Ep 394 - How to Handle Book Snobs

Summary

Podcast Summary: Reading Glasses – Ep 394: How to Handle Book Snobs

Release Date: January 16, 2025
Hosts: Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara

---

Introduction

In Episode 394 of Reading Glasses, hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara delve into the nuanced topic of dealing with book snobs—individuals who disparage others' reading choices. Alongside this primary discussion, they provide insights into their current reads, share listener feedback, offer book recommendations, and review the latest reading gadgets.

---

Current Reads

Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara kick off the episode by sharing their current literary pursuits:

• Bria Grant is engrossed in Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. She describes it as a "beautifully written fiction" and a "reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin" that intertwines multiple perspectives and characters in a sprawling 465-page fantasy retelling. Bria appreciates the wintery themes, making it an ideal cold-season read. (02:19)

  “It's another fantasy... beautifully written fiction. I’m really enjoying it... really great to read this time of year where I had a lot of downtime and I could just sit around and think about living in a cold fairy fantasy world.” – Bria Grant (02:19)

• Mallory O’Meara is diving into Heart of Blood and Ashes by Millivane, a smutty fantasy novel featuring strong female protagonists with disabilities. She highlights the book's intricate plot involving political intrigue, revenge, and unconventional romance, emphasizing its appeal to readers seeking representation and complex character development. (03:32)

  “There's nothing wrong with reading literary fiction. Both Bri and I read tons of literary fiction... All books are real books. All genres have merit.” – Mallory O’Meara (32:21)

---

Listener Feedback

The hosts engage with their audience by addressing listener comments and feedback:

• Al's Feedback (06:05): Al appreciates a previous episode on "Non Number Book Goals," expressing that the concept resonated with her personal approach to reading rather than adhering to strict numerical targets.

  “Hitting a specific number has never been my thing.” – Al

• Hannah's Comment (07:32): Hannah thanks the hosts for sending her an Edgar Allan Poe candle and shares her preference for buying candles from small businesses, suggesting themed scents related to her travel experiences.

  “Some of the small businesses I don't think are going to be on Amazon... I'm glad you enjoyed it.” – Hannah

• Allison's Input (09:51): Allison, a librarian, discusses her library's book subscription service for kids and recommends Whichbook.net as a resource for personalized book recommendations based on mood, emotion, and other criteria.

  “Whichbook.net... you can search for a book by mood and emotion, character and plot, or country.” – Allison

---

Main Discussion: How to Handle Book Snobs

Inspired by listener Fee's message, the core of the episode addresses strategies to cope with family members, particularly parents, who may be book snobs—those who judge or devalue others' reading preferences.

Listener's Concern:

• Fee's Dilemma (16:01): Fee expresses embarrassment about curating a Christmas book list filled with fantasy and genre novels that her book-snob mother might deem "not smart enough." She seeks advice on handling potential judgment during gift-giving seasons.

  “I'm feeling a little embarrassed this year. Putting together a Christmas list with lots of books that I know she'll think aren't, quote, smart enough.” – Fee

Hosts' Experiences and Insights:

• Bria Grant shares her challenges balancing her identity as a filmmaker and a long-time podcaster, noting how some acquaintances are surprised by her diverse interests and reading habits.

  “Seven years of doing a podcast... seven years.” – Bria Grant (18:03)

• Mallory O’Meara recounts her own experiences with feeling judged for her reading choices, especially in public settings where she fears her genre preferences might stereotype her.

  “Even the ladies of reading glasses are not immune to book shame. It happens.” – Mallory O’Meara (20:46)

Advice and Strategies:

1. Mind Your Own Business:
   Bria emphasizes that others should respect individual reading choices without imposing their preferences.

   “People should mind their own damn business.” – Bria Grant (23:05)

2. Selective Sharing:
   Hosts suggest being vague about book details when necessary, avoiding the need to defend genre-specific content.

   “You don't have to defend it... You can be vague.” – Bria Grant (23:15)

3. Assert Your Preferences:
   Mallory recommends gently challenging the snob's assumptions by questioning the criteria they use to deem certain genres superior.

   “Gently pushing books snoots to actually articulate why they think certain genres are, quote, better than others.” – Mallory O’Meara (28:34)

4. Embrace the Value of All Genres:
   Both hosts advocate for recognizing the literary merit across all genres, debunking the notion that only "literary fiction" holds artistic value.

   “What makes something smart? Romance books are some of the best books out there for characters.” – Mallory O’Meara (28:34)

5. Personal Enjoyment Over External Validation:
   They stress the importance of reading for personal happiness and fulfillment rather than seeking approval from others.

   “If something makes you happy and entertains you, it cares.” – Mallory O’Meara (30:07)

Notable Quotes:

• “All books are real books. All genres have merit.” – Mallory O’Meara (32:21)

• “There's nothing wrong with reading literary fiction. Both Bri and I read tons of literary fiction.” – Mallory O’Meara (32:21)

---

Book Recommendations

Addressing listener Eddie's request for historical fiction to overcome a reading slump, the hosts offer tailored suggestions:

• Bria's Recommendation:
  Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders – A historical fiction novel exploring President Abraham Lincoln's grief over the death of his son, narrated by the spirits in a cemetery. (46:17)

  “It's told from the point of view of... the ghosts in the cemetery, watching Lincoln’s war and his son.” – Bria Grant

• Mallory's Recommendation:
  The Alienist by Caleb Carr – A historical thriller set in 1896 New York City, following a reporter and a doctor utilizing forensic profiling to catch a serial killer, featuring real historical figures like Theodore Roosevelt. (47:30)

  “So he’s a character in the book... it's a great read. There is a good series that got made out of it.” – Mallory O’Meara

---

Gadget Review: Stanley Cup Snack Tray

In addition to literary discussions, Bria and Mallory review the Stanley Cup Snack Tray, a silicone accessory designed to attach to Stanley cups for holding snacks alongside beverages.

Key Points:

• Functionality:
  The tray features separate compartments for different snacks and accommodates the straw, allowing users to enjoy snacks without leaving their drink.

• Hosts’ Opinions:
  Both hosts find the tray impractical for reading purposes. Bria appreciates the cold retention of Stanley cups but feels the tray compromises convenience. Mallory echoes this sentiment, citing concerns about spilling and the awkwardness of eating while reading.

  “I do not mind the bowl... I'm just thinking about why didn't I just use a regular bowl?” – Mallory O’Meara (44:23)

  “It's a cute idea. We'll post photos. It's a cute idea. It's funny. It's a very funny idea. It's real silly.” – Bria Grant (39:03)

• Conclusion:
  While recognizing the tray's novelty, the hosts conclude that it doesn't add significant value to their reading experience and prefer traditional methods of holding snacks separate from their drinks.

