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When Girls Talk Books
Are you ready for story time? When Girls Talks Books is a podcast with two best friends bonding between the pages. They give comprehensive reviews of books where even if you haven't read the book, you can still enjoy the story. Brace yourselves for a tornado of laughter and literary love! When Girls Talk Books is here.
When Girls Talk Books
Bookworms' Toughest Choices: A Would You Rather Literary Edition Book Bites
What's more criminal in the book world – dog-earing pages or cracking spines? Would you abandon all fantasy books forever if it meant never having to read another detective novel? These are the tough questions we're tackling in our latest Book Bites episode!
We're playing a bookish version of "Would You Rather" that reveals surprising insights about our reading habits and preferences. From debating whether we'd rather read only books with ugly covers (but amazing writing) or gorgeous editions filled with terrible prose, to considering whether we'd survive better in a fantasy world without plumbing or a dystopian society where books are banned – our answers might surprise you!
The conversation takes amusing turns as we weigh the pros and cons of slow-burn romances versus insta-love, standalone novels versus series commitments, and whether we'd rather have an enemies-to-lovers story with no tension or a friends-to-lovers tale with zero chemistry. Our passionate reactions to certain scenarios (particularly around book care and unsatisfying endings) reveal just how deeply personal our relationships with books truly are.
This light-hearted episode offers a window into what readers value most in their literary experiences. Do we prioritize beautiful prose over plot? Would we sacrifice comfort for freedom? And why does the miscommunication trope drive us absolutely crazy? Join us for laughs, literary debates, and the revelation that some book preferences might actually be dealbreakers!
We'll be sharing these questions on our Instagram for you to weigh in with your own choices. Which side will you take in these bookish dilemmas? Let us know!
Editing done by Connor Luther @clfilms.co
Music by @thundercatlouis
Merch Here
Hello everybody, Welcome back to Book Bites. These are our mini-series. I'm Susie.
Speaker 2:I'm Kylie.
Speaker 1:This week we're doing. Would you Rather?
Speaker 2:This month, yo yo. This week, like girl, I don't have that much free time. Week like girl, I don't have that much free time. Uh, yeah, so we're going to be doing bookish. Would you rather? All different genres, all different ideas, it's just what I could think. Let's play. So do you want to play a game? Sure, okay. So, um, we're just gonna start off ready, okay, okay. Would you rather read only books with ugly covers or gorgeous covers with really awful writing?
Speaker 1:oh god, uh the first ugly ugly ones. That yeah, because from my own recent experience it could have a cool cover and not be it, so I'm going to stick with that. That's true.
Speaker 2:I also really like. My problem is I love, like special editions of books. Oh yeah, oh, the painted spot or the sprayed edges on books where it's all like design, oh, so pretty. So I do think I would rather have ugly books.
Speaker 1:But sadly, it would be sad that I would act like oh, I don't care what I would drive, but I like, I'm always one of those people that likes the pretty things, yeah, so um, would you rather dog ear every page of a book or crack every spine? Do it all that's criminal.
Speaker 2:That's criminal.
Speaker 1:I was like she's straight to jail feelings straight to freaking jail yeah, I'm one of those people that, like I'm a, when I was very young I had a childhood not friend, but someone that I spent a lot of time with, and they were a book nerd and so they taught me very young it's not like, yeah, it's not her, I'm not even friends with this person anymore. By their so funny, I mean not even a friend, yeah, and uh, yeah, she. I wasn't allowed to even open the book very far because she didn't want a crease or a broken spine like you couldn't let there be known that the book was used, so I would just take her books home, pretend I read them and then give them back to her because I was too afraid of damaging them.
Speaker 2:But now you're just like a free for all. Rip the pages out and do whatever If it's my own book.
Speaker 1:Color on the pages. Yeah, if it's my own book, I'll underline it. Dog ear bend it. It's like it's meant to be used, it'll be all right If I was someone that was into special editions or like originals or whatever you call it. You know, like original copies, I'll be respectful.
Speaker 1:yeah, after I'm aware that someone doesn't like that, I won't do that to their books anymore if you I know that I had done it to one of your books and then you were very nice about it and you very kindly asked me not to do it again that's fair.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I think that's criminal. Like, oh, especially cracking a spine is bad. Uh, I think dog-earing books are worse because I don't like it. In all fairness, like I don't like it when a book is too tight. Yeah, like when I'm reading it, I don't like it where it's so tight. I really do like it.
Speaker 1:I don't want my hands to get sore from trying to hold that fucker open.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, but I think dog-earing is horrible and horrendous and I hate it. But, I think dog-earing is horrible and horrendous and I hate it.
Speaker 1:Straight to jail, To prison. So would you rather?
Speaker 2:live in a fantasy book of your choice, or you get to like, experience your favorite romance book. Okay, so fantasy or romance Romance, Okay yeah.
Speaker 1:No problem.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:What would be your favorite fantasy series? I don't know what would be your favorite fantasy series, I don't know. I wrote these more for you because I'm like this would be good for her. Truthfully, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I feel like the obvious choice would be like oh, romance but it'd be so fucking cool to ride out on a dragon and fling a sword Like yes.
