Turn the Paige Podcast

53: Running Laps Around Me (ft. Jae Callis)

• Episode 53

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The conversation starts mid-flow—because that’s real life—and unspools into a warm, bookish hangout about reading through seasons of identity, motherhood, and friendship. We compare formats without judgment (physical lovers, audiobook skeptics, Kindle night-owls), and we admit the messy bits: zoning out, rewinding chapters, and trying to sneak a page at a winery. What emerges is a portrait of how stories carry us when we’re stretched thin and still hungry for connection.

We follow a breadcrumb trail of genres that mirror our moods. Fantasy reenters the chat with A Court of Thorns and Roses and a witchy pick that anchors our new book club, while romance deepens with Kennedy Ryan’s Atlanta-set novels that center therapy, repair, and adult friendships that actually show up. Poetry and perspective reads—Bell hooks, Rupi Kaur, Young Pueblo, The Four Agreements—offer language for healing and practical ways to shift mindset when life feels loud. For momentum, we reach for thrillers and magical realism, from time-loop puzzles to twisty mysteries, and we detour into a rom-com setup where exes reconnect through a ghostwriting job after a reality dating show complicates everything.

Historical fiction rounds the circle, reminding us that empathy has depth and age. We talk about attention spans, night reads after the kids crash, beach chapters, and the simple permission to be the reader you have time to be. Along the way, we laugh about car-sick reading, celebrate quick comprehension superpowers, and invite you to make book time a ritual rather than a race.

Want in on the community side? Join our Zoom book club, share your favorite recs, and grab our monthly newsletter with honest reviews and TBR inspiration. If this conversation made you smile, nod, or add a title to your list, tap follow, share with a friend, and leave a review to help others find us. Your stories, your pace—come read with us.

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SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Turn the Page Podcast. Sisters, best friends, and friendship podcasts with relatable episodes that feel like you're chatting with two of your closest friends or sisters. Join us as we turn the page to different topics about losing yourself in motherhood, adulthood, and anyhood.

SPEAKER_01:

And finding yourself again through meaningful friendships, endless piles of unread library books, and endless Amazon package deliveries. Real, honest, and a little bit.

SPEAKER_00:

Talk about it all. So grab your favorite drink, put the kids to bed, lace up your sleep, or whatever you need to do, and join us. We can't wait to connect with you. Hi guys. This is one of your co-hosts, Tawana Page. I am coming in on the top here. I am not sure why the audio did not catch the very beginning of this upcoming episode. It's actually a continuation of the last episode, which is I Am Who I Am. And not sure why I didn't catch the audio for the beginning part of this episode, but when you hear it, the very beginning is just us. It sounds like we're continuing a conversation. We did, or we thought we did record it, a beginning, but I didn't pick it up. So this is the beginning. I'm telling you that this is the beginning of this episode that has been continued from the last one, which is I am who I am, and we are diving into the second part of that.

SPEAKER_01:

So I hope you guys enjoy conversation, but we're gonna discuss books. We all love to read. Jack Ray, do you like physical books? Do you like audio books? Oh, we talked about this.

SPEAKER_02:

I prefer physical books because I've tried to listen to audiobooks and I somewhat zone out.

SPEAKER_01:

Fair. So it's hard for me to like stay focused. No, that's understandable. That also happens to me sometimes too. I have to rewind a lot. Yeah, and I'm like, that defeats the purpose, and I could just read the book, and it takes longer. It's interesting though, because I wonder how much of that is like different phases of motherhood. You haven't wondered kids. Yeah. Because I loved physical books until I became a mom, and then I was like, well, I don't have a choice but to do audiobooks right now because you always and you you need both hands. Yeah. Right. Um for each. But I hope to get back to physical books. You do Kindle, right? I do Kindle, but it's like at bedtime, so maybe I get a chapter in a night. It's not like I could read a book a bit like I used to do. I get that. I get that.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So I hope I aspire. I'd love to get back to physical books.

SPEAKER_00:

I like Kindle, physical books, and I like audio. Yeah.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Same zone.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so guys, what's everyone? Update. What were you gonna say?

