Reading Glasses Podcast - Episode 408 Summary
Title: Self Imposed Book Rules and Romance Ratings!
Hosts: Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara
Release Date: April 24, 2025
1. Episode Overview
In Episode 408 of Reading Glasses, hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara delve into the intriguing world of self-imposed book rules and explore the functionalities of a romance rating website. The episode provides listeners with insightful discussions on personal reading habits, book recommendations, and solutions to common bookish dilemmas.
2. Book Recommendations
a. Butter by Asako Yuzuki (00:33 – 05:02)
- Bria Grant introduces Butter, highlighting its captivating cover and intriguing plot:
“It's about this woman who is a gourmet cook and a gourmet eater. I would say she just loves the finer things in life. And she's a serial killer…” [00:44]
- The narrative centers around a serial killer in a detention center who manipulates a journalist through her culinary skills. Bria emphasizes the book’s dark themes, including murder, fat phobia, and misogyny, offering valuable content warnings for potential readers.
b. Darkly by Marisha Pel (05:02 – 05:54)
- Mallory O’Meara shares her enthusiasm for Darkly, a YA novel that intertwines elements of mystery and competition:
“It's about this teenage girl obsessed with old games and competitions… It's like a combination of a twisting mystery, end games, and competition.” [03:47]
- The story follows a teenage protagonist selected for a prestigious internship at a game designer’s mysterious factory, drawing parallels to classic tales like Willy Wonka.
3. Listener Feedback: Queer Norm Books (05:02 – 07:40)
The hosts address feedback from listeners, particularly highlighting Sarah's appreciation for discussions on queer norm books. Sarah emphasizes the importance of casual diversity in literature, expressing a desire for more non-YA stories featuring diverse characters beyond their struggles:
“As a woman of color, I don't want to be defined and limited by my generational trauma… I need more non-YA stories where there is diversity just because the world is a diverse place.” [05:50]
Additional Recommendations:
- Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
- Divorced Men’s Club by Saxon James
- Single Dad’s Club by A.J. Truman
- The End by C.L. Polk
- The Rootless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Wagoner
Mallory’s Insight:
“We've been making our content calendar for the year for reading smut and I have been having to go out of my way to make sure we're finding smut written by authors of color.” [06:52]
4. Enhancing the Reading Experience with Ambient Videos (07:40 – 09:20)
Valentina’s Tip: Listener Valentina suggests incorporating Yule log-style videos to create an immersive reading environment. These videos feature diverse settings like beaches, lakes, and enchanted forests, accompanied by soothing sounds such as fire crackles and natural ambiance:
“They have fire and water sounds and are so soothing. Sometimes there are crickets or other natural sounds too.” [07:40]
Mallory’s Experience:
“I use these literally every single day. I have a bunch of different YouTube channels that are like rain in magical Elf forest… I write to them, I read to them.” [08:33]
5. Self-Imposed Book Rules (11:57 – 20:51)
The core discussion revolves around establishing personal guidelines to manage reading habits and book collections effectively.
a. Brea’s Approach:
- Backlist Focus: Brea aims to read more backlist books at the beginning of the year to explore older releases before diving into new ones.
“I try to do a lot of backlist books at the beginning of the year because there are fewer new books from that year.” [12:22]
b. Mallory’s Strategy:
- Library Utilization: Mallory limits purchasing unfamiliar authors’ books by borrowing them first from the library.
“If there's a book I'm interested in but I haven't read the author before, I'll try to get it from the library. This has saved me literally thousands of dollars.” [13:05]
- Selective Buying: She buys a hard copy only if she loves the library version and returns the ebook.
“If I get that book from the library and I love it, I will sometimes go to Skylight and buy a hard copy and return the ebook to the library.” [13:21]
- Space Management: Recently, Mallory adopted a rule to keep only five-star reads in her permanently limited book space.
“I only keep five-star reads... I have two stacks under each of my nightstands. These bookcases are pretty full.” [17:16]
c. Shared Practices:
- Genre Diversification: Both hosts strive to read different genres consecutively to maintain variety.
“If I just read a sci-fi book, I'm not gonna read another sci-fi book. I try to read something else.” [13:44]
- Tracking Diversity: Emphasis on reading diverse authors to avoid homogeneity in book selections.
