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The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros · Books and Box Office Besties

0:33
SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome to Books and Box Office Besties.
0:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm Wendy, and this is my co-host Kim.
0:39
SPEAKER_00: Hey everybody.
0:40
SPEAKER_00: Today we'll be discussing the Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarrows.
0:45
SPEAKER_00: Before we start, let's get the disclaimer out of the way.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: Books in Box Office Besties is for entertainment purposes only.
0:52
SPEAKER_00: Our opinions are our own and not intended to replace professional advice.
0:56
SPEAKER_00: We may discuss major plot points, twists, and endings from books and movies.
1:00
SPEAKER_00: If you haven't watched it or read it yet, consider this your warning.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: You may want to pause now and come back when you're done.
1:06
SPEAKER_00: Do you think they'll come back, Kim?
1:08
SPEAKER_02: Of course.
1:13
SPEAKER_02: Of course they will, wouldn't you?
1:16
SPEAKER_00: Of course.
1:17
SPEAKER_00: So what's new with you, Kim?
1:19
SPEAKER_00: You're making a lot of noise over there.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for pointing that out.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: I'm trying to be quiet.
1:25
SPEAKER_01: Actually, I have had the plague and I am recovering.
1:30
SPEAKER_01: So if all my besties to spare with me when you hear me gag, cough, and sneeze, you know, watch germs amongst friends.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: You can only edit so much.
1:38
SPEAKER_00: Uh, we'll try to mute that.
1:40
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
1:40
SPEAKER_00: I appreciate that, Wendy.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: Before I cough, I'll give you a thumbs up.
1:44
SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
1:44
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: So what's new with you, Wend?
1:47
SPEAKER_00: What have you been up to?
1:49
SPEAKER_00: Well, not a lot.
1:50
SPEAKER_00: I'm almost finishing reading the Colin Gosling memoir in the shadow.
1:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's called In the Shadow of Eight, Surviving the Reality of My Childhood.
2:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, now I was not a fan of John and Kate Plus Eight or Kate Plus Eight.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: I only saw a couple of episodes back in the day, but I do like a good tell-out book.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, how about you, Kim?
2:11
SPEAKER_00: Did you watch it at all?
2:12
SPEAKER_01: You know, I think I might have caught one episode.
2:15
SPEAKER_01: It just wasn't something I was interested in.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it wasn't for me either.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: And I just found her to be a little annoying to me.
2:23
SPEAKER_00: I mean, she was very structured, and I realize you have to be structured with that many kids, but she just seems so bossy.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: But, anyways, I'm reading this book.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: It's it's a hard read.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: It's actually heartbreaking.
2:35
SPEAKER_00: It's more about mental abuse of a child than physical abuse, but it has both.
2:40
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
2:41
SPEAKER_00: And I mean, I I listened to a podcast with Colin Goslin, and that's why I decided to read the book, and it was Jay Shetty's on purpose, and you could really hear the emotion in his voice.
2:53
SPEAKER_00: And he says that he has proof and receipts of many of his allegations, and to be honest, it's hard to say a lot of it's untrue because the records are there.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: She did have him committed to an institution for years, and I always try to see both sides of a story, but I gotta say, I only saw it through the child's eyes in this one, and I really felt for him.
3:14
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna give away the book, but it's a compelling read, and the silver lining is he seems to be doing well now and has a good relationship with his dad.
3:22
SPEAKER_00: He's going to college for finance and he'll be on the upcoming season of Special Forces, World's Toughest Test.
3:28
SPEAKER_00: I watched it when Cody Brown was on it because I'm a diehard Sister Wives fan.
3:32
SPEAKER_00: I don't think you ever watched Sister Wives, did you, Kim?
3:35
SPEAKER_01: Uh, no.
3:37
SPEAKER_00: But for those of you who do, you have to listen to The Sister Wives Professor with Dr.
3:42
SPEAKER_00: Adam.
3:43
SPEAKER_00: It's an amazing podcast.
3:44
SPEAKER_00: But enough about that.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: Let's get into what we're all here for: the things we leave unfinished.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: A little bit about the author first.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: Rebecca Yarros is an American author who has written more than 20 novels.
3:59
SPEAKER_00: She became a huge international name with the Fourth Win Wing, but she actually had an established writing career with contemporary romance and military romance long before the dragons arrived.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: Her writing tends to combine romance with high emotional stakes, military life, family loss, sacrifice, complicated relationships, and more recently, fantasy.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: One of the recurring elements in her books is military life.
