Ep 398 - Library Newsletter and Helping Picky Readers

Summary

Podcast Summary: Reading Glasses Episode 398 – "Library Newsletter and Helping Picky Readers"

Release Date: February 13, 2025
Hosts: Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara

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Introduction

In Episode 398 of Reading Glasses, hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara delve into two primary topics: the importance of subscribing to library newsletters as part of their 2025 Reading Glasses Challenge, and strategies for assisting listeners who identify as picky readers struggling to find new authors that align with their preferences.

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Current Reads and Listener Feedback

The episode kicks off with Bria sharing her latest audiobook experience:

• Bria Grant discusses her engagement with Iron Flame by Rebecca Yara, highlighting the complexities of navigating different versions of the audiobook:

  “The dramatized version is abridged… I kind of feel like that was a little bit of a trick.” ([00:50])

• Mallory O'Meara provides her recent read, Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Cooper Smith, describing its dreamy and surreal narrative encompassing historical and supernatural elements. She emphasizes its appeal to fans of language-forward and epic storytelling.

Listener feedback is also addressed, focusing on the concept of three-star reads:

• Mallory shares comments from listeners like JN and Micah, who appreciate the flexibility of rating books based on personal circumstances, allowing a three-star read to feel like a five-star read when it fits perfectly into a listener’s current life situation:

  "These books give you what you need at that moment… it scratches the itch." ([05:27])

• Bria echoes this sentiment, highlighting Micah’s perspective that books should be rated on their individual merits rather than compared across different genres:

  “Any book that hits at the right moment and that I love reading is a five-star read.” ([06:26])

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Upcoming Projects and Announcements

The hosts announce exciting upcoming projects:

• Mallory reveals the imminent release of her new book, a "love letter to women in the film industry in Los Angeles," featuring Helen, America’s first stuntwoman. She provides details on how listeners can obtain signed copies and support her work through Skylight Book.

• The introduction of their sister show, Reading Smut, is also announced, set to launch on Valentine's Day. Bria and Mallory outline the show's focus on romance and erotica, including book reviews and discussions on popular tropes within the community.

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Reading Glasses Challenge: Sign Up for a Library Newsletter

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to encouraging listeners to subscribe to library newsletters as part of the 2025 Reading Glasses Challenge. The benefits discussed include:

• Stay Informed: Subscribing to newsletters from local libraries like the Los Angeles Public Library or Burbank Library provides updates on events, author readings, workshops, and new book arrivals.

• Support Libraries: Increased subscriptions help libraries secure more funding and expand their services, which are crucial community resources, especially in challenging times:

  “The more you use the library, the more funding they actually get.” ([16:36])

• Discover New Content: Newsletters offer curated recommendations and insights into trending books, enabling readers to explore beyond their current selections:

  “Librarians have their finger literally on the pulse of what people are checking out.” ([17:21])

Mallory emphasizes the critical role libraries play in community support, particularly during emergencies and in providing free educational resources.

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Solving a Listener’s Bookish Problem: Helping Picky Readers

The episode features a comprehensive response to a listener’s intricate dilemma:

Listener Concern:
Andrea shares her frustration with finding new urban fantasy books after her favorite author went on hiatus. Her specific challenges include:

• Struggling to find books with chemistry in love interests, avoiding constant trauma without humor, and navigating overbuilt secret worlds.

• Identifying as panromantic and asexual, Andrea expresses discomfort with explicit sex scenes, preferring innuendo and fade-to-black moments.

She questions whether her expectations are too high, her wheelhouse too specific, and contemplates taking a break from urban fantasy.

Host Responses:

• Bria advises Andrea to give herself a break and consider exploring adjacent genres like magical realism or cozy fantasy to diversify her reading experience:

  “Try some magical realism. Try some cozy fantasy, something that you feel like is still in the same genre, but you aren't trying to match it.” ([25:31])

• Mallory concurs, suggesting that while Andrea’s wheelhouse is specific, expanding her horizons slightly can help:

  “A three-star read can be elevated when it's the right time for it.” ([05:27])

• They jointly recommend titles that align with Andrea’s preferences, such as Psalm for the Wild by Becky Chambers and The Spell Shop by Sarah Beth Durst, highlighting their mild romantic elements and appealing fantasy settings.

• Mallory issues a public service announcement (PSA) advocating for the use of the terms mild and spicy instead of “clean” and “dirty” to describe romance novels, aiming to eliminate moral judgments associated with such labels:

  “I really fucking hate when people call romances clean or not.” ([32:52])

The hosts encourage Andrea and other listeners in similar situations to experiment with different subgenres and remain open to new experiences, emphasizing that highly specific expectations can sometimes hinder the discovery of enjoyable reads.

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Conclusion

Episode 398 of Reading Glasses offers listeners not only insightful discussions on optimizing their reading habits through library engagement but also compassionate guidance for those navigating the challenges of finding books that resonate with their unique preferences. Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara continue to foster a supportive community for all book lovers, ensuring that every reader can find joy and fulfillment in their literary journeys.

