A Holly Jolly Gift Guide

Summary

Bad On Paper Podcast: "A Holly Jolly Gift Guide" Summary

Released on November 20, 2024, "A Holly Jolly Gift Guide" episode of the Bad On Paper podcast hosted by Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter offers a delightful exploration of thoughtful and unique holiday gift ideas. The episode seamlessly blends personal anecdotes, practical suggestions, and engaging banter, making it a valuable listen for anyone seeking inspiration for their holiday shopping.

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Personal Highs and Holiday Cheer (00:17 - 05:08)

The episode kicks off with Becca and Olivia sharing their personal highlights of the week, setting a warm and relatable tone.

• Becca Freeman recounts attending a Ben Folds concert, highlighting the nostalgic joy of reconnecting with past musical favorites. “It feels like, you know, there's something really wonderful about going to concerts for bands you liked when you were much younger.” (01:09)

• Olivia Muenter shares a heartwarming interaction with her younger brother, emphasizing the importance of meaningful conversations. “To have him call me and, like, have a conversation about it felt so nice. And, you know, just like this adult conversation with my adult brother, who I also consider my friend, is, like, a really cool thing.” (02:40)

Both hosts reflect on the significance of personal connections and moments of kindness amidst challenging times, reinforcing the episode's theme of spreading holiday cheer.

Navigating the News and Finding Balance (05:08 - 07:44)

Transitioning from personal highs, Becca and Olivia delve into the impact of negative news on their well-being.

• Olivia expresses her struggle with overwhelming news, particularly focusing on political updates. “I cannot decide whether to news or news. Not to news. Not sure whether I should just take a break from it all...” (05:08)

• Becca discusses her approach to moderating news consumption, opting for selective sources and manageable updates. “I'm between. I am reading a lot of takes on Substack... but just silence notifications relating to him outside of my morning news check-in.” (06:11)

The conversation highlights the importance of balancing staying informed with maintaining mental health during stressful periods.

Holiday Gift Guide Breakdown (07:51 - 44:37)

Becca and Olivia introduce their Holly Jolly Gift Guide, categorizing gifts by price ranges to cater to different budgets.

Under $25 (10:21 - 18:32)

1. Furbish Studios Christmas Ornaments ($28)

   • Becca praises the quirky, location-based matchbook ornaments, ideal as thoughtful tokens.

2. Framebridge Personalized Ornaments ($25)

   • Olivia highlights the sentimental value of photo ornaments, making them perfect for personal connections.

3. Bonbon Sour Candy Gift Boxes ($28)

   • Becca recommends these allergen-friendly candy boxes for office or casual gift exchanges.

4. Bandeau Book Person Mug ($15)

   • Becca suggests pairing the cheerful mug with a book for a delightful, bookish gift.

5. DIY Vintage Match Strips ($5)

   • Olivia proposes a creative, budget-friendly option by combining vintage dishes with matchstrips.

$25 to $50 (18:33 - 29:07)

1. Leuchtturm’s Five Year Journal ($33)

   • Becca recommends this journal for self-reflection, especially when paired with a quality pen.

2. Custom Pet Stamps by Pettimized ($33)

   • Becca finds these personalized ink stamps a fun and unique gift for pet lovers.

3. Anthropologie Confetti Champagne Flutes ($24)

   • Becca suggests these stylish flutes as elegant hostess gifts, especially when paired with champagne.

4. Grabby 100 Color Watercolor Paint Set ($29.99)

   • Becca encourages gifting this set along with a watercolor workbook for the creative individual.

$50 to $100 (29:08 - 44:37)

1. Fredericks Cutting Boards ($40 - $95)

   • Becca recommends stylish cutting boards from Fredericks, pairing them with cookbooks like Molly Boasts's Cook or Julia Tershen’s What Goes With What for culinary enthusiasts.

2. Free People Striped Crew Neck Sweatshirts ($98)

   • Becca and Olivia discuss the timeless appeal and comfortable fit of these popular sweatshirts, ideal for a wide range of recipients.

3. Essa Bagel Brunch Kit from Goldbelly ($99)

   • Becca suggests this gourmet bagel kit as a luxurious gift, perfect for bringing a taste of New York to loved ones.

4. Rooms of Their Own Coffee Table Book ($26)

   • Olivia shares her admiration for this book, which celebrates great writers and their creative spaces, making it a perfect gift for literary friends.

5. Necessaire Body Serum ($48)

   • Olivia praises this lightweight, moisturizing serum as a luxurious skincare gift that’s both practical and indulgent.

Over $100 (44:38 - 50:25)

1. Bose QuietComfort Headphones ($350)

   • Olivia passionately endorses these headphones for their life-changing comfort and functionality, especially for busy moms.

2. Coach Brooklyn Shoulder Bag ($495)

   • Olivia admires this stylish and durable bag as a high-end gift that combines practicality with timeless fashion.

3. Monaco Vinator Engraved Jewelry ($130 - $178)

   • Olivia recommends personalized lockets and jewelry from Monaco Vinator as thoughtful and elegant gifts for loved ones.

4. Cozy Earth Cuddle Blanket ($306, 40% off with code BOP)

   • Becca raves about this ultra-soft, weighted blanket, describing it as an unparalleled comfort experience, ideal for everyone seeking warmth and coziness.

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Listener Recommendations and Final Thoughts (50:25 - End)

Post gift guide, Becca and Olivia engage in a brief promotion of their sponsors, seamlessly integrating relevant advertisements without disrupting the episode's flow.

They wrap up by sharing their current obsessions and reading experiences:

• Becca enjoys the "Pumpkin Spice Cafe" series by Lori Gilmore and is eagerly reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab.
• Olivia is captivated by Greta Gerwig’s Little Women film adaptation and currently reading Blue Sisters.

Both hosts encourage listeners to join their book club, discuss their favorite books, and share gift ideas through their social media channels and Facebook groups.

“If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try... Therapy gives me the space to acknowledge that being human is just tough sometimes without it overwhelming me.” (30:57) – Olivia emphasizes the importance of mental well-being alongside the holiday spirit.

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Notable Quotes

• Becca Freeman (01:09): “There’s something really wonderful about going to concerts for bands you liked when you were much younger.”

• Olivia Muenter (02:40): “To have him call me and, like, have a conversation about it felt so nice.”

• Olivia Muenter (42:10): “Single best item I have ever owned in my life. Like, has changed my life for the better.”

• Becca Freeman (48:24): “I cannot stop talking about it. I have posted about it on Instagram. It’s in my newsletter... this blanket is life-changing.”

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Conclusion

"A Holly Jolly Gift Guide" episode successfully combines personal stories with practical gift suggestions, creating a warm and engaging listening experience. Becca and Olivia’s thoughtful categorization and genuine enthusiasm make this episode a comprehensive resource for holiday gifting, infused with the heartfelt connections that define the holiday season.

Transcript

[Olivia]

Hi, everyone, and welcome to Baton Paper Podcast. I'm Olivia, Mentor.

[Becca]

And I'm Becca Freeman.

[Olivia]

And today we have a Holly Jolly Gift Guide episode. I added the holly jolly at the last minute. It was a spontaneous addition. What do you think, Becca?

[Becca]

I was going to ask what you think.

[Olivia]

I like it. I like the words holly and jolly and together. It did make me a little. A little happy just now.

[Becca]

So I do think that there's no such thing as too much Christmas cheer this year.

[Olivia]

Okay, good.

[Becca]

Like, I feel like we just need to lean into happy things.

