Ep 443 - 2026 New Year’s Reader Resolutions!

Summary

Reading Glasses Ep 443 – 2026 New Year’s Reader Resolutions!

January 1, 2026 | Hosts: Brea Grant & Mallory O’Meara

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Episode Overview

In this energetic and relatable episode, Brea and Mallory toast the arrival of 2026 by reviewing last year’s reader resolutions, candidly reflecting on their reading lives in 2025, and setting fresh reading goals for the year ahead. The duo also tackles a listener question about falling asleep while reading (a common book nerd struggle!) and offers both encouragement and practical advice. The tone is friendly, honest, and filled with signature “Reading Glasses” humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Are You Reading? [01:02–04:22]

• Brea’s Current Read:

  • Pet by Catherine Chidgey ("chidgy, not chai chi") – A mystery/thriller set in New Zealand that explores competitive schoolgirl dynamics and teacher obsession, compared to Picnic at Hanging Rock.
  • Quote [02:06]:
    “Right now it's about a young girl in New Zealand who is really drawn to her teacher … If you get to be her, like, teacher's pet, all the girls are jealous of you. … It's compared to Picnic at Hanging Rock.”

• Mallory’s Current Read:

  • The Wolf King by Lauren Paltryman – A “werewolf romantasy” with court intrigue and forbidden attraction between a kidnapped human princess and her hunky captor.
  • Quote [03:37]:
    "I want to read some werewolves. Smut. ... There’s like a little bit of, like, court intrigue... it’s just what my end of the year brain needs.”

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2. Listener Feedback & Reading Tips [04:30–07:46]

• Immersive Reading Mishaps:

  • Dana’s story about her cat water-damaging Nothing but the Rain, oddly deepening her immersion in the book’s watery themes.
    • Mallory [04:53]: “Reading my water-damaged copy made me feel like I was holding the main character’s actual journal… living in this bleak, wet world.”
    • Brea: “Incredible!”

• Successful Book Recommendations:

  • Paris’s delight with The Adventures of Amina al-Sarafi by Shannon Chakraborty: “I was shook. This was the very best book I read in a long time… validating and uplifting for me, a mother and a woman approaching her 40s…” [05:49]
    • Mallory: “Oh wow.”

• Quitting Books Rule:

  • Listener Jessica shares the “100 minus your age” pages rule for DNFing books.
    • Brea: “So 66 for me and 65—no, wait… 56 for me.”
    • Mallory: “We’re book podcasters, not mathematicians.”

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3. 2025 Reading Resolution Recap [09:33–16:57]

• Mallory & Brea Report Card:
  • Brea:
    • Tracked reading using her CAW spreadsheet [10:03]
    • Almost finished “3 professional books” goal [10:29]
    • Completed Reading Glasses Challenge
    • Dropped the failed “graphic novel club” resolution [13:39]
  • Mallory:
    • Hit the goal of “10 books a month” (“I basically hit it. ... That’s a lot of books, and I’m really happy about it.” [10:15])
    • Dramatically increased audiobook listening ("I did like 20 plus really" [11:04])
    • Read outside the house more, mostly at parks and bars, not her original goal of reading on the patio (thanks to “the horror movie dog” next door!). [12:41]
    • Dropped “go to more author events” due to her own busy book tour schedule. [14:36]

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4. Reflecting on 2025’s Reading Life [15:09–17:14]

• Brea: “I’ve had a lot of trouble concentrating over the last few months… but what I’ve been trying to do is get as far as I can in a book, switch it to audio, and finish it that way while I’m hiking.” [15:19]
• Mallory: “Honestly? Fudging great. … Because I’m comparing it to 2024, which I was grieving one of my best friends … my reading life was in the toilet all of 2024. So this year, comparatively, it was feeling great.” [16:57]

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5. Setting 2026 Reader Resolutions [19:00–24:33]

Hosts’ 2026 Reading Goals:

Brea:

• Complete the Reading Glasses Challenge [19:05]
• Read three books related to her profession (“Every time I read a book that's like, ‘here's how to direct a movie’ … I always learn something.” [21:43])
• Read one graphic novel per month ("I'm gonna do 12 graphic novels next year. ... I was not excited about the new year, now I am." [23:43])

Mallory:

• 10 books per month ("I'm re-upping my 10 books a month thing." [20:06])
• More audiobook walks ("I got more audiobooks into my reading life in 2025, and this year I want to do more audiobook walks." [21:47])
• Read more from her physical TBR pile (“…It was so fun going through it last year for the challenge… I want to get my way through it a little more and make space.” [23:50])

Resolution-Setting Wisdom

• “We do work really hard to set goals for the people that we are, not the people that we wish we would be. … It can give you that just little boost.” – Mallory [19:34]
• “If you are the kind of person that this stuff stresses you out, just don’t do it.” – Mallory [21:09]

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6. Non-Bookish Resolutions [24:34–26:31]

• Brea: Wants to do a pull-up (“I have not achieved [it], but I’m so much closer than I was… This year I learned magic, as you know.” [24:42]), and usually picks one self-improvement project per year.
• Mallory: As a newly single Angeleno, aims to explore LA’s museums, bars, and theaters solo or with friends to rekindle her love for the city: “I really want to wring every last drop out of it.” [26:16]
• [Lighthearted moment] “Werewolves of Los Angeles—are you listening?” – Brea [25:54]

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7. Solving a Bookish Problem: Reading Makes Me Sleepy! [27:47–32:01]

Listener Hannah: Develops a “Pavlovian response” to start nodding off within 10 minutes of reading—regardless of time or format.