---

Conclusion

Episode 394 of Reading Glasses offers a comprehensive exploration of navigating social judgments within the literary world. Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara empower listeners to embrace their unique reading tastes, assert their preferences confidently, and find joy in all genres without succumbing to external pressures. Through relatable anecdotes, practical advice, and engaging discussions, the hosts reaffirm that every book holds intrinsic value and that personal happiness should always take precedence in one's reading journey.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• “People should mind their own damn business.” – Bria Grant (23:05)
• “You don't have to defend it... You can be vague.” – Bria Grant (23:15)
• “Gently pushing books snoots to actually articulate why they think certain genres are, quote, better than others.” – Mallory O’Meara (28:34)
• “All books are real books. All genres have merit.” – Mallory O’Meara (32:21)
• “If something makes you happy and entertains you, it cares.” – Mallory O’Meara (30:07)

---

For more insights and discussions on enhancing your reading life, tune into Reading Glasses every week with Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara.

Transcript

[Mallory O'Meara]

Hey, Glassers. Mallory here. Just dropping something into this week's episode that was recorded a few weeks ago, and we wanted to let everyone know because people have been messaging us, posting on Slack, and wondering online. Brie and I are okay from the fires. Our pets are okay. Our homes are okay. Our loved ones are okay. It's been a really scary time, but we really appreciate the love and support and the care that you've all shown. Checking up on us? We're pretty stressed out and very, very heartbroken, but we're okay. And we love you all. If you're looking for places to to donate to volunteer, head over to the Reading Glasses podcast, Instagram. Bria will be posting some links, and we hope all of our Los Angeles glasses are safe just as we are. And again, we love you. You're listening to Reading Glasses about book culture and literary life designed to help you read better. I'm author and book devourer Mallory O'Meara.

[Bria Grant]

And I'm Bria Grant, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're talking about how to deal with book snobs. Someone who's telling you what you're reading isn't cool. Plus, we test out those snack trays for Stanley cups, see if they're good for a reading accessory. We have opinions, and we recommend historical fiction.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But first, Bria, what are you reading?

[Bria Grant]

I am reading a backlist book. I'm on my backlist times from 2018. It's spinning silver by Naomi Novik, which. Have you read this?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Naomi Novik? No, I read. I've read a few of her other books, but I haven't read this one.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, I've only read the Dark Academia one.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I read Uprooted, which I really liked.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. This one is another fantasy. I thought this is the time of year I like to read fantasy because I'm thinking about it being cold. And this is a cold fantasy.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

There's cold stuff happening in this.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is definitely a winter read, for sure.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. It changes perspective. Actually. It's multiple POVs, and you kind of jump between a few people. It basically starts with this woman whose father is a money lender.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Mm.

[Bria Grant]

But he's really bad about getting the money back. And so one. And they're very poor, and one day she decides, you know what? Fuck it, I'm gonna go get this money. So she goes and gets the money.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And so she's like a, like, enforcer for her dad.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. And then because of that, people are like, oh, she knows how to turn silver into gold. She gets this Reputation for that, by the way. I should say this is sort of a retelling. Ish. A reimagining of Rumpelstiltskin.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, okay.

[Bria Grant]

That's why it's fun. And then because of that, these, like, sort of Fae creatures, they're like, oh, this woman knows how to make silver into gold. We're gonna take her and marry her. And so they do. And then you also are following multiple other people. One is a woman that she hires to help her out once she realizes that she needs extra help and she can get this job done. And one is a woman who is also forced into a marriage that involves a demon. Ish. So you're following, like, these three different women with these three different lives. And it's very sprawling. It says it's 465 pages, almost hunker. It feels bigger than that. I actually thought this was gonna be my hunker. But it's very. It's very good. This is just really fun fantasy. Like fantasy retelling. But beautifully written. Sort of. Yeah, just beautifully written fiction. I just really. I'm really enjoying. It's really great to read this time of year where I had a lot of downtime and I could just sit around and think about living in a cold fairy fantasy world.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Hell yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Wonderful. What about you? What are you reading?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm also reading a fantasy.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But this one's smut.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

If you read our newsletter, you know, I've been reading a ton of smut lately. And this is a Heart of Blood and Ashes by Millivane.

[Bria Grant]

So my smut loves a blank of blank and blank.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It sure does. And so one of my. I got this book a while ago because I'm always looking for smut with, like, a lady warrior. Like, I just want strong girls with swords. And unfortunately, this book is not that the next book in the series is. But I was like, I'll read the first book. And it's really, really fun. But it's like. It's just very standard fantasy smut. It is a. There's a big, sexy warrior with. That's gigantic and tall and has huge pecs. And he's this prince. This is not a spoiler, but his parents have been murdered by, like, another kingdom. And he goes to get his revenge and he's. So he decides that he's gonna attack their prince. And he gets word that there is a secret princess that they've been trying to hide because she, like, has powers and she's very politically important. And they, like, they've Been hiding her away. And when he goes to kill the brother, again, not a spoiler, she kills her own brother and is like, actually, I hate all these fucking people. And instead of. Instead of murdering me, why don't you get married to me instead?

[Bria Grant]

And then you could say, I suppose to my husband.

[Mallory O'Meara]

John, instead of murdering me. Even though they're really not what the other one's looking for. She's like, they both hate her own family and want to get. Because they've been hiding her away her whole life. They've abused her. And she's like, if we get married, then I legally will be able to take the throne, and then we can overthrow my whole family. And he's like, all right, fine. And even though there's a lot of fighting between the two of them, there's a lot of cultural differences between the two of them. So they're on this journey to get to this other kingdom where they can start their overthrow, but they're also. The whole trip, they're waiting for her to. Like, in this world, you can't lose your virginity until, like, you're on your period, on a full moon or something. So they're, like, not allowed to bang yet, but they really want to, even though they keep fighting. So it's like true enemies to lovers. Marriage of convenience. It's very smutty. Very smutty. It's just fun again, like, it's winter, it's cold. It's fun to read fantasy. It's fun to read smutty fantasy. And I'm really enjoying it so far. Oh, and also, people will like it because one of the protagonists, the female protagonist, is disabled. She has chronic pain issues. She has, like, a knee injury, so she can't run. She can't do a lot of, like, stuff that they want her to do, but she can do a lot of other. Other cool. And she is. She's missing a few fingers on one hand. Like, she has a lot of, like, physical reminders from the abuse that she went through. So if you're looking for, like, I think this would count as, like, a disabled protagonist book, but yeah. And this mutt is very sexy. So that's a Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane, and I'm doing.

[Bria Grant]

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So we want to take a moment to share some listener feedback. Al wrote in to say, I just listened to your episode on Non Number Book Goals, which, again, one of our most popular episodes last year. People loved it.

[Bria Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Al said. Which I appreciate because hitting a specific number has never been my thing. That being said.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, I hear you.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The fact that you don't know how many books you read last year is.

[Bria Grant]

I mean, I could look it up and tell you, but I just. It's not relevant.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, I feel like you're operating on a different level than some other people are. You have ascended.

[Bria Grant]

No, no, that's not it at all. It's just I. I'm just not in. There's just certain things that are not going to be as interesting to me. And that was not interesting because I don't know how many books I read last year.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I wish I could freeze before that.

[Bria Grant]

You know what I mean?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, it's so beautiful, Al says, which I appreciate because hitting a specific number has never been my thing. That being said, this episode felt really on the nose for me because of my general goals for 25, other than sewing a set of days of the week underwear, is to read all Jane Austen books, which I've never read despite having seen a lot of the film adaptations. Wow, that's a fun goal.

