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RAD Reading
Roni Loren and Dawn Alexander
37 episodes
3 months ago
RAD reading is a bookish podcast where the R stands for refresh and the D stands for discover and where two book-loving friends with very different tastes try to help YOU do those two things for your reading life. Join Roni Loren, a bestselling romance author, and Dawn Alexander, an indie editor, as they tackle reading roadblocks, give their best bookish tips, and of course, recommend all the great reads that have kept them turning the pages that week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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All content for RAD Reading is the property of Roni Loren and Dawn Alexander and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
RAD reading is a bookish podcast where the R stands for refresh and the D stands for discover and where two book-loving friends with very different tastes try to help YOU do those two things for your reading life. Join Roni Loren, a bestselling romance author, and Dawn Alexander, an indie editor, as they tackle reading roadblocks, give their best bookish tips, and of course, recommend all the great reads that have kept them turning the pages that week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Books
Arts
Episodes (20/37)
RAD Reading
Our Favorite Books of 2022

It’s time for our best books of the year episode! We also have an announcement about the podcast and Roni has a new book coming out. Join us for the end-of-the-year fun!


Highlights: 

  • An announcement about the podcast
  • Noticing the themes of our favorite books this year
  • The genres that worked and didn’t work for us this year
  • Roni loves a book statistic and she found some surprises about her reading life this year
  • Our favorite romances
  • Dawn’s dark darkness
  • Yes, Roni uses quarter stars
  • Books that speak to your Id
  • Our favorite mysteries and suspense
  • Roni’s favorite non-fiction
  • Leonard the dog tries to dismantle the office
  • A book Roni thinks everyone should listen to 
  • Our most anticipated books for 2023
  • Roni’s new book Good Girl Fail comes out January 17th!


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram





Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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2 years ago
1 hour 11 minutes 11 seconds

RAD Reading
Women’s Fiction with Guest Author Sierra Godfrey

Today, we welcome Sierra Godfrey, author of A Very Typical Family, to talk about Women’s Fiction. Is it a genre? What does that category mean? Can it have romance in it? Does it have to have a certain kind of ending? We answer those questions and more. Then we’re giving our best women’s fiction recommendations!


Highlights: 

  • Something in Sierra’s author bio already has Dawn nervous
  • The challenge of writing sibling stories as an only child
  • Women’s Fiction and what does that mean exactly
  • Roni can’t help being a “Well, actually…” person
  • Our best women’s fiction recommendations
  • If Dawn is ever in the woods, it means we need to send help
  • Our RAD Recs of the Week
  • Go sign up for Sierra’s newsletter because it’s awesome (says Roni the newsletter snob)
  • And buy her book A Very Typical Family, out now!


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

Our guest: Sierra Godfrey

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
49 minutes 11 seconds

RAD Reading
Let's Get Spooky: October's Read/Watch/Listen Recs

Episode Summary:

It’s that time of year again! Light the pumpkin-scented candle, get a bowl of your favorite Halloween candy, and turn on a stormy night soundtrack to set the mood. Today, we’re bringing you the best scary (from Roni) and gently spooky (from Dawn) things we’ve read, watched, and listened to lately.


Highlights: 

  • Why Dawn can’t go to the movies in October
  • Reading slumps are the worst
  • Roni tried a new method to tackle her giant TBR pile and it worked!
  • A book that was on Roni’s TBR for 7 years
  • Locked basements are a bad sign
  • A book that had one of us thinking WTF the whole time
  • We need warnings if the dog dies
  • A book that was just right for Dawn
  • Roni’s spooky/scary TV and movie recommendations (and an anti-recommendation)
  • Dawn recommends a few fun and not-so-spooky things to watch
  • A genre mash-up with fantastic audiobook narration
  • Lycanthropy is a word and Roni is standing by that
  • It always comes back to Buffy
  • Our RAD recs of the week


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
58 minutes 33 seconds

RAD Reading
Roni's Birthday Episode + Our 1-Year Podcast Anniversary!

Today, we’re celebrating Roni’s birthday by talking about the books that influenced her as a reader. Then, Dawn is gifting Roni with a stack of book recommendations tailored to her tastes. Plus, we’re celebrating our 1-year podcast anniversary! Come and join our bookish party!


