A Quick Summer Thriller With A Spicy Snack Pairing

A perfect-looking life is rarely as simple as it seems and sometimes the best way to process that truth is with a page-turner and a great snack. I’m savoring a summer that feels like it’s moving too fast, with big family transitions on the horizon and a house that looks like a dorm room exploded into it. Between kids growing up, heading to college, and shifting routines at home, I’m trying to stay present in this chapter and hold onto the moments that won’t come back. 

For a quick escape, I’m recommending Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, a lean psychological thriller that reads like a “popcorn thriller” in the best way. It flips between past and present as the story’s timelines tighten, and it taps into that unsettling question we all ask: what’s really happening when the door closes and no one’s watching? I also share why I love going into thrillers blind and how that approach can make a fast summer read even more addictive. 

Then we make it delicious with a book and food pairing: Trader Joe’s Hot Honey Popcorn. That sweet, buttery crunch with a little kick at the end is the perfect match for a story where charm on the outside may hide something darker underneath. If you’re looking for summer reading recommendations, thriller book talk, or fresh ideas for cozy reading snacks, this pairing is a fun one to try and share. 

Listen now, then come tell me what you thought and what snack you’d pair with your next thriller. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a quick review so more readers can find Novel And Nosh.

Transcript

Welcome To Novel And Nosh

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Well, welcome to Novel and Nosh, where we are savoring life one chapter at a time.

Savoring Summer During Big Changes

SPEAKER_00 0:07

And before I get into this episode, I do want to say that that is definitely where I'm at right now, is my goal to savor this summer because we have a lot of change coming up. My oldest is home for the summer. So the house is a mess with all of his stuff. He lived in an apartment style dorm. So he has coffee tables and TVs and lots of things that don't fit into a shared bedroom. So they are, you know, everything is strewn all over the house waiting for him to move off in the fall to finish up his schooling, start a job, and he will be living in an apartment full-time. So this is the last summer where he will be home with me or with us for the whole summer. My middle son is he graduated high school and he is getting ready to head off to college himself. He will be in the fall, or still in the summer, I guess, early August. He will be heading off to college, and he is very excited, ready to spread his wings and fly. Um, so you know, now two will be out of the house. And then my daughter, um, she has some medical things that we have dealt with over the past few years, and we have made the decision to homeschool her again due to this because the best thing or the most important thing she needs is sleep. And unfortunately, with high school starting as early as it starts and her love of dance, those two don't work great together, so she is not getting a lot of sleep. Um, so we've made the decision to keep her home this next year and homeschool her. So that is where I'm at in my life, and that is um, this is going to be a real test of savoring this chapter, uh, trying to enjoy every moment of it before everything changes come fall. Today

Bringing Back Book And Food Pairings

SPEAKER_00 2:33

I want to share with you really just a food, a book and food pairing, kind of the basic. Um, I don't think I've actually done this. I've kind of alluded to the reason I wanted to start novel in Nosh was because of this idea of bringing a book and um some sort of food together. But I thought that as I started creating this podcast, it started kind of turning into something different. But I thought it might be fun to every once in a while just put these in here as like a quick podcast episode where you'll hear about a specific book and then a specific food or recipe that I have made to go along with it. Or like today, it is something that I purchased to go with it.

Behind Closed Doors Without Spoilers

SPEAKER_00 3:27

So the book is Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris. This is an oldie. I have had this sitting on my shelf for a while. It came out in 2016. It is a thriller, and it is one of these books. If you have not picked it up and you like these popcorn thrillers that you can just read really quickly and enjoy over the summer, this is that book. I have been kind of in a lull. It's not that I haven't enjoyed the books that I'm reading, it's just that I've been reading very slowly lately. And this was one that I picked up, and I quite literally read it in 24 hours. I could not stop reading it. I wanted to know what was going on, what was going to happen, and loved it. Loved every minute of it. Um, and just think you might enjoy it this as well. It is less than 300 pages, um and it is told through the main character, is a female main character, and she is going back into the past and to the present. So each chapter you go from the past to the present to where actually these timelines end up coming together in the end. And it is about her perfect marriage and how everything is on the outside, everything is perfect. But what is actually happening behind closed doors? And you get to go through that whole experience where you're learning, you know, how her and her husband met and um what exactly is going on between them. And I just thought it was so good. It isn't like I mean, it definitely is a popcorn thriller. That is the best way to describe it, describe it. Um, but it isn't like twisty, I don't think. I think it's very direct in what you are reading. I don't want to say too much about it because it is um, you know, I don't want to spoil anything because I think if you just go in blind, it's the best. I didn't read anything. I don't usually, I'll read the back cover or the inside cover um when I am interested in purchasing a book, but I usually give myself time in between from when I purchase the book and when I start to read the book. So I usually forget whatever it says and I do not read it again before I start. I like to go in blind with it, and that is what I did with this. And I just think it is one of those books that you will enjoy as well. And

Trader Joe’s Hot Honey Popcorn Pairing

SPEAKER_00 6:25

what I decided to pair it with, because it is a popcorn thriller, was this Trader Joe's Hot Honey Popcorn. Um, and I'm gonna be honest with you, I can't have popcorn. I'm allergic, I'm allergic to popcorn, but my husband and my son love this, they eat it up like crazy. So I wanted to recommend it if you have not tried the hot honey popcorn. I mean, hot honey is so good. This popcorn is, I'm assuming, delicious. Okay, I just kind of tasted it without eating it, and it is very buttery, it is like buttery movie theater popcorn, and then it does have this little kick at the end um for a little bit of spice. And I just thought it went really well with the book because the um male main character in this book is one of those people that appears to be the perfect sweet gentleman on the outside, but has a little bit of spice or a lot bit of spice behind closed doors. So I thought it was just a fun pairing.

Share Your Thoughts And Connect

SPEAKER_00 7:54

And um, if you have read the book, I'd love to hear what you think of it. You can find me over on Instagram at novel and Nosh and um let me know if you've read this and enjoyed it. I actually currently have a little picture up of the two, the pairing, and um, you can let me know there, or you can head over to novelandnosh.com, click on join the community, or um grab the newsletter. I am over on Stub Substack. That is where I will be doing my newsletter, so you can join me over there if you'd like. Um, but also if you've tried the popcorn, what do you think of it? I mean, Trader Joe's is the best with their snacks. So if you haven't tried it, go pick it up. And if you have, let me know what you think as well. I hope you all have a wonderful day.