Bold Beginnings for a Bookish Year

MY FIRST SOLO EPISODE

I saw LarryReads do a beginning of the year tag on her BookTube and I thought you know what, let me try that on the podcast. HERE WE ARE! my first solo episode where I answer all the questions Larry had for her tag.

And I hope you all love it and if you don't please don't tell me, just lie to me and say you love it.

Is there someone you are dying for me to interview or have a conversation with? LET ME KNOW!!

Cover Art by: moi

Intro/Outro Music: positive vibes by nanaacom on Capcut

Contact Email: spillthesmutpodcast@gmail.com

Podcast IG: @spillthesmutpodcast TT: @spillthesmutpodcast

Jordan IG: @sipsoffiction TT: @sipsoffiction

Transcript

First Solo Episode Nerves

Jordan 0:21

Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode on Spill the Smut. This episode looks a little bit, looks hears a little bit differently. I am by myself today. So this is gonna be interesting and we're gonna see how this goes. But without further ado, welcome to my first solo episode on the podcast. I want to start off this episode where I usually ask all my guests what the highlight of their week is so far. And you know, I never really answer the question. So I'm gonna answer it today. And the highlight of my week so far is I'm actually really excited about everything that's to come on this podcast, on social media for me, and I'm changing things up. I'm going a little bit bolder in my content, if you would say. So I'm going to, I'm very excited. Let me start that. I'm very excited. Things are changing, but changing for the better. Hopefully, fingers crossed. But I'm very, very, very excited for what's to come. So that's probably gonna be the highlight of my week. It's kind of my highlight of the month, to be honest. But, anyways, into this episode, I'm running into a bit of a problem of just like life and trying to podcast. So I decided that I really wanted to try a solo episode. And we're gonna see how it goes. But I saw Larry Reeds do this tag, the beginning of the year tag, and honestly, I honestly saw it today. And I was like, let me give this a shot. And I think it would be like the perfect solo episode as a start. So hopefully, if this does well and it is good, I can continue this kind of solo episode. But, anyways, the beginning of the year tag. I saw her do it and I was like, let's go. And I filled out my own answers. So we'll start with the first question. How many books are you planning on reading in 2026? Now, if you listen to mine and Olivia's episode, then you know that the answer is 100. And for 2025, I decided not to give myself a goal because I figured I was putting too much pressure on myself to read that I wasn't having fun with it. So this year I decided to change it and I'm like, you know what? We're bringing back the goals. Yep, that's what we are doing. We are bringing back the goals, and I have brought it back to 100. Usually I can fall just under 100, but hopefully I can hit 100 this year. And I think it's possible because I love audiobooks and I've been listening to audiobooks. Like, no one's business. A book you're likely to reread this year. Now, I answered this for my goals last year, too, and I said I was gonna read The Invisible Life of Adie LaRue. That did not happen. I did not read that book. And I was debating on if I wanted to put that book down again this year, and you know what? I am gonna put it down. So we're gonna reread Invisible Life of Adie LaRue this year, maybe possibly. I don't know. Could go in 2027's goal too. We'll see. A priority read on your 2026 TBR, Project Hail Mary. I want to read this, especially before the movie releases, which I believe it's like in March, actually, but I want to read new to me genres. This is a new to me genre, and I've heard nothing but amazing things. I've seen and heard so many people talk about how if they don't like sci-fi, but they love this book, and they love the audiobook, and uh, I love audiobooks. So I decided to add this one to the priority read on the 2026 TBR first quarter because we got to finish it before March. An author, you won't be reading any more books from this year. Honestly, I sat on this one the longest. This was actually the last one I filled out because I don't know if there's any authors that I really do not want to read this year. And instead of like forcing somebody or honestly, I don't know. I don't know. I just decided, you know what? I feel like I'm just not gonna not gonna put anybody down. I think there's authors that are just not for me authors, and that's fine, but there's nobody I'm like, you will never be reading anymore. Well, that actually isn't in the never is not in the question, but there isn't anybody that I won't be reading. I think there's authors that maybe I won't pick up any of their backlists, but who knows what to say that I won't pick up a future frontless book of theirs. So I just left this one blank. Or if you can count what I just said as an answer, which honestly I'm taking it. Something new you want to read. So I actually bought this book at the end of 2025 or maybe like fall 2025, but I really want to get in my Stephen King era. Yes, I do. And his book, 112263. Now I love anything that's slightly like paranormal, which I don't know if you want to count this as paranormal, but I'm pretty sure the main character travels back in time to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. And you know, I this is just right up my alley. And I've heard so many people talk about how amazing this book is. So I need to experience how amazing this book is, and I, gosh darn it, am going to do it. And so that's something that I definitely, it's new to me. I've never read any Stephen King before. I've never read anything that's kind of like this. It's almost like historical, but also