Reading & Ranting

Book Girls Try Dating

Today, Karly & Mia are giving you every tip you’ll ever need to build a book community. Whether it’s striking up a conversation with your local book bar bartender or attending a book launch party, you’ll be set to build your book bestie community and talk smutty books with your girl friends. 
 
The girls also dive into the trials and tribulations of dating, especially on dating apps like Hinge. Dating apps are quite literally at their all time low but it’s nearly impossible to meet people IRL. Between men refusing to approach women and the heinous Hinge messages the girls receive, they’ll be sticking to their book boyfriends until further notice. Happy reading and dating besties!

Celebrating Our 6 Month Anniversary with Rebecca Ross

New standard unlocked: emotionally charged love letters from an anonymous pen pal that lead to a love so strong it *literally* transcends godly powers. That’s right, today Mia & Karly are delivering a spoiler free review of Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows (AKA the Letters of Enchantment duology by Rebecca Ross.) The girls feel very strongly about these books, and their presidential campaign to bring love letters back 2024. 
 
And… drumroll please… HAPPY 6 MONTH ANNIVERSARY TO READING & RANTING! Mia & Karly were clearly born to yap but forced to work, and thus Reading & Ranting was born as a passion project. The girls truly cannot believe how far they’ve come, and want to give a massive thank you to anyone and everyone who has supported them along the way. Thanks for joining this wild ride, from the early days of their SJM obsession to dissecting the female orgasm and talking about mental health. Your favorite podcast hosts have lots in store for the future and can’t wait to keep their content coming - happy reading besties! 

Reading & Life Slumps

Picture this: You just devoured a book so good, it left you in an emotional and fragile state. You're in a complete book hangover, stuck in literary limbo, and the mere thought of cracking open a book makes you break out in a cold sweat. From revisiting old favorites to trying out new genres, Karly & Mia share some of their hacks to help claw your way out of that literary abyss.
 
The girls also tackle the rollercoaster ride of life and how to manage life slumps. Whether it's navigating post-relationship blues or grappling with career uncertainty, they've been there. But fear not, dear listeners, for they've armed themselves and will be sharing an arsenal of coping mechanisms, including but not limited to: therapy, delusion, and copious amounts of self-care. Happy reading besties, and remember, you're never alone in your slumps (reading, life, or otherwise.)

The Three Ps: Plated Prisoner & (Second) Puberty

Have you ever had a book boyfriend with literal spikes coming out of his skin? Well, after this episode you will! Karly & Mia are diving headfirst into the dark fantasy romance world of the Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy. Join the dynamic duo as they give you the lowdown on Auren's quest for freedom and autonomy amidst a kingdom teetering on the edge of war. They’re dying to talk about how this series truly lives up to the hype, and are giving a spoiler-free rundown of the plot! If you enjoy our discussion, take this as your sign to give the books a try!
As if that wasn't enough, Karly & Mia are oversharing (as per usual) about their own struggles as twenty-something women battling body image demons and enduring the joys of second puberty (thanks, hormones). Spoiler alert: men trying to mansplain women's bodies is their 13th reason.
So grab your favorite snack (if you're on your period – definitely reach for the ice cream and chocolate) and tuck yourself in for some R&R! 

Welcome to Camp Half-Blood

If Rick Riordan has no fans, then Mia & Karly are dead. In today’s episode, your fav podcast hosts are diving into the latest adaptation of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series on Disney+. (Please note: Karly uses Mia’s Disney+ account and their profile pics are a shark and Dory from Finding Nemo, respectively.)
 
Middle school Mia & Karly would be hard fangirling knowing that they would eventually get the adaptation of Percy Jackson that they DESERVE - although they’re still disappointed the show didn’t pay homage to the mediocre Logan Lerman movie adaptation and the infamous Lotus Casino/Poker Face scene. They discuss their deep seated history with Riordan’s book series and give their professional opinions on the show as OG Percy Jackson and Percabeth fanfiction readers. Seeing as it’s been a decade since they last held a copy of a Percy Jackson book, the girls are due for a re-read and will surely be delivering a deep dive episode in the future. 
 
They’ll also discuss how the 2010s fandom culture era was quite literally the best time to grow up in and why it shaped them into the women (and readers) they are today. Fandoms walked so roman empires could run. Between One Directioners, Beliebers, and the Edward vs. Jacob craze, it’s a wonder the girls got any school work done when they were reading POV fanfiction about dating Harry Styles. Happy reading besties! 

