No Shelf Control: The Books, Booze, and Banter Podcast

S2 Ep1: A Discussion of The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski and The Witcher (Netflix)

May 16, 2022 Lindsey Sparks, Lindsey Pogue, Lindsey Fairleigh Season 2 Episode 1
No Shelf Control: The Books, Booze, and Banter Podcast
S2 Ep1: A Discussion of The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski and The Witcher (Netflix)
Show Notes Transcript

Authors Lindsey Pogue and Lindsey Sparks discuss The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski and the adaptation of the book/series into The Witcher on Netflix (specifically looking at season 1).

WARNING: This episode contains ALL the spoilers about The Last Wish and season 1 of The Witcher.

BOOK RECS!

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene

LS is currently reading her book, Echo in Time, on the Read By The Author podcast.

OTHER LINKS:
Sonia Matas (artist) on IG
cocoaspen (artist) on IG
Elyssa Long / Print is Dead UK (artist) on IG

CURRENT FREEBIES (at the time of episode airing):
Echo in Time by Lindsey Sparks
The Darkest Winter by Lindsey Pogue
After The Ending by Lindsey Sparks & Lindsey Pogue
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https://www.lindseypogue.com/

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https://www.authorlindseysparks.com/

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Welcome to season two of no shelf control and banter hosted by authors for readers because let's face it. We're all. Bookworms at heart. This season, we will be chatting about book to screen adaptations and trending book talk books. I'm Lindsey Sparks and I'm Lindsey Pogue. Grab a cocktail, kick back and enjoy the show. Yay. We'll be back. I'm so excited about what we're doing this season. That we just like randomly pulled out a note where we're like, let's do season two. Yeah. Well, we always knew we were coming back. We just didn't know exactly what we were going to be doing for season two. And, but it's funny. Cause I felt like I actually, like, I always would prepare cause you know, when you're chatting with authors, but I feel like this one, you know, we're where you can talk about what we're doing, but I felt like I really had to like take notes and prepare this well, and I'll describe what season two is gonna look like, because it is going to be different from season one. But yeah, we'll get to that. Um, but it relates to what you were just saying. So, uh, welcome everybody to the first episode of season two, uh, of the national control podcast. Um, like we said, we are switching things up a bit this season, so, uh, we're going to focus less on and by less, I mean, like not at all, probably. I mean it could happen. You never know. Um, but we're going to focus less on, uh, interviews with, uh, other authors. Uh, and we're going to focus on two different, really exciting things. Um, one, so we're going to alternate episodes. So once a month, we're going to do an episode focusing on a book to screen adaptation, be that a movie or a show. Um, and the other episode, cause we do it every other week. Um, the other episode each month, we're going to do a popular book talk book because both LP and I, our foe are focusing so much of our social media efforts on, um, tick-tock uh, and the sub-community for readers book talk, uh, that it just makes sense. And, and we both, like, I feel like we're. I'll wait, whenever we have our meetings, we're always checking in and talking about how, like the next book we're going to read is a book that we learned about on book talks. It's like, it just makes sense. Yeah. We're starting to buy more hardcovers and paper bags and more, it's just, it's a sick, it's a sickness disease. Um, so we are incorporating that. We had a blast talking with all of this. It was so much fun. We got to read so many books we don't usually read. Yeah. But I think that was like part of the thing. So like, I think listeners were probably sick of hearing me say, like this isn't my usual genre. And it's like, well, at this point it is my usual genre. Like, because that was just what we, that those were the mostly contemporary romance authors were the ones that we were able to schedule to come on the show. Um, but it's not my genre and I don't have very much time to read. And I know you are busy with tons of other things also, and that we both just wanted to be able to incorporate more of the books that we. Have on our ever-growing TBRS. Yeah. Well, because, you know, like we said, in the beginning, this is we're very much, we are bookworms and I think that's one thing that I've been struggling with. And I feel like over the last year and a half, two years having the show, you know, one of the things I keep saying is, you know, you know, I wish I was reading more. My goal this year is to read more. And so it's always been a struggle. And so this allows us to really read the stuff that is on our list and, you know, really read the stuff that we're passionate about and that sort of thing. So I'm excited. Um, I can actually, I feel like I can buy a book now and I can actually will read it, you know? So anyway, I mean, my husband probably doesn't think that, um, yeah, like, um, multiple times a week I'll get packages that are books and it's just like, at this point, He just, he's just like, this is for you. This is another book. Yeah. So anyway, I it's exciting. It's exciting. And you know, some news, uh, this is a huge thing for me. Uh, I actually signed up for book of the month, so I'm really loving that too. I don't, I've never had a book subscription before, again, thank you so much book talk, because again, it is seeping into every house. Oh my gosh. It totally is. Like I signed up for, um, so I was doing once upon a book club, which didn't really fit into my like genre preferences very well, even though it's so fun. I love the concept of like the, they put the little page or they put the there's like four, four presents. They're all wrapped up that come with it. And then you, when you get to the page number that the president goes with, then you unwrap it. It has something to do with what you're reading. It's super fun, but it's also like now I've got a bunch of books on my shelf, um, that are not necessarily books. I would have picked out for myself. Uh, I decided to switch it up and I've gone over to bookish box, which is very much more like fantasy romance, which is my thing. Um, and, uh, I am still like stuck in the Yia one, uh, the ya's subscription. I'm trying to get into the adult subscription, but they're so popular. Their wait list is so long. Oh, wow. Yeah. So, um, but the thing about that I love about them is that they have the most beautiful books. They're so beautiful. They're all special additions with like the like gilded full leather covers. And then they have like the, um, reversible dust jackets. So you get all of this beautiful character art with it. I'm just really, I'm really like, I haven't even received my first one yet. And I'm already seeing. But it's been very inspirational for me, um, in terms of the special additions that I'm planning for my own stuff. So, um, yeah, that's always helpful. Yeah. I mean, it's a business expense. Um, anyway, so yeah, we did, uh, we totally loved, we really genuinely loved talking, talking to other authors. Um, but we definitely, when we first conceived of this podcast years ago at this point, um, we wanted it to be for readers. Um, and it's it just, we want to like, come back to that and, and pull the, like reading passion back out of ourselves and be able to discuss the books that we're so excited and passionate about and dissect them. If we're like, dude, this is not what I thought. I know that's going to be fun. Um, yeah. So. Okay. So for this specific episode, season two, episode one, um, we were like, let's, let's do something really big. So we decided to do, because we both love, um, Henry Cavill and The Witcher and Henry Cavill as The Witcher. Um, I'm like all of his grunting and I'm sure people watch it for other reasons as well, but his grunting is like amazing. And like his take pants, really tight leather pants. I haven't known about that in a minute. Yeah. Um, okay. Anyway, too funny, kind of put my hair for this, um, for the, okay. So for this episode we read and there's going to be like a bunch of like disclaimers here. So we read The Last Wish by, I cannot pronounce his name. Do you want to try? I don't even have in front of me, so I'm going to Andrzej Sapkowski. I that's how it is. And I live with them. Good job. Um, I feel like when, uh, I think we both listened to the audio book, right? Yeah. Um, I, I feel like I, the narrator pronounced the author's name in a way that I was not expecting. Um, so I do not think that I said it. Right. Uh, so I'm sorry about that. Uh, but anyways, so we read the last wish, which is the first of two short story collections that's then followed by some novels in The Witcher series. And