Advice from the Hosts:

• Brea (“The sleepiest woman who’s ever lived”):

  • Don’t get cozy: No lying down, no blankets [28:10]
  • Read in public spaces (coffee shops, parks) or under bright light [28:10]
  • Snack on sour candy or “hot tamales” to stay alert [28:21]
  • See naps as a feature, not a bug: “Maybe you need a little nap. … Maybe you’re a sleepy person!” [28:38]

• Mallory (noted insomniac):

  • Try reading different genres at different times (“Maybe save nonfiction for bed… and thrillers for the couch” to retrain your Pavlovian response) [31:11]
  • Both agree: “Don’t make reading comfortable” [31:52]

• Quote:
  “I am a sleepy person. I don’t care what time of day. If I sit somewhere for too long, I’m asleep.” – Brea [27:47]

Final Encouragement:
Mallory: “Give yourself some grace… It is okay to read a little bit, fall asleep for a bit, get back up, read a bit more.” [30:13]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “We take about…what is it on the Statue of Liberty? Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled readers.” – Mallory [00:32]
• “We're book podcasters. We are not mathematicians.” – Brea [06:24]
• “Honestly? Fudging great.” – Mallory on her 2025 reading life [16:57]
• “If you are the kind of person that this stuff stresses you out, just don’t do it.” – Mallory [21:09]
• “Werewolves of Los Angeles—are you listening?” – Brea [25:54]

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Timestamps Breakdown

• [01:02] – Brea is reading Pet
• [03:33] – Mallory is reading The Wolf King
• [04:30] – Listener feedback (water-damaged books, book recs for moms)
• [06:14] – The “100 minus your age” rule
• [09:33] – Reviewing 2025 resolutions
• [15:09] – How did your reading life feel?
• [19:00] – Setting 2026 resolutions
• [23:43] – Adding a graphic novel goal
• [24:34] – Non-bookish resolutions: learning magic, getting stronger, dating in LA
• [27:47] – Solving the “reading makes me sleepy” problem

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Conclusion

This episode is a celebration of progress, self-forgiveness, and practical optimism. Mallory and Brea urge listeners to set fun, achievable reading goals tailored to their real lives and habits. They commiserate about occasional reading slumps, offer gentle suggestions for sleepy readers, and share personal quirks and victories—from learning magic tricks to taking themselves on “friend dates” in LA. Listeners are encouraged to share their own 2026 reading resolutions and trust that, no matter what, they’re in good bookish company.

Transcript

[Announcer]

Foreign.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You're listening to Reading Glasses, a show about book culture and literary life designed to help you read better. I'm author and book devourer, Mallory o'. Meara.

[Bria Grant]

And I'm Bria Grant, filmmaker and e reader. In this episode, we're choosing our New Year's resolutions. Mallory, I have a lot to say about this because I have not done my resolutions, like, really yet, but we're going to talk about it, and maybe you can help me say that of you.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's what the whole point of this episode is. That's the point.

[Bria Grant]

We're going to discuss it. Listen, you don't have to be ready for the show. You can just show up to the show.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, we take about to get what is it on the Statue of Liberty? Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled readers.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, yeah. Give us. You're unplanned, you're unprepared, you're stressed out, you're tired. Podcasters. Plus, we give advice on what to do when reading makes you sleepy, which, honestly, you've t. You've written into the right person.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Maybe I'm here for you. I specific.

[Bria Grant]

I was like the sleepiest woman who's ever lived. I will say that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Someone who reads a lot in bed.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Yes. Gosh, I have so much to say.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You are an expert on this. All right. But first, Bria, what are you reading? What is your first book of 2026, which is actually the last book of 2025 because we're recording this in December.

[Bria Grant]

That's true. I am reading a book that my friend who lives in the UK recommended to me. She said, you have to be reading Catherine Chidgey books. I think it's chidgy, not chai chi. And she said, start with pet. So this is one of those things you and I were just talking about. This came out a couple years ago where I feel like this is a big author, but maybe not in the States. People don't come at me. Don't tell me it's a big author in the States and I didn't know maybe she is. Have you heard of her?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No. Neither of us top reading podcasters Bri and Mallory have not heard of her. So.

