Horny for Books (with Traci Thomas)

Summary

Episode Summary: Horny for Books (with Tracy Thomas)

Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack & SuChin Pak
Guest: Tracy Thomas, Creator and Host of The Stacks Literary Podcast
Release Date: March 11, 2025

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1. Welcome and Guest Introduction (07:04 - 02:42)

Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak warmly welcome their guest, Tracy Thomas, the creator and host of the critically acclaimed literary podcast, The Stacks. They describe Tracy as the ideal dinner party guest—someone genuinely engaged with books rather than superficially referring to them to appear knowledgeable.

Kulap: "She's the person we wished we were. She is Goals."

Tracy introduces herself humorously, downplaying her intellectual prowess while highlighting her genuine passion for reading.

Tracy: "I’m the dumbest person in the room. 99% of the time I just can read. But it doesn't mean that I'm smart."

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2. Reading Culture in Los Angeles (03:08 - 05:01)

Tracy shares her observations on reading habits in Los Angeles, noting that while many residents do read, their choices often differ from traditional literature. The conversation highlights the prevalence of readers engaged in scripts and speculative genres unique to Hollywood.

Tracy: "People in LA read a lot, but because they're in Hollywood, they're A, reading things that have not come out yet or B, reading things being like, this should be optioned."

Sujin Pak adds, “People are reading all the time here. They just, they're reading different things.”

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3. The Impact of BookTok and Romantasy (05:01 - 07:04)

The hosts delve into the phenomenon of BookTok, exploring its influence on popularizing genres like Romantasy and Fairy Smut. They discuss how these genres blend romance with fantasy, attracting a massive following.

Kulap: "BookTok is a thing."

Tracy: "I read these, those like, what is that? That horny, sexy, flying on a dragon."

Beth elaborates on the popularity of series like Court of Roses and Thorns and Rebecca Yaros' The Onyx Ring, emphasizing their widespread appeal despite their explicit content.

Beth: “Colored Television is about this mixed black and white woman who is trying to sell out from books to go into TV... it's straight hardcore porn.”

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4. Favorite Books Highlighted (07:04 - 12:24)

Tracy shares her favorite books from the past year, including:

• James by Percival Everett: A satirical retelling of Huck Finn from Jim's perspective.

  Tracy: “It's funny, it's a satire, and it's super short, it reads super fast.”

• Challenger by Adam Higginbotham: A nonfiction account of the Challenger disaster.

  Tracy: “He sorts writes 1986 disaster books. It's very much his niche, and he's brilliant.”

• Colored Television by Danzy Senna: A satire about a mixed-race woman navigating Hollywood.

  Tracy: “It's set in LA, so it's just so LA. From the green juice to the driving and going into the canyons.”

Tracy commends these works for their sharp commentary and engaging narratives.

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5. Strategies for Selecting and Dropping Books (12:24 - 16:09)

The conversation shifts to personal strategies for managing one's book collection. Tracy introduces a transformative approach to reading: prioritizing pleasure over obligation.

Tracy: "If you don't like a book, don't finish it. Leave it behind."

Beth echoes this sentiment, advocating for trusting one's instincts to avoid forcing oneself to complete unenjoyable reads.

Beth: “Don't go back to it. You don't even have to talk about it with your therapist. You could just be like, I didn't like this book enough to want to finish it and move on with your life.”

This approach emphasizes mental well-being by encouraging listeners to curate their reading lists based on genuine interest rather than external expectations.

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6. Introducing the Brick: Controlling Phone Usage (20:15 - 29:53)

Tracy presents the Brick, a physical device designed to help users limit their smartphone usage by blocking distracting apps. The Brick requires physical interaction to unblock, promoting discipline and reducing digital distractions.

Beth: "It sticks wherever you want it... Any app that you want to have blocked from you is blocked."

The hosts discuss the benefits of the Brick in various scenarios, such as during dinner parties or for personal productivity. Tracy highlights its practicality and the positive feedback from friends and family who have adopted the device.

Kulap: "This is a game changer."

Tracy: “One brick, one fee. The app is free.”

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7. Indulgent Treats: Nerd Gummy Clusters (30:05 - 33:32)

The discussion transitions to guilty pleasures, specifically Nerd Gummy Clusters. Beth shares her deep affection for these sweet treats, humorously recounting how they served as her coping mechanism during stressful times like the LA fires.

Beth: “This is the only thing keeping me alive right now. I was eating a bag a day for the two weeks after the fires.”

Sujin Pak and Kulap add their own anecdotes, illustrating how such treats provide comfort and a sense of community among friends and family.

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8. Remove from Cart: Letting Go of Unwanted Items (48:28 - 61:12)

Tracy discusses her strategies for decluttering, focusing on removing books and non-essential gifts that linger in one's life. She emphasizes the importance of gifting items that are consumable and won't take up space indefinitely.

Beth: “Give me a snack. I'll enjoy it, I'll love it. And then it's gone. Don't take up space in my life.”

The hosts explore the psychological benefits of letting go of unnecessary possessions, linking it to reduced anxiety and increased mental clarity.

Sujin Pak: “We want to say Tracy did it. That's a game changer.”

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9. Closing Thoughts and Future Projects (61:12 - End)

As the episode wraps up, Tracy hints at an upcoming project related to supporting those affected by the LA fires, generating excitement among listeners.

Beth: “I have a project that is in the very early stages... it's gonna be awesome.”

Kulap and Sujin Pak express their support, encouraging listeners to stay connected for future updates.

Kulap: “We would love to support you. Please.”

---

Notable Quotes

• Tracy Thomas [07:04]: "If you don't like a book, don't finish it. Leave it behind."

• Beth [15:00]: "You've just liberated me. You've uncuffed me from these. You're free handcuffs."

• Kulap Vilaysack [20:15]: "This is a game changer."

---

Conclusion

In this engaging episode of Add to Cart, Kulap Vilaysack, SuChin Pak, and guest Tracy Thomas explore the intricate relationship between readers and their book choices, the impact of digital distractions, and the importance of intentional consumerism. Through personal anecdotes, practical advice, and insightful discussions, they provide listeners with tools to curate a more meaningful and fulfilling lifestyle.

Transcript

[Sujin Pak]

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[Sarah]

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[Sujin Pak]

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[Kulapi Lysak]

The first 100 days of a new.

[Sarah]

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[Beth]

And I'm Beth.

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[Kulapi Lysak]

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[Sarah]

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[Beth]

Lemonade.

[Sujin Pak]

Also with that fire boy. Wait.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Welcome back to Add to cart. I'm your Auntie Kulapi Lysak.

[Sujin Pak]

And I'm your other auntie Sujinpak who our guest today. She's just cool. Yeah, the background is cool. I don't know if we're going to see some of that on our socials. She is the person at the dinner party who has actually read the books she's talking about, not just pretending and then trying to sound smart so they can just hog all the conversation and then the light is on. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. The people that take up.

[Kulapi Lysak]

The people just high on their own self importance.

[Sujin Pak]

Yes. Suck up all that air.

[Kulapi Lysak]

She's the person who we wished we were.

[Sujin Pak]

Yes, she is Goals.

[Kulapi Lysak]

She's a woman of taste, of intelligentsia. Our guest today is the creator and host of the critically acclaimed literary Podcast the Stacks. She's also the creator of Elliot Live literary series one for the books, please add to cart.

[Beth]

Tracy Thomas. What an intro. Oh, my goodness. Okay, so to your listeners, yeah, I'm the dumbest person in the room. 99% of the time I just can read. But it doesn't mean that I'm smart. Definitely intelligentsia has never been applied to me. So you can remove that from cart. But I am the best person at the dinner party because I like to eat.

[Sujin Pak]

I have lived in Los Angeles. Yes, this isn't a knock on Los Angeles.