[Olivia]

So.

[Becca]

Yeah, it's a Holly Jolly gift guide episode.

[Olivia]

Great. Well, I was going to say, tell me your Holly Jolly high, but that's too far.

[Becca]

It's too far.

[Olivia]

Okay, so tell me. Tell me your high.

[Becca]

My regular non Holly Jolly high. I went to a Ben Folds concert on Tuesday.

[Olivia]

Random.

[Becca]

Super random. Super random. My friend Jenna is a really big concert goer, and she remembered that I mentioned Ben Folds in the Christmas Orphans Club, and she was like, do you want to go to this? And so we got tickets with our friend Elizabeth, and it was very fun. It was slightly jarring to realize that Ben folds himself is 58. Yep. Olivia's jaw just, like, dropped.

[Olivia]

That's like, wow. Okay. Processing.

[Becca]

Yeah, it was a very sedate concert. It was different than any concert I've ever been to in that everyone sat the whole time and nobody sang along.

[Olivia]

Hmm. So just like a listening room.

[Becca]

Just like a listening room.

[Olivia]

What a random experience for a Tuesday.

[Becca]

What a random experience. I went to that Hanson concert, and Hanson's not really my bag. That was more my friend Caitlin's thing. Outside of mbop, I don't have a lot of Hanson memories, but I do feel like there's something really wonderful about going to concerts for bands you liked when you were much younger. Like, connecting with that past self, kind of.

[Olivia]

Yes. Just the nostalgia alone, I feel like, is such a nice feeling. And also this idea that, like, maybe you don't listen to them all the time now, but they're still doing their thing.

[Becca]

Totally.

[Olivia]

Just kind of heartwarming in a way. Like, still just making music and having fun.

[Becca]

Yeah. So that's my high. What is your high?

[Olivia]

My high is my brother called me this week, which. My brother's my younger brother. He's 27, but to me, he still feels like 16. And he asked me how I was feeling after the election, which we don't really talk about politics. So it was this moment of. It just felt really nice to be like, oh, you're acknowledging that I was upset. And now we're going to have a conversation about it. We've never really talked about politics before. I think in my family, it's kind of interesting because a lot of us have similar views, but I am definitely the most outspoken and passionate. And so when I get really upset about things like the election, I often feel a little bit like the black sheep. Like, okay, everyone thinks I'm being dramatic or whatever. It just. It feels really, really isolating and lonely. So to have him call me and, like, have a conversation about it felt so nice. And, you know, just like this adult conversation with my adult brother, who I also consider my friend, is, like, a really cool thing. And, yeah, in this post election period, we're in. I've had the experience of, like, being disappointed by people a lot. You know, like, oh, that's how you feel. Or. And so to have the opposite experience where I'm like, oh, that was a really pleasant surprise. Was really heartening. You know, it was just really nice. So it was a bright spot in my week.

[Becca]

I felt bright spots in my personal relationships, too. Just people checking in on each other. And, you know, I've sent more how are you doing? Texts. I've talked to some people that I, you know, consider friends but don't talk to as frequently. Like, Grace has checked in with me a bunch of times and just sent, like, morning, like, how are you doing today? Friend texts. And, like, I do feel like there is some. I don't want to call it a silver lining, but, like, in terms of how it's almost, like, rocked us out of our busy individual lives.

[Olivia]

Mm. Yeah. I think there's so much right now that we, like, cannot control with all of this, like, appointment news and, like, all the things happening, and it's really scary. And I think that those moments of kindness and checking in and just being, like, gentler with each other.

[Becca]

Gentler. Yeah.

[Olivia]

Is what we can control. And it feels really great to see that we're all doing that, even amongst all the scary stuff.

[Becca]

Yeah. Yeah. What about on the low end?

[Olivia]

Speaking of scary stuff, News is bad right now. It's just bad. It's just day after day, the stuff about, like, what is happening with Trump and the people he's appointing is horrifying. And I cannot decide whether to news or news. Not to news. You know, Like, I don't know whether I should just take a break from it all, not pay attention to it as much as possible and just kind of get through the rest of the year. And then on the other hand, I'm like, I refuse to bury my head in the sand. Like, I'm gonna be eyes wide open to this shitstorm because we are going to need to figure stuff out and to fight back against this. And I don't mean fight back in like a insurrection kind of way, to be clear, in case anyone was confused. I mean, like, we need to be able to come together and to stand up for what's right in the face of this nonsense. So in order to do that, I feel like I need all the information, but I don't want to make myself miserable.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Olivia]

Are you listening to news right now? Are you cutting back the same?

[Becca]

I'm between. I am reading a lot of takes on substack, which I feel like are not from news sources necessarily, but just people's feelings and reactions. So I'm consuming a lot of that. I'm checking the New York Times, like, once a morning and kind of like, seeing what's new. The thing that I'm having a really hard time with right now is the news alerts. And I don't want to turn off all of the news alerts because I would still like to get other news alerts. I wish I could just block specifically Trump notifications. Like, I do not need to know who he appointed to his cabinet at 3pm on a Tuesday. Like, I can find that out tomorrow morning when I look at the New York Times. But, like, I wish there was a way to just silence notifications relating to him outside of my, like, morning news check in.

[Olivia]

Yeah. Like, you know how you can hide words on Instagram?

[Becca]

Exactly, exactly. Like, I wish there was that.

[Olivia]

Yeah. Yeah. I think I deleted the CNN app after the 2016 election and I've never looked back, but I can imagine that it's, like, still useful to have some news notifications so truly.

[Becca]

Like, I feel like if there were anything that I truly needed to know, I'm sure I would hear from on group texts or I would hear from other places. So, like, maybe I just should turn off news notifications altogether.

[Olivia]

You could try until after the inauguration maybe and just see how you feel.

[Becca]

Yeah, it's tough. Yeah.

[Olivia]

Well, let's talk about some happier things in this episode. If you want to listen to lighter things and not just news alerts.

[Becca]

Well, let's take a quick ad break and then get to some gifts.

[Olivia]

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[Becca]

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[Olivia]

I'm in the very beginning stages of planning a trip to Guatemala with a friend to see her hometown, and I am already beginning to brush up on my Spanish as a way to feel more comfortable and confident on the trip. I know that Babel is exactly what will make that possible.

[Becca]

Here's a special holiday deal for our listeners right now. Get up to 60% off your babel subscription, but only for our [e-mail] BOP get up to 60% [e-mail] BOPA that's spelled B A B B E L.com BOP rules and restrictions may apply. So we're doing our gift guide a little differently than we've done it in past years. I think in past years we've tried to organize it by recipient. This year we just did it by price. So we're doing under 25, 25 to 50, 50 to 100 and over 100. We tried to pick a mix of gifts for different types of people within that. I kind of feel like it's more useful.

[Olivia]

Yeah, I think it'll be good for sure. A lot of them are just gifts I would want. It's really hard to think beyond that, but I think we have a good variety of items for people.

[Becca]

You know what I've tried to start doing is I've tried to start keeping a note in my notes app with gift ideas as I see them. So if I get served something, especially on an Instagram ad, that would make a good gift for either somebody specific or like a type of person, I save it so that then when I need to think about gifts, I already have some things written down and I only had like three or four things in it when I went to do this outline. But I was like, oh, this is helpful.

[Olivia]

That's very smart. Well, tell us about your under 25 picks.

