Ep 411 - Authors Are Like Spiders - Tips for Author Interactions and Plot Driven Rex!

Summary

Episode Summary: Ep 411 - Authors Are Like Spiders - Tips for Author Interactions and Plot Driven Rex!

Release Date: May 15, 2025

In Episode 411 of Reading Glasses, hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara delve into the intricacies of interacting with authors during in-person events. The episode not only addresses listener questions but also explores book recommendations and reviews a charming bookish candle. Below is a detailed overview of the episode’s key discussions, insights, and conclusions.

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1. Current Reads and Book Club Updates

Brea and Mallory kick off the episode by sharing their current reading projects, highlighting the Dracula Daily initiative.

• Brea Grant:

  • “I am starting our read a book over a long time... Dracula Daily is a reorganized, chronological delivery of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, spanning from May 3rd to November 7th” (02:20)
  • “It's a really long, it's May through November, but I am just enjoying it...” (02:20)

• Mallory O’Meara:

  • Shares her experience with Dracula Daily, emphasizing its unique approach to Stoker’s classic by sending out daily, chronological snippets (03:07), and recommends it for both new and repeat readers.

Brea is also reading Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller, a memoir exploring complex family relationships and heritage. She notes:

• “It's beautifully written and I'm really enjoying it” (04:00)

Bria, another book club member, is revisiting Dracula, reflecting on its personal significance and enjoying the narrative from a fresh perspective after years.

---

2. Protecting Libraries: Listener Feedback and Advocacy

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to protecting libraries, inspired by recent listener feedback.

• Hillary from Indiana shares her struggles as an introvert advocating for library protection:

  • “Your episode reminded me that even if they don't listen, it's important to put up a fight. I called all three of my representatives...” (07:18)

• Megan from Oklahoma talks about organizing a Lunch and Learn session to highlight libraries in her company, demonstrating proactive community support (08:11).

• Catherine emphasizes the importance of structured advocacy:

  • “Having five calls and a script made it so much easier...” (09:19)

Mallory updates listeners on recent victories in legislative advocacy:

• “Bills in Florida aiming to ban books were killed in committee, and in Texas, candidates supporting book bans mostly lost their elections.” (10:06)
• Encourages listeners by stating, “Writing and calling really can change things.” (10:06)

The hosts underscore the impact of collective action in safeguarding libraries and promoting literary freedom.

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3. Author Interactions: Tips and Listener Questions

The core of the episode focuses on tips for interacting with authors during events, driven by listener inquiries.

Listener Question from Bethany:

• Struggles with supporting local children's authors at book festivals due to differing reading levels and feels guilty about not purchasing books.

Brea and Mallory’s Advice:

• Mallory: “Authors are more afraid of you than you are of them... They are trying to court you as a reader.” (16:35)
• Brea: “You are a nice person. Don't feel bad about it.” (16:51)
• Emphasize setting boundaries politely, such as thanking authors and moving on without feeling obligated to buy every book (17:00, 20:29).

Listener Question from Abby:

• Unsure of what to say to authors who aren’t personal favorites or well-known.

Hosts’ Guidance:

• Mallory: “Keep it simple. Say you're excited to read the book.” (25:00)
• Brea: Encourages expressing appreciation sincerely without overcomplicating the interaction (30:02).

Additional Tips:

• Maintain brief and positive interactions.
• Authors appreciate any form of gratitude, regardless of familiarity.
• Offer written notes for more extensive feedback or emotional stories (31:24).

The hosts reassure listeners that authors value their presence and support without expecting perfection in interactions.

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4. Bookish Candle Review: Manderly by JD & Kate Industries

Transitioning to book technology, Brea and Mallory review a themed candle inspired by literature.

• Description:

  • The Manderly candle is scented with earth and white azaleas, featuring a 3D wax scene of a house on a cliff by the sea, packaged with a narrative letter (34:09).

• Brea:

  • “It's a piece of art... exactly what Manderley would look like.” (35:16)
  • Shares a humorous mishap where the candle melted before burning, subsequently providing a cozy yet mild fragrance (35:33).

• Mallory:

  • Praises the aesthetic and functionality, noting its suitability as a gift and decorative item rather than a primary reading candle (37:11).

Final Rating:

• Brea: 5 out of 5 for aesthetics and gifting.
• Mallory: 4 out of 5, recommending it more as a decorative piece (37:39).

The hosts encourage listeners to explore similar literary-themed products to enhance their reading environments.

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5. Book Recommendations: Helping a Listener Overcome a Reading Slump

Responding to Allison’s request for plot-driven books to help her regain her reading habit amidst personal challenges.

• Mallory recommends "Beware the Woman" by Megan Abbott:

  • “It's about a young married couple dealing with family secrets in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Couldn't put it down.” (40:01)

• Brea suggests "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone" by Benjamin Stevenson:

  • A snowy murder mystery with quirky characters and dark humor, balanced with a lighter alternative, "The Night Guest" by Hilder Nutstrutter (42:32).

Both recommendations align with Allison’s preferences for unhinged female characters, complex relationships, and engaging plots, providing immersive experiences to counter her reading slump.

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6. Closing Remarks and Community Engagement

Brea and Mallory wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to:

• Share their author interaction stories and book tech suggestions via [e-mail].
• Participate in community events and support literary causes.
• Explore their Void Merch store for Reading Glasses merchandise.
• Rate and review the podcast to support its growth and reach.

They also highlight upcoming events and express gratitude towards their engaged listener base, fostering a sense of community among book lovers.

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Notable Quotes:

• “Authors are more afraid of you than you are of them.” — Mallory O’Meara [16:35]
• “You are a nice person. Don't feel bad about it.” — Brea Grant [16:51]
• “It's okay not to like something.” — Mallory O’Meara [12:54]

---

Conclusion

Episode 411 of Reading Glasses offers invaluable insights for book enthusiasts navigating the dynamics of author interactions, advocating for library protection, and enhancing their reading experiences with unique literary products. Brea and Mallory’s empathetic approach and practical advice empower listeners to engage confidently in the literary community while finding solace and excitement in their reading journeys.

Transcript

[Brie 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.

[Brie Grant]

And I'm Brie Grant, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're giving some tips on interacting with authors in person, which we've done in the past. But we've gotten some very specific questions.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

So we're going to answer those. We're testing out a bookish candle that is one of the cutest candles.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Very cute.

