May Wrap-Up and We're Reading True Grit for JUNE!

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]It did a fantastic job. I just think the the typeface, the >> Yeah.

[00:00:03]>> cool >> Kind of has a old school McDonald's vibe to it. You know what I'm saying?

[00:00:08]>> Ketchup and mustard.

[00:00:13]I'm Taylor.

[00:00:14]>> I'm Brandon.

[00:00:15]>> And welcome to [music] our home.

[00:00:17]>> [laughter] >> This is Good Books Lately. That's Pepper.

[00:00:20]>> Yeah, we just >> sneezed. This is Good Books Lately.

[00:00:23]>> Yeah.

[00:00:23]>> And we're coming at you today >> with a mini update.

[00:00:26]>> with a mini reading update.

[00:00:27]>> we haven't haven't done a lot of finished reading >> No.

[00:00:31]>> since the last time.

[00:00:32]>> has been pretty minimal and it's just because >> Things >> Lots of things have been going on and so like we we it's been a little bit busier.

[00:00:40]>> It was chaotic.

[00:00:41]>> Yeah, but it's fine. It's good. I am enjoying what I'm reading.

[00:00:44]>> Yeah, me too.

[00:00:44]>> In terms of cards.

[00:00:45]>> one finished book.

[00:00:48]>> Let's Let's get into it. Why don't you Why don't you start us off?

[00:00:50]>> Four done and dusted. Yeah, we typically do done and dusted. Those are books we finished. We have one and that is >> Done and dusted.

[00:00:58]This is >> Dubliners by James Joyce.

[00:01:01]>> Okay.

[00:01:02]Real quick.

[00:01:03]>> This took me forever.

[00:01:04]>> It did. It took you a long time considering how short it is.

[00:01:08]Did it Is it considered, in your opinion, one of the best things you've ever read?

[00:01:13]>> No, I don't think it's the best thing. I mean >> No, no. I don't mean like the best. Like do you think it is Did it move you?

[00:01:21]>> No. It didn't move me. But, as I mentioned in our Patreon on our book chat, I mentioned that I feel like I could have gotten more if I was of the era.

[00:01:34]>> Right.

[00:01:35]>> If I knew more about Irish politics or the history of Ireland at that time, I probably would have had more res resonance resonating >> It It would have resonated >> Resonated more with me. The writing's good.

[00:01:49]>> Right.

[00:01:50]>> obviously, you know, he's known for being a classic author. But it just wasn't I don't think I was in the right mindset or had the right pre-knowledge or done the right pre-reading leading into this book.

[00:02:03]>> I think that's interesting that you mentioned [clears throat] that. I Go ahead and finish and I got some thoughts on that.

[00:02:07]>> And I also I did not realize at the very beginning that it wasn't a continual story. I I thought it was one story, but it's just a collection of stories.

[00:02:16]>> You mean you thought they were interconnected and >> they're going to be interconnected or it was going to be involving the same people and it was not. And I did not know that going in until after like the third story and then I realized what I was getting myself into. But with that, that's why it also took me a while cuz I would just read one of the stories, put it down, and go on to something else, >> Mhm.

[00:02:33]>> uh which made it easier to read for me.

[00:02:36]Well, I didn't feel like I had to just continually like stay up with it. I could just finish one story and be done.

[00:02:41]>> I wonder if because you said that you feel like you you would have had to have been of the time or more of an understanding of Irish history and culture at that time, what was going on during that time. And I think that that isn't always a reason like that's not like there you you read lots of books where you are are neither the the time or do you really have an extensive background or whatever, but the book itself does a pretty good job of giving you enough >> Yeah, and this does not do that.

[00:03:09]>> Right. And I wonder if it's because James Joyce is writing for the Irish people.

[00:03:15]>> Maybe.

[00:03:15]>> Like his audience is he's hoping that those are the people that take the most from this.

[00:03:19]>> Yeah, I don't know.

[00:03:20]But yeah, definitely there would you know, I'd read a story or something in a story that was just said and then I'd have to like look up what the meaning behind it was or ever.

[00:03:29]And so >> I think that I just I don't know. I've not read this. I I >> I that's not lost, but like I I don't think I comprehended exactly the extent of what was trying to be told.

[00:03:39]>> Because a lot of a lot of people claim that this is one of the harder books in terms of and I've always taken that to be it's hard because like maybe the way he writes is really fragmented and it's difficult to stay engaged in like the words, but the way you've been describing the experience makes me wonder if is it hard for people because they just can't connect in the way that you're talking about, which doesn't I mean, I can't imagine it makes it a bad book, but I just think that it it's definitely interesting that that was my takeaway.