SPEAKER_01:

I was just gonna say what's everyone reading right now.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I'm reading, this is just the backstory. So I have never been into fantasy until I realized that I was, which was um Twilight. Um, this was like years ago. I can't maybe my 20s, I'm nowhere near that anymore. Um, but I am reading, I'm in fantasy again. I'm reading, I don't know if you guys know the acronym Avatar, but it's a Court of Thorns and Roses. Um, it's the first book in the series. And I'm also my sister and I are also we have a book club, turn the page book club, which we meet for the first book of our book club on October 18th via Zoom. And we are reading, I keep calling it the Witch's book. It's not called the Witch's Book, but it's a something society of irregular witches. Yeah. Yeah. Um, while that is it's fantasy, right? Ish. Yeah. I mean, I think the witchy vibes fantasy. I'm enjoying it so far. I'm enjoying it on Spotify. Um, that's one thing that Shri did tell me that Spotify has on-demand books, but if you have premium, if you have premium, and I still think at that point it's still a limit, like for hours you can listen. Um, but this is the physical book. The physical book I'm reading is A Court of Thorns and Roses, the book number one. Um, the audio is The Witch's book. And then I was reading a book on Kendall. I think it's called When We Are Young or When We Are Innocent, I can't remember. I think it's been returned like a long time ago because I haven't picked it up in a while. My issue is that I read like to read a bunch of books at the same time because I like to do a lot of things at the same time, which is a flaw that I'm not not necessarily working on, but right now we're here. Um, I just have started reading again. I'm really just trying to dive into all the things in between life and everything. But yeah, alright, Jockey, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, I just recently finished um Before I Let Go, which is by Kennedy Ryan. Okay. It was a great read. Yes. Um romance, love story, and about like being real and honest. And it had a uh it could I connected with it also because it talked about therapy. Oh, yeah, okay. And I that was something I wasn't used to reading in a romance novel.

SPEAKER_00:

So um to the character main character of the therapy?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. Okay. And the family.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, cool, okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and so I like that they explored that dynamic, and the setting of the book was in Atlanta, Georgia. So nice. Okay. Yeah. Instant connection. So I like Kennedy Ryan so far. I'm gonna read, well, I started reading the second book because it's a three-part series called uh Skyland part one, two, and three. So Before I Let Go is the first book. I'm currently reading This Could Be Us, and they're about different characters. So Before I Let Go was about Yasmin and Josiah, those characters. And then This Could Be Us is about Yasmin's friend Soledad. Okay. And then the third book, which is called, what is the third book called? It is called Can't Get Enough. Okay, yeah. And that is Hendrix, which is uh Yasmin Soledad's other friend. Um, so I just it's interesting to, you know, kind of see the different dynamics of the friends' lives because they're very different women, but they are very there for each other, and I love that you know, you explore the whole adult women friendships and then how they deal with different things in life. But um, I typically gravitate towards books that are about um spirituality, um, positive mindset thinking, and um like I love romance because I'm a hopeless romantic. Um philosophical. I read Bell Hooks All About Love, um, and it kind of really explains how people interpret what love means for them and how they show love. Um so that's a great read. Um, I like that. And I read The Four Agreements by Um Don Miguel Ruiz, which is a four-book series. Um, I didn't finish it, and that's another thing that I'm working on. I'll start a book and then I don't finish it sometimes. So I didn't finish the whole The Four Agreements, but I'm gonna finish it. Um, but what I read so far has been pretty good, and then I also am into poetry. So like Rupee Carr, I love her Milk and Honey book. Oh yeah, it's a cool. Oh my god, it's such a great read. I didn't even realize how deep it was um because I got it as a gift. One of my friends um knew I was into poetry and gave it to me for my birthday, but it kind of explores like some past trauma experiences that she went through and healing from it. Okay, and I just thought it was just a cool poetry book, but I didn't know it was like that deep. Okay. It was a nice little way of kind of going through the journey because it was like split up in different like chapters, kind of. Yeah. Um, and then also young Pueblo, clarity and connection, um, just kind of like understanding how you how you interpret things, your positive mindset, ways of thinking, and how you connect with people and um connect with your society, your group. So those are just some things that I've read and that I'm interested in. Um, but I want to get into like the fantasy books, like Tawana was saying, because I'm into the fantasy sci-fi, like the witches, fairies, you know, stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01:

You should read and come to our book club. Read the witchy book. She did say it. She saw the newsletter, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

But yeah, do I have to have finished the book before the Zoom?

