Ep 424 - Honk Honk - Reading Really Long Books

Summary

Episode Summary: Reading Glasses - Ep 424: Honk Honk - Reading Really Long Books

Release Date: August 14, 2025
Hosts: Brea Grant and Mallory O'Meara

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Introduction

In Episode 424 of Reading Glasses, hosts Brea Grant and Mallory O'Meara delve into the intriguing world of "Honkers"—a term they use to describe exceptionally long books. This episode not only explores the challenges and rewards of tackling hefty tomes but also offers insights into overcoming reading slumps, organizing reading lives, and navigating the ever-evolving landscape of bookish events.

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Current Reads: A Dive into Diverse Genres

Bria on John Scalzi's "When the Moon Hits Your Eye"

Bria shares her enthusiasm for John Scalzi's latest work, When the Moon Hits Your Eye. She humorously recounts the novel's whimsical premise where the moon inexplicably transforms into cheese, leading to global confusion and scientific upheaval.

“And one day the moon is suddenly very bright in the sky, and everyone's like, what is going on? And it turns out that suddenly it is made of cheese. That's what the book is about.”
— Bria Grant [00:46]

She praises Scalzi's ability to blend humor with a serious premise, highlighting the diverse perspectives within the story—from a Sunday school teacher grappling with the surreal change to astronauts dealing with mission disruptions.

Mallory on Megan Abbott's "El Dorado Drive"

Mallory eagerly discusses El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott, emphasizing its gripping narrative centered on a financial crisis in Michigan. The story follows a woman navigating her sister's messy divorce and entanglement in a high-pressure group called "The Wheel," which operates similarly to an MLM without selling products.

“It's about this woman, she moves back in with her sister... her sister is very excited to tell her that she joined this special little group called the Wheel.”
— Mallory O'Meara [02:30]

Mallory highlights the book's tension and intricate character dynamics, recommending it as an excellent starting point for those new to Abbott's work.

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Listener Feedback: Navigating Library Book Signings

Mallory shares feedback from listener Sarah, who expresses concerns about authors signing library books without prior permission. Sarah raises valid points about the logistical challenges and potential issues of authenticity and endorsement that such uninvited signatures might entail.

“Would we have to update our internal systems? Would our very fastidious fiction librarian survive the shock and betrayal?”
— Sarah [05:05]

Bria and Mallory discuss their own experiences with signing books during organized events, agreeing that unsanctioned signings can create unnecessary complications for librarians.

“I have signed library books, but a lot of the times it happens, it's at the library... the librarian then knows.”
— Mallory O'Meara [06:04]

They emphasize the importance of communication and consent when involving authors in library activities to maintain smooth operations and positive relationships.

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Overcoming Reading Slumps: Creative Solutions

Listener Mac shares a personal strategy for tackling a daunting TBR (To-Be-Read) list by involving her son in the selection process through the StoryGraph app. This method not only alleviates the pressure of choosing the "perfect" book but also fosters a shared reading experience.

“A fun way I found to help get over is by taking my son to our library and handing him StoryGraph on my phone to pick something for me.”
— Mac [07:32]

Brea and Mallory commend Mac's approach, noting its effectiveness in reducing decision fatigue and making book selection a collaborative and enjoyable activity.

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The Honkers Challenge: Embracing the Lengthy Reads

The core of the episode revolves around the Honkers Challenge, encouraging listeners to read books exceeding 500 pages. The hosts discuss the benefits of engaging with longer narratives, such as deeper immersion and prolonged escape from everyday stressors.

Defining a Honker

A honker is defined as any book exceeding 500 pages across any format—hardcover, paperback, or audiobook. This includes diverse genres like fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, poetry collections, and epic narratives.

“We are defining a honker as any book that is over 500 pages... it can be fiction, non fiction, graphic novels, poetry collection, whatever you want, but it has to be really, really long.”
— Mallory O'Meara [12:17]

Impact on Reading Lives

Both hosts reflect on how the pandemic and societal stresses have led to reduced engagement with lengthy books. They recognize the intimidation factor but advocate for revisiting honkers as a means to enhance reading resilience and satisfaction.

“It's been knocking us all, pushing us to do it... I'm really glad that we're doing this. I'm really pushing myself to read these long books.”
— Mallory O'Meara [22:51]

Audiobooks vs. Traditional Reading

Bria finds audiobooks less intimidating despite their lengthy durations, as they can be consumed during activities like driving or hiking. In contrast, Mallory feels audiobooks add pressure due to the sheer number of hours required.

“The audio version is a little less intimidating and I'm glad I did it because I wanted to read that next one in. In fourth wing.”
— Bria Grant [19:24]

They discuss the pros and cons of both formats, acknowledging personal preferences and lifestyle compatibility.

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Advice on Attending Bookish Events

Addressing a listener's dilemma about attending fantasy book events amidst recent disappointments, Bria and Mallory offer practical advice to ensure a positive experience.

Confirming Legitimacy

They recommend researching events thoroughly by checking past iterations, reading reviews, and viewing photos or videos to gauge the event's quality and reliability.

“Find pictures from last year. Because the Internet exists.”
— Bria Grant [27:10]

Choosing Established Events

The hosts suggest attending events with a proven track record to avoid disappointments associated with new or untested gatherings. They caution against hefty financial investments without adequate assurances of the event's value.

“Unless an event has run a few times or for a few years, I would skip it.”
— Mallory O'Meara [27:16]

Personal Recommendations

They highlight successful events like the Labyrinth Masquerade in Los Angeles and the Fantastique Ball in Northern California, praised by authors and attendees for their organization and atmosphere.

