Ep 433 - Epistolary Novels and Upsetting Libby Changes!

Summary

Reading Glasses

Episode 433 – Epistolary Novels and Upsetting Libby Changes!

Hosts: Brea Grant & Mallory O’Meara
Date: October 16, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Brea and Mallory tackle the penultimate box on their 2025 Reading Glasses Challenge: reading an epistolary novel. They dive deep into what makes epistolary storytelling so unique and how it can revitalize your reading life, sharing their own recent picks in the genre. The episode also addresses the recent controversial change to Libby’s suspend hold system, with the hosts candidly discussing their feelings and the broader impact for both readers and librarians. Listener feedback and bookish problem-solving round out the lively, insightful discussion.

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What We’re Reading

• Both Hosts: Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
  • [00:44] A rare moment: both Brea and Mallory are reading the same book simultaneously—only the second time in almost ten years of the podcast. Previous time: Cassandra Peterson's (Elvira) memoir.
• Summary of the book: A haunted house story with female-centric family dynamics. Three sisters inherit a house after their estranged mother’s death, each handling the trauma and memories differently.
  • [01:28] “Mallory started sweating.” (Brea)
  • [01:34] “Her eyes were like, I’m hitting myself on the head with a mallet. Like, there’s steam coming out of my ears, you know?” (Brea)
• Comparisons: Black Sheep (Rachel Harrison’s prior work), A Head Full of Ghosts (Paul Tremblay)

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Listener Feedback & Reading Tips

Kindle in the Rain Hack

• [04:44] Listener Melissa shared how the podcast’s tip to use a plastic baggie protected her Kindle from rain while in line at Auschwitz, making waiting time meaningful and bearable.
  • “This helped the time in line go faster. Plus... learning more about the Holocaust from the book.” (Melissa, [04:44])

“Aging Up" Your Reading Tastes

• [05:28] Listener Kimberly describes transitioning from younger-skewing adventure books with a librarian’s help—using anthologies as “sample packs” for adult genres.
  • “It’s like buying a sample pack of a genre.” (Mallory, [06:36])
• [06:36] Anne shares a holiday tradition of receiving a “bag of literature” from her librarian grandmother: “It was one of those highlights of the holidays for me...” (Anne, [07:24])

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Epistolary Novels: The Challenge Deep Dive

What’s an Epistolary Novel?

• [11:16] Defined as a novel told through correspondence and documents (letters, emails, articles, telegrams, obituaries, journals).

Why Include It in the Challenge?

• [12:29] “Epistolary novels are one of those things that a lot of people love and don't really realize it… we're hoping that this connects the dots for some Glassers and encourages folks to find more epistolary books and put it in their wheelhouse.” (Mallory)

Hosts’ Picks & How They Completed the Challenge

• Brea: Death of an Author by Nnedi Okorafor (though only half-epistolary); The Strange Case of Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker (therapist notes format)
  • “We both like these kinds of books. If it says, like, told in letters, I’m interested.” (Brea, [13:20])
• Mallory: A Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathral
  • “It’s epistolary to the max… You get lots of emails and letters and journal entries from four characters. It’s like, ultra-epistolary.” (Mallory, [14:13])

Why Are Epistolary Novels Great?

• [14:41-16:23]
  • Great for overcoming reading slumps: The changing structure keeps attention and offers “manageable chunks.”
    • “Epistolary is the ultimate manageable chunk book.” (Mallory, [15:26])
  • Feels lighter and more accessible: “All we do is read email... it's just a little bit easier. It's more approachable.” (Brea, [15:54])
  • They move quickly: Plot-forward narration (“You won’t believe what happened today!”), different voices, and interesting structures.
    • “No one’s going to sit down and write in their journal entry about how they stared at a wall for 15 hours.” (Mallory, [16:33])
• Mallory is writing an epistolary novel herself and enjoys the variety: “It’s been really fun to write because I get to jump into first person, different things…” (Mallory, [14:54])

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Timestamps for Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Notable Moment / Quote | |-----------|------------------------| | 01:28 | “Mallory started sweating.” (Brea, on haunted house excitement) | | 04:44 | “I put the baggie over my Kindle and kept reading in the rain.” (Melissa, listener hack) | | 06:36 | “It’s like buying a sample pack of a genre.” (Mallory, on anthologies) | | 12:29 | “One of those things that a lot of people love and don’t really realize it.” (Mallory, on epistolary novels) | | 14:41 | “Epistolary is the ultimate manageable chunk book.” (Mallory) | | 15:54 | “All we do is read email... it’s just a little bit easier. It’s more approachable.” (Brea) | | 16:33 | “No one’s going to sit down and write in their journal entry about how they stared at a wall for 15 hours.” (Mallory) | | 24:51 | “Sometimes what I like as an individual is not better for the community.” (Brea, on Libby changes) | | 25:20 | “I think bitching is a very important thing... to get that annoyance out.” (Mallory) |

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Libby’s Suspend Hold System: The Controversial Change

What Changed?

• [18:35+] Libby, the library e-book app, changed its suspend hold feature. Previously, users set the delay period (7-180 days), after which the hold auto-resumed. Now, suspending a hold keeps it suspended until the user manually unsuspends it, resuming at their place in line.

Why the Change?

• [19:22] According to Overdrive (parent company), motivated by librarian feedback to address long wait times, budget issues, and unclaimed holds. The goal: fairer and more efficient circulation.
  • “The new hold suspension system ensures readers only receive titles when they're ready, while also moving copies more efficiently through waitlists.”

