Booktalk w/ BRADY LOCKERBY

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Booktalk w/ Brady Lockerbie" on I'll Read What She's Reading

Episode Information:

• Title: Booktalk w/ Brady Lockerbie
• Hosts: Reggie, Makayla, Kennedy
• Guest: Brady Lockerbie
• Release Date: April 16, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of I’ll Read What She’s Reading, hosts Reggie, Makayla, and Kennedy welcome Brady Lockerbie for her podcast debut. The hosts express their excitement about Brady joining the conversation, highlighting her enthusiasm for the book club’s featured books and her passion for reading.

Notable Quote:

• Brady Lockerbie [01:32]: "Hi. I'm so excited to be here. I was just telling the girls I' never been on a podcast before, so this is like my podcast debut and I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else."

---

Brady's Reading Journey and Favorite Authors

Brady shares her deep appreciation for science fiction and fantasy, mentioning her enjoyment of Blake Crouch’s works like Dark Matter and Recursion. She discusses her growing interest in Red Rising by Pierce Brown, highlighting her excitement despite being relatively early in the book at the time of the interview.

Notable Quotes:

• Brady [03:14]: "It's a good way to. I wouldn't say it's the first book I would recommend if you're new to science fiction, but having a few in my back pocket, I feel like I'm ready for the journey."
• Kennedy [05:29]: "You can't really go wrong with Blake Crouch."
• Brady [05:47]: "I have Upgrade by him. Have you guys read that?"

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Memorable Reads and Personal Connections

Brady delves into her favorite books, particularly memoirs, emphasizing The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. She shares a personal connection by mentioning her book tattoo with the phrase "Love Lasts," underscoring the emotional impact the book had on her. She also praises The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, recounting how it moved her deeply.

Notable Quotes:

• Brady [05:54]: "The Nightingale, hands down. I have a tattoo on the back of my arm. It's my first book tattoo I've ever gotten."
• Brady [06:09]: "It's truly one of the most beautiful, beautiful books I've ever read."
• Brady [07:06]: "They make you, like, stop and think and be grateful for your own life."

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Reading Habits and Preferences

The discussion shifts to Brady’s multifaceted reading habits. She explains her method of juggling multiple books across different formats—physical copies, Kindles, and audiobooks—depending on her mood and schedule. Brady emphasizes her preference for physical paperbacks but appreciates hardcovers for their aesthetic on bookshelves.

Notable Quotes:

• Brady [21:53]: "I have, like, multiple going at once. I feel like that's just. I. I don't know. My. My brain, like, jumps between genres..."
• Brady [22:32]: "And there's nothing better than, like, the smell of a book."
• Brady [26:57]: "I don't listen to music. I'm... I always rotate through my Taylor Swift albums."

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Impact of BookTok and Social Media on Reading

Brady discusses the transformative role of BookTok and social media in the modern book industry. She highlights how BookTok has revitalized interest in reading, making it a communal and influential platform that can significantly boost a book’s popularity. Brady reflects on the pressure and responsibility content creators feel in influencing readers’ choices.

Notable Quotes:

• Brady [61:51]: "We are the ones influencing that. Somebody sent me a screenshot the other day of they were on Amazon and they added a book to their cart and it was like my three favorite books ever."
• Brady [62:25]: "Books bring people together in a really cool way."
• Brady [63:37]: "We're living in a really crazy world where book talk and social media is so influential and it's a weird thing to, like, experience and be almost like, at the helm of it."

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Building and Nurturing a Reading Community

The conversation emphasizes the importance of building a supportive and honest reading community online. Brady advises aspiring content creators to stay true to their opinions and consistently engage with their audience. She shares strategies for maintaining authenticity and managing the pressures of public opinion.

Notable Quotes:

• Brady [46:26]: "Always saying just honestly staying true to who you are."
• Brady [46:26]: "If you have an opinion about something or you like something, like, don't change the way you feel about that because of what people online might say."
• Brady [52:20]: "It's always like the 60 year old women who... it's so embarrassing to think about."

---

Recommendations and Book Highlights

Brady provides a list of her top book recommendations across various genres, including:

• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (Historical Fiction)
• Also, I Have Never Known Men by Becky Chambers (Dystopian)
• Educated by Tara Westover (Memoir)
• The Many Lives of Mama Love (Memoir)
• Look Closer by David Ellis (Thriller)
• Caught Up by Liz Tom Ford (Romance)

She discusses the unique qualities of each book and why they resonate with her, encouraging listeners to explore diverse genres to find their perfect read.

Notable Quotes:

• Brady [48:21]: "I love historical fiction. I love historical fiction. I love historical fiction."
• Brady [49:07]: "Caught up... 'caught up' as a single dad, nanny, and Miller is a brunette with tattoos. I'm a brunette with tattoos..."

---

Personal Connections and Influences

Brady shares her positive interactions with authors like Kristin Hannah, highlighting personal connections that deepen her appreciation for their work. She underscores the value of authors engaging with readers on social media, enhancing the reading experience.

Notable Quotes:

• Brady [58:16]: "I follow her on Instagram. It's like my one fun fact about myself that is like the coolest thing ever."
• Brady [59:51]: "She puts in photos of like the ins. She'll be like boots on the ground doing the research."

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Closing Thoughts

The episode concludes with Brady expressing gratitude for the opportunity to join the podcast and connect with a broader reading community. The hosts encourage listeners to follow Brady’s social media platforms and engage with her content for more book recommendations and discussions.

Notable Quotes:

• Reggie [77:59]: "Visit cleansimpleats.com and use code READ20 at checkout for 20 off your first order."
• Brady [78:46]: "Thank you so much. This was, like, my first time I was ever on a podcast, so I'm having a blast."

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Key Takeaways

• Diverse Reading Habits: Embracing multiple formats and genres can enhance the reading experience.
• Influence of BookTok: Social media platforms like BookTok play a crucial role in shaping reading trends and community building.
• Authenticity Matters: Staying true to personal opinions fosters genuine connections within the reading community.
• Community Building: Engaging with fellow readers and authors creates a supportive and enriching environment for book discussions.

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For more engaging book discussions and recommendations, visit I'll Read What She's Reading and follow Brady Lockerbie on her social media channels.

Transcript

[Makayla]

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[Reggie]

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[Kennedy]

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[Makayla]

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[Reggie]

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[Kennedy]

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[Reggie]

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to I'll read what she's reading. I'm Reggie.

[Makayla]

I'm Makayla.

[Kennedy]

And I'm Kennedy.

[Reggie]

And today we have another book talk sensation with us, Brady Lockerbie. Welcome to the podcast.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Hi. I'm so excited to be here. I was just telling the girls I' never been on a podcast before, so this is like my podcast debut and I wouldn't want to do it with anybody else.

[Reggie]

So thanks for having me.

[Kennedy]

We're absolutely honored.

[Makayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Such an honor.

[Makayla]

Oh, my gosh.

[Brady Lockerbie]

You guys are the best. This is. I'm so excited and I feel like I've started reading some of your favorite. I know you guys like Red Rising. We can get into it. Yeah, I'm a hundred pages into it and I don't know, I'm like kicking myself for waiting this long. And I know you guys love it, so I'm like, I can't wait to chat with you about, like, oh, yes, my series. Like, where I. I'm at all of that. Once we, like, get talking.

[Kennedy]

Oh, I'm so excited.

[Reggie]

That's so exciting. I feel like it only gets better.

[Makayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

So you're in for a treat.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. I'm having a great time already. Like, I. It is dreary and rainy here and I woke up this morning. Like, I really wish I didn't have things in my to do list because I would be sitting on the couch just eating it up right now.

[Kennedy]

I feel like it's such a good. Like, it gets you from the beginning. There's a certain thing that happens, like, 60 pages in, and you're like, oh, this is how we're starting. Okay. And then it sucks you in.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. I really wanted to, like, scream it from the rooftops. Like, when I. I did an update on my Goodreads and I was. I marked the page I was at and someone commented what happened? And I was like, everyone knows. Like, they know where you're at in the book. Like, what you just read and what just happened. It was like a. A full understanding between everybody else who has also read Red Rising. So I'm just happy to be a part of the club right now.

[Reggie]

Oh, we're gonna be excited to see your updates as you continue because. Yeah, that's a good one.

[Kennedy]

Which I. I feel like that's kind of a deviation from what you typically read, because I feel like you read a lot of, like, fiction, historical fiction type stuff.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, right. It's kind of one of. I wouldn't say one of the first science fiction books I've read, because I love Project Hail Mary. I love the Wayward Pines trilogy. And this is kind of almost borderline, like, sci fi, almost a little bit of fantasy, would you say? Like, there's some things in it that I'm. I almost have to go back and reread them to really get the full picture of what's going on. So I feel like it's a good way to. I wouldn't say it's the first book I would recommend if you're new to science fiction, but having a few in my back pocket, I feel like I'm ready for the journey.

[Kennedy]

Oh, for sure. It's a little bit less science heavy. Like, Project Hail Mary is very science oriented, and Wayward Pines is just creepy. Eerie. Have you read other books by Blake Crouch?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes, I've read Recursion. I've read Dark Matter. Dark Matter was like my first intro to Blake Crouch, and then I introduced my brother to it, because my brother, he's a professional dog walker in Philly, and he walks all day long, and he's like, I want to start reading audiobooks. And I was like, music to my ears. I love this. So I introduced him to Blake Crouch, and then he actually read Wayward Pines and was like, have you read Wayward Pines? And I was like, no, I haven't sucked me in for six days of my life. The best six days of my life. So I owe that to my brother. But yeah, Dark Matter and Recursion are also two favorite Blake Crouch books of mine.

