Episode 8: Shameless Reading - Liking What You Like + Our Shameless Recs

RAD Reading Podcast
Episode # 8 

Episode Title: Shameless Reading - Like What You Like + Our Shameless Book Recs

Release Date: November 19, 2021

Episode Summary

This week we’re talking about dropping reader shame and reading what you want to read. Plus, we’re giving our favorite shameless recs! Make sure the kids aren’t in the room for this one, y’all. ;) Join us and read shameless! 

Listen above or in your favorite podcast app:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Acast  

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

Highlights: 

• The language/terms used to shame readers about certain types of books

• Roni gets on her soapbox about the word “cheesy”

• How genres read primarily by women are often shamed the most

• Shame about book covers, titles, taboos, and uncomfortable topics

• Self-help books and why they shouldn’t be shamed

• Graphic novels count as reading

• Romance novels and mental health

• People who watch romance on the screen but won’t read a romance novel

• Ways to keep things private if you really can’t been outwardly shameless

• Finding your people

• Our shameless book recs including Dawn’s blue aliens and Roni’s kinky picks

• Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

*spoilers of which books we talk about below*

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*Note: all book links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!

Books recommended by Roni:

• Natural Law by Joey W. Hill

• Willing Victim by Cara McKenna

• Liberating Lacey by Anne Calhoun

• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

• Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdet

• Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday

• The Upward Spiral by Alex Korb

Books recommended by Dawn:

• Omegaverse novels by Callie Rhodes

• Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

• Bound by Eva Charles

• Masters of the Shadowlands series by Cherise Sinclair

• Sky Mates series by Susan Grant

RAD Reading Recs of the Week: 

• American Queen by Sierra Simone (Dawn rec)

• A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (Roni Rec)

Other books mentioned:

• My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Other non-book things mentioned:

• How Romance Novels Helped Me Life Myself Out of Postpartum Depression by author Sherry Thomas

• Navigating Depression with the Help of Romance Novels by Carolina Ciucci

• Outlander TV show

• Bridgerton TV show

• True Blood TV show

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Instagram

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Another note: Because we are both in the publishing industry, sometimes the books we recommend might be by an author we know personally, an author who shares a publisher, editor, or agent with Roni, or an author whom Dawn has edited. Publishing is a small world, so that will happen from time to time. However, we guarantee that we only recommend books we love. We have not been asked to promote any of these books and none are paid ads. However, some books we review may be ARCs (advanced reading copies provided by publishers to reviewers for honest reviews.)

Episode 7: Fuzzy Sock Books - Reading for Comfort

RAD Reading Podcast
Episode # 7 Reading Why

Episode Title: Fuzzy Sock Books - Reading for Comfort

Release Date: November 12, 2021

Grab your fuzzy socks, cozy blanket, and a cup of something warm. Today is all about fuzzy sock books, AKA comfort reading. We’re talking about the types of books that lend themselves best to comfort reading, sharing cozy bookish activities, and then giving you a pile of recommendations to snuggle up with, including our RAD recs of the week! 

Listen above or in your favorite podcast app:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Acast  

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

Highlights: 

• Our favorite comfort reading categories

• The odd things we see posted on the neighborhood pages in our small towns

• Black moments vs. gray moments in a story

• What’s comforting can vary widely from person to person

• To reread or not to reread

• Watching the movie/TV show of a book (gasp!) first

• Dawn’s daughter’s shocking reading habit

• Roni’s deep secret she keeps from her husband ;)

• Comforting bookish activities

• Dawn gives us an update on her book journaling

• Dawn hunting down hero-inspired body wash

• Roni’s book-inspired food emergency

• Bookish girls’ night out 

• Our cozy book recommendations

• Roni is shocked--no, like literally with electricity--and blows out her microphone

• Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

*episode spoilers ahead*

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Books recommended by Roni:

• Hope for the Holidays by Alison Kent

• Lady Bridget’s Diary by Maya Rodale

• Sex Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson

• Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

• My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl

• Off the Clock by Roni Loren (yes, my book)

Books recommended by Dawn:

• Vangie Vale series by R.L. Syme

• Accidentally In Love with a Biker by Teri Anne Stanley

• The Outsiders or anything by S.E. Hinton

• Judy Blume: Forever, Tiger Eyes

• A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle (Dawn’s review)

• Stealing the Bride by Nadia Lee

• Sexy Sinner by Eva Charles

RAD Reading Recs of the Week: 

• Secondhand Sinners by Genevieve Lynne (Dawn rec)

• My Life In France by Julia Child (Roni rec)

Other books mentioned:

• Cackle by Rachel Harrison

• The Suite Spot by Trish Doller 

• Merlin Raj and the Santa Algorithm by D. G. Priya

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

• The BFG by Roald Dahl

• YOU by Caroline Kepnes

• Normal People by Sally Rooney

• The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

• Cooking at Home by David Chang and Priya Krishna

• The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren

Other non-book recommendations:

• YOU the TV show (Netflix)

• Normal People the TV show (Hulu)

• Dragon Noodles recipe

• Julie and Julia movie

*Note: all book links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Another note: Because we are both in the publishing industry, sometimes the books we recommend might be by an author we know personally, an author who shares a publisher, editor, or agent with Roni, or an author whom Dawn has edited. Publishing is a small world, so that will happen from time to time. However, we guarantee that we only recommend books we love. We have not been asked to promote any of these books and none are paid ads. However, some books we review may be ARCs (advanced reading copies provided by publishers to reviewers for honest reviews.)

Episode 6: Distraction Detox - Less Screen Time, More Reading Time

RAD Reading Podcast
Episode # 6 - Reading Upgrade

Episode Title: Distraction Detox - Less Screen Time, More Reading Time

Release Date: Nov. 5, 2021

Listen above or in your favorite podcast app:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Acast  

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

Episode Summary/Highlights: 

Do you find yourself picking up your phone instead of picking up a book or your e-reader? Yeah, us too. Today we tackle how to tame the screen time so we can get more reading time, especially during the busy holiday season. We’ll also discuss how the type of book you pick up can make all the difference. And as usual, we’ll have a pile of reading recs for you! 

Highlights:

• This is our reading brains on smartphones

• The power of Do Not Disturb

• How to reclaim reading time in a screen time world

• Roni’s haunted moaning window makes a cameo

• The types of books that are better suited for distracted minds

• Fast-starting book recs

• Recs for short and snappy reads

• Short story/essay collections that you can tackle in bite-sized bits

• Page-turning memoirs

• Some of our favorite binge-worthy book series

• Roni is horrified to realize she’s read books two and three of a series and not book one

• Roni’s doorstop length books

• Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

*Note: all book links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!

EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD…

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Books recommended by Roni:

• Boys Like You by Juliana Stone

• I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

• Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

• This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Phillips

• Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo

• Brokedown Cowboy (Copper Ridge series) by Maisey Yates

• Bad News Cowboy by Maisey Yates

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King

• Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Books recommended by Dawn:

• Chasing Vega by Terry Shepard

• Why Moms Are Weird by Pamela Ribon

• Charmed in Texas series by Sharla Lovelace

• Faceoff anthology by International Thriller Writers

• Matchup anthology by International Thriller Writers

• Different Seasons by Stephen King

• Tinsel and Tatas anthology for charity

• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

• Always a Bridesmaid (For Hire) by Jen Glantz

• One For the Money (Stephanie Plum series) by Janet Evanovitch

• Naked In Death (In Death series) by J.D. Robb

Other books mentioned:

• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

• Gold Valley series by Maisey Yates

RAD Reading Recs of the Week: 

• Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik (Dawn)

• Deep Work by Cal Newport (Roni)

Roni’s many blog posts on social media breaks and device-free summers:

• A Screen-Free Summer for Kidlet: How, Why, & If I'll Lose My Mind

• The 10-Day Update 

• 5 Week Update on Screen-Free Summer

• The End of Our Screen-Free Summer: Results and Moving Forward

• The After-Effects of Our Device-Free Summer

• Device-Free Summer 2.0: Why We’re Doing This Again

• 7 Things to Reduce Distractions and Increase Focus

• On Productivity and Distraction: Deep Work

• Revisiting Deep Work

• Stop Letting Your Inbox Distract You: Making Rules Work For You

• The Digital Declutter & Why I’m Taking a 30-Day Social Media Break

• After the 30-Day Social Media Ban: What Surprised Me & What I’m Changing

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Another note: Because we are both in the publishing industry, sometimes the books we recommend might be by an author we know personally, an author who shares a publisher, editor, or agent with Roni, or an author whom Dawn has edited. Publishing is a small world, so that will happen from time to time. However, we guarantee that we only recommend books we love. We have not been asked to promote any of these books and none are paid ads. However, some books we review may be ARCs (advanced reading copies provided by publishers to reviewers for honest reviews.)

Episode 5: They All Float - Our Best Halloween Recs

Episode # 5

Episode Title: They All Float: Our Best Halloween Recs

Release Date: October 29, 2021

Listen above or in your favorite podcast app:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Acast  

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

Episode Summary/Highlights: 

Happy Halloween! This week Roni freaks out Dawn with her scary book and movie picks (and episode title) and Dawn offers recommendations for those who prefer their Halloween on the gentler side. It’s a long one, y’all! We’ve got a pile of recs for you, including suspense, horror, true crime, and paranormal romance. Grab a bag of Halloween candy and join us! 