Speaker 1:I think as long as it's not a dangerous fantasy where the fishmen are going to come get me Like all good.
Speaker 2:Just riding a dragon and swinging a sword, that would be so cool. I, if you didn't know, I like to live a very simple life and I just feel like the fantasy realm in modern day Kylie I just wouldn't mesh very well with, and like she'd have to battle one king and be like fucking please, why do I even care that much? Like what are we doing here, you know, and I just don't feel like I would do very well in that environment. So I'm much more of a lover girl. Okay, fair, but I get your point for sure you know?
Speaker 1:yep, okay, would you rather read only standalones for the rest of your life or only series? Three, minimum, three books. I mean, isn't that what makes a series, just like minimum, of four to five books, and I could be higher, I don't know, that one's kind of hard.
Speaker 2:I do like standalones, I think. I know I thought it was hard too. Do companion novels count, sure, as series or as standalones? Oh, so a companion novel is like you have like a friend group and each one's about a different person. Oh, okay. But, they're technically like like a series.
Speaker 1:Oh, I think that's what I would choose if I had to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, but would they count as standalones or would they count as series? Because they are technically a series, but they are also technically standalones.
Speaker 1:You don't have to read them. You found our loophole, you found our gray area.
Speaker 2:Perfect. You found our gray area perfect. I choose that. Yeah, same. Um, yeah, I don't know, because you never have the excitement of like the new book is coming out and I can't wait and stuff like that. Well, like you can follow authors and some people do like that, but I'm gonna choose standalones nice, okay I expected her to say series I have a problem with falling off in the middle of a series, so I get bored.
Speaker 1:That's why I was gonna stand alone.
Speaker 2:I'd be like, well, serotonin, we're off next we're actually hitting a little point here, so I'm actually he's like in his feelings, again boring don't care, that's a good one, though that's hard. Okay, I have one. Would you rather only read slow burns that take 400 pages to kiss, or insta love on page two?
Speaker 1:Oh, you know, most of the time when they come on that strong, that fast, they're a real red flag. So I'll go with the slow bird Over love bombing. I love you on week two.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I don't know. I kind of like it when he's obsessed with her right away. I do kind of enjoy that, Like she doesn't find out until later, but like you know, as a reader, oh yeah, I love those.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but also sometimes I get annoyed with it. I don't even know what my answer would be. That's okay. I think if I read enough of them, I would get really annoyed, but I get so annoyed at slow burns them. I would get really annoyed, but I get so annoyed at slow burns, but I also love them at the same time.
Speaker 1:If it's a good slow burn, we'll put it up. A good slow burn with the right amount of hand touches You've got to give me something. Glances.
Speaker 2:Yeah, not just absolutely nothing. That would piss me off. Yep. So I guess slow burns, yep, that's what we're going with. Yeah, I guess. So we didn't say I had to love it, we just said I had to choose.
Speaker 1:Fair. Would you rather have to read a cop slash detective book every other read or never read a fantasy book again? That's criminal.
Speaker 2:I, you said, catered towards you. It's it for you, page um every other book.
Speaker 1:It's gotta be a detect every other, yep. But you can have as much fantasy as you want for the rest of your life, can they be?
Speaker 2:novellas yeah, they can be anything you want. It can just be like a short story. Yep, yep, yeah, I'm doing that then could even be a haiku no problem, I can do that. Okay, that there you go. Fair, um, would you rather, hmm, have an enemies to lovers with no tension or friends to lovers with no chemistry? Read the first part again. Would you rather have an enemies to lovers but there's no tension, or a friends to lovers with no chemistry?
Speaker 1:I guess the first one no tension, yeah like I could deal with it, because at least I'd be like arguing and that'll count as my tension.
Speaker 2:Fair, that's fine, because they're still enemies. Yeah, yeah, that's fair.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think I I've been with someone where there's no chemistry and it's just like oh, I think it also kind of depends on the plot, because I did read true, a book that I felt it was very much like friends to lovers and I didn't feel like there was much chemistry, but I enjoyed the rest of the story so it was still like a five-star read for me. So I think I might do the second option, okay. Finally, when we don't, if there's good plot, if there's good plot, I'm doing the second one, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:So would you rather be able to? Every time you read the book, it like comes to life and you're physically in it, or you can bring your favorite book character flick Into this one.
Speaker 2:I'm going there. Yeah, there's too many problems, modern day. I'm going to go worry about those problems. Yep, I like that too. I'm like I want to run away. Yeah, would you rather have?
Speaker 1:a magical power that you can't control, or be the only non-magical person in a magical world, uncontrollable power.
Speaker 2:Really You'd be in jail so fast.
Speaker 1:Well, I would just run away, just look in the woods like a hermit, like Wicked.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know. I think I'd rather check out the magical world. Okay, see what's up. Okay, I'm still me, but I get to look and figure out what's going on here.
Speaker 1:Okay, I went to worst case scenario. I'm like but what if they all come for you and you have no powers to defend yourself?