[Makayla]

Love.

[Kennedy]

You can't really go wrong with Blake Crouch.

[Makayla]

No, he's awesome.

[Brady Lockerbie]

He is amazing. And I feel like we haven't gotten a book from him in a while. And I'm like, hello, where are you, sir?

[Reggie]

We need more. He's like, in his tv. Did you watch Dark Matter on Apple tv?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes, I did.

[Makayla]

Yeah. He's in his. I don't know if he, like, co directs his co directing era.

[Reggie]

Yes.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Makayla]

He's a big man right now. I guess I.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Good for him. But I need him to pick up the. I mean, I guess they type now, but, like, pick up the pencil. Get back to writing. Like, we need more.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. Gosh.

[Makayla]

All right.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I also have Upgrade by him. Have you guys read that?

[Kennedy]

I read it like a year and a half ago, but I don't really remember a lot that happens. I listened to. I had a really long drive one day and I listened to it in one day.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Gotcha.

[Kennedy]

So I don't really remember. I remember it almost being like a superhero vibes. I don't know how it's not a superhero book, but you know what I mean. Yes, but very good. You genuinely can't go wrong.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Okay, good to know. I have that on my tbr, so I'll let you guys know if I get into that one too.

[Kennedy]

And I know you're a really big Kristin Hannah fan, right?

[Brady Lockerbie]

I am.

[Kennedy]

What is your favorite book by her? Since we're talking about specific authors.

[Makayla]

We're not.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Oh, my gosh. The Nightingale, hands down. I have a tattoo on the back of my arm. It's my first book tattoo I've ever gotten. And the last three lines of the book are, wounds heal, love lasts, we remain. So I have Love Last, like, on the back of my arm right here.

[Makayla]

I love it.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It's truly one of the most beautiful, beautiful books I've ever read. And a lot of people say that it's a slow burn, it's a slow start, and it is, um, but it is worth every second. And also, the Great Alone is so good. Obsessed.

[Makayla]

I don't think we've. Any of us have read the Great Alone.

[Kennedy]

Right.

[Makayla]

No.

[Kennedy]

Is that the one about the. Okay. The. The family and they have to move?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yep.

[Reggie]

Yes.

[Brady Lockerbie]

They moved. And the dad is. Has a drinking problem. And basically they like, move to this cabin in isolation in Alaska. And it's just the moment the daughter and the dad and they're dealing with, like, what he's going through, and then it just evolves into this beautiful, beautiful, beautiful story. And she. The girl who is the main character, her name's Lenny. She meets this boy, and it turns into a love story. It's just absolutely beautiful. I'm like. I could tear up thinking about it.

[Makayla]

Yeah, it was a very. I don't even know how to excite it. Like, explain it, because the Nightingale was my first Chris Hannah book. Was it all of your guys's first? It was just, like, kind of sobering but beautiful at the same time.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes, sobering's a great, great, great descriptor. If I steal that, I will give you credit, but sobering is a really great term for Kristin Hannah books. They make you, like, stop and think and be grateful for your own life. And, like. Oh, my gosh. Just. She is. I don't even know how to explain her.

[Makayla]

She has a gift. For real?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Truly. Truly.

[Makayla]

Oh, I need to. We need to read more of those.

[Kennedy]

I've been seeing so many tiktoks about the great alone lately, and because I had no idea what it was about, and honestly, it sounds amazing. I. I'm entering my fiction era. Honestly. I. I just read Beartown. I was obsessed.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It's up there, up at the top. This is. Okay. This is like a. My. My hidden addiction. These are all the books I have not. I haven't even read any of these. This is my TBR shelf. It's. I mean, you guys know how it is. You get sent a lot of books and you just. Books get your attention. But Beartown I has been, like, taking the Internet by storm. I feel like, again, like, it had its moment and it's coming back around.

[Kennedy]

It's so good. I. Reggie didn't love it as much as I did, but. Okay, coming from. I live in a really small town and just. It's about a small hockey town and just kind of the inner workings of what goes on.

[Brady Lockerbie]

So good.

[Kennedy]

Oh, my gosh.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. Good to know. I need to pick it back up. I actually started it, and I think I read it, like, got like, 50 pages into it. But you ever read books where you're like, I'm not in the right headspace for this, like, to fully enjoy it. I think that's where I was at with Beartown, and I was like, I'm gonna give this the chance it deserves, and I'm gonna put it down for now, but I'm gonna come back to it at some point.

[Reggie]

I respect that because it's kind of a slow. I think the reason why I didn't rate it higher was cuz, like the first like 30, 40%, I was kind of bored and I was just like, okay, I know that this is gonna get somewhere good, but I, I kind of like struggled through the first half, but then I did a Goodreads update and I was like, do I DNF this?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

But I wanted to give it a chance because, like, Frederick Bachman's a fantastic author. I've read some of his other books, and I was just like, I need to give it a chance. And someone commented and said, the last 50% of the book is way better than the first 50%. And I gave it and I finished it and I loved it, but I just felt like I couldn't rate it higher because the first half I was like, yeah, but sometimes. But I could have been in a better headspace. So I love that you're like, definitely knowing that there's gonna be a time specifically for that.

[Kennedy]

So.

[Brady Lockerbie]

And I feel like when people say, like, give it the first 50 pages, 100 pages, I'm like, okay, but like the first 50%, like, that's a lot of, that's a lot to push through to get to like the last good part. You know what I mean? So sometimes when people say that you're like, ugh, okay, like 50%, that's a lot of, A lot to give in to. Not even be sure if you're really gonna fall in love with the rest of it. Yeah.

[Reggie]

I don't know if Kennedy felt that way with the first half, but I.

[Kennedy]

Think because she said the first half was really. I went into it knowing that and I think I enjoyed it a lot more.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

It's basically because you're just following these like 12 people and it's just their mundane life in this small town. Yeah, they play hockey. They love hockey. Hockey, hockey, hockey. But then you know, because you watch these characters just going through their day to day life, the end is that much sweeter because you love them just as the human beings they are.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. If that makes sense. You're making me want to go and read it. I feel like now it's like, I remember, I can picture it. I remember picturing it's like a very small town, very gray vibes. Like I got very, just like dreary. Everyone's just trudging through life and I feel like today's Weather is a day that I would pick up this book and be like, okay, I'm like, fully immersing myself in the book, but instead.

[Kennedy]

You'Re going to be on Mars, you know?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, Even better.

[Makayla]

Yeah.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, even better. Yeah. I just. Not to go. I mean, I know. I feel like you guys probably have, like, an intro and things to do. We're just, like, diving right in. No, Okay. I got to the part. Where do you pronounce it? Darrow.

[Kennedy]

Darrow.

[Makayla]

Darrow.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Darrow. Okay. Where Darrow just went through his transformation. So that's like, right where I stopped him on chapter 13. Like, I'm ready to. I was like, I feel like this is a good spot to stop and go to bed last night, but, like, I don't want to. I dreamed about the book. I'm ready to dive back in.

[Makayla]

Red Rising dreams. I love that.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, I'm coming. Yeah.

[Makayla]

Yeah. It is a little scary, I guess. You're like, what am I doing in this world?

[Brady Lockerbie]

I'm excited, though, for him to get into, like, do the gold life and just to see what that is like. Because now we know what the Lower reds are living like. Pardon me if I'm, like, butchering this. I'm new to this, so just give me a sec. But yeah, I'm excited.

[Makayla]

Oh, that's.

[Reggie]

Yeah, we're excited for you.

[Makayla]

That's a good, good part.

[Kennedy]

And they genuinely just get better and better the more you read them.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I'm excited.

[Kennedy]

I feel like the hard thing with Pierce's writing is it's really confusing, honestly. And so genuinely, I told these two when they first started the book, have a little note on your phone with, like, the characters names and kind of who they are, who their political affiliations are. Because it's gets really hairy. There's so many people, so many political alliance changing, and it's. It's a lot to understand and handle, but once it clicks, it will blow your mind.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Okay, good. Thank you for that. I do that a lot with a lot of other books. When even just like a casual book where I'm like, how do you fit into the story? I, like, put them into a note. So that's a great point. I'm going to make a little Red Rising cheat sheet for myself because there are a lot of characters that are thrown at you, and I'm like, I hope I don't forget you or a little bit.

[Kennedy]

No. He'll literally bring one character in, and then it'll take two books and then he'll bring them back so okay, yeah.

[Makayla]

Yeah, you will eventually get a character guide. Eventually. Yeah.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Okay, good to know.

[Makayla]

You're like, oh my gosh, I'm feeling overwhelmed.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Okay, good to know. I ordered the second book already. It's coming tonight at some point. I try to never really order my books off of Amazon, but I was like, I need, just in case I finish this tonight, I'm gonna need the next one like queued up, ready to go, same day delivery. I was like, thank you very much. See you tonight.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Makayla]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

How so how fast of a reader are you? Like, how quick does it take you to read, let's say a 400 page book?

