Podcast appearances and mentions of aj finn

Welcome to Episode 4 of Thrillers by the Bookclub Podcast! Join your hosts Chelsea and Olivia as we talk about the latest in thrillers including shout outs for Pub Day and a deep dive into two books we love. Chelsea's Book: The Woman Inside by EG Scott (available now!) - Similar Suggestions: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn, Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney, Long Bright River by Liz Moore Olivia's Book: Last One Alive by Karin Nordin (available now!) - Similar Suggestions: Where the Ravens Roost by Karin Nordin, The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup, Jo Nesbo books Contact Us: Email: thrillersbythebookclubpod@gmail.com Instagram: Chelsea: @thrillerbookbabe Olivia: @oliviadaywrites Happy Pub Day! Forsaken Country by Allen Eskens Suspect by Scott Turrow The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson Nothing but Night by Greg King and Penny Wilson Other Crime Entertainment Mentioned (Book) The Rule of Three by EG Scott (Book) When the Moon Turns to Blood by Leah Sotil (TV Show) Only Murders in the Building (True Crime Podcast) Up & Vanished (True Crime Podcast) To Live & Die in LA (True Crime Podcast) Mommy Doomsday (True Crime Podcast) My Favorite Murder (Instagram Live) T'was the Night Before Book Launch with Vanessa Lillie (@vanessalillie)

