Jaime Fok and Freya Valerio

Once Upon a Time Zone: A Bookish Podcast

Arts EN ↓ 53 episodes

Two friends, two time zones, and a shared love of stories. We are Freya (from Australia) & Jaime (from Canada), book besties who are worlds apart. As lovers of fantas, and fiction - we'll dive into what we are reading, TBRs, book recs, and more! Join us as we bridge together our time zones, one chapter at a time 📚✨Book Club: https://www.patreon.com/OnceUponaTimeZoneIG: @onceuponatimezonepodhttps://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcastJaime:https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefokIG: @jaimefokTT: @jaime.fokFreya:https://www.youtube.com/@freyvalerioIG: @freyv_readsTT: @freyvalerio

Author

Jaime Fok and Freya Valerio

Episodes

Book to Screen Adaptations We NEED to Watch! (And Want Next) 📚 [EP#27] 16.01.2026 57:45

Let's talk about books being adapted to screen, whether to TV series or movie! Books Discussed: Midnight on the Celestial - Julia Alexandra A Reaper at the Gates - Sabaa Tahir Jade City - Fonda Lee Jade War - Fonda Lee The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkein One Dark Window - Rachel Gillig Akarnae - Lynette Noni The Favorites - Layne Fargo Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah...

Overrated or Iconic? What We Thought About These VIRAL Booktok Books! 📚 [EP#26] 09.01.2026 56:46

Are these popular booktok books overhyped... or actually worth it? Let's find out! Books Discussed: The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi Normal People - Sally Rooney People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry The God of the Woods - Liz Moore The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes The Secret History - Donna Tartt The Perfect So...

December Reading Recap & Our 2026 Reading Goals & TBR! 📚 [EP#25] 02.01.2026 59:14

Let's wrap up our December reading month & talk about our 2026 reading goals! Books Discussed: The Strength of the Few - James Islington House of Flame and Shadow - Sarah J Maas A Day of Fallen Night - Samantha Shannon The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings) - JRR Tolkein The Bright Years - Sarah Damoff Iron Gold - Pierce Brown The Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson Oathbringer...

The BEST and WORST Books We Read This Year | 2025 Reading Wrap Up 📚 [EP#24] 19.12.2025 1:26:25

2025 wrapped! Let's talk about the best and worst books we read this year, going month to month. THANK YOU for listening this year, and can't wait for more episodes to come in 2026! Books Discussed: The Strength of the Few - James Islington Oathbringer - Brandon Sanderson Red Rising - Pierce Brown The Favourites - Layne Fargo Love in the Time of Serial Killers - Alicia Thompson Blood Over...

The Goodreads Choice Awards 2025… What Is Going On? 📚 [EP#23] 12.12.2025 1:11:23

Let's go over the Goodreads Choice Awards nominees and winners of 2025! Why is the romantasy category so confusing...? Books Discussed: Just Friends - Haley Pham Of Flame and Fury - Mikayla Bridge The Princess Knight - Cait Jacobs The Ballad of Falling Dragons - Sarah A Parker When the Moon Hatched - Sarah A Parker Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod Watch our video podcasts on YouTu...

Reacting to Your TOP 10 Books of 2025! 📚 [EP#22] 05.12.2025 1:04:22

Time to talk about the BEST reads of 2025! In this episode, we go over YOUR top 10 books that you read this year. Thank you everyone for submitting your favs, hope you enjoy! Books Discussed: We Three Heroes - Lynette Noni We Were Liars - E Lockhart Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid Sunrise on the Reaping - Suzanne Collins Blood Over Bright Haven - ML Wang Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir The Will of...

The Realities of Publishing a Debut Fantasy with Sarah Mughal Rana | Dawn of the Firebird 📚 [EP#21] 28.11.2025 58:10

Let's talk about the hard truth of publishing with Sarah Mughal Rana, author of debut fantasy Dawn of the Firebird. From her experience with writing an immersive and unique fantasy story in an age of romantasy, to her experience with defamation & review bombing, to social media marketing - join us in this fun chat with our first ever guest! Books Discussed: Dawn of the Firebird - Sarah Mug...