[Kulapi Lysak]

If you not. Please, please, not right now.

[Sujin Pak]

I didn't realize. I didn't realize. You're right. But I was, I was very surprised to find out when I lived in Los Angeles that reading is something not everybody does. It's true, they can read, but they just choose not to read.

[Kulapi Lysak]

What are they reading? Right.

[Beth]

You know, okay, can I do an unpopular opinion or like a secret opinion about LA and reading? People in LA are actually reading. People in LA read a lot, but because they're in Hollywood, they're A, reading things that have not come out yet or B, reading things being like, this should be optioned. How can I change this? How can I make this better? So it's not the like end goal isn't just I read a book and it's so great. And a lot of people who do that kind of reading are like, oh yeah, I don't really read because they read for work or whatever. But so many people in LA do read all the time and act like I've never read a book before. And I'm like, but like, it doesn't compute.

[Sujin Pak]

And this could be very niche, but also like reading scripts, which I've never done until I had for a very, very brief time. We're not going to get into it. I had this job where I had to do that. That's a painful read. Like I can get through a 500 page book. But you put something like that down and it's just a different brain. So you're right. People are reading all the time here. They just, they're reading different things.

[Beth]

They read differently. Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

But I do have to say, the world at large, the Internet's at large right now. I have never felt a horniness for books like I have felt now.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I mean, sue, you're not even aware of this because you're not on TikTok, but BookTok is a thing.

[Sujin Pak]

I know, I know I'm not, but of course I know what booktok is. That's how big it is. You don't even have to be on TikTok to know because there's a thing on Booktok and then like this genre of like. And I, I read these, those like, what is that? That horny, sexy, flying on a dragon.

[Beth]

Romantic. They call it Romantasy. Romantasy, yeah. Roman then fairy smut. But same difference.

[Sujin Pak]

I have the entire series. I forget which one was one of the popular ones. Everybody was reading it one year over. Thank you.

[Beth]

Court of Roses and Thorns. I've never read it, but I. I am familiar with the fairy smut that everyone is obsessed with. And now there's the Rebecca Yaros. The like onyx ring.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Yes.

[Sujin Pak]

Sat is selling. Right.

[Beth]

She sold like 200 million copies. I don't know. I made that number up. But something.

[Sujin Pak]

So many, so many.

[Kulapi Lysak]

The point.

[Sujin Pak]

And I love Tracy. I love. Because we're dignified women here. You say smart.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

But it's straight hardcore porn.

[Beth]

Yeah. I call it in literary, they call it smut. That's what they call it versus like just romance, which is like, you know, he touched my heat or whatever. But in the smut, it's like he was in there, he was banging around.

[Sujin Pak]

And I have all, all of the books, I have them all cool up. I will deliver all 20,000 pages to you. And you know, I just was wondering, the question is, are you feeling the heat? Is it.

[Beth]

Does it feel different like that people are into books?

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah.

[Beth]

Just like it feels.

[Sujin Pak]

It feels like something is brewing.

[Beth]

I think you're right. I feel like people are into books. I think some of it is the very smut. And I think some of it is like all the like cool celebrities who are just out and about, like carrying a copy of Catcher in their pocket and stuff. Like they call it like literary it girl or whatever. And it's just. What's her name? It's just that one beautiful pretty girl who does it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Kia Gerber.

[Sujin Pak]

Yes.

[Beth]

Oh, no. I was thinking of a different pretty girl.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I see. Okay.

[Beth]

I think do a leap as like a book club.

[Sujin Pak]

I mean, it's just cool right now.

[Beth]

Yeah, I feel like it feels cool. I think this is though, a throwback. I think books used to be cool, like before our time. And then like in the 80s and 90s when we were. I mean, assuming you guys are around my age, coming up early 2000s, it was not about books. And I feel like this is sort of a throwback to like the 60s when everyone was talking about whatever James Baldwin was fighting with whoever about, you know, I feel like this is, like, retro. Books are cool.

[Sujin Pak]

It's something. It's got a heat. It's got a heat. You know what I mean?

[Beth]

I do know what you mean.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Tracy, I gotta ask. Okay.

[Beth]

Yes.

[Kulapi Lysak]

So please give me some of your favorite books.

[Sujin Pak]

I need a good book. Yeah. Of last year.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Yeah.

[Beth]

Yeah. Okay. So I think the book of last year, which I loved, was James by Percival Everett. It's the retelling of Huck Finn, which I have not read. You do not have to read it to like the book. And it's told from the perspective of Jim, who is the enslaved person with Huck, for those who don't know anything about it. And it's funny, it's a satire, and it's super short, it reads super fast. But you get this whole story from Jim's perspective, but he goes by the name James, so that's one that I loved. Another book I loved last year is a book called Challenger. It's by Adam Higginbotham, and it's nonfiction. It's about the Challenger disaster. It's incredible. It reads like a thriller. Every time I talk about this book, I always say I was getting towards, like, January 1986. And I was like, there's no way they're going to launch this shuttle. They fucking know better. They better not. You read each page and you're like, oh, my God, they're gonna do it. They're gonna. Don't do it. Don't do it. The O rings, you guys. So that one is incredible. And he's the same man who wrote Midnight at Chernobyl, which is the book that they made the Chernobyl TV series off of. So he sort of writes 1986 disaster books. It's like, very much his niche, and he's brilliant. I also loved a book called Colored Television, which is another satire by a woman named Danzy Senna, who happens to be married to Percival Everett, who wrote James. So they both had a big year couple. Yeah, they're like my favorite literary couple. Colored Television is about this mixed black and white woman who is trying to sell out from books to go into tv. And she. She goes to this Hollywood producer and he wants to make, like, the great mixed TV show. And she's, like, trying to sell out, and she's a nightmare. She makes all the wrong decisions. She's like one of those people where you're like, I love talking about her behind her back in the group chat, but she can come to dinner, but she can't come to my House alone. You know, like, it's like a friend that you like to have, but, like, you don't want to be too close with. Oh, my God. Wait.

[Sujin Pak]

That is genius. That is genius. So many people just popped into my head when.

[Beth]

Yes.

[Sujin Pak]

It said that category.

[Beth]

Yes. So you're, like, stuck with her. But it's so funny and so sharp, and it's set in L. A, so it's. If you're an L. A. Person, it's just so la. Like, from the green juice to the driving and going into the canyons and the whole thing. So those are probably, like, three of my favorites from last year.

[Sujin Pak]

Wait, can we nerd out before we go out and just be. Go around the table? I want to know what everyone's reading right now and if it's good or not.

[Beth]

Okay, great. Why don't you guys start?

[Sujin Pak]

All right, I'll go first.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Okay, I'll go second.

[Sujin Pak]

I'm reading this book called Butter. Have you heard of this one, Tracy?

[Beth]

I've heard of this yet.

[Sujin Pak]

It's a Japanese book, translated, and it is such an interesting book. I'm about halfway through, so I can't tell you, like, how. Where it goes, but it's kind of good that you're halfway through a book. And I'm like, I have no idea. And I don't even know what genre I'm reading.

[Beth]

Right.

[Sujin Pak]

And I don't know if that's the translation or if that's just, like, a cultural thing. And it's the story of a supposed serial killer who's a woman, and she's obsessed with food and specifically butter. And can you. Butter?

[Beth]

Yeah. Relatable. Relatable. Not the serial killer. Yeah. But I would kill for butter for sure.