Agatha Christie - The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd - Episode 1 - Meet The Author That Made The Whodunit What It Is Today!   I'm Christy Shriver, and we're here to discuss books that have changed the world and have changed us.    And I'm Garry Shriver and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast.  For the next two episodes, we are going to discuss an author who for me flies under the radar when we think of literary icons.  When you look at the lists of the world's greatest writers and/or novels, she's never on then.  Yet, she has sold more books than any other novelist in the world- bar none.  Her books collectively in terms of sales rank only after The Holy Bible and the works of William Shakespeare, totally over 2.3 billion copies sold.  Those kinds of numbers we only talk about when we're talking about Amazon, Google or the National Debt of entire countries.      HA! So true.    She is also the author of the single longest running play ever to play in London's West End.  The name of that play, The Mousetrap,  opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when all stage performances were discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Performances of The Mousetrap restarted on March 17, 2021, as soon as state restrictions were lifted.  In case, you haven't figured out who we're talking about yet, today we're discussing the Queen of Crime, Dame Agatha Christie.    It really and truly is impressive how enormous of a body of work that Mrs. Christie has AND how influential her work has become.  For clarification, why do we say Dame Agatha Christie.     Of course, Dame is the feminine equivalent of Sir, it's a honorific title, in her case, she received an Order of Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1971 from Queen Elizabeth II.   Oh wow, that sounds very impressive however, at the same time, people, far less successful- non-recipients of Commander titles from Queen Elizabeth I might add, scoff at her and her work.  Many claim she's not to be taken seriously, her work isn't sophisticated, it's clichéd, yada-yada-yada…They say this in spite of all the big numbers.  Garry, beyond the big 2.3 billion in sales, quantify for us in other ways what the data reveals about Dame Christie.     Sure, first there's the amount of works she produced.  She famously wrote 66 detective novels, 14 collections of short stories (that's 150 short stories) as well as over 30 plays.  The most famous, we already mentioned, The Mousetrap.  But there are other numbers to consider, beyond just how much she produced.  Because of the long running status of The Mousetrap, her name has been in the newspapers of the West End every day without fail with the exception of 2020 since 1952 (btw, just in case you are doing the math on the performances, that number is over 25,000 of the Mousetrap- and that is just in London's West End). .   She tried to retire at the age of 75, but her books were selling so well, she said she'd give it five more years.  She actually wrote until one year before her death at age 86.   Less famously she wrote six semi-autobiographical, bitter-sweet novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.   Interestingly enough, it took 20 years for the world to uncover the identity of Mary Westmacott as being the detective icon Agatha Christie.      That is a funny fact to me, I guess she thought it would ruin her reputation to write sappy books?.  I haven't read them, but her daughter Rosalind Hicks had this to say about her mother's romantic books. "They are not ‘love stories' in the general sense of the term, and they certainly have no happy endings. They are, I believe, about love in some of its most powerful and destructive forms."  They were moderately successful in their own right , even without her name of the cover, and Christie was said to be proud of that accomplishment, but obviously romance wasn't her forte.   Beyond just the quantity of work she produced, the amount of it we've consumed as a planet is also incredible.  Today her books are translated in over 100 languages, 48 million, at least have watched her movies, including I might add the one that is out right now, Death on the Nile Here's a. numbers fun-fact, in 1948 she became. the first crime writer to have 100,000 copies of ten of her titles published by Penguin on the same day in what is called - A Penguin Million   Oh wow- I guess that's like going platinum of something in the music industry.   I'd say that's a platinum in a day- usually the term going platinum refers to selling a million over the course of a life time- a single day is crazy..  In terms of dollars, I tried to find a good figure, but I don't really know.  At the time of her death, it's estimated she was worth $600 million, but she had incorporated her work in a business, of course, which of course lives on chaired and managed by Agatha Christie's great grandson James Prichard.    To me, it's an amazing resume, and I'm not a literary person, so obviously I'm looking at this differently, but I don't see how anyone could realistically contest that she's a good writer.  It sounds laughable in the face of so much success- if that's not good writing, how could we possibly measure it?  HA!  It shows how much you know- you'd make a perfectly horrible literary snob.  Everyone who's anyone knows, you can't go by the views of the lowly general population aka, the box-office!!!    Oh, well there is that.  But, just for those of us, who don't know, in all seriousness how can you explain her success away?  Well, no one is going to do that.  Obviously, but it does boil down to how you define your fiction.  In one sense, we can divide fiction into two broad categories- there's literary fiction and commercial fiction.  Obviously, commercial fiction is written to be sold.  It's the reason there are more Marvel movies than I can count on both my hands and toes.  They sell well and are enjoyable to consue.  It's why there are multiple versions of basically the same Spiderman movie, or double-digit sequels to Star Wars.  Now, there is nothing wrong with any of that that- we love it.  Every bit of that is fun and defines the culture of the world in some sense.   But there is a sense, and this is the English teacher nerd, that some of us find those pieces unsatisfying over the long term- and not worth teaching as a work of art in school.  There are many books we just don't care to read more than once.  There are many movies and songs we feel the same way about.  They are good but not considered of literary merit because there is no enduring quality to them.  On the flip side, there are other books that speak to man's condition., that expresses universal truths, that reflect something about the world that resonates inside of us- which is why we can read, watch or listen to them over and over again and still love it.  I would suggest that The Scarlet Letter or Hamlet are examples of that.  When we read them agin, we find something else that perhaps we didn't see before, of even if we did see it beflre, it satisfies something eternal inside of us to hear it once again.  The knock on Agatha Christie is that they say she's full-on commercial fiction and there is just nothing universally true about what she has to say.  The critique is that her characters are flat and underdeveloped, even the main ones.   The main character in our book is Hercule Poirot but her other main reoccurring character is a woman named Miss Marple – both are sort of shallow, honestly, featureless except for maybe being kind of annoying.  Christie investigates crime, but she doesn't really seem all that interested in any of the existential or moral questions surrounding crime-  like what social causes lead people to these actions.  She doesn't explore any social, psychological or moral issues of any kind in any real obvious way?   And do you agree with that?  Well, honestly, a little.  You can't deny that the characters are flat, and, it's absolutely true, she doesn't get into any deep discussions about the nature of man.  But having acknowledged that, I cannot discount the numbers, and so I feel compelled to think about it more deeply.   Well, and just to add to the confusion, we've been poking fun at the hoi polloi here, but from what I read, Christie is popular primarily with higher educated audiences.  She is a preferred writer of the world's academic elites.    I know, and she has been since she started writing a far more accomplished litearary critic than myself was a ardent fan of Agatha Christie, the Nobel Prize winner, TS Eliot.  Eliot actually loved all crime fiction, especially Agatha Christie.  He even wrote about it from a critical standpoint.  For TS Eliot, good crime fiction had to follow five basic rules.  Let me read these to you:  (1) The story must not rely upon elaborate and incredible disguises.  (2) The character and motives of the criminal should be normal. In the ideal detective story we should feel that we have a sporting chance to solve the mystery ourselves; if the criminal is highly abnormal an irrational element is introduced which offends us.  (3) The story must not rely either upon occult phenomena, or, what comes to the same thing, upon mysterious and preposterous discoveries made by lonely scientists.  (4) Elaborate and bizarre machinery is an irrelevance.  (5) The detective should be highly intelligent but not superhuman. We should be able to follow his inferences and almost, but not quite, make them with him.    I think I must agree with the Nobel- prize winner.  We do intuitively feel that way about a good crime novel.  So, taking Elliot's list as the standard or rubric for crime novels, should that have different standards than other books or rather- No insight to life or theme necessary?  Oh, I don't know about that.  I think anything that lasts 100 years, as does the book we're going to discuss- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,  it turns 100 in June of 2026, - anything people are reading for that long-  must be saying something.  So the mystery the mystery novel is what resonates with our souls in these works?  HA!  A little irony.   Yes, but before we get into the nitty, gritty about what makes this book great, oh and make no mistake, it IS considered great. The 2013  The Crime Writers Association claimed The Murder of Roger Ackroyd to be the greatest crime novel of all times- so there you go for a shout out- I haven't read enough crime novels to contest them.- but before we talk about this particular book- let's talk about Christie' life, for just a bit, and bring us up to speed on how this book came about.  She has a bit of a mystery embedded in her life story as well.  Indeed- but I will say, one thing I do enjoy about the books is that, at least the ones I've read, are often set in this very English very Victorian setting.  There's some fun in that.  True, you can't say that Christie didn't write about what she knew.  She was born in Torquay in 1890..  Torquay is a seaside town on the Southeastern side of the UIK.  I saw one article that called it the. English Riviera.  It's a resort town, and once even Elizabeth Barrett Browning was sent there to help recover her health.  Her family was an upper-middle class family,  In other words, they were financially well-enough but not limitlessly wealthy.  One interesting to note is that that family did not approve of her learning and didn't want her to read until she was eight.  It seems the general attitude of the time is that smart girls had trouble finding reliable husbands that wanted them (I'm not going to speak to that thought).  Oh dear, I would like to say that I find smart women immeasurably attractive.    Well, thank you, darling.  In her case, there was no holding even little Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller (that's her maiden name), back.  Apparently, she just picked it up on her own, and eventually her nurse had to confess that Agatha had taught herself to read.  HA!  Oh my, there's a rebel.  Well, did they relinquish ahd let her go to school at that point.  Well, it depends on what you mean by school.  When she turned 15, they sent her to Paris to attend finishing school.  I probably could have used that kind of support myself, honestly.  At Mrs. Dryden's finishing school she studied singing and piano playing.  This is what Christie herself said about it years later, “I am hazy now as to how long I remained at Miss Dryden's – a year, perhaps eighteen months, I do not think as long as two years.”    So, not reading Voltaire or Flaubert.   Well, maybe she did, but not because she was forced to.  But, reading was not her only rebellious streak.  In 1914, Agatha met, fell in love with and became engaged  on Christmas Eve to the man of her dreams,  A very handsome war pilot named Archie Christie.  Unfortunately, this was not the match her mother had in mind for her.    What was wrong with him?  Well, not his looks or personality,  He seemed to have that covered.  His problem was that He had no money.  But they married and a few months later Rosalind, her only daughter was born.  During WW1 Archie went off to war.  Agatha stayed home, trained and worked as a nurse at the local Red Cross hospital in Torquay- and let me add here, this is where she got her start learning so much about drugs- something she became very knowledgeable of and used successfully during her entire career.  In 56 of her novels there are over 200 references to specific, individual drugs.    So, can we expect that a large number of her characters will get poisoned?  No, not necessarily,although that IS a thing.  The most commonly dispensed drugs by Mrs. Christie were sedatives.  As you might expect, if someone is always being murdered, you may need to have a supply on hand to calm down or even put to sleep your cast of suspects.  But there are pain relievers, stimulants, blood pressure medicines, barbituates and even antidotes to other poisons.      Of course, our book, The Murder of Roger Ackrod has three drugs: liniment for a knee problem, tonic as a stimulant and of course, veronal which is the cause of a lethal overdose early in the story.    Yes, so after the war,  In 1920, after six rejections, her first real novel finally got published for $25 (pounds),- not a big risk on the part of the publisher. The title of that book was The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and it introduced the world to a 5'4 Belgian refugee who would charm and annoy readers for over 100 years, Hercule Poirot.  It did well, but her breakthrough novel would be her third novel.  It came out in the summer of 1926.  It became a best seller and launched her into a stardom from which she would never return, which is remarkable, but honestly, it's not the most interesting to happen to her that year.   I'm not sure how you top becoming a best seller.  I know, right, but it can be bested!  So, the story goes that the year 1926, in general, starts out a little rough.  Agatha's mother, who was very dependent on her daughter, died in April- and this was devastating for Agatha.  But, while she was at her mother's estate with their seven year old daughter, Rosalind, Archie revealed that he had fallen in love with another woman by the name of Nancy Neele, and he wanted a divorce.  Agatha said no.  She was deeply in love with him, and she wasn't willing to give him up.  Well on December 3 of that same year, Archie informed Agatha that he did not want to be married to her and he wasn't going to be married to her.  To somewhat reinforce this idea, he told her he was going off for the weekend with Ms. Neele.- which he did.  Apparently, Agatha did not receive this news well..and this is where the mystery begins…..and it does sound quite a bit like a story she would write.  So at 9:45pm, we know that Agatha left the house in her car after having written three letters- one to her secretary Charlotte Fisher, one to Archie and one to Archie's brother Campbell.   So far, I feel like I listening to an explanation by Piorot.    Exactly, and here is where it gets very strange.  Agatha does not return home.  In fact, she will be missing for 11 days.  The next day they find her car crashed in a tree above a local quarry with the head lights still on.  Her fur coat was in the car as well as  a small suitcase and an expired driver's license.  There was no blood anywhere in the car.   There were no skid marks on the road like you might have expected if she had been driving too fast and there had been an accident.  Finally the gearshift was in neutral, the way it would be if you had been pushing the car and not driving it.   It makes no sense, but Agatha was gone.    Well, the world went nuts.  Numbers very but possibly up to a 1000 police officers were dispatched on four countinents looking for her.  15,000 volunteers, fans, amateur detectives and so forth, joined the hunt. They used airplanes and diving equipment.  Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle joined in- remember that's Sherlock Holmes.  He took Christie's glove to his medium for a consultation to see if she could find her.    I'm guessing no.  No.  She wasn't in the afterlife. Everyone around the world was looking for this mystery writer.  When Archie got back from his weekend activity- which quite likely was an engagement party a friend threw for him and Nancy, he found a very different world- than just the unpleasantness of fighting again with Agatha; , now he was a potential murder suspect.  He also found his letter, which curiously he and burned immediately- to this day,  no one has any idea what she wrote in that letter.  His brother, Campbell, got his later, and strangely again, his letter was postmarked on Saturday AFTER Agatha went missing,  This does sound like Hercule Poirot and I'm starting to need to employ my little gray cells just to keep up.    Exactly, what secret did Campbell carry that also caused him to dispose of his letter as well.  Everything seemed to indicate that Archie had murdered her.  The police dragged the ponds, searched everywhere, it was in every newspaper on earth… until on December 14th, two musicians report seeing Mrs. Christie at a luxury spa called the Harrogate Hydro.  She had checked into the hotel days before under the name, get this- Mrs. Theresa Neele (Archie's girlfriend's last name).  This honestly sounds exactly like something she would right.  Was she play-acting?.  We will never know, this mystery, I'm sorry to say, is unsolved.  Christie had told the people at the spa that she had arrived from South Africa. She played pool, she danced, she read mystery novels in the hotel library.  She seemed undisturbed.  And here's an even stranger turn of events, Archie covered for his wife afer she was busted.  She was immediately accused of abusing an entire country's police resources over a publicity stunt, but Archie helped dispel this criticism.   He called in two doctors, they interview Agatha, and arrived at the conclusion that Agatha Christie suffered an episode of temporary amnesia.  She stress of her mother's death, the success of new book and the divorce from her husband led to a nervous breakdown.  The only thing she ever admitted to was havin been in a car crash, but even that is suspect since although she said she bruised her head, no one ever saw any bruises.  Well, after the bitterness of paying all those police overtime, can we say, all's well that ends well.?  For Agatha, yes, but not Archie.  The scandal sold gobs of books, and basically cemented her celebrity, but it also portrayed Archie as a terrible person.  How terrible for a man to do such a thing to his wife and cause the Queen of Crime to have a nervous breakdown.  He got to be the world's biggest schmuck.  Nancy Neele's family were so embarrassed they sent her on an around the world trip for ten months trying to get her away from Archie.  It didn't work though.  Archie and Nancy did get married two years later.  But so did, Agatha.  And her second marriage was to a man who adored her.  They were amazingly compatible and had a wonderful marriage.  He was an archeologist, and they spent time all over the world- hence the setting of several of her books including Murder on the Orient Express.    So, do you buy Agatha had amnesia.  Personally, not at all.  I think she got angry, ran off and then things got crazy.  I did read that she was shocked at how the story blew up.  She never imagined that that many police would come looking for her. Do you think it was legit?  