Hello, and welcome to Bubbly Bib, the podcast about books and bubbles. Literature and l, authors and alcohol. We love books and bubbly. We are friends to offer. Curated book review section on our website and a hilarious podcast. We discuss books, drinks, and stories from our lives. I'm Rachel, and I am Carmen. After that last episode, I really can't stop thinking about books that have made an impression. On me, and that got me thinking about the reasons they made an impression. And it it seems a little pros which by the way is word that I learned from you've got mail with Meg ryan and Tom Hanks. To say that you love a book because the writing is beautiful, Of course, that's definitely a good reason to love a book, but there are a lot of authors out there who write beautifully. That is true. Some of my go to authors are Ag the Christie, Andy Weird, Jk k rowling, Taylor Jenkins read, and Neil Ga. I think we've talked about this before that we will buy, sorry all titles by a certain author, that they are our sure thing when it comes to a well written book. Yeah. And I thought it would be fun to take an episode to pick a few titles that are so different that we can't forget them. They are so unique that they deserve a special file folder in our memories. And as we think about this, and start to pick apart the raisins, why these titles stand out, When may see a pattern Well, listeners, it sounds like another episode, where we are gonna be adding some new titles to not only yours, but our Tbr list. Because in this episode, Carmen and I are gonna talk about unique, distinctive and innovative, books. Alright, girl. Well, I kinda made up a drink to tonight eat I am drinking a strawberry lemonade gi. So it's jen, elder flower tonic and a splash of that strawberry lemonade that I bought from Trader Joe's when we were? You using? I don't know. What? The British, the British 1? Temporary? Take take? Okay. Yeah. I am, I'm just going old school tonight, and I'm drinking a bot. Fran Chris White because, I'm too damn lazy to get in there and make anything. Plus, I'm having a hot flash restaurant. Sassy see you over their fanning yourself. I'm having a hot flash right now, and I I just... I can't stand the thought of drinking anything that makes me warm. So I just finished... Reading a dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden. It's a fantasy romance, but get this or Roman, love that. Oh my god. Are you kidding me? Yes. Is what they're calling it Remain. I Yeah. I hate that. Okay. Well, alright. It's a fantasy Romance. Anyway, it's about a younger sister Ar who ends up sacrificing herself to save her brother and her family. And she's captured by this most dangerous kingdom, you know, on the continent, and they are forcing her to work as a healer. And it's just really interesting and she meets. She meets the stranger who ends up being the king to So I'm given some of it away. So sorry about that. It is Kate Golden debut Fantasy, and it's a series. So I I just got the second book in it. Oh, so you'd like the... You like the first 1 have to go to the second 1. Yeah. Of course. I'm gotta I gotta do the second. No. You don't, but that's another episode. It's good though. I liked it. Okay. I just finished the change by Kirsten Miller, which was suggested to me by Sarah, and I gotta tell you right now. If you have not read this book, this is I drop everything and read this book because oh my gosh. It it is the change by Kirsten Miller And so this this book is about 3 middle aged women who are going through the change. And they... As their bodies start changing, so do their pro. Let's say they find powers within themselves. So 1 is a an enforce. 1 is or or like the Braun. 1 is the retribution. She make sure that you pay for your sins. And the other 1 is a seer. And so they opt... Come together in this little town, and it is just a bad feminist book. And I absolutely loved it. Alright. That's... I'm already putting another book on I... Tv. Yeah? Good. He hadn't even gotten to the good stuff. My first book is gonna be easy peasy. Because it's the Harry Potter series by Jk k rowling. Mh. I know. I bring this title up often. But there's a reason. It truly does check all the boxes. The bixby have been widely is... Has a very wide appeal across all the demographics. The all the characters are just really compelling. They're relatable, their disc and sweet. The action is the perfect combination of nail biting, close calls, like big victories, the villains are wonderfully, at. I had. The villains are wonderfully sinister. There is a fair amount of redemption. For various characters that move you from loa to loving. Yeah. Harry Potter and the sorcerer of stone was single handedly responsible for making a new generation of readers, excited about opening a book. Yeah. And not to be gender Specific here, but it's very difficult in particular to get adolescent and boys to read. And