[Bria Grant]

So one of my best friends asked me. She said, you're going to love it. You have to read it. It's a mystery thriller. I just started it, so I don't have that much to say about it. But it's a. Right now, it's about a young girl in New Zealand who is really drawn to her teacher who's, like, super glamorous. And they're like, oh, wow. If you get to be her pet, it's called pet. And if you get to be her, like, teacher's pet, all the girls are jealous of you. But then it causes, like, rivalry within the girls. It's compared to Picnic at Hanging Rock.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Ooh, and do love Picnic at Hanging Rock.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. And it's. And it's set in New Zealand in 1984. That's the part I'm reading right now, but also apparently goes into 2014 as well, so. And I don't. I mean, I guess I've read books set in New Zealand. Have you read any books in New Zealand? Yeah. Okay. This is. I don't read them often, so this is exciting for me.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

What are you reading?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I am reading some smut. Some extracurricular smut.

[Bria Grant]

Welcome to 2026, baby.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's the end of the year. We're reaching that time where it's like the last half of December and you can just read whatever you want. And I want to read some werewolves. Mutt. I am reading the Wolf King by Lauren Paltryman and. Oh, baby. So this is a romantasy and it's about this world where there is, like, half people are humans, half the people are werewolves. And they're on. They're at war with each other. Humans live in the south, in this land. Werewolves live in the north. And our main character is this human princess. And we are meeting her on the night before her wedding. She's about to be given away in this political move to this, like, really shitty prince that she does not want to marry. And she's very. She's dreading it, but she's like, this is my duty. I have to, like. Like I have to bear this for my kingdom. That night, she is kidnapped by a werewolf. And the werewolf is like, listen, do you really want to stay here? And she's like, I don't. And so she kind of like goes away with him because the werewolves want her as a bargaining chip. They think that if they kidnap her, they are able to get something, which I will not reveal what it is. But they there, they want to use her and to trade to get something. And so she goes to the land of the werewolves. And, like, it's. It's interesting because there's like a little bit of, like, court intrigue. She's like, trying to figure out all the different werewolf factions because it's a bunch of different werewolf clans that are. Have like, banded together and they're trying to fight these humans. But of course the werewolf who kidnaps her is a gigantic man because they all are, and he's this big hunky werewolf man and he has fallen for her and she's fallen for him. In the middle of the like this like interesting war this again, a lot of political intrigue and it's fucking great so far. And it's just what my end of the year brain needs. So I'm reading the Wolf King by Lauren Paltryman.

[Bria Grant]

And I'm reading Pet by Katherine Chichi.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So we want to take a moment to share some listener feedback. Dana wrote in to say hi Brian Mallory loved your most recent episode and the section about immersive reading reminded me of my favorite immersive reading experience. For some background, I had checked out a library copy of Nothing but the Rain by Naomi Salman on Bria's recommendation. Unfortunately, shortly after bringing it home, one of my cats cats knocked over a glass of water all over the book and I ended up having to pay for it.

[Bria Grant]

Which is so interesting because it is about water.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, that's what she said. She says, however, it made for such an amazing read since the book is written in journal entries in a world where the rain and water make you lose your memories. Reading my water damage copy made me feel like I was holding the main character's actual journal and I was living in this bleak, wet world. Haha. I recommend this experience for anyone who owns that book. Thanks as always for the great podcast. That is hilarious and awesome.

[Bria Grant]

Incredible.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love it.

[Bria Grant]

I love it. Paris wrote in and said, dear Brain Mallory, a few months ago I requested recommendations for books about moms on adventures. You recommended the Adventures of Amina al Sarafi by Shannon Chakraborty. This is a book you had mentioned previously in the podcast, but wasn't convinced it was for me. After your recommendation though, I borrowed it from my library and was shook. This was the very best book I read in a long time. Wow. And it was a fun adventure and validating and uplifting for me. A mother and a woman approaching her 40s trying to thread that needle between doing the work that needs to be done for others and the ambitions I still have for myself. You nailed it. That's so sweet.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh wow.

[Bria Grant]

I like when we nail it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I love when we nail it. Also, I love that feeling of picking up a book you really think is not for you and you're like, oh my God, this is the best book.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's so. That is.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That is such a fun experience. And then Jessica wrote in to say I was listening to your episode about not finishing a book. A rule I read in a magazine ages ago was subtract your age from 100. That's how many pages you give a book. I also fully agree that if you catch yourself skimming, you're better off skipping.

[Bria Grant]

Wait, subtract your age from 100?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

So 66 for me and 65. No, wait, I'm doing the math now. 56 for me.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We're book podcasters.

[Bria Grant]

We are not mathematicians.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I would be a 65 for me.

[Bria Grant]

Okay. Okay. Why do you. Oh, just because I have less time. Less time left in my life. So I should do less. I should read more. Less, I guess, of a chance.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Wow. So 90 year olds, they're really. They're getting in, they're getting out.

[Bria Grant]

They're like 10 pages and they're like, no, I only have so long left.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I actually, that's a kind of interest. That's a fun rule. Although I would not give a book 65 pages. You and I are like first chapter, one chapter. But it's an interesting rule.