It does seem a little far-fetched.  And to be the world's most famous detective novelist- I'd say, there's room to doubt.  But I'm keeping an open-mind- isn't that what Hercule Poirot would tell us to do.  The question I have is what were in those letters she left Archie and Campbell.  We need Hercule Poirot, as he would remind us, nothing is ever concealed to him..  He would have gotten to the bottom of it..    Oh, no doubt- so are we ready to meet Hercule Poirot and open the Murder of Roger Ackroyd?.   I think so, so let me make an important disclaimer- we are NOT going to spoil the book this episode by telling you who the murderer is, but we will next episode.  So, if you are starting the book now and are listening to this in real time, you have one week…. But you do have a week.  This week we are going to look at the book from the perspective of understanding how Christie was adhering very cleverly to the conventions of what we call a “formal detective. Novel” - otherwise known as the “whodunit”.  Edgar Alan Poe is credited of creating the detective story,  but of course most of us think of Sir Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and his side-kick Watson as being kind of the iconic example of what this looks like. Agatha Christie basically follows their pattern but takes it from the short story to the longer novel form.  As we might expert per the conventions of the trade, we are going to open up our story in an English country house- think of every clue like movie you have ever seen.   But in this case, there has already been a murder, but not the one from the title.  Let's read the opening couple of paragraphs.  Page 1  We also meet the narrator who is going to walk us through the story, Dr. James Shepperd and his meddling sister Caroline (Caroline, by the way is going to by the prototype for Mrs. Marple, Christie's other detective.). But since the opening murder isn't the murder from the title of the book, so we know this isn't the right murder.  I want to say that another characteristic of these formal detective stories is that we don't have emotional connections to any of the characters of the story.  We are not made to feel upset in the least that there has been a murder.  At no point in the story at all are we to feel sad about anything- not when victims die,or get falsely accused or anything.  We don't feel angry either, in fact, there are no negative emotions at all.  We aren't even led to find the perpetrator necessarily an evil person.    You know, I think that may be one of the appeals.  We feel enough anger, guilt or sadness in real life. These books may be relaxing  BECAUSE we don't have to be emotionally stressed out about anything.  We can just enjoy the process of the puzzle..  We know the murder will get solved, and all will be set aright in the world.  So, it's just a matter of watching everything unfold.  True, and although there is fun in trying to guess who did it and following the clues, but I'll be honest, I didn't figure out who the murderer was, and I basically never do when I read these thing. I barely even try.  And I don't think most people do either, or even care to try.    I know, kind of like when someone tells you a riddle, you're likely to give it about 30 seconds, then you want them to tell you what the riddle is.  Exactly.    Funny, by chapter 2, we meet the man who will be murdered, Roger Ackroyd. King's Abbot, which is the name of this village, apparently has several very wealthy people- one of which is already dead, Mrs. Ferrars; the other is getting ready to die, Roger Ackroyd- and the crime scene will be Mr. Ackroyd's house, Fernly Park, of course.  For me, one of the hardest parts of this book is keeping straight in. my mind all of the characters that will necessarily become the suspects.  That IS the hard part, but that's one of the most important elements of the entire game.  We have to know who each of these suspects will be, so we can focus not only on whether they have opportunity and means, but if they also have motive.    And we meet the cast of suspects here at the beginning.  There's Mrs. Russell, the housekeeper.  There's the two female relatives, a sister-in-law and her beautiful daughter, Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd and Flora.  We don't meet but we find out about Ralph Paton, Mr. Ackroyd's adopted son who seems to have a reputation for being irresponsible with money and women but who will be the heir to the fortune.  When our narrator, Dr. Shepperd, meets Roger Ackroyd on the road, Ackroyd is extremely upset.    Let's read that encounter.  Page 11  And that is an example of Christie's writing style that I find so charming.  The narrator takes us into his confidences and these little aside comments to us, as readers, are charming and endearing.  We find ourselves as we read the story trusting Dr. Shepperd's understanding of the murder, for one reason precisely because he takes us into his confidence   True, although I will say, another reason we trust him is because the detective Hercule Poirot takes him so often into his confidence.  Dr. Shepperd goes everywhere and helps with the investigation from start to finish.  He's kind of like Watson to Sherlock Holmes.    True, and we see that this cast of characters looks remarkably like a lot of them from this Golden Age and in fact, they are the stock characters from many a Clue game.  We will have the damsel in distress, (who we have already met with Flora).  We'll have the house staff who are always keeping secrets thus making them suspicious. Besides Miss Russell, who we've met there's also Geofrey Raymond, who is Roger Ackroyd's secretary, Ursula Bourne who is a house maid, and John Parker, the Butler.  Of course- the Butler in the library with the Candle-sticks.  HA!! To which we say, is that your guess.  For those of you who don't know, that's how you play the game of Clue.  So true.  And so when we get to chapter five and Dr. Shepperd gets the call to come over to the house go inspect the body because there has been a murder, we already have all of suspects lined up and ready to go.  Well, and although this next feature isn't in a game of Clue, We can't overlook the buffoon policemen who will be foils to our eccentric but brilliant detective.  Inspector Davis who comes over initially and then later on Inspector Raglan our of members of the law enforcement community..    Oh, and let's not fail to mention the silent almost brooding Major Hector Blunt- our visiting military man, who although never is a suspect in this particular murder, has an important role in the story, none the less, because he's secretly in love with Flora, and this would not be a classic detective story without a romantic interest somewhere.  You know, it's almost like we're not reading a drama at all.  In some ways these books feel like sit-coms.    That is it exactly.  And I want to make this point, a formal detective novel of this tradition, is not a tragedy at all, but in fact, meets the criteria of what we would call a comedy.  If you remember from our series on Romeo and Juliet, we talked about the difference between a comedy and a tragedy. A comedy ends in marriage and a tragedy in death.  From a literary stand point, an Agatha Christie novel, and those that are modeled after hers, are popular precisely because they are comedies of manners cloaked as tragedies (it's a trick).  The characters serve comedic purposes- not thematic ones.  That's why it's okay that they are pretty much the same stock characters in every story.  The story would be totally different and if fact would be a completely different genre, if we did not have every assurance, life would end well.  Let me explain what I mean,  Recently, Lizzy and I watched together the Netflix movie, The Woman in the. Window.  Lizzy had just finished reading the book  by AJ Finn and had really liked it.  It's also a murder mystery, but totally different in purpose and genre.  In The Woman in the Window,, the characters are serious, They struggle with anxiety and depression.  The characters themselves are meant to be deeply analyzed- that's the entire point of it.  Finn is commenting on issues regarding mental health.  That is not Christie's purpose at all.   It would take away from the fun really if she went that direction.  In comedies, only the unlikeable characters ever really suffer anything terrible.  And Roger Ackroyd,, although we don't get to know him very well, is not a likeable person.  He's selfish, stingy and is forcing his son Ralph and Flora to get married against their wills (in fact, we find out towards the end, that Ralph is actually already secretly married to the parlormaid) and this makes Ackroyd lose his mind.  In chapter six, Dr. Shepperd describes Ackroyd of having a “choleric temper”- and although it's never good to murder people because they are disagreeable, it's worth pointing out that Christie doesn't go to any trouble to make Ackroyd likeable in any way.  The point being, we don't really care that Ackroyd's been murdered really.  There's nothing tragic about it.    And so the fun of every chapter is following Hercule Poirot around, interviewing all the witnesses and seeing if we can figure out before he does who the murderer is.  Who has the most compelling reason to do it, and it will turn out that almost everyone stands to gain something from his death.  Exactly, except we don't figure it out- and if Christie's success is any indication I don't think almost anyone in the last 100 years figured it out before Poirot.  During my second reading of the book, the one where I read it after already knowing who killed Roger Ackrod, I realized that Poirot had the murder solved well before- well, at least before chapter 17.    I want to revisit that, but before we do, let's flesh out a little our heroic detective.  This isn't the first book where she introduces Poirot, but I was surprised to see that he was retired.  I didn't expect that precisely because I knew she wrote 66 novels, and I had heard of this funny little man, as he is described.    And he IS a funny little man- obnoxious and ridiculous.  And the way Christie introduces him is funny too.  Hercule moves into the house next door to Dr. Shepperd and his sister Caroline live.  They are both unmarried.  James is a doctor, and Caroline's main occupation is local purveyor of gossip- something she seems to conduct through a very sophisticated network of servants and friends.  Dr. Shepperd acts annoyed by it, but he also seems very impressed with her mad-dog skills.  Before we meet Poirot, we are led to believe by Dr. Shepperd that the mysterious neighbor next door must a hairdresser as evidenced by his perfectly groomed mustache.    That mustache is what he is most famous for- that and his egg-shaped head- whatever that is.  According to Christie, he was inspired by a Belgian refugee she saw coming off of a bus after the first World War.  Of course, all of the inspiration was external, and she never met the gentleman personally, but she took that inspiration and created a short man, with a distinguished mustache, a solid head of black hair and an egg-shaped head.  She wanted him to have as she called it a “grandiloquent name”- hence Hercule and she wanted him to be very orderly, brilliant but vain.  After a while, she says she came to be resentful that she was stuck with him since she didn't like him very much.  Well, and funny enough, at one point in her career, she killed him off, but her publishers didn't let her publish that book.  What, she killed Hercule? Did it ever get published?  Oh, it eventually did, of course, we'll save that story for next week.    Oh okay, something to look forward to, but back to our book, if you are a Christie fan, you'll know immediately that the mysterious hairdresser is none other than our sleuth.  If this is your first Christie book, you may not but it doesn't matter.  By chapter 8, he's in the mix having been hired by Flora to figure out who killed her uncle.   By chapter 6, we've also introduced a rogue stranger with a mysterious accent, who we know from years of experience with other detective novels and movies, cannot possibly be the murderer- he's too much of a ruffian.  We all know that our criminal, although technically a criminal by virtue of having murdered someonw, will have no actual noticeable criminal behaviors.  In fact, he likely will have impeccable manners, just like everyone else in the story.We won't experience any bloody murder scenes; there will no harsh language, the investigation will be polite and the world “unpleasantness” will be the euphemism of choice to describe anything from the dagger in the neck to the awkward questioning   Well, speaking of the daggar to the neck, I'm assuming that a spectacular weapon of choice is also a characteristic of the formal detective story.  OH, it absolutely is.  And ours, does not disappoint- we have a Tunisian one of a kind dagger.  Let's read about it.   Page 64-65  And of course, the details are the glorious part.  In fact, that's one reason I never even attempt to solve these murders.  It tires me out to weed through all of the details.  There is a diagram of the study, the specifics of when Dr. Shepperd left, when he was called back, when Flora last heard from her uncle, where everyone was at exactly the time of the murder, the phone call, the foot print, the in and out of the garden house over and over again- all of it laid out before us with consummate British precision.  The pieces of the puzzle are completely spread on the table ready to be ordered again.  The universe that Christie creates, some have called claustrophobic because it's small and contained, but that's what's great about it.  It's knowable, ordered, and most importantly benevolent.  These people are good- likely even the murderer.  Of course, they are trying to get away with little lies and deceptions because Victorian society is very demanding, but even the murderer is not going to want to leave willingly.  He or she will only leave as a final resort.  This world is rational and sensible and one where even we as readers find comfort.    Well, from a historical perspective, I find that extremely important.  If you recall, England or rather Europe in general was nothing ljke what you described.  It was not predictable or benevolent.  People were being exiled; wars were raging, governments were in upheaval; poverty was rampant- what a wonderful escape and promise of possibility- a well ordered upper class environment where the rules apply and if you break them- you get exiled.  I would say the rigid formality came across as comforting and peaceful- not boring and predictable.    I guess you're right.  The book is really best read twice, if you want my opinion.  At least it was for me.    It's a very carefully crafted puzzle, so when you read it the first time, you can enjoy it as a it's a straightforward whodunnit- but when you read it the second time knowing who the murderer is, it's even more interesting to watch how she deceived you.  Nothing is every hidden, but her duplicitous way of writing deceives us from start to finish, and it's delightful to watch her do it.    So, Christy, getting us back to the difference between commercial fiction versus literary fiction, you said you think there is a theme in her work?  Without giving away the murderer can we speak to it this episode?  Yeah, I think we can- there are several, but one I think does speak to this idea of finding value in a well-ordered world.   One of the most memorable scenes in the entire book is chapter 16.  When I read it the first time, I had no idea why it was included.  For most of the book, we're following Poirot around, looking at clues, interrogating witnesses, but chapter 16 is different. Also, it's pretty much the center physically of the book.  Sheppard and his sister Caroline and spend an evening playing Mah jong with local friends (a retired Army officer, Colonel Carter and a Mrs. Gannett)- neither of which have anything to do with anything, at least as far as I can tell.  They enjoy coffee, cake, sandwiches and tea and then sit down to play. The main purpose of the evening really is to collect gossip, but sitting around and doing that would be vulgar.  And no one in King's Abbot is vulgar, so an exotic game from the Far East is a wonderful excuse.  As they go through the hand, we realize in some ways playing this game is a lot like living life.  They talk about how each person expresses something about themselves by how they play.  They can express weakness or strength, an ability to perceive, an ability to make decisions.  Sometimes the hand you are giving is a wreck; sometimes you get a winning hand effortlessly.  At one point, Caroline very astutely yet unconsciously comments that Miss Gannett isn't playing like she thinks she should.   “   Garry, do you know how to play mah jong?  NO, I really don't.  It looks fascinating and of course I've seen it featured in several movies, just from looking at the external features it appears to be a little bit like rummy except with tiles.  I don't know either.  But at this point in the game, Caroline points out that Miss Gannett's hand wasn't worth going mah Jong over.  Miss. Gannett responds to Caroline's criticism by saying, “Yes, dear, I know what you mean, but it rather depends on what kind of hand you have to start with, doesn't it? Caroline replies, “You'll never get the big hands if you don't go for them.”  To which Miss Gannet replies, “Well, we must all play our own way, mustn't we? After all, I'm up so far.”   This goes on and on for an entire chapter- the women gossiping, attention going in and out.  Let's read the part where the finally get to the end of the game and someone wins.   The situation became more strained. It was annoyance at Miss Gannett's going Mah Jong for the third time running which prompted Caroline to say to me as we built a fresh wall: ‘You are too tiresome, James. You sit there like a deadhead, and say nothing at all!' ‘But, my dear,' I protested, ‘I have really nothing to say that is, of the kind you mean.' ‘Nonsense,' said Caroline, as she sorted her hand. ‘You must know something interesting.' I did not answer for a moment. I was overwhelmed and intoxicated. I had read of there being such a thing as The Perfect Winning – going Mah Jong on one's original hand. I had never hoped to hold the hand myself. With suppressed triumph I laid my hand face upwards on the table. ‘As they say in the Shanghai Club,' I remarked – Tin-ho – the Perfect Winning!' The colonel's eyes nearly bulged out of his head.  And so there you have it, Dr. Shepperd has been tight-lipped the entire book which for us as his partners sometimes can get frustrating.  He always knows more than he says, but he's a medical man and feels compelled to keep people's confidences until this night.  Right after his big win, he is so exhilarated, he blurts out to everyone everything Poirot had told him the previous day about the ring- a specific ring Poirot had kept entirely out of the sight but had revealed only to Dr. Sheppherd now Dr. Shepperd is getting the world's biggest gossips and the news will for sure spread all over town.      And so, where's the theme?  I don't see it.    Well, I'm not English, so I'm going to make a disclaimer that this could be a very American interpretation, but it seems to me that Christie is making a commentary on how society functions best- Mah Jong is a communal game with strict rules- but it is indeed about community- very much like the society she has built for us her readers.  Although Shepperd claims all they do in King's Abbot is gossip, we see through every chapter that that is not true.  There is a very active local pub that everyone goes to.  They garden; they visit.  They have true community.  And yet there are indeed winners and losers, Miss Gannett isn't good at mah jong because she's too independent or impulsive. Shepperd has a bit of good luck, but he also lets  it get to his head and blurts things out at the end that he probably shouldn't have.  At least he regrets it at the beginning of the next chapter.   I don't know, I just think she may be advocating to the rest of us who may find rules stifling, the traditional ways boring, or the conventions cumbersome, that there just might be something of value in the vintage- something comforting and enjoyable in a well-ordered and fair universe.   But like I said, that's just one thought.  And it is most definitely arguable.   Okay- thanks for listening…