[Becca]

Okay, so I brought three things and I'm cheating with two of them. Welcome. So okay, the first thing is I love the quirky Christmas ornaments from Furbish Studios. And they have these ones this year that are little matchbooks and on the COVID of it are like different cities. So there's probably like 50 different options. So the ornaments are for all different locations or cities. So, you know, there's like, there's one for Martha's Vineyard. There's one for Vale, Sun Valley, St. Tropez, Saint Barts, Sonoma. So, like, there's not one for Maine, but, like, the way that I have a special place in my heart for Maine, I feel like if you got somebody one of these ornaments for a place that's special to them, that would be so cute. They're $28. But I still feel like it's the type of gift that's an under 25 gift, where it's like, this is a token. You know, this is, like, a small thing that I'm thinking of you. I don't feel like it's quite enough for the 25 to 50 buckets, so that's why I had to cheat. But they're very cute.

[Olivia]

I also have an ornament in my list, and I think an ornament is perfect because every year when I go to decorate my tree or when I do decorate my tree, I'm always like, I wish I spent more time gathering these throughout the year. You know, I wish I spent more time acquiring ornaments. So it's like the perfect gift in that way, because you can never have too many, you know.

[Becca]

What's your ornament?

[Olivia]

It's personalized.

[Becca]

Is it in the under 25 bucket?

[Olivia]

It is. It's exactly 25, though.

[Becca]

So what is it?

[Olivia]

It's a Framebridge ornament. So Framebridge has these really adorable frame ornaments that you hang on the tree that are really beautiful. And I love photos. I love photos of friends and family. So, like, I have given these as gifts so many times because it's just. I don't know, it's just nice when you're unpacking your ornaments. The feeling of, like, remembering things and where the ornament came from. So to have a photo attached to it I think is just really nice. And they're $25, which is reasonable, and they're beautiful.

[Becca]

These are so cute. These feel very heirloomy to me. Like, these remind me of the types of things that, you know, like, your grandmother would have had and passed down.

[Olivia]

Yeah. My mom is always like, what of your ornaments from childhood do you want? And I'm like, I don't know. There's one sparkly polar bear I really liked. But the photos, it's impossible to throw those away, so it's nice to ensure that they'll be around for generations.

[Becca]

Yeah, that's so nice.

[Olivia]

Well, what else do you have?

[Becca]

Okay, so my second gift under 25 is, you know my favorite sour candy store, Bonbon?

[Olivia]

I do.

[Becca]

So they sell online prepackaged gift boxes. And so you can pick like sweet sour licorice. Like, it's a mix of things and there's like different options. The medium box is 28. There is a small box, but I feel like the small is like too little candy, where it almost feels like a cheap gift because the candy is expensive. Yeah. So I think you want to go the medium for 28. But I think this would be really fun for, you know, if you do like an office white elephant or like a book club white elephant. Something where you're like, you don't know people well enough to, like, pick something personal. I feel like people would be delighted by this.

[Olivia]

And I think allergen friendly, probably because, you know, no nuts.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Olivia]

So very good gift.

[Becca]

Yeah. And then my Last idea under $25 is have you seen the book person mug that I have. I got it earlier this year. It's from Bandeau.

[Olivia]

I don't know, I'm not sure.

[Becca]

Maybe it's kind of in like a funky rainbow font and then there's like a smiley face on the inside of the lip. So, like, as you drink your coffee, it reveals the smiley face. It's just very happy. So I feel like everyone who is listening to this podcast is a book person. And so, you know, maybe you have bookish friends or maybe you have a book club gift exchange or Secret Santa or something. So I feel like the book person mug plus a book would be very cute. That only leaves you 10 bucks for a book.

[Olivia]

So.

[Becca]

So then I feel like you have to go the Amazon route secondhand. The other thing I was thinking is it would be really delightful, and this is obviously more of an undertaking, but if you gifted especially like a best friend or somebody very meaningful to you, if you read a book and you highlighted things that you thought they would enjoy or that reminded you of them and sticky tabbed it like you annotated it and then like gifted them your copy of a book.

[Olivia]

That is very sweet. Yeah. Do you ever give books as gifts?

[Becca]

Not for the holidays. I tend to be a really, like, spur of the moment. Like, I want to give my best friend Ashley a book when I read it and love it and want her to read it. Or, you know, I will gift somebody a book because it really, like, reminds me of them and their taste. But it's like kind of just a just because thing. I don't really gift books for the holidays, but I feel like I could see Ina Garten's memoir being a really good one, especially for like a mom, a mother in law, somebody that you like, maybe don't know their taste as well. Could be a crowd pleaser.

[Olivia]

Yeah, gifting books is hard when it's like a more formal gift giving scenario, like holidays. Cause like, if you're just doing it just because it's kind of like, no pressure. Totally. You'll read it. Maybe you won't, but Christmas, it's like, you know you will love this and you present it to them. It feels like a lot. A lot more high stakes.

[Becca]

You know what other book could be really fun to gift? Although I think it's more than $25 because it's like a full color hardback is Sarah Chappelle, who came on the podcast in her book Taylor Swift Style. I think that could be really fun for a swiftie in your life.

[Olivia]

Yes. And it has some really beautiful gold, like, leaf edges. So it's a really nice coffee table book. It's just pretty to look at. Yeah, I have two.

[Becca]

Yeah, I could see that being a nice giftable book too. All right, under 25, you already said the Framebridge ornament. What else are you bringing to this gift exchange?

[Olivia]

I always am a proponent of giving the Welida skin food as a stocking stuffer. I have said it once. I'll say it again for the masses. Everyone needs it. Everyone should take it. My brother, actually, when I was talking to him on the phone, I asked him what he wanted, and now every year he just says skin food ever since I started giving it to him.

[Becca]

Oh, wow. Guess that's easy.

[Olivia]

I guess so. I feel like I've created a skin food cult.

[Becca]

Do you just do the regular tube?

[Olivia]

Oh, yeah. Yes. The thick boy.

[Becca]

I like the body butter too. Like the one that's in a tub.

[Olivia]

Yes. I need to get that for Jake because he goes through like three of winter. It's a great product and I feel like it's great for all skin types. And it's like a good mix of like a practical stocking stuffer versus just something you might need. So I guess it's actually just only practical, but I love it. So I recommend. And then my second suggestion is actually a very easy diy, which is that if you go to the thrift store and you find a really cute container that would fit matches, you can buy the matchstrike strips and put it on the bottom of like a really cool vintage bowl or dish. And then you could just gift someone really beautiful matches along with the vintage dish. And then they'll have like a little match strike and it's just really cute and adorable. And it can cost like $5. It's like very aff. And I personally am always running out of matches and I hate lighting candles with a Bic lighter or something. It feels so garbage.

[Becca]

Oh, I always do.

[Olivia]

I always have a nice match.

[Becca]

I'm slightly afraid of matches.

[Olivia]

I think you've said this before.

[Becca]

Like, I could do it. Like, I can use matches, but I do have like the long Bic grill lighter that I use for candles.

[Olivia]

Yeah, those work for sure. I think I just like the sound of the match.

[Becca]

It's a less aesthetic experience, for sure.

[Olivia]

Yeah. But if you know someone who is not afraid of matches, then it could be a fun little way to go thrifting and, and gift secondhand and still have it be like useful and.

[Becca]

Yeah, I love that idea.

[Olivia]

Well, let's move on to the slightly more expensive tier, which is 25 to 50.

[Becca]

Okay. This is where I feel like I did my best, most creative work.

[Olivia]

Okay, hit us with the suggestions.

[Becca]

Okay, so first thing, and I brought this to a white elephant last year and the theme of the white elephant was like your best purchase this year. Which is a fun white elephant theme.

