January 2025 Three Things

Summary

Podcast Summary: Bad On Paper – January 2025 Three Things

Released on January 15, 2025

Hosts: Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Title: January 2025 Three Things
Description: Join Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter every Wednesday for a dose of books and banter, along with interviews with women who inspire us.

---

1. Highs and Lows

Highs:

Becca’s High:
Becca shares her high for the week, expressing pride in taking a gentle start to the year. Despite taking nearly two weeks off, she felt unrefreshed upon returning to work. However, she wisely chose to take a half-week to focus on administrative tasks and household chores, which significantly improved her well-being.

"I'm really proud of myself that I was gentle about it and I wasn't like, just brute force, full steam ahead."
— Becca Freeman [02:29]

Olivia’s Highs:
Olivia recounts a rejuvenating six-day vacation in the British Virgin Islands with her partner, Jake. She highlights the luxury and simplicity of their stay, emphasizing the restorative impact of disconnecting from social media and external pressures. Additionally, Olivia celebrates the public announcement of her upcoming book, "Little One," set to release in 2026, marking a significant milestone in her writing journey.

"I've never in my life experienced a more comfortable bed. All the reviews said the bed's so great. I was like, it's a bed. How good can it be? It was pretty good. Heaven, heaven, heaven."
— Olivia Muenter [04:03]

Lows:

Olivia’s Low:
Olivia addresses the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, reflecting on the immediate and harrowing effects of climate change. She expresses deep concern and empathy for those affected, emphasizing the urgent need for collective action.

"The fires going on in LA are absolutely horrible, so seeing all of that has been really harrowing."
— Olivia Muenter [05:30]

Becca’s Low:
Becca discusses a frustrating experience with her health insurance. Due to an administrative error by the New York State marketplace, she found herself without coverage despite paying premiums. The ordeal involved numerous calls and assurances that left her stressed and anxious about potential gaps in her insurance.

"I have this health insurance clusterfuck is the word for it. So I currently don't have health insurance through an administrative error of the New York State."
— Becca Freeman [06:57]

2. Best of 2024

Olivia’s Best of 2024:

TV Shows & Movies:
Olivia ties her best TV show to "Shrinking" Season 2, appreciating its blend of humor and heartfelt moments.

"Shrinking Season 2... warm and fuzzy, hope for humanity and the beauty and pain of life."
— Olivia Muenter [15:01]

Songs:
Her favorite song of the year is "Right Back to It" by Waxahachie, which she listened to extensively upon its release.

"I'm really obsessed with a song called 'Right Back to It' by Waxahachie."
— Olivia Muenter [15:58]

Trips:
Olivia highlights her first-time visits to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago as her top trips, enjoying the unique experiences each city offered.

"Seeing Portland, Oregon for the first time and visiting Chicago for the very first time were both really cool experiences."
— Olivia Muenter [17:35]

Best Purchase:
She praises Cozy Earth bath towels for their luxurious feel and practicality, making her daily routines more enjoyable.

"I love having luxurious feeling, all matching white bath towels. So much. Like, I never run out anymore."
— Olivia Muenter [22:36]

Becca’s Best of 2024:

TV Shows & Movies:
Becca selects "The Diplomat" Season 2 and "Nobody Wants This," praising their engaging plots and standout performances.

"My first one is 'The Diplomat' season two... 'Nobody Wants This' just surprised me in the best possible way."
— Becca Freeman [14:09]

Songs:
Her top song is "The Bolter" by Taylor Swift, which she played repeatedly despite Spotify’s AI misattribution.

"I was like, there's no way that my top Taylor Swift song is not the Bolter."
— Becca Freeman [15:26]

Trips:
Becca fondly remembers her trip to Maine for the Lobster Roll Off, capturing a perfect blend of relaxation and local culture.

"My best trip was going to Maine for the Lobster Roll Off. Like, I anticipated that so much. It was so perfect."
— Becca Freeman [16:45]

Best Day:
She cites a serene day in Kennebunkport, Maine, filled with simple joys like beach outings and delightful dinners, as her best day of the year.

"It was like, can you believe this is real?"
— Becca Freeman [20:07]

Best Purchase:
Becca highlights her Cloud sneakers for their comfort and convenience, revolutionizing her daily footwear choices.

"I entered my slip-on sneaker era and man, this is... life changing in the most positive way."
— Becca Freeman [21:11]

3. 2025 Pop Culture Predictions

Becca’s Predictions:

1. Glen Powell’s Unexpected Girlfriend:
   Becca anticipates Glen Powell will debut an unexpected girlfriend, possibly someone older or non-celebrity, diverging from his previous high-profile relationships.

   "I think Glen Powell is going to debut an unexpected girlfriend... somebody that is not like, his last girlfriend, who was a model."
   — Becca Freeman [24:07]

2. Iowa Debris’s Rising Stardom:
   She predicts Iowa Debris will land a major casting role, elevating her career significantly beyond her current success.

   "I think she's gonna have a huge next-level moment."
   — Becca Freeman [25:23]

3. Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Potential Divorce:
   Becca speculates on persistent rumors leading to a possible divorce between Beyoncé and Jay-Z, potentially influencing Beyoncé’s artistic output.

   "I think that Beyonce and Jay Z are going to either separate or divorce."
   — Becca Freeman [25:58]

4. Revival of ACOTAR Adaptation:
   She foresees the revival of the "A Court of Thorns and Roses" adaptation, recognizing the franchise’s immense popularity.

   "It just makes sense to have an adaptation. And even though it's going to be really expensive to make... there's such a huge viewership for that."
   — Becca Freeman [27:17]

5. Euphoria Season Three Troubles:
   Becca predicts that "Euphoria" Season Three will face significant turmoil, possibly due to personal issues among cast members or behind-the-scenes conflicts.

   "I think that Euphoria season three is going to fall apart... in a very public and salacious way."
   — Becca Freeman [27:30]

Olivia’s Predictions:

1. Rom-Com Revival:
   Olivia envisions a romantic comedy in 2025 that revitalizes the genre, reminiscent of early 2000s classics but with a fresh twist.

   "I think that there is going to be a rom-com in 2025 that brings back the genre to early 2000."
   — Olivia Muenter [28:03]

2. Taylor Swift’s High-Profile Release:
   She predicts Taylor Swift will release new music tied to her personal life, possibly hinting at or reflecting her relationship with Travis Kelce.

   "Taylor Swift is going to drop music of some kind... people are going to be all over it."
   — Olivia Muenter [29:00]

3. Taylor Swift’s Excessive Merchandising:
   Olivia foresees backlash against Taylor Swift for overextending her merchandise offerings, leading to potential fan fatigue.

   "I feel she maybe does a little too much with the merch... there might be a merch decision at some point in the next year where people are like, this is too much."
   — Olivia Muenter [30:22]

4. Oscars Best Picture Surprise:
   Olivia dismisses the notion of "Wicked" winning Best Picture at the Oscars, despite its popularity.

   "I don't think it should be best Picture. Is that a hot take?"
   — Olivia Muenter [30:56]

5. Rise of Bennifer 3.0:
   She speculates on the potential reunion of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, hinting at recurring media fascination with their relationship.

   "Do you think we will see the rise of Bennifer 3.0?"
   — Olivia Muenter [32:17]

4. Book Recommendations and Vacation Reading

Olivia’s Recent Reads:

1. "The Most" by Jessica Anthony:
   A succinct literary fiction piece exploring a woman's crisis as a housewife and former athlete.

   "It's very good, very short. Not one of my favorites of the bunch, but it was still really great."
   — Olivia Muenter [61:51]

2. "Godshot" by Chelsea Beaker:
   A powerful narrative about a teenager and her mother's involvement with a religious leader during a severe drought.

   "It's super well written. Great cover."
   — Olivia Muenter [62:41]

3. "Seawife" by Amity Gage:
   Olivia highly praises this suspenseful and richly described story set in the Caribbean, revolving around a couple's sailing trip and underlying tensions.

   "It is so, so good. I have to read her back catalog."
   — Olivia Muenter [64:12]

4. "City of Nightbirds" by Juhaya Kim:
   A romance drama centered on ballerinas in Russia, recommended for its engaging portrayal of ballet life.

   "If you like ballet in any form, just go get this book."
   — Olivia Muenter [66:23]

5. "Rainbow Black" by Maggie Thrash:
   A thriller set in the 80s satanic panic era, focusing on a girl whose parents are wrongfully accused of child abuse.

   "It's so good. It's so powerful."
   — Olivia Muenter [64:31]

6. "Nightbitch" by Rachel Yoder:
   A darkly humorous exploration of motherhood and identity, where a mother believes she's turning into a dog.

   "It's very funny. Kind of like All Fours in some places."
   — Olivia Muenter [67:00]

Becca’s Recent Reads:

1. "Early 30s" by Josh Duboff:
   A complex portrayal of online personas and their impact on personal relationships, reminiscent of the HBO series "Girls."

   "It was an interesting reading experience... if any of those things I said clicked, I think it's worth reading."
   — Becca Freeman [69:35]

2. "Sunny Side Up" by Katie Storino:
   An upcoming romance about a plus-sized woman navigating post-divorce life and modern dating in New York City.

   "It's like, how it's like a very Sex and the City for a modern day."
   — Becca Freeman [73:46]

Vacation Reading Pick:

Both hosts delve into their current reading lists, sharing insights and personal connections to each book, enhancing listeners' literary exploration.

