Hot Girls Read Podcast

Julia

This week I’ve picked a book out of my physical TBR pile to finally start reading and I am SO glad I did! The book in question is the widely known ‘Papyrus’ by Irene Vallejo. This ‘million copy global bestseller’, as noted on the cover, is essentially a history of books and reading starting from over 2,000 years ago. Being both a great lover of books and ancient history, I swiped this book off the shelf at Smith&Son with no hesitation and having now started it, I can confirm that it is everything I wanted it to be!

The book starts off with the thrill of adventure, masked warriors on the search of priceless treasures (books, duh) in Ancient Greece, and I was immediately hooked. I also felt seen. People have loved, obsessed over, and collected books since forever it seems. From there, with great storytelling and a detailed furnishing of the past as only a ‘celebrated classicist’ can do, Vallejo establishes the reader in the Alexandria of Alexander the Great and his successor Ptolemy I and holds us in thrall of that shimmering myth: The Great Library of Alexandria. I mean, I am practically drooling just sitting here and writing about it. But reading about it, oh my goodness, it sends shivers up my spine – I feel like I am right there, in the grit and glamour of ancient Alexandria, and about to enter the Library itself, teeming with books from around the known world, open to those who come to read and learn.

 I am only at the very very beginning of this book but I already cannot wait to see what other eye-opening details and adventures lay ahead

Ayesha

I just finished my kindle read – “The Spy Coast” by Tess Gerritsen. I think I bought this during one of those Amazon free reads for Prime members and what pulled me was the mystery…obviously.

Synopsis: Former spy Maggie Bird came to the small village of Purity, Maine, content to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. She now lives quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.

But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. Though retired, this “Martini Club” of former spies still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again.

Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit her clandestine career, from Bangkok to Istanbul, to London and Malta. While the ghosts of her past have returned, with the help of her friends, Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built.

I just finished this reading on the ferry back from Bainbridge Island to Seattle (I’m currently on vacation in Seattle following a book retreat – more to come on that!). Right off the bat, “The Spy Coast” is like if “The Thursday Murder” met with the movie Red. Upon finishing this, I found out that Gerritsen also wrote the book series behind the Rizzoli & Isles tv show – to say that I was gobsmacked would be an understatement – I will definitely be checking out more of her books in the future!