Ep 474 - Halflings Love Mushrooms - Themed Snacks/Drinks for the RG Challenge! + Matthew Medney! - Reading Glasses

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Foreign.
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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'.
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Meara. And I'm Bria Grant, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're ticking off another box on the 2026 reading glasses glasses challenge. Have a themed snack or drink with the book you're reading. Wonderful, Mallory. I cannot wait to hear what people did for this. Plus, we give advice on what to do with gifted books, and we talk to publisher web series creator Matthew Medney from Gungnir Books.
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So first, Bria, what are you reading?
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So, okay, this thing happens to me when I'm reading a physical book, but I need a digital. I need a Kindle book because I always wake up in the middle of the night and I need just something just to put me back to sleep. Just a little small book. At least it'd be like a novella. Not something that is so, like, time consuming, but I can read, like, you know, 20 pages and it doesn't. Whatever. So I started reading a book called I Found Puppets Living in My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing. It's actually been recommended to me by multiple horror people who are like, have you read this weird book? And it is wildly entertaining. It is so strange. It basically starts off, there's a guy, he wakes up, and you know those people who have, like, the dream where, like, the woman sits on your chest?
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Or, like, what are you going to? A sleep paralysis demon.
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It's kind of like that.
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I have a real one of those where I wake up and Lula is sitting on me because she wants breakfast.
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Oh, that's funny. Well, imagine that. But it's a puppet. It's a puppet that his grandfather used to puppet, and his grandfather went missing years ago, and the puppet.
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No, no, no.
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He wakes up and the puppet's, like, staring at him and then runs back away. Oh, malrates it. Are you scared of puppets?
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No, I just. I don't like that.
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Okay.
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I don't like the idea of something living in my walls is really the thing.
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Yeah, well, okay, so what's interesting about this is that it's part of a series called the I Found horror series. And I wonder if it's. Could it be all about things living
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in your walls or just stuff you find in your house?
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It is. The next one looks like it's called I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My House. Seems like one you'd like that I'm into. I Found Christmas Lights Slithering up my street I found a lost hallway and a dying mall. I guess I'm reading that one next. And I found the boogeyman under my brother's crib. They don't have to be read in order. It says, wait, this is standing in
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the middle of the night to put you back to sleep.
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Yeah, I need something really engaging to read in the middle of the night because I need like, my brain to just go. Like, you don't have to think about the work you have to do tomorrow. You have to think about these puppets living in the walls. Anyway, it is a really. It's a well written, fun book. It's like 160 pages. It's. If you're looking for something like fun horror book so far I'm really enjoying it. What are you reading?
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I'm weirdly enough, also reading something very similar. I'm reading Strange Buildings by Uketsu.
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Oh, the sequel.
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This is the sequel to Strange Houses.
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Cool.
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So Strange Houses is a book that came out last year and it's about this architect and this investigator and they team up because they find this plan for a house and something is really weird with the housing plan and they can't figure out what it is, and it's connected to these disappearances. And then in the world of the book, like, the author writes to you as if, like, the first book was real. And he's like, yeah, this thing happened. And after this book came out, people started writing to me about their own weird houses. So this book is about 11 different weird. It's called Strange Buildings. So it's like 11 different buildings and houses. And even in the first page he's like, it seemed like these were all unconnected, but turns out there's something weird that connects them all. So it's just like. What's fun about the print version is like, you get to see the floor plan of these houses and like, there's just something off, something's weird about it. And I love the first book. I think it was my favorite translated book last year and this one came out this year. I'm very, very excited about it. It's just in it, like the way that it's structured. It's like mostly dialogue and floor plans. So it is also in small chunks. This honestly would be a great book for you to read in the middle of the night. And it's just. It's such a fun premise. And yeah, I'm really enjoying it. It's Strange Buildings by Uketsu and I'm
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reading I found puppets Living in my Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing.
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So we wanted to share some listener feedback. Kimberly wrote in to say, dear Bri and Mallory, I found another way to support libraries and add to their data. Tell us more. We love to support libraries. Many libraries have a summer reading program that includes adults. I thought it would be fun to join in, especially because my current library is my childhood library. I remember moving my little cutout down the wall in the kids section, across the checkout desk to. To the adult section and down the wall with a few other kids who are big readers like me. Well, I entered my data into the website and within a week had hit all the adult reading goals. Oh, my gosh. But the librarian asked me to keep logging my time reading in the website. Apparently they can use the data when applying for grants. The whole system has a goal of 7 million minutes of reading across Harris county between June 1 and August 1. And right now we are at 5,149,298 minutes, 73% of the way through on July 5.
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So I think you might make it.
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This is pretty cool. This is. I did not even realize this was a thing. But at check out, folks, go check out to see if your local library has a summer reading program that you can add to. That's really cool.
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Especially the glassers who are just like, just like inhaling books. They're really gonna help with these minutes.
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Love it.
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Yeah, that's amazing. Maureen wrote in and said, hello, Bria, Mallory, Dark Horse Comics has submitted a letter to ask for voluntary recognition of our union. That's so cool. I work with the most wonderful folks who are pat passionate about getting comics out in the world. I guess. Maureen works for Dark Horse. With all the changes happening with our company, we want to be part of creating a sustainable, successful future that doesn't stray from our founding principle of creator owned comics. If your listeners would like to support the show in solidarity with Dark Horse Workers United, we have a petition they can sign and we'll put it in the show notes. In the show notes. Thank you for creating podcasts that inspires and fosters a love of reading. I love Dark Horse and I love that they're going to be unionized. That's so cool.
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Very cool.
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They've become a much bigger force in the last few years and that makes sense that, you know, they're having more and more workers.
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And then Samantha wrote in to say, hey, ladies. So far, my favorite book of 2026 is Agnes Obert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett. It's a book about magic and a ton of kitties. Yes please. I recently updated my wheelhouse after looking what I've been reading lately and this is what I've come up with. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Bang Them. Wow.
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Wow.
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Has no one named a book that yet? Because they should.
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I really hope they do dragon riding and or riding in Qu.
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Good Lord. Good Lord. Oh my gosh.
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Romantasy with headstrong slash independent female leads Fantasy magic in the real world Cozy mysteries and bookshops or museums Female scientist memoirs, actor memoirs, pets especially cats Story in a story like House of Leaves Fairy tale retellings in a non fairy tale setting in a relationship of convenience turns into love. Love this. I hope Samantha listens to our other show because you're made for it for sure. Love this. You can email us@reading glassespodcastmail.com if you want a list of all the books we talk about on the show delivered to your inbox every month. You can sign up for our newsletter. There's a link in the show notes and before we check off a box on the 2026 reading glasses glasses Glasses Challenge, we're going to take a quick break. Reading Glasses is sponsored in part this week by zocdoc. ZOCDOC is designed to make it easier to find a new doctor when things in your life change. Folks, you don't even want to know how many times I've moved for like almost 20 years. I moved at least once a year. And there's so much that's stressful about moving. Basically everything. But one thing that's tough when you get to your new place. Maybe it's a new part of town. Maybe it's just a new city, maybe it's a new state, maybe it's a new country. One of the hardest things is finding a new doctor. You want to find someone you like. You want to find someone that takes your insurance. You want to find someone that's not too far away. There's a lot of different factors. Zocdoc lets you search and compare local in network doctors. Their free to use website has tons of reviews from real patients and detailed doctor profiles to help you choose the right one. The actual appointment openings and click to instantly book a visit, usually within 24 to 72 hours. That is amazing. No more making an appointment and then being like, well, maybe we'll get you in in three years. We've all had that happen where you really want to see someone and they can't get you in for weeks or months. It's really frustrating. Zocdoc helps you get past all of that. Your health matters and taking care of yourself shouldn't be complicated. Find and book the right doctor with Zocdoc. Head to Zocdoc.com glasses to get started and check that appoint off your to do list. That's Zocdoc.com glasses glasses.
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What is manners?
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It's kind of a social dance that
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we've all agreed to.
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Who is manners?
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Well, we reference Emily Post a lot.
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Why is manners.
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Let's go back to Royal Etiquette Schmanners
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answers all these questions.
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Through examining history, culture, literature, and more,
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we'll give you the ultimate insight on why we did it, how we do it, and why we still might do it today.
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So check us out every Friday on MaximumFun.org or wherever podcasts are found.
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Mannersh Manners.
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Get it.
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This week we're taking off another bonks on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge. Have a theme snack or drink with the book that you're reading. Why did we put this on the challenge? How are we completing it? And of course, most importantly, can this improve your reading life? Okay, first off, as always, the rules just got to eat a snack or a drink that is featured in the book you're reading. You only have to do it once while you're reading. You don't have to do every single moment that you're reading. One time. Doesn't have to be the exact snack or drink, just thematically appropriate. Maybe your book takes place in a cafe and you have a coffee or in a particular part of the world and you have a meal with that cuisine. Or, or there's a character that likes a particular snack and you have that it's not. You don't have to go make the exact thing. This is a low stress part of the challenge. Just a fun little quick snack or drink. All right, Bria, why did we put this on the challenge?
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Well, and just speaking of low stress, we were worried it was going to be a little too much. Like, we were like, is this too hard? And I think it's fun. But, like, definitely interested in people's feedback on this one. But we just thought it'd be fun. We thought it'd be fun.
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You don't have, you don't have to make this stressful again. It can be a quick snack, a quick drink that's thematically appropriate. You do not have to go out and make something complicated. You don't have to order something complicated. Just fun and easy yeah.
