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

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

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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

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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.

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Final Note

For recommendations, genre advice, or to join the ongoing challenge, email [e-mail]. Find them on Instagram @readingglassespodcast, or join the Max Fun Discord community!

Transcript

[A]

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]

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]

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

[B]

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

[A]

But first, Bria, what are you reading?

[B]

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]

It's great.

[B]

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

[A]

I'm reading our March smut book.

[B]

Oh, what is our March Smut. I cannot. I cannot remember the name of this book ever.

[A]

It's Queenie and the Krakens by Alira Anaya Cirrus. And it is so for our Max Fun drive on. On reading Smut last year we. One of our goals was to get Jesse Thorne to read a why Choose? And now we're doing it. We're having friends of the longtime friends of the show Jesse Thorne and Jordan Morris on to read this why Choose With a motorcycle club full of merman shifters. That's right. That's so many words.

[B]

I think Jesse's response was, I don't understand anything in that sentence, but I'm in. When I asked him to do it.

[A]

What an American hero. Jesse Thorne. So, yeah, if you're. If you're not familiar with the smut world, a why choose is generally one main character, your protagonist, and there's a bunch of different love interests. And the author goes, well, why choose? Have them all. Have them all, have them all. And it's this. It's this woman. She one night accidentally witnesses a murder between a gang of merman shifters and she kind of gets swept into this paranormal.

[B]

What are they doing on land? Are there.

[A]

I guess there's crimes, apparently. Oh. And so she gets kind of swept into this world of the paranormal because there's, you know, paranormal creatures in this world and she kind of gets swept into this paranormal creature underbelly, and she ends up having to accept protection from the rival gang of mermen shifters, this motorcycle club who is the rivals of the ones that she witnesses committing a murder. And it says that these mermen are dangerous, violent and sexy. It is.

[B]

We had Jordan on for our Priest episode and he was so funny. So I'm so excited to have him back.

[A]

So if you are, this is the first time we've done a Y Choose. And if you've never listened to reading Smut, the. The, the format of the show is sort of us going through these different genres, sub genres of tropes and being like, why is this sexy? Why do people love this? And this is our first ever why Choose? It's a very popular sub genre in the. In the smut world. And I love that we have two guys on to talk about this and it's going to be really funny. This book is really fun so far. It's very illuminating. It's not my first why choose? But it is my first paranormal why Choose?

[B]

And it'll be my first one. Very excited to dive in, dive in,

[A]

dive in with those mermen. And if you are. If you want to hear Jesse Thorne talking about a why choose with mermen. Hop on over to Reading Smut next month and and check it out. It's going to be a good time. So I am reading Queenie and the Krakens by Alira Anaya Cirrus.

[B]

And I'm reading the Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard.

[A]

So we want to take a moment to share some listener feedback. Mary wrote in to say hi there, reading glasses fam. Longtime listener, first time caller here. I'm a New Yorker struggling with how I can help immigrants and people of color in my community during this awful time in our country. My sister and I decided to put together kits with the ACLU Know youw Right zines laminated cards to help if ICE comes to your home and whistles. I'm reaching out to local little free library stewards as well as my local libraries to distribute these kits to those who may need them and thought I would pass the idea along within a couple of days. Several book lovers and librarians have agreed to make them available to their communities. If any other glassers have ideas about how we can use our awesome bookish resources to help our communities, that would be so awesome to hear about. Together we can make a difference. Thank you, Brienne Mallory, for being a light in such a dark time. Happy reading everyone. And remember, ICE here. I feel like we need all need to cheer. Cheer like cheers with our glasses, guys. Yeah, we. If you are a subscriber to our newsletter, Bria, put in some really great links in there about how the bookish community bookstores in particular are helping. You know, especially in Minnesota right now. This, our country is rapidly descending into a nightmarish fascist terror state. And it warms my heart to see so many readers and librarians and bookstores and. And just bookish communities in general fighting back because yeah, fuck ice. So we get. I'll go, I'll pull up that newsletter and I'll put those links back in the show notes. But if people write in, if you've got ideas to supplement this.

[B]

Yeah. And I love these little kits. That's a great idea. Dylan wrote in and said hi from Massachusetts. Massachusetts. Say it in an accent. Can you do it in an accent?

[A]

Massachusetts.

[B]

Thank you. I also struggled with piles of books I bought and foraged from little free libraries. They went unread because of a short window to read hot new library books. We were talking about this last week. It's the. It's the hot new library problem for

[A]

a lot of people.