In Episode 35 of Book Talk, Etc. Tina and Renee share a few February releases they're excited to read. They also share what they've been loving lately, their latest reads, shelf additions, and have book talk about author blurbs & book sources.  **Support us on Patreon ! We'd love for you to join our Book Talk community! We have great bonus episodes including: Books we DNFed, Books We Disagreed On, Even More Best of the Year, Backlist Book Club, Second Year Spoiler Author Chat, Mood Reader Happy Hour, an engaging private Facebook group where you can interact with other listeners, and more- all for just $5 a month! *The book titles listed are linked to Amazon Affiliates, where we make a small commission from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you). Thanks for your support!Loving Lately 3:30 Apple Pencil  (T)  6:23 Drunk Elephant About Face Skin Care Kit (R) Latest Reads 9:14 The Violin Conspiracy | Brendan Slocumb (T) 13:48 Dark Horse | Gregg Hurwitz (R)

In Episode 14 of the EWBR podcast, Anisha & Dhruv discuss their favourite dark and disturbing books: from Christina Dalcher's Vox to George Orwell's 1984 to Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin to Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let me Go and plenty, plenty more. Then there's a little rant about the Amy Adams starrer The Woman in The Window (sigh) and some high praise for Kate Winslet's riveting character study in the limited series, Mare of Easttown. Plus, after being lauded as the future of home entertainment, has the Netflix backlash begun? What gives? BINGE READ  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781780228228 Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780099532927 A Little Life by Hanya https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781529061246 A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571230587 1984 by George Orwell https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781784876555 Brave New World by Aldous Huxley https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781784876258 Vox by Christina Dalcher https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780008300678 V For Vendetta by Alan Moore https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781401285005 Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241953242 My Dark Venessa https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780008342289 Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241989173 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780571335770 We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver https://uk.bookshop.org/books/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin/9781781255674 The Push by Ashley Audrain https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780241434550 The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-fifth-child/9780586089033 Good Omens by Neil Gaimen and Terry Prachett https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780552176453 Woman in the Window by AJ Finn https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9780008333324 AJ Finn (author of Window in the Window backstory): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/11/a-suspense-novelists-trail-of-deceptions The Dinner by Herman Koch by https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781782394884 Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Plats https://uk.bookshop.org/a/4569/9781526602169  WATCH Woman in the Window on Netflix (movie) Mare of Easttown on Now TV, HBO Undoing on House of Cards on Netflix Orange is the New Black on Netflix Tiger King on Netflix Selling Sunset on Netlfix I May Destroy You on BBC  EAT Sorry - nothing to eat! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eatwatchbingeread/message

My guest today is thriller writer May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives. Samantha Bailey, author of Woman on the Edge, says, "Wickedly dark, juicy, and addictive, as if the characters from Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives moved into the same upscale, twisted neighborhood." AJ Finn, author of The Woman in the Window, says, "This fearless, faultless novel confirms May Cobb as one of the most original crime novelists at work today." With an MA in literature from San Francisco State University, her essays and interviews have appeared in the Washington Post, the Rumpus, Edible Austin, and Austin Monthly. Her debut novel, Big Woods, won multiple awards. A Texas native, she lives in Austin with her family. Please welcome an up-and-coming superstar thriller writer and my new friend, May Cobb.

Leseratte Sebastian hat sich mal einen Film geschnappt, der auf einem Buch basiert: "The Woman In The Window" von AJ Finn. Das Buch fand er sehr unterhaltsam, mit dem Netflix-Film hat er aber so seine Probleme... was ihm selber ein wenig weh tut. Denn der Cast in diesem Thriller, angeführt von Amy Adams, ist absolut fantastisch. Abonniert den neuen, kostenlosen FILMSTARTS-Newsletter: https://newsletters.filmstarts.de/was-gibts-neues-zu-schauen_c301 Music from: https://filmmusic.io “Easy Jam” (https://filmmusic.io/song/3694-easy-jam) by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) “Take a Chance” (https://filmmusic.io/song/4457-take-a-chance) by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (https://filmmusic.io/standard-license)

If you watched the latest Netflix thriller, check out this podcast to hear what the book was like and find out the crazy stories involving the author AJ Finn! Even if you haven't yet seen the movie or read the book, save yourself the time and just listen to this instead!

Hello, fellow readers and coffee lovers! In today's episode, we are discussing the thriller The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn. This is a psychological rollercoaster of a story--and it draws inspiration from the classic film, Rear Window. And as always, Ben has prepared some amazing coffee choices to go along with today's read. Today, we're featuring two different coffees from Coffee Slingers in OKC. So, sit back and relax, and let's delve into this fun episode! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Check out our sponsors! - Try audiobooks! **New customers get 3 FREE audiobooks comprised of 1 premium credit and 2 VIP titles! Use our promo code SHELFADDICTION (spelled as one word) when you sign up at audiobooks.com. - Get your bookish gear in the Shelf Addiction Merch store! http://bit.ly/ShelfAddictionMerchEp 351Join Tamara and Casey from Heart Full of Ink for this informative conversation on problematic authors.Find Tamara on Twitter | https://twitter.com/ShelfAddictionFind Casey on Twitter | https://twitter.com/DustMiteBunny***********************************Articles mentioned in this podcast:*JK Rowling https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7gDKbT_l2us&feature=youtu.be*AJ Finn https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/11/a-suspense-novelists-trail-of-deceptions*Karen Marie Moning https://www.jeanienefrost.com/2016/01/victim-blaming-and-phil-gigante/ | https://theguildedearlobe.wordpress.com/2016/01/22/why-i-wont-be-listening-to-phil-gigante-anymore/*Kathleen Hale https://www.bustle.com/p/author-kathleen-hale-admitted-to-stalking-a-goodreads-user-now-she-has-a-book-deal-about-it-15649240 | https://jezebel.com/author-stalks-anonymous-blogger-who-gave-her-a-1-star-r-1648545005 | https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/scaachikoul/kathleen-hale-goodreads-catfish-crazy-stalker*Jay Asher https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/thirteen-reasons-why-jay-asher-sexual-harassment-allegations*Authors on Parlor http://jennytrout.com/?p=13049&fbclid=IwAR3kjHOk-01OUvrR1vHV5UlPdF0HCtmQj8ALJwFbsUc85FqPTc5sBufdodE*Jeanine Cummings https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/clarissajanlim/american-dirt-jeanine-cummins-controversy-explained *Jamie McGuire http://jennytrout.com/?p=12926 ***********************************Connect with Tamara on social media:Website | shelfaddiction.comTwitter & Instagram | @ShelfAddiction (https://twitter.com/shelfaddiction / Instagram.com/shelfaddiction)Email me: info (at) shelfaddiction.comWant to share a comment? Have a question you'd like answered on air? Call into Shelf Addiction and leave a Speakpipe voicemail https://www.speakpipe.com/shelfaddiction***********************************Want to contribute to Book Chat? Help the Shelf Addiction Podcast pay for the hosting and editing of the podcast by becoming a patron! You can even see the video unedited version of this podcast. Learn more at https://www.patreon.com/shelfaddictionIf Patreon isn't your thing, you can also show your support by using our sponsored links or buying me a coffee (ko-fi.com/shelfaddiction) to help me with my early mornings and late nights spent editing.***********************************Blog Updates: Join the 3 book bloggers, 1 series read-along!! Get more info here: http://www.shelfaddiction.com/read-along.html**********************************Are you an author or audiobook narrator and would like to be featured on Book Chat? Apply here: http://www.shelfaddiction.com/author-feature-policy--request-form.htmlPodcast and Blog advertising opportunities available here: http://www.shelfaddiction.com/advertising.html***********************************Produced with GarageBandThis is a list of my frequently used music. Some or all may appear in this Shelf Addiction Podcast episode.-Ad Music | Sweet Success on Purple Planet is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://www.purple-planet.com/upbeat/4593380163-Ad Music | Beats Like Mine by Sugar Blizz - Royalty Free music via Epidemic Sound/Spreaker-Shelf Addiction Intro/Outro Music created by Samone Ward-Background Intro/Outro Music 1 |  From album Music for Podcasts 4, Southside by Lee Rosevere  and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) -Background Intro/Outro Music 2 | In Private by Gunner Johnsen - Royalty Free music via Epidemic Sound/Spreaker-Transition Music | From album Creative Commons Vol 2, Summers Coming by Dexter Britain and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licenseArtist: Artist: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/ -Lightning Round Music | Zencastr standard background music -- licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)FTC Disclaimer: The show notes may contain affiliate and/or referral links. I receive a small commission if you purchase using my link(s). If you purchase using my link(s), you will be supporting the Shelf Addiction website and podcast. This is NOT a sponsored podcast. All opinions are genuinely my own.**This audio podcast shall not be reproduced, sampled or uploaded elsewhere without my written consent.

