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Ep 450 - Read a Genre You’ve Never Tried! - Reading Glasses | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Ep 450 - Read a Genre You’ve Never Tried!

Thu Feb 19 2026

Brea and Mallory tick off a box on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge: read a genre or subgenre you’ve never tried! Plus, they talk about how to figure out which bookstores to support, and recommend literary fiction for SFF readers.

Summary

Reading Glasses — Episode 450 Summary

Episode Title: Read a Genre You’ve Never Tried!
Hosts: Brea Grant and Mallory O’Meara
Original Air Date: February 19, 2026

Main Theme

This week, Brea and Mallory tackle a new box on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge: Read a genre or subgenre you’ve never tried! They break down the value and logistics of stepping outside your reading comfort zone, swap strategies and recommendations, help listeners pick books, and answer a thought-provoking question about choosing which bookstores to support—especially when politics and local culture clash.

Episode Breakdown

1. What Are You Reading? (00:35–04:46)

Brea’s Pick: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

Genre: Literary speculative fiction
Premise: A town surrounded by two other versions of itself, 20 years in the future and 20 years in the past. Residents can apply for permission to visit different timelines, but only as observers, not participants, leading to poignant, sometimes heartbreaking situations.
Brea describes it as "really beautifully written prose… about this, like, kind of awkward girl who's trying to become one of these people who makes these approvals."
(01:44)

Mallory’s Pick: Queenie and the Krakens by Alira Anaya Cirrus

Genre: “Why Choose?” paranormal romance (smut)
Premise: Main character gets swept into the tumultuous world of merman shifter motorcycle gangs after witnessing a supernatural crime.
Notable quote:

“It's this woman… she accidentally witnesses a murder between a gang of merman shifters and she gets swept into this paranormal underbelly…”
(03:13)
Upcoming: Jesse Thorne and Jordan Morris will join Reading Smut for their first ever “Why Choose?” episode.

2. Listener Feedback & Community Shoutouts (04:54–10:23)

Mary (NYC) shares a project distributing ACLU ‘Know Your Rights’ zines and resources to immigrants via Little Free Libraries and local libraries. Both hosts praise the idea and invite listeners to share other ways book communities can make a difference.
(04:54–06:21)
Dylan (Massachusetts) describes a reading strategy: audiobooks reserved for library books, while saving “reading with my eyes” for books already owned to balance hot library releases and TBR piles.
(06:21–07:16)
Mirabai thanks the hosts for bonus content, mentions writing a novel, and shares a unique “wheelhouse” of reading interests.
The hosts remind listeners how to join the Reading Glasses Discord community and access nine years of bonus material by signing up for Max Fun.
(08:56–10:23)

3. Main Discussion: Read a Genre or Subgenre You've Never Tried!

Rules & Philosophy (13:21–15:39)

Brea: To qualify, your pick can be any genre or subgenre you’re new to—including extremely niche categories.

“If you can think of a genre you haven’t tried… get as specific as you need to to find something that you haven’t read: hard sci-fi, Amish romance, cozy fantasy, body horror…” (13:42)
- You do not have to finish the book—just try it!
Mallory: “Trying new things is always good… Just because you don’t like something once, doesn’t mean you never will. Your taste might change.”
(14:18)

Host Challenge Picks and Recommendations (15:39–21:53)

Brea: Considering Sports Memoir

Never read one!
Mallory suggests hockey memoirs (e.g., by Nazem Kadri), “e-bug” (emergency backup goalie) stories, and “The Black Aces,” a new book on Black hockey players.

“There’s some fun hockey books out there.” (17:18) "Do I have to know about hockey to understand?" (Brea, 16:12) "No!" (Mallory, 16:14)

Mallory: Choosing Hard Sci-Fi

Hasn’t read “hard” science fiction (i.e., heavy on the technical, scientific accuracy)
Considering recommendations such as Terraformers by Annalee Newitz and works by Andy Weir or Cameron Hurley.

“As soon as you start explaining to me how a rocket works…the parents start going ‘wah wah wah wah.’ That’s what happens in my brain…” (17:56) “I think that's what I'm going to do. Because…I don't know if I've ever actually read one.” (20:16)
The hosts reflect on how their experience as well-read book podcasters can sometimes trick them into thinking they've actually sampled more genres than they have.

