Long Story Short: Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
Long Story Short? This week, we got into the holiday spirit and took a trip into some memories with the Ghost of Christmas Past in Good Spirits by B.K. Borison and we're excited to tell you why this book should be moved to the top of your TBR!
Please note that our podcast is 18+ and our episodes may contain adult language and themes
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Music by Dani LaCroix
Transcript
Foreign.
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Speaker A:Yes, this week we are spreading the holiday cheer with good spirits by B.K.
Speaker A:morrison.
Speaker B:Yes, we'll be talking about our song choices alongside of the plot and chatting about our favorite moments.
Speaker B:So grab an iced coffee or Ice Tribe and let's turn the page together.
Speaker A:Dear reader, here's the synopsis of Good Spirits.
Speaker A:I'm going to read it right from the dust jacket here.
Speaker B:Beautiful.
Speaker A:He's the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Speaker A:She's not exactly Scrooge.
Speaker A:Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other.
Speaker A:Get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife.
Speaker A:When he's faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he's ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future.
Speaker A:Harriet York has no idea why she's being haunted.
Speaker A:She's a good person, or at least she tries to be a people pleaser to her core.
Speaker A:She always does what's expected of her.
Speaker A:But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together and realize there might be more to moving on than expected.
Speaker A:With the deadline of Christmas Eve fast approaching, will they find the key to their futures in each other's past?
Speaker A:Or will they stay firmly in the present indulging in their unexpected, spirited connection.
Speaker A:But we think you should read this book if you want a sharp, funny holiday romance with a little paranormal twist.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And you might want to avoid this book if any of the following are potentially triggering for you.
Speaker B:Sexual content, death, emotional abuse, grief, toxic relationships, abandonment, body shaming, injury, injury detail, and some swearing.
Speaker B:It is an adult book.
Speaker B:So should we talk about our song choices?
Speaker A:Of course.
Speaker A:I picked a holiday song, and I picked Mistletoe by Justin Bieber.
Speaker B:So cute.
Speaker B:I did not pick a holiday song, which is not surprising at all.
Speaker B:I did look at holiday songs.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:I promise.
Speaker B:However, I could not not come to the table without bringing Invisible String by Taylor Swift.
Speaker A:I almost stole it, but I was like, I feel like Brit's gonna choose this.
Speaker A:So I branched out.
Speaker B:You were so correct.
Speaker B:And, you know, you like Christmas music more than I do, so it's fine.
Speaker B:But now we are moving into our pages turned and bridges burned section, so we are going to be discuss.
Speaker B:Discussing.
Speaker B:We're.
Speaker B:So we are going to be discussing this beautiful book cover to cover in detail, which means spoilers are ahead.
Speaker B:So if you have not read this book yet, which, honestly, this is a really, really cute holiday romance read, if you're interested, go ahead and pause the podcast.
Speaker B:Read the book.
Speaker B:Come back when you have.
Speaker B:If you've read the book or you're just here for the vibes.
Speaker B:Let's keep going.
Speaker B:Welcome.
Speaker A:All right, so my theme lyric from my song is, I should be playing in the winter snow, but I'mma be under the mistletoe.
Speaker A:And I just love the scene where there's, like, mistletoe everywhere.
Speaker A:So it.
Speaker A:It did draw me to this song.
Speaker A:And I did want to pick a holiday song too, but the lyric is really like saying that they should be doing other things, you know, but they're just in love and enjoying the short time they have together.
Speaker A:Like under the mistletoe.
Speaker B:I love that.
Speaker A:Literally and figuratively, both together.
Speaker B:I brought the theme lyric.
Speaker B:Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire chains around my demons wool to brave the seasons One single thread of gold tied me to you and like, as Nolan takes Harriet through her memories, like, searching for.
Speaker B:Because his whole thing is to have them confront these, like, horrible things that they've done.
Speaker B:And so they're searching for the reason that she's a bad person, needs to confront her past.