[Reggie]

Ooh, good question.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I mean, it depends on when I started. I think a lot of people think, being book creators, we just read all day and I. This goes into like one of the other questions you guys asked, so I'll save this for when we get to that. But it depends on when I started. Like, my weekends are booked in the sense of I want to sit on the couch and read all weekend, but if I'm like locked into a book and I can clear my schedule, I feel like I could finish a book in a day, a day and a half, maybe two days. But if I'm doing it on audio, I feel like that's a whole different story because I can bump that speed up to like 2.2.2 and really like get into it. How about you guys? What do you think, like, your average reading time is for like a 400 page book?

[Kennedy]

I would say mine's pretty similar to yours. Definitely depends on the schedule if I have a lot of work or not. We're all three photographers outside of this space, and so it's nice because we are self employed, so we can kind of change our schedule if need be. But yeah, I would say about a day and a half if I can like really sit down and read.

[Reggie]

Yeah, I'm a mom, so I. It kind of just depends on the day.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, for sure.

[Reggie]

Or the week. But I would say like, I at least finish one book a week. But, you know, sometimes more, sometimes less. I mean, I wouldn't really say less, but yeah.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Are you an audiobook user? Like, do you listen to audiobooks at all?

[Reggie]

Yeah, I kind of have been relying a little too heavily on audiobooks as of the last few months, which is like a blessing and a curse because sometimes I'm like, I probably would have liked that better if I had physically read it. But then when I, when I have gotten to it, it's like a little It's a bit of a game trying to balance that, figure it out, but.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Oh, for sure. I can only imagine.

[Reggie]

So, yeah, it's just when I get a little extra time, I'm like, okay, I've got 30 minutes. Yeah, it just depends.

[Brady Lockerbie]

But. No, I get that.

[Reggie]

Yeah.

[Makayla]

So I feel like it's the same. I honestly, it depends on the book, in my opinion, because the third. I don't know if you've read Once Upon a Broken Heart.

[Kennedy]

I have.

[Makayla]

Not serious. Okay, well, when the third book came out, I finished the third book in four hours. And so it kind of just depends on the book and if I'm really invested into it.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes.

[Makayla]

I don't know. But I don't know. It just honestly just depends. I feel like I'm a pretty quick reader, but sometimes it honestly just depends on the book. And if I'm like a page turner or if it's like a more casual.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Read, you know, oh my gosh, 100%. There are some books where I'm reading it and I pick up my phone every three pages and I'm like, brady, what are you doing? That's also an adhd. My ADH brain of just like, ooh. Like, oh, I didn't do my wordle today. Or like, oh, let me play a quick game of seduke. Like, no, Brady, put your phone away and read this book that you're actually enjoying. It's just like, sometimes my phone is just on my brain and I have to, like, put it away or my boyfriend, like, put it somewhere. Like, I would have to, like, take my blanket off, get up and go get it. Like, I have to put my phone away even though I'm enjoying the book. But my phone is such a distraction to me. People ask me that all the time. Like, how do you not get distracted by your phone? And I'm like, let me know when you find out, because I have not a clue.

[Makayla]

I have to, like, put it in a different room. I can't even hear, like, the vibrate. Like, nothing. Or else I'm on it. And I'm like, oh, I just spent 40 minutes on my phone when I could have been reading my book.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. And I'm like, last night, I'm like, I'm loving Red Rising so much. It's 8:30. We're like in bed by 9:30 kind of people. And I'm like, oh, I have 30 minutes before we get into bed. And I'm found myself down a Facebook, of all places. Facebook reels rabbit hole of like, the Bottles rolling down the steps, breaking the sand.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I'm like, Brady, you're reading like one of the best books you've ever read and you're doing this instead.

[Reggie]

Yeah. I feel like distract. Different distractions play a role in your reading as well as just like the season of life that you're in.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Oh, for sure.

[Reggie]

Absolutely.

[Makayla]

But that's exciting.

[Kennedy]

Moving.

[Makayla]

I moved a few months ago and I was just listening to audiobooks.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I feel like that's going to be packing.

[Makayla]

Listening to audiobooks. It was the best thing.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. Even the drive down we're gonna take. Normally, my boyfriend and I, we drive together, but obviously on our last day in Delaware, we're gonna be driving both of our cars down and we always talk on the phone. Like, if I ever, like, he dropped me off, I needed an oil change the other day, but when he followed me home, like we were on the phone, even though we're one car behind each other. And I said to him, I was like, we are not going to be on the phone for this seven hour drive. I'm going to pick an audiobook. I'm going. He's like, that's fine. He listens to like podcasts. So he's like, I have a podcast picked out. I'm like, okay, I got my audiobook. You have your podcast. And we can like, you know, if you see something crazy when you're driving, you're like, you gotta call them about it. But like, I want to listen to my audiobook.

[Reggie]

Yeah, for me, time.

[Kennedy]

That makes me feel so much better because I say the same things to my husband. Like, if I have a long drive, I'm like, don't call me. Yeah, I want to listen to my audiobook. So thank you for saying that. Because sometimes I'm like, wow, I'm a mean wife. I want to listen to my audiobook.

[Brady Lockerbie]

They know. I get like, excited. I'm going to see one of my best friends before we move down. We're doing like a girl, like, slumber party night on Friday. And I have a three hour drive there and then I'll have a three hour drive the next morning. And I'm like, what should I listen to? Like, I'm excited.

[Makayla]

Yeah, that's like a 12 hour book right there, right?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Exactly.

[Makayla]

Oh, that's so fun.

[Reggie]

I can't remember, like long drives before I listened to audiobooks. I'm like, well, what did I do?

[Brady Lockerbie]

I know I listen to music.

[Reggie]

I don't even know what music is really trending right now. Thank you. I don't even. And I'm like, someone turns a song on and they're like, oh, I'm so sick of the song.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It's.

[Reggie]

It's on the radio all the time. And I'm like, when's the last time I turned on the radio? I couldn't tell you.

[Brady Lockerbie]

That is such a great point. When people are like, what's your favorite song? I'm like, my audiobook. Like, I. I can't. I don't listen to music. I'm. I always rotate through my Taylor Swift albums. But, like, I have my favorites, but new music. I rely on TikTok for new music. Like, thank you, TikTok, for showing me the new Selena album. Like, when Serena Carpenter came out with her new album, like, you know all the songs from TikTok, I'm like, yeah, I don't just put on a new album and listen. It's all about the audiobooks.

[Reggie]

Well, then it's always like the 15 seconds of the song. It's like the only part, you know? So, like, something comes on. If I'm somewhere with, like, other people, and I'm like, oh, I can sing this chorus. But then the verse comes on. I'm like, what song is this?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. And everyone singing, and I'm like, yeah.

[Makayla]

The beginning of every song always trips me out. I'm like, what is. What song is this? Like, oh, it says on Tick Tock. Oh.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Ah.

[Makayla]

Okay, I got it.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes, Go. When Spotify wrapped comes out and it's like the same three songs, but I'm like, no, but I Spotify. Introducing audiobooks was a blessing and a curse because I used to. It used to be my go to. I would do audible for audiobooks, Spotify for music. Now it's just like, wherever I have free credits. I'm running all over the place.

[Kennedy]

You have to be strategic with the credits.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Makayla]

Do you use the Libby app?

[Brady Lockerbie]

I don't. Because I don't. I'm not a member of my library here. But when we move, I will be joining Libby doing all the things.

[Kennedy]

It is the best.

[Makayla]

It's actually the best ever.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Okay. You'll have to give me, like, the tips and tricks. I feel like it's intimidating to do Libby, like, you know, waiting for books and, like, you'll have to give me all the tips and tricks on how to do it because I want to become a library girl. Even just going to the library.

[Makayla]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kennedy]

So this kind of leads into one of our questions. Do you. What is your ideal method of reading? Do you like, do you physically read or do you have a Kindle? Audiobooks. What's your favorite?

[Brady Lockerbie]

I have, like, multiple going at once. I feel like that's just. I. I don't know. My. My brain, like, jumps between genres, so I'm like, okay, one on audio, one on my Kindle, one on my physical copy. Just for my brain to, like, compartmentalize them. But I feel like my preferred is always just, like, a good classic paperback. Like, can't beat it. But then I always love to. If I loved it, I'll swap it for a hardcover, because I love the way hardcovers look on your bookshelf. Like, they're all the same height. They're all cohesive together. But I love a good classic paperback. And there's nothing better than, like, the smell of a book. Not to sound like an old woman, I love the smell of a book. Like.

[Makayla]

Like flipping the pages. I don't know. Something about flipping a page and, like, seeing your progress.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes.

[Makayla]

Like putting your bookmark in your book. I don't something about it. I can't explain it, but it's just like a serotonin boost. Like, I got this far.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. Like on Kindle, you have to rely on the time at the bottom of the kit, which I have to turn off because it's like racing your gps. Like, oh, you think I can finish this in three minutes? Like, you haven't seen me. Like, buckle up. I'll give you a minute. But with a physical book, I always flip it. I'm like, okay, I got three and a half pages to go. Got it. Like, just to gauge on, like, how long each chapter is. I do that every time I start a chapter. How many am I in for? I'm glad I'm not alone in that, because sometimes I feel crazy.

[Kennedy]

No, I do that every chapter. And then when it's really long, I'm like, maybe I'll stop right now.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, now maybe I'll scroll a little bit.

[Kennedy]

It's like a reward. It's a reward.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. Oh, my gosh, it really is.