Listener and Librarian Perspectives

• [20:25] Many listeners dislike it—biggest complaint: “they’re just not going to remember to unsuspend a hold.” (Mallory)
• [20:59] Quoting a librarian:
  • “Trust me when I say that every librarian in the sub has watched copies bouncing between deliver later people for weeks on end without being checked out... This update... helps us to actually move the wait list and put the onus on you, the user...” ([20:59] Brea, quoting librarian)

Hosts’ Candid Reactions

• [21:50+] Brea: Not a fan, struggles with decision fatigue and feels overwhelmed by the responsibility to manually unsuspend holds.
  • “I have decision fatigue every day. So I don't want to decide. I already made the decision when I put it on hold.” (Brea, [23:01])
• [24:44] Mallory: Acknowledges it will help, even though it’s annoying. Forced to reconsider her holds list, be more mindful, and avoid “kicking things down the road.”
  • “It forced me to look at my holds list and be like, what do I actually want to read here?” (Mallory)
• [25:20] Mallory: Emphasizes that it’s okay to vent about changes but recognize when something benefits the larger community.

Pros and Cons Summed Up

• Pro (library): Shorter wait times, more efficient circulation, reduced languishing titles.
• Con (user): Requires more active management, loss of “let the system decide” convenience, adds pressure/decision fatigue for some.
• [29:28] “Pour one out for the delay hold system. You were a real one.” (Mallory)

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Book Tech Problem: Physical vs. Digital Reading With Wrist Pain

• [31:12+] Listener Stephanie asks whether to stick to Kindle or juggle with the heavy physical copy, citing arthritis and the difficulty of lugging around “honkers.”
• Advice:
  • Brea: End sessions at a chapter break if switching formats to avoid confusion. Embraces mixed media for reading comfort.
  • Mallory: Prioritize comfort—don't force yourself to read in pain for sentimental reasons. Celebrate e-books for accessibility and make fancy editions trophies if desired. Advocates using book tech (pillows, stands) to make digital reading more enjoyable.
  • “If reading a big physical book is causing you actual literal pain, it's time to switch.” (Mallory, [32:47])

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Memorable Quotes

• “Mallory started sweating.” (Brea, [01:28])
• “Epistolary is the ultimate manageable chunk book.” (Mallory, [15:26])
• “Sometimes what I like as an individual is not better for the community...” (Brea, [24:51])
• “Pour one out for the delay hold system. You were a real one.” (Mallory, [29:28])
• “If reading a big physical book is causing you actual literal pain, it's time to switch.” (Mallory, [32:47])

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Key Timestamps by Topic

• [00:44] – Hosts reading the same book
• [04:44] – Listener hack: Kindle in a baggie
• [10:58] – Launching into epistolary novels challenge
• [13:17] – Brea & Mallory’s challenge picks
• [14:41] – The appeal of epistolary novels
• [18:35] – Libby’s suspend hold change explained
• [19:22], [20:59] – Librarian explanations
• [21:50-24:51] – Hosts’ emotional reactions and community perspective
• [31:12] – Book tech advice on physical vs. digital reading with arthritis

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For the Glassers

• Email your feedback or book problem: [e-mail]
• Support the show and score “Void Merch” (and horror-themed goodies) via the merch link in the show notes.
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help reach the 2,000 goal and unlock a fun AMA episode.

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This episode balances bookish camaraderie, practical tech and reading tips, and honest, nuanced discussion about adapting to changes that affect the whole reading community—all while keeping the tone punchy, supportive, and on-brand!

Transcript

[A]

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.

[B]

And I'm Bria Grant, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're ticking off another box from the 2025 Reading glasses glasses challenge. Glasses, glasses, glasses. All the glasses read an epistolary book. Plus, we discuss the change in Libby's suspend hold system that has the glass ears and a tizzy and, you know, and actually, I think Mallory and I may disagree on it. So, like, stay tuned for that library talk. Today we solve a reader problem about wrist pain.

[A]

But first, Bria, what are. What are you reading? What are we reading?

[B]

What are. Mallory literally just said to me, I'm reading the new Rachel Harrison. And I said, oh, my God, I am too. Which has only happened one other time.

[A]

Yeah. Weirdly enough, in almost 10 years of doing this show, we've only. We've only been reading the exact same thing at the exact same time. One or two other times.

[B]

What was it?

[A]

I don't remember.

[B]

I think it was the Cassandra Peterson's book.

[A]

Oh. Oh, yeah, the Elvira book. Yeah. Well, it's spooky season. Of course. We're going to be both reading some spooky stuff. Well, Bria, tell us. You say a little bit, I'll say the other. The rest.

[B]

We're both reading the new Rachel Harrison, which is called Play Nice. We are huge fans of Rachel on this show. It was on our most anticipated of the fall episode. And it's a haunted house book. It's a Rachel Harrison haunted house.

[A]

When I found out that she was doing a haunted house book, I. I got so fucking pumped.

[B]

Mallory started sweating.

[A]

Oh, my God. She's just scratching my neck.

[B]

Her eyes were like, I'm hitting myself.

[A]

On the head with a mallet. Like, there's steam coming out of my ears, you know?

[B]

In true Rachel Harrison form, her stories are usually female centric, which I really like, and this one is no different. It is about a family with three sisters. And the mother of these three sisters passes away and leaves this house, where obviously a lot of traumatic things happened in this house, but leaves it to them. And one of the sisters, who's the youngest.

