I "like" Read It And Weep, and chances are you'll "like" it, too… If you (actually) like making fun of Stephanie Meyer.

"It seems like a really funny idea for three, mid-twenties gentlemen to be reading a sex book for 12-year old girls… that is clearly not aimed at us then to discuss it very seriously, or if that's less funny to be really mean about just how awful the book is." - Alex Falcone, 6/27/2009

 These are the words that begin Read It And Weep's first podcast back in June of 2009. Alex, Ezra, and Chris started their podcast by reading (or listening to an Audible, as it were) Twilight, one of the more ridiculous books of our generation.


Since 2009, the three comedic friends have aired a Podcast every week, and as of last Friday, Read It And Weep is just short of 150 podcasts. The podcasts began by discussing awful pop contemporary fiction, like Twilight; Eat, Pray, Love; and The Notebook (all popular books aimed at women, or teenage girls, as their purpose was defined in Podcast #1). Today, they discuss bad books, bad movies, and bad television. As a young woman who has at times submitted herself to the imaginary reality in some of these distasteful choices of entertainment, these podcasts remind me how ridiculous these books or Hollywood creations really are. For that reason, I can consider these Podcasts a grounding experience for 30-minutes every week.

 Read It And Weep has used Facebook as its main way of reaching out to the podcast's fans since it first started in 2009. The Facebook has definitely picked up in popularity: currently it has nearly 1,000 fans. Perhaps it isn't as popular as the books, television shows, or movies themselves, but 1,000 fans is certainly  a benchmark for three young men in their twenties from liberal arts schools. With the Facebook page, Alex, Ezra, and Chris alert their fans of upcoming podcasts, all the while lacing the posts with great amounts of humor regarding the podcast's theme-of-the-week.

One's appreciation for a Facebook page often stems from his or her deeper interest in the company or organization's page. Other pages that I've liked, e.g., Microsoft Career, stems from my desire to maybe one day work for Microsoft, and by liking the page, I can receive alerts or advice for my potential job search.

RIAW in Review for 2011: How RIAW measures their content's popularity…
and to measure their ridiculousness ;-)

However, my interest in Read It And Weep stems from my brother, who was Chris' college roommate during their freshman year at Whitman College. My brother, 6 years my senior, is the main source of my sense of humor as an adult; and due to his appreciation for satire, goofiness, and literature, his recommendation to start listening to Chris' podcast only followed suit. Therefore, in some ways, I guess it follows with the article we read regarding people's preferred reasons for using Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, that I originally started following Read it and Weep as a way to connect with my brother who lives in Europe.

However, by offering fresh, funny content on a regular basis, Read It And Weep has made me into a fan, independent of my brother's influences. For the most part, I would argue that I probably appreciate the comedy of this podcast even more than my brother, because, with most of the content originally aimed at women between the ages of 15 and 55 (what a target market, right?), I probably understand what they're discussing more often than other listeners. I am also a great resource for the podcast, because I am someone who constantly knows the scoop on the new (really awful) books on sale at the store, or which (kill me now) reality TV show is most popular among women in the earlier mentioned target market. Therefore, the Read It And Weep Facebook page offers me a place to communicate with the three comedians about which podcast they should make next.

If you take a look at the Facebook page, it's perhaps not much more special than other fan pages; but the fact that they create great conversation over literature, and they critically analyze pop culture offers the podcast's fans a weekly dose of thoughtful entertainment. I recommend that you all take a listen on iTunes to this podcast, and if you like the podcast, subscribe to the feed. It won't disappoint! :) Plus, you can get a free trial for Audible.com by using a Read It And Weep-specific coupon code, so you don't have to actually justify purchasing one of these awful books to understand the content. You can listen to it, thereby keeping your dignity: you'll never have to admit to having actually ever read Nicholas Sparks' Dear John.  But, just in case you ever do feel like joining in the pop culture roast, keep an eye on the RIAW Facebook page. They post the next topic every week, so you'll be ready every Thursday night for the next round of "compliment sandwiches" (you'll have to listen to know what that means)!!