22h ago

Fifty Books Later: My Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge Reading Recap

I did something a little wild this episode: instead of breaking down a couple of books I’m currently reading, I walked you through all 50 books I finished for my local library’s ultimate book nerd competition. Putting the list together was both a celebration and a chance to look back at what made the cut (because honestly, if I finished it, it was at least worth the time). As I went through the different categories, from “book with a purple cover” to “magical realism” to “written by an author from Alaska,” I noticed a lot of recurring themes in my choices: spicy romances, sports (especially hockey), some wild paranormal plots, and more Rachel Reid than I realized. And, sometimes, books just didn’t click for me, and that’s okay! Not every book needs to be life-changing to make your reading life a little more interesting, or even just fill a category so you can move on. I also talked a bit about how reading challenges like this push me outside my comfort zone (even if I take the shortcut and find the shortest book possible for a dreaded prompt). But that’s what I love about it…letting myself try things, DNF the duds, and figure out what feels joyful or useful right now. Sometimes that’s a feel-good romance; sometimes it’s sitting in big feelings with a book that makes you uncomfortable or reflective. 🎧 More Podcasts! Not to be too meta about the whole thing, but I did talk about two of my other podcast episodes on this one. Check them out if you’re in the mood for a deep dive on the Game Changers Series or The Mountain Is You (which I almost completely forgot to talk about)! Dopamine, Smut, and Self-Help: Curating a Reading Life That Feels Good | Episode 13 The Magic of Parallel Perspectives in Series Like Game Changers and Twilight | Episode 15 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. You can find the entire list organized into a handy-dandy spreadsheet, along with authors and categories, here! * The Re Do List * Nevermore Bookstore * Expiration Dates * Savage Hearts * Book Love * Just One Taste * Neon Gods * Role Model * Stop Letting Everything Affect You * That One Night * The Joy Luck Club * Pucking Around * Legends and Librarians * Rejected Mate * Love and Saffron * One and Only * Tough Guy * The Mountain Is You * The Age of Overwhelm * Canadian Boyfriend * Brutal Vows * Wild Card * Lobizona * Twisted Soul * Olive Kitteridge * Cursed King * Beautiful Exile * This is Happiness * A Murder on London Bridge * Ice Bet * The Long Game * Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day * The Witch * Divine Fate * The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains * Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk * The Empty Land * How to Help a Hungry Werewolf * Cocky Score * Heated Rivalry * Common Goal * The Shots You Take * Game Changers * Untamed Mate * Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life * The Serviceberry * Roman Stories * The Library of the Unwritten * Magical Meet Cute * The Snow Child 💬 Let’s Chat Have you ever done an Ultimate or Extreme Book Nerd Challenge? If so, what did you think? 👕 Like the shirt? Get yours here! Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe

Jul 23

Joyful Resistance and Spicy Reads: Embracing the Power of Smut

This week, my reading life has been all over the place! From comfort to transformation, and sometimes right back to comfort. I bounced around between a few physical books, but let’s be honest: it’s been a big fanfic and smut week for me. If you’ve ever needed a permission slip to lean all the way into what actually feels good to read, this is it. There was a time when I didn’t even want to touch books with “spicy” content. But life changes, and Gentle Reader, I am not the same person I used to be. Thank goodness! Turns out, sometimes the thing that makes you blush or roll your eyes is exactly the thing that cracks something open in you once your nervous system is ready for the reset it offers. These stories have been more than just an escape for me; reading them challenged what I thought I deserved…from books, from relationships, from my own life. There’s something powerful in joyfully choosing what makes you feel seen, wanted, or just a little less alone. And I’m not apologizing for any of it! Fanfic, smut, middle grade, highbrow, whatever, I’m done policing my own reading life (or much else for that matter). Finding the joy and sparkle in the pages (or on AO3) has changed things for me in ways I didn’t expect, and reading, especially the stuff I once side-eyed, has genuinely helped me move through some messy, hard seasons. Sometimes spicy books bring you back to yourself. I’m living proof of it. This one is a bit of a longer episode, but I cry at the end, so be sure to stick around for that! 🙃 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin * The Joy of Doing Nothing by Rachel Jonat * Welcome to Deadhouse by R.L. Stine * Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert * blowback by 21cg on AO3 (fan fic) * faded on the fine lines by impetuous on AO3 (fan fic) 💬 Let’s Chat What kind of book or story has helped you feel less alone, or helped you realize you deserve more? Maybe it wasn’t smut…or maybe it was 😎 Share in the comments below! 👕 Like the shirt? Get yours here! Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe

