Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast

Amanda and I are back, deep diving into romance and pop culture history with issue 1997 of Romantic Times Magazine. The cover reads Love, Lust, Laugh, and we’ve got some vintage books to talk about. Then we talk about what books we’re most looking forward to right now, and what we’re currently reading.In two weeks we will be back with the ads & features, and you know a magazine from the 90s has the most excellent collection of cover art.And if you like video episodes, this episode is available in video format for everyone on Sunday at our You Tube channel.…Major Trigger Warning in this episode: At 20:24 we have a brief conversation about an author featured in the magazine who was the victim of a family annihilation. Immediately following, the book I discuss contains mentions of child loss, infertility, and infidelity. Skip ahead 2 and a half minutes.We also mentioned:Amanda’s TBR Takedown board game: “Gamify Your TBR”Greenland sharks! Solved HaBO: “She Served as Head of Her Father’s Army”Romance History with Steve Ammidown: “Lest We Forget” (trigger warning: family annihilation)If you or someone you know is in danger from domestic or intimate partner violence, The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1.800.799.7233, or you can text START to 88788.Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this week is Julia Quinn and we are talking about, of course, JQ Editions, a new subscription service creating special limited editions of historical romances. I’ve been writing about this since it was announced, and so I got to ask all my questions – and some of yours.Along the way we talk about the historical romance genre, administrative mayhem, and the practicalities of creating special editions of beloved books. Plus you get to hear my reaction when Julia shares some of the 2027 titles.Thank you to Verity, Sue, and Alanna for the questions!You can find Julia Quinn on her website, JuliaQuinn.com, and on Instagram @JuliaQuinnAuthor, and on Facebook at AuthorJuliaQuinn.You can find out more about JQ Editions at JQEditions.com.We also mentioned:Germ and Worm - a travel health podcastEvery Library Jeni's Ice Cream: Bridgerton Collection! Julia Quinn on The Today Show Episode with former romance author and CDC specialist Dr. Jennifer McQuiston122. Ponies, Ebola, and Historical Romance: An Interview with Jennifer McQuiston171. Once More with Ebola and Romance: An Interview Jennifer McQuiston...Do you like to listen to your favorite podcasts on YouTube? Find our latest episodes at on YouTube @SmartPodcastTrashyBooks - and please subscribe. I had to start the channel over.Music: purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kayleigh Donaldson is back! She is the guest on some of the most popular episodes, and I know what that is: she’s brilliant. We recorded this just before the Oscar nominations were announced, so Kayleigh is making (some pretty accurate!) predictions about Oscar nominations, and explaining what makes this year’s group of films so interesting.Along the way we also talk about vintage Hollywood gossip, character actors who go weird gremlin, and the way actors shape public narrative with their project choices, their fashion, and their cosmetic procedures. And also – Scotland made the World Cup – woohoo!I love talking to people who think about their favorite aspects of popular culture the way I think about romance fiction, and I already know you love when Kayleigh is a guest. Don’t worry, she will be back.Technical note: we had some connectivity issues and delay during the recording, so I don’t have a full video episode for this one, though I do have clips, so watch for them on social media. You might hear some muddy audio, and I apologize. Please know I did all the things I could.CW/TW: At about 2 minutes in, we talk about Elizabeth Taylor’s abusive first husband. We also talk about body and beauty standards in Hollywood.Patreon folks, you have an extended episode inside your Patreon feed with a whole extra hour of discussion about the Beckhams, the industry of celebrity children, and more....You can find Kayleigh Donaldson at her website, KayleighDonaldson.com, on Bluesky, and on Pajiba.com. You can also sign up for her (excellent) newsletter, Gossip Reading Club.We also mentioned:The New Yorker: “Amanda Seyfried’s Epiphanies”Reddit: Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun in Central Park Reddit: Sydney Sweeney and Christy Martin in Sports IllustratedTom and Lorenzo: Sydney Sweeney’s hair on Jimmy FallonThe New York Times: Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom on the “Enduring Invisible Power of Blondeness” (Archive link)The Wrap: Kayleigh reviews All’s FairThe List: Bradley Cooper’s Face and Resulting RumorsThe Wall Street Journal: Club Chalamet/Simone Cromer profileWikipedia: The Leveson Inquiry  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Candy recapped Heated Rivalry, and is that enough? No, of course not. We had MANY things we wanted to exclaim at each other about, so why not podcast about it?We’re going to talk about the show, the acting, the adaptation, and the fact that this show could never have been made in the US. Jacob Tierney is a genius, and we have many a rabbit hole of research to explore.If you’ve been thinking about this show nonstop, come hang out.You can find Candy Tan @beautifulduckweed on Bluesky and on Tumblr.And you can find the podcast with video on YouTube! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s never too late for Holiday Wishes, right? We had such a record number of interviews for the Holiday Wishes episodes this year, and I truly love doing them. Thank you.But many of you asked about Amanda’s recs and wishes, so to wind up our holiday extravaganza, Amanda and I are talking about the books that we loved in 2025, our wishes for everyone in 2026, and of course we talk about a LOT of other things. One of Amanda’s favorites was about a songwriter and so we discussed our music tastes, which, total surprise, are entirely different. We also look back at the most popular content on SBTB in 2025, and what posts and podcasts had the most engagement.Don’t forget to subscribe to the Smart Podcast Trashy Books YouTube Channel! We also mentioned:YouTube: Electric Callboy – “Elevator Operator”Webtoon: Villains are Destined to DiePodcast: The Sticky Bun BoysIG Reel: “Dating Grok”SBTB: Unhinged Bingo!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy 700th Episode!! Amanda Matta is a debut author (her book is coming in 2027!), media commentator, royal analyst, and an art historian. I’ve mentioned Amanda, and her podcast Art of History, which I love. In that show, she focuses on one particular piece of art and explains the history, context, symbolism, and even the details of how it was made. I like it. So I thought, why not have Amanda Matta give the Art of History treatment to some classic romance covers?We also discuss royal watching, racism, influencing and commentating on popular culture, Henry VIII’s codpiece, art history, and more.This is our 700th episode – woooo! – and it be both video and audio. The audio will be available on your regular podcast feeds, and you’ll hear us discuss and describe the covers in question. However, on the video, you get to see both of us, and the covers!Want to watch on YouTube? Here you go!Speaking of YouTube – did you know the podcast has a YouTube channel? It’s true! Each new episode is automatically uploaded, so if you prefer your podcasts on the ‘Tube, we’ve got you covered. Also, this channel is brand spanking new (I had to recreate it after YouTube deplatformed my last one without explanation. I presume bitches are to blame) so I’d appreciate it if you’d be so kind as to subscribe! If we hit 100 new subscribers, Amanda and I will live broadcast something very fun and silly to thank everyone.Thank you for being part of the podcast community as we reach 700 episodes! This is a big milestone, and I’m so thankful you’re here.You can find Amanda Matta at her website, AmandaMatta.com, on TikTok, and on Instagram.You can find the show notes with all mentioned books and links at SBTB.com, and you can find our podcast on YouTube, or wherever you get your shows!Want more romance commentary? Come hang out at Smart Bitches Trashy Books (https://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com)We also mentioned:Steve Ammidown’s post about Robert McGinnis, who passed away in 2025Windsor Castle: A Royal YearThe Infamous Three Armed Cover The Art of History PodcastOff with Their Headlines PodcastNorthern Disclosure PodcastThe Midtown Scholar bookshopThe Vulgar History PodcastBachelor Lady Butts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year!This week we are talking with Katie, Kate, and Adam – we’ve got book recs, wishes, spreadsheet discussions, dungeons, and some wishes that don’t violate the Hatch Act.There’s also rather appalling poo adventure immediately after my first interview. Pew pew!Check out the complete show notes at SBTB.com!Thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads are now turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much!You can gift a Patreon membership if you’re so inclined! A lovely gift for someone you know who loves the show.AND! The Smart Bitches Candle Collection is available now for a limited time – until January 5, and boy, howdy, does Wax Cabin Candle Company ship fast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are talking with Jenna Grinstead, Stephanie Violet, Lisa, and Bull! Yup, we’re visiting