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The goal is to, like, make your book more immersive. Try to connect with the book a little bit more. Get into your book. For me, also, maybe it's about, like, experiencing something. Like, if you're reading a book from a different country and, like, you know, you're diving into, like, what that culture and what the thing is actually trying to explain to you, like, thinking about things like that, like, as you're reading, and it's just, like, absorbing more of the book. If you are reading and eating or drinking something that is, like, specific to that world, you know, maybe you're drinking. This is a bad example you're having. You're reading a book. You're drinking mead because you're reading the Odyssey or something. You know what I mean? Like, you can, like, there's a lot of things that I think you can pair with this.
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Drinking a gallon of seawater. So you can be just like Odysseus. Everyone's Odyssey maxing right now. Look, see?
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Odyssey maxing.
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We're all Odyssey. Actually, I sent a photo to a mutual friend of ours last night that said looks maxing. No, I'm eye maxing, baby.
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That's right.
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We're all. We're all. It's.
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It's Odyssey talking about Zeus's law to people. And I just say it's anything. Like, I just use it for anything. I'm like, you have to do it. It's Zeus's law. This is not a joke people like yet or maybe they never will, but I think it's funny.
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I also think it's funny. Yeah, we're all. We're all Odyssey maxed. Okay, so can this part of the challenge improve your reading life? We think yes, because you're having extra fun in your reading experience. It's awesome. Maybe it'll push you to try a food that you've never tried before or pick up a food centric book that you normally would not read. I, you know, I love a little project. I love doing a little theme. I love a theme. Every summer, me and my two best guy friends, we do a big themed movie watch for the whole summer. We do, like, 20 to 30 movies. It's so fun. Like, I love. I love a little project like this. And I had a lot of fun doing this part of the challenge. Like, remember, this is always about fun. It's not about stress. And I personally, I had a great time. So what did you do for this, Bria?
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Well, I did this. I mentioned this on another show. I did this while I was In Korea, I was reading the Teddy Nair's Never Die book, which is a Korean book, and there was a certain rice dessert called. And I don't know how to pronounce this, but it's G, G, U, L, T, T, E, O, K, Gulltuk. I don't exactly know how to pronounce it. And it's basically this little rice cake that's filled with honey and sesame seeds that plays a pivotal role in the book. In the beginning of the book, all these people are poisoned by these. Someone leaves them out as, like, a gift. They're like, oh, I moved into the apartment, but it actually poisons all these people in the apartment.
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And Bria's like, I gotta get. I gotta try one of these.
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I gotta get my hands on one of these. Well, they just kept coming up because the. Because everyone's like, oh, I love these things. And then they get poisoned. And then this girl ends up on, like a revenge tour because she's trying to figure out who poisoned her mother. So it wasn't exactly what the challenge was about, like, because it's like, you know, people are getting poisoned. It's not like a cozy, fun thing, but it was. It was.
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No, this is 100% with the challenge. You ate a themed snack that is featured in the book that you're reading. That's. That's what it is.
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Yeah. And so I. While I was in Korea, I was like, I gotta find this dessert. And I kept looking everywhere and I couldn't find it. And I was like, maybe it's not actually that popular. But then I went, I found a little shop full of rice based desserts. It's also helpful for me because I'm gluten free. And it was rice based. And so I was looking around and I was like, I don't know if it's. And then it was, like, sitting right next to me. So I was so excited, and I got to try this little dessert that poisoned all these people in the book. I liked it. Okay. You know, I got a real sweet tooth. And it was not super sweet.
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You don't say.
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Yeah. So it was like. It was like, you know, like a rice cake, kind of like almost like a mochi or something, but filled with.
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I would like. I like things that are not as sweet. That would be.
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Yeah, so it was not as sweet. It was good. I would say it was more of a. Like, it was almost for me, more of like, just like a snack or a breakfast than a dessert. Cause I like my desserts incredibly. Sweet. But I did like it. And it was interesting to try and to think about. And also, they were really tiny, which is the thing I didn't realize in the book. I kept thinking, oh, they're talking about these rice cakes. So, you know, you're thinking, in America. Of course I was. Yeah. Or I was thinking, like, even those flat things, like, I just didn't know what they were. And they were tiny. They were, like, little. So that was the other thing is, I kind of learned more about what was happening in the book and about the culture, I guess. What did you do for this?
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So I mentioned it a few episodes ago, but I completed this with the book how to Lose a Goblin in 10 Days by Jesse Silva. So this is a cozy romantasy with a goblin and a halfling character. And there's a lot of food talk. Cause there's a halfling. There's a lot of roasted vegetables. Halflings love a mushroom. God, fantasy books. Fantasy books love roasting a mushroom. They just love a mushroom. And there's a lot of baking and, you know, just like, halfling shit. So I was reading it during my huge solo road trip one of the nights I stopped for dinner at this brewery in Eugene, Oregon. And I got a pint of ale, and I got roasted Brussels sprouts with green garlic sauce and a huge fucking salad. And I. And again, I wasn't ordering things that were exactly in the book, but eating all of these, like, vegetables, these roasted Brussels sprouts, this ale, while reading about the main characters, like, foraging in the woods and roasting their own vegetables and roasting things over a fire and drinking ale. It was so fucking fun, like. And again, you don't have to perfectly match up. It just has to be thematic. And I just felt so immersed in the book, while. Cause there's a lot of scenes with the two of them cooking together and roasting vegetables and, like, eating a roasted vegetable and drinking ale while reading about this goblin and halfling roasting vegetables and trying not to fall in love with each other. It honestly was one of my favorite reading experiences of the whole year. Like, I really just felt so into the book. It was so cool and fun, and it was just fun to pick out, like, stuff from the menu that I thought would be thematic for the book. And you know me, I'm not a food person at all. Like, if I could just plug myself into the wall.
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Unless you did this, I assumed you would have done a drink.
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Well, I did.
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That you thought you were gonna do.
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But I really, you know, What? It's the reading glasses challenge. It's not the reading glasses. It's easy. And I. And I wanted to push myself. I wanted, like, it would have been very easy for me to do a drink. But I. You know, I'm not a big food person, but I've been trying really hard not to eat like a divorced dad this summer, which is, again, but not a great summer for me to get into cooking when this summer, where there's fucking diarrhea, lettuce and everything and, like,
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salmonella and I'm eating the lettuce. Just so you know, I've been eating lettuce again. I gave up. I had a big old salad last night, and someone's like, isn't it. I was in San Diego, and they were like, isn't San Diego where the diarrhea lettuce came from? And I was just like, I'm chomping.
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But it's only one specific Taylor Farms. It's one specific brand.
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It's so weird because I went to Taylor Farms and I said, give me the biggest lettuce.
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Give me the poopiest lettuce that you've got.
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No. But I've decided I'm just gonna take the risk.
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Wow. Wow.
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I didn't for. I didn't for, like a week. And, like, shouldn't it.
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Something all gone. Wouldn't.
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If you ordered. It's lettuce from there. I would hope you would have thrown it away by now.
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Yes, Well, I threw away all my. Literally the week it happened, I bought five bag salads from Trader Joe's.
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Okay, I'm sorry. You eat five bags of salad every week? Well, every.
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Every. I go grocery shopping every other week. So it's like two and a half bags of salad per week for one living alone. That's important.
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Wait, I need to know how long these are. They lasting. They last you two weeks. Those salads, they don't go bad.
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Well, I eat like, half a bag per day, okay.
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Oh, you do eat a lot of salad. I'm more salad.
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Like, everyone has been joking online about, like, oh, no. This is the one week I've tried to eat healthy, but that literally happened to me. And my. My friends were making fun of me so bad because I have been trying so hard to eat vegetables instead of just, like, protein shakes. And the one week where I was like, I figured it out. I found all the salads that I like from Trader Joe's. I figured out, like, if you buy the Trader Joe's baked tofu and put it on top of the salad. It's really good. So. But if you just. I just bought a different type of lettuce. I bought some butter lettuce, some little gem lettuce.
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You know, butter lettuce is my favorite lettuce.
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I know we like.
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Weird thing about me, Bria loves a
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butter lettuce, but I've been. I've been trying really hard to prepare food and not just order from Taco Bell, but this is a very bad time of the year for it.
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Sorry, sorry. Okay.
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But I was trying. I, like, I really wanted to push myself for this part of the challenge. And I was like, I'm gonna do a food thing. And it just so happened that I was like, half any book with a halfling in it. They're gonna be roasting some vegetables, they're gonna be frying mushrooms, they're gonna be drinking Alex and yeah, sitting in that brewery and eating those really? I love Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite foods. I love a roasted brussels sprout. Eating roasted brussels sprouts and drinking ale while reading this book was so pleasant, so fun. And honestly, I might do it more. I mean, not just eat brussels sprouts, but, like, I might do more themed snacks. It was just fun. It's a fun little project. I hope people again, I hope people have fun in this. This is a fun part of the thing of the challenge. Do not get stressed out about it. You only have to do it once. You don't have to be eating or drinking the thing every single moment that you're reading the book. It's just a one time fun thing. We would love to hear. What are you drinking? What are you reading? What are you doing? To complete this part of the challenge, send it to reading glassespodcastmail.com before we talk to Matthew Medney about his new web series, Bad Grammar, we're going to take a quick break.
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And here we are with Matt Medney, founder of Gungner Books, bestselling author and creator of the web series Bad Grammar. Thanks for coming on the show, Matt.
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Thanks, Bria. It's great to be here.
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Oh, my God. So nice to see you. So tell us first, what are you reading?
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Ooh, I'm reading the Red Rising series currently. And I'm on at book four, which I believe is Iron Gold or Morningstar or some other title. I'm blanking on, but it is an amazing series. Pierce Brown wrote. Just incredible. I just finished dungeon crawler Carl1.
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Oh, I did too.
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Oh, it's fantastic.
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Yeah, I Loved it. I loved it so much. Are you going to read the next one?
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Yeah, I'm going to read all of them for sure. It's fantastic. I read Devils by Joe Abercrombie. Fantastic. Really, really good.
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Cool. Okay, so you just launched a comedy web series about a book club and it's called Bad Grammar. But before we get to that, I feel like people should know more about you because obviously the intro at the top was a lot of things. They should know more about your publishing company. Do you want to tell people about what you're doing over there? I'm looking at you. You're in like a very cool looking space. It's very modern. I can hear music in the background. It feels very hip over there.
