

Bad On Paper
Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Join Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter every Wednesday for a dose of books and banter, along with interviews with women who inspire us.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 11, 2024 • 1h 3min
Best Books of 2024
As 2024 comes to a close, we’re excited to celebrate with our best books of the year episode! We share our top 10 lists, and listen to voicemails about your favorite books of the year. See ya in 2025! Olivia Sharkheart by Emily Habeck Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra Long Bright River by Liz Moore The God of the Woods by Liz Moore The Husbands by Holly Gramazio Good Material by Dolly Alderton Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker Piglet by Lottie Hazell Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors The Wedding People by Alison Espach The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue Becca Pt 1 The Wedding People by Allison Espach Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy by Erin Carlson Such A Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter Stolen Focus by Johann Hari All Fours by Miranda July The Husbands by Holly Gramazio The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab Listeners The Life Impossible by Matt Haig The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Sky The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly Bye Baby by Carola Lovering Summer Fridays by Suzanne Rindell Any Trope but You by Victoria Levine Family Family by Laurie Frankel The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe The Naturals by Jennifer Lynne Barnes I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNichol The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza Ready or Not by Cara Bastone How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica Obsessions B: Amazon Tissue Box Cover O: Shrinking S2 January’s Book Club Pick - Stolen Focus by Johann Hari (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) Sponsors Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Book of the Month - Get your first book on BOTM for $5 with code TINSEL at bookofthemonth.com. Prose - Get your exclusive trial offer of 50% off your first haircare subscription order at prose.com/bop. This is Small Business - Listen to This is Small Business: Behind the Buy wherever you get your podcasts. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Dec 4, 2024 • 1h 7min
Obscure Erotica: Ho-Ho-Holiday Edition
We weren’t sure what to get you for the holidays this year, so we thought we’d gift you the best present in our sack (ha), a holiday-themed edition of obscure erotica. We scoured Kindle Unlimited to find the absolute most unhinged smut for your enjoyment—there are sexy Santas, engorged elves, and so many female protagonists named Holly. Get in the sleigh, we’re going somewhere absolutely unhinged! (Likely goes without saying, but NSFW content ahead!) The books we read Santa Claus is Going to Town On Me by M.L. Eliza Elf'd: Spicy & Sweet Holiday Monster Erotica by Ginger Kane Obsessions Becca - Using our merch account to make custom gifts for friends (a good reminder to get your BOP listeners in your life some merch!) Olivia - Antiques Roadshow What we read this week Becca - Nothing Olivia - The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride Sponsors Book of the Month - Get your first book on bookofthemonth.com for $5 with code TINSEL. Cozy Earth - go to cozyearth.com/badonpaper to enjoy 40% off using the code BOP. Prose - take 50% off your first haircare subscription order at prose.com/bop Better Help - Visit BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER today to get 10% off your first month. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Nov 27, 2024 • 1h 13min
Be Ready When the Luck Happens (Ina Garten’s Memoir) Book Club
It’s our last book club of 2024! We’re so excited to discuss Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten. It was the comfort read we needed this month, and we were surprised by how much we didn’t know about her! Obsessions Becca - The Nanny on Peacock Olivia - Disclaimer on Apple TV What we read this week Becca - The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V E Schwab, Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood Olivia - Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, Heartwood by Amity Gaige (out in April 2025!) Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten This Month’s Book Club Pick - No December book club, but we want to hear about the best book you read this year! Share via voicemail at 843-405-3157 or email us a voice memo at badonpaperpodcast@gmail.com Sponsors Book of the Month - Get your first book on bookofthemonth.com for $5 with code TINSEL. Cozy Earth - Go to cozyearth.com/badonpaper to enjoy 40% off using the code BOP. This is Small Business - Follow This is Small Business: Behind the Buy wherever you get your podcasts. Babbel - Get up to 60% off your Babbel at Babbel.com/BOP Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Nov 20, 2024 • 1h 3min
A Holly Jolly Gift Guide
