Ep 405 - Spring Book Rex + Book Tattoos from Trash Baby Authors

Summary

Episode Summary: Reading Glasses Ep 405 - Spring Book Rex + Book Tattoos from Trash Baby Authors

In Episode 405 of Reading Glasses, hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara delve into the vibrant world of spring-themed literature, share insights on innovative book technology, and tackle a unique bookish dilemma involving tattoos. Released on April 3, 2025, this episode is a treasure trove for avid readers looking to rejuvenate their reading lists for the warmer months.

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Spring Book Recommendations

Brea's Picks:

• "Migrations" by Charlotte McConaughey (00:33)
  Brea shares her enthusiasm for Migrations, a near-future climate fiction (clifi) novel that intertwines environmental themes with personal journeys. She highlights the protagonist, Franny, who ventures to Greenland to follow migratory terns amidst global ecological decline. Brea praises the book for its emotional depth and thrilling plot twists, mentioning, “...it’s just such a great personal story and I was riveted and it was just very emotional” (02:38).

• "The Sun and Her Flowers" by Rupi Kaur (13:41)
  Expanding beyond traditional novels, Brea recommends Rupi Kaur’s poetry collection for its accessible and modern verses, complemented by delicate floral illustrations. She appreciates the book’s structure and relatable themes, noting the final section aptly titled "Blooming" captures the essence of spring.

• "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers (15:39)
  Brea advocates for this novella, describing it as “the most spring book ever” due to its themes of nature, new beginnings, and warm, heartfelt storytelling. The narrative explores harmonious relationships between humans and robots, embodying renewal and growth.

• "I Kissed Shara Wheeler" by Casey McQuiston (22:42)
  A romance-mystery hybrid set around graduation and prom, this book centers on Shara Wheeler’s intriguing disappearance after multiple characters develop feelings for her. Brea emphasizes its quintessential spring setting, full of youthful energy and blossoming relationships.

Mallory's Selections:

• "All Creatures Great and Small" by James Herriot (14:25)
  Mallory recommends this memoir for its heartwarming portrayal of a country vet's life in 1940s rural England. She lauds its sweet narratives of animal care and community interactions, making it a perfect read for spring.

• "The Fair Botanist" by Sarah Sheridan (19:35)
  Set in Edinburgh’s botanical gardens of 1822, this historical fiction explores flowers, botany, and perfume creation. Mallory highlights the protagonist’s journey and the enchanting depiction of nature magic, aligning perfectly with spring’s essence.

• "Twilight Falls" by Juno Black (16:02)
  The fourth installment in the cozy romance series featuring Vera Vixen, a fox journalist solving mysteries in a forest town. Mallory praises its vivid springtime descriptions and charming romantic elements.

• "Stardust" by Ishiguro Kazuo (20:26)
  Although Mallory hasn’t read it yet, she introduces Stardust as an upcoming spring recommendation, highlighting its poignant narrative from a robot’s perspective, intertwined with nature and sunlight themes.

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Listener Feedback and Community Highlights

The hosts take a moment to acknowledge listener MacKenzie’s success story with the Slack Channel during the Max Fund drive. MacKenzie shared how community support facilitated her early access to Stephen Graham Jones’s The Buffalo Hunter, demonstrating the podcast’s strong and supportive listener base.

Notable Quote:

"I'm so excited about this book and if nothing else comes from my actions, at least my library now has a purchase request for me for the book in the audiobook format." – Mallory O’Meara (05:04)

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Book Tech: Cork Bookmark Review

Mallory and Brea test out cork bookmarks received from a listener named Crystal, evaluating their durability, aesthetics, and functionality.

Features Discussed:

• Design: Available in varying lengths with intricate patterns like art deco designs and nature-inspired motifs.
• Material: Crafted from thin cork that mimics cork leather, providing a balance between rigidity and flexibility.
• Performance: The shorter bookmarks excel in staying within books without damaging the spine, while longer ones are deemed too thick for standard books.

Notable Quotes:

"They're very cute... If it was just cork with no print, it would be a little drab." – Mallory O’Meara (29:46)
"These are durable little boys. I don't know why the bookmarks are boys." – Brea Grant (29:24)

Both hosts rate the shorter cork bookmarks highly for their practicality and aesthetic appeal, recommending them as excellent bookish gifts.

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Solving a Bookish Problem: Tattoos from Controversial Authors

Listener Dustin reaches out with a dilemma: a sizeable tattoo of Neil Gaiman’s character Death has become problematic due to recent revelations about the author’s behavior.

Hosts’ Advice:

• Mallory: Emphasizes personal feelings as the priority. If the tattoo causes distress, covering it up or removing it is valid. “Tattoos are not benefiting the author in any way... it's a personal choice” (32:01).
• Brea: Supports maintaining meaningful personal connections with the artwork, regardless of the author's shortcomings. “If the book means something to you, you... do what you do” (39:45).

Notable Quotes:

"Do not suffer for no reason." – Mallory O’Meara (34:00)
"You cannot live your life like being afraid that people are going to be garbage people." – Mallory O’Meara (39:10)
“But it's a personal choice... keeping it or covering up is valid if it supports how you feel.” – Mallory O’Meara (38:44)

The discussion underscores the importance of personal agency in deciding how to handle body art connected to beloved yet controversial figures.

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Conclusion and Community Engagement

Brea and Mallory wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to share their favorite spring books via email and stay connected through social media. They also promote their Reading Glasses merch store, which supports their feline companions, Sailor and Lula. Moreover, they remind listeners to rate and review the podcast to help expand their reach and continue providing valuable content.

Final Encouragement:

"If a book means something to you, you... do what you do." – Mallory O’Meara (40:46)
"You only get one life. And if your one life is you want to get a bunch of book tattoos, hell yeah, brother." – Brea Grant (40:46)

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Notable Timestamps:

• [00:33] Bria discusses her current read, Migrations.
• [05:02] Manaoll shares listener MacKenzie’s feedback.
• [13:41] Introduction of Rupi Kaur’s The Sun and Her Flowers.
• [25:08] Transition to book tech segment.
• [31:28] Solving Dustin’s tattoo problem starts.
• [39:37] Final thoughts on handling controversial author tattoos.

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Reading Glasses continues to be a beacon for book enthusiasts, offering insightful recommendations, practical bookish tips, and a supportive community for navigating the ever-evolving literary landscape. Whether you’re seeking your next spring read or grappling with personal book-related challenges, Brea and Mallory provide thoughtful guidance and engaging discussions each week.

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Connect with Reading Glasses:

• Email: [e-mail]
• Instagram: Reading Glasses Podcast
• Merch Store: Reading Glasses Void Merch

Support the show by rating and reviewing on your preferred podcast platform!