[Bria Grant]

It is interesting. I like that idea, Jessica.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Like you're creeping to towards death. You gotta, you gotta, you gotta save all the time you can. So you can email us reading glasses podcast gmail.com. if you want a list of all the books we talk about on the show, deliver to inbox every month, you can sign up for our newsletter. There's a link in the show notes and we are starting a brand new year, folks. So if you're looking to track some books, you're looking to improve your reading life. Bria and I wrote a book. Last year we released our reading journal. You can buy it right now. There's a link in the show notes and a great way to start the year tracking your books and get some. There's workbook pages in there, there's cute essays from Bria and I and also really great, adorable illustrations from Brass Santo that we love. So if you're looking for a new way to start the year in your reading life, we got you covered. So before we talk about our New Year's resolutions, we're going to take a quick break.

[Bria Grant]

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[Mallory O'Meara]

This week. Happy New Year, baby. We're back from our holiday break and ready to jump into another year of reading. How did we do with our 2025 bookish resolutions? And what are we setting for? 2026? All right, Bria, I pulled our resolutions from last year. Lord, this was a little. It was more interesting this time because we did do a mid year check in last year, which was the first time we've ever done that.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And we did get rid of some of our resolutions.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, you're right, we did.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So the first one that you had was I want to continue using my CAW spreadsheet and use the updated one. How'd you do?

[Bria Grant]

Great. It's the only thing I use. We'll talk about that next week, but yes, great. Fine. Totally did it. What in your first one was, I'd like to shoot for 10 books a month and I'll raise or lower it if I need to.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I basically hit it.

[Bria Grant]

That's amazing.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It was interesting because there was. I. There's a couple months where I felt bad. Like, a couple months where I did seven or eight, but then there were a couple months where I read 11 or 12, so it kind of evened out. That's a lot of books, and I'm really happy about it.

[Bria Grant]

Great. That's a lot of books.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And then you wanted to read three books related to your profession.

[Bria Grant]

I am in the middle of the last one, but I didn't know. I haven't finished it. And also, it's December. I know. I still have time, huh?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes, you have two weeks.

[Bria Grant]

I know, but I don't really like it. So, like, I need to find a.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Different one counts, though.

[Bria Grant]

I know, but I need to find a different one. I do like. I do like doing that, though. Okay. This was good reminding myself of this. We're going to put this on for next year.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay.

[Bria Grant]

Okay. The seat. We're coming it up in the moment. And then your next one is more audiobooks. So I'd like to do one audiobook a month.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I knocked the. Out of the.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, you did 12 plus.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I did like 20 plus. Really?

[Bria Grant]

Audiobooks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I did a lot.

[Bria Grant]

You are doing a lot more audiobooks. Actually.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I. Well, I. I really think setting. I'm looking at my compile right now to get the exact number, even though I'm. I'm doing one final one for the year, but it's probably. Hold on. Let's see. Reading stats. How'd we do? Mine's 16, but I think I definitely have done at least 20. And I think putting it. Making it a resolution really helped, and I'm really happy about it. All right. Your last one was the reading glasses challenge, which you did do.

[Bria Grant]

I did do. But I like putting it on here because it makes me actually think about it and doing it. Do it instead of leaving it till.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The end of the year.

[Bria Grant]

Leaving it to the end of the year and also. Yeah. Or until you're like, we're doing this episode. And I'm like, I gotta read a book. So it's helpful for me to have. Have it on my. To do my resolution.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes. I do want to say before we go on, we've already started getting emails from people that are like, how do I complete this part of the challenge, folks? Every single year, we do episodes for every single part of the challenge. Do not worry. We are going to explain it on the show. If you need help finding a specific type of book, we're doing an episode on it. So we got you. And then my last one was, I want to read out of the house more. Did you feel like you did that? I really did. Not in the places that I thought. Part of this resolution was I wanted to read on my patio. But I've said on the show before, my neighbor has a dog that is really. My friends all call it the horror movie dog because it is the kind of dog that, like, it's like a dog from a Stephen King story. Like, it lunges at the gate, growls at you, and does that the entire time I'm sitting out on my patio, so I don't go out there. It's very frustrating. But reading in parks, I'm newly single, so I've been reading by myself in bars, which we all know is the greatest experience a human being can have.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Also, I feel like it. If you want to date, it is a great way to signal I'm cool in public. Like someone reading at a bar, I'd be like, I'd date them.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Well, depends on what they're reading.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, yeah. You got to be careful. Are you doing Kindle or are you doing physical book?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Both.

[Bria Grant]

And are you doing smut ones? Are you doing non smuts?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Actually, depends. Sometimes. Yeah. Okay. But I love reading in a bar. Love reading in a bar. I love eating by myself in a restaurant with a book.

[Bria Grant]

It's great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I have so many, like, really good memories in my life that are just like me. One time, one of my favorite reading memories is I was in Oxford in England, and reading while I had high tea and just eating a tiny little sandwich and reading. Oh, gorgeous.

[Bria Grant]

By yourself?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Yeah. I've been definitely doing this more, and I'm gonna do it a lot more in 2026, so. And then we took off two. We each took off one mid year.

[Bria Grant]

Yes.

[Mallory O'Meara]

What was yours? That you.

