Ep 385 - Picking a Book Based on the Cover + Bookish Candles!

Summary

Reading Glasses Podcast Summary: Ep 385 - Picking a Book Based on the Cover + Bookish Candles!

Release Date: November 14, 2024

Hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara dive deep into the nuances of selecting books based on their covers, explore the world of bookish candles, and engage with their passionate community of listeners. This episode is a treasure trove for book enthusiasts looking to enhance their reading experiences.

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1. Current Reads: Exploring "Modern Home" and "The N"

The episode kicks off with Bria Graham and Mallory O'Meara discussing their current literary adventures. Bria shares her enthusiasm for "Modern Home" by River Solomon, emphasizing its unexpected depth beyond typical haunted house narratives.

Bria Graham [00:37]: "I loved this book. I could not stop thinking about this book."

She clarifies that while marketed as a haunted house story, "Modern Home" is a literary fiction novel that intricately weaves themes of family secrets, racism, and personal identity. Bria praises the beautiful prose and the portrayal of a queer, autistic main character, making it a standout addition to her year-end favorites.

Mallory introduces her current read, "The N" by Jedediah Berry, described as a literary fantasy set in a world where words have vanished, leading to a societal collapse filled with monsters and ghosts. She highlights the novel's unique premise and immersive storytelling, comparing its literary fantasy elements to the works of Miyazaki and Guillermo del Toro.

Mallory O’Meara [03:11]: "It's really unique. It's really immersive and really beautiful, and I love it."

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2. Listener Feedback: Shady Hollow Holiday Stories

Suzanne reaches out to share her love for the Shady Hollow holiday stories, namely "Phantom Pond" (Halloween) and "Evergreen Chase" (Christmas). Both tales are praised for their cozy, festive charm.

Suzanne [05:31]: "Phantom Pond is a perfect spooky tale, and I'm saving Evergreen Chase for the winter season."

Bria and Mallory express their fondness for the series, with Mallory mentioning how she read "Phantom Pond" aloud for her grandchildren, further cementing its place in their holiday reading lists.

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3. Expert Advice: Book Recommendations from Librarian Aaron Odin

Aaron Odin, a current librarian and former bookseller, shares invaluable tips for those struggling to recommend books they haven't read:

• Leverage Coworkers' Expertise: If you're unfamiliar with a genre, consult colleagues who are passionate about it.
• Engage with Patrons: Regular library visitors can offer personalized recommendations based on their interests.
• Utilize Databases: Tools like Novelist help match books based on specific criteria like lyrical prose or dark atmospheres.
• Access Book Journals: These provide summaries and insights into upcoming or popular titles, aiding in informed recommendations.

Aaron Odin [07:04]: "If you have a large portion of your patron base that looks a certain way in books, look out for those titles and make a cheat sheet for yourself."

Bria and Mallory applaud Aaron's insights, emphasizing the importance of building relationships with patrons to foster a vibrant reading community.

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4. Personal Anecdotes: The Intersection of Reading and Dating

The hosts delve into personal stories highlighting how book preferences can influence romantic connections:

• Mallory's Experience: She recounts matching with someone who dismissed audiobooks, leading to an immediate disconnect.

  Mallory [10:08]: "If a guy doesn't name any female authors, I'm like, one gun."

• Bria's Encounter: Discusses dating someone who belittled her love for fairy-themed books, underscoring the significance of shared literary interests.

  Bria [11:03]: "If you talk disparagingly about fairy smut, we're probably not going to get along."

These anecdotes reinforce the podcast's theme that shared reading interests can be pivotal in forming meaningful relationships.

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5. Horny Fairy Book Club: A Community Gathering

Bria and Mallory announce the launch of the Horny Fairy Book Club, centered around the popular "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas. Members are invited to join a members-only Zoom discussion scheduled for early December.

Mallory [12:00]: "We're going to read the book this month and then in the first week of December, we're going to do a members-only Zoom."

Listeners are encouraged to join by visiting maximumfund.org and providing proof of membership to gain access to the exclusive Slack channel and Zoom party. The book club promises lively discussions and a space for readers to share their "hot and spicy takes."

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6. Bookish Candle Review: Paddy Wax's Edgar Allan Poe Scent

Transitioning to book tech, the hosts review a bookish candle from Paddy Wax featuring the Edgar Allan Poe scent. They critically assess its fragrance profile and value:

• Scent Composition: Cardamom, absinthe, and sandalwood create a licorice-like aroma.
• Performance: Bria notes a pleasant smell without triggering migraines, though she mentions the candle lacks a strong "throw" (the ability to scent a room effectively).
• Value: Priced at $30 for six ounces, Mallory expresses reservations about its cost-effectiveness, suggesting more affordable alternatives from stores like Marshalls.

Mallory [27:55]: "I think any candle can be a bookish candle."

Both hosts agree that while the scent was enjoyable, the high price point and fragility (the candle glass broke during testing) diminish its appeal as a dedicated bookish accessory.

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7. Recommendation Request: Graphic Novels and YA Books

Listener Maddie seeks recommendations for her sister, who enjoys "Heartstopper" Graphic Novels and "Phoebe's Diary" by Phoebe Wahl. The hosts provide thoughtful suggestions:

• Bria's Pick: "I Kiss Shara Wheeler" by Casey McQuiston - A cute, queer mystery involving a popular girl's sudden disappearance after kissing three different people, leading to unexpected friendships.

  Bria [33:27]: "It's very cute, and we just love Casey McQuiston, like great writer."