The Bookstorian Podcast. A podcast for booklovers and bookstagrammers.Books mentioned in this podcast:The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle.Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.The Long Call by Anne Cleeves.Vera Stanhorpe Series by Anne Cleeves.Don't believe it by Charlie Donlea.Some Chose Darkness by Charlie Donlea.The Suicide House by Charlie Donlea.Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier.The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn.Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.The Guest List by Lucy Foley.Force of Nature by Jane Harper.The Dry by Jane Harper.The Lost Man by Jane Harper.The Survivor by Jane Harper.The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen.Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson.The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.The Whisper Man by Alex North.Detective Harriet Blue series by James Patterson and Candice Fox.In the Clearing by JP Pomere.Hideaway by Nora Roberts.Home Before Dark by Riley Sagar.Last Time I Lied by Riley Sagar.Lock Every Door by Riley Sagar.Sadie by Courtney Summers.A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu.The Woman and The Widow by Christian White.Podcast may contain spoilersBookstagram accounts mentioned:@iamlitandwit@novelmenagerie@theanonreader@ littlewhalewriter@ theteddybear.librarianHost: Teagan @bookstorian_Guest: Ally @whatthedickinson and Bronti @_booksby.bEmail thebookstorianpodcast@outlook.com.auFollow me @thebookstorianpodcastDesign by Emma Russell CreativeMusic from https://www.zapsplat.com

SPOILERS AHEAD! "It isn't paranoia if it's really happening . . . "Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors. "Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare. "What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems."   Hey listeners! This month we read Woman in the Window written by AJ Finn (although that is somewhat debatable). In any case, this was a good story and we had a lot of interesting cases associated with it! Enjoy! Tell us your thoughts!  Follow us on social media for all the updates and to stay in touch! Facebook https://tinyurl.com/y7hmjjyb Instagram https://tinyurl.com/ycfuntc7 Twitter https://twitter.com/theAbyssPod  Youtube https://tinyurl.com/y4ooqcf7  Visit theabysspod.com for show notes and resources Cases discussed: Abduction of Heather Teague Gas lighting as a form of abuse People breaking into homes to watch people sleep (LOCK YOUR DOORS!!!!) Thanks for jumping into the abyss with us!   The Abyss is hosted by Brittany Wilson and Hallie Burrell. “Envision” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/; “Ossuary 6 – Air” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Join us as we drink The Pines Big Red wine and review the best selling book. The Woman in the Window. By A.J. Finn. Read and listen before the motion picture is released!! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ddb/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ddb/support

Michael rambles about his thoughts on the “Economy of Language”, mixing audio like editing words, AJ Finn's “Woman in the Window”, why some books are too long, how many times he has seen Phish, modern readers attention spans, Mad Men, writing about sex, and much more!

Katie and Rincey talk adaptation news, including the Dan Mallory movie, and take a walk down memory lane with middle grade mystery books. This episode is sponsored by TBR, Size Zero by Abigail Mangin, and Thick as Thieves by Sandra Brown. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter! Show Notes One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus is set for TV Jade City by Fonda Lee is headed to Peacock Apple+ has ordered the first ever animated adaptation of Harriet the Spy Elisabeth Moss is starring in the adaptation of Virginia Feito’s upcoming thriller, Mrs. March There’s going to be a TV show based on the New Yorker article that brought Daniel Mallory’s (aka AJ Finn) scams to light Books Mentioned In the Hall With the Knife by Diane Peterfreund Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo, translated by Yumiko Yamakazi Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole Sins of the Bees by Annie Lampman Blacktop Wasteland by SA Cosby From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks Home Before Dark by Riley Sager See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

The Drunk Guys now have a Patreon! If you enjoy the show, support us by buying us a beer over at patreon.com/drunkguysbookclub! This week, the Drunk Guys spy on their neighbor's beer while discussing The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn. They also only leave their homes to get beer, including:

On this week's episode, we take a departure and review a suspense/thriller, A.J. Finn's Woman in the Window. [00:00:00] Welcome to comfy, cozy a podcast for traditional book enthusiasts [00:00:08] Etta: [00:00:08] This is episode 34well, hello Cozers! This is just a quick update before we began. In today's episode, Deb and I will be reviewing AJ Finn’s Woman in the Window. I give a brief disclaimer that it's not very comfy or cozy, so proceed at your own risk.[00:00:31] Also, we'll be having transcripts of all episodes. A big thank you to last week’ guest Kelly Brackenhoff for pointing out that it would be nice, especially for the deaf community, to make sure that we have transcripts of each episode. Also, it makes us more searchable. And sometimes you just feel like reading.[00:00:54] books going good. A little stressful right now at work and whatnot.[00:01:00] Also we've been very sick. Deb and I have been trading colds back and forth, and especially with the kiddos too. I am remarkably stuffy in this episode and probably right now. So, sorry if my voice is a little funny and. Yeah, well, a little bit of a lull before spring.[00:01:21] I am ready for some warmer weather here in the States and a little bit of breaks here and there. All right, hope everything is good. Hope you enjoy the review and I will see you next Wednesday. Bye bye.[00:01:50] It doesn't matter. That's exactly what you said before we started recording. I feel like that's a good place to begin. Today, we are looking at woman in the window, by A.J. Finn. So this is a little bit of a departure. Just want to put that out there in front of this episode. So this is more, I would say, of a suspense. Thriller obviously has, you know, some mystery like components, but it's hardly comfy. It's hardly cozy. So this isn't your cup of tea. Go ahead. And fast forward to the next episode, press, press, delete.Deb: [00:02:29] No, we're interesting. Fine. This is casual dab. I'm sitting here in my robe, um, which is a joke because of the book, which we won't mention, but anyway, um, I, what made you, how did you get this book?[00:02:46] Um. All our list to read because it's not a cozy thing. And, um, I really liked doing reading something out of the genre that we usually do a little bit. [00:03:00] But how did you come across this and what made you, you know, how did we get here? Yes.[00:03:08] Etta: [00:03:08] That's going to take a long time. So there was a time in my life where I was an English major and I thought, I'm a reader, you know? I read literary fiction, read high quality novels. Okay. Okay. And so hold on, hold on. I'm getting there. So I signed up for the book of the month club, which is exactly not what someone literary would do. So shush. But that's what I did. And this is a book of the month club book.[00:03:38] Deb: Oh, so are they usually like new releases and things like that?[00:03:42] Yeah.[00:03:42] Etta: [00:03:42] And you have like four or five to pick from there. I think way more expensive than they need to be. I don't know[00:03:50] Deb: [00:03:50] if that's part of the thing. Yeah. So this is the first novel by this, um, by this author. I thought if I read the, the carer, or [00:04:00] excuse Finn, F, I, N, N, and, um, when you said, Hey, let's just read something different this time I didn't have any expectations.[00:04:10] I didn't know what, what kind of book it was. And it was really. Um, a surprise on several levels. It's got this black cover with the, it says the woman in the window with these blinds and one of the blinds is bent.[00:04:27] Etta: [00:04:27] You know, like someone's spying outside.[00:04:30] Deb: [00:04:30] Yeah.[00:04:31] Etta: [00:04:31] It says that right where it says woman, like that little woman and spine.[00:04:36] Deb: [00:04:36] Yeah. But. It kind of in my mind, I put it in the same category, like gone girl and some of those other kinds of suspense “girl”, and, and retrain griller, that kind of stuff[00:04:49] Etta: [00:04:49] in the window, you know, throw a little, you know, throw a generic lady term into a title and you are,[00:04:56] Deb: [00:04:56] yeah, there you go. But it was definitely.[00:04:59] It was [00:05:00] definitely, um, more of a thriller than[00:05:02] Etta: [00:05:02] a comfy, cozy, a thriller, suspense or sort of nom,[00:05:07] Deb: [00:05:07] but it wasn't[00:05:08] Etta: [00:05:08] well reviewed. Super, super well reviewed.[00:05:11] Deb: [00:05:11] So yeah, there were going to kill a[00:05:13] Etta: [00:05:13] claim.[00:05:14] Deb: [00:05:14] There were so many things I liked about this, and then several things I didn't like about this.[00:05:22] Etta: [00:05:22] Good things. Okay.[00:05:24] Deb: [00:05:24] Okay. Well, first of all, this, this story. Um, the way that she has it laid out, she's got these, most of the chapters are relatively short, and it takes place from October 24th through November 15th of some unknown year. And so there's, it talks about everything that's happening that day. But I got confused because there's mentions of.[00:05:49] Pass cause you[00:05:50] Etta: [00:05:50] don't do faces.[00:05:51] Deb: [00:05:51] Faces are too confused. Well I, I got real confused about the time and all this all the time through the, through the book I was [00:06:00] pitching this old lady in a robe with some issues. It turns out she's only like 39 I was really, you know, I could not the time sequencing of, I had a hard time knowing when is she talking about something in the past and is this something today I[00:06:20] Etta: [00:06:20] was going to flee done.[00:06:21] I'm kind of given the challenges of the main character, you know, the days were starting to blend together. So she, she's a shut-in. Um, for reasons that become apparent later in the novel. And I thought that was really, really well done. And you know, this, she, she's the classic unreliable narrator, and you can't trust us things she's saying the whole time.[00:06:44] And, you know, it gets to the point where she's starting to not trust herself. And[00:06:48] Deb: [00:06:48] yeah, it was, it was really, really well written. This author writes really well. I liked the way that the, the structure of, of how things were except for the fact that I [00:07:00] couldn't figure it out. But, um, I also liked every little detail somehow fit into the story somewhere along the line, even when she's talking about some detail about the inside of her house.[00:07:13] Or something. And I, you know, I'm thinking, Oh, she's just kind of talking. But no, those things kind of play a role. It was really everything linked together. It was well thought out. Um, and, um, the other thing that I really, really liked, um, was okay, so I thought I had a few figured out. And then. I thought I had it figured out again, and then I thought I had it figured out three times and I was wrong.[00:07:46] So it's one of those things where you, you're really wondering what is going on and you come up with things and she'll lead you down one road and you . Kind of think you're, you've got [00:08:00] everything makes sense and lined up. And then I was wrong three times. I mean, I'm wrong a lot in my life, but I'm just saying, you know, this one really had me.[00:08:11] Yup. Had me wondering what was going on. But the best thing I liked about this book, towards the end, I could not put it down the last a hundred pages. It was, I just stayed up all night. I just had to read it. I just had to read it. I could not it was really[00:08:29] Etta: [00:08:29] good filler for sure. Um, yeah, it's certainly had a few red herrings and you know, just like, like any thriller, really, any mystery.[00:08:38] Yeah. It pulls you one direction, you know, quite intentionally. And then in the polls, you the other way, and what I liked about this book the most. Is it had this, this sort of side mystery of what's happened to her family, and I felt like that was fairly obvious from the, from the beginning, not really the ins and outs and details, but you know the context.[00:09:00] [00:08:59] Deb: [00:08:59] Something's happened because she's become, she's an agoraphobic. That's not really like she is housebound. Something happened to her. We don't know what it was. And you get bits and pieces throughout the book, but she became[00:09:15] Etta: [00:09:15] housebound, but yeah, yeah, exactly. Like so, you know, it was something, something big and you're pretty sure what it, what it is kind of the whole time.[00:09:23] And then there's this underlying mystery with, with, with, you know, her neighbors and a neighbor's gone missing and she's not quite sure, you know, if she believes herself or someone's in trouble, and she's battling, trying to go out and investigate or not. And that's really the heart of it. But it was this nice, you know, kind of juxtapose of like, Oh, this is obvious.[00:09:45] You know, like, I'm enjoying this book, but it's not that. It's not that mystery, you know? Like, yeah, like you're not fooling me. And then everything else kind of, and kind of throws. [00:10:06] But um, you know, I don't know why you're housebound. At first I thought she was really old. I don't know why. You are always on the internet and I don't know why you're always spying on your neighbors.[00:10:19] Etta: [00:10:19] Who isn’t it always on the internet? And what about the internet is not literally spying on your fellow man?[00:10:25] Deb: [00:10:25] Well, okay. She's, she's always talking about in her bathrobe. She's always roaming around the house, but she's housebound in a row. All of them have an, apparently every inch of her floor has Merlot stains. She and you quickly figure out minutes. She's a drinker. She's got problems there and she stays in and she does these weird things, but she's seen where things with her neighbors and you know, you don't.[00:10:55] You don't really know what her deal is. Why I keep thinking, [00:11:00] Hey lady, you're educated. I think you know, um, you're supposed to be, you know, how is it that you're, you're so educated in, you know? [00:11:19] But you know, you're in no position to be giving medical advice. Yeah. But you know, apparently she lives in some kind of bathrobe drinking Merlot and she must have a ship from Amazon cause she's on the internet a lot.[00:11:34] Etta: [00:11:34] I think she needs a certain[00:11:36] Deb: [00:11:36] day. I feel like this is[00:11:38] Etta: [00:11:38] where our future is going.[00:11:39] Everyone's going to stay inside, get their groceries and goods delivered. Well, it's a[00:11:46] Deb: [00:11:46] little bit odd. Um, first of all, she needs a sippy cup. Definitely because I don't know how many times we were reminded of a spill cause she's always, you know,[00:11:58] Etta: [00:11:58] she also takes a lot [00:12:00] of, you know, anxiolytics today.[00:12:01] Antipsychotics.[00:12:02] Deb: [00:12:02] Yeah. She's mixing and matching[00:12:04] Etta: [00:12:04] pretty heavily[00:12:05] Deb: [00:12:05] and she doesn't seem to get, take any, you know, any regard to what the instructions are for the meds and begin. If you're a medical professional, you should know better.[00:12:15] Etta: [00:12:15] But at the same time, I mean that's like. That's what abuse is, you know, that's what escapism is.[00:12:20] That's, that's what all of those things are. Um, but I, I could see for a lot of readers, um, you know, that being kind of, you know, triggering and harmful, I mean, much like a girl on the train, um, you know, alcoholism is definitely glamorized. And so that could be,[00:12:38] Deb: [00:12:38] yeah. Or, yeah, that was, that was kind of odd to me, but, you know, and there were a couple of times when I thought, well, you know, she, she could, she, there was a couple of times where she should have called the police earlier.[00:12:53] She, when she knew something and you know, um, she, she didn't call when she should, but then, [00:13:00] you know, I mean, she[00:13:02] Etta: [00:13:02] didn't feel like we do like. Oh, don't go in there. I feel like she had very valid reasons to, to feel like the police when take her concerns seriously. Cause she's probably, yeah. But when[00:13:17] Deb: [00:13:17] she got, probably when she does get proof first for one of the things she could have and then she didn't.[00:13:23] And I'm thinking, you just put yourself, you know, in a, I going up to the dark basement kind of, you know, after the attic, you know what it was that kind of mentality. Um, but, and then another thing is, um, I wasn't sure of her age at this point, but, uh, at one point I thought, lady, don't you worry about VD or pregnancy, you know?[00:13:45] Um, I mean, there's, apparently she wasn't on those meds or we would have heard about it. Huh? You know what[00:13:54] Etta: [00:13:54] is strange is I'm not really quite sure what you're alluding to, and I hope we read this[00:14:01] [00:14:00] Deb: [00:14:01] well. I don't really like some[00:14:03] Etta: [00:14:03] Fabio cover book.[00:14:06] Deb: [00:14:06] And I'm here. That cover[00:14:11] Etta: [00:14:11] looks nice where she can,[00:14:14] Deb: [00:14:14] no, there was one, I don't want to give any spoilers, but you know, she does have, you know, one little following and I'm like, well, there[00:14:23] Etta: [00:14:23] may or may not be an element of romance.[00:14:25] Deb: [00:14:25] Okay. I do know I do going on, and even even in her past life, the apparently so narrow assured, but anyway, I thought I couldn't, I couldn't quite, I don't know how to categorize this lady. I mean, she's just, she's just got issues. Do you think[00:14:43] Etta: [00:14:43] you and Anna would be friends in real life?[00:14:47] Deb: [00:14:47] New. Never one,[00:14:49] Etta: [00:14:49] not even over the[00:14:50] Deb: [00:14:50] internet. [00:14:54] Deb: [00:14:54] Okay. All people, all people who are listening get curtains. There [00:15:00] are weirder weirdos out there looking in your window. They have nothing to do except we're, you know, taking pictures of your comings and goings and things. Yeah. Just shut your blinds. You may think you're not interesting, but apparently there are weirdos like this out in the real world.[00:15:19] You think you are very[00:15:20] Etta: [00:15:20] interesting. It's like a, what is it? The the, how was that Alfred Hitchcock thing where he's looking out the window.[00:15:50] Deb: [00:15:50] I might have talked to her maybe on the internet, but. I think, [00:16:00] um, at some point. I don't think she was my type to hang around with on the internet. And she's so, so she, she runs this, that she participates in this agoraphobic little group thing where she fancies herself some kind of counselor to everybody on the internet.[00:16:19] And I would like to say. The lesson is don't take advice from random weirdos on the internet. They're just out there. You don't know if they're real doctors. You don't know what they're doing. You don't know that they're home in a bathrobe spilling their Merlot taking pictures of their neighbors… complete psychopath.[00:16:41] And you know, here you are thinking, Oh, she's so nice. She's giving me this great advice. Uh. Anyway, it just made me, it made me really, um, in forced the, you should be skeptic if you're, um, of skeptical of all these people on the internet.[00:16:59] Etta: [00:16:59] Stranger danger [00:17:00] on the internet is a real thing.[00:17:01] Deb: [00:17:01] Yeah. Yeah. And she's out there, you know, there's people like that out there.[00:17:06] Yeah. Well, you know, and then, uh, you know, you never know, um, from your neighbors, you know. Well,[00:17:16] Etta: [00:17:16] now that we've scared all of the coasters into not loving their neighbors and being terrified,[00:17:22] Deb: [00:17:22] are you[00:17:23] Etta: [00:17:23] going to read more thrillers or are you coming back to[00:17:25] Deb: [00:17:25] come once in a while? I think it's nice to break things up.[00:17:29] Um, you know, the, the comfy cozies are, are just,[00:17:34] Etta: [00:17:34] that's our brand.[00:17:35] Deb: [00:17:35] That's our brand and they're comfortable and stuff. But I mean, every once in a while I like to read. All kinds of different books. And I was really happy to, you know, to get out there and read this one cause it was really good.[00:17:47] Etta: [00:17:47] So what made this not what, whenever you, whenever condescending term you like to use for cozies mind, candy, brain candy, what made this, not[00:17:57] Deb: [00:17:57] that the fact that I [00:18:00] could not put it down and I was worried.[00:18:03] I mean, I was anxious. Yeah. And you know, and I knew that something I don't like reading about bad things that have happened is really[00:18:13] Etta: [00:18:13] kale for you.[00:18:14] Deb: [00:18:14] Um, probably, Oh mm. I'm trying to think.[00:18:23] Etta: [00:18:23] Something like mine mashed potatoes. It wasn't sweet. Definitely not good for you.[00:18:29] Deb: [00:18:29] Well, I, it was just interesting because, um, it's one of those things, if you like the movies where you like to be scared.[00:18:38] Yeah. And I don't, this book spooked me a little bit.[00:18:42] Etta: [00:18:42] I would've read the, as I, I think you're very brave. I read it in the middle of the day.[00:18:46] Deb: [00:18:46] Yeah, I bet. But I really liked it, but Oh, you know, I'll tell you, I was stumped three times and it was clever. I have to admit that, you know, it was artfully done. And you know, I mean, [00:19:00] yeah, I think.[00:19:01] There's several things in here that just didn't add up for me as far as the character or the internet and the crazy neighbors and everything else. But, um, it was definitely fun for a change.[00:19:13] Etta: [00:19:13] It was, and, and we had lots of changes going on. Greg and I bought a new house. You have a new house. Everyone's moving around.[00:19:21] Deb: [00:19:21] I don't want to move. I'm[00:19:22] Etta: [00:19:22] tired. I know. We're on like a TV trays in the middle of a living room.[00:19:27] Deb: [00:19:27] I know. But it's too snowy to have my, have any more furniture moved from this house to that house, to another house. So[00:19:37] Etta: [00:19:37] true.[00:19:37] Deb: [00:19:37] But anyway, we're getting his word or getting there, but thank you for recommending this and be sure and get curtains to Aaron blinds in all of your houses and your windows because there could be a lady in a bath row drinking Merlot. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What is the best book you’ve read lately? In today’s episode, I’m sharing my favorite books of this winter - from December - February. Every quarter I round-up my most-favorite books and share them here. If you are subscribed to my YouTube channel, you may recognize some of these books, as they were part of my Best Books of 2019. If you like learning about great books and you are NOT subscribed over on YouTube, you are missing out! I share reading vlogs, monthly round-ups, and all kinds of fun bookish stuff in my Monday videos at TaraSwiger.com/YouTube. You can scroll down and see my whole Reading playlist or click on Videos to see my most recent videos. StatsI have read 16 books so far, and I will likely finish another 3 before the end of the month. 4 mysteries, 2 giant YA space operas over 600 pages, 3 personal memoir essay-ish things. All three of the memoirs were great, so I’m going to just quickly tell you, you should read them: Enough, by Shauna Ahern, who you may know as Gluten-Free Girl. I read her blog years ago, and so I picked this up when I saw it on the New Book shelf at the library. It is totally different and so good. Shauna tells the story of how she began to feel as if she is enough, after a lifetime of living by the girl code (criticizing your body, trying to be smaller), a traumatic childhood and trying to make money on the internet. I think anyone who is a woman or works online should read it. How We Fight for our Lives by Saeed Jones, is the memoir of a young black gay man growing up in Texas. There is violence, there is sexual content, and there is a really beautiful story of finding himself and figuring out his relationship with his mother. Thick and Other Essays, by Tressie McMillan Cottom, is a series of essays about her experiences being a black woman academic living in the world. It’s about thickness, of body and of thought, and explores beauty and twitter and class mobility. Read it if you like Roxanne Gay or Lindy West’s Shrill. Now, the fiction books: Such a Fun Age by Kelly Reid might be my favorite book of the year, ALREADY. A young black woman is babysitting for a white family and has a very racially charged experience in a grocery store. The story unfolds from that tense beginning, but the book itself manages to be fun and compelling and build a momentum that had me up until 3am finishing it. It’s really about white privilege and how “good” white people try to do the right thing while completely ignoring the black person’s agency and selfhood. This book is complex and real and although it sounds like it could be heavy, it’s actually just great fun. Illuminae, by Amy Kaufman is so weird I can’t believe it’s so good. It’s a kind of YA space opera with horror. I only think it’s YA because the protagonist is a teenage girl, who is saving absolutely everyone. But it’s a little dark and splattery for like, 12 year old Tara. It is really about survival and sacrifice and telling your own story. I’ve read the second book in the trilogy, Gemina, and I liked it almost as much. I’ve got the last book, Obsidio, on my shelf. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo has been on my shelf forever, but I had been avoiding it because it’s written in prose. It took me a minute to sink into it, but when I did, man! It beautifully tells the story from the perspective of a young Dominican girl living in Harlem who is figuring out adolescence and her conservative family, while starting to write slam poetry. It is just the most gorgeous and most true book I’ve read about what it means to be a girl when you start to get unwanted male attention… but it’s not even really about that. Ok, so a few more books I read and loved but am not going to go into detail about: Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead A Blade So Black by LL McKinney The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn.  These were a few really good reading months! I think I got to some deeper books, like the memoirs, because we didn’t have kids for a few of the months (in case you don’t understand how we only sometimes have kids - we’re foster parents). When you purchase the book using my links, I earn a tiny percentage, which frankly, goes to buying diapers. I get most of my books at my local library, so check yours out because libraries are amazing. Lots  of my faves came from the Book of the Month Club (referral link). In a few weeks I have my 300th episode - to learn how you can participate in my celebration, be sure you’ve joined the Facebook group - facebook.com/groups/taraswiger Thanks for listening and have a book-filled enthusiastic week!   Listen in at TaraSwiger.com/podcast297