[Kennedy]

So when you have your three methods of reading, are you doing three different genres, or do you intermix genres as well while you're reading? All three?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Usually. I usually do, like, a nonfiction memoir on audio. I'll do, like, a quick Kindle unlimited thriller. And then whatever came off of this bookshelf, whatever I was in the mood.

[Makayla]

For, I love it. So do you have a different bookshelf with all of the ones that you have read? Is it, like, in a different Room.

[Brady Lockerbie]

This one?

[Kennedy]

No, that one.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. This is like, I sit right here in this chair and, like, fill my book videos in front of this. And then these are my TBR books, which is like, literally overflowing. I organized it before we. Which is saying something like, that's not organized. But yeah, these are all my. The books I've read. These are the books I have not read. And I'm limited on space here now, but when we move, like, the bookshelves will be exploding.

[Makayla]

I love it.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. How about you guys? Do you guys read multiple books at once? Are you always, like, do you have multiple in rotation and like, do you prefer physical. Do you prefer your Kindle? Like, I always love to hear what other.

[Reggie]

Yeah, I feel like I always have at least an audiobook that I'm listening to and then like a physical book, whether it be my Kindle or like a paperback. I'm a Kindle girly, though, as much as I do love having, like, a physical book. I don't know if it's just like, since I became. Become a mom, it's just so much easier for me sometimes. And like, on the go, it's really nice. But yeah, there's definitely times where I have, like, right now I have an audiobook, a Kindle book, and a physical copy of different books that I'm reading. It kind of depends, but usually I'm almost always have an audiobook and a physical book, whether it's my Kindle or.

[Makayla]

Same. Yeah, same. Yeah, I don't really. I guess I do try to do a little bit of different genres just so I don't get confused.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Oh, yeah.

[Reggie]

Like, I can't do, like, two fantasy books.

[Makayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Once it's too much.

[Makayla]

But I prefer. Yeah, I prefer, like, a physical copy. I actually don't have a Kindle.

[Brady Lockerbie]

You don't?

[Makayla]

I don't. I. My personality trait at this point.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, it is.

[Makayla]

Okay. Just kidding. I really do want to get one. I just haven't gotten one yet. I don't know why. I just.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Well, wait till prime day. It'll go on sale again.

[Kennedy]

True, true.

[Makayla]

Yeah, that's the new color.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Soft is fun, like seeing things in color. It's not as vibrant as people think. Like, it's gonna look like an iPad. And I'm like, that's what makes it a Kindle, though. Having that specific screen that's like, not super bright, but. No, you need to get a Kindle. If not just to say you have a Kindle. And then they're fun to collect cases and Then you can stock it with books on sale. It's just fun to like.

[Makayla]

Yeah.

[Brady Lockerbie]

All of your little library.

[Makayla]

I really want to get a Kindle because I also do like fan fiction. And so I just want to like, download it onto my Kindle instead of reading on my phone. I read all of Manacled on my phone.

[Brady Lockerbie]

What? I haven't read it, but I know it's like a thousand pages long.

[Makayla]

It's so long. I read it on my phone in Mexico. The worst time to read that book. I don't know why I decided I was in Mexico to read that book, but I know it. So I'm like, I gotta get a Kindle. So I'm not reading fan fiction on my phone.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Crazy. A 900 page. I couldn't even read. Like, I don't even want to read like a menu on my phone, let alone you're reading like a 900 page book that is like, I would never, never again.

[Makayla]

Never again. I won't do it.

[Kennedy]

Well, and your poor eyes. Like. Yeah, that's why Kindles are great.

[Makayla]

Because I don't have my eyesight. Blue light. My eyesight's going out. So. Yeah, probably from that book.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. Literally 900 pages.

[Kennedy]

Just you wait till when you get your Libby app. Because sometimes you can time it right and you get really lucky and you can have. Because this is my favorite way to read. I have the physical copy, the Kindle copy, and then the audiobook. So then it's like I have all three methods. So during the day I can read, you know, on my physical copy, if I go on drives, I can listen. But then at night when you're laying in bed, you can get comfy with your Kindle.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes, it's the best.

[Kennedy]

And then you're not spending hundreds of dollars on one book, you know? Yeah, you gotta just borrow it from the Libby.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Oh my gosh. That's a great idea. Yeah, I love that. I do that too with. And that's a great thing also about Kindle. When you get a Kindle Unlimited book, sometimes they come with the audiobook and it knows where you're at. So like, you can listen in the car and it jumps to where you're at. And then you get on your Kindle that night and it jumps. Get. It knows where you ended on the audio version. Like, I love how it's all.

[Reggie]

I wish it could be like that all the time. That's my dream.

[Makayla]

You've convinced me.

[Kennedy]

You know what? Shout out to the 21st century. Like, yes.

[Brady Lockerbie]

No, seriously, almost Too connected. But I'll take it. I love it.

[Kennedy]

So at least we're reading. Yeah, at least we're reading.

[Reggie]

What would you say? Would you say fiction is your favorite genre? Or, like, do you read a lot of romance? What's kind of your.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, I feel like. I mean, I love nonfiction. Like, I really do love listening to memoirs. That is, like, one of my favorite ways to read. Every time I finish a memoir, I'm always looking for someone else's. Like, right now I'm reading. I forget which Duggar from, you know, 19 kids and counting. I think it's Jill, her book counting. I don't want to butcher the title of it, but I finished everything. Is Tuberculosis by John Green just like a fun. Not really fun. I mean, it's about tuberculosis, but John Green is so, like, whimsical and kind of nutty. It was fun to read that, and I was like, what do I want to read next? Jumped into nonfiction. I just. I love learning, and I love someone telling me their story. I think it's really fun. But, yeah, fiction in general. I mean, I love romance, but I have to find the right one. Like, I really have to. I'm pretty picky. I love historical fiction.

[Reggie]

I love.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I'm dipping my toe into sci fi and fantasy. And now we're getting into the world of, like, beach reads now that it will be May. And I feel like I don't know if that counts as a genre, but in my world, it does. So beach reads are like, I love. I'm ready.

[Kennedy]

It's so funny because I was having a conversation with someone yesterday, and I was telling them, like, sometimes I miss being in college and going to school because it exercised my brain, right? Like, you're learning new things, whatever. And then they asked me. They were like, well, don't you read a lot? And I was like, I read smart. Okay. I don't read really educational books. So hearing you say that about. Because I don't read a lot of nonfiction. So hearing you say that about nonfiction, I'm like, I need to give it more of a chance so that maybe I kind of scratch that itch in my brain where I'm actually learning something. And it's not just I gain nothing from that book when I finish, you know?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, no, I get that. And so school never came easy to me. Like, I was a solid B. C student. If I got an A, that was like, yay. But I. So I feel like in high school and college, I couldn't read for fun because I was so focused on what I was learning in school. Once I graduated college, I was like, oh, my gosh, I can actually read for fun. And I can, you know, pay attention to what I'm reading. And then I discovered memoirs. And it's really just like someone telling you their life story and so many people have lived just crazy life experiences. Like Julia Fox, down the Drain is one of my all time favorite memoirs to recommend because she. I live a very, like, slow lifestyle. I like to sit on my couch, I like to read, I like to drink my tea. I'm not like going out to the clubs. I'm not like, I'm. I'm just. I'm happy at home where Julia fox was like 13, doing the craziest things. So her book is so fascinating and interesting to listen to because we live such vastly different lives. Lives. And she just. It's absolutely insane. Like one of the most insane memoirs slash stories I've ever listened to in my life. But I never would have known it if I didn't just happen to pick it up on audio one day.

[Kennedy]

Does she narrate her own book?

[Brady Lockerbie]

She does. And that's like one of my favorite parts about memoirs. Like, Jeanette McCurdy. I'm glad my mom died. A lot of people love that and a lot of people have read it. But I'm like, the audio is so good because you can hear her, the way she talks about certain things that have happened in her life. And there's one point in, towards the end of the book, in one of the chapters that she actually, like, as she was recording it, she started crying and they kept it in and like, her. You could hear her voice break and she gets, like choked up talking about one specific thing that happens in the book. And it's like, it made me tear up. I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, she just laid her entire life into this book. And I mean, now we're all fortunate to read it, but hearing her tell her story was just beautiful and eye opening and again, like educational. As a kid who grew up watching Nickelodeon and like now knowing what was going on behind the scenes, it's very like, oh, my gosh. Heartbreaking.

[Makayla]

Yeah. Very eye opening.

[Kennedy]

Have we. Did we all listen to that? That one was really good.

[Makayla]

It was really good.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. So good. I wanted to do an updated. Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off. I'm gonna do an updated video on like, all my memoir favorites.

[Reggie]

So I will be tuning in.

[Kennedy]

Please do.

[Reggie]

I. Every time I listen to one, I'm like, why do I not listen to more of these? Because they are. There's like, a quote. It's. I don't know who said it. It's kind of like a cheesy one. But I feel like I always think of this when I read a memoir, but it's like, there's not a person you wouldn't love if you could read their story or something like that.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

And it's just crazy how much you can learn about someone and relate to someone, even when you live completely different lives and stuff like that. So.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Yeah, I'm going to be tuning in.

[Kennedy]

No, seriously.

[Reggie]

Because I could always use more recommendations because I always enjoy those.

[Makayla]

Have you read.

[Kennedy]

Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry. You go first.

[Reggie]

No, no, no, you're good.

[Kennedy]

Have you read the Paris memoir? Paris Hilton's.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I have.

[Kennedy]

That one's crazy, too.