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Notable Quotes

• Bria Grant:
  “The dramatized version is abridged… I kind of feel like that was a little bit of a trick.” ([00:50])

• Mallory O’Meara:
  “These books give you what you need at that moment… it scratches the itch.” ([05:27])

• Bria Grant:
  “Any book that hits at the right moment and that I love reading is a five-star read.” ([06:26])

• Mallory O’Meara:
  “The more you use the library, the more funding they actually get.” ([16:36])

• Mallory O’Meara:
  “I really fucking hate when people call romances clean or not.” ([32:52])

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Stay Connected:
For more personalized recommendations or to share your progress with the Reading Glasses Challenge, email the hosts at [e-mail]. Follow Reading Glasses on Instagram @ReadingGlassesPodcast for updates and community interactions.

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Transcript

[Bria Grant]

Foreign.

[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 Grant]

And I'm Bria Grant, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're ticking off our first box in the 2025 reading glasses. Glasses, Glasses, Glasses Challenge. Sign up for a library newsletter. Plus, we solve a problem about picky readers and finding new authors similar to your favorites.

[Mallory O'Meara]

First. Bria, what are you reading?

[Bria Grant]

Okay, I. I'm checking off a box from the Reading Glasses challenge right now by listening to. I don't know if you'll believe this. I'm listening to Iron Flame by Rebecca Yara.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Buzzy. Buzzy.

[Bria Grant]

I'm. I'm an empyrean head. I'm. I. I liked that first book a lot, and so I was like, I'm interested. And then the new one just came out.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Onyx Storm. Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

So I'm ready. So I want to read that one this year. But I did something strange. So I bought. It's in two parts. It's so long. And I bought the dramatized adaptation on Libro fm, who we are an affiliate of which has a full cast. The main woman, I believe, is Kya Frates. So that was great. But it's only the first part, and at the library, I'm on hold for the full thing. And then I went to the library, and I was like, oh, I can get the second part, part two, from the library so I don't have to purchase it. No problem. Great. Because this thing is expensive. It's $23 for one part of it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That makes me grumpy.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, I mean, it's cheaper if you're like a member of Liberuffin, but, you know, also paying that fee. So. So then I got the second part. This may not be interesting to anybody but me. And it's not the dramatized version. It's just a woman reading. It's read by Rebecca Soler, but it's just. It's not the drama. So there's no music, there's no whatever. And I didn't realize that the dramatized adaptation is abridged. And I don't know what is abridged about it. So there's no chapters in the dramatized version. So I was like, well, how do I know? And so there's.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Who are we talking about?

[Bria Grant]

Because I was like, I know. Because I was like, okay. Dramatized version is, you know, it was like 11, almost 12 hours. So I was like, great. I'll just open up the full version that I just got from the library to 12 hours in and start listening there. I did that, and I was like, what? Like, this is not where I was. Because the one from the library is. Hold on, Wait for it. Let's see how long it is. 28 hours total.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So it's not how they make this easier.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, well, thank God, some nice human on Reddit, I was like, Reddit is.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I saw someone saying that Reddit is the new Google.

[Bria Grant]

It is the Google. It's the only thing I use now. They divided it into chapters so I would know which chapter I left out. Because the dramatized version doesn't have any chapters. So it's. And I kind of feel like that was a little bit of a trick. So you have to listen to the other dramatized version.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

But I have to say this. I like the dramatized version a lot. It's actually easier for me to pay attention to the reading. Yeah. Someone just reading it. I don't know why. Anyway, all that. I didn't tell you what it was, but anyway, that was my drama with it yesterday. I was so frustrated when I realized that they were not the same length. And I. And I kept. I was like, well, where's the chapter titles? There's no chapter titles.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is also good information for anyone who wants to listen to these audiobooks.

[Bria Grant]

Well, yeah, I think you kind of either need to stick with the same thing all the way through, or you go find this post on Reddit where someone divided it into tracks. But basically, you're back. Violet's back. Second year of school, they say. They say in it, the first year is when we lose our lives. The second year is when we, the rest of us, lose our humanity.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Wow.

[Bria Grant]

And, you know, dealing with school stuff, dealing with secrets. You know, there's a big secret revealed at the end of the first one.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Dragons.

[Bria Grant]

And then there's a lot of dragons, and they're flying around on those dragons. They're fighting people. And they're fighting people within the school who. Because they now. Because now. Now Violet, like, knows things she shouldn't know. Very. Listen, if you're looking for a Harry Potter replacement, this is the book. Anyway, that's my. That's my saga. What. What are you. What are you reading?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I just finished a book called Build you'd House Around My Body by Violet Cooper Smith. Oh, yeah, I bought this. Came out like, four years ago. And I bought it and just was one of those books that I kept meaning to get to And I finally was like, I want to read this. And I did. This is a language forward book. It is like kind of historical because there's one storyline that takes place in the 80s and then one storyline that takes place in the 2000 and tens. And they're both about these two young women in Vietnam who go missing. And it's very dreamy and very surreal and there's like ghosts and some supernatural stuff and they're both like kind of. They don't fit in with normal society and they're trying to find their way and they're unhappy and there's a lot of like again, this possession. There's ghosts, there's ancestors, there's. It. But it's just very, if you like a dreamy, surreal book. But it's also like, it has a lot of similar DNA to like sacrificial animals. The only good Indians, like some sort of supernatural entity is trying to get revenge. If you like those kinds of stories. It's just, it's, it's, it's, it's definitely an epic because of the way that it moves through time and all over the, all over Vietnam and there's all these different characters and all these weird things are happening with them. I haven't read anything like it in a really long time. So if you like language, if you like dreaminess, this is a great book for you. It's build your house around my body by Violet Coopersmith.