“They have been happening for a really long time... 27 years.”
— Bria Grant [28:27]

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Book Recommendations: Tailored to Listener’s Wheelhouse

Responding to Melissa's request for book recommendations aligned with her diverse interests, Bria and Mallory suggest titles that encapsulate friendship, supernatural elements, and moral confrontations.

Bria’s Suggestion: “Starter Villain” by John Scalzi

Bria recommends Starter Villain for its character-driven narrative and themes of personal growth amidst villainy.

“It's a ragtag group. It's a literal villain origin story... people bringing out the best in each other, which I think is very nice.”
— Bria Grant [31:14]

Mallory’s Suggestion: “The Staircase in the Woods” by Chuck Wendig

Mallory suggests The Staircase in the Woods for its exploration of enduring friendships and mysterious disappearances, blending humor with dark themes.

“It is a perfect amalgamation of scary but also fun and fun friendship stuff... their dynamics are really funny and Chuck is very funny.”
— Mallory O'Meara [32:37]

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Closing Remarks and Community Engagement

Bria and Mallory encourage listeners to engage with the podcast by submitting their thoughts, participating in challenges, and supporting the show through reviews and merchandise purchases.

“We're so close to 2,000 reviews on Apple Podcasts. Please take out your phones if you're an Apple podcast user. Also, it doesn't matter what you use if you're a Spotify person.”
— Brea Grant [34:36]

They express gratitude towards their community, highlighting the importance of listener support in the podcast's growth and success.

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Conclusion

Episode 424 of Reading Glasses masterfully navigates the complexities of engaging with long-form literature while addressing community concerns and fostering a supportive reading environment. Brea Grant and Mallory O'Meara provide valuable insights and actionable advice, making this episode a must-listen for book lovers seeking to expand their reading horizons and overcome literary challenges.

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Notable Quotes:

• Bria Grant on When the Moon Hits Your Eye:
  “And one day the moon is suddenly very bright in the sky, and everyone's like, what is going on? And it turns out that suddenly it is made of cheese. That's what the book is about.”
  [00:46]

• Mallory O'Meara on El Dorado Drive:
  “It's about this woman, she moves back in with her sister... her sister is very excited to tell her that she joined this special little group called the Wheel.”
  [02:30]

• Sarah’s Feedback on Library Book Signings:
  “Would we have to update our internal systems? Would our very fastidious fiction librarian survive the shock and betrayal?”
  [05:05]

• Mac on Overcoming Reading Slumps:
  “A fun way I found to help get over is by taking my son to our library and handing him StoryGraph on my phone to pick something for me.”
  [07:32]

• Bria on Audiobooks Less Intimidating:
  “The audio version is a little less intimidating and I'm glad I did it because I wanted to read that next one in. In fourth wing.”
  [19:24]

• Bria on Event Legitimacy:
  “Find pictures from last year. Because the Internet exists.”
  [27:10]

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Stay Connected:
For more book discussions, reader challenges, and literary tips, subscribe to Reading Glasses on your favorite podcast platform. Engage with the community by joining their Discord server and following them on Instagram. Support the show by leaving a five-star review and sharing your reading journeys.

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Transcript

[Mallory O'Meara]

Foreign. 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 Barry Grant, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're ticking off another box on the 2025 reading glasses. Glasses, Glasses, Glasses. Challenge.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Hong Kong.

[Bria Grant]

Hong Kong. We're reading a Honker. That's a book that's very long. Plus, we offer advice about attending specialty book events and recommend books that feature loving friends and family.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But first, Bria, what are you reading?

[Bria Grant]

I am reading the new John Scalzi. I talked about John Scalzi last week on the show. I'm about to talk about him later in this show.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We love John Scalzi. That's a friend of the show.

[Bria Grant]

We love John Scalzi. I know a lot of the glasses were reading this book. It is called when the moon hits your eye. And. And are you aware what this book is about? No, I actually didn't know and I started reading it. And one day the moon is suddenly very bright in the sky, and everyone's like, what is going on? And it turns out that suddenly it is made of cheese. That's what the book is about.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love John Scalzi.

[Bria Grant]

So fudgeing is having a great time in life. That's all I'm going to say. And because of that, the moon has gotten. It's the same amount of mass, so.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, it's just in cheese instead of cheese.

[Bria Grant]

So it's gotten bigger, so it's larger, it's closer to Earth. And so all the scientists, everyone is thrown. And it's told from the point of view of, like, many different characters. So I just read about a Sunday school teacher who is dealing with the kids being like, did the devil do this? And then also there's a bunch of.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That is such a hilarious thing.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. And then there's a bunch of astronauts who are like, we were supposed to go to the moon and now we're not going to go because it's made of cheese. We can't land there. But then it's like that mission is funded by a guy who's obviously a very Elon Musk type guy. And that guy is like, no, they are gonna go. So there's chapters from, like, all these different, like, from, you know, lay people to scientists to people who are trying to figure all of this out. And it's really funny. It's funny, but it takes it as a completely serious premise, which, you know, American hero I love it. It's. It's wildly entertaining. I'm loving it. What are you reading?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I am reading one of my most anticipated books of the year. I am so pumped. New Megan Abbott. As soon as I see a new mega Abbott book, that's the noise that happens in my El Dorado Drive. And Bria. This is a Bria book. It is about a MLM with stressed.