4:27
SPEAKER_00: Yarros has said she loves military heroes and she's been married to a military man for more than 20 years.
4:33
SPEAKER_00: Her husband was deployed to Afghanistan, and that experience became part of the background for her early writing.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: That led to books and series such as Flight and Glory, The Last Letter, The Things We Leave Unfinished, In the Likely Event, The Last Light, and Full Measures.
4:49
SPEAKER_00: So if someone discovered her through Fourth Wing, they might be surprised to learn that she was a romance author first.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: But then came Fourth Wing.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: This is where everything went absolutely bananas.
5:01
SPEAKER_00: Fourth Wing was published in 2023 and introduced readers to Violet Soringale, a young woman forced into an elite military college where students trained to become dragon riders.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: There are deadly competitions, political secrets, dragons, friendships, enemies, and of course the extremely complicated relationship between Violet and Zaydan Ryerson.
5:23
SPEAKER_00: It's the first book in the Emperor and series.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: Well, the series is Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm.
5:30
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm not a big fantasy reader, but this almost makes me want to read this book on dragons.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
5:39
SPEAKER_00: How about you, Kim?
5:40
SPEAKER_00: Do you read fantasy?
5:41
SPEAKER_00: Nope.
5:42
SPEAKER_01: I'm not a fantasy reader, but I have to admit, I love this author and the way she written the book that we're going to talk about today.
5:50
SPEAKER_01: So I think I might be persuaded to read at least give it a try a fantasy book.
5:57
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I actually think I might give it a try.
5:59
SPEAKER_00: And I might, well, I have read fantasy books in the past, but I it's not like my main genre usually.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: But I guess this dragon series is really great.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: And it's not finished.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: She just came out with Threshing Day in late September.
6:14
SPEAKER_00: And I believe it's going to be made into I think it's a TV series that's coming out.
6:21
SPEAKER_00: But, anyways, it's huge, and I would really like to take a deeper look at that sometime.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: Now, her life outside of writing, her her and her husband have six children.
6:31
SPEAKER_00: They fostered and subsequently adopted their youngest daughter, and that experience inspired another major part of Yarrow's life.
6:38
SPEAKER_00: In 2019, she and her husband co-founded One October, a nonprofit focused on improving the lives of children in the foster care system.
6:46
SPEAKER_00: And here's a little fun tidbit I think you'd like.
6:49
SPEAKER_00: She used to be a cake decorator and she went to college on a vocal scholarship.
6:53
SPEAKER_00: She still plays guitar and she actually met her husband at a karaoke bar.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: So that's different.
7:01
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: But we're so look for Fourth Wing to be um adapted into a series for television.
7:13
SPEAKER_00: But we're here to talk about before the dragons.
7:16
SPEAKER_00: We're here to talk about the things we leave unfinished.
7:20
SPEAKER_00: But would you like to give us a recap on that, Kim?
7:24
SPEAKER_01: I thought you would never ask.
7:27
SPEAKER_01: Let's get to the good part of this podcast.
7:29
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
7:29
SPEAKER_01: No, I'm just joking here.
7:31
SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
7:32
SPEAKER_01: I really enjoyed this book a lot.
7:34
SPEAKER_01: Let me, you know, just start talking about it over here.
7:37
SPEAKER_01: I would like to start by talking about the unique characteristics of the book.
7:41
SPEAKER_01: Unlike some of the other books we have read and talked about on the podcast, there is no whodunit, whose side are you on, or who the bad guys are.
7:51
SPEAKER_01: You know that immediately in this book.
7:53
SPEAKER_01: But let me tell you, the twist in this book will knock you for a loop.
7:58
SPEAKER_01: I believe not even our super sleuths out there would see the twist coming.
8:03
SPEAKER_01: It is absolutely timeless.
8:04
SPEAKER_01: And I do mean timeless.
8:06
SPEAKER_01: It portrays the struggles and heartaches that people go through for love.
8:11
SPEAKER_01: The characters are relatable.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: They are me and you.
8:15
SPEAKER_01: They are your distant family way back when and your future children.
8:19
SPEAKER_01: The struggles are the same, but do you really know the people?
8:23
SPEAKER_01: Keep that in mind, Hintant.
8:25
SPEAKER_01: This book is simply captivating, but don't take my word for it.
8:29
SPEAKER_01: Ask Wendy, hey Wend, what do you think about this book?
8:32
SPEAKER_00: Well, I agreed.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: I love this book, and I also like the really easy to follow timeline.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: It was either before or during the war and after the war.