Speaker B:But, like, all of a sudden, they realize that Harriet's not the problem, and he really starts to soften her edges to all of these, like, sharp, bristled memories.
Speaker B:And so I just loved the idea of something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire.
Speaker B:Like, I. I don't know, I just.
Speaker B:She did.
Speaker B:He took all the bad things that she's done and shows her that, like, they are her demons, not her.
Speaker B:Like, the people that cause those memories.
Speaker B:And I also loved the Gold Thread because all of, like, the strings of magic and like, the golden magic.
Speaker B:I just like, thank you for giving me the song because otherwise we would have ended up with the same song choice.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I finished this book just like a hair before Brit.
Speaker A:So that's why I like the song.
Speaker A:I was like, oh, this is a good one.
Speaker A:But I'm gonna let her come to it when she's done.
Speaker A:But let's talk about our main characters.
Speaker A:So we have Ms. Harriet, who is chipper joy and full of holiday cheer.
Speaker A:Has candy in her pockets.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I think she'd be proud.
Speaker A:I'm eating mini marshmallows right now.
Speaker B:I love that.
Speaker B:I loved how whimsical Harry Harriet was.
Speaker B:She also does go by Harry.
Speaker B:Like, I thought that was a cute, like, little nickname.
Speaker B:But yeah, I just.
Speaker B:I loved her whimsy and something that BK Morrison has always talked about and something that I really love that some people, I've seen discourse about them not loving it as much.
Speaker B:But I think it's important.
Speaker B:Like, she writes soft FMCs.
Speaker B:She writes FMCs that are a little squishy, a little more tender, a little softer around the edges.
Speaker B:And I just very deeply related to Harriet's people pleasing tendencies and her tendency to apologize for everything.
Speaker B:And it's really nice to see, like, a not hard and strong all the time type of person and that, like, her joy and softness and emotionality can be used, like, for good and it doesn't need to be a weapon used against her.
Speaker B:So I just.
Speaker B:I loved Harriet.
Speaker B:I really did.
Speaker A:Yes, she.
Speaker A:I would love to be friends with her.
Speaker B:Me too.
Speaker A:And then we have Nolan, who is one of the ghosts of Christmas past, which I thought, like, that was pretty cool that they, like, have all these ghosts of Christmas past and there's like a whole, like, afterlife network that, like, you know, all together.
Speaker A:I thought that was cool.
Speaker A:But Nolan gets assigned Harriet.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And when they first meet, Nolan's confused because, like, Harriet is nice.
Speaker B:You know, he's normally.
Speaker B:He's used to, like, these bad people.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:He's used to, like, the types of people.
Speaker B:I don't think they have him.
Speaker B:I don't think, like, these ghosts are confronting, like, the worst of the worst.
Speaker B:But I think they're confronting people that are generally, like, inconsiderate of others and a little more selfish.
Speaker B:But it's very clear that Harriet doesn't seem like a bad person.
Speaker B:And then they have what we, you know, have been teetering between a couple of books of, like, meet cutes versus meet disasters.
Speaker B:I would venture to say this, like, toes the line between the two.
Speaker B:It's like mild meat disaster versus, like, meets meet cute.
Speaker A:But basically, Nolan side, it's like a meat disaster because he's like, who is this lady?
Speaker B:Yeah, like, what's going on?
Speaker B:And, like, he just, like, he's a ghost.
Speaker B:So bah, just appears.
Speaker B:And to me, like, again, I love Harriet.
Speaker B:She's so soft.
Speaker B:She severely underreacted to the ghostly man in her antique store.
Speaker B:Yes, severely underreacted.
Speaker B:To be fair, though, if I did see someone who looked like him with an accent, I might have also underreacted.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And Harriet works at her late aunt's antique shop after leaving, like, her family's dream of, like, working in law and everything.
Speaker A:But then we have Nolan, who is convinced something is wrong.