[B]

Yeah. Versus the Books that are just sitting on your shelf. I came up with a strategy that has relaxed this for a couple of years. I don't know whether Triage uses audiobooks, but I routinely have a reading book and an audiobook going at the same time. I have a rule that whenever I get a library book, I make it an audiobook from Libby while I prioritize what I own for reading with my eyes. I like that differentiation. I make exceptions as needed, but this system gives me a comfortable balance. I also track how many books I've read from my own shelves, which lets me see progress on that. Thanks for all the great reading ideas. I love the show. This is great. I love that.

[A]

I love this.

[B]

We are listening to books, but then reading books from that you have physically with your eyes. Fantastic. That's a great way to get through all of the books and prioritize all books, not just library books.

[A]

Also, Bria, for half a second I was like, what if we made. What if we passed out slide whistles that said ice on them? But I don't think a slide whistle would work to alert people about ice.

[B]

Too silly.

[A]

A little too silly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Not, not.

[B]

Not for a serious moment.

[A]

Although maybe, you know what? If you are protesting, you should keep a slide whistle around because if an ice agent does something stupid, which that's all they do, like, imagine an ice agent slips and falls down and you go, that's.

[B]

That's actually.

[A]

That's beautiful right there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, I want to ice slide with so bad. The Mirabai wrote in to say hi. I listened to some of your bonus content earlier this year and I enjoyed it so much I decided to subscribe to both your podcasts. Oh, we love people coming to us from the boco. That's fantastic. A few episodes in and I'm hooked. Mirabai, welcome. Welcome to the Glasser community. I'm currently writing a novel and have been reading lots of books, both for research and for fun these past two plus years. So your dulcet tones have been really welcome to my ears while trying to settle down after a hard day's reading. Thanks for everything and keep up the good work. Wow, Love that.

[B]

Thank you, Bria.

[A]

You want to read Mirabai's Wheelhouse Plague?

[B]

Very funny. Queer parenting women cross dressing for plot reasons. Weird fiction, slash body horror stuff set in early modern Europe. Especially if it's silly and body YA about dorky weird kids, strange neighborhoods in strange cities, and food science.

[A]

Oh, love that. So you can email us at reading glasses podcast gmail.com if you want a list of all the books we talk about on our show delivered to your inbox every month? You can sign up for our newsletter. There's a link in the show. Not notes. Quick bookmark to remind folks all the lovely new glassers out there. If you want, you want that, you want that Boco, you want the. Those years and years of bonus content. You want access to our hip happen in Discord. The way to do it is to sign up, become a Max Fun member that supports the show. Go to maximumfun.org join and then send a screenshot of your membership to reading glasses podcastmail.com that's the magical key that unlocks the world of the glasser community. We'll send you a Discord invite. And that's any level. If you sign up for just five bucks a month, which in this day and age, what can you get for $5? Even my. I went out and got a nice coffee today, it was still more than $5. Like there's not, there's not a lot you can get out there. And you get so much. You get nine years worth of bonus episodes.

[B]

Oh my God, it's a lot of bonus years.

[A]

So many years, so many bonus episodes. And me, Bri and I get a little more spicy in those Boko episodes.

[B]

We do. We do. So not as nice.

[A]

Well, we're a little more. Because we don't talk too much shit on this show, but sometimes we get a little spicier.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So if you want to support the show, help us put it out every single week. But also join a community of your fellow bookish people and get a lot of extra stuff. Go to maximumfun.org join and sign up to support the show. Before we dive into genres we've never tried, we're going to take a quick break.

[C]

Foreign.

[B]

Glasses is brought to you in part this week by Green Chef. Green Chef is dedicated to cutting through the noise as the trusted authority in clean eating, delivering real farm sourced ingredients. Y' all know that we love Green Chef. Green Chef delivers certified organic produce and responsibly source proteins and seafoods. Look, if you haven't tried something like this, this is a great place for you to start because you can have all sorts of options like Mediterranean, high protein, high fiber, plant based. That's one that I like. But there are so many choices to help support whatever lifestyle you are living, not whatever lifestyle you're living. You know, maybe they're not going to send you like you know, a skateboard if you're becoming a skater. But you're eating lifestyles is what I'm specifically talking about. You can make your habits better for the planet. They cut food waste by 20% versus grocery shopping, and they also offset 100% of their delivery emissions. Like I said, if you have a specific lifestyle eating choice that you would like to support, Green Chef is going to have it for you, and they make those decisions for you. I hate when I come home and I'm like, what am I going to make for food? I don't know. I have, like, a bunch of things, but I don't know. Green Chef gives you the ingredients, gives you the tools, gives you everything you need to make a great, healthy choice to, you know, you know, maybe you have to cook some, and it can teach you how to cook. And also there's things you make, and you're like, wow, I want to make that again because it's so delicious. I love Green Chef. It's something that really takes a lot of pressure off of my days when I come home, and I don't want to figure out what I want to eat. And here it is. It's all waiting for me. So head to greenchef.com 50glasses and use code 50glasses to get 50% off off your first month, then 20% off for the next two months with free shipping. That's [e-mail] 50glasses. 50glasses.

