Ellie Alexander 13:38

Sounds familiar. Huh?

Tech Guy 13:39

It's always a big corporations, man. I tell you. Yeah, yeah. Um, but maximizing profits will always be Apex's number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored earthers for the opportunity to design to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their homes? This is probably not very far off, honestly.

Ellie Alexander 14:06

I know, that's what I was gonna say. This one feels I don't know if I could read this. It feels way too close to home right now.

Tech Guy 14:12

The game is called Operation Bounce House. Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who've paid a premium for the privilege with the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts. Oliver is determined to defend the only home he's ever known.

Ellie Alexander 14:30

Ooh, I mean that sounds great, but it does seem very of the moment, shall we say?

Tech Guy 14:37

Totally. Yeah, yeah. I'm excited for that one. That that should be fun and a little frightening, which is my sweet spot.

Ellie Alexander 14:45

Right. Oh, I was gonna say for all the darlings listening too, in true Matt fashion, this one is hefty.

Tech Guy 14:51

Uh it's not it's not that bad.

Ellie Alexander 14:53

That's I'd say, yeah, it's I'm gonna say a minimum of three and a half inches, maybe four.

Tech Guy 14:59

It's four four thirty-seven.

Ellie Alexander 15:02

Okay. Yeah.

Tech Guy 15:03

It's not bad. For the darlings out there who don't know, I am not the fastest reader in the world. Uh, so this may take a while. I don't know. It might not. Who knows? Who knows?

Ellie Alexander 15:18

We were uh at book club last night, my mysteries and mocktails here in Sunnyvale at my local indie store Leigh's Books, and a couple readers were talking about how they do audio at like 1.9 speed. Where I was like, I think I'd just be like, so maybe you should do that.

Tech Guy 15:33

Well, I know I know a lot of people do that, but I I always wonder it it changes the the tone and pitch of a voice so much that that would be that'd be really weird to me. No, but hey, whatever works for people as long as you're consuming books, go for it. Right. Write it on.

Ellie Alexander 15:51

No, and the book that we read last night was YA from a teen's perspective. So we were all saying, oh, if there's any book to do that with, that feels spot on for teenage energy. What is left on our last chance summer dance reading stack? I'll do my next one first.

Sue Grafton Rereads And Rebuilding Collections

Ellie Alexander 16:08

And for me, this is a nostalgia read. I have been craving some Kinsey Millhone in my life. So I'm gonna reread A Is for Alibi by Sue Grafton, one of my favorite all-time series, darlings. I know many of you are familiar with this. If you aren't, I cannot recommend it enough. Sue was brilliant, and then she set this series in the 80s and left it there. So Kinsey's a private eye. These are cozy adjacent. I would say they're more like a traditional mystery. They're a little bit grittier because she is a PI, but I don't know how you couldn't love her. I just I love everything about this series. And one of the reasons that I am doing a reread and I went and scored a new physical copy is because I am making sure that I'm rebuilding my library of books that I have loved. Um, because I tend to lend books out and I will often say to people, like, no, just keep it or pass it on. Um, but I'm not doing that so much anymore, especially if it's an author like this that I adore. I'm I'm gonna rebuild my entire collection of Miss Sue Grafton, who sadly died before she got to the last letter of the alphabet.

Tech Guy 17:20

Yeah.

Ellie Alexander 17:21

Um back to But I haven't read these for like 10 years, so I can't wait to just be back in that world again.

Tech Guy 17:27

And I just bought a Blu-ray DVD player for the very same reason. Because I got the I got the okay to rebuild our physical media collection.

Ellie Alexander 17:37

Oh no, damn it. We had so many back in the day. It'll be fun, it'll be a fun project.

Tech Guy 17:44

Where's Columbia House when I need them?

Ellie Alexander 17:46

Right.

Tech Guy 17:48

The Holderness family knows what I'm talking about.

Ellie Alexander 17:51

Yeah.

Tech Guy 17:51

Um okay. Next up on my stack. Well, first we were a few weeks back, we were in Seaside, Oregon, and we stopped by Beach Books. And Alexa there, of course, immediately grabs me and is like, here, and pointed to like three books that I needed to get, which I absolutely love, and and then stuck in a couple more when they shipped them to us because we were flying back. This is not gonna surprise everybody, but uh this is this is not Dungeon Crawler Carl, but it is a dungeon book, and it's called The Only Way Out Is Up uh by Django Wexler. Again, I have not read this, but so I'm gonna read the back cover copy. Um it sounds very cool. A small time scrapper and his pet robot will fight their way out of the junk heap in a tournament that will either make them richer than gods or rip them apart in the first book of Django Wexler's brand new tower climbing robot fighting progression fantasy adventure.

Ellie Alexander 19:01

That's a mouthful. Yeah.