5. Organizational Systems and Microhabits

Becca’s Organizational System:

Becca introduces her new private reading journal using Notion, a versatile database tool. She highlights its benefits over public platforms like Goodreads, emphasizing privacy and detailed personal reflections.

"This is exactly the information. It's like so many times people DM me... I'm like, oh, I think this will be really helpful."
— Becca Freeman [44:14]

Olivia’s Microhabits:

Olivia discusses adopting microhabits to enhance daily productivity and well-being. She shares her goals of flossing regularly and making her bed every day to build a sense of accomplishment.

"It makes me feel so accomplished... and I think similar is making my bed, which I do every day."
— Olivia Muenter [49:28]

Becca’s Microhabits:

Becca shares her two microhabits: maintaining a five-year journal and preparing iced coffee in advance to reduce morning routines.

"I make a pot of coffee at a time and I keep it in an airtight carafe in my fridge for iced coffee."
— Becca Freeman [47:49]

6. Additional Discussions

Let Them Theory:
Becca introduces the "Let Them" theory from Mel Robbins' new book, discussing its principles on not letting others' opinions dictate one's life. Both hosts reflect on the importance of controlling one's own responses and maintaining personal boundaries.

"People's opinions of you don't matter. And I think that side of it is quite interesting and freeing."
— Becca Freeman [55:06]

Podcast Recommendations:
Becca recommends the "Stuff You Should Know" podcast as an engaging alternative to morning news, highlighting its informative yet calming content.

"It's almost like somebody reading you a Wikipedia page of like an incredibly obscure topic."
— Becca Freeman [51:29]

Book Club Announcement:
The hosts announce their January book club read, "Stolen Focus" by Johann Hari, aimed at addressing attention challenges and reducing screen time.

"We are reading 'Stolen Focus' by Johann Hari, which is a nonfiction book about why it is so hard to pay attention to anything these days."
— Becca Freeman [74:04]

7. Final Recommendations

Olivia’s Show Obsession:
Olivia raves about "Day of the Jackal" on Peacock, praising Eddie Redmayne's transformative performance and the show's captivating European settings.

"It's like a two-hander. So Eddie Redmayne is an elite assassin... he's fantastic in it."
— Olivia Muenter [60:12]

Becca’s Top Reads:
Becca emphasizes the exceptional quality of "Seawife," "Rainbow Black," and "Godshot," recommending them highly for their suspenseful storytelling and emotional depth.

"Seawife... it's so romantic, but also terrifying... it's fascinating."
— Olivia Muenter [64:31]

---

Notable Quotes

• "I really took time off and I felt like it worked. I do feel better."
  — Becca Freeman [02:29]

• "I've never in my life experienced a more comfortable bed."
  — Olivia Muenter [04:03]

• "Health insurance is so complicated in this country."
  — Olivia Muenter [09:24]

• "I just think there's going to be one that does it differently and really just makes a big impact."
  — Olivia Muenter [28:03]

• "This is exact the information... if you just want to make like, you don't even have to put notes."
  — Becca Freeman [44:14]

• "Let them do whatever and then you can choose if you want to still see that person."
  — Becca Freeman [56:18]

---

Conclusion

In this episode of Bad On Paper, Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter offer a heartfelt exploration of their personal highs and lows, insightful pop culture predictions for 2025, and a wealth of book recommendations. Their candid discussions on organizational systems and microhabits provide valuable takeaways for listeners seeking to enhance their daily lives. The hosts foster a supportive community atmosphere, encouraging engagement through their book club and social media channels. Whether you're catching up on the latest in TV, music, literature, or personal growth strategies, this episode delivers a rich and engaging experience for both regular listeners and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[A]

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

[B]

And I'm Becca Freeman.

[A]

And today we have a three Things episode. We haven't done one of these in a little bit, so I'm looking forward to it.

[B]

Have your three things muscles atrophied? Are you overflowing with things?

[A]

No, I had a really difficult time thinking of things. Like, I. I think I came up with a good mix. But is it my finest work? I don't know, but I'm excited to hear yours.

[B]

I can't wait. Well, let's do some highs and lows and then get into the things.

[A]

What's your high?

[B]

My high is just that I'm having a really gentle start the year in the best possible way. I came into Monday, the first full week of the year, and I just. I didn't feel refreshed. Despite having taken almost two full weeks off. The only thing I did in there was I recorded a podcast. So I really took time off and I felt like I had a good mix of just relaxing and social things and I didn't come into the year refreshed. And so I'm still waiting on feedback on my book. And so I'd planned to start working on this other kind of side project I have going that I think might be my book three. And on Monday, I was kind of like, this is made up, busy work. Nobody is waiting for this. Nobody has asked you for this. Like, if you don't feel refreshed, just don't do it this week. Because I think there's also some aspect of, like, performing work that I don't want anyone to think I don't work hard enough and that I need to be at my desk and I need to be working because that's what it would be if I had a 9 to 5 job. And I'm so lucky that I work for myself that I need to, I don't know, perform work. So anyway, I just was like, what gymnastics am I doing in my head? I was like, just don't do it. And so I took like a half week. I did newsletter stuff, I did a bunch of admin stuff, took down my Christmas tree, I cleaned the house. I like, I did stuff, but I didn't write. And I. I do feel like it's worked. I do feel better. It's Friday now. I do feel much better than I did on Monday, so. And I'm really proud of myself that I was gentle about it and I wasn't like, just brute force, full steam ahead.

[A]

Yeah, that's Great. I'm glad. I think it's hard with writing too, when it is like a hobby for so many people and like a hobby for us. You know, we like to journal, we like to do newsletters, whatever. Obviously that's work. But I think it's hard to then convince yourself that you need a break from it, you know, because you're like, oh, this shouldn't be so much effort. I can just do it for an hour or two. I don't have to take a full day. But really having the mental break I think is really helpful.

[B]

Yeah, it's been really nice. So I'm feeling good. How about you? I want to hear all about your high. You have two exciting highs.

[A]

Oh, yes. I had a really nice week. Jake and I went to the British Virgin Islands for a vacation for six days and I truly did nothing. Like I didn't speak to people other than Jake. I slept like 10 hours a night. I drank various beverages and I read books and hung out with Jake and that was literally all I did. It was great.

[B]

I'm in the house.

[A]

I didn't wear makeup, I didn't do my hair. I had a couple cute outfits, but nothing like, you know, worthy of sharing. It was just. I barely went on Instagram, which I actually think it's like the first vacation I've had in my adult life that I wasn't like packaging it all for content. And that felt really nice. It was just, it was very, very refreshing and restorative. So that was great.

[B]

It seems like it was the beach vacation of my 2025 goal episode Dreams. It looked phenomenal.

[A]

Honestly, I cannot recommend the place we went enough. It's called the Hideout. It was in Joost Van Dyke. There's nothing there but that. I just need to say that bed. I have never in my life experienced a more comfortable bed. All the reviews said the bed's so great. I was like, it's a bed. How good can it be? It was pretty good. Heaven, heaven, heaven. Just highly air conditioned villa overlooking the ocean. You can see it from your bed. That's all I need in this life. It was great.

[B]

You don't need to really sell me more. I already have the website up on my browser.

[A]

It's wonderful.

[B]

But what about your other high?

[A]

Oh, and then my secondary high is on the last day. I was finally able to share the announcement for my book Little One, which comes out in 2026. So I talked about it on the last episode a bit in our goals episode, but it was the first time Sharing with the wider world. And I've been waiting for so many weeks and months. So it was just really. It was really nice. It made it feel very real in a way that it hasn't yet. So, yeah, I'm just. I'm feeling good.

[B]

I was scrolling through the comments. Not to be a creep, but everyone's so excited for you. I'm so excited for you.

[A]

Thanks. Yeah, I don't know, I kind of was like, oh, maybe people won't care as much. Or maybe people were excited for the first one and they didn't like it and now they're not going to be excited. But everyone was very supportive and kind and, like, I appreciate it so much.

[B]

What about on the low side?

[A]

I mean, I don't. I don't really have a low. I mean, on a serious note, obviously the fires going on in LA are absolutely horrible, so seeing all of that has been really harrowing. And just thinking about climate change in a very immediate way that I probably should be thinking about more. Yeah, I mean, kind of a serious low, but I think that's for all of us.

[B]

Oh, absolutely. I've been absolutely glued to it and it feels so unfathomable for me as somebody who's never lived in a place that has a wildfire threat, I just cannot imagine one day living your normal life and the next day having your house burned down. Like, I just. Oh, my God, my heart breaks for all of these people. And I've said on Instagram, I'll keep saying it. If there's anyone who is a listener who has been directly affected by these fires, whether it's you've had to evacuate and that has been a resource challenge, or you've lost your house, I hope that's not the case. But please do get in touch with us. I would love to rally our community for you if that is the case. If not, I'm donating other places as well, but please do let us know. Standing offer. I've posted it on Instagram and on Geneva, but I understand that if you are going through this, being on Geneva is probably not your first priority. So standing offer.

[A]

Yeah, definitely. Well, what is your low that's going on in your immediate life?

[B]

Oh, my gosh. So my low that's happening in my immediate life is I am having this health insurance clusterfuck is the word for it. So I currently don't have health insurance through an administrative error of the New York State.