[D]

Hi, I am Jordan Cruciola, and I host Feeling Seen. I'm here with Maximum Fun member of the month, Khalil Goodman.

[B]

Hi, Khalil.

[E]

Hi, Jordan. Thank you for having me. So great to see See it.

[D]

I gotta know what's made you feel seen. If you. I figure you've thought about this if you've listened to the show a bunch.

[E]

I read X Men when I was 6. When you're a kid who makes art, which I am, and you're a queer kid, like, there's this feeling of like, something is different, but you don't know what it is. Yeah, you can be different, but it can be a superpower.

[D]

What would you say to others who might be considering supporting the show? What would be your sales pitch to them?

[E]

If you love this thing, if you are getting all of this joy and comfort from this thing, make sure that this thing that you like will continue.

[D]

Thank you so much, Khalil, for taking the time to talk to me today

[B]

and for listening to the show.

[D]

My God, it means a lot to just know people are really listening and valuing what they're hearing.

[E]

Thank you so much.

[B]

Become A Maximum Fun member [e-mail] join.

[A]

Foreign. This week we're ticking off a box on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge. Read a genre or sub genre you've never tried before. How do you complete this part of the challenge? What genre are we choosing for it and how do we think this can improve your reading life? Bria, you want to get into the rules.

[B]

We know you love rules, so we know most of your hardcore readers and you read a lot of different types of books. That's why we put sub genre on there too. So it's not just genre. We can do subgenre too. You know, if you. A genre. If we can think of a genre. If you can think of a genre you haven't tried, horror, romance, western, etc, whatever. But get as specific as you need to to find something that you haven't read so hard. Sci fi, Amish romance, cozy fantasy, body horror. If there's anything you've been curious about or avoiding because you think you're not going to like it, by the way, you don't have to finish it, you just have to try it.

[A]

You have to try it. Just try it a little.

[B]

Try. Yeah. How do you think, Mallory, this is going to improve people's reading lives?

[A]

While trying new things is always good, sometimes you try. You know, for a really long time when I was, for all of my being a kid and being a teenager, I thought I didn't like coconut because I always had like crappy shredded coconut on things. And I was like, I don't want, I don't want wood chips on my food, thank you very much. And then I started eating real coconut and I am now a coconut fiend. I love the coconut smell. I love eating a coconut. I love a coconut flavored thing. Just because I finally. You got to just try it, try it. You never. Your taste might change.

[B]

At what age, at what age did you read? Did you start eating coconut?

[A]

Mid-20s.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, it's pretty late.

[A]

Yeah, late coconut adopter now. Dude. Chewing on a. Gnawing on a rind of coconut while you're reading. Oh my God. Fantastic. Also good for your skin. Anyway, trying new things is always good. You might not think you're gonna like it and then could be your new favorite thing. We get loads of emails from glassers who try types of books they didn't think they would like and they end up loving it. But overall, really, it's about knowing yourself as a reader. Is that's, that's always a goal of the show and knowing what types of books you love and don't love is a really big part of that. And the thing is, there's so many sub genres now. It can be really fun to try out something new and buzzy and. And see if you're gonna be into it. All right, so how. Bria, how are you completing this part of the challenge? What do you need help with? This is hard.

[B]

Okay. I was thinking. I'm open to other ideas, but I'm maybe a sports biography. I've never read a sports biography or a sports memoir, even. I am. This seems so to me, but I am willing to try it for the challenge. But also, I just want to say I technically just did my first historical romance.

[A]

That is true. That is true. I. I do think that might count, but there. There's some fun hockey books out there.

[B]

Okay. Just find. Define fun.

[A]

The problem is with the hockey books that I'm going to recommend, there are definitely no. There's no gay sex in them.

[B]

Less interested.

[A]

But.