then, um, we watched season one, LP watched also season two, I just haven't had time. I've only watched the first episode, not for lack of wanting to, but I just wanted to use my time in preparing for this episode to rewatch season one, because this is something I'm sure we're going to talk about. It's super confusing. Yeah. Anyway, so we watched, we're going to be discussing specifically season one of The Witcher, the show on Netflix. Um, we're not going to be discussing the video games, even though I do have one of them. I have only played a little bit of it at this point, cause I don't really have a lot of time for video games. Um, but as a lot of people know that video games are a big part of the franchise as well. Um, and according to the internet, um, this, so season one of The Witcher on Netflix also includes elements of Sword of Destiny, which is I believe the second short story collection. Um, and. The Blood of Elves, The Blood of Elves, which I believe is a novel in the series. And I think The Blood of Elves is when they start to dive into a lot of Ciri's storyline. And it sounds like Sword of Destiny is more of the like, uh, episode of the week if pitchers kind of like what was in the last wish. Um, and neither of us have read either of those. No. So this is all sort of starting to make a little bit more sense as to why they did what they did. I know it is still is ridiculous, but I still, like, I kept thinking, I was like, this does not, I was like, I have a bunch of. Other suggestions of ways that could have done it. Not that they're going to like listen to me or go back and revise, bring Henry backwards. Um, can I just talk to Henry? I think that he would be really interested in what I had to say. Uh, so, uh, let me, well, do, do we want me to, should I hold off on reading the book description until let's hold off, let's just catch up and do whatever we do. Um, it's been a while since we recorded the show, um, a couple of months, I want to say, I feel maybe even longer. Yeah. I dunno. Um, LP and I have been talking since, I mean, we moved, we meet every other week anyway, so it's not like we haven't seen each other, so, or talked about reading or anything, but, um, Well, I guess for this kickoff season two episode, please tell me you're drinking something fun. Um, I am, I'm drinking bubbles. I'm drinking tonight and your giant white glass. I know. Well, you know, I'm always afraid I'm going to knock the skinny, the skinny ones over cause I'm really klutzy. So the big one is, yeah, this is pretty big. And then the closer I get, the bigger it gets. What if it was this big? And I was drinking it. Um, I have a red wine. I want to see it to cab. Um, I should've looked it's from one of my favorite wineries, um, novelty hill, Washington wineries. Um, and it tastes really good cause I haven't had wine for a couple days. So. Fancy allergen. Um, yeah. So you have those really pretty flutes still don't, you know, the sinless ones, the cold they are. Yeah. They have like silver and gold. Um, what do you call it? Like leap leafing. That's what they call it. Um, the problem is, is they're all handmade. And so they don't have flat bought, like, they're not, they're not like, you know, structurally sound when it comes to being around any sort of, and not to like, I would totally knock it over. Um, but yes. That was where I think those are a wedding gift. Actually. They're still going strong. Anyways. We like wine guys. That's all. That's why it's the books, booze, and banter podcast. It should be like the books now because you drink a lot of cocktails. So it's funny. My dad is visiting and, um, we were having dinner last night and, uh, Katie, my sister brought up the podcast and I, we were talking about, I dunno how it came up, that, you know, we drink on it. And my dad's like, you drink on, you have a podcast, you drink. I'm like, yeah, that's what it's about. Like, we drink, we dug up books and we drank and I feel like he's all, he's all, all forward, whatever. But he was just very confused by that. So this is like, Tyrion would fit on this podcast. Yeah. You know, I drink and I drink and I know things I drink and I read things. Um, okay. So then on that note, what are you reading right now besides the last one? Okay. So as we were saying, I mean, I really didn't want, I've seriously want to get back into reading. So I've been really trying, um, I have a paperback going right now, which I don't get to do very often. I'm reading To Kill a Kingdom, but, and it's, I think, I believe it's considered why a, um, it feels way by Alexandra Christo, do you have this? No, I should. Sorry. It has a, um, it has like a octopus tentacles on the front. Oh, I know the cover. Oh, it's really like teal teal. And it's like OSHA. It's really kind of artsy really like that cover. Um, anyway, it is a, like a wire retelling of, uh, kind of like a gritty, a little mermaid, so that's cool. Yeah. It's it's fun. Um, and then I just finished the Witcher and then right when I finished that audio book, which. Amazing. The narration was amazing. Um, I started reading or listening to, um, I think her name is Sally Thorne. Um, but anyway, The Hating Game. Yeah, Sally Thorne The Hating Game. It's a, um, it's a romcom. They made it into a movie on Netflix and I wanted to watch, I want to watch the movie on Netflix, so I wanted to re listen to it first and so far, I am loving it. It's super cute and funny. So. It's about to it's about these two people who they work at a publishing company, which is really cool. They can't stand each other. They are both executive assistants. I believe for the people who run the publishing house, they, you know, there's, there's like two opposing sides and they can't stand each other and they play all these games. Like just, it's really like sad. There's so much sexual tension and they act like they hate each other, but you know, they don't, and you're just, you can't wait for whatever's going to happen happen, you know, but it's really cute. And it's fun. It's the way it's written in all these ways that they're incorporating like women you're in the workplace, these silly games, you can play, not even realize you're realizing you're playing them, you know, as far as like all the tit for tat and like talking crap about each other. And I don't know, it's just fun. I really, I really enjoying it so far. But anyway, that sounds fun. Yeah. What about you? Um, I obviously just finished the last fish and, um, I am reading, um, echo and time for, uh, another podcast. So where it's called Read By The Author where I read my books. Well, I'm, I'm, I have one more episode of, uh, Echo in Time, which is the first book in the Echo Trilogy. Um, and then I'm pretty sure, like she has confirmed that she's going to do it. I just don't have the stuff yet from her. Um, but uh, our, our good author friend, Tarah Benner is going to come on and she's going to read, or there's going to be like an, uh, season 1.5. And she's going to read, um, Blood Ties, I believe is the name of the novella. It's like a prequel novella for her, which is a mountain shadow series, which is like a contemporary romance, small town. It's not contemporary romance, sorry, contemporary fantasy, a small town thing, kind of like, um, I don't know, it's kind of like practical magic, but also kind of like a little bit urban Phoenix, which is of the east, which is, which is, which is, uh, which is of mountain shadow is the name of this year compared to a, which is of east end. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pretty similar. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I kind of got that vibe looking at the cover. I haven't read it, but yeah, very much. But, um, I haven't read the novella yet. Um, but I remember when she was writing it and I feel like she said it was like, kind of. It was reminiscent of like Supernatural, that kind of thing. So with Sam and Dean, so cause it's two brothers. Um, so I'm pretty excited about that. Um, and then I am about to start A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene, who I absolutely adore her, her books, her, um, uh, beauty and the beast retelling. Right. Yeah. Which I was telling I had that one. I haven't started it yet. Yeah. LPs on a beauty and the beast retelling thing right now. Um, but, uh, yeah, so I'm gonna read that it's supposed to be a pretty spicy, um, and a little dark, uh, and my, uh, reading group, my, or my reading, I keep calling it my reading group. It's, it's not it's my reader group. So the group that my readers are in on Facebook, they are reading that this month. Um, so I'm excited to jump in and talk to them about that. Um, yeah. Uh, highly recommend KF Brene's books, if anybody likes fantasy romance and has not read them yet. Um, Especially The Demigods of San Francisco, which starts with Sin and Chocolate...it's really good. Um, Dan listened to that one. I think it's really good. Um, and then, uh, the magical midlife madness series with which