[Olivia]

Very fun.

[Becca]

Okay, so I brought a five year journal because I love my five year journal so much and I want everyone to have the joy of having their own five year journal. So I really like one from this company called Leuchtturm. And it's the Some Lines a Day journal. And it's $33. You can get it on Amazon. You can probably get it at non Amazon places too. It comes in a few colors. I have a black one, but they have a really pretty lavender one. They have a blue one. So you could kind of like personalize it to somebody's taste. And then I like to gift it with a nice pen. I like the Le pen to write in it just because it's a thin pen so you can write more. So you could do one pen. You can do a few pens if you just do one pen. I think it's really cute to put it in the bow for the gift too.

[Olivia]

Oh, that's very cute. Yeah.

[Becca]

All right.

[Olivia]

I would love that gift. It's a really good idea.

[Becca]

Here is my weirdest gift that I think is delightful. This is actually what I got Grace for her birthday this year. And I think that sometimes when you're shopping for somebody who has everything or is hard to shop for, getting them something weird is the best way to go. So I got these custom pet stamps. So it's like a paper stamp, and you send them a photo of your pet or this person's pet, and they take their face and they turned it into a stamp. And I was like, this is either going to be so cool or this is going to be awful. And they really look like her cats.

[Olivia]

I was wondering if this was going to be like an ink stamp or like a mail stamp.

[Becca]

An ink stamp.

[Olivia]

It's very cute. I just looked at it. But Jake and I, for our wedding invitations, had custom Winnie mail stamps.

[Becca]

Oh, my God.

[Olivia]

And you can also do that. Gifting someone stamps for mail seems very weird. This gift you've suggested seems much better. But you can do basically anything with a custom pet portrait these days. Like any form. It's on the Internet. I love that about this timeline we live in.

[Becca]

Yeah. But I think it's so fun because it's just, like, kind of wacky.

[Olivia]

It's very cute. I love it a lot.

[Becca]

Yeah. They're from this place called pettimized, and they're $33 per stamp right now. They are 33% off on top of that. So I'm sure they'll have sales throughout the holiday season. But I don't know. I think that's kind of a fun gift for somebody that you're like, I don't know what to get you.

[Olivia]

I agree. Definitely.

[Becca]

Okay, so the next one is. I think this is especially nice if you're going to, like, somebody's holiday party or a dinner party or something and you want to bring a hostess gift, but maybe you want to, like, do something a little nicer. So Anthropologie has these confetti champagne flutes, and it's a set of two for $24. And they have these little, like, 3D bubbles on the outside that are rainbow. They're so cute. They're so celebratory. So I feel like you could get that for somebody and then also get a. A bottle of champagne and bring it over. Because sometimes I feel like when you go to a party and you just bring wine, it gets consumed that night. The host doesn't get to enjoy it. So I feel like bringing the flutes too and. Or wrapping something so that it's a gift to open as opposed to just like, I brought a bottle of wine is a nice thing.

[Olivia]

They're very, very cute flutes. I was just looking at them and I wanted to squeal with delight. Oh, they're so adorable.

[Becca]

They're so cute.

[Olivia]

They're really cute. Oh. And I, like, I want to touch them. I know they look really nice.

[Becca]

I. I don't have space to have, like, a gift drawer, you know? Like, I feel like I know some people who have, like, gifts on hand to bring to people, but I'm like, I kind of want to buy a couple sets of these before they sell out, because I'm like, they're just so nice and giftable. And $24 is such a great price. And then my last one, I have not been on TikTok for, like, a month, which I'm really proud of. But before I got myself off.

[Olivia]

Congrats.

[Becca]

Thank you. Before I got myself off TikTok, I kept getting these ads for this watercolor paint set that was in the TikTok shop. And, Olivia, I have gotten so close to buying this so many times. Like, watching people use it is so soothing. So I found it on Amazon. It's called the Grabby 100 color watercolor paint set. And it's 29.99. And it comes with these, like, swatch cards, and it comes with watercolor pen brushes, which I've never seen before. And again, I don't know anything about watercoloring. So then you can get a watercolor coloring book. And I found one on Amazon that looked really cute. It's called Watercolor Workbook. And basically, like, each page shows you what, like, the finished thing should look like. And it has, like, tips for how to do it on the other side. So it's almost like gifting somebody, like, a new hobby in a box.

[Olivia]

That's really fun. I love the idea of doing watercolor. I feel like I would be horrible at it. And I have attempted it in the past, but I didn't have a good set, you know, oh, my gosh. I just had a few.

[Becca]

Maybe I need to get this for myself.

[Olivia]

Maybe I will. I need, like, an art table or something. My puzzle is currently taking up the entirety of my kitchen table. So I need more space to work on my crafts.

[Becca]

I might get this for myself. And the workbook is. It says the projects are 30 minutes. So I also like that it's, like, kind of self contained. Because sometimes, you know, when an adult coloring book, if it's really intricate, you're like, this is gonna take me two weeks.

[Olivia]

Yeah. I never finished any of my adult coloring book. I just do, like, three sections, and I'm like, I'm done. I'M good.

[Becca]

What did you bring in the 25 to 50 bucket first is one of.

[Olivia]

The best gifts I've ever received, which is this book. It's like a coffee table book. It's small, but essentially that's what it is. And it's called Rooms of Their Own, where great writers Write. And I go back to this again and again. I love paging through it. Essentially it's just about famous writers and like illustrated photos or paintings of the places where they worked and how they worked and descriptions of like their routines and stuff, which I just love. So if you have a writer in your life, I think they would really enjoy this. I really enjoy this. I have it in my guest room now. But yeah, it's a really just pleasant read. And it's also nice to like, you can just read one of them and then, you know, go on to something else. It's not like a book book where you have to like be in it, reading it cover to cover. So that's $26. So very reasonable.

[Becca]

You're like at the bottom end and I'm trying to cram $28 into the lower bucket.

[Olivia]

Well, once we get to the expensive end, I have some very high end things that I either want or like, I have a couple of those. But this next one I guess could either be as cheap as you want it or as expensive, depending on how you want to go. But I feel personally that I have a great sadness in my soul that we as a generation don't really keep boxes of printed photographs around. And I keep having this sense of 50 years from now, whoever down the line from me is not gonna have a physical photo of my life or friends I had or places I went. It's all on my phone, it's all on my computer.

[Becca]

Oh, you're so right. I never thought of this and now I'm kind of spitting out about it.

[Olivia]

I know. So I think a great gift would be to take all of the photos of you and whoever you're gifting, like your family member, your friend, the two of you together, a trip you went on, and just print them all out. Like if there's 100, it might be kind of expensive, but still relatively cheap and just gift them. You could gift them with scrapbooking supplies or you could gift them with, I don't know, little post it notes attached to each one about why they're important to you, or you could frame some. But someone do this for me in my life, that's a personal request.

[Becca]

This is a great opportunity to skip the future narrative so that their descendants think you're their only friend.

[Olivia]

Exactly. Yes. That's the main goal of it. Just thinking ahead as much as possible.

[Becca]

There's only photos of my grandmother and this woman, Olivia.

[Olivia]

But isn't it sad that we don't have photo albums anymore? I love going through old photo albums. It's so heartwarming. And that's just not a thing.

[Becca]

Yeah, I have photo albums, like, because my mom is deceased. I have childhood photo albums, and I did keep them up and, like, printed them out kind of through, like, the beginning of college at some point. But then it does tail off. Like, I should. I should do this.