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It's a little co working space that I. That I got that we work out of. The Gunner is a science fiction fant publishing company that we partnered with Macmillan Publishers to do our marketing and distribution. And we put out prose and graphic novels from all sorts of the world. We have books that we just announced with Stephen E. D' Souza, who wrote Die Hard and Commando and Street Fighter. We got a book from a mutual friend of ours, Derek Hughes and his writing partner Ben Rabb, who just announced their last Starfighter book. We're doing a book called before the world Crumbles which as Gungnir is a Norse themed mythology publisher. Gungnir is the staff of Odin that is in Norse mythology known to be Odin's will. And in actual Norse mythology, not the mcu, he's also the God of poetry. So our whole idea was that, you know, when he, when Odin uses his force to writing words, Gungnir implodes that will into really cool science fiction. That was the whole very layered idea of it. But Derek and Ben's book is about the end of the world and they find Mjolnir and a whole bunch of zombies have to be fought by Norse themed relics. So it's a plus to me.
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Very cool. I love those guys. So how do you feel about how the comic industry has changed and grown? I feel like just since I've done started, comic stuff has changed so much. And do you feel like it's more welcoming now of new voices because you are a newish company?
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C
Yeah, yeah, I definitely think it's more welcoming now than it has been in a long time. Indie publishers, new publishers are definitely emerging. I mean, Azon Books and Vault Comics partnered a couple years ago and they're doing some amazing books over there. They just did the Dungeon Crawler, Carl Comic Book series, which is a plus over there. And, you know, one of the big things with us is we don't do single issues. We are doing full graphic novels. And we really want the art to feel like a dimension of the book. You know, there's a lot of publishers out there that use the art as a vehicle to tell the story. And we're big fans that let's find really unique, really subversive, really strange art and make that an actual dimension of the story. So we're really taking as like, these books are tomes, they're relics. All of our books are printed in hardcover. Some of them have these really great fabric covers, a lot of foil. We try to make them to feel like it's not just something that you read, it's something that you cherish and adds another dimension to the reading experience.
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I love that. Great. Okay, so Bad Grammar, When I saw you were doing this, I reached out and I was like, you have to come on our show, because I feel like our listeners are gonna be interested in this. Tell us about the web series. Tell us what's going on with it.
[24:13]
C
Yeah. So, you know, back in about February, it kind of came together really, really fast. I was working on our marketing plan for this year for the graphic novels, and I'm looking at how much we were going to spend to market a book and to try to find the audience of a singular book and then have to find an audience of another book. And, you know, one of the things that I really pride myself on with Gungner is that all the books are uniquely different from each other, but if you like one, you'll probably like them all, because it has that same core ethos of being really unique. Original science fiction and fantasy and horror. And if you like that genre of things and you just want to explore new ideas, that's what we're bringing. So the idea behind Bad Grammar was simply, let's build a show for YouTube, for the web that can create an audience and a community of people that are like, we just love these types of stories. And then hopefully those people come and are part of the community and start buying our books. And it's a top of funnel marketing tool and a really fun 20 minutes once a week to get some laps in. And that's kind of how it emerged. And so every week, one week in a month is governor book. The next week in the month is a book from the zeitgeist that we found interesting and that we wanted to do an episode on. And we think song. So the first episode was our book Deadweight. Second one was Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. The third one was Existence Equation book that I'd written. And then the episode that drops tomorrow is Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder. And every four episodes is a season for us. And every four episodes are filmed in one location. And then we move locations. So season one was all filmed at Golden Apple Comics, which was really fun. Shout out to Ryan Leibowitz and that whole team there for giving us the space. And then we move on to the next season, which we're doing a book called Aeon that we published, Ministry of Time Project, Hail Mary and Last Breeds. And then we also filmed a red Dungeon Crawler, Carl Final Space by Olin Rogers and Mutant Cast, which was one of the first books we ever put out at Gundam.
[26:20]
A
Oh, that's cool. And how much of the show, I mean, watching it, it's like it's comedy. But is it, is it, is it sort of improv or is it all written out or is it.
[26:30]
C
It's a lot of improv. You know, we, it's. It's definitely our whole ethos is if Community or the Office was a book club. That is the. Yeah, that is the. That is the guiding light for us. And you know, my partner Bella, who directs the episodes, she and I kind of came up with it together and she is like the best. But I would say, you know, our whole thing is we create the character profiles and we create the sort of lead ins for every episode. And we create. And I read all the books and then I write sort of cheat sheets for them for our actors. And then we sort of give them bullet points of things that we'd like to be said about the book or things that we know is like really hot on Reddit about that book or like whatever cultural zeitgeisty things are about it sort of create all of that ammunition for our acting group. And then outside of that, it's like, roll tape and let's see what we can cut from the episode. And we do about 30 minutes for every book, plus the interviews. And then we cut that into about a 17, 18 minute episode.
[27:34]
A
Cool. Okay, this wasn't on the list of questions, but have you ever been in a book club and were you pulling from your own experience?
[27:40]
C
Yes and yes, I've been in a couple I wish I was in more recently. You know what I've noticed a lot about book clubs now is that they're kind of like, what happened? Did you ever play D and D?
[27:54]
A
Yeah, still play D. And D. So
[27:56]
C
I'm sure you know that this trend is happening where a lot of D and D is starting to be played on Discord rather than in person. And my earlier book club experiences are all in person. And then more recently, they have all been online on some of these websites that has them. So I. Part of the impetus for this too is that like the in person feeling of it, the meeting. Like, I think as great as technology is, we sort of lose the reality that a lot of this stuff is not about the reason you're there, but it's about the exchange of information between two individuals. And like, I'm sure when you go to play D and D, it's like maybe half of the excitement of it is the actual game. The at least half of it is probably the, the quips and the little things that happen aside and the, the funness that's like within being in that room. That is really the reason that you love going to it on a weekly week to week basis. I'm sure. Obviously you love playing the game, but the, the excitement of it is the. Is the non. Scorecard bits, as one would say. And that's kind of what I'm trying to remind people. When you meet up in person for things, you can do things digitally and you can watch things, but nothing really beats being in person and exchanging those ideas together.
[29:13]
A
Yeah, I totally agree. Okay, last question. And we always like to end by asking this. We like to ask people what their wheelhouses are, which is basically like, what would get you to pick up. You see it in the bookstore. You're like, oh, it's about this, or it has this going on. What would make you pick up that book no matter what? Ooh,
[29:33]
C
Epic Adventures.
[29:34]
A
Ooh, love that. Okay.
[29:36]
C
Yeah, Yeah. I am a disciple and a student of Tolkien and I am always everything Tolkien is. Just everything he says and thinks and does is what I think is right about literature. And as he so eloquently has said, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. It doesn't matter if I know that the hero's gonna win and if I know that the epic adventure is gonna end with the thing that they're setting out to do happening? That's great. It's really about like, is there an epic adventure that I'm going on with these characters to get there? It's fine that I know how it's ending, because it's not about that. It's about what happens to create that evolution along the way.
[30:15]
A
I love that. Great Fantastic, Earl, thank you so much for coming on the show. Where can people find the show? Where can people find all of your books if they're looking. Looking for it?
[30:23]
C
Awesome. Because I love to just make things so egregiously hard for everyone. I name things really weirdly. So, you know, books, which is G U N G N I R books across all social media. And then it's bad grammar with two
[30:37]
A
Ds and three Ms. Yeah, that is complicated to Google. But I did it successfully. Thank you so much for coming on this show.
[30:46]
C
Thank you.
[30:52]
B
Time to solve a bookish problem from one of our listeners. Courtney wrote in to say hello. Bri and Mallory, I just started listening to your podcast as of two months ago, and I've really enjoyed it. Welcome, Courtney, Welcome. I was hoping you would help me with a bookish problem I have. For years, my friend and I would send each other books for birthdays and for Christmas as gifts. I've been out since we started this exchange, but for a few years, my friend would send me straight romance books or more popular books of the day. Eg, when the Crawdads Sing or Little Fire. It's everywhere. Basically, books that I'm not super interested in reading. I feel somewhat obligated to read these books as they were a gift from a good friend, but at the same time, they have been languishing on my TBR pile for years. I should just donate them, right? P.S. she now sends me lesbian romance books, which I love, and we no longer have this issue. Bria, this is a very important and regular, regular moment on the show where we. I forget what the hand motion is, but we are absolving everyone of book guilt. Maybe it's just this. It's like us opening a book.
[31:43]
A
Yeah, there you go. There you go.
[31:44]
B
No book guilt.
[31:46]
A
No book. Yeah, yeah. Listen, Courtney, donate the books. Just go donate those books. You have our permission not to read them.
[31:53]
C
Dumb.
[31:53]
A
Honestly, don't do those books. You might can sell. I mean, if you got little fires everywhere, you might be able to sell that book. You know, if you feel super guilty, read one page, read the first page and decide. If you're not caught up in a frenzy, just dump them and move on. But, like, that is valuable shelf space and you really never have to read a gift. You never have to read a gift. I don't care who it's from. I don't care if it is from your friend. And this was their dying wish. I'm sorry, but it's definitely not your friend who just Sends you a book who didn't from for Christmas, like that's fine. Yeah, you. They're languishing in your TBR pile. They're jumping it up and taking up space for stuff. You gotta allow space for stuff that you actually want to be reading. Mallory.
[32:36]
B
God, I really feel like a large portion of the guilt in the reading world is about what to do with books that people give you that you don't want. It's such a thing. It is killing people. Everyone. Be free. Free yourself. Donate these books. We release you from your obligation. We release you from your guilt. Give them away. Put them in little free libraries, sell them to used bookstores and use that fucking store credit to buy a book that you actually want. We have said this on the show quite a bit, but it's been a while. So here's a reminder. The purpose of a gift is to make somebody happy. If somebody gives you a gift that is a book and you don't want it, it is fine to exchange it for something you do want. Put it, release it back into the world. Put it somewhere where someone else is gonna get it and like it.
[33:16]
A
You don't.
[33:17]
B
You are not obligated. Truly you are not. The purpose of someone giving a gift is to not force them to read something. Although, I don't know, maybe some people are really are out there trying to force people. But most of the time the purpose of a gift is to just give someone something that they want. And if you've got something that you don't want, like a straight, straight, straight romance book, it's perfectly fine to get rid of it in some fashion so you can get something you do want. You are not. We are releasing you from everything. Get it off your tbr, get it off your bookshelves, get it out of your brain. It's fine. And just a reminder that we, this is something we haven't said in a while. Don't check up on people who, if you buy, if you buy them a book, don't fucking bother them. Don't check up on them. Don't be like, hey, have you read this thing yet? Just let it go. Let it be folks. We release you. I'm doing the hand motion. Be free. Be free. So if you want us to solve your reader problem, you can send it to reading glassespodcastmail.com. as always, want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Discord server and our Facebook group. Remember, you want a tank top, you want a tote bag to bring to the lake. You can buy reading glasses, totes and shirts and stickers over at our Voidmarch store. There's a link in the Show Notes and if you like the show and want to do something really nice for us, you can rate us and review us on the podcast listening app of your choice. It is so quick for you to do and it's so great for us. It helps us reach more listeners. You can email us at reading glasses podcastmail.com find us on Instagram at Reading Glasses Podcast. Thanks for listening and thanks for reading.
[34:43]
A
Thanks for reading.
[34:52]
B
Maximum Fun. A worker owned network of artist owned shows supported directly by you.

