Lola Episode

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Making a great podcast takes money and time and we rely on our listeners support to be able to keep bringing you quality Book Interrupted episodes. Please consider supporting us in our Patreon account. You can find it by clicking on the Patreon icon at the bottom of all pages of bookinterrupted.com we appreciate you. Thank you for being part of our Book Interrupted community. [00:00:24] Speaker B: Parental guidance is recommended because this episode has mature topics and strong language. Here are some moments you can look forward to during this episode of Book Interrupted. [00:00:35] Speaker A: What's gonna happen? What's gonna happen? Like, we got to Montreal where something really important was happening and Laird and I just sat in the car for a minute to listen to the rest of the chapter because I kind of. [00:00:44] Speaker B: Read it quickly because I was like. [00:00:46] Speaker C: I have to get through this. [00:00:47] Speaker B: It's so brutal. [00:00:48] Speaker D: Like brutal. Like, not brutally written. It was like brutal. Context, content. [00:00:53] Speaker C: Yeah, like some scenes in it for sure. [00:00:55] Speaker E: Yeah. Like how she can use her experience as a woman in society to be her cloak. I love that. And then, you know, kill everyone or whatever. [00:01:04] Speaker C: At what point is she gonna finally be taken seriously and not have to prove herself even though she's the leader of a gang? [00:01:11] Speaker D: It happens everywhere. All women have to go through this, whether they're brutal murderers or not. They still, you know, they can have you killed, but you're still gonna gaslight them. I don't know. [00:01:22] Speaker E: Right. [00:01:23] Speaker A: You know, I appreciate in a book like this, like, I don't. You don't always need to have a book that cheats changes your life. [00:01:29] Speaker E: I don't know, it just didn't feel. And I don't know anything because I'm not in a gang. Also my alibi, but it didn't feel authentic. Information is trying to learn something new without being disrupted. Mind, body and soul. Inspiration is with us and we're gonna talk it out on Book Interrupted. [00:02:12] Speaker B: Welcome to Book Interrupted, a book club for busy people to connect and one that celebrates life's interruptions. During this book cycle, we're reading Ashley's book Pick Lola by Melissa Scrivener. Love. The Crenshaw 6 is a small but up and coming gang in South Central la. To outsiders, they appear to be led by a man named Garcia. But the gang's real leader is Garcia's girlfriend, a brilliant young woman named Lola. They have recently been drawn into an escalating war between rival drug cartels. Her skills and leadership are their only hope of survival. Let's listen in to this episode's group discussion. [00:02:53] Speaker D: There's a lot of books named Lola. I would like to say if you just search Lola. [00:02:57] Speaker C: Yep. I didn't realize that either. So I apologize, everyone. [00:03:01] Speaker D: No, you don't have to apologize. [00:03:02] Speaker F: Only books with unique names. [00:03:05] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:03:06] Speaker C: Yep. [00:03:06] Speaker D: If it doesn't have a testicle in it, which Darn. [00:03:11] Speaker C: I chose the book Lola by Melissa Scrivener. Love it is a book. Book about a woman by a woman, hopefully for women. So I think it fits with the theme pretty well. Yeah. I have quite a bit of information about the author and just kind of the book in general, so I'll give my little spiel. So Melissa has a master's degree in English literature from nyu, which. Jealous. I always wanted to go to nyu. She's also written scripts for TV shows, which I think makes sense. Yeah. In some of her writing. I didn't realize until I read that I personally felt like it had, like, some TV show moments. So. Yeah. So she wrote for, like, CSI Miami, Person of Interest, and Fear of the Walking Dead. And there is just like in Kim's book, there is two volumes to this book, which I didn't know, so. [00:04:03] Speaker B: Oh, I didn't know that either. [00:04:05] Speaker C: Yeah. So Melissa has two books. Her debut one was Lola, and it's about the main character, Lola Vasquez. And then the second one is actually. It's a continuation, and it's called American Heroine. I might actually end up reading the second one as well. So Lola came out in March 2017. Her second book came out in February 2019. I don't think there's been any books since then. This was her debut novel, and it has about a 3.5 average stars across multiple platforms. [00:04:38] Speaker E: Out of five. [00:04:39] Speaker C: Out of five. Yes. Sorry. [00:04:40] Speaker E: Out of five. [00:04:41] Speaker C: Thank you. And then I did come across on her biography page about this book. Someone wrote this little blurb about her and the book. I have some thoughts on it, so I'll say it and then I'll give my thought. And then I want to hear your guys's thought about it. Okay. So it says, lola marks the debut of a hugely exciting new thriller writer and of a singular, magnificent character unlike anyone else in fiction. I don't know if I was like, that's it. Oh, sorry. Yes. So that's it. Oh, no, no, no. Sorry. Just really quickly here. I don't think Lola is unlike any other character in fiction, personally. So I think that's a very bold statement for a character I've, like, read in other books. Loki. But yeah. So, okay, anyways, what do you guys think of the book? [00:05:38] Speaker B: So I'M surprised that it only got a 3.5. Like, I don't read this genre at all. And I would have never picked up this book because it was kind of brutal. But I thought it was a really well written book. The character development was amazing. I could see that she was a TV writer. Like, it kept me engaged. The chapters were short. No, I thought it was an ex. I thought it was a really good book, considering I don't read this genre at all. And it's interesting that you said that she's not a unique character because I don't read this genre. So that's one of the things I'm like, maybe I'm thinking this is a great book, but I just don't read these kind of books very often. So I wanted to see what you guys thought. But I thought it was. I recommended the book even though I. [00:06:19] Speaker E: Spoiler alert. [00:06:20] Speaker B: Yeah, sorry. Spoiler alert. I recommend. Even though I don't really read the genre, I would never read this book on my own. Never. Yeah, I probably actually won't read the sequel because I kind of read it quickly because I was like, I have. [00:06:32] Speaker C: To get through this. [00:06:33] Speaker B: It's so brutal. [00:06:34] Speaker D: Like, brutal. Like, not brutally written. It was, like, brutal. Context, content. [00:06:39] Speaker C: Yeah. Some scenes in it, for sure. [00:06:42] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:06:42] Speaker C: I think that's where the TV show writing comes into play. I feel like some of those more brutal scenes I could totally see being in a TV show or a movie type of thing, and I kind of felt that with the pacing, too. So, again, when I read up that she had written