this entire series did turn adolescent boys into raiders, and I am so happy for that. All of this is definitely true, and that is definitely a good start. And you do bring it up a lot, but it's because it is so well done, agreed. So my first book is Ella Min p by Mark Dunn. And the subtitle on this book is a novel in letters and that doesn't mean correspondence. It means that alphabet. So the story is about a town with a large... Monolith type object in the town square covered in very large tiles of the alphabet. The town is named after a man they think developed the most famous pan. And a pan is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet. So the most famous 1 is the Quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. So there is 1 letter per tile on this monolith, and as time passes, a few of the tiles fall down to the ground. And as the tiles fall off, the text of the book also drops those letters. A matter of fact, The town council sets an that the citizens can't use the letter either. In either writing or inc... Station. And as the story continues more and more letters fall from the tower and the story. And by the time you get to the end of the story, there hardly any letters left. I absolutely adored this premise. This was such a cubic. You've mentioned it before, and it was on my Tbr, so I've gotten it It is adorable. But in the interest of time, let's take a break, come back for our next books. Okay. My next book, I read last year, so it's kind of a recent 1, and it's gonna be starter villain by John. Sc. So instead of following the typical hero's journey, this novel explores a life of a villain offering a really intriguing perspective. So Sc uses a lot of humor in this book. So the protagonist Charlie finds himself in the role of super villain, thanks to the death of his uncle, and he is thrown into this extraordinary life, with talking cats and talking dolphins and all kinds of other villains that he has to deal with. It's it's a funny It's funny also because this book is kinda in now, contemporary world where the... But the existence of super villains is just accepted. If not just part of life. But the... What's interesting is the story also kind of explores corporate culture versus modern capitalism, which kinda adds depth and relevancy to the story kinda adds a little bit of a theme. And it challenges the readers to think critically about morality and ethics. But Sc is... Really great at writing really quick wit dialogue, which really enhances the characters, interactions throughout the whole story, it it has a fast paced plot with unexpected twist. It's definitely unique and distinctive. I don't think I've ever heard you talk about this. When did you read it? Last year. It's so funny. I'm gonna have to check this 1 out. Is it... I'm gonna have to see if it's available. Starter villain by John Sc... Yeah. The whole thing sounds really cute. Yes. But, you know, this sounds like it would be a good movie, like a deadpool movie. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You'd have to maybe lot of Cgi, but And yeah. We'll have to can't cast this 1 later. My next book was memorable because it's the first 1 that I remember reading and feeling like I had been on a roller coach. Stir when I finished it. Like, I closed the book and thought, who have been on a roller coaster, and it's called the rook by Australian author Daniel O. And it's a crime mystery, supernatural Clan government organization novel. Wow. Okay. The main the main character wakes up with Em amnesia and in the box of another person. And so much happens in this book that I could not read it fast enough It's 1 of his books that you can never rate it in the same way again, and oh, I... It... It's part of a series. And I I read the other ones after it, but this 1 just grabs you by the balls even though I don't have any, And that's why I was absolutely fixated on this 1. That's good. That's gone on my Tbr list now I think. So for my next pick, you can really have your pick from... Sounds any of the world of token. And but I'm just gonna talk about the hobbit. Tolkien has created this rich fantasy world with diverse races and creatures. And, I mean, he developed a whole new genre of high fantasy where it has these complex worlds and epic quest and battles between good and evil. And he did this in the narratives style which blended this... Well, light lighthearted adventure with deep meaningful themes. He He always does it from the Hero's journey in his books, the... So in this, the protagonist, Bilbo ins, the hobbit is this unlikely hero, which valued piece and comfort and just, you know, second breakfast in his home, more than adventure. And you remember I mentioned that I tried to read this... The first time I tried to read this in high school. I opened it and they're like, there's a map. And I'm like, mh. I was like, this is not like this. So that makes it very unique and