Reading As Fast As We Can: The Low Stakes Podcast
Just two best friends, finding time to connect, recommend books (force the other to read what we want) and have a good time
Carl in Time Out, Yeeted Compass, & Gothic Horror | What ARE We Reading?
Some books are thriving. Some are in time out. One got physically yeeted.
This week, we catch up on what we’re reading, including Jackie’s continued descent into Dungeon Crawler Carl, Anni’s complicated relationship with Carl, and a very successful return to gothic horror with What Moves the Dead. We also get into why the format you read a book in can make a surprisingly big difference.
Then it’s time to choose what comes next, with everything from cozy fantasy and death magic to fairy-tale retellings and books we’ve been meani...
Haunted Libraries or Spoiled Endings? | Bookish Would You Rather
Would you rather sleep in a haunted library or have every book spoil itself on page one?
In this bonus episode, we play Bookish Would You Rather and immediately make things difficult with haunted libraries, spoiled endings, favorite villains, unfinished series, rereading beloved books, impossible fantasy-world choices, and the fate of our favorite characters. We also discover that we’d both rather trust fanfiction than accept a terrible series ending, and that apparently neither of us was willing to disagree very much.
Discord:
https://discord.gg/CANZK9UEhK
A New Favorite, Cannibal Dragons & Princess Donut | What We’re Reading
Apparently Pride & Prejudice with dragons also means occasionally EATING YOUR DEAD DAD. 🐉📚
This week on Reading As Fast As We Can, Anni and Jackie are catching up on what they’ve been reading—and things get weird fast.
Anni has officially fallen for Half a Soul, survived the unexpected dragon family dynamics of Tooth and Claw, and tore through The Butcher of the Forest. Meanwhile, Jackie is venturing into Witch King, revisiting Hades and Persephone with Neon Gods, and talking urban fantasy with Black Wings.
Then there’s Dungeon Crawler Carl.
We’re readin...
If Your Book Has a Map, We’re In | Fantasy Extras That Matter
If your fantasy world is complicated enough to require homework, please at least give us the study guide.
In Bonus Episode 2 of Episode 7, we’re talking about the book extras that actually matter: maps, family trees, glossaries, timelines, indexes, dramatis personae, and all the little reference tools that keep complicated worlds readable. We get into why translated fiction benefits so much from glossaries, why political intrigue desperately needs character guides, and why a sufficiently complicated family tree can save you from wondering how one person somehow has thirty uncles.
...
Are You a Mood Reader? | TBRs, ADHD & Book Decision Fatigue
Are you a mood reader, a planned reader, or someone who makes a beautiful TBR and immediately ignores it?
In Bonus Episode 1 of Episode 7, we talk about how we actually choose what to read, from ADHD-friendly backup books and decision fatigue to years of assigned academic reading and the freedom of finally following your mood. We also get into multitasking while reading, DNFs, brain bunnies, and the reality that sometimes the vibe decides everything.
Discord:
https://discord.gg/CANZK9UEhK
Jackie:
https://www...
Pride & Prejudice With Dragons? | Tooth and Claw, Half a Soul, Dungeon Crawler Carl & More
Anni may have officially caught the sci-fi bug, Jackie is calling a DNF, and we’re finally starting Dungeon Crawler Carl together.
This week we get into Elder Race, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, This Is How You Lose the Time War, Jackie’s decision to abandon My Best Friend’s Exorcism, and why some books make crossing into a new genre surprisingly easy. Then we choose our next sci-fi and fantasy reads, which somehow gives us Pride and Prejudice with dragons, a vampire book club, Regency faeries, post-apocalyptic sequels, and a child raised...
Books We Read at the Wrong Time | Pride & Prejudice, The Hobbit & More
Sometimes a book isn’t bad—you just met it at the wrong time.