for TV shows, I felt like that made so much sense because, yeah, I felt like I was kind of watching a TV series when. [00:07:07] Speaker E: I was reading, so I'm so desensitized. I'm like, brutal. [00:07:12] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. [00:07:14] Speaker E: I don't think it was. [00:07:15] Speaker C: No, I feel the same way, Kim. [00:07:16] Speaker E: I was kind of like, yeah, that's what I'm expecting. [00:07:19] Speaker B: So much murder. You didn't think it was brutal? [00:07:22] Speaker E: So much murder. Bring it. Bring on the murder. [00:07:25] Speaker C: Oh, and also, I don't think I even talked about what this book is about. Sorry, but. So the main character, Lola, lives in Los Angeles, and she is the head of a gang called the Crenshaw Six. But everyone thinks that the leader of the gang is her partner, Garcia. It really goes into, like, a lot of sexism, a lot of kind of ageism, too. And, yeah, I think it talks about a lot of important aspects that women face, like, every day. Not even being in the Mafia. Like, so many things have related in the book to even my jobs. And I'm like, wow, that's so frustrating and so relatable. [00:08:05] Speaker D: And for the record, Ashley's not in the mafia or a criminal. [00:08:09] Speaker E: Her jobs, all the jobs she's done. [00:08:12] Speaker B: Her jobs. [00:08:13] Speaker D: She's not a murderer. [00:08:14] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:08:15] Speaker B: She's a gang. [00:08:16] Speaker A: Not that we know of. [00:08:18] Speaker D: Just for the record. [00:08:19] Speaker C: Yeah, you heard it here first. This is my alibi. [00:08:22] Speaker E: So. [00:08:25] Speaker C: Yes. [00:08:27] Speaker A: This is my very and Laird's very first audiobook ever. We listened to. I couldn't buy it. It was non existent. You couldn't get on Amazon. It was sold out. Every place I looked, it was sold out. So Laird and I were driving back and forth from Montreal twice. So we listened to the audiobook. And I have to say, audiobooks take a lot damn longer than to read for me to read a book. Because when I read a book, I kind of skim parts of it. The things I don't not interested in. And like, so I can finish a book pretty quick. Oh my goodness. It was like what, 36 hours or something? [00:09:03] Speaker E: It was long. [00:09:04] Speaker A: And I was put at a 1.2 speed because I was like, oh my God, never going to get through this. At the beginning I was like, oh my gosh, this is hard for me to focus. But by the end I was really into it and it made a really good audiobook because I think maybe because of what you're saying about the movie or the TV writing and stuff, like, it definitely had that, like, what's going to happen? What's going to happen? Like, we got to Montreal where something really important was happening. And Laird and I just sat in the car for a minute to listen to the rest of the chapter because we're like, oh my gosh, is he going to get arrested? And I wrote like a couple of things down because I thought it was interesting, the hierarchy within the community, which really like got into me about how like older women, what their role was versus younger women and how the dogs were even more revered sometimes than the younger women, which I found interesting. And the idea of like local versus outsiders and the privilege of the white women versus, you know, the women of her community. I just found there were so many themes in there that actually fit perfectly into our theme of women and how women are treated and how sometimes you have to pretend you're the. I mean, I do too. Sometimes you pretend you're not the. The boss in order to get where. Because people won't notice you. Because you can sneak in and out and around and through and. And no one's going to pay attention that you're there, even though you're actually the mastermind and the boss. So I found that really, really intriguing and interesting. That's the thing that. I mean, there was violence, but I'm also desensitized like the rest of you. So. Sorry, Sarah. [00:10:39] Speaker B: No, that's okay. [00:10:40] Speaker E: Sorry, Sarah. You're friends with a bunch of brutes. [00:10:44] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:10:44] Speaker D: Ironically, Sarah reads a lot of murder mysteries. [00:10:48] Speaker C: Oh, okay, Sarah. [00:10:50] Speaker D: You know, like, Agatha Christie style. [00:10:52] Speaker B: But they're cozy. [00:10:54] Speaker C: Yeah, I get the cozy vibes. Yeah. [00:10:56] Speaker E: So, like, someone dies, nobody talks about it. We all just try to figure out who did it. [00:11:00] Speaker D: There's probably a strangulation or a poisoning or a drowning or something. [00:11:05] Speaker B: The focus isn't on. [00:11:06] Speaker D: It's not described in detail. Yeah, Actual murder. [00:11:10] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:11:10] Speaker E: The focus is on the solving. [00:11:12] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I like that theme, too. Like, I liked how she was like, oh, I have to play the victim to be able to get close to that district attorney. Like, how she played on being a woman to her advantage. And I liked. At some point, she just got frustrated. She's like, I'm just tired of pretending I'm not as amazing or not amazing because she's, you know, powerful and strong and capable. [00:11:40] Speaker A: Smart. [00:11:41] Speaker B: Smart. I'm done downplaying myself constantly to all these people because I'm a woman, because the neighborhood I come from. Like, even how she changed her speech sometimes, depending on who she was talking to. Like, I found that was interesting, too. [00:11:56] Speaker C: There was also a few scenes where she would be in a room or in a situation where she thought she was in a threatening situation, and then she realizes no one in the room, they don't even notice her there. Right. Because she's a woman. Yeah. They don't care. And, you know, and it is so crazy because I kind of felt the tension. I was like, oh, no, there was one. I can't remember the details on it, but she was, like, coming into the room to try and hear a conversation. And I was reading that, and I was like, no, no, no, no, no. [00:12:28] Speaker A: That was in the laundry room. Right. And the one in the laundry room. [00:12:32] Speaker E: And she was, like, delivering tea. Like, she was being the serpent. So she's totally forgettable. [00:12:36] Speaker C: Yeah. And it just stressed me out because I was like, if they knew you were listening in, you're gonna get. [00:12:43] Speaker E: You're gonna get it. [00:12:45] Speaker C: Yeah. But again, like, then she realizes no one freaking cares, you know? And it. I feel like, for me, personally, I don't want to speak for, like, all women, but I've been in so many situations where that's been the thing. And that realization is so disheartening. But she really does play it to her advantage so much. And props to her because, like, I would just be like, man, no one takes me seriously. This guy. [00:13:11] Speaker D: Gotta kill everyone here now. [00:13:13] Speaker C: Oh, totally. Yes. Yeah, exactly. Right? Like, you want to see power? I'll show you