• Mallory's Pick: "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me" by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero O'Connell - A YA graphic novel about a girl navigating a tumultuous relationship, emphasizing self-respect and personal growth.

  Mallory [34:05]: "It's very, it's very compelling like coming of age story."

Both recommendations cater to fans of graphic novels and YA genres, ensuring Maddie's sister remains engaged and excited about her reading journey.

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8. Conclusion: Community Engagement and Upcoming Events

The episode wraps up with reminders for listeners to engage with the community:

• Merchandise: Availability of new cozy and horror-themed merch, including totes, stickers, and shirts.
• Ratings and Reviews: Encouragement to rate and review the podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify to support the show.
• Contact Information: Invitations to email recommendations and feedback to [e-mail] and follow on Instagram at @ReadingGlassesPodcast.

Mallory [35:20]: "Thanks for listening and thanks Reading Maximum Fun."

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Notable Quotes:

• Bria on "Modern Home":

  "The writing is fantastic. It's beautiful. The prose are so gorgeous, but it is a dark book."
  [00:37]

• Mallory on "The N":

  "It's a really unique, it's really immersive and really beautiful, and I love it."
  [03:11]

• Aaron Odin's Recommendation Tips:

  "If a patron liked a book because of the lyrical prose and dark atmosphere, you can look at other books that have lyrical prose and dark atmosphere."
  [07:04]

• Mallory on Random Book Picking:

  "I'm just gonna cut the line in front of all the other books that I have to read and just read a fun thing."
  [20:55]

• Bria on Candle Affordability:

  "I think you can get that same experience for $10 at Marshalls."
  [29:27]

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Final Thoughts:

This episode of Reading Glasses masterfully balances book discussions, listener interactions, and community-building initiatives. Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara not only share their personal literary journeys but also provide practical advice and foster a sense of camaraderie among book lovers. Whether you're looking to diversify your reading list based on intriguing covers or seeking the perfect ambiance with bookish candles, this episode offers insightful perspectives and heartfelt recommendations to enrich your reading life.

Transcript

[Mallory O'Meara]

You're listening to Reading Glasses, a show about book culture and literary life designed to help you read better. I'm author and book devourer Mallory O'Meara.

[Bria Graham]

And I'm Bria Graham, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're ticking off another box from the 2024 reading glasses, glasses, Glasses challenge. Glasses, Glasses. Pick a book based on the COVID Plus we test a bookish candle and recommend YA graphic novels.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But first, Bria, what are you reading?

[Bria Graham]

I just finished a book that was on both of our. Was it on both of our anticipated books? Episodes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think it was Modern Home by River Solomon. This was a dual pick.

[Bria Graham]

I got some things to say right now, and they're all positive. But I will tell you, for those of you who read or we talked about, we were like, it's a haunted house book by River Solomon. It is a haunted house book, but it is not what you were thinking. This is a literary fiction book and with haunted house elements in it. I loved this book. I could not stop thinking about this book. I had to. I had to get through this book to find out what happened. It's. The writing is fantastic. It's beautiful. The prose are so gorgeous, but it is a dark book. Oh, I see. It's called a New kind of haunted house novel. No, you have marketed this book incorrectly. I'm just letting y'all know this is a literary fiction novel.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Bria is standing on a soapbox in the town square with, Doing the Lord's.

[Bria Graham]

Work some people who think their house is haunted. So there is that element. It's about a black family that moves into an all white neighborhood, and it's two parents and three children, and things bad start happening in the house. And when we meet the. This, the children, they're adults, and something weird has happened at the house and they haven't been able to talk to the parents. And one of the children goes to check on them and. Hold on, I'm seeing what has been revealed. Oh, yeah. And this is in the.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This.

[Bria Graham]

You can read this in the. The blurb about it. Their. Their parents have passed away and the deaths seem not natural. And they're saying. And the police are like, oh, this is. It's a murder suicide. And the kids are like, there's no way. There's no way our parents would be in a murder suicide situation. And it's kind of about suburban life. It's kind of about secrets within a family. It's definitely about racism and living in a place where you don't quite belong. The main character is queer and autistic, and a lot of it is told through their perspective. And it's just a really well written book. I think it's going to be on my best of the year. I just was very taken with it. So it sounded like I said something negative. I said nothing negative. I just said that I feel like it was marketed weirdly.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I think. I mean, that happens.

[Bria Graham]

But you know what the COVID tells me, since this is a episode about covers, that it is literary fiction. The COVID looks literary.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The COVID looks literary.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah. It doesn't look like a haunted house book. And I think that if you keep that in mind when going into it. But the thing that I want to make sure is that people who wouldn't pick up a haunted house book, I think would pick, like, this book. And I think people who like haunted house house books would like this. But I just think, look, if you're a person, you're like, I don't do horror. This is not a horror book. You should pick up this book. I think it's a really gorgeous book, well written, and I love Rivers Solomon, and I can't recommend it enough. What are you reading?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I am reading also a 2024 book. We're finally in the mad dash at the end of the year to read as many new releases as we can for our best of the year episode. And I'm reading a book that I saw recommended by my friend Allison. Thank you, Alison. And also friend of the show, Erin Morgenstern. I saw a few people talking about this, so I was like, well, if these two like it, Allison and I have very similar tastes in books. So if I'm like, if she likes it, I'm gonna like it. It's the Nam by Jedediah Berry. And I think you would like this book, Bria. It is, you said.