Summary7 min read

Reading Glasses Ep 474 – “Halflings Love Mushrooms: Themed Snacks/Drinks for the RG Challenge! + Matthew Medney!”

Air date: August 6, 2026
Hosts: Brea Grant & Mallory O’Meara
Guest: Matthew Medney

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brea and Mallory check off another box on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge: Have a themed snack or drink with the book you’re reading! They dive deep into how food and drink can make reading more immersive, share their own creative snack pairings, and read listener feedback. Later, publisher and web series creator Matthew Medney joins to talk about his new comedic book club show, Bad Grammar, and the evolutions in comics publishing. The episode closes with practical advice for dealing with unwanted gifted books—no guilt required.

Current Reads

[00:35]

Brea:

Currently reading I Found Puppets Living in My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing.
- “It's actually been recommended to me by multiple horror people… It is so strange. It basically starts off, there's a guy, he wakes up… the puppet's, like, staring at him and then runs back away.” [01:43]
- She appreciates short, engrossing horror at night to help her "not think about the work [she has] to do tomorrow."
- Notes the “I Found Horror Series” concept—other bizarre titles piquing her interest.

Mallory:

Reading Strange Buildings by Uketsu (sequel to Strange Houses).
- Enjoys the book’s format: house floor plans and dialogue-packed, mysterious architecture.
- Calls the books “fun premises” and praises Strange Houses as her “favorite translated book last year.” [03:03]
- Suggests the structure—short, visual chunks—makes it perfect for late-night reading or reading in sprints.

Listener Feedback & Contributions

[04:27]

Kimberly:
Shared how tracking adult summer reading minutes at her local library (Harris County) helps the library apply for grants.
- “Apparently they can use the data when applying for grants. The whole system has a goal of 7 million minutes of reading...” [05:19]
- Mallory: “This is… I did not even realize this was a thing!”
- Brea notes “Glassers inhaling books” can help libraries reach their goals.
Maureen (@ Dark Horse Comics):
Announces Dark Horse Comics’ union efforts, shares a petition to support “Dark Horse Workers United.”
- Mallory: “I love Dark Horse and I love that they're going to be unionized. That's so cool.” [06:12]
Samantha:
Lists her “wheelhouse” (favorite tropes and genres), including “fantastic beasts,” romantasy, cozy mysteries, and story-within-a-story narratives, referencing Heather Fawcett’s Agnes Obert’s Mystical Cat Shelter.

Reading Glasses Challenge: Themed Snacks/Drinks

[09:40]

The Challenge

Take a break from routine and “have a themed snack or drink with the book you’re reading.”
Rules:
- Snack/drink must be thematically linked to your current book—doesn’t need to be exact.
- Only need to do it once per book.
- Keep it low-stress and fun.

Mallory:

“The goal is to make your book more immersive. Try to connect with the book a little bit more…” [10:52]
“You don't have to make this stressful… Just fun and easy.” [10:40]
Suggests trying cuisine from the book’s country or a food a character enjoys.

Brea:

“We just thought it'd be fun.” [10:28]
“Maybe it's about experiencing something… what the thing is actually trying to explain to you.” [10:52]

Mallory’s Humor:

Jokes about “Odyssey maxing”—adopting the hero’s lifestyle: “Drinking a gallon of seawater… everyone’s Odyssey maxing right now.” [11:31]
“It's not about stress. And I personally, I had a great time.” [12:14]

Hosts' Themed Snack Experiences

Brea’s Experience

[12:47]

While in Korea reading Teddy Nair’s Never Die, tried an in-book dessert, gultteok (a honey/sesame-filled rice cake pivotal to the plot—used as a means of poison).
- Shares the hunt for the treat and her surprise at its size and sweetness.
- “I got to try this little dessert that poisoned all these people in the book… it was interesting to try and to think about.” [14:12]

Mallory’s Experience

[15:09]

With How to Lose a Goblin in 10 Days (Jesse Silva):
- Ordered a pint of ale, roasted Brussels sprouts, and a big salad at a brewery while reading about halflings cooking and roasting veggies.
- “Eating all of these… while reading about the main characters, like, foraging in the woods and roasting their own vegetables and roasting things over a fire and drinking ale… it was so fucking fun…” [16:24]
- Mallory, usually not a “food person,” found the challenge pushed her out of her comfort zone and made the reading experience uniquely immersive.

Reflection:

Both articulate how the challenge deepened their understanding/appreciation of the book’s setting, culture, and character habits.
Remind listeners: “Don’t get stressed out… you only have to do it once.”

Interview: Matthew Medney (Gungnir Books, Bad Grammar Web Series)

[20:11]

Getting to Know Matthew

Sci-fi/fantasy publisher, bestselling author, and creator of Bad Grammar web series.

Currently Reading

Deep in Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series and enjoyed Dungeon Crawler Carl.
- “Dungeon Crawler Carl… is fantastic. I loved it so much. Are you going to read the next one? Yeah, I'm going to read all of them for sure.” [20:48]

About Gungnir Books

[21:26]

Indie sci-fi/fantasy press partnered with Macmillan.
Focuses on prose and graphic novels; recent projects with Stephen E. D’Souza, and books steeped in Norse mythology (Mjolnir, Odin).
Emphasizes high-quality, collectible hardcovers: “All of our books are printed in hardcover… we try to make them to feel like it’s not just something that you read, it’s something that you cherish.” [23:45]

On Comics Industry Changes

Sees “more welcoming” environment for new publishers/voices.
Gungnir prioritizes “really unique, really subversive, really strange art” that’s integral to storytelling—not just illustrative.