[Brady Lockerbie]

And her voice, like, she's so. Everyone hears her, like, her Paris voice that she, like, turns on when she's on certain interviews and in that Paris mode. But you get, like, such a different version of Paris that, like, really personifies her as, like, an actual human being and not just, like, you know, Paris from what? What?

[Kennedy]

The Simple Life.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Thank you. Yes. It's like a real human. And I mean. Oh, my gosh. Again, heartbreaking. Her story is insane. And now you. It, like, makes sense to then see what she's doing in real life. Being an activist for all of these people who are in these crazy wilderness camps that their parents send them to. It makes her feel like a real life, like, superhero. Almost, like, act like. Oh, my. It's crazy. She's. She's amazing.

[Makayla]

I don't. Yeah, we haven't read that. I haven't listened to that one yet.

[Kennedy]

It's really good. It's really crazy because she came to promo.

[Makayla]

Oh, yes, I remember. Yeah.

[Kennedy]

So if you had to give. I know it's hard to. It's hard to rate memoirs. Not that I've read a ton, but if you had to give your top three, you said the Julia Fox one. Do you have another two that comes straight to your mind when you think of memoirs?

[Brady Lockerbie]

I do. All kind of different from each other. So Julia Fox is just, like, insane. She lives this crazy life in New York City, running around the city and getting into really bad crowds. So you get, like. It's absolutely insane. I also always recommend Educated by Tara Westover. Just a crazy life that these kids lived because their parents basically lived off the grid and didn't believe in healthcare. So, like, Learning about, like, accidents that they went through on the farm and how they didn't go to a hospital for certain things. You're just like, it's so frustrating, but in like an educational way. It's absolutely insane. And then I would say a more recent favorite of mine has been the Many Lives of Mama Love. I don't know what took me so long to read this one, but it's about Mama Love. And she is just like your typical California suburban mini driving mom, but she's a heroin addict and to fund her addiction, she's stealing from other moms at her school. So she would like go to like PTA meetings and then like raid their cars while they were in the meetings. It's insane. So she gets put into jail, works her way through the prison system, and then it's about her story in prison and then how difficult it is when you're out to get back on your feet and how it's virtually impossible. Like, when you're in the system, you have to work a full time job, but you have eight meetings that you have to be at and if you miss one, you get thrown back in prison. And it's just very eye opening to what the system looks like. And following her now on Instagram, she's just living this very full life where like she gets her sons back. And you know, you get to hear about the sons in the book when they were kids, now they're getting married and it's just very like, it's a really eye opening book. But now knowing where she's at in life, it like made reading it a little bit. I had to like, look her up on Instagram right away. I'm like, I need to make sure you're okay. Like, are you okay now? After It's a Wild, Wild, Wild Story. This would be my top three, kind of in like three different genres. But I have a ton of favorites. I just, I love them. Every time I see one, I'm like, add to my want to read list on Goodreads. Thank you.

[Kennedy]

Well, I'll be looking out for your TikTok when you give all of your memoir recommendations, because honestly, all three of those sound amazing.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Educated take place in Weston, Idaho? Does that sound familiar to you?

[Reggie]

It does, it does.

[Kennedy]

I literally live like five minutes from there.

[Brady Lockerbie]

No way.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. I live in a really small town in Idaho. Yeah. I was like, I. When I first heard about that book, I was like, wait, this is in Weston?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

This is a Little close to home, but yeah. Okay.

[Brady Lockerbie]

And I feel like you would like it even more because you'll be able to really put a visual of like, where they're at, what they're talking about, all of that. I.

[Kennedy]

You would.

[Brady Lockerbie]

You would really love it.

[Kennedy]

Okay, I'm adding it asap.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. Next time you're like, browsing and you're like, what? Add it. It'll. I read the physical copy of it. I haven't even listened to it and I still finished it. I sat on the beach one day and just blew through it the whole time I was sitting there. And then apparently it's great on audio, but I read the physical copy, so whichever way you go, you'll have a great time with it.

[Kennedy]

Perfect. I'm excited.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Makayla]

So we're memoirs. You're like, start into reading. Or was there like a book that kind of started you on this path of like your reading journey?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, I mean, back in the day, like Little House on the Prairie, boxcar children. Like, I don't know what was in those books making me want to become an orphan and like, run away from home. But I was like in fourth grade, like, you know, mom, we don't need running water. What are we doing? And then I feel like the book I get that always, like, I can still picture what I pictured when I read it for the first time was the City of Ember. I read it in like middle school and then that opened my world to Harry Potter. And then my family got me a Kindle fire tablet. Like, I don't even know what year those came out in. I can't find it for the life of me. I really want to, like find it and fire it up. But I remember reading Divergent, the Divergent series on there. So I feel like those really like. Like I've always been interested in the dystopian sci fi fantasy vibe and I feel like those are the ones that are like, really. They got me as a kid and now I just. Now I have free will and adult money to buy books whenever I want.

[Makayla]

We all know how it goes.

[Kennedy]

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[Makayla]

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[Reggie]

And for the days when I'm running around trying to sneak in reading, between Erin's work and Mom Life, their protein in a can is such a lifesaver. I love just being able to grab a can and go. Visit cleansimpleats.com and use code READ20 at checkout for 20 off your first order. That's cleansimpleats.com code READ20 for 20 off your first order. Link is also in the show notes.

[Kennedy]

Check out Clean Simple Eats. I promise you're going to love it. So do you feel like you ever had a lull in reading or do you think you've just read your entire life?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Definitely in like high school and college when I didn't have time or like the mental willpower to read and do school at the same time. And then when I. I worked a corporate job before, I did social media, and back then I couldn't listen to an audiobook and type at my job at the same time. So I would listen to a lot of podcasts back then. But now that I do social media and a lot of books have become a big part of my content, I now do audiobooks all the time. So I feel like that's kind of how it's evolved. And then, of course, I just love collecting books and just having them to.

[Kennedy]

Look at, having a whole library.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes, yes.

[Makayla]

When did you, like, start on your social media journey? Did it. Was it always book talk or how did you start? Tell us, like, your starting point.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, I think a lot of people. So a lot of people have found me because of my book videos, but I've been doing social media for. In May, it'll be four years full time, but like five years total, I would say. I started back in 2020, back in the day, the pandemic days. I was working my corporate job. We got sent home in March, and then that holiday season, I started just posting like, gift guide videos what I'm asking for for Christmas. And a lot of the stuff I was showing was just like Amazon things. And Amazon reached out and they're like, hey, you should join our influencer program. Get a storefront, and you can make commission on all of the things you're showing. And I was like, okay, cool. So I did that. And then I got to the point where I was making almost double my corporate salary just from what I was doing on social media. I had a few, like, small brand deals like Trickling in for like a couple hundred dollars a piece, which amazing. I was like, oh my God, like cool. Extra money. This is great. And I got to the point where I had a lot of things I could be doing with social media, but I didn't have the time because I was working this corporate job that I despised. Like I literally would cry every morning getting online. Like we worked overtime but we weren't getting paid for overtime. So it was just like not, not the vibe anymore. So I literally made a PowerPoint presentation and I went over to my parents house and I was like, this is why I want to quit my corporate job. These are my finances. This is what I'm making vers. And they were like, girl, do what you want to do. Live your life, do what makes you happy. So I ended up quitting May of 2021, doing a lot of Amazon stuff. You know, every little like brand deals that would trickle in here and there. And then I started posting books in like 2022. And within the past, we're in 2025 now. Within the past like three years, I would say maybe more. Starting in 2023 when I was posting books really consistently, my following has grown like exponentially. So I think a lot of people think I am just like a book talker and I just read all day. But I have a manager, I'm signed with a management company. I do, I try to do like other content along with my book content. But the girlies love the books. So it's like they always say, you know, like niche down, niche down. But I do a little bit of everything. Amazon finds hauls get ready with me's. And I think sometimes when people follow me for books and I pop up and I'm like, here's an Amazon haul. They're like, what are you doing? But I'm like this is where I actually started. The books are more new than the stuff I was doing before. So that's kind of like a little bit of my, my social media journey up until now.

[Reggie]

That's awesome. Good for you.

[Makayla]

Yeah, thank you.

[Reggie]

And I think it's really cool that you've been able to grow your following and have like such great consistency with like just from what I've seen with like your engagement and everything with not specifically niching down to something. Because I think a lot of people feel like in order to grow online you have to niche down and stick to one thing. And I think you're a really great example that you can be successful without having to just stick to one thing.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Thank You. So, yeah, yeah, I think there's, like, it's hard because the book. My book videos do always perform more. They perform better than like, if I posted a vlog. It's just, I think people wait for book videos. I try to post at least one a day on TikTok and on Reels, but if I post a vlog or I post a haul, it never really performs as well as the book videos do. But I think keeping yourself diverse is still important because you will attract to different audiences and becoming homeowners and buying a house and all of that, I think will also, again, like, open up doors to more things, but also staying true to books and what I enjoy and the books that I, I do enjoy reading. But yeah, it is. I. I'm torn on the niche. Down or to like, diversify yourself. Because if it works, then it works. But I also don't want to burn myself out, you know, like, constantly talk. I feel like I talk about the same books over and over again. Like, if Wayward Pines trilogy comes out of my mouth one more time, I swear people are gonna like, slap me through the screen. Like, they're like, girl, shut up. We know you love it. Move on.