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Jump to Sections:

• Introduction
• Spring Book Recommendations
• Listener Feedback
• Book Tech: Cork Bookmark Review
• Solving a Bookish Problem
• Conclusion and Community Engagement

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Note: The timestamps correspond to segments within the podcast transcript, providing easy navigation to specific discussions.

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 recommending spring books.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Ooh, spring.

[Bria Grant]

Spring into what is it? Spring Forward.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Spring forward. Yeah, Spring forward into a book.

[Bria Grant]

Plus, we're testing out cork bookmarks. Mine's sitting right there and solving a problem about bookish tattoos, which Mallory is.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Big opinions.

[Bria Grant]

Ready to answer.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Big opinions. But first, Bria, what are you reading?

[Bria Grant]

I'm reading. Not a spring book. I am reading. Actually. It is about birds. I actually just finished it. I don't know why you didn't tell me sooner to read the Charlotte McConaughey books. And I will just.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I am very talented because they are so Your shit.

[Bria Grant]

I know. Well, this one. So I read Migrations. Wow. Okay. This book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This book is great.

[Bria Grant]

It was so wonderful. And it's like, about. It's a near future kind of clifi book where. But it's not. It doesn't really get into. It's like a very background.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Which you like.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. And it has like a twisty twist in it, which is great. But it's like. It's. It's a near future where they're almost all animals living in the wild have gone extinct, which doesn't feel that far off.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

And there's a woman named Franny, and she goes to Greenland and she's like, I want to follow the terns, which T, E, R N S turn. Turns these birds as they go on migration. And she gets. Convinces these people on a fishing boat to take her. And. And she's like, look, they stop and get fish. And it's really hard to find fish now in the. In the ocean because the oceans have been overfished and all the fish have died. And she's like, let's go. Let's follow them. And they're like, okay. And. And you find out it's in part because her husband studies birds. And she's like, he wants me to do this. And she's like writing the husband letters the whole time. And it's just this really beautiful book with a lot of action. Action in it, actually. Yes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And like, her. Her big emotional journey.

[Bria Grant]

A huge. It's a real woman on a journey.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. And it really. She really should be your author. It's always like, women, nature on a journey. In the. In nature.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Like, they all study an animal and then Sometimes. I mean, once they were wolves, actually. Set presently, there's no science fiction, but.

[Mallory O'Meara]

They all have that same kind of like inner turmoil in the outdoors.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Yeah. And. And it's. And they're all kind of thrillery in a way. Like, there's definitely like, she has a secret and you don't know what it is till the end of the book. And I. When I tell you, I gasped. I was getting a pedicure and I was finishing this book and I gasped when I got to the part where we found out that what her secret is. Anyway, it's wonderful. It's like, it's just such a great personal story and I was riveted and it was just very emotional. I. I thought it was such a beautiful book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love it.

[Bria Grant]

It's not springish because there's a lot of cold in it, but it is about birds. So I'm. I'm gonna say it's good to talk about on the spring episode, cuz in.

[Mallory O'Meara]

In a lot of places it's still snowy in right now.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, I guess so. I don't know. I've only lived in hot places in New England.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's. Yeah, okay. Wicked snowy in Maine right now.

[Bria Grant]

What are you reading?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm also kind of reading a spring book. I would say this would be a great book for spring. It is a nonfiction book. It's Raising Hair by Chloe Dalton. I'm doing the audiobook, which is read by Louise Brealey. Bria, this book is so good. I think I texted you about this. You did. It is. It's this nonfiction book. This is woman. She like, lives a very, like, high powered, busy life. Is like a political advisor in the uk and she doesn't have a husband, she doesn't have kids. She lives alone in this little cottage in the English countryside. And one day she is taking a walk and she finds a newborn hare. Not a rabbit. A. And they're different species. Hairs are much larger and more angular. And she calls up her sister, who is a veterinarian, and her sister's like this. It's. The hair's probably going to die. Like, people, even if they try to take care of them, they usually die in captivity. Like, don't get attached to it. But her sister's like, well, we can try and brings over some formula. And she ends up raising this hair. And like, it's just this memoir of how she's raising this hair. And it like, he starts. The hair starts like changing her life because she's like, well, maybe I don't need to travel all the time. Maybe I should stay home with my hair friend. It's like, it's so quiet and beautiful and like she also like writes about like hair history and hair hair biology. And it's just like, it's so lovely and it's not wicked long. I think the audiobook's only six hours long. I'm almost done with it, but it's just so beautiful and heartwarming and like a great book for spring. I'm really enjoying it. So that's Raising Hair, written by Chloe Dalton and read by Louise Breely.

[Bria Grant]

And mine is migrations by Charlotte McConaughey, who has a new book out this year.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So I know I'm excited for Wild Dark Shore. Wicked. Buzzy. It's.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, it's out.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's.

[Bria Grant]

It's out. It's been for about a month, so I'm gonna try to get that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So we want to take a moment to share some listener feedback. MacKenzie wrote in to say hi. I just wanted to write about a Slack Channel success in case it's helpful for the Max Fund drive. I asked in the Slack for some recommendations on how to increase my chances and getting shorter wait times for a not yet released book that I suspect will be buzzy. I got multiple detailed responses from Glassers on their met and then used all of those methods for Stephen Graham Jones's book, the Buffalo Hunter. Hunter.

[Bria Grant]

I'm like number 200.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I went out and bought it.

[Bria Grant]

I think I should just buy a.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm so excited about this book and if nothing else comes from my actions, at least my library now has a purchase request for me for the book in the audiobook format.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, audiobook. Interesting.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like Mallory, the Slack Channel is my favorite social media space. Thank you for bringing this wonderful community together. Happy reading and best of luck with your Max Fun goals. Well, we're going to talk about the Max Fun Drives success in a little bit, but I do want to say yes, I love the Slack Channel. It is now closed because there's too many people in it. So we are, we are at the success.

[Bria Grant]

You know, success. So some people may be mad about it, but you should be happy.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, but now, I mean, now we.

[Bria Grant]

Do what you want.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Now we have the Discord. We have a lot of OG Glassers who are still in the slack and are staying in the slack, but the discord is really popping off.

[Bria Grant]

There's a lot of people doing both.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Some people are doing both, and some people never really wanted to do Slack in the first place. And now they have switched over to Discord.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay. And they love it. And I will say PSA if you. I sent out a mass email to everyone who had ever signed up for the Slack under the email that they signed up for the Slack with. If you are a Glasser that never took up the opportunity to be in the Slack because you didn't want to use Slack, but you, you know, you've been a member for, you know, however many years, and you want in the Discord, let us know. Email your email your Max fund receipt and reading glasses, podcastmail.com and we'll get you in.

[Bria Grant]

There is Discord. What is the benefit? I don't. I'm not really active on either. So what is the sort of difference between Discord?

