Bad On Paper Podcast
Episode: A Deep Dive Into Our Reading Lives
Hosts: Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Date: October 8, 2025
Episode Theme
This episode offers an expansive, revealing deep dive into Becca and Olivia’s personal reading lives—how they choose, organize, and experience books, the tension between personal reading and professional obligations, the logistics of book receiving, and their philosophies about revisiting favorites, tracking reads, and fitting reading into everyday life. The tone is candid, bookworm-banter-rich, and warmly introspective.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Opening Vibes: Highs, Lows, and Seasonal Shifts
- Becca and Olivia kick off with personal highs/lows, rooted in life rhythm and autumnal coziness.
- Fireplace season and slow mornings set a mood for introspection and comfort reads.
- “...one of my favorite things to have a fire going. It sounds good, it looks good, it's cozy.” – Olivia (03:14)
- Olivia shares excitement over Taylor Swift's new album and her husband's lack of enthusiasm for Swift's Travis Kelce-focused songs (06:17).
- Amusing take: Book recommendations about significant others and playful jealousy about creative shout-outs.
Notable Quote:
“I might go buy the corduroy [overalls]. Great. Well, what's your low?”
— Becca (04:07)
How We Choose What To Read
(Starts ~09:57)
Individual Methods
- Olivia: Almost entirely mood/vibes-driven, unless there’s a blurb or book club obligation.
- “Much like Travis Kelce, I am very much a vibes guy. I just...whatever feels right.” (10:56)
- Becca: Maintains a loose priority list and “mini TBR” in her Notes app, but often veers off-plan for mood reads, especially with Kindle.
- “I have a little list that I'm going off of, but I feel like I veer from it fairly often.” (12:28)
Influencers & Inspirations
- Both draw inspiration from a “confluence of voices,” including authors’ recommendations, book buyers, and popular bookstagrammers.
- Olivia shouts out Sarah’s Bookshelves and Ashley Audrain as direct influences (14:09).
- Becca credits Ashley Spivey, Morgan (NYC Book Girl), and Emily Sommer (East City Bookshop): “She kind of straddles the line between commercial and literary and kind of goes both ways there...”
Blurbs: Do They Matter?
- Olivia: “I'm very influenced by blurbs, actually. If I look at the back of a book and I really love the authors that are blurbing it, to me, that's really impactful...” (14:58)
- Becca: “I agree with you about the confluence of voices where you're hearing something about a book over and over.” (15:34)
Organization Tools
- Becca: Mix of physical piles, a Notion template, and a master Notes list for recommendations.
- Olivia: Uses a TBR shelf (or shelves) and physical sight lines—more “random” in next-up decisions.
TBR Highlight Round (19:13–22:43)
- Olivia’s: The Bewitching (Sylvia Moreno Garcia); What a Time to Be Alive (Jade Chang); The Correspondent
- Becca’s: The Ten Year Affair (Erin Summers); Daddy Issues (Kate Goldbeck); Anatomy of an Alibi (Ashley Elston)
- Enthusiasm for covers, sliding-doors narratives, and unique takes on romance and thrillers.
Tracking & Reading Platforms
Goodreads & StoryGraph
- Becca: Lurks on Goodreads daily for friend/author readings, but doesn’t track ratings except for standout debuts.
- “I love to know. I feel like the people I follow on Goodreads are a mix of some OG podcast listeners, real life friends, and then...authors and book influencers...” (22:51)
- “I've stopped actually tracking anything on there [Goodreads]. I've stopped rating anything except for if I read a really good debut...”
- Olivia: Avoids reviewing platforms as an author—finds ratings and reviews “triggering” and struggles with the “numbers of it all.” Prefers a qualitative, less-comparative approach (24:40–27:10).
Digital vs. Physical
- Becca: Moving toward digital review copies to cut down on physical clutter and “wasted” ARCs.
- Olivia: Remains mostly a physical reader, but is open to more Kindle in the future.