[A]

This is what we're talking about in Portland a little bit. Yes, yes. Oh, gosh. Oh, okay. So frustrating. Go on.

[B]

So the whole story is that last year I have my health insurance through the New York State marketplace because I work for myself. And when I got the notice to renew my health insurance in November, when I went to do it, there was something wrong with it. And I ended up needing to call the help number. And it turned out that through some administrative error, I had two policies, even though I was only paying for one, and I wasn't even eligible for the other one because it was a policy for people who. It was like a free policy for people below the poverty line. And I'm not eligible for it. I shouldn't have been enrolled in it. I didn't know I was enrolled in it. I didn't do it. And so I cannot even tell you the amount of time I spent on hold and calling New York State, calling my health insurance provider, kind of just like going in circles with them. And I was assured, assured that everything was fine. And then on January 6, I had a doctor's appointment. And on the Friday before, I got a call from the doctor's office, and they were like, hey, just confirming your appointment for Monday. Also, if you can get us a new insurance card. Your insurance seems to have an issue. And I go online, I don't have insurance. So now it has opened up a whole nother rigmarole of calling different places. And it seems. It's really frustrating to me because it's like, it's not my fault. And it's just like a pass the buck situation where the New York is, like, it's the health insurance's fault. And, like, the health insurance is like, we didn't get paperwork for this. It's New York's fault. And I'm like, okay, I don't care whose fault it is. It will obviously all get rectified. I recognize that. Like, it's annoying and it sucks, but it will get rectified and it will get backdated. So I should have insurance as of January 1st. And if anything were to happen, it will be annoying, but fine. But I'm so steamed up over this dumb administrative snafu I'm in.

[A]

I, for the life of me cannot understand why health insurance is so complicated in this country.

[B]

Health insurance and taxes are two systems.

[A]

Get it? Like, let's make it make sense and make it work for people, for God's sake. Like, it's, oh, what a nightmare. I'm sorry you're going through that. That's so incredibly stressful.

[B]

The other thing is that they've billed me for it. My health insurance this year is $995 a month, so I've already paid them $1,000 that they've collected.

[A]

Do you get that back?

[B]

I mean, so far? No. I just want the insurance.

[A]

Oh my God. That's so much money.

[B]

So much money.

[A]

That's very stressful. I'm sorry. So fingers crossed it fixes itself soon.

[B]

I hope so. I'm not dealing with it today because I can't handle the waiting on hold. So I'm hoping that by Monday it's either resolved itself or if not, I have to get back on the phone with them.

[A]

That's the worst. You just call people and then you're on hold and then it's just the worst.

[B]

The worst.

[A]

Well, let's take a quick ad break and then we'll get into these things.

[B]

This episode is brought to you by Quints. Right before the holidays, I did a massive closet clean out and I got rid of a bunch of things that I haven't worn in forever or that don't fit. And now that I've made some room, I'm thinking about how to fill in the gaps in my wardrobe with high quality basics. Like, this is the grimmest time of the year weather wise. I don't want flashy going out pieces. I want quality staples that I'll wear over and over again. And that's where Quince comes in.

[A]

Quince is probably best known for their Mongolian cashmere sweater that costs just $50. I know Becca has one and has raved about the quality and you just cannot beat that price for very nice cashmere. But I didn't realize that they also have activewear on quints. And I shared last week that one of my goals in 2025 is to get back into a regular workout routine and go on walks with Winnie every day. So I've been really eyeing their moisture wicking power up bras and their leggings. Cause I am always in the market for high quality loungewear slash workout wear.

[B]

However you choose to refresh your closet this year, all Quince pieces are priced between 50 and 80% less than similar brands. They're able to do this by partnering directly with top factories and cutting out the cost of the middleman and then passing that savings on to you. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing processes. And I'll tell you that I've been so impressed with the quality of everything I've tried. As Olivia said, I love my cashmere sweater. I'm obsessed like, weirdly obsessed with this pack of Bralettes that I got from them. And then I also recently got a belch from them. And the leather quality is so good.

[A]

Upgrade your closet this year without the upgraded price tag. Go to Quince.com BoP for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q-U I N C-E.com BoP ticket to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com BoP.

[B]

All right, Olivia, I feel like you should go first because you have a 2024 thing.

[A]

It's true.

[B]

Yes. And then I have a 2025 thing.

[A]

Oh, that's exciting. All right. Okay. So my first thing is I wanted to do a little rapid fire best of 2024 because I realized we did a best of 2023 episode last year, which I thought was really fun, but we can do a mini version here. And I want to hear some of your best pop culture life moments picks, you know, share the good news with the people, I guess.

[B]

Yeah. The way that the Wednesdays fell in December, I feel like there was one less this year or in 2024 than there was in previous years.

[A]

We get to do a shorter version now, so. So it'll be lovely. Okay. We'll start simple.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

First, can you tell me your best TV show or movie or one of both, if you have them. But I thought I'd make it a little bit easier and give you either option.

[B]

Okay. So you did prep me for all of this. So I've brainstormed. I couldn't narrow it down to one TV show, so I have a tie between two. So my first one is the Diplomat season two, which, I mean, good track record because The Diplomat season one, I think, was my favorite TV show in 2023.

[A]

So good.

[B]

Oh, my God, it's so good. And then my second one is Nobody Wants this, which just so surprised me in the best possible. Like a chemistry bomb.

[A]

I heard that song from the credit or like the main title page of the show play, like, out of context the other day on Spotify.

[B]

And I was like, is Adam Brody here?

[A]

What is this? What is happening? Is someone about to kiss me? It's fine. It's so good.

[B]

What about you?

[A]

My. I think Best TV is tied between shrinking Season 2.

[B]

That's what I would have guessed.

[A]

And disclaimer.

[B]

Yeah, not disclaimer, but I would have guessed shrinking.

[A]

Very different vibes. The two sides of me. The warm and fuzzy, hope for humanity and the beauty and pain of life. And also Just dark.

[B]

So we have both Olivia mentor in a nutshell, pretty much.

[A]

What about your best song of 2024?

[B]

I think the song I was most obsessed with and probably played the most was the Bolter by Taylor Swift. Deep cut from that album.

[A]

Did you do your Spotify rapped. Were you, like, the point Whatever percent of people that played that song the most or you played it more than whatever percent of people?

[B]

I mean, I was very high up in the percent of fans of Taylor Swift. But did you see all of that discourse around how Spotify used AI for their raps and it wasn't right. So it said my top Taylor Swift song was I'm Gonna get yout Back, which I like and is on a playlist that I have. But sometimes I just listen to the Bolter on repeat. Like just that one song. I was like, there's no way that my top Taylor Swift song is not the Bolter.

[A]

Oh, that's interesting. Mine was. I feel mine was accurate because mine said, you're in the point.01% of the top listeners of who's Afraid of Little Old Me? And I was like, yes, I am. I feel that in my body that that is true.

[B]

Is that your top song?

[A]

That's very close. I actually didn't put that one when I was listening these, but I would say that one. Or I'm really obsessed with a song called Right Back to It by Waxahachie, which I listened to hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times when it came out, so. And also, weirdly Humble Brag, also on Obama's Top Songs of the Year. Wow. So he and I.

[B]

Just another thing that you and Barry have in the Venn diagram. It's getting uncanny.

[A]

We're very similar people. Anyway, what was your best trip of 2024?

[B]

Well, so this was interesting to brainstorm on because I had two international trips last year, which were definitely the most expensive trips I went on. I went to Rome and then I went to Dublin and London for the ERAS tour. But I think that my best trip was going to Maine for the Lobster Roll Off. Like, I anticipated that so much. It was so perfect. It was great.

[A]

That's awesome. I mean, you can't go wrong with Maine, really, ever.

[B]

You can't. What about you? What was your best trip?

[A]

This was hard for me, too. I traveled a lot domestically this year, which I don't usually. So I think my best trip is a tie between all the places that I went to for the first time. Specifically, I really liked Portland. Our trip to Portland. I loved Seeing the city so much. Good food bookstores.

[B]

Portland, Oregon.

[A]

Chicago for the first time. Yes, Portland, Oregon. I also went to Portland, Maine, but I've been there.

[B]

I was going to say I wasn't sure because you had a book tour stop in Portland, Maine.

[A]

No, actually, fun fact that I think about all the time about my trip to Portland, Maine, is that a little behind the scenes. My book was on submission to be sold while I was there. And I was so unbelievably stressed out that at one point I was walking the streets of Portland crying hysterically. No, with Jake. Snot was like rolling down my face. Because it's a very like high stress moment. Anyway, so someone stopped me and they're like, I'm a bad on paper listener. And I was like, I didn't know if they could tell I was crying or not, but if that's you, I was. And now you know why. I was like, oh my God, they're gonna think I'm fighting with Jake. Or that I'm like really emotionally unstable. Anyway, I love when people say hi, but in that moment, I always think about that person. I'm like, I wonder if they knew that I was really emotionally unwell. But anyway, love Portland. Both Portlands. But seeing Portland, Oregon for the first time and visiting Chicago for the very first time were both really cool experiences. So. Oh yeah, I'll go with those.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah. My first Chicago trip. Well, this is kind of a hard one, but do you have a best day of 2024 that comes to mind?

