New year, new additions to our TBR! We spoke with some of our bookish pals about the 2026 releases they're most excited about. Great recommendations ahead! Olivia's Picks Missing Me by Ayana Lage (Out March 17) Whidbey by T Kira Madden (Out March 10) Grant Ginder's Picks George Falls Through Time by Ryan Collett (Out January 20) Big Nobody by Alex Kadis (Out March 10) Brady Lockerby's Picks Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan (Out May 26) Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke (Out April 7) Chelsea ...
Jan 21, 2026•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 405
New year, new things! We're so excited to dive into what's been exciting us this month, like romance adaptations, medium joys, events, moving quandaries, and our 2026 mood boards! Becca's Things Heated Rivalry People We Meet on Vacation When you move, do you bring your condiments with you? Olivia's Things Dolphins/Medium Joys Book Events (check out Olivia's dates here !) 2026 Moodboards Obsession Becca - Everlane Luxe Rib Long Sleeve Crew Olivia - Sumo oranges What We Read This Week Olivia - Hab...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 404
We are so BACK!!! Soak in the new year energy and listen to us break down our 2026 goals. But first, we reflect on what we accomplished in 2025 and share how we're feeling at the start of the new year. Olivia's Personal Goals Continue strength routine and scale to heavier weights Start a young writers program in the community (or volunteer for one that already exists) Home projects! Kitchen reno, Refinish stairs + downstairs floors, install a stair runner Tighten + examine spending habits Keep t...
Jan 07, 2026•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 403
It's time for us to share our favorite books of 2025! Get your notebooks ready because WE! HAVE! RECS! 📚 Becca's Fave Books The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland Heart the Lover by Lily King One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley Loved One by Aisha Muharrar Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood Shoutout t...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 402
The holidays are (almost) here! We're talking about all the things we're excited about this season, from most anticipated events, white elephant gifts, holiday movie rankings, festive FMK's, and more! Olivia's Things Most anticipated holiday events Admin Advent calendar Holiday Movie Battle Becca's Things White elephant gift ideas Festive FMK's Reflecting on the year Sign up for Olivia's virtual Q&A! Weekly Obsession Becca - Heated Rivalry Olivia - The Incredible Dr. Pol What We Read This We...
Dec 10, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 401
The year is coming to a close, and you know what that means! It's time to look back at our highs of 2025. We reminisce on work wins, new hobbies, mantras, and more! Best New Artist Discovery of The Year (Author, Artist, Filmmaker, Dancer, etc.) Olivia - Allegra Goodman , Joshua Burnside Becca - Francis Featherstone , Anna Kwan , Sarah Martinez , Barbara Bourland Best Song of The Year Olivia - Baby Steps by Olivia Dean Becca - Moves by Suki Waterhouse Best Movie or Show of The Year: Olivia - Trai...
Dec 03, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 400
It's time for our final book club episode of 2025! We're discussing a book we've been seeing everywhere, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans . We talk about why we think this book has become so popular, if we've read epistolary novels before, our thoughts on the novelty of the mother/daughter relationship, how it brought up feelings about retirement for us both, and more! Also, the Wall Street Journal's profile of Virginia Evans is a great read. Obsession: Becca - Leset Pointelle Boxer Pants Rea...
Nov 26, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 399
It's time for this year's Bad on Paper Gift Guide! We're so excited to dive into our picks that are very us-coded. Becca-Coded Picks Gifts for People Who Love NYC Katie Kime NYC Toile Tea Towels ($58) Chefanie - I Love NY cocktail napkins ($48) All the restaurants prints (5x7 $55) - John Donahue - also Paris, London, DC, Philly, Chicago, Napa W/ Hudson & Mark acrylic frame (A5 size) - Reg $44, sale: $35 Hobby-Forward Gifts (Knitting, Watercolors, Pickleball, MahJong etc.) Emily Lex Studio Wa...
Nov 19, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 398
This week, we're talking all about portfolio careers! We discuss the current iteration of our own careers and then chat with Leigh Stein and Ali LaBelle —two other professionals with portfolio careers—to break down the work they do, time management, and advice for people interested in transitioning to a portfolio career. Obsessions Becca - West End Girl Olivia - Beth's Dead What we read this week Olivia - The Good Daughters by Brigitte Dale Becca - The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer (Out April 7), Li...
Nov 12, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 397
November Things are coming in HOT! Keep listening for podcast recs, supernatural talk, guessing games, and more! Also, donate to your local foodbank! Find one local to you here . Olivia's Things Emma Straub's newsletter about David Harbor's pseudonym Do you believe in ghosts? 1 new habit we like, 1 that we want to kick to the curb Becca's Things Current Podcast Listening Lineup (Olivia's is Book Gang, Pen Pals , Glamorous Trash ) (Becca's are The Shit No One Tells You About Writing , Books, Beac...