Norway this week. Bring a hat.As always we have book recs, including one from the 1500s, wishes, and terrible jokes.Please note: during my conversation with Lisa, we discuss true crime and historical murders.We also mentioned:The Bridge (tv show) Simple Happy Zen PodcastPlaying for Keeps PodcastSamantha.GarcixAnd…sunrise pictures!Important Notes I Want to Keep Shouting About!Thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads are now turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much!You can gift a Patreon membership if you’re so inclined! A lovely gift for someone you know who loves the show.AND! The Smart Bitches Candle Collection is available now for a limited time, and boy, howdy, does Wax Cabin Candle Company ship fast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are talking with Shana, Sue, and Rhonda about book recs and wishes, plus fantasy and magical bureaucracy, grief in romance, schtupping by volume, and inventions for readers to find even MORE books.We also mentioned:The Library Extension – This is an extension for Chrome browsers that will load a list of your preferred libraries with availability for a specific book you’re looking at online. You can add as many libraries as you wish, along with Hoopla, and it’ll search the catalogs for you.Our Knitting Gift Guide with some incredible patterns.Thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads are now turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much!You can gift a Patreon membership if you’re so inclined! A lovely gift for someone you know who loves the show.AND! The Smart Bitches Candle Collection is available now for a limited time, and boy, howdy, does Wax Cabin Candle Company ship fast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back with more Holiday Wishes! This week we’re talking with Rae A., Josephine, and Sneezy!This week we are talking romance bookstores and road trips, luxurious bidets, webtoons, and, of course, books. And some ranting about women artists in history. We are traveling as far as Taiwan in this episode – and this should be the last of my laryngitis – hooray for all of us!We also discussed:Webtoon: Only HopePodcast: Worlds Beyond NumbersThe Duchamp FountainFanfic: “Backhoe” by Zenoida McRoraBrightside Books and WineUpdates!Thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads will be turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much!You can gift a Patreon membership if you're so inclined! A lovely gift for someone you know who loves the show.AND! The Smart Bitches Candle Collection is LIVE! For a limited time only, you can get a Smart Bitches 20th Anniversary candle, and a Bad Decisions Book Club candle. You can shop small, support the site, and spread light and warmth this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back with more Holiday Wishes! This week we’re talking with Garlic Knitter, Claudia, Christine, and Jo.A few notes:First, my voice is not great. Some of these were recorded when I had a dreadful cold, so I apologize in advance.Second, if you’re a sympathetic crier like I am, please know that when Christine and I are talking, we both get a little choked up while talking about grief and the infuriating unfairness of American healthcare. It’s an emotional conversation and a beautiful one – thank you for sharing so much of yourself, Christine.Updates? Updates!Thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads will be turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much! You can gift a Patreon membership if you'd like! It's easy and very flexible.AND! The Smart Bitches Candle Collection is LIVE! I partnered with Wax Cabin Candle Company, an independent small chandlery, to offer two limited edition candles just for the holiday season!They are on sale now through early January, and you can buy one or both in a gift set! And they are going very fast! The Smart Bitches 20th Anniversary candle is an 11 ounce hand poured soy candle with notes of sea salt, book pages, sandalwood and jasmine.The Bad Decisions Book Club candle, also 11 ounces, is designed to be the perfect pairing for late night reading, with scents of sweet tobacco, book pages, leather, rose, and sandalwood. I had a marvelous time picking out the scents.So if you’re looking for the perfect gift for yourself or the book lovers in your life, check out the 2025 Smart Bitches Candle collection. You can shop small, support the site, and spread light and warmth this year.