Hearts & Daggers Holly Fairall and Devin MacDonald

Summary: Welcome to Episode 6 of our special Throne of Glass series, friends! Aelin is on the move to build an army after being rejected from her rightful throne in Terrassen. Today we explore Empire of Storms, the fifth (or sixth depending on your reading order) book in ToG. Aelin’s court has just come together and is immediately at risk for being torn asunder. With monsters threatening from sea and air, within and without their group, Aelin must decide who she is and what she’s willing to sacrifice to save the world.
We have both been reading the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas, a mutual favorite author who we celebrated in a previous LoveFest episode. We will be releasing monthly special episodes in which we debrief on each book as we go throughout the series. 
We encourage you to read along with us throughout the year–or at whatever point you’re jumping into these episodes–and enjoy our reactions, speculations, and gushing as we explore this new fantastical world.
As a reminder, each episode will have spoilers for the book being discussed and any of the books we've read previously, but we won't give spoilers beyond that point. Episodes will continue to drop each month until we finish the series.
Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod
Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/heartsanddaggerspod (purchases support our work)
If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: We’re choosing the scenic route this summer as we travel around the United States book by book. Join Holly and Devin on their first stop today - Maine! Known for its lobsters, gruff people, rocky shores and gorgeous landscapes this state is the easternmost state of the 50. While the vibes skew much more toward Holly’s wheelhouse, we’re reminded that love can happen anywhere with Devin’s book. 
Topics Discussed:
The Heart (4:01): Devin discussed Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, a novel following Eveleth “Evvie” Drake as she becomes a recluse after the untimely death of her husband. Dean Tenney, former MLB pitcher whose career tanked after a case of the yips, seeks to find solace and escape by moving into Evvie’s spare apartment. They agree at the start - Dean doesn’t ask Evvie about her husband, and Evvie doesn’t ask Dean about his baseball career. As their rocky friendship solidifies into something more, though, they risk letting everything into the light. Devin’s key takeaways were:
Known as a very culturally New England, isolated place, Maine can also be a safe haven once you find your people. This state as the backdrop of this romance is perfect - there is pain, grief, and isolation but there’s also connection and building something sustainable out of the bedrock of the shoes of the region. 
Both through the more traditional grief of losing someone and through the grief of losing the life you thought you’d live, Evvie and Dean work to recover together and the reader gets to see how people come back to themselves through the help of others.
While the premise is heavy, Holmes breathes this novel full of life, joy, and romantic connection. While not the steamiest book Devin has ever read, love is at the forefront as both the most challenging and the most healing thing our protagonists can do. 
The Dagger (15:29): Holly discussed Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols, a novel that opens on three teenage boys skateboarding after dark and quickly turns even darker when a boy’s body is found at the historic settlement in Granite Harbor. We follow Alex, former writer and now detective in town as he investigates first one murder and then escalates as more bodies are found and the parents in town realize none of their teens are safe. Holly’s key takeaways were:
Both literally as well as within the history that lingers in Maine - its violence, its folklore and traditions, the need for survival in a harsh climate - all resonate throughout the book and serve to heighten the tension at every turn. 
Nichols really packs a punch when it comes to gore and gruesome scenes (though it isn’t overdone). There are some gross, unsettling scenes in the story and Holly shares trigger warnings for animal cruelty and gore/violence. 
A lot of this book explores the anxiety of parenting teens. We see characters like Isabel, who has just started working at the Granite Harbor Living History Settlement, struggle to navigate keeping her teenage son Ethan safe while often feeling helpless. Nichols highlights the tenacity with which parents will fight for their kids even when they’re almost grown themselves. 
Hot On the Shelf (38:16):
Holly: The Mantis by Kotaro Isaka
Devin: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (41:10):
Holly: Ripley on Netflix
Devin: Anyone But You on Netflix 
 
Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod
Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com
 