Tech Guy 19:02

For fans of Cradle and Dungeon Crawler Carl. Uh Taj lives in a junk heap, scavenging scrap to keep his family fed and dodging the monsters who live among the wreckage. His only edge is a smart ass construct named Star he built himself. Taj dreams of winning big with Star in the construct fighting circuits, but victory always seems just beyond his reach, and the debt collectors are at the door. His world changes forever when someone there makes him an offer that seems too good to be true, a chance to fight in the ascent, the ultimate fighting tournament for a prize beyond its wildest fantasies. But things that seem too good to be true usually are, and Taj finds his new benefactor comes with plenty of new enemies. As he ventures beyond the only world he's ever known, his discover he discovers it's not just his money on the line in the ascent, it's his life.

Ellie Alexander 20:02

That sounds good too.

Tech Guy 20:04

Yeah.

Ellie Alexander 20:04

That sounds um very adjacent to Carl.

Tech Guy 20:08

So yeah.

Ellie Alexander 20:09

Yeah, I like it.

Tech Guy 20:12

And this one is it's only it comes in at 359.

Ellie Alexander 20:17

Oh, you'll do that in a day.

Tech Guy 20:19

No problem. No problem.

Ellie Alexander 20:20

No problem. No problem. Okay, next up on my stack is an auto buy author for me. This is The Examiner by Janice Hallett. I love everything she writes. She tends to write epistolary novels. Um, so letters, emails. Uh, they're usually set in quaint English villages, and it's a lot of drama and mystery and murder over, you know, a local play. Um, I have not read this one yet because it just came out in paperback a while ago. So I too will redo the back cover. It says, Can you pass the test? University professor Gayla Nathanson must make her new master's program, Multimedia Art, succeed. If it doesn't, then Royal Hastings University will cut her funding and she'll be out of a job. Unfortunately, the six students she selects aren't making it easy. Yeah, I bet they aren't. The students include a talented young sculptor who's determined to graduate with top grades, a former gallery owner with limited artistic skills. I love that, a single mother more interested in a paycheck than homework, a people pleaser who struggles with technology. That could be me. Uh, a marketing executive suffering from I mean, right? It could be me. I don't know. A marketing executive suffering from burnout, that could be you. And I mean, this might be a book written about us, I'm feeling it. And a successful artist who seems rather overqualified for the program. Not to mention, when the examiner arrives to grade the student's final project, he becomes convinced that in that class he becomes. Convinced that someone in that class is in mortal danger or already dead. Seriously. Okay, the examiner. I can't wait. Um, I also know that I will breeze through this just because of the way you can't see this if you're only listening, darlings. Um, but all of her books are formatted. So if it's an email, it looks like an email message or text bubbles. Um, so I read them in just a couple hours because A, she's such a good writer that you're just addicted to the story. And B, the formatting makes it that much easier.

Tech Guy 22:33

Narrow margins.

Ellie Alexander 22:34

Narrow margins. Yeah.

Tech Guy 22:36

Yeah. All

Work Book Club Thriller And Witness Secrets

Tech Guy 22:38

right. Um, I forgot at the beginning to set up a joke. So it's kind of wasted now. But I so I as I've mentioned here on Reality Writes , I joined a book club through work. My the my former team, who I still sit with in in the office, um, when anybody's actually there, uh we started a book club. And so I was gonna say, like, this is my TVR. Guess which book is for my book club versus the ones I've chosen. So without further ado, the next book in my list is uh see if I get my camera there we go. Rock, paper, scissors by Alice Feeney. And I know Alice Feeney is a favorite of yours. I love her, which is interesting because we don't always read the same books. I mean, there is some crossover, but our Venn diagram is like a little, little like sliver of a moon in the in the middle between the circles there. So, but this one, this one does sound interesting. Think you know the person you married? Think again. Trust me, darling. I I think again all the time.

Ellie Alexander 23:43

Think about that every day.

Tech Guy 23:44

Yeah, things have been wrong with Mr. and Mrs. Wright, W-R-I-G-H-T. Ha ha for a long time. Every anniversary there, the couple exchange traditional gifts, and Adam's wife writes him a letter she never lets him read until now. Self-confessed workaholic Adam Wright has face blindness. He can't even recognize his own wife, and Amelia is sick of feeling unseen. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. This weekend may make or break their marriage, but they didn't randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn't want them to live happily ever after.

Ellie Alexander 24:30

Yeah. Let's go. Uh, you're gonna love it. I haven't read this one. I've read so much of her stuff, but she is the queen of thrillers and just the twist that you don't see coming, and you're gonna stay up, I guarantee, all night needing to read because you'll just be like, wait, what? And then yeah.

Tech Guy 24:47

No, so there's no dungeon involved in this one. No, um, but it sounds good. But somebody is competing in a comp or like won a prize, so I guess there's like there's that, but it does sound good. Sounds really good.