SPEAKER_01:

No, I mean just to be able to like participate in the conversation. I guess it just gives people an ed date if you would like to ship by then, but it doesn't have to be. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Or if they're not done and they come to the meeting, maybe it gives them maybe it's like, oh, I actually don't want to finish this, not interesting.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because it might spoil stuff. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean it's up to the person, but that's just the date that we're meeting.

SPEAKER_01:

But you're definitely welcome. We wouldn't like turn you off.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So do you have like guided prompts based on it? Yeah, I think it'll be a mix. This will be the first one, so I'm gonna figure it out. But I think it'll be a mix of like prompt like discussion prompts and then also just getting people's insight because we picked the first three books just to get them on hold at like. So October, November, December, yeah. But I want um people's input and voting and stuff for the next book, so that'll be part of it too.

SPEAKER_00:

Just like this one might be more of an icebreaker, and it's just the fact that like we get to come together, like you know, whoever wants to join, and just have the time for like ourselves to talk about the things we like.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

If nothing else, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I typically like thrillers, oh romance, you do like romance, yes. And then um, are we going downhill? I don't know, but it kind of sped up a bit. Um, and then lately I've been into I don't know if it's considered fantasy, but it's called magical realism, like time travel books, uh things like that. Where it's not like that's the main thing about the story, but it's a love story or a thriller. Is that the book Time? Time Keeper's Life? How do you use a tabletu? So that's yeah, it's like I guess that magical realism is secondary. Like the books that I'm talking about, Wrong Place, Wrong Time. Did you read that by Julian?

SPEAKER_00:

No, but it was in one of the newsletters and I read this.

SPEAKER_01:

Where like a bigger plot line is happening, but uh time travel is part of it, or like a groundhog day time loop thing is happening, and they have to figure out how to get out of it. Um but I recently, after not finishing two books, I was like terrified that I was getting into a reading rot. Yeah. Um I finished two um thrillers. One was Hidden Pictures by Jason Recalak or Recall Black. Okay. And um Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. Okay. And they were both good. Um, the book I'm reading now, it's called The Rewrite. I forget who the author is. She's uh black Brit or Nigerian Brit. Oh, cool. Um, so when I started, I was like, uh, I kinda I'm a mood reader, so I was like, I kind of am feeling the thrillers. I wish that I had another thriller to read. So it took me a while to get into it, but I'm fully into it now. It's these two exes. Um they broke up because one of them was about to go on a dating show. That's not why they broke up, but they broke up. Yeah. And then one of them on a dating show, and she had to like watch him be on the show. Oh. And he's like the celebrity now. She's a writer, she writes memoirs, and his agent is like, oh, we need a ghostwriter for a memoir. And he um they ended up reconnecting through that thrill gentleman. Okay. So they're like growing but also kind of unraveling what happened. Yes. I'm not that far into it, but I wait, is this a thriller? No, it's a romance. That's what I was saying. Like I wish that I had another thriller to read, but I ended up I'm like in it now, so interesting. Yeah, it's uh how would you be able to come? I don't know. That would be a weird dynamic for me. It is, she's having a hard time. I think the crux of it is that there was a lot of miscommunication and that neither of them really understood why they split. Oh. My guess is that he never actually stopped loving her. Okay. And he went on this dating show and was like an asshole. Everybody hated him. He's this bad boy, and I think it's because he was trying to like push other people away because he still wanted things to work out with her. Yeah, um wasn't open to a real experience. Yeah, so we'll see how it unfolds, but I definitely bounce back and forth. I have a TBR, I have books that I want to read, but that I go through based off of just what I'm feeling in the moment. Which is an interesting thing.

SPEAKER_00:

I love that. Um I am into historical fiction. I've always liked that. I love history, I'm a history nerd. Um we just read we as an I'm in another book club. We just read The Eights, which is about these four women that are the first women, women to be admitted into Oxford University. Um I think it was like the 1920s or something. So that was good. I had I let's see, rented it. I borrowed it from the library and then I finished like the very last bit of it on Spotify. Um, so I love that. I've read another what is that?