Bad Grammar: The Web Series

[24:00]

Concept: “If Community or The Office was a book club.”
- 20-min weekly comedy show; each episode tackles a different book (one Gungnir, one mainstream).
- “Let’s build a show for YouTube… a community of people that are like, we just love these types of stories.” [24:12]
Filmed in bookish locations (S1 at Golden Apple Comics; each "season" shifts setting).
Part written, part improv: “We create the character profiles… and then outside of that, it's like, roll tape and let's see what we can cut from the episode.” [26:29]

Book Club Experience

Matthew advocates for in-person book clubs: “Nothing really beats being in person and exchanging those ideas together.” [28:58]
“Part of the impetus… is that like the in-person feeling of it, the meeting… a lot of this stuff is not about the reason you’re there, but it’s about the exchange of information between two individuals.” [29:04]

Matthew’s Wheelhouse

[29:32]

“Epic adventures… everything Tolkien is what I think is right about literature.”
- “It doesn't matter if I know that the hero's gonna win… it's about what happens to create that evolution along the way.” [30:14]

Where to Find:

Gungnir Books (G U N G N I R Books) on socials; Bad Grammar web series (with “two Ds and three Ms”).
- “I love to just make things so egregiously hard for everyone. I name things really weirdly.” [30:22]

Bookish Problem: What To Do With Gifted Books You Don’t Like

[30:52]

Listener Courtney: Has a backlog of books gifted by a friend (not her taste), feels guilty, wonders if she should donate them.

Mallory & Brea’s Advice:

“No book guilt… Donate the books. You have our permission not to read them.” [31:44]
Mallory: “A large portion of the guilt in the reading world is about what to do with books that people give you that you don't want. It's such a thing. It is killing people. Everyone. Be free. Free yourself. Donate these books. We release you from your obligation. We release you from your guilt. Give them away. Put them in little free libraries, sell them…” [32:36]
Reminder to gift-givers: “Don't check up on people who… you buy them a book, don't fucking bother them. Don't check up on them.” [33:16]

Notable Quotes & Moments

Mallory: “Fantasy books love roasting a mushroom. They just love a mushroom.” [15:09]
Brea: “I got to try this little dessert that poisoned all these people in the book. I liked it. Okay. You know, I got a real sweet tooth. And it was not super sweet.” [14:12]
Matthew Medney: “All of our books are printed in hardcover… something that you cherish and adds another dimension to the reading experience.” [23:45]
Mallory (on bookish guilt): “We release you from your obligation. We release you from your guilt… The purpose of a gift is to make somebody happy.” [32:36]

Key Segments & Timestamps

[00:35] – What Are You Reading?
[04:27] – Listener Feedback
[09:40] – Themed Snack/Drink Challenge: Why & How
[12:47] – Hosts’ Snack Experiences
[20:11] – Interview with Matthew Medney
[30:52] – Bookish Problem: Gifted Books Guilt

Takeaways

Themed snacks and drinks can transform your reading experience—make it immersive, personal, and fun without stress.
Book guilt is a universal feeling, especially with gifted books—Brea and Mallory grant blanket permission to donate or pass along anything you don’t want to read.
Bad Grammar web series offers a comedic, in-person look at book clubs and genres, blending improv and bookish banter.
Indie presses like Gungnir are focused on quality, collectible books, immersive storytelling, and fostering new creative voices.

For more info:

Find Reading Glasses on Instagram: @readingglassespodcast
Contact: readingglassespodcastmail.com
Gungnir Books: Look up GUNGNIR Books on social platforms
Bad Grammar: Search for “Bad Grammar” (with 2 Ds, 3 Ms) on YouTube

“Thanks for listening, and thanks for reading!”