[Bria Grant]

We were trying to start a graphic novel club. Fail. Total fail. And I got mad about the whole thing, so I didn't want to organize it anymore. We're not available these dates, and we don't like this. And I'm like, I can't deal with this. To be fair, one of the members had a baby, so that always gets complicated.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But also, just shout out to everyone who runs a book club because it is such a thing.

[Bria Grant]

Honestly, my one book club that I've been a member of for years now is run so well, and she. She takes no prisoners. She's very like, that's how if you're showing up, you were in trouble.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. And Chelsea's really Good about that.

[Bria Grant]

She's good. We should have her on sometime to talk about how to run a book club.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, my God, that's a fucking great idea.

[Bria Grant]

She's so good at it, and she's been doing it for so many years. And it's a very, like. It's a very mixed group of people, like, from different professions, which I really like. Male, female, like, it's like, she does a really good job. And we have authors on.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. And you know what's funny? We do actually have a episode planned coming up about more book club questions, because we've been getting a lot of them.

[Bria Grant]

And yours was you want to go to more author events.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea to do in a year where I had two book launches. Launches where I had to.

[Bria Grant]

But do your own author events.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I had so many of my own author events that when I'm not doing those, I don't want to go to them.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, no, I get that. So sometimes when I'm making a movie, it's hard to go see a movie.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

It's just like you're in the middle of something and it's just. Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. So that was fail. But. All right. So overall, we. We mostly did pretty good on our resolutions. Failed. That failed at a couple. But how do we feel about our reading in 2025? How do we. Were we happy with our reading lives last year? How do we do.

[Bria Grant]

I'm trying to cut myself some slack here because I've had a lot of trouble concentrating over the last few months for whatever reason.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We've been doing even working a lot.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Developing a lot of stuff here in post on a movie. Like.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, but I've been in that. I don't know what's going on. So I think there's a number of things happening. So I have not been reading as much, but what I've been trying to do is, like, get as far as I can in a book. I'll switch it to audio and I'll move over to and, like, finish it that way while I'm hiking. Because I find that, like, I am willing to go on walks. I'm just not willing to sit around and read. Yeah. If I look back, there's like, a dramatic drop in, like, October, November. But overall happy with it and trying to, like, just, you know, it's. It's what it is. Like, sometimes in the year are harder to do stuff in and.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, especially when you're us in la, because October is when Every single Halloween event is happening. I had a drop in October too, but it's because you're going to stuff every day.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's right. And I. I literally. Mallory, I've gone to so many Christmas parties. One weekend I went to five.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I went one day with you. We went to three. Almost three. Oh, yeah. We were supposed to do three, and then we did two instead.

[Bria Grant]

But I did three, didn't I?

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, you canceled that third one. That's the karaoke one.

[Bria Grant]

To go home. But there were days I was a.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Lot of Christmas parties.

[Bria Grant]

It's been really weird. Like, this year has been a big Christmas party year.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

This is not what the show is about. But I do want people like people.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like to do here. I like to hear about our personal lives. Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

And here's the worst part about the Christmas parties. At a close swap. I got a great pair of pants.

[Mallory O'Meara]

My pair of pants. Are there the herringbone ones?

[Bria Grant]

No.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh.

[Bria Grant]

I'm thinking there's some ones that are like red Christmassy and they're just slightly too long and I should have gotten them hemmed and I could have worn them to every Christmas party and not think twice about.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You were wearing that really cute plaid dress.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Zoe's. That was also a close one. Yeah. Listen, I don't buy clothes anymore. I just get other people's and more vintage. Yes. Anyway, so falling off on that, how do you feel about your reading life?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Honestly? Fudgeing. Great. So, see, the thing is, because I'm comparing it to 2024, which I was grieving one of my best friends.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Going through the biggest breakup of my life. Huge move back to Los Angeles. And I like, was just my reading life was in the toilet all of 2024. So this year, comparatively.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, you're. You're flying high.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It was feeling great. I'm feeling really good about my reading life right now. I am. I was in sort of a slump for a while, but that's because, like, I'm trying to finish a bunch of stuff before the end of the year. I was working a lot and I just was not focusing on reading also. I think it took me a little bit because we are now at least one other book a month for our other show. And it. I feel like it took me a bit to like, get that into my reading rotation, but generally I feel like I'm very happy with the amount that I read. I hit my reading goal. I got my. My non fiction and my audiobook reading together this year. I almost always have an audiobook going now. And that has really helped me through a few slumpy periods. So, yeah, feeling, feeling pretty happy. So we're going to. Before we pick out our 2026 goals, we are going to take a quick break.

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[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay, we are back. Let's get into this new year. Bria, what is your first reading goal?

[Bria Grant]

Okay, as I said, I have not looked at my goal. I've not achieved a lot of goals this year. So I think. What are you talking about?

[Mallory O'Meara]

You hit almost all of them.

[Bria Grant]

No, my other, my other goals. My part, my other. My career, other stuff. And so I think I'm like, not wanting to look at them right now. I'm just like, I can't deal with any of this. So I'm gonna start with the easy one, which is doing the reading glasses challenge. I gotta put it on there and it makes me actually do it when I put it on my goals.