[Sujin Pak]

And I love butter. We all love butter. And not all butters are equal. And I did realize I went to Japan for the first time. I was like, yeah, there is kind of like a butter thing here. Like, they sell these French butter cookies that I loved, and I brought so many back, but they sell them by, like, the butter pound that's in the cookie. But anyway, so the book recounts deliciously, like, all these meals she had and all these meals she's obsessed with and the meals that she shared with her deceased supposed victims. Again, I don't know how this book is going to end. And it's told through the story of a journalist, a writer, who's doing this kind of. Of peace on her. And so this woman goes into this woman's life and is eating all the things that she ate. And it's just. It's a really interesting book. Again, I can't tell you. If it's a thriller, I can't tell you. If it's a cookbook, I can't tell you.

[Beth]

But it's.

[Sujin Pak]

It's a really fun read. I recommend. Okay.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I am reading well. Okay. There's so many caveats, so I'm reading All Fours by Miranda July.

[Beth]

Okay.

[Kulapi Lysak]

And I really. I enjoy it and I don't enjoy it. And I've had to stop. I love it.

[Beth]

I love it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Oh, God. I want women to have agency, but I'm at a place right now where I'm frustrated with the lead character and I can't. It's just a series of fucking up. There's just only fucking up that I can't. I'm having a hard time. I will go back to the book, I swear. But I am toggling. I've had to switch to another book till I feel ready to step back into that book. That's fiction. Now I'm also reading a nonfiction book, which is after and after is by Dr. Bruce Grayson. And it is a doctor explores what near death experience revealed about life and beyond. That's what's going on in my head right now.

[Beth]

That's quite a combo. I love that, by the way.

[Sujin Pak]

The perfect combo, you know, Something here and something over there.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

And I can't quite. I've brought it up in therapy. Why I'm Dragging My Feet Back to All Fours by Miranda July. It has, you know, it's got to be about me. And we all know it's going to be about me, but it is something that I am. I'm struggling with because I should love it, you know, And I don't not love it.

[Sujin Pak]

And it's.

[Kulapi Lysak]

But I don't enjoy it.

[Sujin Pak]

And it has been recommended me so many times. Cool. I'm like, my heart is pounding because I have had the same experience. It's been recommended to me so many times. I went to a friend's house, I didn't bring a book, and I was spending the night and I was like, oh. She was like, you have to read this. And I started it knowing that I was like, oh, I'm gonna definitely be buying a copy of this. And I was like, I. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. And I didn't buy a copy. Tracy. Tracy thought these are controversial thoughts on a very copy.

[Beth]

I haven't read a book because I know I'm not gonna like it. And unlike you Two, I don't have a problem saying I'm not gonna like this thing. I'm certainly not gonna finish it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Beautiful.

[Beth]

You don't have to finish it if you're not into it. Don't go back to it. You don't even have to talk about it with your therapist. You could just be like, I didn't like this book enough to want to finish it and move on with your life.

[Kulapi Lysak]

So it's not an indictment of my character where I think I'm a self hating feminist?

[Beth]

No, no. It could just mean that you're not that into whatever Miranda July is selling.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Okay. Wow. Freedom.

[Beth]

Let me free you.

[Sarah]

Freedom.

[Sujin Pak]

I gotta, you know, just sit with that in my throat for a. I.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Know I'm sweating a little bit.

[Sujin Pak]

I gotta tell you, I do have that. And I. And I'm sure a lot of readers, and you hear from them. There are people who put a book down and like, nope, not for me. I'm of the. I'm gonna finish it. Once I start a book, come hell or high water, you know, I'm finishing it. And it's not a good characteristic. And it's a tape. Wastes a lot of time.

[Beth]

Yeah. But I. I used to be like you. I used to be like you. Then I started to read for my job and I realized how many good books there are, and I was like, why would I punish myself? And in your case, it's not like you have a homework assignment. You don't have to turn anything in on it. I actually do have to turn things in on it. And I'm still like, I'm not reading this.

[Sujin Pak]

You hit the nail on the head, Coolip. And I approach it as a homework assignment. That is what. That is what life is. And I have to let go of that.

[Beth]

Let it go. Because there's a better book out there for you, waiting for you that you might not ever get to if you force yourself to finish all fours. Like, your next favorite book could just be on the other side of Miranda July's kingdom.

[Sujin Pak]

You've just liberated me. You've uncuffed me from these. You're free handcuffs. Yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Because it goes back to what we started with when we were talking about reading in Los Angeles and all of that. Is that what's. What sue and I want to do is read for pleasure.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

For pure pleasure. And if. Why are we choreographing time, Catherine?

[Beth]

Yeah. Like, yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

There's so much baggage there. That's a good one. Yeah, that's a good one.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Wow. Thank you for that. Thank you.

[Beth]

You're welcome. Happy to help Carters.

[Sujin Pak]

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[Kulapi Lysak]

Let's get into your cards. Yes, we want to know what kind of shopper you are. How do you do it? What's your style?

[Beth]

I shop a lot online and I usually go in with a plan and I usually execute my plan exactly as is. I'm not a. Like, I can go into Target and buy one thing. I can do it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Wow. This is such a flex.

[Sujin Pak]

Wait, wow. In our history as we go into our fifth year, I don't think anyone has flexed that hard.

[Kulapi Lysak]

No one has.

[Beth]

Everyone else. You've never had me on the show, I guess. Welcome to me.

[Sujin Pak]

So you're undistracted.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Undeterred.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah. What is that about? Give me.

[Beth]

You can sometimes get me to what you. Sometimes I go into Target, I end up with more things, but sometimes I can just run into Target and run out with the thing that I went for.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Never did it once.

[Sujin Pak]

Never. It doesn't even cross my mind. As soon as I park in the parking lot, I salivating at knowing that I'm going to be like a blind mole in the dark, just sniffing my way through the aisles.

[Beth]

Yeah, I don't know. I. I don't know what it is.

[Sujin Pak]

But on the same thing with online, like you're like, okay, I need to get this online.

[Beth]

I usually have something that I need and I can stick to that pretty well. But sometimes I'm like, oh, you know, sometimes I stray. It depends more on my mental health. Like I'm like, am I having a good day or not? If I'm having a good day. I can probably just get what I need. If I'm feeling like my life is in shambles, I probably am like, oh, I need gold, sparkly high heels, obviously, for.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Okay, thank you. So now we've humanized you. Thank you for that.

[Beth]

I am a human. I am a human. I am human. But I know that a lot of people, like, get just like, I write a list. I write a grocery list throughout the week with little check boxes. When I'm in the store, I check off my little things. Like, you know, I do that, too. I do that, too. Yeah. I take my shopping time very seriously. I try to be very regimented. I do go back to my cart if I'm shopping online and remove things sometimes when I'm like, I don't actually need this.

[Sujin Pak]

Wow.

[Beth]

So, yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Wow. Okay, let's get into these carts.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Let's start with add to cart. And the first thing we're going to talk about is your brick.

[Beth]

Ah.

[Sujin Pak]

What is that?

[Beth]

It's the greatest love of my life. Okay. It is. I should have brought it in here with me. It's this little silver gray cube, and it is to protect your phone from yourself or protect you from your phone. It's magnetic on one side, and it sticks wherever you want it. And you set it up. You get the app, you set it up, and you tap your phone to the brick. And when you do, any app that you want to have blocked from you is blocked. And the only way to unblock your phone or unbrick your phone is by going to the little cube and tapping your phone again, like you were paying with a credit card on your phone. You know, like, just tapping locks you out of whatever you need. But because you have to physically get up, it's not like those little apps where it's like, oh, you've. You've crossed your time limit. And you're just like, keep going, keep going. You can't keep going. You have to get up. So I will break my phone before I go to be at night. So when I wake up in the morning, I can read. And I'm like, I'm not going to get out of my warm bed to go scroll Instagram. Like, not a fucking chance. I'm so cozy. I work from home in my garage.

[Sujin Pak]

It's that walking.