Speaker A:Like, something's wrong with his assignment because he should have somebody that needs to find retribution.
Speaker A:And he's assured, like, nope, it doesn't make mistakes.
Speaker A:Like, your assignment is your assignment.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:He's like, yeah, all right, fine.
Speaker B:I get.
Speaker B:I get, like, I guess.
Speaker B:I guess we'll uncover these, like, ghastly, like, mistakes she's made over time.
Speaker B:But the kind of premise of the book is that he starts to take her back through past memories, and they start early childhood and kind of work their way through these kind of core pieces of who Harriet is.
Speaker B:And obviously with his past clients, he's used to, like, seeing some.
Speaker B:Instead, we see Harriet being emotionally neglected and abused by her mother, kind of stilted and ignored by her father, and being consistently compared to her sister Samantha.
Speaker B:And we also see her bonding with her now late aunt.
Speaker B:There's definitely some animosity that we start to see grow between her relationship with her aunt and her mom's, like, relationship with her.
Speaker B:With Harriet and Nolan is very confused.
Speaker B:This is dual pov, and I really enjoyed that because sometimes we got the memories from Harriet's perspective, and sometimes we got them from Nolan's perspective.
Speaker B:And he was just really confused because he just saw a little girl, like, trying to play with, like, a little train set, and she wasn't doing anything wrong.
Speaker B:And I. I liked watching, like, that grappling kind of internal moment where he's like, no.
Speaker B:For, like, something has to be wrong.
Speaker B:Surely something is incorrect.
Speaker B:But it wasn't.
Speaker B:It was for a very different reason.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And then they actually visit Nolan's past.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Which has never happened before.
Speaker A:So he's like, this is weird.
Speaker A:This is weird.
Speaker A:And, like, why is Harriet going with him?
Speaker A:Like, very, very weird.
Speaker A:And so Harriet's like, maybe we're supposed to find your unfinished business.
Speaker A:And he's like, I don't know.
Speaker A:And I think it's funny, like, one of the times that they travel back into, like, Harriet's memory, she, like, tries to bring back a jar of jam.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And he's, like, telling her no as they're, like, you know, magically wisping away.
Speaker B:And then it explodes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:But it's like, one of these moments that, like, Nolan can, like, start to, like, taste things.
Speaker A:And, like, as they go, like, he is becoming more, like, solid.
Speaker A:More, like, aware.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The way that I wanted to say, like, sentient.
Speaker B:But he is a sentient being.
Speaker B:Corporeal.
Speaker B:Is that.
Speaker B:No, the opposite of corporeal.
Speaker B:I don't remember.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:He's starting to become.
Speaker B:He's starting to become a person again, essentially, is.
Speaker B:Is here.
Speaker B:Now they find a.
Speaker B:Like, a compass in the antique shop, and it points to Harriet, which is really cute.
Speaker B:Now, I will say, though, Nolan finds this object and then, like, hides it.
Speaker B:He's like, oh, no, I don't want to leave.
Speaker B:I don't want to leave Harriet.
Speaker B:I don't want this to be done.
Speaker A:But the compass, like, never pointed to, like, north.
Speaker A:Like, it never pointed to the right thing.
Speaker B:So, yes, I was just going to tie it into one of my lyrics, because I have the lyric, time, curious time Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs Were there clues I didn't see?
Speaker B:And isn't it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?
Speaker B:And I was like, is that not the most.
Speaker B:I almost picked this as my theme lyric, but I think that the other one about him softening her edges just fit a little bit better.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But I loved not only that this line had the compass in it, but, like, it's talking about their, like, rare soul tie.
Speaker B:And again, we said spoilers.
Speaker B:But while Nolan is waiting, like, in the afterlife waiting room, like, and he has to have it explained to him because he's just super dense.
Speaker B:And I was teeheeing, I was giggling about this, that the compass is for Harriet and she is his reason.
Speaker B:And, like, over time, like, he felt like he had no signs, no reason.
