Betty & Bonny

Hi readers, welcome back to Betty and Bonnie, the shit talking book slayers.
I'm Bonnie.
I'm Betty.
You know, I was practicing that this morning.
I'm like, must say Bonnie, must say Bonnie, must say Bonnie, I'm a fucking nightmare.
0:29 I'm a fucking nightmare.
So we are going to be doing a little deep dive on a book called How to Say a Christmas by Sarah Bonner.
Now, Jackie was surprised that I had not ever heard of this author.
And you know what?
She's English, so obviously that's why I've never heard of her.
0:47 Like did you know she was English?
No, no, I didn't know.
No, I went on in July and before I went I downloaded How to Slay on Holiday because I was like, on holiday, have a holiday read and I fucking loved it.
So afterwards, I immediately Googled what else she done and she'd also done How to Slay at work.
1:05 So I downloaded that give that a read up holidaying.
And then I just ripped myself a little note because I saw that this was I saw that this was a book that she'd done.
I didn't know that it wasn't actually out in July.
I think it came out in August.
I've only found that out today.
So I'd like write it down for December to be like, read this one.
1:23 It'll be a good holiday read.
Oh, it was.
It was.
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect because honestly the cover, I'm like I judge books by covers.
I am that person.
I do not like to be book cover fished.
And I'm like, I wasn't expecting a ton to be honest with you.
1:40 I was not expecting a really solid book.
But what did you think?
Did you think of the book?
I loved it.
I only started it yesterday because my memory is horrendous and I've been reading a lot lately, so I wanted it fresh in my mind.
Have been a bit I'll so I started it yesterday.
1:58 Yeah, and I have to put it down about halfway just because I was tired, but I could have easily that in a day.
Yeah, that inejible book.
Yeah.
Yeah, it was really good.
I enjoyed it.
Yeah, I, well, I had the Audible, like I used my credits and I got the Audible and then I had it on Kindle Limited as well.
2:17 And I spent the time going back and forth between the two because I kind of wanted to get the voices from the audio in my head when I was reading.
And believe it or not, the audio was actually really well done.
Like they were really good.
And I almost finished it that way.
But I did the last probably 40% of it.
2:34 I did.
I read like all the way through from like the last 40%.
But the audio was really fucking good.
It was funny.
Like it was really funny.
It was funny reason though, I was like laughing out loud and I think that for me it's hard to make me do that.
2:50 Reading the book was laughing.
I loved all the characters at the beginning as it built like all the different stall holders the scissors does my kids.
God, Jack, I laughed so fucking hard.
I like to drink.
That's Christmas.
I've been doing my coffee Irish.
3:07 I know it's sitting there.
It's like 9:00 in the morning and I had it was pouring out of my nose.
Like as soon as I read that part, it's Mike's like he's like, what's wrong with you?
I'm like, this is fucking hilarious.
And he's like, we don't need to see that coming out your nose.
Fucking laughing.
3:26 My God, Belladonna, fuck him.
And what was the name of the store?
This is where you're going to have to help me today because I'm still getting over being I'll crystals.
Crystals and shit is what she called.
She called it.
That's what Fern was calling it.
Crystals and shit.
3:42 I was fucking.
I would say yeah.
Crystals and shit.
So it's really relatable.
Yeah, well, I thought it was funny because she was saying it the her store full of woo woo stuff and that was just like woo woo.
That's what I call dog walking, going for a woo woo.
3:58 So I was fucking every time she said I was fucking laughed so hard.
It was so funny because it felt like it felt like a dark satire, but it kind of also felt like a mystery.
It was one of those books where I couldn't really decide what camp I would have put it in.
4:14 You know what I mean?
Thinking this because I always lean to, I think it is described as like a crime thriller and I was like, would I call it a thriller?
A dark comedy.
It was.
Mixture like eclectic way that you can describe it, which I think just makes it brilliant.
4:30 Yeah, like I was, I was like, I don't know where I would put this because I was talking to one of my friends and she was like, well, what's it about?
And I explained it.
She was like, what genre is it?
And I'm like, oh fuck, I don't know.
I'm like, because honestly, I'm like, it's kind of got like this mystery filler vibe to it, but it's a dark satire.
4:47 I was like, some of it is like, you have to suspend your disbelief because these things would not really happen.
I was like, but it's so fucking funny.
It's so fucking funny.
And she was like, so would I read it?
And I'm like, did you read Dexter?
She was like, yeah, I'm like, did you watch the movie Love Actually?
She was like, yeah.
And I'm like, well, smash those two fucking things together, and you've got this threat.
5:06 Yeah.
That's a good way to describe it.
But she was like, OK, I got it on KU and then she was halfway through yesterday and she was like, Stacey, I can't stop fucking crying, laughing my ass off.
I'm like, I told you, you're tiny.
I don't know what genre I'd put this in either.
5:22 I don't know, because it's also like the bit of the love story.
Yeah.
Alvie and obviously like obviously he's hot, which is nice to read.
It cracks me up how many times she describes his like ripped jeans.
I was laughing at, well, we had to really hammer it about these ripped sexy jeans.
5:40 I loved him.
I know, but you know what Something else that was really funny was the store owner that has the donks.
The donkers.
I was fucking quiet.
I had to go back and read that page like 4 times because every time I got to the word donker again I couldn't stop fucking laughing.
5:57 It was so like, I'm not a fucking dog.
Like deadpan, like he has no answers.
And then there was she was like why?
How have you got this stool?
Like it's hard to get a stool here.
Sell me the gonks at the end.
She's like I need a fucking gonk.
I need a fucking donk.
I want to go.
I was I was dying now and now because at the end of it I was like I want a fucking dog.
6:14 I have no idea what they are, but I want one I've.
Got one I'll show you later.
Yeah, I've got.
Oh fuck, I was absolutely.
I was howling, man.
It was so funny.
You know what?
You know what the first thing is that I wrote down when I was writing my notes is?
6:31 Sebastian is a See you next Tuesday.
Wonderful.
Piece of shit and I was getting the whole book just like more like my vibe was just like, I want to like RIP his throat out with my teeth.
Yeah, I.
Pulled him down and I would like chew his throat open and just enjoy that.
6:50 Like wow, this guy's a piece of shit.
Yeah, I like just the laziness of him.
There was a bit that I write down and it really reminded me of a couple that I know that like he couldn't find anything himself.
I can't remember what it was in the book, but my someone I know is other half will literally not look for anything and be like, where is this?
7:11 And they're like, they'll be in the fridge going Where's the butter?
And it's like, it's in the fridge.
You know, I'm looking in the fridge.
I can't see it.
Well, if you move the germ out the fucking way, you'll see the butter.
Like that's just it gave me vibes of this person and I was absolutely cracking up.
That's.
Weaponized incompetence because they don't want to actually do nothing for themselves.
7:28 Why they?
Can't be bothered to look.
No, because they don't care.
It's easier to make you come and do it even though he's already standing there.
That he'd left in the car.
Why should we know that?
Why should we know where your fucking fleece is?
Come on.
7:44 I know, I know.
What I really hated was that she wanted to change her hair and she couldn't, so she had to keep it long.
Oh yeah, I hated that.
And obviously hiding her alter ego.
What was her name?
7:59 What was the name?
Of her.
Cheryl Dubois.
What's her name?
Her book?
Her book pen name.
Oh yeah, I don't know.
I didn't write that down.
But yeah, because she wanted to buy Smart and I ended up in one hour to write Smart.
8:16 Where is the name.
Oh yeah, because these were the things that I noted that he did.
So he didn't like the heating being on, even though she was cold.
And the one about the fucking Yorkshire patents.
Oh my God, that's so mean.
You would have been out the door years ago.
Exactly fucking right.
8:32 Yorkshire couldn't go with anything that comes with gravy.
Fuck that.
Exactly Cherry Dubois.
