Recent Reading and Some Media Diet Updates [Teaser]

Summary

Book Riot - The Podcast: Episode Summary Title: Recent Reading and Some Media Diet Updates [Teaser] Release Date: June 3, 2025

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Introduction

In the teaser episode of "Book Riot - The Podcast" titled Recent Reading and Some Media Diet Updates, hosts Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky, along with co-host Amanda Nelson, provide listeners with a sneak peek into their upcoming discussions surrounding recent literary works and media consumption habits. Although this episode serves primarily as a preview for premium content, it offers valuable insights into the hosts' current reading lists and media engagements.

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Temporary Pause and Content Shift

Rebecca Schinsky begins the conversation by announcing a temporary shift in the podcast's regular schedule:

"We're about to enter on. Enter on into a series of weeks in which we're not going to be doing regular pods... we're just going to do what have we been watching and reading and, you know, give our heat checks to this kind of stuff." [00:52]

This indicates that the hosts will be taking a short hiatus from their usual format to focus on sharing their recent readings and media experiences.

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Recent Reading Selections

1. Tilt by Emma Petit

Amanda Nelson discusses her experience with Emma Petit's Tilt:

"I did, yes. Yes, I did. I really liked it... I read it in one sitting, like a full. Just sat down on a Saturday." [01:28]

Rebecca adds her thoughts, noting the book's reception:

"I haven't really seen a bunch of negatives, just really didn't look. This is what books are. There's a lot of good books." [02:06]

Despite the book's limited visibility, Amanda highlights its impact:

"It weirded me out reading the name of the taco place in your neighborhood... I really liked it." [01:35]

2. The Dry Season by Melissa Febos

Amanda Nelson expresses her anticipation and provides an overview of Melissa Febos's memoir, The Dry Season:

"She's an incredible memoirist and essay writer, but this is the memoir of she has come out of a very abusive relationship that was the subject of her previous memoir, Abandon Me." [02:36]

She delves into the book's themes of self-reflection and personal growth:

"She decides to be celibate for three months. It extends into a six-month project... she brings in some tools from her sobriety practice where she undertakes an inventory of all of the romantic relationships in her life." [03:30]

Amanda appreciates the depth and honesty of Febos's writing:

"She's just like, so, so honest in a way about things that, like, I would need a couple glasses of wine to be that honest with my very best." [05:13]

Rebecca responds humorously to Amanda's enthusiasm:

"I can barely listen to you talk about it." [05:21]

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Media Consumption Updates

Rebecca Schinsky mentions her recent media engagements, including watching Mission Impossible and Fountain of Youth on Apple TV. The hosts plan to share their impressions of these and other media in the forthcoming episodes, providing listeners with a blend of literary and cinematic discussions.

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Conclusion and Looking Ahead

As the teaser wraps up, Jeff O’Neal encourages listeners to join their Patreon community for full access to premium content:

"Join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content." [05:23]

The hosts hint at more in-depth conversations and potential "unhinged" discussions when they reconvene in July, promising an engaging continuation of their literary and media explorations.

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Key Takeaways

• Temporary Format Change: The podcast will pause regular episodes to focus on recent readings and media updates.
• Highlighted Reads: Tilt by Emma Petit and The Dry Season by Melissa Febos are the featured books, with in-depth discussions on their themes and personal impacts.
• Engagement with Media: Hosts are actively consuming and reflecting on current media, including popular films and streaming series.
• Community Involvement: Listeners are encouraged to support and engage with the podcast through Patreon for exclusive content.

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This episode serves as an engaging introduction to the hosts' current literary and media interests, setting the stage for more comprehensive discussions in future premium episodes. Whether you're a regular listener or new to "Book Riot - The Podcast," this teaser provides a glimpse into the thoughtful and honest conversations that define the show.

Transcript

[Amanda Nelson]

Foreign.

[Jeff O'Neal]

You're listening to a teaser for Book Riot Podcast premium content. If you want to hear the rest, join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast for just $10 a month, get access to our full library of premium content. In addition to receiving early ad free access to the regular episodes you hear in the show. Here we go.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

All right, we're about to enter on. Enter on into a series of weeks in which we're not going to be doing regular pods. And we haven't really done a front list for you in a while because we have some other stuff going on. So we're going to check in with recent reading also, you know, recent cultural stuff, because I saw Mission Impossible. I went through indoor. I saw a Fountain of Youth on Apple tv. We haven't checked in a while. So we're just going to do what have we been watching and reading and, you know, give our heat checks to this kind of stuff.