[B]

This is really hard. And I went through my calendar. I like went through the weeks trying to be like, okay, what moments might it have been? And I was having trouble coming up with one. And I have this list in my notes app that is just called. I think it's just called Moments of Awe. And I want to do a better job at keeping up on it. But to just have like a list of things that it's like I saw, I did and I just, I felt awe. And so I went to that list and one of the things in it was I. I mean, this is. It feels like cheating. Cause I just said Maine. But we took this little trip within a trip and we went to Kennebunkport and we stayed at the Yachtsman Hotel and it was right on the marina and it had like the prettiest view. It had two Adironak chairs out back. One day we like took Ruby to the beach for the first time. There's like the cutest little downtown area. Like one night we like, went and got lobster rolls and brought them back to the Adirondack chairs and like, had wine and played Uno and like, it was so lovely. And I just remember looking over, I was with my friend Molly and I just remember looking over at her multiple times during that day and being like, can you believe this is real?

[A]

Oh, I love days like that, or trips like that, moments like that in places. That's so nice.

[B]

So that's what I'm gonna go with as my best day. But I, I feel like I should do better record keeping.

[A]

It's hard if you don't have like a single huge whatever thing. It's a hard question. I remember this was a tricky1 in 2023 for me to answer. I was like, I have no idea.

[B]

What is it for 2024?

[A]

I mean, I think I have to say when such a bad influence came out, which actually surprised me because I wasn't sure what that day would feel like. But that day of going to see my book in a store, I was in New York City and my family were there. We had a really nice dinner, saw you, got drinks. It was just a really, it was a really good day.

[B]

Oh, I'm so, I'm so happy that that day ended up being your top day. Not only because I'm in it, but just like the experience of your book coming out was positive.

[A]

Yeah, it was a really special, special moment in my life. What about best purchase?

[B]

Okay, I narrowed it down to three. This is hard. I narrowed it down three.

[A]

This is a tough one. Okay, I'm really, really dying to know.

[B]

Okay, so the first one I would say is I got on cloud sneakers and it's not about the sneakers so much, but the fact that they are slip on sneakers. And I entered my slip on sneaker era and man, this is.

[A]

I want some so bad.

[B]

So life changing in the most positive way.

[A]

I love that.

[B]

So, yeah, those sneakers. The second one is, I can't even remember the brand, but it's this like kind of weird beaded necklace. I wore it all summer. It's in like every photo I'm in. It's like different shaped beads. But that necklace, which I really waffled on because it was expensive, but God, I loved it. And then I remembered because I looked back through our past obsessions in our outline to try to figure out what this might be.

[A]

That's smart.

[B]

And I had forgotten about this, but I realized that I got a new Kindle last year and I have switched over to doing so much reading on Kindle. Now that I have it, because my old one. Well, so first of all, the new one's a paper white, so I can read it outside and in different light settings. And then also my old one, it would only charge if you leaned it on something at the exact right angle. So it was never charged. And always a pain in the butt to charge because it was so old. So, yeah, having a new one that actually works has been pretty game changing.

[A]

Oh, good. I just charged my Kindle. I think it's. It's. The battery is lasting not as long, so I might be right behind you.

[B]

What would you say your best purchase of 2024 is?

[A]

This is a tough one. Right off the bat, I'm going to have to say the cozy earth bath towels.

[B]

Oh, I. Oh, my blanket. My blanket is also a dark horse. Like, that could be it too.

[A]

Yeah. I love having, like, luxurious feeling. All matching white bath towels. So much. Like, I never run out anymore. I never get the last bath towel. That's like some weird gray monstrosity with holes in it that I've had since college. Like, they're just all nice. It's lovely. I put them on the radiator when I'm in the shower. So then I get out and it's all warm. They're great. I'll go with that. I'll stick with that.

[B]

Okay. Any other categories for us?

[A]

I think that's it. Those are the only ones I had. Did you have any best of's that you wanted to throw out there to discuss before we move on to the next thing?

[B]

No. I feel like I feel satiated.

[A]

I'm glad. I think it was a good mix.

[B]

Can we move into my 2025 thing?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So I sent you a text about this. I gave you a chance to prepare for this.

[A]

Yes. I did some research on this. I've been thinking. Yes, go on.

[B]

Okay. I have been seeing 2025 pop culture predictions on various people's Instagrams, and I think this is so fun. And so I thought it would be fun if we came up with some of our own 2025 pop culture predictions. We could even check back at the end of the year to see if any of them happened. I have six.

[A]

You have six. Okay. You have so many more than me. I want you to go first.

[B]

I really want me to go first. Okay.

[A]

Yes, I do.

[B]

My first one is that I think Glen Powell, friend of the pod, is going to debut an unexpected girlfriend. And I'm curious what vein this is in. Like, I think it could be on the one hand, maybe it's someone older, or it could be somebody who's normal, who's not famous. Like, just somebody that is not. Like, his last girlfriend, I think, was a model. Like, somebody that is a little bit more interesting.

[A]

So, like, okay, yes.

[B]

Like, I don't think he's gonna date Jennifer Aniston, but if he all of a sudden was, like, dating Jennifer Aniston, who's much older than him, I would be like, huh.

[A]

I could see older for sure.

[B]

Yeah. Like a head scratcher type. Not obvious, just, like, young model.

[A]

Yes. This feels right.

[B]

Okay, so that's my first one. My second one is, I think that Iowa Debris is gonna get cast in something really big. Like, she's obviously not gonna become the next James Bond because that's gonna be a British man. But, like, something really big I think she's gonna get. I mean, I think she already has broken out in the Bear, but I think that, like, I don't know, like, everyone loves her so much. She's such a talented actress. I feel like her styling for red carpet and press is so great. Like, I just feel like she's gonna have, like, a huge next level moment.

[A]

Yeah, it feels that way for sure.

[B]

Yeah. My next one is that I don't want to jinx them, but, like, I think that Beyonce and Jay Z are going to either separate or divorce. I feel like there have been so many rumors for so long about. I think there's a lot of persistent rumors that she's hooking up with her bodyguard or something, and I think he's gonna get dragged into the Diddy trial, and it's gonna be like, if they're already on the rocks, that I feel like she's gonna. And he then is not good for her image. I feel like they're gonna divorce. So I think that. And then I think depending on when it happens in the year, this might be into 2026. Then I think we'll get a big visual album from her.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that feels right.

[B]

Yeah. But that might go into 2026, depending on when the divorce happens. This one's really generic, but I do think that the Diddy trial is going to bring down somebody huge and unexpected. I think there's the people who are kind of in this chatter of the Ashton Kutchers, the Jay Z's, who it's like, yes, if they get dragged into this, we will not be shocked, but I think there's gonna be someone truly shocking, and I don't know who it would be.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

My fifth One, I think the ACOTAR adaptation is gonna get revived. So before Acotar, like, blew up on TikTok, there was an adaptation in the works at Hulu, and there were a lot of rumors that Sadie Sink was gonna be Feyre. And I don't know how far along it got. Like, I do think there was casting, but I don't think they filmed anything. And then it kind of just got, like, abruptly killed. The same thing happened a bunch with there was an adaptation of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. But I feel like that piece of IP has just reached such a fever pitch level that, like, if Hulu doesn't revive it, someone will buy it off of them for just, like, buckets and buckets of money.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, it just makes sense to have an adaptation. And even though it's going to be really expensive to make because it's like a fantasy world, like, there's such a huge view viewership for that.

[A]

Oh, yeah. I mean, it will happen. Just a question of when.

[B]

Yeah. And then my last. My sixth pop culture prediction is I think that Euphoria season three is going to fall apart. I don't know, like, maybe Zendaya gets pregnant. Maybe there's, like, I've heard some not so savory gossip drama around Jacob Elordi. So, like, maybe something there. There's also a lot of negative stuff around the showrunner, writer, director guy. So, yeah, I think that's gonna, like, fall apart. I think it's gonna be fall apart in a very, like, public and salacious way.

[A]

Wow, these are specific.

[B]

Well, I just started coming up with them and I was like, I need some. I need a venue to talk about this.

[A]

You're good at this. I appreciate it. You actually inspired me to listen to another podcast that was all pop culture predictions, which kind of got my brain going a little bit.

[B]

What have you come up with?

[A]

Okay, so my first one is kind of boring, but I think that there is going to be a rom com in 2025 that brings back the genre to early 2000. I think it's just gonna be one, and I think it's not gonna be a trend, but I just think there's gonna be one that does it differently and really just makes a big impact. Kind of like nobody wants this but movie form.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Where it just, like, forms for whatever reason, everyone's into it. Which I think that's what that Glenn Powell, Sydney Sweeney movie was trying to do, but didn't. For whatever reason. Probably because they're not attractive enough. I think that Was really. It just terrible to look at as a pair.

[B]

Sorry, friend of the pot.

[A]

Yeah, sorry. He's really hurt. My next prediction, I think Taylor Swift is going to drop music of some kind. And I think within that music there's going to be something that convinces people that her and Travis Kelce. This could go one of two ways, that her and Travis Kelce are already engaged slash, getting married, have been married or have broken up. That's what I think. I think they're going to go quiet for like two months. Then she's going to drop a song or an album or something and people are going to be all over it. That's my theory.