Speaker B:He was just wandering aimlessly through the afterlife, and then he all of a sudden finds a literal compass that points to his literal soulmate.
Speaker B:And I just.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:I just loved the.
Speaker B:The lyric tie in there.
Speaker B:It was just this book just gave me the warm and fuzzies and, like, the more I sit on it, the more I just, like, adored how, like, soft and sweet it was.
Speaker A:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker A:One of the memories, though, that they visit back for, like, Harriet is a family dinner.
Speaker A:And it's like Harriet's old, like, old boyfriend and just her terrible family as she, like, says that she doesn't want to practice law and that, like, she's, you know, been connecting with their aunt and everything.
Speaker A:And it just, like, Just.
Speaker A:What a shitty family.
Speaker A:Like, I just can't.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It was so hard to.
Speaker B:For me, it was really hard to sit through that because, like, their.
Speaker B:Their priority was legacy and image over thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Speaker B:And watching no one stand up for her, not even her sister, not her boyfriend, her father just put his head down and let her take, like, a physical, like, verbal lashing from her mother.
Speaker B:And it was the first time that we see her start to stand up for herself and start to take those steps to, like, really move forward with.
Speaker B:With the things and the passions that she had.
Speaker B:Because I'm sure we've all been there.
Speaker B:Like, you think that you want something, and you think that it's what's best for you, and all of a sudden, like, you're doing it, and you go.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker B:No, this is very wrong.
Speaker B:And for her to have someone, like, pigeonhole her into this and then make her feel guilty for.
Speaker B:Want to explore something that brings her joy and happiness.
Speaker B:Like, her family just point blank sucked.
Speaker B:Like, they were just a tragedy.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And there's.
Speaker A:I'm going to tie in my lyric before we go into this next kind of story.
Speaker A:But, yeah, there's, like, a gala that her family has every year.
Speaker A:And, like, Harriet's mom wants her to wear Navy, but she wore purple to the gala.
Speaker A:And so there's like, a lyric in my song that's like, I should be chilling with my folks.
Speaker A:I know, but I'm going to be under the mistletoe.
Speaker A:And to me, that's like, her being, like, I should quote, unquote, like, be with my family and participate in this.
Speaker A:But, like, nah, I'm gonna be my own person and I'm gonna be in love and do what I want to do and, you know, showing up in a different color and it Just shows her strengthening as, like, a person, too.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I also, like, the Gallo was a really big scene because I felt like we were building to that for a while.
Speaker B:And even, like, back to the theme lyric.
Speaker B:Like, chains around my demons wool to brave the seasons the fact that Nolan was there and stood up for her, but was really the grounding force in allowing Harriet to stand up for herself.
Speaker B:Like, helped her be brave in confronting her sister and confronting her mom and saying, no, I won't have a family picture with you.
Speaker B:No, my.
Speaker B:And something too.
Speaker B:Like, her mom made her, like, tie back and straighten her curly hair and made her, like, like, smooth all of the, like, wily, unruly parts of her, the whimsical pieces of her to fit this, like, molded image of a family when her mother, first of all, had not even spoken to her.
Speaker B:And when they spoke, it was very volatile.
Speaker B:And I just, like, finally watching her go through the process of, like, saying what she needed to was such a big, like, weight off of my shoulders as I was reading, because I was like, finally, like, she's standing her ground.
Speaker B:And I think what was even harder about that, too, was that, like, we know that her family is in the wrong, but she still feels like she's made to be wrong for the things that she's saying, thinking, and doing.
Speaker B:Yeah, I just.
Speaker B:I love, like, I loved Nolan's pieces, like, in the way that he complimented Harriet.
Speaker A:And so in this third act breakup that's not really, like, a breakup, but they, like, have to say goodbye because Nolan's about to cross over.
Speaker A:Like, yeah, Nolan is.
Speaker A:It's time for him to go.
