Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Sarah Wendell
  • 4.7 (54)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Each week on Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, Sarah Wendell interviews authors, readers, reviewers, bloggers, publishing professionals, editors, and librarians about romance novels, which are among the most popular genres in fiction worldwide. Popular guests include: Ilona Andrews, Robin Bradford, NPR's Barrie Hardymon, Chuck Tingle, Sarah J. Maas, and Rachel Aaron. Amanda Diehl, co-pilot of the SS Smart Bitches, makes regular appearances with maximum silliness, especially during our Romantic Times Rewind episodes, where we take a look at old issues of Romantic Times Magazine (1981-2018). Frequent topics include romance novels, the way the genre is changing, and the brilliant and interesting people who read, write, and produce it, and issues common among romance readers. Plus, we always recommend some books we're reading and really enjoying. Learn more at SB-TB.com/Podcast. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    638. Smart Bitches After Dark - Tara interviews Sarah & Amanda

    Tara Scott, staff writer at SBTB and co-host of the Queerly Recommended podcast, is in the interviewer’s chair, asking Amanda and me questions about Smart Bitches After Dark, our new community support wing. We talk about what After Dark is, and also about the larger enshittification of different parts of the internet, and how we navigate that as a 20 year old blog. Yay blogs! I was really nervous about being interviewed, and I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes exploration of the site, the podcast, and the business of being in business. CW/TW: – I cry later! It’s good but if you’re driving and you’re a sympathy crier like I am, I wanted you to be aware. We also mentioned: “The The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok. Or how, exactly, platforms die.” by Cory Doctorow (Wired) (Archive.org)Odd Girl Out by Ann Bannon (wikipedia) You can find out more and join Smart Bitches After Dark right here! And don’t miss out on Tara’s show, Queerly Recommended! Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min
  2. 637. RT Rewind October 1988 Ads & Features

    OCT 18

    637. RT Rewind October 1988 Ads & Features

    It’s time for the Ads & Features of the October 1988 (!!) issue of Romantic Times Magazine. Y’all. We’ve got: Vintage gossip!Blind items that are very easy to guess!Danielle Steel’s two blue Mercedes!Fuchsia covers with giant flowers and startled animals!Riverboat gambler romance heroes!And a truly paltry obituary for an extraordinary author. It’s 1988. Fuchsia. So much fuchsia. Blanket content warning for romances written in the late 80s. Be ready for some very offensive tropes. Do not, and I mean this most sincerely, skip the visual aids. It’s 1988 y’all. The covers are glorious!  LINKS. So many good links! “Double Trouble: One or Two Women?” by Gillian Whitlock about the alleged plagiarism of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s The Blue Castle by Australian author Colleen McCullough.Sam Lord’s Castle, BarbadosSharon Spiak Art listing for Wary HeartsEye Heart Romance’s review for Mistress of the Seas by Ruth LanganClothes in Books: “Mary Burchell aka Ida Cook” – the patterns from Mab’s Fashions!Mary Burchell’s Wikipedia pageA BluSky thread from John Bull on Mary BurchellThe Pudding magazine interactive article about romance covers by Jan Diehm and Sandra Chiu  music: purple-planet.com Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 6m

  3. OCT 11

    636. Swordcrossed Cozy Romantasy with Freya Marske

    Freya Marske’s new book Swordcrossed is out this week, and she’s joining us from the other side of the planet to talk about what she calls, “Fantasy of manners, mercantile edition.” We also talk about writing fanfic and her new favorite show, Interview with the Vampire. Yes, I did mis-number last week’s episode – sorry about that. Music: purple-planet.com Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min
  4. 635. RT Rewind: October 1988 Reviews

    OCT 4

    635. RT Rewind: October 1988 Reviews

    It’s time to journey back to the October 1988 issue of Romantic Times! That’s right, we’re going all the way back to 1988, a time when one of us on the show wasn’t born yet. We’ve got absolutely appalling plots, some extremely luscious covers, and more – like Amanda’s engagement! Congrats Amanda and Brian! TW/CW: crappy family tales in the first 4 minutes, and overall, a number of references to enslavement, violence, colonialism, predatory behavior and assault in the reviews. Music: purple-planet.com Don’t miss the visual aids! We also mentioned: Jonathan Bailey at the Emmys (Town & Country)Belle Starr (Wikipedia)Water Witching: Fact or Fake? (Farmers Almanac)And you can see Amanda’s beautiful engagement ring on her Instagram!  Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min