It’s about that time for a holly jolly gift guide! We gathered gift ideas for every price point from 5-year journals to candy to candles and more! Under $25 Furbish Studio Matchbook Ornament - $28 BonBon holiday gift box - Med - $28 Book Person Mug ($15) + a book Weleda Skin Food - $13 Thrifted Matchstrike W/ Matches Framebridge ornaments ($25) $25-$50 LEUCHTTURM1917 - Some Lines A Day ($33) + a nice pen Custom Pet Stamp - $33 Confetti Flutes ($24) + Bottle of champagne Watercolor Set ($29.99) + Watercolor coloring book ($15) Rooms of Their Own: Where Great Writers Write book ($26) Photo prints Necessaire Body Serum ($48) $50-$100 Fredricks & Mae cutting board (med $95; small $40) and a cookbook like More Is More and Cook this Book by Molly Baz, What Goes With What by Julia Turshen, and What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers Free People Classic Striped Crewneck ($98) or Malibu Surf Sweater Set ($88) Goldbelly Essa Bagel Brunch for 6 - $99 Etsy Handmade ceramic mugs (so many to choose from, usually $60 - $80) Maya Base Perfume Oil $72 Target gift card and a friend date $100+ Hotel lobby candle votive candle - $145 Lingua Franca Sweatshirt - $175 (LFBECCA10 for 10% off) Cozy Earth Cuddle Blanket Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones - $350 Coach Brooklyn Shoulder Bag 39 $495 Engraved Locket/Jewelry from Monica Vinader - $130 - $178 Obsessions Becca - Grossy Pelosi Big Italian Sandwich Puzzle Olivia - Little Women (2019) What we read this week Becca - The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab Olivia - Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young, The Boyfriend by Frieda McFadden This Month’s Book Club Pick - Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (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) Sponsors Babbel - Get up to 60% off your Babbel subscription at Babbel.com/BOP. This is Small Business - Follow This is Small Business: Behind the Buy wherever you get your podcasts. Better Help - Visit BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER to get 10% off your first month. 831 Stories - Use the code BOP for 15% off their first order on 831stories.com. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Nov 13, 2024 • 1h 20min
Debut Author Spotlight
This week, we talked to four debut authors with books that came out in 2024 or are coming out in 2025 about their paths to publication! Get ready to load up your TBR and hear their advice for writers and recent favorite books. We chatted with Marian Schembari, author of A Little Less Broken Amanda Eisenberg, author of People Are Talking Lauren Evans, author of Casket Case Courtney Preiss, author of Welcome Home, Caroline Kline Obsessions Olivia - Puzzles Becca - McIntosh apples What we read this week Becca - Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley (out 2/24) Olivia - Babel by RF Kuang, We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer This Month’s Book Club Pick - Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (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) Sponsors Prose - See the difference custom haircare can make with FIFTY percent off at prose.com/bop Rifle Paper Co - Through Wednesday, December 31, 2024, Bad on Paper listeners can use code BOP30 for 30% off sitewide at riflepaperco.com Follow This is Small Business wherever you get your podcasts. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Nov 6, 2024 • 1h 13min
November 2024 Three Things
We’re keeping things light this week by sharing a fun batch of Three Things! Becca’s Things The Real Housewives of New York City Diving into the Holiday Season ‘The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books’ in The Atlantic Olivia’s Things Netflix’s upcoming holiday programming: Hot Frosty, The Merry Gentleman, Is it Cake Holiday, and Carry-On (here’s a full list!) The ‘Hear me out’ trend Obsessions: Olivia - That’s So True by Gracie Abrams Becca - The Is BookTok Actually About Reading? Episode of Culture Study Books: Becca - Trust by Hernan Diaz; The Getaway Car by Ann Patchett Olivia - Casket Case by Lauren Evans, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern This Month’s Book Club Pick - Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (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) Sponsors Farmacy - Visit farmacybeauty.com and use code BADONPAPER for 20% off your order. Follow This is Small Business: Behind the Buy wherever you get your podcasts. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Oct 30, 2024 • 1h 3min
Bel Canto Book Club
October Book Club is here! It's time to share our feelings about Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. We covered our reading experience, the real-life stories that inspired the book, side characters we loved, and if we enjoyed the controversial epilogue, and more! If you liked this book, you may like Anxious People by Fredrik Backman! Obsessions Olivia: Andrew Garfield (shoutout to his Chicken Shop Date) Becca: Viviaia Maryjanes in black What we read this week Olivia: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern This Month’s Book Club Pick - Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (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) Sponsors Cozy Earth - cozyearth.com/badonpaper and use code BOP for an exclusive discount of up to 40% off! Prose - get 50% off your first haircare subscription order at prose.com/bop. Quince - Go to Quince.com/bop for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Oct 23, 2024 • 55min
A Moving Retrospective