Speaker A:And, like, it was just, like, sad because I was like, oh, they just had, like, the short time together.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:I know, but one of my lyrics, so this one is just, like, my interpretation.
Speaker A:So if you.
Speaker A:Nobody else believes this, it's okay, but.
Speaker A:And I'm gonna say this, and it's not gonna come out very well, but the lyric is, with you, shorty.
Speaker A:With you, with you under the mistletoe.
Speaker A:And I feel like me saying this is like Nolan being from a different time than Harriet.
Speaker A:Like, you know, like, he's so, like, out of touch with certain things.
Speaker B:Oh, because this man's been dead for, like, a hundred years.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So there's a huge age gap here.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:Romance that I enjoy.
Speaker A:Yeah, true.
Speaker A:But I could also see, like, Nolan, like, discovering this and, like, you know, being, like, the dad that doesn't want, like, the dog and just, like, hating at first, but then later he's like with you, shorty, with you under the mistletoe.
Speaker A:And, you know, he's like, starting to, like, soften up.
Speaker A:But yeah, and then like you said, so Nolan gets to the afterlife and he's like, all right, like, let's get on with it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And Isabelle's like, dude.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Also for those of you that are here for the vibes, we totally skipped over this, but his boss's name is Isabelle.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:And she does visit Harriet, like, and Nolan at the shop one day and she finds a trinket that, like, is connected to her.
Speaker B:And so we get like this pre.
Speaker B:Like this sense before the compass is found that there's going to be something tied to Nolan's soul within the antique store.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker A:And I thought, like.
Speaker A:And more with her aunt too.
Speaker B:Like, yes, like, there's something with.
Speaker A:What is the tie in?
Speaker B:Yeah, it was giving me aunt Analia from the seven year slip.
Speaker B:It was giving me magical tie into the.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:I love a magical realism.
Speaker B:I love a little paranormal twist.
Speaker B:So good.
Speaker B:But yeah, so Isabelle's his boss and she is like a very stern, no BS type of person.
Speaker B:And so he's sitting in this waiting room with Isabelle and it's just like this place, plain ass room.
Speaker B:And they're there for, he says, what feels like two weeks, it probably was because Christmas had gone and passed and all this stuff.
Speaker B:They're into January and she just will not tell him why.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker B:They're sitting in this room and then.
Speaker A:The cat shows up.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:So why is my cat here?
Speaker B:Nolan has a cat, but Harriet also has a cat.
Speaker B:They are the same cat, different names, same cat.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Also, the.
Speaker B:As we're going through this, like, breakup, we're going to come back to Nolan.
Speaker B:I promise.
Speaker B:We have.
Speaker B:We're going to circle back, you guys.
Speaker B:But when the ghost of Christmas past comes to visit someone and they leave, any ghost, anyone from the paranormal, afterlife, spirit realm, the mortal forgets about the paranormal experience.
Speaker B:But Harriet is like, the whole thing is they're leaving is like, please don't let me forget him.
Speaker B:Please don't let me forget him.
Speaker B:Please don't let me forget him.
Speaker B:And as she goes through the days, she does not forget him.
Speaker B:And there's just so many cute little scenes.
Speaker B:Like, I could talk about this forever, but, like, he.
Speaker B:She demands that he, like, goes outside and rings, like, the doorbell and like, knocks on the door instead of just showing up in her antique store in her house.
Speaker B:And he, like, shows up on the ring camera.
Speaker B:And because he's so old, he doesn't know, like, what the ring camera actually does.
Speaker B:And it's just really cute.
Speaker B:Very sweet.
Speaker B:But yeah, the cat.
Speaker B:Where were we?
Speaker B:Harriet's cat and Nolan's cat.
Speaker B:Same cat.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:Because Aunt Matilda wanted Harriet to not be alone.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker A:But also sweet Nolan to be checked.
Speaker B:On to and, like, also, too.
Speaker B:We got the as this is all happening, Samantha, Harriet's sister, comes and, like, has a, like, makeup with her and, like, reopens the door that was kind of shut permanently on the family.