[Kennedy]

Well, and I mean, the reality of it is books is only one part of your life, right? You have. You're moving, you have a significant other. There's so many other things. Like, you know, I saw that you just posted a Sephora. A Sephora sale thing, right? Like makeup, clothes, Amazon.

[Reggie]

There's.

[Kennedy]

That's only one facet of your life. And so to limit yourself to one thing does kind of limit yourself.

[Brady Lockerbie]

So, yeah, for sure. My manager is always like, I don't know, even like, she's like, she pitches me to everything. Like, she's like, you do beauty, you do fashion, you do this, you do that. So I'm kind of just going along with what, like, what I enjoy as a person is just basically what you see on the screen as well. And that's why I'm really excited to move to just like share more of my life. I don't really vlog much here, but like, moving and just being able to show more of myself rather than like a sit down, structured video every day. I just can't wait to like, morning in my life, night in my life, let's go run errands, like all of that kind of stuff. But yeah, it's. It's been a journey and it's been a great one and one that I would not trade for anything if someone.

[Kennedy]

Was looking to grow. Let's maybe let's do two. Well, maybe it's the same thing. If someone was looking to grow their social media following, what is some advice that you would have for them? Whether it's book talk or not, I.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Always say just honestly staying true to who you are. Like, if you have an opinion about something or you like something, like, don't change the way you feel about that because of what people online might say. I feel like that's really helpful in the book space. If you don't like a book, that's okay. You don't have to like every book. But there are people out there who will find you and like, they'll be like, oh my gosh, I read that book and I also didn't like that book. Now I want to follow you because we have very similar taste in books, which is also why I started posting book content. I remember seeing a video this it's like a running joke that Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney is like my least favorite book of all time. And I know a lot of people love it and I love that other people love it. It's just like a joke. Now that I really don't like that book. Same with like the Perfect Marriage by Geneva Rose. But I remember reading it and I'm like, I didn't like this book. So I made a TikTok being like, these are books that I read because of booktok that I actually didn't like. And people were like, oh my gosh, I agree with you. I'm going to follow you because we have similar taste in books. So just staying true to like, who you are, what you like, what you stand for. Just be who you are. And the people who also agree with you, they will find you. It might take time, but also another tip is just being consistent. Post yourself consistently. Do things consistently. I always have like a trending audio video in my back pocket for days where I don't have anything to post. Maybe I don't have anything to say that day. I don't have anything queued up to go live post a trending audio because it might blow up and you know, people will find you that way.

[Makayla]

That's so fun. Is there. I guess we've talked a lot, a lot about some of your books you love, but is there three to five books that you feel like would describe you as a reader?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. I saw this question and I was trying to narrow it down, but I chose one from every genre because I feel like I read a lot of genres. So like The Nightingale for historical fiction. I, who have never known Men, is now a new favorite of mine. That's like my dystopian kind of vibe that I love. I also educated or down the drain for memoirs. Like, I feel like I'm kind of all over the board with a lot of things. Like, one of my favorite thrillers is Look Closer by David Ellis. Or I love Caught up by Liz Tom Ford as like, one of my all time favorite romances. That's also who I put as my book boyfriend, Kai. Obsessed. I love that man. I would leave Gavin for that man. Just kidding. I love him.

[Kennedy]

I don't think any of us have read that.

[Reggie]

Is that the very first one or. No, that second.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It's the third. It's the yellow one.

[Reggie]

I started the first one and I don't know, I was having such a hard time with it. I got a few chapters in and I was like, I can't do this. But everyone was freaking out. When I post that on Goodreads, they're like, no, you have to keep going. The second and third one, like, are so much better. But yes, the first one was. I was struggling.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It's horrible. The first one is so bad. I didn't like it because I always say that the first book is. All he talks about is her body and his money. I'm like, yes, we get it. I want to know.

[Reggie]

Okay. Yeah. Like, to me, there was no. There was nothing that I was like, oh, this is sweet. Or this, like, I don't know. I was kind of getting the ick.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. 100. Okay. You. I would say you can skip Mile High and then jump into the Right Move. Because the Right Move and Caught up are absolutely fabulous. And yes, we all know how these romances end. Everyone's happy in the end. Everyone ends up together. They're one big happy friend group. So you will see what Stevie and Xander's. I think that's their names. You will, like, they'll be in the future books. And they're obviously together now, but the other two. And then obviously there's Play along and then the. What's the last one coming? Rewind it back. Is coming this year, but keep going. Because the Right Move and Caught up are.

[Reggie]

That's what everyone's saying. So I gotta just trust. Trust.

[Brady Lockerbie]

And even if you, like, skip the rest of Mile High, like, you're not missing anything.

[Reggie]

All right.

[Kennedy]

You know, they're together. You know, Right?

[Makayla]

They're gonna get together.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It's okay. Yeah, but I love Caught up is great because like, it's single dad, nanny, and Miller is a brunette with tattoos. I'm a brunette with tattoos and she's. She's a baker. So like their dynamic was just so cool. They had great banter. The Spice was so good. I had a book hangover after I finished. Caught up, I had to literally like go and like breathe fresh air because I was like, this is like, I. What am I going to do without these people in my life?

[Reggie]

Yeah, you're selling me. Yeah, you're selling me. I'll give it a go.

[Kennedy]

I need a new interconnected, like romance series. So. No, that'll be my next one. It'll be my next one.

[Reggie]

It'll be my next one.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I can't believe you guys haven't read Wendy Cities.

[Makayla]

Yeah, I think it's because I was turned off because of Reggie.

[Reggie]

Yeah, I tend to have that effect on people sometimes when like one of them is like, I didn't really like that. I'm like. But I, I feel like a lot of people have said that the first one is just like, just skip it. So that's why I'm like, skip it.

[Brady Lockerbie]

And the rest are like so good. I haven't read Play along yet or and Rewind It Back comes out this year, so you're joining at a great time when you can. You'll have three books and then the fourth one I think is probably coming out, I don't know, mid this year. So you have four books coming up that are all really great and you'll love them if you just need like a good spicy sports romance. Like, I need to like reread them. They're so good.

[Kennedy]

Look at you selling us on like memoirs and a sports romance that we are. We're like, eh, maybe we'll just skip. You're selling us good.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Anytime I see someone comment, they're like, I didn't like Mile High. I'm like, neither did I. But just, just skip it.

[Kennedy]

They're.

[Brady Lockerbie]

They're together. We got it. Same thing. Move on.

[Reggie]

I should have done that from the get go, but I just. Well, and also they're kind of. Are they kind. Aren't they kind of long? They are the first one long. I think that's another reason why I'm like, okay, sometimes I can't. I have a hard time with romance books that are like more than like 450 pages.

[Brady Lockerbie]

But oh, my cutoff for romance is like 300. Like yeah, 300 or less. Give me the spice. Short, sweet, to the point. Got it.

[Reggie]

All right, well, I'M gonna go run to my Libby. I thought they were on Kindle Unlimited at one point. Maybe they're not, but they.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Are they. Sure. Yeah.

[Reggie]

They are even more sold.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

I need. Like I said, I need an interconnected romance series, and summer is the best time to read them, so. And they're on Kindle Unlimited. Okay.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, you guys can all read them together and then report back because I. I know, I know you're gonna love them. They're okay.

[Makayla]

Okay.

[Reggie]

Fabulous.

[Makayla]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

And your book boyfriend that you mentioned was Kai. Right. And he's from.

[Brady Lockerbie]

He's from.

[Kennedy]

Okay, so then who are your other two favorite book boyfriends?

[Brady Lockerbie]

My other two are. Oh, I loved Dr. Jacob from yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. I. He reminds me of my boyfriend. He's very. Gavin's very quiet. Jacob has, like, social anxiety and, like, gets nervous in big groups of people. Gavin's the same way. Like, I really feel like I saw my boyfriend in Dr. Jacob, so I was like, sold. Got it. Like, that was my first five star. I think of, like, 20, 23 when that came out. Love him. And then I also chose Liam from the Paradise Problem because they had such good banter. He was so funny, like, when she brought the funniness out of him. And I just, like, I love that book. And I'm not a big romance girl, but, like, these are like my big three. Like, my big three romance recs, like, obsessed with all of them.

[Kennedy]

I think I gave The Paradise Problem 4 stars. It was. It was so much fun. It kind of. Have you ever watched White Lotus?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Okay.

[Kennedy]

It was kind of like White Lotus, but, like, rom com version.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. That's a great, great, great. I always recommend anytime people are like, I'm going on spring break, I need a book, I'm like, grab the Paradise Problem. It's like the island vibes, it's warm, it's funny. It made me laugh out loud. And for a romance to do that, like, automatic four stars.

[Kennedy]

Okay, so we hate to do this to you, but bang, marry, kill. Oh, Liam, Kai and Jacob.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Bang. Kai, marry Jacob. Oh, damn. Sorry, Liam. I'm gonna kill you.

[Kennedy]

Well, now I'm even more excited to read Kai because you married him, right? No, you banged him. You married Jake. You have to marry the guy that reminds you of your partner. Like, absolutely.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. No, they're all so good, though. I mean, you can't go wrong with. You can't go wrong with any of them.

[Makayla]

Oh, no, they are really good. The only one I haven't met Is Liam. So Kai. Kai, Liam. Oh, Liam's in the paradise. Sometimes they all kind of mush together for me.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Authors are like, they try to be almost like too creative when it comes to character names. Sometimes like, I'm like, okay, like Westwood, MC Ellington. I'm like, okay, please.