Highlights: 

  • Our little baby podcast is now one year old!
  • Roni’s embarrassing TBR confession
  • We get wistful about the Scholastic book fair flyer
  • Team Babysitters Club vs Team Sweet Valley High
  • A book that gutted Baby Roni
  • The day Dawn missed a very important day in reading class and was book traumatized
  • The joy of nineties teen horror books
  • That age when you hit the “sneaky reads”
  • Yep, Flowers in the Attic messed all of us up ;) 
  • That time Roni asked her dad the definition of a word and was mortified to find out the answer
  • When Roni’s reading life died and the book that brought her back
  • How did Roni end up writing super steamy romance
  • Dawn gifts Roni with personalized book recs
  • Roni somehow brings things back to Buffy again
  • Our RAD Recs of the week!
  • We go on a tangent about fear just in time for the spookiest month


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram


*Note: all book links are affiliate links which means the podcast makes a small commission if you make a purchase, but there is no extra cost to you!




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
52 minutes 5 seconds

RAD Reading
Unlikable Heroines with (Likable) Guest Author Pippa Grant

USA Today and #1 Amazon Bestselling author Pippa Grant is joining us today to talk about unlikable heroines and why they need love too. Plus, we get to hear a little about her romantic comedies! (Fair warning: this talk is more PG-13 than some of our others so don’t listen with kiddos in the car.)


Highlights: 

  • Unlikable heroines need love too
  • Not all things marketed as romantic comedy are true comedy
  • Pippa’s got a new release coming called Irresistible Trouble
  • Dawn and Roni have their RAD Reading After Dark voices going because when we recorded, we were both recovering from COVID
  • Unlikable heroine does not mean a badly written heroine
  • The double standard for heroines
  • Types of unlikable heroines - the b**ch, the achiever, the sexually liberated heroine, the messy heroine, true female villains
  • Why authors try not to read their own reviews
  • Roni has feelings about Fatal Attraction
  • “Cool motive. Still murder.” – Dawn
  • Roni’s meanest heroine
  • Our reading recs for books with unlikable heroines
  • Our RAD recs of the week


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

  • Our guest author: Pippa Grant
  • RAD Reading on Instagram
  • RAD Reading Facebook Page
  • RAD Reading Website
  • RAD Rec Master List
  • Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram
  • Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
1 hour 6 minutes 2 seconds

RAD Reading
Don’t You Forget About Me: Stories Told in Alternative Formats

Sometimes we get so focused on the traditional novel that we forget that stories come in all different types of formats and structures. This week, we’re giving those kinds of stories the spotlight. Join us as we recommend graphic novels, anthologies, short stories, novels with creative formats, and some truly wacky things Dawn found at the bookstore!


Highlights: 

  • Reading is reading and don’t let anyone tell you format dictates whether something counts
  • Roni gets on her reading soapbox at a football game and was “that person”
  • Giving things a try that you think may not be for you
  • Dawn wants to time travel
  • The upsides of short stories
  • Dawn was definitely almost killed by one of the Children of the Corn
  • Leonard the dog makes known his love of LGBTQIA+ romance
  • The difference between graphic novels and comics 
  • Roni discovers a new way to read graphic novels that makes it so much easier for her to follow the story
  • Roni is going through a Buffy phase #sorrynotsorry
  • Novels with interesting formats
  • Remember when Twitter wasn’t a hellscape?
  • The elusive state of “full mental capacity”
  • IKEA can be effing scary
  • The curse of “have a great summer”
  • Roni loves her scary movies and books but she’s terrified of one book Dawn loves
  • Dawn cheats on “choose your adventure” books
  • Coloring books with interesting subjects
  • Our RAD Reading Recs of the week - including a book a listener recommended to us!


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram





Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
1 hour 8 minutes 14 seconds

RAD Reading
Gearing Up for Fall with Paranormal Reads

It’s too hot here in Texas so today we’re dreaming about Fall and sharing a BIG list of paranormal reads to add to your TBR. We’ve got vampires and witches and shifters, oh my! Plus, you know Dawn is bringing dragons and Roni's going to talk too much about Buffy. We’re also talking about how the trend of paranormals has waxed and waned over the decades and how it seems to be coming back after a dormant period. And we’re so here for it! 