[00:04:06]>> It's definitely when I think I would get if you read it with somebody else where you have an instructor.

[00:04:11]>> Yeah.

[00:04:12]>> And you kind of are able to glean more information out of it.

[00:04:16]>> Not just a wife who likes to talk a lot about books she's never read to you about the books that you have your self read.

[00:04:21]>> Right.

[00:04:22]>> Yeah. I'm just trying to make up for the fact that I have so little to say today.

[00:04:24]>> That's fine.

[00:04:25]>> All right.

[00:04:26]>> But yeah, that's all I read. I think I gave it like three and a half stars.

[00:04:29]>> Cool. Do you ever feel like who are you to give anything below four stars to a guy like James Joyce?

[00:04:34]>> Yeah. I do.

[00:04:35]>> You shouldn't feel that way.

[00:04:36]You can You can be as discerning as you must.

[00:04:39]>> totally fine.

[00:04:41]All right, that's it for finished reads for Dining with the Dust.

[00:04:43]>> us. That's it for us. We hope you guys have >> [laughter] >> a great rest of your week.

[00:04:47]>> we got. Now, let's move on to Bookmarked.

[00:04:50]>> Bookmarked. Bookmarked. Bookmarked.

[00:04:52]>> I have two that I'll talk about.

[00:04:53]>> Listen, guys. I am going to begin with Lolita because this is the book club book for >> No!

[00:05:02]She ripped out the bookmark.

[00:05:03]>> My bookmark for my other book got stuck to the bookmark for this book and it ripped it right out.

[00:05:09]>> All right.

[00:05:10]>> All right. I am We're This is the book club book for the Good Books Lately book club. I have not made any progress since the last time I talked about this book because and it's not because I'm going to keep this brief. It's not because I am put off by the content. Yes, it's off-putting, but that's not the reason why I haven't picked it up. I don't enjoy it.

[00:05:34]>> Yeah.

[00:05:34]>> It's just not >> It's I I have I'm almost done. I have like 10 pages left.

[00:05:39]>> sits over here and reads this book and every time I look over he's just like >> Yeah.

[00:05:44]The first the It's broken into two parts.

[00:05:47]>> Yeah.

[00:05:48]>> We got I got done with the first part 2 weeks ago.

[00:05:52]And it's it it's uncomfortable. The the topic that's you know, whatever. And but I >> I haven't even gotten to the uncomfortable stuff like the really uncomfortable stuff yet.

[00:06:01]>> Yeah, but you have I mean yeah, you haven't. But um but it's not you you're you're kind of enjoying the writing.

[00:06:09]>> Yeah, the writing is enjoyable for sure.

[00:06:11]>> But part two flips that all around and it change it you're uncomfortable with what's at what the topic is, but then you are in this like I I at least for me it feels like I'm going along on a psychotic break with the main character and it it's hard to it's hard to follow. You don't know what's real, what's not, what's in his head cuz he's he's breaking and it's weird and I I the only reason I I continue reading I didn't stop was cuz I kind of wanted to know what the outcome was. And so that's where I'm at now and I'm like I didn't know this was going to happen.

[00:06:53]But it's not like a surprise like I was thinking something else was going to happen. It hasn't happened.

[00:06:56]>> Sure. So I mean that makes me that intrigues me right I like I'm I'm curious to know and I I do plan on finishing this. This is not something I'm going to DNF. Um I almost wonder if when it shifts tone if it's like he begins to lose confidence cuz he's so confident. He's sickly confident. When I say sickly like saccharine like he's just >> Yeah.

[00:07:15]>> overly confident in the beginning. I don't I don't know. I and I don't want to speak to that until >> Talks a big game. He talks a big game, yeah.

[00:07:22]>> Um but anyway, I'm just saying that I just don't I set it down and I don't feel compelled to pick it up. But also >> not regarding that, I feel like I'm just really wanting to finish this other book.

[00:07:35]>> Yeah, go to >> that I started which really annoyed because I don't really remember. I think I was on chapter 58. This is called Why Mermaids Sing, a Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris. I started this when I started Lolita, a little bit before I started Lolita. This is the third in the series of books by this author that I've read.

[00:07:57]They never disappoint.

[00:07:59]>> Yeah.