[Bria Grant]

That's a fun one. Read all the Jane Austen books.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Go for it. I've been doing that with actors recently and just making my way through, like, different. I'm working on James Spader right now, and it is fun to, like, have a little project.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, I'm trying to see how many Jane Austen books there are. Six. And one novella.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's pretty good.

[Bria Grant]

Do you think that's right? That's Cora. Cora, I feel like is. Oh, seven with the novella. Okay, seven. I feel like Korra is not always correct. That's very cool. Very cool.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I like it.

[Bria Grant]

Hannah wrote in and said, hi, Bri and Mallory. I'm the one that sent you the Edgar Allan Poe candle some months ago. Thank you, Hannah. I think we didn't know who sent it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, yes.

[Bria Grant]

Thanks, Hannah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Thank you, Hannah.

[Bria Grant]

We appreciate it. I'm glad you enjoyed it. But I understand about the price. Cause it was like $30.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

I like some of the scent mixes they. They make, but usually only buy them for specifically themed gifts or occasionally the smallest size for myself. Pro tip, they last longer if you use a candle slash mug warmer, but the scent isn't as strong. Tell me what that is.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, it's like a. I think it's. It's like a. Instead of lighting the candle, it, like warms the top of it.

[Bria Grant]

Oh. Oh, it's like a mug warmer. Like. Or is it underneath like a mug warmer? And then it, like. So it. It melts the wax just A little bit instead of lighting.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, I forget how. I don't know exactly how it works, but that's. It's like a flameless candle warmer.

[Bria Grant]

I do this for candles that are too heav and give me headaches. But I may have a Mallory sized candle problem that's starting to overtake my kitchen counter. This is good to know because some candles also give me headaches. And if I could use a mug warmer on those, I could use those candles. Anyway, I have some other candle recommendations for you. I buy most of my candles from small businesses, and they're also one of my favorite souvenir purchases when I'm traveling. Try and find one with the scent that reminds me of the area or my experience in the place. Two of my favorite right now are the Isle of Sky Candle Company. That's the place I want to go. And GM Dice. I also recently bought one from Snoqualmie Valley Candle Company on a recent trip to Washington State. It smells amazing, but I haven't burned it yet. I hope you do. Try some of these and let us know what you think. A candle extravaganza episode of the podcast would be really fun for people like me. And thanks for your recommendations. Okay, I'm gonna try to add these to our list.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm excited about the Snoqualmie Valley one because Snoqualmie is where Twin Peaks was shot. So I've been there a few times.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, snow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I can't confirm. It does smell nice up there because it's all like woods and firs and. And mountains and a lovely smelling place.

[Bria Grant]

Nice. I guess these are the kind of thing that you can only probably buy when you're there.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, some. Some of the small businesses I don't think are going to be able to be on Amazon.

[Bria Grant]

Be there.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Huh?

[Bria Grant]

That's a bummer.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, we'll do. We're happy to test out more candles.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Send us these links.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Do a bookish candle bracket.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Oh, the Isle of Sky Candle Company you can buy online. Ooh, they're pricey.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Everything's pricey now.

[Bria Grant]

Everything's pricey now. Everything's pricey now. Okay. All right. Interesting. We'll try some more candles. We'll add some more bookish candles to our. To our list.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So Allison wrote in. Hi, Mallory and Bria. I'm always inspired to read more and better after listening to reading glasses. Thank you. Thank you, Alison. I'm a library at the Los Angeles Public Library, and I wanted to comment on your recent episode with a reader Note about her library's book subscription service. I love that idea. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any branches of the LAPL offering this service, but we do have a book bundle to go service for kids that you can request here. There's a link I'll put in the show notes. We'll pick out five books based on age and interest and put them on hold for you to pick up. Thank you for promoting and supporting libraries. That is so cool. Yeah, if you have kids, you should. And you're in the LA area, you should totally do this. And Allison also says I also wanted to share a resource for finding your next read or recommendation which might help your listeners. Whichbook.net we'll put a link in the show notes, but it's which like W H I C H book. You can search for a book by mood and emotion, character and plot, or country. As a reader who loves an interesting setting, I really enjoy searching through the world map for a book set in a country I've never read about before. They don't recommend bestsellers as they are well known already, but they do have lists of recommendations for readers who enjoyed specific bestsellers. You want to read Alison's Wheelhouse?

[Bria Grant]

I do. It is epic family sagas, historical fiction that takes place outside of Western Europe that's interesting. Stories of survival in the wilderness and romance or mysteries with a focus on social justice.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is awesome. And I'm definitely checking out this website. Maybe we should review this for the show.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's a good idea. I'm adding candles and a candle warmer to. I'm adding a candle warmer to our Amazon wish list.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, let's try it out.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Thank you, Alison. So you can email us@reading glasses podcastmail.com if you want a list of all the books we talk about on the show delivered to your inbox every month, you can sign up for our letter. There's a link in the show notes. Quick bookmark, folks. My book comes out next month.

[Bria Grant]

Holy shit.

[Mallory O'Meara]

If you are a history lover, if you love Hollywood history, women's history. If you love reading about ladies doing a bunch of cool shit, specifically in this book, a bunch of ladies doing a bunch of cool shit, please get this book. It's called Daughter of Daring. It is out February 18th. I am super excited. I do read the audiobook. So if you want to go on Audible or Libro FM and preorder that.

[Bria Grant]

If you love this voice, you love.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This Massachusetts ass motherfucker and you want to hear more of me, please. I actually, I will say the daughter of daring audiobooks. My favorite audiobook performance I've ever done.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, that's great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I'm excited about this book. It was so fun to research. I'm so excited for you all to meet Helen. It's the biography of America's first stunt woman and all the cool shit that she did. She worked in a really incredible era of the American film industry right at the very beginning during the age of silent film. And my argument is it's the true golden age of cinema. There are so many amazing women working during that time. It was so fun to, to write about it and to show how women made the American film industry and shaped cinema and shaped the way we watch movies and talk about movies. And it was really fun to research and write a book where there's tons and tons of women doing amazing things and there's no shortage of incredible strong feminist, personal back then. So if, if this is stuff that you're into, maybe you're not into movies, but you just really love women's history. But if you are into movies and you like ladies doing cool shit, this is the book for you. Please, please pre order it. It would mean the world to me. We're working out events. I'm going to be coming to places all across the country, places in California. We are, I am going to be launching it in LA with Ms. Brie Grant next month. We're going to do some screening stuff, but we're still working out the details. I will announce it when, when everything is is ironed out. But I'm very excited and it again would mean the world to me if you pre ordered it or ask your library to do so. So before we talk about book snobs, we're going to take a quick break. Reading Glasses is brought to you in part this week by Lumi Labs. Imagine if edibles just made you feel good instead of too high. Folks, we love Lumi Gummies here on reading glasses. They are consistent, they are mellow, they are delicious. Lumi Gummies are specifically designed to make you feel good, not stoned. Whether you're looking for an end of the day de stressor, a midday mood boost or help getting the best sleep ever. Lumi Gummies has a strain that's right for you folks. I'm a terrible sleeper, really bad at sleeping. More than anything, I'm bad at falling asleep. And my whole adult life I've been looking for things to help me. And what I've settled on right now is Lumi Gummies. I take one About a half an hour before bed. It helps me fall asleep quicker. It helps me sleep through the night. I really, really enjoy them and they taste good, so it feels like I'm getting a little treat before bed. And they're available nationwide. You can go to lumigummies.com that's L U M I gummies.com and use code GLASSES for 30 off your order. Again, that's L U M I Gummies.com code GLASSES lumigummies.com code GLASSES. GLASSES. Hello, Hannah? Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

It's Clint McElroy. Hi, Hannah Rack.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, my God.