[Bria Grant]

Out moms dying for this.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It is so fanta. Okay, so this is also a queer book. So glassers, take note. It's about this woman, she moves back in with her sister. This takes place during the 2008 financial crisis in Michigan. And this woman, she moves back in with her sister. Her sister's going through a messy divorce. This sister, like, they're from a family that used to have a lot of money. Their parents were in the auto industry, which crashed. And like, they. So they grew up really rich and then became very poor. They're kind of like they have no skills in life. They don't really know what to do. They don't know how to make money. So they're all. This main character moves back in with her sister and she's has gone through this messy divorce. So she expects her sister to be broke. Her sister is not broke. She picks her up in a golden suv and her sister is very excited to tell her that she joined this special little group called the Wheel. And they're not selling anything, so it's not quite an mlm and they're just gifting each other things. And the way that it works is that you invite women to join the Wheel and you have to bring a certain amount of money. And then once a meeting, somebody gets a new big chunk of money. One person, they get a gift, and then the next month. But the way that you move up in. In the Wheel and the closer you get to becoming that person who gets the gift, did you have to recruit more people? And of course, in a scheme like that, you need more and more and more people so it doesn't fall apart. And then of course, they start getting people who are not very trustworthy and not very mentally stable, and things pretty swiftly spiral out of control. It's Megan Abbott. So it's like a bunch of women in a very high intensity, high pressure situation. It is so wild. There are twists. About halfway through this book, I was like, I know exactly what this is. I finally outsmarted this book. I. I did not. It is so excellent. I absolutely love it. I think you would love it. So that's el Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott.

[Bria Grant]

Sounds like I'm gonna read my first Megan Abbott book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, this is a good one to start with. It's extremely fucking good.

[Bria Grant]

And I am reading when the moon hits your eye by favorite of the show, John Scalzi.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So I want to take a moment to share some listener feedback. Sarah wrote in to say hi. Brian Mallory, library worker and yet another glasser named Sarah here. I wanted to write in and provide another pers regarding getting library books signed by the author. A topic that I brought to my co workers and let's just say we were shook. Ooh, different opinion. While we obviously can't speak for every library out there, the idea of a surprise sign book made our heads spin. Would we have to update our internal systems? Would our very fastidious fiction librarian survive the shock and betrayal? How could we authenticate the signature? Depending on the signature, would it increase the likelihood of a book going missing? Why not just ask instead of white knighting a gift for for an institution that it may not want or need? And most interestingly, would it appear as if the library is endorsing a particular author and their viewpoint?

[Bria Grant]

Oh, fascinating.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Overall, we generally bemoan the idea of one more weird thing to deal with. Not to get too deep, but it is a heartbreakingly bad time for so many librarians in libraries in the United States. This is just to say, please ask before you do anything to our books. The small courtesy could save your friendly neighborhood library staff from one more weird thing we have to deal with every day. We're loving the discourse and all the library love from the podcast. Thanks for all you guys do.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, good feedback.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is good feedback. Okay, I will say that. So I have signed library books, but a lot of the times it happens, it's at the library.

[Bria Grant]

Like, you're doing an event there.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm doing an event there. And they will bring me their library's copy.

[Bria Grant]

Well, the librarian then knows.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

And can write it down, put it in the whatever. They. They know what is going.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, but I could definitely see a librarian. Like, someone's like, oh, I have a signed art of the deal. And they're like, oh, we actually don't want that.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, also the authenticating. We don't need to add another thing for librarians to do them to go online and be like, okay, is this Mallory Omara signature? Oh, it is Mallory. Or is it someone trying to copy Mallory Omera signature? Like, you know, because I could just sign something and be like, hey, I'm John Scaly. You know and sign it. And that's probably not the greatest.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I would tell you about the time I tried to go sign at a Barnes and Noble and they ID me.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I was like, just look at the book. I'm there.

[Bria Grant]

It's me.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's me. I'm pretty. I'm pretty. I'm pretty easy to pick up.

[Bria Grant]

Obviously something has happened in the past where they had to do that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. So. But this is. I think this is a good counterpoint.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, it is. Philip Ronan said hi Brianne, Mallory, I've been an on and off listener since the beginning and you've pulled me out of a mini a slump. Who knew a podcast about reading could be so much fun? My TBR is very long and sometimes I find myself spending way too long trying to figure out the perfect book to choose. A fun way I found to help get over is by taking my son to our library and handing him storygraph on my phone to pick something for me. Generally I pick fiction or non fiction. Then he sets whatever filters he wants and we walk the stack seeing if the book is in or not. He sometimes likes to troll me by picking super long books or ones he thinks will be boring to me, but it's a fun way to find my next book. Plus it's a way to share library love with my kid and teach him how to find books. Thanks for all your work curating and sharing with the Glassers.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love this. So honestly, what a great way to what a great service your kid can provide for you. Pick out my book for me.

[Bria Grant]

Nice way to go to the library. But also you don't have to go to library. You could just be like pick out my book for me and hand someone your wish list in some way shape or form.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, you don't need a child. You could just anybody will do.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, it's a nice. It's nice. I like that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Really cute. Mac wrote in to say hi Marie and Mallory, thanks for your wonderful podcast. I've been a supporter on Max Fun for a few years now and I always look forward to hearing your tips. Guilt absolving and wrecks even the ones that aren't at all for me because it's cool hearing about what else is out there beyond my own wheelhouse and my TPR would probably stress you both out. I have books marked as want to read on Goodreads, I have books tagged with read later on Libby and I also have pictures of books in my phone photo library that I saw IRL and thought I'd like to read but didn't buy. And of course I've also got the running list in my old noggin. There is no rhyme or reason to which books get logged where or from which list I snag my next read. And most of the book I choose as my next read is on none of the lists. So the book that's been on any of my TBRs the longest.