fiction. I'm assuming. I'm assuming, but I could also be totally wrong. A popular book you want to read. I don't, I feel like this is popular in the sense that I've seen a lot of people talking about it, but it also scares me to death. But A Little Life. I want to read this book, and I bought it. It's on my shelf. It's sitting there, it's there for me to read, but I'm terrified. I've seen so many videos of people recording themselves reading like the last few pages and sobbing uncontrollably. Yep. So I'm kind of actually very terrified to read it, but I also still want to read it. And I've seen people like listen to the audiobook, so like maybe that's what I'll do is I'll listen to the audiobook, or maybe I'll like read it and listen to the audiobook. I'm so sorry if you hear my son, Poe, but he is yelling at me. Bless you, he's also having a sneeze attack. Just don't mind that. But he loves to yell and he is very good at it. Most anticipated 2026 release. Okay, I have two down for this one, and that would be In Her Own League by Liz Tom Forti and Our Perfect Storms by Carly Fortune. Now I've read all of Liz Tom Forti's books, and this is almost like a spin-off, but also a continuation. Like you meet Reese and Monty in the Windy City series, and I love Reese. I love Monty too, but I love Reese and I cannot wait for their story. It's gonna be so stinking good. And I'm not even a baseball like book fan, baseball romance fan, but you know, I can get behind it for this book. I can get behind it. And then Our Perfect Storm. I have I in the summer read all of Carly Fortune's backlist, backlist, all her, she has four books. I read all four of them in the summer. And oh my goodness, I am obsessed. One of my favorite authors, I love her books. I'm so excited for well, we'll get to that later. But I cannot wait for our perfect storm. I uh May, I think it's May 9th, cannot come soon enough. Actually, but like we're not fast-forwarding time here, so it takes your sweet time, but also like not. If she could just like release the book now, but I get it, they are summer books, which is just uh Chef's Kiss, the perfect read for in the summer. Like, you just ah, I love her books. I love them. A bookish goal for 2026. Okay, so I actually did not put this in my bookish goals with the episode with Olivia, but I'm putting it here. Read more diverse books. I really want to read books written by people of color that have characters of people of color and different backgrounds. I want to read more books in the LGBTQ space. I want to read more sapphic romances, I want to read more gay romances. I do want to broaden what I read, and I know that's a it's really easy to say it, and I know that, and I'm, but I want to implement that. I really want to make sure at least one book I read a month is a by an author of color, and because I feel like they don't get enough hype and enough talk about it on social media, and you know, I want to be one of those people that helps promote their books, and gosh darn it, I will be doing that. And honestly, I feel like I can brighten my horizon, bright, broaden, broaden, brighten, broaden my horizon. So that's what your girl's gonna do. That is what she is gonna do. A book that's been on your TBR that you probably won't ever read. Okay, so I I put on here One Last Rainy Day by Kate Stewart. Now I love the Raven Hood trilogy, one of my favorite, favorite trilogies of all time. So good, highly recommend. But now we're gonna keep it spoiler-free here. So if you know, you know. But I'm terrified to read one last rainy day. And honestly, I don't know if I ever will. I bought the book at my local bookstore and I got it on sale because it was in the bargain bid. So I did buy it for$5 because you know, if I do read it, I have it. If I do, but I don't know if I will because if you know, you know, and I don't know if I can do that to myself. But I really want to read the next one that comes after One Last Rainy Day, which is like I think Severed Hearts or something like that. And I want to read that one so badly. And I don't know if I need to read Last One Rainy Day, but I'm praying I don't because if I could just dive into that one, that would be amazing. Amazing. A series you want to read this year. Okay, I put a bunch down, and honestly, this is kind of like my fantasy era, so just as a heads up, but Heavenly Bodies, I want to dive into that series. Again, I've heard nothing but amazing things, and I need to experience it. I need to. If you've been, if you follow me on social media, then you saw my six before the end, and yes, heavenly bodies was on there, and no, I did not read it by the end of 2025, but that's okay because I have all of 2026 and I am going to read it, gosh darn it. It's going to happen. House of the Devils, which is the City of Gods and Monsters, like that's book one, but the series name is House of the Devils, and I've been wanting to read this. I believe it's four books, and I think all four are out now. I could be wrong, so don't quote me on it, but I want to read that. I actually started City of Gods and Monsters probably not like Christmas 2024 or maybe fall of 2024, and I kind of DNF'd it, but it was like a soft DNF, like I was into it, but I was trying to start too many books at once, and they were just like not going well for me. So I put them all down and I read something completely different. Couldn't even tell you what I read though. That's that's for fall 2024, me to know. Uh, The Will of the Many, the hierarchy series. Now, there are two books, and I don't know if there's supposed to be more, but there are two. So I love a book that has or I love a series that have multiple out, and I again have heard so many people talk about the will of the many, and because I've saw so many people talk about it, since I'm on a no-buy month, because