[B]

And do I have to know about hockey to understand?

[A]

No.

[B]

What is. What is the point?

[A]

What is the point without any gay sex? I mean, there's a player named Nazem Kadri who. Who came out with his memoir a few years ago. There's a really fun book about e bugs, which is emergency backup goalie. And. Okay, that's like, the history of this, like, really weird, silly job because it's always. Every. Every time you play a hockey game, you have your starter goalie, main goalie, but then you have your backup goalie. Someone's backing up the goalie in case something happens. But then if something real, like. Or true emergency happens and both goalies go down, there's always an emergency backup goalie in. And it was a few years in the building where they keep them in a cage. No, there's a. I can't. I can't remember who they were playing, but I. I'm pretty sure it was the Carolina Hurricanes. A few years ago, this happened. Both their goalies went down and they had to call up the E. Bug, and it was the Zamboni driver and who. And they put up. They. They caught him, suited up, and he won the game.

[B]

Okay, I'm interested in this. And that sounds pretty fun. Man story.

[A]

That sounds pretty fun.

[B]

Right?

[A]

And they're. A new book just came out called the Black Aces, which is a history of black hockey players and which sounds really amazing and is really exciting, and I'm glad that it's. I think it's coming out in time for Black History Month, which is right now. I am. Obviously I'm biased, but there's a lot of fun hockey books out there. Okay.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Maybe.

[B]

Okay. All right. I'm gonna. This is what I'm gonna think. I have the gear to do it, so. But I think that that might be what I do.

[A]

Okay, well, now you get help.

[B]

What are you gonna do? Okay. Okay.

[A]

Shout out to our challenge winners, by the way, because they got a sneak peek of this. So we did a fun virtual hangout with the winners from the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge. And we talked about this a little.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

Oh, my God, it was so fun. We just. We have truly the best, best listeners. Just absolute blast. So what I think I'm gonna do for this is a had sci fi book. Because the thing is, I don't read a lot of sci fi anyway. And I've always avoided really hard sci fi because math and space make my brain hurt. As soon as you start explaining to me how a rocket works or like you're the theorem that you're going to use to get something into space, I just starts turning into. What is that? Is it the. Is it Charlie Brown? When the parents start going, yeah, that's what happens in my brain. But I have a sneaking suspicion that if I can break past that, I might like the epic sort of scale of it all and that, like that. It does kind of. In theory, it sounds fun. So I'm taking recommendations. I was thinking maybe Terraformers by Annalee Newitz, Ancillary Justice Glassers. Feel free to write in, but obviously, Bria, I'll read whatever you think that I'll like.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, let me think about it for sure. I mean, terraformers might be good. It's not super hard sci fi. Maybe it is. That's pretty hard, I guess. Yeah, it's a little soft one. Sci fi.

[A]

Sunny side up. Sci fi.

[B]

I would say like an Andy Weir. That's who I think of always.

[A]

I've never read any of those.

[B]

Science. He has a new that the movie's coming out based on the book. I haven't read of his. Yeah, wait, no, it's another one. Is it Artemis? Anyway, that could be one.

[A]

Or maybe a Cameron Hurley.

[B]

Oh, you might like Cameron Hurley. I feel like Cameron Hurley. Excuse. More like war. Like military sci fi rather than.

[A]

But is it hard?

[B]

I don't know how hard it is, but some people can fight me on this because like I said, I also haven't read a Cameron Hurley book in a while, but I feel Like, Cameron Hurley's books are way more.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Military, but glasses.

[A]

I know that there's. I know there's a lot of glasses who love a. Love a. I'm sorry, I can't say hard sci fi in anything besides Boston. It's just so funny to me, thinking of.

[B]

There's got to be a Boston person saying. Saying hard sci fi.

[A]

Sci fi. But please write in. I'm taking recommendations, but I think that's what I'm gonna do. The thing about it, it's something that happens on the show, is we talk about books so much, and I'm so familiar with what books come out that sometimes I forget that I haven't actually read them. I just know about them, and I know enough about them to recommend them to people, but I haven't read them myself, which is wild.

[B]

So you need a hard sci fi.

[A]

I need a hard sci fi. I think that's what I'm going to do. Because I. I don't know if I've ever actually read one.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Because I. I mean, even the sci fi that I read, like a big Ray Bradbury fan, and Ray Bradbury is. Is. Is a poached sci fi. Very soft, very runny core. Runny. Runny yolks on. On Ray Bradbury. Sci fi.