power. [00:13:21] Speaker D: It's like the ultimate camouflage. [00:13:23] Speaker B: Are you sure you're not in a gang? [00:13:26] Speaker C: Well, maybe I should be. [00:13:29] Speaker D: What about your alibi? [00:13:33] Speaker C: Cut that out. [00:13:34] Speaker D: Cut that out or else. [00:13:37] Speaker A: Yeah, Laird is. My partner, is not super into violent things. So a couple of times. He was driving once, and there was. I think they were cutting off fingers or something. Oh, yeah. They cut off the trigger finger of the. One of her brother. [00:13:53] Speaker B: Her little brother who she raised. Like, not brutal. [00:13:57] Speaker A: Spoiler alert, too. Yeah. And he was like, like, trying to drive. I was like, keep your eyes open. [00:14:03] Speaker E: Like, don't keep your eyes up. Why is he closing? [00:14:07] Speaker C: The image is in your eyes. I don't know. [00:14:09] Speaker A: Because. [00:14:13] Speaker E: I think it's your ears you want to close. [00:14:15] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. I guess now I think about it. [00:14:20] Speaker C: I thought that scene was hard to listen to. One for the gruesome bits about it. But also, like, I was just thinking, if that was my bro, I couldn't do that. And so maybe that's why I'm not a gang leader or anything like that. But I'd be like, guys, come on, give him another chance. Some of those things are so hard. And I think that really shows how she really has to put on such a facade to really show, like, her power. Like, she knows if she doesn't do something to her brother, like, people are going to lose respect for her. And then it's kind of all over. And then this whole charade is done. [00:14:58] Speaker D: Like, and that looks worse because she's a woman. Because they wouldn't be like, oh, because it's your family. It's because you're soft. Because you're a woman. Of course. [00:15:06] Speaker E: Right. [00:15:06] Speaker D: Like, you have to be more. Like, she has to be more to be equal. [00:15:11] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:15:12] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:15:12] Speaker C: Absolutely. Yeah. And really just going through so many hoops, like, you're saying they're just to be on the same level as these men that aren't even doing anything. They're existing. You know, reading it, obviously, very different lifestyles, but so many themes where I'm, like, in the workplace, I felt this. Even, you know, some of my family members that aren't as, like, progressive, I feel that from them. I try and Say something. And like, I'm a well educated woman. I know that. But they don't believe me. You know, like it's, it's like, okay, well can you show me a research paper done on that? And it's like, I don't need. [00:15:50] Speaker D: I don't just like keep them with me. [00:15:52] Speaker C: Well, that's the thing. [00:15:54] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:15:54] Speaker F: Let me get out my file folder. [00:15:57] Speaker C: Right. On all the different topics and let me pull out a peer reviewed. Yeah. Right. So it's like if I saw something. [00:16:05] Speaker D: On Facebook that said the opposite. [00:16:07] Speaker C: Well, it's like you show me a peer reviewed article, you know, it's. Yeah. So yeah, I felt like I really related in so many instances where she was like, man, like I have to do. Really put in the extra mile just to be in the room as these guys. Yeah. And I think that's so frustrating for all women. My kids. That is so annoying. [00:16:29] Speaker D: It's nice, it's nice to see those themes in like a different. It's easy to see those themes in a book where it's like, I don't know, a housewife that used to be a doctor or something and she's feeling frustrated. But like, it's nice being like, yeah, this, it happens everywhere. All women have to go through this, whether they're brutal murderers or not still, you know. Yeah, they can have you killed, but you're still going to gaslight them. I don't know. [00:16:53] Speaker E: Right. [00:16:54] Speaker C: And then to be a woman killing people, hurting people, like selling drugs, all this stuff. And again, still doing a man's job. And then people still being like, oh, you're the leader. Like, that's okay. [00:17:07] Speaker D: Nobody believes that. [00:17:09] Speaker C: Yes. And no one's threatened by it. And it's like, man, she cut off her little bro's finger. Like, what does she have? Yes. Right. It's like this never ending battle. Like, at what point is she going to finally be taken seriously and not have to prove herself even though she's the leader of a gang? [00:17:27] Speaker E: This is going to totally blow up my personal journal because it's all like about what I'm about to say. But like you do in every episode. [00:17:35] Speaker D: You're like, I'm not going to talk about the thing on the journal. We could do like a cut through all the episodes. You mean like I said, this is my journal, but I'm just gonna say this thing. [00:17:43] Speaker E: I also am now acknowledging in my personal journals that I should probably do them at a different time than group discussion day. Because that's what the problem really is, is that it's the same day, so it's kind of nuts or whatever. [00:17:56] Speaker C: Yeah. Nonetheless, it's consistent. [00:18:00] Speaker E: I have somewhat of a different experience because I. And in true me fashion, I don't know where I got it from or why I know it, but there's a thing, it's like almost like a trap where someone who's trying to embrace feminism is actually reinforcing, patronizing or whatever, paternal, whatever the right word is. Patriarchy, ideals. Right. The last things that you were saying there, Ashley kind of really underlined it for me because like, what does she have to do? When will you ever take like whatever? And all she's doing is really trying to be as manly man as she can be. Right. You know what I'm saying? Right. So I'm afraid that this story, which is supposed to be interesting woman power, whatever, is actually falling into that same trap where it's like, oh, she's so badass because look at how much like a gang leader she can be by being all the ways that men are super duper gang leaders, right? Like it's still like the masculine is the ideal. So the more like the masculine ideal that she can be then the more worthy of respect she is or whatever. And so it's like this double sided coin where it's true, right. Like she is undervalued, under considered, whatever. But perhaps the path to true recognition isn't in acting more unlike yourself and like a man. And it's into showing them like this is how a woman would actually do it. And maybe she doesn't fucking cut off her brother's finger. Because as we've all kind of attested to here, we wouldn't, we would do something like whatever, right? So I think there's like a lot to mine out of that kind of idea. Think about that, right? Even the person who wrote this story, are they somehow subject. Okay. Similar to like the last story, like Mischief Eagle, right. Like I'm reading this book and being like, oh my God, like, is this weird? What? But really it's me, right? I've been brainwashed and that is why I'm