Reading Glasses – Ep 442: Yearly Reading Wrap-Up + 2026 Challenge Reveal!
Hosts: Brea Grant & Mallory O’Meara
Date: December 18, 2025
Episode Overview
In this highly anticipated annual episode, Brea and Mallory dive into their 2025 Reading Challenge wrap-up, reflecting on reading habits, book trends, and personal growth in their literary lives. After exchanging favorite reads and listener feedback, they dissect each challenge category and activity from the past year, sharing wins and lessons learned. They close with the much-awaited reveal of the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge, offering a blend of creative prompts for book lovers. The tone is warm, witty, and unafraid to get cozy and nerdy about all things books.
Opening Banter: How Is 2025 Already Over?
Timestamps: 00:07–01:13
- The hosts contemplate how fast the year has gone.
- “Year of our Lord being Dolly Parton, of course. Obviously.” – Mallory (00:25)
- “How is the year over?” – Bria (00:29)
- Promises of a wrap-up and a new challenge reveal.
Current Reads
Timestamps: 01:13–04:41
Bria’s Pick: Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel
- Surreal literary fairy tale about a woman evicted from NYC, living in a house shaped like a boot in Texas.
- “It’s a house that looks like a boot.” – Bria (02:14)
- “Like the little old lady who lived in a shoe.” – Mallory (02:16)
- Noted for: great settings, shoes, and fairy tale elements.
Mallory’s Pick: The Unveiling by Quan Barry
- Antarctic cruise horror novel, “first horror book since We Ride Upon Sticks.”
- “She’s the only black person there on the whole cruise, which she does not feel great about, obviously.” – Mallory (03:12)
- Warnings for format: “There’s no f***ing chapters in this book…this book is just one big chunk.” (03:55)
- The Unveiling praised for atmosphere and winter vibes.
Listener Feedback
Timestamps: 04:42–08:56
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International Libby Access Update: Sarah (France) found success using a London borough library after many failed attempts elsewhere.
- “Boots on the ground, glasses on the ground, info from other countries.” – Mallory (05:35)
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Libby as Social Media Substitute: Daniel shares that reading magazines in the Libby app helped him quit Instagram.
- “This is a hot book tip.” – Bria (06:16)
- Daniel recommends Frankie (Australia) and Popeye (Japan).
2025 Reading Challenge Wrap-up
Timestamps: 12:14–21:38
Challenge Entry & Prizes
- Submit completed challenge forms by Jan 4th for a chance to win a private Zoom with the hosts and other winners.
- “We’re gonna talk about our 2026 reading goals and tracking and maybe give out some secret insider information…” – Mallory (12:35)
Reflections on Book Trends in 2025
- Brea: Surge in smut, romance, and apocalyptic SF. Sci-fi and apocalypse themes are merging with literary fiction. Noted return of 2000s nostalgia.
- Mallory: Cozy and “romantasy” genres have normalized. Fairy books aren't a novelty now—they “have their own parking space.”
- “The fairies have settled in. The fairies have their own parking space. Like, they're just—they work here now.” – Mallory (15:22)
- Notable lack of “big retellings” this year and rising theme of “unhinged women.”
- “So many women are unhinged.” – Bria (16:24)
- Glasser tastes: “genre fiction that’s queer and diverse, and literary fiction that's a little bit weird.”
2025 Challenge Categories: What They Read & Learned
Timestamps: 16:44–21:38
1. Read a "Honker" (500+ pages)
- Bria: Iron Flame — “It is hard for me. This was a challenge. Indeed, a challenge.”
- Mallory: Several romantasy honkers. “I have had a lot of Honker hesitancy…pushing myself early in the year kind of cured some of that reluctance.”
2. Oldest Book on TBR
- Mallory: Cleansed multiple old books.
- “I feel like the end of Shawshank Redemption, except instead of rain coming down, it’s pages and ink.” (18:18)
- Bria: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik.
3. Epistolary Novel
- Both read multiple titles; highlighted Karen Thompson Walker’s Strange Case of Jano.
- “Glad we did this because… I really do like an epistolary novel.” – Mallory (19:33)
4. Science Book
- Mallory: Multiple reads, including a new Mary Roach.
- Bria: Everything (unspecified), highlighted the importance of learning from science books.
5. Award-Winning Book by a Person of Color
- Bria: Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang – “surreal, weird body horror, beauty industry stuff.”