[Bria Grant]

Hello. I don't know if you know who I am.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I do. I love the Adventure Zone. It is is probably my favorite D and D podcast.

[Bria Grant]

You've been a faithful member of Maximum Fun since March of 2019, and this is them rewarding you as our Maximum Fun member of the month.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's awesome. I love it.

[Bria Grant]

So what made you decide to become a member of Max Fund?

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know, it was so long ago, I'm not sure what the exact moment where I decided was. I think I've kept it up intentionally because a lot of those different podcasts have been there for me when I felt really alone and sad and just needed something to laugh at.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, well, that's Hannah, thank you so much. Thanks for being a member.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Thanks for being a TAZ fan.

[Bria Grant]

Thanks for all the nice things you had to say about me specifically, and, I guess, my kids. I get indirectly.

[Mallory O'Meara]

If you're a Max Fund member, you can become the next Max Fund Member of the Month.

[Bria Grant]

Support us at maximoffun.org/join.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This week, we're talking about literary snobs, the dreaded book snoots, how to deal with them, talk to them, and most importantly, keep them from adding shame or embarrassment to your reading life. Today's episode was inspired by Fee, who wrote in to say, hi, Brian, Mallory, thanks for another amazing year of reading glasses. I started grad school this year, and you guys helped me stay sane and not lose my love of reading. Oh, I love that. Yeah, I'd love some advice on how to deal with feeling embarrassed about the books I'm putting on my Christmas list. I grew up in a very bookish family where getting a couple of books at Christmas is very much the norm. However, my mom is kind of a book snob. She loves to read heavy, often sad literary fiction. While I'm much more of a genre person, especially horror, fantasy, Messian romance. I'm feeling a little embarrassed this year. Putting together a Christmas list with lots of books that I know she'll think aren't, quote, smart enough. Usually I add something I think she'll approve of, but this year, all I want to do is read about haunted houses and horny fairies. Do you have any advice for how to deal with the embarrassment that might come from a family member being a book snob about what books you want for the holidays? I know I'm asking this a little close to the holiday time, so no worries. If you can't answer this before the end of the year, this will still be a problem next year. Haha. Okay. Thanks for all you do. Well, I did normally. I mean, we have such a cue, but I bumped this up because I do feel like this is something that people deal with all the year round.

[Bria Grant]

Sure. Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is an evergreen question that readers deal with every month of the year. We know that all books are real books and all genres have artistic merit. It's one thing to get shame out of your own reading taste, but how do you deal with people who haven't First, Bria, after all the years of doing this show, does this still happen to you? Are you worried about your reading taste with friends and family members or in public?

[Bria Grant]

Yes, because I live a double life.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Ooh, hot takes are big reveals. Big, big reveals on reading glasses.

[Bria Grant]

Not really. But a lot of people don't know I do this podcast who know me as a filmmaker, and they're like, you do a pod? Like when I did, I put my best of the year on, and people are like, you do a podcast?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Seven years of doing a podcast. Seven years.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Eight years. Now, don't tell me that this January is because we launched the show in June, but we signed with Max Fun in January. Oh, wow.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So we. Or we first met with. So this is eight years of reading glasses this month.

[Bria Grant]

People get surprised. I'll end up in arguments with people, especially, like, I can't tell you how many times people have been like, audiobooks don't count as reading. And I'm like, well. And then I pull the book podcaster card and I'm like, just. I just. Look, there's not that many book podcasters. Like, I'm one of the main ones. I'm one of the ones. You can't argue. I'm actually like, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm the guy. I'm the guy who does it.

[Bria Grant]

Who's gonna ask? You wanna ask an expert? You're sitting with an expert. Like, I like. And I'm sorry. I make the Rules. Like, oh, my God, I'm sorry.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So it is a funny. I'm the one.

[Bria Grant]

Like, don't argue with me. Like, I may not be able to. Yeah. Anyway. But yes, of course I worry about it, like, in the workplace. More with. Than with my family.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I was gonna say. Cause you're. You're Your family.

[Bria Grant]

I have a time. They're awesome. I'm an accepting family. I was actually listening to an interview with. Oh, who's the guy who directed A Real Pain?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, Jesse Eisenberg.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, Jesse Eisenberg, who's so lovely and great movie. If you haven't seen this movie. Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have it on my tbr.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, it's so good. Or TB Cringe. Super crunchy. Anyway, that's not a book. But that's not a book. That's what I'm saying.

[Mallory O'Meara]

When we talk about hot info for Mallory and Brian, when we get off.

[Bria Grant]

Topic, I'm gonna yell, that's not a book. But he talked about. He was like, it's always embarrassing as an artist when you have really supportive parents.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's so funny.

[Bria Grant]

And I'm like, I do have, like. I have a very supportive mother. She doesn't give a fuck what I read. So, no. But in the workplace, obviously, I end up in book conversations. And there are times when people are like, what are you reading? I'm like, oh, wow, I'm your boss. You know, like, so it has to. So, yes, there are times where it gets a little awkward in the workplace. I have to think about what to say to that question if I'm reading something. Anyway. What about you?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm just like you. It depends on where in my life with my friends. Not at all. But something really interesting happened to me last year. Whereas someone who is single for the first time in a long time, I really surprised myself by becoming concerned about what types of books I'm seeing reading in public.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, sure. Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I. This, this. You know what?

[Bria Grant]

That's okay. You're allowed to be concerned about it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It kind of hit, like. It was just such a huge surprise. Like. Like I was going out. Where was I? I think I was like, meetings. I was, like, gonna get to a bar or. I know what it is. I've been doing this thing now where when I go see a movie, I go early and they have a bar so I can read at the bar for a while. And Vidiots has a bar, and I went to go see a movie there. It didn't matter because my friend Harmony's the lead bartender there. And I just talked to her the whole time. You should listen to her Harmony's podcast. This ends at prom.

[Bria Grant]

Because it's so good.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Such a good, amazing. Her and bj. I love them.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, but.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I was like, BJ was just.

[Bria Grant]

On my other podcast.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love bj.

