Bad On Paper

Whether you're a library reader, a used bookstore connoisseur, or just buy books faster than you read 'em, this episode is for you! We're chatting about the backlist books (AKA books released over 1 year ago) on our TBR.

Olivia's List

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin (2020)

Seawife by Amity Gaige (2020)

Godshot by Chelsea Bieker (2020)

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (2018)

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (1993)

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (2020)

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton (2020)

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (2019)

Becca's List

Greenlights by Matthew McConaghey (2020)

Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiney (2021)

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (2020)

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (2001)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020)

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)

Happy All The Time by Laurie Colwin (1978)

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (1956)

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld (2008)

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand (2019) or Summer People (2003)

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors (2022)

Listener Reccomendations

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai (2018)

The Country Club Murders (Book 1 The Deep End by Julie Mulhern)

The Cave Dwellers by Christina McDowell

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McCallister

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

The Good Part by Sophie Cousens

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas

Obsessions

Becca - Maybe Happy Ending musical

Olivia - Walks + Merlin bird ID app

What we read this week

Becca - Maggie; Or A Man and a Woman Walk Into A Bar by Katie Yee (7/24)

Olivia - She Used To Be Nice by Alexia LaFata (8/12), The Colony by Annika Norlin

This Month's Book Club Pick - Audition by Katie Kitamura (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns

Wayfair - Shop a huge selection of outdoor furniture online at wayfair.com

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

It's Three Things time! We're covering topics from Olivia's family parasocial obsession, spin-off books, sleep routines, party snacks, and more!

Olivia's Things

Standout Book Covers of 2025

The Today Show Hosts' Impact on Boomers

What snacks would you be excited to find at a party?

Becca's Things

What book characters do you want to read a spinoff about?

Glennon Doyle's week on Substack

Sleep Routines

Obsessions

Becca - Forever 31

Olivia - Four Seasons

What we read this week

Olivia - Ravishing by Eshani Surya, The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

Becca - The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager

This Month's Book Club Pick - Audition by Katie Kitamura (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Nuuly - Take $28 off your first month at nuuly.com with code BOP

Cozy Earth - Head to cozyearth.com and use code BOP for 40% off best-selling sheets, pajamas, and more.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

So excited to talk about our April Book Club Pick, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy! We went into this book without much context and loved experiencing this literary mystery. We discuss what genre this book falls in, our feelings on climate fiction, the real-life inspirations behind this books, and of course the many twists and turns of the mystery plotline.

Obsessions

Becca - Wegmans Cannoli chips and dip

Olivia - Daffodils

What we read this week

Becca - Anatomy of A Breakthrough by Adam Alter, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

This Month's Book Club Pick - Audition by Katie Kitamura (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Cozy Earth - Go to cozyearth.com and use code BOPBOGO

Wayfair - This summer, get outside with Wayfair at wayfair.com

Master Class - Our listeners get a discount of at least 15% off any annual membership at masterclass.com/bop

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

We thought it was time for a good ol' catch-up! We have much to cover, including (but not limited to) writing updates, new journaling habits, career developments, travel plans, spring hobbies, and MORE!

Highly recommend reading What is Glitter by Caity Weaver in the New York Times

Obsessions

Becca - Soeos White Peach Candy

Olivia - He Wasn't Man Enough by Toni Braxton

What we read this week

Olivia - This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin, The Dream Hotel by Laila Lailami

Becca - Quicksilver by Callie Hart

This Month's Book Club Pick - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Quince - go to quince.com/bop to get free shipping and 365-day returns

Better Help - Visit BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER today to get 10% off your first month

Wayfair - Get renovating with Wayfair at Wayfair.com

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

This week, we're talking about rejection, failure, and how two guests dealt with them! First, we're talking to New York Times best-selling author Andrea Bartz about navigating rejection on submission, and the daily rejections entailed in living a creative life. Then, we're talking to Azora Zoe Paknad about shuttering her business and going back to the corporate world.

You can read more from Andrea in her newsletter, Get It Write, and her books The Spare Room, We Were Never Here, The Herd, and The Lost Night. Her latest novel, The Last Ferry Out, is out May 20.

Read more from Azora in her newsletter, First Rodeo. You may also remember our episode from 2020 about starting her eco-friendly e-commerce marketplace, Goldune.

Obsessions

Olivia - Butter Pecan Iced Coffee at Dunkin

Becca - The audiobook Anatomy of a Breakthrough by Adam Alter

What we read this week

Becca - Audition by Katie Kitamura, Filthy Rich Fae by Geneva Lee

Olivia - Old Money by Kelsey Miller (Out September 30!)

This Month's Book Club Pick - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Wayfair - Get renovating and head to Wayfair.com.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Long time, no things! We're excited to dive into the random topics on our minds lately, from shows we're watching, movie news, the celebrity quiz we're positive you didn't see coming, and more!

Becca's Things

Casual Viewing Content (inspired by this N+1 Article), specifically The Night Agent and Running Point

Applying body lotion (Olivia thinks the Necessaire Body Serum is worth a try!)

Are you a Bird or a Potato?

Olivia's Things

Project Hail Mary Movie News at Cinemacon

Your Favorite Bookstores! (Becca's - McNally Jackson, Books are Magic, East City Bookshop, Beacon Hill Books, Trident Booksellers, Powell's, Back Cove Books | Olivia - Buxton Village Books, Daunt Books, Rare Birds Books, Kinderhook Books, McNally Jackson, Tombolo Books)

Pinterest Feed Tours

Obsessions

Olivia - Pen Pals Podcast

Becca - Learning French (on Duolingo)

What we read this week

Becca - Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Out April 22), Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

Olivia -

This Month's Book Club Pick - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order.

