RAD Reading

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women’s Fiction with Guest Author Sierra Godfrey

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 05:01:48 GMT

Today, we welcome Sierra Godfrey, author of A Very Typical Family, to talk about Women’s Fiction. Is it a genre? What does that category mean? Can it have romance in it? Does it have to have a certain kind of ending? We answer those questions and more. Then we’re giving our best women’s fiction recommendations!

Highlights:

Something in Sierra’s author bio already has Dawn nervous
The challenge of writing sibling stories as an only child
Women’s Fiction and what does that mean exactly
Roni can’t help being a “Well, actually…” person
Our best women’s fiction recommendations
If Dawn is ever in the woods, it means we need to send help
Our RAD Recs of the Week
Go sign up for Sierra’s newsletter because it’s awesome (says Roni the newsletter snob)
And buy her book A Very Typical Family, out now!

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Our guest: Sierra Godfrey

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's Get Spooky: October's Read/Watch/Listen Recs

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 05:01:20 GMT

Episode Summary:

It’s that time of year again! Light the pumpkin-scented candle, get a bowl of your favorite Halloween candy, and turn on a stormy night soundtrack to set the mood. Today, we’re bringing you the best scary (from Roni) and gently spooky (from Dawn) things we’ve read, watched, and listened to lately.

Highlights:

Why Dawn can’t go to the movies in October
Reading slumps are the worst
Roni tried a new method to tackle her giant TBR pile and it worked!
A book that was on Roni’s TBR for 7 years
Locked basements are a bad sign
A book that had one of us thinking WTF the whole time
We need warnings if the dog dies
A book that was just right for Dawn
Roni’s spooky/scary TV and movie recommendations (and an anti-recommendation)
Dawn recommends a few fun and not-so-spooky things to watch
A genre mash-up with fantastic audiobook narration
Lycanthropy is a word and Roni is standing by that
It always comes back to Buffy
Our RAD recs of the week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roni's Birthday Episode + Our 1-Year Podcast Anniversary!

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 05:01:29 GMT

Today, we’re celebrating Roni’s birthday by talking about the books that influenced her as a reader. Then, Dawn is gifting Roni with a stack of book recommendations tailored to her tastes. Plus, we’re celebrating our 1-year podcast anniversary! Come and join our bookish party!

Highlights:

Our little baby podcast is now one year old!
Roni’s embarrassing TBR confession
We get wistful about the Scholastic book fair flyer
Team Babysitters Club vs Team Sweet Valley High
A book that gutted Baby Roni
The day Dawn missed a very important day in reading class and was book traumatized
The joy of nineties teen horror books
That age when you hit the “sneaky reads”
Yep, Flowers in the Attic messed all of us up ;)
That time Roni asked her dad the definition of a word and was mortified to find out the answer
When Roni’s reading life died and the book that brought her back
How did Roni end up writing super steamy romance
Dawn gifts Roni with personalized book recs
Roni somehow brings things back to Buffy again
Our RAD Recs of the week!
We go on a tangent about fear just in time for the spookiest month

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unlikable Heroines with (Likable) Guest Author Pippa Grant

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 05:01:34 GMT

USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling author Pippa Grant is joining us today to talk about unlikable heroines and why they need love too. Plus, we get to hear a little about her romantic comedies! (Fair warning: this talk is more PG-13 than some of our others so don’t listen with kiddos in the car.)

Highlights:

Unlikable heroines need love too
Not all things marketed as romantic comedy are true comedy
Pippa’s got a new release coming called Irresistible Trouble
Dawn and Roni have their RAD Reading After Dark voices going because when we recorded, we were both recovering from COVID
Unlikable heroine does not mean a badly written heroine
The double standard for heroines
Types of unlikable heroines - the b**ch, the achiever, the sexually liberated heroine, the messy heroine, true female villains
Why authors try not to read their own reviews
Roni has feelings about Fatal Attraction
“Cool motive. Still murder.” – Dawn
Roni’s meanest heroine
Our reading recs for books with unlikable heroines
Our RAD recs of the week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Our guest author: Pippa Grant
RAD Reading on Instagram
RAD Reading Facebook Page
RAD Reading Website
RAD Rec Master List
Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram
Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don’t You Forget About Me: Stories Told in Alternative Formats

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 05:01:29 GMT

Sometimes we get so focused on the traditional novel that we forget that stories come in all different types of formats and structures. This week, we’re giving those kinds of stories the spotlight. Join us as we recommend graphic novels, anthologies, short stories, novels with creative formats, and some truly wacky things Dawn found at the bookstore!