Cherry Dubois, there we are.
Like, I don't if you're a writer and he was treating her like she was there's oh, it's nice you got a hobby, you know?
8:52 Yeah.
Ends in my fuck you.
I'm glad that you write.
Yeah, and I'm glad she was writing under another fucking pseudonym and she was making bank and just hiding it.
I loved it.
And then she took her daughter out for dinner.
And then the daughter was like, I know where this money's coming from, and it's not Dad.
9:09 Yeah.
Are you Cherry Dubois?
I know I couldn't believe that.
The husband's like fucking clueless.
He can't see nothing, but the daughter picked that up.
Yeah.
Fucking moron.
I really, I got them and the longer it went on and then I don't want to jump too far ahead yet, but like at the end and the way like it ended, I was really.
9:28 Upset.
I didn't want that.
How it ended for him, Wow.
OK, I was a bit like I was OK with it.
Oh, you think he could change?
Do you after being fucking a piece of shit all that time?
Can try.
Oh, he didn't do anything horrific.
9:44 He's just a typical lazy ass man.
And I think she did say in the book though, she did panda to him, she looked after him.
She did everything.
And if someone does everything for you all the time, they're going to get used to that and they're not do shit.
It is kind of a making a rod for your own back.
9:59 And I think especially, you know, you know, a lot of women over the years have done that and then women have had to go to work and all of that.
And then we're still trying to do both roles.
I'm not saying this about all men actually, because I do know a lot of men that do joint housework and stuff and do all that stuff.
10:15 Where are these mythical unicorns?
I don't know if anything I want at the minute.
Mike, do you know what my biggest problem is?
Like Mike always tries to help me, but then he puts things in the wrong spot or he don't do things the way I want it and it's it makes it makes me itchy.
10:36 Sorry, I have to rush ahead of him to get he'll say, oh, I'll do this for you today and then I'll rush and do it.
So it's done right?
My mum was saying because she's been poorly, she's done something to wear pelvis, fractured her pelvis.
So my dad has got to help out with stuff and he has been really good and he's been doing stuff but she's like, I've never known someone to hover that fast in my life now.
10:56 How is it she thought.
I leave the room and he's already moving on to the next one before I've walked back in.
I've only nipped to the loo.
She's like, how are you doing it that fast?
But she can't.
She doesn't want to moan because he's helping and he's doing stuff that he would only do, but she's just like, it's not doing it right.
You don't remember?
11:12 Oh my God.
So I remember a time when we were little and your dad did the washing up for your mum because she went well and he didn't rinse anything off inside all study.
And your mum comes because your but your bathroom is on the other side of your kitchen, right?
And she's like, and it's just like, why is everything covered in bubbles?
11:28 And your dad got back to sit down.
So when like your dad was gone, we rinsed everything off because your mum's face.
I thought she was going to block us get.
I'm doing rinse do.
You really didn't rinse.
Everything was coming.
He washed it in his sneak and put it on the drainer.
11:45 But I'm sure I was like.
I don't rinse.
There's not loads of bubbles, but I don't rinse off after.
How can you?
Not rinse how soon?
This isn't sad.
Of course it doesn't.
It just drips off.
12:01 It's not like like it's not like big bubbles on it.
But yeah, I don't.
I don't.
That's where you get it from your dad.
I don't know anyone that rinses.
I don't watch anyone wash up, obviously.
Oh my God, you don't rent.
12:16 Oh need a poll on this because I just think that's a waste of time.
Do you also drive?
So I definitely don't dry.
I let it.
Dishwasher love.
Oh yeah, see, my kitchen is really small, so when I redid my kitchen, it was like, there's just not enough room for a dishwasher.
Yeah, and there's three of us, so.
12:32 Yeah, well you know what?
There's so many fucking people in this house that I literally do 2 to 3 loads with my.
I don't blame you.
I had one in my old house.
We used it once 1 Christmas, never used it again.
I like it, but like I said to Mike, I'm like, really?
You're almost washing it anyway because you have to rinse all the crap off it.
12:50 Well, yeah, yeah, that's what dishwasher if you have to pre.
But everything gets cleaner because it's hot.
Like the water that comes out of my dishwasher is so fucking hot you die.
Like you can't wash your hands with that.
So for me it's like it's worth it because hello I have 4 kids in school and germs and each one of them touches and has things that make me want to puke.
13:12 Yeah, yeah, OK.
I'm not trying to say anything bad about my son, but he was literally like in the car window.
He was cold and he was thirsty and he was like in the fucking window.
And I'm like, he's like, OK, Mammy.
Can we just, is it just to clarify, we're not talking about Matthew, are we?
13:31 No Thomas.
Thomas, I'm my 5 year old, not my 23 year old.
Although I can't say that he doesn't like windows, I've just never caught him doing it.
Anyway, get fuck, we went up on a tangent.
I'm terrible for that.
OK, anyone that hasn't read the book yet, Jessica is she loves Christmas and she literally spends her like the whole of the year playing poker to earn money.
13:55 And then at Christmas time, she gets a job as Mrs.
Claus wherever she can.
And she literally murders people that she feels are not encompassing the feeling of Christmas or making other people miserable.
And if you have a look at the kind of people she kills during this book, like, Oh, my God, you just, you would, you wouldn't put them on your list to murder them.
14:13 You really want it.
But she's like this jolly, like she's in her 30s.
And she's just, yeah, I couldn't believe it.
She fucking was like, part of me was afraid and part of me was like, she's my idol, man.
I fucking love Christmas.
I get it.
Keep your fucking.
Love Christmas.
14:29 It's such a contrast to the character that it just makes it so fun to read because she's definitely got these two very different sides of her.
Oh.
Fucking right she does.
And I really enjoyed that because it showed you that even though she's like insane, because she'd have to be fucking insane, she's got like this surely persona and you look at her and you listen to her talk in her normal mode and you're like, I'd hang out with her.
14:56 Oh, yeah, yeah.
I love her.
Like, witty.
She's like really sassy.
Like I love like, you know, when you sort of hear from their point of view.
Yeah.
I like the things that she sort of says to herself or how she describes people.
It's fun to read.
15:12 Yeah, very sweary, which I also like.
I'm a bit of a potty mouth sometimes.
But yeah, it was really fun to read.
I really, I really loved it.
But looking at her list, because we were watching her like add people and why?
15:27 And then sometimes you take people off and someone else will replace it.
And I'm like, wow.
I'm like, imagine being that person who I think I'm going to, I'm going to mention one guys, I think they called him Z.
He's like the mayor's son, right?
Yeah.
Like he takes a shit in the in the market, right?
15:44 He takes a big tum.
Fucking bastard I.
Know, I know I was, I was fucking dying though.
But she kills him in rent, right?
Because like, she finds out that he's been abusing people online and whatnot and he should.
Stalk him at his house because she's like I really feel like he should be dead but I need a good reason.
16:03 So this is the thing, she does have morals.
Yeah, Compasses.
Fucking wackadoodle.
Yeah, but it's like, I need to have a reason to kill someone.
I can't just go around killing people Willy nilly or just get really out of control.
That's the logic.
So then she goes to his house and then, like, can log into his, like, gaming stuff that he does.
16:23 And she's like, yeah, you're abusing people online.
You're telling people themselves you can go, yeah, that's it, done.
The funniest thing is like when he took the shit in the market.
I'm like, I think I would kill you for that because that's like what kind of an animal takes a crap right where people like, walk for Christmas.
16:45 His little gay, oh, what did she call him, the merry band of dickheads or something like that, like that.
I loved that.
But they're just like how you think of a typical like youth gang.
And I don't want to say this about all youth, but like just typical, like rude boy, fucking horrible people.
17:02 And there's like defeat and they like drawing Dicks everywhere around the mark and stuff.
Just.
Like menaces.
But like Max, like she kills Max, right?