distinctive because he he used his own illustrations. And maps in the books to help the re... With the reader experience. And I think it's just an enduring legacy that Tolkien had started and created through the hobbit in all in all his books. Yeah. You know, in as full disclosure, Rachel. The hobbit is the only tolkien book I've ever read. Oh, okay. Mh. Yeah. And, I was really nicely surprised at how much I loved it. Yeah. So, well, I can't believe it's been 7 years since I read this next book, I'm gonna talk about Lincoln in the bard by George Saunders. It's about 1 night set in a cemetery where Abraham Lincoln's 11 year old son is buried. There are 166 narrator in this story. Some are actual historical figures and others are fictional 6 but all of these people are in the bard, which is kind of a transitional place between death and rebirth, according to Buddhism. And it... It's a beautiful work at won the booker prize, and it's comics experimental literature, which means that it's hard to define the genre, and the the tag may be in a format different from the normal pros of other novels, like, sometimes this 1 is written like a play. And there may be drawings and handwritten notes or photographs within the text. But the 1 thing that really got to me is this spirits are watching Lincoln. And the crib where tad is, and Lincoln opens the casket and he hugs his son. Okay goodness yes. And he just he just holds him and hugs him, and the the ghosts or the spirits are so moved by this because they've never ever seen anyone do that before. And, you know, Lincoln is such a a conflict man anyway and to add this even more to it through this, Geo Saunders just really did something here that I have never experienced before. And it it was just a beautiful beautiful book. So my next book is gonna be... Long way down by Jason Reynolds. This book is very unique and distinctive in that it is a 1 minute story. The entire narrative takes place over the course of a single minute during an elevator ride. And so this compressed timeline heighten the tension and the urgency of this story making, I mean, because every second and every word is counting. The the book tackle the pressing issues of gun violence, And, like the cycles of revenge in this urban community. It really does provide an honest look at all the consequences of the actions prompting the reader to reflect on violence in the society. So the main character will, experiences, profound conflict and growth within the short minute going down. He's just questioning everything and reflecting and questioning as morality and and everything. It's just very powerful and relatable And the other thing that makes it distinct is the characters are ghosts. So every time the elevator opens up, the, you know, a ghost. From his life joins him. And the other thing is it's all done on this in a elevator, which makes it like very claustrophobic and intense because there's nowhere else This trapped emotional state is very symbolic. So it's very poetic it has lots of visuals that add to this storytelling. It's just always gonna be in my top 10. Well, let me tell you. I I go back and listen to our episodes, and you were talking talking about this book in another 1 of the episodes when you were reading it. And I went to thrift dot com, and I bought the hard cover talking But I also noticed that there is a graphic fucking novel. And I bought that too. I know I'm really really excited to get those in because you know Rachel, I do not willy nilly buy a book. No. No. But when I saw that you were gonna talk about it, again, on this episode, I thought. Mh. I am... I'm throwing in the towel. Rachel has won again on my Tbr. Good well, my next book is Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. This book was shocking. To me. And let me tell you why I I absolutely was 100 percent invest did in this book. And it's about the the Greek Demi god achilles and his best friend. And you know, I talked about this book, not too many episodes ago, I think on booking hangover overs, But this book is such a beautiful love story. And achilles loved each other so purely. And so fiercely that even achilles got married and had a child, with a a woman and Understood completely that that's what was expected of him. But the bond between these to and spoiler alert. I mean, Pet, he absolutely, gives himself up on the battlefield so that achilles can live. And Wow. It was just Oh, it was just such a gorgeous gorgeous book that I I tell everyone if you want... A beautiful love story. This is the 1. And I really really hope they make a movie out of this and cast it prop. And if you're a director or casting agent out there, you might wanna listen to our butcher the movies episode with casting suggestions. Oh, I know. You had some good ones on that. I I really... I think I did too. But this 1, if if you have not read this book, please add it to your list. Okay. Well, my