All About Agatha: John Curran and Andrew Wilson with Anna Carey John Curran is one of the world’s leading experts on Agatha Christie and author of Agatha Christie’s Complete Secret Notebooks; John is the long-time literary advisor to Agatha Christie’s estate, often giving talks and appearing on documentaries about her life. He has spent the last few years unpicking the notebooks and deciphering Agatha Christie’s handwriting for his books. Andrew Wilson brings Christie to life as the protagonist in his fiendishly plotted 1920’s mysteries – as AJ Finn put it, ‘Andrew Wilson’s Christie novels do Dame Agatha proud’. The latest, Death in a Desert Land takes Christie to 1928 Baghdad. Journalist and author Anna Carey discusses the living legend that is Agatha Christie, one of the world’s greatest crime writers with two authors whose lives she has influenced – find out how John discovered Christie’s diaries in a wardrobe and what book he would recommend if you’ve never read Christie before. In a fascinating discussion, learn about Christie’s mysterious disappearance and what these two experts think really happened. Anna Carey is passionate about Agatha Christie! A journalist and author from Dublin who has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent and many other publications. Anna’s first book, The Real Rebecca, was published in 2011, and went on to win the Senior Children’s Book prize at the Irish Book Awards. Rebecca returned in the critically acclaimed Rebecca’s Rules, Rebecca Rocks and Rebecca is Always Right. The Making of Mollie (2016) was her first historical novel and was shortlisted for the Senior Children’s Book prize at the 2016 Irish Book Awards and was followed by the sequel, Mollie on the March, which received rave reviews. Murder One is part of the HeadStuff Podcast Network (https://www.headstuff.org/headstuff-podcast-network/) For more on the Murder One Festival, head to the Murder One website (http://www.murderone.ie/) Music in this episode from X3nus at Freesound.org (https://freesound.org/people/X3nus/sounds/449940/) .

Join Syd, Beth & their friend/local thriller expert Alexis, as they discuss their sincere opinions of The Woman in The Window by AJ Finn over a few glasses (bottles) of Merlot!

It’s the Season 5 FINALE! Comedy Central’s Becky Chicoine forced us to read The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. Published in 2018, this book debuted at number 1 and quickly spun out a two-book two-million-dollar deal and a movie starring Amy Adams (due out in 2020). It’s also been critically panned and the author has been accused of lying and stealing the story! DRAMA! We break it down.Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday!
You can get more Becky Chicoine at @beckychicoine on the socials. Check out her Comedy Central series Shop Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwvHicl20goSend any future book suggestions to meanbookclub@gmail.com! Follow us on the socials @meanbookclub!We’ll be off for the next month, but don’t worry, we’ll give you a heads up on next season’s books starting NOW:* If I Did It by The Goldman Family* A Woman’s Worth by Marianne Williamson* The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho* Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher* On The Road by Jack Kerouac* LA Candy by Lauren Conrad* Relentless by Dean Koontz* Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara KingsolverRate, like, subscribe, and check out our Patreon page at patreon.com/meanbookclub to become a true patron of the mean arts. Special thanks to FSM Team for our theme song, "Parkour Introvert." You can get it here: https://www.free-stock-music.com

Hey book nerds! This week Colin O’Brien (Just For Laughs) and Michael Wolf (Comedy Central, MTV), hosts of the Literati podcast, forced us to read Congo by Michael Crichton. This book spent 12 weeks on the NYT bestseller list in 1980 and was later adapted to a movie in 1995 (unfortunately not starring Sean Connery). But WHY? Mean Book Club breaks it down.Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday!If you want to read along with us during our 5th season, here’s the reading list:* Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding
* How To Win Friends by Dale Carnegie 
* Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray
* Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Part 1 & Part 2)
* I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max
* Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard
* Congo by Michael Crichton
* The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn 
You can get more Colin & Michael at @literaticomedy & @mjwooolfCheck out their podcasts here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/literati-with-colin-obrien-and-michael-wolf/id1092362732Get tickets to their Nov 6th live show here: https://www.caveat.nyc/event/literati-with-colin--michael-11-6-2019Send any future book suggestions to meanbookclub@gmail.com! Follow us on the socials @meanbookclub!Rate, like, subscribe, and check out our Patreon page at patreon.com/meanbookclub to become a true patron of the mean arts. Special thanks to FSM Team for our theme song, "Parkour Introvert." You can get it here: https://www.free-stock-music.com

Waddup, book nerds! This week our special guest Josh Gondelman (Desus & Mero, Last Week Tonight, Billy On The Street) made us read Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. “Book One” of Scientology spent 28 weeks as a NYT bestseller after it was released in 1950. That’s pre-becoming-a-religion!! But why? Mean Book Club breaks it down.Mean Book Club is four ladies (UCB, BuzzFeed, College Humor, Impractical Jokers) who read, discuss and whine about NYT bestselling books that have questionable literary merit. It's fun. It's cathartic. It's perfect for your commute. New podcast (almost) every Tuesday!If you want to read along with us during our 5th season, here’s the reading list:* Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding
* How To Win Friends by Dale Carnegie 
* Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray
* Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Part 1 & Part 2)
* I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell by Tucker Max
* Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard
* Congo by Michael Crichton
* The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn 
You can get more Josh Gondelman on Twitter @joshgondelman and you can buy his new book Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062852752/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0Send any future book suggestions to meanbookclub@gmail.com! Follow us on the socials @meanbookclub!Rate, like, subscribe, and check out our Patreon page at patreon.com/meanbookclub to become a true patron of the mean arts. Special thanks to FSM Team for our theme song, "Parkour Introvert." You can get it here: https://www.free-stock-music.com

Summary: It's the most wonderful time of the year! FALL! Join Elle and Laura as they talk all things fall: from cozy sweaters to apple picking and all the fall things in between! Listen in to get inspired and excited about this beautiful season of change and beauty! Mentioned This Episode: “The life starts all over when it gets crisp in the fall”. Fall must do's: -Chicago residents check out Edwards Orchard https://edwardsappleorchard.business.site -Pumpkin Pasta: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/sausage-and-pumpkin-pasta/ -Gratitude List -Cider competition -Get your pictures taken (with Laura if you're smart! lauraarmstrongphotography.com) Must dont's: -Stay away from the creepy things. -Bonfire candle by Nature Wick Let's Be Honest: Elle and Laura love the book The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn! It's a great psychological thriller. Living Honestly: -Write out some things you've been grateful for this fall so far. Going forward, make this a season of gratitude. Be intentional about thanking God for all he's given you.

Katie and Rincey talk adaptations coming of Karin Slaughter and Bill Clinton's books, and the ridiculous story about Dan Mallory a.k.a. AJ Finn. This episode is sponsored by TBR, Never Let Goby Elizabeth Goddard and Revell Books, and Bookclubbish. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspectsnewsletter! Show Notes Christopher McQuarrie is bringing Bill Clinton's ridiculous mystery novel to Showtime ‘Pieces Of Her’: Netflix Orders Novel-Based Series From Lesli Linka Glatter, Charlotte Stoudt & Bruna Papandrea Hulu's The Act shares trailer for its Mommy Dead And Dearest adaptation Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter To Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom Murdered A Suspense Novelist’s Trail of Deceptions Can we still enjoy The Woman in the Window? What will happen to Dan Mallory? Books Mentioned Felicity Carrol and the Perilous Pursuitby Patricia Marcantonio The Black Coatsby Colleen Oakes Good Kids, Bad City: A Story of Race and Wrongful Conviction in Americaby Kyle Swenson The Birds That Stayby Ann Lambert A Deadly Divide by Ausma Zehanat Khan The Reckoningby Yrsa Sigurdardottir Liar’s Candleby August Thomas Bitter Orangeby Claire Fuller Force of Natureby Jane Harper American Spyby Lauren Wilkinson We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson; The Descentby Tim Johnston

We couldn't not discuss Liam Neeson's race row and The New Yorker long-read setting the publishing world alight: about best-selling novelist Dan Mallory, aka AJ Finn, who built his career on an extensive web of lies. How did it take a decade for anyone to see through his deception? And what does it tell us about the publishing world - and ourselves?Also today, we discuss Valentine's Day (and reveal our best and worst and our plans for this year), the diversity of vaginas and the M&S love sausage.Vagina: A Re-Education, by Lynn Enright https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/lgbt-gender-studies/vagina-a-reeducation,lynn-enright-9781911630012A Suspense Novelist's Trail is Deception, by Ian Parker for The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/02/11/a-suspense-novelists-trail-of-deceptions/ampWhy I Photographed 100 Vaginas, by Laura Dodsworth for The BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/Why_I_Photographed_100_VulvasRachel Cooke on Dan Mallory for The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/10/we-rush-to-condemn-fakers-such-as-dan-mallory-world-has-made-impostors-of-us-allOtegha Uwagba's In Good Company podcast with Abigail Bergstrom https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/otegha-uwagba/id1294215581?mt=2&i=1000426027620TBD with Tina Brown interview with Laura Wasser https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tbd-with-tina-brown/id1441327188?mt=2&i=1000428209917Josh Barrie eats the Love Sausage for iNews https://www.inews.co.uk/news/consumer/love-sausage-m-and-s-valentines-day-2019-taste-test-review/amp/ The Last Days Of August https://www.audible.co.uk/?ref=Adbl_ip_rdr_from_US&source_code=AUK30DFT1BkWS010516905U&ipRedirectFrom=US&ipRedirectOriginalURL=pd%2FThe-Last-Days-of-August-Audiobook%2FB07JK61MK3Richard E Grant on Awards Chatter https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/awards-chatter/id1039032256?mt=2&i=1000429288454Camping, on Sky Atlantic True West, at the Vaudeville Theatre in London E-mail thehighlowshow@gmail.comTweet @thehighlowshow See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Jeff and Rebecca follow-up on defamation, try to wrap their heads around the Dan Mallory/A.J. Finn story, eulogize the Ancient Lore Village, and much more. This episode is sponsored by: Suspense Reads from BookClubbish $100 Amazon Giveaway EveryPlate (use offer code BOOKRIOT6) TBR Links discussed in this episode: Follow-up on Jay Asher “Ancient Lore” land of the Nobbins is on hold due to concerns about noise, traffic, environmental impact Writer who publishes as AJ Finn is a bonkers-big liar And his publisher is...keeping his books on plan This important piece about what it’s like to be a woman of color in publishing Choose Your Own Adventure audiobooks on Alexa