[Brie Grant]

Ever seen. Stick around for that. And recommending plot driven books to keep your attention.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But first, Bria, what are you reading?

[Brie Grant]

So I am starting our read a book over a long time. Oh, have I told you about this?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No.

[Brie Grant]

Okay. So in my book club, someone, Clark, suggested that not for that, just for any reason, but because she was doing this. There's something called Dracula Daily.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm also doing Dracula Daily.

[Brie Grant]

You're doing Dracula Daily?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Because of you.

[Brie Grant]

Oh, really? Did I talk about it on the show?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, you just. We were. I think we were just talking about it.

[Brie Grant]

Oh, so it started.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

Okay. So Dracula Daily is the book Dracula, but the book Dracula starts on like May 4, I think, May 3.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And so something that I did not realize, I thought it was just chunks of Dracula every day. Because the book Dracula is not set up chronologically, even though it's an epistolary novel. And Dracula Daily reorganizes it into all the letters and stuff, organizes them chronologically and sends them to you on the days they happen.

[Brie Grant]

Oh, for some reason I didn't even realize that. I'm glad. So it's between May 3rd and November 7th.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

And there's a newsletter most days. I think there was one day that was skipped maybe.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, well.

[Brie Grant]

Cause there's some certain days that I guess that don't have anything.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. So that was. The thing is, I thought it just was a chunk of Dracula every day, but no, they send them as they come out. So there might be weeks where we're not gonna get a letter and then we'll get a really long one. You know, there was a couple of days that's already been missed, and then we got one really long chapter. I am fucking loving it so far.

[Brie Grant]

It's so nice. I wanted to shout it out in case someone. Other people, other glasses wanted to do this for the reading glasses challenge, which is take a long time to read a book or something. So this is a really long. It's May through November, but I am just enjoying it. So much. I get up in the morning and while I'm like, doing like, my morning stuff, you know, I'll take a little bit of time and sit down and read like this little chunk. And sometimes you write sometimes like today's was nothing. It was like, you know, a paragraph. But then other days it's a little long, but it's no more than five minutes, maybe 10.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Brie Grant]

So it's very short and I want to shout it out. So if anyone else wanted to join us in doing this, it's really fun. You just sign up for it. Regular daily.substack.com and this nice person I love. So not only do they send it to you, but they also have like a little snippet at the top about what it's about.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Jonathan. Jonathan's having a rough day.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. Or he's. He's trying some interesting foods, you know, so you get to. It's like a very funny take on what's happening. They introduced Mina today, and so that was like. And she's about to get some great recipes is what it said at the top. So if. I just want to shout this out if anyone. You wouldn't be that far behind if you signed up for.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You could catch up pretty easily.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. Yeah. So you'd only be like a week behind if you signed up for it today. And. Yeah. And goes through November, so you have a lot of time. But yeah, I think it's. It's really fun and I've just really been enjoying it and I just want to shout it out because I've been.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Doing that and I want to fully admit I was a Dracula Daily suspicious. Like, I. I was. I was a little suspicious of Dracula Daily at first because again, I didn't realize that it. The book was rearranged. I thought it was just chunks of Dracula.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. See, I would be less interested.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And as someone who has read Dracula multiple times, is very familiar with that story, it's really fun to see it this way. So if you're someone and you're like, I've already read Dracula. I already know this story really well. It is really fun to read it reorganized like this. Highly recommend it.

[Brie Grant]

Nice. What are you reading?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I am reading and almost done with a memoir called Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller. And right off the top, I want to say I'm doing the audiobook. And I did not realize until right now while looking this up that there's a lot of photos in this book. Oh, she talks about a lot of photos, but I did not realize that when she was talking about them, those photos are actually in the book. So if you are a seeing person, it's probably going to be behoove you to read this in print or, like, read the ebook version. I did not realize because now I'm like, I want to go back and look at all these pictures. But I will say the audiobook is really great. It is this memoir. It's about this woman. She has, like, a very complicated relationship with her parents and with her sister. There's a lot of addiction and alcoholism in her family, and her mother dies. She was one of those people who she tried to go sober and her body, like, freaked out and she dies. And when her mom dies, she gets all of her mom's stuff and she finds a suitcase that is full of diaries and photos and stuff. So she's trying to retrace her mother's life and kind of like learn about her mom and reconnect to her mom through all of these things. And she ends up. Because her mom was born on this Navajo reservation and she didn't like her as kids, they were not really connected to that part of her heritage because her mom wanted to leave it so badly. So she kind of like explores her own impulses to leave places and to travel and try to figure out why her mom left. And it's really beautiful. It is a rough read, I will say. Check out the content warnings. If you have a hard time reading addiction stuff, reading rough family things, this is. This is going to be tough. But it is very beautifully written and I'm really enjoying it. I'm almost done. So that's Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller.

[Brie Grant]

And mine is Dracula by Bram Stoker.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You're gonna say, bye, Dracula.

[Brie Grant]

Bye, Dracula himself.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Mr. Dracula. It is funny because I forgot that in the book, he does sign things as Dracula.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah, it's how you. It's. There's so much. I haven't read this since high school, really. So it's. It is interesting to like. There's parts where I'm like, wow. Yeah. It's just very like, yeah, yeah. It's funny to hear. To listen, not listen. I'm reading it, but to read what Dracula has to say.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And it's one thing, sorry that we keep talking about Dracula daily, but I forgot that in. Because especially if you've watched Nosferatu, that's a very different version of the story. And I forgot in the actual book, like, when Jonathan's at the castle, like, Dracula's like, putting all these disguises, pretending that he's the servant making beds and making him breakfast. And it's like really funny for me to think about Dracula being like, oh, like put it yeah. And like making breakfast. It's like, I don't know. It's very funny to me.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. Foreign.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We want to take a moment to share some listener feedback. We got a lot of feedback about helping libraries, which is very exciting, folks. We really appreciate it. It's getting rough out there. Just this morning as we were recording this, the National Librarian was fired. It's bad out there, folks, but I do have some good news. After we will read these Read these pieces of feedback. So Hillary wrote in to say hi Brian, Mallory, I'm a relatively new listener and I am so excited to have found reading glasses. I was feeling stagnant on my reading journey and listening to YouTube every week gets me so hyped up to read more Wanted to say thanks especially for your recent episode talking about protecting libraries from fascism. As an introvert, I've always avoided calling my representatives in favor of emailing, even though I know it's not always as effective. I live in Indiana and feel like even if I do say something, my representatives don't give a single. But your episode reminded me that even if they don't listen, it's important to put up a fight. I called all three of my representatives after listening and set a time block on my calendar to call them about another issue every Monday morning because gestures broadly, you two were the kick I needed to actually do something. Hillary, thank you so much.