is a paranormal women's fiction. So it's like middle-aged heroines. Um, I adore that series. I genuinely love that series and it's hilarious. And there's a gargoyle Butler who I am almost positive that the narrator purposely tries to emulate. Um, oh my God. What is his name? The, the only thing I, I love him. He's in, uh, oh, he was the dad in the new. Oh, is I call him Victor? Yes. Victor. Yes, yes. Yeah. From underworld. Yeah. I love him too. My God actually. Yeah. Yeah. And he was, um, in, um, an amazing movie that is totally underrated about time. So good bill. Nighy there you go. Yeah. Um, bill Nighy. Am I confusing that with bill Nye? No, I think that's his name. Okay. Anyway, he's awesome. I'm I'm like 99.9% convinced that the narrator is like, this is what I'm going for. That's awesome. Yeah, that it's really good. It's a really, really good series. Um, anyway, so I'm very excited about ruin of ruin of roses or just ruined a frozen. I'm not sure. Uh, yeah, that's what I have. Good. That's fun. Yeah. Yeah. You were reading books. I just want to keep up the momentum out because I also have like a legit book club too, and we meet every month. And so I need to keep that. What are you guys reading for the book club this month? Well, we've been on a bit of a hiatus, but, um, I think I'm convincing everybody to check out the, um, the hating game, because that way we can all get together and watch the movie. Oh, that's fun. So anyway, we're going to meet in a couple of weeks and then, um, I'm pretty sure they're all on board to, uh, randomly, we want to at least catch up and, you know, we'll watch it sometime, but yeah. So anyway, want to do something fun? So, anyway, yeah, it's exciting. I'm just glad that we're getting to read a little bit more or I am anyway. I feel hopeful. Yeah. Um, okay. So what are you working on, right. Or have you released anything really excited or like what, how much has happened in the last no, last time we have every single thing that's happened in the last detail. No. So, um, so long story short, uh, everything is good to go with city of ruin. That's my Gothic dystopian, beauty and the beast and Jane Eyre retelling that comes out June 14th. So that's, I'm have that with the proofreaders right now. Podium has it for the audio book. Um, and I'm really excited. So that's going to be ready soon. See if storms, which is the second book in my ruined limb series, that is like, it's a Norse inspired Robin hood tale. Um, it's a lot of Norse mythology more than I expected. Uh, I wrote the end yesterday, send it to my alpha reader. So that's out there in the world. Um, and yeah, so actually today was my day to not work. That didn't happen at all. Like I was going to take today off. I did watch some of the Witcher because I've already seen this. I've already seen season one twice, and then I, but that was a while ago. And so I wanted to kind of catch up a little bit on the, the, uh, episodes that I was kind of confused between the book, you know, whatever. So there were a couple of them that I rewatched today that was like my time off today. But other than that, like, I'm really trying to be kind to myself and I, my dad's also visiting from Hawaii. So I'm trying not to do too much for the next four days. And then maybe jump in, dive in on like, But that's the gist of it. How about you? Um, well, I finally released song of scares and fall and stars, which I feel like I had been talking about forever. Um, great. Yeah, that came out at the end of March and it's been doing really well. Um, uh, readers have really been loving it. Uh, and now I am almost done with the revisions on, uh, the third draft of blood of the broken, which is the fifth book in the Atlanta's legacy series. It was brutal. It got it almost made myself cry this morning. I was just like, oh, like, I've, this is going to be one of those ones where people are like, oh my gosh, I hate you so much, but I love you because like I can't stop crying. Um, yeah, it's got like a really brutal. A brutal middle. Um, so you're going to get, you're getting it tomorrow. Um, well LP is getting it tomorrow cause she's one of my beta readers. Um, and when I say you're getting it tomorrow, you're getting like the first half, the first two thirds of it tomorrow. Um, yeah, so I'm on chapter 21. It has 35 chapters and I should be able to get four or five more chapters done tomorrow. So then I think I'll be able to finish it probably Monday or Tuesday and send the, the remainder. But, um, yeah, I feel like with all of my books, like the first part is always, it just takes me a long time to do the revisions on like the. like quarter of the book, because it's like all the setup, you have to lie about a hundred percent. I know what you mean, but now it's like in the like, ball is rolling part. And so I'm like, all right, I'm cool. And I'm going, I'm going. Um, and, uh, but in non-writing projects, I do have some fun, some fundamental announcements, but, um, I am have received, uh, I know it was talking about this before we went on our hiatus for the podcast, but, um, I have Julia Whalen, Steeda Neilson and Dana day. And Neil thorn are the four narrators I don't have, I didn't have Neil thorn at that point. I'm not sure if I had seen a Nielsen at that point either. Um, signed on, um, they are. They have all either recorded. I already have Julia Wayland's chapters as cat for the song stairs and falling stars, audio book, those are done. It's all sealed up. I have Neil's chapter. Um, my assistant is proofing it currently, and that should be sealed up hopefully in the next day or two. And Stina is a machine. She, she sends like six chapters a day. Um, so we are way behind her in terms of proofing, but she is amazing. Um, Stena Nielsen for those who don't know is the narrator who did the, um, for blood and Nash series. Um, she is wonderful. Um, I'm so excited about this audio book and I don't have any Edina chapters yet, but I've worked with her so much. I have no, no concerns. Um, And there's only like four chapters, so for her, um, but hold on, man, this audio book is going to be so cool. I'm so excited. Um, and spending so much money on illustrations and cover art and stuff because I am getting everyone lined up and reserved for the echo trilogy, special additions right now. And these things I'm like, I'm going to do a Kickstarter and stuff probably in, I don't know, January or February. Um, but I'm getting everything now so that I have like the pictures of stuff to show people on the Kickstarter. But, um, I just saw, or I just put down the deposit for this artist and, um, her name is Sonya so less. I want to say, um, I hope I didn't get that wrong. Um, she is amazing. She is amazing. Um, and like her the way she does light, I'm just saying. I want to actually to be able to tell people her actual name, um, Sonia her on Instagram, she is Sonya underscore, M S underscore, um, Sonya Matis, um, the way she uses light. And then she's collaborating with another artist, um, for this project, but she's doing the, the way she uses light reminds me completely of the like magic, the art, the time magic in the echo trilogy. Like it's all very like glowy and rainbowy, it is stunning. And she's doing your tarot cards? No, no, she's doing the dust jackets. Okay. On the echo trilogy, special additions. She is just like so good. Um, and, and like I said, she has a collaborator that she's working with, who I will put it in the show notes to reference both of them. And then I'm talking to someone else about doing the naked covers. So like the actual book itself. Um, and she we're, we're still in the talks. So we haven't like there's no deposit has been paid or anything like that. Um, but she's very excited. Um, and then I have the taro cards are coming in. I've already posted a couple of them in my reader group. So I have an illustrator. Uh, her name is Alyssa. Um, and she is her company is print is bed UK. Um, it's very like Gothic. McCobb looking print is dead. Yeah. I heard princess like princess. No, that's nice. Now print is dead. Um, and she are just like, when I was first looking for illustrators for special additions, I came across her and I was like, I don't feel like she's right for the book covers that I'm thinking of, but I was like, but she is exactly her work was exactly like how I pictured. Art to be in her taro cards. And I was like, oh, I know I'm going to be doing a tarot card deck. So I reached out to her and it just so happened that she could start like a month after I reached out to her. So she has been reading through all the books. She has sent me several cards. Uh, they're up in my reader group. She's um, the Empress is up and the star, which is great. Cause they were both cards that were featured in song as scarabs and fallen stars, which is kind of fun. Cause that's the most recent book that's come out. Um, and I'm so happy with how they're turning out and I'm so excited about that project. So it's just, I feel like having my