Hearts & Daggers

Summary: Today, Holly and Devin tackle books that kick off with the inheritance of a home. They discuss how the homes are both catalysts to plot and also characters in and of themselves. While the value of the inheritance varies wildly between the books, they agree that the plot device is effective at bringing characters together and precipitating growth, evolution, and depth. These books also sit squarely in each host’s wheelhouse - Holly’s book being especially creepy with cults, poison, and bumps in the night, while Devin’s is a manifesto of queer love, sex toys, and enthusiastic consent.

Topics Discussed:

• The Dagger (1:32): Holly discussed The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell, a book that starts with the inheritance of a multi-million dollar home in central London, and weaves together 3 principal story lines to illuminate the creepy mystery surrounding the abandoned mansion. Her key takeaways were:

• This thriller truly had it all - an abandoned creepy mansion, a cult, a suicide-murder, missing kids, a deadly herb garden, and more, ranking it in the top 3 of thriller books for Holly in 2019. 
• Jewell covers story arcs for the three principal characters–Libby, Lucy, and Henry Jr.--in such a way that the reader delves into multiple mysteries across various decades and geographies. 
• Jealousy and obsession played large roles through every arc in the book - amongst the adults, and amongst the kids/teens, which leads to dangerous decision-making and increased tension. 

• The Heart (16:29): Devin dove into Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters, a book where two women are thrust together after inheriting both a house and a sex shop for a recently deceased aunt. Her key takeaways were:

• The protagonists Cade Elgin and Selena Mathis are perfect foils for each other, but instead of a typical “enemies to lovers” trope, Stetz-Waters instead explores how they can help each other evolve without the typical initial resistance.
• While definitely sexy, Satisfaction Guaranteed approached topics like self-pleasure, sex, consent, and toys almost academically. Running a sex toy shop is actually educational, and the tension with your co-worker is a cherry on top. 
• Art is a throughline of the book, with paintings, galleries, artists and the act of creation playing almost as large a role as the inherited home. 

• Hot On the Shelf (41:28):

• Holly: The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
• Devin: The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

• What’s Making Our Hearts Race (45:07):

• Holly: Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore in Manhattan
• Devin: Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly getting engaged and being agents of chaos

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience. 

Keywords: Literature, Books, Reading, Bookish, Pop-culture, Thriller, Romance, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Karelia Stetz-Waters, The Family Upstairs, Lisa Jewell, Homes, Inheritance, Inherited Homes, The Family Remains, The People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry, Kinokuniya, Megan Fox, Machine Gun Kelly, Engagement, Bookstore, Japanese, Manhattan, Cult

Summary: Today, Holly and Devin connect to discuss books that feature writers as their protagonists. They review how the protagonists’ writing careers are used as catalysts for plot and for character growth. Publicity and fandom are a major theme across both books, and they end by agreeing that writers as protagonists is only effective when the author of the book itself is adept and not using it to be lazy and “writing what they know” too much. 

Topics Discussed:

• The Heart (19:41): Devin discussed Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, a book where both main protagonists are writers. Her key takeaways were:

• The book featured one of her top 10 sex scenes of 2021; an unusual (and public!) location, a surprising reunion and a release of fantastically pent-up tension.
• Williams took romance novels to a more literary place by touching on themes of chronic illness, BIPOC struggles in America, and recovering from childhood trauma. 
• While the main pair are drawn together by chemistry and shared history, the ultimate success of the book is the demonstration of love and lifestyle as a conscious, mature choice. 

• The Dagger (2:14): Holly brought Misery by Stephen King to the table, with Paul Sheldon as the acclaimed author of the Misery series. Her key takeaways were:

• The exploration of addiction was a fascinating throughline of the novel, with Paul being drawn in by painkillers supplied by his captor, Annie, and Annie having an unhealthy relationship to Paul and his series. 
• Horror is not just jump scares but often disgusting, creepy, and off-putting in less “fear-inducing” ways, but that are more elaborately terrifying. King executes on true horror well in Misery. 
• King explores what it means to be a writer, with Paul physically trapped in not just this house, but in a literal chair with the keyboard strapped on top of his lap. 

• Hot On the Shelf (39:30):

• Holly: Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
• Devin: Originals by Adam Grant

• What’s Making Our Hearts Race (42:43):

• Holly: “The Tragedy of MacBeth” film with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand
• Devin: “Don’t Look Up” film with Leo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence 

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com 

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Keywords: Misery, Stephen King, Tia Williams, Seven Days in June, Writers, Horror, Romance, Macbeth, The Tragedy of MacBeth, Don’t Look Up, Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Leo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Literature, Books, Reading, Bookish, Pop-Culture

Summary: Welcome to our first episode! Holly and Devin come together to discuss modern retellings of classic stories. They compare and contrast each book with the original text, and evaluate how the authors wove the classic plot lines and characters into a modern retelling. Holly and Devin share books they’re excited to read next, and then dive into pop culture spiciness to wrap things up. 

Topics Discussed:

• The Heart (1:47): Devin shares her thoughts on Ayesha and Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, a retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Her key takeaways included: 
• • The structures of Austen-era society aligned almost perfectly with Muslim modern society including family involvement in love and marriage.
  • Jalaluddin went further than Austen with harsh critiques of modern society’s racism, sexism, fatphobia and xenophobia. 

• Ayesha at Last takes a plotline folks have read and watched a million times and uses it as a gateway into a culture and ideologies with which some might be unfamiliar.

• The Dagger (13:13): Holly shares her perspective on The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins, a retelling of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Her key takeaways included:
• • The Southern Gothic rendering of the haunting classic featuring transgressive thoughts, desires, and impulses was a fresh but resonant take on Jane Eyre.
  • Hawkins leveraged a “Desperate Housewives” dynamic with women in the neighborhood to explore the fragile social order and Jane’s desperation to belong.
  • Jane becomes intrigued by Bea (the deceased wife) and her rags-to-riches tale even as she remains haunted by her own past, finding herself working to, in some ways, become Bea. 
• Hot Off the Shelf (31:30):
• • Holly: Scarlet, book two of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
  • Devin: A Better Man, book 15 of the Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny
• What’s Making Our Hearts Race (34:27):
• • Holly: “The Vow”, series on HBO about cult NXIVM and leader Keith Raniere
  • Devin: “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the most recent Marvel film released

Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod

Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com

If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

Welcome to Hearts & Daggers, a podcast where we chat about the books that make our hearts race—whether we're swooning onto the bed, or hiding under the covers.

Our hosts are Devin, a New Englander living in Colorado who loves diving into romances that amp her up and make her giggle; and Holly, a New Yorker who loves nothing more than reading something dark, creepy, and mysterious.

Each episode we will discuss two books—one lighter, one darker—that are united by a common theme. We will also each share one book we haven't read that we are excited about, and will end with something in pop-culture or life right now that is making our hearts race.

Join us bi-weekly for some fun conversations about romances, thrillers, and all the books in between that get our heart rates pumping!

Learn more by following us on Instagram @HeartsAndDaggersPod or by visiting our website www.heartsanddaggerspod.com.