[Bria Graham]

I think I already ordered it from the library. I'm gonna check right now.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's a literary fiction fan, like, literary fantasy. And it's about this world where all of a sudden all of the words fell away one day, and that changed the world. The borders were gone. Monsters came into the world, ghosts came into the world. So now there's this group of people, and it's their job to start naming things again. And there's this committee that, like, gets these names, and the main character, she's a courier. So when the committee comes up with a new name, she goes out and, like, delivers the name. Like, the opening scenes are her. Like, she delivered the name to float and she, like, is floating in a pond and a bunch of people are around her and she's like, hey, it's float. And everyone's like, yay, we have a word for that. I love that. But there's still attacks from these monsters. And after such an attack, she is forced to go on this journey and find her long lost sister. And she's A ghost is with her and there's a monster with her. And it's this. Really, the. The comps for this are like Miyazaki and. And Guillermo del Toro and I think that's right. It's that kind of like literary fantasy that has a little bit of horror and has a little bit of sci fi, like, kind of like Kelly Link too. It. It's just, it's. I haven't read anything like it. That's what I. When I started reading it, I told Allison. I was like, I've just. I haven't read anything like this this year. It's really unique. It's really immersive and really beautiful, and I love it. It just came out. So it's called the N. Jedediah Berry.

[Bria Graham]

And I read Model Home by Rivers Solomon.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So we want to take a moment to share some listener feedback. Suzanne wrote in to say hello. Mallory and Priya, do you know about the two short Shady Hollow holiday stories? I do, and I've read them both. I'm. So I put this in the show note or I put this in the listener feedback in case anybody wants to read one of these for our holiday thing.

[Bria Graham]

Oh, I like that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay, so there's one. It's called Phantom Pond, which is the Halloween one, and Evergreen Chase, which is the Christmas one. Susan says I saw them for sale on my Kindle as a promotion due to my reading list. They're so sweet. Just 99 cents and only available on all E readers. I've heard you talk about the books, but hadn't heard you mention these little treasures. Phantom Pond is a perfect spooky tale, and I'm saving Evergreen Chase for the winter season. Thank you so much for joining me onto the wonderful cozy world of Shady Hollow. They're such a favorite of mine. It was exciting to be able to pre order the summer's end book and receive it in the mail. The crazy thing was I forgot I had done that and bought the book at my bookstore the day it was apparently released because I bought it immediately upon seeing it. When I got home, there it was again in the mail. You know what's funny is I did the same thing with this exact same book.

[Bria Graham]

I'm gonna get it right now. This sounds really cute. And this will maybe this will fulfill my holiday reading.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's very cute. Okay, now I have one to share with friends and family that are also enjoying this sweet series. I read the first one aloud and recorded it for my granddaughters 9 and 7 to listen to on long car rides. They loved it along with their parents. Again, thank still listening after all these years and still loving each and every episode. P.S. warm up for podcast exercise Say Von Beaverpelt out loud three times fast. The really rich family in the world of Shady Hollow is the Von Beaverpelts.

[Bria Graham]

I have to tell y'all, Mallory did have trouble getting through that word.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Von Beaverpelt.

[Bria Graham]

Von Beaverpelt.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Von Beaverpelt, Von Beaverpelt. Maybe it'll be like Beetlejuice and the beavers will appear.

[Bria Graham]

Oh, that'd be cute.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Folks, I. I'm loving how many people are loving Shady Hollow. I think it's just because this world, this everything's so stressful right now and like all I want to do is be in this little world with all these little creatures.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, sounds great. Aaron Odin said. Hello, current librarian and former bookseller here. I have recommended a lot of books I've never read myself and I have a few tips. Oh, this is for the person, the librarian. What happens when someone asks me about some books I didn't know anything about? First, I want to say I 1000% agree with Mallory's advice to ask your co workers. I'm a fantasy and historical romance reader who does not like horror or thrillers, so of course my patrons love horror and thriller books. I do, however, have a coworker who loves both of these genres, so I often ask her what she's reading and she would recommend it. This has helped me further my knowledge in genres I will never read myself. In addition to asking your coworkers, don't be afraid to talk to your regular patrons. Ask them what they're reading and if they think it would be a good read alike for certain authors. As library staff, we often see the same people every week, if not every day, and this will not only help in building a relationship with your patrons, but you'll get recommendations out of it. Additionally, if your library has a Novelist database, use it. It is a lifesaver. Novelist is a database of mostly fiction books that are sorted by app factors and other keywords. If a patron liked a book because of the lyrical prose and dark atmosphere, you can look at other books that have lyrical prose and dark atmosphere not all books are as fleshed out as others, but if you're looking at bigger authors, you will have no problems. My final bit of advice. This is a lot of good advice.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, this is.

[Bria Graham]

Why don't you come on. This person should have done this episode.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Hot librarian advice, which is the hottest advice of all.

[Bria Graham]

My final bit of advice is to ask the librarians for the book journals when they are done with them. If book ordering is done in house, these will often highlight upcoming buzzy books your patrons may enjoy. However, what I find more helpful, the small summaries that are given for each book. Because they are not written for consumers, they often have minor spoilers and more relevant appeal factors. Oh, that's interesting.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Library Journal, all those.

[Bria Graham]

If you know what a large portion of your patron base looks likes in books, look out for those titles and make a cheat sheet for yourself. I hope that at least one of these things helps you get the right book into the hands of the right reader.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is. We gotta. We gotta.

[Bria Graham]

Hot, hot, hot, hot.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Woo.

[Bria Graham]

Y'all. Y'all need to go to Aaron from now on with these book recommendation questions.