Nov 05, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 396
We can't wait to discuss our October Book Club Pick, Heart The Lover by Lily King ! We're talking about Lily King's favorite shape (the triangle!), the surprising crossover with Writers & Lovers, crying on airplanes, male friendship, and so much more. Obsessions Becca - The Diplomat Season Three Olivia - Twinless What we read this week Olivia - Heart The Lover by Lily King , The Correspondent by Virginia Evans Becca - Ready or Not by Cara Bastone , Kiss of the Baselisk by Lindsay Straub This...
Oct 29, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 395
This week, we're chatting with 4 debut authors about their experience bringing a book into the world in 2025! They share the pitch for their book and what surprised them about their debut experience. Our debut authors & their books! Katie Yee - Maggie; Or A Man and A Woman Walk Into A Bar Natalie Guerrero - My Train Leaves at Three Laura Leffler - Tell Them You Lied Aisha Muharrar - Loved One Obsessions Olivia - Not wearing mascara Becca - Leopard Coat from Mango What we read this week Becca...
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 394
We're so excited for you to hear our conversation with Nic Stone ! We chat with Nic about her author origin story, why she made the jump from YA to adult with her (very!) adult debut Boom Town, writing off her strip club visits for research, and more! Obsessions Becca - Shonda Rhimes on Call Her Daddy Olivia - Floor lamp from Wayfair What we read this week Becca - The Idiot by Elif Batuman , The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland This Month's Book Club Pick - Heart The Lover by Lily King (...
Oct 15, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 393
This week, we're sharing an inside look at our reading habits! We dive into how we choose what to read, our favorite times to read, who we talk about books with IRL, our rules of thumb for DNF-ing, and more! Becca's TBR - The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers , Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck , Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston What we read this week Becca - Boom Town by Nic Stone (Out October 14!) This Month's Book Club Pick - Heart The Lover by Lily King (have thoughts about this book you want t...
Oct 08, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 392
Time for another round of three things! And this one's very bookish: we're talking about 2025 books that flew under the radar, plot twists, mood writing, what we want to learn about this fall, and more! Becca's Things Underrated Books of 2025 Becca's - Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine , Loved One by Aisha Muharrar | Olivia's - Tilt by Emma Pattee , Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild . How moods shift in the writing process Personal Curriculums Olivia's Things Plot twists we didn't see comin...
Oct 01, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 391
September is coming to a close, and you know what that means! Time to talk about this month's book club pick, Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach . We discuss our expectations going into this book based on the cover, how it balanced its dark themes with humor, what we thought of the relationships, and more! Obsessions Olivia - One Trick Pony Peanut Butter Becca - Westman Atelier Blush in Coquette What we read this week Olivia - Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver This Month's ...
Sep 24, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 390
We are SO excited to chat with Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter, Shelby Cunningham , about their new book, The Academy ! We ask how their collaborative writing process worked, about Shelby's boarding school experience that inspired the book, and Elin's feelings on venturing into a new world outside Nantucket. We also have adaptation updates and some exclusive behind the scenes gossip! These days, Shelby is reading A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley , and Elin is reading Dominion by Addie E. Citche...
Sep 17, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 389
What do we want? Things! When do we want them? Now! It's time to talk about big pop culture moments, focus tools, and what we're excited about for fall. Olivia's Things Taylor Swift getting engaged What's on our Q4 Radar Our Fall TBR (Olivia's are The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia , Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild , What a Time to Be Alive by Jade Chang , Becca's are The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy , Boom Town by Nic Stone , Bread of Angels by Patti Smith , Brimstone by Callie Hart ) ...
Sep 10, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 388
People who judge books by their covers, this ep is for you! This week, we brought on Art Director and Book Cover Designer Molly von Borstel to talk about how book covers come to life. She shares how she got into book design, the surprising parts of the job, how she deals with feedback, cover trends, and more! Obsessions Olivia - Sorel Roam'n Clogs Becca - Travel mahjong set from Oh My Mahjong What we read this week Becca - Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand Olivia - The Break-In By Katherine Faulkner...
Sep 03, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 387
It's Book Club day! We're excited to chat about The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig . We discuss the book's setting and world-building, the main characters (and their romance), how this fits into the romantacy genre overall, and more! Obsessions Olivia - Night Moves by Bob Seger Becca - J.Crew yellow suede bucket bag This Month's Book Club Pick - STAY TUNED! (have thoughts about this book you want to share? Call in at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com) Spo...