If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: Today Holly is joined by a special guest - Sara Hildreth, the creator behind FictionMatters - a literary Instagram account, newsletter, and book club focused on putting thought-provoking books into the hands of adventurous readers. Sara also co-hosts Novel Pairings, a podcast dedicated to making the classics readable, relevant, and fun. As a former English teacher, Sara’s literary knowledge and thoughtfulness has greatly enriched the reading lives of thousands, including Holly’s.
Keep an eye out for Sara’s Paperback Summer Reading Guide 2024 and the Novel Pairings summer readalong of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo! 
Topics Discussed:
Genre Fiction (2:03):
For Sara, Genre Fiction signals to the reader that it will be following certain templates, patterns, and tropes. There are expectations set through the genre, which is why some genre fiction is the most disappointing for readers because of those expectations. 
No genre or designation is mutually exclusive - romances and mysteries can also be literary. Sara underlines that a lot of genre designations are more about marketing the books than they are about the actual content. 
Genre fiction is important; to be a good reader of literary fiction you should know a lot about genre fiction. Genre fiction is a playground for tropes and knowing and understanding them can help readers recognize when authors are doing things with those tropes. 
Dark Literature (15:37):
When Sara thinks of “Dark Literature,” she thinks of darker themes that explore those aspects of human nature and relationships. It can also describe the atmosphere of a book - think dark academia, for example. However, for Sara this remains loosely defined and really targets the “vibe” more than a hard definition. 
Sara divides books in her mind between Light and Dark and Cold and Warm. Less of a fan of Light books, Sara does appreciate Warm and Cold books that have more or less heart and emotional depth. There can be aesthetic darkness without being psychologically bleak, and a lot of readers are drawn to subgenres like “cozy horror” that fit in different places in the quadrants. 
Gothic Literature is often hallmarked by a heroine in a creepy house as she explores her own psychology. Sara extends the definition to books that play with the interior vs. exterior trust and reliability of a protagonist and macabre settings with a sprinkling of horror tropes to explore human motivation and psychology. 
Classic + Modern Dark/Literary Books (24:49):
Classic:
Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Modern:
Never Let Me Go by Kazu Ishiguro
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Hot on the Shelf (41:51): 
Sara: This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (44:21):
Sara: Top Chef on Bravo
 
Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod
Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com
 
If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Summary: We left money by the phone for pizza, listeners! The parents are out to dinner tonight while Holly and Devin discuss books featuring babysitting. Whether you made pocket money as a teenager or lived your best life as an Au Pair in Europe, most of us have experience babysitting and certainly being babysat. Books that explore the power, social, and logistical dynamics of babysitters with their employers and children usually go one of two ways, and Holly and Devin are the resident experts for both. Grab a slice of greasy cheese and get excited to hear them break it down. 
Topics Discussed:
The Dagger (4:29): Holly discussed Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, a supernatural thriller that inspires nightmares. Mallory Quinn is fighting for a new beginning after leaving rehab and lands a full time nanny position watching five year-old Teddy for the Maxwell family. Finding the stability she’s always craved and bonding with Teddy, Mallory thinks she’s found the solution to her future until Teddy’s adorable drawings take a sinister turn; Mallory must decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late. Holly’s key takeaways were:
A major theme of this thriller is second chances when all seems hopeless. Mallory’s struggle with addiction not only underlines the triumph of her new beginning but throws her into self-doubt; can she trust her recollections and experiences as Teddy’s drawings reveal what should be unbelievable? 
The pictures add a unique and engaging twist to this story; Rekulak builds tension well by including the actual images of Teddy’s drawings in the book. The reader will be turning pages seeing normal stick figures of a kid, a bunny, the sun—and then unveil something super creepy. 
Mallory’s relationship with the Maxwell family underlines the class and power dynamics often at play for babysitters; she moves into a well-to-do suburban setting, in drastic contrast to Mallory’s upbringing and her life recently as an addict on the Philly streets. 
The Heart (23:06): Devin discussed Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez, a romance following Vanessa Price (YouTube sensation and world traveler) and her next door neighbor Adrian Copeland (a workaholic criminal defense attorney) as they are thrown together in order to care for Grace, Vanessa’s half-sister’s baby after the child is left on Vanessa’s doorstep with no warning. As friendship blossoms into something more, both Vanessa and Adrian must acknowledge that the last thing either could just be the thing they need most. Devin’s key takeaways were: 
Adrian and Vanessa are on the opposite ends of the risk tolerance spectrum but for similar reasons. Trauma and fear drive them both to do what they do; for Adrian it's to do nothing at all and work nonstop. For Vanessa it's to experience as much as she can all the time, with no consistency or roots. Thrown together, the sparks fly as these polar opposites clash and connect.
Vanessa already lost her mother and sister to ALS, and she has a 50% chance of getting it herself. She lives with the assumption that she won’t make it past 30 years old. What do we do when we think right now is all we have? Does it make us love harder or avoid it? Jimenez interrogates this with her polar opposite protagonists.
In the physical form of baby Grace, both Vanessa and Adrian must confront their relationships with responsibility. Vanessa has spent her life avoiding real responsibility, obligations and deep connections because she doesn’t want to leave anyone heartbroken after her expected, untimely death. The reader examines with our protagonists the point at which love and responsibility meet.  
Hot On the Shelf (40:13):
Holly: The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas
Devin: Outlive by Peter Attia, MD
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (44:06):
Holly: A Gentleman in Moscow Limited Series Show
Devin: Just For Us Standup Comedy Special by Alex Edelman
 