[Mallory O'Meara]

F. Really great. Then Sam wrote in to say, hi, Brianne, Mallory, I know you always talk about most book people being called Sarah on your podcast. I found a very, very silly TikTok of nicknames for Sarah's and thought it was worth a share to you both. Someone put this on our Instagram.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, people. Several people sent it on Instagram and I think we posted it a couple times. But it is very funny and we will put it in the show notes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, it's hilarious. And Sam says, absolutely love the podcast. My wheelhouse is enemies to lovers, romance, high fantasy with or without fairies, and buzzy books like Acotar.

[Bria Graham]

High fantasy with and without fairies is so specific.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's so specific.

[Bria Graham]

I was looking at the Book Riot newsletter this morning, and they were like, and of course, another book with fairies. And I was like, wow, we're all. We're all in that world, huh?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, I have to tell this quick story that I told Bria before we started recording is that I had matched with somebody on a dating app, and we were obviously talking about books, because that's the thing that I ask about first. And I told this person my reading taste, and they were like, oh, you're reading those fairy books, huh? And I was like, you know what? Yes, I am. And I'm proud of it. I was like, if you talk disparagingly about fairy smut, we're probably not going to get along, and we didn't.

[Bria Graham]

Great. You didn't get along?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No.

[Bria Graham]

You no longer matched with this person. Okay, sorry.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's been my. You know, I feel like a book. Book things are really good for a good, like, measure of people. My big thing right now is that if a. If a guy doesn't have, like, a. Like, if he's. I'm asking about his book taste, and he doesn't name any female authors, I'm like, one gu. I brought it up to. I was like, oh, no, no women. Huh? And he was like, oh, well, I like Mary Shelley. And I was like, okay, That's.

[Bria Graham]

Who doesn't.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't.

[Bria Graham]

You mean you're assigned that in school? I find. Yeah, it's a good way of finding out who's a snob.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, yeah.

[Bria Graham]

That cousin is like, no Bukowskis. Yeah. Or it's just like, they're like, you read fairy books. Like, I don't mind explaining the culture or the world to them. That, like, yes, there's a lot of very intelligent, cool people who like these books, but if you can't get past the fact that it's fairies, then, like, I don't know, I'm not really interested.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, I don't remember that one guy that I was dating briefly, and he was like, oh, audiobooks aren't real books. And I was like, oh, brother, this isn't gonna work out.

[Bria Graham]

No, definitely not.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So, folks, it's a good.

[Bria Graham]

You know, I got into arguments with people about that, and I will say I do pull the I'm a book podcaster card, which never comes up with me. It's a card I rarely pull. But I am like, look, there's not that many book podcasters that, you know, do this for a job. And it is my job. I actually think what I say actually has some credence, and I never pull this.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We are professional book talker abouters.

[Bria Graham]

I do think that. And I am sort of like, you know, I think you have to listen to what I say.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Wow, Mallory.

[Bria Graham]

We should get cards.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We should get cards made.

[Bria Graham]

Professional book podcaster. Audiobooks or real books?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Audiobooks. It just says audiobooks and real books on the back of the card.

[Bria Graham]

From my professional book podcaster. Thank you.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, to all the folks on dating apps right now, if you don't like audio, it's. What's that? I Scroll song. If you want to be my love lover, you gotta believe that audiobooks are real books. Oh, this is such a tangent. I'm so sorry. Okay, you can email us at reading glasses podcastmail.com if you want a list of all the books we talk about on our show delivered to your inbox every month. You can sign up for our newsletter. That's a link in the show notes. Quick bookmarks 1 Speaking of horny fairies, we're just reminding folks about the Horny Fairy Book Club. We got so many, so many votes, so many emails and the ultimate book that the Glassers voted for was A Court of Thorn and Roses. So we were reading that this month. I have a print copy, I have started it. Bria has already read it. But we're going to read the book this month and then in the first week of December we're going to do a members only Zoom. So folks, if you didn't join before, you can join right now. If you want to get in on this, go to maximumfund.org join to sign up. Email us proof of your membership and you can get access to the Slack channel and we'll email you an invite to the Zoom party. But get in on it. It's our Horny Fairy Book Club. I think it's going to be really fun to discuss this book and this genre with the Glassers. And again, it's going to be members only. So we're encouraging all our all your hot and spicy takes. We're going to be giving our hot and spicy takes. It's going to be fun, Going to be spicy. And also folks, I just want to remind you that my book is up for pre order. I'm starting to book events for my Daughter of Daring tour. So if you would like to see me in your city, you can go to my website, email my publicist. If you have a bookstore or a library or a movie theater and you'd like to do a Daughter of Daring event, please start hitting up me and my wonderful publicist Laura and pre order the book. The more you pre order it, the more likely I am to come to your city. So I am very excited about it. I'm recording the audiobook in a couple of weeks so I'm real pumped about that. So please, please, please pre order my book.

[Bria Graham]

We're going to get to hear a Mallory loser voice.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh yeah, yeah. It's going to be fun to be because we have to record that week too. Hi, welcome to so before we talk about picking books based on their covers, we're going to Quick break. Reading Glasses is brought to you in part this week by Soul Reader. Folks, you want to live in 3034. You want to read like you're on a Jetsons episode. You want to read with no distractions. You want to read in probably the most comfortable way possible. Folks, you got to try out the Soul Reader. But Bria, what is Soul?

[Bria Graham]

Well, soul is a reading technology company creating tools to illuminate the mind. Their first product is the Soul Reader, the first wearable e reader. And like Mallory said, look, it's hard to read without distractions. There's a lot of distractions. I'm distracted right now.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's election day. All I want to do is be doomscrolling on my phone.

