273: Finding Book Club Picks for the Reading Challenge

How do you find book clubs and buddy reads to join? Jen and Ashley dig into the

ways to get involved with book clubs (online and in real life) and buddy reads. If you're doing the 2024 Unabridged Reading Challenge with us, participating in a new book club or buddy read is a category on the list!

Be sure to tune in to hear how to expand your reading with book club and buddy read opportunities.

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Bookish Check-in

Ashley - Victoria Jamieson's Roller Girl (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Jen - Elif Shafak’s Forty Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Spotlight

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Full Transcript of the Episode:

[00:00:34] Ashley: Hi, and welcome to Unabridged. This is episode 2 73. Today we are discussing Buddy Reads and book clubs, and this is specific to the Unabridged Challenge because one of the categories is to find a buddy read or book club to join in that you have not participated in before. So we just wanted to talk a bit about how those work and different ways you can access those.

[00:00:57] Before we get started today, I just wanted to remind you that we continue our campaign on Patreon. We really appreciate listener support on there. You can just go to patreon.com/unabridgedpod. The link is also always in the show notes, and just a little bit of support goes a very long way toward covering the costs of the podcast so we can keep bringing these episodes to you.

[00:01:17] Thanks so much for your support. Before we talk about buddy reads and book clubs, we wanted to share our Bookish Check in. Jen, what are you reading?

[00:01:25] Jen: So I am in the middle of listening to Elif Shafak's 40 Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi. And this was actually, I was led here because of a buddy read. So a while back I read with Read With Toni, The Island of Missing Trees, which is also by Shafak. And that group is still open. So she has a new book coming out this summer.

[00:01:51] A bunch of us signed up for the e galley and Toni threw out, well, what if we read her whole backlist? So she's really interesting. She's a Turkish author, and she writes a lot about Turkish culture and history. And this book, 40 Rules of Love, I will say I'm just anticipating this description, maybe.

[00:02:12] challenging because it's a pretty complex narrative. So bear with me, but it has the synopsis says it has two tantalizing parallel narratives and it does, but it kind of has three, I would argue. So one of them is modern day and that is Ella who is 40. She lives in the United States. Her marriage is not happy.

[00:02:31] So she's basically resigned herself to this unhappy marriage. She has three kids and loves them dearly, but her husband has been cheating on her for a long time, and she knows, and he knows she knows on some level, but they've never actually talked about it. And so she just really pours herself into her kids.

[00:02:51] And that is her main goal and focus in life. She works for a publisher and as part of her job, she's assigned to read a book called Sweet Blasphemy, which is written by a man named Aziz Zahara. And the novel is about a dervish known as Shams of Tabriz, who becomes the companion of Rumi. And so you have a book within a book situation where Shams, Shams.

[00:03:20] is finding his way to Rumi and then what is going to happen, or what it says in the synopsis anyway, is that he is going to transform Rumi's life so he becomes the Rumi that we've all heard about. I don't know a ton about Rumi but just I feel like that's a name that most people know. So you get Ella reading this book within a book and also becoming very interested in Aziz, the author himself.

[00:03:49] And so they start this correspondence and she's finding all of these parallels between the wisdom that Aziz shares in the novel from both Shams and from Rumi and her own life. And she's applying all of these rules and principles to her own life. You also get a number of other perspectives from Rumi's culture.

[00:04:13] So there are a lot of voices. I will say in audio, it's been a little difficult to keep up with who's who. I feel like that would be slightly, slightly easier on the page, but the audiobook is quite compelling and so I'm enjoying it. I just have to pause sometimes and just backtrack a little bit to make sure I know which voice is which.

[00:04:30] There's only one narrator. So yeah, it's really well done. It's really interesting. it's one of those, I like the parallel narratives where you're seeing how they can be related. And I guess it's technically two because the book within a book is the second, but I feel like there's the book within the book, but then there's also the historical story of Shams and Rumi that is looming out there as well.