[Bria Grant]

I do another podcast called Anthology Anthology. And BJ talked about doing Deaths Ember. Anyway, plug for my other podcast.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, I love the two of them so much. But anyway, I was, like, grabbing a book to read at the bar for, like, a half an hour before the movie, and I was like, oh, my God, I'm. I'm thinking about, would someone want to hit on me if I was reading the wrong book? I was like, it was just something I hadn't considered in so long that I was like, oh, my God, I am an entity that can be perceived in public. And it's just like, I've been reading so much smut lately that I literally was like, oh, my God, can I bring this smut book to the bar? Are people gonna be like, look at this lady drinking alone, reading her smut. Like, am I a stereotype now? Like. And of course I was like, fuck it, Fuck it. Like, it doesn't matter. Ultimately, I just brought that erotica book to the bar and read it in between Harmony, like, handling other customers. But I just think everyone should know that even the ladies of reading glasses are not immune to book shame. It happens.

[Bria Grant]

Well, here's the question. If you saw someone you were interested in dating at a bar and they were reading a book you weren't sure about, what would would you judge them?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think, honestly, I can't. There's only a handful of books. Like, if they were reading. J.D. van, if they were reading Hillbilly Elegy, I would be like, oh, definitely not. No amount of hotness can make up for that. Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Unless. Unless it's that, like, something that I have problems with, like, morally or politically, I don't think I would care. It doesn't matter what genre. Like, I would just get excited that someone was reading.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And then you have the. The. The delicate dance of, okay, how do I hit on somebody who's reading? Do I bother? How do I bother them? Do I just sit right next to them and start reading, too?

[Bria Grant]

And then slowly, slowly you trade your books.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Slowly push your book towards their book. But, yeah, I don't. The. I really. There's only a handful of books. I think that. I think I would judge somebody. And that's what I. That's ultimately what Helped me. But we can get into this. Okay, so what do we do about it? How do you accept your book dates if not loud and proud, at least not embarrassed.

[Bria Grant]

Okay, well, first of all, people should mind their own damn business. Hell yeah, people should mind. This is for everybody. This is for us. This is for everybody. Mind your own damn business. You don't need to get involved like, in other people's book stuff. And people don't need to get involved in your books. Book stuff? Yes, book stuff.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And also if people are gonna judge you, like and, and we're talking in public, like if people are gonna judge you, they're gonna judge you anyway on what you're wearing. Like people are judging everybody all the time. You can't control that.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. You don't have to tell people what you're reading. You don't have to have a full conversation. You don't have to defend it. People can mind their own business. Or you can tell people what you're reading, like your family, your workplace, whoever, and you don't tell them what it is you have. Say, I'm reading a book called this. It's an author I like. Like, you don't have to defend it. You don't have to say. You don't have to describe the smut on the page. No, you don't. You can be vague. And that's also. You're still telling them I'm reading a fantasy book about. It's a fantasy whatever. Yeah, it's a fantasy book. I like fantasy. Interesting people, if they ask you a question, they should be interested. Otherwise they're fucking bores if they cannot have a conversation. If they say, what are you reading? And you say something and they're like, eh, fuck them. They're boring, horrible people. Not to be. Unless they're reading Hillbilly Algae. Wow, I am so full of contradictions. But I just think like, if they ask you and they should have follow up questions, they wanna have a conversation with you about it. Great. They asked you, you should let them know they asked the fucking question. Wow, I'm really on fire today.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Good. I like it. I like when we get fired up.

[Bria Grant]

Honestly, to be fair, most people are not gonna remember what you said anyway. Nope. We think people are way more interested in us than they actually are. Most people are very. They're gonna forget immediately what you said. They may remember that you were reading a fantasy book, but they're not gonna. If they don't know. If they don't know that it's a smutty Book about a demon. They're not gonna fucking remember. So. So I think you can tell people, but you don't have to educate them on what it is. And in public, people should mind their own damn business. And they're not gonna remember what you're reading for the most part anyway. So that kind of like public thing is where I'm starting is that like, you don't need to worry as much about what other people think.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

That doesn't apply to your family, obviously. We'll get into that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, we're gonna go into all the different aspects. And I also, there is an argument to be made that some people feel uncomfortable reading smut in public because they don't want someone to be creepy at them.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, you know what? Fair.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And that's. And that is fair, but that's not like bookshape thing. Like, and also the people who are going to be creepier, in my experience, as someone who looks different than many people and gets a lot of public attention, people are going to be creepy regardless. Yeah, but I don't think, I don't think it counts as book shame if you're like, hey, I'm gonna be. I'm a woman or I'm a femme presenting person. I don't feel comfortable reading something smutty in public. Like, that's fine. But I don't think that's book shame. I think that's just taking care of yourself. Yeah, that's why you get any reader. So that no one knows what you're.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And, and for me, I also want to say, you have to remember. And something that helps me a lot and helped me a lot initially get over a lot of like, book shame is that you're fucking right. Like books, Newts are wrong, plain and simple. They're just wrong. Like, some of the world's most important literary works are genre books. Is someone gonna, you're gonna read the fucking Odyssey and someone gonna be like, oh, it's a fantasy book. It's got magic and monsters. It's a fucking like, it is one of the most important books of all time. Like, and also remember, literary importance is such an arbitrary distinction and ultimately doesn't even matter because if something makes you happy and entertains you, cares. But there is a really nice like, feeling of being like, oh, no, you are incorrect. Your opinion is wrong. If you are looking at someone who's reading Acotar and being like, oh, that's not a real book. Why? What is different? Like, if it's a. It's a fantasy book, just like the Odyssey is. Maybe it's got. Actually, no. The Odyssey has plenty of dicks. And in it, too. Like, it. Like, that's what I mean. There's so many. Like, sometimes things are. They are looked at because they're older. Like, there's been a lot of buzz right now about the Odyssey because Christopher Nolan's doing it. And a lot of people are mad about Emily Wilson's translation because it's more accessible. And a lot of that boils down to people just being mad that it's not an older translation. Like, it's made for modern audiences. Like, there's so much of this. Of this snootery is so arbitrary.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And ultimately all of it is wrong to that point.

[Bria Grant]

I will say, if Fi is looking for a gift from their mom, you could ask for one of these books, because this is the Venn diagram of your mom's interest and your interests, which is the Odyssey, which is Dracula, which are these books. These are genre books that you probably would be interested in or, like, that your mom would like to buy for you. I'm not saying you have to do that, but I do think that is an easy shortcut.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, yeah, I didn't think about. Didn't think about that.

[Bria Grant]

But, yeah, talk about, like, just to continue down the, like, explaining yourself path, I think it's okay to say you want to enjoy yourself while reading and explain that to the people in your life. Like, V, you're in fucking grad school. Like, you're reading a lot of great. You're reading these books. You're reading important books. You're reading books that. I don't know what you're in grad school for, but you're reading a lot of probably very heavy stuff. No matter. Even if whatever you're in grad school for. I direct fucking movies. Mallory, like, writes massive fucking books. We don't. We kind of want to enjoy ourselves.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We're allowed horny fairies.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. We're allowed to enjoy our time, even if you're not.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You're allowed horny fairies. But also, like, it is nuts to be like. Like, you're in grad school. Why aren't you reading the Dickinson. Why aren't you reading gigantic dry literary classics in your free time for funsies?