Because he steals the stuff from the animal shelter and she ends up stabbing him.
Like do you think that kind of theft warrants being murdered?
17:19 Like where's your moral compass on that one?
Would you would you have?
Would you have killed him for stealing animal Stelter stuff?
No, and I can't kill anyone.
I'm not going to get away with shit.
That's who you were.
Let's say that you like to balance the scales of justice.
Would that be on your on your list of reasons to murder someone?
17:36 What did he?
Steal he went to the animal shell store out is alvey obvious thing and stole a bunch of stuff for the animals.
That's why she killed him, stabbed him.
And we do love animals.
I mean, I'm, I'm with her.
17:53 I'd rather be on her side than not on her side.
Dead.
Otherwise you have to die.
What about you?
You didn't warrant them.
I wouldn't kill.
I wouldn't kill Max.
18:09 I might have done something to, you know, I might have like done something to him, but I wouldn't have killed him, but just enough to make him see the error of his ways, you know, rather correctional kind of thing.
But like the guy that was stalking the girls, Yeah.
18:25 And I would, yeah, he, I would have fucked.
Yeah.
I'm not a murderer.
I'm not a serial killer, anybody.
But right now, if that person was out there and he was doing that, I'd probably would stick a screwdriver in his eye.
I loved that.
Can I just say, because it doesn't get gruesome or anything.
18:41 There's nothing too like, you know, you just find out most of them have died and then you might find out a way they've died.
But that one at the end, she was like, you find out that she stabbed him in the eye with a screwdriver because he didn't quite die from the fall of the ladder.
And I was like, I appreciated that.
Yeah, I did as well.
18:58 I did as well.
Like, I'd love how I don't know.
I like how like, because you get the like, I don't know if you realize, but there was a perspective when it was no one's perspective when someone's like looking into her background.
And that was that was, yeah, Alfie.
19:13 But it doesn't say that at the top, right?
So we don't know till the end.
Yeah, I really like it when people do that in books, by the way.
I like being like, who is this person?
Yeah, who's into her?
Who knows?
Something liked all that because it was like over the last five years you see all the murders she did over the last five.
19:30 Yeah, so like I'll be, we were getting like the back perspective of her, but not from her.
And I was like, you can see where she was like trying out her craft, right?
Like she was doing making it look like accidents and suicides and whatnot.
But sometimes she's just right out there as a screwdriver in the eye.
19:48 There's that's definitely a murder.
Like there's no way around that, right.
So she obviously she picks and chooses how she goes about these things.
And I thought that was really, I thought that was really.
Cool, she has fun with it.
Yeah.
He always says in it and like she says, she enjoys it.
20:04 Yeah, but does she enjoy the the justice part or the actual killing?
I never really, I never really worked that out.
I don't think there was anything to say either way.
Maybe it was a just in because of what you find out at the end.
Yeah, because that's kind of where I ended up at.
20:20 But the white is having the getting off on the on the murders as well, right?
Like Dexter does it to keep his dock passenger happy, like he kills so that he can keep him quiet.
But her, it felt like she was just, this was her time of year to do it, right?
20:38 She just has three months because she doesn't kill the rest of the year, right?
It's only Christmas.
No, because then she can have her persona of Mrs.
Clause and he would think Mrs.
Clause is a murderer.
And she's got the white Heron.
I thought it was so clever too.
And she was like, I'm going to beat out all these old ladies because I can sign.
20:55 Oh, I loved that.
Yeah.
To us to sign.
Yes I do.
I still remember the alphabet.
Yeah, that's probably.
The main lady.
Yeah, boy.
Yeah, yeah, we could do Yeah.
21:11 And it's not the same here.
American Sign Language ain't the same at all.
They're.
Different, aren't they?
Yeah.
Yeah, well, Matthew has a step sibling, Derek, and he's deaf, so he learned to sign.
And you should see Matthew go.
Yeah, Matthew can sign.
Yeah, I love that fast.
21:29 And learn it, but I just feel like I wouldn't have anyone to do it with.
And then you use it.
Yeah, well, that's what Matthew said, because he doesn't see Derek on a regular basis now.
Like, like it's he's losing it.
And I'm like, how the fuck do you lose something like that?
But I'm like, go use it.
I don't even remember why I ate yesterday, so I get it.
21:47 One of my, the girl's friends, she's originally from Poland and her parents still speak Polish and she can understand them, but she's losing to the speaking.
They will speak, but the parents talk in Polish together.
But yeah, she's losing it.
22:03 But she moved here when she was like 5.
That's well, maybe, but she's in primary school from here.
But yeah, she's not as good with it now.
That's crazy, but it makes sense.
I guess It makes complete sense.
Crazy man.
Who else dies?
OK, this one.
22:19 OK, so the parts with like the grottoes or ass guy Colin, like she she adds him to the list and then she takes him off right because he was going to.
Hang on, he the CEO.
Yeah, of grottoes or ass and she was going to kill him until he decides to pay out.
22:35 It was a.
Hangout.
It was done.
And then she's like, oh, you can.
You're off the list now.
You redeemed yourself.
So clearly she's not.
I'm in now.
I'm going to, I'm going to kill you and that's it.
I don't care what you do now.
So I kind of thought that was really cool that she found a way to these people redeem themselves and then they went off the list and it's like, Santa's not your nice list, right?
22:55 Except it's her.
You're going to die.
I love notepad though that she writes the name on.
She'd like got given something from like a Secret Santa and it was naughty list.
Yeah, I.
Think was her naughty list.
I loved it.
23:13 I thought it was so cool.
It's just I really enjoyed the fact that she wasn't like, because This is why I kind of thought maybe it wasn't about the killing, It's about the justice because he fixed his mistake and she let him live.
Yeah.
So I'm like, yeah, I guess.
Yeah, I think.
It was the justice thing.
Like she knows that it's not going to be served unless she serves it and then Aaron Now I'm assuming she killed like she put Aaron on the list because she sent the woo woo chick up on the roof, right?
23:38 Bella Dolla to take the crystals down and then she falls and dies, right?
Yeah, yeah.
So I'm like, so that's what she ended up on the list.
It just so happens that she didn't even get round to that one because she ends up covering burn up for that.
But do we ever really work out why Fern was there?
23:53 Why was right at her house?
Why was Aaron at Fern's house?
Oh, is that where she killed her?
At Erin's house or at Fern's house?
At Fern's house Erin came round so Erin, so Fern and Erin had had the argument in the market because Erin gave away one of the stools and Fern had a list of the next people to have the stools after Woo Woo died.
24:14 I like that we can know Woo Woo.
That's nothing to do with the fucking story.
This is faces made-up language.
So after Belladonna died, the storm will be gone.
Wait in person.
Aaron gave it to just probably someone to do with like I want to say government.
24:29 It's like the Council or.
Something, yeah.
Yeah, so they have a row at work and then I think it's explained somewhere that Aaron was pissed off and then she went and sort of confronted Fern, but decides to her house.
Don't know why, because it was said that she wanted like a public apology from Fern, which fan would have done and then yeah, the next thing fans When I read that I literally went fans of murderer too.
24:54 Why did this?
I didn't see that coming.
No, I didn't either.
But when I was reading it I was like, did she like why was Jessica looking through ferns windows then why was she there?
Jessica went to knock on her door, all the front of the house was dark.
25:13 But why was she there?
Soren So then she thought, I don't know how she knew she was home.
I think she knew she was upset and maybe not answering doors.
She was like, oh, I'll just go around the back as you do.
When someone doesn't answer the door, you just stalk the house.
So she goes around the back, jumps the fence and then sees through the window with the knife and it's like.
25:33 Yeah, but why was she there?
Because I thought she was looking for Erin to murder her.
So I thought she was at Erin's house.
And I was like, then I was like, hang on a minute.
Because when I was writing my Knights, I was like, that don't make sense.