having that experience. And so I wonder if this author, as she writes about who she's trying to make a strong feminist protagonist, is actually falling into that same trap where it's like, look at how much like the masculine ideal this person can be. And then let's now, whatever. Like I like the whole idea of the revenge of the under considered, right. Like how she can use her experience as a woman in society to be her cloak I love that. And then, you know, kill everyone or whatever. But I think it also does brush up against that place where we're falsely saying the more like a man she can be, then the more powerful she is. And it's like, no, we need to explore how can she be more like a woman? And again, saying all of this when we've just finished a conversation around. It's a spectrum. Masculine, feminine, whatever. I'm talking in the stereotypical ways of society currently. Right. They're, you know, everybody. [00:20:59] Speaker C: Yes. [00:21:00] Speaker E: Provoking. [00:21:01] Speaker C: Something to say. [00:21:03] Speaker B: I was just thinking that that character. What was her name? Amanda, the district attorney. Or Andrea was Manda or Andrea, maybe Andrea. [00:21:11] Speaker E: I don't think Andrea. [00:21:12] Speaker B: Right. It was Mandy was the wife. So Andrea, she kind of is actually the feminist power leader because she's actually the leader of that cartel. She works as a lawyer. She feeds into her own husband's company. And she always walked in powerful, owning herself. You know what I mean? Like, she never. So I wonder if we really think about it, that Lola is trying to be, like, you're saying, more masculine. But Amanda. [00:21:43] Speaker E: Andrea. [00:21:47] Speaker B: I'm always gonna do that. [00:21:49] Speaker E: I know. Whichever one it isn't. [00:21:51] Speaker C: Yeah, always. [00:21:52] Speaker E: And the way she's leading is subtle and. What's the word I'm looking for? I want to say, like, vindictive, but that's not. Right. Like, it's subtle, and it's, like, calculated, and it. And it doesn't have to be all dick swinging. Like, look, who's the most powerful here? Everybody fear me. Right. And so I work with people, too, where sometimes people are separated by their gender that they identify with, and. Or even I forget about that. Girls versus boys. I'm always like, girls are way smarter. Like, boys are just really simple, and girls are super complex. And so when I worked at the school board, for example, if you're dealing with children, the bullying of a boy is very obvious and out there and aggressive and identifiable. The bullying of a female. Like, a female person who is doing the bullying is super complicated. It's under the radar. Are. It's very subvert or whatever. Right. So these are people using their powers for evil. Right. But I think your. Your point is well taken. Andrea is more feminine in her leadership, if I can relate it in those ways. [00:22:56] Speaker A: Right. [00:22:56] Speaker E: It's more cunning. That's the word I'm looking for. [00:22:58] Speaker B: She's cunning. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:23:00] Speaker A: Could that be like a race thing or a, you know, a privileged thing or, you know, like. I mean, Lola's from a different world than Andrea's. From Andrea works within a corporate. She, money. She's, you know, Lola comes from somewhere where it's a community. It's in the lower class or poorer class. People don't have as much money. They don't. You know, she talks about how they have money, but they have to hide it under the floorboards because if people knew that they had money, people would treat them differently. So I wonder whether her leadership style comes from less a trying to be a man and more trying to fit into her particular community's role of a leader. [00:23:40] Speaker C: Lindsay, I think that's a really good point. I think if the author was not white, that dynamic might be. And again, maybe I don't know if I'm being insensitive to the knowledge that the writer could have. Does. I don't know, does the writer have that knowledge of. Yeah, but, but I do agree, like, because we really do have to think about the race aspect of it. Right. And just even the. In different races, what women are allowed to do, what, you know, what they're expected of. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, I think that is such a good point to think about. Like, there's so many different facets that really play into it. And also, I just wanted to mention that, Kim, I agree. We are really just trying to get women to be treated like men versus people to be treated like people. No matter how you are, whether you're very masculine, very feminine, is somewhere in between, whatever. And one of the issues I had with this book, which I brought up also in my personal journal, is at the end, after everything happened, One, cutting off her brother's finger. That didn't do anything. He didn't then become so devoted to her, you know, so it's like, again, you're showing this male way traditionally, of how she thinks she needs to act. [00:25:05] Speaker E: But respect me because you fear me. [00:25:08] Speaker C: Yes. And that's not even. And that's what so many men do. Right. And it just shows, like, you're not always going to get the respect you want. So I really thought at the end of the book, she was going to come out and be like, I'm the big honcho. Watch out, bitches, Lola's here. And she kind of just goes back. I don't know. Like, I felt like she was just going back to, like, hiding her identity a little bit. And I'm like, I thought the whole point was you went through all of this so you could be the big boss and not, like, step into it. Yes. Yeah. And that's what I thought. So maybe I Went into the book thinking it was going to be something else, but that was kind of a disappointment. [00:25:46] Speaker A: I had. [00:25:47] Speaker C: Was like. So we had this whole story, great story, but at the end, you're where you were when you. [00:25:54] Speaker D: Maybe that's kind of realistic, though. She's not going to overcome the patriarchy in this short story, but instead, at the end, it's always going to be work in a fight to be who she is in the world. [00:26:07] Speaker C: She is. And that is so. That makes me exhausted just for all women in general. Like, I'm just like, seriously. [00:26:15] Speaker B: I'm like, that's so depressing. [00:26:17] Speaker D: Yeah, we need a fantasy. We need her to, like, overcome the patriarchy. [00:26:23] Speaker C: Yes. And. [00:26:23] Speaker D: Oh, good. [00:26:24] Speaker C: That's totally. Yeah. Like, I was like, we're taking over L. A. Like, that's what we're doing. We're going Internet. I was just these big. Yeah. I'm like, maybe the second book goes into that kind of stuff and she evolves. I don't know. But yeah, I really felt hopeless almost at the end because I'm like, wow, all of this. And for what? [00:26:45] Speaker B: I thought that maybe like, Andrea, right? Andrea and Lola, maybe now they, like, run la. You know what I mean? Like, Andrea supplies. She's like, they're doing now. So women run gang. At least that would make me feel. [00:27:00] Speaker C: Like women are taking