[Brie Grant]

Amazing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But again, I know it's hard. I hate being on the phone. I get so anxious being on the phone. But sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

[Brie Grant]

It's weird because you talk for a living.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I know, but I don't. There's something about the phone specifically. I actually have some theories about this that I talk about with my therapist. But yeah, I think my generation specifically like does not like to be on the phone.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah, Megan wrote in and said, hey Mallory and Bria, I am part of my company's HR team and I am on the committee for lunch and learns. Okay. I live in Oklahoma. Yes, I know. And we have trash babies in charge here. As soon as I heard about the attacks on libraries, I've heard they also lost 2.5 million in our state. I had the idea to highlight our libraries. We have offices in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas, so we use teams for lunch and learns to include those who cannot come in person. I emailed our metro library and they are going to do our June lunch and learn. Okay. I don't know what a lunch and.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Learn is, so I think it's like a corporate thing where you like learn about a subject.

[Brie Grant]

Okay. That's what I said during lunch. Okay. I just want to make sure I.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Have teams I think should be capitalized.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah, I got, I've used. I have teams on all my devices.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I do not.

[Brie Grant]

Sometimes you got to use teams and then you have to re download it. So I've just have it all the time. I had to share in case other glasses might be able to set something similar up for their offices. Oh, this is great. Okay. So she set up the like teaching about libraries during this like session at lunch. I love that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. If you have. If you work in a place with lunch and learns having librarians to come in and, and talk about their libraries is a. Is a cool thing to do.

[Brie Grant]

Amazing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Catherine wrote in to say hi Bri and Mallory, I wanted to send a quick note to thank you for last week's episode about how to protect libraries. The news is depressing and the world is a dumpster fire and unfortunately I have little idea about ways I can help. I am also seriously introverted and hate calling my reps. So I very much appreciate you telling all of us about five calls. Having a script made it so much easier. I think that definitely helped when I do it, like just having the little thing especially, I don't know. Again, I talk about this with my therapist, but there's a lot of phone anxiety. But having like a structure really, really helps.

[Brie Grant]

Sure. Great. And Bridget and said hi, Bria and Mallory. I'm a longtime listener, first time writer to a podcast. I love your episode about protecting libraries and wanted to let you know about something I recently found out about in New York. At least you can sign up for a library Advocate newsletter through the New York Library Association. Okay. I'm not sure if other state library associations have anything similar, but if they do, it could both help protect libraries. And check off the library newsletter requirement for the reading glasses Glasses Glasses challenge. That's really cool. I also wanted to mention that for a lot of states and towns, it is budget season and since federal funding has been cut, it is a good idea to call your representatives and ask if they can account for that in their upcoming budgets. Here is the Library Advocate link, which we'll put in the show notes. Thank you for your wonderful show. Oh, I love that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And to jump on this, folks. I know that doing this stuff really is stressful, but it can make a Huge difference. I got an email from Authors Against Book Bans this morning about how there was a couple of bills going through the Florida state legislature about banning books. It was a bill that was like, basically would let this council ban books without having to consider anything about the value or the content of the books. And the Florida Freedom to Read Project worked really hard to kill the bill. Me and a bunch of other authors wrote letters to these representatives. I basically was like, I wrote a book about Creature from the Black Lagoon, which was shot in your state. I would be so sad if my books and other books were banned because I care about Florida, because I love Creature from the State. Like any connection you have to the state, you highlight. And it got killed. Those bills were great. Have been, have officially died in committee. So writing, writing and calling really can change things. It was a huge, there was a huge, huge win in Texas this morning. We got news that a lot of the school board elections went really, really well. Candidates who wanted to ban books mostly lost.

[Brie Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Which is super, super exciting. One of the people who runs the Texas Freedom to Read Project said this morning, voters across Texas clearly inconsistently punish the people who have been restricting students reading and learning. So we love to see it. These things do make a difference. Thank you all so much for if you, if you were someone who emailed or called or faxed, a lot of places have faxes now and you can fax them. They still get to log those faxes.

[Brie Grant]

They do, they do.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So you can email us reading glasses podcastmail.com if you want a list of all the books we talk about on the show delivered to your inbox every month. You can sign up for our newsletter. There's a link in the show. Not couple of bookmarks from me. First I want to say, folks, I am coming to Kansas City. I'm really, really excited. It's not up on their website yet, but June 3, I am coming to, I believe it's the central library in Kansas City. I'm going to be doing a daughter of Daring event. So Kansas City Glass News come on out June 3rd. I will be posting the links as soon as I get it. I'm very excited about that. And then second bookmark is, folks, I have to tell you, it's okay that I don't like musicals. I knew I was going to get a lot of emails when we, when we left that part of the episode in, but I didn't realize how many we to get. A lot of you are pretty upset that I don't like musicals and you Know what? It's okay that I don't. I like. Bria will attest. I like a lot of things she does there. I have no shortage of things that I watch and enjoy. I don't think musicals are bad. I do not think that they lack entertainment or artistic value. I just don't like them. Personally, I'm happy that you all love musicals. I appreciate all of the recommendations. I'm not going to watch any of them. I have hockey to watch. I watch movies almost every single day. I read books. I listen to music. I enjoy art. I don't need to watch musicals. It's. Oh, it's. It's okay. It's. It's okay not to like something.

[Brie Grant]

It is okay. She's hard. Of the ones you've recommended.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

Don't worry about it. But thank you for your concern.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I do thank you for your concern.

[Brie Grant]

It is very sweet.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's. It's. Well, some of these. Some of the emails we're getting are not sweet.

[Brie Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Some of people are actually.