[00:04:52] So it is two parallel narratives, but some part of it feels like three. I want to advocate for three anyway, but yeah, that is Elif Shafak's 40 Rules of Love: A Novel of Rumi.

[00:05:05] Ashley: Wow, that, I don't know what to say. It sounds very interesting, but also like there's a lot going on there, but yeah, that sounds really...I always think it's interesting to explore a book through another narrative or an author through another narrative. Like yeah, so, that's interesting.

[00:05:24] Jen: Yeah. What are you reading, Ashley?

[00:05:27] Ashley: So one of the books that I am reading right now is Victoria Jamieson's Roller Girl. I think, Jen, you have shared about that one?

[00:05:36] Jen: I think so. 

[00:05:38] Ashley: I don’t know if you talked about it on the podcast, but I know at some point I remember that you had read it. So my daughter had picked this up at the library, and I've been sharing on Instagram, but I really have just been in a reading slump.

[00:05:48] I think life is just busy, and I think I'm still adjusting to like to the faster pace seems silly because I think we've been back like post pandemic for quite a while, but I feel like I'm somehow not able to quite keep up. Maybe I couldn't keep up before. I don't know. Anyway... and also in listening, I often listen to a lot of audio books to help keep my momentum.

[00:06:11] And I just, there has been some friction there lately. I think I'm just, I'm listened out. I listen a lot. Like my job is to listen to people's podcasts, and do a lot of editing. And I listened to a lot of podcasts. Also, sometimes I cannot put one more thing in my ears is how I feel. So anyway, I have been, maybe I don't need to, tell everyone all about my reading struggles.

[00:06:33] Let me get to the point here. The point is that when I saw this one, my daughter had picked up the physical book from the library. I read so few physical books these days, but this is a graphic novel. It's middle grade. It's so inviting. She read it right away, and she was like, oh, this is so fun, so I was like, okay. And I am loving it, and so Astrid is the main character, and she, at the beginning, has a best friend, she's 12, they go begrudgingly with her mom, her, I appreciate all this, her mom does these like cultural crusades, basically, where she like takes the kids to all these different things that they somewhat begrudgingly participate in, and I was like, oh, I do that to my kids, And I think she's old enough.

[00:07:18] I, I do not yet have the friction of the kids being like, I don't know that I want to do this thing, but Astrid's 12, and I'm sure that's probably coming my way. And so she goes and it's a roller derby event. And so it is roller derby that she goes and sees with her mom. And so she was like, Oh, this is going to be so dumb.

[00:07:36] And then she gets in there. She's like, Oh my gosh, this is super cool. And so she is immediately totally transfixed by roller derby and just how awesome the women are and how tough and, you know, all that. And her friend who goes with her is really not, does not have that same reaction. And so we start to see right away this like tension of how, as we become our own selves, sometimes we don't align with the people that we've like been so close to.

[00:08:05] And so her friend is really interested in dance. And I think Astrid right at the beginning here is feeling like, why can't we do this thing together? And so then she wants to do this camp, and her mom thinks they're both doing the camp, she and her friend, and they are not. She is doing it by herself. And so there's a whole, so there's just a lot... I haven't read much, but I just love how right away we see, So many things about what Astrid is navigating, about her wanting to be her own person, but also wanting to fit in, and wanting to get along and have her friends and have her friends like the things that she likes.

[00:08:43] And so she gets into this camp and it is hard. And so then she's like, Oh, I can't skate. I can't keep up. This is a very active sport. And so then you start seeing how she has this interest, but she does not have the skills that she feels like everyone around her already has. And so, you know, so I just love it because I think it's this exploration of how we come to find ourselves and the things that really light us up, but then also how that journey can be really hard.

[00:09:09] And so I think I've only read a little bit, but that's what I see so far. And I'm just loving it and I'm like, Oh, maybe I need to really dive into some graphic novels because that's really worked for me. And then there have been a few... I've found that it's really working for me to find things that are short.