[Beth]

There's also a timer of how long you've been bricked. And I'll be at, like, 20 hours. And I'm like, well, I got to go four more. Like, it's got to be 24 hours. That's exactly. What else is amazing about it, is you just need one. Anyone who comes into your house, if they get the app, they can brick and unbrick their phone. So if you have, like, a dinner party and you don't want people scrolling Instagram the whole time, or in my case, if your mother comes to babysit your children, you don't want her texting her little bike group or whatever, you can make her break the phone. My husband has it. Everybody who comes to my house can have it and use it. One brick, one fee. The app is free. Once you get it, it's not like, oh, you need to pay for no $50. Stop scrolling the Internet.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Wow. I'm. I'm flabbergasted.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah. I have. I. I have so many thoughts. My first thought is, what is the reaction of the average person coming into your house? And you're like, I know this is gonna sound funky, but can you brick your phone?

[Beth]

And they're like, I haven't used it on a regular person yet. I only used it on family and my husband.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah.

[Beth]

And then I have made. At least 15 of my friends have gotten a brick. I did gift it to a lot of people for Christmas this year. I am obsessed. My friend told me it saved his marriage. Like, this is.

[Sujin Pak]

I mean. Or it could break a marriage. Do you know what I mean?

[Kulapi Lysak]

Like, the controversy since Suchin and her family Sundays, everyone's screen free, and her husband has purchased a box. Right. To put their. But this is something that I feel like the Bender Pac household could be interested in.

[Sujin Pak]

I mean, so interested in. And. Okay, wait, can I ask a question on this Brick? Say, for whatever reason, you know, I want to be on Instagram, but my husband's like, no, I want to stop my Instagram. Like, did. I mean, do you have different everyone's settings?

[Beth]

You can have your own settings on your own phone.

[Sujin Pak]

Oh, because the app dictates.

[Beth]

App does it. The box is just, like, paying on the phone. It just that. That little, like, click, you know, you kind of feel.

[Sujin Pak]

It's so satisfying.

[Beth]

It's so satisfying. That's all the brick. The physical brick does. But the app, you can set it up so you could have, like, weekday, you know, or like, after school. If you had, like, teenagers and you. They wanted to have music to be able to, like, do their homework, but you didn't want them texting. The only thing you can't brick is phone calls.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Fair.

[Beth]

Because they're like, this is a phone.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Also Nobody that no one's using ring.

[Beth]

Right. But you can brick. You can brick your text messages. So what? I was brick my phone and leave my phone calls, but I have a setting on my phone where I can go do not disturb except for my, my husband, my mom and my kids school. Right. So like I'm reachable by those people, but otherwise like nobody can get to me. This is so then I'm like really just locked out of the world.

[Sujin Pak]

No, Tracy, we talk about game changers. This is a game changer.

[Beth]

This is a game changer.

[Sujin Pak]

No, we have to have a different category. This could be a world builder. I mean, it could change so many things. Ku and I talk about on our show about, like how do we limit ourselves and we do all these tricks. Like I have scream free Sundays. You know, I put my phone away after 2:00. You know, when my mental health is good and there's so many things. But this is an interesting, terrifying new world.

[Beth]

Yeah. I think they pitch it as like making your smartphone dumb.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Okay.

[Beth]

And I like that too, because the other thing I like because I tried doing like screen free days or like phone free days, and the problem is then I'm driving somewhere and I'm lost and I'm like, how do I get there? So when I break my phone, I don't brick my maps app because that's not a time suck, that's a tool. Right. Like, it's like I don't brick my podcast because I'm usually listening to them while I'm making dinner or whatever. So it's like you can use the things that you actually are actually useful to you. Weather app. I'm gonna go outside today on my screen free day, but I would like to quickly know if it's a hail storm or not or whatever. I live in la, so it's never that.

[Kulapi Lysak]

But you know, but it's. Do I need a jacket? The air, it's what's going on with the air?

[Beth]

What's the air quality? Exactly. So I love that I can like use it for the things that I actually find, like my calculator because I can't do math, so I need that sometimes. But I don't need substack and Instagram and whatever other stupid things.

[Sujin Pak]

All the shopping apps, all the shopping apps get sucked into that because I'm like, well, this isn't social media.

[Beth]

Yeah. And then you're just.

[Sujin Pak]

This is just the real real.

[Beth]

Yeah. And oh, also I block out like the New York Times news app. I'm like, no, babe, leave me alone.

[Sujin Pak]

Not right now. I love it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Okay, so it's 59 for one. You can get it in gray. You can get it. There's three color choices. White.

[Beth]

Oh, there are now.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I got it.

[Beth]

I was an early adopter. I guess there's only gray.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Yeah, gray, charcoal, and white. You know, you buy additional bricks, you save more money. This is very interesting.

[Sujin Pak]

Interesting.

[Kulapi Lysak]

10% off your first order with an email sign up. You know, they're making it pretty easy for me to add.

[Sujin Pak]

The tactileness of it is why this could work.

[Beth]

And I have to tell you, I never do this. I'm, like, technically a book influencer or whatever, but I loved it so much, I reached out to them and said, will you give me a code so I can give people a discount? I love it.

[Sujin Pak]

So please tell me you have a code.

[Kulapi Lysak]

You have a code.

[Beth]

It's just stacks. 10. It's just 10% off. It's the same thing they offer. But, like, I never do that. The only thing I usually encourage people to buy is, like, books and sometimes snacks, because I love a snack. But I was like, dear people, do you give out codes? Like, and they were like, hi, girl. You are allegedly an influencer. Why don't you know how to do this? And I was like, I don't know, but I love the brick, like, so much. Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

You've never loved anything so much.

[Beth]

I've never lost anything so much to send an email to a company like.

[Sujin Pak]

There, there. That's the endorsement.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

Okay.

[Beth]

Wow. Wow, wow, wow.

[Kulapi Lysak]

And I will be using the code. Stacks 10.

[Beth]

Stacks 10. Thank you.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Credit. You need the credit?

[Sujin Pak]

Absolutely.

[Beth]

I don't need the credit. I just want to free the world. I want everyone to be free of marker bar.

[Sujin Pak]

We want to say Tracy did it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

That oligarch. Mark.

[Beth]

Oligarch marking. Piece of.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Now let's talk about nerd gummy clusters.

[Sujin Pak]

Oh, this.

[Beth]

Okay, well, this leads me into. I mentioned I love snacks. Have you guys had these?

[Sujin Pak]

Oh, yeah.

[Beth]

They're so good. They're chewy on the inside. They're nerds on the outside. They are so sugary sweet. It's almost, like, sour.

[Sujin Pak]

It's just, like, because of the nerds. If they're coated in nerds, it's like a gummy ball that's coated in nerds.

[Beth]

And it's the perfect amount of chewy and a little crunch, and it's just delicious. And I know. I can't stop. I just. If I open a bag, I eat the entire bag. When the Fires happened here. We did not lose our home. So, you know, the day after we went to Target, I did spend a ton. Like, we filled our cart with underwear, socks, deodorant. We took them around. I also took all of the nerd gummy clusters off the shelf at our Target.

[Kulapi Lysak]

So you did a wide arm sweep into the cart?

[Beth]

A full. Add this shit to cart, baby. And one of my friends owns a bookstore in Pasadena. She lives in Altadena. They kind of turn their bookstore into a place where you could go for, like, community relief. And as I'm, like, dumping underwear at her feet, I just turned to her and I go, do you need candy? And she was like, yeah, candy would be great. And I just start pushing bags. I was like, this is the only thing keeping me alive right now. I was like, this is all I have is these fucking clusters. And she was like, thank you, because everybody's bringing healthy food here. And I was like, who wants healthy food if you don't know if you have a house? You don't want that. You want red dyed five or whatever. Yeah, you want made up food. So that has been my coping mechanism. I was eating a bag a day for, like, the two weeks after the fires. I've since cut back a little bit, but, like, just talking about them, my mouth is watering. I'm, like, so excited to go inside and eat some. Like, they're just so good every.