that's what January is, is a no-buy month, that I bought it in December. So that way, just in case, if I have the will to read it in January this month, then I have it. But either way, I have it, and I will be reading it in 2026. Mark my words. You can come back at me if at the end of 2026 and I haven't read it. But I will. Hopefully. The Mistborn Trilogy. Now, I really want to read this series. Series, trilogy. I don't there's so many gosh darn gosh darn books that I have no idea. I have no idea, but I really, really want to read this. But again, it scares me because I think there's a main trilogy, and I'm putting down the misborn trilogy. I think that's what I want to read first. Because there are so many books that I'm like, let's just focus on the trilogy. Let's just focus on the first three books and how those go will decide if I read more. And hopefully I can. Hopefully, I get those three done and then I can read more. Your auto buy authors going into 2026. Now, most of these are actually auto-by authors from already, like before I read in 2025. So I just kind of put them on here again. But these are the authors I wanna want to. I will for sure buy be buying their books or reading their books or something with their books, but I have just to name a few LJ Shen, Liz Tom Forty, Runix, KV Rose, Carly Fortune, Emily Henry, Nisha J. Thule, Nicole Fiorina, Laura Bishop, and that's just to name a few. Oh, ammo Jones. Love her books. But I feel like maybe Carly Fortune and Liz Tom Forty would be like new to me of like 2025. I read the Windy City series at the beginning, like in spring, and then I read Carly Fortune in the summer. I was already buying all of Carly Fortune's books, but I had yet to read one until summer of 2025. But like now, Our Perfect Storm in her own league. Like these are my most anticipated releases of 2026, and I literally cannot wait. Cannot wait. A book to show or movie adaptation you're excited about this year. So I really only have two, and I honestly don't even know when one of them releases. But every summer after by Carly Fortune, yep, that show is getting filmed right now. But I don't know if it's supposed to release this year or in 2027, but I'm putting it down because I am so excited. I feel like it either will hit this summer or summer of 2027. I don't know why I feel like she wouldn't, or I mean, I guess it's I don't know if it's really Carly's decision, but I don't know if they would actually release it not in the summertime, but maybe they would. I don't know. But I am so excited for that. And then of course, the Hunger Game Sunrise of the Reaping. I am so flipping excited for this movie. I cannot wait. I read Sunrise on the Reaping back in April of 2025, like when it released, and I loved it. I am obsessed. I also think there's not very many book to mood movie adaptations that I think are good, but I think the Hunger Games are beautiful. If you get too fantasy-esque and you don't have the budget for it, it always does, not always, but it does pretty bad in my mind, unless you're HBO and you give it's like Game of Thrones, then that's like a whole different situation. But most of the time, fantasy just I think people just don't have people. I think production companies just don't have the budget for it. They need to know that it's going to do well. And but you give it, you give a dystopian like the Hunger Games, plus you know too, it's just getting better and better. And because I think the prequel was amazing. Granted, I did not read the prequel, but I needed Heymage's story, and Hey Mitch's story freaking delivered, it delivered everything it I needed and more, and I am obsessed with it, and I cannot wait for this movie. I cannot wait. And did you know, did you know that if we were villains, the one of the cousins, like the guy, he's gonna be Hey Mitch, like young Hey Mitch. And I cannot wait. I also saw so many speculations that Jennifer Lawrence, uh, Woody Harrelson, and Josh Hutcherson were c Hutchinson, Hutchinson, whatever, are coming back for the end of the movie. And I think that is amazing, and I think that's gonna be so good to like tie everything together. And I just did I say that I'm so excited and I can't wait. Yeah, November cannot come soon enough. But yeah, it can. But like I think it's like November 20th, and oh, I just I'm so excited. I can't wait. I can't can't wait. A sequel you're anticipating. Oh my goodness, Assistant to the Villain series by Hannah Nicole Mayer. I the last book in the series is releasing in August. I I I can't wait. I binged all three of the ones that were out this past summer, and I am so flipping excited for I think it's adversary to the villain. I cannot wait, and we all know it's going to be so stinking good. I yep, the mic drop. Bookish things you're leaving in 2026. So this is another one that if you've been you follow me on social media, you saw that I did a thing where I was like things I'm leaving behind. So honestly, I'm just kind of reiterating some of those. Um letting other creators influence my ratings for books. I do this so much. I will either love a book and I see some other but somebody else being like, nah, I didn't love it. Then I'm like, oh, maybe I didn't love it either. Or the other way around where I hated a book and then somebody else is like, oh, I love that book. And I'm like, oh, maybe I just I didn't get it. Something like what's wrong? Like, I didn't get it. What? Okay. So I want to stop doing that. And then I also I don't think I added this one on social media, but stop comparing myself to other creators. I know we all do it, and unless and even too, I like see some people say they don't. I think you're a lion. I think it's a load of bowl. I think we all do it. I think there's not saying that you compare yourself to everybody, but I think there is