[00:09:24] So if it's not working, it's over pretty quickly. Whereas like, I think sometimes, when I'm in a bit of a slump, I still feel committed to finishing something. But then if the thing is long, I just can't get through it. So I think, yes. Looking for things that move fast is a good answer, and so this one is Victoria Jamieson's Roller Girl.

[00:09:45] That was quite a meandering journey. Sorry about that, but ultimately I would recommend it so far.

[00:09:50] Jen: Yeah. Oh, first of all, I love that book. And second, I love that you shared that because I think we all have those moments of, For me right now, it's, I have all these books I need to read, and I just am feeling rebellious, and I want to read other stuff. And so it's like, well, I have some obligations. Some of them are self imposed.

[00:10:09] I don't have to join all the buddy reads, which we'll talk about in a minute. I tend to overcommit to buddy reads. And then I just have to tell myself it's okay if I don't finish that book this month. So I will say, even though we're going to talk about ways to get involved in buddy reads, it also shouldn't be work for you.

[00:10:26] And it can just be, do it if you enjoy it, but don't feel like because you've tried something that you're committed forever.

[00:10:35] Ashley: Yes, right. I do think it's helpful to have a nudge, for me anyway. Like a little external accountability helps me make the time to read because I love reading. But it's also, sometimes it feels a little like a luxury. And so there's all these other things that I need to be

doing. And so it helps me to feel like I have to because then I'm like, oh.

[00:10:53] I have to, but also I get to carve out this time to do this thing that I really enjoy. So nudges are nice, but then if it becomes too obligatory, then that's also not fun. And, you know, that takes away the joy. And I know we both are huge proponents of continuing to love reading because that's such an important part of being a lifelong reader.

[00:11:11] So, yeah. So, for our discussion today, we, this is a little different because we're not...A lot of times we're either diving into a book, as you all know if you listen all the time, we, we either are diving into a book or we're recommending books, and today we're not going to recommend any specific books, we just wanted to talk about what Buddy Reads and book clubs, what they can look like, especially on the internet, because you may not be familiar.

[00:11:35] So we wanted to take a little time. We have lots of you that might be listening who join us in discussions, and that is awesome. But if you've never done it before, we just kind of wanted to talk through the logistics a little bit, and then also maybe a little bit about, like, how you could get plugged in, and which directions you might want to try in order to do that.

[00:11:52] So I don't know, Jen, if you want to kind of talk a little bit about it, and I can add on?

[00:11:55] Jen: Yeah. So I think the first thing: you can decide if you're more drawn to In like IRL book clubs you want to get together with people or if you want to try to dip your toe in online first. I am part of both so I right now i'm in one local book club Though I've been a part of more at different times in my life and You can also think about what level of commitment you want that local book club to be, so the one i'm in now we meet once a month and we are getting together to see each other.

[00:12:29] So there is always a book, but we actually don't talk about the books that long. So it's, as you were talking about, Ashley, it's a nice little nudge, but you don't have feel like it's not one that I feel like I have to take notes for, or I have to read it right before, though I've been part of those, and those can be quite satisfying as well.

[00:12:46] So think about that. Think about what you want. You can also decide if it's one that you want to contribute to the book choices, or if it's one that you just want the book to be chosen and you show up. So our library has one that they'll hold at different local places around town. And for that one, it's everybody reads their own book and then shares it.

[00:13:09] Or sometimes they'll say, we have four book choices this month. Pick one of those and read it, and come and talk about it. So there's a little bit of a focus, but you're not forced to read a book that maybe you don't love. Not that you're ever forced, but anyway. Our local bookstore also has a book club, and that one is obviously something that they have chosen, and then everybody reads it and shows up and talks about that book.

[00:13:34] We have a Barnes and Noble franchise. And they do the same thing. So there's always a Barnes and Noble YA pick. There's a speculative pick. And I should say I have not attended that, but I see the ads for it. And so that could be an easy way to just sort of ease into it, and see what it's all about. And I think you could probably be pretty anonymous with that, which might be... If you're doing a book club for the first time, that might be a nice way to start is to just go and see what it's all about, but not feel a lot of pressure to share if you're not ready to do that yet.