Loading summary

Transcript138 lines

[00:00]
A
Foreign.
[00:06]
B
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'.
[00:13]
A
Meara. And I'm Bria Grant, filmmaker and e reader. This episode, we're ticking off another box on the 2026 reading glasses glasses challenge. Have a themed snack or drink with the book you're reading. Wonderful, Mallory. I cannot wait to hear what people did for this. Plus, we give advice on what to do with gifted books, and we talk to publisher web series creator Matthew Medney from Gungnir Books.
[00:34]
B
So first, Bria, what are you reading?
[00:35]
A
So, okay, this thing happens to me when I'm reading a physical book, but I need a digital. I need a Kindle book because I always wake up in the middle of the night and I need just something just to put me back to sleep. Just a little small book. At least it'd be like a novella. Not something that is so, like, time consuming, but I can read, like, you know, 20 pages and it doesn't. Whatever. So I started reading a book called I Found Puppets Living in My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing. It's actually been recommended to me by multiple horror people who are like, have you read this weird book? And it is wildly entertaining. It is so strange. It basically starts off, there's a guy, he wakes up, and you know those people who have, like, the dream where, like, the woman sits on your chest?
[01:21]
B
Or, like, what are you going to? A sleep paralysis demon.
[01:24]
A
It's kind of like that.
[01:25]
B
I have a real one of those where I wake up and Lula is sitting on me because she wants breakfast.
[01:30]
A
Oh, that's funny. Well, imagine that. But it's a puppet. It's a puppet that his grandfather used to puppet, and his grandfather went missing years ago, and the puppet.
[01:41]
B
No, no, no.
[01:43]
A
He wakes up and the puppet's, like, staring at him and then runs back away. Oh, malrates it. Are you scared of puppets?
[01:52]
B
No, I just. I don't like that.
[01:55]
A
Okay.
[01:55]
B
I don't like the idea of something living in my walls is really the thing.
[01:58]
A
Yeah, well, okay, so what's interesting about this is that it's part of a series called the I Found horror series. And I wonder if it's. Could it be all about things living
[02:07]
B
in your walls or just stuff you find in your house?
[02:10]
A
It is. The next one looks like it's called I Found a Circus Tent in the Woods Behind My House. Seems like one you'd like that I'm into. I Found Christmas Lights Slithering up my street I found a lost hallway and a dying mall. I guess I'm reading that one next. And I found the boogeyman under my brother's crib. They don't have to be read in order. It says, wait, this is standing in
[02:30]
B
the middle of the night to put you back to sleep.
[02:32]
A
Yeah, I need something really engaging to read in the middle of the night because I need like, my brain to just go. Like, you don't have to think about the work you have to do tomorrow. You have to think about these puppets living in the walls. Anyway, it is a really. It's a well written, fun book. It's like 160 pages. It's. If you're looking for something like fun horror book so far I'm really enjoying it. What are you reading?
[02:53]
B
I'm weirdly enough, also reading something very similar. I'm reading Strange Buildings by Uketsu.
[03:00]
A
Oh, the sequel.
[03:01]
B
This is the sequel to Strange Houses.
[03:03]
A
Cool.
[03:04]
B
So Strange Houses is a book that came out last year and it's about this architect and this investigator and they team up because they find this plan for a house and something is really weird with the housing plan and they can't figure out what it is, and it's connected to these disappearances. And then in the world of the book, like, the author writes to you as if, like, the first book was real. And he's like, yeah, this thing happened. And after this book came out, people started writing to me about their own weird houses. So this book is about 11 different weird. It's called Strange Buildings. So it's like 11 different buildings and houses. And even in the first page he's like, it seemed like these were all unconnected, but turns out there's something weird that connects them all. So it's just like. What's fun about the print version is like, you get to see the floor plan of these houses and like, there's just something off, something's weird about it. And I love the first book. I think it was my favorite translated book last year and this one came out this year. I'm very, very excited about it. It's just in it, like the way that it's structured. It's like mostly dialogue and floor plans. So it is also in small chunks. This honestly would be a great book for you to read in the middle of the night. And it's just. It's such a fun premise. And yeah, I'm really enjoying it. It's Strange Buildings by Uketsu and I'm
[04:20]
A
reading I found puppets Living in my Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing.
[04:28]
B
So we wanted to share some listener feedback. Kimberly wrote in to say, dear Bri and Mallory, I found another way to support libraries and add to their data. Tell us more. We love to support libraries. Many libraries have a summer reading program that includes adults. I thought it would be fun to join in, especially because my current library is my childhood library. I remember moving my little cutout down the wall in the kids section, across the checkout desk to. To the adult section and down the wall with a few other kids who are big readers like me. Well, I entered my data into the website and within a week had hit all the adult reading goals. Oh, my gosh. But the librarian asked me to keep logging my time reading in the website. Apparently they can use the data when applying for grants. The whole system has a goal of 7 million minutes of reading across Harris county between June 1 and August 1. And right now we are at 5,149,298 minutes, 73% of the way through on July 5.
[05:20]
A
So I think you might make it.
[05:21]
B
This is pretty cool. This is. I did not even realize this was a thing. But at check out, folks, go check out to see if your local library has a summer reading program that you can add to. That's really cool.
[05:30]
A
Especially the glassers who are just like, just like inhaling books. They're really gonna help with these minutes.
[05:35]
B
Love it.
[05:35]
A
Yeah, that's amazing. Maureen wrote in and said, hello, Bria, Mallory, Dark Horse Comics has submitted a letter to ask for voluntary recognition of our union. That's so cool. I work with the most wonderful folks who are pat passionate about getting comics out in the world. I guess. Maureen works for Dark Horse. With all the changes happening with our company, we want to be part of creating a sustainable, successful future that doesn't stray from our founding principle of creator owned comics. If your listeners would like to support the show in solidarity with Dark Horse Workers United, we have a petition they can sign and we'll put it in the show notes. In the show notes. Thank you for creating podcasts that inspires and fosters a love of reading. I love Dark Horse and I love that they're going to be unionized. That's so cool.
[06:12]
B
Very cool.
[06:13]
A
They've become a much bigger force in the last few years and that makes sense that, you know, they're having more and more workers.
[06:20]
B
And then Samantha wrote in to say, hey, ladies. So far, my favorite book of 2026 is Agnes Obert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett. It's a book about magic and a ton of kitties. Yes please. I recently updated my wheelhouse after looking what I've been reading lately and this is what I've come up with. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Bang Them. Wow.
[06:38]
C
Wow.
[06:38]
A
Has no one named a book that yet? Because they should.
[06:41]
B
I really hope they do dragon riding and or riding in Qu.
[06:45]
A
Good Lord. Good Lord. Oh my gosh.
[06:47]
B
Romantasy with headstrong slash independent female leads Fantasy magic in the real world Cozy mysteries and bookshops or museums Female scientist memoirs, actor memoirs, pets especially cats Story in a story like House of Leaves Fairy tale retellings in a non fairy tale setting in a relationship of convenience turns into love. Love this. I hope Samantha listens to our other show because you're made for it for sure. Love this. You can email us@reading glassespodcastmail.com if you want a list of all the books we talk about on the show delivered to your inbox every month. You can sign up for our newsletter. There's a link in the show notes and before we check off a box on the 2026 reading glasses glasses Glasses Challenge, we're going to take a quick break. Reading Glasses is sponsored in part this week by zocdoc. ZOCDOC is designed to make it easier to find a new doctor when things in your life change. Folks, you don't even want to know how many times I've moved for like almost 20 years. I moved at least once a year. And there's so much that's stressful about moving. Basically everything. But one thing that's tough when you get to your new place. Maybe it's a new part of town. Maybe it's just a new city, maybe it's a new state, maybe it's a new country. One of the hardest things is finding a new doctor. You want to find someone you like. You want to find someone that takes your insurance. You want to find someone that's not too far away. There's a lot of different factors. Zocdoc lets you search and compare local in network doctors. Their free to use website has tons of reviews from real patients and detailed doctor profiles to help you choose the right one. The actual appointment openings and click to instantly book a visit, usually within 24 to 72 hours. That is amazing. No more making an appointment and then being like, well, maybe we'll get you in in three years. We've all had that happen where you really want to see someone and they can't get you in for weeks or months. It's really frustrating. Zocdoc helps you get past all of that. Your health matters and taking care of yourself shouldn't be complicated. Find and book the right doctor with Zocdoc. Head to Zocdoc.com glasses to get started and check that appoint off your to do list. That's Zocdoc.com glasses glasses.
[08:59]
C
What is manners?
[09:01]
A
It's kind of a social dance that
[09:03]
B
we've all agreed to.
[09:04]
C
Who is manners?
[09:05]
A
Well, we reference Emily Post a lot.
[09:07]
C
Why is manners.
[09:08]
A
Let's go back to Royal Etiquette Schmanners
[09:11]
C
answers all these questions.
[09:13]
A
Through examining history, culture, literature, and more,
[09:16]
B
we'll give you the ultimate insight on why we did it, how we do it, and why we still might do it today.
[09:21]
C
So check us out every Friday on MaximumFun.org or wherever podcasts are found.
[09:26]
B
Mannersh Manners.
[09:28]
C
Get it.
[09:40]
B
This week we're taking off another bonks on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge. Have a theme snack or drink with the book that you're reading. Why did we put this on the challenge? How are we completing it? And of course, most importantly, can this improve your reading life? Okay, first off, as always, the rules just got to eat a snack or a drink that is featured in the book you're reading. You only have to do it once while you're reading. You don't have to do every single moment that you're reading. One time. Doesn't have to be the exact snack or drink, just thematically appropriate. Maybe your book takes place in a cafe and you have a coffee or in a particular part of the world and you have a meal with that cuisine. Or, or there's a character that likes a particular snack and you have that it's not. You don't have to go make the exact thing. This is a low stress part of the challenge. Just a fun little quick snack or drink. All right, Bria, why did we put this on the challenge?
[10:28]
A
Well, and just speaking of low stress, we were worried it was going to be a little too much. Like, we were like, is this too hard? And I think it's fun. But, like, definitely interested in people's feedback on this one. But we just thought it'd be fun. We thought it'd be fun.
[10:40]
B
You don't have, you don't have to make this stressful again. It can be a quick snack, a quick drink that's thematically appropriate. You do not have to go out and make something complicated. You don't have to order something complicated. Just fun and easy yeah.
[10:53]
A
The goal is to, like, make your book more immersive. Try to connect with the book a little bit more. Get into your book. For me, also, maybe it's about, like, experiencing something. Like, if you're reading a book from a different country and, like, you know, you're diving into, like, what that culture and what the thing is actually trying to explain to you, like, thinking about things like that, like, as you're reading, and it's just, like, absorbing more of the book. If you are reading and eating or drinking something that is, like, specific to that world, you know, maybe you're drinking. This is a bad example you're having. You're reading a book. You're drinking mead because you're reading the Odyssey or something. You know what I mean? Like, you can, like, there's a lot of things that I think you can pair with this.