I think Erin was on her list, but she hadn't.
She wasn't planning to murder her.
She was going round.
She went round to ferns with like a bottle of wine and you're up because she knew about this argument with Erin.
25:55 OK, I must have missed that then.
OK, but that makes more sense because I'm like, that doesn't make any sense.
And I'm like, then she puts her in the freezer.
I'm like, how do they get to Erin's house?
How did they get to Justice House?
Like, like I was like, whose house is this?
You've ready.
Bingo.
What just happened?
Oh yeah, buy audio books sometimes.
26:12 And then my mind wanders a bit and then I'm like, oh shit, I wasn't listening.
Then I keep doing that with some books.
So at the minute I keep doing it and then I'm like, I can't bother to remind you.
You're not listening to it fast enough, otherwise your mind wouldn't be out and wander, so maybe you need to up your speed a little bit.
26:28 I'm doing 1.75.
Well, try a little faster because I that's that was happening to me at 2.5.
That's how I ended up at 3:00.
If you're mind, if you're not getting information quick enough, you might.
Your mind will wander.
I've gone, I've managed to go up to two, but only when I listen to What was it I listened to last weekend?
26:46 Is it the summer I turn?
Pretty very not in my genre at all.
It's a young adult.
I don't mind a young adult.
OK, well then you should try My Life with the Water Boys.
That's what the show that Caitlin was in the.
First series, yeah Oh, I know.
27:02 I haven't watched the second series but I've looked where Kate is in it and then shown when in my in our family so.
I did, I wanted to watch but I wanted to read the books 1st and I do read young adult and I actually thought it was pretty well done.
Like I actually quite enjoyed the books.
Right, Holly Holly Jackson's young adult, and I love, I love her books.
27:21 Yeah, but she's more gritty like her books because young adult.
So when they say young adult, they they people assume they mean it's younger person's content.
It's not.
That's not the case.
Young adult literally means that the MC or FMC are under 18.
Yeah, so it can still be graphic as fuck with sex and abuse and shit.
27:41 That's not don't go away because you're reading a young adult and that's what my group just can't grasp that like young adult kid friendly.
I'm like, no, it don't.
I'm like you got saying that I ain't right.
It's.
Not true.
Yeah, it's not true.
I.
Know because it does sound like that.
27:57 I can get why people get confused about that.
Yeah, I do as well, but it is quite it's if you got it's young adult meaning at the at the MC is under because some people don't like to read books with young people.
They like people their own age.
I don't give a shit, I love Harry Potter.
28:13 No, I like it.
I like I actually the samurai turn pretties.
Definitely.
I didn't watch it when it was on TV.
It's definitely not something I knew what I knew kind of it was going to be like some kind of love triangle type story.
But actually as an audio book as something that it just felt very chill.
28:32 I was quite calm to listen to it.
I actually I really liked listening to it, but I did get up to two.
Like speed of two.
How do you say it's speed of 2?
Speed of light?
What the fuck?
Speed up to two times.
So spared.
I could listen to it that fast, but some of it they do do it really slow on the audio book, like ridiculously.
28:53 I think it's supposed to be calm.
I don't know.
But yeah, not normally though for an audio book.
But did you, did you audio book it?
And is that how you missed these bits?
No, it might be because at one point I was doing the audio book, but I was reading at the same time and I think it was almost time for me to go get Thomas from school.
29:12 So I think I was more mindful of the time and I'm going to came back and finished it.
So I said, Tom, I have this thing where Thomas gets home from school and it's just him because he's in kindergarten and he's so fucking chill without the girls here.
He'll grab his tablet, he'll grab a bag of snacks and he'll go to his bed and he'll decompress for an hour.
29:30 So it's almost like he's not here.
Yeah.
So I, I finished it up and I think that that's why I missed something because I think I was mindful that I had to go get Thomas.
After we get over the fact that Fern is the murderous murderous, well, murderous.
Not that she meant to.
29:47 It was all an accident.
Then obviously she's.
Not buying that you don't pick up a knife and stab somebody by accident.
Further.
She had rage for years.
I'm telling you right now, she took out her Sebastian rage and her errand rage and the fact that she can't live the life she wants.
30:06 She's unhappy out because you don't pick a noise.
Nobody having an argument.
I fucking hated Erin though, she was such a jobs were fucking condescending bitch.
We hate Erin.
We're glad she's dead.
I you know what, right from the get go I felt that way.
30:24 But so let's just rewind.
So Fern kills Erin.
Jessica is there, she helps her move the body and everything cleans up and Fern is like, this is weird.
Then obviously she starts looking into it.
But why the fuck did Fern tells Sebastian?
30:42 Why did we admit this to the husband that we don't like?
Because the body is in the freezer, what will I know?
But I think she strikes me as the kind of woman needs the man's perspective because that's all she's ever had is him giving his opinions, right?
30:58 And I get the feeling that she felt that telling him meant that he could think of things that she wouldn't have thought of.
And I think that's absolutely retarded.
Absolutely retarded.
But she also have to understand, like, she didn't know Jessica that well.
They don't even known each other.
What, a few weeks?
31:15 It's a big coin frame, right?
Also, we're missing a valid point, which is that the electricity was about to go out or did go out because of weather warning.
So then she was like oh shit.
And she was like, I don't know how long the body's going to last.
31:31 Yeah, even though I feel like she googled it, which in retrospect is a stupid thing to don't Google.
How long will my I don't think she googled dead body.
I think she was just like, how?
Actually, no, it wasn't bad because she actually just googled how long will my food last in the freezer if my electric.
31:48 I don't think she I think she was OK.
And then what about the note?
When she gets the note that's got the three words and you're like, Oh my God, Sebastian sent the note.
He wants to meet Jessica.
And then and then Fern is like, yeah, let's kill him.
32:04 Wow, wow, wow.
Let's jump.
I feel like, but I was, I was like, yes, this is this is this is just, this is, this is true.
I was.
Yeah, I was.
But that's what I mean.
The ending really pissed me off.
They've been married for like what, at least 15 years or been together for that?
32:24 It's not been like that because I think the daughter, because the daughter was a toddler when they got together, right?
Yeah, so over 10 years and she's like, yeah, I can see what needs to happen now.
Just kill him.
It's fine.
I think she knew that Jessica didn't like Sebastian, and I think that I think she just like, was like, yeah, whatever.
32:41 I'm not going to stop that.
I don't think she planned it, right?
It's not like she was like that.
Just.
Fuck him.
I think she just was like, yeah, all right, this is going to happen.
I'm I'm going to roll with this.
I don't even have another half, but if it was like your head on the fucking block, like you've killed someone, you've told Mike, now you're getting now you get a bit antsy about Mike getting antsy in his pants.
33:03 Like my God, the other person involved.
Oh my God.
And you start panicking and you know you've got an actual murdery person because she's looked into Jessica.
She knows she's the murder away with stuff.
Yeah.
I'm with you, going with Jess or Mike.
Know what if I had a really good insurance policy on him.
33:25 No, I would I would pick Mike.
I would because he's my ride or die, right.
But that's not her ride or dies.
Sebastian.
He's I know you said that he didn't really do anything wrong, but I what he's doing is a form of abuse.
It's psychological abuse the way like you can't cut your hair or we have to keep the heat in this way there's no compromise.
33:43 It's a form of abuse that may not be the worst kind of abuse, but when you've been abused that long dealing with that kind of stuff, I could see how she would go.
OK, well.
Well, because she.
This is on the table.
I'm just going to see what happens.
You know what?
I think that got me that she said was it's just easier if I just do what he wants.
34:04 And I felt glad when I read that.
Not that I've ever been totally in that situation, but I can understand how you can get to a point where it's like, for a man or a woman, by the way, just, you know what, to not have a row or not have that person start kicking off.
It's just easier to just do it.
34:20 And yeah.
That's what I mean.
And that is actually a form of abuse.