[Mallory O'Meara]

They're both, like, social. They're both like. Like community spaces, but they're just. It's just different apps, you know?

[Bria Grant]

Different apps, but they're both sort of.

[Mallory O'Meara]

More like a forum kind of deal.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Is this like Slack's kind of a forum?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Ish. But there's. There's just different.

[Bria Grant]

Different, like, sort of. User interfaces.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, that's the word I'm looking for.

[Bria Grant]

Jennifer wrote in and said. Hi, Bria. Mallory, first of all, I want to thank you for continuing to create such a great podcast. Yours is the one I consistently listen to every week when it comes out. I just started listening to Daughter of Daring. It's already great. I discovered that the Audible Audio Book edition wasn't on Goodreads yet, so I added the Audible Audio Edition on Goodreads. Hey, good job.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Bria Grant]

Although I'm not lucky enough to be an actual librarian in a physical library, I am a volunteer Goodreads librarian and can add and edit books. I didn't know that was a thing. I signed up years ago because I like my Goodreads bookshelf to reflect the exact edition I'm reading or have read. Adding a new edition, reminding me that I wanted to send in an answer to a question that came up in one of last year's episodes. Sorry, I don't recall the number about whether Audible Originals are considered books according to the Goodreads Librarian Manual.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Wow.

[Bria Grant]

I love this, by the way.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm obsessed with this. I want to look at this.

[Bria Grant]

According to the Goodreads Librarian Manual, which I didn't know existed, the answer is yes. Although they have some guidelines. Here's the guidelines. Do you want to read the guidelines? Actually, Mallory, Yes. Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Audible originals qualify for inclusion in the database if they are structured like A conventional book, for instance, the content lends itself to print or ebook format and would not merely be a transcript I. E. Not an interview, a podcast or theatrical production, slash play. This applies to the following types of audible originals that could theoretically be published as a print or ebook if they were in text form. Fiction and nonfiction titles, short stories and novellas and memoirs format. Audible original should be classified as audible audio.

[Bria Grant]

Okay, so basically it's if it is formatted like a traditional book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, which is what we said. If it's a book, then. And it's a book.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Sounds silly, but great.

[Bria Grant]

Jennifer continues and says the library manual is a larger list of what Goodreads considers a valid book as well. And that is pretty broad. I think the main reason you might not see a book or edition on Goodreads that seems like a legit book is that nobody has added it to the database yet. If any glasses are interested. I think it's pretty easy to become a Goodreads librarian. You can apply if you have been a member for at least three months. Three months. It's not very long. And have at least 50 books on your shelves. It looks like the only restriction is that they do not allow authors or publishers to be librarians. That's fair. At age 61, I'm still figuring out my wheelhouse. Do you want to read this wheelhouse?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Strong female characters. Bonus if they're over 40. Sci fi fantasy loving. Cozy fantasy lately mysteries. Cozy and police procedures. Magical realism. Witchy fiction. Fiction that includes tarot and or astrology. Oh, good wheelhouse.

[Bria Grant]

A good wheelhouse. I just want to say we're going to talk about the Max Fund drive but cozy fantasy. So because we're doing a lot of. We're in the midst of it right now. We're recording this and we're doing a lot of book recommendations for new members and cozy fantasy. Oh it's one of the number one.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Things people Cozy fantasy and unhinged insane women.

[Bria Grant]

That is a. Yeah. People really want that. Wait, and there was one other really specific one that I was really shocked to see in multiple ones. I'll think of it. But. But yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Ships.

[Bria Grant]

Ships. Yeah. Animal POVs is been an animal familiars another familiars which I didn't have.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Everyone wants. Everyone feels either insane or wants comfort.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Yeah. We want the extremes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Nothing down the middle.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's what's happening. So 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, quick bookmark. We just want to thank you all for the Max Fund drive. Right now, we are cruising. We hit all of our goals that we wanted. Thank you all so much. We unlocked the anticipated books episode so they will be coming back. We unlock seasonal readathons.

[Bria Grant]

Y'all love those.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So we're gonna have a readathon pretty soon.

[Bria Grant]

We have to do it soon. We gotta. Mallory is always like, we gotta get this done. And I'm like, no, no, we have plenty of time.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We don't.

[Bria Grant]

I'm wrong. It's me that's always wrong about that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We gotta do it seasonally now. We're gonna have a spring readathon.

[Bria Grant]

Spring readathon, which would be very exciting. And we unlock stuff for reading Smut, our sister podcast as well. We're gonna have Jesse Thorne was our stretch goal. Jesse Thorne coming on.

[Mallory O'Meara]

He's gonna read a why choose Smut book with us. But we also were on We Unlocked merch. We unlocked me and Bria reading more acotar and doing a bonus episode about it. We Unlocked listeners voting on what we're gonna read. Folks, we.

[Bria Grant]

Fun times.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This drive started really slow and then did. And then it kicked off.

[Bria Grant]

We were concerned and then y'all really came through and we really appreciate it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We really. We. We know that things are. Everything's expensive. I mean, $5 a month, that's one blueberry, you know, so we know that it's a lot.

[Bria Grant]

Every time Mallory comes up with a new, new thing that $5 a month can get you, it's one egg. It's one blueberry. It's a fourth of a strawberry from Erewhon.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, yeah, that was. That was you. You were like half a strawberry from Erewhon. They cut it for you at the counter. But folks, what we're trying to say is that we know things are really expensive and we really appreciate you taking a little slice out of your monthly budget. Five bucks to. To help keep the lights on over at Reading Glasses. It means a lot to us and it is really helped us. I was in a pretty rough spot last year with all the. Everything that was going on. I had to spend a lot of money to move back to la. And the only reason I was able to do that was because I was getting money for every month from Reading Glasses. So thank you all. It. It really makes a difference in our lives. So before we recommend spring books, we're going to take a quick break. Since 2017, Maximum Film has had the same slogan. The podcast. That's not just a bunch of straight white guys.

[Bria Grant]

Ooh.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We've learned something over the years. Some people out there really do not like that slogan. Listen, we love straight white guys. Well, some of them. But if there's one thing we can't change, it's who we are. I'm Ify, a comedian who was on strike last year in two different unions. I'm Drea. I've been a producer and film festival programmer for decades. And I'm Alonzo, a film critic who literally wrote the book on queer Hollywood. You can listen to us talk movies and the movie biz every week on Maximum Film. We may not be straight white guys, but we love movies, and we know what we're talking about. Listen to Maximum Film on Maximum fun or wherever you listen to podcasts this week. Happy spring Glassers. Winter is finally over, and we're ready to read some spring books. The days are getting warmer, and it's time to read outside again. So we got some recs for you. First off, Bria, what makes a book springy to you?