over. [00:27:04] Speaker B: And Lucy goes to the private school and it's fine. And she can spend all her money if she wants because she's the kingpin. [00:27:10] Speaker D: And. [00:27:10] Speaker B: But no, none of that happened. [00:27:12] Speaker C: Yeah. And so I. That was my biggest gripe with the book. And like you said, Mary, like, it is so realistic, Right. You're going through all these hoops and really nothing changes because, like, the world as a whole has to change. You can't just do it yourself. I was like, man, I really like this book. And then to end on that, that's. I was like, I'm kind of sad about it. [00:27:34] Speaker E: I hate that. [00:27:34] Speaker F: That's a. Yeah, yeah. [00:27:36] Speaker E: A downer ending is not a good ending. [00:27:37] Speaker D: Maybe the end of the second book will give you. [00:27:40] Speaker A: But I think the community knew. They all knew who she was by the end. You know, Kim came up and. And realized that she was the one that killed her brother. And, you know, I think things will change for her in the future because the community now knows who she is, that she's the leader. [00:27:58] Speaker B: And the two cartel guys came and then were like, we want to work for you. [00:28:02] Speaker C: Yeah, that's true, right? That is. [00:28:04] Speaker E: That's true. [00:28:05] Speaker B: Right. [00:28:06] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:06] Speaker B: Anyway. [00:28:06] Speaker E: Yeah, I Don't know. It just didn't feel. And I don't know anything because I'm not in a gang. Also my alibi. But it didn't feel authentic. Do you know what I mean? And I wonder if it's because it's this woman character trying to find her way in this traditionally male Persona. And so all of it was kind of like. And maybe that's my own implicit bias or something, but it was all like. Like, it didn't fit for me. The whole time I was like, okay, yeah. Oh, that's what she's doing. Ooh, different. [00:28:37] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:28:38] Speaker D: Wow. [00:28:39] Speaker E: I don't know. It wasn't my favorite story, but I did say, like, people can read it. Like, I'm not against it, but I don't think it's like, 3.5. I'm with you. [00:28:50] Speaker C: Really? [00:28:50] Speaker F: I'm with you. [00:28:51] Speaker E: 3.5. [00:28:53] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I gave it a four out of five. Like, to me, a five out of five is. I'm rereading it the Hunger Games. [00:29:00] Speaker A: And. [00:29:04] Speaker C: So I did like the character developments. I do think maybe in some scenes, like, I'm just such a visual person, like, a little more detail into where they were, maybe I would have liked more. But again, I think that goes in with TV show writing. Someone's watching. You don't need to be describing kind of the scene thing. And maybe I'm just pulling strings. I don't know. Maybe she just sucks at writing like that. But I really went into it, I think, with a different mindset than what the story was. And so while I liked the book, I need to stop going into books with a perceived notion because I'm always wrong. Yeah. And that was just kind of my experience. I really expected it to be, again, like, we're taking over la, like, women rise up. And I didn't feel that at the end of it. And maybe that's just, like, my interpretation. But I really wanted them to be like, men and. And the government and. And all this stuff. But, you know, you can't have it all. So. Yeah. [00:30:02] Speaker B: How about. What did you guys think about? I like this side characters, like Lucy, the little girl, and Daryl's mom. That was so tough. Like, what did you think about that? [00:30:11] Speaker C: I thought having a kid in it was kind of. [00:30:14] Speaker B: I liked it. [00:30:15] Speaker C: Yeah, it was. I felt like it broke up kind of some of the heavier parts. Even though the kid's story, I thought was heavy as well. [00:30:22] Speaker B: Obviously. [00:30:23] Speaker C: Yeah. But it was also very, like, wholesome that, you know, she has to Pretend she's this very tough person, and maybe she is, but she also will help a child not go into danger if they don't need to. [00:30:37] Speaker B: I just thought Lucy made her more human and Daryl's mom made him more human. You know what I mean? Like, those kind of things made these brutal characters more human because that's their kinder, softer side. But I don't read those books, so I would, like, gravitated to those like, oh, thank God. [00:30:54] Speaker D: Okay, no fingers being cut off here. [00:30:57] Speaker C: You're like, oh, there's humanity in here. There's. [00:30:59] Speaker B: Have another block party. [00:31:00] Speaker C: Yeah, there's a child. [00:31:02] Speaker B: Let's talk about your dog again. [00:31:04] Speaker A: Yeah. I felt like the whole thing, like, all the stuff you guys are saying that. Because I listened to it on audiobook, and I've not listened to an audiobook before. Now that you're saying that, I think that if I'd read it, I probably would have been like, oh, yeah, I can see all these themes and the, you know, the lack of maybe description and whatever, but on an audiobook, it reminded me of the cheesy, you know, TV shows that I like to watch, you know, when I want to turn my brain off CSI or, you know, those kind of. Those, like, those, like, quick. So you're like, you listen to it. You're listening to a chapter, something happens, you know? And then to me, it didn't need to have any more than that. Like, it was just entertainment for me. Like, it wasn't a deep, you know, I. I got all these messages and themes through it. I thought that was great. But listening to an audiobook while driving for six hours, you just. It was just pure entertainment. So it actually worked out really well. When I saw that this was the book, Ashley, I was like, I don't know if I want to read. I know. I don't know if it's my thing. But when we listened to it, both Laird and I were like, actually, that was pretty entertaining. And at the end. Yeah, and at the end, I was like, oh, I really want to know what happens to them. So now I know there's another. So maybe I will actually read the other book and see, that's what I was like, too. [00:32:20] Speaker E: Like entertainment. Yes. More than that. Not sure. [00:32:24] Speaker A: Yeah. But I thought it was a lot of fun. Like, a lot of not fun. I mean, probably Sarah doesn't think it was fun, but it was fun. [00:32:31] Speaker C: It was good pacing. [00:32:32] Speaker A: Yeah. Like, it was really good pair. Like, it kept your attention. You wanted to know, you know, it's like, say The Da Vinci Code, that book. A lot of people love it. I think it's very badly written. But it keeps your attention because every time at the end of a chapter, you're like, what's gonna happen? What's gonna happen? I felt like that was that kind of thing with. We're like, oh, let's play the next chapter. Let's play the next chapter. Because we want to know what's gonna happen, happen, Which I, you know, I appreciate in a book like this. Like, I don't. You don't always need to have a book that changes your life. Like, a lot of times, you know, you just don't always need a TV