somebody you compare yourself to. I know that is for me, and it can really get me down, and I don't want to do that. So hopefully to be it's easier said than done again, but I want to be more conscious of not doing that. So we'll see if that happens. We'll see. Uh, we will be doing that. We won't be comparing ourselves. We're holding ourselves accountable here. Yep. How has your reading taste evolved from the last year? Well, I don't know if it's necessarily evolved from the last year, but I'll do it from when I started like my bookstagram page. I when I first started, I was reading a lot of dark romance. I feel like that's like kind of what I broke out into on Bookstagram, and it was like a new to me genre. Not really. I like had been reading dark romance before, but it didn't quite have the like Genre name of dark romance, but it was just darker romance. And I life happened. I just couldn't do the dark things anymore. And so I kind of switched into like a light romance and then into fantasy. And then I was getting back into thriller, which is what I was into years before that. And so it's kind of evolved. And now into the sense of like right now, I kind of read everything, which is great because I love to read multiple books at once. And I totally am here for everybody reading multiple books at once, if that's something you want to do. But like it's just so much fun because you never know what you're in the mood for. And so it's nice to jump all over the place. I also will love to have one in every single format that I read in. So I have a Kindle, I have a physical, and I have an audiobook. And they tend to be in different genres. Now, sometimes I'll jump around and if I'm really loving a book and I'm reading it and then I have to go somewhere I want to listen to it, I will 100% do that. But usually I have one that's fitting in all three of the pockets. And I think that's how I'm gonna get hit my reading goal this year is by doing something like that. So if that's something you also want to do by hitting your reading goal, then I say give it a shot. And read multiple books at once. Come to the dark side. We have cookies and we love cookies. Something you want to say to anyone who wants to start a bookish account. I would say to just do it and welcome. There is room for everybody, and everybody is welcome. Don't let anybody tell you differently. I feel like it's such a fun space, and I've met some of my like really good friends through my bookstagram account. I have met these people in real life, real life, but like I have met them in person. I have talked to them for years, and I would consider a lot of these people really good friends, and I think that is so cool. I also think we all have something in common, and it's we love books. So anybody that's in this space, if you don't know how to talk to somebody, you just start a conversation with maybe you see a post of like their favorite books and one of yours is in there. You just start a conversation about that. Like we all just want to talk about books, and I think that is something that is really special and cool because I think it's something that we can all relate to, and there is room for everybody, and you will meet the nicest, coolest people here, and I feel that you should do it. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. And there's there's room for you, there's room for everybody. You are what's special, and it's not necessarily the books you're reading. And if you want to do it, do it. All right, and the last question I have is what to expect from this account. So I'm gonna use this as what to expect from the podcast. Now, I think I'm gonna say the podcast is changing. I don't really know how that is gonna look in in like the course of the year, and it's not going anywhere. I can tell you that. The podcast is here to stay, it will be here, and I want it to be this safe space for people to come to, for people to listen, for people to interact. And I I want that for sure. Now I don't know how it's going to look because again, I want it, it's going to change. Episodes are still releasing Wednesday. Is it every Wednesday? I don't know. That's the thing. But know that when a Wednesday an episode releases on a Wednesday, you are getting the best possible episode you can get. And that because like I feel like I kind of got in a tough spot, especially with the holidays and like the end of the year, that I was kind of scrambling to put these mediocre episodes out. And I didn't love that. Just know that I am trying my hardest because I want it to be the best possible episode that you can have and that you're you're listening to. So, in going forward, you just know that check in on Wednesdays because there could be an episode. There could also not be an episode. But my goal is to have an episode every Wednesday. I will tell you that. But I also want to get some really cool authors on here and really cool people to interview and chat with that could mean that maybe you have to wait a week or two before another episode. But just know, like, I have some of my dream authors on here. Now, some of them are really far reaching, and some are a little closer that I think I can get, like hopefully. But I also do have a full-time job and I do love to read, and I have my husband, and I don't necessarily know if like an episode every week is doable for me for like the whole course of 2026. It is my goal. I don't want to beat myself up if I don't hit it, and I don't want to send out mediocre episodes. So that is what we're working with for 2026. We are manifesting here. It is gonna be a great year for everyone, for all of us, me, you, and I really hope you continue to stay and listen. And I hope you love this podcast as much as I do. And yeah, that's all I got today. That's all, folks. Until next Wednesday. Bye.