[Bria Grant]

You know, man, so spring is the hardest season. Spring is hard. Winter, clear, you know, very clear. Darkness, snow, summer. I'm like, that's bright. Summer light, that's. That's going to the pool. That's, you know, it's very, very clear. Spring, it has some light in it. You can tell I'm a location reader because I'm like, what's the lighting look like? Where can you go? It has. It has outdoors. It's not cold for me because I don't live in cold places. And there are no dragons.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No dragons?

[Bria Grant]

No dragons in spring. I don't know why, but they're. Unless they're hatching.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, but then there's. They're, you know, they're. They're offline around. They're growing.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. What do you. What do you associate with spring?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, obviously being set in spring, but, like, renewals, People starting over somewhere. Gardens. Flowers.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, flowers.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Flowers. Big one. Nature, Baby animals. That kind of thing.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, cute. Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Animals, flowers, that sort of deal.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay. All right. Let's get into some spring recs. Bria, what's your first. What is this? What is a springy book to you?

[Bria Grant]

Not a normal one for me, but I'm gonna do a poetry book to start.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This checks out, though. That's a good. Good.

[Bria Grant]

Spring recommended this for spring books. Maybe I may recommend it for, like, nature books, but it's the sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. That's K A U R. How do you describe a poetry book? It's very hard. It has beautiful little illustrations.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Kind of the tone of it.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, it's beautiful little illustrations of flowers. And I guess the interesting thing about this book is it has different sections with different titles that have to do. It's a lot of relationship stuff, a lot of love stuff. It's very modern poetry. I find it's very accessible for me. I really like her for this reason.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

The last section in it is called Blooming, so I thought that it really could fit in.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. And it's got. All the little illustrations are of like, flowers and flowers.

[Bria Grant]

It's really a lovely little poetry book. What's your first? Jump into Spring, Rex.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Jump and jump forward into spring. Mine is All Creatures Great and Small by James Harriot.

[Bria Grant]

You get so much mileage out of this.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I really do.

[Bria Grant]

I gotta read this book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Bria, you would lose your mind over.

[Bria Grant]

I think I got it one time as audiobook and I didn't get to it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You personally would lose your over this book. It's so good. So it is a memoir about a country vet working in a rural English village in the 1940s. And it is one of my favorite audiobooks ever. It's just like extremely sweet and heartwarming. Like he gets this, this. It's, it's. It's all. It's non fiction. This vet gets this job, him and his wife out in this like little middle of nowhere place. And like, the vet that he works for is like, kind of wacky, which I really appreciate because the vet that I used to work for was kind of wacky. And he's like going along and like learning all the weird. All the weird people of this village and all their problems and interpersonal things. And like, there's a lot of scenes. I think the first thing that he has to do is like, help a cow give birth. So it's like really there's a lot of like, you know, animals giving birth and like, scenes of like, the rural English countryside and flowers and like, it's very good for spring. And it's just like. It's so lovely.

[Bria Grant]

I love that. So I need to read it. I need to read it. It's been on my list for a while. Maybe this will make me do it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

What's your next one?

[Bria Grant]

Listen, I feel like I have to retire this book, but I'm not going to yet.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, I think that maybe this is the last this Is the last. This is the. This is the victory lap of this book.

[Bria Grant]

Except I.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We're hanging the COVID in the rafters right now.

[Bria Grant]

We're doing recommendations this afternoon. And I do have it. Quite a few there. But I do think people. Look, this is just such a glassner book, but it's a psalm for the wild built by Becky Chambers. I think it's the most spring book ever because it's got nature.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

It's got tea tea, which is a little bit more fall, but tea you can have.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I think the tea. Seasonal tea depends on the type of tea. Like a green tea. So springy.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's right. That's true.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Iced tea. Summer. Ugh.

[Bria Grant]

I love an iced tea spice every day.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Spicy is. This is the fall. And then like a hearty black tea. That's winter time.

[Bria Grant]

Okay. Wow. The seasons of tea. You started here first.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And call me folks. You want me to curate a tea? I don't even like tea.

[Bria Grant]

This is like. This is a novella. It's new beginnings for robots, new beginnings for humans. It's such an adorable book. And it's cozy in a springy way is what I would say.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, I think that's a perfect way to describe it.

[Bria Grant]

This will be the last time I recommend this book, so y'all should go get it right now because we have to retire it because it's. So. We recommend it so much. But we both think it's a very good book and the glassers love it. So if you're looking for a good spring book, I think this could be great. What's your next one?

[Mallory O'Meara]

All right, I'm. This is another one that has been talked about a lot, but it's a different book in the series, so I feel like it counts. It's Twilight Falls by Juno Black. You all know that I'm obsessed with this series, but I usually talk about Shady Hollow. So this is the fourth one in the series. Twilight Falls is the fourth, but you can read them out of order if you really want. It's kind of like any romance or cozy series. Like, there's a few mentions of things that happens in previous books, but mostly they kind of stand alone. So this one takes place in the springtime, like, in spring is a big theme of the book. And our beloved protagonist, Vera Vixen, that little fox journalist for the local newspaper, she's solving what might be a murder, might be a disappearance that is caused by young love that some people in town don't approve of. And there's just so many Amazing descriptions of springtime in this little forest town. Like, it opens with Vera and her bear boyfriend, and they're going for a picnic over at Twilight Falls and all these other couples. Or, like, it's like, the first day of spring and it's warm out and all the little creatures are, like, coming out to springy. It's so springy. It's so lovely. I love this series. What is your next one, Bria?

[Bria Grant]

Do you watch Severance?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, but I may be the only person on earth that does. I don't have Apple plus plus.

[Bria Grant]

Well, I'll give you my password. Don't tell anyone I said that. Believe it in the podcast.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is what happens when you go through a breakup and you split all of your subscriptions.

[Bria Grant]

We can give you our password. I think you can log in on ours. But so in Severance, there's this thing that they do where they have to pick numbers by feeling. They're just like. You just look at them and you get a feeling. And I was. When I was thinking about spring books, I was thinking about that specifically. And so I'm going with, this is just a feeling. This is just a feeling that I feel like this is a spring book. I'm going with Miranda July's All Fours.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think this works because it's a renewal.

[Bria Grant]

It is a renewal. It's about being stuck and trying to find a new beginning along with so many other things. It's about so much. It's about an artist who decides to take this road trip from LA to New York. And she's in a relationship and has a child, and it's just sort of like she's stuck. She doesn't feel like she can be herself. She just sort of is looking for something new. And she goes to take this road trip, and she makes it, like, an hour outside of la, and she stops.

[Mallory O'Meara]

At a motel, Monrovia.

[Bria Grant]

And she stops at Monrovia and stops in motel, and she's like, well, maybe I'll just stay the night here. And then she kind of stays there and. And, like, redoes the room there and, like, just becomes this whole thing of her being there, also meeting someone, also kind of like, yeah, figuring out, finding yourself. That's exactly what it does.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's a springy thing.