- Mallory: Nickel Boys – “Happy to be like, it's okay, Mallory, you can read this now.”
Activity Portion Recap
Timestamps: 24:48–31:38
1. Pick a Book by Title Alone
- Both picked for each other.
- Bria: Spirit Collection of Thornhall – “I actually don’t know if I would have picked this by the title.”
- Mallory: Read multiple, noting the challenge of not already knowing about books: “It’s hard to pick something kind of sight unseen for me.”
2. Read a Book Slowly (over 1–2 months)
- Both did Dracula Daily newsletter.
- “It was very interesting to experience Dracula in real time because you’re like, oh, this story took so long.” – Mallory (26:47)
- “There were so many moments where I was like, I cannot believe we're still talking about this.” – Bria (27:07)
3. Subscribe to a Library Newsletter
- Bria: Libby’s newsletter (already had LA Public Library one).
- Mallory: Burbank Library newsletter. “It is worth it. Extra events, extra recommendations…”
4. Make a Top 10 Books List
- “It’s always fun doing this every year with you, Mallory.” – Bria (29:31)
- Both enjoy annual self-assessment and discovering reading patterns.
5. Two-Person Book Club
- Bria: Did with her mom, read LA nonfiction together.
- Mallory: “This is my favorite kind of book club…” Prefers deep dives with just one other person.
Reading Life Revelations
Timestamps: 31:39–34:04
- Bria: Book portion “dictated” and invigorated her reading, especially during a reading rut. Especially enjoyed the two-person book club.
- Mallory: “Honker” broke her resistance to long books. Also loved two-person book clubs for manageable, meaningful discussion.
THE 2026 READING GLASSES CHALLENGE REVEALED!
Timestamps: 34:04–38:21
Books
- A currently banned book by an author who is still alive.
- “We’re not celebrating banned books this year by reading Catcher in the Rye folks.” – Mallory (34:17)
- A book in a genre or subgenre you’ve never tried.
- A queer norm book.
- Give an author a second chance.
- Book set in a hotel or motel.
Activities
- Themed snack or drink with a book.
- “We've done immersive reading of like, listen to an ambiance or like a, like an oral experience. We have never done a food or drink immersive thing…” – Mallory (35:25)
- Try a reading app or gadget.
- Update your reading “wheelhouse.”
- Participate in a readathon.
- Thank a librarian.
- “Librarians are out there…on the front lines of a lot of terrible shit.” – Mallory (37:10)
- “It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Can truly be as simple as…‘Hey, I really appreciate the work that you do.’” – Mallory (37:30)
Logistics
- Categories and prompts will be in show notes and posted on social media.
- Submit 2025 challenge entries by January 4th.
- “I’m pumped about this challenge this year for 2026.” – Mallory (38:14)
Final Thanks & Reflections
Timestamps: 38:21–40:25
- Gratitude for listeners, members, and the community.
- “I love this community. I love being a part of it. I love seeing what you're all reading. I love getting – unless it’s about musicals – I love getting feedback from you.” – Mallory (39:19)
- Celebrating 2,000 Apple Podcast reviews, promising a silly AMA bonus episode.
Notable Quotes
- “The fairies have settled in. The fairies have their own parking space. Like, they're just—they work here now.” – Mallory, on “romantasy” becoming a staple (15:22)
- “So many women are unhinged.” – Bria (16:24)
- “Boots on the ground, glasses on the ground, info from other countries.” – Mallory, on international Libby tips (05:35)
Essential Timestamps
- 00:07 – Episode intro and year recap begins
- 01:13 – Current reads segment
- 04:42 – Listener feedback: Libby international and magazine tips
- 12:14 – Wrap-up/reflection segment begins
- 16:44 – 2025 challenge breakdown (book categories)
- 24:48 – Activity challenge portion recap
- 31:39 – Reflections on what improved their reading lives
- 34:04 – 2026 Challenge announcement
- 38:21 – Closing thoughts, thanks, and recognition
Tone & Vibe
Genuine, joyful, often irreverent—full of camaraderie and readerly deep-diving. The hosts blend practical advice with humor, pop culture references, and personal admissions about reading struggles and triumphs. The result is a welcoming, mentorship-driven space for book lovers of all stripes.
For full challenge details and to participate, consult the episode show notes or Reading Glasses’ Instagram. And as always—thanks for reading, glasses!