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for more wishes and recs? And bad jokes? I bet you are! This week we’re talking with Agnes, Emily, Sarah Jane, and Jenn – and Min the cat.And in the outro, you’ll hear from ShoesforAll, aka Sarah.And! Important announcement 1: thanks to your Patreon pledges, we have reached our goal with the F’ICE campaign, and all dynamic ads will be turned off permanently for everyone who listens. Thank you so much!Important announcement 2: the Smart Bitches Candle Collection is LIVE! I partnered with Wax Cabin Candle Company, an independent small chandlery, to offer two limited edition candles just for the holiday season!They are on sale now, Friday November 28, through early January, and you can buy one or both in a gift set!The Smart Bitches 20th Anniversary candle is an 11 ounce hand poured soy candle with notes of sea salt, book pages, sandalwood and jasmine.The Bad Decisions Book Club candle, also 11 ounces, is designed to be the perfect pairing for late night reading, with scents of sweet tobacco, book pages, leather, rose, and sandalwood. I had a marvelous time picking out the scents.So if you’re looking for the perfect gift for yourself or the book lovers in your life, check out the 2025 Smart Bitches Candle collection. You can shop small, support the site, and spread light and warmth this year.We also mentioned:The episode where we discussed frozen shoulder and other fun menopause things is Episode 658. Romance and Penetrative Sex: A Conversation With Jane BuehlerThe episode where Earth is Garbage and Space is Horny is Episode 392.You can download Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinburg from the author’s website.Emily mentioned some birds, and if you’d like to know what they look like, here are pics!The pileated woodpeckerThe red bellied woodpeckerThe great crested fly catcher  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s time for our annual Holiday Wishes episodes!Every year I connect with listeners around the world, where we talk about books, wishes, and bad jokes. So this time of year, my guests are…all of you!In this set of wishes, we’ve got classics, new mysteries, and series romances. And we’ve got Sapphic yearning!I have a record number of people signed up to do holiday wishes conversations with me, and these episodes are so uplifting and delightful, I’m extremely excited.And! There is still time to sign up! If you’re part of the Podcast Patreon or After Dark, you can still pick a time to connect with me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amye Archer, host of Little Miss Recap, was a guest on a recent paywalled episode of Fixing Famous People talking about soap operas. I was entranced. Amye is a fan of soaps, going way back, and I was very eager to have her as a guest to talk about soaps, the romances within soaps, and some of the overlap between soap fans and romance readers.After we talk about the matrilineal cultural inheritance of soaps and romance, we have a challenge. Amye brought some of her most memorably unhinged story lines from soaps, and I have brought some of my most memorably unhinged story lines from romance, and we’re going to swap.Please note that in this section we mention sexual assault, faked deaths, transphobic language and quicksand. During the recommendations, Amye mentions her memoir, which is about weight loss and addiction, so we discuss antifat bias and shame.This is a long one, so we’re going to keep you company.Did you have a favorite soap or soaps? Which ones?You can find Amye Archer at her website, AmyeArcher.com. Her podcasts are:Little Miss Recap – Also on InstagramGen X: This is WhyMurder She WatchedWe also mentioned:Northern DisclosurePump Up the Volume Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After mentioning Heather Graham, one of the Grande Dames of RT, so many times while recapping issues of Romantic Times, I got to sit down with her to talk about her career, the way the industry has changed, and of course, her memories of Romantic Times, both the magazine and the convention.We talk about…Her memories of meeting Kathryn FalkThe earliest Romantic Times ConventionsHer incredible RT partiesThe work of hosting conferences.Heather has had one of the most interesting career paths, and this is a guest with whom I could just turn on the mic and say, “Please, tell me everything.”TW/CW: At 48:40, there is a discussion of groping, and if you’d like to avoid it, please skip ahead one minute.You can find Heather Graham at her website, TheOriginalHeatherGraham.com, and find all her short stories under “For My Readers.” You can also sign up for her newsletter.We also mentioned:JR Ward meets WrathThe full collection of JR Ward meeting the different actors in full hair and makeup – please note she is really overcome and crying at one pointBoucherCon, the World Mystery Convention Music:Purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Lux Raven, author of the Siren’s duology that starts with Siren’s Mark, which came out – together – in early October. Lux wanted to join me on the podcast to talk about disability portrayals in romance, and about her own journey to diagnosis and how it influenced her writing – and vice versa.We talk a lot about the pernicious ableism in the writing of disabled characters, and about writing your catnip when you desperately want to see your experience in a romance.Last week was Invisible Disabilities Week, and we timed this episode on purpose. So if you’re dealing with an invisible disability, we see you. You are loved and if no one has told you today, you’re fabulous.TW/CW: at 16:50, we discuss antifat bias and misogyny in medical care, and if you’d like to skip over that, it’s about 1 minute total.Music:purple-planet.