[Olivia]

Yeah, I think we all should. I keep meaning, like, at the end of every year to just print a bunch of my favorite shots out, but I just always forget. So finally, my pick is the Necessaire body serum at $48. I feel like when I was more into influencing, I had a lot of fresh, exciting picks, and now I just have the things that I've used for many years at a time and can fully recommend.

[Becca]

I mean, I feel like that's a good gift. Rule of thumb, if it's something that you love and replenish and somebody else hasn't discovered, that's a great gift.

[Olivia]

I agree with you. And the thing about this body serum is, like, if someone gifted me a lotion, which is essentially what this is, but it's a lot more lightweight, fast, absorbing, I would be like, cool. But once you use it, you're like, ah, yes, I see why this is $50, and I see why it is the best thing ever. And I think everyone should have that experience. And no one should have dry elbows or arms or legs or backs. Everyone should be hydrated. So that's my belief.

[Becca]

Well, let's take another ad break and let's get into the expensive gifts.

[Olivia]

This episode is sponsored by this is Small Business behind the Buy, which is the official companion podcast to Prime Video's new show called Buy it now, where entrepreneurs compete to win $20,000. If you're someone who's interested in how ordinary people turn their big ideas into a business, or if you want to learn from real entrepreneurs and get actionable advice, this is definitely for you.

[Becca]

In each episode, you hear directly from the winning entrepreneurs revealing the backstories, challenges, and the business strategies that turned their dreams into reality. From the intense preparation to the thrill of winning, the podcast explores every angle of what it takes to pitch, win, and build a thriving business.

[Olivia]

Essentially, if you're someone who is always coming up with product ideas but has no idea how to bring them to reality, then this is going to be the show for you. It makes an otherwise overwhelming process seem incredibly doable, and it is all backed up by real life stories from real life entrepreneurs that are just like you and me.

[Becca]

Follow this Is Small Business behind the Buy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And big thanks to this Is Small Business for sponsoring the show.

[Olivia]

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. In case you do not believe me when I say just how much therapy has meant to my life, I would like to direct you to the acknowledgments of my book in which I specifically thanked my therapist by name. I cannot imagine writing without her, to be honest, but she always likes to remind me that I should give myself some credit too. So as we approach Thanksgiving, here is another reminder to send some thanks to the people in your life, including yourself.

[Becca]

If you're thinking of starting therapy, give better help a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief online questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists anytime for no additional charge.

[Olivia]

Therapy has made me feel confident, calm, supported, and so much less alone than I would feel otherwise. Being a human is just tough sometimes, and therapy gives me the space to acknowledge that fact without it overwhelming me.

[Becca]

Let the gratitude flow with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com batonpaper today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp H-E-L-P.com BatonPaper okay, into the 50 to $100 bucket, which I don't know if this is controversial or not. I think this is the hardest bucket because if you're spending 50 to 100 I feel like maybe it's not the hardest, but I think it's the hardest for like these more generic gifts because I feel like I want it to speak to that I know this person and what they would like if I'm spending 50 to $100. Yeah, like I feel like the over 100 is almost easier because you're like I'm just going to get you something really fancy that you wouldn't buy yourself versus like the 50 to 100 you're like, this takes thought.

[Olivia]

Yeah. Also like if you're spending more than a hundred dollars on someone, it's sort of implied that you do know them very well, you know, and you are very close to them. Whereas 50 to 100, obviously that's very Generous, but it can be a little more casual and therefore complicated.

[Becca]

What are you suggesting in the 50 to 100 bucket?

[Olivia]

So my first suggestion is it can be kind of whatever you want and that is basically to go on Etsy and to search handmade ceramic mug and you will find a slew of options from usually they're around 60 to $80, sometimes going towards 100 for the nicer, fancier ones.

[Becca]

Oh, wow.

[Olivia]

My new. Yes.

[Becca]

I once spent $50 on a mug actually at a store in Hudson. That makes sense given that I had such sticker shock. But I had seen it and then I walked around all day thinking about it and I was like, I'm gonna get this one mug and it doesn't match anything else. And I use it almost every day. It was worth the price in the end, but I just had such sticker shock. So I think this would be a good gift because it's something that I don't think a lot of people would want to spend that type of money on this item for themself.

[Olivia]

Yes, I agree. And like, personally, I am the person who's like, I don't need any more mugs, but I cannot resist an adorable mug. And my new like self soothing habit if I don't have like social media on my phone is to scroll through Etsy and scroll through the handmade ceramic mugs and favorite the weirdest ones I can find. There's this one that there's a wait list for it and the mug is a giant teddy bear that is holding its own mug and wearing a cardigan. Do I need that? No. Do I want it for $80? Weirdly, yes.

[Becca]

Can you put things in the bears mug too?

[Olivia]

No. Oh, it's hard to explain. I will link it in the show notes. There are just like a million different really weird, really beautiful, intricate handmade small business mugs that are just special. So I just think there's like something for everyone. There's beautiful floral designs, there's really weird designs. There's like the bears. There's a lot of them that have like handles that look like bows which are really cut and on trend. There's just a lot of cute ones and, you know, support a small business, I guess.

[Becca]

Okay, what's your next one?

[Olivia]

My next one is the only perfume that I have ever gotten multiple compliments on in public and that is the Maya Base perfume oil, which is the one that Caroline at G thinks I bought it is always posting about. I bought it because of her. I was skeptical.

[Becca]

I am seeing this.

[Olivia]

It's a thing everywhere.

[Becca]

Is this a new company? Like, are they doing a lot of influencer stuff? I feel like I. Out of nowhere, I'm seeing this everywhere.

[Olivia]

I'm not sure. I think I bought it maybe two years ago.

[Becca]

Oh, you were early to the trend.

[Olivia]

It was because of Caroline, because she was posting all the time and she has this really effective way of sharing people saying, like, that they were stopped in public. And it just, like, gets me every time. But it really does. Like, it does work. I've had friends be like, you have to send me the perfume you were wearing.

[Becca]

Now I want this.

[Olivia]

What are you wearing? I don't even know how to exactly describe the smell, but it is really nice. And I'm actually gonna re up mine soon. I just am about to run out. It's really, really beautiful smelling, so. And also, I think you can layer it. Apparently it, like, works with your body chemistry. I don't really know if that's a thing. I'm not really sure. The only thing I don't like is that it's a rollerball and it's not a spray. But I think that's what makes it effective, maybe. Is that it? Like, who knows? It smells really good. My final suggestion is Ye Olde Target gift card for whatever money you'd like to put on it. However, I think you should get someone a Target gift card who you're friends with. And the stipulation for the gift card is that you have to go shopping together. I think I've probably shared this before, actually, and maybe I don't think so.

[Becca]

I don't think I've heard this.

[Olivia]

This is a good idea. I feel like someone's gonna be like, she shared it before. Like, God, she just wants someone to walk around with her at Target so badly. And the truth is that, yes, I do. But I feel like it's a nice way to be. Like, get whatever you need, whatever you want, but also, let's spend some time together. So, like, if you have to buy groceries, cool. Buy groceries with it. If you need some toothpaste, that's cool. But, like, we can hang out and drink Starbucks as we walk around together and chat and buy things we may or may not need. So it's like, I'm going to give you this gift, but in return, you must spend time with me.

[Becca]

Hey.

[Olivia]

So I don't really actually know if it's a gift.

[Becca]

I think that's.

[Olivia]

That's my suggestion. Well, tell me your picks, because I feel like these are some really solid options. That I'm seeing in the outline.