[00:08:00]>> Ever. And I know it's only three, and I know there's a lot, but they never disappoint. This one, for whatever reason, I think it it it's a little bit there's more going on, more names to remember, and I feel like the story in this, the mystery in this is so well done and developed that um it it's not complicated, it's just I don't know, you really there's lots of little working parts. And sometimes you think like how do writers come up with these ideas? Like all the little moving parts of this, it's so they really had to put this together to make it work out. This to me, it's like this is just a really fantastic idea. Like what has compelled the killer to do with it whatever. Um and then with in the series, you have the main character, Sebastian St. Cyr. You have his story with the people around him that's evolving across the books, right?

[00:08:49]And that story we have reached a very serious turning point, which throws a lot of things on its head relationship-wise.

[00:08:57]And I was just like mind-blown, and also thinking to myself like so like I applaud the writer because this was it was done so cleverly.

[00:09:07]>> a moment when you were reading it.

[00:09:09]>> I was like No. But it was it didn't feel like a ploy, it felt like yes, good for like that's such a perfect way to make this complicated. And so I really love these. So if you like procedural mystery series, and you like the period piece, this takes place during the Regency period in England, um and and but you like the sophisticated types of those, not that there's anything wrong with the ones that are just purely entertainment.

[00:09:34]These ones have a little bit of a level of sophistication to them that I really appreciate.

[00:09:37]>> Yeah.

[00:09:38]>> I I think they're fantastic. I'm almost finished and I just I just think it's great. And the Library Journal in the back says a flawlessly constructed mystery. I really can't agree more.

[00:09:48]>> you agree.

[00:09:49]>> Yeah, I agree. I think it's great. Very cool. Very cool book. Really enjoying that.

[00:09:53]>> will be done with it.

[00:09:54]>> I'm going to finish that this weekend.

[00:09:56]And then I got to finish Lolita.

[00:09:58]>> All right, I'll talk about the other book I'm currently reading and that is The Strength of the Few, which is the second in the Hierarchy series by James Islington.

[00:10:09]>> Yes.

[00:10:10]>> Really loving it. I've slowed down a little bit on reading it because I've been focusing all my effort on Lolita to get that out of the way.

[00:10:18]Um but I am almost done. I'm like I'm in part three. It's the I'm like 80% of the way through this. I only got a little bit left. I'm really enjoying it. It's got three kind of like storylines going, but it's they're all they're not connected, but they are. And it's really fun and I it it has made me remember just how much I enjoyed the first, The Will of the Many.

[00:10:39]Um and it just the the the way it's >> When you say >> going down and the story development is really fun.

[00:10:45]>> When you say it has three storylines, does that mean you have like three POVs that you're reading from?

[00:10:50]>> Yeah, but they're also the same POV.

[00:10:53]>> Did you just spoil it?

[00:10:55]>> No.

[00:10:55]>> I um Whenever anybody says >> interesting.

[00:10:59]>> Whenever anybody says that the book has multiple storylines, I it I immediately like go, whoop, no, no. Hold on.

[00:11:06]>> Really? Why?

[00:11:07]>> no. I don't really care for that. It's one of these things I was thinking about What was I watching? I was talking Somebody was talking about Not like tropes, necessarily, but story structures that they tend to just like shy away from because they whatever. And they were naming off a few different ones in that multiple like POVs or like or multiple stories being told to tell one story. Like like What is the Lonesome Dove as an example of that.

[00:11:33]>> Um, that they shy away from those because they just feel like it makes things feel too not hard. It was never because they were hard or that they couldn't pay attention. It just made it they felt like they couldn't become invested in one place. They had to spread out their investment.

[00:11:46]>> Right.

[00:11:47]>> And I'm the same way. Whenever somebody says, "Yeah, it's great. You get these story all these different stories."

[00:11:52]There's something going on in the background that might be distracting.

[00:11:55]But I feel like those kinds of when anybody says that, it always causes me to be like, "I don't know about that."

[00:12:01]>> Yeah. No, I I mean I could see that. Uh, but Lonesome Dove, great book.

[00:12:06]>> I I seriously don't think I would I would like it as much as you do. And that's not because you're wrong and I'm right. It's because we have different tastes.

[00:12:15]>> I know. But but on that this this book definitely needs the way it from where book one ends >> Mhm.

[00:12:24]>> you need to do it this way.

[00:12:27]>> Okay.

[00:12:28]>> because that's just how he sets it up.

[00:12:31]But what it has done is it like is in it makes a little bit harder to uh, for me to remember who's who >> Mhm.

[00:12:40]>> in a little bit.

[00:12:41]>> another reason why I don't like >> Uh, but it's it's not it's more about me just not I don't I don't do well with having to remember names. Especially if the names are as we were talking with you earlier like if they are of a different language or like you know you're not they're not familiar.