Highlights:

Reading is reading and don’t let anyone tell you format dictates whether something counts
Roni gets on her reading soapbox at a football game and was “that person”
Giving things a try that you think may not be for you
Dawn wants to time travel
The upsides of short stories
Dawn was definitely almost killed by one of the Children of the Corn
Leonard the dog makes known his love of LGBTQIA+ romance
The difference between graphic novels and comics
Roni discovers a new way to read graphic novels that makes it so much easier for her to follow the story
Roni is going through a Buffy phase #sorrynotsorry
Novels with interesting formats
Remember when Twitter wasn’t a hellscape?
The elusive state of “full mental capacity”
IKEA can be effing scary
The curse of “have a great summer”
Roni loves her scary movies and books but she’s terrified of one book Dawn loves
Dawn cheats on “choose your adventure” books
Coloring books with interesting subjects
Our RAD Reading Recs of the week - including a book a listener recommended to us!

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gearing Up for Fall with Paranormal Reads

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 05:01:51 GMT

It’s too hot here in Texas so today we’re dreaming about Fall and sharing a BIG list of paranormal reads to add to your TBR. We’ve got vampires and witches and shifters, oh my! Plus, you know Dawn is bringing dragons and Roni's going to talk too much about Buffy. We’re also talking about how the trend of paranormals has waxed and waned over the decades and how it seems to be coming back after a dormant period. And we’re so here for it!

Highlights:

Seasonal reading - our versions of it
Roni’s craving vampires
Roni is teaching her beginner romance writing class, you can sign up here (Code: EARLYBIRD gets you $20 off before August 25th!)
The paranormal craze of the aughts
Is the era of the rom com hitting the saturated point?
Dark books for dark times
How the pandemic may be playing into this potential trend
What each of us is looking for in a paranormal read
Dawn wants the weirdness
Roni’s obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer
YA paranormal vs adult paranormal
The trope of the Chosen One
Our favorite creatures/monsters
What doesn’t work for us in paranormals
Ostriches and ghosts of children
Join Roni’s super cool newsletter and you can chat book recs too!
A giant stack of book recs coming your way
First-book-in-a-long-series syndrome
Our RAD Recs of the week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram
RAD Reading Facebook Page
RAD Reading Website
RAD Rec Master List
Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram
Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mini-episode: A Summer Reading Check-in with Roni

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 05:01:33 GMT

We've both got COVID, y'all. Ugh! So this week we've got a mini-episode with just me (Roni) because Dawn got hit with Covid harder and needs to rest. I'm sharing an update about my summer reading, and I want to hear how yours is going as well!

Highlights:

How's my summer book cart working out? (spoiler: things are not going well, y'all.)
An app that I'm loving for my book journaling
A change in my reading habits that I didn't expect

Mentioned in the episode:

Come tell us how your summer reading is going on the Facebook page!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dawn's Special Birthday Episode + Book Bonanza!

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 05:00:42 GMT

Episode Summary:

It’s Dawn’s birthday week! Today, we’re going to celebrate Dawn with an episode dedicated to the books she loves. First, she’s bringing us a list of books that she credits with making her into a reader. Then, Roni is “gifting” Dawn with three book recommendations that are tailor-made for her. Plus, we’re bringing you a recap from our fabulous weekend at the Book Bonanza conference! Join us for the birthday bash!