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, exactly. And I often will say, like, yeah, you know what? I've actually been really stressed lately, so I'm reading my, like, comfort food. Is this because that is true? Like, I mean, I kind of read a wide range of stuff, but I'LL be like, oh, yeah, I'm reading some comfort stuff because I wanted something that's not very complicated. I know where it's going. Reading is a hobby. It's not a religion. You can do it how you want to do it and how you want to do it at that time. So I think if you want to explain yourself, you're allowed to say, I read for fun. And this is what I'm reading right now.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Hell yeah. Like, to that point, like, I always recommend some gentle questioning, like, very direct and genuine being. Like, oh, okay, you think romance isn't smart? Why? Like, I find that forcing, which is intense verb. But I mean, like gently pushing people to gently pushing books, newts to actually articulate why they think certain genres are, quote, better than others. Kind of makes them gently confront the flaws in their own argument. Like, what is the arbitrator of something being well written? What makes something smart? Romance books are some of the best books out there for characters. Character writing.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Well, this is the same also, these fantasy books, they're like 600 pages with 37 characters. These are complicated books.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. What makes them not smart?

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. These are books that are way more complicated than some literary fiction books I read in the last year.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. And a lot of people making these judgments haven't read the books that they're trashing. That's, you know, and even if the book is formulaic and it's surface level fun, why is it not worth reading? Like you were saying earlier, like gladiator style. Are we not allowed to be entertained? Like, just get out in the middle of the arena and yell that. Like it's just pushing, pushing a little bit and being like. Like when someone makes a little snide comment, just being in and not come. Like, not being confrontational, not like trying to start a fight, just being like, oh, why do you think that? And nine, like nine times out of 10, maybe 10 times out of 10, they're gonna. Because their arguments are wrong. They're gonna walk all the way down at the end of their argument and be like, oh, I am. The only thing that is happening here is I'm being snooty.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

All right, so what about advice for fee? Specifically?

[Bria Grant]

I think V should buy one of these books that they want to read for their mother and they should read them together in a two person book club. Okay, maybe not, I don't know, your relationship with your mother, that may be too. So, like, I'm not gonna say you should do that, but I think it would be Cute. If you were like, hey, this is a book I really enjoy or I really wanna read. Maybe we should read it together and we can talk about why you don't like it. Like, really go there. But you don't have to do that. That might be too far. I think you should continue to just ask for these books. Books are expensive. Let your mom buy you those books, even if she doesn't approve.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Let.

[Bria Grant]

Let your mom spend the money on the books. She has to meet you where you're at. She's a parent gift.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

She should be proud that you are a big reader. If your mom is a literary person. Red book. And she raised you to be a reader, like, wonderful. That's wonderful.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

At the very least, you can ask for the special edition of some cool books. Like a classic horror book. Like I said, like, you know, that something that could be interesting that your mom would quote, unquote, approve of, but also would be, like, in your genre. But you don't have to. It's your holiday time. You only get one gifting time a year or two if you have a birthday. Because everyone has a birthday.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, some people have their birthdays near Christmas.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. That's awful. That's awful. It's your gift. I say make it count. You're not asking for a vibrator, you know, like, you're not asking for something that should make anybody uncomfortable. Yes, that's what I'm saying. Mallory looked at me like, maybe she asked for a vibrator.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, I'm just thinking, like, that is such a great analogy.

[Bria Grant]

Like, that's. But I'm just like, I don't know. I think your mom should want you to be healthy and happy. Look, you have to tell your parents what you're into. That is part of, like, it's. They can't keep up. Okay? Like, this is. There's a lot going on with all of us at all times. And you're a fully, fully formed human, but it's not your job to have to explain yourself to your mom.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, I hard agree. There's nothing wrong with reading about haunted houses and horny fairies. And there's. Again, folks, there's nothing wrong with reading literary fiction. Both Bri and I read tons of literary fiction. A lot of our favorite authors are literary authors. We're not making value judgments on any genres here. But agree. Stop asking for books you don't want because you think a parent will approve one because you might be wasting your mom's money if you're asking for a book you don't actually want Hunt, then you're wasting her time, her money, and wasting your time.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, like the money on. Use that money on something you want.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, I want to give. Get a gift for, for someone that they're actually going to use. Not that, just going to sit on a shelf and, you know, ask for the books you want. If your mom says something, do some of that gentle questioning. Be like, oh, well, why shouldn't I read this? Why do you think that? And like, she thinks haunted houses aren't worth reading. What about Shirley Jackson? Yeah, she wrote the Haunting of Hill House. It's inarguably one of America's most important authors. Like you cannot argue with, with Shirley Jackson. And if you want to come to me also, finally, I have to recommend an essay that both Bri and I love by a favorite of the show, Samantha Irby. In her last collection, Quietly Hostile, she has this essay called I Like it and it's about this exact thing. It's my. One of my favorite essays I've ever read. It's my favorite Samantha Irby essay. And it's about whenever someone questions or makes fun of her taste in reality tv, a crappy coffee shop, whatever it is, she responds with a genuine and enthusiastic, I like it. And it's the perfect defense because it is simple, it's non hostile, and it's true. Like, people can't argue with it. Like, what are they gonna say? I really recommend reading the essay because it's very funny, but it's also so perfect because people just want to feel superior. And I don't think that's what's happening with your mom here. Or maybe it is, but she's. That's not. I don't think that this mom has ill intent. I think a lot of book snoots are in their brains trying to push the people that they love to read things that they deem are worthy. But it's. It is, it's so. It's coming from a good place. But ultimately it's bad because all books are real books. All books are worth reading, I guess, except something written by J.D. vance anyway. And who knows, maybe you're reading Hillbilly Elegy for a while for research.

[Bria Grant]

Side note is that I've heard Hillbilly Elegy is pretty good.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I've never read it.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, I've heard people before he became who he is now. People are like, no, it's actually like kind of a good book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, he's always been kind of who he is now. Though secretly.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, But I think in the same way, like, I think they're. I don't want to compare it to like demon Copperhead or something, but like, I think it had like that kind of people thought of it like that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, okay. Yeah, I haven't read it, so I.