last book, is the house in the Ce sea by Tj j K. You've read this. Right? Haven't you read this? Mh. This book is just heartwarming. It has a very whim tone, but it is a rich. Story with provoking themes. It has inclusive characters, including Lgbtq plus representation, like in a real natural and heartfelt story, the, particularly in the relationship between lin and author, It also tackle issues of prejudice, discrimination and fear of the unknown using the magical children as metaphors. The book, it's a... It combines magical realism with, you know, the contemporary world. So It just enhances the backdrop of the story. K writes with really a lot of humor. He's very light hearted. But he balances that out with some of the some of his themes that are kind of heavy, can be heavy. But so don't discount the story because of its whim or shrug it off as a funny book because it does address, a lot of modern themes in a real unique way. We'll the other 1. Light under the, whispering door. Yeah. That... And and then puppet it. Our lives is not. I I have not read that 1 yet, but the light under the Whispering door, it... That's again. Yeah. It's a... It they're very it's a very different take on how to tell a story that has a lot of heart to it. He's really good about making unique stories books. I just had to pick 1. They're all like, this 1 is 1 of my favorites because it has 1 of my favorite characters who is Luc as a child, and they call them Lucy. Mh. And, he's 1 of my favorites. You know, you don't hear that name very often on school roles. So well, you know, we're we're nearing the end of this, and and I I have several. So I'm gonna I'm gonna talk about 2 real quick. Once a here. My first 1 is remarkably bright creatures by Shelby Van Pe. Because I loved Marcel, and how the story was told from the perspective of an octopus and spoiler alert when Marcel marcelo passes at the end, you're okay with it because Marcel has prepared you to accept the fact that he only lives a certain number of years. And then you have the cleaning lady whose life is completely changed because of this octopus, and it was really the first time I had read a book with an an animal as a protagonist, And it was definitely the It it was it was great. The other 1 that I wanna talk about is garden spelled by Sarah Addison and Allen. Because of that 1 is the first magical realism book that I read followed very shortly thereafter by practical magic by Alice Hoffman. But garden spells by Sarah Addison Allen. It's just it is like eating cotton candy. You know, it... You can see it and it has substance, But when it goes inside you, it just turns into beautiful spun sugar. And Sarah Addison Allen is 1 of those authors that I will read no matter what she puts out. So so those those are my, 2 or 3 that I wanted to talk about quickly. And I I just... There were a lot of books here. I had trouble. Right? There was a lot. I think we did a really good job. And the sound of our cheering fans means it's time for listener comments. We've noticed a problem in the production of the last few episodes, and I hope we have fixed all these things now. I had my microphone, on a setting that I don't normally have. I don't know why it changed on me. Thank you to Sarah for letting us know that it wasn't up to our normal standards. On And also, thanks to Sarah for suggesting some really good topics for future episodes. You will hear 1 of her suggestions very soon. But could have added a lot more on this list. I mean, we could've have probably talked about this for another hour. Did you have to... Call many to stay within this time frame, Carmen? You know, I really did, which is why I crammed 2 or 3 into that last... That section. I'm gonna encourage you to look at 4321 by Paul Os Life after life by Kate Atkinson and the classic, the illustrated man by Ray Brad. Because every 1 of those is unlike any book you've ever read. So please write all 3 of those down, Paul ought, Stuart Kate Atkinson Ray Brad, and and let us know if you decide to rate any of those. Let us know which books you would consider unique, distinctive or innovative. Good rates has a list. Out there called weird and wonderful stories. And I'm gonna have to check out these books. There, when I looked at it a few days ago, there were a hundred and 6 5 titles on the list and many of them were brand new titles to me. Another good thing to add to avoid if you don't wanna expand your Tbr list. I love searching as read List. There are some great lists out there and I like most of them are open, so anyone could add to it. And remember to check us out on all of our social media and continue to like, comment and add your own unique content and don't forget to share our episodes. It's very, very important that you share our episodes and we get our readers... Our, listeners up. And remember you want to stand out like a sunflower be unique and bloom where you're planted.