Aug 27, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 386
We are SO excited for this week's conversation with journalist E. Jean Carroll! We chat with her about why she decided to write her book about her experience in court against Donald Trump, her 30-year tenure as an advice columnist, and more! E. Jean Carroll is the author of five books, including a biography of Hunter S. Thompson , and the New York Times bestselling book NOT MY TYPE: One Woman vs. a President. Obsessions Becca - U Beauty Proem perfume What we read this week Becca - The Correspond...
Aug 20, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 385
It's time for the most August 2025 Three Things to Ever Three Things. From AI to face shapewear to Labubus, and more, there's so much to discuss! Let's get into it. Olivia's Things DNF-ing Skims Face Shapewear Labubus Becca's Things The articles " I Teach Creative Writing. This Is What A.I. Is Doing to Students " by Meghan O'Rourke [gift link] and "The Force-Feeding of AI on an Unwilling Public" by Ted Gioia Mind Meld Game The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Obsessions Becca - Freakier Friday Ol...
Aug 13, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 384
As a bonus to our episode discussing comparison and competition, we invited Chelsea Bieker to continue the conversation, and how comparison and competition manifest for her, specifically within her publishing career and the strategies she's learned to quiet these emotions. Read more from Chelsea in her newsletter Make Up Your Life , fountainpractice.com , and her latest book Madwoman is out now! This Month's Book Club Pick - The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig (have thoughts about this book...
Aug 07, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 383
We've been trying to make an episode about comparison and competition (an Olivia Muenter favorite topic!) happen for a while, and it's finally here! We're discussing our personal histories with comparison and competition and how it manifests in our personal and professional lives. We're even diving into whether we ever compare ourselves to each other. We're talking about if we define ourselves as competitive people, topics that bring up jealousy, how comparison and competition manifests in our a...
Aug 06, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 382
It's book club day! We're so excited to talk about our listener-selected book club pick, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid . There's a lot to cover in this story set during the 1980s space race. We discuss our feelings about the main characters, the aspects of the book we gravitated towards, our favorite space songs, and more! Obsessions: Becca - Ruby lobster roll off watercolor painting Olivia - Alexander Skarsgard interview circuit Reading: Olivia - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid , What Kin...
Jul 30, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 380
Our last desert island episode was so popular, we hopped a quick trip back to the island for part 2. This time we're talking all things clothing and travel. Jeans Becca - Frame Le Slim Palazzo Olivia - Gap Ultra Soft Barrel Leg Jeans Bra Becca & Olivia - Skims T-Shirt Bra Underwear Becca - Skims fits everybody thong Olivia - CUUP high waisted Shoe Becca - Onitsuka Tigre Mexico 66 Olivia - EVA Birkenstocks Obsessions Becca - BBQ Brawl What we read this week Becca - Girl on Girl by Sophie Gilb...
Jul 23, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 379
We are so excited to have Navessa Allen on the pod to talk about all things spicy romance! We hear about how she got started writing romance, how she handles taboo topics, what it's like having viral success, and her experience as self-published author who began working for a traditional publishing house. Her books Lights Out and Caught Up are out now. Obsessions Becca - Watercolor set & workbook Olivia - The Truman Show What we read this week Olivia - Set Piece by Lana Schwartz Becca - Run ...
Jul 16, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 378
This week, we're going to be sharing our desert island picks for categories from entertainment, to food, clothing, beauty, and more! Shoutout to Hillary Kerr's newsletter for the episode inspo! Some of our picks Books to read for the rest of time: Becca - The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer The Wedding People by Alison Espach Olivia - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver , The God of The Woods by Liz Moore Books we like to recommend: B: TIOY Olivia - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Jeans Becca - F...
Jul 09, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 377
It's time for July Three Things! Tune in for a game, fantasy dinner parties, writing process dives, best books of the year (so far), Materialists thoughts, and more! Becca's Things Materialists Hallmark Movie Game Dream Summer Dinner Party Olivia's Things Materialists Favorite Reads in 2025 so far (Becca's includes One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall , Heart the Lover by Lily King . Olivia's includes Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy , Notes on Your Sudd...
Jul 02, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 376
We're excited to dive into our June Book Club Pick: June Book Club Pick - All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman . We had a great time reading this hilarious and Scaredy Cat approved mystery, and can't wait to hear what you think! Watch the full interview with Sarah Harman Olivia mentioned here . Obsessions Becca - Milk Duds Olivia - Vitality Leggings/Shorts (Bonus: Olivia's High is Yoga With Adrienne's Yoga for Writers Video ) This Month's Book Club Pick - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Re...
Jun 25, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 375
