Bad On Paper

Home chef and New York Times bestselling author Julia Turshen joins us to talk about her journey to writing cookbooks, her relationship with her body, and her personal, new cookbook Simply Julia. We also hear the adorable story of how she met her wife, Grace (a true Internet meet-cute!) and discuss her inclusive food database, Equity at the Table.

More Julia:

• Simply Julia - Cookbook
• juliaturshen.com
• @turshen on instagram
• Equity at the Table

Julia Rec:

• Maintenance Phase Podcast

Instagram:

• @opalvadhan on instagram

Obsessions:

• Abby Alley

What We're Reading:

• A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin
• The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

March Book

• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Sponsor:

• Betterhelp: Get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/badonpaper.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

It has been a year in pandemic purgatory and if you are like us (which we assume you are, because you're here!) then you might be running out of ways to entertain yourself at home. We have both been recently watching and listening to a lot of great content and thought we would share a roundup of our favorite movies, tv shows, podcasts and more. Consider this your to-watch list!

Join us in the Facebook group and give us your recs!

Movie Recs:

• Minari
• Promising Young Woman
• Nomadland
• Fake Famous
• The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
• Always and Forever Laura Jean
• Moxie

Rabbit Holes:

• Framing Britney Spears Documentary
• Britney's Gram podcast
• Eat Pray Britney Podcast
• Anna Delvey
• My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams

TV Recs:

• Firefly Lane
• Bling Empire
• Flack
• Mr Mayor
• Bonding
• Superstore
• Lady in the Dale
• Behind Her Eyes
• Tell Me Your Secrets
• Lupin

Podcasts:

• Sorry Charlie Miller Podcast
• Morning Meeting Podcast
• Well Suited Podcast
• Leave Your Mark - Donald Robertson episode @Drawbertson
• Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

Newsletters:

• Creme de la Creme by Animatou Sow
• Anne Friedman Weekly
• The Audacity by Roxane Gay
• Agents and Books by Kate McKean
• Internet Brunch Daily Newsletter

Instagram:

• @nelldiamond

Obsessions:

• The Nap Dress - Hillhouse
• Sobel Skin RX 30% Glycolic Acid Peel Concentrate

What We're Reading:

• Her Three Lives by Cate Holahan (April release)
• The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
• Love Scenes by Bridget Morrissey (June 22 release)

March Book

• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Sponsor:

• Night: Buy one of the Dual Sided Skincare Pillow cases and get one free with code BOP at discovernight.com.
• Prose: Go to prose.com/BOP for your free in-depth hair quiz and 15% off your order.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Today we spoke with Frances Cha, the author of our February book club pick - If I Had Your Face. Frances is a NYC-based author who splits her time between the US and Seoul. She shares her experiences researching plastic surgery, room salons, and mental health for the book. We discuss the way she developed her characters to each embody a different theme of Korean culture, the journey to finally releasing the book during the pandemic, and what she's working on now!

More Frances Cha:

• @franceschawrites on instagram

Frances's Asian Author Book Recs:

• David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Until He Gets Into an Ivy League College by Ed Lin
• The Magical Language of Others by E.J Koh

Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

For this month's book club we read If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha. Just 30 pages into this book, we both knew it had to be our book club pick. Neither of us haven read anything like it before and there is so much to talk about. The story revolves around 4 women who all live in the same apartment building in contemporary Seoul, South Korea. The book explores impossible beauty standards and strict social hierarchies, fangirling over K-POP bands, jealousy, relationships, sex work and room salons. We discuss plastic surgery, the fast-paced Korean Beauty market, the feelings around family and marriage in Korea, and more.

Join us in the Facebook group and let us know your thoughts on this month's pick!

Instagram:

• @theannadelvey

Contemporary books about life in other countries:

• Yolk by Mary H K Choi
• Anna K by Jenny Lee
• White Ivy by Susie Yang

What We're Reading:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering
• Transcendent Kingdom Yah Gyasi
• A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

February Book

• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Sponsor:

• Night: Buy one of the Dual Sided Skincare Pillow cases and get one free with code BOP at discovernight.com.

Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

One of the things we get asked about most is how to read more. So we tackle that during the first fifteen minutes of this episode. (Spoiler alert: being single and childfree during a pandemic helps!) When we read, the advantages of audiobooks, and how to find books you truly love reading, and more! For the rest of the episode, we dive into our favorite hidden gem books. We each brought our five favorite hidden gem books to the table, peppering them in with recommendations from YOU! So this episode is packed with hidden gems to read. 10 from us, 14 from you… get ready for some amazing recommendations!

Join in the FB group to add your favorites to the conversation!

Becca and Grace's Recs:

• The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
• A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
• Peach Tree Bluff Series Kristy Woodson Harvey
• Kitchens of The Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal
• The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
• Who's That Girl & You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane
• American Predator by Maureen Callahan
• Musical Chairs by Amy Poepell
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
• The Conspiracy of Us Trilogy by Maggie Hall

Reader Recs:

• The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
• The Tea Rose Series by Jennifer Donnelly
• Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
• The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown
• The League of Extraordinary Women (Series)
• Love Walked In by Maris Los Santos
• The Pull of The Stars by Emma Donoghue
• Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA by Amaryllis Fox
• Delicious by Ruth Reichel
• Less by Andrew Sean Greer
• The City Baker's Guide To Country Living by Louise Miller
• We are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
• A Heart In A Body In The World by Deb Caletti
• Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

Instagram:

• @oldgap_

Obsessions:

• Issa Rae's Master Class
• Hotel Lobby Candles

What We're Reading:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
• Yolk by Mary H K Choi
• Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
• The Underground Railroad by Colston Whitehead

February Book

• If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Sponsor:

• Betterhelp: Get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/badonpaper.
• Prose: Get 15% off your first order at prose.com/bop

Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Today we are joined by Caroline Owusu-Ansah, the founder of Luv Scrub! If you have been listening for a while you know that Grace is obsessed with her Luv Scrub—and rightfully so. This exfoliating cloth was awarded Allure's Best of Beauty Award, leaves your skin baby soft, and replaces your old loofah or pouf - for good! Caroline shares the journey to build her business and her lessons learned, from ways to avoid burnout to finding a mentor to taking care of your mental health.

More Caroline:

• www.theluvscrub.com
• @luvscrub

Instagram:

• @emilyhenrywrites
• @samsonthedood

Obsessions:

• Giant Wall Calendar: PlanTheThingsco
• The Birthdate Book
• Birthdate Candle
• Neom candle

What We're Reading:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• The Lynching by Laurence Leamur
• Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott
• The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
• The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
• All Girls by Emily Layden
• The Therapist by B.A. Paris (out in July)
• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

February Book

• If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Sponsor:

• Betterhelp: Get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/badonpaper.

Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

With almost a full year of quarantine life under our belts, we're checking in with each other on how we're feeling, what's giving us hope, and how we are staying motivated to do anything more than watching Netflix. Grace shares more about her season of self-improvement and Becca talks about how big projects are giving her quarantine a sense of purpose. We're also talking about the activities that are keeping us busy (puzzles!) and what we've been watching during our nights in.

We want to hear about your quarantine feels (and distractions) in the Facebook group!

TV and Movie Recs:

• Bridgerton
• The Bold Type
• The Flight Attendant
• Ted lasso
• Schitt's Creek
• Saved By the Bell reboot
• Pretend It's A City (Fran Leibowitz docuseries)
• The Undoing
• Lupin
• Money Heist
• Ready Player One
• Crazy Rich Asians

Read in a Day Book recs:

• Thrillers: Anything by Megan Miranda, Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen, or Liv Constantine
• 28 Summers and The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
• The Mall by Megan McCafferty
• Snowfall of Silver by Laura Wood
• Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover

Instagram:

• @vp
• @flotus

Obsessions:

• Lupin
• Scam Goddess Podcast
• Alit Winery
• Barefoot Dreams Blanket

What We're Reading:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee
• The Lynching by Laurence Leamur
• Infinite Country by Patricia Engal (our March 2)
• The Mothers by Britt Bennett
• The Beach Club by Ellin Hildebrand
• People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (our May 11)
• The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
• Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

February Book

• If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Sponsor:

• Betterhelp: Get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/badonpaper.

Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Today we are joined by Elizabeth Gilbert the New York Times best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love, City of Girls, and (of course!) our January Book Club pick Big Magic. We talk about her decision to write Big Magic and the writing process behind it. She shares her unique perspectives on creativity and how every person can find and grow in that space. She talks about staying actively (and not-so actively) creative during the pandemic, ditching social media for the greater good, and learning how to be kind to yourself. If you have been needing some motivation this is the 2021 pep talk you have been waiting for!

More Elizabeth Gilbert:

• Join the Onward Book Club!
• Elizabeth Gilbert on Youtube
• Elizabethgilbert.com

February Book

• If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Sponsor:

• HBO Max: Use our link (http://hbom.ax/badonpaper) for HBO Max's promo offer where new and returning subscribers can sign up for a limited-time "Prepay and Save Offer" to save 20% when prepaying the first 6 months of an HBO Max subscription. Restrictions apply.
• Uncommon Goods: To get 15% off your Valentine's Day gifts go to uncommongoods.com/bop.

Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

We found it fitting that Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert was our first book club of 2021. Becca reads this book every January to jumpstart her year, and we wanted to include you on her tradition. Reading this book is the creativity pep talk we all need so badly right now. Elizabeth approaches creativity with lightness and joy. Even if you don't consider yourself a creative person, you will take so much away from this book. We touch on each chapter and our biggest takeaways and share our own journeys with creativity. We love this book (can you tell?) and we hope you did too! Tell us your thoughts in the FB group and join us tomorrow for a bonus episode with the author!

If you liked Big Magic:

• Daring Greatly by Brenè Brown
• Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit by Steven Pressfeld
• Like Brothers by Mark and Jay Duplass
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Instagram:

• @ninetypesco
• @Jazmynjw

Obsessions:

• Thirteen Lune

What We're Reading:

• Heavy by Kiese Laymon
• On Writing by Stephen King
• If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
• The Lynching by Laurence Leamer
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

February Book

• If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Sponsor:

• Betterhelp: Get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/badonpaper.
• Misen: Go to misen.com/bop for 20% off your first order.
• HelloFresh: Go to hellofresh.com/10BOP and use code 10BOP to get 10 free meals and free shipping!

Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.

In today's episode we are joined by Azora Zoe Paknad, the founder of Goldune. Before starting Goldune in the middle of the pandemic (in the short span of 5 months!), Azora Zoe worked for Food52 and before that, she was Grace's social media intern at BaubleBar! She has worked in the ecommerce and content space for years and when quarantine started she got to work and started her own e-commerce site, selling the best sustainable homewares. Azora Zoe shares the intense process of building a company and her personal journey to this point. We talk about reusable straws, food storage tips, product swaps and shocking recycling facts. Do you know what a soapberry is? Neither did we! We got a crash course in sustainability and we hope this helps you find little ways you can make changes in your everyday life that will work towards a healthier planet.

More Zoe:

• @goldune.co instagram
• Goldune.com Use code BOP for $10 off your first order

Zoe's Recs:

• Kosas Big Clean Mascara
• Nature First Laundry Pods
• @pattygonia
• @intersectionalenvironmentalist
• @katieboue
• Noap - Plastic Free Shampoo and Conditioner
• Hand blown glass straws
• Biodegradable Sponge, Scrub + Brush Set
• Earth911.org

Instagram:

• @__flowerwitch
• @thegoodcarmablog

Obsessions:

• ChappyWrap
• A Discovery of Witches Show
• Leonore Doc Martin Boots

What We're Reading:

• Heavy by Kiese Laymon
• The End of Her by Shari Lapena
• Layla by Colleen Hoover
• The Blue Bistro by Elin Hildebrand
• Queenie by Candace Carty-Williams

January Book

• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Sponsor:

• Night: Go to discovernight.com and get 20% off with code BOP20 at checkout.
• Betterhelp: Get 10% off your first month by visiting betterhelp.com/badonpaper.
• Prose: Go to prose.com/BOP for your free in-depth hair quiz and 15% off your order.

Join our FB group for amazing book recs & more!

Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.