[Bria Grant]

It's sexy, it's sad, it's revitalizing. It's very. It's such a. Like, it's kind of a tough read in some ways, but also, like, such a beautiful read. I love Miranda July. I think she's just One of the best artists of our time in so many ways. She makes so much good, interesting art in this book. Everyone I know who read this book was just like, I think I was changed by that book. And I feel the same way. So I think if you're. If you want that sort of, like, revitalizing book, this is it. Especially for artists. Yeah. What about you? What's your next one?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I am plucking this from my own personal spring tbr. Oh, yeah?

[Bria Grant]

You haven't read it yet?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, I haven't read it yet.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, exciting.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I know, but I literally have like a little. Like a little spring tbr. And I. And I. I was like, what am I doing? I'll. I'll recommend this book. It's the Fair Botanist by Sarah Sheridan. So it's Sarah book, so you know it's gonna be good. So this is historical fiction. Takes place in Edinburgh in 1822. And it's all about flowers, botany, and perfume creation.

[Bria Grant]

Perfume creation. I'm gonna tbr.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm very. So it's a widow. She moves to Edinburgh, and she becomes obsessed with, like, the botanic garden there. And so she starts going there a lot. And she falls in with this woman who is a perfumist. And the woman is harboring a dark secret about her interest in the garden and her interest in perfumes. So you have, like. I mean, how much springier can you get than, like, flowers and botany and making perfumes? Like, I'm really excited about this. What's your last pick?

[Bria Grant]

Oh, my second to last pick.

[Mallory O'Meara]

What's your penultimate pick?

[Bria Grant]

It's Clara and the sun. Bakazuo Ishiguro. I hope I'm pronouncing that right. The sun is a big element in this book. And to me, it's like a very beautiful sun when I think about it. So. And it's just a very beautiful, poignant story. And I just feel like it's very spring. It's about a robot, all told from the robot's perspective, who's an artificial friend is what she is for kids. And she's solar powered by the sun. So the sun, again, very important. And she is in the store, and she, like, watches the sun come in and out of this store every day. And she's, like, waiting, hoping someone picks her to be a friend. And she does finally get picked to be a friend to this girl. And then things sort of, like, don't go as planned, and it becomes this sort of weird story for Clara. And it's just a really poignant Sad story. It has a lot of like, nature stuff and sun stuff. Cause the sun is so important because the robot's solar powered. It's just. It's just great. And I think it could really. It can count as a spring book in an interesting sci fi way. What is yours? Your next one.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is one I've been recommending a lot during the drive called Wildwood Whispers by Will.

[Bria Grant]

This is the other one. Appalachia.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's it. There's been so many people were looking for Appalachian books and.

[Bria Grant]

What is that?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't know. Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Interesting.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Maybe everyone wants to hide in the mountains away from society right now.

[Bria Grant]

Maybe there is this. The. There's a witch one.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is it.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, this is it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay.

[Bria Grant]

I haven't read it, so I want to read this. You liked it?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. So the Wildwood Whispers by Willa Reese. And it's about this woman. She grew up in this small town in the Appalachian Mountains and she gets word that her childhood best friend has died. So she has to go back there to, like, you know, keep this promise to her childhood best friend. And she gets back and she connects with this woman who's like this local wise woman. And turns out this woman can do nature magic.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, cool.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So they. She starts teaching. The woman, starts teaching her this nature magic, which of course they need to fight an evil that is lurking in the woods. And it's like, there's a lot of nature in this book and like also spring food. Like, there's a lot of berry eating.

[Bria Grant]

I love berries.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. And it's just a witchy spring book. So if you're looking for like, yeah, nature magic, that kind of deal.

[Bria Grant]

Spring. We associate it with anti. Antioxidants.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Great skin. Great skin in spring. What is your last pick?

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, I kept thinking, I was like.

[Bria Grant]

What'S a prom book? We need a prom book, a graduation book, because that is new beginnings and it's spring. Because prom is always set in spring. Usually. I mean, I guess there's some schools that do like, weird.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But no, it's always in May.

[Bria Grant]

But. So this is an event that I know happens in spring. I Kissed Shara wheeler by Casey McQuiston. It's set around three people who all kiss Shara Wheeler. Shara. Shara. We don't know Shara Wheeler. And they have to put their differences aside once she disappears to figure out what's going on there. So sort of mystery.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Why did. Where'd she go? Why did they kiss all. Why did she kiss.

[Bria Grant]

Why did she kiss all? 3 of these people like, what's going on with her? And it happens right before graduation. And I think some of them kissed at prom.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. So, yeah, it's very, very, very spring.

[Bria Grant]

Like school year kind of thing. What is your last one?

[Mallory O'Meara]

My last one is a romance novel. It's Stuck in the country with you by Zuri Day. So this is an open door city to country romance protagonist. She inherits a farm and she leaves the big old city and come and moves into this farm in the middle of nowhere. And she realizes that her neighbor is her younger brother's rival that she happened to bang a few years ago. So she really, she, like, wants to, like, live a peaceful life out here in the sticks in her on her cute little farm. And she doesn't want to have any drama. The problem is that she kind of needs his help with her new farmhouse and he's really sexy. So. So it's got like, it's a fun, like, romance, but it's also like new. It's new beginnings for her. It's like a lot of farming and planting and like, it just feels like a perfect spring romance.

[Bria Grant]

I love that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

All right, folks, send your thoughts on your favorite spring books to Reading glasses [e-mail]. before we test out some cork bookmarks, we're going to take a quick break.

[C]

A special thank you to the Max Fund members who joined boosted or upgraded their membership during this year's Max Fund drive. And as a thank you to everyone who supports Max Fund, we're excited to announce that this year's pin sale is now open. This year's proceeds will go to transgender Law center to support their continuing work and advocating self determination for all people. Everyone at $10 per month or more can purchase Max Fund Drive pins featuring shows from across the network. And all levels are able to buy our 2025 exclusive pin featuring our rad pal, nutsy of the squirrel. For more info, head to maximumfun.org pinsale and as always, thank you so much for your ongoing support.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Time to test out some book tech advances in bookish technology. This week's book tech was given to us in person by I believe I. I'm so sorry if I'm not remembering your name. I'm almost certain it is Crystal. Crystal came to my daughter of Daring event in Michig, Michigan and brought us these cork bookmarks to test out.

[Bria Grant]

Did Crystal make these?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't know. I don't think so.

[Bria Grant]

I don't think so because mine had like a.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It came in like a Package.

[Bria Grant]

A package? Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But they are very. So short.

[Bria Grant]

That's funny. Mine's longer.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You. You have a short one, too.