show or a movie that changes your life. Sometimes you want something that's entertaining. I found it entertaining. [00:33:09] Speaker B: And the chapters were short. So I read that book in, like, six days. Because anytime I want, I would just stop and do a quick chapter and then go off and do things I needed to do. Like, it was really easy for me to take a. A 15 minute break between things I needed to get done to read a chapter where I like to finish on a chapter, and if they're really long, then I, like, wait until I have a real moment to read. But that was nice that you could just quickly. And then it left a little cliffhanger. So you wanted to, next time you had a little break, quickly pick up the book and just see. Right? [00:33:39] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:33:41] Speaker A: Meredith, you didn't say a lot. [00:33:43] Speaker D: I didn't read the book. [00:33:44] Speaker A: You didn't read the book. [00:33:46] Speaker D: Okay, so, like, Lindsay, I think it's ever happened. [00:33:49] Speaker C: Oh, my God. We're 43 minutes in and we just heard this. [00:33:55] Speaker A: The first time she's ever not read the book. [00:33:57] Speaker B: Yes. [00:33:59] Speaker D: I, like, Lindsay said, I was sold out and I couldn't buy it, and my library didn't have it. They didn't have it on any of the library apps either. And I had company for the last month, and so my reading time was reduced anyway. I was like, oh, I'm gonna figure out how to do the audiobook. And, like, there was no. I wasn't driving to work. I was getting dropped off at work. There was no, like, listening to something on the way to work or back. Like, it just didn't happen. Now I want to read it. [00:34:28] Speaker B: You should. [00:34:29] Speaker C: Do you have Spotify? [00:34:31] Speaker D: I do. [00:34:32] Speaker C: Are you a premium member? [00:34:33] Speaker D: Yes. [00:34:34] Speaker C: Okay, so they actually have audiobooks on Spotify now, and that's where I listen to it. I think you get like, 15 hours of free listening a month, and it's. It's 13 or 14 hours. So you'll get to listen to the whole. [00:34:47] Speaker A: How was yours? 13 or 14 hours? It was like 32 for us, I swear. [00:34:52] Speaker C: Did you read first and second book? [00:34:55] Speaker A: Oh, may was it? [00:34:57] Speaker E: I don't know. [00:34:58] Speaker C: Maybe. Because I'm looking. Because when you said it was like 30 hours, I was like, really? And I. [00:35:05] Speaker A: Hold on. [00:35:06] Speaker C: I looked up. [00:35:06] Speaker A: Look it up. [00:35:07] Speaker B: No, because it wasn't that long of a book. [00:35:09] Speaker C: It was 13 hours. And that's. [00:35:13] Speaker B: Yeah, that's about right. [00:35:14] Speaker D: You're such a high achiever. [00:35:16] Speaker A: Right. [00:35:17] Speaker D: Just going above and beyond. [00:35:18] Speaker A: Let me. Well, now I gotta see if I can find it. [00:35:21] Speaker C: Cool. [00:35:21] Speaker A: No, it was 13 hours, just doubled. Felt like 32 hours. I'm not used to listening to an audiobook. [00:35:30] Speaker D: And you listen to at one point too. This is what I want to say. [00:35:32] Speaker A: And I listened to it at one point. [00:35:34] Speaker D: Listening was that like when you listen to things faster, they seem more suspenseful and frantic. So it's probably even more exciting and entertaining. That was just a little bit fast because people really don't really, really talk like this all the time, you know, like that's not how people. [00:35:47] Speaker A: Yeah, we tried 1.5 and it was. [00:35:49] Speaker C: Like, oh, way too fast. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, and check out Spotify Mayor, because there was some other books that I couldn't get at my local library that were on Spotify. Some of them you have to pay for. Like for Ms. Chief Eagle Testicle. You had to pay for it. So I just got it from my library. I was like, I'm doing that. [00:36:11] Speaker E: But yeah. [00:36:12] Speaker C: So if you want to read it or listen to it, it's on Spotify. [00:36:15] Speaker B: Okay. Hot tip. [00:36:16] Speaker C: Yeah, Spotify sponsor us. [00:36:18] Speaker D: And now that I'm driving to work every day, I got some time there and back. [00:36:23] Speaker A: And her voice was good. Yeah, the girl's voice is really good on the audiobook and there. [00:36:30] Speaker B: Sorry. Yeah, you could do a personal journal. You have time to listen to it because it's only 13 hours. You have time to listen to it and then do a personal journal about what you thought. [00:36:38] Speaker D: Only 13 hours. He 13, yeah. [00:36:41] Speaker A: 32. I never over exaggerate, I tell you. Do you want to finish this off, Ashley, with anything interesting? [00:36:52] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I would just. I don't know, like, I was really excited to pick this book. I'm sorry, I keep picking books that are hard to get for everyone because I know my first pick was also hard. [00:37:05] Speaker B: Right? That's true. [00:37:05] Speaker C: But yeah, yeah. Overall though, I like. I liked the themes of the story. I like that it got us talking about so many different layers of femininity, masculine, just like the patriarchy, the world we live in. So yeah, I really appreciate the book for that. I personally would give it a four out of five and I didn't know there was a second one and I think I'm gonna read the second one just to see what kind of happens. So. [00:37:32] Speaker D: Nice. [00:37:33] Speaker B: Awesome. [00:37:33] Speaker C: Yeah, I love it. [00:37:35] Speaker B: This interruption is brought to you by Unpublished. Do you want to know more about the members and Book Interrupted? Go behind the scenes. Visit our website at www.bookinterrupted.com. [00:37:48] Speaker A: Book interrupted this interruption is brought to you by. No hot water in my house. We came home, we were on holiday and I got a text when I turned my phone back on from my neighbor. I live in a house and there's four apartments in the house. And asking if we had hot water because she didn't have hot water for her shower. And I came home and we turned on the tap and nope, no hot water. So we contacted the landlord and I guess the pipe from the hot water tank to the. I don't know, I'm not very technical but that broke and so they're ordered the part but they don't know when it's going to come in. So I suppose I will be having a sponge bath coming up until we get some hot water. We're also probably going to boil. We have a bathtub shower so I think we're going to boil some water on in the kettle and on the stove and make like a little mini bath thing and then at least we can clean ourselves if need be. Definitely an interruption because it's very cold outside. We're in Toronto in January so I think it's minus one, which actually isn't too bad. But I definitely am not going to be having a ice cold shower or I'll be freezing the rest of the day. Not the worst thing in the world because we know it'll be fixed eventually, but just a little mini interruption to my day. Book Interrupted. [00:39:11] Speaker B: It's book report time. We're gonna find out from each member their final thoughts and