“If the last four books are by CIS white men with no LGBTQ+ characters, I need to break one of these.” [18:24]
d. Overcoming Challenges:
- Mallory’s Relapse: Despite strict rules, Mallory admits to occasionally breaking them during book hauls but remains committed to her overarching goals.
“I'm breaking my rule, but I am trying to make my way through my physical TBR.” [19:34]
6. Book Tech: Romance IO Website Review (24:16 – 28:30)
The hosts evaluate Romance IO, a specialized platform akin to Goodreads but tailored for romance and smut genres.
a. User Interface Critique:
- Confusing Layout: Both hosts find the website aesthetically unpleasing and cluttered.
“I find the layout confusing. Something about the size of the font… It's supposed to lead us to like, buying and looking at the ads.” [24:43]
b. Functional Insights:
- Spice Rating System: Users can rate books based on the level of explicit content, such as "Double Penetration" or "Grumpy/Cold Hero."
“It has a spice rating system. So a lot of readers use this to see if a book is open or closed door.” [24:16]
- Community-Driven Content Warnings: The platform includes specific content warnings and tropes voted on by the community, ensuring reliability.
“It's both very specific. And the content warnings are very clear.” [25:21]
c. Recommendations for Improvement:
- Enhanced Aesthetics: Both hosts suggest a more visually appealing design to enhance user experience.
“It needs to look cuter… It feels like a website from the 90s.” [27:09]
- Simplified Rating System: Mallory proposes a straightforward open/closed door icon system for easier navigation.
“I want open or closed door, that’s all I want. It would make so many of our lives easier.” [27:08]
d. Overall Rating:
- The hosts commend the website's functionality but deduct points for its lack of aesthetic appeal.
“I'm gonna give it a 4 out of 5 for being useful but needing to look cuter.” [28:26]
7. Listener Problem: Tracking Reading Demographics (28:30 – 33:49)
Listener Sarah poses two questions regarding tracking author demographics and LGBTQIA+ content in her reading log.
a. Counting Multiple Authors (28:30 – 30:35):
- Problem: How to account for books with multiple authors or illustrators in demographic tracking.
- Brea’s Solution: Count each contributor separately and consider the book’s overall diversity.
“If a book has two authors, one is Black and one is white, I count that as a book written by a BIPOC author.” [29:58]
- Approach: Recognize the contribution of each author by tracking both the number of books and the diversity of authors involved.
b. Tracking LGBTQIA+ Content (30:35 – 33:49):
- Problem: Determining the relevance of a character's sexuality in tracking LGBTQIA+ representation.
- Brea’s Insight: Use criteria such as whether a character is a main character or simply present in the story.
“Is it the main character or is it just present? If it's present, that's worth noting.” [31:16]
- Mallory’s Perspective: Emphasizes the importance of both main characters and casual representation for inclusivity.
“It's important to have books where the struggles of those identities and races are part of the book, but also books where queer characters live normal lives.” [31:58]
c. Final Recommendations:
- Customization: Tailor tracking methods based on personal goals, whether focusing on author diversity or character representation.
- Comprehensive Counting: Include all contributors to ensure accurate representation metrics.
8. Conclusion and Community Engagement (33:49 – End)
Brea and Mallory encourage listeners to engage with the podcast by submitting personal reading rules and questions. They highlight the vibrant community on Discord and invite new members to join via Maximum Fun memberships. Additionally, they promote their merchandise store and request listeners to rate and review the podcast to expand their reach.
Notable Quotes:
- "It's a way to make sure each book stands on its own a little bit." – Mallory O'Meara [15:25]
- "It's important to acknowledge that people have contributed to this book, this thing that you're reading." – Brea Grant [29:55]
- "I think it's good to track if it's present because queer people live in the world." – Mallory O'Meara [31:58]
Final Thoughts: Episode 408 of Reading Glasses offers a thoughtful exploration of how personal rules can shape and enhance one’s reading journey. Through book recommendations, community feedback, and practical advice on tracking reading habits, Brea and Mallory provide valuable resources for avid readers seeking to diversify and organize their literary pursuits.