[Bria Grant]

I have a short one, too.

[Mallory O'Meara]

They get. So there's. There's two. Crystal gave us two of each. There's one longer one which is, like, 8 inches long, and then one shorter one which is, like, 4 inches long, you'd say.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, something like that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And they're, like thin cork. Feels like kind of like cork leather.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. And then. And it's cork on, like, all sides. It looks like it's kind of like two pieces of cork.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, it looks like cork leather that's been sewn together.

[Bria Grant]

And they have pretty designs on them, like pretty flowers or, like, cool. Like, this is kind of like an art deco sort of design.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I like that one.

[Bria Grant]

It's very pretty. Yeah, it's very pretty. Mallory, how did you feel about these? I think they're gorgeous.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So I really like these. Thank you so much, Crystal. So we hadn't tested. I looked back. We haven't tested cork yet.

[Bria Grant]

A common.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No bookmark.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But we have. We've tested a lot of bookmarks, Mark, and I think these are great. So one, again, one was longer, one was shorter. I like the shorter one better because it had more stamina. The thicker one. The longer one was a lot thicker and, like, didn't stay in the book as well because it was so big. So the longer one, too thick, in my opinion, which is the only something that we wouldn't be saying on our other podcast, but only we'll be saying here on reading glasses. So the other one was. So they could kind of, like, crack the spine a little bit.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, they are thick. They're thick boys.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The smaller one didn't. I think they're very cute. So let's go through. We have.

[Bria Grant]

Have. We have bookmark.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We do have bookmark parameters because we are, you know, we are serious scientists here on reading glasses. The first one is rigidity.

[Bria Grant]

Look what I'm doing over here. Not very rigid, but not. Not unrigion. They're not floppy. But it is floppy, but not so floppy. Like, when I'm waving it back and forth. And it kind of is like. It's exactly what you would imagine, like, a thin cork would do.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

So I'd say it's like a pantry rigid. But it's the perfect amount of rigidity for a bookmark.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

You know what I mean?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. I mean, I agree, like, because, I mean, you know, I love a really rigid bookmark.

[Bria Grant]

And you use it It'd be very easy to use it to underline things.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. But I think bookmarks can be too rigid. Like the wooden and the metal ones. Like, they're the kind of thing that if you drop it in the couch and it's, like, tangled up in the blankets, and then you sit on it and you're having a bad time.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Not with the cork, though.

[Bria Grant]

No. This is nice.

[Mallory O'Meara]

All right. Soft to sit on, so the rigidity is good. What about the thickness, though?

[Bria Grant]

Thickness A bit thick.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The little. Well, so the shorter ones are not as thick. I think they're right on the line of being too thick. The bigger ones are too thick for me because they. I, like, put the bookmark in the book and looked and, like, peered at the top and looked at the spine, and it was cracked a little bit.

[Bria Grant]

I think it's fine for a coffee table book or some big, thick book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Well, I mean, but the shorter one I tested on a hardcover and a paperback, and it was fine on both. The big one cracked the hardcover spine and cracked the paperback spine. What about stamina? So I did tests on these.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah? What'd you do?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I did some rigid testing.

[Bria Grant]

What'd you do?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I put both of them in books and then. And toss them around. Okay. And then put them both in my purse. Okay. And the thing is, because of the cork, the cork almost, like, is kind of rubbery, so it's like it stays in a book pretty well.

[Bria Grant]

These feel like they could stand the test of time. These feel like they're not going anywhere.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

They're also kind of glued on the side. I'm, like, looking at them closely, and they feel very. They're not falling apart.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No.

[Bria Grant]

Like, long stamina as bookmarks and in your book. But so they don't follow the book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. I mean, if you toss them around enough, any bookmark is going to fall out.

[Bria Grant]

But I think it's also because of the.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The pattern of material.

[Bria Grant]

The material is sort of like.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's like. It's almost like rubber. Like. Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

It can, like, sticks to it just a little bit.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. What's the. What's the word I'm looking for? It's like, it gets some traction.

[Bria Grant]

Traction, that's right. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. It, like, stays in the book. So what about durability? I think these are pretty good.

[Bria Grant]

Like, again, stands the test of time. These things. I.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Better than a piece of paper, for sure.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, my gosh. I don't think these are going anywhere. And, like, I'm even, like, pushing my fingernail into them. Sorry, bookmark. And they're not breaking.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, they're not.

[Bria Grant]

These are durable little boys. I don't know why the bookmarks are boys.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Bookmarks are boys. What else would be a girl? A book ribbon maybe?

[Bria Grant]

Gendered bookmarks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Gendered bookmarks. Yeah. We need to. Wow. This is how deep gender things go is that we have to ungender bookmarks.

[Bria Grant]

These are thick girls bookmarks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You can be whoever you want to be.

[Bria Grant]

That's true.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So what about aesthetic? Are these. How cute are these?

[Bria Grant]

Gorgeous.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, so I will say these are gorgeous because they have prints on them. One of them mine had like, like rainbow stripes. That one has, like art deco, like, flourishes. The one that you got is like a pattern of like ladybugs and sunflowers. The prints are wicked cute. I think if it was just cork with no print, it would be a little drab.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, definitely.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But the things are cute.

[Bria Grant]

These are really pretty. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And the length. So I think the longer ones are too long.

[Bria Grant]

Too long too.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I like.

[Bria Grant]

They're not as big as a book, though.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No. But I don't like a really long bookmark. Okay. I don't want a bookmark that if I have a mass market paperback, it's going to be sticking out the bottom.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. I don't like that quite stick out the bottom, but it's definitely like on. It's about the size of a mass market.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But the shorter ones, I'm going to try to find a link to put in the show notes for these.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Because they're great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The sort of ones. 4 inches. Perfect.

[Bria Grant]

These are gorgeous. Would make such a wonderful little bookish gift.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, I re. I. I really like these. Thank you, Crystal, for bringing these. I am going. The smaller one. I am putting in my regular bookmark rotation.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, I love that. What are you doing? The bigger ones give them to you. Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Or sometimes I save this stuff to give out when we do our end of the year reading glasses challenge winners. I like, save up some book tech and put them in the.

[Bria Grant]

You two could get along a long cork mark. Just wait till December.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So perks of listening to reading glasses. But the short ones, I really, really love. Crystal, you picked out great bookmarks for us. Thank you. The short one, I would give this five out of five pages.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, I'm. I'm with you. I think they're great. I mean, I just don't ever use bookmarks hardly ever. But to me, actually, you know, when I use them is often like big coffee table books that I can't quite go through. So these are perfect for those. So I'm also a five out of five.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So if you have book deck ideas, send them to reading glasses podcastmail.com or check out our wish list in the show notes. Now let's solve a bookish problem from one of our listeners. Dustin writes in to say Brian Mallory. Dustin here, Fellow bookish tattooed peep. Almost six years ago, I got a rather large tattoo of a certain comic book character on the outside of my calf. Turns out that the author is a total trash baby. It's Death from Neil Gaiman.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, did he say that?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, but it has to be. Okay, it has to be from. Or Sandman.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It has to be Neil Gaiman.