Wayfair - Shop the best selection of home improvement online at Wayfair.com

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Have you ever wondered how a bookstore runs? We think about it all the time, and we are so thrilled to get the scoop from the owner of Liz's Book Bar in Brooklyn, and author of Acts of Forgiveness, Maura Cheeks!

We chat with Maura about her dreams of opening a bookstore, what the opening process entails, how Liz's Book Bar stands out, the book selection process, and how she published her first novel and opened Liz's Book Bar in the same year.

A book frequently purchased at Liz's Book Bar is Scorpionfish by Natalie Bakopoulos.

Obsessions

Becca - Ken Leung being miles on Lost and Eric in Industry. (anti-obsession of Fruit Riot Sour Candy Grapes)

Olivia - The Severance Season 2 Finale

What we read this week

Olivia - The Favorites by Layne Fargo

Becca - Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan (out 5/13)

This Month's Book Club Pick - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Nuuly - Get $28 off your first month at nuuly.com with code BOP.

Cozy Earth - Visit CozyEarth.com and use code BOP for 40% off.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

It's time to discuss our March book club pick: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley! We talk about which timeline we gravitated toward most through the story's 8-year span, the unique relationship dynamic between Percy and Joe, what makes a romance literary, and more!

More Literary Romances

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Beautiful World, Where are You by Sally Rooney

This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer

Obsessions

Relationships by Haim

Adolescence on Netflix

This Month's Book Club Pick - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Macmillan - Download the audiobooks for Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy and The Sirens by Emilia Hart wherever audiobooks are sold.

Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Music is on our minds (especially with our music-focused March book club pick, Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley) and so today we're discussing our musical references from different eras of our lives!

You can listen to the full playlist of all of our favorites here.

Obsessions

Becca - Duolingo Max

Olivia - Jackie and Shadow

What we read this week

Olivia - The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark, The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan, The Art of Vanishing by Morgan Pager (Out July 1)

Becca - Greenlights by Matthew McCoughnahey

This Month's Book Club Pick - Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Better Help - Visit BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER to get 10% off your first month.

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

This week, we asked listeners in our Facebook Group for categories to share our top 3 rankings! We cover (almost) everything, from food to books to pop culture and more!

Food

Trader Joe's products

Becca - taco seasoning; hold the cone; pastry pups

Olivia (Costco remix) - Rotisserie chicken, Costco Pizza, Carbonara Buldak Ramen, Built Bars

Fast food orders

Becca -McDonald's (Chicken Selects), Shake Shack, Dunkin' (Sausage Egg and Cheese Wake Up Wrap)

Olivia - McDonald's (2 Cheeseburgers, extra pickles), Auntie Anne's (Pretzel Bites), Starbucks

Dips

Becca - Chili's salsa, Hillstone Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Spicy Feta

Olivia - Helluva Good Onion Dip, mom's spinach dip in bread bowl, Chili's ranch

Plane Snacks

Becca - Mini pretzels, Twizzlers, peanut butter crackers

Olivia - Gardetto's, Cheez Its, Peanut M&Ms

Books:

Romance

Becca - The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Olivia - Talking at Night by Claire Daverley, Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

Thriller

Becca - Verity by Colleen Hoover, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klefoth

Olivia - The Push by Ashley Audrain, Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Books that deserve the hype

Becca - The People We Keep by Alison Larkin, Musical Chairs by Amy Poepell, A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood

Olivia - We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman, Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash, Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

Books to recommend

Becca - The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Olivia - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, The Wedding People by Alison Espach, The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

Book-to-Film adaptations

Becca - Crazy Rich Asians, The Devil Wears Prada, The Summer I Turned Pretty S1

Olivia - Gone Girl, The Martian, Pride & Prejudice 2005

Pop Culture:

Newsletters to receive

Becca - As Seen On (Ochuko Akpovbovbo), Gossip Time by Allie Jones, Galley Brag by Ezra Kupor

Olivia - The Composite by Jordan Bogeegean, Morning Person by Leslie Stephens, Literary Leanings by Michelle Martin

Formative celebrity crushes

Becca - Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Walker, Joshua Jackson

Olivia - Ashton Kutcher, Sean Faris, Robert Pattinson

Karaoke Songs

Becca - Hero by Enrique Iglesias, Never Ever by All Saints, Spice up Your Life by the Spice Girls

Olivia - Goodbye, Earl by the Chicks, 2 a.m. by Anna Nalick, How To Save a Life by The Fray

TV Romance Plotlines:

Becca - Olivia+Fitz+Jake love triangle in Scandal, Blair Waldorf + Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl, Connell + Marianne in Normal People

Olivia - Nick+Jess on New Girl, Emma+Dexter in One Day, Priest+Fleabag in Fleabag

Reality TV Shows:

Becca - RHONY, NYC Prep, Laguna Beach

Olivia - RHOSLC, RHOOC, Below Deck

Misc

Things to do when you need a reset

Becca - Take a walk, go to bed early and don't set an alarm, journal

Olivia - Let my phone die, take a shower, journal

Candle scents

Becca - The New Savant Summer Splendor, Brooklyn Candle Company Apple Cider, Hotel Lobby Candle Signature

Olivia - Anything that doesn't smell like cologne

Late 90s/early 00s beauty products

Becca - Hard Candy lip gloss, Stila Kitten Sparkle Powder, Clinique Black Honey

Olivia - Dream Matte Mousse, Lancome Juicy Tube, Clearasil Face Pads

Obsessions

Becca - Paradise on Hulu

Olivia - Gap Barrell Overalls

This Month's Book Club Pick - Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at [email protected])

Sponsors

Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

Wayfair - Give your home the refresh it needs at Wayfair.com

Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!

Buy our Merch!

Join our Geneva!

Order Olivia's Book, Such a Bad Influence!

Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter!

Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club!

Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!

Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.