Challenge Takeaways

Pushing into unfamiliar genres can reveal new favorites and teach you about your own tastes as a reader.
The hosts invite Glassers to send recommendations for both “sports biographies/memoirs” (for Brea) and “hard sci-fi” (for Mallory).
(21:10–21:53)

4. Bookstore Ethics: Where (and When) Not to Shop (22:47–29:42)

Listener Daniel’s Question:
How do you decide which local bookstores to support—especially if a shop carries both inclusive and problematic (e.g., Trump, Confederate flag) materials?

Brea: "Do the best we can. Vote with our dollars. If I saw a Confederate flag, I would not be buying anything at that store. Save those dollars for a store in your own community." (25:04)
Mallory: "Just because someone runs a bookstore doesn't mean they're a good person... You don't have to buy from a bookstore just because it's a small business. If you see a big Trump display—go ‘P.U.’ and walk out." (26:07)
Suggestions: Walk out politely, consider telling the owner why, and support other bookstores more in line with your values. Order online from aligned shops if needed.
"But there are a lot of good bookstores... it's going to be pretty easy to find one that is aligned with your views." (29:11)

5. Recommendations: Literary Fiction for SFF Readers (29:42–32:36)

Listener Christina: Wants literary novels with good character development and prose, but feels lost after focusing on SFF.

Brea’s Rec:
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
- Literary with cli-fi/dystopian elements (birds dying, global warming in background, protagonist on a quest).
- Blends genre taste with literary prose: “It's beautiful literary fiction. I think you'd really like it.”
Mallory’s Rec:
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
- Historical, literary with a slight fantasy mystery (possible sea serpent in a Victorian seaside English village).
- “A beautiful character drama... with possibly supernatural mystery that you don't know if it's supernatural or not. And it's so great.” (31:33)
- Show adaptation starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston is also praised.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On genre aversion:
“Trying new things is always good... Just because you finally…got to just try it. Your taste might change.” (Mallory, 14:18)
On book industry politics:
“Just because someone runs a bookstore doesn’t mean they’re a good person…You don’t have to buy from a bookstore just because it’s a small business.” (Mallory, 26:07)
On sliding into a new genre:
“It's like a Lacroix, you know? Going from a juice or a soda to a LaCroix.” (Mallory about subtle magical realism, 31:09)
On oddball book jobs:
“There’s always an emergency backup goalie…They keep them in a cage.” (Mallory, 16:16–16:20, joking about e-bugs)
On literary smut and fun guests:
“I think Jesse’s response was: ‘I don’t understand anything in that sentence, but I’m in.’” (Brea, on Jesse Thorne’s reaction to being asked to read a smutty merfolk romance, 02:37)

Timestamps for Major Segments

00:35 – “What Are You Reading?”
04:54 – Listener Feedback & Community
13:21 – Main Topic: Genre/ Subgenre Challenge
22:47 – Bookstore Ethics, Local Support
29:42 – Literary Fiction Recs for SFF Readers

Episode Tone

Upbeat, irreverent, bookish camaraderie—balanced with sincere activism (community projects, opposing anti-immigrant policies).
Emphasis on honesty, self-reflection, and not gatekeeping anyone’s reading journey.
Playful banter (slide whistles for ICE, sports book confusion), and genuine warmth toward listeners.

Final Note

For recommendations, genre advice, or to join the ongoing challenge, email readingglassespodcast@gmail.com. Find them on Instagram @readingglassespodcast, or join the Max Fun Discord community!

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Transcript

A (0:00)

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

B (0:14)

And I'm Bria Grant, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're ticking off another box on the 2026 reading glasses glasses challenge. Read a genre or sub genre you've never tried. Mallory, I need some help just letting you know.

A (0:24)

I also need. I need your help as well. Oh.

B (0:27)

Oh, okay. Plus, we talk about how to figure out which bookstores to support and recommend literary fiction for science fiction fantasy readers.

A (0:35)

But first, Bria, what are you reading?