[11:31]
B
Drinking a gallon of seawater. So you can be just like Odysseus. Everyone's Odyssey maxing right now. Look, see?
[11:39]
A
Odyssey maxing.
[11:40]
B
We're all Odyssey. Actually, I sent a photo to a mutual friend of ours last night that said looks maxing. No, I'm eye maxing, baby.
[11:49]
A
That's right.
[11:50]
B
We're all. We're all. It's.
[11:51]
A
It's Odyssey talking about Zeus's law to people. And I just say it's anything. Like, I just use it for anything. I'm like, you have to do it. It's Zeus's law. This is not a joke people like yet or maybe they never will, but I think it's funny.
[12:05]
B
I also think it's funny. Yeah, we're all. We're all Odyssey maxed. Okay, so can this part of the challenge improve your reading life? We think yes, because you're having extra fun in your reading experience. It's awesome. Maybe it'll push you to try a food that you've never tried before or pick up a food centric book that you normally would not read. I, you know, I love a little project. I love doing a little theme. I love a theme. Every summer, me and my two best guy friends, we do a big themed movie watch for the whole summer. We do, like, 20 to 30 movies. It's so fun. Like, I love. I love a little project like this. And I had a lot of fun doing this part of the challenge. Like, remember, this is always about fun. It's not about stress. And I personally, I had a great time. So what did you do for this, Bria?
[12:47]
A
Well, I did this. I mentioned this on another show. I did this while I was In Korea, I was reading the Teddy Nair's Never Die book, which is a Korean book, and there was a certain rice dessert called. And I don't know how to pronounce this, but it's G, G, U, L, T, T, E, O, K, Gulltuk. I don't exactly know how to pronounce it. And it's basically this little rice cake that's filled with honey and sesame seeds that plays a pivotal role in the book. In the beginning of the book, all these people are poisoned by these. Someone leaves them out as, like, a gift. They're like, oh, I moved into the apartment, but it actually poisons all these people in the apartment.
[13:22]
B
And Bria's like, I gotta get. I gotta try one of these.
[13:24]
A
I gotta get my hands on one of these. Well, they just kept coming up because the. Because everyone's like, oh, I love these things. And then they get poisoned. And then this girl ends up on, like a revenge tour because she's trying to figure out who poisoned her mother. So it wasn't exactly what the challenge was about, like, because it's like, you know, people are getting poisoned. It's not like a cozy, fun thing, but it was. It was.
[13:45]
B
No, this is 100% with the challenge. You ate a themed snack that is featured in the book that you're reading. That's. That's what it is.
[13:52]
A
Yeah. And so I. While I was in Korea, I was like, I gotta find this dessert. And I kept looking everywhere and I couldn't find it. And I was like, maybe it's not actually that popular. But then I went, I found a little shop full of rice based desserts. It's also helpful for me because I'm gluten free. And it was rice based. And so I was looking around and I was like, I don't know if it's. And then it was, like, sitting right next to me. So I was so excited, and I got to try this little dessert that poisoned all these people in the book. I liked it. Okay. You know, I got a real sweet tooth. And it was not super sweet.
[14:20]
B
You don't say.
[14:21]
A
Yeah. So it was like. It was like, you know, like a rice cake, kind of like almost like a mochi or something, but filled with.
[14:33]
B
I would like. I like things that are not as sweet. That would be.
[14:35]
A
Yeah, so it was not as sweet. It was good. I would say it was more of a. Like, it was almost for me, more of like, just like a snack or a breakfast than a dessert. Cause I like my desserts incredibly. Sweet. But I did like it. And it was interesting to try and to think about. And also, they were really tiny, which is the thing I didn't realize in the book. I kept thinking, oh, they're talking about these rice cakes. So, you know, you're thinking, in America. Of course I was. Yeah. Or I was thinking, like, even those flat things, like, I just didn't know what they were. And they were tiny. They were, like, little. So that was the other thing is, I kind of learned more about what was happening in the book and about the culture, I guess. What did you do for this?
[15:09]
B
So I mentioned it a few episodes ago, but I completed this with the book how to Lose a Goblin in 10 Days by Jesse Silva. So this is a cozy romantasy with a goblin and a halfling character. And there's a lot of food talk. Cause there's a halfling. There's a lot of roasted vegetables. Halflings love a mushroom. God, fantasy books. Fantasy books love roasting a mushroom. They just love a mushroom. And there's a lot of baking and, you know, just like, halfling shit. So I was reading it during my huge solo road trip one of the nights I stopped for dinner at this brewery in Eugene, Oregon. And I got a pint of ale, and I got roasted Brussels sprouts with green garlic sauce and a huge fucking salad. And I. And again, I wasn't ordering things that were exactly in the book, but eating all of these, like, vegetables, these roasted Brussels sprouts, this ale, while reading about the main characters, like, foraging in the woods and roasting their own vegetables and roasting things over a fire and drinking ale. It was so fucking fun, like. And again, you don't have to perfectly match up. It just has to be thematic. And I just felt so immersed in the book, while. Cause there's a lot of scenes with the two of them cooking together and roasting vegetables and, like, eating a roasted vegetable and drinking ale while reading about this goblin and halfling roasting vegetables and trying not to fall in love with each other. It honestly was one of my favorite reading experiences of the whole year. Like, I really just felt so into the book. It was so cool and fun, and it was just fun to pick out, like, stuff from the menu that I thought would be thematic for the book. And you know me, I'm not a food person at all. Like, if I could just plug myself into the wall.
[16:39]
A
Unless you did this, I assumed you would have done a drink.
[16:42]
B
Well, I did.
[16:42]
A
That you thought you were gonna do.
[16:43]
B
But I really, you know, What? It's the reading glasses challenge. It's not the reading glasses. It's easy. And I. And I wanted to push myself. I wanted, like, it would have been very easy for me to do a drink. But I. You know, I'm not a big food person, but I've been trying really hard not to eat like a divorced dad this summer, which is, again, but not a great summer for me to get into cooking when this summer, where there's fucking diarrhea, lettuce and everything and, like,
[17:09]
A
salmonella and I'm eating the lettuce. Just so you know, I've been eating lettuce again. I gave up. I had a big old salad last night, and someone's like, isn't it. I was in San Diego, and they were like, isn't San Diego where the diarrhea lettuce came from? And I was just like, I'm chomping.
[17:24]
B
But it's only one specific Taylor Farms. It's one specific brand.
[17:28]
A
It's so weird because I went to Taylor Farms and I said, give me the biggest lettuce.
[17:32]
B
Give me the poopiest lettuce that you've got.
[17:35]
A
No. But I've decided I'm just gonna take the risk.
[17:37]
B
Wow. Wow.
[17:39]
A
I didn't for. I didn't for, like a week. And, like, shouldn't it.
[17:41]
B
Something all gone. Wouldn't.
[17:42]
A
If you ordered. It's lettuce from there. I would hope you would have thrown it away by now.
[17:45]
B
Yes, Well, I threw away all my. Literally the week it happened, I bought five bag salads from Trader Joe's.
[17:51]
A
Okay, I'm sorry. You eat five bags of salad every week? Well, every.
[17:55]
B
Every. I go grocery shopping every other week. So it's like two and a half bags of salad per week for one living alone. That's important.
[18:03]
A
Wait, I need to know how long these are. They lasting. They last you two weeks. Those salads, they don't go bad.
[18:09]
B
Well, I eat like, half a bag per day, okay.
[18:12]
A
Oh, you do eat a lot of salad. I'm more salad.
[18:14]
B
Like, everyone has been joking online about, like, oh, no. This is the one week I've tried to eat healthy, but that literally happened to me. And my. My friends were making fun of me so bad because I have been trying so hard to eat vegetables instead of just, like, protein shakes. And the one week where I was like, I figured it out. I found all the salads that I like from Trader Joe's. I figured out, like, if you buy the Trader Joe's baked tofu and put it on top of the salad. It's really good. So. But if you just. I just bought a different type of lettuce. I bought some butter lettuce, some little gem lettuce.
[18:46]
A
You know, butter lettuce is my favorite lettuce.
[18:48]
B
I know we like.
[18:51]
A
Weird thing about me, Bria loves a
[18:52]
B
butter lettuce, but I've been. I've been trying really hard to prepare food and not just order from Taco Bell, but this is a very bad time of the year for it.
[19:00]
A
Sorry, sorry. Okay.
[19:02]
B
But I was trying. I, like, I really wanted to push myself for this part of the challenge. And I was like, I'm gonna do a food thing. And it just so happened that I was like, half any book with a halfling in it. They're gonna be roasting some vegetables, they're gonna be frying mushrooms, they're gonna be drinking Alex and yeah, sitting in that brewery and eating those really? I love Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite foods. I love a roasted brussels sprout. Eating roasted brussels sprouts and drinking ale while reading this book was so pleasant, so fun. And honestly, I might do it more. I mean, not just eat brussels sprouts, but, like, I might do more themed snacks. It was just fun. It's a fun little project. I hope people again, I hope people have fun in this. This is a fun part of the thing of the challenge. Do not get stressed out about it. You only have to do it once. You don't have to be eating or drinking the thing every single moment that you're reading the book. It's just a one time fun thing. We would love to hear. What are you drinking? What are you reading? What are you doing? To complete this part of the challenge, send it to reading glassespodcastmail.com before we talk to Matthew Medney about his new web series, Bad Grammar, we're going to take a quick break.
[20:12]
A
And here we are with Matt Medney, founder of Gungner Books, bestselling author and creator of the web series Bad Grammar. Thanks for coming on the show, Matt.
[20:22]
C
Thanks, Bria. It's great to be here.
[20:24]
A
Oh, my God. So nice to see you. So tell us first, what are you reading?
[20:28]
C
Ooh, I'm reading the Red Rising series currently. And I'm on at book four, which I believe is Iron Gold or Morningstar or some other title. I'm blanking on, but it is an amazing series. Pierce Brown wrote. Just incredible. I just finished dungeon crawler Carl1.
[20:48]
A
Oh, I did too.
[20:49]
C
Oh, it's fantastic.
[20:51]
A
Yeah, I Loved it. I loved it so much. Are you going to read the next one?
[20:56]
C
Yeah, I'm going to read all of them for sure. It's fantastic. I read Devils by Joe Abercrombie. Fantastic. Really, really good.
[21:04]
A
Cool. Okay, so you just launched a comedy web series about a book club and it's called Bad Grammar. But before we get to that, I feel like people should know more about you because obviously the intro at the top was a lot of things. They should know more about your publishing company. Do you want to tell people about what you're doing over there? I'm looking at you. You're in like a very cool looking space. It's very modern. I can hear music in the background. It feels very hip over there.
[21:26]
C
It's a little co working space that I. That I got that we work out of. The Gunner is a science fiction fant publishing company that we partnered with Macmillan Publishers to do our marketing and distribution. And we put out prose and graphic novels from all sorts of the world. We have books that we just announced with Stephen E. D' Souza, who wrote Die Hard and Commando and Street Fighter. We got a book from a mutual friend of ours, Derek Hughes and his writing partner Ben Rabb, who just announced their last Starfighter book. We're doing a book called before the world Crumbles which as Gungnir is a Norse themed mythology publisher. Gungnir is the staff of Odin that is in Norse mythology known to be Odin's will. And in actual Norse mythology, not the mcu, he's also the God of poetry. So our whole idea was that, you know, when he, when Odin uses his force to writing words, Gungnir implodes that will into really cool science fiction. That was the whole very layered idea of it. But Derek and Ben's book is about the end of the world and they find Mjolnir and a whole bunch of zombies have to be fought by Norse themed relics. So it's a plus to me.
[22:42]
A