[Bria Grant]

Wait, so you did most of the. You put book instead of time.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh my God.

[Bria Grant]

Sorry.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Leave it in for it. Leave it in. I am. I am a book smurf. I just say the word book for every noun or verb. It's so bad. You said most of the book I choose.

[Bria Grant]

You kind of combined them both. But it was. But it was confusing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know, in like video games, like they're like. Like a character will, like a little NPC will like make a little like noise as it moves around. That would be me. That'd be like, oh, there's the Mallory. Like a Mallory Pokemon going through the grass. God. Most of the time the book I chose as my next read is on none of the lists. Good lord. So the book that's been on my TBR is the longest is about 20 years ago. Kids in my 4th or 5th grade class were reading the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket and I always thought it looked cool, but the first book was always checked out at the library and I just never ended up reading it. Ever since then, whenever I've seen it referenced, I always thought, gosh, I always wanted to read that. Until now. After listening to your most recent episode, I got it from the library on my phone and read it in one.

[Bria Grant]

City 20 years ago.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Amazing.

[Bria Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I think I would have enjoyed it more at age 10.

[Bria Grant]

Oh my God. So you were third. You were 10.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's so great.

[Bria Grant]

So you're 30.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's so great.

[Bria Grant]

Wow. Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love that you're living your dream though.

[Bria Grant]

Very nice.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And my adult self just wants to step in and protect those poor kids. But it feels great to finally put to rest my curiosity about the series. I love that.

[Bria Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That is a 20 year old TBR. That is so cool for you. Also, it's so beautiful to be like, like, you know what? Little me really wanted to read this book. A little present for myself. You want to read Max wheelhouse non.

[Bria Grant]

Fiction books that feel like an expert. It's excitingly explaining their special interest to you. Sci fi that makes you ponder what being a person really means. Historically accurate historical fiction about women with Power fun slash cozy murder mysteries where the murder isn't actually the most important thing going on, myth and fairy tale retellings and women focused riffs on classics. This sounds like a glasser to me.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Sounds like a glasser.

[Bria Grant]

Thank you for convincing me that audiobooks are reading and that I don't need to feel guilty for reading for fun, especially for personal betterment and sharing such thoughtful and inspiring reading challenges.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We're doing the little book absolving hand motion. We got you Mac. So you can email us at reading glasses podcast gmail.com. if you want a list of all the books we talk about on the show delivered to your inbox every month, you can sign up for our newsletter. There's a link in the show notes. So before we talk about reading Honkers, we're going to take a quick break. Hi, I'm Alexis. And I'm Ella and we're the hosts of Comfort Creatures.

[C]

We could spend the next 28 seconds telling you why you should listen, but instead, here's what our listeners have said about our show, because really, they do know best. The show is filled with stories and poems and science and friendship and laughter and tears sometimes, but tears that are from your heart being so filled up with love.

[Mallory O'Meara]

A cozy show about enthusiasm for animals of all kinds, real and unreal. If you greet the dog before the person walking them or wander around the party looking for the host's cousin cat. This podcast is for you.

[C]

So come for the comfort and stay for Alexis's wild story about waking up to her cat giving birth on top of her. So if that sounds like your cup.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Of tea or coffee, Ella, we're not all Brits. Then join us every [e-mail] this week. Honk, honk. We're ticking off another box on the 2025 reading glasses, glasses, glasses, glasses, Glasses Challenge. Read a honker. How are we completing this part of the challenge? What counts as a honker? And most importantly, how could it improve your reading life? I almost said your honking life.

[Bria Grant]

Jesus.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So first off, of course, the rules for the challenge, we are defining a honker as any book that is over 500 pages can't be 490 pages. 500 pages. And we will make it like if it was like 500 pages in hardcover, but now you have like the paperback and it's, you know, 400.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, well, here's the. Yeah, we can get into this, but because you said Credence is over 500 pages, but on Goodreads, it's not on which Version.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have the paperback of Credence by Penelope Douglas and my paperback was 560 pages long.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. So the problem is I think some it's going to be different because I don't know what. I don't. I have no idea what Goodreads bases it off of, But Goodreads says 470 as the paperback.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Interesting.

[Bria Grant]

It could be the one before they re released it. But that wasn't 30 pages for a Caleb chapter. No, we're getting into the weeds on Credence. The.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This is our. This is the book that we did this month for. For reading smut. Oh, boy.

[Bria Grant]

But, but anyway. Okay, so listen, if it's. If you find that it's 500 pages.

[Mallory O'Meara]

A version of the book that is over 500 pages, that is fine.

[Bria Grant]

We get it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We get it that books change page counts from format to format. If it's an audiobook, I would say that that means it's got to be what, 12 hours?

[Bria Grant]

Well, you can find it by going into the, like just looking at the.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Looking at storygraph. The different editions of the book. But you folks, we know a honker.

[Bria Grant]

We know it. We know it. And you also wanted to know if we should count graphic novels. I think. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Graphic novels. Hell yeah. If it's over 500 pages of a graphic novel, that's a long ass graphic.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's hard to pick up.

[Bria Grant]

That's a big.

[Mallory O'Meara]

If you don't want to put. If you're reluctant to put it in your tote bag, it's probably a honker.

