Books and Beyond With ThatGuyJae

I'm back! After a longer-than-planned break, Books & Beyond with ThatGuyJae returns for Season 2 with a new plan.I burned myself out, so I've restructured the show into seasons: 12 weekly episodes, then a one-month break between seasons. It's built to keep the podcast sustainable and fun for both of us.In this solo episode, I cover:    •    What happened with my burnout and why I stepped away    •    How the new season structure works    •    What I've been working on while I was gone (hint: a lot)    •    Two big community additions: the Books & Beyond Patreon and my new website

📚 Website: https://www.thatguyjae.com/

🎟️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/thatguyjae

Thanks for sticking around. Season 2 starts now.

This week on Books & Beyond, I'm joined by BookTok friend Amberwithminibooks. Amber has taken her love for creative hobbies and reading and combined them into something truly unique! She creates 1/4 scale minibooks of both her read books and TBR using a 3D printer.

But this conversation goes way beyond just creative hobbies. We dive into content creation strategies, how to protect your algorithm from drama and negativity, and the community aspect of bookish spaces online. We explore how the internet has become the new "third place" for so many people, that space where community thrives, connections form, and shared interests bind people together.

Amber's approach to combining her passions is genuinely inspiring, and her perspective on building community in creative spaces is something every content creator should hear. Whether you're into 3D printing, content creation, book collecting, or just love connecting with people over shared interests, this episode has something for you.

Plus, tiny books are impossibly charming!!

Ambers Links

https://www.youtube.com/@amberwithminibooks

https://www.tiktok.com/@amberwithminibooks?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

https://www.instagram.com/amberwithminibooks?hl=en

For decades Ferrari has represented a specific thing - raw power, exclusivity and performance at all costs. The Luce challenges all of that. In this solo episode, I discuss my thoughts on Ferrari's boldest move yet: going electric, going practical, going... five seats? I explore what this car means for Ferrari's image, the automotive industry's shift toward EVs, and whether Ferrari can maintain its iconic status while fundamentally changing what it means to be a Ferrari.I'll be honest, I haven't discussed cars on the podcast in quite a while, but they've always been one of my favorite interests. Books, watches, photography, indie bookstores but somehow I've neglected one of my core passions. That changes now. I want to bring more automotive content into Books & Beyond moving forward, because at its heart, this podcast is about exploring what people are passionate about, and cars have always been mine.More importantly, I want to start booking automotive enthusiasts as guests. I've had guests from all of my hobbies and interests, but until now, no one from the automotive world. That's a gap I'm excited to fill.So if you're an automotive enthusiast, car content creator, mechanic, collector, or just someone who loves talking about cars drop your suggestions in the comments. Let's bring some horsepower to Books & Beyond.

In this weeks solo episode I dive into generative AI in creative spaces. Specifically what the Barnes and Noble CEO recently said about AI books being sold in stores. I also go over a quick reading and life update, as well as the watch of the day.

Generative AI is an extremely important topic I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments.

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This week on Books & Beyond, I sit down with indie sci-fi author Derek Borne for a conversation that covers everything from pizza and dinosaurs to building a writing career in 2026.

Derek shares his writing journey, research methods for crafting believable sci-fi worlds, and how BookTok has expanded his book sales beyond what he expected. We dive into the practical side of self-publishing, the challenges of marketing your own work, and how content creation has fundamentally changed what's possible for authors outside traditional publishing.

Whether you're a sci-fi nerd like us, an aspiring author navigating the indie landscape, or just curious about the creative process behind the books you love - this conversation delivers. Derek's journey from writing in obscurity to finding his audience through strategic content is both inspiring and instructive.

Plus, we talk about pizza and dinosaurs. Because priorities.

Guest: Derek Borne, indie sci-fi author

Connect with Derek:https://linktr.ee/DerekBorneAuthor

TikTok - @derekborne_author

IG - @derekborne.author

#IndieAuthor #SciFi #BookTok #SelfPublishing #ContentCreation #BooksAndBeyond

Amazon just announced they're killing support for older Kindle models through a firmware update that will essentially force users to upgrade or lose functionality. As someone who uses a Kindle and cares about reading accessibility, this news is incredibly disappointing and it highlights a much bigger problem with digital media ownership.

In this week's solo episode, I break down what Amazon is doing, why it's anti-consumer, and why this matters beyond just inconveniencing Kindle users. When you buy an ebook, you don't actually own it , you're just purchasing the right to access it. And the company that sold it to you can revoke that access at any time, for any reason.