[Mallory O'Meara]

See, that's the thing is that like, New Year's resolutions get a lot of flack. Understandably so, because a lot of people, like, you start the year thinking you're going to be a completely different person. And it's hard to set goals.

[Bria Grant]

Me, I'm one of those people.

[Mallory O'Meara]

We all.

[Bria Grant]

That's not true. Mine are usually very achievable.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, we, we're, we've talked about this on the show. We do work really hard to, like, set goals for the people that we are, not the people that we wish we would be. But it really, if it doesn't stress you out, it can really, really help out. Put just putting something on there because it can give you that just little boost. For me, it's that moment of like, it's the end of the day, am I going to watch a YouTube video or am I going to read. And I actually do want to read. Just sometimes you need a little bit of boost to do it. And I think putting the reading glasses challenge can help you give that. Give you just that little bit of like, I gotta do this.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah. Cool. What's your first one? Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I'm Rhea up in my 10 books a month thing.

[Bria Grant]

So many books. I have never read 10 books in a month. Not ever once in my life. That's so many books. I'm so impressed.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. Well, I also live by myself.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So.

[Bria Grant]

And I, you know, read scripts for a job.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, well, but I also, I do read research books, so I count those.

[Bria Grant]

No, you don't count those.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But I. I've also been. I really have. Because 2024 was so bad, reading wise. I. I've not been playing video games, so I've replaced a lot of the. I mostly just watch movies and read books.

[Bria Grant]

Like, I try and watch as much TV as I do.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No, I don't watch a lot of tv.

[Bria Grant]

I watched like four sitcoms last night in a row.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, no. See, Although I will say, I was telling you, when I walked in today, I started watching Designing Women. My dear good friend Diana Biller was like, oh, you're going through a breakup. You got to watch Designing Women.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, that's. Oh, that's true.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And she was correct.

[Bria Grant]

What have you learned?

[Mallory O'Meara]

That shoulder pads look great.

[Bria Grant]

Great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And that we don't need men. And your female friends will help you through everything.

[Bria Grant]

That's right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So, yeah, I want to free up my 10 books a month and again, read a resolution. We say this on the show all the time. If you are the kind of person that this stuff stresses you out, just don't do it.

[Bria Grant]

Don't do it.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But for me, both you and I like having just a little bit of a p. And it doesn't like having these goals all the way. At the end of the year, it didn't feel stressful for me. It felt healthy. It felt like that little push I needed to not do something that I actually don't want as part of my life. So you don't have a next goal.

[Bria Grant]

Wait, what did I say earlier? I'm going to re up the three books related to my profession.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, I think that's.

[Bria Grant]

I think that was a good one. And it did make me. It's something that I won't like, just pick up. So I have. And. But I. Every time I read a book that I'm is like, here's how to direct a movie I've directed A bunch of movies. But I always learned something.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

So, okay, I'm gonna add that to my list again. Hold on. I'm writing it down right now to put down the mic.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Okay. I think so. My next one is more audiobook walks. So this is my next stage. This is a multi, multi tier process. I got more audiobooks into my reading Life in. In 2025, and this year I want to do more audiobook walks. I was doing really good with this for a while, but my problem is when I'm in a period of really heavy powerlifting training, I'm not going on walks because I'm doing two hours of lifting at the gym and then some cardio. Like, I don't need to add a walk on top of that. But I really think that driving to a local park and walking for 20 minutes while I read an audiobook will be really good for my brain. Because I work from home. I don't like leaving the house, and it's just nice. I like, need stuff to get me out in nature more.

[Bria Grant]

I will say having a dog is helpful for this. Anytime I switch to an audiobook, like, anytime I'm reading an audiobook, it's great because I can have the dog and just be like, oh, I'm just gonna take the dog to the park. I'm gonna wander around the park. I'm gonna listen to my. Yeah. So having a do mean I do a lot of park walking.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah. See, if I even think about bringing Lula or Sailor outside, they will freak out.

[Bria Grant]

It's a bad idea.

[Mallory O'Meara]

But it's just. It feels really nice. Especially we're lucky because we're in la. So I take a beautiful walk in a T shirt all year round. And I live in an area that is close to a lot of nice parks that I need to explore more. So this is my next. Yeah. Audiobook part. Part two, stage two of my. Of my audiobook listening. All right, do you have any more ideas?

[Bria Grant]

What else should I put on mine?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I don't know. What are you.

[Bria Grant]

I mean, so the one thing also, I feel like I've gotten out of reading comics, which I love comics. And I used to always put that on my list.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I was gonna say a comic thing. Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

So maybe I should try to do, like, one comic book. One graphic novel a month.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You did do that a few years ago, and it worked. And then I think you regressed a little bit on your comics. Reading 12 graphic novels, that's one month. Wow.

[Bria Grant]

But I do read a lot of them on my iPad now so they can travel with me, which I like.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah.