[Bria Grant]

That's it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And this again, it could be fiction, non fiction, graphic novels, poetry collection, whatever you want, but it has to be really, really long.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. 500 poems.

[Mallory O'Meara]

500 or two really long poems. An epic poem.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

All right, Bria, how do we think this can improve Glasser's reading lives?

[Bria Grant]

Well, Mallory commented, wrote this in our doc. But it is so true that I think since 2020 we've all been. Things have been different.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Wanting to drink bleach, wanting to walk into the sea.

[Bria Grant]

It's thrown a lot of glassers, including ourselves, into a lot of slumps. And I think a lot of us have felt really intimidated by very long books.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, we're all stressed out with. Between the pandemic, everything that's going on with our government, like the just throw it. Throw a rock and hit a reason. And we're all stressed. We're all worried, we're all afraid. We're all marinating in doom.

[Bria Grant]

Mallory wrote in our Doc, it left a lot of lovely honkers behind honking in the dust, which is such a weird visual.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't remember writing. Such a strange visual to think of.

[Bria Grant]

Like, because I picture. I picture, like, a. A book with, like, a little gooseneck on it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Or. Or a little horn.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Its body is a book.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Someone draw that for us.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The wings, the covers.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah, that's. And then that poor thing's been left behind in the dust. It's so sad, but it's like.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's something we. For the past five years, we've talked about. You know, we've been recommending novellas, short story collections, short books for these kinds of situations. You know, a lot of folks are in. Are in slumps. We're intimidated. Some people don't even want to read it all. So, yeah, those poor honkers are honking all alone. No one is. Honk is the loneliest number.

[Bria Grant]

That's good.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But separate. I mean, does this ring true for you? Have you been reading fewer honkers over the past five years?

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, for sure. Like, I don't know if it's my attention span, but also part of me is like, I don't have the time. Which is so weird because, like, I had the most time in 2020, but I feel like I was like, I can't. I have no time. I found that if I see just something's really long, I'm like, ugh. It just feels intimidating. And for me, I'm getting it on an E reader, and it's like, oh, this is gonna take 12 hours to read. And I'm like, 12 hours?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, one of my kobos. Like, 14 hours left. I'm like, I know.

[Bria Grant]

And I know a lot of people who love them. They love to immerse themselves in the world, and they. That's really important to them because they want to really be immersed. Right. And I think the probably part of me is worried I'll immerse, but I don't like the world. So it's just sort of like. And I've had. God, lately, my attention span has been nothing. I've started so many books and then been like. Like 20% in. And 20 of a honker is a whole book, a week's worth of reading. You know, like, that's a lot of reading. So it's hard for me to get excited about it because I just worry it's not going to be something I'm gonna.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, it feels like a higher risk.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. So you're having the same problem Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I, I have a kind of the opposite thing where I'm like, I'm worried that my brain will not be able to do the immersion. Like, when I'm stressed and exhausted and burnt out, like, the last thing that my brain wants is like, all right, I have to learn this race of googly eyed aliens.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, right, right, right, right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know, I have to meet all these characters, I have to learn their family tree. I nap like it just like if. Or if a book takes place over a really long period of time, I just like, my brain is like, no, I don't want. No, it's like, you know when your dog is like, done on her walk.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah, sure, my dog. You just pancake.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, my brain's like, no, I know.

[Bria Grant]

I want to.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I want a 300 page haunted house book. Like, but I do feel bad because there's a lot of books that look really good that have just been languishing on my TBR bookcase for years.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, I'm having the same problem. I'm kind of removing a lot of them. Honestly, I get to them when I go, so sorry, I. I just, I'm removing. Unless it's like, really exciting.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, it's tough and I feel bad. Especially like, honestly, in sci fi fantasy, of course, like, we use big like fantasy honkers as a. As an example all the time. But also literary fiction. Like, even if there isn't a bunch of world building, I'm like, oh, God, I have to. 600 pages of a person's inner monologue.

[Bria Grant]

It seems like a lot.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, like, I like, it's just, it feels, it feels like too much onboarding for me.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I need a very short on ramp for a book the past few years. Ye. So this part of the challenge pushes you to revisit those honkers.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So. Because on the flip side, even a honker, like you said, can be extremely immersive, which is also really satisfying when you want to escape. That's the thing is because when you finally break through into the honker, you're just, you're really in it. And that's. That is what we all want to do right now. Yeah, it's summer reading time. It's perfect time to haul out a honker camp out by the pool. Like, escapism is the thing that people want right now, but you have to break. You have. Do you ever watch Godzilla x Kong?

[Bria Grant]

Oh, yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know, when they have to break, they go inside the earth in the.

[Bria Grant]

Hollow earth, but they have to Break.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Through that, like, gravity barrier to, like, get to King Kong land or whatever. That's kind of what it's like. But you have to, once you break through, then you have like, you know, all these characters. Like, you're in this world. You may. You might be in a series. It can be really great. And we all don't want to be in the real world right now. Yeah. So it's true. All right, so what are you reading for this part of the challenge?

[Bria Grant]

So there's so many that came close. Like, like I said credence for I. I said 460. So by those measurements, I only did one this year, but I have completed the challenge. It was Iron Flame.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. God. Honker of Honkers, which I did on audio.

[Bria Grant]

I did audio. And I find that actually, weirdly, if I see it's 20, I don't know how many hours it is. 20 something hours. It's less intimidating to me.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So funny I find audiobooks more intimidating.