[B]

So I guess I have read a historical romance, if we're counting, like, Pride and Prejudice.

[A]

Yeah, but that's more like. This was like a spicy open door. Like no one's. Yeah, no one's slopping and sliding and Jane Austen. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. No, no, no, no, it's true.

[A]

There's no.

[B]

I'm.

[A]

No buds. No blossoming. No soft globes.

[B]

Globes. No gloves.

[A]

No. No globes.

[B]

There were a lot of globes in this one. Okay.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay, so maybe I haven't read one. Okay, well, we're gonna keep each other updated. Yeah.

[A]

I'm gonna send you some hockey links. Obviously, there's other sports, but why would you want to read about another sport?

[B]

Obviously. And glassers. Listen, if y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

If there is a sports memoir you think is really great, let me know. Or bio. I'm interested in this extra goalie that is a really weird. That's really strange.

[A]

It's a fun. It's a fun part of hockey. I mean, every part of hockey is a fun part of hockey, but it is a fun, weird thing. And it's such a rare thing, but it does happen, and it's. I'll send you a link to it. I think it came out. I don't know, maybe three or four years ago. Very fun book. And I know some glassers have read it too, so. But yeah, folks write in sports memoirs and had sci fi. You can send your thoughts to reading glasses podcastmail.com before we talk about which bookstores to support, we're going to take a quick break.

[F]

If you want to know what's going on in the world of movies, you should be listening to Maximum Films so we can tell you all about it.

[C]

Okay, but what if you already know what's going on in the world of movies?

[A]

Movies.

[C]

What if you're kind of obsessed with movies? Like, maybe you have a problem? Well, then you should definitely be listening to Maximum Film because we too have that problem. And it's important you know you're not alone.

[F]

We're talking indies. You'll want to seek out blockbusters and

[C]

blockbusting wannabes, classics we can't get enough of. I'm comedian and writer Kevin Avery. I'm film critic Alonzo Duraldi.

[F]

I'm festival programmer and producer Drea Clarke.

[C]

Together we're Maximum Film Smart about movies in Hollywood. So you don't have to be. But if you already are, that's also great. And hey, we see you new episodes

[F]

Every week on MaximumFun.org.

[A]

Now let's solve a bookish problem from one of our listeners. Daniel writes in to say, first of all, huge fan of reading glasses and reading smut. I started listening to reading Smut on a drive home from Ottawa, Ontario to Iowa 17 hours in late February as a curiosity. And that segued seamlessly into downloading and listening to audio smut on the same drive. And now, yes, actually reading smut. I'm a cishet male and absolutely adore your shows and the elevation of more inclusive and welcoming smut culture. Anywho, wow. First off, we love that welcome, welcome, welcome. Question that would cross over your shows. How do you decide what local bookstores you do and do not want to necessarily support? I was recently away in a small town in the south. I encountered a romantasy section, smut etc alongside all the accoutrements one might expect at a great local bookstore. Coffee? Socks, Man. Bookstores do love a sock.

[B]

They love socks, I think. And honestly, I love socks. So that's fine.

[A]

Do you think it's because people wear we like to read socks. Wow. We like to. We like to wear socks while we read books.

[B]

Yeah, they're cozy.

[A]

Cozy. Cozy.

[B]

Socks are cozy. Yeah.

[A]

I was psyched that this was operating in a town I knew to be relatively Historically conservative. However, I was also a touch deflated moments later when I saw even more prominently displayed a bunch of books and merch featuring the Trump family second amendment stuff and the Confederate flag. I politely. Yeah, that's also how offensive to the socks. Socks are so much more important. So much socks have done so much more for this country. How dare you. Yeah, I politely asked the person at the desk if they were the owner, not allowing my concern to be evident and she said she was. I decided to say thank you and casually walked out. Kind of confused. I know local shops sometimes have to cater to markets and yes, make money, but wanted your thoughts. Would you have stayed purchased? How would one ideally handle this situation if they wish to support local and support books and yet not support morally opposing views? Again, thank you so, so much for the shows and the work you do. Max. Fun shows have gotten me through some difficult times. Bria, what do you think?

[B]

Okay, first of all, I'm say yes, they do have to definitely have to support their local market. But you can have something like the history of the local town, not a Confederate flag. So like I think there's like a real differ between that. This is. This is tough. Sorry this happened to you because I'm sure those socks were great.

[A]

I mean Daniel, still dreaming of those of those book print socks.