[Bria Grant]

Because otherwise, like, I bring them and I'm like, oh, I'm gonna finish this like on the plane ride. That's your problem.

[Mallory O'Meara]

It's. It's like uncheese it on a plane. You're like, exactly. Just gonna eat this immediately. Okay.

[Bria Grant]

I'm gonna do 12 graphic novels next year. I'm gonna be excited for the next year because I was not excited about the new year. Okay, and what's your last one?

[Mallory O'Meara]

I want to get more out of my physical TBR pile. I. I had so much fun reading because last year for the reading glasses challenge, we had to read the oldest thing on our TBR and it was so fun, like going physically going through my TBR book because I have a bookcase and so fun, like going through it that I want to get my way through it a little bit more and make some more space because there's a lot of tight in there really crammed full of books.

[Bria Grant]

So get through them or also like sort through the ones you're not going to read.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, they're all sorted.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, they're sort of okay, but.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And they're all ones that I want to read. I just want to get through them. I actually, I pulled out like five of them for my like in between, like that weird time between New Year's and Christmas where we all just sit in our pajamas and rot. I pulled out some for that great period of time.

[Bria Grant]

Love that.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So it feels really freeing. So before we move on, I want to ask, do you have any personal, like non, non bookish resolutions?

[Bria Grant]

As you know, my goal this year was to do a pull up. I have not achieved, but I'm so much closer than I was.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You are real. You're a lot stronger.

[Bria Grant]

So much stronger. Like I am. I. The weight that I need to help me to get up there is so much less than it was. And I really didn't start till mid year or even a few months ago really, if I'm being honest. But mid year was when I was like, you got to put up a pull up bar in your house. You got to like actually do it. So I haven't figured out. Usually I pick one thing like that and usually I try to learn one new thing every year. This year I learned magic, as you know.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

It's a couple of things, folks.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Bria's really good at doing magic tricks.

[Bria Grant]

Really good. I'm not. I can do one trick. Okay. I can do one trick.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You can do cycle tricks.

[Bria Grant]

Thank you for saying that, but no, I haven't figured it out. And I'm sorry. This is the new year when you're listening to this, but I usually figure this out between Christmas and New Year's. Yeah, it's not that time yet, but I'm gonna. What, what about you? Do you have one big resolution?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Well, I told. So I, I, I am now single again. And so I took all of the places that I really wanted to go to.

[Bria Grant]

One day when you said that, I was, like, gonna make a joke. You know, I'd be like, ladies. But then I was gonna go, werewolves. She's single. Werewolves. Are you out there? Okay, I'm glad you left.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, Werewolves of Los Angeles.

[Bria Grant]

Are you listening? Are you listening?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, actually. Give me a call.

[Bria Grant]

Werewolves of Los Angeles is a good name for a band.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Or a book. Or my future boyfriend, Werewolves.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Hey. So a list of all the places that I want to go I would want to go to on a date. Like museums, really cool bars, theaters, all kinds of stuff. And I'm going to take myself and my friends.

[Bria Grant]

That's great.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Throughout the whole year, I, like, I have already a few friends that I've recruited to this and stuff I want to do. And it actually is kind of folded in because I, I had a resolution that I was interested in in 2024, but there was just too much going on.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

And I really just wanted to fall back in love with, with Los Angeles. I moved back here. I love this city so much. It is my favorite place in the world to live. And I felt like Last year was 2024 was such a nightmare for me that I wasn't really enjoying, I was enjoying being back around my friends, but I wasn't really enjoying the city. So this is a perfect thing to like, go out and really, like, love being in LA and go to cool places and, and we pay so much money to live here. I really want to wring every last drop out of it. So I think this is going to be a fun project for me for 2026. All right, we want to hear your 2026 read solutions. You can email them to reading glasses podcast gmail.com. Now let's solve a bookish problem for one of our listeners. Hannah writes in to say, hey, Mallory and Bria, I have a reader problem. When I struggled with insomnia a couple years ago, I started reading in bed to help me get to sleep. It worked. However, I have since developed a Pavlovian response to reading no matter what time of day, within 10 minutes of opening a book, I inevitably find myself nodding off to sleep. It doesn't matter whether it's an ebook or paper copy. I would love to get back into reading print. Just don't have time for all these naps. Any tips on how I can keep myself awake long enough to read a couple chapters would be so appreciated. Bria, you are an expert on this.

[Bria Grant]

I'm reading does put me to sleep. And this is. I am. I'm a sleepy person. I don't care what time of day. If I sit somewhere for too long, I'm asleep. Like, that is just. And look, don't call me with your medical advice. I'm just a tired person. Okay?

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yeah, there are we. I have. We have a few friends that are like this.

[Bria Grant]

Okay, One. First thing, you got to not get cozy. That's. That's a number one. Don't get cozy. Read in a public space, like a coffee shop.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Read in the middle. Sit in the middle of the road reading.

[Bria Grant]

A bright light, bright sun. Although I can fall asleep there. Read on a bed of nails.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No lying down. No. No big cozy blanket.