[B]

I feel like this was a big topic of pop culture predictions.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I mean, it's the first place my mind went to is like, are they getting married? Are they breaking up? But my other Taylor Swift prediction, I feel like I could get some heat for this, but I feel she maybe does a little too much with the merch. Like you have more money than any human being on earth. I think we can chill with the merch and the special editions and the getting people to fork over cash left and right. I've seen a little bit of pushback to this online. I don't know. I mean, I love her dearly, as everyone here knows, but I just think there might be a merch decision at some point in the next year where people are like, this is too much.

[B]

I can see that. I mean, especially if she puts out a new album. And whenever she puts out an album, there's like the nine different colors of the same album with the liner. That's what I'm talking about. And like, yeah.

[A]

Yes. And then finally, I actually have a question for you about a pop culture prediction I heard Talked about on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour where one of the hosts made a prediction that the Oscars would give best Picture to Wicked because they would take box office into account for once. Kind of like the Grammys does.

[B]

I don't think so.

[A]

My instinct is no as well. And that I think there will be a lot of people upset about it, but I don't think it should be best Picture. Is that a hot take? Actually, here's a hot take. I liked Wicked. I didn't love it.

[B]

Same. I watched it on Sunday night. I think it was too long. I think it was a kids movie. It was like if you were a 12 year old girl. I'm like, I get why you're feral for this. I do not get why adults Are so gaga over this. Like, I thought the sets are cool. I thought the vocal performance especially of Defying Gravity was great. I thought Jonathan Bailey was fantastic. It was a three hour long kids movie and I was like, I do not understand the fanfare.

[A]

I understand if you are a wicked person and this is your culture. You've watched every live performance, you've been to all the plays, you saw the original cast, whatever. But this is bigger than that. And it's the. That I don't quite get. Like, if you're not a musical theater person, suddenly wicked is your whole personal. I'm like, I'm a bit confused. Also the press store, I just, I. It makes me laugh a little bit, the whole thing.

[B]

Yeah, I hear you. Well, I actually have a question back to you about a pop culture prediction. Do you think we will see the rise of bennifer 3.0?

[A]

Like they're going to get back together?

[B]

I have seen, I've seen a lot that on a lot of lists.

[A]

Listen, if your close friend of Jennifer Lopez, I need you to stage an intervention. This cannot happen. This.

[B]

She loves the drama.

[A]

I know. I can't support that for her. It just seems like I look at his face and I see misery. Be free. Be happy. Be happy. I would however, watch a documentary about their relationship. Oh sure. If she wants to fully put it out there, I will watch that. Before I watched her like Million Dollar this is me now or whatever she did. Yes, this is me now. I hope she's happy. That's all. Do you?

[B]

I don't know. I could see it happening again. I think they. There was like they were spotted right after Christmas having lunch or something. I don't know. But then I also saw that she. Apparently she's a very big Yellowstone fan and she orchestrated a lunch between herself and. And Kevin Costner. Kevin Costner, right. And so now people are like, is she gonna date Kevin Costner?

[A]

I actually like that for her.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

You don't?

[B]

I don't know enough about outside of the Bodyguard. I really, I'm not a Yellowstone person. I don't know.

[A]

That's fair.

[B]

So, yeah, I'm excited to see if any of these come true. I feel like people will tell us like we'll circle back to them in the Geneva group if any of them happen.

[A]

Oh wait, I have one more actually.

[B]

Okay, tell me.

[A]

Okay, I have one more. And I. I'm not wishing this. I just feel it is going to happen. And your Jacob Elordi thing reminded me, I think One of the like, it guys that's like the it Young Gen Z who.

[B]

A new one. Hammer.

[A]

Jacob Elordi, I think. Yes. That Timothy. Not Tim. He seems. Timmy seems nice, but I just get the vibe. Also, I saw that Timothee Chalamet went on Theo Vaughn's podcast, and I was like, that's an interesting choice that you've made. Anyway, I just think that one of them in that world, I think something will happen. Okay, maybe not cannibalism, but sure. But something.

[B]

But like that level of like we didn't know this about you. Yeah.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. Moving on. Tell me your next thing.

[A]

My next thing is in the book world. I wanted to briefly talk about the fact that Jenna Bush launched an imprint with Random House and the implications of that, given that she has her book club and how. I think it's interesting that she said that there's not gonna be overlap, that she's gonna run them separately. Does that seem complicated to you? Cause to me that seems very complicated to pull off. Slash, what do you think about this whole thing?

[B]

I don't know. I've only seen it very briefly in Instagram clips. I follow her on Instagram. And so I saw the announcement, and then it looked like from the COVID that the first book was maybe kind of like a romantasy type book. Is that correct?

[A]

Yes, it's a post apocalyptic romance.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

In that realm that feels very outside.

[B]

Of the genre of her book club. Because I think of her book club as, like, very much on the cusp between contemporary and literary fiction. So maybe if she's just doing like, things that are so outside of the wheelhouse, where it's like, this lets me elevate these other genres that we would never pick for the book club. Does the imprint have a mission statement or what is it supposed to be?

[A]

So essentially, in terms of genre at least, she said that she's doing all different types. So literary fiction, romance, fantasy, romantasy. And so to your point, maybe it's that, like, the Jenna's book club pick wouldn't be a romantasy, but it would be maybe the literary fiction thing in her imprint or the. Whatever. I forget the other ones listed one that's more the upmarket sort of in between. I'm not sure. I just. I find it hard to wrap my head around how you would run them differently and then also still have overlap sometimes. Like, I imagine it would just get very complicated. But I was thinking that we should have predicted this.

[B]

It actually surprises me that Reese Witherspoon doesn't have an imprint somewhere because she doesn't have the tie into the Today show, which I think makes it a little different for Jenna Bush's. But I feel like Reese Witherspoon runs hers as an IP acquisition pipeline so she could get in from the very first step of discovering the books that she then wants to be. Reese's Book Club's picks that she then wants to adapt into movies. That makes a ton of sense. I wonder if this is also Jenna Bush creating her own succession plan after she leaves the Today show of like, then she'll have this imprint. And I don't know if she has a production company currently or if she wants to kind of go into that hello sunshine type world.

[A]

Yeah, it's very interesting. I was gonna ask you if you think Rhys will start one, but I feel like she doesn't have to.

[B]

Yeah, I'm kind of shocked that she hasn't. And she's had ample opportunity if she wanted to.

[A]

It seems like a very lengthy process to get the whole thing started. But I do always love Jenna's book club picks, so I am very curious to read some of these books. And also I love a post apocalyptic story a lot. So I didn't really like. Did you see the COVID of the first one they chose?

[B]

Yeah, it felt.

[A]

I don't know, I was just like, I was expecting something flashier for this first book, but it's apparently a trilogy within a trilogy, which I have trouble wrapping my brain around conceptually. But it sounds cool. So we'll see, I guess.

[B]

Do you want to know an interesting side fact?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So I did a crowdsourced poll on my newsletter for the best books of 2024 and like 950 some odd people submitted just their top book that came out in 2024. And of the top 10, four of them were National Book Club picks. They were all read with Jenna picks. None of like, Reese's picks, Oprah's picks, GMA's picks were on the list. So I also feel like Jenna is like most consistently picking books that.

[A]

Crowd pleasers.

[B]

Yeah, crowd pleasers. Books that go viral. And, you know, maybe it's that the other book clubs are trying to pick more obscure books as opposed to like, more mainstream books. I don't know, but I thought that was really interesting.

[A]

That's fascinating. It's very interesting. Although it makes sense to me, I guess, if I'd have to pick like, I think hers are the most consistently, like, I mean, I think the Wedding People was hers.

[B]

Yeah, she had blue Sisters, real Americans, all the colors of the dark, and the wedding people from my crowdsourced top 10 list.

[A]

Yeah. Wow. Well, she's doing something right. That's for sure.

[B]

Yeah. Why don't we take another ad break and then get into our final three things?

[A]

We have a new sponsor this week, and it's Wayfair. And I couldn't be more excited because I am two years into renovating and decorating our first house, and I have really gotten a crash course in the furniture market. It is not easy to thoughtfully design a house, let me tell you. And as I shared last week, one of our goals this year is to fill in a bunch of the gaps that we have in terms of furniture and to find the perfect pieces to finish off certain rooms. And you better believe that I am looking to Wayfair to do some of that. They have literally everything that you would need, and it's all within your budget.

[B]

I feel like Wayfair is the place you go when you have something incredibly spacious, specific that you need. Like, you don't just need dining room chairs. You need orange dining room chairs and a boucle fabric or something. Like, you need an entryway table that is hyper specific measurements. They have an enormous selection, but what I really appreciate is that they have great filters on their site to get down to exactly what you want. And then you can also sort by price. So it's not like going to other sites where it's like, yeah, you can find what you want, but it's going to cost you a million dollars.

[A]

And right now I'm really trying to find seating for our library to, like, go around the fire. Cause I want it to feel cozy and comfortable, but then have options to seat multiple people. So I'm looking for very specific fabrics and materials and shapes. Anyway, it's really easy to search Wayfair, get inspiration, compare different options. And I also appreciate that they have free and easy delivery, even on the big stuff, which is just not the norm for other retailers.

[B]

Wayfair has something for every style in every home. No matter your space or budget. Give your home the refresh it needs with wayfair. Head to wayfair.com right now. That's W A Y-F-A-I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home.