To Finish or Not To Finish

Your favorite podcast hosts are here to tackle the eternal struggle of whether to push through a book or give it the ol' DNF (Did Not Finish) treatment. Mia stands firm in her stubborn determination to see it through to the bitter end (or she’s simply motivated by the StoryGraph stats), while Karly is happy to leave a book unfinished and read a Dramione fanfic instead. But we can all admit that sometimes you come across a book that just doesn’t do it for ya (*cough* Poppy's inner monologue). Between prequels, sequels, and spin-off series, sometimes it’s hard to keep the energy going. And of course, we have to recount our newly adopted motto of doing it for the bit. Some of our best bits include, but are not limited to: terrible Australian accents, attending Montana Community, and selling a car on Craigslist. Sometimes the best stories come from doing it for the bit besties!

House of Flame and Shadow Reactions & Deep Dive

Calling all Sarah J. Maas loyalists (which, if you’re listening to this podcast, we hope you already are), it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for… House of Flame and Shadow is finally here! 
 
Today, Karly and Mia spill all the details. From jaw-dropping plot twists that had them screaming, to bonus chapters that practically had them weeping on the page, they discuss the highs and lows without holding back. The unexpected MVPs of this book? Coping with torture through dark humor, Lidia Cervos, listening to club music in a dark tunnel under a mountain, motherly hugs, and literal Princes of Hel being the good guys. Karly and Mia are practically convulsing over the confirmation of their wild Maasiverse theories, and of course, they've gathered their predictions for Crescent City 4. We can only hope to see more pegasus content one day.
 
We hope this episode helps soothe your book hangover, and as always, happy reading besties!
 
SPOILER WARNING: PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED ALL OF CRESCENT CITY, ACOTAR, AND THRONE OF GLASS DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE!

The Maasiverse AKA Our Superbowl

IT’S TIMEEEE - *cue Mariah Carey voice*
We’ve almost been waiting a whole year to record this one, because in today’s episode, Karly & Mia are breaking down the entire Sarah J. Maas universe, better known as the Maasiverse, ahead of the release of House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City #3) on January 30, 2024. They accumulated about 11 pages of evidence (better known as their red string crime scene board) to prepare for this episode, so buckle in and grab your notebook because you’re gonna want to take some notes. 
Between the hard facts, hidden details, theories and headcanons, the girls cover it all to prepare for SJM’s new book. Enjoy besties, we’ll be back screaming, crying and throwing up in our next episode to deep dive into this latest release. 

Two Girls, One Ski Trip, Zero Limes

If you listened to last week’s episode, then you know Mia & Karly were reunited in Aspen and had one too many spicy margaritas. This week, they’re diving into the perfect reads based on your travel destination/season, as the girls were obviously snuggling by the fire (made by Mia) and tearing through some books during couch rotting time. 
 
Today’s rant is the star of the show, as they discuss the ins and outs of a group trip, including roles & responsibilities set for each guest as well as what’s absolutely illegal (forgetting to buy limes at the grocery store when you’re trying to make margs). Quick reference: In - high credit lines, jalapeño simple syrup, forcing men to read fantasy smut; Out - perky vs. hungover people, red wine, overcooked steak. 

Crescent City Deep Dive

In today’s episode, Karly & Mia will be diving into their favorite fantasy zootopia, the world of Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas. Between Fae, Angels, Wolves, Mer-people, Vampires, and more, Midgard is every fantasy girly's dream come true. This book is packed with amazing main characters, centering around our favorite Starborn girl Bryce (who we both have crushes on, along with every other male in the Crescent City universe), as well as our favorite Angel boy Hunt (refer to the backwards Sunball cap and grey sweatpants). Karly & Mia will discuss notable takeaways from House of Earth and Blood (CC1) & House of Sky & Breathe (CC2), and how they are literally foaming at the mouth ahead of the release of House of Flame and Shadow (CC3) in late January 2024. Mia already put PTO on her calendar for January 30. All they can say is the last line of CC2 had them screaming, crying, and throwing up. 
 
They also quickly rant about how Crescent City slander needs to end, as they actually truly love the series, the characters, and how different the modern day fantasy world is compared to the typical romantasy read. How often do your favorite romantasy couples facetime each other?! 
 
P.S. For the first time since Summer 2023, Karly & Mia recorded this episode together LIVE from Aspen! Enjoy their reunion pod and get ready for many more when Mia makes the move to NYC in Spring 2024!