[Bria Grant]

And I am listening to two different versions of Iron flames that count as two books. Iron Flame. Sorry, it's just Iron Flame, One flame by Rebecca Yaris.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So we want to take a moment to share some listener feedback about three star reads. Bria, we got a lot of feedback about this. People are excited about a three star book.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

JN wrote in to say, I love the idea of a three star book having a place and time people. A lot of people resonated with your feelings about a three star read actually being a five star read.

[Bria Grant]

If it's that it's the right time for it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Jenn says, I read a lot of romance and once heard our three star books as being a quote book booty call. Funny apologies. I don't remember the podcast though. I'm tempted to credit faded mates.

[Bria Grant]

Great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

These books give you what you need in that moment. You know what to expect and they scratch the itch. Thank you both for sitting with me during the good and bad times. And Mallory, don't discredit yourself for lower numbers when you're struggling. I've DNF'd more than I can count since November for obvious reasons. Jan, I'm with you.

[Bria Grant]

That's great. Okay. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

A book Booty call is really funny. It is like, I just imagine a book, like picking up a phone with like a lot and like twirling the cord and being like, what am I doing? What am I wearing? I love that. But it's true. Like, I. I think you're right. Like a. A three star read can be elevated when it's. When you're reading it at the right place in time and it's the right book for that moment.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Micah wrote in and said hello, Bria and Mallory, I was just listening to the episode where you discussed three star reads and I have to say I totally agree with the way Bria described it to me. Any book that hits at the right moment and that I love reading is a five star read. That means that some of my favorite historical romance smut novels sit right alongside things like Cloud Cuckoo Land or Lord of the Rings. I want to rate books on their own merits, not comparing them to the books that are doing completely different job in my reading life. Love this discussion. Thanks for another great episode. Great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Fantastic. Katherine wrote in to say hi. Marie and Mallory. When I listened to the episode of the hundred top books of the century so far.

[Bria Grant]

Oh yeah, that was us going through the New York Times.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. When those two glassers put together the top glasser books.

[Bria Grant]

Oh yeah. Okay, great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I pulled it up on my story graph account. I found that I had read 53 of the hundred books.

[Bria Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The glassers are clearly my people. So I figured it was time to get on that Slack channel. Two of you pulled me out of a decade plus long reading slump a number of years ago. And now I read slash listen to around 100 books a year. It also inspired me to get a library card after several years without one. How did I ever survive without Libby? Thanks so much for all that you do. Oh yeah. Catherine was born to be a glasser.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love it. You want to read Catherine's Wheelhouse? Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Locked room type horror memoirs and essays written by poets. What can I say? My reading tastes are specific yet diverse.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We love it. You can email us at 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 newsletter. There's a link in the show notes. So folks, two big exciting things. One, my book is coming out in a few days when this episode, drop it comes out next week. You can still pre order it. There'll be a link in the show notes for signed copies. The only way you can get a signed copy, unless you come see me on book tour, which I will put a link to in the show notes. I'm coming to some fun places is through Skylight book. So if you want to order them, you got to get it through Skylight. I would really appreciate if you supported this book. It was really fun to write. It is my love letter to women in the film industry in Los Angeles and badass ladies doing their own shit. Like, I. I'm very excited to talk about Helen's story. Helen was the America's first stuntwoman, but her. Her whole life is a really perfect lens to look at the history of women in film through, because she started in film right when film began in the silent era. And she. Her last movie, when she was doing stunts when she was 69 years old, was the man who Shot Liberty Valance when that came out in 1962. Like, it's. It's really, really fun. So if you want to. If you're depressed politically right now and you want to read about a time where women were doing a lot of cool, this is the book for you daughter, Daring link in the show notes. It's out on Tuesday the 18th. And also, Bria, when this podcast drops, our sister show Reading Smut starts tomorrow.

[Bria Grant]

Tomorrow?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Tomorrow's Valentine's Day.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, we thought that'd be a fun day to release it. Yes. So if you want to hear about falling in love with the door, that's the day. That's the dime.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, so what?

[Bria Grant]

So the door falls in love with the woman, Maybe.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Well, both. It's mutual. Okay, spoiler alert. But so, folks, if you a smut reader, this is. This is the podcast for you is coming out twice a month, every other Friday through Maximum Fun. And one episode a month is Bri and I doing a book club. We pick a book, we read it, we review it, we get into it. Is it sexy? Is it not? And then the other episode is us talking about a hot topic in the romance and erotica community. Why are people horny for fairies? Why is enemies to lovers the, like, everyone's favorite trope? What, like, what are romance and erotica readers talking about? What's going on in that community? We've had so much fun every single time we've ever done an erotica book club with the Glassers. And you all seem to have a lot of fun with It So Bria had this idea to do a whole show about it and to really delve into this culture and why it. It's so popular, why the smartest people you know are reading the, the dirtiest, horniest books. We're really interested in it. We love it. We love reading this books, these books and we love talking to people about it. And so we invited friend of the show, Chelsea Devontes on to talk about Unhinged by Vera Valentine.