[A]

Yeah, she's the main character. It's important to note. So they. They haven't. Their mom has been estranged from them for, like, 18 years. Like, their mom moved them into this house and was convinced that the house was possessed and haunted at first that she thought it was haunted. Then she thought it was possessed and kind of lost her mind and became an alcoholic and became such a bad mother that she lost custody of her three kids and then kind of just like, lost touch with them. Never like, showed up a couple of times really drunk, and then they never really saw her again. So the older two sisters are like, this lady. We're not. We're not going to her funeral. We don't want anything to do with her. But the main character is the youngest, and she doesn't really remember all of that stuff, so she's kind of curious. She wants to go to the funeral. She wants to go to the house.

[B]

And she sees it as an opportunity also to make some contact because she is in, like, the fashion. She's a fashion influencer. She's like, I'm going to redo this house. And she gets to see. That's as far as I am in the book, actually, right now. I think you may be a little bit farther.

[A]

I think I'm about this. I. I just got to the part where sisters have kind of agreed to, like, all right, let her go. Let her take the house and see what.

[B]

Okay, I've just gotten to the house for. She just got to the house that she snuck off to go to go see it. But it's great so far. It's. I'm very excited to have a new Rachel Harrison book, and I love that it's a haunted house. I like that we're both reading it.

[A]

So it does feel like if you liked Black Sheep, you'll like this because it's, like, very complicated family dynamics, like going back to the place where, you know, you dealt with all this abuse and. And. And bad and. But it's Rachel Harrison. She's one of those authors where I literally was like, I'm gonna read a little bit of this, a little bit more of this before we do the show, because, you know, I'll just. I want to be able to talk about it a little more in depth. And before I knew it, I was like, 20 of the way through. Like, you just. She's such an easy to read authority.

[B]

It also reminded me a little. It reminds me a little bit of Head Full of Ghosts.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Which. Another hall of Famer. So we are reading Play Nice by Rachel Harrison. So we want to take a moment to share some listener feedback. Melissa wrote in to say hello. Longtime listener here. I look forward to listening to the show every Thursday. It truly makes my week. I'm finally writing in because I recently used a reading hack from the show irl earlier this month my mom and I took a trip to Krakow, Poland and we visited Auschwitz and Birkenau. It was a very, very intense 13 hour day that involved waiting in lines for three hours and several hours travel time on a bus. I was reading the Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yoland on my Kindle while waiting in line when it started to rain. Luckily I had a plastic baggie in my tote bag which was the perfect size for my Kindle. I put the baggie over my Kindle and kept reading in the rain. This helped the time in line go faster. Plus I had the added bonus of learning more about the Holocaust from the book. So before starting the official tour, needless to say, it was a very emotional, hard day. But I think being able to read my Kindle in the rain and then on the way back to Krakow helped me process the horrors of visiting these extermination camps. Thank you for exposing me to the low tech reading tip of plastic Baggies. Thanks again for all you do for the bookish community. Like I said before, new episodes of Reading Glasses are one of the highlights of my week. I listen to quite a few podcasts, but Reading Glasses is the only one I support financially because I just love it so much. Male Melissa, we love you. We support this so much. And also this is great.

[B]

I'm glad that the plastic bag is still, still moving going forward.

[A]

This is still one of the best pieces of book tag we've ever tested out on the show. I mean, it's never gonna fail you. It's, it's low tech, but it works.

[B]

Totally works and keeps your Kindle safe. Kimberly wrote in about aging up your reading tastes. When I was in junior high, I ran into this problem. The books I had loved felt boring. The characters were now younger than me, and the fantasy element of kids sailing off without adults and having adventures seemed silly. The librarian at my local branch library stepped in. She identified the genres I liked, then pulled anthologies built around those genres. I rode to the library on my bike, so those massive tomes seemed daunting not only to read, but to get home. The librarian explained that I didn't need to read every story in the books, but I should use them to browse. I should find a title that sounds interesting and start reading and if I didn't like it, to move on to another story. Then I could come back next week with a list of authors stories I enjoyed, and she would help me find novels by that author.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

That's nice. Hot tip so in seventh grade I sought out anthologies that included those authors. I found so many that I enjoy. This works great for mystery and science fiction authors. I would hope other genres also have anthologies. I still do this when I find my reading coming repetitive with the same themes and basic plot. It is also great, great for when you don't have the energy for a long novel. It's great. I think that's such good advice.

[A]

It's a hot book too.

[B]

Fantastic advice.

[A]

It's like it's. Yeah, it's buying a sample pack of of a genre. I love this 100 then Anne wrote in to say hello to share on the topic of aging up your reading taste. I did not have that exact experience, but I did have something similar in college. After taking my last English class, I realized that no one was ever going to assign another book to me and I felt so somehow incomplete. I talked about this with my grandmother who was a librarian and the most well read person I've ever met. She always asked me not only what I was reading, but who wrote it and asked her for recommendations for books that she thought everyone should read. From that point on, every year for Christmas, I got a bag of literature from her as my gift. It was one of those highlights of the holidays for me and I have treasured having those books on my shelves in the years since her passing. Thank you so much for all the work you do for the podcast. You want to read Anne's Wheelhouse?

[B]

Yes. Horror with three exclamation points. Especially if it involves the following Weird things happen in a cabin. Perfect community is not what it seems. Childhood friends reunite as adults and haunted houses should check out the book. Mallory and I are reading memoirs read by the author, especially of actors or comedians. Feminist retellings of myths or classics. Sci fi with strong, smart female characters. Nonfiction about pyramid schemes or cults. Is this just my wheelhouse? Is this me?