Jul 16

Reading as Joyful Resistance (And a Coping Mechanism)

This week, I’m leaning all the way into what reading looks like when your brain and your body aren’t always on your side. After a June full of burnout and chronic pain days, it feels especially honest to talk about how books slide into those little gaps where the world feels like too much, or your body just won’t cooperate. Reading has always felt like the most accessible kind of comfort…a way to cope, to rest, and to keep a little piece of magic in my pocket when everything else gets loud. Living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome has forced me to navigate energy limits and pain in ways I didn’t always want to admit. Books are often the one thing my hands (decorative, hypermobile, and, yes, slightly useless most days) can hold…sometimes with assistive gear, sometimes with a lot of breaks. There’s a weird sense of anxiety that comes with a body you can’t trust from moment to moment, and reading is one of the few places I don’t have to negotiate with myself about rest or productivity. From the DMs I’ve received, I know there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you get it. The secret menu of life hacks, the days spent figuring out how to exist when your body and mind have their own ideas. Struggling with a brain and/or a body that won’t just bend to your whimsy and your will… I’m not here to hand out unsolicited advice, but I hope sharing a little bit of my own mess and magic makes it easier for you to feel seen. Whether you’re managing chronic illness, neurodivergence, or just need someone to scream “electrolytes!” at you for moral support, you’re in good company. And if you want to read more about how I manage life with my own chronic health challenges, check out my article Chronic Illness, Reading, and Building a Life Bigger Than Pain, here! It’s got a pretty sweet book list of all my favorite books and a list of resources that have helped me tremendously. 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan…Rereading this as an almost-parent of adults is giving me a whole new perspective * Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May…A must for anyone needing permission for true rest and retreat. * The CreativeAct: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin…the peanut butter to Big Magic’s jelly for creatives! * Black Dog by delagauchetiere on AO3 (fan fic, FTW 🙌🏻 )...sweet + spicy is a healing combo and this fic has plenty of both. 👕 Like the shirt? Get yours here! Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe

Jul 9

Why You Should Make Art, Read More, and Share It With Others

This week I’m living for the way reading has completely cracked open my creativity, especially the kind that’s shown up in fandom spaces lately. My reading life is spinning out all this energy, and it’s turning into real-world projects, joy, and small acts of rebellion. Books aren’t just for reading…they’re fuel for investing back into my own creative work, whether that means making cross-stitches, designing weird t-shirts, or putting together this very podcast. I’ve been thinking a lot about how making art (whatever “art” looks like for you) can be an anchor. The Amy McNee book I picked up this week kind of handed me a whole permission slip to create for the sake of it, and it landed hard. It reminded me there’s no “right way” - your version of art can be silly, small, or something you never even share. But for me, making things has always been how I carve out a little more space for joy, and I want the same for you! There’s a wild, giddy magic in being part of an online fandom where people are just constantly making things for each other… AO3 fics, threads, edits, cross-stitches, shirts, fan art - if you want proof that the world isn’t totally broken, scroll around and see how much pure, feral joy comes from us just deciding to make something for no other reason than that it feels good. It’s not about being the best or impressing everyone. It’s about connection, community, and giving yourself permission to create something, even if nobody but you ever sees it. Bringing it back to being wild and feral, please check out the amazing artwork that riris_drawings is sharing with the world over on Instagram…all my fellow long-haired Shane enthusiasts, gird yourselves because you will not be disappointed! 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * We Need Your Art by Amie McNee * Beep by Bill Roorbach * It Lasts Forever And Then It’s Over by Anne de Marcken * Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert * Black Dog by delagauchetiere (fan fic on AO3) 💬 Let’s Chat So if you’re sitting on a creative urge and don’t know where to start, take this as your sign. Go make something, even if it’s messy, silly, or smaller than you hoped. Honestly, what’s the last thing you made purely for the joy of making it? 👕 Like the shirt? Get yours here! Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe

Jul 2

Burnout Survival Mode: Reading What Brings Joy When Life Gets Hard

This month was a crash course in burnout, resilience, and remembering how important it is to let books and small routines take care of you when real life feels a little too real. I’m not going to sugarcoat it: between family changes, tough conversations, and the general chaos that seems to come with June, my energy for showing up in any “official” capacity bottomed out. But you know what? That’s okay. Old Ren would have called it failing; this Ren can actually see the growth in knowing when to rest instead of pushing through. What helped the most wasn’t new releases, productivity, or keeping up with The Discourse on social media...so much discourse! It was building intentional pockets of joy…reading comfort books, reaching for fanfic, spending time crafting, and accepting support from both the online and IRL communities that have somehow managed to make even hard weeks feel a little less lonely. Sometimes you just need stories to wash over you, without expectations. I’ve been leaning into books that make me feel good, fanfics written purely for joy, and remembering that reading what I like (even if it’s a spicy AO3 chapter or the tenth ReReid) is not something I need to justify to anyone. A little joy, or even a momentary distraction, is enough in a season where you’re just putting one foot in front of the other. 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid * Time to Shine by Rachel Reid * We Need Your Art by Amy McNee 💬 Let’s Chat If you’ve ever found yourself relying on old favorites or communal stories to get through a tough week, I’m right there with you. So let’s be honest: when was the last time your reading life felt like pure self-care and not something you had to perform for anyone else? 👕 Like the shirt? Get yours here! Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 18

The Magic of Parallel Perspectives in Series Like Game Changers and Twilight

This week, my brain latched onto something it really loves: books that happen on the same timeline and let you see a story from multiple angles. There’s something so deeply satisfying about seeing a favorite story or scene play out in a different character’s head. It scratches an itch for context, for nuance, for that little thrill of knowing more than you did the first time. I talked about this in the context of Rachel Reid’s books, how reading Role Model and The Long Game back to back (a second time) changed everything for me. All those tiny hints and offhand moments that didn’t land fully on my first speed read to the finish? Suddenly, they’re loaded with meaning. There’s a kind of magic in going back and filling in the gaps, and I realized how much I crave that as a reader. Sometimes you don’t want the Big New Thing; you want layers and echoes in a world you already love. But of course, not every book needs to beat you over the head with lessons (or trauma) to feel meaningful. For me, these stories let me choose joy and comfort and still find depth if I want it. I get to pick what I take from them, and that’s a relief, honestly, in a world where everything feels a little extra sometimes. My TBR just keeps growing with books that let me revisit, explore, and understand characters all over again. 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * Twilight by Stephenie Meyer * Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer * Role Model by Rachel Reid * The Long Game by Rachel Reid So...let’s talk Do you have a book duo where seeing the same story from another perspective just made your whole reading brain light up? Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 11