Highlights:

Our Book Bonanza conference recap
Dawn the Designated Extrovert
Miss Connie the super librarian
Roni played Never Have I Ever with some superstar authors…and can’t remember much because she might’ve metaphorically blacked out on stage
Strawberry Ice Cream Hershey kisses are dangerous
We almost had a murderous dinner
Readers truly are the best
The books that made Dawn into a reader
Read the book but skip this movie
The power of English teachers
The book that every 80s kid had tucked inside their backpack
The book that taught Dawn it was okay for stories not to have a happy ending
The book Dawn would save in a fire
Roni gifts Dawn with three book recommendations
Dawn’s husband is very nice but she does like an alphahole hero in her books
Our RAD Recs of the Week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July's Read/Watch/Listen Recs

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 05:00:43 GMT

Today, we’re sharing the best things we’ve read, watched, and listened to over the last month—along with a few books that didn’t quite work for us. Plus, we’re celebrating Roni’s new book release!

Highlights:

Roni has a new book out! Get your copy of For You & No One Else
If you’re at the Book Bonanza conference this weekend, stop by Roni’s table and say hi to both of us!
Roni had a great reading month, Dawn…not so much
Our favorite print reads this month
An element Dawn loves in a book: “people start dying”
Roni learns there’s a certain story premise that just doesn't work for her
An ending made one of us real mad
Expectations when a new book in a series comes out
Our favorite audiobooks this month
Roni and Dawn are never going camping
When a book’s about the journey not the destination
What we’ve been watching and loving
A show that is just a pure delight
The show Dawn is obsessed with
The movie that wowed Roni and gave her heart eyes for an actor
The TV show that spoke to Roni’s “id”
One of us loves a love triangle
Our RAD Reading Recs of the week – which are VERY different from each other!

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get Swept Away: Books That Transport You

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 05:00:50 GMT

A great book can sweep you away, but some books really take you on a trip. Today, we’re talking about books that transport you either to another place or transport you through time (because one of us is kind of obsessed with time travel/time loop stories.) So grab your suitcase or your flux capacitor and join us!

Highlights:

Cheap travel via books
Australian listeners, please reassure us there aren’t giant man-eating spiders everywhere
Our favorite book settings
Roni wants to read summer camp books but not actually, you know, attend anything involving camping
Time travel books count as travel books because we say so
Watch out, don’t accidentally stumble into a wormhole
If Roni and Dawn were in a book with a grumpy/sunshine trope, it’s clear who would be the grumpy one and who would be the sunshine one
Time loops, and wormholes, and multiverses, oh my
Thoughts on sexy times in cringe-y locations
Dawn feels Outlander shame
Roni needs someone to explain season 2 of Russian Doll to her
Dawn explains reverse harem books
A stack of books we tried for this episode but that didn’t really work for us
Roni gets library hold guilt
Some books on our TBR that fit this theme but that we haven’t gotten to yet
Dawn’s Friday the 13th trauma
If Dawn ends up climbing a mountain, something has gone very wrong in the world
Our RAD Recs of the week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Romance Author Taylor Lunsford + Our Favorite Books on Writing

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 05:01:29 GMT

Episode Summary:

Today we welcome romance author Taylor Lunsford, who is sharing some of her favorite romantic books with us, and then we’re doing a special segment for those of you who may want to try writing your own book this summer. Join us as we get a little nerdy and share our favorite books on writing!

Highlights:

We welcome Taylor Lunsford, author of the upcoming romance You’ve Got Matches
Fan-fiction as an entrance ramp to writing
The joys and pitfalls of online dating
Roni’s own You’ve Got Mail moment
Love at the DMV
Roni’s dog is post-surgical, in a vest, and not happy about it
Taylor’s recommendations
Thoughts on illustrated covers in romance & author input on covers
Roni is slightly obsessed with books on writing
The Newsies and New Kids on the Block fanfiction in our pasts
Dawn was already asking for book reviews in elementary school
NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - and Camp NaNoWriMo
Roni’s accidental Twilight marathon and breaking news: she has changed Edward vs. Jacob “teams”
Our favorite books on writing
Books if you’re brand new to writing
Where our ideas come from
What we’re reading now
Rereading vs. rewatching
Our RAD Recs of the Week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Find our guest Taylor and her books online:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Summer Reading Extravaganza!