words turned into art is one of the things that I have been looking forward to for. So it's like one step below having my books adapted for like film or TV is like having someone else just like put a visual spin on them. It's very exciting. That's very cool. Yeah. I think that's everything that I've commissioned. So I feel like people watching this or listening as I'm, as I'm thinking about this in listening to you too, I already knew all of this. So I just, I feel like people like HUD Lindsay's like sitting there, like it it's not, cause I don't think it's cool. I just, I already think it's more of a reader or listeners. Uh, but yeah, I was just, I keep forgetting, like, we're recording this visually as well, so I'm just like sitting here just like letting you talk. And then I was like, no, like Lindsay can give two shits. Sorry guys. Anyway. Yeah. Yeah. I'm really excited to be able to start sharing the taro cards on. Um, my Facebook page and Instagram and to talk and stuff like that, I just don't have the finals yet, um, for those images. But, um, we're going to be doing like finals in like groups of three and four. So as soon as she, as soon as we have them finalized and she sends me like the high resolution files, then I'm going to start actually getting to share them. And I'm really excited. So it's exciting. It is really exciting. That really is. Yeah. Um, I mean, there's probably other stuff that I'm working on, but I feel like I've been talking for like a really long time. I'm just going to cut myself off there. Funny, sorry. Anyway. Um, are we ready to introduce, okay. Yes, yes, yes. Okay. So I'm just going to read the description of the last wish that I. And yanked off of Amazon. Um, and then I will direct us through a guided discussion. Yeah, let's do it. I'm excited. Okay. Um, so, oh, I guess we should all definitely spoilers everybody. Oh, oh yes, no spoilers. We are talking as like the show wrote all my, I rewrote all my stuff, so I got my spoiler warning, spoiler warning. This would be the point to hop off of the podcast. If you have not watched, if you are sensitive to spoilers, like any other sane person. Um, and if you haven't watched the Witcher season one, uh, LP may drop some, which are season two spoilers. You never know, um, accident. And if you haven't, um, read, uh, the last wish, so we are not censoring ourselves and I'm plugging my headphone cord around and we're not even drunk. I had like four sips of wine at this point. So. Anyway, the last wish Darryl alt I am. Oh, I know I'm saying it. Garrett, Gerald, the Witcher. It's very difficult names. No, I'm going to screw so many things up. You don't even get me started going. You're good. Garyl the Witcher revered and hated holds the line against the monsters. Plaguing humanity in. Oh, in this collection of adventures, the first chapter in ground, but groundbreaking, epic fantasy. I'm sorry. I cannot say your name on Drudge step Galfsky. It's like with a R Z J I don't know how that is supposed to work. Um, groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the block blessed blockbuster video games Garrels is in Witcher. I man, who's magic powers enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir have made him a brilliant fighter and merciless center. Yet he is no ordinary killer, his sole purpose to destroy the monsters that plagued the world, but not everything monstrous looking is evil and not everything fair is good. And in every fairy tale, there is a grain of truth. Nice. Can I just say I've actually never read the blurb before that would have been so helpful before read, listening to the book because. One of the big things. And we can talk about this more later, but the way, the way the story is told is very segmented in the book, as far as it's in chunks and it doesn't flow. It's not like a novel that starts from the beginning to the end. So, um, that would, that makes sense. This is a collection of adventure, whatever you said. So, yeah, that makes sense. Uh, collection out of adventures. I like that in this collection of adventures. That's what it is. It really is thrown together. Yeah. So let's start off by saying, or let's talk about our favorite things about the book. Okay. So, um, I'm gonna jump in with one thing. Good. Um, which is, I really liked that I had no idea, which is silly because I, it doesn't come across really in season one. Although in the first episode of season two, it kind of does, um, it's like so much based on various. There's so much stuff in here. That's based on fairytales. Yeah. I didn't get that either. Really in the show. Yeah. But in the book it's like, like there's, um, with rent-free and she has the seven dwarves like that they're talking about, they're like very grim dark versions of the fairytale and there's the very clear beauty and the beast thing. Um, I guess the only thing that in the show, because I did, I wasn't trying to connect, like, I know we're not talking about the show yet, but because I wasn't trying, I'm going to do it anyway. Um, w when I was watching season one of the show, the first time, I wasn't trying to connect it with fare that wasn't even in my head fairytales. Um, but when I watched it this time, I was already thinking about fairytales. Cause I had already gotten to the beauty and the beast story. Um, and yet. Story is a little Cinderella. Well, so is the whole, the whole scene in the, um, in the castle with the Knight who comes with the hedgehog face or whatever. That's also very Cinderella because he has the stroke of midnight and then he'll turn it into a human form. Yeah, it is. Yeah. I didn't even, yeah. Um, zero names. Yeah. I literally can't remember anybody, but oh, the name is the hedgehog talk night. I mean, I pretty sure his name was like, Sir urchin or something, which is like, kind of silly because you look like a surgeon. I want, that was the, one of the episodes that I really wanted to rewatch day, because I wanted to see how close that was to the scene in the book. And yeah, I was noticing that the, yeah, let's definitely talk about that when we get to comparing the two, because I want to talk about that specific episode and that specific story in the book. Um, so I really loved that the fairytale connection in the books. Um, and then also, I mean, I loved the beauty and the beast story, which was, I don't know which one it was, but it was really, it was like the second one maybe. Yeah. Um, but it's not in the show. Yeah. So in season two, yeah, people just don't get confused as one in season one. Um, and I only know that because it's the first episode of season one of season two and I'm in the middle of it right now. Um, And the other thing that I really liked, um, I mean, there's lots of things that I liked about the book. The narrator is really good. Um, but I also, and this is going to come into the comparison a little bit, but I genuinely really liked the format for this short story collection. Um, and it reminded me a lot. I'm gonna plug one of our books. Um, it reminded me a lot of a world before the way that we did that with the cause it has like, there's like the short story collection, the adventures, the individual adventures that are kind of standalone. Um, and then there's the characters. Yeah. And then there's the voice of reason interludes that's like seems to be happening in like one single chunk of time, but that's just like broke it up throughout. Um, it kind of reminded me of how we did world before with Zoe and then the stories. Um, yeah, but I, I liked, I liked that format. Um, Yeah, I think I was like, ha I had a hard time following it at first because I was expecting something similar to what the show had done. Um, and, and it caught me a little bit off guard, but it was so much easier to follow in here. Yeah, no, I think, um, I had the narrator down. Amazing. I can't believe how good he was. I mean, he did the beast with the, well, I forget his name, the character, but with the tusks in his mouth, he did a great job. The goat, he did a great, I like just like all, I don't really go to either. I forgot what they call them, but anyway, it was this in such a good job with all of them. I just really enjoyed it. But, um, I think for me, the biggest thing that was helpful is, you know, I've talked to you before, about how like epic fantasies really hard for me, as far as reading it, like, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around all the new things and trying to picture everything. And, um, I really enjoy watching, especially if it's like the historical episode. It's like, I dunno, I really like historical fantasy stuff, especially watching it, but. When it comes to something like this that is so intricate and there's so much world building. I really enjoyed being able to read about that more than just trying to figure it out on screen, because there's so much that I feel they didn't do a great job of showing or telling in the show. Um, there's some things I'm kinda glad they didn't, you know, spend a lot of time on, but one of it was like the law of surprise and all that. Like they're like they could've, they could've explained all that so much more in the show that it would've made more sense to me. So I really, that was one of the reasons why I went back and watched some of the episodes say, because I was just so many other things were clicking, you know, so it didn't make sense. So I really appreciated how much more you learn, even just about the characters too, that you're meeting on screen when you're watching the show. So I really disliked it more explanation and more being able to really experience the world building a little bit more, not just visually, but like understand it. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah, I really liked that. So those are my two things. So. Cool. Um, what were your favorite things about the show? I really like that. Um, so I'm going to call them the Bard, but I know in the book they call him Dan Jillian, right? Yes. Ben billion. Yeah. We were laughing about this before we started the show because it's spelled dandelion the lion, but the narrator and Jillian, but they don't, they don't call him that in the show. So you I'm just gonna come in the bar. But anyway, I really liked that he was. He was very much a part of the entire show essentially from season or episode two on, because I think he adds such a great layer. He's such a good counterpart to the Witcher. So I think that that was, it was really good on their end. That was a really smart thing for them to do. Cause he's such a likable character, even in the book, comedic relief, kind of like, he's just like silly. And I really like that. They really took them up a notch in the show and they made him really like, he's so freaking funny and he has some amazing ones. He even has like this, this humor it's like, you could miss it. It's just so witty, you know? Um, so I really, really enjoyed that. Um, and can I button here? Really? Yeah. Um, did you watch Xena? Like when you were growing up, you remember. Uh, ducks are the mighty, he is a hero. Oh, no. I mean, if I saw him probably nice abs or something, I don't know. No, he was not, uh, he was not, uh, he was like, he was more of a fan. I'm trying not to like offend anybody here. It wasn't like, uh, it wasn't like areas. He was like a kind of nerdy kind of. Oh yeah, no. I mean, I'm sure if I saw him, I might recognize it. I did watch it for that show for a long time. Oh yeah. Jessica. You're the way that they've done him reminds me a little bit of docs are nice and he has like a theme song and stuff, so, oh, I love that. No, I don't remember that. Yeah, so, uh, he's a great, um, uh, this is not on my list, but if we're going to go back to the pants thing that I was saying, the tight pants there's actually, and I totally didn't catch it. I would have not known this if I hadn't watched it for a third time today. Um, and it's funny, you guys, I just have to say that, like, I, I enjoyed the first time I watched it. I'm not obsessed with it by any means. Like, I, it's not one of those shows where like, Vikings, I will watch that over and over and over again, this, I enjoyed it and whatever it was fine, but it, again, this kind of stuff is a little hard for my little brain to grasp. So the fact that I've actually seen. At three times now, the first season is really weird for me. Um, but it's just funny that you brought up the tight pants because there's a scene when he first meets, uh, Yana fur. And she remember that line when she said, take a bath because I smell the breed of your horse and everything just off of it. Yeah. Yeah. It was well, it's actually in the show too. And when she gives him clothes and um, she, you know, makes him magically appear whatever he's like, oh yeah. You're I forgot your, uh, you know, you have magic, so you can make these clothes up here. Cause it's like, where where'd you get these? And then when he comes out wearing them, he's like, these are so tight. And she was like, no, they fit just fine. You know? So I thought that was so funny even have him comment on it. Yeah. But anyway, um, what else? I do have to say like, um, speed talking. I th I found this hilarious. So talking about. Uh, cause I did, they reference it in the book as well, but this show, I feel like they, they, like, it becomes like almost a joke, but people talking about, about Garrel needing like a bath or like all the time it's constant. Yeah. I'm like this poor guy. Yeah. It's like they needed to counter his like gloriousness as Henry Cavill, like just being this monstrous and all he does is like beautiful man. He doesn't glare at him and he's like, yeah. Um, I think that was one of the things that I also liked about the show is in the book, I feel like he's a lot more introspective as far as, and it makes sense it's the book, but he, I feel like he had, he really has a hard time not fitting in with humanity a lot. And in the book and you, he knew, definitely get that in the show, but it's not something that weighs on him. At least you can see, I almost feel like the show with his character development picks up kind of where this leaves off, as far as him kind of accepting who he is and like moving forward, you know, just show kind of the book itself seems like as far as his character development takes place way earlier and he's really coming to grasp with just being the Witcher and, and being an outcast. And, and I think in the book, they make it clear that the, the broad, the broad span of time that passes between the first story in the last story, because they read reference to messy, like a young Witcher and like all this stuff. And then he, and then he's like wiser and ager or wiser and more aged, even though he's not actually, he doesn't actually physically age. Um, but like by the end and he gets more, more well-known and renowned and like the white Wolf and, um, all that stuff like the Bard he'll make sure, yeah, I know right then billion. Um, yeah, I, I, I appreciated, um, How that developed in the books. Um, he just seemed more just like accepting of his loneliness in the show that he's just kind of like, that's all right. That's just how I am. Yeah. Um, yeah, no, I thought that was really good. And, um, there was one other thing I think, well, anyway, it doesn't matter. We can figure it out. Go ahead. Um, there were, um, I, I really love a lot of things about the show. Um, I, my like really only criticism about the show is the whole chronology issue, which I think that they could have handled a lot better. Um, clearly it doesn't hinder the show at all. People adore it. Um, but, uh, I, yeah, I just, like, I loved how much more, how much more we got, like for Jennifer and her whole. You know, she's a very much a main character in the show, whereas we only meet her in the she's referenced throughout the book, but we don't meet her, um, until the end until the end. Yeah. Yeah. That was one of the things I really liked about the show too, is getting to see even Tris. Like she's, she's in the first season even mentioned in this book. Yeah. I wonder I, you know, she's not, I didn't think so either. Um, but I I'm wondering if she is a bigger character in later books, she's going to have to be, cause she's huge. She's a lot in, I love, I love her character. Um, I, yeah, I loved the whole like, uh, in the, in the show I loved the whole, was it R is it called Artesia? Artesia or whatever the wizard, the, where the source versus train and stuff, that whole situation, um, uh, and just, and that was, yeah, but none of that was in the book. Yeah, for sure. Again, but see, that's another question though. So, because that's going back in the timeline, does that mean the other books start back in time because they all have to, you don't even, I mean, maybe, I don't know, like, I don't know either. I like, I feel like I wished for the show now that I've read this book, um, even though we don't get to know Siri, there's no Siri in this, we do get to see her, um, Dooney. And, um, what is her mom's name? Um, I forget already, um, queen Clancy, Thea's her grandma of Centra. Um, but we get to see that, that whole situation and we get to know more about and her. Kind of, like, I found her really fascinating in the show. I found her character really. It was unlikeable area and likable in the book. I totally agree. I want to, I was kind of wondering if that was just me. I was like, no, like her rewatching, like I remember thinking that she was like a strong, very interesting, strong kind of, um, woman in the first time I watched it. She, I found her a little bit more annoying the second time in the show. Um, but I still found her to be like a very interesting and complex character, um, in the book, I just thought she was kind of unlikable. Um, which is, yeah, I think that the show is eight episodes long, so they're able to like expand on a lot of things and you can show a lot more visually as well. Um, there, I loved, um, I