[Becca]

Okay. So the first thing is there's these cutting boards from this brand called Fredericks in May. And you've probably seen them before. They're like the kind of like confetti cutting boards. Like, a lot of cooking people on Instagram have them. Like, they'll look familiar. So the medium one is $95. I think if you're doing this gift, as I suggest, you probably need to go with the small one, which is $40. But I think the small one, I mean, it would be good for, like, cutting an apple, but it would also be good for serving, like, cheese on to guests. So they're really pretty designy cutting boards. And then I think you gift it with a cookbook. So if I were gifting a cookbook, I would say Molly Boz's Cook. This book is one of my favorite cookbooks that I cook from often, and I like a large range of the recipes. You have that too, right?

[Olivia]

Yes.

[Becca]

Olivia had it on her cookbook stand when I was up there, open to a recipe that I had not tried.

[Olivia]

I have since tried it, and it was very, very, very good.

[Becca]

If you're gifting somebody who is an avid cookbook purchaser and you want new ones. Molly Boz has a second cookbook called More Is More, which I think is from last year. Julia Tershen has a new cookbook that came out recently called what Goes with what, which is kind of more of a Becoming more comfortable in the kitchen type cookbook, which I really love. And then Caroline Chambers has what to Cook when youn Don't Feel Like Cooking. And I love that her recipes are organized by how much time it takes. So I think if you're gifting it to somebody who is a parent, is very busy, and you want to give them something that's practical, but also you're, like, not giving them a Martha Stewart cookbook that teaches them how to truss a roast chicken that takes two hours.

[Olivia]

Have you watched the Martha Stewart documentary, by the way?

[Becca]

No, not yet.

[Olivia]

Oh, my God. Okay. If you do, we must discuss. But anyway, this is a very good idea, I think, both practical and luxurious.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah. The other thing I would say for pretty much any woman under 45, I think free People has the classic striped crew neck sweatshirt, which is really popular. There's a knockoff Amazon version, which I do not like the fabric of. I'm a little snobby when it comes.

[Olivia]

To, like, I have two of the free people one, which actually horrifies me now, saying that they're $100.

[Becca]

They're 98.

[Olivia]

I wear them constantly. Yeah, Like, I feel like constantly.

[Becca]

They're cute. They're brightly colored. You can pick out, you know, whatever color reminds you of this person. They're huge. They're completely oversized. I would say buy at least one size down from what you think the person is, maybe two sizes down. But the thing is, is that it's supposed to be big, so it's a generous fit anyway, so you don't really have to worry about the fitting. Yeah.

[Olivia]

Just pro tip.

[Becca]

Yeah. Or they have the Malibu surf sweater set, which is like a sweater, a knit sweater and shorts, which are really cute. And again, the sweater part of it is oversized. So I think you could, like, be pretty generous with guessing somebody's size. And like, you have a. A pretty broad range in there. And that's $88. So I feel like that would be a crowd pleaser for most women and even, like, teens or tweens.

[Olivia]

Oh, yeah. Can't go wrong with free people.

[Becca]

My last one in this category is the one I'm proudest of. And you can kind of also include yourself in this gift if you gift it to your family. So on Goldbelly, which is like the food shipping company, Essa Bagel, which is. I think Essa Bagel is probably my favorite bagel place in New York. It's nowhere near me, so I. I have it like once every three years. But Essa Bagel has a kit that's brunch for six. And so it's six bagels, two different kinds of cream cheese, smoked salmon, and they ship it in, like a refrigerated box packed with ice and everything. I did this for my aunt last Christmas, and the bagels were great. Like, you know, you have to toast them. I don't think you would want to eat them untoasted, but they ship incredibly well. And I feel like if you were like, either going home from New York for Christmas, you could like, bring this to your family as, like a taste of New York. If you're, you know, maybe you're going to, like, your in laws this year and you're not able to make Christmas with your family, like, you would send this for like breakfast on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning or something like. That would be cute. Yeah.

[Olivia]

And just like a great gift.

[Becca]

Yeah. Just have them buy like, tomato, onion, and capers and like you have a spread.

[Olivia]

Yeah.

[Becca]

And that's $99.

[Olivia]

I want that now I really want bagels. I'm, like, thinking about bagels.

[Becca]

When I was doing the outline for this, it was like, last night, and I was like, I want a lox bagel right now.

[Olivia]

Oh, did you get one?

[Becca]

No, it was, like, at night.

[Olivia]

Oh, well, I mean, it's New York. You could.

[Becca]

No, I think my bagel place closes at, like, 3 or 4. Maybe tomorrow morning.

[Olivia]

Well, yes. Treat yourself.

[Becca]

All right. So you alluded to having some bougie gifts in your 100 plus bucket. What have you brought?

[Olivia]

I listen, I'm gonna go to war. Once again, for not to war, to bat. I think that's the phrase for the Bose QuietComfort headphones, which I have owned for four years.

[Becca]

And the same pair, all four years.

[Olivia]

The same pair or all four years has not changed a bit. They're white. They still look great. I'm wearing them right now. Single best item I have ever owned in my life. Like, has changed my life for the better. On planes, working on trains, just if I'm overstimulated. If you have, like, a busy mom in your life who is, like, just has little children screaming at her all the time, gift her these. Let her go to a world of comfort and silence. This is what she deserves. It's what we all deserve. These are the best purchase ever. They're $350. They are worth every single penny. I would have paid double that for these.

[Becca]

Wow.

[Olivia]

That is how much they have improved my life. They're so comfortable. And they do go on sale quite often, so keep an eye out for. I think on Amazon, they go and sell a lot. So prime day or whatever. I don't even know when that is, but they're just the best. And Nora McInerney is always posting about these as well and how they changed her life. And I always feel so seen. They're just the best.

[Becca]

Okay, solid pitch.

[Olivia]

Sponsored by both. No, I'm just kidding. They don't know who I am. I wish.

[Becca]

Okay, what is your next pick?

[Olivia]

My next pick is my Most expensive at 495American dollars. This is the Coach Brooklyn Shoulder Bag 39. It is currently sold out. In this suede that I want. It's like this really warm brown suede. I am obsessed with it. It's huge. They do have smaller versions.

[Becca]

Oh, this is very pretty. This reminds me of. Is it like a Kate bag or like, there's something else that looks similar that's much more expensive.

[Olivia]

Oh, really?

[Becca]

Mm.

[Olivia]

To me, $4.95 is about the tip top of my expensive meter. Is it like a. Like a Celine bag or something? Like, no.

[Becca]

I think it's Kait. That brand. K H A I c I go with it. K h. Yeah.

[Olivia]

Oh, I think I know what you mean. Yes. Yeah. I, I just, I love the shape of it. It's kind of like an over like a bucket bag is sort of. But I do think like if you are going to spend this much money for someone else or a loved one or yourself, like Coach has a lot of longevity. I think. I think it's a really good investment. And it's a classic color, classic shape. I think it would be a bag that would last the rest of your life if that color does come back. I am planning on getting this for myself as a gift for existing.

[Becca]

Coach is having a real resurgence. This is like also very on trend.

[Olivia]

Yeah. I think it, I think it's a great looking bag. So there's also other really beautiful colors. But I just that like warm brown leather I'm just obsessed with. So there's that.

[Becca]

Okay.