Highlights:

• The controversial episode title

• Our suspense recs

• We can’t pronounce author names

• Roni’s crush on a loveable (fictional) serial killer

• Our paranormal recs

• Dawn’s trauma from The Exorcist

• Roni realizes she still has a thing for hot vampires

• Stephen King and peer pressure

• Roni tries to sell us on a lizard hero

• Our true crime recs

• The “Scooby-Doo” recs for those who don’t like horror

• Roni’s scary movie recs

• The Lost Boys and why Dawn would happily get lost with any of them

• The movie Roni won’t watch alone

• Our Halloween TV recs

• Podcast recs for the horror and true crime lover

• Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

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Books recommended by Roni:

• No Exit by Taylor Adams

• YOU series by Caroline Kepnes

• Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice

• Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

• The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons

• Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

• “Sour Candy” by Kealan Patrick Burke

• “Sometimes They Come Back” in Night Shift by Stephen King

• The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith (my more extensive review I mentioned)

• Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix

• We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper

• Evil Has a Name by Paul Holes and Jim Clemente

• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

• Halfway to the Grave by Jeannine Frost

• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Books recommended by Dawn:

• The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

• That Last Weekend by Laura DiSilverio

• Ten by Gretchen McNeil (Scary book trailer)

• The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

• The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

• Who Killed My Daughter by Lois Duncan

• What If You & Me by Roni Loren (obviously the most fantastic book on this list ;) )

• Ghosts, Pies, & Alibis by Amanda Reid

• Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reisz

Other books mentioned:

• Final Girls by Riley Sager

• Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Roni’s Movie/TV Recs:

• Happy Death Day

• The Strangers

• It Follows

• The Babadook

• Classics mentioned: Halloween, Scream, Poltergeist, The Shining, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Exorcist, IT (the 90s miniseries), Alien, The Lost Boys, The Ring

• True Blood

• Scream Queens

• YOU

Dawn’s Movie/TV Recs:

• Stranger Things

• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

• Community Halloween episodes

Podcast recommendations:

• Books in the Freezer

• The Horror Virgin

• Serial

• Obsessed with Disappeared

• True Crime Obsessed

Other things mentioned:

Shudder streaming channel

RAD Reading Recs of the Week: 

• Standoff by Sandra Brown (Dawn rec)

• Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips (Roni rec)

Check out all of our previous RAD Reading Recs on the RAD Rec page!

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Note: all book links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!

Another note: Because we are both in the publishing industry, sometimes the books we recommend might be by an author we know personally, an author who shares a publisher, editor, or agent with Roni, or an author whom Dawn has edited. Publishing is a small world, so that will happen from time to time. However, we guarantee that we only recommend books we love. We have not been asked to promote any of these books and none are paid ads. However, some books we review may be ARCs (advanced reading copies provided by publishers to reviewers for honest reviews.)

Episode 4: October's Read/Watch/Listen Recs

RAD Reading Podcast
Episode #4

Episode Title: October’s Read/Watch/Listen 

Release Date: Oct. 22, 2021

Listen above or in your favorite podcast app:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Acast  

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

This week we’re giving you all of our favorites of the month! Join us as we share the books, audiobooks, TV shows, and movies that have gotten our highest marks.

Highlights:

• Dawn recommends lots of books with shirtless man covers 

• Roni recommends a steamy one with a deceiving cover

• Roni’s go to comfort read when she’s buried in revisions

• Dawn trying to get Roni to understand superheroes

• A documentary Roni couldn’t resist

• Roni’s audiobook recs

• Why 70s and 80s country songs probably messed us up

• Dawn’s singing debut in a Pizza Hut

• The songs Roni never skips

• Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

*Note: all book links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!

Books recommended by Roni:

• The Roommate by Rosie Danan

• On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

• When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

Books recommended by Dawn:

• Samson by Callie Rhodes (The Boundarylands Omegaverse series)

• Zeke by Callie Rhodes

• Troy by Callie Rhodes

• Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score

• Waking the Dragon by Juliette Cross

Watch Recommendations from Roni:

• LuLaRich (Amazon Prime)

• Modern Family (Hulu)

• Milk Street (PBS)

Watch Recommendations from Dawn:

• Alias (Amazon Prime)

• What If (Disney+)

• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 

• Archer

Listen Recommendations from Roni:

• Making Space Clutter Free by Tracy McCubbin

• The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth

• “All My Favorite Songs” by Weezer

• “All I Wanted” by Paramore

RAD Reading Recs of the Week: 

• The Martian by Andy Weir (Dawn rec)

• Joyland by Stephen King (Roni Rec)

Other things mentioned:

• Outlander 

• Bob’s Burgers

• The Goldbergs

• “Drinking my Baby Goodbye” by The Charlie Daniels Band

• Dark Matter by Black Crouch

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Another note: Because we are both in the publishing industry, sometimes the books we recommend might be by an author we know personally, an author who shares a publisher, editor, or agent with Roni, or an author whom Dawn has edited. Publishing is a small world, so that will happen from time to time. However, we guarantee that we only recommend books we love. We have not been asked to promote any of these books and none are paid ads. However, some books we review may be ARCs (advanced reading copies provided by publishers to reviewers for honest reviews.)