[A]

What is your next thing?

[B]

So my next thing is a new organizational system I'm putting in place for myself. I decided that I'm switching up how I do my book tracking this year. So I think my public breakup with Goodreads has been a long time coming. I obviously wanna track what I read because then I can remember what I read. But I don't wanna do it publicly anymore. I feel like I obviously wanna amplify books I love and shout from the rooftops, but I just don't feel comfortable being like, I read this book and it sucked. I don't know. It's like, these are my coworkers. I don't want to trash them publicly. And also, I know how hard it is to write a book. So I've been kind of struggling. In the second half of last year, I was kind of tracking everything in a spreadsheet, but I don't really like it because I like the visual element. I also like having all of the metadata of, like, the description and, you know, all of that stuff. So I happened to stumble on on substack. It's on this publication called beyond the Page. And this person, her name is Kim Shared. The post is called My Portable Reading Journal for Remembering Everything I've Read. And she has a notion template. Are you familiar with Notion?

[A]

I've heard of it, yeah.

[B]

I was not. I guess it's like it's kind of a database organization system. I gather that it might be popular for college students taking notes because you can have references to different things within it or other people use it for content planning, calendars or budgeting trackers, things like that. So anyway, it's this template that she has in notion, and I love it. I set it up probably the week before Christmas. So I've been using it for about three weeks now. First of all, I find it really easy to use. You have to upload the image of the book yourself. You have to copy and paste in the description. But I'm like, this is all the information that I want to have handy. I like that it's visual. And then the other thing that it forces me to do or not forces me, but for each book there's kind of prompts to fill in. So it's like, why I read the book, a synopsis of the book that I just copy, paste from the COVID copy what I liked, what I didn't like, other books, topics or media. I thought of while reading this book, what I felt when I finished this book. There's also a space where you can like record quotes, words you learned from the book. I'm like, oh, this is exactly the information. It's like so many times people DM me and they're like, what did you think of Acotar? And I'm like, I don't know. I read it in 2019. Like, I can't remember anything specific about it other than, like, I liked it. So having a private place to write down, like, more detailed notes about it, I'm like, oh, I think this will be really helpful to refer back to if people are asking me when I think about things or just, like, even remembering for myself about certain things.

[A]

That's really interesting.

[B]

I'm obsessed.

[A]

So, like, how long does it take you to fill everything in for one book?

[B]

Five minutes.

[A]

Good.

[B]

I mean, I think you could do as much or as little as you want. I basically just search the book on Google and I, you know, I save down the image from it, I copy paste the description for it. It has a place for page count, but I guess you probably don't need to fill that in. You, like, add your dates, read, like, it's pretty basic stuff. And then for the notes section that I just read off, you know, if you just want to make like, you don't even have to put notes, but you can put as much or as little as you want. So it's like a little forced reflection.

[A]

I love that. It's funny that you bring this up because literally just before we started recording, I was like, I'm going to start a new system for keeping track of my books. Not as fancy. I found a notebook that I'm not using. I just wrote down the names and I put a star next to my favorites. Because for the past probably two years since I've really stopped using Goodreads, I haven't kept track of them anywhere except here. And since I mostly read physical copies, if it was a favorite, I just put it in a specific stack. But I like the idea of keeping keeping track in some way. So, yeah, maybe I'll look into that.

[B]

You should. So I will say it's a paid post, so you have to subscribe to her publication. But, you know, you can subscribe for one month. It's five bucks. And I think the template's really well designed. Like, I'm like, this is worth more than $5 to me. But I really like it because I feel like I was trying to track in just simpler ways. And I need the visual component because I, like, sometimes need to see the COVID to remember something, especially older.

[A]

Yeah. Are you using it to keep track of how many books you're reading? Or, like, are you totally done with reading goals?

[B]

I have a reading goal, so it does track how many I read. So I'll be able to tell you at the end of the year. But I feel pretty safe that I'll read more than 50 books in the year. And, like, I don't really care If I read 60 or 100 or whatever. So I think you can set a reading goal in it. And I think I just picked 50 books.

[A]

I'm sure people will. Yeah.

[B]

But it also allows you to add a genre. So there's a template where you can then go in and be like, okay, what are the literary books I read? Or something. So it just like, it has more functionality than like a simple spreadsheet or notebook that I'm like, oh, I think this will be really useful.

[A]

It's very Virgo friendly.

[B]

Oh, so Virgo friendly. So Virgo friendly. So, yeah, if you're looking to take your book tracking off of the public Internet now, I'm like, nervous that notion will go away, but it seems like it's existed for a while and it seems like enough people use it that hopefully it won't.

[A]

Yeah, it's a popular thing, I think.

[B]

Okay. Because then I would be pissed and screwed.

[A]

But no, I think it's a highly used tool of type A people. Anyone I know that's like hyper organized? I've heard them talk about notion.

[B]

Oh, great. Maybe I'll find my people on here. If there's no social component of it. So I don't know how I would find them. But, you know. Yeah.

[A]

So that's my Geneva channel for the notion users.

[B]

Oh, my God. What's your last thing?

[A]

My last thing is that I heard something the other day about this term microhabits, which I think is really just like jargon, like wellness jargon. But I did find the idea of, like, habits that take less than five minutes a day very interesting, especially in the new year. And I was wondering if you have any. Slash, are there any that you want to adopt?

[B]

I can think of two that I have. Although I already cannot wait for the Geneva group Facebook group discussion of this to see other people's. So the two that came to mind were my five year journal.

[A]

So I would say that great one.

[B]

And then my other one is, so I make a pot of coffee at a time and I keep it in an airtight carafe in my fridge for iced coffee. So instead of waking up in the morning and needing to make coffee every morning, I would say, like, it usually lasts me three or four days. And so I only have to make coffee one out of four days as opposed to every day and I don't have to wait. And so that's been really game changing for me to just be able to not have to do a thing in the morning.

[A]

It makes a difference. Just have it automated. Not automated, but set.

[B]

Yeah. Past me. Did it. And if I'm being really thoughtful, if I know I've run out, I'll try to make it the night before too, so I never have to do it in the morning because I'm just not my. I'm grumpy in the morning.

[A]

Yeah, that's understandable.

[B]

What were the ones that you thought of or are considering adopting?

[A]

Okay, so the one that I sort of have to right now, but I think I want to be better at because I genuinely think it makes me better at everything, weirdly is flossing, which is that it's like.

[B]

How does flossing make you better at everything? As a tangent, not okay.

[A]

It's probably poorly worded. I guess what I mean is that, you know the term habit stacking, how it's like you. Everything builds. It's kind of like that. It's this very tiny thing that is like slightly annoying for me, but it makes me feel so accomplished.

[B]

Yes. Okay.

[A]

And then it makes me be like, okay, well, obviously I'm going to do my full skincare routine tonight and obviously I'm going to lay out my clothes for tomorrow.

[B]

Okay, I see. No, this makes more sense when you explain it.

[A]

It makes me so powerful. And I think similar is making my bed, which I do every day. I would say I do it 85% of the time, but when I don't, I feel like I can't deal with myself when I walk into my room at night and my bed's not made so that then getting dressed like every day I think is an important one in terms of like in real clothes. Even if it's like. Olivia, I've been wearing a matching sweatset.

[B]

These sweatpants for three days and I'm currently wearing. I have two bad on paper sweatshirts. But like the last time you saw me, I was also wearing a bat on paper sweatshirt. I mean, it was 12 days ago. It's been washed.

[A]

Is it the Gap sweatpants?

[B]

Yeah, they're green ones.

[A]

Yeah. Even if it's just like, just something, it just. It makes me feel better. Even if it's like matching workouts that. Matching.

[B]

Oh, I slept in these last night. Oh.

[A]

Oh, wow. Okay. I think we should. I feel like an asshole, but it is 4:40pm so.

[B]

I know.

[A]

Just feel the need. I mean, look, if they work, they work. You're not going anywhere.

[B]

I'm not Going anywhere.

[A]

It's fine.

[B]

I'm having a gentle start to the year. Don't make me change out of my three day old sweatpants.

[A]

No, don't, don't. Just, just.

[B]

I took a shower yesterday. Like, I'm not like full sloth.

[A]

No, of course when I put them back on, you're being comfortable. That's all that matters. One I do want to adopt though. So usually when I. In the morning when I make breakfast and then I get ready, I listen to the news for like an hour. I don't think I can do it anymore. Fair. It inspires such rage in me that I just can't. So I've tried to replace it with listening to music instead and like discovering new music, which I don't tend to prioritize daily. And it feels, to use your word, much gentler than just me screaming at the man on NPR every morning as I make my eggs.

[B]

I love that. Can I offer you a suggestion for something else you might want to try?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So over the break, when I was in Maine, we went on a couple long car trips and we ended up putting on episodes of the stuff you should know podcast, which I'd never listened to before. And it's two guys. I wish there was a woman in there. And every episode is kind of just like. It almost feels like somebody reading you a Wikipedia page of like an incredibly obscure topic.

[A]

That's my interest right there. I know, that's perfect.

[B]

And so some of them are like history oriented, some of them are like more pop culture. But like, I could see that being a nice thing to do in the mornings where you're like, it's adjacent to the news but it won't upset you.

[A]

Yeah, that sounds great. I will check that out. I think I've casually listened to it.