[Bria Graham]

That's totally right. But you put on Soul Reader like a pair of glasses. You lay back and you can't be distracted. Cause you just see that book right in front of you on a ease screen.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's all you can see.

[Bria Graham]

You press a button, it turns the page. You don't have to do anything but lay there. And you can't pick up that phone. So think of the Soul Reader as noise canceling for your eyes. A single device designed to help you reclaim your reading routine by cutting out distractions.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And it is an easy which is nice on your eyes. You put the glasses on and you have like this little nice to hold remote. So you can literally just lay down in bed. You can lay down on the floor, you can lay down anywhere. You can sit up. It's fantastic. It's. If you are a person who struggles with neck pain, reading sometimes is physically uncomfortable for you. The Soul Reader, I think, is the solution to your problems. You can check out the soul [e-mail] to start reading without distraction. Use code glasses at checkout to receive free shipping on your purchase of Soul Reader limited edition, available now.

[C]

Throughout history, sirens have captured men's attention.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Enticed men with their feminine wiles, and.

[C]

Fulfilled men's primal needs. The sirens allure persist they have not unless the primal need is. I need to be smashed on the rocks. Yeah, smash me. Smash me, mommy.

[Bria Graham]

Smash me, mama.

[C]

Smash me, mommy. The Siren. Why do we do this to ourselves? Strand me, baby. Strand me, baby. So, yeah, listen to my brother, my brother me for maximum fun on Mondays. It's just like that. Just like that but it's just like that, but more of it. There's, there's more of that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This week we're ticking off another box on the 2024 reading glasses squared challenge. Pick a book based on its cover. How do you complete it? How can it improve your reading life? And which books did we pick. First off, we must say, you do not have to finish the book.

[Bria Graham]

Oh, yeah, that's good. I like that rule. Yes, you just have to try it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, you just have to try it out. You just have to pick a book, any genre, any year, based on the COVID If you start it and you don't like it, dump it.

[Bria Graham]

Dump it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But you just have to start it. You just have to see a great cover and go, ooh, that looks fun. Start reading it. That's all you gotta do. Sabri, why do we put this on the challenge? Can it improve people's reading lives?

[Bria Graham]

Well, sometimes you get in a. In a book picking rut. You sure do. And a common reader problem is not knowing what to pick next. So having something just random and buy something random, like a book cover, because as we know, book covers don't always tell you what the book is really going to be. That can be a good way to get out of that rut. Why else?

[Mallory O'Meara]

So picking a book solely based on its cover is fun.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, it is fun, but it's also.

[Mallory O'Meara]

A really easy way to shake things up. I think there's sometimes. We've talked on the show quite a bit this year about there being a divide occasionally between the books that you think that you're gonna like and the books that you're actually going to like. The books maybe you think you're supposed to like or, you know, your idea of what you want to read and what you like to read is kind of based on an older version of yourself. So picking a fun, like you said, random way to choose a book and kind of shake things up. Maybe you'll try out a genre you never tried out or a new author or just. I've done that, so I think it can help people. So how did we complete this part of the challenge? Bria, what did you do?

[Bria Graham]

I did this early, early in the year. I talked about it on the show. I did Once There Were wolves by Charlotte McConaughey.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, and you loved this book?

[Bria Graham]

I loved it, but I picked it thinking, this is a horror book. I didn't read anything about it. It's been on my list for a long time. It was like on my wish list at the library, so I could just see the COVID And I just got it thinking, this is a horror book. No, it is a literary fiction book and it has horror elements to it. It's about a woman who's studying wolves. And I talked about it on the show and there's a. It turns out into this kind of, like, murder mystery, but it really is a literary fiction book. But I had forgotten what it was about because it was just on my wish list. And I just kept, like, kind of.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I kind of loved it when that happens. When you put something on your tbr. Yeah.

[Bria Graham]

And you forget about it, but I don't remember why. And it has, like, good ratings, so I just picked it. I loved this book. I thought it was fantastic. I'm glad we both on the challenge. What did you pick?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I also talked about my book on the show. When I read it, I'm pretty sure it was pretty early on in the year. It's the Manicurist Daughter by Susan Liu. The COVID is so fucking cool for this book. It's like, it's a black cover with a neon sign of a manicured hand holding a rose. And I was like, boom. Putting it on hold. I didn't even read anything about what it was about. And it's a memoir about this woman whose mother died during plastic surgery and how that affected the family. It's all about her family coming over from Vietnam and starting a nail salon franchise again. You don't have to finish the book, but I finished I Did it on audio. It was read by the author. And bonus points. This is also a book that I might not have picked up because I was like, I don't really care. I'm not a nails person. But I definitely still think about this book.

[Bria Graham]

That's cool. Very cool.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So do we think this improved our reading lives at all? Is this something that we might want to keep doing?

[Bria Graham]

Well, I read a good book out of it, so that's nice. Right. But I think since we know the COVID doesn't really dictate the book, that was something that helped me a little bit. I think sometimes a cover can encourage me to read a book. I mean, I think a lot of times see a cool cover, I'm like, I gotta read that. So I do think that I'm already doing this to an extent. So I don't know, did it improve? It was fun. I'm glad I read this book. I don't know if I need to pick all books based on their covers, but I think it was a fun experiment. What about you?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think yes. Personally, as listeners of the show know, I can get a little wrapped up in my reading goals, especially this time of year. And even though this was completing a reading goal, it was really fun to just see a random book that looked cool and read it. And I used to do that more honestly, I found One of my favorite books that way. The Book of Flying, which I love, and I feel like no one else in the world has ever read it, but I picked that based on the COVID and I would not have picked it up if I. You know. Like, it's not the type of book that I normally would like to read, but the COVID looked cool, and I just.