Speaker B:And she talks about how, like, once Harriet stepped away from the expectations, the expectations just got heavier on Samantha.
Speaker B:And there's just, like, a lot of layers to it.
Speaker B:But I really liked that we did not reconcile with the mother, but we reconciled with the sister, which is what felt achievable and felt like it.
Speaker B:It needed to happen because, like, a girl needs her sister and Harriet.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker A:I guess.
Speaker A:Says the sorority sisters.
Speaker B:Says the sorority sisters.
Speaker B:Hey.
Speaker B:Anyway, basically, they sit down with him, and this motherfucker's dense.
Speaker B:He is.
Speaker B:He's not understanding.
Speaker B:He's.
Speaker B:They're like.
Speaker B:So you were meant to see Harriet.
Speaker B:Like, this was a different journey.
Speaker B:Did you ever think about that?
Speaker B:I was sending you on all of these missions, and you were fulfilling them every single time.
Speaker B:And then I still had nothing for you to do.
Speaker B:And then we just went through this process.
Speaker B:And it's because their souls had been together from the beginning, and they diverged.
Speaker B:And this was his opportunity to come back with his soul tie.
Speaker B:So he gets an option.
Speaker B:He gets a choice.
Speaker B:One, to just rest in peace forever or return in human form and live out the rest of his life with his soulmate Harriet.
Speaker B:And they're reunite.
Speaker B:Reunited.
Speaker B:What am I.
Speaker B:What am I saying?
Speaker B:And they're seeing the scene where they were reunited.
Speaker B:The scene in which they reunited at the end started with a blubbering mailman.
Speaker B:I thought it was really funny.
Speaker B:A very cute rom comy way to end it.
Speaker B:And also, too, like, this is the first book in a planned trilogy of, like, interconnected standalones.
Speaker B:And so I'm very excited to see, like, if these two pop up again through the next.
Speaker B:Through the next ones.
Speaker B:But they live happily ever after.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:My last lyric I have here is, the wise men followed the star the way I followed my heart.
Speaker A:And it led me to a miracle.
Speaker A:And I just thought, like, you know, there's always something pulling them together, even though they didn't know.
Speaker A:Kind of like an invisible string.
Speaker B:Lol.
Speaker A:Almost picked that song.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Just that, you know, they followed their heart.
Speaker A:And even though when they knew that it was temporary, they still let like.
Speaker A:They still opened up themselves to each other and still had those moments of like, deep connection, even without knowing that, like, they were end game.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And so they just followed their heart and it led to this miracle of, you know, no one becoming human.
Speaker B:I love that I have.
Speaker B:There's two more lyrics, but I'm only going to read one because otherwise I'm just reading you the whole song.
Speaker B:But the one that I'm going to read is the time.
Speaker B:Mystical time.
Speaker B:Cutting me open, then healing me Fine.
Speaker B:And I could have read this earlier, but I'm not gonna lie, I didn't scroll down enough and I forgot that I put this one down here.
Speaker B:But this line is a perfect representation of their travel through their memories and how it kind of slice you.
Speaker B:Slices you open at first, but the balm is kind of quickly applied.
Speaker B:The stitches are placed and Harriet realizes that she wasn't in the wrong.
Speaker B:She was just asking to be loved and to be herself.
Speaker B:And the most selfish decision she made was to pursue her dreams, not someone else's.
Speaker B:Which is not a bad decision.
Speaker B:I just love the idea of like, it cuts you open and heals you fine.
Speaker B:Like you're reliving these memories that just sting, but then you learn something from them and you can grow from the experiences that you had.
Speaker B:And I just love this song.
Speaker B:Yes, for this book specifically too, I.
Speaker A:Have two quotes that I liked.
Speaker A:I think there was a lot more, but these are two that I agree.
Speaker B:There were a lot of quotable moments.