[Bria Grant]

There's something about it because I. I just like, I know I'm gonna listen to it as I'm driving around, as I'm walking, and something about it knowing I'm like, okay, I can listen. I could, you know, today I'll probably drive for an hour without meaning to, just because I'm running errands and it's like, I can throw that thing on, get an hour in, you know, and it's kind of nice to, like, know I have that to look forward to. Something also about the immersive world in audio. I'm. I really do, like, especially like something like Iron Fame, which is quite complicated, a lot of characters, and I had to know a lot about the world. But it was helpful because it's like I can just take it a little bit at a time, you know, I don't feel like I need to read like 10 chapters or something or carry.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Around a 15 pound break.

[Bria Grant]

And so Iron Flame, I listened to a lot while I was hiking. So it was like, oh, I know. I do an hour hike. It's an hour into the book. I only got to do 20 hikes to get through the book. I don't know how many hours it was. I can look it up. But so for me, the audio version is a little less intimidating and I'm glad I did it because I wanted to read that next one in. In fourth wing. So that was exciting. What did you do?

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's so funny. Yeah. I find Honkers less intimidating on the page because maybe it's because I get most of my. My audiobooks from the library. I'm like, oh, 24 hours, like, right?

[Bria Grant]

And then it's.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have three weeks. I, like, I start doing the math. I'm like, all right, well, I have to do at least 20. I'm have to, like, at least listen one hour a day to be able to hand this in on time.

[Bria Grant]

Right. But when I just hand this in, you're. That was such a. Like a school thing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I know. I was such a. Such a little great hound.

[Bria Grant]

By the way, that's 623 pages for iron Flame. I can see how long it was. Okay, I'm gonna figure it out while you're doing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So I checked my compile spreadsheet, and I was surprised to see I've already done a few of these. Of course, you know, my copy of credence was. Was 560 pages. A lot of smut. And the first book I did this year, Heart of Blood and Ashes. What? The first book in that Mill ofane series that I did at the start of the year was 500 something pages.

[Bria Grant]

Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Also, don't worry, Glasses. I know people have been patiently waiting for me to read Cloud Atlas. And my paperback of Cloud Atlas clocks in at 506 pages, so I'm still going to do that. I've officially moved it from the TBR bookcase to my coffee.

[Bria Grant]

It's on its way.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It is. It is locked and loaded in the chamber. It is ready to go. It will be an imminent read for me. I'm actually. I'm going away for my birthday in a couple of weeks. Maybe I'll bring Cloud Atlas.

[Bria Grant]

Wow. Wow. We are all on pins and needles, waiting, waiting. What if I don't like it? I would love to hear it. I would love to hear that information built up or if it becomes your favorite book.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, my God. Yeah. What if I Cloud. I'm a Cloudy.

[Bria Grant]

She's a real Atlas head.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Real Atlas head.

[Bria Grant]

Just so you know, if a book is 600 pages long, that's about a. That's on audiobook for Iron Flame, I'll just say is 28 hours. So that is.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, my God.

[Bria Grant]

It was a lot of hours. I remember because, remember, I lost it at the library and I had to go back and that time I had the dramatized version. Version. It's very complicated, but yes, that. Yeah, it's a lot of pages. A lot of hours.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, folks, let us know what you're going to do for this part of the challenge. I think it felt like it was the time was nigh for us to get back into Reading Honkers. And I'm, I'm glad that we're doing this. I'm glad that we're pushing ourselves because it felt really, I definitely have started. I'm doing, I'm starting to do that thing that is great with our Reading Glasses challenge where I'm like, ah, I would normally not pick up this book, but I the wanting to complete the challenge is pushing me to do it. Now I'm like, oh, I'm really glad I read this.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So send your thoughts on Honkers to reading glasses podcastmail.com before we talk about specialty book events, we're going to take a quick break.

[D]

Hello, I'm John Luke Roberts and I would love for you to give my podcast Saunty with John Luke Roberts a try. It's basically a parody of every type of podcast imaginable, made up with loads of brilliant comedians. It was named the best scripted sketch show by the BBC Audio Drama Awards, was a finalist for best comedy podcast at the New York Radio Festival, and it has just been nominated for best comedy at the British Podcast Awards. Surely, if there are three things you can trust, they're the BBC, New York and Britain. So give Soundy with John Luke Roberts a go today. Available from Maximum Fun in all the best podcast apps.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Time to solve a bookish problem from one of our listeners. VV writes in. Hello, Brian Mallory. I have a bookish problem or dilemma I was hoping you could offer some advice on. I would love to attend a bookish convention slash fantasy event like the ones I've seen on social media, where there are authors and panels and an excuse to dress up in gorgeous garb for a fantasy ball. But the most recent debacle with the Books a Million fantasy event, plus some others I've heard of, that turned out to be major letdowns for the attendees and authors and have me leery of trying any. I used to go to bookcon in New York City, but that hasn't happened since before COVID Are there any ways to confirm that an advertised bookish fantasy event is legit and worth spending the time and money on? All right, Bria, what do you think?

[Bria Grant]

Okay, I didn't know about this.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, it was a big.

[Bria Grant]

It's called. It's not called Books a Million. It's called A Million Book Lives.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay.

[Bria Grant]

I think. And we don't throw Books A Million under the bus, but I think it's called A Million Books Lives. I think that's what it was called. Wow. It looked Abysmal. If you don't know about this, it's basically people are calling it the fire fest. To the book world.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I've seen some. Really? I mean, I feel bad because the videos are funny. It's people, like. And dressed to the knives, and they walk into, like, an empty conference room with, like, some metal chairs around.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. And it seems nightmare, but it seems like people were really mad. But now maybe people are having a sense of humor about it in some ways.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But what else are you gonna do besides laugh?