[Brie Grant]

Let's calm down then. Y' all need to calm down then.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Some people are actually upset that I don't like musicals. Again, I don't think they're bad. It's just not for me.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah, sure.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have lots of. I got a lot of hockey to watch. Just play, folks. I'm not gonna watch musicals. It's playoff season. I got a lot of hockey to watch and a lot of books to read. It's. It's just. It's okay. It's okay. So before we talk about author interactions, we're gonna take a quick break.

[C]

Hello, sleepyheads. Sleeping with Celebrities is your podcast pillow pal. We talk to remarkable people about unremarkable topics, all to help you slow down your brain and drift off to sleep. For instance, the remarkable actor Alan Tudyk. You hand somebody a yardstick after they've shopped at your general store. The store's name is constantly in your.

[Brie Grant]

Heart because yardsticks become part of the family.

[C]

Sleeping with Celebrities, hosted by me, John Moe, on MaximumFun.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Night night.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This week we're giving out tips on meeting authors in person. Meeting your favorite writers, and getting book signed can be really intimidating, nerve wracking, and sometimes awkward. So we are here to help. This episode was inspired by all the emails we've been getting about it. I think it's because people are doing more in person events now that society at large has decided that Covid doesn't matter anymore. And so. And Glassards are the most considerate people on the planet. So people are really, are really worried about this. So we have some questions. The first one's from Bethany. You want to read this? Because this is a. A y' all one.

[Brie Grant]

Sure. Hey y' all. I love the show so much and all the positivity and joy you bring to the world. I need advice on how to handle meeting local authors at festivals. Today, my kids, ages 7 and 11 and I went to a local book festival that had lots of vendors and local, mostly self published authors. It was a really cool event and I loved getting to see excited, enthusiastic artists talking about this really cool thing they made. My problem is I am not always interested in the books that authors are selling at their tent, especially since I'm there with kids. The children's authors are spending a lot of time and attention trying to sell my kids, and by extension me, these really amazing books they've written but are at a lower reading level than my kids are interested in anymore. I hate spending too much time on their booths and not buying anything. So I usually will try to buy something from them, thinking I can donate it to younger friends. Then the authors get so excited that they signed the book and personalized it to my kid and I don't feel like I can donate the book anymore. I try to avoid booths that are clearly for a younger audience, but they will usually have candy or some sort of prize wheel that grabs my youngest child's attention and I don't have a choice but to stop. Am I bothering the authors if I decide not to purchase their book after they've talked to me about what inspired them and how they incorporated sight words into their stories? Is it better to avoid eye contact? I want to support local authors, so if I don't buy something, I try to take a card so I can recommend them to someone else. I just don't know how to keep attending these festivals without feeling icky. Mallory. Okay, what say you?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I do want to say off the top. I think both of you and I, we, we very much understand. This sure comes from a place of deep empathy for me. I feel social pressure very easily and I feel the exact same way in these scenarios. I'm like, can I army crawl on the. On the ground so they cannot see me as I'm going by? And maybe you're bothering the authors, but who fucking cares?

[Brie Grant]

Well, I think also I think it's a sign if you're feeling this, that you are a good person. Yeah, I don't. I think that you you want to want people to be happy. You want to support artists. You want to. You don't want to walk away without giving someone what they want from this interaction. Like, you're a nice person. Don't feel bad about it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. But you have to draw some boundaries here. You just gotta say thanks so much and move on. You can't buy a book from everyone at the festival because you will spend $5,000.

[Brie Grant]

That's right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And you will have to remortgage your house. Don't feel icky. I understand. It's tough because this I like. I, I. You're gonna talk about farmers markets, which I understand. But I feel like books are even harder because they feel much more personal. You know, like someone did not pour their heart and soul. Or you know what? Maybe they do pour their heart and soul into jams.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But it's not. The jam is not part of their personal story.

[Brie Grant]

Half heart all jams.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's your new jam stand. Half heart all jam.

[Brie Grant]

Oh.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But it's like, it feels like such a personal thing. But you wouldn't buy a jam in a flavor you didn't like just because someone would talk to you about it. Or maybe you would, I don't know. But you have to accept that this is just a sales pitch and it's okay to move along. I think it's important to say that it's not personal to you. They are saying these same, same things to everybody. And if it makes you feel better, think about it as you're moving on to make space for the next potential customer.

[Brie Grant]

That's what actually I was going to say. Well, first I was gonna say, you're a nice human and good for you. That's, that's fine. But look, if there are a ton of people waiting, like, let's get that out of the way. If there are a ton of people waiting. Yeah. Don't monopolize the vendors time. Like, move on as quickly as you possible. But I was gonna say they might just wanna chat sometimes. Like, I've been. You've been behind a booth behind a.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Table, and I hate it because I never watch that. I. There's never a time in my life where I'm like, I would fancy. Wait, wait, wait.

[Brie Grant]

You would rather not chat with anyone.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

Than have someone chat but not buy something?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

Oh, wow. I'd rather someone just come chat with me.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I am an introvert and you are not.

[Brie Grant]

I would just rather someone come chat with me. So I'm not sitting alone at the booth.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, I could be reading.

[Brie Grant]

Oh, well. Oh, you don't just sit there and, like, look up. I feel like you have to, like, keep looking up and making eye contact. Oh, interesting. I mean, so I think I was just gonna say, look, a lot of them might want to just chat. And if they're chatting you up, they might just want to chat. And I think you should. Like, that is an okay human interaction for you to have is like, they're chatting, you're chatting, you're completing side of your interaction. Right. But I end the convo by saying something like, thank you so much. I'm just gonna see what else is going on here. I want to go look and see what everyone else or if they're pressuring me, I say, I'm gonna think about it or I'm gonna talk about it. Like, if you're with your kids, like, we'll talk about it, you know? And guess what? You just talked about it and you just thought about it. You're not lying. This is a totally real thing. You talked about it. But I think you also say, thank you so much. I'm gonna. I'm just gonna move on. You don't have to be like, fuck your book. Which I'm sure you wouldn't. Cause you're having this kind of.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's the other thing is that even though they are pitching you, authors are not expecting every single person to buy their book.

[Brie Grant]

Right. Right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

They're not, like, leaving that interaction and watching you walk away, like, while a sad song plays over their brain and go, that was it. That was the one that got away. They're just trying to sell books. They don't expect every single person at the festival is going to buy a book from them. It's okay.