Summary: Welcome to Episode 5 of our special Throne of Glass series, friends! Aelin is back in Rifthold and ready to break hearts, faces, and rules in order to tee up the future she and her fledgling court are fighting for. Today we explore Queen of Shadows, the fourth (or fifth depending on your reading order) book in ToG. Now that Celaena has let go of her assassin pretenses and stepped into her true identity as Aelin Galathynius, she and her team return to Adarlan to confront old and new enemies alike with an eye toward claiming her throne in Terrasen and winning the larger war.
We have both been reading the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas, a mutual favorite author who we celebrated in a previous LoveFest episode. We will be releasing monthly special episodes in which we debrief on each book as we go throughout the series. 
We encourage you to read along with us throughout the year–or at whatever point you’re jumping into these episodes–and enjoy our reactions, speculations, and gushing as we explore this new fantastical world.
As a reminder, each episode will have spoilers for the book being discussed and any of the books we've read previously, but we won't give spoilers beyond that point. Episodes will continue to drop each month until we finish the series.
Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod
Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/heartsanddaggerspod (purchases support our work)
If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.
 

Summary: From horror to Hallmark, a small town setting is ripe for intrigue for Holly and Devin this week. Join our hosts as they break down books set as far from a city as possible. Living in a town of 3,000 people, Devin feels right at home with a rural community and Holly brings the creepiness and the connections of more isolated regions via her book. Both hosts agree that rural settings turn up the heat in their respective wheelhouses, but with wildly different outcomes (you know, bonking vs. butchering). 
Topics Discussed:
The Heart (3:59): Devin discussed Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score, a novel following Maggie Nichols as she takes on her most audacious flip project yet in the tiny town of Kinship, Idaho. With a goal of renovating the famed Victorian mansion in less than 4 months and hitting one million subscribers on YouTube, Maggie has no time for the flirtatious and talented landscaper Silas Wright, until he shows her that maybe he and the town are the exact things she should be focused on. Devin’s key takeaways were:
The tiny town of Kinship is the opposite of everything Maggie has ever known and is what makes Silas who he is. Silas cannot imagine living somewhere outside of Kinship and has a big, boisterous family that he sees 2-3 times / month in a group setting. Maggie has been on her own since 21 and only lives in the same place for 3 months at a time. The setting plays a huge role in how they develop as a couple and individually. 
When do we need people, when do we want people, and how often should life be done alone? Maggie and Silas are diametrically opposed at the start of the book; Silas loves being vulnerable and trusting his gut, and Maggie can’t do anything without a spreadsheet. Score explores vulnerability and how we grow best through our protagonists’ differing viewpoints. 
With references to YouTube comments, gifs, viewership, editing, posting, etc. as well as choices for each room and a whole team of people working on the house and landscaping, this book was an HGTV lover's dream. It was fun to hear about this mansion-sized undertaking and some interior decor subplots.
The Dagger (20:07): Holly discussed Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, a literary horror book following Mackenzie, a young Cree woman who has moved to Vancouver to avoid facing her sister Sabrina’s untimely death. In the last few weeks she’s been followed everywhere by crows and her nightmares featuring crows, a frozen lake, and her sister’s body have been intensifying. Soon enough, Mackenzie and the reader reckon with the fact that something is going on after she dreams she falls through ice into the lake; Mackenzie wakes up drenched and her phone is broken - the last location of which is showing at the lake hundreds of miles away. Holly’s key takeaways were:
Mack has fled to Vancouver but returns home to learn to embrace her roots again and not run from pain. At home things are much more in the open: the community is small, people’s actions are visible, the land itself is very visible with the plains and farmland. The area has suffered both from companies coming in to frack and extract resources from the land and then abandon the community once they took what was valuable; the community grapples with generational and recent traumas. 
Grief plays a huge role throughout this story; not only is Mackenzie navigating the death of her sister Sabrina; the whole family is also still reeling from the loss of their matriarch, Kokum, several years before. 
Ultimately even though there are classic horror elements, family and community play a huge role in Bad Cree. The characters are so close and play specific roles within their larger community; knowledge is passed around and sought out from the elders, there are traditions of late night card games and poker. The theme of crows throughout is a metaphor for sticking together, for mourning our dead, for watching each others’ backs. 
Hot On the Shel