[Bria Grant]

And it was a great time and.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh my God, it was so fun.

[Bria Grant]

Please go subscribe. You know, that always helps us a lot. We ask you to do that on this show. Raiden reviewing but also rating reviewing will help on that show, but subscribing will really help because we'll get our numbers up.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

First thing first, so all you.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I was gonna call them smut nuts, but no one but me likes. Nobody likes. So we still haven't, we haven't come up with a good term for people who love smut. Write in right into reading now right into the new show. The. The new email is reading smut podcast69gmail.com if you have an idea for what people should call smut nuts that is not smut nuts, let us know. But regardless, check it out. Even if you have like the. It's, it's like reading glasses. Even if you have never read erotica but you're curious or welcome, it doesn't matter. You don't need any experience with those genres. We are welcoming you in. But also if you love a romance in erotica, you read it all the time. It's for you, it's for, it's for anyone interested in horny books.

[Bria Grant]

Yep.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So before we talk about library newsletters, we're going to take a quick break.

[Bria Grant]

Reading Glasses is brought to you in part this week by Pear Eyewear. We've all heard New Year, new you a million times. But, you know, you don't have to do a new you. You can have new glasses, which is actually better than a new you. New glasses. That sounds amazing. And Pear Eyewear has tons of shapes and styles to match any vibe or hyper fixation. So you can keep trying new things and switch up your look anytime you want. You know, we just had our book launch, which was amazing. We were very excited to see all the glasses there. And one glasser showed up wearing Pear Eyewear and had these amazing top frames on that were kind of spooky, like they were horror themed. So you can get something like that and wear it to an event and it looked so cute. So you can do all sorts of stuff. Basically they're these tops. You get regular glasses and you put these tops on top and they snap on. And you can do all sorts of different types of top frames for different occasions. You can do them to match your outfit.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Outfit.

[Bria Grant]

You can do Disney, you can do Marvel, you can do Spooky like I said. And I got some sun tops, which is very exciting. So I can have regular glasses and just throw those sun tops on top. And it is very affordable to change up those top frames. They start at 25. Pair offers all kinds of frames from durable acetate frames with sleek metal temple details to perfectly proportioned wide frames. Bases start at 60. Top frames start again just 25. And it's free shipping on all US orders. And for every pair I wear, the Alliance Alliance E Y E Alliance provides a pair to a child in need. That's wonderful. So show off new sides of yourself this year. Go to Pair Eyewear.com and use code GLASSES for 15% off your first pair. And support the show by mentioning that reading glasses sent you in the post checkout survey. That's P A I R I wear.com code glasses glasses.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The following are real reenactments of pretend emergency calls. 911 my husband. It's my husband. Calm down please.

[Bria Grant]

What about your husband? He.

[Mallory O'Meara]

He loads the dishwasher wrong.

[Bria Grant]

Please help.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Please help me. Where are you now, ma'am? At the kitchen table. I was with my dad. He mispronounces words intentionally. There are plenty of podcasts on the hunt for justice, but only one podcast has the courage to take on the silly crimes. Judge John Hodgman. The only true crime podcast that won't leave you feeling sad and bad and scared for once. Only on MaximumFun.org this week we're ticking off our first box on the 2025 Reading Glasses Challenge. Sign up for a library newsletter. Why did we put this on the challenge? And how can it improve your reading life?

[Bria Grant]

And what could be more exciting? What a little library newsletter coming right to your inbox.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Beautiful. So first off, the rules for our glasses. It doesn't have to be your local library, although we do encourage that. It can be any library in the world if you want in the country. As long as you sign up for their newsletter. Doesn't matter. Remember, some libraries have multiple newsletters like so there's some libraries that do like kids and ya specific ones. There's some libraries that do like event specific ones. So check things out. All right, so bria first off, how did we do this? How do we complete this?

[Bria Grant]

I already am subscribed to the lapl, the Los Angeles Public Library. And there's no individual library newsletter that could find for, like, any of the ones in my local area.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay, well, I mean, you could have signed up for the New York Public Library.

[Bria Grant]

Tell you what, I did sign up for something. I also already signed up for Canopy.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Fantastic.

[Bria Grant]

They do a what we should. What you should watch this weekend section every week. And so I. If you're looking for something to sign up for, people, Canopy's great. But what I did sign up for was the Libby newsletter.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I didn't know Libby had a newsletter.

[Bria Grant]

I didn't either, but I was looking around, I was like, what's sort of relevant to me? I was hoping they had a substack. Cause I'm really into substack right now.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I know you've been hot on the.

[Bria Grant]

Substack train, subscribing to a bunch. And then I can go and read them like they're my news. It's great. Again, everything. Read everything in one place. Also, hey, guess what, Glassers? If you are subscribed to our newsletter, I think I'm switching it to substack.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So we're thinking about it. Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. So I signed up for Libby Libby newsletter, which is awesome library.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think I'm going to do that too.

[Bria Grant]

But I can definitely recommend Los Angeles Public Library and Canopy if you're looking for something to sign up for. What did you sign up for?