Fri, 27 May 2022 05:00:01 GMT

Episode Summary:

It’s one of the best bookish times of the year—summer reading season! Today, we’re giving you our best picks to add to your poolside stack, whether you’re looking for traditional breezy beach reads or something a little darker to keep you turning the pages.

Highlights:

Does our reading change during summer?
Roni got herself in trouble with summer reading lists and her library holds
Our easy breezy summer pics
The book Roni was able to read at a NASCAR race and not be distracted
Dawn is reading some historicals now but she needs something extra in them
Roni is slightly concerned with her obsession with dual timelines and time-travel in contemporaries
Why Dawn has a friend to thank for not missing her “moment” to meet her husband and Roni has an old computer and a non-compatible America Online CD-ROM to thank for not missing hers
How Dawn failed as a parent ;)
What Dawn can’t listen to on audio
Our darker “summer is too sunny” recs
Roni’s weird category of books that make her think of summer
Our RAD Recs of the week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Casual Friday with Bookish Friends

Fri, 13 May 2022 05:00:06 GMT

Today, we’re keeping it casual and having our first guests over to share their best book recommendations! Join us as we welcome indie editor Jessica Snyder and mystery writer Stacy Woodson. Expect some great romance, mystery, and suspense recommendations! Also, Roni has a number of books that she didn’t know quite how to rate because…reasons.

Highlights:

Meet our guests!
Dawn is giving her visitors the full Texas experience
Roni admits she used to line dance
Books that are hard to rate
Dawn recommends a book with the word “sausage” in the tagline
Editor Jess has a rec that’s a master class in upping the stakes in a story
Editor/writer brain showing up when you’re reading can be a problem
Thoughts on love triangles
A tip for listening to books on your Kindle
The upside of reading anthologies
Roni found a book she didn’t know existed but definitely needed in her life
Should authors go back and change things in earlier books
Our RAD recs of the week
And stay tuned for bloopers, in which Roni reveals just how embedded in her psyche, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Connect with our guests:

Editor Jessica Snyder - her website
Author Stacy Woodson - her website

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Find us online:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freaky Friday: We've accidentally swapped reading tastes!

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 05:00:16 GMT

Episode Summary:

It’s a Freaky Friday! Dawn and Roni have accidentally swapped reading tastes this week. Roni is recommending suspense novels, true crime books, and true-crime documentaries. Dawn has all the romantic picks–including a subgenre she never reads. Also, we have some more library tips to share!

Highlights:

We had a library adventure and Dawn is now the proud owner of a non-resident library card
Roni is officially hoarding library cards
Ways to get extra library cards in totally legal ways
Our reading tastes have flip-flopped this week
The importance of chasing reading whims, especially as a writer
A book recommended by a favorite author that totally worked for Roni
Roni gets nerdy about writing craft
Dawn is late-night clicking and not remembering how books ended up on her e-reader
Roni learns an important DNF (did not finish) lesson
The books we added to our library stacks
A little lesson on “high concept” reads
Recommending books to your library
The true-crime documentaries Roni’s been watching
What Dawn’s been watching (and has been getting nightmares from)
Our movie outing and unrealistic book launch parties
A RAD Reading announcement!
Our RAD Recs of the week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Matter of Taste - Bad Book or Just Not for You?

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 05:00:14 GMT

Learning your personal reading tastes is one of the best ways to enhance your reading life. Today we’re talking about the difference between a “bad” book and a book that’s just not for you (or not for you right now.) Plus, we’re giving examples of books that fall into those categories for us along with our RAD Reading recs of the week!