[A]

Did I write our wheelhouses together? This is great. And also man that what a lovely grandma. Glasser Grandma for sure.

[B]

So, so thoughtful.

[A]

I love this. All right, 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 before we talk about epistolary novels, we're going to take a quick break. Reading Glasses is sponsored in part this week by Green Chef Bria. There's something about fall. It's the best time of the year. It's hockey season. Spooky season. And it's the most delicious season. It's comfort food season. It is the perfect time to reset, bring healthy habits back into focus. And with Green Chef, which is the number one meal kit for clean eating, you can do just that. Bria, tell us all about Green Chef.

[B]

Well, with Green Chef's new heat and eat meals, enjoy a delicious, wholesome meal in just three minutes. That means you can just pick it up, open it up, it is ready in three minutes. Pop that thing in the microwave. Easy peasy. Go. Their recipes feature fresh, organic and seasonal produce. That means they're getting all your fall stuff. You're getting your, your gourds.

[A]

Gourds, delicious gourds and squash.

[B]

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[A]

Yes. And it's very, it's very annoying that you can't eat trash every day and, and feel good. It's. We hate it.

[B]

It turns out it's easy to do with places like Green Chef.

[A]

Yes, we love Green Chef. They've been a long time sponsor of the show. We love it especially because Bria and the types of people with annoying diets. Both Bria and I have food allergies, stuff we have to avoid. And you would think that that would make it very difficult to find a meal kit service that works for us. With Green Chef, it does not. Doesn't matter what you're looking for. They're going to be able to find you some really delicious options that can be made very quickly and easily. Especially for a divorced dad like myself that hates making food. Make this fall your healthiest yet with Green chef. Head to greenchef.com 50glasses and use code 50glasses to get 50 off your first month and get then 20% off for two months with free shipping. That's code [e-mail] 50glasses glasses.

[C]

Hi, I'm Amber Nash, the voice of Pam Poofy on the groundbreaking FX animated comedy Archer. Remember Archer? I sure don't. That's why I started rephrasing an Archer rewatch podcast on maximumfun.org join me and a bevy of special guests as we discuss every episode of Archer, starting from the very beginning. Archer executive producer Casey Willis and editor Christian Danley will provide insight and fun and help me remember everything I've forgotten about Archer, which is a lot. So join me on rephrasing an Archer rewatch podcast on maximumfun.org, because I can't wait to watch Archer again. For the very first time.

[A]

This week, we're ticking off another box, the penultimate box. If you are keeping up with the reading Glasses challenge this year, this is the penultimate. We only have one more episode to do for this, so we're excited. But this is for the 2025 Reading. Glasses. Glasses. Glasses, Glasses, Glasses. Glasses. Challenge. I think I put too many glasses in there. That's okay.

[B]

No, those are good.

[A]

Lots of. Lots of glasses. Read an epistolary novel. Why did we put this on the challenge? How are we completing it? And most importantly, how can it improve your reading life? First, however, most important thing for some of the glasses. The rules. Rules. Read us the rules.

[B]

Well, okay, epistolary novels. We mean novels.

[A]

Novels.

[B]

Which. So it's got to be a novel.

[A]

I was going to say an epistolary story would be really funny because it would just be one email.

[B]

It's like an email. Yeah, that's just one letter. An email. Not. Not one letter. You can't just read a text message. They are books in the form of correspondence and documents. So that means letters, emails, articles, telegrams. I read one last year, I think it was. That was told in obituaries.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

So there's all sorts of interesting ways that you can do this. A lot. A lot of books that are like journals are a big one as well. It can be a very old backlist book. It can be a new one. It doesn't matter what a genre. And what's fun about epistolary is it does cross genres. Like, it's complete. As a lot of people know, I'm doing Dracula daily right now, which I guess I could have counted, but that's all told through letters and journals, and that's a very old book. And, yeah, there's a lot of ways to complete this challenge. Why did we put it on the list, though, Mallory?

[A]

We put this on there because epistolary novels are one of those things that a lot of people love and they don't really realize it. I think you just. You hit the nail on the head that because it's not particular to one type of genre, it can often be one of those things that you really enjoy Reading, but never really put a name to it. You're just, like. You're very delighted when you read it, and then you kind of forget about it. So we're hoping that this connects the dots for some glassers and encourages folks to find more epistolary books and put it in their wheelhouse, maybe. All right, Sabre, how did you complete this part of the challenge?

[B]

Well, okay, so originally I. I had written down that I did Death of an Author by Nnedi Okorafor, which is, like, half epistolary, because the book that she's writing is in the book. But then there's, like, a twist to it. So, like, it's a strange one to count. So I actually looked through. Here's the thing. You and I both read a lot of Epistlers. This was not hard.

[A]

We both like these kinds of books. Yeah.

[B]

And if it says, like, told in letters, I'm, like, interested. So the next one I did after that, which definitely counts, is the Strange Case of Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker, which is all told through, like, therapist notes. And that one is great. It's one of my favorite books of the year so far. I loved it, and I just. Well, we can get into why we like these books, but I think this is, for better or for worse, an easy one for us to check off. What? What did you do?

[A]

So the funny thing is I was writing this episode and I panicked because I hadn't thought about this part of the challenge in a while until I realized that the reason why I haven't thought about it is because I've read, like, five of these books so far this year.

[B]

Yeah, we pick these. We pick these up. Yeah.