[Mallory O'Meara]

So, just like you, I've been signed up for my local library's newsletter, the Los Angeles Public Library, for a wicked long time. So I decided to sign up for Burbank's library newsletter because the Burbank library system, a lot of people think that Burbank's part of la. It is not. I always describe it as Los Angeles's hat. Like, there's LA and then the. Like the Hollywood Hills and then Burbank.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And. But Burbank is its own separate city with its own separate library system. It's close by to me. I'm very close to Burbank. I've done events with them before. And it just seems silly that I wasn't already signed up because I'm close enough that I can go to their events. I do use their libraries for. For research sometimes. It's a great library system. So that's the. That's the newsletter I signed up for.

[Bria Grant]

Like that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

All right, so, Bria, why do we put this on the challenge well, we.

[Bria Grant]

Like to support libraries.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We love libraries here.

[Bria Grant]

We like libraries. We're not living great times. Libraries are very important public resource for so many reasons. Not only do they support authors, they. They have free book support, all sorts of other things. And having more people on their mailing list is good for them. It helps get word out about the events they're doing, about the things that they're doing locally. Yeah. And the important thing is the more you use the library, the more funding they actually get.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, it's magic.

[Bria Grant]

So if you are checking out a lot of books from your library, that's good because then even more people can use them. If they have a lot of people subscribed to their newsletter, it is important for them to have that information. We know this because we have a newsletter.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, we do.

[Bria Grant]

And you can sign up for that if you want. And when we were selling our book, the no pr. Wow. We're just plug machines over here. I'm going to quit. When we were writing our book, they wanted to know what our audience reach was. And one thing we had was that newsletter, which is a direct email to all of you who sign up for it. I find that those newsletters, those things that I signed up for, like that, that I, that I read way more than just looking at someone's social media. I follow Los Angeles Public Library on social media, but, you know, half the time I don't see anything that they put. How do you think this can improve people's reading life?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, one, if it's your local library, which is why we suggest doing that one first, you get to see all the cool libraries are doing like, all the events that are happening. Author events. But the thing about, and we've talked about this on, on the show before, like libraries do readings and author events, but they also have all kinds of free classes. They teach you how to do things, meetup groups, book clubs. If you are looking for a place to meet bookish people, if you want to learn a skill, all for free, stuff like that's happening at your library, like, they're also. They also do things. They have workshops that teach you how to do different crafts. They have classes. Like, you get to see all of that stuff. And you know, if it's not your reading life, even if you don't need new books on your tbr, I think it's really fun to see what other libraries and librarians are recommending. Like, librarians have their finger literally on the pulse of what people are checking out and what books are coming out. So it's really fun to see what's buzzy at your library. I'm also on the mailing list for San Francisco Library, which I have a library hard for, and the New York Public Library. I like seeing what's going. I feel like a little late. I'm like, oh, I like seeing what's going on out there. You know, one great example I want to say is, you know, in the LA fires, the Los Angeles Public Library, like, on their homepage, it's emergency resources for distributing information resources, places that are taking donations where you can, like, where you can get help. Like, this is, like, really crucial community information. And because this current administration is hamstringing the way that information is distributed in this country, libraries are more crucial than ever. And fucking awesome.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

What about you, Brian? What do you think?

[Bria Grant]

I mean, all the things you said, like, it proves your reading life because you're going to get more recommendations, you're going to get other fun stuff. We found out that Los Angeles, the central library here, has a podcasting studio.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, it's so cool.

[Bria Grant]

And I discovered that through their newsletter. But we want to make sure that libraries can keep having this stuff going on. So this is all. It's a feedback loop. Right. You're getting books from the library. They can get more books. And if you are subscribing, they can. They can put more. More events up. They can have more things going on.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

So it's important for us to keep these big public institutions going at a time when a lot of public funding is being questioned.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Especially for libraries who have been under attack for quite a while, for people who want to ban books. And.

[Bria Grant]

And I can't afford to read the number of books that I read. Without the library, I cannot afford it. I read too many books. I don't want to own all of these books.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I know.

[Bria Grant]

I like to try out books and not read them.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. It's like the equivalent of catching a fish and putting it right back. Like, I. It's funny, I was thinking about this the other day because I have gotten a lot more books from the library over the past year. And like, there was a book that I read recently and I got it from the library, and I was like, I'm glad I don't own that. Yeah, you know, it's nice, like. And also, I think we've talked about this before. I feel like getting books from the library lets me be a little more adventurous because I'm like, oh, I'm not spending any money. I might not want to spend $30 to get a book from this author that I don't know, but I'll try it out for free. Yeah, you're helping authors, you're helping libraries, you're helping your community. There's literally no downsides. How there's what things in life can you have that have no downsides? Except for libraries, baby. So let us know how you are completing this part of the challenge. You can recommend some particular library newsletters that you really like. You can send it all toreading glasses podcastmail.com and before we solve a reader problem about being picky, we're going to take a quick.

[Bria Grant]

Reading. Glasses is brought to you in part this week by Lumi Labs. Imagine if edibles made you feel good instead of possibly too high. So think about it. Consistent, mellow. These things are super delicious. Lumi Gummies are specifically designed to make you feel good, not to make you feel stoned. So whether you're looking for sort of an end of day de stressor or a midday mood boost or help getting the best sleep ever, Lumi Gummies has a strain that is right for for you. Again, these are not something to get you high. This is something like, oh, you know what? I'm about to go do a workout and I want a little bit of a relaxer that's going to make me feel good and excited. Or maybe you're trying to get into the zone when you're writing middle of the day. I'm always out of it. And something like this can really help me to get into the right zone. And Lumi Gummies are available nationwide. 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 gums.com code glasses lumigummies.com code glasses glasses.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Big E is a former WWE Champion. He spent 10 years at the top sharing the ring with John Cena and Roman Reigns. So what's next?