[B]

Look, we're doing the best we can, right? We should try to vote with our dollars. If I saw that Confederate flag, I would not be buying anything at that store. If I saw that the second. If I saw the Trump. I know I'm not merch with Trump.

[A]

Like I'm not display is wild fudge

[B]

that like save those dollars and spend them in a store in your hometown. If you are able to do that, that I mean if you are needing a book, I can't say that like stopping at the gas station or like, you know, the Hudson News is owned by something better at the. At the airport and owned by somebody better. But. And they're also going to have the Trump stuff there too. But I think you made the right choice here in walking out. I would walk out also. And I think there's a lot of great places to spend your money and that is one power we have as consumers in a capitalist society. So it's tough. I'm sorry, you probably wanted that little romantasy book also.

[A]

You can make a big cartoonish display of being excited about the romanticy seeing the Trump and going P U and then walking out.

[B]

Yeah, that's. Oh, that's a fun time, a fun idea. What. What do you think that Daniel should do?

[A]

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?

[B]

Well, I definitely try some like curio fiction or magical realism, because I feel like a lot of these fall into literary fiction category, but they have elements of things that obviously keep you coming back. Similar to me where I like. I really love a sci fi fantasy book, but can also really get down with like the book I'm reading right now, which is obviously like literary fiction, but it has this sci fi fantasy element to it. I'm listen, I know I have to retire Charlotte McConaughey, but I'm gonna recommend one more time and then I'm gonna retire. Okay. Because I think that is who you should check out. It's literary fiction, but she writes always with a slight science fiction edge. Like on the deep background, there's something science fictional happening, like the world is falling apart, it's dystopia or whatever. The one I'd recommend is Migrations It's a fun one to start with because it is like a dystopian world, but it's on the distant background where, like, all the birds are dying. Everything. All the. There's global warming. So it is cli fi technically, but it's mostly about this woman going to this very certain trip to find this very specific bird, essentially. It's beautiful literary fiction. I think you'd really like it. And it has that science fiction element to it, so I think you would like that. What do you have for Christina?

[A]

First off, this is so fun. Most people go the other way. Most people are, like, trying to get into sci fi fantasy. I love this person trying to get into literary fiction. So I'm gonna nudge one step further to straight up literary with just a little bit of SFF flavor. It's like. It's like a Lacroix, you know, going from a juice or a soda to a LaCroix. And I'm gonna recommend the Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. I fucking love Sarah Perry so much. She. She's a historical fiction author. Her books are very character focused with just, like, a hint of genre. Sometimes it's horror, sometimes it's fantasy. Essex Serpent is her big one, and it's for a good reason. It is so fucking good. And I will say the show that's adapted from it is also so fucking good with Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston. Oh, my God, it was my favorite show of the year.

[B]

Same name. It's called the Essex.

[A]

Yeah, you should. You should watch it, Priya. It's so good. Also female directed. It's about the small English town. Oh, I want to say it's mid-1800s, somewhere around there. But they believe that all the misfortunes that are befalling this town are because there's a sea serpent in the marsh. And like. Like, I think, like, somebody gets killed and they think it's a sea serpent. Like, bad things keep happening. And this amateur naturalist who's a widow, she comes to investigate it, and she becomes friends with and starts falling for the local vicar who is trying to keep the town calm. And there's all these amazing themes of, like, science versus faith and belief. And it's so good. But it's this beautiful, like, character drama between these two people with very opposing views who are falling in love with each other, but in the background is this possibly supernatural mystery that you don't know if it's supernatural or not. And it's. It's so great. All of her books are amazing, but this is a great one to start with. So I'm recommending the Essex Serpent by

[B]

Sarah Perry and I'm doing migrations by Charlotte McConaughey.

[A]

So if you want us to answer your recommendations you can send it to reading glasses podcastmail.com as always, want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Discord server and our Facebook group. And remember, you want to look cute and show off your bogishness and help feed our cats. Sailor is always He's a hungry boy. He both some. Usually it's just Lulu who wakes me up for breakfast this morning, but it was both of them. If you want to help Sailor out, you can go to our Void Merch store, buy some totes and shirts, sweatshirts, stickers. There's a link in the show notes for that. And if you like the show, please rate and review us on the podcast listening app of your choice. It's so great for us. It's so great, so lovely. So great for our hearts, so great for our minds. So great for people finding the show. You can email us at reading glasses podcastmail.com find us on Instagram at Reading Glasses Podcast. Thanks for listening and thanks for reading.

[B]

Thanks for reading.

[A]

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