I discuss the dangers of relying entirely on digital media, why physical books and physical media in general matter more than ever, and how these kinds of corporate decisions set dangerous precedents. Today it's forced upgrades. Tomorrow it could be removed access to books Amazon decides are "problematic." When companies control our libraries, they control what we can read, and that's a slippery slope toward censorship that should concern everyone.

Whether you use a Kindle, collect physical books, or just care about consumer rights and media preservation, this episode explores why digital ownership is a lie and what we risk by accepting it as the new normal.

https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-pulls-support-for-perfectly-fine-older-kindles/

In this week's solo episode, I'm breaking down my top 5 reads from Q1 2026 and there's a surprising twist. 2026 has been an incredible reading year so far, but when I looked at my favorites, I noticed something interesting: only ONE of my top 5 comes from my usual preferred genres of sci-fi and fantasy. Even more surprising? Two of them are non-fiction, which is ironic considering I completely failed to meet my non-fiction reading goals last year.

I walk through each of these standout books, what made them exceptional, and why stepping outside my comfort zone has led to some of my best reads in years. I also share my new monthly reading challenge: choosing at least one book from five different genres and selecting those genres at the start of each month. This intentional approach to diversifying my reading has already paid off in Q1, and I'm excited to see where it takes me for the rest of the year.

Finally, I address something you've probably noticed.... the lack of guest episodes recently. Guests will always be a vital part of Books & Beyond, but I've had some scheduling challenges early this year. More importantly, I have a backlog of indie authors I want to feature on the show, but I'm committed to reading their books first out of respect for their work and our conversation. I'm making solid progress through that list, so expect guest episodes to ramp back up in the coming weeks and months.

Whether you're looking for reading recommendations, curious about intentional genre-hopping, or wondering what's next for the podcast, this episode covers it all!

In this week's solo episode, I'm talking about something that's been weighing on me: the algorithm trap. I titled this one "Don't Go Chasing Algorithms" (yes, a nod to TLC's "Waterfalls") because I realized I'd fallen into the exhausting cycle of obsessing over analytics and only posting what I thought would perform well. And honestly? It led straight to burnout.

I take you back to the beginning of my content creation journey, when everything was new, fun, and I posted whatever felt right without overthinking it. But as I gained experience and learned more about metrics, watch time, and all the data available to us, I started stressing over every decision. What would the algorithm like? What format performs best? Which platform rewards what content? I lost sight of why I started creating in the first place.

In this episode, I share my plan moving forward: getting back to posting what I genuinely love, even if it's silly, even if it might not perform well according to the numbers. I talk about why the community we build - the real connections, the conversations, the people who actually engage with our content matters more than vanity metrics ever will.

If you've ever felt burned out chasing algorithmic approval, if you've lost the joy in creating because you're too focused on analytics, or if you're trying to remember why you started making content in the first place, this episode is for you. Sometimes the best strategy is just being authentic and trusting that your people will find you.

Books and Beyond Episode 56

In this week's solo episode, I'm talking about my intentional shift away from digital dependency and back toward analog living, with some interesting tech exceptions. I dive into the changes I'm making in my daily life: switching from digital notes to a physical journal, trading Google Calendar for a paper planner, and finally organizing my content ideas in a dedicated notebook instead of endless lost notes in my phone. I discuss why physical media matters (books, music, movies) in an era where digital ownership can disappear overnight, and explore analog hobbies I want to get into like board games and other hands-on activities. But I also get into some fascinating tech that exists in the space between digital and analog - offline technologies like Cyberdecks and Meshtastic devices that prioritize independence and direct communication over corporate platforms and always-online dependency. This episode is about reclaiming focus, reducing screen time, finding more intentional and tangible ways to engage with creativity and daily life, and exploring technology that serves us rather than controls us. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by digital overload, curious about incorporating more analog practices into your routine, or interested in alternative tech that prioritizes autonomy, this conversation explores what it means to live more intentionally in an increasingly digital world.

Books and Beyond Ep 55

If you've found this podcast recently through my Shorts, social media, or just stumbled across it - welcome! With so many new viewers joining over the past few months, I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce myself and share the story behind Books & Beyond. In this solo episode, I open up about my injury history, how CRPS changed my life in 2017, and the years of isolation that followed as I lost connection to my passions and social life. I explain how content creation became not just a hobby, but a lifeline, and how this podcast was born from a simple goal: talk to passionate people about what they love, and maybe reignite some passion within myself along the way. I reflect on how it's been going, what I've personally gained from these conversations, and what I'm looking forward to as the podcast continues growing. Whether you've been here since episode one or just discovered the show, this episode gives you the full context of who I am, why I do this, and what Books & Beyond is really about. Thank you for being part of this journey.