[A]

I was looking at my cawpile, and I was like, oh, I already have a bunch of epistolary novels done. But the one I'm going to talk about probably going to be one of my favorite books of the year. It's a Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathral. If you listen to the show, you know, I adore this duology. I love these books so much. It's just, like, a fun, unique book. And it's extra fun from an epistolary standpoint because it's two sets of correspondence. So it's not just, like, two people writing to each other or, like, one person's diary. It's two sets of correspondence between both sets of main characters. So it moves the plot along really quickly. You get lots of emails and letters and journal entries from four characters. It's like. It's epistolary to the max. It's ultra epistolary. So why do we think this can improve people's reading lives? How does, how does this work from an improvement standpoint?

[B]

Well, I'm. We. I think we've both suggested them for slump busters. Like, if you're having trouble getting through books, this is, this is good. And I think you can speak to this a little bit more. But the medium, the way they're written, I think they can feel really different from just picking up a normal novel.

[A]

Yeah, it's like, because you're not just reading paragraph after paragraph. You're all of a sudden, you're reading texts, you're reading emails, you're reading letters, you're reading diary entries. It's just like a good way to kind of grab your attention, which has been. It's really fun. For me, the novel that I'm handing in, hopefully this month, is partly epistolary. And it's been really fun to write because I'm like, oh, yeah, I get to jump into first person. I get to jump into a different thing. And it feels the same way when I'm reading. I. You know what? I think it is, too. We love a manageable chunk. Epistolary is the ultimate manageable chunk book.

[B]

Yeah, it's like a journal entry. It's not going to be 100 pages of a chapter, you know, like, it's going to be a small.

[A]

I just realized that right now in the moment, it's a man and it's just a manageable chunk book.

[B]

It's true. I will say for me also, it's easy. It's easier that, like, they just come across. I think, like, because things are told in texts or they're told in letters, it's easier for me to follow when I'm feeling overwhelmed, when I have a lot going on. And I. I think especially, like, when it's told in emails, when it's told in letters, because, like, all we do is read email.

[A]

I know.

[B]

So, like, it's kind of like the same as every brain's like, Gmail account. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's just a little bit easier. It's more approachable. So I think, like, it's always something people should keep an eye on, especially if they're, like, going through. Through something. There's some really good, like, novellas told through letters or in various forms like Epistolary that I love and they really like. To me, I think about them as, like, really relaxing books to read because I just. I'm like, all right, I can zip through this thing. It'll be done and easy to read.

[A]

Yeah. And also I think for me, one, if you're a person that loves an interesting structure, if that's like one of your doorways, I mean epistolary books are amazing especially because you can have, you can have them mixed into other books that like, you can do a lot of fun stuff structurally with them, but also they move. I feel like epistolary books do well with plot because no one's going to sit down and write in their journal entry about how they stared at a wall for 15 hours. It's normally like, hey, I'm sitting down after this thing happened. It really, I'm.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You won't believe what happened today. Like they're not like if you observing.

[A]

If you were one of those people that is doing Dracula daily right now we are in a big action packed part of Dracula Daily. Although we haven't gotten an email for, for a couple of days. Some worried about Mina, worried about Ms. My dear friend Ms. Mina Harker. But it's, it's very much like characters sitting down being like, oh my God, you wouldn't believe what happened. And like for as a plot reader it really, really moves things along. So we're both really enjoying this is something that we love and I'm excited to hear what the glasses are doing for this and if they're loving it or maybe and maybe finding something a type of book that they love in the process. So you can send your thoughts to reading glasses podcast gmail.com. before we talk about the big change with Libby holds, we're going to take a quick break.

[D]

Amber Celeste Nash, welcome to the afterlife.

[C]

Oh snap.

[D]

I have before me the record of all your worldly achievements. The voice of Pam Poofy on Archer. I must say we're all big fans of yours up here.

[C]

Great swing. Open those pearly gates, you big winged son of a bitch.

[D]

Not so fast. It says here that you never hosted your own podcast.

[C]

I did some other cool stuff, but no, I never got around to making a podcast.

[D]

You are hereby sentenced to relive your entire life. Only this time host a damn podcast.

[C]

Okay, that's why we should do an Archer rewatch podcast. We should call it rephrasing and we could even do it with maximum fun dot org.

[B]

Let's just do the podcast for normal reasons.

[C]

Okay, grandma.

[A]

Time to test out some book tech. Advances in bookish technology. This week we're addressing a glasser wide book tech concern. Libby has changed the way their suspend hold system works. It's been a big deal in the book community. So previously you could delay a hold that on a book for days, weeks, months from, I think it was from seven to 180 days. A lot of folks use this when multiple books came in at once. A lot of folks use this when you're on vacation. Whatever it is, you're busy now, they have changed it. So when you suspend a hold, it stays suspended until you manually go in and consciously decide to unsuspend it. You won't be bumped down to the bottom of the wait list. You're going to resume the place you were before. But it doesn't automatically just kick in after a certain amount of days. You have to do it. So I looked it up. Representative from Overdrive said Overdrive has updated Libby's hold's management system in response to librarian feedback about the impact of long wait times, budget constraints and unclaimed holds. The new hold suspension system is designed to create a fairer and more efficient experience for both libraries and readers. So overdrive, being Libby's parent company, they said the new hold suspension system ensures reader ensures readers only receive titles when they're ready, while also moving copies more efficiently through waitlists. This helps circulate unclaimed holds and shortens wait times for everyone and improving circulation of titles. When a hold is suspended, users continue to advance in the wait list when they reach the first position. They will receive the next available copy once their hold is unsuspended. Okay, a lot of glasses are pretty upset about this. The biggest complaint folks are saying is they're just not going to remember to unsuspend a hold.