[Sujin Pak]

I mean, if you've got a kid. I mean, my kids are in elementary school, so I don't know if. If it goes up higher than that. But this is an obsession. It's almost like a sensory. You know how they love those sensory toys. Oh, yeah, but for your mouth.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

And so that's how nerd gummy clusters has come into our house every day. You know, I just find these and. And. Because, of course, you can't be eating this every day, child. But when I open up. Yeah, that's right. But when I open up my son's sweatshirt, you know, drawer, there's an open bag of Nerd gummy clusters. You know, they just hide them everywhere because they're addicted to these things.

[Beth]

Have you ever had a nerd rope before? It's the same basic thing, except for these are just like little ball versions. Obviously. Pop them in your mouth, you can't eat one. You have to eat like six at a time. I like the red kind, just like the original, like, pink bag. Someone tried to tell me the blue bag was better. I got the blue bag. I was like, it's Delicious. But it's definitely not better. It's like, that's like berry or whatever.

[Sujin Pak]

We happen to be a berry family here.

[Beth]

Okay. I'm a pink bag. Just a og.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah. I didn't know that they had a pink bag.

[Beth]

The pink bag has like, the nerds are purple, pink, yellow, and green. It's sort of just like a nerd. Like a nerd fiesta.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah, yeah.

[Beth]

As opposed to like a color coordinated berry as well.

[Sujin Pak]

The blue one is much more. Yeah. Color drenched.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

It's monochromatic.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

Right. Wow.

[Kulapi Lysak]

We just. I think we're exiting the deep dive on nerd clusters. That was quite. Just a witness. Was beautiful.

[Sujin Pak]

Anyone listening?

[Kulapi Lysak]

That is a little terrifying.

[Sujin Pak]

This is.

[Beth]

They know.

[Sujin Pak]

They know.

[Beth]

They feel seen. They're like, finally, I'm not alone and you're not alone and you don't need help. You're doing great.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

So to. To review, let's just take. Let's intimation the show thus far. If you don't like a book, don't finish it. Okay. All right. Leave it behind. If you're worried about your nerd gummy clusters addiction also, let that go. You're fine.

[Beth]

Yeah, you're fine. You're fine. I'm a mental health professional. I don't know if you can tell. I was certified. I am all of the accreditation, for sure. Take my advice seriously and you're living therapy tells you anything different, tell them off. A real therapist helped me on a podcast. Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

Show me where you Harvard.

[Beth]

Ever heard of it? I don't even know if they do therapy there, but that's where I got mine.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Let's talk about. You're adding to cart lunch dates.

[Beth]

Yes. Okay. Tell me about this dinner. I got kids, they're five.

[Sujin Pak]

Saying that.

[Beth]

Yeah, they're five. They're twins, they're bad as hell. I'm tired. I work from home. I work for myself. What a blessing. But lots of people who don't work at companies, but they get a lunch break. Yeah, there I am. I'll come meet you. Buy your job. Let's go out and get lunch and hang out. It's a dream. Then I'm done being social. When my kids go to sleep and I'm tired, I can just read a book and go to sleep. I don't have to talk to you. I am at my best around noontime. That is really, I think when I feel perfect as a person, I work out better at that time. I'm a better eater at that time. Then I don't go to sleep feeling so full. Instead, I feel full in the middle of the day while I still have time to burn off the burger and fries and then also the nerd candy that I ate afterwards on my car ride home. Home. It's just perfect. It's just so much better. You can even enjoy like a nice little spritz or cocktail or something at a lunch date in a way that I can enjoy the same at night because I'm like, I gotta go to sleep. Am I gonna have a hangover? It's just there's time for your body to enjoy and ingest. It's more fun. I just. It's for me.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Wow. I'm really thinking about. You've really brought a lot to the table.

[Sujin Pak]

The lunch date is sister to the meal that we also like. I especially love is green dinner.

[Kulapi Lysak]

That's right. SPF dinner.

[Sujin Pak]

SPF dinner.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Where the sun is still out.

[Sujin Pak]

Oh, I do like this.

[Beth]

But that's when my kids eat.

[Sujin Pak]

Exactly. What I love to do is have someone else just take them out for a shit dinner at their normal time. And then at 4:30, I go out to dinner, full face of reapplied sunblock because it's still bright out.

[Beth]

Still bright.

[Sujin Pak]

And we have that. But the lunch date is great. And the lunch date, I love this. I'm a big fan of it. Is also nice because it just two things. Number one, it serves you. You have to eat lunch. That's true. And it's nice to break up your day if you're working from home. Like we all do that. But you can go out and have a little. Like, I'm out at. You know what I mean? Like I'm already out looking for a salad, you know, in the middle of the day. So it serves you. And number two, I do feel like the lunch date conversation with a friend is a different conversation than a dinner conversation. Not better or worse, but you just get different material, different texture.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah.

[Beth]

I think it's because people are like, more awake. I. I feel if I'm going out to dinner with friends, my kids go down at 7, so by the time it's like, dinner's at 8. I never eat at 8. I usually eat at 5:30 with my kids. So I am starving.

[Kulapi Lysak]

It's too late.

[Beth]

I'm ravenous, I'm crabby, I'm tired. And then I get home at like 11. What even is that? I've never seen that time.

[Sujin Pak]

That's deep. Rem.

[Beth]

Yeah. I'm like, this is my best sleeping time. So for Me, I'm just. It's. There's no anti. And also, and this is another trick of this, this is sort of the cynical side. If you schedule lunch dates with people that you sort of friends with, but you feel like you owe them time, you can be like, I gotta be out at this time. I gotta leave at 1:30, I gotta call at 2, gotta be home.

[Sujin Pak]

The strategic socializing. Tracy, I see you.

[Beth]

Thank you.

[Sujin Pak]

I see you and I are on the same nerve.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

Just pulling on the ends of it together.

[Kulapi Lysak]

A little tangy.

[Beth]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Because a dinner can. It can.

[Sujin Pak]

Yes.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Dessert can drag. Yeah, it can.

[Beth]

When they order dessert or coffee, I'm like, you're getting coffee right now. Why are you doing this to me? I want to be in bed.

[Kulapi Lysak]

See, now I was listening to you and then also going into my thoughts of like, this might solve something. I have a two year old. It's hard to, you know, how do I say this? Connect romantically with my husband during this time and carve out time for just. He and I, it's just harder. We're having a lot of fun, you know, laughing about how Emmy calls him a burger man. And inexplicably she's a bagel man. And that's funny and fun, you know, but that doesn't really. It's not about us. And maybe my sister is gonna babysit us for upcoming Valentine's Day at the time of this recording. And I'm like, where are we going? You know, like, it's so like I'm the idea of figuring out where to go, but maybe if I designate. I'm not saying every week. Of course not. But like a weekday where we have like we have a lunch because we both work from home, maybe that would help the situation. You know that my gears are turning.

[Beth]

My brother and his wife, they do a weekly lunch date.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Aspirational aspiration.

[Beth]

I know theirs is a little bit goals for me too, but it's not possible in my family. So. Got to know your limitations. Once a week feels like a lot.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Yeah, that, that seems. I just can't commit, you know, if I say I'm going to do something, I feel it like it's not realistic at this time, but we have something to build towards. Sujin park has already declared that she's not here in 2025. She's gone. This lady is out of town all year long. But don't you worry, her ears are covered with earbuds and headphones with JLab. So whether you're subscribing to her lifestyle this year or working from home. Binging the streaming show Laid like I Am. Maybe you're listening to an audiobook. Very smut. I'm not judging, I'm supporting. We've got something that is just going to take it all to the next level. We're very excited to add JLab to cart and we thank them for supporting the show.