8:42
SPEAKER_00: It was either or.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: So I really like that part of it.
8:45
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I know you like war books and stories.
8:49
SPEAKER_01: But not to worry for those of us who aren't too much into that.
8:53
SPEAKER_01: It's just the setting.
8:54
SPEAKER_01: This book isn't all about war, even though some of our main characters find themselves in the middle of wallop England in 1940, such as Jameson Stanton, American flyboy, who joined the RAF preemptively, may I say, to keep the fight away from the U.S.
9:11
SPEAKER_01: homeland.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: Scarlett and Constant Wright, daughter of Baron and Lady Wright, the two young ladies were born into a dying aristocratic life with their futures predestined.
9:23
SPEAKER_01: Their only role in life was to marry for money and nobility at all cost.
9:28
SPEAKER_01: After such accomplishment, their only other job was to provide a male heir to continue the family lineage.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: These young ladies were beautiful, well-educated, brilliant, and fiercely independent.
9:43
SPEAKER_01: They were determined to escape the clutches of their family obligation and make a life for themselves by joining the Women Auxiliary Air Force, WAAF.
9:54
SPEAKER_01: So the start of this book, the book starts off with a love letter from Scarlett to Jameson, professing her love for all of eternity, then jumps to modern-day Colorado with Georgia, Stanton Ellsworth, returning home from a terrible breakup.
10:11
SPEAKER_01: Her husband, soon-to-be-ex, used her family's name, connection, and her great-grandmother, Scarlett Stanton's notoriety as a famous author to secure a career as a Hollywood director.
10:25
SPEAKER_01: But what really pushed Georgia over the edge and forced her to leave him is when she read in the papers that Damien, her soon-to-be-ex, and his girlfriend are expecting a baby.
10:36
SPEAKER_01: It just crushed her.
10:37
SPEAKER_01: Poor Georgia.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: When she returned home to her grand's house, the only place that she's ever called home, she found her estranged mom, Ava, snooping around.
10:48
SPEAKER_01: Both were surprised to see each other.
10:51
SPEAKER_01: The last time she saw her mom was at Gran's funeral seven years ago.
10:55
SPEAKER_01: Ava has never been a mother to Georgia.
10:58
SPEAKER_01: She has only been jealous of her, especially after Gran has cut her out of the will, leaving everything to Georgia.
11:06
SPEAKER_01: During the short interaction, Georgia discovers her mom, Ava, is looking for Gran's last manuscript.
11:13
SPEAKER_01: The one that she said she just quite couldn't finish, the one that she would never sell, the one that was left for Georgia.
11:22
SPEAKER_01: It explained how her great-grandmother, Scarlett and Jameson Stanton, found true love and their sacrifices that brought them to the United States.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: Ava explained that she is short on cash and she needs money just to get over the hump, just this one more time.
11:41
SPEAKER_01: This is the last manuscript Gran has and her last chance to try to cash it in.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: She has already invited a publisher to come to the house.
11:50
SPEAKER_01: It was practically a done deal.
11:52
SPEAKER_01: She just needs to get her hands on the manuscript.
11:56
SPEAKER_01: That is before Georgia came home.
11:58
SPEAKER_01: She just needed to finalize the deal.
12:00
SPEAKER_01: She begs Georgia to go along with it.
12:03
SPEAKER_01: And as a good mother, haha, she says she's doing it for her too.
12:07
SPEAKER_01: Georgia is disgusted with her mother's pathetic actions.
12:11
SPEAKER_01: She has never changed.
12:13
SPEAKER_01: The only person Ava cares about is herself.
12:16
SPEAKER_01: She can't believe her mom invited a publisher to fly in from New York to Colorado to take possession of the manuscript and finish the last part without consulting her.
12:26
SPEAKER_01: She was further stunned to learn her mother was prepared to impersonate her and forge her signature.
12:34
SPEAKER_01: With that, there is a knock at the door.
12:37
SPEAKER_01: Ava scurries to let the publisher in while Georgia is standing in disbelief.
12:42
SPEAKER_01: How could she?
12:44
SPEAKER_01: Oh, besties, I need to stop here.
12:46
SPEAKER_01: What would you do?
12:48
SPEAKER_01: Has this happened to you?
12:49
SPEAKER_01: Wendy, help me here.
12:51
SPEAKER_00: Come on.
12:52
SPEAKER_00: What would you do?
12:53
SPEAKER_00: Well, I really think she feels betrayed by her mom, but I don't think this is the first time she's been betrayed by her mom.
13:00
SPEAKER_00: That's the problem.