really loved. So there's a scene, uh, with Jennifer, which again is doesn't really appear. Cause we don't get to see any of her backstory in the book in this book. Um, but there's a scene, um, at the end of her training and there's like this big dance thing happening with all the Kings and they're getting to know their posts. Cause they're all the sources and source versus are going off to court and she comes out, she's not supposed to, she like missed the Ascension. So she wasn't supposed to get to like have her like hunchback remote and turn into like the beautiful woman that she is. Um, oh, ugly duckling reveal. Yeah. Other fairy tale. Um, but she, it reminded me of one of my very favorite movies, which is a Cinderella retelling, which is ever after when Danielle comes out in her like, like wing ball gown thing and she's like, breathe. Just breathe. That moment was totally, I found. The Yana for entering the ball was like, it totally felt like a recall to that. And like everybody kind of like stops and looks and she's just standing. I don't know. It was very similar to that speech. I have things that I remember. So this was really fascinating to me. Um, I really wanted to, I was so hard for me to have to text you cause I'm like, Katelyn's, you guys are gonna talk in like four hours. Um, so the whole gen scene. So with the genie, that whole scene in the book is not, it has nothing to do with drawl, but Gerald, Gerald, Gerald, but it just tell me what you're so much easier. Uh, okay. But in the, in the, in the show it's a hundred percent about him and it has everything to do with Siri and the whole hit the destiny thing and how he's ignoring it. And he can't sleep and all these things. So that was really fascinating that they completely change. Like who, rather than just like out for a fun little fishing trip with 10 billion. Yeah. I mean, I mean, it even changed to like, to the point where he was feeling all that guilt because he had just, he was so aggravated that he was saying cruel things to the Bard and Bard is, you know, dying and the he's freaking out because his friend, the last thing he said to him was something like, it changed so many things for the witchers character by switching that scene up. So I thought that was, I really liked that. I thought it was a really interesting thing and going back and rewatching it, it really helped me again, understand better since I'd already listened to the book to understand the whole, um, the, how destiny really plays a part in this book, as far as like really understanding the, um, what is it, the something I'm surprised, what does a child's child's alive and then the law of surprise and all of that again, because it made so much more sense to me after listening to the book that. I before I didn't really get why he wasn't sleeping, but I didn't get that. I remembered that, but I couldn't, I didn't get why. Yeah. So, yeah. And I, um, I really loved that episode, the gin episode. Um, cause that's when him and when Daryl and Jennifer first meet, which is really exciting. Um, and also some of the visuals in that episode are so. Cool. Like the whole, like he comes in and he's like the fog in the house. She was like, well, what is it like this? Or like this massive orgy. And it's like this really artsy orgy where it's like, there's just like, everybody's moving in like one rhythm. And then he picks up the tinker and he's like, I brought your Applebee's and he just tosses Jess skier, like off to the side, it's just like resting against this woman. Yeah, exactly. He was just, oh my God. That was funny. I was, I was laughing and Yana for is up there. Just like extremely bored by the whole situation. I thought that that was so it was really smart, but I felt like that reveal of Jennifer was way more, obviously way more dramatic because it was in the middle of like a massive orgy, but it said so much about her character and where cause yeah. Uh, where she was at this point, uh, all my. I'm going to rewind a minute to talk about another thing that happens with her, but because we are seeing them in these snippets, um, and the way that they chose to do this, but is strange. But, but because we are seeing them over time, like generally as chronological. But I think that the thing that makes it really confusing is the Siri parts. I feel like I feel cause I went back and I looked at timelines and stuff and it seems like Gerald's storyline and Jennifer's story learn chronological in line with each other for the most part. Um, and like what is going on with each of them at the same time, but then series thing doesn't really happen until the end, but we also meet her at the very beginning and like the stuff it, I wish they would have just on like, uh, the way that I wish they would've done, it would be to just do like the, like. Um, prologue kind of style thing where you get to see like the. Central under attack and like queen CalAmp like the part where she's like, there all is your destiny and sends off Siri, and then she jumps from the window spoilers, spoil it, like so many spoilers. I wish that they had had that as the very opening scene. And then we hadn't seen them again until they fit into the timeline. Yeah. That's what I wish they had done. Yeah. It would have been awesome. So if they would have like, can keep up with his timeline, okay. Then he's like, oh, you don't have to repay me for, you know, saving your life. Um, just, you know, if you insist and the loss surprise, and then she, you know, they find out that she's pregnant and he th the first thing he. Fuck. And he turns around and he walks out what have been jumped to however many years later. And then the Queens die. She's tossing her stuff out the window. The child's running away because he flat out says you are going to wreak havoc on the world. And he goes, I don't fucking care. I'm not dealing with this. And he walks out. So how funny would that be? Yeah, what I like massive commentary about like absentee fathers. Like he's not the father of this child, but like destiny is kind of named him as that. And it's like, if you don't claim your responsibility, the world is going to burn. I know I need to read she's in to now because there's so many things you learned in there that now I'm even, I'm kind of confused. So I'm like now that I've rewatched the first seat anyway, doesn't matter, but I am really excited. Um, I wish somebody would come out and do an edit of the show where it actually is in like more chronological order. Like. Uh, fan edit. Yeah. That's that would make it make more sense. Um, I did want to say I really loved, um, there were a couple other things that I really loved about the show. There were a couple of episodes that I really, really loved. I really loved the, um, I can't remember what the Monster's called, so I'm just gonna call it the incest episodes. Oh, that's sure. Um, oh, I don't have any money. Um, I have the book right here, here it's um, the episode, um, brief the, with the monster that was like curse monster, the princess, the princess. Um, yeah, I want to say it's like a, so this was an ass. I wrote it down like five hours ago. This is how bad. Yeah, it does start with an ass. Hm mm. Anyway, anyway, so is it a Sobeck? It's not a Sobeck that might be right. Okay. Well maybe that's what it is. Um, I loved that episode. I really love that story too, actually in the book. I, those were two of my favorite. Episodes and stories from the whole, um, like thing that's going on. We did change the, the rent-free episode in the story. It takes place. I don't know how many stories later, but it's the first one. It's the very first episode of the very first season. It was interesting. And I think that they, my guess is that they stuck it at the very beginning because it is like to introduce his, his, uh, his, his introduction to his destiny, because Siri's not even, I don't think our parents have even been born at this point. Like, yeah. I don't know. I don't know the timeline in the time, like when, when the whole rent-free thing happens and then it becomes the anything that has, that helped me when I was watching the show, figure out how much time has gone by is based on people's hair length growing. Other than that. And I think the Bard said one thing about how what's it been 10 years century or something, and I'm sitting there going there's also, I was paying attention to it, like. Um, con like, um, Garrel in the first episode, the girl, um, the girl in the town. So the one who lures him to the wizard. Yeah. Or this one girl wizard, um, to the sourcer. And, uh, she's like telling him he needs to get new armor. And he's, he's a young Witcher at this point. So he like, doesn't have a lot of money or something. I don't know. So there's that like, he's trying to scrounge for money. So he, then he has like better armor and better, better, um, just overall looks like. So I have a question and I don't know if I'm giving anything away from the second season or not. Um, cause