[Bria Grant]

But a bunch of authors went and they spent a bunch of money going and they were pissed.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I would be. I would be RIP.

[Bria Grant]

First of all, I just want to say this. You don't need an excuse to dress up. You can dress up Vivi. At any time.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That would be such a fun party to throw at with your friends. Everyone dress up in your fantasy garb and read fantasy books together.

[Bria Grant]

Invite five friends over and dress the up. I gotta tell you, I don't write fantasy books, but if someone showed up to a panel I was doing dressed as a character for my book, I would. I would lose my.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

So. Yeah. Are people gonna look at you? Who cares? Like, if you want to dress up, you dress up. Don't wait. Don't. Don't spend your life waiting else to plan an event. You. You. Do you. Okay, I'm gonna say I don't think there's any way to know about these things. And it seems that there are more and more scammy things going on. Do you find. Do you see that? Does it seem like that's what I mean?

[Mallory O'Meara]

People are trying to take advantage of. Of how hugely popular Romantasy is right now and the fandom especially, like with horny fairy books. So people are trying to capitalize on that by throwing, like, these events. Some event companies are kind of. Who have never done things before of throwing them together. And it's like it's the literary version of Fire Fest.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. And I think. I think what you need to do is find ones that are. Other people are already talking about them. They've already happened before. Ask friends if they've been. I have a friend who goes to a magic themed camp that is Delight. Sounds delightful and wonderful. And I know they dress up and stuff. It's a magic camp called Worth Witch. So. And she says that one's really fun. But I think finding ones that already have, like, a reputation. Look, I've attended poorly attended events. Mallory has. I'm sure it happens. And I think at the end of the day you have to shrug, you have to move on, it sucks. You may lose some money, but you get a great story out of it. We've all been there where we're like excited about this thing and then like, nothing happens with it and you're like, whatever. I mean, you just sort of have to move on. It does suck if you spend some money and you spend a lot of money. So before you spend a lot of money, make sure it's. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's what.

[Bria Grant]

Find pictures from last year. Because the Internet exists.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

And that's. My people are taking photos. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

My, my. I think first thing that you have to do is unless an event has run a few times or for a few years, I would skip it.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like, especially the ones that are expensive. Some of these fables, I mean, the tickets are hundreds of dollars.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That is insane.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So it's like, you know, they're. They're big romance. Most of them are in the romance or fantasy or romantasy world. Again, they can cost hundreds of dollars. So you are either you're flying somewhere or you're putting yourself up. You're paying for the hundred of hundreds of dollars ticket. You are dressing up. I mean, you can be in the whole four figures for this. I mean, that's a lot, you know, And. And because this thing is so popular right now, people are trying to make money off of it and there's a lot of duds out there. But the thing is, if an event has run multiple times, it's got reviews, it's got photos from the past events, it's got. People have probably made YouTube videos or TikToks. And if it looks great and other people have been. Then you would feel pretty safe. If an event just popped up this year and the people have never done it before, I would be leery of it. Unless it's like a company that does stuff like this.

[Bria Grant]

Right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I would probably spend. For that much money. I would probably skip it.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. I feel the same way. I mean, so just looked up one that I know people love, the Labyrinth masquerade that happens here in Los Angeles. Have you been that?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, but I mean, it's been happening for a really long time.

[Bria Grant]

27 years.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

And it is expensive. It is. Is 100 bucks to attend. And I think more than that, I think it's like. Yeah. And 260 for a VIP and. But you can also go on their website and like, look at these photos.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

I mean, it's just like. Yes, obviously people are. They dress to the nines. It's a big deal. It's expensive. LA is expensive. But. But yeah, if. If you are going to pay this much money, do your research. I would definitely. Yeah, you're right. Don't go to a. Maybe don't go to our first year one.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Because it's just gonna be hard to get a first year thing off the ground.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Yeah. Even if it's not a dud company, even if it' legitimately wants to do it. It's. Yeah, like you said, it's hard. Because of this reason, people are hesitant. So one of our episodes last month on our other show, Reading Smut, we did an episode on Sarah J. Moss and Natalie Jean and Jackie Zabrowski came on and they were talking about the Fantastique Ball that they go to in Northern California that has run for a few years. They love it. They. They were specifically talking on the show about how, like, there are lots of duds, but this event is not one of them. I believe it is sold out this year, which probably tells you something. But it's. It's like a Fae Ball. It's like for people into. Into the Fae realms.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. And if you look on their websites, I mean, and they have other balls. It looks like the same company does other balls.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. They do a few events a year in different states.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. You look on their websites and it's like they have pictures. You can see last year's event. There's this whole video of this. I'm watching it right now. There's fire twirler. Like there's people doing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Tons of. You can see hundreds of people in these photos.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. So, you know, and. And again, like, people are. If they're going to these things, they're posting. So you're. You can definitely go look this stuff up. Yes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So that's.

