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Smart Bitches, Trashy Books - Books & Literature
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HaBO: Anthropological Expedition Leads to Shifters | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
This HaBO is from Tarli, who wants to find this book: Ok honestly I feel like I remember so much I could just rewrite the book myself, but I've honestly been looking for it for over 10 years. It was a Mills and Boon type book that I read in the early 2000s (but it…
Regulation and Oversight Now Part of the Fantasy of Romance | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Today, Amanda shared with me a post from writer and illustrator Odette Locke, who recently shared information about her upcoming romance in progress, A Corps of Health and Safety, with some Instagram graphics that lit my brain on fire. Important note: absolutely no part of this post is a knock against the author, their idea,…
Books by Ilona Andrews, Penny Reid, & More | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Libro.fm's buy-one-get-one sale is happening from Sept 16-19, and you can get two audiobooks for one credit. And if you've been thinking of joining Libro.fm, you can get three audiobooks for the price of one if you're a new member buying a one credit per month plan. This means if you use code SWITCH, you…
Love at First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
I have to be upfront about some personal pet peeves first. I hate cosy witch stories. I don’t like twee and I don’t like cutesy. This book has touches of that initially and a lot towards the end, which has definitely coloured my experience of this book. So if cutesy, twee, and cosy are things…
Comic Style Covers Keep On Coming | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
It's Comics, but it's not Comic Sans! Recently Cat Sebastian revealed on Instagram the cover for her new book, Star Shipped, coming out in March 2026: Vintage comic style! I dig it. It conveys an era without being exactly specific, and it's a style that's nostalgically familiar. I've noticed this style as a growing trend…
Get Rec’d with Amanda – Volume 98 | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Welcome back, everyone! This round has a romance and a thriller, plus more nonfiction (as always). I just can't help myself. Out of the nonfiction, one is more biography and the other is definitely a bummer. Do you have any recommendations to share? Let us know in the comments!
Whatcha Reading? September 2025, Part One | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Welcome back to Whatcha Reading! Here's how we're kicking off the month of September: Lara: I’ve totally given in to the impulse to read the rest of the Guild Hunter novels. I’m currently reading Archangel’s Light. This series is big and comforting and cathartic. I’m so thankful to have another quiver to my bow of…
684. Thief of Night with Holly Black | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
The second book in Holly Black’s Night duology, Thief of Night, is out now, and I was so excited to talk with her about it. We start right off by talking about creepy places - like, what kind of magic comes out of Jersey? Then we talk about world building, starting with atmosphere instead of…
Jane Austen’s Fashion Bible by Ros Ballaster | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Jane Austen’s Fashion Bible is a great gift book for a very specific reader. They must be sufficiently interested in Jane Austen’s work to want a book which combines excerpts from Austen with Regency era fashion plates from La Belle Assemblee, a periodical that published its first issue in 1806. But they also have just…
Links: Crochet Patterns, Soap Operas, & More | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Hello and happy Wednesday! What a week! I'll be bopping around Disney next week to attend a giant pin trading event and partake in the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. I'm so stoked. I feel like my last vacation was to South Korea over a year ago. Doesn't it feel great to have a big…
A Rare Find by Joanna Lowell | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
This guest review comes from Lisa! A longtime romance aficionado and frequent commenter to SBTB, Lisa is a queer Latine critic with a sharp tongue and lots of opinions. She frequently reviews at All About Romance and Women Write About Comics, where she’s on staff, and you can catch her at _@thatbouviergirl on Twitter. There, she shares…
Tarot After Dark: Goddess Tarot and The Burning Question | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Come join me under the full moon in a circle of crystals for Tarot After Dark. Just kidding! While I fully support moon and crystal vibes, you are actually joining me at my kitchen table. I didn’t even clear it all off. This month we are asking a Burning Question, and sometimes when you have…
HaBO: She Reads Erotica on Cam | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
This HaBO is from Sarah from our podcast patreon discord: I'm looking for an erotica novella I read circa 2020/2021. It was probably a Kindle Unlimited title, although I can't find it on my KU history. Age gap I think. The heroine was a cam girl who rented a room in hero's home. She dressed…
Giveaway: Romance Reader’s Journal | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Hey, guess what? I wrote (part of) a book! This one right here, Romance Reader's Journal: A Log for Book Lovers & Lovers in Books! This is, as the title states, a prompted journal for romance readers, created by Chronicle Books. They asked me to write portions of the book, and wow, was that fun!…
Cover Snark: Does Jane Austen Know About This? | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Welcome back to Cover Snark! Sarah: The whole set of new covers is killing me. There are forwards by Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood and Alexis Hall and others. Elyse: I don’t remember a court jester in those books Maya: In every iteration, the checkerboard pattern shirt makes no sense to me Elyse: Also are people…
Wisconsin Sheep and Wool 2025 Recap | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
It's one of my favorite weekends of the year-- the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival--but this year it felt a little bit like a letdown. There seemed to be fewer vendors and less stock, meaning that even though I went early on the first day a lot of the specialty colorways I was looking for…
Let’s Talk About Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club! | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
So...didja watch it? What did you think? Tell me everything! Amanda: I'm putting my thoughts in a spoiler, just in case you may have started it and not finished it. Or if you haven't read the book yet, as most of my issues came from the differences between the movie and the book. Okay, I've…
September 2025 Queer Romances | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
This month is positively spoiling us with queer romance of various genres, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Debuts, established names, and notable category-jumpers are all on the syllabus this September, so gets your wallets and library cards ready because queer romance school is definitely in session!
683. RT Rewind: August 1996 Reviews | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
We’re going back to August 1996 - that’s a bit of distance - to take a peek at the new releases and the book reviews in Romantic Times magazine. We’re back in the era of time travel, a scifi imprint named Avonova, and probable worms. NSFW worms. As usual, we learn astonishing amounts of unexpected…
The Wrong Obsession by E.L. Sparrow | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
The Al Gore Rhythm got me. Recently, I’ve been receiving algorithmic ads for serial romances, where you pay to unlock chapters. Typically, Instagram or Facebook will show you the first few chapters to hook you and then send you to one of the gazillion romance novel apps out there. The excerpt grabbed me, but I…
The Rec League: Cozy Historical Mysteries | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
This Rec League is from Rebecca from our podcast Patreon Discord: So I’m really enjoying the Below Stairs mysteries and wondered if anyone has any recs for other historical cosy mystery series. What I like about them is they generally resolve well and have that cosy mystery feel, but they also acknowledge some of the…
Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Lessons in Disaster is such a beautiful, finely crafted book that I feel kind of humbled to have been able to read it. It’s not a perfect book - it ends abruptly, it can be didactic, and I developed a love/hate relationship with the tendencies of all these intellectual characters to use words like ‘heuristic’…
Reflecting on “Guilty Pleasures” | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Lara wrote this reflection about a "guilty pleasure" book of hers, and I have been thinking a LOT about the word "guilty" as part of this phrase. There are a number of folks who hate the phrase "guilty pleasure" altogether, saying that one needn't feel guilty about experiencing pleasure. I agree on that count -…
Links: Kickstarters, Sailor Moon, & More | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Welcome back to Links! Apologies if there are any errors. There is a cat in my lap who does not approve of me reaching over her head to type. No matter how many pet breaks or forehead kisses I give her. A friend and I watched The Thursday Murder Club Netflix adaptation this weekend. I thought…