do they recommend the book. Let's listen. [00:39:19] Speaker C: Hey everyone, it's Ashley. My personal journal for my book Pick of the Season Lola by Melissa Scrivener. Love. I would give this book overall a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to people who are a fan of the genre. I have a few friends in mind that I think would really enjoy the book. And overall I did really like the book. I listened to it through audiobook. I think it really pointed out the stark contrast between men and women in society. It did. It touched on sexism and racism, ageism, a lot of important topics. And that was one of the things I really enjoyed about the book specifically because I knew that when we got into the group discussions, we would be able to have some really good, thought provoking conversations. That's like my favorite thing about the book club is when I'm reading a book and I already know that there's topics and themes that we're going to talk about. So, yeah, I really enjoyed that and I thought the pacing was really well done. This is Melissa's first book and I. I think it's a really good first book. I found out that there is a second installment to the Lola Vasquez series. So I think I'm actually gonna read it. I believe it's called American Heroine and it continues on Lola's story. The main reason that I want to read it is because I didn't super love the conclusion of the book. That's my only thing that's kind of really not given me the five out of five. Here is the way it ended. I think I just wanted Lola to have more recognition and power and I think within her community she does. But I was thinking on a big scale, we should be going worldwide. So I think that's kind of just what I was expecting. And I didn't really get that. I felt Lola kind of ended up in the same place as she started. I was just hoping for more. I think that was my problem. So that was really my only issue with the book. I think the themes are on point. I think the character development was great and the pacing, again, really good. So I would recommend it. And I can't wait to hear what the girls have to say. Thank you. [00:41:37] Speaker A: All right, here we go. Lola. I don't have a book. I'm always like, I clutch onto the book when I do these book report personal journals because I'm used to having it in my hand to show you. Anyways, I don't have a book because I listened to my very first audiobook. I couldn't buy it and so I did it on audiobook and it was, yeah, really entertaining. Actually listen to it in the car and it was. It was quite long. I really liked the girl's voice on it. And I feel like listening to an audiobook, if the voice wasn't great, I could see how that may ruin the whole book because you really need a voice. I mean, she was Able to do the different voices, and you could tell who she was being with her. It was very subtle, but each of the voices represented a different person. So you knew that she was being a different person when they were talking. So that must make a huge difference in a book. I also found her voice a bit, you know, what ASMR is, you know, so when people talk like this and they, I don't know, make noises like that and stuff, and it. I think it soothes people. Anyway, she had a voice like that. This was very soothing. But the book itself, I. I did enjoy it. I would recommend it. It was entertaining and felt a bit like a, you know, kind of a light. And that wasn't light because it was violent. So maybe don't go into it thinking it's a joyous. It's definitely not joyous, but it felt like an easy listen. It worked really well in an audiobook. I don't know what I would have felt like in. In the actual book itself, but it did take. Listening to an audiobook does take longer. So I do feel like I retained more of the words, you know, because when you read, you skim over words. But I really. You were listening to every single word. Although it did take me a while to get into the actual focusing. I'd get distracted, and I'd be like, oh, what just happened? And you can't just. When you get distracted, when you read a book and you, you know, you go, okay, I'll just reread it that page. But you. I mean, I guess you could rewind it. I don't know. Didn't do that. Just kept going. But I don't know how many audiobooks I will listen to in the future. I think that when you're doing a really long drive, it's great, but I don't know that I would choose that over a book. I like. I like having the book in my hand physically, and I like kind of making my own voices up in my head and my own images and characters. But. But for certain books, it was good. This. This is definitely a book report now. And PJ on audiobooks and not on Lola. It's just hilarious. Okay. No, the book itself, I liked. I really like. There was a quote that said, I'm sick of being under a man's thumb. And I think that really sums up and fits perfectly with our theme of the season. That, you know, she really, you know, know, had to play the role of the woman, and, you know, eventually kind of gets out of that and people know that she's the boss. So I liked that. I liked the character development. I felt like I knew those characters. You know, I knew Lola and I knew, you know, Lucy and you know, all the different, different characters. I found you felt like you kind of knew them. And at the end of the book, I did say I was like, laird, I want to know what happens next. So, you know, and it was kind of edge of your seat. There was things happening, action happening. You wonder what was going to happen. And it was also one of those books where something happens and then something worse happens and then something worse happens and you're like, how are they going to get out of that? How are they going to get out of that? Definitely not a comedy. But that comedy of errors kind of idea that it's like one thing after another thing after another that happens in order to get her in a deeper, deeper hole and then how she kind of. It works out and she digs her way out. So I liked that. That's all I wrote, is I wrote down a few notes. So mostly about the audiobook. Well, for me that was just the novelty that I listened to an audiobook. But I did like it. I'd recommend it on audiobook. It was easy and definitely kept your attention for however many hours it is. And. And that's all I got to say about that. [00:45:48] Speaker B: Hi, it's Sarah. This is my book report for Lola. So this is Ashley's book pick, which makes complete sense because she's really into true crime and all that kind of stuff. First off, I would recommend it. It was an excellent book, really well written. The character development was great. I really felt like you understood the main character. Her inner monologue was excellent. The chapters were short, which I always, always, always love. So the chapters are short so you can read them and then come back to it later. So I read this book so fast. I think I read it in six days. It was so fast. It kept you engaged, it kept you super interested. And the concept of the book, I'm sure we're going to talk more about it, is that she's actually the head of a gang, a drug gang. No one knows she is. She think they think her boyfriend is. And