[Kennedy]

Who's really named that?

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. Which is a great name, but you know what I mean, like, sometimes authors go a little crazy with like the character names, like, too unique. Yeah. Coming from a girl named Brady. But.

[Kennedy]

Oh no, I love it. I love boy names for girls.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, I do too. That's one. I do love my name. Like, I have met a lot of girls online too, who are like, oh my God, I've never seen another girl named Brady. And I'm like, there, have I? Until I started posting online.

[Reggie]

So yeah, that's how it was with me. Like, Reggie. Everyone's like, when I go to places and people see me, they're like, I go to the doctor's office and I give them my name and they're like. Or they call my name and they're like looking for somebody else. And I'm like, no, it's me.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. Hi.

[Reggie]

So, yeah, it's always fun to meet someone with the same name as you and the same gender.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Oh, for sure. I love boy names for girls. It's like my favorite thing ever. I was on call one time with my manager and then her name was Sean and then another girl named Tyler. So it was just Tyler, Brady and Sean. And I was like, look at us. We're like a girl group band of boy names.

[Kennedy]

I love it.

[Reggie]

I love it. That's so fun.

[Makayla]

That's the ultimate trio right there.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

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[Reggie]

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[Makayla]

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[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, definitely. Kristin Hannah. I love her. And then I love Ellen Hildebrand. She's an author who a lot of people think her books are for like old, like the older crowd, like for like my mom's age or something like that. And I posting about all of her books online. People are like, oh my gosh, like I've been missing out on this my whole life. And I'm like, I know. Like, they're, she's great. They're, they're good. And she's very kind. I met her at my local bookstore. They did a little meet and greet and she was wonderful and kind. And also Kristin Hannah and I follow each other on Instagram. It's like my one fun fact about myself that is like the coolest thing ever. And she's so nice. She'll just like, if I post like an Amazon outfit, she'll like comment on it sometimes. Or she'll reply to my stories and be like, looking cute. And I'm like, stop, that's so cute.

[Kennedy]

What an angel.

[Brady Lockerbie]

She's so nice. And I'm like, I'm. Can I call you Kristen? Like, is it like, what do I call you? Like your first name basis? Right? Like Ms. Mrs. Hannah. Like, what do I. It's like speaking to your idol so casually in an Instagram dm. I'm like, hi. What?

[Reggie]

That's so cool.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I love you.

[Makayla]

Well.

[Kennedy]

And it just makes you love your book, their books that much more when they're just nice human beings.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. And like the thought that goes into Kristin Hannah books, like, she's not just writing about like the Nightingale without going to Paris or when she wrote the women like you can see always in the back of her books. She'll put in photos of like the ins. She'll be like, I saw this real life cabin. This is where I pulled inspiration from. So like she's like boots on the ground doing the research. Which I think makes her books so good and stand out above anyone else.

[Kennedy]

Well, I mean, like we said, I mean, I don't think they've read any other Krista Hannah books, but reading the Nightingale, it felt like I was transported. Like I was there. And obviously that's why, because she does her research.

[Brady Lockerbie]

She does, yeah. And like, I read. I've read the women by her. I've read the Four Winds. That was a really, really, really sad one. But that one's about, like, the Dust bowl. So the 1920s, which time periods that I never would have ever. If you were like, Brady, when was the Vietnam War? No idea. But I read the women, so I know it happened in the 1960s because of these books. Like, same with World War II. I know it happened around the 1940s. Like, it's piecing together the history I learned in, like, elementary school, middle school, high school that I should know. But I only know it because I read fiction books that take place in those time periods in my adulthood. So, like, I can put things on a timeline of, like, when actual things happened and, like, being able to ask my mom, like, who lived through troops coming home from the Vietnam War, which is such a huge trend in the women. Just little things like that where you're like, you can, like, relate to it in a way of like, okay, I actually understand when that happened in relation to where we are now.

[Makayla]

That's nice. So cool. I love that you guys, like, follow each other.

[Brady Lockerbie]

And she's so kind.

[Makayla]

She just like, comments. That's.

[Reggie]

That's so sweet.

[Makayla]

So cute. That's why I think social media can be so, so fun.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes.

[Makayla]

And, like, what are your thoughts on kind of, like, the evolution of BookTok and its influence it's had on, like, the book industry? Because I feel like books used to not be as big as they are now.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Makayla]

And so I would love to, like, hear your inside thoughts about how you feel like BookTok or social media has brought to fruition of this book industry.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I feel like we're living through, like, a revolution right now. And I, like, we're a part of it. And it's kind of wild to witness, like, books one becoming popular again in the age of technology, being so popular. Like, we're going back to reading physical books, which is, I think, a really cool thing. But it's like, wild how influential BookTok has become on everything. Like, you can't walk into a bookstore or even Target or Target and be like. And not see something that says booktok or see something that's BookTok related or, like, you know, best most seen on BookTok or, you know, specific tables like that. And it's kind of wild that we're like, the people doing that. Like, we are the ones influencing that. Somebody sent me A screenshot the other day of they were on Amazon and they added a book to their cartoon and it was like my. It was like my three favorite books ever. It was like Remarkably Bright creatures I have Never Known Men and let's just say the Great Alone. They were like recommended to buy together and they were like, I feel like this is your influence. Like if someone adds one book to their cart, it recommended other books that are very popular right now on booktok. And it could just be from your viral video. From my viral video. Like we have the power to like change authors lives, which is crazy to think about, like in a positive way or a negative way, which is kind of scary and like a lot of pressure. Which is why sometimes like, I don't know if you guys feel like this when you don't like a book. I almost feel bad saying that I don't like a book. But it's also why people come to you for your opinions on books.

[Makayla]

No, I agree. It sometimes can be really scary because I feel like it can either go one of two ways where people agree or people like attack you.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Makayla]

For not liking a book.

[Brady Lockerbie]

And way too comfortable online. Like things to strangers. Like, why are we sending death threats because we didn't like the same book. Like, please, what do we like, what are we doing?

[Kennedy]

Well, it's so personal. It's just like anything else in life. Like you may want, you may love one restaurant and another person doesn't, or movies, music, it's. It's just a personal experience. But I think with reading, the reason why people take it way more personally than a restaurant is because you spend so much time with the characters and it's like more of they're ingrained into your mental, into your mind. And it's almost like sometimes you take these characters and they become a part of you and a part of your personality. So when you see someone who you look up to on social media and they don't like your book, it feels like a personal attack, but it's not.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, people, I feel this way too on like an inverse way where I absolutely love I who have never known men. Have you guys read that one yet? Okay. It's a really quick. I think it's like 160, maybe 180 pages. And it's a dystopian where these women are trapped in a cage underground and they're set on this like really strict cycle and they don't know why they're there. And one day this like alarm sounds and the guards that are watching Them run and they happen to have left the cage open. So these women get out of this cage. And I don't want to spoil anything in case you end up reading it, but the book leaves you with a ton of questions. Like, basically any question you have won't get answered in the book because that's the point of it. Like, it's just. You're reading about this girl who was born and raised in this cage and doesn't know anything other than what you're also experiencing with her. So people will comment on my video about I would never know men. And they're like, I hated this book because my questions weren't answered. And I'm like, but that's the point. Like, and I almost want to, like, argue back to people and be like, just have, like, an open mind about it. But there's only so much you can convey in, like, the 180 characters of a TikTok comment that TikTok gives you. But, like, it's. I almost get offended too, when sometimes people are like, I hated the nightingale. And I'm like, block, just kidding. But I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, this book was so beautiful. Like, how do you not like it? But then people also feel the same way when I have read a book that they felt that way about too. It's just. It's weird being the ones who. People are commenting on your videos, so it almost feels like an influx of. Not like an attack, but sometimes it can be like an attack if you have an unpopular opinion and people are like, I completely felt this opposite way. And that comment has, like 800 likes. You're like, okay, so everyone hates me. Got it. All right, I'm going to close my laptop for the day. Get offline. But it's wild. I think we're living in a really crazy world where book talk and social media is so influential and it's a weird thing to, like, experience and be almost like, at the helm of it. Like, we're the ones controlling the ship of authors lives. Like, that's a. That's a weird thing. In a cool way.

[Reggie]

Yeah, it's crazy. The power that, like, I feel like no one was reading and now everyone's reading. Like, even people in my own personal life that have never picked up a book or, I mean, maybe for school. And then they're like, okay, you. You post a lot of books of, maybe I'll try and read a book. And then they do, and then it's like this spiral of, okay, now what should I start Next. And I'm buying. I bought the box set of the series, and it's just so cool because I feel like it's just a really great way to connect with people because I have met so many, like, made so many friends with people because of a book.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

And it's. Then when you put all that online, it's just. It could just even grow even more from there. And so you're a good example of showing, like, how, you know, your. Your book Talk account. I mean, I wouldn't necessarily even call it Booktok account, because you have a variety of things on there, which is so fun, but it's just so cool how you get to connect with people. Like, we connected with you through this book.

[Makayla]

So.

[Reggie]

Yeah, it's just so cool to see how it all spirals and connects.