Highlights: 

  • Seasonal reading - our versions of it
  • Roni’s craving vampires
  • Roni is teaching her beginner romance writing class, you can sign up here (Code: EARLYBIRD gets you $20 off before August 25th!)
  • The paranormal craze of the aughts
  • Is the era of the rom com hitting the saturated point?
  • Dark books for dark times
  • How the pandemic may be playing into this potential trend
  • What each of us is looking for in a paranormal read
  • Dawn wants the weirdness
  • Roni’s obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer 
  • YA paranormal vs adult paranormal
  • The trope of the Chosen One
  • Our favorite creatures/monsters
  • What doesn’t work for us in paranormals
  • Ostriches and ghosts of children
  • Join Roni’s super cool newsletter and you can chat book recs too!
  • A giant stack of book recs coming your way
  • First-book-in-a-long-series syndrome
  • Our RAD Recs of the week


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

  • RAD Reading on Instagram
  • RAD Reading Facebook Page
  • RAD Reading Website
  • RAD Rec Master List
  • Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram
  • Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
1 hour 46 seconds

RAD Reading
Mini-episode: A Summer Reading Check-in with Roni

We've both got COVID, y'all. Ugh! So this week we've got a mini-episode with just me (Roni) because Dawn got hit with Covid harder and needs to rest. I'm sharing an update about my summer reading, and I want to hear how yours is going as well!


Highlights:

  • How's my summer book cart working out? (spoiler: things are not going well, y'all.)
  • An app that I'm loving for my book journaling
  • A change in my reading habits that I didn't expect


Mentioned in the episode:

  • The journaling app I'm loving
  • The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
  • Praise by Sara Cate


Come tell us how your summer reading is going on the Facebook page!


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
7 minutes 13 seconds

RAD Reading
Dawn's Special Birthday Episode + Book Bonanza!

Episode Summary:

It’s Dawn’s birthday week! Today, we’re going to celebrate Dawn with an episode dedicated to the books she loves. First, she’s bringing us a list of books that she credits with making her into a reader. Then, Roni is “gifting” Dawn with three book recommendations that are tailor-made for her. Plus, we’re bringing you a recap from our fabulous weekend at the Book Bonanza conference!  Join us for the birthday bash!


Highlights: 

  • Our Book Bonanza conference recap
  • Dawn the Designated Extrovert
  • Miss Connie the super librarian
  • Roni played Never Have I Ever with some superstar authors…and can’t remember much because she might’ve metaphorically blacked out on stage
  • Strawberry Ice Cream Hershey kisses are dangerous 
  • We almost had a murderous dinner
  • Readers truly are the best 
  • The books that made Dawn into a reader
  • Read the book but skip this movie
  • The power of English teachers
  • The book that every 80s kid had tucked inside their backpack
  • The book that taught Dawn it was okay for stories not to have a happy ending
  • The book Dawn would save in a fire
  • Roni gifts Dawn with three book recommendations
  • Dawn’s husband is very nice but she does like an alphahole hero in her books
  • Our RAD Recs of the Week

Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
50 minutes 58 seconds

RAD Reading
July's Read/Watch/Listen Recs

Today, we’re sharing the best things we’ve read, watched, and listened to over the last month—along with a few books that didn’t quite work for us. Plus, we’re celebrating Roni’s new book release!


Highlights: 

  • Roni has a new book out! Get your copy of For You & No One Else
  • If you’re at the Book Bonanza conference this weekend, stop by Roni’s table and say hi to both of us!
  • Roni had a great reading month, Dawn…not so much
  • Our favorite print reads this month
  • An element Dawn loves in a book: “people start dying”
  • Roni learns there’s a certain story premise that just doesn't work for her
  • An ending made one of us real mad
  • Expectations when a new book in a series comes out
  • Our favorite audiobooks this month
  • Roni and Dawn are never going camping
  • When a book’s about the journey not the destination
  • What we’ve been watching and loving
  • A show that is just a pure delight
  • The show Dawn is obsessed with
  • The movie that wowed Roni and gave her heart eyes for an actor
  • The TV show that spoke to Roni’s “id”
  • One of us loves a love triangle
  • Our RAD Reading Recs of the week – which are VERY different from each other!


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
1 hour 3 minutes 2 seconds

RAD Reading
Get Swept Away: Books That Transport You

A great book can sweep you away, but some books really take you on a trip. Today, we’re talking about books that transport you either to another place or transport you through time (because one of us is kind of obsessed with time travel/time loop stories.) So grab your suitcase or your flux capacitor and join us!