[Sujin Pak]

Now hear us out. I spend so much of my time listening to all the things right to create an ambiance, a mood, doing all those mind numbing tasks at home. You know what I'm talking about?

[Kulapi Lysak]

Oh boy, do I. I look forward.

[Sujin Pak]

Though to folding laundry or deep cleaning the fridge because I can squeeze in some me time, some jlab time, you know, I mean, imagine doing laundry, just dry with no JLab. Ear lubrication. I know that's not a thing, but that's a thing. You understand what I'm saying?

[Kulapi Lysak]

To me, it's akin. And I've been seeing this in a lot of shows. I've been watching Lady Suchin and it's always a guy. It's always a guy who's been given a pill and instead of using water to wash it down, they just dry gag it.

[Sujin Pak]

Dry gagging? You think I'm dry gagging my laundry? Absolutely not. Give yourself the gift of full audio immersion that ignites your imagination with JLab Ku. It's not unlike when I discovered that underwear does not have to be socks. You know, technology has created a world.

[Kulapi Lysak]

For us so specific to you, Sujin. It's just so very everybody.

[Sujin Pak]

I mean, you don't know that for sure. You. You don't know that for sure.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Sue, Sue, Sue, Sue. But back to. Let's just take it back a little bit and say me time is jlab time. Is that. We both can agree on that.

[Sujin Pak]

Absolutely.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Of course. I love this abundance for you. When I was trying these out, I was impressed that I didn't have to charge it every few hours. Imagine this. Sue, let me take. Let me paint a scene for you. And this scene is from a horror movie.

[Sujin Pak]

What is it?

[Kulapi Lysak]

You're mid flight.

[Sujin Pak]

Okay.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Your headphones conk out.

[Sujin Pak]

No.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

No, don't. Don't say this.

[Kulapi Lysak]

No. You have to ask for in flight headphones that barely register for the next 10 hours.

[Sujin Pak]

This is a horror movie. This is a horror movie.

[Kulapi Lysak]

That's not the juice of life Carter's and you know it. Trust me. Try this. Game changer. JLabs Epic Lux.

[Sujin Pak]

Of course. L, U, X. That is you. You are epic lux.

[Kulapi Lysak]

That's right. JLabs EPIC Lux headphones with over nine zero such and PAC 90 hours of playtime.

[Sujin Pak]

I mean, who gives you that kind of satisfaction anymore in life? No one. And I've tried a few of the JLab headphones now because, you know, I love my wired headphones every once in a while. You know, I have this fear of being headphone less at any time, you know, but there are times when you just gotta be jlab hands free. Okay? This is what I'm talking about. I'm talking about moving through crowds, crouching low to see what's on the bottom shelf. You know, all those clearance bins?

[Kulapi Lysak]

Yeah, you're mainly, mainly on the bottom shelf.

[Sujin Pak]

That's right.

[Kulapi Lysak]

You're crawling like a soldier, only really looking. Bottom and end cap start at the.

[Sujin Pak]

Bottom, I start at the bottom. Shelves, both end caps. That's where I'm at, okay? I'm hand pumping. All of the free testers at Olive Young, you understand this. So I need my hands to be JLAB free. So I love how tiny and light the jbuds minis are, okay? Which, let me say, compared to the other ones, don't fall out of my ears. They snuggle in just perfectly. And to boot, they're sweat proof. Okay? You think you're not ear sweating when you're bargain hunting in Tokyo? You're not doing it right. Okay? You're not ear sweating when you're power walking through the neighborhood, avoiding everyone? Then you're not doing it right.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Well, the thing is, suchin, your neighbors have reached out to me. They oddly have DMed me personally.

[Sujin Pak]

Oh boy. Just to say the betrayal.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Well, yeah, they say that they know you're avoiding them because your headphones, the wires, it's dangling in the wind like a wind sock. Everyone knows it's not connected to anything.

[Sujin Pak]

This is why I gotta be jlab incognito. You know what I mean? Hands free. That's my next level. 2025. Don't worry, you will not be getting those DMs from my neighbor.

[Kulapi Lysak]

You can find the blue box at retailers everywhere. Or if you want to get straight to it, head over to jlab.com and use our code to cart for 15% off your order today.

[Sarah]

Meet JLab Headphones. As versatile as you work out, jam out or tune out, find the perfect fit with JLab. JLab's diverse collection of headphones has something for everyone and every moment. Think headphones in a million different colors and styles with features you actually want. That's JLab look for the blue box at retailers everywhere or shop jlab.com and use code LEMONADA15 for 15 off your order today.

[Sujin Pak]

Parents, we've all been there. The afternoon rush, I call it. Kids slam through the door, never hang up their coats and scream I'm hungry. Panicked, you rifle through the snack closet and it it's junk. But you're on the line here and you gotta think fast. Wait, is this just my life? So I've made a small adjustment that has made a big improvement on that afternoon nightmare scenario. I'm talking about Thrive Market. Stay ready and you'll never have to be ready is what Koo says. I go online, pick out healthy snacks, it gets delivered to my door and I'm mother of the year Zen. Okay, okay, I'm going to read off from my cart. Last month I got Chomps meat sticks for a little protein Larabars, kids bars and chocolate brownie on sale by the way. Why? Because I actually recognized all the ingredients on the box. Oh, oh wait. This new almond butter obsessed philosopher sprouted almond butter. It is so creamy I have to use a spoon. I just love that I can try all these new brands. I mean you get it. Plus hot tip. I get all my kids vitamins here on auto ship there. You're welcome. They've got so many on site filters too. Like paleo, vegan, low sugar, vegetable and seed oil free. You don't have to do the work. Babies ready to make the switch. Go to thrivemarket.com Add to cart for 30% off your first order plus a free sixty dollar gift. That's T H R I V E market.com Add to cart thrivemarket.com Add to cart this is worth repeating here on Add to Cart. We are a quince podcast. Heck, I'm in a quince family. What does this mean? We love luxury at affordable prices. Do you think I'm dripping in cashmere just for any old reason? And I'm talking about 100 Mongolian cashmere for 50 bucks. I'm talking washable silk tops for 59 bucks, 14 karat gold jewelry, suitcases and yes, yes, even my flatware, made in France by the way, is from Quince. Now you understand when I said we're a quince family, I was dead serious. All quince Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. And they can do this because they partner directly with top factories, cutting out the middleman and passing all that savings directly to us. Plus, Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices. And premium fabrics and finishes. Give yourself the luxury you deserve with quince. Go to quince.com add to cart for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince.com add to cart to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quins.com add to cart.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Let's get into Tracy's remove from cartoon. Okay, so what does a whole lot.

[Sujin Pak]

Of books mean to you? Yes, Name them. We need names.

[Beth]

Oh, I don't mean specific books. I mean that I have so many books in my house, and I cannot get rid of them quick enough. I have a lot of different strategies for this. One of them is that I got a little free library to put in front of my house so that I could offload books. I also will load books into my car and drive around LA looking for little free libraries to put books into. Once a year, which will be this month in February, I host a party at my house where I invite my friends over and I put all my books out on my big table. And I say, please take these from me. And they'll be like, what's this about? I'm like, I don't know. It was sent to my home. I don't know. I'm not gonna read it. If it sounds good, take it. And the only rule for that party is you cannot bring your own books to get rid of.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Don't you dare. Don't you dare. This is not a book swap.

[Beth]

This is about me, okay? It's about me and freeing up myself. Okay? I need to get. So, yes, also, I can take them to my local library sometimes for, like, their little library sale, but sometimes they are not accepting. And I'm like, please take this from me.

[Sujin Pak]

Most libraries that I feel like I've been there, like, no, we have enough books. Like, that's. That's enough.