Episode 3: Making Your Own Reading Journal (AKA Fun with Office Supplies)

RAD Reading Podcast
Episode # 3

Episode Title: Making Your Own Reading Journal (AKA Fun with Office Supplies)

Release Date: October 15, 2021

Listen above or in your favorite podcast app:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Acast  

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

Episode Summary: 

We love upgrading our reading lives, so this week we’re talking about one of our favorite ways to enhance the reading experience--creating our own reading journals! Plus, as always, we’re giving our RAD Reading Recs of the week.

Highlights:

• Why Dawn’s teen journals led her to get grounded--unnecessarily!

• The one journal Roni’s been able to stick with

• The basics of a reading/book journal

• Private reading journals vs. Goodreads 

• Roni avoiding awkward book signings

• What Dawn said that made Roni clutch her pearls

• The unexpected benefits of a reading journal

• Dawn’s epiphany about stencils

• The nuts & bolts of putting together your own journal

• What Roni wishes she’d been putting in her journal from the start

• Rating systems - Roni’s highly detailed one & Dawn’s low-key method

• Documenting reading challenges

• Finding your journaling style - decorative, bare bones, etc.

• Digital options for journaling

• Dawn’s signal that she’s been kidnapped

• Journaling tips

• Instagram perfect journals are not necessary

• Our favorite journaling supplies

• Our RAD Reading Recs of the Week

*Note: all book/product links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!

Supplies recommended by Roni:

• Leuchtturm1917 Journal 

• Stabilo Fineliner Pens

• Zebra Mildliner highlighters 

• Staedtler Ergosoft colored pencils 

• Staedtler Template, Geometric Shapes & Symbols to draw boxes and circles

Supplies recommended by Dawn:

• Plum Paper Notebook 

• Frixion pens

• Prisma Color Pencils 

Other resources mentioned:

• Roni’s free downloadable Romance Reading Journal

• Rock Your Reading Tracker by Sarah’s Bookshelves

• My Reading Journal by Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy)

• Pensieve app

• Book of the Month club 

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Dawn’s Reading Journal

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Roni’s Reading Journal

RAD Reading Recs of the Week: 

Dear Writer, Are You In Burnout? by Becca Syme (Dawn’s rec)

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (Roni’s rec)

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Episode 1: The Life-Changing Magic of the DNF (Did Not Finish)

RAD Reading Podcast
Episode 1

The Life-Changing Magic of the DNF (Did Not Finish)

Release Date: Oct. 1, 2021

WAYS TO LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Acast  

• On the web without a podcast app

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

• Or just listen below!

Episode Summary/Highlights: 

Our first episode! Join us as we talk about our vision for the podcast, preview our weekly bookish themes, and then jump into our topic of the week--the life-changing magic of not finishing a book you’re not enjoying. And make sure you stay until the end to get our RAD Reading Book Recommendations of the week!

Highlights:

• A sneak peek of our four weekly themes

• The “I used to be a reader” struggle

• Why being a chronic finisher can be a roadblock to a happy reading life

• Reasons it’s so hard for some of us to DNF (not finish a book)

• The book trope Roni hates

• How to combat the DNF fears

• Do DNFs count for reading challenges?

• Tips for becoming a DNF master 

• The difference between a DNF and a Not For Now

• How to pick better books

• Our RAD Book Recs of the week

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*Note: all book links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!

RAD Reading Recs of the Week: 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Dawn rec)

I’ll Be Gone In the Dark by Michelle McNamara (Roni rec)

Other books mentioned:

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Emma by Jane Austen

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Only Plane In the Sky by Garrett M. Graff 

Non-book things mentioned:

9/11: I Was There (documentary)

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

The RAD Reading List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Another note: Because we are both in the publishing industry, sometimes the books we recommend might be by an author we know personally, an author who shares a publisher, editor, or agent with Roni, or an author whom Dawn has edited. Publishing is a small world, so that will happen from time to time. However, we guarantee that we only recommend books we love. We have not been asked to promote any of these books and none are paid ads. However, some books we review may be ARCs (advanced reading copies provided by publishers to reviewers for honest reviews.)