[Bria Grant]

Haven'T read it either. But I've heard people are like, oh, yeah, it was kind of good when it came out. You know, and there are books I've read that I'm like, it was good when it came out, I read it and I liked it. And then the person isn't great or the conversation around it isn't great and you start to realize, but even us.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, maybe again, maybe I would see someone at a hot person at a bar and they're reading it and they're reading it for research to, you know, for whatever. You never know. But anyway, the I like it defense is just, yeah, it's perfect because people can't argue with it. And like, and if they do, they're very gonna, they're very quickly going to realize how wrong their argument it is because it's so silly to, to what are you someone gonna do? Argue with you and tell you you shouldn't like something? You can't like something? Like, if you like it and it's, it's a book and it's just bringing you joy, what sick monster would be like, no, you can't like it. Yeah, I'm taking this away from you. So I think that's the best defense. I hope this helps folks. Fi. I hope we helped you in time for Christmas next year or again for birthdays, whatever, present giving occasion. But also just in your regular life, like where your reading tastes proudly. Like, all books are real books. All genres have merit. There's no genre that is more important than another genre. And hopefully these tips will help you read whatever you want in bars and in front of your mom so you can send your thoughts on books news to reading glasses podcast gmail.com. before we review the water bottle snack tray, we're going to take a quick break. Reading Glasses is sponsored in part this week by Green Chef. But what is Green Chef? It's a CCOF certified meal kit company that makes eating well easy with plans to fit every lifestyle. While it doesn't matter what kind of person you are, are you keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, just looking to eat more balanced meals? If you are the kind of person that looks at the menu ahead of time before you go to a restaurant and ask for substitutions from the waiter or waitress. Green Chef has got you covered and they are now owned by HelloFresh. Which means a wider array of meal plans to choose from and something for everyone. Folks, it's January. A bunch of us are trying to be healthier. Start good habits for the year. You can ditch the fads and create healthier eating habits. That last Green Chef makes it so easy with recipes curated for a variety of lifestyles and dietary needs. They have pre made sauces and pre proportioned ingredients and that means there's less prep and less mess and more time to savor your delicious meal. Folks. I hate everything about cooking. I hate prepping for it. I hate cooking. Cleaning up. Green Chef makes all of that so much easier. They can help you meet your goals with a curated assortment of dietitian approved recipes that offer fiber support short and are lower in saturated fat. And they offer salads ready in five minutes or less, ready to blend smoothies and grab and go protein packed breakfast for your busiest days folks. I love that Green Chef saves me time. More than that, I love that it seems to be mental bandwidth. I hate cooking, so even thinking about what I'm gonna make for dinner stresses me out. And it's so nice to get these Green Chef bags. I already know what I'm gonna have and I already know it's gonna be delicious and I know it's not going to be a pain to me. Make go to greenchef.com glassesfree and use code Glasses Free to get started with free salads for two months plus 50 off your first box. That's code glasses [e-mail] glasses free to get 50 off your first box plus two months of salads for free glasses. Jackie Cation hi and welcome to the MaximumFun.org podcast the Jackie and Laurie show where we talk about stand up comedy and how much we love it and how much it enrages us. We have a lot of experience and a lot of stories and a lot of time on our hands. So check us out.

[Bria Grant]

It's one hour a week and we.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Drop it Every Wednesday on maximafun.org Time to test out some book tech Advances in Bookish technology this week's book tech was sent to us by Roxanne. Thank you so much Roxanne. We adore you. This is the Stanley cup snack tray. There's a ton of different brands and it's you can use them for non Stanley cups. They're usually around between 10 and $20. They're silicone trays that fit on top of your cup. You know, whether it's a simple, modern cup, a Stanley cup, whatever it is, There are these round trays. They have these, like, separated compartments for different snacks, and they have space for the straw to poke through. So you put this tray on top of your drink, and you can have your drinks and snacks all in one fist. And this. This one particular came with a little device to stick on the end of your straw to cap it off. Off. Ria, what do we think of these?

[Bria Grant]

Can I just start by saying we know these cups are silly.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay. I'm drinking out of.

[Bria Grant]

We know, but we're drinking out of them right now. Our little simply modern cups. People are coming at us. Like, we don't. We aren't aware of how silly and the consumeristic aspect of them are. We know, okay? We know. You don't have to tell us. We got it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I also. Making me drink a. I mean, I love it.

[Bria Grant]

I love this cup. It keeps things cold. That's what I want. I just want a cold, cold water. It holds a lot of liquid, but the tray is where I draw the fucking line.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love that we have the same visceral reaction to this thing.

[Bria Grant]

It's an okay idea. Okay. I like the idea. It's little snacks around your cup. But it's actually not that convenient.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I agree.

[Bria Grant]

Because if you pick up the cup, you spill the snacks. And I'm not leaving the cup still very often now. Okay. I started thinking about on the way here. I was on a road trip. Maybe it would be good because you could have little snacks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

You can just pull them from the thing and you can lean over.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Because even in that scenario, I'd rather have a tray that just fit somewhere in my console so I can have my drink separate.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah. So it's just the snacks spill. I mean, it's a cute idea. We'll post photos. It's a cute idea. It's funny. It's a very funny idea. It's real silly.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It is very silly, but I think.

[Bria Grant]

I'm gonna pass on it. But the Stanley cup shoulder strap, that's the one we set our.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You have it.

[Bria Grant]

I can't give it to you because I use it too much. I used it through my entire shoot. I carry that cup around the entire shoot, around my shoulder. I can let you borrow it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Let me borrow it for, like, a day.

[Bria Grant]

I got it really dirty, too, because it's white. And it went to the set with me. And so it's now it's like, just.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Bring it in and I'll wear it around the studio.

[Bria Grant]

It's great. The strap is great. This thing is very funny. And I think if you have someone with one of these cups, I do think it's a funny gift.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

If you know someone who has one of these cups. But I don't need it. What do you think?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Not for me, Bria. Not for me. So right out of the gate, I will say, this isn't. I am not the intended audience for this because I'm not a snack person. I literally had to drive to Trader Joe's to buy snacks to test this out.

[Bria Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay. I just don't keep snacks in the house. Like, I'm not a snack person.

[Bria Grant]

Whereas I have a snack drawer that isn't.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. I just don't. I don't know. I'm not a snacky person. I would take this review with a grain of salt. Take this review with a crumb of salt. When it comes to reading an activity where you were most likely already sitting on a chair or a couch with a table nearby, I do not understand the appeal of this for reading.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Maybe to have everything in one spot. Sure. But it was just so awkward. Like, I was nervous that I would spill the snacks. Of course. But I don't want to put my face inches away from a tray full of chips to sip my water. Like, it just. I feel like I'm eating out of a trough.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, I don't like that feeling.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, you do become a little piggy when this happens.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Slightly pig related because it's just, like.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know when a drink is, like, nicely garnished so you can get, like, a scent of mint or something when you're taking a sip. I don't want a scent of chip Dorito while I'm drinking my water. Like, I don't want that. Like, what does this tray do for reading? We're talking about reading specifically here. And you're sitting on a couch or sitting in bed, whatever it is. Snacks in bed. Sitting on the couch. Sitting on, like, wherever you are. What does this tray do that a plate would not?

[Bria Grant]

Well, it separates the snacks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Why do you need your snacks separated? Oh, I like that you don't want your snacks touching.

[Bria Grant]

Aesthetically. What? I just like the aesthetic. Like, I like putting snacks in little bowls, little small bowls, and then you just put them out, like. Yeah, like my own little charcuterie. And that's what I was gonna say is that, like, I don't need it for my Cup. But this is not a bad bowl because it holds four different snacks. And that's cute.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But even on a charcuterie plate, they're touching sometimes.

[Bria Grant]

But I put my stuff in little bowls too.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Wow. Okay.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

All right. But like, for me, the appeal of Stanley Cups and their off brand knockoffs for me while they're reading is that you can drink it without losing eye contact with your book. Like, you can pick up your cup, take a sip, put it down.