[Brie Grant]

You know, I have the perfect get out of jail free card for this, which is.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You pretend to die.

[Brie Grant]

I pretend to die. No, I just go, oh, thank you so much. I'm an E reader, so I'm gonna look into it later.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh.

[Brie Grant]

So I'm just like, I, you know, I'm like, I just read digitally, so I'm not gonna. But that doesn't really help with the kids authors, I think. Look, it's okay to talk to them. It's okay to take their candy. They don't want to go home with a jar of candy. Like, take their candy. They want the kids interaction. They want the kids to come over. And I do think there is, like, a. You are helping them. If there's other people at the booth, I think people are more likely to approach 100%.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You. You've already provided something to this author in turn.

[Brie Grant]

I think so. By talking to them, keeping them company and. And making their booth look popular.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

So you don't need to buy everything and you don't have to avoid eye contact. You can also just smile and be like. Just do a smile and nod. You don't have to be like, completely avoid.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No. You do not owe this person any. Any more than.

[Brie Grant]

And I think. And they know that. They know that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like.

[Brie Grant]

And to be fair, if this helps, they've forgotten about you the moment you left. Unless you go up and on that table, you are going to. You. Unless you do something wild at the table, they have forgotten about you immediately. So you don't need to.

[Mallory O'Meara]

They're moving on to the next person. I can be doing that. That's. That. That Catholic saying thing. I forget how. Up, down, over. I'm. We were absolving you of your book. Guilty.

[Brie Grant]

I can't think of any. I can't tell you anyone who came to something I was at and didn't buy something and I thought about them for one second.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Nope.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. So you don't need to think about that because they're not thinking about you.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No. So you're absolved of your book guilt. You just got to get. It's. I think it's a. I am good at it now because I have been to so many book festivals, I do so many author events, that I am very in the habit of just being like, okay, cool, thank you so much. And moving on. You just got to get in the practice of it. And once you do it a few times, you'll get better at it.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And then the second question is from Abby, who says, hi, Brian Mallory. I recently had the opportunity to go to an author event at my local bookstore where Karen Russell was talking about her new book, the Antidote, which I will be talking about next week. Actually, I bought the book there and got it signed by her. As I was standing in line to get it signed, I realized I didn't know what to say to her. I haven't read anything else by her, so I'm not super familiar with her work. Like every book lover, I have rehearsed what I would say to authors I consider my personal book heroes. But what do I say to an author I like just a regular amount or maybe know very little about?

[Brie Grant]

I like. I like just a regular amount. They're not my hero. I just like them regular.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay, what do you think?

[Brie Grant]

I think this is again, A situation in which you're more aware of yourself than she is aware of you. Karen Russell is aware of you. Like, you think the author is thinking of you, but she's just trying to get through this signing. Yes, Karen Russell has done a lot of these, but even if she hadn't, we're talking about someone who's brand new. They're gonna be excited to do it, But I think, like, the onus is on her. And Mallory, you may disagree with this. She's. If someone just walked up and they're completely silent, it's on her to do the talking. Not. Not the signee, the signer, the author. They need to do the talking.

[Mallory O'Meara]

She's on. It's her event.

[Brie Grant]

It's her event. She needs to be on. She needs to be. And if. Look, if she doesn't talk to you, she didn't want to talk in that interaction, and that's also fine. But it's not on you to come up with something clever or memorable.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is not a first date. Yeah.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. Although I love that you want it to be.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Brie Grant]

I love that you're cute.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But this is. This is glass or brain.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. Yeah. You're being very polite.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Considerate.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. You're being very polite, and I think that's so sweet. But again, like, she's signing 40 books today, and doesn't. She will. She will actually probably be happy that if you just are silent and say thank you so much, like, that's actually probably a great interaction because she doesn't have to think about, you know, someone coming up and saying, well, you don't like musicals, and then being like, I.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Heard you don't like music.

[Brie Grant]

I was sitting next to Mallory at one signing. She did. And I know exactly.

[Mallory O'Meara]

What can you say?

[Brie Grant]

Can I say this?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. I know exactly what story where the.

[Brie Grant]

Person come up and she's talking about how she wanted to. The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yep.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And like, I have a whole. I have a big story.

[Brie Grant]

And that's a. That's a memorable interaction, but it's a tough one for Mallory.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yep.

[Brie Grant]

Because then it's like. Okay. Because then the woman wanted you to say that you also.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

Wanted to have sex with the creature. Well, maybe you haven't read the rest.

[Mallory O'Meara]

She wanted to have my personal address so she can come and hang out with me.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. Don't do that. So, see, that is the person that we remember because we're like, what a wild interaction. We didn't enjoy that, but I was there just witnessing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I remember no One else from that day besides the weird.

[Brie Grant]

I was sitting next to you and I was helping you because. Oh, we had done, like, a talk or something.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I was at Mysterious Galaxy San Diego. Lady from the Black Lagoon. Sorry.

[Brie Grant]

If you listen to the podcast woman who came up and said this, and.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We'Re losing a listener, this woman needs to know that that's not cool to talk about. A little hot piece of insider Author WISD for readers. Authors dread the person who is at the back of the line because the people who have something weird to say, like that woman, usually wait to the back of the line. So they have you. They have you to themselves. There's no one behind them.

[Brie Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And they will, I would say, at least half of the time, the person who is last in line has something uncomfortable to say to me.

[Brie Grant]

Okay, wow. Glassers, here's your assignment. When you go to these events, get behind the last person and act impatient. Like, you're. You see this person being weird, and then you're real normal.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's a. That's a. That's an American hero.

[Brie Grant]

And you're like. And you're just waiting. You're waiting. But be a little impatient about the person asking if they want to have sex with a creature from their book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And then get asked a lot of.

[Brie Grant]

Weird questions in front of strangers, and then just say, thank you so much, and then walk.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I would cry if that happened. I'd be so happy.

[Brie Grant]

What is your advice here for Abby?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have a lot of. Lot of thoughts as. As someone who reads a lot, and also as someone who is an author. First, keep it simple. Tell them. All you have to do is say you're excited to read the book, and just that interaction is normally enough to carry you through them. Signing the book, it's all you need. And I will say some authors get really nervous at signings, myself included. Bria, you really opened my eyes when the last time we did an event together, because you were like, wow, Mallory, you remember everybody's name? And I did. And I was like, I did not know that that was not normal.