[Bria Grant]

When I retire, I'm going to move to the desert.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm going to delete all my socials. I'm going to disappear. Y'all will never hear from me again.

[Bria Grant]

I'm going to sit on the couch.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Chill, and live my life. From the legendary tag team the New Day, It's Biggie on tights and fights. I feel like I need to listen to a few episodes that you guys have because this was really enjoyable. So. Oh no. Thank you so much for your time. Oh, yes. Oh yes.

[Bria Grant]

Available on Maximum Fun or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Now let's solve a bookish problem from one of our listeners. Okay folks, this is a complicated one and it is a two parter, so we're going to solve the problem and then do a recommendation request for it. Andrea writes in to say hey Mallory and Bria. I've only found the podcast within the last few months, but I am already so freaking hooked. Even if my wheelhouse feels different to a lot of the books you talk about, I still love what you have to say. And some of the books you've mentioned that I have tried, such as the graphic novels Brooms and Mooncakes, have been absolute hits for me. Plus, I now know my wheelhouse after listening to several episodes. Here's my My current favorite author is on a hiatus for health reasons. I stand with the rest of her fandom in supporting her, taking this hiatus and taking care of herself. Despite this, I miss her urban fantasy novels and at the time of writing, it's still going to be a year or more before we get any information about the next installment in the franchise. I've been doing my best to fill the void with new books and exploring new authors, but half the time I feel like I'm striking out for any number of reasons. The love interests don't have the right chemistry, the characters get put through a constant trauma conga line with no break for humor. The secret world is too secret and stifling to be enjoyable. Other facets of the world building just feel unhealthy or unbelievable. Suffice it to say that the experience has helped me figure out my doghouse too, but I've had to keep track of authors I didn't like, so I don't read something that will make me miserable again. Another part of it is, I think, my orientation. I identify as pan romantic, asexual, and while I am sex positive, I don't enjoy reading sex scenes. In the vast majority of books. To date, I've only found one author that I feel comfortable with and even enjoy reading sex scenes from. I do enjoy some innuendo, and I'm good with fade to black. However, it's another hesitation when I'm looking for a good read because I don't want an uncomfortable surprise. At this point, I'm not entirely sure what I should do. My thoughts have been running the gamut of has my favorite franchise set the expectations too high, is my wheelhouse too specific, and should I just take a break from urban fantasy? I really want to be respectful of my favorite author's hiatus, but I feel almost desperate to fill the void and worried over whether any of what I'm doing is even healthy. I'm trying rereads, but I'm worried it's just going to make the longing worse as I fall in love with these books all over again. What do you suggest I do, Bria? We have a glasser in distress. Yes, we have a glasser stuck in the well. We're gonna go save them.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

What should Audrey do?

[Bria Grant]

Okay. I want to say it's a very beautiful thing that you found the perfect books and the perfect writer, but I think Mallory and I are going to say thing you have to give yourself the break that you're giving this writer because it is hard to find the perfect book because you've already actually found it. You found it. So you have a lot of high expectations. I don't think you should just give up on urban fantasy novels, but I think finding adjacent things might be helpful to you. Like, try some magical realism. Try some cozy fantasy, something that you feel like is still in the same genre, but you aren't trying to match it. Because I do think that based on this email, which has a lot of, you know exactly what you like and what you don't like, I think you're going to be a fan of something else. To this point. You sound like, you know, Mallory's a real big fan of the things that Mallory is a fan of.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I was literally about to say this because I was talking with my therapist about something like this, but I am like this. Like, I. My friend Rich, one of my best friends, always tells me, nobody likes anything as much as you like it, Mallory. And that is.

[Bria Grant]

And you're like, I like it because of this, this, and this. This is the best. And you really dig in.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I stay there forever. That's another thing. I don't have fads. Like, once I like something, I like it, you like it forever.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah. Where I, like, dabble, I dabble around. And I think you obviously are a big fan of this person and this person's books, but I think you're gonna need to do a little bit of dabbling in adjacent categories. It doesn't have to be. I'm not saying you should.

[Mallory O'Meara]

A little lateral dabbing. Yeah, yeah. Babbling, lateral dabble.

[Bria Grant]

I just think, like, lean off this little ladder and, like, dip your toe into, like, another pool just for a second.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Not while you're on the ladder, though, because they do a fall.

[Bria Grant]

Well, it depends on your balance level, you know, how's your core strength. What do you think, Mallory?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I want to say that a lot of readers do this, especially people who. I feel like people who read really long genre series, like, they find something that they really like and they stick with it for a while, but then because you've been in the same series for a while, you get not stuck, but you do get really used to it, you know, And I think it's okay for a reader to have this extremely specific wheelhouse as long as you can find books.