Highlights:

To read reviews or not to read reviews
Roni’s trying something new with book reviews
Dawn is not allowed to be on TikTok
Where we look for book recommendations
Roni’s favorite bookish podcasts
Book twins
Random raptors and when one-star reviews are unhelpful
Books and movies that are so bad they’re good
“Bad” vs. “unenjoyable” - there’s a difference
Not for you ever vs. not for you right now
Roni’s reading journal “breaking news”
Running experimental trials on your reading life
Seasons of life and how it changes your reading
Do you need likable characters?
What Roni learned while reading domestic suspense
Dawn’s hate-reading/rage-reading
Dawn puts on her editing hat to teach us about author intrusion
A list of books that were for us, not for us right now, and not for us ever
Grim vs. dark
Our RAD Reading recs of the week
The blooper reel

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Books That Tricked Us

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 05:00:17 GMT

Episode Summary

In honor of April Fool’s Day, we’re talking about the ways books can trick you—the good and the bad—and sharing the books that tricked us! WARNING: Because of some of the bookish topics, this isn't an episode to listen to with your kids in the car. ;)

Highlights:

The worst prank Dawn experienced
Why Roni can’t hear the 80s song “Don’t Treat Me Bad” without having prank flashbacks
Good twists vs. bad twists
Books that switch genres on you
Misleading book covers
Secondary plots that take over
The “It was all a dream…” Dallas cliche
Dawn’s fraught relationship with Nicholas Sparks
The book that didn’t play fair (in our opinions)
URNs and the Gone Girl effect
Non-fiction can trick us too!
Book expectations vs. the reality - why the mismatch?
Horror vs. thriller
Great books that tricked us
RAD Reading Recs of the week
Roni’s written a steamy story for a charity anthology to help Ukraine, pre-order Nightingale today!

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March's Read/Watch/Listen Recommendations

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 05:00:56 GMT

It’s been a while since one of our Read/Watch/Listen episodes, so now we have a big list of TV shows, movies, audiobooks, playlists, and yes, books to share with you today!

Highlights:

Calling a podcast audible
Reading slumps
Roni is horrified by what her dog’s favorite treat is made out of
Stress levels and how they affect what type of reading we do
Books that make us clean out closets
What would be a cry for help from Dawn?
Did Amy Adams channel Meg Ryan?
Dawn’s interesting movie experience at the 4pm showing
What we’ve been watching
Roni’s obsessed with the 90s
Don’t move into a creepy house to combat writer’s block
Dawn could watch one show with the sound off and be just fine
What Roni’s listening to with her teen
Dawn listened to another audiobook!
Our RAD Recs of the week, including one that inspired Roni to write a 10k word story
Stay tuned for bloopers

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Take My Money Please: Autobuy Authors

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 06:00:48 GMT

Today is all about the autobuy authors. We love finding autobuys, but we can also get stuck in a rut, only reading our sure things. Join us as we tackle the pros and cons of autobuy authors and then share a list of our favorite autobuys. And warning, technology and Roni’s puppy hated us this episode, so expect some bloopers in the middle and some outtakes at the end.

Highlights:

Texas ice sucks
Roni’s 6-month writing sabbatical
Puppies eating post-it notes
What is an autobuy author
Why we love autobuy authors
Why autobuys can sometimes get us stuck
Your dad and James Patterson
Somehow Twilight comes up again and we’re on different #TeamJacob #TeamEdward teams
Where to find authors and books like your favorite autobuys
Sometimes you can’t trust cover quotes
Stephen King blurbs everything
Our favorite autobuy authors in multiple genres
Queso currency
Dawn talks about ending on a cliffhanger and then the universe makes a joke about it
Roni institutes the Emergency Kong Protocol
Dawn and her aliens
Our RAD Recs of the week
Roni lent Dawn a book!
Stay tuned for outtakes

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reading on a Budget

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 06:00:42 GMT

There’s nothing wrong with wanting ALL the books. Give us all the books! Unfortunately, very few of us have an unlimited book budget. So today we’re sharing our best tips on how to keep your TBR piled high without having to dig for quarters in your couch cushions.