13:02
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I think they said it's been what, seven years since she saw her mom?
13:07
SPEAKER_00: And at this point, I honestly think she needs to cut her mom out of her life.
13:11
SPEAKER_00: I think she needs to cut her mom off, and it sounds harsh, but that's what I would do, and I that's what I believe she should do.
13:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, why not?
13:20
SPEAKER_01: Her mom has cut her out of her life, left it for her great-grandmother to raise her daughter.
13:25
SPEAKER_01: Anyways, I can feel for her.
13:27
SPEAKER_01: I feel sorry for Georgia.
13:28
SPEAKER_01: I know what it's like to have a dysfunctional family.
13:31
SPEAKER_01: They thrive on guilt trips, manipulation, and our emotions, love, always leaving a little hope for you to hang on to, just to have everything blow up in your face.
13:42
SPEAKER_01: I don't understand it, but I can see it and feel her pain.
13:46
SPEAKER_01: What I don't realize, or I should say, what I didn't realize, is how it shapes her personality throughout the story.
13:54
SPEAKER_01: She is fast to fly off the handle.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: She is very kind, but her emotions get the best of her.
14:01
SPEAKER_01: Which at first I blamed her as being immature when I was reading the book.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: I thought, oh my gosh, she's so immature.
14:08
SPEAKER_01: And then I even thought, well, maybe the author doesn't really quite know how this is coming across.
14:13
SPEAKER_01: But I had to stop and think about it.
14:15
SPEAKER_01: It's how she was brought up.
14:17
SPEAKER_01: Anyways, to top all this off, Georgia has severe trust issues.
14:22
SPEAKER_01: And can you blame her?
14:24
SPEAKER_01: This book has given me a lot to think about, things I haven't thought about in years.
14:28
SPEAKER_01: And I'm so glad I read the book.
14:30
SPEAKER_01: It helps explain things.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: Getting back to the book here, Georgia sets everyone straight as to who is in charge here.
14:36
SPEAKER_01: No one is doing anything without her consent.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: Her mother tries to persuade her otherwise, but she is not budging.
14:43
SPEAKER_01: The publisher is a bit startled to find Ava has no authority to sign the contract or hand over the manuscript.
14:51
SPEAKER_01: All I can say is, thank goodness Georgia returned home.
14:54
SPEAKER_01: Can you imagine if she didn't, what a mess that would make?
14:56
SPEAKER_01: Anyways, throughout this book are passages of Scarlett Stanton's life, the beauty of true love and the hardship of love.
15:06
SPEAKER_01: Of course they go hand in hand.
15:08
SPEAKER_01: The question is, how will it end?
15:11
SPEAKER_01: Please keep that in mind, besties.
15:14
SPEAKER_01: As if on cue, another knock at the door.
15:17
SPEAKER_01: Georgia opens the door.
15:19
SPEAKER_01: To her surprise, it is the buffoon she encountered at the bookstore earlier that day, the one who didn't believe in love story endings.
15:27
SPEAKER_01: You're Noah Harrison, she says.
15:30
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
15:31
SPEAKER_01: And you are.
15:32
SPEAKER_01: Noah is then intercepted by his publisher, who has a quick word with him in private.
15:37
SPEAKER_01: The publisher explains, there has been a huge misunderstanding, and Georgia's mother does not have the legal right to sign the manuscript.
15:46
SPEAKER_01: But her daughter, Georgia, does.
15:51
SPEAKER_01: And she does not want to hand it over.
15:54
SPEAKER_01: The publisher, Alan, asks Noah to check his ego at the door and do whatever it takes to close the deal.
16:02
SPEAKER_01: They want the manuscript.
16:04
SPEAKER_01: He then formally introduces him to Ava and Georgia.
16:07
SPEAKER_01: Noah is tall, dark, handsome, friendly, and as sexy as hell.
16:13
SPEAKER_01: Worst yet, he knows it.
16:15
SPEAKER_01: Georgia's spider senses go up immediately and makes her protest even more.
16:21
SPEAKER_01: She doesn't want him to finish Gran's story, no matter how good he and his publisher say he is.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: Grand meant everything to her, and she is not about to hand it over to make a fast buck.
16:33
SPEAKER_01: After Georgia going back and forth for hours with Noah, Noah comes up with an idea.
16:38
SPEAKER_01: He says he would finish the story and give it back to her for her approval.
16:43
SPEAKER_01: No, she's not having it.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: She did not agree.
16:46
SPEAKER_01: Then he said he would write two endings, and she could pick which one to go with.