[B]

Before, but I subscribe to it. I'm like, oh, I don't know where this fits into my routine. But I was like, this is kind of delightful.

[A]

That sounds very nice.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, what is your final thing?

[B]

Okay, so my final thing is this thing that I'm seeing everywhere and I want to know if it's just me or if you are also experiencing this. And I also want to know if you're interested in it. So have you seen the let them theory? Like the let them lady everywhere and like adjacently the book. Oh, you were wondering if it was this.

[A]

Okay, I have seen it everywhere. I have not done any research into it. I can kind of assume what it means, but tell me more.

[B]

I feel like in the past week I have seen this fully everywhere from, you know, the people who are media e content creators, down to like random people I went to high school with. Like, I am just seeing this pop up ten times a day. It's wild. And not all from the same group of people. So it's a book called Let them and it came out on Christmas Eve, which is a real wow move.

[A]

It's not like Mel Robbins or Brene Brown.

[B]

It is. It's Mel Robbins.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It's Mel Robbins came out on Christmas Eve. Apparently there were over 100,000 pre orders for it, which I guess, you know, I was like, christmas Eve, not a big book buying day. Yep.

[A]

Sorry. Yeah, okay.

[B]

So I took this quote from, I think a New York Times article. So she describes it as a step by step guide on how to stop letting other people's opinions, drama and judgment impact your life. And then she goes on to say, so much time and energy is wasted on forcing other people to match our expectations. So, okay, I was not familiar with her by name. She is somebody that I see a million podcast clips of on reels and previously when I was on TikTok. So, like, I knew her by face when I saw her, but I was like, I couldn't have told you who Mel Robbins is. But I guess, yeah, she's an ex lawyer. She has a podcast that she started in 2022, which I think is one of the most popular podcasts. And I guess she became famous like a decade ago. She did a TED talk about her 5 second rule. I don't know how I feel about this one. So the idea is that whenever you feel an impulse to act on a goal, whether something small like getting out of bed when the alarm goes off, or big, like finally giving notice at work, you Simply count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, then go and do it. And the TED talk that this is from has 33 million views. And then it became her first best selling book. I feel like that's a little impulsive if you're like, I just quit my job because I thought of it.

[A]

So I guess the idea is like, don't overthink it.

[B]

I guess so. But the let them theory really appeals to me. Like, I saw a clip of her talking about it and it's like, I think there's kind of two applications. So one is like, oh, your friends didn't invite you to brunch with them. Let them. Or your kid doesn't want to go on this outing you planned, let them. And the other side of it is opinions that People have of you, of, oh, they think you're fat. Let them. They think you're. She didn't say a bitch, but let them just, you know what? Other people's opinions of you don't matter. And I think that side of it is quite interesting and freeing. And I've actually found myself not having read the book, only having seen the minute clip, thinking of it this week, of being like, doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. It's basically just controlling your controllables. There's only so many things that are in your control and you can't force somebody to act the way you want them to. So like, let them do whatever and then you can choose if you want to still see that person or like, whatever. I don't know. Does any of this appeal to you?

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I think that a lot of my stress or just people's stress in general probably comes from trying to manage the uncontrollable, which is other people and other people's opinions.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I think the more you're able to let that go, the happier you would be or I would be as a person. For sure. I could have really used this like two years ago when I was going on Reddit every day being like, hope they like me today. Not every day. I wasn't that popular. But I think that I. Yeah, I.

[B]

Actually don't know this about you. Are you or have you ever been a self help book person?

[A]

Oh, I mean, yeah, I definitely got like the. What is that book?

[B]

The girl wash your face?

[A]

No, not that, but similar. It's like something with asshole or kick ass or the you were a badass.

[B]

The Jen Cicero one.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Like those kinds of things I've definitely read. I mean, I feel neutral about all of it really. Like I would read this. I guess it seems like it couldn't hurt.

[B]

I feel like I might try for sure. I'm just curious. I wonder if there's enough of it to fill a book is one of my main questions. It seems pretty simple.

[A]

What if it was just all examples, like, let them, let them.

[B]

I don't know, maybe I'll do it on audio.

[A]

I think it would be great on audio.

[B]

I feel like in my twenties I would read any big self help book that came out or I guess more self help memoirs than self help instructional books. And I'm not sure where this falls on the spectrum.

[A]

Did you have like a favorite one?

[B]

I really liked Glennon Doyle's earlier books. I didn't love Untamed, but I Loved. I think she had two books before that and I really liked them.

[A]

Yeah, I know. People really liked her stuff. I've never read anything, but she seems cool.

[B]

Yeah. So I'm kind of curious about this and I feel like. I don't know, I feel like I've definitely had somewhat of, like a crisis of confidence the last year and I feel like I could benefit from internalizing this.

[A]

Yes. I mean, I think I definitely could as well. So if you like it, I would probably listen to it. Okay. Just out of curiosity, to be part of the cultural moment. That is.

[B]

That's the thing. It just feels. I mean, it just came out right before Christmas, but it just feels so suddenly like it's everywhere.

[A]

It's actually very comforting to me to know that everyone else is like worrying about the same types of things because sometimes it can feel like if I get too in my head about what someone might think or maybe they don't like me, maybe they don't like my book, maybe they think I'm terrible. I can feel like, oh, well, everyone else is just going through the world never worrying about these things. They're just confident and happy and it's really a me problem. And so I don't know, there's something comforting and everyone can benefit from this, actually.

[B]

Yeah. Shall we transition out of things and into end matter? Because you have a metric ton of books to recommend.

[A]

I do, but I don't have an obsession. So I've evened it out a little bit.

[B]

I have something I'm obsessed with enough for both of us.

[A]

I want to hear about this, actually. Very much so. Tell us what you're obsessed with.

[B]

Oh, my God. It's the show called Day of the Jackal, which is on Peacock. I watched Black Doves, which I feel like was a phenomenon in December. And then a couple people DM'd me to say, like, oh, if I liked Black Doves, I should check out Day of the Jackal. They also said the Agency on Showtime, but I'm not getting another streaming service and I don't have access to Showtime, so I will not be watching that. So Day of the Jackal, it's like a two hander. So Eddie Redmayne is an elite assassin. He kind of feels like. I think of him as too snobby for this type of TV role, but he is fantastic in it.

[A]

He got nominated for a Golden Globe. I think I love him.

[B]

So he wears a lot of disguises and it's really interesting how I think of him as looking so distinctive, but he can transform into totally different people. It's very interesting. So it's him as this elite assassin and then Lashana lynch, who. Who I know from the Woman King. I'm not positive what else she's been in. She's an MI6 agent who is tracking the case that he's involved in and then is looking for him. It is so good. It's partly spy show. It's also told from his point of view and he's an assassin. It's so, so good. It takes place kind of all across Europe, so there's a lot of interesting, like, settings.

[A]

It's great.

[B]

It's like 10 episodes. I am kind of embarrassed to tell you. I mean, I've been wearing these sweatpants for three days, but I watched it in 28 hours over the break at one point.

[A]

Oh, I wanna watch this tonight, actually. Okay.

[B]

I'll give you my peacock when we get off of this.

[A]

I'm very looking forward to. I need to download it myself anyway because of my Real Housewives habit, which has spun out of control wildly so. But I appreciate that offer very much.

[B]

I recommended it to Grace and she also, like, she was like, okay, maybe I'll start watching it tonight. And like, within 24 hours, she was like, I've watched eight episodes. Like, it's so good. And it's been picked up for a season two.

[A]

Would you say it's better than Black Doves?

[B]

I liked it better, yes.

[A]

Ooh. Okay, I'm excited then.

[B]

Yeah, I liked it better than Black Doves. Not quite as much as the Diplomat, but close. Okay, so that's my scale. But tell me about your books. Tell me about your vacation reading.

[A]

Settle in, children.

[B]

For now, Gather round.

[A]

Tyrette. I read a lot. A couple of them I had started already, so I had a little bit of a head start. Okay. So the first one I read was the Most by Jessica Anthony. This is a very short. I mean, I think it's like a hundred ish pages or something like literary fiction story about a woman in the. I might get this wrong. I think it's the 60s who gets into the apartment pool one morning and refuses to come out. And. And it's a lot about her story as this housewife and this mother and how she got to this point and she was an athlete. And it's very good, very short. Not one of my favorites of the bunch, but it was still really great. And if you're looking for just a really quick, interesting, well written read, I highly recommend it.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Also, it had a lot of competition. So, I mean, I'm putting it up against a lot of really great books. The next book I read was Godshot, by Chelsea Beaker, who wrote Mad Woman, which came out this year. This is about a girl and her mother. I think she's 13 or 14, in California, in this town that's going through this terrible drought. And her mother has become involved with this religious leader and. Yeah, so that's kind of the premise of the story. I love this. This is super well written. I started reading this in Portland, actually, and I was talking to you about it, and I was like, I don't know if I should read this because it's so incredibly good. And it has a lot of similarities to my book that's coming out. But ultimately, like, Chelsea is very singular and, like, did her own thing here, and it's really beautiful. If you liked, like, the girls, you like cult stories, you have any sort of, like, religious background that you are kind of trying to reckon with. It's very interesting. Incredible writing. Great cover.

[B]

Oh, the COVID I remember this.