Highlights: 

  • Cheap travel via books
  • Australian listeners, please reassure us there aren’t giant man-eating spiders everywhere
  • Our favorite book settings
  • Roni wants to read summer camp books but not actually, you know, attend anything involving camping
  • Time travel books count as travel books because we say so
  • Watch out, don’t accidentally stumble into a wormhole
  • If Roni and Dawn were in a book with a grumpy/sunshine trope, it’s clear who would be the grumpy one and who would be the sunshine one
  • Time loops, and wormholes, and multiverses, oh my
  • Thoughts on sexy times in cringe-y locations
  • Dawn feels Outlander shame
  • Roni needs someone to explain season 2 of Russian Doll to her
  • Dawn explains reverse harem books
  • A stack of books we tried for this episode but that didn’t really work for us
  • Roni gets library hold guilt
  • Some books on our TBR that fit this theme but that we haven’t gotten to yet
  • Dawn’s Friday the 13th trauma
  • If Dawn ends up climbing a mountain, something has gone very wrong in the world
  • Our RAD Recs of the week


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
1 hour 1 minute 22 seconds

RAD Reading
Romance Author Taylor Lunsford + Our Favorite Books on Writing

Episode Summary:

Today we welcome romance author Taylor Lunsford, who is sharing some of her favorite romantic books with us, and then we’re doing a special segment for those of you who may want to try writing your own book this summer. Join us as we get a little nerdy and share our favorite books on writing!


Highlights: 


  • We welcome Taylor Lunsford, author of the upcoming romance You’ve Got Matches
  • Fan-fiction as an entrance ramp to writing
  • The joys and pitfalls of online dating
  • Roni’s own You’ve Got Mail moment 
  • Love at the DMV
  • Roni’s dog is post-surgical, in a vest, and not happy about it
  • Taylor’s recommendations
  • Thoughts on illustrated covers in romance & author input on covers
  • Roni is slightly obsessed with books on writing
  • The Newsies and New Kids on the Block fanfiction in our pasts
  • Dawn was already asking for book reviews in elementary school
  • NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - and Camp NaNoWriMo
  • Roni’s accidental Twilight marathon and breaking news: she has changed Edward vs. Jacob “teams”
  • Our favorite books on writing
  • Books if you’re brand new to writing
  • Where our ideas come from
  • What we’re reading now
  • Rereading vs. rewatching
  • Our RAD Recs of the Week


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram



Find our guest Taylor and her books online:

  • Taylor’s website
  • You’ve Got Matches
  • Fair Game
  • Love Set Match




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
1 hour 3 minutes 36 seconds

RAD Reading
The Summer Reading Extravaganza!

Episode Summary:

It’s one of the best bookish times of the year—summer reading season! Today, we’re giving you our best picks to add to your poolside stack, whether you’re looking for traditional breezy beach reads or something a little darker to keep you turning the pages.


Highlights: 

  • Does our reading change during summer?
  • Roni got herself in trouble with summer reading lists and her library holds
  • Our easy breezy summer pics
  • The book Roni was able to read at a NASCAR race and not be distracted
  • Dawn is reading some historicals now but she needs something extra in them
  • Roni is slightly concerned with her obsession with dual timelines and time-travel in contemporaries
  • Why Dawn has a friend to thank for not missing her “moment” to meet her husband and Roni has an old computer and a non-compatible America Online CD-ROM to thank for not missing hers
  • How Dawn failed as a parent ;)
  • What Dawn can’t listen to on audio
  • Our darker “summer is too sunny” recs
  • Roni’s weird category of books that make her think of summer
  • Our RAD Recs of the week


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
1 hour 6 minutes 18 seconds

RAD Reading
Casual Friday with Bookish Friends

Today, we’re keeping it casual and having our first guests over to share their best book recommendations! Join us as we welcome indie editor Jessica Snyder and mystery writer Stacy Woodson. Expect some great romance, mystery, and suspense recommendations! Also, Roni has a number of books that she didn’t know quite how to rate because…reasons.