[00:14:08] Ashley: Yeah. Yeah, I think those are some great tips. And same with my library and here in Greenville where I live, each branch has their own book clubs, so it's worth seeing. Sometimes if the library has those event pamphlets that you can pick up, those would be a place to look, of course, on their social media or on their website also, but often libraries are a good place to start if you're looking for that in real life.

[00:14:31] And then similarly here we have an independent bookstore downtown. They have tons of events. I mean, they have stuff going on all the time. So they do have a book club that meets... I can't remember it, I think it's less than once a month, but not quite as little as quarterly. And, there's a whole process for that.

[00:14:49] And I haven't tried those out yet, but they also have events happening all the time. So in March, for me, I went with some friends from my neighborhood to go to… Delana R. A. Dameron spoke about Redwood Court, which has been a book that has gotten a lot of acclaim.

[00:15:05] they did a, uh, that one was a conversation. Glenis Redmond is a poet here who was phenomenal. And she led the discussion. So that was a back and forth with the author. And then I also saw, Jen, I haven't told you this, but I saw Jeanette Walls and she, she talked. And so that one was a later evening event. It was a ticketed event. And with that one, they did a cocktail.

[00:15:29] And then she talked to the... Of course, tons of people came and she just talked about her experiences.

[00:15:38] So Jeanette Walls talked specifically about Hang the Moon, but of course she talked also about her experience with her other books, and people had lots of questions about The Glass Castle, and some of the things that she's really known for, but it was like totally fascinating, and so fun to see both of them speak.

[00:15:56] And so that is different than the Buddy Reason book clubs, but I will say that. As I just said about my reading slump, I think my life is pretty busy right now. And so it has been hard to add things in, but that was really nice because those are things that are happening during the week. It's easy to go, there's not any prep really to doing it, and then you're getting to have this really great literary experience.

[00:16:19] So, you know, I think just seeing what's going on in your community is nice, and I did enjoy both of those. And I also appreciated that while I love a book club and I love to talk about books, I didn't need to read in advance. I didn't feel like I needed to prep. In order to be ready to go, so like that was really nice for me was to just see what's out there and find out that like there are a lot of ways to participate and to kind of help bolster your reading life.

[00:16:45] Jen: Yeah, it's just nice sometimes to connect with bookish people. Even if you're not talking about a specific book, those conversations can be really enriching. So yeah. And I would say the same thing about online. I feel that same connection. So I really got into Instagram buddy reads during the pandemic, and they have continued to be a really important part of my reading.

[00:17:10] So I will say if you haven't done a buddy read with us before, we do typically two a month, and we would count for the challenge if you haven't read with us before. So we do one focused on our book club book, which is, so we record an episode about it and then we also have an online chat. And then we have a separate young adult book buddy read.

[00:17:30] We don't record an episode about that. We just read together. Now, if our book club pick is a YA book, that counts for both. So some months we only have one, but so you could certainly join one of ours. There are three, I would say, main types of buddy reads that you'll find on Instagram. So one is the there's a chat group and you can have some discussion in there, but then they set a time for like a zoom call and that's how they do the buddy read discussion.

[00:18:01] Sometimes the author will be there and sometimes not. It just depends on the individual buddy read. Then there are buddy read chats that occur at a particular time. So everybody's going to get on Tuesday at eight o'clock p. m. Eastern standard time. And you're going to chat via text via the chat itself at the same time, or there are rolling chats.

[00:18:25] And that basically means, Hey, everybody try to have this portion of the book or the book as a whole done by a certain date. The host will throw out some questions and then everybody just chimes in as they can. So that one is probably the least pressure of the three types, and we have done all three.

[00:18:44] Currently we are focused on rolling chats and that is partly because as Ashley said we're busy. We have people from across the country and sometimes the world who join in. So being able to get on simultaneously can be a challenge with everybody's just daily schedule. So we found that the rolling chats are a nice compromise.