SPEAKER_01:

Hopefully just a stick or some plastic. Okay, because it was gonna go around.

SPEAKER_00:

Um another struggle fiction one I enjoyed was this Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. Um, I've read Cleopatra, like a bunch of, or not a bunch. I've read a Cleopatra book that was a struggle fiction. Um, I mean I listened to like historical podcasts, stuff about like history. Um, what other books do I like?

SPEAKER_01:

So I just want to build off of that because I also like historical fiction, but I noticed that I don't always have the attention span for them because they tend to be longer or like more dense. I mean it's history. I know, that's what I'm saying. Do you remember the book this summer I met Jack? Yes, I read that. Right. So that like next to the other books on my bookshelf is so much thicker. Oh really? How did I get through that?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah, no, I I did that on audio. Um and I liked that. Yeah. Um, I did read that. Um, just like reading, I do audio. Like I said, I do physical, you can't see, but I'm like showing people. But yes, I brought my book to the winery, and both my cousin and my sister were like, Why are you bringing your book? Like, you're just not gonna talk to us in the car. I said that.

SPEAKER_01:

Like I didn't say anything, but I did give you a look because when Jacquaret was sharing and burying her soul for her rosebud and thorn, you decided that was the time to open your book.

SPEAKER_00:

I wanted to get ahead. So, and then Jacquaret.

SPEAKER_02:

You read the book the whole way to the winery for the record.

SPEAKER_00:

And this let me just say that pivot off the next day. That's when I told then told Jacquaret that I was like, I get car sickness sometimes and like when I read in the car. And she's like, I don't understand. You don't have to read in the car, you can read in your house like when you're not moving. I was like, I understand that, but like I can't. I'm not a lot of person who like read while they're walking or like read while they're on the treadmill. Um, I just can't do that. And she's like, I still don't understand, but okay. Yeah, because the car sickness is specific to read in books. Oh, and then she goes, Is this real or is this made up? I'm like, no, this is a real affliction that I have.

SPEAKER_01:

Um this Jocky, do you watch Real Housewives? I don't.

SPEAKER_00:

I used to, but I can't. She goes, I don't watch that anymore. Like we talked about earlier today.

SPEAKER_01:

I can't.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I don't really, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

What were you gonna say? Just a quote from uh from Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. If my best friend is listening, she's probably the only person who will understand. But one of the characters or whatever was like, so we're making fun of impairments now. And that is just what that reminded me of. Yeah, I was gonna impulsively quote that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So that was what I had to deal with today. Um I maybe read like a sentence or two before Cherie's looks got to me.

SPEAKER_01:

I was like, I should probably put this down and listen to just like why was that the time?

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

How are you gonna listen, talk, and read at the same time?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm multi-talented, I can multitask. I'm a mom. We all are. I mean, all of us here. Um, like speaking. Yeah. So um, yeah. So I'm not into sci-fi books, I'm not into space books, I'm not into I used to not be into fantasy, but here I am, and people, if people are listening who I work with, they'll know and they're probably laughing because yeah, they've heard this from me, and here I am. Um yeah, I just really love and I also do, I like personal development books, and this might tie into what we talked about last time. Maybe some books about intuition might be good for me. Or maybe a little Google.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So what's your genre that you enjoy?

SPEAKER_02:

The most, I would say other than like romance because you're yeah. Um, I I would say probably like the philosophical books and the like I don't want to say self-help, but it's kind of like the positive mindset. Um, because honestly, there is power in your words. Yes. And a lot of times we don't understand how our words have weight. Yes. And, you know, you can definitely change the trajectory of your situations just by the way you think. And so, you know, I like reading about perspective. Okay. And shifting the narrative. You know, things are not gonna be a hundred percent black and white, there's always gray, but also understanding that there's balance and that um certain things are a part of the process to help with your journey. So that's why I like the positive mindset because you know, even in the moment you might be upset, but you don't want to stay there. Yeah, it's okay to have that feeling and you know, be upset and grieve or whatever, and feel your feelings, but don't let that keep you hostage. So that positive mindset is always gonna like kind of reel you out like a fish and just pull you out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I like that. That makes sense. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Come on, sir.