16:52
SPEAKER_01: He would put his reputation on the line, write one ending she would like, and one he thinks is best ending for the book.
17:03
SPEAKER_01: Against her best judgment, she agrees.
17:06
SPEAKER_01: Besties, I think you can see where this is going.
17:09
SPEAKER_01: You probably are thinking the premise of this book is completing Grant's manuscript and getting it published.
17:15
SPEAKER_01: And you're kind of right.
17:18
SPEAKER_01: And of course, Georgia's mother and ex are trying to foil things up out of greed.
17:24
SPEAKER_01: But actually, it is watching a relationship develop between Noah and Georgia.
17:31
SPEAKER_01: He is smitten with her, and she is head over heels for him.
17:36
SPEAKER_01: But it's not a physical attraction that is love.
17:39
SPEAKER_01: Physical attractions come and go.
17:41
SPEAKER_01: It is listening to your partner, building your partner up and encouraging them that binds people together.
17:50
SPEAKER_01: It is real from the heart, the kind that lasts, and that is what Noah is all about.
17:57
SPEAKER_01: He is the real deal.
18:00
SPEAKER_01: They both have a good sense of humor with sexual overtones in a funny way.
18:05
SPEAKER_01: He is an endearing smart ass, and she is a quick-witted pan face, a lot like her great-grand Scarlet.
18:13
SPEAKER_01: When he invites her to go hiking, scaling a rock, which he is a very outdoorsy guy, get the picture, everybody.
18:20
SPEAKER_01: You hear what he is thinking.
18:22
SPEAKER_01: When she puts her hands on her hips, you hear his inner thoughts.
18:27
SPEAKER_01: Stop looking at her effing ass.
18:29
SPEAKER_01: Just stop it.
18:31
SPEAKER_01: And of course, you hear what Georgia is saying and thinking.
18:35
SPEAKER_01: She is so certain he just wants to see her fail this ridiculous rock climbing excursion and then triumphantly say, I told you so.
18:45
SPEAKER_01: You also hear Georgia's inner thoughts admiring his manly body with such defined muscles.
18:52
SPEAKER_01: It can only make a person wonder.
18:55
SPEAKER_01: When they are done rock climbing, he congratulates her.
18:59
SPEAKER_01: Not I told you so.
19:00
SPEAKER_01: He is so kind.
19:02
SPEAKER_01: She is learning, not everyone is like her axe.
19:05
SPEAKER_01: Some people are actually kind and it's just genuine.
19:09
SPEAKER_01: When they finally make it home, you hear him thinking how much he likes her loose V-neck sweater that shows off her lilac bra.
19:18
SPEAKER_01: Of course, what else would she be wearing?
19:20
SPEAKER_01: Lilac bra.
19:21
SPEAKER_01: Then he fights with himself to stop.
19:26
SPEAKER_01: I love how the author lets you hear the banter in the character's head and makes it real.
19:33
SPEAKER_01: But the remarkable part is he is a listener.
19:36
SPEAKER_01: And I know I keep on saying that throughout this, but really it serves a great purpose.
19:41
SPEAKER_01: I mean, can you imagine if your partner was a great listener?
19:46
SPEAKER_01: And you know, remembering birthdays and anniversaries and special occasions was just a matter of course.
19:54
SPEAKER_01: Anyways, just something to think about.
19:57
SPEAKER_01: While they are getting to know each other, he continues to read and write about Scarlett and Jameson.
20:04
SPEAKER_01: As I mentioned earlier, their love story is interwoven throughout the book.
20:09
SPEAKER_01: Jameson and Scarlett were truly soulmates.
20:12
SPEAKER_01: These excerpts are short and concise that make you feel you're right there with them in the middle of the German blitz with death and chaos all around.
20:20
SPEAKER_01: The only thing that stands strong is their love and the sacrifice they make for each other and their child William.
20:28
SPEAKER_01: Noah is a great listener and detective.
20:30
SPEAKER_01: However, Georgia and Noah are at odds and she throws him out courtesy of her mother.
20:37
SPEAKER_01: I just want to throw that in there.
20:38
SPEAKER_01: He also pieces together bits of information and makes a startling discovery.
20:45
SPEAKER_01: Scarlett isn't who she says she is.
20:48
SPEAKER_01: He rushes back to share this bit of news with Georgia.
20:51
SPEAKER_01: Georgia has also discovered the shocking fact.
20:54
SPEAKER_01: You're probably wondering how she found out.