It's psychological abuse.
And it might not be like, it's not like she's being hit or anything and she's not in any real danger, but he's taken away who she is at her core and what she wants don't matter.
And that's horrible.
Could you imagine living through that for like a decade even, like even for five years?
34:39 Could you have somebody saying, well, you can't cut your hair?
I lived through this.
Like I wasn't allowed to do anything with my hair either.
But yeah.
Yeah, like anything.
Like if I wanted to go out without him, he would make sure one of his cousins were coming out.
Like, oh, well, I want to go out too.
And I was never allowed to go out alone.
34:55 If I was going out with friends, they would turn up out of nowhere.
I was constantly watched.
So even from that perspective, I get it.
I really do.
I get it.
You've had this sort of lived experience.
I feel like when you've read the book, you felt it a lot more than what I have.
35:10 I mean, I've definitely felt like people have tried with me, but yeah.
You're strong, OK?
You watch what it was like to be.
It probably wasn't as bad, but I've definitely had slight experiences and I've kind of fought back a little bit maybe, but.
35:27 Yeah, well, you know that you're your mum and dad, love each other.
So you've seen what it's like to have happy parents.
You know for a while that they would, they're your ride or die.
They would kill a motherfucker for you.
Right?
Like, so you like.
I don't know, I I think you have, like, even, like, fun in this.
35:45 Where's her support system?
Shouldn't have one.
Where's her parents?
Where's her?
Siblings.
Oh, she had Hannah, but Hannah's only there when the Christmas market's on March.
I mean, so she doesn't really have anybody and that's really isolating.
Very.
Dubois, her alter ego, I love, I love that fan is like not like she's with him, but you know, she's like good mum and you know she tries to be a Good Wife and like, you know, she's take there's a house like she's proper at, but she has this naughty little dirty side that writes erotica books and I like it.
36:19 Oh, she, if you listen to what she said, she said that she wanted to write, right?
So she's right in the historical fiction stuff without the smart but smart cells.
And I think she wanted a piece of that pie, right?
That gave her a little bit of financial freedom.
And I actually really enjoyed that because he made her quit her job.
36:35 He was like, you should just quit.
Why?
Why are you bothering?
But was it not also a bit of her being like, I'm not getting the thrills at home, so I'm going to write about them?
Yeah, that could be as well.
But believe it or not, a lot of those, like smart authors are actually writing from their experiences of having kinky sex.
36:52 Really.
Like, yeah, I've talked to a few.
A lot of them that do like the like the smarty stuff in their books, they do it because they know it, because they live it.
You know what I mean?
So I don't know about that.
Like how would, how could you write about something you don't really have a knowledge about?
How could you?
37:08 I wouldn't be able to talk about having three dildos in me at once because that's never happened.
To me, Oh, we went straight.
Talk about that.
What?
She said.
I'm just saying, I'm just saying I know, like I know you're going to say that.
So I'm sure that Sarah like murder people, but you know what I mean is I realized how that sounded.
37:28 OK, I'm not saying that or you must have first hand experience of murdering people at Christmas, but I'm just like, there's a lot of information out there, right?
Like there's there's crime everywhere.
So it's a lot easier to take from things that you've you're seeing in reality, whereas sex is that's a hard one.
37:47 Where would you have learned about this?
Are you Googling that?
Are you there going?
What's it feel like to have a threesome like all my favorite one?
What's it like to have sex with a dinosaur?
Like?
Are these things that you could Google and learn about?
Sorry, what?
In what book are we having sex with a dinosaur?
Smart.
38:03 OK, Look.
OK.
It's a whole range of books, OK?
Theory just went off.
I've got an answer for that.
I hope you don't.
Come on, you've got a serious answer for that.
I've misheard.
I don't have an answer, Siri.
Siri doesn't have an answer for Dino Smart, so hang.
38:21 On you're joking.
You.
You're not joking.
There is Dino.
Oh, OK, I think there's someone KU Hang on a second.
I'm going to find them for you.
I don't want to read it.
No, I just so you can read the synopsis.
OK, so Dino smart.
Who do you think, Rossi?
38:38 Park Fantasy getting Dino as Rise of the Reptilians.
It's on.
That's on Keno Limited.
I know.
Smallest unleashed, Wild and dangerous.
Yeah, these are all Dino Smart, OK?
It's all it's all like a free on KU, alright?
38:53 If you're on KU, it's there alright.
You're into it, but I've feel a bit speechless.
I don't know what.
I don't even know what to say about that.
But I'm just saying like these people have obviously had weird fantasies about having very large reptilian penises.
39:09 What are your girls there?
I'm sorry.
I didn't say that.
I said these people aren't writing from experience because they haven't fucked a dinosaur.
No, but you can buy dildos that are very, very large Italian.
Just look, I'm in a group of Facebook people readers and they, they're like, I love you guys.
39:30 Please, please, if you're watching, I, I love you, OK?
But some of them are a little unhinged.
We like a bit of unhinged zone.
And one of them was like, because the the dildos are ripped.
Like, think of a reptilian Willy.
You know what?
I'm going to add you to the group.
39:45 You could come have a look.
OK?
They're nuts.
So far away from anything we've been talking about.
While we were talking about smart, OK, you, this was your fault.
OK, I think this is great.
This is I'm I've been educated today.
I don't own any.
40:02 It's not like I own any.
It's real without there that.
Is hilarious.
That is actually hilarious because my brain is just.
Well, I'm going to move you on, don't worry.
40:18 So there was something that I noted in this book and as we get the side of Jessica that it's like, you know, the villain, the Mrs.
Santa, but she also finds that girl Lena right on the streets, and she wants to take care of her.
Now, I thought this was really clever of the author because she took this, like, slightly unhinged, crazy woman whose loves Christmas and most people.
40:43 And then you see the nurturing side of her with this go on the streets that she wants to protect and she's not sure how to go about it.
But I really like that dynamic.
What did you think about that?
Yeah, no, exactly the same.
Obviously, when she first meets Lena, I think she just kind of walks past her in the street maybe, and just notices and tries to buy us some food or to give her coffee or a hot chocolate or something.
41:07 And then she kind of keeps an eye on her.
And then Lena stumbles into the man with the van who got killed with the thing in the eye.
So yeah, she definitely like her protector.
And I think it does come from a place, like you said, it is maternal.
41:22 But also, she's also known about this man with the van and she's like, motherfucker.
But I think even without him, I think that it would have ended up the same way.
I think that it would have.
She would have said she was looking for her, right?
And it was funny because I'm like, like she's softened her for me, I guess.
41:42 Like she wasn't just this like not a fiable nut case.
She was gentle and patient.
She was really fucking patient because she's like, when the gob, right?
Lina was given the gob.
Yeah, but we but we, she can hold back because she can remove people from the list.
41:59 So she's not just like going off on a rampage, like merging people is a thought process as much as it might be ours.
She does have her ways of how she does stuff.
Yeah.
And I think with Lena, yeah, the relationships comes really special.
But maybe the whole point of her saving Lena and like, the whole thing where she has to kill the guy with the screwdriver in the eye is so that Lena finds out and Lena kind of accepts her in a way.
42:27 She's like, I need somewhere to live and I'm going to blackmail you.
Give me the keys to the grotto.
I'm sleeping in there, not fucking coming near me.
And then eventually I think she even understands her and why she does it.
And like at the end, she buys her a gift and it's some kind of fancy knife.
42:44 Yeah, and she's.
For your.
Fucking.
It's really funny how many people accepted that about, well, Lena and Fern and Seb all it all accepted that about her.
Well, we learned that, like, Alvie is like, not pure either, is he?
43:00 Like, he's a bit.
Yeah.
That you know what?
That plot twist at the end, I was like, I was like, I put my hands right.
I was like, what?
And my hair was, like, sticking up.
Mike was like.
Definitely.