[Bria Grant]

Right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's the. That's where I think the line lays like this. Audrey is worried. Is my wheelhouse too specific? You're. It's never too specific as long as it's not hindering you from being able to find books. And I feel like Audrey is getting to that point where this wheelhouse is so specific that they're having a hard time.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Finding books.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I do think, personally, that looking for another series to perfectly match the one that you already love is always going to be tough. It's. With anything.

[Bria Grant]

Well, it's just. I think it's a dead end. I don't think you're gonna find it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. And we all go through this with books, with movies. Sometimes you watch something or read something or listen to something, and you're like, I want five more things that are exactly like this, but it's only slightly different.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And that's just not a. It's very hard to find. Yeah. Because you're like, so much of your experience of. Of art is what you bring to it, but there's also. There's some art. This, I think it was. C.S. lewis wrote an essay about, like, the. The joy of surprise. And I was talking about this with my therapist because I don't like uncertainty. It is. I am allergic to uncertainty. If I could have everything in my life scheduled and organized and in a spreadsheet and on a list and in a schedule book for the rest of my life, I would be happy. I do not do well in uncertain situations.

[Bria Grant]

But do you like trying new things, like new restaurants and stuff like that? I do actually like them to be.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Scheduled in, but I like, I want to look at that menu beforehand on the. On my phone. I want to know what I'm getting into. And my therapist is like, but, Mallory, remember, uncertainty is where a lot of creativity happens. And like. But. But I'm sure that's what happened with this. With this reader, where, like, they picked up this book and all of a sudden, oh, my God, this is the perfect thing. That excitement of surprise. So if you are bringing this preconceived, like, I needed this book to be this, this and that, you're not leaving room for the book to be good in a different way. You're just upset because it's not good in the way that you want it to be good. And I know this because I do that because I have anxiety and I like things to be organized. So I think that you should take. I, I totally agree with Bria. I think you should take a break from this sub genre. Not because you. What you want isn't out there. And I do think if we wanted to, we could find a series that matches this perfectly. But I think if you're reading something and you're comparing it to a perfect series and you want it to be exactly that, no matter what, it's going to fall short. And it might not actually fall short again. It might just be good in a different way. But because it's not exactly what you're looking for, it's. It's not going to feel satisfying to you. So I think by trying to find something in this exact sub genre that does all these exact things, you're setting yourself up for failure and frustration. And I know we can find you other things because you sent us a gigantic wheelhouse. Like, I know, I Like we won't read the entire thing because it is very, very long, but I know that this reader has the capacity. But I get it.

[Bria Grant]

Well, I. And also this reader does really understand herself, you know, like she does. She knows exactly who she is and what she likes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Which is helpful, but also sometimes maybe getting in the way.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And that's. I mean, it applies to so many things. Reading, dating, you know, when you have an idea of this exact thing that you want or like looking maybe that sometimes that's hard. Why? It's hard to pick out something to watch because you're like, I want this exact thing or this thing that's like this other exact thing. And we do have to. Experiencing art, even though it is hard. I know as a neurotic person, you have to leave yourself a little bit of room for. For something. For surprise, for something being different, for something being new. All right, so. And then Adria wants us to recommend some books. This is a very long wheelhouse. I will skim through a little bit of it. High fantasy with low stakes, fairy tale reimaginings, urban fantasy, witchy vibes, cozy feel good read. Steampunk and gas lamp fantasy, Regency era settings. Clean, sweet romance, which I have something to say about. Enemies to lovers. Marriage of convenience. Badass bookworm characters. Well written, neurodivergent characters. Beloved pets with adorable personalities. Stories that showcase a variety of strengths and characters, not just physical or magical strength. And any of the above with LGBTQIA plus characters. Bonus points for LGBTQIA plus main characters. Bria, go. What do you think?

[Bria Grant]

I'm gonna go. Psalm for the Wild, built by Becky Chambers. This is a great pick because it's fantasy, but it's robot and tea related fantasy. It is wild outdoors fantasy, not urban fantasy. It's cozy. It's not exactly any of these things. It is.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's rural fantasy.

[Bria Grant]

It's rural fantasy.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's the opposite of urban fitness.

[Bria Grant]

And that's what I actually. Because I. I almost did like a Japanese cozy book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

But then I was like, you know, I think this could shake things up for you a little bit.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's pretty queer too.

[Bria Grant]

It is. And it's. Yeah. And it's short and it's sweet. It has a nice meaning where it's a run. A runk.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's romantic. Steampunk.

[Bria Grant]

It's a robot and a monk. They discuss humanity. Is tea steampunk? Tea is kind of steampunk.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't. Such a funny question.

[Bria Grant]

I think tea is steampunk.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't know why steamy.

[Bria Grant]

I don't think tea. I don't think coffee is steampunk, but I think tea is steampunk.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think you're right. And I cannot articulate why.

[Bria Grant]

I think it's because one. I have a very complicated. Well, no, that's a coffee machine. I don't know. Oh, maybe it's because, like, the kettle. The steam comes out of the kettle and that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I think there's also. We associate tea with that kind of like late 1800s, early 1900s esthetic.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like teacups, kettles, that kind of thing.

[Bria Grant]

Right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Anything Gail Carragher writes.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Like. And. Yeah. I just. Anyway, to me, I was like this kind of steampunky. I didn't.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think this Gail, like something.