20:57
SPEAKER_01: Well, in the event of her grand's death, her gran has prearranged to send Georgia packages on her birthday, Halloween, and periodically.
21:07
SPEAKER_01: I swear her gran was a saint.
21:09
SPEAKER_01: I must say, her gran is very insightful.
21:12
SPEAKER_01: This time she receives a letter explaining everything, the ending to the final manuscript of her life.
21:18
SPEAKER_01: It brings tears to her eyes and mine.
21:21
SPEAKER_01: Now I could go on and explain how Noah, being the great listener, is able to piece these things together and the depths he goes through.
21:29
SPEAKER_01: And let me tell you, he goes through some hoops here and the joyous reunion when they reconcile.
21:35
SPEAKER_01: But I think it is a part you will want to read yourself.
21:38
SPEAKER_01: Enjoy reading, besties.
21:41
SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to get to the cliffhanger.
21:44
SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, was this a great book?
21:46
SPEAKER_01: Great book.
21:47
SPEAKER_01: Historical facts and information in here.
21:49
SPEAKER_01: In my notes over here, I just wanted to point out that King George VI commissioned the WAAF in June 1939 to take on some administrative and Combatant roles.
22:01
SPEAKER_01: Over 180 women volunteered for these positions.
22:06
SPEAKER_01: What kind of jobs did they do?
22:08
SPEAKER_01: Well, they did a variety of things.
22:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, they were chauffeurs, transports, mechanics, code breakers, remember the movie, uh, and more.
22:18
SPEAKER_01: And Scarlett and Constance excelled at this.
22:22
SPEAKER_01: Um, I also read that uh Winston Churchill, his chauffeur, was a woman.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: Just putting it out there.
22:29
SPEAKER_01: Oh, interesting.
22:31
SPEAKER_00: Huh.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: I love how you add those historical facts to the fictional books.
22:37
SPEAKER_00: I do, I love that.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: Well, every time I read something, I try to look it up, and I'm like, huh, what did the women do over there?
22:43
SPEAKER_01: And like, oh my gosh.
22:45
SPEAKER_01: Um, like, you remember the movie The Enigma, The Codebreaker, and stuff like that?
22:49
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
22:49
SPEAKER_01: These women were out there.
22:50
SPEAKER_01: So they had very important roles.
22:52
SPEAKER_01: Well, you're probably wondering what part did I like of the book?
22:57
SPEAKER_01: I would say there are so many good parts, but if I had to narrow it down, I really like the part when you think they are breaking up and she demands that he leaves.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: Actually, this is the part I also thought she was a little immature, but remember what shaped her life.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: Anyways, he doesn't give up on her.
23:14
SPEAKER_01: And he says, and I quote, some things you have to fight for, Georgia.
23:19
SPEAKER_01: You can't just walk away and leave it unfinished when things get too complicated.
23:24
SPEAKER_01: If I could fly off and fight the Nazis to win your love, I would.
23:29
SPEAKER_01: But all I've got to battle with you are the demons, and they are kicking my ass.
23:36
SPEAKER_01: So doesn't that sound romantic?
23:39
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think it does.
23:41
SPEAKER_01: It's just I believe that the most powerful word on the planet, I dare say, is that four-letter word L-O-V-E love.
23:51
SPEAKER_01: It may sound silly and simple, but we all need it.
23:55
SPEAKER_01: So got a lot off my chest here.
23:58
SPEAKER_01: And it took me a while to read this book, not because it was just a good book and I kind of absorbed the characters into me.
24:05
SPEAKER_01: I was doing a little self-reflection, and for me, I saw a lot of my family dynamics play out in this book, and it made me pause quite a bit, but I feel pretty good about it.
24:15
SPEAKER_01: But with that being said, a great book, and I'm sure you're all gonna read it.
24:19
SPEAKER_01: Wendy, how many popcorns would you give this book?
24:22
SPEAKER_00: Nobody ever asked me what my favorite part of the book was.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: I would kind of like to oh, so sorry, Wendy.
24:31
SPEAKER_00: A little bit more about the book.
24:33
SPEAKER_00: I mean I kind of loved this book and I realized um before and during the war, the like the very first page in the book started with an endearing, heartfelt love letter, and it was from the very first page of this book that I was hooked, and that's why I particularly like the post-war and during the war part of the book.
25:00
SPEAKER_00: And I I thought this was a great book too, but I also think I really think this would make a great movie.
25:08
SPEAKER_00: Now, I know we've said that before about other movies, but it almost brings me back to like the notebook.