Ellie Alexander 25:01

Your own brand right now. I feel I feel solid about all of these. Okay, last up in my TBR stack for my last chance, sum a dance, is a book called Behind Every Face by Charlie Donlea. I haven't read Charlie, and you mentioned the fact that indie bookstores like Beach Books will often tuck in little bonus surprises. So this is um an advanced reader copy that they sent me. And I can't wait because this sounds very spy thriller-ish, which is kind of the vibe that I've been in. The back cover looks like an FBI like redacted file, and there's an actual photo of a driver's license. Okay, so I'll read you this one. There's no such thing as a safe place for a woman with a secret powerful enough to destroy the world's most untouchable figures. I feel like this could be where our Venn diagram meets too. We might have to share this one. Emergency witness secure program, WITSEC referral, approved identity reassignment, assignment packet, and then it lists the client's full name, their current address, and then a section two, which is you are required to relocate within 72 hours of receiving this packet. You are prohibited from returning to your former state of residence. All prior financial records, digital profiles, and personal records are to be abandoned immediately. And that's all we know.

Tech Guy 26:28

Wow.

Ellie Alexander 26:29

Right? I am so curious to dive into this one. So I will report back and I might be sharing it with you.

Tech Guy 26:37

Nice. Yeah, no, that sounds very interesting. Okay. Are you ready?

Ellie Alexander 26:43

Ready. Last but not least.

Tech Guy 26:45

Okay, so this was another Alexa recommendation from Beach Books, and I had to get it. It's book one in a series. Okay. And it is called He Who Fights with Monsters by Travis Deverell. Uh, and this is exciting, hilarious, irreverent, and action-packed, according to Matt Dinniman.

Ellie Alexander 27:10

Oh my god, I never would have seen this coming. What a plot twist, darlings. What a plot twist. Can I also just interject what I find fascinating about all of these like sci-fi gamey fantasy books that are your jam and are so popular right now, is it does remind me of the cozy. Like all of these covers, you can you know exactly what that is based on the cover design, which is fabulous.

Tech Guy 27:34

Yeah, it's it is this this one is right up my alley. Um, so this one, Jason wakes up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters. It's not easy making the career jump from office supplies store, middle manager, to heroic interdimensional adventurer. At least Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil. He'll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters, and that's just on the first day. He's going to need courage, he's going to need wit, and he's going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he's going to need pants.

Ellie Alexander 28:17

Nice. And uh this this one has sprayed edges, right?

Tech Guy 28:22

This one has sprayed edges, they're all yellow, so it's just they're just yellow, uh, which kind of goes, which it goes with the the title of the book. Um, but uh this one, just like a Matt Dinniman Dungeon Crawler Carl entry, it weighs in at a hefty 755 pages.

Ellie Alexander 28:44

Damn.

Tech Guy 28:45

So this one's this one's gonna take a while, I think. I don't know, it could be really good. So maybe I'll breeze through it. I don't, I don't think I'd ever breeze through a 755-page book of anything, honestly. I mean, even Star Wars. So, but I'm excited. It's it comes highly recommended. And I mean, if Matt Dinniman says it's good, that's good enough for me.

Ellie Alexander 29:05

It's gotta be good.

Tech Guy 29:06

Yeah.

Listener TBR Questions And Fall Launches

Ellie Alexander 29:07

All right, darlings. Well, we want to hear from you. Have you read any of these on our stack? What is on your last chance summer dance stack? Or are you already fully into fall?

Tech Guy 29:18

Yeah, that's right. Happy October.

Ellie Alexander 29:21

Happy October. And let me end before we say goodbye with two fall reads to tempt you that are coming out. First, we have a fall to remember by what? Who is this? Ellie Alexander. And check out those sprayed edges. This is a first for me. It's my first book that has ever had sprayed edges and they're beautiful fall leaves. This is my cozy fall rom-com. It's written from four different points of view and has interwoven stories. It's kind of like, I don't know, a modern when Harry met Sally kind of vibe. It's not spicy and no murder. Okay. No murder. Don't come at me. It's a rom-com. It's a rom-com. Don't kill me because there's no body. But if you want a body, then stay tuned for the Pumpkin Vice Cafe, also by Ellie Alexander. This is book 23 in the Bake Shop Mysteries, and this comes out at the end of September. And um, it's all the fall-autumn vibes. There's a lot of baking going on, there's a lot of pumpkins, um, and there's a big change in store for Juliet. That's what I will say. And yes, there's a body.

Tech Guy 30:37

Yes, there is a body. And speaking of baking, if you haven't been following along, be sure to check out Ellie's social media channels because she's been doing a bake-along with one recipe from every book in the Bake Shop Mystery Series, all the way up to book 23 when it releases at the end of September.

Ellie Alexander 30:58

So much baking and so many sweets in our house. We're ready to be done with that project.

Tech Guy 31:06

All right. So without further ado, I think we'll wrap it up. But yes, darlings, definitely let us know what you're reading, what you have read. If you've read any of the books that we're about to read in our TBR stack, let us know what you thought and use that send us a message link in the show notes. Be sure to check out the show notes for all the names, authors, and links to the books that we talked about today on Reality Writes. Until next time.

Ellie Alexander 31:28

Till next time.