[Bria Graham]

What is that? Book of Flying.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The Book of Flying by Keith Miller. It's like a weird literary fantasy book.

[Bria Graham]

But I think it's not in the library.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, I think it might be out of print. It's like, again, it's one. I feel like no one else in the world has even heard of this book. But I've talked about it on the show before. I love it.

[Bria Graham]

I just. This is a total tangent. We're on tangents, y'all. It's election day. Mallory and I are, like, kind of like, just.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's election morning.

[Bria Graham]

We're over here. Just like.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Anyway, I'm the one eating chocolate today. That's how stressed out I am, too.

[Bria Graham]

I have a whole bag. I'm halfway through.

[Mallory O'Meara]

There's two empty chocolate wrappers sitting on the table here. Right here.

[Bria Graham]

I just want to say, when you type in the Book of Flying to the library, one of the books that comes up is what it's like to be a bird.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You just open it up and it just says, fucking sick.

[Bria Graham]

That's so cool. You like seeds, bitch? All right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I do, actually.

[Bria Graham]

You do like seeds?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love seeds.

[Bria Graham]

What kind?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. A lot of good seeds. Yeah. Birds are on to something.

[Bria Graham]

Are you a bird? We're silly. We're silly today.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's election day. We're losing our minds. But anyway, I think. I think I should do this more. It's just, like, follow your interest. Yeah, something. Read something that looks fun. I definitely want to keep this in my reading life. Maybe try to do it a few times a year. Just, like, see a fun, cool book that is not attached to anything else. Just, like, it looks fun and cool. I'm such a. I mean, you know me. I'm the most scheduled, organized person of all time. And I think it's very good for my brain to every once in a while just be like, oh, this looks fun. I'm just gonna cut the line in front of all the other books that I have to read and just read a fun thing. So, yeah, I hope people had fun with this. I hope people had similar experiences reading something fun and interesting. And if you didn't, you dumped it right away and didn't feel any, any, any guilt. So you can send your thoughts to reading glasses podcastmail.com before we test out a bookish candle, we're gonna take a quick break. Reading Glasses is brought to you in part this week by Miracle Made Me and Bria's favorite sheets. Folks, it's getting real chilly outside, but I still get hot legs. It's so frustrating. It's the worst one.

[Bria Graham]

Like, so we call her, we call her Hot Legs Mallory.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, Hot Legs Omara. It's the worst when, like your arms are cold, but your legs are hot.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But you know what, what stops that?

[Bria Graham]

Miracle made sheets.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's a miracle, Brian.

[Bria Graham]

It is. It is a miracle.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Tell me about these sheets.

[Bria Graham]

These are NASA inspired sheets. They're infused with silver. We've talked about this a lot. They help prevent bacterial growth, which, you know, you don't want those nasty sheets. You want clean sheets. You want sheets with no bacterial growth because that sounds disgusting. Can't believe I even have to say it. They stay cleaner and longer than other kinds of sheets. And they're comfortable. These things are smooth, smooth, silky.

[Mallory O'Meara]

They're so silky.

[Bria Graham]

They're so soft. They feel amazing. But they're not, not highly priced, which is great. So they're better than luxury brands.

[Mallory O'Meara]

She gets so expensive and these are.

[Bria Graham]

Actually really great prices. It's like you're going to a five star hotel, but it's your house and it's your bed and you have all your comforts and your cats are in there. Your cats are like in there. But. But it's comfortable. I love these sheets. Mallory and I both really like these sheets. Sincerely, we like these sheets. We use them. One time Sean called me. He said, do you really like those miracle made sheets? And I said, yeah, actually I really like them. I've ordered a second pair.

[Mallory O'Meara]

My cats really like them. Lula sleeps in bed with me every single morning. And it's so. Because when you have two cats in your bed, it should be getting stinky and hairy. Doesn't happen with the miracle made sheets, baby. So you can go to trymiracle.com glasses to try miracle made sheets today. And whether you're buying them for yourself or as a gift for a loved one, if you order today, you can save over 40%. And if you use our promo glasses at checkout, you'll get three free towels and save an extra 20%. And it's backed with a 30 day money back guarantee. So if you aren't 100% satisfied, you'll get a full refund again. That's trymiracle.com glasses to treat yourself. Thank you, Miracle made for sponsoring this episode. Glasses.

[D]

Say you like video games, and who doesn't?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I mean, some people probably don't, okay?

[D]

But a lot of people do. So say you're one of those people and you feel like you don't really have anyone to talk to about the games that you like. Well, you should get some better friends. Yes, you could get some better friends, but you could also listen to Triple Click, a weekly podcast about video games hosted by me, Kirk Hamilton, me, Maddie Mey, and me, Jason Schreier. We talk about new releases, old classics, industry news, and whatever, really.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We'll show you new things to love about games and maybe even help you find new friends to talk to you about them.

[D]

Tripleclick. It's kind of like we're your friends. Find [e-mail] or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Time to test out some book tech. Advances in bookish technology. This week's book tech was sent to us by a glasser, but no name was included. So thank you very much, glasser. If this is you, please email us. So this is a bookish candle. There's a lot of bookish candle companies. There's a lot of discourse about bookish candles. Which ones are the best? People have their brands that they like. So this is by Paddy Wax. P A D D Y W A X. Very popular bookish company among. Probably. I think it's among the most popular of the bookish candle companies. It's a six ounce candle. It was in Edgar Allan Poe scent, and the main scents are cardamom, absinthe, and sandalwood.