NetGalley & Edelweiss
- NetGalley: Used as a source for digital ARCs via media pitches; Becca admits to being “slutty” with NetGalley requests, using it as a TBR tracker (33:10–34:38).
- Explains that feedback scores matter for some, but Becca mainly uses pre-approved links.
- Edelweiss: Noted as confusing, mainly for bookstore buyers.
When, Where, and How They Read
(Starts ~35:53)
- Olivia: Highly routinized—“30 min to an hour in the morning...an hour to two at night before I go to bed. And that's really it...on vacation, it's pretty much all I want to do.” (35:53)
- Typical output: ~2 books per week.
- Becca: Favors long, immersive stretches over numerous sittings. Less TV, more books, especially on unscheduled evenings and weekend mornings: “My ideal is that at least one morning of the weekend I can wake up, go to my couch with a cup of coffee and read from, like, 8am to noon.” (38:25)
- Reading time per week: Both estimate 8–12 hours.
Reading Goals
- Both are staunchly anti-numeric goals, seeing tracking as potentially joyless and arbitrary.
- “I think if you're reading half a book a week and it's something that brings you a lot of pleasure and joy, you shouldn't get to the end of the year and feel like you failed because you didn't hit some number...” — Olivia (40:24)
Reading Accessories
- Olivia: Seldom uses tabs or highlighting. Occasionally underlines especially meaningful sentences.
- Becca: Uses tabs/highlighters for research or podcast prep only—not for pleasure reading.
Balancing Pleasure vs Professional Reading
- Olivia: Tries to reserve mornings/evenings for pleasure reading; shifts work reading to business hours as possible.
- Becca: Feels guilt reading for work during business hours, wants to improve at this.
Notable Exchange Regarding Professional Reading
“I feel so guilty about that. I almost never read during business hours unless I have really painted myself into a corner. I don't know why...It is a part of my job. I should be allowed to read during business hours and I almost never do.” — Becca (45:30)
“Yeah, it's only something I started doing recently.” — Olivia
DNF (Did Not Finish) & Rereading Books
(Starting ~50:48)
- Olivia rarely hard DNF’s—tends to push through, but is learning to be more ruthless.
- Becca has a “50 page” rule for DNF; floats the “100 minus your age” page count method.
- “If I'm reading something and by 50 pages, I don't feel like I'm enjoying or...committed, I will put it down.” (51:35)
- Rereading: Mostly for podcast prep, inspiration, or craft study. Both do little pleasure rereading due to TBR size/time constraints.
- “It's hard to find the time when you have 200 unread books waiting for you on your Kindle...” — Olivia (53:51)
Receiving, Storing, & Culling Books
(Starting ~28:14 and later revisited ~74:44 onward)
- Book mail:
- Olivia enjoys surprise mail and will add unsolicited books to her shelf for consideration.
- Becca dislikes unwanted physical ARCs, prioritizes a decluttered space.
- “I would say I very rarely get a book in the mail that I didn't request that I actually...want.” (30:00)
- Kindle ARCs are less “wasteful”/stress-inducing for Becca.
- Both host periodic book giveaways and try to “pay it forward” via stoop or library donations.
- Notable stewardship: Signed editions, “five star” faves, books with sentimental value, special reading experiences.
Podcast Book Club Selection Process
(Starts ~58:12, main segment 58:25–66:10)
- Books are chosen monthly, alternating who picks the book for variety and balanced workload.
- Taste and genre diversity are considered; each host has (rarely used) veto power.
- Selection timing: Typically screening books 2–3 months ahead, sometimes reading multiple samples in search of the “right” pick.
- “Sometimes books I'm passionate about aren't great discussion books. It's something I've learned, too.” — Becca (50:27)
- Emphasis on choosing newer releases to function as tastemakers and parallel mainstream book clubs (e.g., Reese’s, Jenna’s), with some backlist balance.
- Becca: “I want Bad On Paper to be a tastemaker in terms of this is what you should be reading and guide people to new releases...that’s something I feel really passionately about...” (66:10)
- Rereading: Becca always rereads her picks before recording; Olivia preps with author interviews or podcasts instead.