Highlights: 

  • Meet our guests!
  • Dawn is giving her visitors the full Texas experience
  • Roni admits she used to line dance
  • Books that are hard to rate
  • Dawn recommends a book with the word “sausage” in the tagline
  • Editor Jess has a rec that’s a master class in upping the stakes in a story
  • Editor/writer brain showing up when you’re reading can be a problem
  • Thoughts on love triangles
  • A tip for listening to books on your Kindle
  • The upside of reading anthologies
  • Roni found a book she didn’t know existed but definitely needed in her life
  • Should authors go back and change things in earlier books
  • Our RAD recs of the week
  • And stay tuned for bloopers, in which Roni reveals just how embedded in her psyche, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Connect with our guests:

  • Editor Jessica Snyder - her website
  • Author Stacy Woodson - her website


Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
37 minutes 27 seconds

RAD Reading
Freaky Friday: We've accidentally swapped reading tastes!

Episode Summary: 

It’s a Freaky Friday! Dawn and Roni have accidentally swapped reading tastes this week. Roni is recommending suspense novels, true crime books, and true-crime documentaries. Dawn has all the romantic picks–including a subgenre she never reads. Also, we have some more library tips to share!


Highlights:

  • We had a library adventure and Dawn is now the proud owner of a non-resident library card
  • Roni is officially hoarding library cards
  • Ways to get extra library cards in totally legal ways
  • Our reading tastes have flip-flopped this week
  • The importance of chasing reading whims, especially as a writer
  • A book recommended by a favorite author that totally worked for Roni 
  • Roni gets nerdy about writing craft
  • Dawn is late-night clicking and not remembering how books ended up on her e-reader
  • Roni learns an important DNF (did not finish) lesson
  • The books we added to our library stacks
  • A little lesson on “high concept” reads
  • Recommending books to your library
  • The true-crime documentaries Roni’s been watching
  • What Dawn’s been watching (and has been getting nightmares from)
  • Our movie outing and unrealistic book launch parties
  • A RAD Reading announcement!
  • Our RAD Recs of the week


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram





Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
57 minutes 38 seconds

RAD Reading
A Matter of Taste - Bad Book or Just Not for You?

Learning your personal reading tastes is one of the best ways to enhance your reading life. Today we’re talking about the difference between a “bad” book and a book that’s just not for you (or not for you right now.) Plus, we’re giving examples of books that fall into those categories for us along with our RAD Reading recs of the week!


Highlights: 

  • To read reviews or not to read reviews
  • Roni’s trying something new with book reviews
  • Dawn is not allowed to be on TikTok
  • Where we look for book recommendations 
  • Roni’s favorite bookish podcasts
  • Book twins
  • Random raptors and when one-star reviews are unhelpful
  • Books and movies that are so bad they’re good
  • “Bad” vs. “unenjoyable” - there’s a difference
  • Not for you ever vs. not for you right now
  • Roni’s reading journal “breaking news”
  • Running experimental trials on your reading life
  • Seasons of life and how it changes your reading
  • Do you need likable characters?
  • What Roni learned while reading domestic suspense
  • Dawn’s hate-reading/rage-reading
  • Dawn puts on her editing hat to teach us about author intrusion
  • A list of books that were for us, not for us right now, and not for us ever
  • Grim vs. dark
  • Our RAD Reading recs of the week
  • The blooper reel


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
54 minutes 17 seconds

RAD Reading
The Books That Tricked Us

Episode Summary


In honor of April Fool’s Day, we’re talking about the ways books can trick you—the good and the bad—and sharing the books that tricked us! WARNING: Because of some of the bookish topics, this isn't an episode to listen to with your kids in the car. ;)


Highlights: 

  • The worst prank Dawn experienced
  • Why Roni can’t hear the 80s song “Don’t Treat Me Bad” without having prank flashbacks
  • Good twists vs. bad twists
  • Books that switch genres on you
  • Misleading book covers
  • Secondary plots that take over
  • The “It was all a dream…” Dallas cliche
  • Dawn’s fraught relationship with Nicholas Sparks
  • The book that didn’t play fair (in our opinions)
  • URNs and the Gone Girl effect
  • Non-fiction can trick us too!
  • Book expectations vs. the reality - why the mismatch?
  • Horror vs. thriller
  • Great books that tricked us
  • RAD Reading Recs of the week
  • Roni’s written a steamy story for a charity anthology to help Ukraine, pre-order Nightingale today!