[A]

Yeah. And just, like, beautiful writing. Like, I was underlining sentences left and right. Also very funny in parts. Just really great. The next book I read was Seawife by Amity Gage, who wrote Heartwood, which comes out in April, which I talked about ad nauseam. Cause I love so much. So when I read that book, and I was like, I love this. I was like, I have to go read her back catalog. And.

[B]

And does she have many other books or just this other book?

[A]

She has three others, I think. And this one was recommended by someone whose tastes I really trust. And it's also, like, set in the Caribbean, partly. And I was like, this will be perfect. This is probably one of my top five to top ten books of all time.

[B]

Whoa.

[A]

It is so, so good. Okay, so it's a story about a married couple. The woman is, like. She studies poetry at, like, a high academic level. They have two kids, and the husband decides he wants to buy a sailboat and go sailing for a year, bring the kids, take them out of school. She has no sailing background, but she agrees to it. And so it's this really, like. And obviously in the beginning, you learn that something horrible happened on this trip, so you just are compelled to keep turning the pages. It is just phenomenal writing. I was underlining left and right. There's a lot about, like, motherhood and postpartum depression, so trigger warning. But it is so suspenseful. Like, my heart was racing in certain parts. It's beautiful. The descriptions of the Islands and boat life is so romantic, but also terrifying. It's also very interesting because this is the first book I've ever read where it deals directly with the husband and wife having differing political views.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

And it's a lot about the 2016 election, or not a lot, but. So it wouldn't be like, triggering or anything if you're like, I can't possibly read about that. I just. I can't recommend this enough. Like, it's so good. It is. So.

[B]

So this is how you bide your time until Heartwood comes out in April?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I mean, you, the listener. Poor you. Olivia, mentor is gonna have to pick up one of the other two books.

[A]

If you like Liz Moore. Like, if you like that sort of literary suspense, you will love this. I am so convinced. So good. Great vacation book too. Okay, next I read City of Nightbirds by Juhaya Kim. I'm so sorry, I really got that name wrong. Probably. This was a Reese's Book Club pick for December. I think this is about ballerinas in Russia. Have you heard about this book?

[B]

No, but I like anything that has to do with ballerinas, so that. I thought it was gonna be about birds.

[A]

No, it's heavily about ballet. I've never consumed so much ballet content, but I thought of you. I thought you might like it. I'm trying not to give anything away, but it is about this extremely talented prima ballerina and her ascent to stardom and the relationship she makes along the way. Very beautifully written. If you like ballet in any form, just go get this book. I think this would make an excellent TV show as well. It's a romance drama, it's literary, it's pretty readable. It's quite long, but I really liked it.

[B]

I have two follow up questions. Is it contemporary?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay. Is it scary?

[A]

No.

[B]

Great. Sold.

[A]

It is dark though, but it's not scary. Great. It's not like Black Swan.

[B]

Great.

[A]

Although kind of those vibes, but not scary. Okay, next one is Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash, which I've heard nothing but great things about. This is about a girl who, in sort of the satanic panic of the 80s, her parents, who are these hippies living in New Hampshire, get accused of like wide scale child abuse. They run a daycare out of their house and because of these accusations, like her entire life gets like blown up in like 9,000 different ways. This is so good. It's like part thriller, part family drama. I loved it. I loved it so much. Definitely one of my favorites of the year as well. It came out last year. The year before, maybe. I read it in paperback, but so good. Just excellent. And then finally I read Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, which I've been wanting to read for a really long time. The movie version just came out. This reminded me so much of All Fours.

[B]

Oh, really? I've heard that it's more graphic. Like, the book is, like, a little bit disturbing.

[A]

It is. I mean, like, All Fours in the sense that, like, sometimes All Fours got a little too weird for me, where I was like, oh, I'm with you. And then I was like, I'm a little bit not with you now. But still, the themes were so strongly explored. I don't know a better word to use for that, but it is about a mother who is exhausted, overworked, not getting the support she needs from her husband, and becomes convinced that she's turning into a dog. Literally. Not like, is she imagining it? But literally. It's also very funny. Kind of like All Fours is in some places. So I think if you liked one, you'd like the other, especially if you are a parent or you're interested in deep explorations of motherhood. Also underlined it so much. So I really liked this one as well. I do want to watch the movie, which I hear is also very weird.

[B]

I was gonna say, I've heard that the movie is almost slightly diluted. I've heard that the book is more powerful than the movie. I'll be curious to hear what you think.

[A]

I will say that there is one scene of violence in Nightbitch about an animal that I found really difficult and slightly unnecessary to read. So you've been warned about that. That's all I've got.

[B]

That's all.

[A]

I would recommend all of these, by the way, but Seawife, Rainbow Black and Gotshot are my top three of the bunch, I think.

[B]

Okay, helpful.

[A]

All right, onto you.

[B]

I mean, can the people even handle more book recommendations? I only have two.

[A]

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

[B]

So the first thing I read was early 30s by Josh Duboff. And this comes out in February or March. It's forthcoming. And at first, I actually was not sure that I was going to talk about this, because I ended it and I was like, I don't think I liked that. I have not stopped thinking about it since. So I'm like. It has stuck with me in a way that few books do. It's grown on me after the fact. So I think my problem with it is twofold. So first of all, I think the marketing Copy is really misleading. So the marketing copy leads you to believe that it's about a friendship between a gay man and a straight woman and that they have a falling out. So I was like, oh my gosh, this is so up my alley. This is something that I explored in the Christmas Orphans Club. And I'm like, really interested in. And it is sometimes about that. But I would not say that that is like, the thrust of the book. It's about a gay man who's an entertainment reporter at like, a fake magazine that's akin to Vanity Fair, and he ends up getting canceled in like, a niche Internet drama. And the thing that I didn't expect is that the book has many chapters from other POV characters who just have like one chapter. And so it kind of is this, like, network of extremely online. Like, it feels almost substacky, even though it's not about that. Like, it's about these extremely online people in their early 30s and like, these, like, niche dramas that do not exist in the wider world but feel so important to the characters. And it's the first time that I've seen this, like, portrayal of what it's like to be extremely online, but then to like, the interplay with the people in your life who are outside of that and where it's like, this feels so important to the main character and like, for externally, everyone else in his life is like, this is so stupid.

[A]

That sounds very interesting.

[B]

Yeah. And so it was really interesting. The hard part is that. So it really reminds me of a modern day take on Girls, like the HBO TV show. The main character is so unlikable, it's hard to read. He's mean at times, he's hard to root for. And so I finished the book and I was like. I mean, I devoured the book. I was going through it so quickly, like I wanted to know what happened. But he's so hard to root for, so that's tough. It was an interesting reading experience. Like, I don't think it'll be for everyone, but if like any of those things I said clicked, I think it's worth reading.

[A]

Okay, is this out?

[B]

No, it comes out in like February or March. I'll be really curious to see the reception of it. And then the second book I read, I read Friend of the podcast, Not Glen Powell, but Katie Storino has a book that is coming out in June that's called Sunny side Up. And it's a romance about a plus sized woman who's going through or has just gone through a divorce. And is kind of like getting back out there. It is very Sex and the City for a modern day. Like, the main character's in her late mid-30s and like, she has this group of friends who she met who have all recently gone through a divorce. Like, it's like, it's so fun. It's very New Yorky. Like, that type of, like, hot spots as settings. They're going to all the cool restaurants and like, it's also really fun. There's like, it has a lot about modern dating and like app dating type disasters and things. It is so good. I'm so proud of Katie. And if you follow Katie on social media, I think you'll love it even more because there's so many Easter eggs that allude to her and her life in it. But even if you don't know her or follow her, it just reminded me of. It's like, you know how we talk about missing early aughts rom coms. Like, it had that energy to it, but in a modern way.

[A]

That sounds really good.

[B]

I loved it. I'm so excited for her and I'm so excited for this book. And also the main character is plus size. And so it does have a lot to do with like, body image and body neutrality and it's just so Katy. It's so great. So that comes out in June.

[A]

That sounds wonderful. I'm definitely going to read that.

[B]

And if for literally I cannot imagine what reason, none of those sparked anything for you and you are still listening, I want to remind you about our January book club. We are reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, which is a nonfiction book about why it is so hard to pay attention to anything these days. It has a lot to do with phone addiction and technology. It has less to do with adhd. So if that is the part of focus that is attractive to you, I don't know if this is for you. I did this on audio when I read it the first time after Leslie Stevens came on the podcast and recommended it. Great audio. I'm really looking forward to looping back to this one and to hearing your thoughts, Olivia. And especially as going into 2025, I want to rein in my screen time. I feel like this is like the tune up I need.

[A]

I can't wait. Well, if you want to talk to us about any of these things, microhabits, Glen Powell, I feel like he came up many times. You can join us in the Facebook group under Bow Paper Podcast or in our Geneva group under Bow Paper podcast where we also have a chicken chat where you can share your chicken recipes. It does exist. Thank you to Becca for creating that. We're here to make everyone's dreams come true, including mine. And we're on Instagram @ Batonpaper podcast. I'm on Instagram and substack oliviamentor I.

[B]

Am on Instagram ecamfreeman Confusingly, my substack there's no M. So it's just Becca freeman.substack.com so, you know, perks of being an earlier adopter there, but confusing with my Instagram.

[A]

And we'll see you next week.

[B]

Can't wait.