[00:12:55]>> Right, absolutely.

[00:12:56]>> I don't remember who that's person supposed to be or how they I'll come to use them and that's it. But um, no, I am loving it. And once I get done with Lolita, which hopefully I'll be done today I'll be chewing through the rest of this in no time.

[00:13:10]>> And what was the other book that you're reading at night?

[00:13:12]>> The Drifters.

[00:13:13]>> It's funny cuz he's reading The Drifters. Like he talked about it earlier.

[00:13:16]>> one that's like uh, >> We can pop a picture up of it. And it's taking you you're reading that so slow.

[00:13:21]I feel like every time I look at it >> read it when we decide to read at night.

[00:13:25]>> Right.

[00:13:26]>> And and can only get through a couple pages before I fall asleep.

[00:13:29]>> just fine. But I'm enjoying it.

[00:13:30]>> Yeah, that's good. That's all that matters.

[00:13:32]There's a difference which makes me think of what you say about different storylines. I think about Lies of Locke Lamora because there are different vignettes in that about the different boys in the best the gentleman bastard.

[00:13:44]>> Yeah.

[00:13:45]>> But that's not what I'm talking about.

[00:13:47]There's like a distinction between like >> flashbacks.

[00:13:49]>> Flashbacks, vignettes to give you more character development.

[00:13:53]>> a continual story side by side.

[00:13:55]>> Or a whole separate like let's now talk about It's like I imagine those like music videos that are filmed in one take and you've got like a guy walking and you see him and then you see another person walk into the frame and then the camera goes off with that other person and it keeps doing that. Do you know what I'm talking about? That's that's what I imagine a Lonesome Dove type book being like. You have like the main guy and then he meets these people and then you're going to be with these people for a while and then like and then you go like these people this woman or whatever and then eventually you come back to the guy. Like that doesn't appeal to me.

[00:14:22]>> No.

[00:14:23]>> I don't know why I feel that I need to elaborate but it just really is something to me that I [laughter] I don't know. But yeah, that's that's the reading update for today.

[00:14:31]>> But we do have what we're looking forward to >> Yes.

[00:14:34]>> coming soon is our June book for the Patreon book club.

[00:14:39]>> I am so excited for this because it's going to be based on I've seen the movie and I know the book will be different than the movie but I think it's going to be a fun story. I think we're going to have some fun conversations.

[00:14:51]>> and as it got kind of brought up it's it involves an older man and a younger girl but not in in a very different way.

[00:15:01]Yeah.

[00:15:02]>> So it'll just be a fun change of pace.

[00:15:05]So if you did not want to join the book club because of Lolita, totally understand. Jump in for this and then we've got some other great books coming for the rest of the year but I'm excited about this. And I think this book cover whoever was in charge of designing this book cover >> for the re-release.

[00:15:18]>> did a fantastic job. I I think the the typeface, the cool >> Kind of has a old school McDonald's vibe to it.

[00:15:26]You know what I'm saying?

[00:15:27]>> Ketchup and mustard.

[00:15:28]Okay, I'm going with like western skulls and snakes but ketchup and mustard.

[00:15:34]>> Yeah.

[00:15:35]>> What does it say on the front? An epic and a legend.

[00:15:37]>> Yeah.

[00:15:37]>> Yeah, I'm excited for this. This is >> It'll be fun.

[00:15:39]>> Yeah. Oh, with an afterword by Donna Tartt. Everybody loves Donna Tartt.

[00:15:44]>> They do.

[00:15:45]But yeah, that's all we got >> Yeah, that's it. That's it for today.

[00:15:48]>> The um >> What are we going to do in the aftershow, babe? You usually come up with the aftershow.

[00:15:52]>> We'll do some fun stuff.

[00:15:54]>> Yeah. We'll talk about overrated authors.

[00:15:57]>> Yeah, or or more on your thoughts of multiple story line POVs.

[00:16:03]>> You know, I I have more thoughts.

[00:16:04]>> We'll dig into that a little bit more.

[00:16:05]>> into that. We'll talk about whether or not we think Donna Tartt is as great as everybody says she is. We don't know.

[00:16:11]>> Yeah, we don't know.

[00:16:11]>> Take everything we say with a grain of salt.

[00:16:14]Um we just got a new air fryer. Maybe we can talk about the air fryer.

[00:16:17]>> Yeah, we can do that.

[00:16:19]>> All right, that's it. We hope you guys have a great rest of your week. Let us know what you guys [music] are reading and if you're reading anything we should be reading. All right, bye.

[00:16:25]>> Bye.