25:16
SPEAKER_00: I feel like this could be similar to a notebook type of movie where they could really do a good job with this.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it actually had two, not just one, but two love stories in it.
25:29
SPEAKER_00: You know, it had a current day one and then one from the past.
25:33
SPEAKER_00: And I just think that uh the writer did so well with this book.
25:37
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm so interested in this author because I'm really amazed at the fact that she can write fantasy and romance and that she has such a wide range.
25:48
SPEAKER_00: So I was really, really excited to read this book.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: But yeah, I I yeah, you want to talk about the popcorn scores?
25:56
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
25:57
SPEAKER_00: Wait a minute, let's go back to the book.
25:58
SPEAKER_00: I love this book.
25:59
SPEAKER_01: I totally agree with it.
26:01
SPEAKER_01: I just I would I thought, I mean, people go through problems, like I said, they go through problems today, they went through problems 50, 60 years ago, a thousand years ago, but it's all over love, right?
26:14
SPEAKER_01: But if you really think, like in this book over here, Scarlet and Jameson, there were bombing.
26:19
SPEAKER_01: There were, I mean, women did not stand up to their parents back in England, back in those days, but these women did.
26:26
SPEAKER_01: And she was so confident and so self-assured, and she had no intentions of getting involved with anybody.
26:33
SPEAKER_01: But you know what?
26:33
SPEAKER_01: Stupid Cupid shot its arrow.
26:36
SPEAKER_01: And what I like about it is that once she got shot with Stupid Cupid, her her world just turned upside down.
26:45
SPEAKER_01: I mean, he was her breath, her life, everything.
26:49
SPEAKER_01: And he was hers.
26:50
SPEAKER_01: And so you see them go through the war, you see how he has to get in a plane.
26:55
SPEAKER_01: Every day you're wondering if he was gonna survive, if he's gonna come back.
26:59
SPEAKER_01: And then, oops, she gets pregnant.
27:00
SPEAKER_01: Was it planned?
27:01
SPEAKER_01: No.
27:02
SPEAKER_01: Uh, was it a very beautiful part of their life?
27:04
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
27:05
SPEAKER_01: And you see that just talking and coming from the heart.
27:09
SPEAKER_01: And then it flips to Georgia, and you know, she's going through her struggles and she's going through her mom issues, and she's going through her soon-to-be-ex-husband issues and her own her own demons, and and I think if you just peel all that away like an onion and get down to what matters, love.
27:29
SPEAKER_01: Everything else is superficial and second.
27:32
SPEAKER_01: So that's my take on it.
27:35
SPEAKER_00: Well, and I also really love the part where Noah wanted to write a happy ending.
27:41
SPEAKER_00: I think it was very interesting that Noah wanted to write a happy ending because he was known for not having happy endings, and her grandmother was known for writing happy endings.
27:50
SPEAKER_00: But then this was flipped because she felt that this book should be true to life and that it shouldn't have a happy ending.
27:59
SPEAKER_00: But the thing is, it worked better with a happy ending.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: Giving her her great-grandmother and her great-grandfather a happy ending worked with this book.
28:09
SPEAKER_00: And I I I think it was really complicated how Georgia didn't want it to have that.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: But then after she fell in love with Noah, she saw how it could be.
28:24
SPEAKER_01: And after she got that final letter from her grand that explained everything, she saw how much love was in the letter, how much love her grand felt.
28:34
SPEAKER_01: And I think that swayed her a lot.
28:36
SPEAKER_00: And I love the way Kim's still not giving away the twist ending, and we're not going to.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: So actually, even though we're telling you all this, there's just another twist to it, and it's it's so compelling.
28:49
SPEAKER_00: Beautiful, it's just beautiful.
28:51
SPEAKER_01: It's just beautiful.
28:52
SPEAKER_01: And I I told this to Wendy, and Wendy, you know, chuckled at me as she always does.
28:57
SPEAKER_01: She said, This kind of reminds me of Gone with the Wind.
29:00
SPEAKER_01: It should be out there in the movies.
29:02
SPEAKER_01: And she goes, Oh, geez, Gone with the Wind.
29:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's how compelled I feel about this.
29:06
SPEAKER_00: I would put it up there.
29:08
SPEAKER_00: I love how you really get invested in your characters.
29:12
SPEAKER_00: I I feel like we read so differently, but we always seem to agree on the type of books that we love, even though we're reading it differently and seeing it from different perspectives.
29:21
SPEAKER_00: And that's why I love discussing all the books and the movies.
29:25
SPEAKER_00: And I just, I really, really believe this would be a good movie under the right director.