He was.
43:15 He was the hot, sexy dog loving, animal loving.
Yeah.
And then and then we find out they're one in the same.
Yeah.
And it's been looking into her.
We find out that he's the narrator that is not named.
43:31 He is looking into her.
And then he's like waiting, like, oh, God, is she going to come out now that she knows what I am?
And he's got a murder waiting for her.
And it's like, what a way to steal your love.
Yeah.
Let's murder together.
Yeah.
And I thought that was like, I'm like, I was like glitching out at the end because I didn't see that coming.
43:51 I did not expect there to be such a fucking plot twist at the end.
It was no.
Good.
It was.
But then.
The thing with Lena, because this like I kind of went off in tandem.
The thing with Lena, though, is so she had to leave her uncle's because he didn't believe that she'd been molested by his friend, right?
44:11 So I think she understands that maybe if she had that, if she had had the chance, maybe she would have killed the person abusing her.
I think she understands.
She understands.
1.
From Yeah.
Like that's, I think that's why she accepted it, because at the end of the day, you've been you've been abused and the person who's supposed to be taken care of you doesn't believe you.
44:33 Who protected her?
No body.
Exactly, and imagine going to someone and be like this is happening to me and they go no but actually I don't.
Believe you, you're a liar.
Sebastian as well, because Amy.
Is that the daughter's name?
Amy.
Yeah, I mean, I mean, I mean, I know I listen to the audio.
44:50 I don't remember.
She goes to him and says I'm being followed by a van and the dad says are you?
Sure.
Yeah.
You sure.
And that's another reason why I'm sad that he didn't get his just desserts at the end.
Yeah, with a bacon sandwich.
Hang out with space.
45:07 I like how she ended it, bearing in mind what I know the next books called.
So I think the next book is called How to Slay Together.
I'm not sure.
I'm not 100% sure about the end.
Of the loans, they stand alone.
Well, I'm not sure of because the end says, well, you know what they say, the couple who slay together stay together.
45:25 And then the next book I'm sure is called.
I'm going to Google it because I'm not sure, but also I've just realized there's a few words I had to Google because I didn't know what the words meant.
Did you have to Google anywhere?
Not in this book.
I have in the past, yeah.
45:40 So 1 is this.
I don't want to read it.
Foible.
Foible.
Sorry what is foible?
And it means a weakness or eccentricity in someone's character that's.
I think I might have known that.
Sure it was.
This oh, let me turn my volume up.
45:57 So I didn't write last time, but this is the singular in the book.
It said grotting, grot, grot, grotting.
And I was like, what is that?
And it's refers to strangulation, often using a cord or a wire.
I've never heard Well and honestly I think about it's a fucking Google in this book.
46:18 Yeah, Grot.
Yeah, because that's like usually it's wire, right?
You think of the cheese wire?
Yeah.
I read a lot of thrillers, though.
Again, I'm not a serial killer.
I don't know how many times I have to say that.
Well, he reads a lot of thrillers.
Yeah, but then I have to say that I'm not a serial killer.
46:36 You have to justify like, I'm not in practice, I'm just reading it.
Yeah.
Oh, it's not coming up.
I'm sure it's I'm sure it's called hard to stay together, but I will definitely, definitely as soon as it comes out be getting it.
And thank you, Sarah Bonner, for putting it on Kindle Unlimited.
46:53 Yeah, I, you know what I really appreciate That was what I did use.
I did use Audible credit because my library did not have the audio version and it was like a 17 week wait for the.
Book I just talking about not audible, but you know, I just got my Libby sorted out.
47:11 Oh my God, I've done so many audio books that I'm like, why was I holding up on this?
I just had to find my library card number.
I don't have the card.
The library is shut down.
Folks in libraries not there anymore.
I know you said.
So I managed to Pfizer online to get on to Kent County Council managed to get my thing and I'm literally I've got so many things like on hold, like on wait, like I'm like waiting to get.
47:34 How many holds are they let you have?
Because mine like that.
It used to be 50 and now it's 30.
Fucking hate that.
Oh, I haven't gone that far.
I'm holding.
We used to live here.
Great book.
That's in three weeks.
How Mary is in four weeks.
47:50 These are all audible.
No, no.
Oh, no.
Oh, that how?
Mary.
And yeah, that's not audible, but yeah, project how, Mary, but the we used to live here is going to be audible.
Jackson not quite dead.
I've been waiting for that for ages.
I've still got six weeks ago and atmosphere because I've heard it's fucking phenomenal.
48:07 Oh, it's at the Taylor Jenkins Reed.
Yes, I've, yeah.
We need to have a box of Kleenex.
OK, it is essential.
Everywhere I go, this is what I'm worried about.
You're getting OK, so it's in the last like couple hours.
48:26 You have to have to.
I'm not even joking.
All right.
Sunday and be like only listen to it on a Sunday at home because I'm worried about this.
I'm not even all right.
My friend Chasey listened to it and she's like, and she kept messaging me.
She was like, Stacey, I can't continue.
Like, you have no idea how I feel right now.
48:42 I'm like, I do because I listen to it already.
I'm like, just push through it.
I promise.
And she's like Stacey, my heart, my heart.
And she was like, she took a picture.
She's fucking got tears streaming down her face, OK.
And she's a hard ass.
She's a hard ass.
You're in for it.
Yeah, it's not my Obviously I love thrillers.
49:00 That is my main thing.
But you can't thriller all the time.
I do think you have to step out of it sometimes just to even have a break from that, just to mix things up a bit.
Like how how the summer I turned pretty I had to do.
But I've also got that's already on loan and that.
49:15 But this is the thing, because you only have so many days and then I get a bit panicked and I'm like, shit, I need to do these.
How many days do you get?
I think you get 3 weeks but three of them have already come in for shit.
So we are guilty here.
Karen Slaughter not done any of us, but it is a book and I thought it was an audible, so I don't know if I'm going to do it.
49:36 The Blink of Lie, which I think is a series, can't remember.
I can't see who the name is, right.
So we spoke about this author that Simone Saint James.
So I've got an audible with The Haunting of Maddie Claire sounds amazing.
I'm really excited to do that.
She's and Vince and Joy.
49:54 Lisa Jewel.
So it's not a normal Lisa Jewel.
It's like I feel like it's more of a romantic.
I don't know if it's a thriller.
I actually don't know, seems quite a bit more of a nice nicey.
Haven't heard about it.
I didn't know she collabed with anybody.
50:09 See my holds?
I've got soot like Jack.
This is my holds for living.
OK.
Yeah, OK.
I'm mental.
Well, I guess I work.
I don't.
Can I just say, though as well, before we, yeah, the reappearance of Rachel Price, Yeah.
50:35 But can I just say after 50% I was fucking hooked?
Really.
It didn't.
No, it was deadpan all the way from me.
No, the eggs.
You can't have seen any of that come in.
Oh, I did.
Did you?
50:51 Yeah, I was talking about it online.
So I'm like, I'm because I'm in a great way.
You can make your predictions and see if you're right.
And yeah, I was right.
It's one of those, yeah.
It's one of those things sometimes it happens to me, sometimes it don't.
But wrapping up on the book we've just finished, what did you give out for star rating?
51:07 To know what I've really struggled with this today, so I only finished it today.
Yeah, I went four, obviously.
Let's just go back to Goodreads.
I hate you for not doing half stars.
So I think I would have gone 4.5, but I don't know what I would have needed to make it a 5.
51:27 Do you get what I mean?
I don't know why I've knocked it down do.
You know why I did?
I would have liked it to have had more of a thriller edge.
I would have liked a little bit more with the murder.
I would have liked to have her to have described the murders a bit more.
51:44 Yeah, maybe that's what it is.
Maybe that was the only like little missing bear.
All it was for me is like, she does these things and I would have just liked a little bit more of that.
And I know that that's not how she kind of writes her books.