Bookish Things We Are LEAVING in 2025 📚 [EP#20] 21.11.2025 1:02:04

Let's talk about some bookish habits and trends that we just want to leave behind in 2025... and forget about as we move into 2026! Books Discussed: Words of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jaime&#3...

Books you FORGOT About... But Should Still Read 📚 [EP#19] 14.11.2025 54:47

Let's talk about some of those hidden gem books that we all forgot about... but we would still highly recommend! APOLOGIES for some of the audio quality in this episode, we had some technical difficulties this week 😭 Hope you're still able to enjoy this one! Books Discussed: Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore - Emily Krempholtz Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson Six of Crows - Leigh...

Book Series We DNF'd... vs Series We Can't Wait to Start! 📚 [EP#18] 07.11.2025 1:03:19

Let's talk about the books (series) that we gave up on and DNF'd... but also chat about some series we are SO excited to start! Books Discussed: Direbound - Sable Sorensen The Raven Scholar - Antonia Hodgson Legendborn - Tracy Deonn Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune Haunting Adeline - HD Carlton Twisted Love - Ana Huang Zodiac Academy - Caroline Peckham...

Creating Our PERFECT Fantasy Books 📚 | Choose Your Own Adventure [EP#17] 31.10.2025 1:03:43

Let's create our ULTIMATE Fantasy stories! This episode just confirmed we should NOT be authors, but we had fun doing it anyways! 😂 The Will of the Many Bonus Chapter: https://d1hbl61hovme3a.cloudfront.net/assets_us/interlude-confessiones-ad-mortuos.pdf?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaf2xFmz8pt_wyrplgvh8jxL2qxgze2T8JM4GhiB7U-uwIzLLUvHOhzYK4hznw_aem_eZlx6ZYwt7SnX_OsLup1ng Books Discussed: The Aston...

Oddly Specific Book Recommendations (for your very specific moods) 📚 [EP#16] 24.10.2025 57:49

Today, we are going to give you our book recs for ALL your very specific moods. Hope you love this one! (We apologize for the audio quality in the last 2 minutes, we had some technical difficulties <3) Books Discussed: The Intruder - Freida McFadden Alchemised - SenLinYu Katabasis - RF Kuang Alchemy of Secrets - Stephanie Garber Masters of Death - Olivie Blake Shark Heart - Emily Habeck Immorta...

Our FAVOURITE Authors and Where to Start With Their Books (READING ORDER RECS) 📚 [EP#15] 17.10.2025 58:20

Let's talk about reading order for some of our FAVOURITE authors! We'll talk about our fav books from each, as well as where to start with them. RF Kuang video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPMmm4ikRgU/ Books Discussed: Fake Skating - Lynn Painter Alchemised - SenLinYu Six of Crows: A Darker Shore (Letters from Ketterdam) - Leigh Bardugo The Poppy War - RF Kuang Babel - RF Kuang Katabasi...

The Books That Everyone Hated... But We LOVED 📚👀 [EP#14] 10.10.2025 57:27

Let's talk about some books that the world HATED (aka had very low Goodreads ratings)... but we loved. Books Discussed: Us Against You - Fredrik Backman Words of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson Alchemised - SenLinYu The Will of the Many - James Islington The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - VE Schwab Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir Silvercloak - LK Steven The Raven Scholar - Antonia Hodgson Yellowfa...

10 VIRAL Books We Will NEVER Read 📚👀 [EP#13] 03.10.2025 58:42

Let's talk about some popular BookTok books that we just do not want to read... Books Discussed: The Names - Florence Knapp The Kingdom of Copper - SA Chakraborty Icebreaker - Hannah Grace Flawless - Elsie Silver Wild Card - Elsie Silver Problematic Summer Romance - Ali Hazelwood Mate - Ali Hazelwood Bride - Ali Hazelwood Not in Love - Ali Hazelwood Deep End - Ali Hazelwood Credence - Penelope...