Speaker A:But I could spend an eternity studying you and still not know what you might do next.
Speaker A:You give so much of yourself so freely.
Speaker A:You're wild with your intentions, miraculous.
Speaker A:I've seen so many lives, Harriet, but I've never seen someone live like you.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:And then she's been waiting for you her entire life and you've been searching for her just as long.
Speaker B:They're both souls.
Speaker B:I have three quotes, two that are in that same vein.
Speaker B:One that's a little, little spicy and I love it.
Speaker B:But I have a.
Speaker B:What a gift that is.
Speaker B:To still wish and dream and want to find the good to wear it on your sleeve.
Speaker B:Anyone with people pleasing open heart tendencies can probably relate to that also.
Speaker B:I'm so damn tired of begging for scraps of affection.
Speaker B:Not when I know that it can be given so freely.
Speaker B:And I love that realization that Harriet had with the more that Nolan showed up for her.
Speaker B:And the last one is pajamas.
Speaker B:Those Flimsy shorts with the slit in the side were not pajamas.
Speaker B:She was wearing a garment constructed by the devil.
Speaker B:And I just love that so much.
Speaker B:And they had this, like, you know, magnetic, like, soul connection that they had that kind of, like, sparked up, and their tension was so good.
Speaker B:And I just, like.
Speaker B:I said I loved how, like, soft both of them were.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:The pajamas reminded me of a scene that we didn't talk about, but, like, Harriet, like, almost dies to Noland, right?
Speaker A:Like, she's like, yeah, what happens?
Speaker A:Blah, blah, blah.
Speaker A:But the funny part that, like, reminds me of is, like, when she wakes up, she's like, you put these pajamas on me.
Speaker A:Like, you put the pajamas with the reindeer on the ones that you hate.
Speaker A:I just thought that was funny little.
Speaker A:Funny little moment, but I know.
Speaker B:This was just such a cute holiday book.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker A:And then the next book is, I think, the Grim Reaper.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Grim Tidings is the next one, because.
Speaker A:I thought maybe it would be, like, the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Speaker A:Well, I guess.
Speaker A:Isn't the Grim Reaper one of them?
Speaker B:I think it's.
Speaker B:There's some hierarchy.
Speaker A:I just.
Speaker A:I love the talk of, like, the Muppets Christmas Carol, because that's my favorite one.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:But we do, like, hear about the Grim Reaper in whatchamacallit in this book.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because that, like, Isabella is not there because she's, like, has to go take care of something with a grim reaper.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:But, yeah, the, like, the Ghost of Christmas Future is, like, sometimes a silent, shadowy figure dressed in black.
Speaker B:Oh, yes.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:And, like, the Ghost of Christmas Presents.
Speaker A:Like a jolly figure.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And she said, I hope you'll come back for another visit to the Department of Haunting, Hauntings and Spirits.
Speaker B:I heard a rumor there's a reaper on the loose.
Speaker B:Is the end of her acknowledgments.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Very exciting.
Speaker A:Yeah, guys, that was good spirits.
Speaker B:That was good spirits.
Speaker B:It's so cute.
Speaker A:Thank you, thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for turning the pages with us this week.
Speaker A:Please be sure to follow us on TikTok Instagram, Patreon.
Speaker A:Hopefully our Facebook page is back up and join our newsletter for next year to keep up everything on the other side of the page.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:And please, please, please drop our review and a five star rating of the podcast on your preferred platform and share it with your bookish besties.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A: ounting down our top reads of: Speaker B:Yeah, it's going to be really hard to narrow it down because I've started to write that list and Hannah gave me a cutoff.
Speaker B:And I cannot respect the cutoff, unfortunately.
Speaker B:So spend next week with your family, a good book, or both.
Speaker B:Probably both.
Speaker B:And come back to the COUNTDOWN with us on New Year's Eve.
Speaker A:So forever and always keep reading with kindness.
Speaker B:Bye, everyone.
Speaker A:Bye.