Broader Reading Community & Personal Book Discourse
(Starts ~67:56)
- Both discuss who they talk about books with—friends, family, and (sometimes) partners, but Olivia values solitary enjoyment and confesses a sensitivity to negative feedback.
- “I just like liking what I like, I guess...being in a reading world alone is sometimes kind of nice, weirdly.” — Olivia (69:50)
- Becca cherishes reading in community, adores gifting books she loves, and “fetishizes” the ideal of a thriving in-person book club.
- Discussion of book club dynamics: Risks and rewards of sharing personal favorites, tolerating negative group reactions.
Sentiment for Authors
- Both underscore how meaningful it is for readers to share their emotional response or reread books; it "makes their day" (55:46).
Book Guilt & Book Life Philosophy
(Starts ~80:34)
- Both admit to feelings of guilt—over unread books, unreturned author support, or over-accumulation.
- Becca shares an “aha” from Oliver Berkman: Think of your TBR as a river, not a bucket—select opportunistically and let the rest flow by.
- “I heard somewhere...about...thinking about your TBR pile as a river, not a bucket...you cannot grab all of them.” (81:31)
- Olivia on mortality: “I do sometimes feel like I'm really sad to die one day because I'll just not be able to read anymore.” (82:57)
- Both express desires to fine-tune their reading habits (more reading-for-work in work hours for Becca; less reflexive TV for Olivia).
Memorable Quotes
- Becca: “Sometimes I feel like when you wear too much brown on brown though, you look like a monk.” (04:01)
- Olivia: “I love to love something in a vacuum sometimes, you know.” (69:29)
- Becca: “I have a weird chip on my shoulder...I want Bad On Paper to be a tastemaker in terms of this is what you should be reading and guide people to new releases.” (66:10)
- Olivia: “I do sometimes feel like I'm really sad to die one day because I'll just not be able to read anymore.” (82:57)
- Becca: “Think of your TBR pile as a river, not a bucket.” (81:31)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:17–08:29: Life check-in, seasonal vibes, Taylor Swift banter
- 09:57: Introduction to reading lives deep dive
- 10:16–15:34: How we choose what to read, sources of influence
- 18:27–22:46: TBR tracking and book highlights
- 22:51–27:10: Goodreads, StoryGraph, philosophy on book ratings
- 28:14–34:38: Receiving ARCs, physical/digital balance, NetGalley overview
- 35:53–44:37: Reading routines, pleasure vs. professional reading
- 50:48–54:23: DNFing, rereading, rules of thumb
- 58:25–66:10: Podcast book club selection mechanics
- 67:56–80:26: Book community, book storage, culling, oldest/most treasured
- 80:34–85:02: Book guilt, reading life philosophy, habits to change
- End Matter: Weekly obsessions & recent reads, preview of next episode (85:32 onward)
Final Thoughts & Takeaways
This episode reveals Becca and Olivia as deeply reflective, slightly chaotic, but ultimately joy-first readers who approach reading with an evolving blend of structure, serendipity, and community spirit. The conversation is packed with practical tips, candid admissions of guilt or overwhelm, and a palpable love for books and the world of bookish connection.
Listeners leave with:
- Multiple methods for TBR management and book tracking
- Permission to DNF and reread at will
- Affirmation that book guilt is universal—and surmountable
- Insight into how books make it from publisher to podcast discussion
- A reminder that discussing, gifting, or even simply loving a book is an act worth sharing
Next Week:
Interview with Nic Stone about her adult debut, Boomtown, a mystery set in an Atlanta strip club.
Connect:
- Instagram: @badonpaperpodcast
- Becca: @ecamfreeman | beccafreeman.substack.com
- Olivia: @oliviamenter | Substack & preorder her novel Little One
“If you're not picturing us in vivid detail reading in our separate homes, then this has been a failure…” — Becca (85:15)