Highlights:

When we use the phrase “at least it’s not drugs” and reference Scrooge McDuck right out of the gate
Roni and pandemic book buying
Why libraries are awesome and how to use yours to its fullest
Dawn the book thief
The fancy copy of The Neverending Story
The magic of non-resident library cards
Our favorite insider library tips
Library sales
Book subscriptions
Book deal email lists
Dawn uses “Roni curation” deals
Goodreads giveaways and the one annoying feature that pushes Roni’s uptight buttons
Becoming a book reviewer
Dawn may still be bitter about getting rejected for a particular book
Used bookstores
Little Free Libraries
Book swaps & Dawn declares “There are RULES for books swaps.”
Don’t invite Roni to your book swap
RAD Reading recs of the week

Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram
RAD Reading Facebook Page
RAD Reading Website
RAD Rec Master List
Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram
Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've Only Just Begun: Our Favorite Series Starters

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 06:00:31 GMT

It’s all about book series today! We're defining the different types of series, talking about why we love reading them, and then we’re giving our favorite series starter books. Let’s do this!

Highlights:

To series read or not to series read
Connected series vs. continuing series
Duets and trilogies
Shared world series
Roni remembers a book she forgot she wrote
Dawn makes friends in parking lots with people pulling things out of their trunks
Series and fandoms and which fandom Roni was googling a decade ago
Why we love series
Why not waiting for a whole series to be written before buying can be important
RIP one of Roni’s series
Relief from decision fatigue
Our favorite series starters recs
Our RAD Recs of the Week
How Loren is pronounced

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Reading for Mental Health + Trigger Warnings

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 06:00:15 GMT

Episode Summary:

This week we’re chatting about how books can help our mental health, the kinds of books that work best for us when we’re feeling anxious or down, and we’re discussing the practice of putting trigger warnings in books. Also, we have our RAD Reading Recs of the week plus a few bonus picks!

Spoiler Alert: Spoiler for the book The Push by Ashley Audrain at 42:55, skip ahead one minute to 43:55 mark if you don’t want a spoiler.

Highlights:

Roni got a puppy and is feeling loopy from lack of sleep
Why waiting rooms can be a gift
Reading and health
Goat yoga but with teeth
Calgon, take me away reading moments
Dark stories in dark times
Bibliotherapy is a real thing and a cool word
Someone send Roni recs for dog-themed essay collections!
That “this is me” feeling when reading
How A Wrinkle In Time found Dawn at the exact right moment
Romance, weirdness, and acceptance
Thoughts on menage and laundry
The beauty of the guaranteed ending
Dawn throws shade at Nicholas Sparks (do people still say “throw shade”?)
Romance vs. “a love story”
Genre mystery vs. literary mystery vs. cozy mystery
Dawn’s Apollo 13 anxiety
Sometimes sad moods and happy comedic books are a bad mix
What is a trigger warning?
Are trigger warnings spoilers?
Transcending our GenX-ness (but Roni’s not giving up her Doc Martens)
Our personal experiences with triggers in books
Roni wants a “Does this book have…?” database
Different ways authors handle trigger warnings
Roni let Dawn down by not giving her a trigger warning for a movie
Bonus books recs
The RAD Reading Recs of the week
Stay tuned for bloopers!

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links and downloads for reading challenges, our recommendations, and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get It Together in 2022: Our Favorite Planners & Self-Improvement Books

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 06:00:39 GMT

It’s that time of year, and we’re so here for it. Join us as we get all ourselves together for 2022. We’re sharing which planners we’re using to set goals and organize our year, and then we’re recommending our favorite self-improvement books for improving your home life, reducing distractions, getting control of your time, and boosting your creativity. We've got a long list! Plus, as always, we’ll be sharing our RAD Recs of the week.

Highlights:

We’ve both ditched the planners we’ve used in the past and switched to new ones
Which planners we’re using this year – and yes, there are multiple planners because we contain multitudes, okay. No one planner can contain us! ;)
Roni’s a pushy planner person
How Dawn lost many hours of her life…planning her planner
A "happy life" planner
Dawn made a stencil journal
Roni is learning to “use the things”
Roni apparently needs a lot of self-help while Dawn only needs a little
Books really can fix things
Books for improving your home life
Pondering deep questions like “why am I folding my underwear?”
Books that helped us reduce distractions and tame social media/staring at our phones all the time
Books that help you take back your time
Books that give you a creativity boost
Our RAD Reading Recs of the week
We still can't say “RAD Reading Rec” without stumbling on our words
An important change to the podcast
Listen all the way through the end for bloopers ;)