[00:19:04] The discussions aren't quite as deep, though I think sometimes we do get into deep discussions about the books, but it's just, it's a nice way to commit. Some people are in the buddy reads, but don't ever say anything. I think they just like to read the conversation. They like the push of reading the book.

[00:19:19] And so again, this can be really low pressure. Nobody's going to call you out for not saying something in a buddy read chat. So if you just want to kind of, again, I think I said earlier, dip your toe in, that is a possibility. Yeah. Agreed.

[00:19:33] Ashley: And I would say buddy read was a new term to me. So I did not quite understand, but as Jen is explaining, logistically, sometimes they really are the same thing as a book club. So like for us, we do have a bit of a distinction when she explained, but basically somebody is saying buddy read or book club, a lot of times, if it is on Instagram or another one of the social media platforms, they function the same way, you just have to see like, are we dividing up the book, are there different sections, if you're wanting to make sure that you participate at the time that the different parts are being talked about.

[00:20:06] But like Jen said, sometimes people just do it because it helps hold them accountable a little bit, like they just... it's nice, and I mean, I'm this way, it's nice to have somebody recommend a book, because then that directs my reading, which sometimes I really appreciate, and then it helps me to read

[00:20:21] something that I would have wanted to read anyway, but, you know, kind of gives me some direction. And I find that sometimes choosing things is hard. And so it's nice to have people especially, you know people... If you participate in one You really enjoy it, then you do find the people who you trust the recommendations, you are wanting to read what they're recommending and so that sometimes it's just really helpful

[00:20:46] Jen: I should have said earlier, if you are looking for an in real life book club, check your workplace. So, you know, we were in education for a long time, so there were book clubs everywhere for us and it was easy, as easy as connecting with the people who were reading the same books.

[00:21:03] I've started several book clubs, so don't be afraid to start one, and starting the book club can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. It can be just saying, hey, we're reading this book this month, and we're meeting this place for dinner just to discuss it. And you know, you have the typical who's RSVPing and all of that, but it doesn't have to be a big deal, and you could come up with questions, or you can just keep it really free form, and just throw out what did everybody think, and then just follow it from there.

[00:21:31] So, and the same thing online. So you could look for books that you're interested in reading and look specifically for buddy reads about those books.

[00:21:42] Ashley: Yeah, that's a great idea.

[00:21:43] Jen: Yeah. Or you can follow, you can just search the hashtag buddy read or hashtag buddy reads or hashtag book club, book clubs and. There are a ton out there.

[00:21:53] So again, we have the two and we have hashtags unabridged pod book club and unabridged pod buddy read. I have one called chunky classics, hashtag chunky classics. And that one last month we read Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. This month, we're starting a two month read of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.

[00:22:13] So if you want a little push to read some classics. You can join that. But yeah, I think you can find book clubs about almost anything on Instagram. I think just looking for the hashtags is a great way to sort of navigate what's out there. And again, once you find a person who is reading the types of books you're interested in, you know, if you like rom coms, there are a ton of rom com buddy reads that are ongoing every month, and then you can fall into those and it can just be a nice way to connect. So...

[00:22:43] Ashley: yeah, yeah. I think I was thinking about the starting of a club. I think people in our neighborhood would be very happy to have someone do that, Jen. And I'm like, Oh, uh, because that is something that I really admire. Jen does this so effortlessly, and she's always just like, Oh, I'll just send out this survey.

[00:23:01] And well... people can put in their recommendations and then we'll just pick one and everything. And I'm like. I mean, I just really admire it, so I'm probably embarrassing you, Jen. But anyway, it is a special skill, but also, like Jen said, I do think it can be very simple. I've seen, Jen, you have done both types where you have chosen a book, and then shared it with people, but then I've also seen where you let people make, like, submit recommendations and then take all of those and just let people vote.

[00:23:26] And so, and then another thing that Jen has done with ours, that if you haven't seen this, but you're looking for models, she'll pick like four books. She just did this for like, well, this is coming out in May, but she just did this, where she picked four and just gave the publisher synopsis of each of the four and then let people vote.