[Olivia]

And then finally a little bit less expensive. I love getting engraved jewelry, engraved lockets. I think it's a really sweet way to personalize something that you're gifting someone else. And I always love the brand Monaco Vinator. They have really adorable lockets and just all kinds of jewelry that you can engrave usually for free. The lockets I think range from 130 to 178. So fairly reasonable. Yeah. While still being really special, I think. And those are my picks. Those are my bougie picks.

[Becca]

Love.

[Olivia]

Tell me about yours.

[Becca]

Okay. So I feel like one nice thing to gift would be hotel lobby candle introduced a votive set. And so it's five votives of their I think most popular scents. Five different scents and it's one 45. The packaging is beautiful. They're in really pretty glass jars. Like the aesthetics of it are very nice and fancy. And I think this would be really nice to give to like a mom, a mother in law again. And especially I feel like one of the things with some of these online candle brands is you want to smell them before you commit. So it could also help you to figure out which ones you like and don't like. But I think this would be a very nice gift for somebody.

[Olivia]

I've never met anyone who doesn't like hotel lobby candles too.

[Becca]

Truly.

[Olivia]

I think it's just crowd pleaser.

[Becca]

Truly. My second one is so do you know the lingua franca embroidered sweaters. I have always wanted one but they are stupid expensive. But they launched sweatshirts and the sweatshirts are really nice. They're still $175. So it's a pricey sweatshirt, but, like, it's not fleece lined, so it almost is like a very transitional weight that you can wear year round. The fit on it is really nice. And again, you customize whatever you want on it. So I think it would be very fun for somebody in your life who is a very devoted pet owner. Like, for you, if I got you one that said Winnie's mom, like, I think would be very fun. Like, I'm picturing my friend Natalie. If I gifted her one that said Gordon's mom, I don't think she would ever take it off.

[Olivia]

Yeah, that's true, actually.

[Becca]

And it would actually be such a funny conversation starter too. Cause then people would be like, who's Winnie? And you're like, winnie's my dog.

[Olivia]

So cute. Yeah. People love these sweatshirts. They're really nice.

[Becca]

They're really, really nice. And they gifted me one over the summer, and I haven't taken a photo of it and shared it on Instagram for the stupidest reason, which is because, you know when you take a photo and then the text is backwards, and when I flip it to the inverse, then I'm like, I look weird. This doesn't look like my face. And I've tried to take a photo a couple times, and every time I'm just like, what's happening here? So anyway, they did gift me one, but they gave me a code. So if you use the code LFBECCA10 on their site, it's 10% off. So, you know, not huge, but it's something.

[Olivia]

Yeah. Makes a difference. Definitely.

[Becca]

Yeah. And if you have, like, an inside joke with somebody, you could put whatever on it. Like, I think these are just so fun, and I feel like they're so aspirational. Like, I've always wanted to have one of the sweaters.

[Olivia]

They're very chic.

[Becca]

The last one.

[Olivia]

I want to hear you talk about this.

[Becca]

I swear this is not sponsored. Like, this is weird territory because they are a sponsor, but I am under no obligation to say this. The Cozy Earth Cuddle blanket.

[Olivia]

It's an experience.

[Becca]

I cannot stop talking about it. I have posted about it on Instagram. It's in my newsletter that. Well, I guess it's coming out this coming Sunday, but will be in the past when the episode goes live. I have texted it in all of my group texts, like, this blanket is life changing. It is the softest blanket I've ever felt. I don't even think of myself as somebody who really cares about like a faux fur type thing? Like, that's not my usual vibe. It is so soft. And then it's weighted and it doesn't say on their site how much it weighs. Like I'm gonna guess maybe like five pounds. It just says substantial weight. Like five to seven pounds. I don't know. I should get on the scale with it and see. But it has that like weighted blanket comforting effect. But it's not as heavy as an actual weighted blanket where it feels like being under the dentist X ray blanket. It is the best, I think. Last night I convinced my friend Elizabeth to gift it. So this is interesting. She has a big family and she does one gift and she gives it to everyone. So she usually does one gift for the women and one gift for the men. And everyone gets the same thing. So like her mom, her sister, her nieces, and then like her dad and her two brothers and her husband. Like she does like one gift. So I think I convinced her that this should be the one for the women this year because it is so good. It's expensive. The blanket is like $306, which is a very weird price. But we have the code from the ads which you can use anyway. And the code is just BOP and it gets 40% off. So it gets it down to like 175 before tax and shipping.

[Olivia]

It's unlike any blanket you've ever tried. That sounds ridiculous, but it really is like a different experience.

[Becca]

I cannot tell you how many people I have tried to get to buy this in my real life, because I love it that much.

[Olivia]

It's great. I adore it.

[Becca]

All right, should we get out of the gifts and into the end matter here? I think we did a good job.

[Olivia]

Me too. But first, let's take one last ad break. This episode is sponsored by 831 Stories, a modern romantic fiction company that prioritizes pleasure reading and celebrates the genre's joyful, enthusiastic fans. And if it sounds familiar to you, this is because we have already had the founders on to talk about their amazing company and books. But also probably because you've seen their book Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff basically everywhere for the past couple months. I've read it. Becca's read it. It's great.

[Becca]

What's really fun about it and different is that it's actually a novella. So I think it's about 160 pages. You can crush it in, you know, like one weekend morning. Like it's a one sitting type book. It is a famous person, normal person romance, obviously my favorite trope. It's about a woman who's a political strategist, think kind of like an Olivia Pope on Scandal type character who ends up getting approached by the lead singer of her favorite band from when she was a teenager who is going out on his own and launching a solo career and wants her help on the PR side. And it's a very fun romance. I would say it's like One and a Half Chili Peppers. It's a little steamy, but not super steamy. But I was just smiling like a maniac while I was reading this. It was such an enjoyable experience.

[Olivia]

And now 831's second title, Hardly Strangers by A.C. robinson, just came out last week. This one, 831 is a rockstar romance about cool girl Shira, an LA native who heads to a bar in Silverlake to meet a guy she's been crushing over, only to be swept away by Max King, who is the lead singer of an Irish punk band. So it sounds pretty great. And what I especially love about 831 stories is that they have entire universes like merch fan fiction for each of their books. I received some Hardly Strangers merch last week and even though I have not read the book quite yet, I still loved every single thing they sent me, which is saying a lot. And I actually had someone DM me that they would do anything, quote unquote to get on the 831 stories mailing list. And honestly, I understand.

[Becca]

I feel like Claire and Erica have such great taste. So it's really nice that all of these things are so elevated. It's not like a cheap merch T shirt. You know, like everything is really nice. So if you too want to get your hands on some 831 stories books or merch, you're in luck. Listeners of Baton Paper can use the code BOP for 15% off their first order on 831stories.com. Again, that's code BOP for 15% off your first order on 831stories.Com. Now through the end of the year, 831 stories books are available wherever you buy books and on their [e-mail]. And I know this is running long, but I do need to tell you that they have baseball hats with romance tropes on them and I think for this community having a second chance romance hat or like a celebrity romance hat is very on brand.

[Olivia]

Well, tell me what you are obsessed with this week.

[Becca]

Honestly, I think this could be a great dad gift I think this could be a great brother gift. Great man in your life gift I got in the mail. The most delightful thing this week. So friend of the pod, friend of mine, Grossie Pelosi, for the holiday from his cookbook. Do you remember how we said there's like that centerfold picture of the big Italian sandwich? They made it into a puzzle. It's a 560 piece puzzle of an Italian hoagie. It's a beautiful photo, but I'm like, this puzzle is so fun and funny. They sell it online wherever you buy books. Like, it's on Barnesandnoble.com, it's on Amazon.com, on Amazon, it's like 15 bucks. So it's really reasonably priced and it's so funny.