[Amanda Nelson]

Yeah, I'm excited to, like, check in on what we've been reading because it has already, as you were saying, been a couple of weeks since we had a front list foyer. And then, like, I'm about to be out for two weeks and then I think we have, like, four overlapping days before you.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

It's going to be podcasting, just like marathon.

[Amanda Nelson]

Yeah. And this is just also code for, like, things are going to be really unhinged in July when we are reunited, because that's what happens.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I was looking at our recent reading stuff and let's start here because I don't remember what you ultimately thought of it, but you did eventually read Tilt by Emma Petit, I believe, did you not?

[Amanda Nelson]

I did, yes. Yes, I did. I really liked it. I don't think we did either. We texted about it, maybe. I really liked it. It weirded me out reading the name of the taco place in your neighborhood.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yes, Right.

[Amanda Nelson]

And so it had to be extra freaky for you, like having mental imagery of all of those locations that she's writing about. I thought it was great. I read it in one sitting, like a full. Just sat down on a Saturday. I feel like you had prepared me well for the fact that that's what I was going to want to do.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I haven't seen it. I don't know that it's doing particularly well. I know they had hopes for it and I know Pals was trying to get behind it here. And there's been people and Patreon listeners and POD listeners that said they read it and really liked it. I haven't really seen a bunch of negatives, just really didn't look. This is what books are. There's a lot of good books. Sometimes they don't hit just because I read this one early and liked it, did not have it mean it was going to have any better shot than anything else of, of doing anything. But kind of seems like a long time ago.

[Amanda Nelson]

But it does feel like a long time ago that we were talking about it.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah. Powell's is continuing to do some. They did like an emergency preparedness day around it and the whole thing.

[Amanda Nelson]

Interesting. I mean, smart for Portland.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah. Okay. So I wanted to make sure I asked about.

[Amanda Nelson]

I'll be thinking about when I go to ikea.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Right.

[Amanda Nelson]

You know, I read the Dry Season by Melissa Febos. Vanessa and I talked about it a little bit a couple of weeks ago, but I definitely want to name check that because it had been one of my most anticipated for the season. I picked it up like several weeks in advance of its publication date. For folks who haven't heard the description. I mean, first of all, she's an incredible memoirist and essay writer, but this is the memoir of she has come out of a very abusive relationship that was the subject of her previous memoir, Abandon Me. And she like, it's not immediately after that, but she gets out of the abusive relationship and has a string of relationships, flirtations, dalliances, like whatever you want to call them, and realizes that maybe she relies on sex, relationships, romance in a way that isn't serving her as well as it could. Or maybe she needs to like press the reset button. So she decides to be celibate for three months. It extends into a six month project. And during that time, because she's also sober, she brings in some tools from her sobriety practice where she undertakes an inventory of all of the romantic relationships in her life, working backwards and is looking for patterns and looking for like, what did I get out of this? What didn't work? What are the things I repeated over and over? And at the same time, she's doing a lot of reading about women who were celibate for various reasons throughout history. Most of them were mystics and nuns. So she spends a good portion of time, like she has all this new free time because she's not flirting with people, she's not taking people home, she's not dating.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Didn't really think about the hours it opened up for you.

[Amanda Nelson]

Yeah, and I think she hadn't either. But she's thinking about like, oh, one of the ways that we have all of this incredible writing from women in especially, like, medieval times is that those were the only women who were really free to do creative thinking like that because they weren't subject to marriages. And that really, at certain points in time, the only ways that a woman could be free was really the only real way, was to be a nun. Shut it down, right. Marry God, and then you don't have to deal with a man, and you can explore your own, you know, mystical leanings or creative insights and maybe have relationships with other women in those places. And just kind of, for me, that was the perfect mix of stuff. Like, just a memoir of celibacy could be interesting, but that Phoebos is always working on several levels and so that she's like, let me consider why other people do this. Let me take an inventory of all my relationships. Relationships. What was I getting out of it? She's just like, so, so honest in a way about things that, like, I would need a couple glasses of wine to be that honest with my very best.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I can barely listen to you talk about it.

[Amanda Nelson]

Yeah.

[Jeff O'Neal]

Thanks so much for listening. Join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content. That's patreon.com bookriotpodcast.