This week, Caroline Overington (stepping in for Cheryl Akle) is joined by New York Times and internationally bestselling author A. J. Finn to discuss his debut novel The Woman in the Window. Together they discuss the author's experiences working for a decade in publishing, the mental health challenges he has faced, and the incredible success of his book. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What did she see? A.J. Finn’s best-selling noir novel, The Woman in the Window, is a gripping and unputdownable psychological thriller currently in development as a major film. In conversation with writer and journalist Amrita Tripathi, Finn (real name: Dan Mallory) speaks of his engagement with the genre of suspense fiction, his literary influences, the impact of Hitchcock on his work and imagination, as well as his personal struggles with depression and agoraphobia. A must for all true crime aficionados. This episode is a live session from day 1 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Broadway star Chita Rivera, who created the iconic roles of Anita in West Side Story and Velma in Chicago, talks to Samira about her seven decades on stage, as she prepares to perform again in London. The Woman in the Window is the bestselling psychological thriller that sparked a bidding war between publishers resulting in a two million dollar book deal and its publication in January 2018. Now its author Dan Mallory, who writes under the pen name AJ Finn, has been accused of lying and deception which helped secure his own senior position in the publishing industry as an editor. Books journalist Sarah Shaffi unpicks what this means for the man, his book and the publishing industry more broadly.Until last November Jeff Koons was the most expensive living artist sold at auction, with his Balloon Dog (Orange) fetching over $58m in 2013. As he opens his new retrospective at the Ashmolean in Oxford, the controversial artist discusses the technical challenges of creating his complex works, and his love of the Old Masters.Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Hannah RobinsMain image: Samira Ahmed and Chita Rivera

AJ Finn aka Daniel Mallory is the guest. We talk about big book advances, meeting Amy Adams, book trends, and moving from publishing into writing books.

Oh dang, Lee and Eddie! Back at it again with those excellent podcasts!This week Lee is reviewing a new take on a classic with The Woman in the Window, and Eddie is not sure if she enjoyed the Gothic classic, The Monk. Should she have left it… UNFINISHED?_______________________________________ If you like what you hear, we'd really appreciate if you sent us some stars on iTunes! It's one the best ways to support the show!We've had many requests for beta reading from Crime Time listeners over the years, and we're thrilled to finally be able to offer this service to our book community! Check out Frankcoreaders.com for all your manuscript assessment needs!Tell us what books are your faves in the comments below, or via Twitter!Join the Crime Time Team at Patreon!Make sure to check out the books of the week via the affiliate link below! Crime Time has partnered with Book Depository to bring you books at a great price – with free shipping worldwide thrown in!

Just when you thought she couldn't get any bigger, bestselling Australian author Liane Moriarty has conquered the world with her incredible stories. From The Husband's Secret to Big Little Lies and now her latest Nine Perfect Strangers, Liane has hit the stratosphere of success. Stupidly excited to be sitting across from her were John and Sarah, who chat with Liane about juggling her writing career with her new life in Hollywood. Books mentioned in this podcast: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty --> https://bit.ly/2OcAru5 Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty —> https://bit.ly/2D0SOjM Woman in the Window by AJ Finn —> https://bit.ly/2xa6eF4 Hosts: John Purcell and Sarah McDuling Guest: Liane Moriarty

Inside Books is a fortnightly programme presented by Breda Brown. This episode features AJ Finn

In this episode Alice and Bethany talk about 5 thrillers that were released in either hardback or paperback this year which they think would make amazing summer holiday reads. They are: He Said She Said by Erin Kelly - https://amzn.to/2shIeMZ Darling by Rachel Edwards - https://amzn.to/2saLt8O The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton - https://amzn.to/2xciXcQ The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - https://amzn.to/2GRd1FL The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn - https://amzn.to/2KXzIKu

Fine Music Radio — This happy hour Andrew Marjoribanks, with, as always, a bagful of the best in fiction and non-fiction from Wordsworth Books. Philip Todres talks to Jeremy Maggs, one of ENca’s brightest and best presenters, who says very nice things about FMR and whose book Compelling Conversations with 20 Successful South Africans is indeed compelling. Cindy Moritz holds her breath over AJ Finn’s The Woman in the Window, a psychological thriller for anyone who loved Gone Girl or Girl on the Train. Conservationist John Hanks flightily reviews Featherings – True Stories in Search of Birds edited by twitcher Vernon RL Head while Melvyn Minnaar rekindles his pleasure in Peter Carey in his 14th novel A Long Way from Home. Jay Heale has deserted us for the delights of Napier, author Lesley Beake, involved with reading, writing and children all her life, has stepped in with The Skin We Are In by storyteller Sindiwe Magona. Lesley is also the Director of Children’s Book Network: www.childrensbook.co.za. Peter Soal was most moved by Helen Joseph’s most moving memoir If this be Treason of the longest political trial in South African history, and Coalition Country by Leon Schreiber who writes: We are on the cusp of a momentous change. Celebrity cook Phillippa Cheifitz wields her wooden spoon through two very different cookbooks - The Gourmet Cookbook by Bernadette le Roux and Something’s Cooking by J’Something, one elegant with recipes for the finest dining, the other real robust fare. The 2018 Jewish Literary Festival takes place on June 17 with more than 80 authors involved in workshops and talks. Booking is open now: www.jewishliteraryfestival.co.za.

This happy hour Andrew Marjoribanks, with, as always, a bagful of the best in fiction and non-fiction from Wordsworth Books. Philip Todres talks to Jeremy Maggs, one of ENca's brightest and best presenters, who says very nice things about FMR and whose book Compelling Conversations with 20 Successful South Africans is indeed compelling. Cindy Moritz holds her breath over AJ Finn's The Woman in the Window, a psychological thriller for anyone who loved Gone Girl or Girl on the Train. Conservationist John Hanks flightily reviews Featherings – True Stories in Search of Birds edited by twitcher Vernon RL Head while Melvyn Minnaar rekindles his pleasure in Peter Carey in his 14th novel A Long Way from Home. Jay Heale has deserted us for the delights of Napier, author Lesley Beake, involved with reading, writing and children all her life, has stepped in with The Skin We Are In by storyteller Sindiwe Magona. Lesley is also the Director of Children's Book Network: www.childrensbook.co.za. Peter Soal was most moved by Helen Joseph's most moving memoir If this be Treason of the longest political trial in South African history, and Coalition Country by Leon Schreiber who writes: We are on the cusp of a momentous change. Celebrity cook Phillippa Cheifitz wields her wooden spoon through two very different cookbooks - The Gourmet Cookbook by Bernadette le Roux and Something's Cooking by J'Something, one elegant with recipes for the finest dining, the other real robust fare. The 2018 Jewish Literary Festival takes place on June 17 with more than 80 authors involved in workshops and talks. Booking is open now: www.jewishliteraryfestival.co.za.

Varför sörjer vi kändisar genom att samtidigt framhäva oss själva? Och varför överraggar så ofta medelålders manliga romanfigurer vackra unga kvinnor i romaner? Är en slipad redaktör den perfekta författaren av spänningsromanen? Peppe och Karin tokhyllar Kvinnan på taket av AJ Finn medan en av dem inte riktigt går igång på karaktärerna i Alla lyckliga familjer liknar varandra av Claes de Faire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Crime-writer writer Helen Fields dives into the depths of her diary to bring us tips and advice from her writing routine!Helen has just published the third of her 'D.I Callanach' thrillers, 'Perfect Death'. It's all about murders, with a gruesome, ingenious twist, and after working in Law with police, social services and Doctors for many years, Helen has a peculiarly accurate insight into the crimes she writes. She's also told stories using every method available to her, running a film production company and even self-publishing two fantasy books before signing up to the big leagues.We talk about how naming your characters is one of the most tricky parts of the process, why she thinks some authors think the job's too easy, and how self-publishing led her to finally getting signed up by a proper house. Also, the author of one of the most hotly-anticipated books of the year, AJ Finn gives us one writing tip that will change the way you work forever - and it's so easy, you may not even have thought of it.@writerspodwritersroutine.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

AJ Finn explores the minutely insignificant but weirdly wonderful details of his writing routine!AJ has just published 'The Woman in the Window', and it's set to be the biggest psychological thriller since 'Gone Girl' and 'The Girl on the Train'. It has sold in 38 territories - the most of a debut ever, entered the New York Times Bestseller list at No.1 - the first time a debut novel has done that in over 11 years, and its film rights have already been bought by Fox 2000!While working in publishing, the film-noir and crime obsessed AJ thought of a single idea for a story: that of an agoraphobic woman spying a terrible crime through a window, and trying to convince the world of what she saw. It took a further 3 years to flesh out the narrative, and 12 more months to write. AJ has an interesting way of drafting his work too, in that he doesn't do it conventionally. We talk about how he made sure every single one of his 100 chapters was perfect during the show.Also, we chat about getting into the mind of a 38 year old addict who never leaves the house, and how AJ made sure he could write as his lead character truthfully. There's talk of language, and how the actual placing of words was a surprisingly tough part of the job, and what pressure he feels starting his second novel off the back of one of the most hotly anticipated thrillers in years.We've got something BRAND NEW as well, where one of the country's best authors reveals one tip that may change the way you work forever!@writerspodwritersroutine.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's where it's at! The Two Crime Writers talk about librarians stealing books, JK Rowling selling 500 million, Marx, and Luca's shower.  Kate Moloney reviews books from Christi Daugherty and AJ Finn. Special guest is Will Dean, who talks about living in the middle of a forest, flat-pack houses, being Robin Hood, and Moose.  Credits: Produced by Twenty Inches of Monkey Productions Music by Stuart Neville

This week, on Bookmark, Uma speaks to author AJ Finn about his Hitchcock inspired work of literary noir - The Woman in the Window.

This week, on Bookmark, Uma speaks to author AJ Finn about his Hitchcock inspired work of literary noir - The Woman in the Window.

A J Finn is the pseudonym of Daniel Mallory, currently a senior publishing executive at William Morrow/ HarperCollins. An Oxford graduate and former book critic, he lives in New York City. His debut novel, The Woman in the Window, is currently in development as a major motion picture at Fox. Alex Dolan is the author of The Euthanist and The Empress of Tempera. He is also the host of the "Thrill Seekers" show on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. He was an executive committee member of the San Francisco Bay Area's Litquake festival, and is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. He holds an MS in strategic communications from Columbia University. This is a trademarked copyrighted podcast solely owned by the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network LLC.