[Brie Grant]

I can't remember people's name that I interact with on a daily basis sometimes, like, and to be fair, like, you, there's a lot of things contributing to that, but I have never had a good memory for that kind of stuff. So I was. Yeah, you knew so many people's names. And there are people that I have met multiple times. And I'm sorry. And y' all. I've said this on the show. Y' all know I'M not gonna remember any name. I can hardly, I mean, I won't say, but someone just came in this room that I see all the time, and I couldn't remember her name for a long period. I see this woman a couple times a week and, like, I just don't have a memory for names.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I do.

[Brie Grant]

My dad was a politician. He had the same problem.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, wow.

[Brie Grant]

And that was a big problem for a politician.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, that's why you would call everyone by a. You're like, hey, baby. Hey, sweetie.

[Brie Grant]

I am going to start calling people baby.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Honestly. Could be cool.

[Brie Grant]

I think that's cutie, though, sometimes, especially on set. On set I'll be like, which I probably shouldn't. But I I will be like, hey, cutie, can you. Because I don't know. I don't know your name.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's great. Yeah, I I that's why I like a hey, brother. Brother to me. We don't say hey, guys on this show because we try to keep things genderless. But on in my personal life, I say guy and brother a lot in a genderless way, which is why I don' I don't feel I'm fine with people saying hey, guys to us.

[Brie Grant]

I like sis and mama in a genderless way.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, yeah.

[Brie Grant]

As a person who works with dogs a lot, you often say mama to the dog. Like, hey, mama. Even though it doesn't matter the gender.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is such a tangent, but apparently people really like our tangents. I had a friend who told me when Jeremy and I broke up last year that I I shouldn't say hey, brother and hey, dude to guys because they like it. They don't like it well, but HWB loves it it when I we call each other dude and bro and brother all the time.

[Brie Grant]

I do say dude and bro. I I here's the thing. There's. We all have thick names we don't like being called, and sometimes they are called that. But, like, I know a lot of people don't love hey, sweetie. Hey, whatever. I love when it makes me at a Waffle House. Like, it's someone calling me sweetie.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love that, like, if a weird guy was like, hey, honey, I'd be like, karate chop to the neck. Well, yeah, but like a Waffle House waitress. Oh, baby.

[Brie Grant]

But maybe he's Southern. I don't like. I think I give maybe a little bit more latitude than the average person.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It depends on the context.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, agree, agreed, agreed.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Anyway, I feel a lot of pre.

[Brie Grant]

Like, don't walk up to an Author and say, hey, big tits, can I have a signing?

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is such a stupid. Was like, hey, brother, I want you to sign my book. I would give them a high five. I would love that so much.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I get a lot. I get very nervous at signings because I want. I feel the same way. Abby. Abby does. But for everybody there, I want to make sure that they. I feel a lot of pressure to give everybody an incredible experience because I feel like, like you said earlier, an author at a signing is kind of like a host at a party.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And so.

[Brie Grant]

And they're at work, you know, there.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, I get very nervous. I. And I am one of those people that I have a hard time writing when someone is talking to me. So that's another thing that'll take pressure off of you is that it's hard to write and talk and listen at the same time.

[Brie Grant]

And you don't want to it up because if you spell their name wrong.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I did that. I misspelled a woman's name three times because her. The person she was with was talking to me and I couldn't focus.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah, it's hard.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So actually it's sometimes better to not talk to authors when they're actively signing. You don't need to put a lot of pressure on it or feel like you have to say a bunch. Authors are honestly just happy that you were like. And again, I feel a lot of pressure to say something to you. For each of my books, I have a handful of conversation starter questions that I use depending on what book I'm signing. Because I feel. I want people to feel like I am grateful to them and interested in them, which I am. And I work really hard to remember everybody's name and things about them. But it is perfectly fine when people. I cannot tell you I have sound signed literally hundreds of books for people that have never read my books at all. When I did a Daughter of Daring event in Reseda. So they buy a box of books and hand them out to everyone. So have I. I would say 70% of the people in that room had never even heard of me until that day. And they come up and they give me a book and they're like, hey, I love to talk. This sounds really exciting. I can't wait to read it. And I am stoked. Yeah, that's all you need. I again, authors are like spiders. They are more afraid of you than you are of them. They are under a lot of pressure. You have the power in that scenario. You are the person buying the book from them. They are trying to court you as a reader, so just that all you have to do. And I've bought books from people. I haven't read their books, and I'm like, hey, wicked. Pump to read this.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And they're like, hell, yeah, brother.

[Brie Grant]

Yep.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, they don't say that, but that's what I say in my head. All right, Bria, do we have any final thoughts and tips on. On meeting authors in real life?

[Brie Grant]

Well, I am a fan girl through and through, and I like to tell people when I like their work. You don't have to do more than that. And I like when people tell me they like my work. You don't have to do more than that. Like, I liked this. That actually means, like, a lot to a person.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. Oh, like, yeah. Thank you for signing Powers Our Whole Heart.

[Brie Grant]

That is the reason we're doing it is because we're hoping you like it. And I, I. When someone's like, I wrote this book, I'm like, I liked that book. And that's. Usually people are very surprised I've even read it, you know, or. You know what I mean? Like, if I run into an author, like, in the wild, I was mowing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The lawn in a bush in my backyard, and author Samantha Irby leapt out.

[Brie Grant]

But I think, like, I liked it. Don't forget that those words can carry a lot of weight and that it's very. It's an okay and nice thing to say.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. What about you?

[Mallory O'Meara]

My tips are to keep it short and sweet and just. Just be cognizant of the fact that authors are interacting with a ton of readers that day. So maybe talking about intense subjects or telling them a very emotional story is not the best way to go. I have had a lot of people cry at my signings and wanting to want to tell me, like, a story of something really intense that happened to them. And it puts you in a tough spot, because while I want to hear that story and I want to connect with that person, it is very difficult for me to go from that interaction to the next person.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Because.

[Brie Grant]

And you're not a trained therapist, to be fair, so that it is tough for you to know exactly how to react in that scenario.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. And something that I really like that I've had a bunch of readers do. They come up, they say, hey, your books really mean a lot to me. Thank you so much for writing them. Please sign. And then I have people be like, I have a story about this or something I want to share. I wrote it down. Here you go.