[Bria Grant]

That's what I thought too.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Now what to do? Rework, cover up, Laser that fucker off and get something fresh. I'm very anti sun, so I doubt it'll fade much in time. Please help. Also, what advice do you two have moving forward with bookish inspired body modifications? You two are awesome. Have a great day. All right. I have a lot of opinions because.

[Bria Grant]

You know, because I have zero tattoos, which is very strange for a person who grew up in the punk scene in my era, but I have no tattoos, which is so weird. But.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But you have a. We have thoughts and opinions on opinions.

[Bria Grant]

I actually have a real question, which of course Dustin can't answer because you're not on the show, but I want to know, this is an actual question. Are people coming up to you and being like that author sucks. Sucks. Because if they do like them, I'm sorry, but, like, you think he doesn't know? You think Dustin doesn't know? Yeah, like he. We know. Like you, you know, you think you got the tattoo and then didn't hear about the controversy. Like, of course you know about this. I think. And also I just want to say, and I know this is controversial. It's okay to still be a fan of the work that meant a lot to you. You don't have to say, like, I hate all this work if it meant something to you, which death did shape me and was a very important character.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have a Neil Gaiman back piece. I have a lot of thoughts and opinions about this.

[Bria Grant]

I'll let you get to it. I just don't. Don't let anyone, like, invalidate for that for you. And it's unfortunate. And you don't have to like, give to the, you know, the Neil Gaiman fund for whatever.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I mean, you could if you want, maybe don't.

[Bria Grant]

He doesn't need your money.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, no, but I mean, I mean, if there's a fund for.

[Bria Grant]

Yes. I mean, don't give it money to him.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, yeah.

[Bria Grant]

But I give them someone invalidating that for you. Anyway, it sucks. Sometimes horrible people create art that means something to us and I have no explanation why. And one day we're going to do like a study and we're going to go like, what. How did this happen? That these horrible people can create art that we relate to?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't think it's because the. All the, all of the, the brain cycles that they spend. They could spend on empathy. They spend on making things.

[Bria Grant]

I love this theory. It's a good theory. So my suggestion is tall socks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Tall socks, tall socks, big old socks. Those compression socks that people that I.

[Bria Grant]

Wear those on planes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, dude. Changed my life when I started wearing tight, tight stuff on my ankles on planes.

[Bria Grant]

It's very, it's very lovely. Yeah. Get some compression socks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't know, swell up when I traveled.

[Bria Grant]

Anyway, you're the expert on this. I have no. I have nothing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay, so I have a lot of thoughts about this because I am an author. I am a professional book podcaster. Let people know.

[Bria Grant]

I just scrolled down on the doc that we share and it's. It is very long what you have to say. So I'm going to step back, I'm going to give you some.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have pulled down. I pull down the screen. I have a pointer. I have out. Okay, so again, I'm an author. I'm a professional book podcaster. I have a ton of tattoos and a lot of them are from books. Okay. And some of those tattoos are from problematic authors. So my first thought here, this is a choose your own adventure, Dustin. You have to start with how you feel. If looking at that tattoo makes you upset from go. Yeah, you need to cover it up or get it removed. Do not suffer for no reason. Example, and I know some people like this trans friends of mine who've had Harry Potter tattoos, got them covered up because just the sight of it made them upset. And that is super valid. And if, and if so, if that's where you start, it's your own personal feeling about it. If looking at it makes you angry, it makes you sad. If that's the only thing that you can think about when you look at these tattoos. Get them covered up, get them removed, whatever. If it doesn't, that's when you have to make some other choices. So example, people don't might not know this. I have a Huge Harry Potter tattoo. Like you. You. Bria. We've been podcasting together for eight years. You did not know that.

[Bria Grant]

Actually, if you ask me what any of your time, I don't even know what any of them are. What is that?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, it's Hedwig.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Okay. Wicked big. So will I ever get it covered up? No. And for a few reasons. One, it would be so expensive because it's. It's a huge. It's a very. It's a massive tattoo and it's very painful because it is in a very sensitive spot. It wraps around my inner arm, goes up into my armpit. I don't want to go through that again. It was awful. Two, I'm really lucky because you can't tell that it's a Harry Potter tattoo. Just.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, just literally.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No one has ever clocked it. Ever. It's just a huge owl holding a letter in its beak. Most people just think that's what it is. And three, when I look at it, I don't think about a shitty transphobe. I think about reading those books with my grandfather who is now dead.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like the. I have so many really wonderful memories of growing up with my grandfather and reading Harry Potter with him. And like, he made a little burrow the burrow sign to put in front of his house. Like that. That. So I. I still have a lot of positive associations with Harry Potter. Do I think that J.K. rowling is a terrible person? Yes. Do I hope that she falls into the sewer also? Yes. But that's not the first thing that comes to mind because I have so many personal connections with these books. So I think the decision comes from these two. Are people clocking it right away and does it make you feel weird? Like, it would be different if I had, like, I know a bunch of people who have like deathly hallow symbols on their. On their forearms and people clock it right away. Like. And if you if sporting something from Harry Potter that is extremely obvious and very easily clock out in public, makes you feel weird and you are self conscious about it, get it covered up. So if it makes you feel weird in any way makes you feel unhappy again, like, I can see I have trans friends that had Harry Potter tattoos and got them covered up. I think that's extremely valid. But the bottom line here is tattoos are not benefiting the author in any way. You didn't pay the. That author royalties when you got them. There's no person who is behind you at. In line at Starbucks and sees your deathly hallows symbol and goes, I should really go buy some Harry Potter. That's not.