[Beth]

The pandemic ruined this. Libraries used to be very accepting places, and now they have all these rules about what they'll take from me. And I'm like, no, babe, just take it. Because I can't throw a book in the trash.

[Kulapi Lysak]

No, no, no.

[Beth]

So those. But all I want to do is get rid of books. There are specific books that I do hate. If you want to. If you do want to know titles, but this is more of a general. Just like, get out of my house.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I mean, since you brought it up, I mean, just.

[Sujin Pak]

Just like a book or two that you read. You're like, huh? That could be a remove from cart.

[Beth]

Okay, I'm not gonna There's a book that I'm thinking of, but I don't want to say it, because I feel like you guys are possibly friends with this person, and I don't want to be in trouble, so I'm gonna hold off on that.

[Sujin Pak]

All right.

[Beth]

I'm gonna say. Last year, the book that I hated the most was Salman Rushdie's book Knife.

[Sujin Pak]

It wasn't even.

[Beth]

It's not even a. I mean, that's not the person. I think your friends. I think highly of you guys. I. I feel like that's not. Doesn't feel like the vibes are actually.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I sided with my best friend Padma.

[Beth]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Sujin Pak]

Okay.

[Beth]

It's his memoir about his attack being stabbed and almost killed where his. He was blinded. And I went into the book being like, this is really gonna humanize him. And, like, I'm gonna get to know this man, and I'm gonna feel really sorry for him, and I do feel sorry that he was attacked. So let me be very clear. I'm not condoning violence. I was stunned by how much I disliked him coming out of the book. I was like, you are the literal victim of an attack, like a hate crime. And I was like. Like. I mean, I get it. Like. Like, I understand why people don't like you. It was so boring and bad. It was also, like, clearly written too soon. He just was like, let me write about this right now, like, because people want to read about it.

[Sujin Pak]

Just cash that check.

[Beth]

I hated it. And then it was on every list of, like, best books of the year, and I was like, I. I hate you. New York Times. I hate you. Atlantic, the National Book Award. It was a finalist. I was like, are we reading the same book? Book. I hated it so much. So that's one book that I hate. Another book that I hate that's very popular. I'm only punching up here.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah.

[Beth]

Is it. Came out a few years ago. Is that book Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle.

[Sujin Pak]

Hated it.

[Beth]

Oh, my God. You loved it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I did love it.

[Sujin Pak]

Tell me why you love it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Tell me why.

[Beth]

Okay.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I. By the way, these are all. It's all relative. It's all subjective.

[Sujin Pak]

Like, opinions. Everybody's entitled to their opinions.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I like opinions.

[Beth]

Yeah. It's all my opinions. I just. It's just my bad takes. Okay, let me say this on this book as well. Everybody else loves this book. Just like everybody else thought Knife was the best thing written last year. You're all idiots. Just kidding again.

[Sujin Pak]

Just her opinion.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

Person. My opinion.

[Beth]

My professional Harvard opinion as A therapist. As a therapist. As legally a therapist.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Okay.

[Beth]

I was taken by the book at first. I was like, this is great. There's a twist in the book that is so on the nose and so manipulative that I was like, babe, you did not have to go this hard to get people to feel things. And if you do, maybe you should have worked on building your characters a little better so that we just feel things when the actual twist happens. That's not like, I don't wanna give anything away, but, like, it's so crazy. And then the book's about video games, and, like, each section is sort of, like, written like a video game. And I found that to be so cringe. I was like, is this your MFA assignment? Like, was your teacher like, okay, try, like, to freshen it up a little bit. Write this chapter, like, organ Trail. I was just like, no, it's too much. It's too long. And then everyone was like, it's the greatest friendship. And I'm like, they don't even talk to each other. They're not even friends. They don't even like each other. I just was so over it. It was too long. I just. No. And I think I hated it more because everyone kept telling me how great it was. And I was like, am I reading. Reading the same book? I think if I had read it before everybody, I probably would have been like, it's fine, whatever. But by the time I got to it, which was just like two months after it came out, it was like, this is the great. I've never felt anything in my life before reading this. I'm like, you've never felt anything like, go touch a hot pan. Like, really live. Really feel professional.

[Sujin Pak]

That's her professional.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Some people say, go touch grass, but Tracy will say, cake touch.

[Beth]

Well, you really want to feel it. You want to feel it. You want it to really get you to cry.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Make sure it is a cast iron.

[Beth]

Skillet at the oven. Yeah, out of the oven.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Out of the oven. You made a cookie skillet.

[Sujin Pak]

I feel like I had the same feels again. I could be who is the thing? And they made a movie about ends with us.

[Beth]

Oh, that's so bad. I read that. We did that on our book club last year. We had a great time.

[Sujin Pak]

I read that book and I put that book down, and I was like, the fuck is everybody talking about? And I. And it was so bad that I was like, is this all a joke? Where actually this woman is not really real, but it's a man that wrote this book. And then, like, the big, like, that's how bad it was, where I was like, are we this, this far away from where I thought we were as women? And I was like, huh? So then, because I'm a, I'm a straight A student, I was like, there can't be 80 million people who, who love this book this much. Cannot be that wrong. Okay. So then I read Verity, another book of hers, thinking, well, maybe it's just.

[Beth]

That you didn't learn your lesson. Okay, go ahead.

[Sujin Pak]

I, I. Because when you were. It just made me think of it, because when you were saying when everybody, it feels like everyone is like, no, this is the, you know, the whatever. And I kept thinking, I was like, it's gotta be me. Let me read the other one. And the second book, Verity, wasn't as bad. Yeah, but the plot was worse. And I can't even tell you how bad the first plot was. Like, the first plot was, okay, it was a little bit believable. The second plot was the. It was so unrealistic and unfathomable. It was medically impossible. Even. There were parts like, that's actually medically impossible that this person is doing that. Like, we, we're not on the same physical plane. So.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Well, let me ask you. Okay, So I hear that, and I haven't read it. Of course. I know all about the controversy. It's. And I'm tired of it. But when you're reading the book, does it go down easy? Is it frothy?

[Sujin Pak]

Is.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Is that the thing? Do you know? Like, is it, you know, like, when you're watching Emily in Paris, you know, we're not there for the substance because, yeah, try to find it. You know what I mean? But, like, it's. What is it that is it. Does it. It.

[Beth]

Tracy, have you, did you read it and what do you think? We did it on my podcast for our book club in May of last year. It was the most controversial pick I've ever had. People were so mad at me for picking it. I think, okay, please, people who are listening, I'm not talking about you. Okay? I'm not talking about you. We read at about a 6 to 8th grade level here in this country in America, and it ends with us basically as a YA novel. It is a book for people. Like, it's not, but it's written like that, so it's very easy to read all of the, like, difficult subjects. Like, there's, like, talking about, like, homelessness. And like, one of the characters, like, goes on this rant that's like, how could he pull himself out of homelessness? Like, the systems are there and they're hurting him. And it's like, right. If you've literally never thought about systems of oppression, this is. Is mind blowing progressive literature. Right. But for any person who's ever thought about anything about maybe domestic violence or homelessness or money or whatever, this book is like, elemental. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me right now? Like, this is revelatory. But I do think it goes down easy. And if you can. If you can just laugh at it, it's a great time. Like, I was reading it, being like, this is wild that people bought this and love it and it's their personality.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Would you call it the. I don't want to know, like the nerds cluster of books? Or do you think that.

[Sujin Pak]

No, I. I agree and disagree because it is very elementary. Right. And listen, mass. Like books like that, I'm like, okay, there's got to be a level of whatever, you know? But I think because it's about domestic violence.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

It felt. Felt so egregious.

[Beth]

Yeah. It's kind of. You feel kind of icky.

[Sujin Pak]

Yeah.

[Beth]

If you have a business around you.