From the Pivot Year to Game Changers: Why Some Books Just Feel Right This Week

This week was a strange one for my reading life…total hodgepodge energy, hopping genres and moods by the day. I tried (and gave up on) a Booker Prize winner, finally admitted defeat on The Hobbit for now, and dipped in and out of a handful of books that felt exactly right for this moment, even if I’ve picked them up before. Sometimes when I reread something I thought I knew, it just hits totally different because, shocker, I’m not the same person I was the last time. Old favorites like Common Goal surprised me all over again. It’s wild how a book can morph in your memory, then land in a whole new way just because you’re carrying different stuff into it this time. I’m starting to think that’s why I love revisiting certain stories so much - not just comfort or nostalgia, but that feeling of “whoa, is this secretly deeper than I realized?” You should never feel bad about rereading; sometimes it’s exactly what your brain or your life needs. And this week, I’m trying to really honor that. No guilt about not finishing, no shame about chasing comfort reads, no pressure to turn my reading life into a checklist. I’m learning to let my reading follow my energy, not the other way around… Audiobooks while I knit, stories that remind me what I want out of life, and letting myself change my mind as often as I need. 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq — A total wildcard, picked up for the library’s Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge. Booker Prize winner, halfway through, new perspectives unlocked. (00:35) * The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien — Officially “not happening” for homeschool this week, and that’s okay. We don’t shame the unfinished books here. Permission to DNF, granted. (01:02) * The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest — Ongoing all year, but this week’s entries kept hitting right when needed. Serendipity in book form. (01:38) * The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest — Attempt #4, but this time I’m determined to finally finish. Sometimes the right book only lands when you’re ready for it. (02:02) * Common Goal (Game Changers Universe) — Resurfacing for reread, now with post-Wolfbird fanfic feels and a much different impact than the first go-round. Reading at a different age? The book feels different. Always magic. (02:30) * This is Happiness by Niall Williams — Audiobook + crafting = perfect combo. Rich language, soothing narration, and pure comfort. Let’s Talk! Has a book ever landed completely differently the second (or third, or fourth) time around, for better or worse? Tell me your stories! Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 4

Dopamine, Smut, and Self-Help: Curating a Reading Life That Feels Good

This week, I leaned in hard to that belief that the book you need always finds you, right when you need it. My reading life has been shifting alongside everything else. Does anyone else feel like 2026 is just this nonstop transformation party that they never even RSVP’d to, but find themselves stuck in? The books on my shelf are suddenly fitting perfectly into what I’m working through in real time. It’s funny how that works, right? Something you’ve ignored for ages suddenly cracks you wide open because you were finally ready for it. There’s something about incorporating new stories, fresh perspectives, or even just taking the time to notice what a book is revealing about your own patterns. That has been huge for me, especially as everything in life (family, work, being a lady in my 40s…ahem) is moving under my feet like I’m on a funhouse floor. Some books go down easy for pure dopamine (and I fully support those smutty, comfort reads). Yet sometimes, it’s the pulling-back-the-curtain books that make you look right at yourself that are the ones that hit hardest. And I think there’s room for both in our lives and on our shelves. One concept I keep coming back to is gratitude, especially for the hard stuff. Having a daily practice and focusing on seeing the progress, tiny joys, and things people do for you or themselves, makes it possible to reframe the tough moments and notice which books (or people) are kicking you forward in the best possible way. Sometimes it’s about releasing grip on the stuff you can’t control, taking responsibility for your own responses, and letting go of your old stories and assumptions that keep you small. Watching the pod and like the shirt? Get it in the Ren Reads Too Much Pop Up Shop! 📚 Books Mentioned Some of these may be affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny kickback for fueling your reading habit. * The Pivot Year by Brianne Wiest * The Mountain Is You by Brianna Weist * Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid Let’s Talk I want to know: Have you ever had a book that sat on your shelf forever, only to change everything at exactly the right moment? Get full access to Ren Reads Too Much at renreadstoomuch.substack.com/subscribe

Ren Reads Too Much Podcast

Fifty Books Later: My Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge Reading Recap

Joyful Resistance and Spicy Reads: Embracing the Power of Smut

Reading as Joyful Resistance (And a Coping Mechanism)

Why You Should Make Art, Read More, and Share It With Others

Burnout Survival Mode: Reading What Brings Joy When Life Gets Hard

The Magic of Parallel Perspectives in Series Like Game Changers and Twilight

From the Pivot Year to Game Changers: Why Some Books Just Feel Right This Week

Dopamine, Smut, and Self-Help: Curating a Reading Life That Feels Good

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Ren Reads Too Much Podcast

Episodes

Fifty Books Later: My Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge Reading Recap

Joyful Resistance and Spicy Reads: Embracing the Power of Smut

Reading as Joyful Resistance (And a Coping Mechanism)

Why You Should Make Art, Read More, and Share It With Others

Burnout Survival Mode: Reading What Brings Joy When Life Gets Hard

The Magic of Parallel Perspectives in Series Like Game Changers and Twilight

From the Pivot Year to Game Changers: Why Some Books Just Feel Right This Week

Dopamine, Smut, and Self-Help: Curating a Reading Life That Feels Good

About

Information