it's like she gets in a run in with the cartel. That's the big picture and it's basically her figuring stuff out. But there's so much more. Like the character development is amazing because it goes into her childhood and how her mother was an addict and all the abuse that she had as a child because of that. Even though that she's peddling drugs and she has all these rules for her gang. So they're not so brutal. [00:47:00] Speaker D: So. [00:47:01] Speaker B: Also, another thing that the author does amazingly is that every character in the book is believable. It's not like these guys are evil and these guys are good. Everybody has the bad and the good. Every single character. It has really bad and decent in them. Which makes the book great because you can not relate so much. But more like they are just more believable people. They're just real people. Most people aren't just completely 100% evil. That's not real. You know, and circumstances. Environment put you in situations that make you do what you need to do to survive. Maybe. Maybe that's just a vacation. But anyway, that's Lola. I would never have read this book on my own. It is crazy dark and kind of sad. I don't. Maybe not for other people, but it's darker than I normally read. And learning about that crime world and that's rough. And. But it was such an excellent book. So that's the hard thing. [00:48:06] Speaker A: So excellent book. [00:48:07] Speaker B: I would never read it on my own. I would recommend it. But if people that normally pick up the books that I like. This is not that genre. There is a happy ending. In my opinion. I feel like it's a happy ending. But maybe I'm rooting for different things that every else is rooting for. [00:48:24] Speaker A: So. [00:48:25] Speaker B: Because it is dark. So we see. [00:48:27] Speaker E: We see. [00:48:28] Speaker B: You'll have to see if it's your thing. But if you want a really great read very quick. You're into thrillers or crime novels or that kind of stuff. This is a great fiction book. Is that a real recommendation? I guess it kind of is. But it's like with a caveat of not really normally my genre. [00:48:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:47] Speaker B: And part of me kind of wanted to get through it so I could be done it. Because it's kind of brutal also. So there's that. Anyway, I'm looking forward to talking to everyone else in the group and hearing what they have to say from people who read more of this genre too. To see what they thought of the book. Because maybe it's not as accurate as I think it is. But I guess we'll just see. I guess we would have already heard actually, because this is the end of the episode. All right. That's it for me. [00:49:14] Speaker F: Hi there. Me again. Kim. In case you didn't know. Lola. Hmm. I'm not sure. [00:49:23] Speaker E: Sure. [00:49:24] Speaker F: And I don't know what I'm doing. That thing that I said I wasn't gonna do. Or maybe did I say I was gonna do this? I can't remember which way it went now. But I'm afraid that I'll talk about what I'm talking about here in the group discussion. And it's because I tend to do my personal journals on the same day as the group discussions. So maybe because I'm into another book book right now, I will do another personal journal so I don't have the direct influence of having it at the same time. Because then I'll just say the same thing, right? Because it's the same day. Anyway, Lola can't decide. I think it was an interesting enough story. Like, it was fine, but it's early in the morning here, so please bear with me. There is a thing where, let's say, an author pursues a mission of feminist novel, let's say, or a feminist character. And what actually ends up happening is they end up kind of accomplishing the opposite because of how embedded in everybody's psyche, for lack of a better word, again, the patriarchy is. So, I don't know, like, for example, it might be Lola, right? I don't know for sure if this is truly. And I don't know even like, our. Our theme is strong women. So, fine. But like. So the fallacy or like, the misstep or whatever is that in order for a woman to be strong, they have to be strong in the ways that are, like, traditionally masculine. And that in and of itself is the mysterious mistake when someone is pursuing writing like this strong woman character. But what they end up doing is actually just making her strong by the definition of what the broken system usually makes males be, to be strong. And I think that that might be what's happening in Lola because she kind of has to be like, whatever, how you think a gangster would be. And it's weird because it's a woman. But, like, I don't know. There are obviously women gangsters out there. I think I've seen a couple documentaries on some pretty tough women in leadership positions of crime empires. But I wonder, like, first of all, there's not a lot of them, right? So maybe it's just not something that a strong woman may find herself doing because she doesn't make the same choices or doesn't behave in the same ways or who knows? I guess I. It's early, so I can't form real good thoughts. I'm just trying my best to give you a personal journal here. So the story itself was fine. [00:52:07] Speaker E: I liked Lola as a character. [00:52:09] Speaker F: I did appreciate some of her softer sides, like her nurturing of what the heck was that girl's name? I read this story a long time ago. Lily, I think is the. The child that she was kind of tending to. [00:52:22] Speaker E: So I like that part of the. [00:52:24] Speaker F: Story and how she helped Lily and. And things like that. I guess there was something inauthentic about the story to me, but what do I know? I'm not a freaking gang member. So like, maybe that's exactly what it's like inauthentic and. Or stereotypical. Those are the things that I have flags about. The story itself is entertaining enough. So, like, if you're just looking for a read or whatever, I wouldn't advise you against it. It was fine. I think it's part of a series too, so you can keep on reading about Lola if you wanted. As far as our, like, this season's topic goes, I don't know if she is like actually representing or if she is an example of an attempt to represent and actually falling into that trap of, you know, giving all these male characteristics to a female. So that's what makes her strong rather than letting her be exactly what she is. And that in and of itself is strong. Anyway, those are my thoughts. I don't really know if they were clear or not, but there you have it. Okay, talk to you later, bookies. [00:53:36] Speaker B: Thank you for joining us on this episode of Book Interrupted. If you'd like to see the video highlight from this episode, please go to our YouTube channel, book interrupted. You can also find our videos on www.bookinterrupted.com. [00:53:51] Speaker E: Have a listen to our off the Shelf episodes. These are the silly, fun and weird, wonderful things we do when we get off cue. Listen to our off the Shelf episodes to hear more from us, the Book Interrupted crew. I think you'll love it and I know you'll laugh. [00:54:11] Speaker F: Book Interrupted Never forget, every child matters.