I get that.
I get that she's it's comedy.
51:59 It's a dark comedy.
I understand that.
But I think for me to make it the most enjoyable read ever, I just, I would have liked to have just a little bit of blood, you know what I mean?
Just.
So if she had done, he would have 5 starred it.
Oh.
Easy.
All day fucking long.
All day long.
Can't put my finger on why, but maybe it's just that there's wasn't that kind of gruesome.
52:19 Like I said, I appreciate the screwdriver bit.
So yeah, maybe I just needed a bit more of that.
Just a little, just a tad more.
I would have just I would have liked a little more and more internal monologue.
I would have liked to have heard her like saying things in her head, but that's not what's coming out of her mouth because Dexter did that a lot, right.
52:38 So he's like talking shit about people in his head and then he's like nice as pie to their face, like so he's like, oh, look at this fucking idiot again, and he's like, hello, sweetheart, Jack a doughnut, you know what I mean?
And that was just I was in fucking stitches.
Dexter is hilarious.
If you're going to do any audible back and you're feeling a little tried exter, I really fucking enjoy the audibles.
52:56 I've.
Never watched series I've never read.
I've listened so that I know.
Do you know what?
Actually, I did watch one, but I think where it was so long ago it wasn't hitting it, I don't know.
It didn't really hit it for me.
But my plan was just watching it and then I've honestly got so bored of TVI can't really hard to sit and watch TV at the minute.
53:18 The books are really good.
I read the first 4 Dexter books.
I read them like I have them, I own them.
But I wanted because it was so long ago that I had read those four and I didn't continue because I didn't want to spend money and I was borrowing from the library and that's as far as the library went.
And then I found them used, so I kind of put them to one side.
53:36 So I went back into all the audibles because Libby had them.
And my fucking God, the audio books, because the author narrates them and he's funny as shit, man.
Like to hear like I was, I was fucking dying.
And they like the murders.
Like it was, it was for me.
53:53 Dexter was so well-rounded.
Like, he was hilarious.
He's killing people.
He's a little paranormal because his dark passenger is actually an entity inside him, not just like a mindset.
Oh yeah, yeah.
Please just give, give the first one a go.
Have a look and see if they have an Audible book for it.
54:09 I just prepared that.
Or Libby.
Yeah, I'll, I'll have a look.
Can I just say, though, all my books are racking up again?
I went out the other day and we was going to somewhere Uptown.
Yeah, I was going up right And there is a charity shop and I was like, oh, can we just pop in?
54:25 I just want to see if they've got any books.
So don't normally do this, but I did find.
You don't buy used.
No, I did.
I went to a charity shop.
You, but you said you don't normally do that.
No, because I don't buy a lot of books.
I've only just started reading.
I do my do a lot.
54:41 When we went on holiday, my dad got me a couple of books, a couple of Lisa Jewel, something else.
So I have, but I was like, oh, I need to pop in.
I want to see if they've got some books.
So it's not my normal.
I've got this one which is Sharia Lapina.
I'm probably not saying that, right?
Everyone here is lying.
54:58 Love that one.
Hey, can I see my habit?
May literally today she has shared a post that Frida McFadden is talking and Frida is saying she's going through her books on on Audible listening to him and she's like, they're all phenomenal, but this is a favorite.
55:14 And I'm like, I just picked it up.
I've just got it.
It's so.
Like, I've read it, I've read it twice.
It's that good.
Really.
Yeah, 2 LB charity shop.
Check out your charity people haven't heard of this orphan at all.
55:29 The guest house I.
Own that 10.
This is it.
Yeah, I own that book.
It's.
Also they're like almost in perfect condition.
I love that.
And you will not believe I've picked this up.
I have read one of their books before.
55:44 It's my favorite Kristen Hannabach and you're going to again, Kleenex fucking eyes.
But look how good condition that is as well.
It's.
In really good condition, my cover's got, I've got the green cover, but I think you get a lot of UK covers being in the Uki get a lot of American covers like they're.
56:01 Different.
Was cover different?
Not like that, no.
It's green the.
Colours of this book is I don't know if it does it justice on gorgeous.
It's absolutely gorgeous.
I love it so much.
So yes, they are added to my ever ending now books.
56:20 No, you have to call it TBR to be read.
I know, I know, it's such hard work.
Come to the book Dark Side.
Move on to like what we're going to read next.
OK.
Did you pick something?
No.
I was going to say, before we move on to that, can we just talk about Christmas?
56:39 Just yes, yeah.
What's your plans?
How's it work or scan on?
Well, everyone comes here like the people.
I used to invite people over that didn't have anywhere to go for Christmas, but I don't think anyone's coming here this year.
But Caitlin's coming home for the.
Holidays.
We love that.
56:55 So Christmas Eve, like we've got brand new PJS, I bought a snow cone machine, we've got all these mocktail things we're going to make, and I've bought all these snacks and I bought canoe karaoke mics.
We've got a bubble machine.
We're just going to party all day.
Fucking love that and.
Then we're going to have fried breakfast on Christmas morning and then dinner and we'll hang out as a family.
57:15 Christmas movies.
I watched a Christmas movie last night.
It's on Netflix.
It's my Christmas, no, my Christmas XX.
Christmas.
Yeah, I'm watching that tonight.
Alicia Silverstone, Melissa and Joan Hart is a main character.
57:31 But it's really funny.
I was, again, I don't laugh out loud at a lot of films.
And I was laughing.
It was.
Fun.
I did Love Actually last night, so I was going to watch it yesterday and I'm like, I want some Love Actually.
Every year I have to watch Love Actually and the Holiday.
57:47 Yeah, I have to do it.
I love that movie too.
I haven't seen it this year yet so it's on my list.
Yeah, I'm hoping to do.
There's also another good one on Netflix, I think it's called Jingle Heist, yeah.
Or something like that, yeah.
I know which one is in the trailer.
58:04 I want to watch that with the kids.
Our Christmas is pretty standard.
It's normally just the five of us, me, my mum, my dad, my two kids, my twins.
They're 17 now.
So but this year, Christmas Eve, we're going to go to Harry Potter world.
So it's we're going on Christmas Eve, which might be insane, but.
58:23 Probably.
Yeah, we're going to.
Then Christmas Day we'll be here, do dinner and stuff, do party games, do drinks.
Yeah, my mum and dad will stay over, so we just have all sofas.
58:41 I've got massive sofa, it's like everywhere around me.
So yeah, they're quite, which I do think is quite bad because they're obviously older, but they love, they say it's a comfier sofa.
I can't, but yeah.
So yeah.
We just love that.
I'm literally working all it, like I'll get Christmas Eve off but I'm working until then, then I'll work all in the middle as well.
59:03 I haven't booked any holiday basically.
So anything that's not a bank holiday, I'm working.
Basically.
We just did so many holidays this year, just don't have any holiday left.
I'll book you off next year.
Travel, right?
Well, your girls are older.
You don't have to be home for that now.
59:20 Now.
They say it's boring because we do have fun, but it's in a very different way.
It's definitely not when you've got younger kids.
It's so magical.
Yeah.
It's that now they've already got their phones, they've got, they've obviously I've gotten presents, but obviously they've had their main presents.
59:36 It's a bit stupid to keep it in the drawer for a month.
Yeah, well, my kids now know that any kids watching, I apologize that Santa doesn't exist, so it's so much easier for them to come back presents.
What We're very, I said.
I hope there's no kids watching this.
We're very sweary.
59:51 I'm not.
You'd be surprised.
You'd be fucking surprised.
I know it's a disclaimer, okay?
Don't let your kid watch the part where I say that.
This at the beginning.
We probably all should have done a disclaimer at the at the beginning.
To be like, don't listen if you haven't read the book, please read the book.
It's fucking brilliant.
1:00:07 You'd be surprised how many times I've watched deep dive zone and I've gone and read the book because the deep dive was so good.