[Bria Grant]

They probably don't even know what it is.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Is. But again, even if they did, I guess theoretically. But we have to be real about this. It's not happening. You're not benefiting the author. And that's really the big thing here, is when these trash babies are still alive, you don't want to give them money. But having a tattoo from the time before we found out that they were trash babies doesn't benefit that author. It. Like, again, no one's running to the bookstore to. To. No one's seeing my owl and going, you know what? This is it. This was the final straw. This is what tipped me over the edge. I'm gonna go buy all seven Harry Potter books. You have to take all this stuff into account. It is a personal choice. It comes down to how you feel. And I think either way, keeping it or covering up is valid if it supports how you feel. All. All of this stuff. We. We. Actually, Bri and I were talking about this before the show. The important thing is, do you have a Harry Potter tattoo? That's fine. Are you supporting trans authors right now? Are you giving J.K. rowling money now? No. Like, that's what's. That's what matters. It's like actual reality, real change, and making sure that you are. You're buying trans authors, you are supporting trans rights, and you are not putting another scent into that woman's very large coffers. That's what matters. I think it is. It's a waste of our brain cycles to worry about this stuff, because there's a lot of other that we need to worry about that is actionable in this world. So if you are comfortable with having a Harry Potter tattoo and if someone says something to you, again, if someone's ever said anything to me, me, I would be like one. I'm not getting this covered up. It would cost me thousands of dollars. And also, this, to me, is like a remnant of my relationship with my. My dead grandfather, and I'm keeping it because of that. And J.K. rowling being a piece of horrible cannot take that away from me.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So, but if, again, if it makes you feel weird and you don't want to have that conversation with people or it just makes you sad, get it covered up. Get me and Bria. No, actually, don't do that. Get a cat. Get a smiley face. Get like. And. And so that moves to the last part of Justin's question. You cannot live your life like Being afraid that people are going to be garbage people. I get tattoos of book stuff all the time.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, I. My most recent one is Shirley Jackson. Maybe it's going to come out that Shirley Jackson was a serial killer. Am I going to get it covered up? No, you ha. You can't live your life under the assumption that bad things are going to happen or you're just going to be sad and you won't do anything. If a book means something to you, you. And you're just like, well, I don't know. This author seems fine. Get the tattoo. It means something to you. And again, it's not like you're paying the money to do it. I'm gonna keep getting more book tattoos.

[Bria Grant]

And when you get tattoos, I mean, you're getting them for yourself, right? I mean, this is. This is something that you're commemorating for yourself that meant something to you. I mean, as a person who has no tattoos.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Okay. I was just telling HWB this morning.

[Bria Grant]

I.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We were looking at.

[Bria Grant]

We're like, Mallory saw me go, hwb.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Hot werewolf boyfriend. Hot werewolf boyfriend. I was just telling HWB we're looking at a bunch of my books and talk about books over coffee. And I was telling him about how the next book tattoo I want to get is from Walter Mower's Zamonia series. It is the book Hunter's lantern that I want to get somewhere. And maybe, maybe in a few years it'll find out that Walter Mower kidnaps kittens. Awful. I hope something bad happens to him. If that. But I can't live my life. I can't not get like, that series has meant so much to me. I love those books so much. I can't. Because the thing is, it's not like you can even wait until that person's dead.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know, something might come out about him. Like, again, what if. What if they unearthed. They excavated around Shirley Jackson's Vermont home and found the skulls of a thousand people that she killed?

[Bria Grant]

And here's the thing. You know, you do as best you can. You do as best you can. And when you know better, you do better.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

As Oprah says. And then.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But the better is what matters.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's right. You. But you do the best that you know at this moment. And that's all we can ask of people. Just do what you do. Do your best best. Do your best and make yourself happy. You only get one life. And if your one life is you want to get a bunch of book tattoos, hell yeah, brother.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I'm gonna keep getting them. Don't let a fear of someone being a trash baby not let you do something that you want to do. And. But again, really with all of this stuff, like Brace said, this is a personal choice. The thing that really makes change in the world is calling your representatives, making sure you're supporting a marginalized authors and like making sure that money doesn't go to shitty people. That's what matters. Having a tattoo in the grand scheme of things in this hell that we're all living in, it doesn't matter unless it changes how you feel about yourself. So that's. That's your starting point. That's where you go forward. And I hope this helps some people because this is as. Again, I have a Neil Gaiman back piece. I have a. My favorite quote from what was previously my favorite Neil Gaiman book, Stardust. And it pisses me off that what's the quote. It is. Have been unavoidably detained by the world. Expect me when you see me. I love that quote. Had it tattooed on my back for a long time. Again, luckily most people don't see my back and I don't even see it. I've never seen that tattoo.

[Bria Grant]

And also probably a lot of people wouldn't know what it does.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, I have a lot of hair. You can. You're never gonna see it. But again, that book meant a lot to me. It really like, I have so many special memories of reading that book. I love that phrase. And Neil Gaiman being a fucking predator can't take that away from me. So will I buy. Ever buy any of his books? No. No. If there's a way that I can support the people that he hurt, will I help them? Absolutely.

[Bria Grant]

Sure.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's all you can do. Buy books by women. Like and. Which I already do. Yeah, I know. It can feel so overwhelming when this stuff happens and you immediately like, especially like readers, we're so empathetic. The Glassers especially are always looking to do the right thing. And like you're.

[Bria Grant]

What?

[Mallory O'Meara]

You're like, what do I do? Do I set these books on fire? Do like I find Neil Gaiman and hit him with a shovel. Like, what do I, what do I do to make the world better? And like, like when you, you have.

[Bria Grant]

This thing where you start to. You're like, you feel betrayed because this person made art.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Fight this man.

[Bria Grant]

Right? This person made art or people made art that you related to and really meant something to you. And then you're like, how could you be the same person that was in my head for so long. And so it feels very personal.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Especially Neil Gaiman, who really cashed in on being a feminist writer and writing.

[Bria Grant]

For young women and like, which I think both you and I read it and it. Yeah, for me it was just like. And I think a lot of people felt. Felt like this. Unfortunately, a lot of people that he preyed upon, I think felt like this too is you felt seen by. By those books, you know, and that sucks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But yeah, he's a monster. But I'm not gonna let him take that away from me. I'm not gonna let him take those really wonderful teenage memories from me. And again, I. And also, I am not spending a thousand dollars getting a tattoo covered up because a man was a piece of shit. I'm not doing that.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, you should. Yes, just because he ruined the party doesn't mean that you have to spend the money.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, I'm not doing that. Yeah, I spent enough money in my life because of the patriarchy. I'm not spending money covering up my Neil Gaiman tattoo. Again. I don't even see it. The only person who sees it is Lula and hwb. So folks, not Sailor. Oh, I guess he sits on my back sometimes. Lula sleeps on my back every night.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, that's cute.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Sally doesn't really do that. He likes to sleep on my chest when I'm rolled over. But folks, I. We want to say we. We see you. We know that this stuff is. Is very distressing and all your distress is valid. I feel the same. Again, I have no gaming back piece. The first thing I thought of when this piece came out. But you're doing your best. The only thing you can do is. Is be true to the way that you feel and. And that's the long and short of it. So if you want us to solve your reader problem, send it to reading glasses podcast gmail.com as always, want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Facebook group. And remember folks, all kind of cool ass in our reading glasses Void merch store. It's springtime new tank top or T shirt that shows off your love of reading and helps us feed our cats, said Sailor and Lula. Go go check out the link in the show notes and if you like the show, please rate and review us on the podcast listening app of your choice. It is so damn nice for you to do. It really makes a difference in the show and it 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.