[B]

Yeah, this, I. Listen, this is a briogram problem. I can hardly remember to, like, brush my teeth at night. You think I'm gonna remember that unsuspended hold? Like, no way am I running. Remember that? Like, I do go look. I'm like, oh my God, look how many things? Because I have suspended a bunch. And I'm like, I didn't even remember they were on there. I'm like, what is this book anyway? Yeah, okay.

[A]

A lot of, like, glasser librarians are saying that this is an improvement, that wait times are going to be shorter. You want to. So I looked in the discord and someone had posted a screenshot from a librarian on Reddit. Bria, you want to read what this librarian said?

[B]

They said, trust me when I say that every librarian in the sub has watched copies bouncing between deliver later people for weeks on end without being checked. Out. I watched five copies of Sunrise on the reaping, which it was high on my holds not get checked out because of the top five. People kept waiting three days to choose Deliver a week later, and it went to the next person who did the same. And then it went back to that first person who chose deliver later. Again, this update to the system helps us to actually move the wait list and put the onus on you, the user, to unsuspend it when you actually want it. You will stay in the queue and move up in the line as normal. Most libraries have the same option with their physical holds. Ours is called freezing holds. That works the exact same way. These copies are very, very expensive. And we need them to check out, not stay in limbo.

[A]

All right, so personally, as readers, what do we think of this? Bria, I know that you are also not a fan.

[B]

Okay, look, I get. I look like, do I get it? I'm not. I'm not so fussy. I understand that the system, it probably works better for the system. But okay, I get what they're saying. And like, I. Librarians, don't come at me, okay? Because I support you. Yes, I support the library. I get it. It's better as a system as a whole. But for those of us who rely on the library to make decisions for us, not always good. I can't say that's what I should be doing with my life. I am having personally a lot of trouble with this. It came to me as a big shock the day it happened. And I was like, oh, no. And also because there's this problem where I start going like, well, am I ready now? And it's like an existential crisis every time. I'm like, I just. What do I do? And like, it's not like you unsuspend the book and you get it. It takes a couple days still. It's not like. Because I just unsuspended two books at the same time, and I actually don't know when they're coming. One came the next day. I'm still waiting on the other one. And that was maybe three or four days ago. So it's. It's not like it's coming in a week, it's coming in two days. I don't really know. I get what they're saying. It's about the decision making part for me, which I assume most people are not like me and letting the library decide what they.

[A]

I actually disagree. I think a lot of glasses are in the same boat.

[B]

Well, maybe the glass. Weird, specific Breed.

[A]

We are very specific.

[B]

We have made a lot of decisions. I just. I have decision fatigue every day. So I don't want to decide. I already made the decision when I put it on hold. I know I want to read it at some point. You tell me when it's around. I get the old system was probably very frustrating to watch from the inside, but those of us like, watching those books languish was probably really frustrating. Especially if you're like, I want to read Sunrise on the reaping. I see that it's bouncing around and I can't get it. Yeah, that would be really annoying. We're not seeing that over here. So we don't care. We're just like sunrise on the reaping. I guess I'll get that next year sometime. Or like, I mean, for that book. I bought it because I just was like, I. I do really want to read that. I don't feel like I'm getting my books particularly faster, but that is so subjective. So definitely I actually. About that.

[A]

You do?

[B]

Okay, I. You know what? Here's the thing. I don't. The problem is I don't care. And that. So I am not the audience that is going to care about this change. Because I'm like, I'm fine waiting. There's 20 other books I want to read first. I'll just wait 20 weeks. I'll wait six months. Like, I will just sit on hold. If it's not. If it's a super priority book, I'm gonna buy it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

If it's not, I'll wait six months. Like, that's just part of the library.

[A]

It seems like for a lot of.

[B]

That I've gotten used to it seems.

[A]

Like for a lot of glasses, they're using their holds list almost as a tbr. Like they're banking on waiting a long time for it.

[B]

That's me too. I'm also banking on waiting. I. I always max out my holds. They're always at the very max. And then when things arrive, that's when I read it. So it's sort of that. So the way. Yeah. Look, I. I feel like this is probably better for the community.

[A]

It's better for me. A community moment where we all mourn the loss of the delayed hole. Yes.

[B]

And sometimes what I like as an individual is not better for the community. And that is something I will 100 recognize and say that I still wish the library would just make this decision for. Maybe they could offer that as a.

[A]

As a.

[B]

Maybe they should offer that. And like, bria just read this book, you know, that's what I really want it to do. Because, yeah, I don't know. I have a bunch of books suspended right now and I don't know when I'll actually unsuspend them because it's too scary to be like, oh, I guess I have to read this tomorrow. I don't know. So I hope I'm speaking. I'm trying to speak for myself, but also for the. No, I think it is, but Whereas we understand we're bitching, but we do understand why it might make more sense to do it this way, I think. But unhappy, for sure.

[A]

I'm unhappy. I think it is important. I think bitching is a very important thing that a lot of us do. Sometimes you do with your friends, your co workers. I think bitching is an important function of society to be like, yep, this thing is probably the better way to go, but it is annoying. And I need to get that annoyance out.

[B]

Sure. And that's. I have to understand, like, look, if they opened a butcher shop down the street from me, I'd be like, this is annoying. And not for me because I don't eat meat. But also, I understand that people in the community probably want that. So, like, I can't really, like, fight that. As a community member of the library, I understand it especially because of what that person wrote.