[Bria Graham]

I love the idea. This is what Edgar Allan Poe smells like.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, Edgar Allan Poe would have smelled like shit. We all know that. Like, if Edgar Allen Poe had a candle, it would be like gin, body odor, dirty hair. Yeah, and like tears.

[Bria Graham]

I thought she was gonna say teeth.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Teeth.

[Bria Graham]

Sorry, we're silly.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We're so silly today. So, Bria, what do we think of this candle?

[Bria Graham]

So it's been a minute. Cause we got this in June and I do think I lit it in June. So it's hard for me to remember that smell. Even though smells, you know, they do affect memory. So you think I'd be able to remember it. But I remember I did like the smell. And I am very sensitive to smells. Some candles give me an immediate migraine. This one did not. I can't say if you get migraines from candles. I Cannot say whether or not it does or doesn't for you, but for me, it didn't trigger whatever that thing is that. That suddenly gives me a migraine. Which mint usually means that it's less like synthetic oils in there. Usually that's what it means for me. But even sometimes, like natural stuff does it for me as well. I kind of remember it having a pretty good throw, which is like, that you could smell it around the room once. It wasn't just, like, right next to it. Do you remember?

[Mallory O'Meara]

It didn't have a good throw for me.

[Bria Graham]

It didn't. Okay. I kind of don't remember. So I'm sorry. So I'm gonna try. I feel like loving the smell, but I don't remember much else.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I feel like if you can't remember how good the throw was, the throw probably wasn't very good.

[Bria Graham]

You're probably right. You're probably right. And also, I don't know if absinthe is a.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Is. It's like licoricey.

[Bria Graham]

It was licoricey.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Graham]

Okay, okay. But I do like. What were the smells?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Cardamom and sandalwood. I mean, it smells good.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah. Sandalwood, I'm less sold on as a smell, but cardamom, I like that idea in a candle, but I bet that's one of the undertones. Not.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, it smells. It was good.

[Bria Graham]

You could smell it in there. It wasn't a base or it was a. Do you know I made candles, Everyone. I. Y'all probably remember this. I made candles for a little while, so I know about, like, top notes and base notes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This was the. I think the base notes were cardamom. Sandalwood.

[Bria Graham]

I'm sure sandalwood. Sandalwood's like a very heavy base note.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, yeah.

[Bria Graham]

What'd you think?

[Mallory O'Meara]

You.

[Bria Graham]

You smelled it when racing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have so many candle opinions, folks. I'm a big slut for candles. I am the living embodiment of that meme.

[Bria Graham]

Is that a T shirt machine I.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Make maybe like, you know that meme that's like food $0, electricity, $0, candles, $2,000. Please, someone help me. My family is dying. That is me. I spend so much money on candles, it is insane. So first off, the scent was really nice. I think it smelled really good. But I have to say, I looked up how much this candle cost. It was $30.

[Bria Graham]

Thank you so much. Who sent whoever sent it $30 for.

[Mallory O'Meara]

A six ounce candle. Okay. Is wild. That's a lot too expensive. Some of my favorite candle companies are half the price for the same size as I say.

[Bria Graham]

How much would you pay for this?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I would pay up to 18. For this. Yeah.

[Bria Graham]

It was small, though.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Six ounces. That's like a small candle.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So also just.

[Bria Graham]

This is a spoiler. This is inside information. We did break it. We broke the glass, unfortunately.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Graham]

So it's too breakable. Well, it's $30.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Every candle is breakable. Although I guess for 30 dol. Is this really better?

[Bria Graham]

We need a better glass. Yeah, yeah, we did actually break it, but we. We did. We did light it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Graham]

It just got broken.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh. I mean, I used it. I used it while it was broken.

[Bria Graham]

Great. Okay. So. Okay. I'm not.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm such a candle slut. I'm not wasting a candle.

[Bria Graham]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay. I literally just, like, let it burn in the broken glass, which you should not do.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, don't do that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Disclaimer. Do not do that. But it smelled really good. Okay. So second off. I did not find the throw to be very strong for reading. If. For. As a reading candle, I think it would probably be fine if you had it like, on a table next to you. You. But overall, I don't think it was worth the money because it was very expensive. Not very good throw. My rating is 2 out of 5 pages. And you ready for my hot bookish candle take?

[Bria Graham]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think any candle can be a bookish candle.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, that's right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Let's say I'm reading a Shady Hollow book. I can go to Marshalls, and for six to ten dollars, I can find a strong candle that smells like woods or falling leaves or something. And it does the same thing. The only time I think that is worth it to pay a premium for a book, like specifically bookish Candle, if it's perfectly matched to the book. Oh, and there are candle companies that do that. But, you know, I'm still waiting for somebody to make a night circus candle that smells like sweet popcorn and smoke and stuff. But I really just think that for a lot of these candles, like, there's some. I'm not going to name names, but there are some companies that. And I get it. Like, everything's expensive now. Supplies are really expensive right now. But $30 for something you literally set on fire is a lot of money. And because there's in some of these candle companies, like, you know, they're doing good work. They're making wonderful things. But if you are trying to like, I do like that immersive experience of lighting a candle and having it, it kind of. It's it's like, it's the. It's the nose equivalent of the YouTube Ambiance playlist, which I love. Like, having the scent that's kind of reminiscent of what you are reading around you is really nice. But I think you can get that same experience for $10 at Marshalls. Says the person who went and spent $80 at Marshalls on Sunday buying candles.