it's hard to tell what I misunderstand versus what I, you know, what I actually am, might be right about. But I feel like in the show they make it seem like the Witcher is made. Like his mother dropped him off to be turned into Witcher. That's what I got in the book. It sounds like they're born now. Uh, there was a comments at some point in the book when something like the way you were born or has a baby, do you have to be like a child of destiny or something? I don't know, but then that, I don't know. So that was, that was confusing to me because in my head, because I had seen the show first, it was, you were made into a Witcher, not that you were born in which, or, or whatever. So I know they, I know they do things to make you like a Witcher, but the way the book led me to the way they made it sound was that like, you're, you're kind of like pre yeah. Predestined. Whereas in the show it felt like the mom's straight up just like dropped them off. He was heartbroken over it. That's what what's heartbreaking issues. It was super heartbreaking. Um, yeah, there's a lot, there's a lot of interesting themes in the chef, especially in the show. Um, but that I don't that maybe come across later in the books, but like, there's a lot of stuff about like parents and children and those kinds of relationships, um, Because you had our first whole thing is that she wants a baby. Um, and she's mad about, and that's different between the book. So in the books, it's like sorcery, like triples up their reproductive organs or something like that, or petrifies them, I think this, but they say, but in the show they like very vividly like remove her uterus and ovaries while she is awake. Cause it doesn't mean say, uh, that you have the guy who's doing, I forgot what they call him, but he, you have to give something to get something sort of thing. Right. That's what caught the cost. And then Jennifer is, it seems like maybe she didn't know what, that, that, what he had to do or what he was going to do, that he was going to take out her ability to have children. Um, and she then is like very resentful and angry about it. But there's that, that episode. That seems the baby. Yeah. I think that's what it did. It honestly, I think for me, I don't think she, I don't think she grasped it cause she didn't care. Like she was so power hungry. I don't think she cared. I think it was when she had, she was trying to save that baby died. I think that, that was probably because they had, did a whole scene with her to sitting there, like talking yeah. Talking to the baby and like saying a goodbye sort of deal. And I think that, that might've been the moment. Yeah. Yeah. And she came back for the baby. Like she risked her life to save that baby after the mom was like straight ended up here, dad, kids saved me. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah. That broke. That part breaks my heart. Um, this ma'am really hard to watch. Um, but there were a lot of there were, I just, I really liked them both for different reasons. I felt like that they, um, They both have the book and the show have their strengths. Um, don't feel like, yeah, I enjoy. Quite a bit too. And I think they really helped. They do each other services. Like I was saying is I really liked the visuals of being able to watch the show because my brain, how it works. But I also really enjoyed being able to listen to the book because it gave so much more backstory that it made so much more sense to me in a lot of ways. Because again, like you were saying, there's eight episodes. There's only so much you can do. There's only, and there's so much, so only so much that you can portray in somebody's actions versus being in their head. Right. So it all makes sense, like why they couldn't do certain things justice, but when you're, when you are basing a story on all of this, like world-building and all of these laws and destiny, like that kind of stuff needs to be like really clearly explained. And I think they did a good, a decent job, like when I went back and I watched it again. I like, I got it, but I'd also read the book again or I'd watched it again and read the book. So it started to make more sense to me on top of, um, I don't know, Yeah, I think they just need to, there's just certain things that need to be explained or a little bit more, but I know it's hard. So, and I, one thing I feel like came across a little bit more clear in the book is just this, his powers, like what, what exactly he can do. Cause it, um, it doesn't, it's very muddled in the show. I feel like, um, like he's a, he's not met. It doesn't have magic. Exactly. Not like Jennifer, but he can, it's almost like he can nullify magic. But the thing that I felt like immune to certain magic. Yeah. But I feel like that, but he also has like heightened senses or he can see better and then he can drink the tonics and he's extra, whatever. Um, but he. To his medallion that I didn't understand in the show, but in the book, his medallion like tingles. When he, when there's magic around, it's like, oh, one thing I want to say too, because I I'm sure there's some people out there like me where yeah. Maybe you watch the first season and you're like, oh, it was good. You know, whatever, I'd watch the second one. I, I did, I enjoyed it and I'm a huge Henry fan. And I just overall, like, I mean, it was great acting great, you know, visual effects, super fun. I mean, that was the cool thing is like, it's almost like watching an episode of X-Files right. Everything is a different monster that they're trying to, you know, a different whatever alien or whatever. So that was really cool the way that they did that. But the second season, hands down. I loved it. So if you're on the fence at all, or you've been putting it off, you should watch the second season because I, I used to watch the first season first. Well, no, I'm assuming, I'm assuming you might've already. Yeah. Like I'm just saying, if you watched the first season and you're like, oh, you know, it's all right, whatever. I'll get to the second season later, I personally that made me a quote unquote believer, cause I'm like, oh, now I can't wait for season three. I was, I was hemming and hawing about the first season of love season two. Well, I am very excited to continue season two, um, and see where all of these characters that I really like are heading. Um, yeah, I know you're going to ask this question. So I'm asking you first, are you going to keep listening and reading? I'm not sure. Um, my hesitation was continuing reading is stems from multiple places. Um, one is I really, really prefer books that are first-person. Um, and it's just really hard for me to fully sink into the characters in the story when it's in third person, I just, my brain doesn't connect as well. Um, and I also really, really prefer books that are narrated, uh, by a female audio book narrator. Um, and that feature a female main character. Um, so nothing against Gerald. I love him. But, um, like if you, Jennifer was in there, um, more, especially in this, like as like a point of view character, I would be like, yes, definitely. For sure. I'm going to continue this. Um, but I just, as much as I love Gerald, uh, am seeing more of his. What's going on in his head and stuff. Um, it just, it doesn't pull me in quite as much as the show does. And I think it's Jennifer, Jennifer is like the thing, like, she's my link, you know what I think it is too. I think that there's the mystery of what you're to in the show. There's a lot more mystery. Right. And there's romance, there's so much more like, I mean, romance and like the like sexual romance, but there's also like the romance of the visuals and the settings and the birds singing to you. Like yeah. And the, the, the, yeah, I don't know. It's a very magical, it's a very magical book. It's also a very magical show. Um, and I think the show is a little bit more heartbreaking. Um, but again, this is all of this commentary is coming from only having read the. Short story collection. Yeah. So it, there very easily could be a lot more, um, female leads that are incorporated later on. So I don't know. I'll have to look into it. What about you? Uh, no, but I, and it's not that I think the narration gray has nothing to do with like point of view or anything like that. It's really the genre for me. It's too, it's too hard for me. Um, and I, you know, we were talking about how I have limited time to read. Um, and I have so many books that I want to read and, um, or listen to, and it's just, I couldn't, I'm sure I would enjoy all the other ones, but I really want to spend my time gobbling up the books that I really want to listen to and read. So, um, I'll keep watching the show and, um, yeah, I dunno. I I'm 100% and I am continuing watching the show. I will say that for sure, but there are a lot of books out there that. So nothing against Julia Quinn, but I read, um, what is the first book duke, something about the duke. And I was at the