Reading Glasses Ep 444: New Year Book Tracking!

January 8, 2026
Hosts: Brea Grant & Mallory O’Meara

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brea and Mallory dive into their book tracking methods for the new year, discussing what works, what they’re changing, and how tracking impacts their reading lives. They share listener feedback, reflect on last year’s reading data using Cawpile (a detailed book tracking spreadsheet), and test out a bookish candle. The conversation is casual, funny, and full of practical insight, perfect for anyone wanting to get more organized about reading in 2026.

What We're Reading

[00:34-04:14]

• Brea Grant: Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
  Explores affordability, economic systems, and how regulation impacts housing.

  "The problem with people not being able to afford housing and the problem with having unhoused people on the street is that there’s not enough homes. There’s literally not enough homes." – Brea [01:33]

  Brea is struck by how the book challenges her existing perspectives, especially around housing policy, and appreciates its leftist but nuanced take.

• Mallory O'Meara: A Physical Education by Casey Johnston
  A memoir/science hybrid about the transformative power of strength training and how it changed the author’s – and Mallory’s – relationship with her body.

  "Powerlifting changed my life. It’s one of the things that, besides, like, learning how to read, truly is, like, changed my life so much for the better." – Mallory [03:20]

Listener Feedback

[04:19-08:20]

• Lindsay from Chicago: Highlights how Little Free Libraries adapt in times of crisis, serving as hubs for not just books but also community support (e.g. sharing ICE alerts and legal aid zines).

  "It reminds me of when the little free libraries housed masks and toilet paper in the dark days of the pandemic." – Lindsay (email, read aloud)

• Meredith from Massachusetts: Shares a journey from falling out of reading to rekindling her love for it, thanks to the podcast. Notes the positive influence of identifying as a mood reader, and how podcast recs have led to more five-star reads.

  Fun banter ensues as Brea attempts a New England accent to much amusement:

  "For some reason, my V turns into a little goblin voice." – Brea [07:47] "A true New England accent is wicked hard for people to do." – Mallory [07:53]

Main Discussion: New Year Book Tracking

[14:01–33:19]

Tracking Systems Review

[14:01–18:28]

• Both hosts use Cawpile, a detailed book tracking spreadsheet that tracks multiple aspects of reading, including ratings, formats, genres, and more.

  • Brea also uses Goodreads for quick updates.
  • Mallory employs a “three-pronged” system:
    • Cawpile spreadsheet (on computer)
    • Book Buddy app (on phone)
    • Physical journal (Rhodia notebook)

• Physical Journals—Staying or Going?

  • Brea is dropping her physical journal, admitting she simply wasn’t updating it.
  • Mallory keeps hers more out of habit than need, saying:

    "I never feel like it’s a pain to update any of these. I get excited to fill out my Cawpile." – Mallory [17:27]

• Both agree that tracking should feel fun, not like an obligation.

Tweaks and Additions for 2026

[18:28–18:53]

• Brea considers returning to a physical journal, perhaps inspired by their own published reading journal.
• Mallory is officially done updating Goodreads and leaning away from Storygraph, noting:

  "Cawpile tracks so many more things. Anything else feels like a chore." – Mallory [18:49]

Year in Review: Using Cawpile Stats & Insights

[22:30–30:13]

• Terminology Banter:
  The hosts riff on being “Cawpile-pilled,” struggling with internet lingo:

  "There’s a 20-year old listening to this who's bleeding out of their eyes." – Mallory [23:14]

• Impact of Cawpile:

  • "I like it because it makes me examine my choices… when I have to say, oh, I’ve read five male authors in a row, I go, maybe I should consider reading a woman." – Brea [23:38]

  • Mallory praises Book Roast (the creator of Cawpile) and highlights how monthly goals, visible in Cawpile, helped her reading resolutions.

• Notable Graphs & Data:

  • Author familiarity: Brea shocked to learn nearly 50% of authors she read were ones she’d read before.

  • Genre surprises: Brea read more horror and literary fiction than science fiction this year.

    "Who am I? Who is this woman?" – Brea [26:33]

  • Mallory’s top genres: Romance, nonfiction, and horror, attributing this to the romance podcast and personal reading goals.

  • Getting books: Library books made up over a third of Mallory's reading.

  • Format breakdown: Mallory’s reading was 60% physical, 22% ebook, 16% audiobook.

  • New releases: Half of Mallory’s books were new releases.

• Personal Tracking Tactics:

  • Mallory tracked her "wheelhouse" (reading catnip) words for each book, producing a word cloud:

    "The top two are erotica and horror, but small town was way bigger than I thought." – Mallory [29:32]

  • Considering tracking DNFs (books not finished) next year.

• Columns on the Chopping Block:

  • Mallory might stop tracking series vs. standalone ("We’re not big series people") but Brea likes being surprised by discovering a book is part of a series.

Book Tech Test: Scented Shelves "Dracula's Castle" Candle

[31:16–33:19]

• Candle Review: 8oz Dracula’s Castle candle from Scented Shelves on Etsy ($15).
  • Scent described as “Yankee Candle vibes” and reminiscent of walking into Michael’s at Christmas.
  • "It was forest. This was not Dracula’s backyard, this is Dracula’s castle." – Mallory [32:16]
  • Good burn time and “throw,” but scent not their favorite.
  • Verdict: 4 out of 5 pages, would try more from seller—just maybe not that scent.

Notable Quotes

• "Powerlifting changed my life. It’s one of the things that, besides, like, learning how to read, truly is, like, changed my life so much for the better."
  – Mallory O'Meara, [03:20]

• "It makes me examine my choices. It makes me really think about the book."
  – Brea Grant on using Cawpile, [23:38]

• "There’s a 20-year old listening to this who's bleeding out of their eyes."
  – Mallory O'Meara, joking about keeping up with internet pilled/piled terminology, [23:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• What We’re Reading: 00:34–04:14
• Listener Feedback: 04:19–08:20
• Book Tracking Methods: 14:01–18:28
• Cawpile Review & Year-in-Data: 22:30–30:13
• Bookish Candle Test: 31:16–33:19

Resources & Recommendations

• Cawpile Spreadsheet (by Book Roast)
• Book Buddy App
• Reading Glasses Book Tracking Journal (their custom tracker)
• A Physical Education by Casey Johnston
• Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
• Scented Shelves Candles on Etsy

Final Thoughts

The episode is jam-packed with practical advice for tracking reading throughout the year, reflections on personal reading data, and plenty of good-natured hilarity as the hosts navigate everything—from spreadsheeets to the mysteries of “being pilled.” If you want to be more reflective and intentional with your reading, there’s loads here to inspire you to find (and fine-tune) your own favorite tracking method.