Long Distance Book Besties: Is Being a Book Lover Better in Canada or Australia? 📚 [EP#12] 26.09.2025 57:43

Ever wonder about book shopping habits, book prices, bookish events & communities across the world? Today we are chatting about our reading experiences as book lovers in Australia vs Canada 💖 Books Discussed: Mate - Ali Hazelwood Bride - Ali Hazelwood Golden Son - Pierce Brown Red Rising - Pierce Brown Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Convincing (*begging*) Each Other to Read Our FAVOURITE BOOKS 📚 [EP#11] 19.09.2025 1:00:32

When your book bestie hasn’t read your FAVORITE BOOKS… Just trying to convince each other to read our favs! Hope you enjoy this episode 💖 People mentioned: Emmy 🫶🏻 - https://www.youtube.com/@emmyrosam Books Discussed: Metal Slinger - Rachel Schneider Immortal Consequences - IV Marie Blood Moon - Britney S Lewis Binding 13 (Boys of Tommen) - Chloe Walsh The Poppy War - RF Kuang The Raven Scholar...

Books We DISAGREE On... Why We HATED and LOVED These Books 📚 [EP#10] 12.09.2025 54:16

From Ali Hazelwood, to Sarah J Maas, to Jessa Hastings, to Leigh Bardugo and more. Let's chat about some of the books one of us LOVED, and the other didn't love so much. Books Discussed: Rewind it Back - Liz Tomforde The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah Silvercloak - LK Steven Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir Deep End - Ali Hazelwood Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo Magnolia Parks - Jessa Hastings Where the C...

Our HONEST Thoughts On The Way of Kings | DEEP DIVE BOOK CHAT 📚 [EP#9] 05.09.2025 1:13:26

Let's do a book club style deep dive today. The book in question... The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. We LOVED reading about Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Szeth & Hoid, and cannot WAIT to continue the Stormlight Archive series and the Cosmere in general! As a note - the first portion of this episode is SPOILER FREE. We give a warning in the episode once we start going into spoiler territ...

Can We Guess the Book From the First Sentence? [EP#8] 29.08.2025 51:21

BOOK CHALLENGE TIME! Let's challenge our memories to see if we can remember the first lines of some of our favourite popular books. Take a stroll down our reader history and play along with us! Jaime's Options: A Darker Shade of Magic The Favourites Shadow and Bone Yours Truly Caraval When the Moon Hatched Beartown Mistborn The Seven-Year Slip Wild Love Freya's Options: Magnolia Parks The Seven Hu...

The Books That Were ALMOST Perfect... and Why [EP#7] 22.08.2025 55:40

Let's talk about those books that we would highly recommend, and were still quite possibly 5 star reads... but just had one element that made it not quite perfect. Lots of good book recs in this one for you! Bailee's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKjj01Z38dc Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTim...

THIS or THAT? (Book Edition) - Fav Authors, Reading Habits & Hot Takes [EP#6] 15.08.2025 1:07:04

Let's play This or That (bookish edition) - comparing authors, favorite books, characters, genres, reading habits, and so much more! Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠⁠ Jaime's socials: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: @jaimefok Tiktok: @jaime.fok Freya's socials: ⁠⁠...

All the BOOK SERIES We are In the Middle Of (Are These Worth Reading?) [EP#5] 08.08.2025 1:10:55

Let's discuss the book series that we are currently in the middle of reading. Will we continue or DNF? Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jaime's socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: @jaimefok Tiktok: @jaime.fok Freya's socials: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/...

The Search for the ULTIMATE Book Trope... Which Trope is Best? [EP#4] 01.08.2025 1:03:50

Let's search for our absolute FAVOURITE book trope. Will it be enemies to lovers, fated mates, slow burn, found family, or something else? Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠⁠ Jaime's socials: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: @jaimefok Tiktok: @jaime.fok Freya's socia...

Your Bookish Unpopular Opinions... Do We Agree or Disagree? [EP#3] 25.07.2025 54:44

Let's go through YOUR unpopular opinions and bookish hot takes. Do we think audiobooks count as reading, do we love or hate insta-love, what are our thoughts on sprayed edges? Find out in this episode! Follow us on Instagram: @onceuponatimezonepod Watch our video podcasts on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@OnceUponaTimeZonePodcast⁠⁠ Jaime's socials: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@jaimefok⁠...