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram


RAD Reading Facebook Page


RAD Reading Website


RAD Rec Master List


Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram





Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
52 minutes 40 seconds

RAD Reading
March's Read/Watch/Listen Recommendations

It’s been a while since one of our Read/Watch/Listen episodes, so now we have a big list of TV shows, movies, audiobooks, playlists, and yes, books to share with you today! 


Highlights: 

  • Calling a podcast audible
  • Reading slumps 
  • Roni is horrified by what her dog’s favorite treat is made out of
  • Stress levels and how they affect what type of reading we do
  • Books that make us clean out closets
  • What would be a cry for help from Dawn?
  • Did Amy Adams channel Meg Ryan?
  • Dawn’s interesting movie experience at the 4pm showing
  • What we’ve been watching
  • Roni’s obsessed with the 90s
  • Don’t move into a creepy house to combat writer’s block
  • Dawn could watch one show with the sound off and be just fine
  • What Roni’s listening to with her teen
  • Dawn listened to another audiobook!
  • Our RAD Recs of the week, including one that inspired Roni to write a 10k word story
  • Stay tuned for bloopers


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List

Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram

Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram





Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
41 minutes 17 seconds

RAD Reading
Take My Money Please: Autobuy Authors

Today is all about the autobuy authors. We love finding autobuys, but we can also get stuck in a rut, only reading our sure things. Join us as we tackle the pros and cons of autobuy authors and then share a list of our favorite autobuys. And warning, technology and Roni’s puppy hated us this episode, so expect some bloopers in the middle and some outtakes at the end.


Highlights: 

  • Texas ice sucks
  • Roni’s 6-month writing sabbatical
  • Puppies eating post-it notes
  • What is an autobuy author
  • Why we love autobuy authors
  • Why autobuys can sometimes get us stuck
  • Your dad and James Patterson
  • Somehow Twilight comes up again and we’re on different #TeamJacob #TeamEdward teams
  • Where to find authors and books like your favorite autobuys
  • Sometimes you can’t trust cover quotes
  • Stephen King blurbs everything
  • Our favorite autobuy authors in multiple genres
  • Queso currency
  • Dawn talks about ending on a cliffhanger and then the universe makes a joke about it
  • Roni institutes the Emergency Kong Protocol
  • Dawn and her aliens
  • Our RAD Recs of the week
  • Roni lent Dawn a book! 
  • Stay tuned for outtakes


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:

RAD Reading on Instagram

RAD Reading Facebook Page

RAD Reading Website

RAD Rec Master List


Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram


Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram





Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
49 minutes 26 seconds

RAD Reading
Reading on a Budget

There’s nothing wrong with wanting ALL the books. Give us all the books! Unfortunately, very few of us have an unlimited book budget. So today we’re sharing our best tips on how to keep your TBR piled high without having to dig for quarters in your couch cushions. 


Highlights: 

  • When we use the phrase “at least it’s not drugs” and reference Scrooge McDuck right out of the gate
  • Roni and pandemic book buying
  • Why libraries are awesome and how to use yours to its fullest
  • Dawn the book thief
  • The fancy copy of The Neverending Story
  • The magic of non-resident library cards
  • Our favorite insider library tips
  • Library sales
  • Book subscriptions
  • Book deal email lists
  • Dawn uses “Roni curation” deals
  • Goodreads giveaways and the one annoying feature that pushes Roni’s uptight buttons
  • Becoming a book reviewer
  • Dawn may still be bitter about getting rejected for a particular book
  • Used bookstores
  • Little Free Libraries
  • Book swaps & Dawn declares “There are RULES for books swaps.”
  • Don’t invite Roni to your book swap
  • RAD Reading recs of the week


Click here to get the full show notes, including links to all of our recommendations and anything else we mentioned in the show.


Find us online:


  • RAD Reading on Instagram
  • RAD Reading Facebook Page
  • RAD Reading Website
  • RAD Rec Master List
  • Connect with Roni on her website or @roniloren on Instagram
  • Connect with Dawn on her website or @dawnalexanderbooks on Instagram





Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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3 years ago
50 minutes 43 seconds

RAD Reading
RAD reading is a bookish podcast where the R stands for refresh and the D stands for discover and where two book-loving friends with very different tastes try to help YOU do those two things for your reading life. Join Roni Loren, a bestselling romance author, and Dawn Alexander, an indie editor, as they tackle reading roadblocks, give their best bookish tips, and of course, recommend all the great reads that have kept them turning the pages that week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.