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram
RAD Reading Facebook Page
RAD Reading Website
RAD Rec Master List
Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram
Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's Get Nerdy: Setting 2022 Reading Challenges & Goals

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 06:00:41 GMT

It’s one of our favorite times of the year—time to set new reading goals and challenges for 2022! Roni is sharing the many nerdy reading challenges that she’s tackling this coming year, and Dawn is firmly anti-challenge but has chosen some goals to enhance her reading year. Also, as always, we have our RAD reading recs of the week!

Highlights:

One of us declares New Year’s their favorite holiday
The difference between a reading challenge and a reading goal
Can you count a DNF in a reading challenge?
Dawn’s audiobook goal
Roni’s book subscription addiction & Dawn tries to stage an intervention
Reading goal suggestions
The pros and cons of reading challenges
The personality type that fits best with reading challenges
The book Dawn flat out refused to read in school
The Pizza Hut Book-It Challenge was our 80s jam
Roni’s experience with her Read Wide challenge
One of us has strong feelings about the randomness of some reading challenges
Roni talks about the personal growth of not finishing one of her reading challenges this year (Update: since recording, she finished it because…personal growth is hard. :) )
How to choose the right reading challenge for you
Creating or customizing your own challenge
Read Your Way to 10k (words not kilometers)
Dawn’s reading goals
The Bookish Subscription challenge
The Indie Author challenge
The Romance Roots/Fated Mates challenge
Roni’s reading goals
RAD Reading recs of the week

Find us online:

Roni's Happy for Now newsletter

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Best of the Best: Our Top Reads of 2021

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 06:00:10 GMT

Who doesn’t love a “Best of” book list? Join us today as we share our top reads of 2021!

Highlights:

Roni shares her nerdy, detailed reading statistics and the spreadsheet she used to track them
Roni’s most successful book recommendation source
Our favorite thrillers of the year
Our favorite contemporary romances of the year
Roni’s favorite historical romances
Giving audiobooks a chance and Roni’s faves
Our favorite fantasy books of the year
Roni’s favorite memoirs and essay collections
Our favorite general fiction books
Dawn’s random favorites
Our RAD recs of the week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buying Books for Others + Our Favorite Bookish Gifts

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 06:00:06 GMT

Books can make fantastic holiday gifts (obviously!) but knowing how to buy the right book for someone in your life can be harder than it looks. Today we’re tackling the challenge of buying books for others and sharing our best tips. And we also have a Santa-worthy list of our favorite bookish gifts. Oh, and you’re totally allowed to buy all of these things for yourself if you have no bookish person to buy for in your life. We won’t tell. ;)

Highlights:

Gift-giving is a love language and one of us doesn’t know how to speak it fluently

How to know if Roni loves you and what she hasn’t done with her husband in fifteen years

Dad books

The key to the “also boughts” on Amazon

When that person in your life only reads one author or one series exclusively

Dawn is a fail at hiding gifts

Making a book gift feel extra personal

Roni can’t seem to conjugate a verb

Buying for the non-readers in your life

A good ebook reader’s power to reignite a reading life

A drool-worthy list of bookish gifts (no, we weren’t putting stuff in our carts for ourselves as we recorded, hush.)

What gift makes Roni feel like she has a little taste of the library in her office

Dawn gets attacked by a fly

Out of town library cards

Don’t put your address in a used book or Dawn will stalk you

The joy of bookmail and our favorite bookish subscriptions

We have feelings about the Amazon First Reads

Go for the gold type gifts

Making it easier for your family and friends to buy the right gift for you

Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

Stay tuned for bloopers at the end

Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What-to-Read Decision Fatigue + the Secret to Reading Reviews

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 06:00:37 GMT

The What to Read decision fatigue is real, y’all. Join us today as we talk about some practical (and some bonkers!) ways to pick your next book, how to choose what's next if you’re a mood reader, and what to do if you keep picking up books you don’t like. Also, we’re giving you insider tips on how to read those Amazon and Goodreads reviews because all is not as it seems at first glance! Oh, and there’s an incident with an umbrella.