This week, we’re talking about books that hit completely differently depending on your age, mood, or stage of life, including Pride and Prejudice, The Hobbit, Black Sun, and Damian. We also wander into family reading traditions, Christmas books, and the questionable usefulness of some of our college education.
Books mentioned:
Black Sun — Rebecca RoanhorseDemian — Hermann HesseThe Hobbit — J.R.R. TolkienPride and Prejudice — Jane AustenThe Night Before Christmas — Clement Clarke MooreA Christmas Carol — Charles Dickens
Come talk...
Episode 6 - Spooky Season Starts in August | Cackle, Soul Eater & Gothic Horror Picks
Spooky season is starting early, and apparently that means charming horror, a cuddly purple monster, and some very questionable reading decisions.
Anni is almost finished with Rachel Harrison’s Cackle and trying to figure out whether she’s being gaslit right alongside the protagonist, while Jackie dives into Lily Mayne’s Soul Eater and discovers that monster romance may be very much her thing. We also get into ACOTAR frustrations, book ratings that make no sense to us, reading outside our comfort zones, and a pile of horror, fantasy, gothic, and sci-fi recommendations for what comes...
Bonus Ep 5 - Three Weekends and a Box of Wine
Three weekends, a box of wine, and one very strong opinion about bookshelf organization.
In this bonus episode, Anni and Jackie compare their completely opposite ways of organizing bookshelves — from vibe-based shelving to full alphabetical systems. They also get into library shelving chaos, backwards-facing books, rainbow shelves, and the very real possibility that reorganizing a big collection might require alcohol and several weekends.
Discord:
https://discord.gg/CANZK9UEhK
Jackie Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/readingafic/
Anni Instagram:
https://www.in...
Episode 5 - Gay Witches or Gay Werewolves?
Jackie is fighting for her life against 124-word sentences, Anni actually finishes a book, and somewhere along the way we discover that our brains may not process stories the same way at all.
This week we talk about Upright Women Wanted, Space Opera, single vs. multiple POVs, books that push us outside our comfort zones, and a surprisingly difficult choice between gay witches and gay werewolves. We also pick our next reads, trade recommendations, and preview next week’s bonus episode about the very different ways we organize our bookshelves.
💬 Join our Discord:
...
Bonus Ep 4 - Not a Botanist, Just Opinionated
What fruit is science fiction, and why is romance somehow a banana?
In this minisode, we match book genres with fruit using questionable logic, unexpected mythology, and increasingly chaotic reasoning. Science fiction becomes a banana, orange, or uniquely hairy kiwi; fantasy gets the classic apple; horror turns into smashed berries; and romance leads us directly into pomegranates, figs, and Georgia O’Keeffe territory.
Genres discussed:
Science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, mystery, mythology, classics, children’s literature, young adult, historical fiction, biography, and nonfiction.
#BookTube #ReadingPodcast #BookGenres #SciF...
There’s a Difference Between Cozy and No Plot
What happens when a book almost becomes a DNF... and then completely wins you over?
In Episode 4, we review Evocation and Shroud, debate the difference between cozy fantasy and “no plot,” react to bizarre book covers, and choose our next reads—including Space Opera and Upright Women Wanted. We also discuss one short-story collection that was disturbing enough to leave the house immediately.
⚠️ Spoilers for Evocation and Shroud, plus discussion of disturbing content.
#BookTube #ReadingPodcast #BookReviews #FantasyBooks #SciFiBooks #Evocation #Shroud #SpaceOpera
Books mentioned:
Evoca...
The Gnome is Doing His Best
Irish curls, the “pokey phase” of parenting, eight hours of sleep somehow making everything worse, and a very serious debate over whether fall hair should be foofier—this episode begins exactly as chaotically as you would expect.
Then Anni and Jackie dive into Annihilation, including the changes that made the film feel completely different from the novel, why unnamed characters matter, and why sometimes you need to sit with a story before deciding how many stars it deserves.
We also talk about the unusual time-travel rules in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, sci-fi disgui...