B (0:37)

I am reading a book that came out a couple years ago. It is literary fiction, speculative fiction. It's called the Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard. It is about a town in which it's like an isolated town, but if you go to the town right next to it, it's the exact same version of the town, but 20 years ahead. And if you go the other way, it's the exact same version of the town 20 years behind. Oh, so like, jumping into the future, jumping into the past, same town. And there are these people who work for the town and part of the like kind of government. And if you have a reason to go see yourself in the past or someone in the past or someone in the future, you can get it approved and do that. And it's about this young girl, and it's kind of like just a really nice, very literary fiction, very, like, in her head, like, seeing her grow up, and she's trying to become one of those. That's where I'm at right now. She's trying to become one of these people who they're basically approve your petition to, like, hey, you know, I just got diagnosed with cancer, but my daughter is pregnant. Can I go 20 years in the future to see what my grandchild looks like or whatever? Or, like, my son passes. Passed away, and I'd love to go back into the past and see him one last time. And, like, you can't have any interaction with them, but you're allowed to go, like, look at them from a distance. But obviously that causes problems. And it's just a really beautifully written prose. Are really nice about this, like, kind of awkward girl who's trying to become one of these people who makes these approvals. And I just. I'm really liking it. It's very.

A (2:01)

It's great.

B (2:01)

Yeah, it's really beautiful. What are you reading?

A (2:03)

B (10:32)

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A (26:07)

So the thing is, reading builds empathy, which is why it might be surprising to some people that there's a lot of readers out there who support our current administration. It is. It can be easy to forget because in all of our Brookish circles, you know, the people who, People who listen to reading glasses and the stacks and listen to in and read Book Riot, you know, I feel like the general main. Most of the. A lot of the mainstream bookish world is pretty progressive and not conservative, but there's a lot of editors, bookstore owners, publishers, readers, writers who all have really shitty political views or they want to be apolitical, which is hilarious. Just because someone runs a bookstore does not mean they're a good person. Like. Right. That's kind of. That's a tough thing to remember. You don't. Just because someone owns a small business doesn't mean they're a good person and you should support them. What was that baker that didn't want to make a cake for a gay wedding? Like it. Just because someone has. Has an identity that seem. Might seem on the surface that they're gonna be. Their views are gonna be aligned with yours, doesn't mean that's actually the case. You don't have to buy from a bookstore just because it's a small business. If I walked into a bookstore and saw a big Trump display. Yeah, that's. I would, I would go pee you and like. And walk out. Like, you just don't. Don't buy anything. Like, I mean, the thing is, because of the nature of what they sell, most bookstores are pretty upfront about their beliefs. Like, all of my favorite bookstores here in la, I'm thinking of like Skylight Books, Rip Bodice. They're very pro queer. They're. You walk in and there's anti ice shit everywhere. But if you live in a part of the country that does not have a local bookstore you want to support, order online from one who does. Yeah, you know, there's thousands of them. But, you know, I, I buy a lot of books from people here in la, but I also order stuff. Kelly Link's Book Moon in Massachusetts is really amazing. You can just. Most bookstores, I don't want to say all of them because I'm sure there's a couple who don't. But most indie bookstores will mail things to you. But even if you're. If you were traveling and you see a bookstore like this, no, you don't have to buy. Buy anything from them. And like, you know, in fact, depending on how conflict diverse you are, you could be like, hey, this, I was gonna buy something, but this really bothers me, and then walk out. You know, I don't want to support this. And yeah, it sucks. It sucks. We live in hell. There's a lot of people who, who are fine with, with hatred and fascism and we, we're having to live with it and it, it's brutal. But there are a lot of good bookstores, as we said at the top of the episode. There's links in the show notes to a lot of amazing bookstores in Minnesota, Minneapolis right now that are supporting protesters, are opposing ice, opposing this current administration. And it's going to be pretty easy for you to find a bookstore that is aligned with your views. So if you want us to solve your reader problem, you can send it to reading glasses podcastmail.com. Time to answer a recommendation request from Christina, who says, hi, Brianne Mallory. I have a book dilemma that I'd love some help with. For a long time I've been reading almost exclusively sci fi and fantasy, and I was mostly looking for a gripping plot to keep me turning the pages. Recently, I found myself drawn to stories with a little more character development and more elevated writing style. I found and loved some of those within sci fi fantasy, such as Piranesi, A Memory Called Empire, Death of the Author, and the Left Hand of Darkness. Now I'm wanting to venture away from sci fi fantasy into more straight literary novels, but I'm not sure where to start or what exactly to look for. Thanks so much. I love the podcast and the Discord community is great too. Bria, what do you think Christina should read?