[00:23:43] So that's another idea. If you want to give some guidance, but you also want to get some input. I mean, that's, there's several different ways to approach, but I agree with you, Jen, that it does... There is this great sense of community and it is something that you can find out there or that if you want to craft it for yourself, especially if you're looking for those real life connections, it really is pretty simple to... you can keep it simple to make that happen.

[00:24:10] And yeah, it really does make a difference. I mean, it helps to. It's just like exercise accountability, or any other kind of accountability. I mean, it's just like having friends that you know are doing the thing also is really helpful and feels good. And then also, of course, it's fun to discuss the books.

[00:24:28] Jen: Yeah, I highly recommend it and again it shouldn't feel like work, but a little nudge is not a bad thing. So yeah. All right. Well, and of course you are very welcome. If you have not joined ours, we would love to have you. I think we have some great discussions about books that are really powerful.

[00:24:45] Sometimes we just do books that are fun. We do try to cover a variety of genres and authors and topics. We aim for a variety, so I don't think we're... we're not samey. I don't know that we're predictable, but I think we read some good things.

[00:25:00] Ashley: That's true that, yeah, like you said about the rom coms, I mean, there's sometimes that there's genre specific or a little more narrowly focused, whereas I would say that ours is quite wide ranging, which we like and want to do. But there, you know, if that works for you, that's great. And then if you do enjoy those, just like, I really want to dive into cozy mysteries, and I want every month to be a cozy mystery.

[00:25:21] Like that stuff is out there too. And those are really fun. And again, it can be a great way to plug into people who already are reading the kind of thing that you want to continue to read, but with a group.

[00:25:32] Jen: Absolutely.

[00:25:34] Ashley: Well, to end today, so again, I just want to reiterate, if you've never done it before and you're listening, we are on Instagram as our primary place for those chats.

[00:25:43] You can go to Instagram and then just search for Unabridgedpod for ours. Jen does a great job of putting graphics in our feed. So if you're looking for what's going on, you can just scroll down our feed there and you will always see the current buddy read, the current book club. You can reply in a comment there, and we will see that. You can DM us.

[00:26:03] And then all that happens is you get dropped into a group. And again, if you don't do anything with that group for us, that's totally fine. There's no like follow for follow or anything like that. Like you're just joining. You get to see what people say about the book. If you don't meet the deadline, it is not really a deadline, and it is no problem.

[00:26:22] So it is very low stakes. And if you just want to test it out, that's an easy way to do it and that way you can just kind of see what's happening out there. And then you know, there's the hashtags and other things. So I just want to kind of wrap up by saying that, but... as normal and we didn't do any specific book recommendations, but Jen if you don't have anything else I was gonna move onto Spotlight.

[00:26:41] Jen: Absolutely. Yep. I think we're good.

[00:26:44] Ashley: So to wrap up today, we wanted to share something that we are spotlighting. Jen, what is your spotlight today?

[00:26:51] Jen: I am spotlighting Ripley, which I am 6 episodes into and absolutely loving. So if you saw, oh gosh, was it in the nineties or the early two thousands, The Talented Mr. Ripley with Jude Law and Matt Damon. So this is based on the same Patricia Highsmith novel, but this is a limited series on Netflix. I'm hoping there's a season two, but right now there's one season, and it is starring Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley.

[00:27:17] So if you watched Fleabag, he is sexy priest in Fleabag. He is in Sherlock, and he is Ripley. And let me tell you, he is phenomenal. He is so, so evil in a way that I did not. Yeah. Even despite Sherlock, he is so, so evil. The premise, if you haven't read or seen the previous adaptation is that he's this con man

[00:27:43] who gets swept up in the effort of this wealthy father to bring his son back home to the United States from Italy. And he pays Tom Ripley's whole way to Italy to convince his son, Dickie Greenleaf, to come home. And so, Tom Ripley's like, wow, this is awesome. I've got it made. I get this free trip to Italy.