Very cool. I love those guys. So how do you feel about how the comic industry has changed and grown? I feel like just since I've done started, comic stuff has changed so much. And do you feel like it's more welcoming now of new voices because you are a newish company?
[22:58]
C
Yeah, yeah, I definitely think it's more welcoming now than it has been in a long time. Indie publishers, new publishers are definitely emerging. I mean, Azon Books and Vault Comics partnered a couple years ago and they're doing some amazing books over there. They just did the Dungeon Crawler, Carl Comic Book series, which is a plus over there. And, you know, one of the big things with us is we don't do single issues. We are doing full graphic novels. And we really want the art to feel like a dimension of the book. You know, there's a lot of publishers out there that use the art as a vehicle to tell the story. And we're big fans that let's find really unique, really subversive, really strange art and make that an actual dimension of the story. So we're really taking as like, these books are tomes, they're relics. All of our books are printed in hardcover. Some of them have these really great fabric covers, a lot of foil. We try to make them to feel like it's not just something that you read, it's something that you cherish and adds another dimension to the reading experience.
[24:01]
A
I love that. Great. Okay, so Bad Grammar, When I saw you were doing this, I reached out and I was like, you have to come on our show, because I feel like our listeners are gonna be interested in this. Tell us about the web series. Tell us what's going on with it.
[24:13]
C
Yeah. So, you know, back in about February, it kind of came together really, really fast. I was working on our marketing plan for this year for the graphic novels, and I'm looking at how much we were going to spend to market a book and to try to find the audience of a singular book and then have to find an audience of another book. And, you know, one of the things that I really pride myself on with Gungner is that all the books are uniquely different from each other, but if you like one, you'll probably like them all, because it has that same core ethos of being really unique. Original science fiction and fantasy and horror. And if you like that genre of things and you just want to explore new ideas, that's what we're bringing. So the idea behind Bad Grammar was simply, let's build a show for YouTube, for the web that can create an audience and a community of people that are like, we just love these types of stories. And then hopefully those people come and are part of the community and start buying our books. And it's a top of funnel marketing tool and a really fun 20 minutes once a week to get some laps in. And that's kind of how it emerged. And so every week, one week in a month is governor book. The next week in the month is a book from the zeitgeist that we found interesting and that we wanted to do an episode on. And we think song. So the first episode was our book Deadweight. Second one was Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. The third one was Existence Equation book that I'd written. And then the episode that drops tomorrow is Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder. And every four episodes is a season for us. And every four episodes are filmed in one location. And then we move locations. So season one was all filmed at Golden Apple Comics, which was really fun. Shout out to Ryan Leibowitz and that whole team there for giving us the space. And then we move on to the next season, which we're doing a book called Aeon that we published, Ministry of Time Project, Hail Mary and Last Breeds. And then we also filmed a red Dungeon Crawler, Carl Final Space by Olin Rogers and Mutant Cast, which was one of the first books we ever put out at Gundam.
[26:20]
A
Oh, that's cool. And how much of the show, I mean, watching it, it's like it's comedy. But is it, is it, is it sort of improv or is it all written out or is it.
[26:30]
C
It's a lot of improv. You know, we, it's. It's definitely our whole ethos is if Community or the Office was a book club. That is the. Yeah, that is the. That is the guiding light for us. And you know, my partner Bella, who directs the episodes, she and I kind of came up with it together and she is like the best. But I would say, you know, our whole thing is we create the character profiles and we create the sort of lead ins for every episode. And we create. And I read all the books and then I write sort of cheat sheets for them for our actors. And then we sort of give them bullet points of things that we'd like to be said about the book or things that we know is like really hot on Reddit about that book or like whatever cultural zeitgeisty things are about it sort of create all of that ammunition for our acting group. And then outside of that, it's like, roll tape and let's see what we can cut from the episode. And we do about 30 minutes for every book, plus the interviews. And then we cut that into about a 17, 18 minute episode.
[27:34]
A
Cool. Okay, this wasn't on the list of questions, but have you ever been in a book club and were you pulling from your own experience?
[27:40]
C
Yes and yes, I've been in a couple I wish I was in more recently. You know what I've noticed a lot about book clubs now is that they're kind of like, what happened? Did you ever play D and D?
[27:54]
A
Yeah, still play D. And D. So
[27:56]
C
I'm sure you know that this trend is happening where a lot of D and D is starting to be played on Discord rather than in person. And my earlier book club experiences are all in person. And then more recently, they have all been online on some of these websites that has them. So I. Part of the impetus for this too is that like the in person feeling of it, the meeting. Like, I think as great as technology is, we sort of lose the reality that a lot of this stuff is not about the reason you're there, but it's about the exchange of information between two individuals. And like, I'm sure when you go to play D and D, it's like maybe half of the excitement of it is the actual game. The at least half of it is probably the, the quips and the little things that happen aside and the, the funness that's like within being in that room. That is really the reason that you love going to it on a weekly week to week basis. I'm sure. Obviously you love playing the game, but the, the excitement of it is the. Is the non. Scorecard bits, as one would say. And that's kind of what I'm trying to remind people. When you meet up in person for things, you can do things digitally and you can watch things, but nothing really beats being in person and exchanging those ideas together.
[29:13]
A
Yeah, I totally agree. Okay, last question. And we always like to end by asking this. We like to ask people what their wheelhouses are, which is basically like, what would get you to pick up. You see it in the bookstore. You're like, oh, it's about this, or it has this going on. What would make you pick up that book no matter what? Ooh,
[29:33]
C
Epic Adventures.
[29:34]
A
Ooh, love that. Okay.
[29:36]
C
Yeah, Yeah. I am a disciple and a student of Tolkien and I am always everything Tolkien is. Just everything he says and thinks and does is what I think is right about literature. And as he so eloquently has said, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. It doesn't matter if I know that the hero's gonna win and if I know that the epic adventure is gonna end with the thing that they're setting out to do happening? That's great. It's really about like, is there an epic adventure that I'm going on with these characters to get there? It's fine that I know how it's ending, because it's not about that. It's about what happens to create that evolution along the way.
[30:15]
A
I love that. Great Fantastic, Earl, thank you so much for coming on the show. Where can people find the show? Where can people find all of your books if they're looking. Looking for it?
[30:23]
C
Awesome. Because I love to just make things so egregiously hard for everyone. I name things really weirdly. So, you know, books, which is G U N G N I R books across all social media. And then it's bad grammar with two
[30:37]
A
Ds and three Ms. Yeah, that is complicated to Google. But I did it successfully. Thank you so much for coming on this show.
[30:46]
C
Thank you.
[30:52]
B
Time to solve a bookish problem from one of our listeners. Courtney wrote in to say hello. Bri and Mallory, I just started listening to your podcast as of two months ago, and I've really enjoyed it. Welcome, Courtney, Welcome. I was hoping you would help me with a bookish problem I have. For years, my friend and I would send each other books for birthdays and for Christmas as gifts. I've been out since we started this exchange, but for a few years, my friend would send me straight romance books or more popular books of the day. Eg, when the Crawdads Sing or Little Fire. It's everywhere. Basically, books that I'm not super interested in reading. I feel somewhat obligated to read these books as they were a gift from a good friend, but at the same time, they have been languishing on my TBR pile for years. I should just donate them, right? P.S. she now sends me lesbian romance books, which I love, and we no longer have this issue. Bria, this is a very important and regular, regular moment on the show where we. I forget what the hand motion is, but we are absolving everyone of book guilt. Maybe it's just this. It's like us opening a book.
[31:43]
A
Yeah, there you go. There you go.
[31:44]
B
No book guilt.
[31:46]
A
No book. Yeah, yeah. Listen, Courtney, donate the books. Just go donate those books. You have our permission not to read them.
[31:53]
C
Dumb.
[31:53]
A
Honestly, don't do those books. You might can sell. I mean, if you got little fires everywhere, you might be able to sell that book. You know, if you feel super guilty, read one page, read the first page and decide. If you're not caught up in a frenzy, just dump them and move on. But, like, that is valuable shelf space and you really never have to read a gift. You never have to read a gift. I don't care who it's from. I don't care if it is from your friend. And this was their dying wish. I'm sorry, but it's definitely not your friend who just Sends you a book who didn't from for Christmas, like that's fine. Yeah, you. They're languishing in your TBR pile. They're jumping it up and taking up space for stuff. You gotta allow space for stuff that you actually want to be reading. Mallory.
[32:36]
B
God, I really feel like a large portion of the guilt in the reading world is about what to do with books that people give you that you don't want. It's such a thing. It is killing people. Everyone. Be free. Free yourself. Donate these books. We release you from your obligation. We release you from your guilt. Give them away. Put them in little free libraries, sell them to used bookstores and use that fucking store credit to buy a book that you actually want. We have said this on the show quite a bit, but it's been a while. So here's a reminder. The purpose of a gift is to make somebody happy. If somebody gives you a gift that is a book and you don't want it, it is fine to exchange it for something you do want. Put it, release it back into the world. Put it somewhere where someone else is gonna get it and like it.
[33:16]
A
You don't.
[33:17]
B
You are not obligated. Truly you are not. The purpose of someone giving a gift is to not force them to read something. Although, I don't know, maybe some people are really are out there trying to force people. But most of the time the purpose of a gift is to just give someone something that they want. And if you've got something that you don't want, like a straight, straight, straight romance book, it's perfectly fine to get rid of it in some fashion so you can get something you do want. You are not. We are releasing you from everything. Get it off your tbr, get it off your bookshelves, get it out of your brain. It's fine. And just a reminder that we, this is something we haven't said in a while. Don't check up on people who, if you buy, if you buy them a book, don't fucking bother them. Don't check up on them. Don't be like, hey, have you read this thing yet? Just let it go. Let it be folks. We release you. I'm doing the hand motion. Be free. Be free. So if you want us to solve your reader problem, you can send it to reading glassespodcastmail.com. as always, want to thank the wonderful mods who run our Discord server and our Facebook group. Remember, you want a tank top, you want a tote bag to bring to the lake. You can buy reading glasses, totes and shirts and stickers over at our Voidmarch store. There's a link in the Show Notes and if you like the show and want to do something really nice for us, you can rate us and review us on the podcast listening app of your choice. It is so quick for you to do and it's so great for us. It helps us reach more listeners. You can email us at reading glasses podcastmail.com find us on Instagram at Reading Glasses Podcast. Thanks for listening and thanks for reading.
[34:43]
A
Thanks for reading.
[34:52]
B
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