So yeah, it's happened to me twice now.
Twice.
Yeah, I was watching says that there's a podcaster and she's so sweet, like she's I see her little clips are and she was, she was talking about this book.
1:00:23 And I'm like, so I went and watched her episode and I'm like, oh, I grabbed it and I was like, oh, she was right.
Yeah.
So you'd be surprised how many people will watch after.
Read it because it was really good and like I say, I did all of her so far have been really good.
I really loved the holiday one.
How to work was good, but I love the holiday one better and I love this one even more.
1:00:44 All right, let's just all of me.
I cannot wait to read the next one.
When's the next one out?
Do you know Sarah Bond is getting like loaded right now?
What big time?
OK, so.
I had to Google it this way earlier.
1:01:03 What's the order of the Sarah Bonner books?
Because I don't think it otherwise how to say together.
It just says 2026.
OK, OK, Well, she might well not have a release date for that yet, but we try.
I'm trying to work out what we should read next.
Do you want to do something off of KU?
1:01:19 Do you want to do something off KU?
I mean I think that's good that it's just accessible for everyone, but if there is a great one up at least tell you.
I read fake last words.
Did you read this?
I have, I own it good.
I like her McAllister though, I like her work.
1:01:36 I've been, I've been ill this week and I read that and I was like, at least something happened this week.
Yeah, it was really good.
If you have, I won't go into it, but if you haven't read it, please go and read it.
It's very good.
I'm just having a look through thriller books on KU right now.
1:01:53 So what?
They're what's a really.
Bad for me because oh boy, I don't give crap.
What is good though, if you listen to us regularly, we will always let you know what book we're going to read for our deep dive the next time.
So we'll probably do an episode in a couple of weeks, which will be like a little mini pod and then a couple of weeks after that we'll do a deep dive.
1:02:10 So you have a month to read the book.
So we're try and pick one now and then we can all read together.
And then I did think maybe we could start like a little chain on either Facebook or something that we can be like, after the show's gone out to people, then say like what they're feeling as well.
1:02:27 Or maybe before, maybe we could read some people, John.
Mars yet?
I love John.
Yeah, I've done of his.
Oh what?
So one of my TBRS, I don't know if it's, I don't know if it's on Kindle Unlimited, but the family experiment I'm due to read, I don't know if it's on KU.
1:02:44 It's on K I've read it.
I've read it.
Read it.
Let's not do that then.
Well, it's book three of the Dark Future series.
Have you done the the first one, The one you can read on standalones?
You don't order I.
Have read OK.
Or is that book 1?
1:02:59 Can I throw just a really random one out which I think is on limited?
The favorite girl.
OK.
Or Butcher and the Blackbird, which is a three-part series.
OK, Jackie, that's got smart in it.
I own them.
They're right here.
They're smart.
1:03:16 Right.
They're great.
I love them, I own them, I love them.
Find a little bit of smart.
It just cringes me out if it's too much.
Is it a lot?
It's and they do weird things with weird things.
OK, that you would not look at cotton candy the same ever again.
OK, she does with food.
1:03:34 I'll see how I get on.
Have you like?
Favorite girl?
I don't.
Is that by that Fargo chick?
No, it's Monica.
I think I've read it.
Hang on, favorite girl?
You should probably.
Excuse us, with our Kindle Unlimited searches, we didn't even think to.
1:03:52 We should have probably done this earlier.
Thinking about it to be honest with you.
Too busy thinking about Sarah Bonner and how great she is.
What about have you done The Woman in Cabin 10?
Because that's on Netflix now.
I have I do not like roof Ware.
1:04:07 OK, I've got one that I'm pretty sure you won't have.
Let's see.
Fingers crossed.
OK.
Wanting Daisy dead.
Sue Watson.
Let's do it.
I like Sue Watson.
I've never heard that one.
Yes.
Mom sent me a bunch of Sue Watson books so I may already own it if it was an older one, but.
1:04:26 I have no idea these.
What's What's the book called again?
A wanting Daisy dead.
Yeah, I have not read it.
Hang on.
You know what?
Let me check my Goodreads because it actually does sound kind of familiar.
And it might just be that it's another book because it kind of sounds like an ARC I just finished.
1:04:43 Just wait a SEC.
No, I'm not even joking.
I'm not even joking.
I gotta go to.
Have you done all the familia while you're looking?
No.
Wonderland.
No, I don't think I've read that one.
I haven't read it.
I haven't read it.
We're good.
We're good to go.
OK, but can I just say another one that we haven't read that we I see on your want to read what is mirror the mirror house girls?
1:05:06 That sounds, Yeah, let's do that.
Sounds good.
What's it about?
That one, it's been on my list for so long.
It's literally actually on my TBR on Kindle.
It's like my next one that I should read that would work for me.
We can come back to the What's it called?
1:05:21 The mirror house girls psychological OK.
It literally I was looking at your good reads and it's very recently.
Well it looks recent to me that you would added it as a want to read mine too.
1:05:37 Oh, I think we should do that one or something.
It sounds.
Good, let's do that one.
Yeah, let's do that.
OK.
The Mirror House Girls by Faith Gardner.
OK, book picked.
Yeah.
You guys make sure you read along or we're not really.
1:05:53 Unlimited.
It's not kind of unlimited.
Yes, read it and then in literally 3 or 4 weeks, well probably 4 weeks, we will be doing that one.
So read it.
Maybe we'll start a Facebook post like just before.
Maybe we can read out comments if people have got some thoughts, that might be quite fun to do.
1:06:13 Do a little read along.
We could be really having people's fault as well, right?
Yeah, I'd love that.
You know what, we can even start a little fable like Book Talk Group.
Maybe I'm the books that we're doing.
Idea I actually I've got Fable but I don't really use it.
1:06:29 I don't either, but I have like I set up groups for my read like Rory books and I never went back And I just I don't use that.
I just don't.
But if it was me and you, I probably was.
Yeah, maybe we can advertise it, OK, where everyone can find us before we leave.
1:06:47 And also, Merry Christmas.
Fucking Christmas.
Time.
Happy holidays for you people that don't celebrate Christmas because there's people like that.
So if you want to find us on our Instagram, we have an Instagram page at Betty and Bonnie Book slayers.
1:07:08 We have a Facebook page.
Did I do I think it was Betty and Bonnie Book Slayers.
Yeah, that's right.
We have a TikTok, Betty and Bonnie, our Youtubers, Betty, Bonnie Book Slayers and on Spotify channel.
If you just type in Betty and Bonnie book Slayers, it will come up because the address is like a +172.
1:07:26 I'm not going to remember that.
It's absolutely retarded.
And obviously you can also find us on Apple.
You can find us on Amazon, probably anywhere you get your normal podcast.
Please find us.
You've got anything that you want to e-mail us in with?
We do have an e-mail address itsbettyandbonniebookslayers@gmail.com.
1:07:46 Excellent.
Don't we have a web page too?
We do.
It's Betty and Bonnie books, layers.
It's.
Pretty easy.
You know what if you just type into Google, Betty and Bonnie books, layers, everything.
Will be there Betty and Bonnie books, layers.
You'll find us.
Yeah, they will.
I hope you have enjoyed this episode, guys.
1:08:03 I had so much fun.
I love talking to Jack.
This is like one of my favorite things to do now.
But what would be even better is if you guys tell us questions and we can look and answer them for you on the show.
We'll even give you a shout out.
Yeah, I'd love to do that.
I'd love to see who's listening.
1:08:19 I'd love to get some participation.
Yeah.
We would love that.
We hope that you get to read over Christmas, guys, and we'll see you in a couple of.
Weeks.
Merry Christmas everyone.

Betty & Bonny

Murder and Merriment: A Deep Dive into 'How to Slay a Christmas' by Sarah Bonner - A Dark Satire Thriller deep dive

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