Highlights:

The decision fuel tank and Roni melting down over a Christmas tree
The teetering TBR and the Why did I buy that again? brain fog
Roni loves a spreadsheet as long as there is no math (and you can download a blank copy of her TBR spreadsheet for yourself!)
Your taste and how books go stale
Dawn and The Umbrella, you’ll just have to listen to understand
Reading challenges and our opposing views
Using “best of” book lists for inspiration
Strange Facebook recommendation groups
Some bonkers options for picking your next book
Wrapping books? Um, what?
Mood reading struggles
Contagious bookish excitement and where to find it
Book monogamy not required
What to do when you keep picking up books you don’t enjoy
Deciphering the gold in book reviews
When “adorable” and “hilarious” are bad words
No, Roni doesn’t have a chip on her shoulder about reviews, shut up
Weird s*x reviews
Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

November's Read/Watch/Listen Recommendations

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 06:00:34 GMT

It’s time for our November round-up of all the great things we’ve been reading, watching, or listening to this month.

Highlights:

We took a used bookstore field trip and ended up in very different aisles
Roni reads a book Dawn recommended on the podcast and Dawn reads one of Roni’s recs
Roni feels slightly betrayed
Trigger warnings involving spiders who wear top hats
A movie that gives a character a perfect goal to strive for
A TV show about a writer
Roni needs a hotter Darkling
A scarier than expected kids movie
Roni’s Romantic Movie Marathon
Dawn’s cozy watch
Cooking without recipes
Fabio hunting
Roni remembers she’s part of the Rhythm Nation
Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

Find us online:

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shameless Reading - Liking What You Like + Our Shameless Recs

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 06:00:09 GMT

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

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

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fuzzy Sock Books: Reading for Comfort

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 06:00:36 GMT

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! Also, Roni gets somewhat electrocuted while recording...so that happened. 0_0

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

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Distraction Detox: Less Screen Time, More Reading Time

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 05:00:50 GMT

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 all that 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 favorite doorstop length books
Our RAD Reading Recs of the week

Show Notes/Book Links:

Click here for full show notes, which include links to every book we talked about and the links to all of Roni's articles on distraction.

Find us online:

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.

RAD Reading Rec List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They All Float - Our Best Halloween Recs

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 05:00:02 GMT

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 best suspense recs
We can’t pronounce author names
Roni’s crush on a loveable (fictional) serial killer
Our favorite 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

Full show notes and book links:

We have so many recommendations that we couldn't fit them all here! So we've gathered the full list with all the links for you in one click.

Find us online:

RAD Reading Facebook Page
RAD Reading Website
RAD Rec Master List
Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram
Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October's Read/Watch/Listen Recommendations

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 05:00:25 GMT

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 recs lots of books with shirtless man covers
Roni recs a steamy one with a deceiving cover
Roni’s go to comfort read when she’s buried in revisions
Dawn tries to get Roni to understand superheroes
A documentary Roni couldn’t resist
Roni’s audiobook recs
Why 70s/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 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 , Zeke , and 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:

Watch Recommendations from Dawn:

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)

Find us online:

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

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 05:00:56 GMT

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 got her grounded
The basics of a reading/book journal
Private journals vs. Goodreads
Roni avoiding awkward book signings
What Dawn said that made Roni clutch her pearls
Unexpected benefits of a reading journal
Dawn’s epiphany about stencils
Putting together your journal
What Roni wishes she’d put in her journal from the start
Rating systems
Finding your style
Digital options
Dawn’s signal that she’s been kidnapped
Journaling tips
Our favorite supplies
Our RAD Reading Recs

*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;

Other resources mentioned:

Roni’s free Romance Reading Journal
Rock Your Reading Tracker by Sarah’s Bookshelves
My Reading Journal by Anne Bogel
Pensieve app
Book of the Month club

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:

Facebook