Reading & Ranting

New Year, New Me

 
Welcome to our Reading & Ranting 2024 debut! In the spirit of diving into a new year in their 20s, in today’s episode Karly & Mia break down some of the most influential self-help books Mia has read. Please note: this was the sole reading era Mia had in college if that tells you anything about her mental state at the time. From Brene Brown's wisdom in "Rising Strong" to Glennon Doyle's storytelling in "Untamed" to the comfort of Brianna Weist’s essays, get ready for the life-changing advice Mia took away from these books.
In the rant section, they tackle their view on New Year's resolutions. Lowkey, they hate the idea, but instead are all about setting intentions for self-love and giving yourself grace. Plus, Mia admits to her vision boarding obsession—because who needs resolutions when you can manifest your dreams visually?

A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) Deep Dive

Welcome back to another ACOTAR themed episode. Sick of it yet? Not us. 
 
In today’s episode, Karly & Mia dive into the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that literally kickstarted their friendship. In their discussion about the five books in the series so far (four novels and one novella), Karly & Mia dissect notable takeaways, their ACOTAR Roman Empires, and unanswered questions (like the pool of starlight in the Spring Court…) that they hope the Maasiverse will answer soon.  
 
They also rant about their ideal ACOTAR fancasts for when the series inevitably hits the big screen, and will say this once: Jacob Elordi is NOT Rhysand, please and thank you. Happy reading besties!

Beach Read & Our Bust-a-Nut Foundation

Buckle up besties -- class is in session. The course? All things female orgasm. Today’s episode features our first ever R&R guest, self-proclaimed sexpert Emily! 
 
Of course, they kick things off by diving into Beach Read, a non-romantasy read that got Karly & Mia hooked on Emily Henry books. They discuss why January and Augustus are #relatable as anti-social bookworms that enjoy a drink or two, and how it’s the perfect feel-good read for a beach day (quite literally as the title says). 
 
The bread and butter of today’s episode comes when Karly, Mia & Emily discuss the orgasm gap between men and women and how important it is for the girlies to know what they like first and foremost. Between the things that girls need to know about the big O and what guys need to know (pro tip: send this episode to the man in your life for some tips and tricks), the girls dig deep into why women should approach the bedroom with confidence and always finish first (and second and third). Karly’s future dreams include a charity dedicated to the ladies, called the Bust-a-Nut Foundation, where donations will be made to end the orgasm gap endemic and encourage vibrator use. Happy reading besties! 

Throne of Glass Deep Dive

While Karly & Mia normally have zero chill, they will ABSOLUTELY lose their shit if you mention the title “Throne of Glass.”  Be prepared for them to pull a seat up to your table and word vomit until you are literally begging them to leave your personal space. 
 
That’s right, in today’s episode, Karly and Mia deliver a breakdown of the series book by book; covering the highs, the lows, and the moments that made them scream. 
 
While today’s episode is heavy on the reading section, we couldn’t forget about our rant. Karly & Mia spend the time catching up on their weekend adventures, and note as per usual, they are hungover while recording this episode. Between Mia’s Spring Court coded masquerade party and Karly making out with a man ten years older than her, it was quite the tame weekend. Happy reading besties!

Book Besties & Long Distance Friendships

From initially bonding over ACOTAR to the nostalgia of childhood booknerd-dom, Karly & Mia explore the profound impact of reading on their friendship in today’s episode. Your favorite duo covers the joy of recommending books, the love in the #BookTok community, and the intricacies of friend buckets (yes, that's a thing). 
Spoiler alert: Mia and Karly’s relationship status officially changed to long-distance when Karly moved to New York this fall. So of course they’re bringing you along to navigate the challenges of maintaining long-distance friendships in the chaos of your early 20s.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Harry Potter Season

What’s the first thing you think of when you imagine winter, a cozy snow day, or Christmas? Harry Potter? Us too. 
 