[Makayla]

Yeah. Intertwines.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. Yeah. And it really only takes, like, one book to get people to fall back in love with reading. Like, it only. You only need that one book for somebody to be like, oh, wow. I actually do enjoy this hobby of sitting down and reading these pages because reading a book is a very intimidating thing. And then you log online and you see people who are like, I read 37 books this month. And you're like, 30. There's only 30 days in a month. How. How are you doing that? But it really does take that one book to open your eyes to be like, oh, like, I do actually enjoy doing this. And like you said, books bringing people together. I was at the nail salon the other day, and a woman had the book the Lion Women of Tehran on her. She, like, had it on the table. And I haven't read it yet, but I recognized the COVID And we started talking about it because it was a Book of the month book. So I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, I love Book of the Month. And same with my mail lady. She dropped off packages the other day at the same time I was coming home. So I, like, met her at the truck and we were talking and she was like, oh, I see you're a Book of the Month member. And I was like, yeah, are you a reader? She was like, I love audiobooks because she drives the mail truck all day. And I was like, oh, my God, do we just become best friends? So I gave her, like, a bunch of recommendations. I literally wrote her, like, a. A list of, like, my favorites. And I was like, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did, but books bring people together in a really cool way.

[Makayla]

Yeah, I think I. I hate the excuse. I don't have time because I think that's the fattest lie.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Makayla]

If you just get off your phone.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah.

[Makayla]

If you really think about it, I mean if everyone would show like their screen time on their phone and you replace that with like a book. Even like an hour of screen for a book. You can get a decent chunk into a book.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Oh yeah.

[Makayla]

And like I always listen to audiobooks when I'm doing chores or like I go for a walk or like working out sometimes like you have time, you just have to like like you said that one book that sets in trajectory of like you on the spiral of I have to read another book.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. Oh my gosh. Someone commented on my video the other day, they're like 10 books in one month. And they said it in a really weird way, rude way where they were like do you not have a job? Or something like that. And I responded back to them and I was like, I have time to read this many books because I don't scroll on TikTok and leave hate comments on strangers videos. Like you should try it. And I just like, like you are such a lose. She was like a. It's always like the 60 year old women who. I'm like, you could. You're like my mom's age. Like what are you like imagine your mom scrolling and leaving rude comments on some like it's so embarrassing to think about but I'm like if you would just put your phone away. Go.

[Reggie]

And that energy is so much better too.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yes. The energy you just put into that comment could have. You could have read five pages.

[Reggie]

Yeah, definitely. My. I might. I feel like you'll appreciate this since you're reading Red Rising right now. My husband has always told me I have no time to read. I don't want to read. Like I'm just. And he is a busy guy. Like he. I swear he works 24 7. But we went on vacation and he was like, well I guess what am I going to do? Scroll on my phone the whole time? He started the first Red Rising book, started the second one on vacation and when we came home it was like he came home from work and normally he's like, I've got stuff to do, whatever. And he was like the kids went in bed and it was like, I gotta go read my book.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Love that.

[Reggie]

It's so fun because like I have not seen him like that ever. Like the last time he picked up a book like that it was like Harry Potter when he was in middle school or whatever. And so it's just really? It. Yeah. It goes to show that it just has to be the right book and you can make time for it if you want to.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, you have to find that one that makes you want to, like, sit down and read. And a lot of. I mean, we always talk about reading slumps and getting into a reading slump. Life's too short to read books you're not enjoying and you don't like. So, like, you're gonna skip mile high and read. You can always try it if you like. For you guys that haven't even started the series, you can always try it. You might like it. Some people do like it. But, like, jump into the rest and I guarantee you you'll be like, that will be the series where you're like, I can't put these down. Like, yeah, good spice. Mature characters, rich sports, people in Chicago. Like, thank you.

[Kennedy]

What's not to love about that?

[Reggie]

Well, and there's also. There's also so many books out there that, like, for example, there's a girl I know that she was like, I'm gonna try and read. And she picked up one book and got like two chapters in, and she's like, I don't like this. I'm not a reader. And like, there's a book out there for everybody. I mean, look at the bookshelf behind you right now. It's like there's. I'm sure somebody would love any one of those books on your shelf. It just takes the right one, so.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It takes the one. Yeah. And that's also like finding people online who's vibes you, like, get along with you. Like, don't follow somebody just because they, I don't know, like, they have a certain number of followers. Follow them because they have good book recommendations. There's a few people who are always popping up on my for you page. There's this one guy, and I. I wish I could think of his name, but he's always, like, popping up on my page and he's always reading books that I've never, ever, ever even heard of. And I'm always like, that's like, he has that audience that does read those books. And, like, he's also introducing me to books that I've never read or that I never would have read. And I'm pretty sure he read, I have. Who have never known men. And it's just cool to be able to, like, bond with people who you have absolutely nothing in common with other than the fact that you both read one book. But that can open a conversation to, like, so many other things.

[Kennedy]

Or, like, people who. Who may be listening to this or even because you're moving. It's like you could join a book club, and then it's a good way to connect with people, and it's a good way to make friends, make friendships. If you're new, somewhere new, because you join a book club and then you have, you know, those girls or guy friends and then you talk, you know, once a month, you're gonna go out and you're gonna talk about this book to people, and then hopefully, you know, friendships blossom from there because, you know, it could be kind of isolating not knowing people in your area.

[Makayla]

So.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. Yeah, that's a great point. Yeah. Book clubs are a great way to get to know people and bring people together, because you automatically have one thing to talk about with a stranger. You're there for the same reason. You have one thing in common. You both read this book, and you can meet your best friend in that same room just because you both happen to be there.

[Kennedy]

Or like, I know part of the reason why we even started this podcast was because we know there are so many people out there who don't, don't. Don't belong to a book club or don't have friends that read. And we wanted, you know, and I'm sure you want kind of the same thing where people can come to your page and have a friend to talk to about the books that they love, because not everybody has that.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah, absolutely. I'm always. Every time I post a video, I always put, like, in the caption or I say in the video, like, what book are you reading right now? Or tell me your top read of. Of the month. And it's a great way to open conversations. And I love seeing other people talk with each other in my comments. It happens a lot on reels where someone will comment back and be like, oh, my gosh, I also read that book this month. Like, what did you think of it? And then they go on, like, they make a new friend, and I'm like, that's all I could ever ask for. Creating a community online of people who feel comfortable talking to other strangers. Like, that's a. That's a cool thing and a cool community to have built and to continue building.

[Kennedy]

Well, yeah, I was just gonna say how cool that you've built a community where people feel safe enough to talk to your followers also. I just think that's so cool.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It really is. That's gonna get emotional. It really is. It's a cool thing. And I Feel very blessed to live this life of just talking books online to people. And you know, all of my other little things sprinkled here and there that you get when you follow me. Just a whole bunch of random. My bio, I just recently changed it. Come for the book, stay for the rest because you don't know what else you're gonna get.

[Reggie]

Yeah. So where can people find you? Where can they connect with you? I mean, we'll link everything of yours in our show notes, but where can everyone find you?

[Brady Lockerbie]

I'm just Rady Lockerbie on everything on Instagram, on TikTok and I'm trying to get back into YouTub. Someone tagged me in a story the other day that they were watching one of my YouTube videos from like January and I was like, thank you for this motivation to put out some new content for you because I feel like.

[Reggie]

You guys probably get it.

[Brady Lockerbie]

It feels redundant. You feel like you're. You do a march wrap up and you post it on TikTok and then you post it on reels and then. Okay, do I sit down and talk about the same books again on YouTube? I guess YouTube's more of like a sit and literally just like ramble if you wanted to. But I feel like sometimes it's repetitive and I'm like, dude, does anyone. Do you guys still care? Like just. Do you guys still care what I have to say?

[Reggie]

Well, you're always going to reach new people.

[Makayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

So that's always like great. I know there's people that have found us from YouTube and then find our podcast from there. It's just kind of cool how you can connect with people on all sorts of platforms.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Yeah. And I'm excited to share when this goes up and I can share that. Like I was on with you guys, like to bring my people to yours and your people can come to mine. It's just really fun to find people online who you really jive with. And now like that we've done this. Like we're all best friends in my eyes. I feel like 100.

[Makayla]

Absolutely.

[Brady Lockerbie]

Anyone on mutuals with online, I'm like, so I would literally like fight someone for you. Like, you are my friend. So I love having people like that online. So I can't wait for our communities to co mingle together.

[Reggie]

Yes. Everyone needs to listening needs to go check out Brady's content because it's. She's got like she said a little bit of everything. And I know, I feel like my tbr, my TBR always grows whenever I talk to somebody. But like I'M even more excited to hit these books that I've added because of you. So thank you, and thank you for the time that you've taken to chat with us. We know you're busy, and, you know it's a rainy, gloomy day and you want to jump back into your book, so thank you so much.

[Brady Lockerbie]

There it's screaming my name out. Thank you guys for doing this. This was, like I said, my first time I was ever on a podcast, so I'm having a blast. I can't wait to, like, listen to the full episode. And the next time you guys do a reading retreat, I am there. I want to book my ticket. It looked like such a good time. And you guys should also be proud of the community that you've made. And being able to connect with people online is amazing, but also, like, in real life, I feel like that's always the goal. So you guys are doing it, and. And I can't wait to be a part of it next time because I had major FOMO watching everything. I was like, I need to be there right now.

[Kennedy]

We would love to have you.

[Brady Lockerbie]

I would love that. Thank you so much for having me. This was such a blast, and I'm so excited to see the final product.

[Kennedy]

Thank you so much. You are so sweet.

[Makayla]

Yeah.

[Reggie]

Thank you.