[Bria Grant]

Right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This tray makes it so you can't do that because you're just gonna get a face full of chip.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like this. Again, I do not mind the bowl.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, you know what I ended up doing was taking it off the, off the cup, putting the bowl on a tray next to me while I was reading.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's what I think. I do think it's a good bowl because it's silicone.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know, you could like fold it up, stick it in like.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah. It's like, it's like Ben, it's like foldable.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I see on Instagram sometimes, now that I'm back on Instagram, people who like, settle themselves in for reading or watching movies and like they, they get one of those little like cup holder trays that go on a couch, they put their Stanley cup in it, they fill it with snacks, and like, there's like, they fill it with snacks. Like the straw is not long enough to get past all these snacks.

[Bria Grant]

Like, it just seems cheese dust on your cheeks trying to drink out of it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's what I mean. It's like, and like, I mean, I love lifting weights, but it seems nuts to like have a 20 pound object that has, contains all of your drink and all your snacks that you're lifting to your mouth. Like, I just don't. For reading and, or watching something specifically. I'd rather just have a bowl.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, I don't, I, I, I. One. This was one out of five pages. One. One. Wow. But because I'm not the target audience.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I immediately, the first thing I wanted to do was not use it for its intended purpose was to take off, take it off the water bottle and put it down on a table.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And then I was like, why didn't I just use a regular bowl?

[Bria Grant]

I'm gonna give it three, because I might use it as a bowl. It's at my house right now. So I was, I could see myself using this as a bowl. You know what could be good for this? You take it. This is not the design, but you could put a little thing of salsa in the middle.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Ooh.

[Bria Grant]

And then put chips and stuff to dip in the. Or like a. Or okay, even better. A guacamole in the middle. And you could put various things to dip it in on the sides.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay, I'm back in now.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, but these, like, what is the best intended use?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, the way that this is intended to be used on the. On the water bottle combined with, for me is just not the move.

[Bria Grant]

I. I'm giving an extra points, though, for being funny. Okay, it's funny.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I just, like, there's something off putting. To me, it was like, it just felt like two streams that should not be crossed.

[Bria Grant]

That's fair.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know, it felt weird to, like, why not put your office in the back on the toilet so you can do all your work while you're sitting out? Like, it just felt like an unnecessary combination of things.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So, like, why not work out in bed? Like, what do you like? I don't. I don't want too many things combined.

[Bria Grant]

That's fair. That's fair.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So. But Roxanne, thank you for sending this. We did laugh about it a lot. And now Bria has a nice salsa bowl.

[Bria Grant]

There you go.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So you can send your book deck ideas to reading glasses podcast gmail.com or check out our wish list in the show notes. Now let's answer a recommendation request from one of our listeners. Hi, Bri and Mallory. My name is Eddie and I'm a longtime listener. I love your podcast so much. It always makes my Thursdays so much better. And you guys got me through a really bad breakup at the beginning of the year. Oh, Eddie, we got. Got you. I'm writing in today because I'm having a bit of a reading slump problem. I'm a history major and my special interest is history in general. I love to read about anything historic. And as of right now, I'm starting my long time reading goal of reading a biography about every u. S. President. But due to a really bad depressive episode, I haven't read anything since January of this year. This came in in 2024.

[Bria Grant]

Got it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I really want to read historical fiction to get back into the groove, but my issue is that there's so much of it and I have no idea where to start. I'm not picky about the time period at all. It could be about ancient Egypt or the cold war or anything in between. I'm also open to historical fiction with fantasy in it. Thanks so much and I hope you guys have a great day. Bria, what do you think Eddie should read?

[Bria Grant]

I mean, you're not wrong. There's so many historical fiction books. This was hard for me because I was like, well, there's just so many. I think you do need to dig into that wheelhouse and decide what you like. We know you like presidents, but besides that, like, figuring out what you like, it doesn't have to be an era. It could be other things you like within historical fiction. Because I think that will help you to find books to read and to start this journey. I'm gonna recommend. I recommend this one all the time, but I'm gonna recommend it because it has a president in it. I'm gonna go with Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. It's a president, but it's historical fiction. And maybe it'll encourage you to pick up a Lincoln bio after that because you get to take this look at this small moment in Lincoln's life around the death of his son. And it's a very cool historical fiction book. It's an easy read.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm not a regular historical fiction. I'm a cool.

[Bria Grant]

I'm a cool historical fiction. It's told from the point of view of, like, the people in the cemetery, the ghosts in the cemetery, watching Lincoln war and his son. So it's a very cool kind of. Obviously not. It's not horror fantasy. I don't know what you call it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I would call it, to me, ghosts that are not used in a scary setting are fantasy.

[Bria Grant]

Interesting. Because you don't believe in ghosts, correct? Yeah, I don't either. Anyway, I think that this could get you into something. Thinking about presidents and maybe getting back on track. What do you recommend, Mallory?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm gonna do the same thing. We got you covered, Eddie. After seeing your mission to read a biography about every president. President I'm recommending it's a US Set, historical fiction. The Alienist by Caleb Carr. I. I've talked about this on the show before, but not for a while. So it is a historical thriller set in New York City during 1896, and it follows a reporter and a doctor, and they are trying to catch a serial killer using what is then the brand new science of forensic profiling. That's what the, like, alienists are. That's what they call it. Psychologists and, like, psychiatrists back then were alienists. And it features a lot of real history, including Theodore Roosevelt as a character because back then he was the New York Commissioner of Police.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So he's a character in the book. And I thought it would make a perfect fit. It is long, but it's very gripping. It's very intense. It's a great read. There is a good series that got made out of it.

[Bria Grant]

It was like FX maybe.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, I think so.

[Bria Grant]

Dakota Fanning.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. And. And that hot guy from Inglourious Basterds, Daniel Buhl.

[Bria Grant]

Bruhl.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Bruhl.

[Bria Grant]

Very handsome man who's just in some big movie that's going around right now. Isn't he in? Oh no, sorry. He's in the franchise.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Not books.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Not books. But I love him. Anyway, this book is fantastic and I think it'll really bust you out of a slump. So I'm recommending the Alienist by Caleb Carr.

[Bria Grant]

And I'm saying Lincoln and the Bardot by George.

[Mallory O'Meara]

If you want us to answer your recommendation request, you can send it to reading glasses podcast gmail.com. as always, want to thank the wonderful cozy little mods who run our Facebook group. And remember, there's all kinds of fun stuff over at our Void Merch store. You want to show off your love of reading glasses. You want to help us feed our very hungry animals. My cats that are so picky about the flavor of food. I spend so much money a month on cat food you would not even believe it. Please help us pay for it. Go to our Void Merch store. Get a tote bag, get a sweatshirt, get some stickers. There's a link in the show notes and and if you like the show, you want to do something real nice for us that's completely free and will only take you 30 seconds. Take out your phone which you probably already have in your hand right now. Open up the mobile app for your podcast listening app and give us a five star rating. Write us a nice review. It is so great for the show and really helps us reach more readers. You can email us at reading glasses podcastmail.com find us on Instagram at Reading Glasses Podcast. Thanks for listening and thanks for reading. Maximum Fun, a worker owned network of artist owned shows supported directly by.