[Bria Graham]

Mallory, relevant to your interests? There is one I just found called Tamlin acting like a little bitch candle.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Is that an acotar thing?

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's an acotar thing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, my God.

[Bria Graham]

That's the only one I see on Amazon that is book specific. God, they do have a lot of acotar ones.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, yeah. When I went to the rip bodice, they sell bookish candles and they had a ton of them. But again, I would only want to be getting those candles or buying. Buying them if they are specifically matched to, like a scent that is talked about in the book. But I will say those candles at the. At the Rip Otis, they're like 18 bucks.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah. Okay. I'm adding some cheaper to our wish list because I feel like we got to find a better bookish candle since this was such a.

[Mallory O'Meara]

My candle recommendations. I really like likened in limestone and I really like Burke and hair and I'll put those in the show notes. Those are my two favorite candle companies. But you can get a six ounce candle for $18, which is still pricey.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But it's not $30.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, yeah. All right, I'm adding a bunch to our wish list that are acktar related.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Should we find the ultimate bookish candle?

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, we want to find the ultimate. We could do a full candle episode if we get enough of these. Yeah, there's a lot of acotar.

[Mallory O'Meara]

All right, well, they have to match up against the falling leaves candle that I got at Marshall's. Like the 12 ounce falling leaves candle I got at Marshalls for $10. Yeah, that's who they have to beat.

[Bria Graham]

Because Marshall's ones don't give you a headache. Those are all right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, they're fine. Again, I was. I literally was read reading the naming song with this candle going last night, and I was like, this is lovely.

[Bria Graham]

Great. I love that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay, so we're the. The quest continues. Thank you so much to this glasser who sent the. Because again, I burnt this even though it was. Even though it was broken. The smell is really good in these candles, but I just wish it wasn't so expensive. So you can send your book tech ideas to readingglassespodcastmail.com or you can check out our wish list full of acotar candles in the show. Notes, notes. Now let's answer a recommendation request from one of our listeners. Maddie writes in to say hi, Brian Mallory. My sister is my best friend in the world and she has finally started to get more into the reading life. Her favorite books so far are the Heartstopper Graphic novels and Phoebe's Diary by Phoebe Wahl. I am looking for more graphic novels and YA books in the same vein as these. To keep her interest piqued, I bought her both the box set of Heartstopper and Phoebe's Diary and I would like to keep my perfect streak of book presents going. Thanks to all you do. Your podcast is highlight of my week every week. I knew you were going to recommend this book. Bria. Bria. What? What should.

[Bria Graham]

Well, imagine novel. Because okay, if your sister's already you, you said graphic novels or YA novels. So I'm doing I Kiss Shara wheeler by Casey McQuiston. Cute, queer book, little bit of mystery. I think like, God, I love this. If your sister's reading a lot of. Have you read the new Casey McQuiston?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, the pairing.

[Bria Graham]

I'm waiting for it at the library.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, hot, hot buzzy book.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah, I probably won't. You probably won't get it before the end of the year. But anyway, this one's great. I think this is a good. If she's reading a lot of graphic novels, I think this could be a good transition into just novel. Novel, no pictures.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's so compelling.

[Bria Graham]

Yeah. And it's like, so it's a mystery and it's basically this girl at school who's very popular, goes missing after she kissed not one, not two, but I think three different people. And those people end up teaming up in like an unlikely friendship to go.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Find her and find out why she.

[Bria Graham]

Kissed them and find out why she kissed them. And it's very cute. And we just love Casey McQuiston, like great writer. What do you reckon? You do have a graphic novel.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. And God, this is so sweet. I love recommendation requests like this. So I'm doing a YA graphic novel that I fucking love. It's called Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valer O'Connell. It's about this. So the main character is this girl. She has this very tumultuous on again, off again relationship with this other girl. And the protagonist just keeps getting her heart broken. Like her girlfriend just treats her like garbage. But she keeps going back to her and she doesn't know how to let go of this person and she's starting to lose her friends over it. So she needs to learn how to to respect herself and love herself. And like it's very, it's a beautiful, really funny, sweet, but also very compelling like coming of age story that I think is very much it gives me the same energy to Phoebe's Diary, which is why I think Maddie's sister will like this. And the art of course is really wonderful. The COVID is really pink. It's very cute, like it's gonna go with with all of these books. And I just loved it. This was a 5. I read it this year. I think even though it didn't come out this year, this was a five star read for me. So that's Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary.

[Bria Graham]

Valero Car Connell and mine is I Kiss Cheryl wheeler by Casey McQuestin if.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You want us to answer your recommendation request, you can send it to reading glasses podcastmail.com as always, want to thank the wonderful cozy little mods who run our Facebook group. And folks, remember you can buy Reading Glasses Merch. We have all that new cozy and horror merch. You can go to our Instagram. See I'm wearing the Horror Reader shirt. I love it. It is so cool. I did chop the sleeves off, but I do that with everything that I own. But you can get get totes and stickers and shirts, all kinds of cool stuff. Please check it out. We are very proud of the new merch. There's a link in the show notes for that. And if you like the show and want to do something nice for us that's totally free and will only take you 30 seconds on your mobile app, you can rate and review us on the podcast listening app of your choice. Folks, it is so great for the show. It'll take you less than a minute and just go in your little Apple podcast app, your Spotify app and give us a little five star rating. It really, really warms our hearts but also helps the show. You can email us@reading glassespodcastmail.com find us on Instagram at Reading Glasses Podcast. Thanks for listening and thanks Reading Maximum Fun. A worker owned network of artist owned shows supported directly by.