This week, we’re reflecting on Olivia’s move to the Hudson Valley in Upstate New York! Covering everything from why she chose the location, house renovation updates, how to make friends in a new place, and when the house started to feel like a home. If you’re in the area, come to our event at Lasting Joy Brewery in Tivoli New York! Obsessions Olivia - watching Real Housewives on a plane (Specifically Orange County and Salt Lake City) Becca - Brooklyn Candle Studio Apple Cider Candle What we read this week Becca - Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London, Sorrow & Bliss by Meg Mason Olivia - Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern This Month’s Book Club Pick - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (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) Sponsors Better Help - Visit betterhelp.com/BADONPAPER to get 10% off your first month. Book of the Month - Get a brand new, hardcover book for just $5 with code PUMPKIN, at bookofthemonth.com, and select Bad on Paper in the survey after enrolling so the brand can know how you heard about the deal! Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Oct 16, 2024 • 1h 11min
The Great Read-Alike Roundup
In celebration of our backlist fall, we’re dedicating this episode to sharing our recommendations for what to read if you want to capture the energy of a popular book! Romance If you liked The Idea of You by Robinne Lee, you may like Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff and Seven Days in June by Tia Williams If you like Emily Henry's books, you may like You Again by Kate Goldbeck and books by Mhairi McFarlane! If you like Talking at Night by Claire Daverley, you may like Shark Heart by Emily Habeck and Normal People by Sally Rooney If you liked The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan, you may like Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilde, Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins, and Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings Thriller/Mystery If you liked The Push by Ashley Audrain, you may like Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra, Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker, and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Rusell If you liked The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon, you may like Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka If you liked Yellowface by R. F. Kuang, you may like The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz If you liked The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, you may like Happiness Falls by Angie Kim Book Club If you liked Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, you may like All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, you may like The Measure by Nikki Erlick, The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, and This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub If you like Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, and The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer Fantasy If you liked The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, you may like Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow, The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg, and Caraval by Stephanie Garber If you like Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros or A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, you may like From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Lynn Armentrout, and Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti Lit Fic If you liked The Wedding People by Alison Espach, you may like We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman and I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue If you liked Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe, you may like The Husbands by Holly Gramazio If you liked All Fours by Miranda July, you may like We Were The Universe by Kimberly King Parsons If you liked Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, you may like Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark Obsessions Becca: Microstitch tool Olivia: The Burnt Toast Substack by Virginia Sole-Smith What we read this week Olivia: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, You Know What You Did by KT Nguyen Becca: Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London This Month’s Book Club Pick - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (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) Sponsors Prose - Take your free consultation with 50% off at prose.com/bop. Better Help - Visit BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER to get 10% off your first month Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.

Oct 9, 2024 • 1h 23min
How the Pod Sausage Gets Made
Have you ever wondered how we choose episode topics? Our intentions behind our book club picks? Our dream guests? How we want to grow the podcast? This is the episode for you! We’re sharing all the details about how our podcast sausage gets made. Obsessions Olivia: Sand + Fog Honeycrisp Harvest Candle Becca: Diddy conspiracy TikTok What we read this week Olivia: Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff This Month’s Book Club Pick - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (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) Sponsors Babbel - Get up to 60% off at Babbel.com/BOP Farmacy - Visit farmacybeauty.com and use code BADONPAPER for 20% off your order. Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Buy our Merch! Join our Geneva! Order Olivia’s Book, Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia’s Newsletter! Order Becca’s Book, The Christmas Orphans Club! Subscribe to Becca’s Newsletter! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.