29:31
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
29:33
SPEAKER_01: Wink, wink, the right director.
29:35
SPEAKER_00: I'm talking like as good as the notebook, and I loved the notebook, but I mean, it would be up there, and not everybody loved the notebook, and I realized it was more of a female-based movie than a meal.
29:47
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I know Ren liked it too, but I just really think we could have another great love story, like the notebook out there.
29:55
SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, she's the notebook.
29:59
SPEAKER_01: Well, we'll leave that for our besties to decide.
30:02
SPEAKER_01: Is it more of a guard with the wind or more of a notebook?
30:05
SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
30:05
SPEAKER_01: It's right in the middle.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: It's right in the middle.
30:07
SPEAKER_00: Let us know.
30:08
SPEAKER_00: I mean, they're both good, so but yeah, no, I really, really loved it.
30:13
SPEAKER_00: I loved the point of views.
30:14
SPEAKER_00: I loved how the characters, you know, came alive.
30:18
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and changed and grew.
30:20
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it I absolutely believe it's a good book.
30:24
SPEAKER_00: And again, this author can write so many different, you know, now that I know that she has a fantasy book that took off, I really want to read the fantasy book.
30:34
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like I said, I'm not r really into fantasy books, although I've read that genre.
30:39
SPEAKER_00: I mean, one of my favorite books is Outlander.
30:43
SPEAKER_00: Oh, any of you have read Outlander.
30:45
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's fantasy.
30:46
SPEAKER_00: There's, you know, I mean, she goes back in time, but I mean, I loved all those books.
30:52
SPEAKER_00: I have to say, I mean, my husband gave me an autographed copy of one of her books for Christmas, and it's like one of my favorite things because those were some of my favorite books.
31:02
SPEAKER_00: So I can't wait to read.
31:04
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna definitely read her dragon books before the TV series comes out.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: So I don't know if we'll do them on the podcast or not, or if just you know, if maybe if Kim doesn't want to read it, I don't know.
31:17
SPEAKER_00: That's up to you.
31:18
SPEAKER_01: No, I mean, if you would have asked me to read a fantasy book, I would have been like, sure, I'll do it grudgingly.
31:24
SPEAKER_01: But after reading her writing style, making every character a unique character with their own voice, I'm gonna give it a go.
31:32
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna give it a go.
31:32
SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll read a book of the dragon.
31:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
31:35
SPEAKER_00: And my niece recommends it.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: So I mean, she always recommends yeah, she recommends really good books all the time.
31:42
SPEAKER_00: So I love getting people's book recommendations.
31:45
SPEAKER_00: So I think going forward, I want to let you guys know on our next podcast, we're gonna be doing uh what are we doing, Kim?
31:55
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be down motel.
31:57
SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's got a spooky vibe.
32:00
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna it's gonna come out right before Halloween.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: And I wanted to let you guys know in case you want to read it.
32:04
SPEAKER_00: It's by Simone St.
32:06
SPEAKER_00: James, in case you want to read it before we do it, do the recap next week.
32:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm really looking forward to that.
32:11
SPEAKER_00: I think we might even bring in a few spooky stories of our own.
32:14
SPEAKER_00: We'll see how that goes.
32:17
SPEAKER_00: And if any of you have spooky stories, let us know and maybe we'll read them forward.
32:24
SPEAKER_00: I would love to hear them.
32:25
SPEAKER_00: I love anything spooky, even if it's just you know, it doesn't have to be paranormal.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: It could just be something spooky that happened that you can't explain, or if it's paranormal, I'd love to hear about it.
32:35
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
32:36
SPEAKER_01: So I think though, that brings us, unless you want to talk, have anything more to say about no, no, I just want to say this is five out of five buttered popcorn.
32:48
SPEAKER_01: Okay, just five out of five.
32:50
SPEAKER_01: That's all I'm gonna say.
32:51
SPEAKER_00: Oh, and I agree.
32:52
SPEAKER_00: Five out of five, layered buttered popcorn.
32:54
SPEAKER_00: Great book, highly recommend.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: And again, we didn't give away all of it, so you can still read it and enjoy it.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: Okay, thank you for thank you for listening.
33:08
SPEAKER_00: And if you want to contact us, we're at books and box office besties at gmail.com, and we're also on Instagram and Facebook.
33:17
SPEAKER_00: So, with that, do you have anything left, Kim?
33:22
SPEAKER_02: No.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, thank you for listening.
33:25
SPEAKER_00: We'll talk to you next week.