[Bria Grant]

It's.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's steampunk.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love you, Gail, and you are. You are the queen of steampunk. I think that's. And Gail loves tea, so.

[Bria Grant]

Okay. I love tea also. This was a great book. If you're a big tea head. Oh, someone sent me a big box of tea. And I really appreciate that. Thank you for doing that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Someone sent us a very big box of tea. It was very kind. The tea is awesome.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Thank you for that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm not in a big steampunk.

[Bria Grant]

It's very steamy and steampunky. Anyway, Song for the Wild by Becky Chambers. What do you think?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have a recommendation, but I also have a psa.

[Bria Grant]

Oh.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So my recommendation is a glasser favorite from last year is the Spell Shop by Sarah Beth Durst. A lot of people love this book. It's a cozy, romantic. It's got a bookworm protagonist, and the protagonist sidekick is a little spider plant, which is not an animal, but it's like a cute little, like, sentient spider plant, which is adorable.

[Bria Grant]

And the regular protagonist is not a worm, but a bookworm.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Okay.

[Bria Grant]

Some reason when you wrote bookworm and spider, I was like, sounds great. It's a worm and a spider.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, my God. Someone has to write a book about an actual bookworm. Oh, that'd be so cute. But this bookworm and her spider plant open up a secret spell shop in this little town, and the romance is mild. It is not spicy. And I. This is where my PSA comes in. And I don't. This is not something that I'm saying against Adria, because I know that this is how it is referred to in the book community, but I really fucking hate when people call romances clean or not.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't like that word. I don't. I think it's really harmful to refer to books as either clean or pure. All of those words just describe things or food or media. It really rubs me the wrong way. It really has its roots in some bad shit. One of.

[Bria Grant]

But wait a second. You love a clean bedroom book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I do, yes. Actual clean, not morally clean. Oh, I see.

[Bria Grant]

I see.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Actual clean. But I was reading one of my favorite nonfiction authors, Tressie McMillan Cottam. She's been writing for the New York Times a lot about this, about how the quote, quote, like, clean, pure aesthetic of, like, trad wife stuff has been kind of a harbinger of, like, a renewed homophobia and transphobia and racism in this country. So I just really don't like calling things clean.

[Bria Grant]

I see. I think that is steer away from clean these days.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. I. But again, I know that it's a shorthand that the romance community uses. I understand. But I personally think that it should be either mild or spicy mileage.

[Bria Grant]

Spicy. Yeah. Like. Like how you like your salsa.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Because then it doesn't have, like, this weird moral judgment because, like, then it makes a book that is spicy. Like, that's. It is a dirty book. But, like, that Makes it seem like it. People who read it are dirty. It's more like I just. I really don't like it.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, but. But. And it also makes it confusing when you're trying to describe a. An aesthetic of someone's bedroom.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

It's a very clean bedroom.

[Mallory O'Meara]

As opposed to dirty stuff happening in.

[Bria Grant]

A clean, dirty bedroom or a clean bedroom. We got to know what you mean. Yeah. I don't know.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Clean stuff happening in a dirty bedroom. I want dirty stuff happening in a clean bedroom.

[Bria Grant]

Right. Are the sheet. Because you're saying dirty. Are we saying the bedroom has, you know, gross sheets? Clean sheets. This is important. Or listen to our sister show.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Listen to reading smut. We'll be getting into this, but so just. Just a PSA from, like now this point onward, even though I know that that's used in the book community, I personally will be referring to books as either mild or spicy. Mild is off the page. Spicy is slipping and sliding.

[Bria Grant]

Got it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Slapping and sliding. However, whatever I said. Okay. So anyway, I think this is a sweet little romantasy book that is mild. It will hopefully be a little urban fantasy palette cleanser. I like that we both picked like rural, small town things.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. We were like, this is. Stay away from. Because there's the thing. Matching a one to one urban fantasy is gonna be tough.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I think. I think these are both a lateral move enough where it's cozy, there's mild romance happening, there's fantasy, there's magic. But it's not this specific thing. So, Audrey, let us know what ultimately helped you. We're rooting for you. We know this happens to a lot of glassers and can happen to me sometimes. We are. We. We want to know what. What worked for you. And let us know if we can help any further. So if you want us to answer your recommendation request or solve your reader problem, you can send it to Reading glassespodcastmail. Dot Want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Facebook group. You can check out our Void merch store. There's all kinds of cool in there that helps us feed our cats. Folks, I had to open my cats two cans this morning because the first can I opened up, they turned up their nose at it.

[Bria Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Even though it was fancy trout, they did not like it.

[Bria Grant]

Honestly. Sounds gross.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, cats, they normally love it, but they just decided they don't like this this week, so I had to use two cans. Very annoying. And if you want to help me buy those cans of cat food, buy stuff from our Void merch. Store. There's a link in the show Notes and if you like the show and want to do something that helps us feed our cats for free, you can rate and review us on the podcast listening app of your choice. Just open up the mobile app on your phone for whatever podcast app you have and give us a little five star rating. A nice little review. It's so great for us and helps us reach more readers. You can email us at reading glasses podcast gmail.com find us on Instagram at Reading Glasses Podcast. Thanks for listening and thanks for reading. Maximum Fun. A worker owned network.