duke and I, I haven't read it, but I read or listened to the audio book after I watched the first season of Bridgette. I didn't know that. Um, and it's very different from the show. Uh, and I, it was a little bit more different than I was expecting. Um, not enough that I didn't want to continue, but just enough that there were other things that were pulling me towards them more. Um, and I feel like that's, what's probably gonna happen with, um, the Witcher, the books for me. I think it's just, I don't know, like I know the smoke, uh, shadow on bone, right. Is all, yeah, that's another one where I didn't, I started the second book and I didn't continue with it. Not because it wasn't good. I just. It's the problem. If I watch a series before I read the books, is I just get stuck with the, the, like, I dunno. It's like whichever one. I, yeah, I don't know. I'm the same thing though. I, I, would've never put, I would have never picked up either of these books on my own anyway, like again, they're not my genre, so I would continue. I'll continue watching the show because I really liked that they had all the different characters that aren't even in the first book. I loved that. So for me, and I know we had a whole show talking about this. I'm not, I won't go into it, but, um, yeah, I just, I think it just boils down to what my, if it's my genre and if it really has me hooked, if it's something that I have to really pay attention to too, like, I think that was the problem with reading this book is, or listening to it is every time. Doing something else while I was listening to it for me, I was like, oh my God, I feel like I just, I kept rewinding it or what? Cause I kept thinking I was missing something important because you have to pay attention because they're explaining something, you know? Yeah. It did help. I feel like, I feel like having watched this show, the first season of the show helped with some of that because I could like no scarred and Sentra and like the like place names and stuff. Is it the same thing with rewatching season one, which is like, if you're, if you're feeling like you can't remember what happened in season one, or you saw thought season one was confusing and you watched it awhile ago, I totally would recommend rewatching it because I understood it more way more this time, because I went into it expecting these weird timelines. I actually understand, like I had no clue that like the, how the different stories like linked up and it does all kind of come together at the end, like with the like incest king. Coming to aid and like how it was all kind of it also in a weird way, it all kind of revolves around Garrels and his refusal to like, listen to destiny, like receive his destiny. Um, but, but it also like things that he did years ago, like have effects and even, um, like things that happen. Like we see that the incest siblings, um, when they're kids at the ball. Yes. Okay. I totally got that. Jesse. They're painting on that wall. ADA. That was so weird. ADA and. I can't remember what the King's name is, but they're just kids there. Um, yeah. When Yana for comes in, does her big reveal there is, there's like a very brief little thing. See, oh my God, I totally saw that. And I've seen, okay, again, that was my third time watching it. I would not have gotten, had I not been paying more to an EA. Yeah. So I definitely, I definitely would recommend that. And the second time I watched it through, I didn't realize that part of the reason that Jennifer was so mad. Well, she had all the reasons in the world's food mad at the sourcer who had like betrayed her and rat or spilled some of her, her secret, her lover. Yeah. From before. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and then I had no idea the first time I watched it, that he was, uh, like an archeologist for the bad, the bad people. Like he was working for them. He had like sacrificed his principles to do the research that he wanted to do. And that's why she was like, Like we can still, you know, go run away together and be together. And he's like, yeah, no, I'm going to keep doing this. Thanks. And she's just kind of like, oh fuck. Yeah. I don't know. It's so funny that I'm more excited about the series and now than I ever was before. I don't know if that's funny to me. It's funny to me, but yeah. I mean, I'm super excited. So speaking of shadow and bow and like I'm super excited for when shadowed season two, it's not out yet. Is it? Um, I'm very excited. My God, Ben Barnes has the dark lane. Like I'm totally gonna rewatch that season one. Like, and since I have read the book, um, I feel like I'll re like understand it more, but God, he just like, I love the dark lane. Yeah. Well, Yeah. Oh, I will say like people call, um, I wanted to mention that. So people call morally gray, but I feel like he is actually very like morally stalwarts. Like he is, has like a very true moral compass. I felt like, yes. Say that. Yeah. And I was like, I don't think that's true to me. It's the world is like, the world is morally gray and tired story. People are trying to pay him to do horrible things. And he's like, no. And he's like, just because like in the description it says like things that look monstrous, aren't always evil. And you know, like if that is totally his thing, he's like, he's, he's he, that's why he has the prize to protect the hedgehog blueprint or hedgehog night. He fights to protect the dead Dragon's egg. He fights to protect, you know, like princess princess, like kill her. Yeah. And it wasn't the same in the book. Um, and I just feel like he is very clearly good and knows what's right. And it fits with like the morally good, like the morally right. And the world that he is in is corrupt. Yeah. That's my take on it. I mean, that's the whole reason why the Elvin king is not a king. I don't know. He's a prince, whatever it was, but the whole reason why he didn't kill him too, when he was captured in the beginning. Yeah. And like, he, the whole situation was rent free. Like he didn't want to kill her and streak aboard, just like set some almost path and makes it like he doesn't have a choice. Yep. So, yeah, I, would've never said that he was morally gray whatsoever. I feel like he's very clear his, his character is very clearly set for who he is. He's not. Yeah, he is like the upstanding person in this world, like, which I think is part of the it's part of the like sadness and the irony, right. Is because he wants to be part of humanity so bad, but he's the he's better than humanity, so, yeah. But you know what I mean? And that, like, that calls back to the final story, the last wish, you know, and Jennifer is like, oh, I just caught that the last wish. Yeah. I never, I just, I didn't, I never call it the, I never called the book by Sam. I said the Witcher. So yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. Again, at first I was like, don't you want to, you want humanity? You want it to be a part of humanity. And it's like, he is already more human than any of the humans that we meet in this book. But if you watch a show, his last wish is to sleep. So he actually sleeps. Yeah. That's funny. Yeah. Um, anyway, so, um, is there a, do you have any last words? I don't. I already kind of just said my piece. I, I was, I enjoyed it. I loved it, but I also, um, why really love it now. And I got hooked after a season two. So if you're on the fence at all, definitely give it a whirl. My husband, uh, I've tried to get him to watch it twice. He's tough. He swears to me, he's re he's watched the whole first season. I said, you've barely watched the first episode. He goes, oh, I feel like I watched, I was like, you just say that because you're a hater. I bet you you'd actually like it. If you would watch more than one. Um, Peter. Yeah. Okay. So, um, thank you for listening everyone. Uh, don't forget to check out the show notes for this episodes links and book recommendations. And we will be back in a couple of weeks to chat about, um, our first, a book talk book club book, which is from blood and Ash by Jennifer , which I have already read. Uh, but I'm going to like skim back through to just recap myself, um, because LP has never read it. And she is, uh, in for a surprise. It's been on my to read list for like six months now. So I finally get to read it. Yeah. Um, and if you're enjoying the show, It, if you left us a rating and, or review on iTunes and don't forget to, um, or a thumbs up on YouTube, um, don't forget to join the national central Facebook group, a link to in the show notes. That's going to be fun now. Um, we're we had just been like posting like that there was a new episode out, but now that we're doing the book talk book thing, once a month, we're gonna like put up a discussion post where people can chat about like the book club. Yeah. Book talk book that we're reading that month. So we'll put up something for, from blood and Ash. Um, and, um, yeah. Yeah. So until next time, happy reading everyone.