[Brie Grant]

Oh, that's nice.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I've had that happen a ton. Oh, that's cool. And then when I get back to my hotel room that night, I open up the letters and I read them and I like, like, I, I feel all the emotions and I'm like, wow, I'm really glad that this person connected to the my, to my work because of this story. I'm very, very grateful. And I think that is the way to go. I mean, you can tell. Tell people a fun story like we get whenever we do reading glasses events. People love to come up and say, you know, you guys changed my reading life. Thank you so much. We love that. But if you are just again, be cognizant of the fact that the author is interacting with a lot of people and while you were really excited to meet them, remember that a bunch of other people are in that same scenario. Never fail approach is to say, thank you so much for coming out. I'm very excited to read the book. Your work has meant a lot to me. And if you have a story that I would say takes longer than five minutes to tell or is very emotional, write it down, give it to them. They'll be really appreciative of that. I think the big thing that we want people to take away from this episode is that whatever pressure you feel, the author is feeling that tenfold. They want to make sure you are having a good time. So remember, you. You have just as much power in this situation, if not more. It's okay. And same thing with the farmers market with Bethany. You are you. You. You have power to walk away and know that author can't make you buy a book. Say thank you. That's all you. That's all. All you need to do so you can send your thoughts on author interactions to reading glassespodcastmail.com before we test out a bookish candle, we're going to take a quick break.

[C]

Oh, my gosh. Hi, it's me, Dave Holmes, host of Troubled Waters, the pop culture battle to the ego death. Okay, everybody. Word association with Troubled Waters. First one to fumble loses.

[Brie Grant]

Go.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Comedy panel show, guests, celebrities, games. Oh.

[Brie Grant]

Sound rounds, improvised speeches, puns disguised as trivia. A very niche Flash Gordon clip.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Chapel Rowan.

[C]

Oh, no. Riley. I'm sorry. She will not return our phone calls. I am afraid you're out.

[Mallory O'Meara]

A girl can dream.

[C]

Oh, but dreaming will not earn a girl any points. Troubled Waters. Listen on maximum fun or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Time to test out some book tech. Advances in bookish Technology. This week's book Tech was sent to us by a Sarah from Maryland, we think. Right.

[Brie Grant]

I think it was a Sarah from Maryland because I took a picture of it and then I couldn't figure it out. But this. Yes, I think it's a Sarah from Maryland.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay. That is Sarah from Maryland. Let us know. I'm sure we have quite a few of those, but if you send in the scandal, let us know. We think you're a Sarah. I mean, you're. We know you're a Sarah in your house.

[Brie Grant]

Yes, yes, we know. In your heart. All right. But by the way, I want us to have T shirts that say Sarah at heart.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Folks, write in about this because we were considering some Sarah specific merch.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah, Sarah, like bookish Sarah or a Sarah that may be so specific that it's, like, too weird.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I think we have enough Sarahs.

[Brie Grant]

To make it, too. But also, it could be like, you know, honorary Sarah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Honorary Sarah with some bookish design. Well, let us know if you were Sarah who would buy a Sarah shirt, or you are not a Sarah who would buy a Sarah. Yeah, yeah, let us know. Anyways, we're testing out this candle from Sarah from Maryland, and it is a candle from JD & Kate Industries Mysteries on Etsy. We're going to put a link to that in the show notes. And it is a themed candle, themed for Rebecca. It's called Manderly and it's scented.

[Brie Grant]

Like Rebecca, like the book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Not just a lady named Rebecca. Although that is what the book is about. The scent is earth and white azaleas. And the cool thing about this is it's not just a scented bookish themed candle. The wax is colored and shaped to be a little scene of a house on a cliff by the sea. And the packaging contains a little letter to the new owner. It's really cute. It's like this candle used to belong to Rebecca.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. This is a amazing. I'm sorry. Well, we'll get into that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's $26. What did you think, Bria? Give me.

[Brie Grant]

Okay. We both, like, gasped.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, we were really into the scandal.

[Brie Grant]

We. We gassed. It is gorgeous. The little scene was gorgeous. You look at it and it is a piece of art. Like, it is amazing. I think it's exactly what Manderley would look like. Would smell like. It smells like a rich old person's house.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Complimentary. Yes, complimentary.

[Brie Grant]

I didn't want to burn it because it was so cute, though, and I was really hesitant. But guess what? What? When you do No, I left it in my car and I went to the desert and it melted. And so then it still had, like, some shapes, but I was like, fine, time to burn. And so then I burned it. And it is a mild throw. I wouldn't say it's, like, super strong. So it was actually really good.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Good for reading if you have it nearby.

[Brie Grant]

I thought it was great for reading nearby. It's not overwhelming, but it's nice. It's cozy. This is not for a large room to, like, fill up one of those, like, what are the. Is it. There's a dip tea. There's like, some candle someone sent me, and it's the, like, you open it and it fills the room up with the smell.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You burn it.

[Brie Grant]

You're not going to want to ruin the cuteness. But the smell was lovely. I burnt it last night again, and I thought it was good throw nearby and not overwhelming at all, which is good because this was a very floral scent and, like, it could get overwhelming.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

Wow. I just have to say, this company has so many cute.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I was. I know. I was looking at these.

[Brie Grant]

Okay. Did you see the haunted one that reveals a little ghost when you burn it? Oh, okay. That's so cute. And then there's funny ones like Ronald Reagan and Obama. What does the Ronald Reagan one smell like?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Sadness, Bad economy. Ruining the economy.

[Brie Grant]

I don't know what those smell like, but they're great dad gifts, and they just are. Ronald Reagan candle. That's all it is. I. Everyone is getting these candles for me because it has. It's. It's all sorts of, like, little pictures and scenes and stuff. Those ones just are about Ronald Reagan and Obama. I don't know why they're so cute. This, for me, is a five out of five. I think it's, you know, you're not gonna want to burn it, but I think it's a great gift. And when I did burn it, it was great. Great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Brie Grant]

It just made me a little. I was like, I'm not going to ever gonna wear this. And then I, I.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You were forced to by the.

[Brie Grant]

Made it easy for me. What did you think of the candle?