[D]

If it is.

[B]

If it does indeed mean faster, lower wait times, I think that would be the big thing. And you find that you are getting lower wait times.

[A]

Yes. So I do agree. I think I'm in the same boat as you and a lot of glasses. I'm gonna miss it. I already kind of miss it. But I did have to have a little heart to heart with myself. I had to look in the mirror, my Kobo. And I had to say, I had to start. I said to start with the man in the mirror. And I had to make a change because I'm one of those people. I'm one of those people that would delay for seven days. Would delay for.

[B]

I.

[A]

And the thing is, I would kick it down the road for a while. I have to admit it. I'm just one of those people. I. I mean, there's been a numerous occasions where I have delayed for seven days, like four times in a row. And.

[B]

But wait, can I just ask a question, a point of order here? Like, so, okay, I pressed the delay for seven days thing. Doesn't it go to the next person?

[A]

That's a question I have that I.

[B]

Haven'T been able to I think it went to the next person.

[A]

I. I thought that's where the skip the lines copies came from.

[B]

Maybe, but I think it goes to the next person. Because sometimes your seven days is up and you don't get it right away.

[A]

Yeah. So I.

[B]

Then I think it, oh, skip the line.

[A]

I wonder if that's where the quick skip. Skip the line. Like, oh, this person delayed for seven days.

[B]

Which I think those are great.

[A]

Other person can get this book for seven days, But I don't know. Some. I haven't been able to quite find an answer to that. So. Librarian glasses, please write in this did what the d. This happened. It forced me to look at my holds list and be like, what do I actually want to read here? Because there's been a couple of times, and by a couple, I mean a lot, where I would put a book on hold and then forget why I put it on hold, kind of lose interest in it, and then kind of kick it down the road and eventually, like, not even read it. So this forced me to sit down and look at my holds list and be like, what do I actually want to read? Okay. Everything that I actually want to read in the near. Within the next month or two, I'm going to put on hold. And I'm not gonna suspend any of my holds. I'm just gonna let them go because it forces people to actually really mindfully check the book out, which I trust the librarians. I think it is a good thing. It is annoying me a lot at first, but I think it is gonna help me in the long run because we've all had that moment where you, like, you put a bunch of books on hold, and then you forget about them, and they start coming in and it doesn't feel exciting. It feels stressful. So you're delaying the hold to mitigate that stress when you really should just, look, put it away.

[B]

We are all guilty of delay of kicking it down. We are kicking that book so far. And there are times where I'm like, wow, I'm really never gonna read this book. And I have suspended this whole.

[A]

And it makes you feel like a terrible person. So.

[B]

Yeah. Or I don't even look at it because I'm not looking at the library page every day. I'm just not looking at it every day. So there's definitely days where I'm waiting, like, three days, and then it is like, hey, you didn't do anything. So now we have to just let it go all together.

[A]

You know why I am looking at Libby every day? Is because I'm off of social media and my brain wants something to look at.

[B]

So instead of looking at it, I'll just organize.

[A]

Instead of opening Instagram, I'm like, oh, let's see what's going on with Libby. That's so funny.

[B]

That's so funny. It's so.

[A]

Because I'm really. I'm usually hesitant when a big company like this makes a change because it's usually motivated by money. But if this is librarian approved, I can get behind it. Is it going to take a while to get used to it? Yes. Is it going to, I think, actually improve my reading life in the long run by getting rid of that. Oh, my God. All these holds came in at once. Stress. I put too many books on hold and I forgot why I even wanted to read them. I think that's going to help it, but it's gonna. It's some growing pains. We're all. We all miss it. Rip Delay hold system. You were a real one. Pour one out for the delay hold system.

[B]

You were. You were doing what I. You were making all my choices for me. I didn't have to think about it. Now I have to really make a lot of choices.

[A]

Yeah. We gotta do things a little more mindfully.

[B]

We'll come around. We'll come. We're. We can all change, you know, we can all change. We can all grow. We may hate it along the way, but at the end of the day, we will learn to live with it. Yeah, you.

[A]

Yep, I get it. But. So raise a glass tonight for the. For the Libby hold system. But ultimately, we librarians, we trust you, and we want to do what's best for you and for the libraries and for other readers. And we're gonna put on our big glasser pants, which I think are just big sweatpants that are comfy for reading in.

[B]

And more than just big glasses.

[A]

Big glasses. Put on your big glasses and accept that this is the best, best way to do it. All right, so if you have book tech questions or maybe some answers about what's going on with the skip the line copies, please let us know. Send it to reading glasses podcast gmail.com. now let's solve a bookish problem from one of our listeners. Stephanie writes in to say. Hi, Brian, Mallory, I have a problem and I need your sage wisdom. I have several honkers that I am soon to read. 1 When the moon Hatched is now out in paperback and was so, so pretty I had to buy it. I prepped, spine trained. This bad boy found my book Light and got out my trusty book bow reading pillow. Thanks for reviewing that book tech. It is life changing. Anyhow, I have this gorgeous honker and I also have it on Kindle. I have horrible arthritis. Plus carrying my book around to places isn't exactly easy. Do I just read Kindle and admire my copy from afar? Do I try to sync my brain and switch between. Do I make this the house book? What do I do? Not a Sarah, but a Stephanie. Bria, what do you think Stephanie should do?

[B]

Stephanie, Maybe our second tier of highest.