  5. SEP 27

    634. Climbing Mt. Fuji with Courtney Milan

    Courtney Milan is here to talk about her newest book, The Earl Who Isn’t, and about climbing Mt. Fuji! Along the way we talk about training, the shifting style of historical romances, and audiobooks.And we have questions from you! A few moments to be aware of before you listen: we talk a little about her dog Pele, who passed away earlier this year. We also mention briefly the topics of antifat bias in medicine, weight gain, chafing, trauma, workplace abuse, cancer, and sexual harassment. Thank you to Tara, Emily for the questions! Music: purple-planet.com You can find Courtney Milan at her website, CourtneyMilan.com, and you can sign up for her weekly tea newsletter as well!  Support for this episode comes from The Starling Inn, the new novel by Claire Therese! Find The Starling Inn by Claire Therese inside Kindle Unlimited now! Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    57 min
  6. 633. RT Rewind: September 2015 Ads & Features

    SEP 20

    633. RT Rewind: September 2015 Ads & Features

    The ads and features of the September 2015 issue of Romantic Times are a nine-layer cake of wonderment and weird. Don't miss the visual aids! WE GOT FONTS. And dogs! Side trips include: Janet Dailey and who is writing her books (we don’t know)lawyer romanceschanges in cover designa twist cliffhanger in a quiz with no answer key! Plus, this issue of the magazine and also Amanda both have terrific memories of RT 2015 in Dallas. We have So many links! Meet Louisa, the cover model dog! (Instagram)Reformed Rakes’ episodes on Janet Dailey Part 1 and Part 2JanetDailey.com – all present tenseTopaz Literary: “Janet Dailey and the Curious Case of the Missing Author”The Contemporary Romance Color of the Year (SBTB)Joyfully Jay“This is the Last RT: Kathryn Falk Announces End of Romantic Times” (SBTB) Thanks to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Lume!  New customers get 15% off ALL Lume products with our exclusive code and link. Use code SARAH15 at LumeDeodorant.com  Music: Purple-planet.com Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    59 min

  7. SEP 13

    632. Being Fine with Friends, with Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer

    Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer are podcasting powerhouses with shows like By the Book and How to be Fine With Friends. This season they’re looking at friendship, the research behind sustaining friendships, ending relationships, and creating new connections with people – and they joined me to talk all about it. You can find their show, How to be Fine with Friends where you get your podcasts – like this one! TW/CW: short discussion of diet culture and diet books just after Kristen introduces herself. When she stops talking, hit your 30 second skip and you should be fine. What are some of the traits you appreciate most about your closest friends? ... You can find How to Be Fine with Friends where you get your podcasts, and you can follow the show on Instagram @howtobefinepod. Jolenta Greenberg can be found on her website JolentaGreenberg.com, and on Instagram @jolenta_g. Kristen Meinzer can be found on her website, KristenMeinzer.com, on Instagram @K10meinzer, and co-hosting her show The Daily Fail.  Music: Purple-planet.com Thanks to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Lume!  New customers get 15% off ALL Lume products with our exclusive code and link. Use code SARAH15 at LumeDeodorant.com  Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    55 min
  8. 631. RT Rewind: September 2015 Reviews

    SEP 6

    631. RT Rewind: September 2015 Reviews

    We’re going back to September 2015, and I want to ease you into this knowledge, so take a breath, center yourself: that was nine years ago. I don’t get it either but apparently it’s true? JR Ward is on the cover, and there’s all kinds of good stuff inside! Come with us to visit some reviews that are word salad, and some that made me say, a few times, “Way harsh, Tai. Way harsh.” Don't miss the visual aids! Music: purple-planet.com Thank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode: HelloFresh! For a limited time, kids eat FREE! Go to HelloFresh.com/sarahkids to unlock this exclusive offer. One free kids’ meal per box for two months while subscription is active. Visit HelloFresh.com/sarahkids! Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 16m
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4.7
out of 5
54 Ratings

About

Each week on Smart Podcast, Trashy Books, Sarah Wendell interviews authors, readers, reviewers, bloggers, publishing professionals, editors, and librarians about romance novels, which are among the most popular genres in fiction worldwide. Popular guests include: Ilona Andrews, Robin Bradford, NPR's Barrie Hardymon, Chuck Tingle, Sarah J. Maas, and Rachel Aaron. Amanda Diehl, co-pilot of the SS Smart Bitches, makes regular appearances with maximum silliness, especially during our Romantic Times Rewind episodes, where we take a look at old issues of Romantic Times Magazine (1981-2018). Frequent topics include romance novels, the way the genre is changing, and the brilliant and interesting people who read, write, and produce it, and issues common among romance readers. Plus, we always recommend some books we're reading and really enjoying. Learn more at SB-TB.com/Podcast. Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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