SPEAKER_00:

When do you find when is the best time you feel for you is to read Jay?

SPEAKER_02:

So it would have to be for me at nighttime. Okay. Um after the kiddos in bed and settled and yeah, so after I like cook dinner. Okay. I'm like kind of unwinding for the night. Um, I definitely can't do it during work because work has been kind of busy lately. Okay. Um, I read on the plane. Oh. Um, on the way here, and I plan on reading on the way back. Okay. Um, I recently went on a trip to uh Florida for uh Labor Day, and so I took my book with me and went to the beach. Oh, okay. So I read my book on the beach. Yeah. So that was a way of me kind of like catching up that I wasn't able to read as much during the week. Yeah. Um, so yeah, reading at night is kind of like the best for me. I can't really do it like early in the morning. Like when I first wake up, some people can do that. Yeah. I don't like waking up super early. I'm not a morning person. Um, and you know, there's so many things to do when you get off work, you know, with my mom. Yeah. Um, but I'm I'm working on trying to make it more of a consistent practice. Yes. And like devoting time to it. Because some days after I'm done with everything, I just want to lay down. Yeah. And I don't want to do anything. Yeah. I get that. You know, either watch TV until I fall asleep.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, or play solitaire on my phone.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, okay. Old school.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I love it. Um, but I've like I said, it's it's better at night because I'm a night owl. Yeah. So that's that's the best time for me.

SPEAKER_00:

I used to be a night owl until two children came out of me. So um. Oh, perfect. My bad.

unknown:

I really said the right of way.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, yeah, I tried to read at night. Can't really read in the morning, but I mean, I've always like envied Cherie, but like in a good way with in terms of like her reading so much and just being able to get through. She reads a quick read, but she also not just being a quick reader because sometimes people are quick readers, but like it doesn't mean anything because you're not comprehending anything. But Cherie's a quick reader, reader, and also comprehends what she is quickly reading. So I've always been like, that's absolutely amazing to me. I've always been admired, it's not empty is not the right word, I've always admired her for that. And even through like motherhood, I'm like, she has just kept this up. This is amazing. I was like, I need to step up my game. It has kept me sane, but I just think it's like a skill and like maybe genetics. I have another, um, I have a friend, a co-worker who also is just like she read who reads quickly and can is able to comprehend. She's also a mother, and she's been like reading like just her thing, and I'm like, how do you guys do this? I think it's like uh either you have it or you don't. Like, I'm not a slow reader, but like I can read, but I'm just not as quick as my sister and my coworker, and I'm like, y'all killing me here. I also run them laps around me.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, it's a touch of escapism.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm like, let's just duck out of this reality vortex for as long as possible.

SPEAKER_00:

I get it. Um, yeah, so I'm like, I'm sorry to be that. That's why I had to break out my book when Drake Ray was talking about her Rosebud Thorn. Justification. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. Um, so yeah. If you guys um would like to share your favorite books or have any recommendations, we also send out a monthly newsletter where we also have our um book recommendations, which are books that we have read, and we share our own book reviews, so you can get books from there. Um you can DM us or email us and asking for book reviews or sharing book reviews. Um we love to hear it, we love to share it. So thanks for listening, guys.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, yeah, also join our book club.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. Um, we will put it in the show notes of how to join. Um trying to match up the schedule. This might come out after October 18th, but like we said, like Shri said earlier, we have November and December as well. So you still have time to sign up, sign up for the other ones. Um so much. But yes, but thank you so much, guys, for listening.

SPEAKER_01:

Like, listen, review, and subscribe.

SPEAKER_00:

And thanks to our cousin Jay for being here as a guest. Thank you for having me. Of course, guys, and we hope you got something out of this. Maybe some new books you might want to read or that you have read that you just want to share your view on. We appreciate you. Talk to you soon. Bye.

SPEAKER_01:

Bye. Alright, everyone. This was another episode of Turn the Page Podcast. Thanks for hanging out.

SPEAKER_00:

Don't forget to like, listen, and subscribe. And also, don't forget to leave a review, please, and let us know what you thought about today's episode and all the other episodes. Thanks, guys. Talk to you soon. Bye.

Head Shot

Sheree Paige-Barber

Co-host
Head Shot

Tajuana Paige

Co-host