[A]

A lot of Stephanie's, a lot of Stephanie's, a lot of Mackenzie's.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. I think switching mediums is not a bad idea. I do this. This is not the same. But I do this between audio and Kindle all the time. And I find that I'm drawn to certain mediums I can get. I'm gonna talk about that a little bit in the Glasser Book Club because I. Oh yeah. Was reading the book and then I switched to audio and I actually liked the audio better anyway. But I think physical reading obviously is a bit different than what I'm talking about. But I think there's advantages of having both and doing both. And there is no need to carry around a honker if you got that thing on Kindle.

[A]

That's why we made Kindles.

[B]

I didn't make a Kindle, but someone made a Kindle.

[A]

Imagine the reading glasses branded E reader. Someone some call us reach out partner with us. This would be so cool.

[B]

We would love it.

[A]

Our reading glasses. Purple E reader.

[B]

I would be so cute. That's a great idea. And it actually just comes with like mike chin books on.

[A]

It has the word. It has the name Sarah already engraved in it. You just choose of whether or not you have an age and it.

[B]

And it gives you a free library card. I would kobo call us. I just. The one thing I'd be careful about is just like a little advice because I do this is always try to end at a chapter because I often like fall asleep in the middle of a chapter or whatever. But if you know where you're at the end of a chapter, it's easy to kind of pick up the other one in the different medium. So like if you're reading at home on the honker, finish your chapter so that you know where to start.

[A]

I'm gonna start saying that when I'm. When I'm reading. Like, where's Mallory? Oh, she's on the hunker right now.

[B]

Can't be bothered while you're on the honker. What's your advice?

[A]

First, I want to say first, I get this. When your body, you get older and your body changes, it can be really difficult to accept that you need to start accommodating it, especially when it's something that you love doing and have loved doing for a really long time. But if reading a big physical book is causing you actual literal pain, it's time to switch. It's time to start. Start romancing that E reader. If you want to keep a display shelf of your favorites and like fancy special edition form, I think that's a really fun idea. But buy it as an ebook first. And if you love it, splurge on the nice print edition. It's really not worth it to cause yourself pain or even annoyance. I will tell a quick story. Everyone knows I love spooky stuff. I spent a lot of money on tickets for me and HWB to go to this like, like interactive haunted house experience thing. I spent all this money on these tickets. It was interactive. And I found, I realized instantly the first, the first floor we went to, the guide was calling out instructions and I couldn't hear what he was saying. And it wasn't so much that I was, I mean, I was like scared because we're in a haunted house. But like I started to panic because I couldn't hear what was going on and he was shouting instructions at us and I couldn't hear. Like, I just. And I didn't want to have hwb like managing me the whole time and like relaying everything to me. I just didn't want to like, put that on him. So I, I like went to the spooky person on the side and I was like, hey, can you let me out of here? Because I just, I. And I need to accept I can't do stuff like that. Like, I'm losing my hearing. There's stuff that I can't do anymore. It's extremely frustrating to me. But I don't. Like, I just have to accept it. And like, if you can't, it hurts. Like it. Maybe there's a magical cure will happen someday for my hearing and for this for arthritis. But until that happens, you have to accept that, like it hurts to, to read a big book. Maybe you can read a paperback or a novella or something. But like, take care of yourself. Prioritize caring for yourself. And it's time to time to get an E reader. Those are the kinds of things that there's so many book tech things we've talked about on the show that make it like feel really nice and fun and luxurious. Those automatic page turners. We really like those pillow book stands. Get some. If it helps you make the switch and makes it like it sounds like.

[B]

She already has one of those pillows.

[A]

I mean the ones that like, they're like. It's like a bowl for snacks and.

[B]

Then there's like a stand and it.

[A]

Holds the E reader. I know people love those. We haven't tested those out on the show. We should do it, but I think you should just. It's not worth. It's not worth the actual pain. It just isn't. So get. Just read that ebook and make a. Make a fancy display shelf. You'll be like a hunter. You'll have like a trophy shelf of all of your favorites.

[B]

Yeah, I like that.

[A]

That's nice. So if you want to solve your reader problem, you can send it to reading glassespodcastmail. As always, want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Discord server and our Facebook group. Remember folks, you can buy all kinds of fun Void Merch in our Void Merch. Is it. Should we just call it Void Merch as a shorthand as opposed to what? Just regular merch.

[B]

The.

[A]

Because it's the Void. Because it's. It's at the Void Merch store. It's Void Merch merch for your voids. But there's all kinds of fun reading glasses stuff in there. And the best part, last year we did a horror themed drop and all that stuff still available. You can get an awesome sweatshirt that says Horror Reader on it. You can get really cool, spooky bookish things and it goes to support the show. So check out a link in the show notes and folks, we are 85 reviews away from 2000 on Apple Podcasts. When that happens, Bri and I are going to drop our silly ama. You folks have been sending in some really silly questions that I have been relaying to Bria and they've been making it very, very silly.

[B]

So silly, y'. All. I don't have a favorite toe, but I have a least favorite one and.

[A]

We'Ll discuss if you want us to drop that episode. Get on Apple Podcasts and review the show. Give us a five star rating or a nice little review. We've been seeing the ones that are coming in and they're so lovely. They've been making us so happy. It is so great for us. This is not just an ego thing. It really helps the show. You can email us at reading glasses podcast gmail.com find us on Instagram at Reading Glasses Podcast. Thanks for listening and thanks for reading.

[B]

Thanks for reading. Maximum Fun.

[A]

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