This is what happens when snacks, books, and tangents collide.

In this episode of Savor the Story, chaos arrives wrapped in cozy gaming, fox mythology, and a whole lot of potato chips. Both Nicole and Vanessa are in a little bit of a panic about falling (back) into a reading slump. Vanessa got fully sucked into the Tiny Bookshop game this week and it's the only thing her stressed-out brain can handle this week.

The book chat kicks off with Nicole’s review of “The Fox Wife” - a historical fantasy full of fox spirits, curses, and slow burn storytelling. Then Vanessa brings two emotional reads to the table: the twisty thriller “Love, Mom” and the heartfelt coming-of-age story “The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell”. Expect tears, twists, diary mysteries, and cheating rants.

The episode wraps with a wild question-of-the-week scenario: you wake up as the main character of your most recent read… but the villain is your co-host. Things escalate quickly. Podcasts with serial killers? Podcasts about weird ex-boyfriend penises? Drunk douchey-interviews? It goes places.

Thanks for listening, friends! Don’t forget to tell us: in YOUR last read, who becomes your villain-cohost—and how screwed are you?

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Try Vanessa’s snack this week (veggie chips) now! https://amzn.to/4oIX3mc

Podcast that Nicole discussed: #481 – Norman Ohler: Hitler, Nazis, Drugs, WW2, Blitzkrieg, LSD, MKUltra & CIA | Lex Fridman Podcast

Want to grab any of the books we read or talked about this week? Use our link to pick it up! (As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you!)

Love, Mom by Iliana Xander: https://amzn.to/48Zr50r

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni: https://amzn.to/47kCNS9

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo: https://amzn.to/4oMXHz3

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo: https://amzn.to/4oo03EX

Blitzed by Norman Ohler: https://amzn.to/4qJEtMO

Tripped by Norman Ohler: https://amzn.to/4ol128V

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Visit us on Goodreads!
Nicole: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64483215-nicole

Vanessa: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8349080-vanessa

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome to Savor the Story

01:30 Tiny Little Bookshop (Switch game)

03:04 Reading Slumps

10:03 Book News.

11:30 Snack Time!

14:05 New goals.

15:31 Nicole's Book News

24:20 The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

35:43 Love, Mom by Iliana Xander

42:26 The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni

52:13 Discussion: you wake up as the main character of your last read....