If Harry Potter is your ultimate comfort movie and book series, this episode is for you. Karly & Mia have been HP girlies since day one (once again living the same childhood by both reading Harry Potter during recess in middle school.) One serious expectation for their future romantic partners is they must also be fans of the Harry Potter Wizarding World. I mean, isn’t everyone’s ideal date night binge-watching three HP movies in one night? They’ll discuss their favorite scenes from the book (if you’ve only seen the movies you’re a fake fan) and the main differences between the books and movies. Also, please be advised this is a Hermione/Emma Watson stan podcast.
 
Of course, the Reading & Ranting girls have a rant prepared, and will be talking about Harry Potter headcanons, hot takes, and the ultimate Harry Potter question: are the books or movies better? Happy reading besties! 

The Astrology of the SJM Universe and Manifesting 101

What do zodiac signs, manifesting, and Mia & Karly’s birth charts have in common? Hint: Today’s episode covers all three. As the resident astrology girly, Mia is giggling and kicking her feet to cover these topics. First, they will psychoanalyze every main Sarah J. Maas character and decide their sun signs. Then, they rant about how manifesting is misunderstood, and how having an abundance mindset is helping them get through the shitty time period that is your early 20s.

How to Cure your ACOTAR Hangover with Carissa Broadbent

Have you or a loved one experienced withdrawal upon finishing a Sarah J. Maas book? Well, Karly & Mia are here to give you the ultimate hangover cure: Carissa Broadbent. Both Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts series) and The Serpent and the Wings of Night (the Crowns of Nyaxia series) are some of Karly & Mia’s 5-star, top-tier romantasy recommendations. With incredible world-building, unique magic systems, strong female main characters, complex themes, and sexy male love interests, Karly & Mia can’t say enough good things about these books. Of course, they also take some time to rant about how to let your guard down and the struggle of having an anxious attachment style. 
 
This episode does *not* contain spoilers for the books, as your favorite podcast hosts stick to discussing what they love about the books and characters with a summary of the plot! But if you haven’t read them yet, take this as your sign to give them a try!

Iron Flame Reactions & Deep Dive

The Fourth Wing and Basgiath War College CONTINUE in Rebecca Yarros’ latest book, Iron Flame, the sequel to Fourth Wing and continuation of The Empyrean Series. Mia & Karly got their hands on Iron Flame copies ASAP following release and took it upon themselves to binge read so they could give y’all their reacts and theories in today’s episode. 
 
Filled with slightly overwhelming world building, some SPICY sex scenes (Mia fully admits she had to take care of herself after reading chapter 48, iykyk), some new faces, and of course, dragon content, Iron Flame did not disappoint. Today’s episode is also slightly different from the norm; while we know y’all ~love~ Mia & Karly’s trauma dumps, the rant section for today will revolve around theories for the next book in The Empyrean Series. As our resident theory master, Mia brings out the criminal minds theory white board once again, as we know by now that Mrs. Yarros loves ending on a plot twist (we’re already in withdrawal knowing the next book hasn’t even been written yet.) Happy reading besties!
 
*Spoilers for the entirety of The Empyrean Series (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame) are included in this episode. If you haven’t read this series yet, go do yourself a favor and pick it up from your local bookstore. Then of course come back and listen when you inevitably binge read.*

Spice Scenes and Horrible Hookups

Today’s episode is going to be hotter than a spicy margarita (conveniently, also Karly & Mia’s drink of choice.) What makes a good spice scene? Glad you asked, because Karly & Mia will be reading their favorite spice scenes… to each other… out loud. After they recover from these steamy sex scenes, they’ll bring it back down to life, as sexy time IRL typically does not live up to these bookish expectations (i.e., men written by women.) So, grab that spicy marg because we’ve got some horrible hook up stories to share with you.
P.S. If you’d like to purchase P.I.T.s merch to support Mia’s trauma recovery (listen to the end of the episode for more details), DM us on TikTok @readingandrantingpod or email readingandrantingpod@gmail.com (PSA: this is a joke.)