[Bria Grant]

Also, get up and walk around or, you know, have, like, sour candy next to you. Like hot, hot, hot tamales. That's what my mom used to always have.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Oh, my God.

[Bria Grant]

Because otherwise I'm just gonna fall asleep because that's how I fall asleep at night. Or. And here's a pitch, maybe you need a little nap.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Hey.

[Bria Grant]

And like, you know, a little 10 minute nap never hurt anybody, did it? No, I don't think so. I, like, sometimes I'll just read, fall asleep for a little bit, and then I just wake up and I start reading again. And like that. Like when we're doing our readathons, y', all. I'm mostly asleep. That is like, y' all are reading eight hours, I'm reading four, and I am asleep the rest of the time. Like. Like, maybe you're a sleepy person. Maybe you're asleep. My stupid aura ring now tells me how much sleep debt I owe, and it's always huge. It's like you owe a high amount of sleep debt because.

[Mallory O'Meara]

What does that mean?

[Bria Grant]

I don't know. It's like, I don't know if it's real, but it's like. So I have an aura ring which is like, it tracks me and everything. And it's like. Because I just don't sleep very deeply.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's why you're sleepy all the time. Because I'm old.

[Bria Grant]

And. And also, I've always had this problem and it's just getting worse with age. Yes. Anyway, so you may just have some sleep debt. And like, like, I. Wow.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Sleep man's gonna come to get what he's owed.

[Bria Grant]

Nothing is good for you.

[Mallory O'Meara]

The sandman's coming to collect his dad.

[Bria Grant]

I feel like that's a book we would read in the other podcast. So I don't know, I just like, maybe. Look, napping is maybe like, you know, it's. It's. It's a revolution. It's the.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Except for some people.

[Bria Grant]

Except for some people who don't like.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Napping, I can't nap.

[Bria Grant]

A lot of people can't. But it's good for you.

[Mallory O'Meara]

I know. I wish I was like this, but you.

[Bria Grant]

Here's the thing. People are different. And like, there was a time when, you know, we would go to bed at night at 6pm and we'd wake up at 3am and do work for a few hours and we'd go. You know what I mean? And I feel like I would have actually fit into that better.

[Mallory O'Meara]

You'd love that.

[Bria Grant]

Getting up at 3am I can do easily.

[Mallory O'Meara]

No problem at all.

[Bria Grant]

Staying up past 9pm problem. So, I don't know, like, give yourself some grace, because I think it is okay to read a little bit, fall asleep for a little bit, get back up, read a little bit more.

[Mallory O'Meara]

See, I wish I had this problem because I am a noted insomniac. It takes me. I'm the opposite. It takes me so long to fall asleep. Which is why naps don't work. Because by the time the hours up, I have just fallen asleep.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah, but do you know that just laying there and like, being like, not stimulated and like, just letting your brain relax is actually really good for you? Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's why I like and I have a whole system. But like, when I do finally fall asleep, I sleep so deeply, which is why naps are hard for me, because I can't lightly nap. I, like, am in REM sleep when I'm taking a nap. I'm not even joking. So I wake up and I'm like, what year is it?

[Bria Grant]

Right, Right.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So sleeping has always been hard for me. I completely agree with all this stuff. I don't think Hannah has to stop reading in bed. I wonder if Hannah changes what Hannah reads.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, okay. Go ahead.

[Mallory O'Meara]

That's my. My interesting tip is that maybe save nonfiction for bed poetry. Like some particular genre that is different from what you normally read.

[Bria Grant]

Oh, retraining your Pavlovian response.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Yes.

[Bria Grant]

Okay.

[Mallory O'Meara]

So like, all right, you're reading five poems and then, and then you go to sleep or you're reading. You had like last year we had read a book over a long period of time. You get a science or history book, you read a chapter, you go to sleep and then you sa your fiction reading for the couch. Something to just kind of differentiate the experience in your brain a little bit. Pick like your most boring, driest stuff for bed and then pick a thriller for when you're in your living room chair and you don't want to go to sleep. But also I'm don't make reading comfortable for sure.

[Bria Grant]

Yeah.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Because that even though I am, I have a really hard time falling asleep. That can happen to me if I'm reading and I'm laying down on my couch. I have a big. I got my jammies on. I have a big blanket.

[Bria Grant]

That sounds so wonderful.

[Mallory O'Meara]

Like I will start to get sleepy. Even though I know I cannot fall asleep, I will start to get sleepy. So Hannah, let us know if either of these work or if you try something if it helps because I'm sure some other glasses are having the same problem. If you want us to solve your reader problem, you consider reading glasses podcastmail.com as always, we want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Discord server and our Facebook group. Thank you for another year. We adore you. We really appreciate the work that you do so much. And remember, you want to get a new sweatshirt, nice T shirt for the new year. We got all kinds of fun reading glasses merch in our Void merch store. There's a link in the show notes and if you like the show, please rate and review us on the podcast listening app of your choice. We really appreciate the folks who do. It makes a difference. It's so great for the show and helps us reach more readers. 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. Maximum Fun.

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[Mallory O'Meara]

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