[Mallory O'Meara]

So cute. So as a candle, it is great. I'm not a big floral person, but this did not get too strong or cloying, which I think is important because I have gotten a few candles over the years that I burn. And I'm like, oh, God, I know. I burn this outside. That said, I don't know if I got this as a present, I would burn it because it's too cute. Yeah, because obviously you light it and then all the wax melts and the stain disappears. They have other literary candles, which I think is worth noting. They have a Moby Dick one. It's looks like with the little whale tail coming out. They have a Great Gatsby one.

[Brie Grant]

When we're describing this, it's 3D. Like, I don't know how to explain it, but it's like, it's a scene. It's like a scene. It's like, it's like a. What do you call the, Like a miniature. Yeah, almost. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Out of wax. I think these would make great presents. Would look very cute on a bookshelf. Because of that, though, I'm giving it a four out of five pages because as a reading candle, you might want something a little less expensive that you don't feel bad setting on fire.

[Brie Grant]

Okay, I see.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But 5 out of 5 pages for the aesthetic of it. And if you want to, like, keep it on, keep it on a shelf. 5 out of 5 pages as a gift for sure. If you have a bookish person in your life and you never know what to buy them because they're like people in my life. Do not buy me books as gifts, because why the would you.

[Brie Grant]

No, don't do that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I would get this as a gift and be very happy about it. But I, I, I love it. We'll put a, a link in the show notes if you want to check these out. And if you have book tech ideas you want us to test out, send them to reading glasses podcastmail.com now let's answer a recommendation request from Allison, who says, hi, Mallory and Bria, I'm writing to you for a book request and Hard Times. My brother, who has been my best friend for my entire life, is recently estranged from me and my family. I miss him and my nieces terribly. In addition, my mom, who I'm incredibly close with, was just diagnosed with cancer a week ago. Over the last few months, I haven't been able to read at all. Nothing keeps my attention and distracts me enough. I know it's okay to take a break from reading, but it's always been a respite for me. I like to be able to find something again that can keep my attention and take me out of my life for a while. I think the problem might be that my normal wheelhouse books aren't really plot driven, but I'm finding I need something to catch me in the first few lines or I'm distracted again. You want to Read Allison's wheelhouse.

[Brie Grant]

Yes. Unhinged women to any degree. Water. Winter slash snowy conditions. Complicated relationships where things start to turn for the better at the end. Quirky characters, romance. If it isn't cheesy. Interesting structure to a book and a glimpse at the ultra wealthy. I typically don't go for a genre book, but I am open to them and actually think it might be where I need to go. I appreciate the help to get me through doctor's appointments in cold Michigan winter. Obviously it takes us a while to answer these. Love your podcast. Thank you for being a bright light in my week. What do you have for Allison?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Allison, please come on down to the wonderful world of mega dabit. I feel like a car salesman right now. I'm like, come on down. And I have. There's one of those wacky waving like inflatable guys, but it's me holding a Megan Abbot. So Megan Abbott writes plot driven thrillers about unhinged women.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That is made for Allison right now. She's one of my favorite writers. I have every single one of her books and they've all sucked me in. She's all bangers, all chiller, no thriller. So I'm gonna recommend her newest one, Beware the Woman. And it takes place in Michigan.

[Brie Grant]

Oh great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Which is where Allison is. It's about this young married couple, the wife of which is wicked pregnant and they are going to visit the husband's dad in the Upper peninsula. And as soon as they arrive, like as she's, things kind of started to get weird on their way there. And as she arrives, she realized that not as they seem, the dad is a doctor and has a lot of opinions about the things that she should do as she's pregnant. And she gets very quickly sucked into some weird family secrets. Secrets of this family are wild and it'll draw you right in. I loved reading this book. Could not put it down. What do you have for Allison?

[Brie Grant]

I find when I have a lot going on, I agree with Allison. I don't reach for cozy. I go for things that keep me from thinking about those things. Like I want to escape. I want my brain to be figuring out something. So mysteries and thrillers are really good for me in this situation. So the book I wanted to recommend, I got a little worried about it because it is. It's a snowy murder mystery, but I got worried about it because it is about a family. And I don't know if that is like kind of a trigger thing, but so that one is called Everyone in my family has killed someone. Which is all takes place in like a snowy snowed in place with like a really fucked up family. And it's a mischance, the murder. Grave mystery. But it's cute and funny. I. I'm just. I. I worry about the family stuff, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna say touch on that one, but one that Mallory and I both really liked. What do you think about the Night Guest?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, that's what I thought you were talking about.

[Brie Grant]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So the Night Guest is incredible.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. The Night Guest. So it's my.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's wicked short.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It sucks you right in. And it's so short. It's like a really good slump buster.

[Brie Grant]

Yeah. And it's Icelandic.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Brie Grant]

And it's. It's one Mallory and I both had on our favorites last year. And it's. It's a mystery. You're trying to figure out what's going on with this woman, so it falls into your unhinged woman.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, definite unhinged woman.

[Brie Grant]

Snowy, but considering it's in Iceland. But I think this could be a good. It's basically a woman who, she's waking up every morning and she's tired and there's bruises on her legs and her feet are dirty. And then at one point she puts like a Fitbit. A Fitbit on her arm and she wakes up the next morning, she realizes that she's walked like 20,000 steps or something in the middle of the night without being awake. And so she has to figure out what's going on. And it's just a great mystery. So I think either of those could be good.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. So I'm recommending Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott.

[Brie Grant]

And I'm recommending Everyone in My Family's Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson if you can get through it. If not, backup book is the Night Guest by Hilder Nutstrutter.

[Mallory O'Meara]

If you want us to answer your recommendation request, send it to reading glasses podcast gmail.com. as always, we want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Discord server and our Facebook group. Remember, you can buy reading glasses, tote bags and shirts and stickers over at our Void Merch store. Folks, we're about to have a little heat wave here in la. And my first thought was like, I need more tank tops. If you need some cool tank tops that look bookish. Head over there helps us feed our cats and Bria's very adorable dog link in the show notes for that. And if you like the show and want to do something real nice for us. We really wish you would. It's so nice you can rate and review us on the podcast listening app of your choice. It really makes a difference for the show and makes a difference in our hearts. You can email us@reading glassespodcastmail.com find us on Instagram at Reading Glasses Podcast. Thanks for listening and thanks for reading.

[Brie Grant]

Maximum Fun.

[Mallory O'Meara]

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