Speaker 2:You're going to be dead in that life or dead in this life. Pick your poison. Okay, realistically Okay, that's how I feel about it.
Speaker 1:Would you rather read only books?
Speaker 2:with. They miscommunicate for 300 pages or they fall in love in three minutes Three minutes. Yeah, miscommunication trope drives me crazy Experience.
Speaker 1:Enough of that in my own life, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it actually makes me want to reach through those pages and physically punch them in the face.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, drag them behind my pickup, yeah.
Speaker 2:For real. Yeah, would you rather live in a fantasy world with zero indoor plumbing, or a dystopian one where books are banned?
Speaker 1:I guess I'd be distracted in a dystopian one where books are banned, and then I'd feel like a bad girl when I know how to read and like you could hide them and stuff.
Speaker 2:Bad gal. She's a baddie Like oh Eliza, yeah, my mascara said bad gal out. Oh, that's funny. Um, I again do not think I would make it in a dystopian world. I say this, I say this a lot with like zombie, apocalypse stuff. I'm either dying immediately or I'm making it through this whole thing, but I don't really feel the need to find out. So I'm going to go with the no plumbing in the fantasy world. Okay, because they got like potions and stuff. Okay, you know.
Speaker 1:Would you rather read no romance? No, or only books where romance is the entire plot? Yeah, yeah, all the love. Yeah, I wore the romance addict shirt. Yeah, yep, yes, let's see. Oh, would you rather love triangle? Pick the wrong person every time or never a love triangle ever again never love triangle, oh, but they pick the wrong person every time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh tragic.
Speaker 1:Why am I whispering?
Speaker 2:I think I'll go whisper, I don't know.
Speaker 1:You know what I like drama.
Speaker 2:I'll take the first, yeah they picked the wrong guy I read this one one time, just real quick, on this little rabbit hole we're going to guy. Oh yeah, I read this one one time, just real quick on this little rabbit hole we're gonna go down. I read this one called serenading heartbreak years ago.
Speaker 2:I will never forget it and it was a love triangle and you had, like, the friend who was like a good guy and like helped take care of her when yay, who over here, was like off I think he was in like rehab or something horrible person, not a horrible person. He had a lot of substance abuse issues. She ended and Ye, who over here, was like off I think he was in like rehab or something Horrible person, not a horrible person. He had a lot of substance abuse issues. She ended up being pregnant and it was his baby and he went, he like took off. The friend ended up taking care of her, getting her all ready for the baby. All this stuff helped get him like picked him up off the floor and she ended up picking the baby daddy, because you know he's changed and he's different and blah blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 1:I would never forget it.
Speaker 2:I was so mad. I was so mad I'd be angry too, and like it was just such the wrong choice and I think it's just me personally, like hello, you're gonna go for the stability here, let's frontal lobe develop there. It is oh gosh anyway. So I think, like that's the one that I always think of of, like that really pissed me off and I will never forget it. Okay, so, mm-mm, not doing that, not doing that. Would you rather have a book with a predictable but satisfying ending, or a shocking ending that makes you mad?
Speaker 1:I don't know, as an Aries, I do like anger, I do like— you like being pissed? Yeah, I mean, it doesn't take much um. I don't fucking know.
Speaker 2:I don't know would you like me to read it again? Or, okay, would you rather read a book with a predictable ending, but satisfying ending, or a shocking ending that makes you mad?
Speaker 1:Yeah, if I'm stuck with it, I would like to be satisfied, because this world is a pretty disappointing place. So yeah, the first. The world's a cruel place. Yeah, I can get mad by just looking to the right.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I agree. I don't like books that, like the ending, makes me mad. I'll never read another author. I don't like books that, like the ending makes me mad. I'll never read another author if I don't think I've read enough of them.
Speaker 2:I read this one. My problem um me. Once upon a time I read this book, um, and it was paul trembley, and it was the cabin at the end of the world, which is what they based the movie, the knock at the cabin for okay, and the whole premise of it is like the world is ending, but maybe it is, but maybe it isn't, and like it's so like tension filled and so like intense, and at the end you never find out if it actually is happening or if these people were crazy. In the the movie it's much more explained, but in the book it was not. I was pissed, I was so mad. I've never read another one of these.
Speaker 1:Those are like when movies have like interpretive endings or whatever, like you make your own ending. I can't.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, I can't do it, I can't do it.
Speaker 1:Would you rather every book you read have a magical talking animal or an annoying chosen one magical talking animal every day that just seems like it's always the annoying one. That's the chosen one.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes absolutely, and it's the girl who's petite and her parents are dead and she's living on the street and she's got a chip on her shoulder and but she's strong yeah, she doesn't need anyone yeah, but she's a chosen one.
Speaker 2:They're always an orphan. Yep, every time harry potter. Anywho, all right, that's would you rather? Yeah, uh, let us know about your guys's. Yeah, let us know what you think, and I'm gonna put these on our instagram as well for people to vote for. Yay, let us know. Yes, that's book bites. Thanks for joining us. Like, oh, subscribe, follow, share, bye.