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re going back to May 2016 to look at the Ads & Features in Romantic Times magazine. The kilts are kilting and the abs are ab-ing, and we’ve got some questions.How do we feel about the terms “book boyfriend” and “pre-con”?How much of the 2016 conference depended on Twitter to announce pop up signings and special limited time events?And do you remember how important Twitter was to a conference?How many different ways are there to photograph a very muscled shirtless man? I think we’re going to see all of them.So hop into the time machine, we’ve got the snacks, and we’re off to May 2016.Patreon folks, you have an extended cut of this episode, available through the app or through your private feed.We also mentioned Elyse’s review of Imagines, complete with Amanda’s specialty Photoshop....Please consider joining our Patreon campaign to turn off all the dynamic insertion ads. We're more than halfway there! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m bringing back a classic episode from the archives of the show, and because she has excellent taste, Amanda said it should be this one. When I originally published this episode, I focused on how silly we were – and we are plenty silly.But since then Amanda and I have talked about the fact that when we recorded this, we were, in fact, baked out of our gourds.So it’s a different kind of time travel: We’re going back to June 22, 2018, when Amanda, Elyse, and I were cruising on the special herbs at the Romantic Times BookLovers convention in May – the last RT convention.You can see how many full circles that is – I think this is why Amanda suggested this episode.We’re going to talk about Amanda’s weakness for Val Kilmer, the ranking of Hemsworths in order of physical density, how bad of a style icon was Anita Blake really? And can Amanda and Elyse find a villain hero I’d be interested in? Nah.As I said in the original intro:This is what happens when Sarah, Amanda, and Elyse get really silly, and stop making sense. And given that this has been A Rough Week, we hope you enjoy our completely bubbly, goofy, discussion.It’s still been a rough week! So I hope this makes you laugh....We're on our way to turning off the pre- and post-show dynamic ads, and we're halfway! If you join the Patreon, you're helping me turn them all off, and you're supporting the show, while also getting some fabulous benefits. Visit patreon.com/smartbitches for more info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grab your carry on, your snacks, and a blanket, because we’re hopping in the time machine again to go back to the May 2016 issue of Romantic Times to look at the new releases and reviews!This issue caused some big questions.Coke or Pepsi?Backstreet Boys or NSYNC?Did you worry about spontaneous combustion?Should I read the Midnight, Texas trilogy by Charlaine Harris?How many erotic romance titles in this issue contain the word “dirty?”We have lots to talk about so let’s get started!We also mentioned:Our review of Summer Supernovas by Darcy WoodsElyse’s review of Sleeping Giants by Sylvain NeuvelAmanda’s review of the Sleeping Giants audiobook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexandra Vasti is back, because her new historical romance Ladies in Hating is out this week!We are going to talk about:Good angsty yearningWhen a character is their love interest’s bitch eating crackersLesbians in history!Erotic Victorian fictionSide trips include historical publishing houses, how nothing in romance is new, and how a lot of our current erotica, including that book where someone schtupps a door, is connected to books with the same sexual pairings in the Victorian era.You can find your copy of Ladies in Hating wherever you most like to acquire your books. And if your library doesn’t have it, ask them to order it for you!And don't miss Alexandra's last appearance on the show in Episode 664. Haunted Abbeys and Hidden History with Alexandra Vasti!...Please consider joining our Patreon to help turn off dynamic insertion ads for everyone: patreon.com/smartbitches Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.