[Bria Grant]

And yeah, don't be suckered into them. But also if you do, don't feel bad.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Don't feel bad. But we're saying don't. Like, if you see. If you see an event and you're like, this doesn't. I'm not sure if this is going to be good. It might not be, so skip it.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But if you're going to spend the money on something like this, make sure it's one that is tried and tested. So if you want us to solve your book's problem, send it to reading glasses podcast gmail.com. now let's answer a recommendation request from Melissa who says, hey, Brian Mallory, I've been thinking a lot about my reader wheelhouse and got to wondering if one of my viewer wheelhouse items translates into my reader wheelhouse. I love character driven shows and movies that have loving friendships or family relationships as a central feature. Think Sherlock, Schitt's Creek. I like it when people bring out the best in each other, and I feel strongly that it doesn't have to lead to sex or romantic love. Any thoughts? Other wheelhouse items include villains with no origin story, entering a different or magic world, world orphans, retellings of myths or fairy tales, blurry lines between madness and the supernatural, mind control, magical realism, confronting morality, breaking the fourth wall, memoirs that include vivid food discussions and sciency micro histories.

[Bria Grant]

I should have to say, Melissa, this is a wild wheelhouse. It goes all over the place and I just really like it. Yes. When you went into memoirs with vivid food discussions, that was a real one. I didn't expect. Expect. So that's exciting.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I know exactly what. What Melissa's talking about when.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

This says thanks for being so healing to this old English lit major.

[Bria Grant]

Yes, no problem.

[Mallory O'Meara]

What do you think militia should read?

[Bria Grant]

Okay. Is John Scalzi paying me? I don't know, but I am going to talk about starter villain again.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I mean, I get like. Well, no, you haven't talked about starter villain in a while.

[Bria Grant]

No, I talked about it two weeks ago in mood reading.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, you're right. You know what? We love John Scalzi.

[Bria Grant]

We do. And this will be. I. I promise I'll try to not talk about him as much, but I just felt like, okay, starter villain, John Scalzi. It's a ragtag group. It's a literal villain origin story, which is on. It's. It's on your list with no origin story. But the whole thing is that he's being thrust into being a villain because someone vacates the spot. So it's like not an origin story. It's really fun. And it's about becoming a better person at the end because, you know, he obviously doesn't want to be a villain. He doesn't want to be a super villain, but he has to be a super villain. So it's a really good one. And it's a fun motley crew family situation. You got all of that happening. And. And it's about, like, people bringing out the best in each other, which I think is. Is. Is very nice. There's a cat in it. It's adorable. What do you have?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm really mad that I just talked about we ride upon Sticks.

[Bria Grant]

Oh. Because that's a good one.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's like a great friendship book.

[Bria Grant]

I mean, listen, I just talked about star villain.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Well, I'm gonna recommend this year's book the Staircase in the woods by also friend of the show, Chuck Wendig. Popular glasser book for a good reason. I love Chuck. Chuck's a friend of the show, but I also love his books. It's about a group of friends getting together decades later to investigate the disappearance of of member of their friend group last seen ascending a staircase in the woods when they were teens. So a big theme of the book is friendship and how it changes. So there are two members of the group with like an on again, off again romantic feelings for each other, but the rest of the group is all friendship. And it really the whole hinge of the book is this friend, this like friend group and how you keep friendships going and how friendships can change and how like something I really like is about a lot of these books is how when someone knows you when you're a teen, that's kind of like the most anyone can ever know you.

[Bria Grant]

So true.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You know, Melissa was talking about, you know, horror and blurry lines between madness and the supernatural and entering a different world, confronting morality. I think that this is a perfect amalgamation of like scary but also fun and fun friendship stuff. I mean it is a dark ass book but like, like a lot like their dynamics are really funny and Chuck is very funny. So like the, like them talking to each other and making fun of each other is very funny and fun and I think, I think Melissa will like it. So that's the Staircase in the woods by Chuck Wendig.

[Bria Grant]

And I'm going Start a Villain by John Scalzi.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So if you want us to answer your recommendation request, headed to reading glasses podcast gmail.com as always want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Discord server and our Facebook group. Remember folks, there's all kinds of cool stuff to buy in our Void merch store. There's totes and shirts and stickers, all kinds of stuff. And it all goes to feeding my really hungry cat. My cat, one of only one of my cats has started eating that churro stuff. Oh yeah, but I get the like the hairball one and it actually really helps him.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, that's good.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But he's like on like a. He's on a tube every couple of days.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, it's a heavy. That's a heavy churro. Out.

[Mallory O'Meara]

He's a. Sure. We call it his goo time.

[Bria Grant]

Oh God.

[Mallory O'Meara]

He likes his goo I'm like, I gotta give Sailor his goo. He only gets like a third. I only give him like a third of the tube because, you know, they're expensive like. But if you want to support Sailor's goo habit, please buy some stuff from the Void merch store. Sailor will really appreciate it. He loves it. Now he, you can set your watch by it at like 10 o'. Clock. Around 10 or 11 in the morning, he gets up on the kitchen, one of the kitchen chairs and it's, it's goo time, baby.

[Bria Grant]

Nice.

[Mallory O'Meara]

He wants his goo time. So there's a link in the show. It is gross. Oh, I actually, I got some on his face today. We had to clean him off because he was all covered in it. So the link in the show notes for that. And if you like the show, folks, we're so close to 2,000 reviews on Apple Podcasts. Please take out your phones if you're an Apple podcast user. Also, I mean, doesn't matter what you use if you're a Spotify person. We're getting close to a thousand over there, but we're trying to get to 2000 on Apple Podcasts. Open your mobile app for the Apple Podcasts. Give us a five star rating. Give us a nice review. We're gonna do a special episode when we hit 2000. It's so great. It's not just because we want to hit that mark for our hearts. It really helps the show, it really helps the show grow and it like has a measurable effect on the success of Reading Glasses. So please do that. We would really, really appreciate it. 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 you.