[Sujin Pak]

With a blade in it. You know what I mean? You're like, is it candy or am I gonna die? You know, like, it just. It was so. It's not frothy, even though. Do you know what I mean?

[Beth]

Trace, that's.

[Sujin Pak]

That's the disconnect for me where I was like, I can get down. I read so many bad books. Yes. About, you know, whatever. A girl that, you know, unrequited love. Why I love ya. They're all bad, you know, and that's the genre. But the darkness of it, then that she just kind of like. And then, you know, and then this happens and it's very dark and painful. So you're just like, wait, hold on a second. I thought we were in a flower shop. And then there's this guy and he seems great. Why are we now in this dark room? And it just felt like a little bit.

[Beth]

The disconnect.

[Sujin Pak]

It's the disconnect. But I think it's dangerous. Like, I read that book afterwards and I was like, I'm really actually upset. I'm upset that this is being handled this way. I'm also upset that we're laying out this trope in such a sugary way when so many people, you know what I mean, like, suffer from this and experience this. And I don't know, the whole book was just like, I was Just like, this is such a far step back for women.

[Beth]

It's a real ick of a read. I think that if you've thought about any of these topics at all, you feel extremely icky when you read it. I think if you haven't, it's like, wow. I've never thought about, like, what it might be like. It's just, like, very elementary, I think. And it's not done well. It's not handled well. It's not fun junk food. It's like how you feel sick after you eat too many hot Cheetos. You're just like, oh, I'm actually ill. It's like that, you know, like, you can eat a lot of Fritos.

[Sujin Pak]

Talking to you.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Yeah.

[Sujin Pak]

Like your analogies.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Well, people know what I'm talking about. Yes, I do.

[Sujin Pak]

And your fingers are all neon orange, and you're just like, no.

[Beth]

Yeah, I love it.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Well, let's move on and talk about your removing from cart gifts that do not disappear. What does that mean?

[Sujin Pak]

What is this?

[Beth]

Okay. I've stopped giving any presents that are not things that you can use up. A candle disappears. You use it, it goes in the trash. I don't want you to give me something that stays in my home. Like, you're not my interior decorator.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Okay, okay.

[Beth]

You don't know me like that. Unless you're, like, truly my best friend. But give me a snack. I'll enjoy it, I'll love it. And then it's gone. Don't take up space in my life. I only want gifts that disappear. So food and drink gift certificates to, like, a restaurant. That's one of my favorite things to gift people is like a. A lunch date, right?

[Kulapi Lysak]

Yes.

[Beth]

Go to this great spot. Done. What else disappears? Candles, food, perfume. If you know someone very well and you know their scent, Something like that. A soap, a body wash. All of these things can be gone from my house after I use it. I don't want junk. So goodbye.

[Kulapi Lysak]

In fact, when you come to my house, I want you to take my books.

[Beth]

Yes. In fact, you take a present. This is. I have adult goodie bags. Take this shit that someone else gave me out of my house. It's like, I don't want to have regift a gift. I just want it to disappear when it's done. So. Yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Very good. Very good.

[Sujin Pak]

That's food for thought. Food for thought.

[Kulapi Lysak]

This has been enlightening for me. I'm being very serious.

[Beth]

Yeah, I know.

[Kulapi Lysak]

I was like, oh.

[Sujin Pak]

And I'm telling on and on, like what else can we cover that? I feel like, at least in the topics that you brought, obviously, you put thought into it, that there's a decisiveness. And that's 2025. What I. I started this. Always do sort of a, like, what to keep, you know, and what to leave behind. And I started this year being like, I. There's just questions. I'm. So I'm looking at 2025, and it's just indecisive questions. And so I'm like, maybe what I need to do is if I don't like a book by an author, don't get this other book by the author to make sure that I didn't. How about I just must be decisive. How would I know that? Yeah, that.

[Beth]

Trust your instincts. Yeah. Wow. I mean, I've never been accused of being indecisive. That is actually very true of me. But I do feel the anxiety. I think that's probably why I picked all of these things subconsciously. Like, I feel so much anxiety that anything that can help me quell it, like, is what I'm after currently, whether that is a nerd cluster or locking myself out of my phone so I don't have to deal with anything that makes me anxious. Like, I'm just. Goodbye.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Well, thank you for sharing your. Your solves and yourselves.

[Beth]

Ooh.

[Sujin Pak]

Disappear, disappear. Okay. In that lunchtime sun.

[Beth]

Yeah.

[Kulapi Lysak]

Thank you so much for coming to ADD to cart. You can find the Stacks community on Instagram, Hestax Pod, and are you working on anything else that people should know about or anything else you could promote?

[Beth]

No, not really. Stick around. I have a project that is in the very early stages. It is to do with support folks, for the LA fires. And it will not happen probably until May or June, but please stay connected to me because it's gonna be awesome and I'm really excited about it. And I just got off a call, like, getting it off the ground, and it's gonna be amazing. But I can't talk about it yet, so do you have to follow me until then? And then if you hate it, you can go.

[Kulapi Lysak]

We'd love to support you. Please.

[Sujin Pak]

Absolutely.

[Kulapi Lysak]

That's fantastic.

[Sujin Pak]

Well, thank you so much, Tracy.

[Beth]

Thank you, guys. This was so much fun. Thank you.

[Sujin Pak]

So fun. Add to Cart is an Auntie's unlimited production with sales and distribution by Lemon Auto Media. Executive producers are Kulat, Balai, Sock and Sujinpak. Tony Williams is our engineer. The music is by Wasabi and produced by LA Made it and oh, so familiar with additional music by APM Music. Be sure to check out all the other items mentioned today on our Instagram at Add to Cart Pod Follow Add to Cart wherever you get your podcasts or listen ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership. There's more. Add to Cart with Lemonada Premium subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content. Subscribe now at Apple Podcasts.

[Tracy Thomas]

This message is sponsored by Cologuard as my listeners know, increasing awareness around the importance of screening for colon cancer is a mission that is very near and dear to me. Why, you may ask? Because as a colon cancer survivor myself, I want to tell as many people as possible that early detection is crucial when caught at early stages. Colon cancer is more treatable in 90% of people, and yet colon cancer is considered the most preventable despite that fact, it's the least prevented cancer out there. It doesn't have to be that way. So here's an important misconception that I want to clarify, especially for people who are under 50. The American Cancer Society recommends that if you are at average risk, you should begin screening for colon cancer at age 45, not 50. 45. There are an estimated 60 million adults aged 45 plus in America who are not up to date with colon cancer screening. So help me change that by spreading the word about a new option that is convenient and affordable. The Cologuard Test is a one of a kind way to feel more in control of your colon cancer screening through a prescription based test with none of the prep that's required of a colonoscopy. So if you're 45 or older and at average risk, ask your healthcare provider about screening for colon cancer with the Cologuard Test. You can also request a Cologuard prescription [e-mail] podcast. The Cologuard test is intended to screen adults 45 and older at average risk for colorectal cancer. Do not use a Cologuard test if you have had adenomas, have inflammatory bowel disease and certain hereditary syndromes, or a personal or family history of colorectal cancer. The Cologuard test is not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk patients. Cologuard test performance in ages 45 to 49 is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients 50 and older. False positives and false negatives can occur. Cola Card is available by prescription only.

[Sarah]

Want more from your favorite Lemonada Media podcast? While supporting the shows that help make life suck less, subscribe to Lemonada Premium today. As a subscriber, you'll unlock exclusive bonus content like never before heard interviews, behind the scenes moments, bonus episodes, and so much more. It's easy to sign up no matter what podcast app you use use on Apple. You can just click the Lemonada logo in the Apple podcast app and hit subscribe. For all other podcast apps, head to Lemonada supportingcast FM to subscribe. That's Lemonada supportingcast FM.