[Olivia]

That sounds great. Sounds fun.

[Becca]

What are you obsessed with?

[Olivia]

I've been obsessed with it, but I am obsessed with 2019's Greta Gerwig's little Women, the movie.

[Becca]

Will you kick me off this podcast if I tell you that I've not seen it?

[Olivia]

No, I won't, but I would encourage you to watch it. It's so cozy. It's just the most cozy movie ever. I. I don't know, I just love it. And I've been craving watching it the past few weeks. I wonder why. Just something warm and cozy was needed. But I just, I really love it. It's so good. And so many. Just incredible actors too. So it's been fun to rewatch it.

[Becca]

Oh, that's so nice. What about reading?

[Olivia]

I. Okay, I finished two books. I finished two books. One of them was Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young. This one started out so strong for me. It is basically like Gilmore Girls, Impractical magic had a baby. That is what this book is. It is so atmospheric. It's set on a, I think, mythical island off of Washington. It has some magical elements and small town drama, that kind of thing. And this woman who lives there and she runs her mom's tea shop, had a teenage love who left under mysterious circumstances and returned. So it's a mystery, there's a murder, there's a love story. Personally, like in terms of atmosphere, 10 out of 10 ideal, perfect fall book to get lost in. Like I was there on that island. Plot wise, I found it to be like slightly melodramatic for my taste, but I liked it.

[Becca]

Okay, this sounds, I thought you were gonna say it, like really jumped the shark.

[Olivia]

No, the next one. The next one is where I really struggled. The next one jumped the shark.

[Becca]

Okay.

[Olivia]

And I only Feel like I can say this because this person is like selling bajillions of books every day. So I have never read Frieda McFadden, but she is a thriller writer who everyone is obsessed with. And so I read the purpose of the.

[Becca]

I feel like she's like the Colleen Hoover of thrillers. When Colleen Hoover isn't writing thrillers.

[Olivia]

That is accurate. Not for me. It was not for me. The twist to give it to her, the twist was incredibly impressive. I was like, oh, I did not see that coming. I had a lot of theories. Maybe this was the wrong one to read. It didn't connect with me. It didn't do it for me. I don't know. Have you read any of hers?

[Becca]

No, I haven't. But I did get the same one that you did in my book of the month last month or whenever they had it. So I will read it at some point. I know Grace likes them and says they're like candy thrillers that you just kind of blow through. And, I mean, I do like that type of book sometimes, so I'm curious to try it.

[Olivia]

I do too. So it's possible that, like, this one just wasn't for me. And maybe I would have liked the Housemaid or something better. This also had a very heavy blood plot line. Oh, no, I just.

[Becca]

Yeah, it's not gonna work for me.

[Olivia]

You've been warned. Which it made me a little bit squeamish. Like, it was a little hard in parts.

[Becca]

Oh, interesting.

[Olivia]

Okay, well, tell me what you read.

[Becca]

So I read also a viral TikTok book. I read the Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Lori Gilmore, which, as you might guess, is a pseudonym. It's not her real name. This is a small town romance about a woman who leaves her high stress assistant job in Boston and moves to a fictional town called Dream harbor, which is on the water somewhere. I'm like, maybe it's in Rhode Island. Maybe it's like the North Shore of Massachusetts. I'm unclear driving distance from Boston. And it is just a cute, quaint, idyllic town. Very Stars Hollow vibes. She takes over her aunt's coffee shop and you know, there's like metal sounds.

[Olivia]

Like towns for forgetting. But like the cozier version maybe. Or like tamer version maybe.

[Becca]

Well, it's spicy. There's a spicy romance in it.

[Olivia]

Oh, Oh, I didn't know that.

[Becca]

And there's the lowest stakes mystery in it. Something about the way it's put together is very well done from a technical standpoint. So there are stakes. The plot really moves it's fairly short. It is really well done. I mean, it's a silly book, but I wanted a silly book, and it is like putting your brain in a bubble bath.

[Olivia]

Oh, that sounds nice.

[Becca]

There's two sequels out to it so far. I think the series is gonna be five. So then there's the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore and the Christmas Tree Farm. I would say with pretty high certainty I will read the other two books before the end of the year when I'm stressed.

[Olivia]

How spicy? Cause I didn't realize, and I feel like that kind of adds a level to it that I think is good.

[Becca]

I would say two chili peppers.

[Olivia]

Okay, two chili peppers. Maybe I'll check this one out.

[Becca]

It was great. Like, nothing bad has ever happened in this town. Like, I don't think there are taxes. I don't think there's crime. I don't think, like, there's a police force. Like, there's no politics. There's a mayor who governs based on dreams he has. So, like, it is so low stakes in a way that I felt was really necessary.

[Olivia]

Good. I'm glad you had the escape.

[Becca]

So I read that, and it was great. And then I am currently reading I'm, like, 60% of the way through the Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V. E. Schwab. And this is one of the books that I'd put on my reading list for myself for my backlist fall that. It seems like a lot of people really love it, and I missed it. I am obsessed with this book. The fact that I did not cancel on us today so that I could read this book is a real testament to how much I want to see you always. But I am obsessed. Also, your mom has been dming me. She's obsessed with it.

[Olivia]

Really?

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Olivia]

She read this?

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Olivia]

I didn't even know that.

[Becca]

Well, she liked it because I really.

[Olivia]

Liked it, but we've never talked about it, so.

[Becca]

The book is about a woman in the 1700s who makes a packed with basically the devil that allows her to live forever, but nobody will remember her after she's out of their sight line. So, you know, it also comes with its challenges. She doesn't have any relationships with anyone. She's kind of just like a woman on her own. And I think that I didn't read this at the time because I expected it to be much more historical than it is. But it's two timelines. So one timeline is in 2014 in New York, and then one kind of goes throughout in the 1700s. And I don't know how far it goes yet. I am enjoying this so much.

[Olivia]

I'm glad. I remember liking this as well.

[Becca]

I'd heard from other people that it's too long and too slow. And I mean, I'm only 60% of the way through it so far, but I do not feel that way at all so far.

[Olivia]

Good. You're hitting it out of the park.

[Becca]

I am. I'm having a really good reading month. I'm having a bad month in other ways, as are we all, but I am having a great reading month.

[Olivia]

Good. I think I am, too, for the most part. I'm reading Blue Sisters right now, by the way. Oh, that is a. I can't wait to talk about.

[Becca]

That is a very Olivia mentor book.

[Olivia]

I'm obsessed with it. Like, I want to talk about it, but I'm going to wait till I'm done.

[Becca]

So if none of those appeal to you, we also have our November book club pick, which I think is also going to continue my excellent reading month. We're reading Be Ready when the Luck Happens by Ina Garten, which is her memoir, I did say last week. And a good reminder, it's nine hours on audio and she narrates it so it's included with your Spotify subscription. So if you wanna listen and join the book club, please do. And this is our last book club of the year because we're only doing two episodes in December, so we can take our annual holiday break. So please join us. I think the vibes for Thanksgiving are gonna be great. Take us home, Olivia.

[Olivia]

If you want to discuss any of this with us, leave your own gift suggestions. You can talk to us in the Facebook group, which is under Bat on Paper Podcast, or in our Geneva group under the same name. We're also on Instagram atonpaperpodcast. I am on Instagram liviamentor.

[Becca]

I'm on Instagram ecamfreeman. And we will see you next week for book club.

[Olivia]

Bye.