[00:28:04] He's bankrolling the whole trip. And he goes to Italy, finds Dickie Greenleaf and his girlfriend Marge. So Dickie, in this one, is played by Johnny Flynn, who was in the most recent adaptation of Emma, and Marge, his girlfriend, is played by Dakota Fanning, who I haven't seen in anything in a long time, but she's great.

[00:28:25] It is all shot in the most gorgeous black and white. It looks like a Hitchcock film. It is so beautiful, and the Italy scenes are this juxtaposition of beauty and wealth, and also this overhanging sense of dread because you know what Tom's going to do if you... Maybe you don't, if you haven't seen anything before, but I know what Tom's going to do.

[00:28:48] And so I am just dreading it the whole time. It is a slow build. It is so beautiful. Yeah. I'm just loving it. And Tom Ripley played by Andrew Scott is just so scary in the most innocuous way possible. It's like this, I don't know. It is great. So I cannot wait to see how the season wraps up.

[00:29:09] I mean, I know plot wise what's going to happen, but somehow it just feels so different. So that is Ripley. It's on Netflix and it is excellent.

[00:29:16] Ashley: Whoa, that is really interesting. Okay,

[00:29:21] Jen: would not normally be a thing. I'd say this is an Ashley thing. I think you would really appreciate it. I think you would like

[00:29:25] Ashley: Well and I do know what's coming so I feel like there's some comfort there so... I was going to tell a weird story that maybe I'll go ahead and tell, that I saw the original adaptation on an overnight flight. And I have discovered that that is a weird time for me, and it is not good for me to watch movies unless they're just like light or whatever because they have this weird impact. There's something about the interdimensional component of itz being through the night and the way that flight travel is so I have I mean that that is an unsettling... I mean, Jude Law was phenomenal in that, and it is an unsettling story to begin with, but I remember that on a pretty visceral level.

[00:30:07] So it was funny when you said it because I was like, I could bring back like exact place in time of where I watched that film. But yeah, it is a captivating story and because I know what's coming, I might do better with the adaptation. So, it does sound interesting.

[00:30:20] Jen: What do you want to spotlight Ashley?

[00:30:23] Ashley: Uh, I, I think I'm going to spotlight campers. Our family has purchased a camper. We purchased a used camper. It is an A liner. And so it is, a pop up and it makes a little A frame. I had never seen them prior to doing a lot of research about very small, light campers that will hold four people.

[00:30:43] And so that is a big deal in our family. I don't think I was ever expecting to be a person who has a camper, but I am very excited. Our family, I think I've talked in other spotlights about parks and how much we've been getting out lately and just loving the state park passes and the national park passes.

[00:31:02] And so we've just been spending a lot more time outside.

[00:31:05] So anyway, that is, I, I'll have to report back. If you are listening and you are a camping family, I would love to hear your experience or tips and tricks.

[00:31:15] And you can always email us at unabridgedpod@gmail.Com. I would love to hear about it because we are brand new and certainly can use some tips, but I am super excited and spotlighting it because I know that it is going to be quite the adventure for us, and our kids are really excited, which is great.

[00:31:33] And so we'll see. We'll see what happens.

[00:31:35] Jen: I have to tell you Nick Offerman's most recent book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play, is divided in three sections, and the third is about his travels with Megan Mullally in their camper.

[00:31:47] Ashley: Oh, I'll have to check that out. I love Nick Offerman.

[00:31:48] Jen: is hilarious and it's so good on audio. But yeah, I mean, the whole book is great. So the three sections are all great, but that one I just thought of when you were talking.

[00:31:56] Ashley: Awesome. I will totally check that out. I love him. That sounds great. Well, thank you so much for listening today. We hope that that has given you some ideas about different ways that you can access buddy reads and book clubs. And again, that is one of the categories on the reading challenge, which is why we wanted to touch on it.

[00:32:11] But also I know that for me, when I first started doing bookstagram, it was kind of a new concept. So we just wanted to kind of take the time to talk through some of those logistical things, and hope that's been a help. Thanks so much for listening.