Lit Sh*t

The newest addition to Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy's A Christmas Notch trilogy, A Jinglebell Mingle, is out so we're diccusinng all things sexy christmas included spoilers from books one and two. Join us for what we liked, what we didn't and how Nolan sounds like every person's most bangable character in the books haha.

We talk about Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.  We discuss aging, complicated family dynamics, and friendships with sea creatures. What a fun beautiful book; we all need a Marcellus! 

We talk about At First Spite by Olivia Dade.  It's a small town enemies to lovers romance between a sassy plus size heroine and her doctor neighbor...who is also her ex-fiance's brother.  We love reading this book and how the author covers mental health and childhood trauma thoughtfully.

We talk about Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan.  Discuss being longtime fans of Crazy Rich Asians, this is our first time covering a Kevin Kwan book, and it's also our first time digging into a satire.  Join us as we talk about rich people behaving ridiculously!

We talk about Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs.  We enjoy this debut with a really interesting magical system, sketchy family members, and magical libraries.  We chat through some plot questions and discuss the logistics of the magic system.

We chat about The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas.  It's a Hunger Games-esq YA fantasy based on Central American mythology. It is packed with action, lovable character and great LGBTQ+ representation!

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams is our book of the episode. We were split in our opinions of this book but man did it give us a lots to chat about! From magical realism to music to flowers and their meanings and of course the romance there was something for everyone. This book also gives wonderful history on the Harlem Renaissance!

We've had some good reading so far this year, so join us for our discussion of the best books we've read in the first half of 2024.  We have some great romances, some fantasy, and some upcoming books to look forward to.  

Penelope and Colin's story is one of our favorite Bridgerton books (along with Hyacinth's) and we were so excited for their season. We had some ups, some downs and some side characters we were like excuse me but why, why did they make our Eloise so mean, please fix this! Overall we enjoyed this season more than last season and will impatiently wait for the next season's release.....in 2 years.

If you haven't read any of best selling author Ali Hazelwood, you're in for a treat! Today we are discussing possibly our favorite book of hers Love Theoretically. We related so much with Elsie and she deserved all the happiness she gets with Jack. We are also a huge fan of how well mental and physical health were handled and how the author covers women in STEM and the obstacles they still have to overcome today. 10 out of 10 we recommend this book across the board!

We discuss The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren.  If you love reality dating shows like The Bachelor and you love romance novels, this is DEFINITELY the book for you.  A romance author goes on a dating show with a cast of real-life romance tropes.  What more could you want?

We talk about Meg Shaffer's novel The Wishing Game. Whimsical and emotional this book about found family and finding your community was one we all enjoyed. A heartwarming tale about the power of a good book.

We revisit the Achilles myth by discussing The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.  This retelling digs deep into Achilles' story from Patroclus' perspective and follows the two from childhood through Achilles' death in the Trojan War. We were divided on our feelings of this book.

We love puzzles and we love discussing a longtime Staci favorite-The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.  This book is kind of like YA "Knives Out" meets "Ready Player One" and we're here for all the twists, turns, riddles, and games.

We are just as obsessed with Fourth Wing as the rest of the internet, so of course we had to make an episode about it! Rebecca Yarros gives us dragon riders, shadow daddies, and a badass heroine with a disability who offers great commentary on accessibility and choosing your own identity. Saddle up!

We add swimming to our list of romance sports novels with Stroked Long by Meghan Quinn.  This book is a sexy romance with a thoughtful portrayal of a character with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Multiverses are the new romances, and Sarah J. Maas has had us on the edge of our seats for two years waiting to happen what's next in the Crescent City Series.  Will Bryce get back to Midgaard?  Will Hunt and Ruhn escape the Asteri?  Are all the characters that are supposed to be dead truly dead?  It's gonna be a wild ride!

We talk about Air Awakens by Elise Kova.  This is a YA fantasy novel with elemental magic that gives Avatar: The Last Air Bender vibes, and we're here for it.

We discuss Royally Not Ready by Meghan Quinn.  This romance novel is kind of like...BDSM princess diaries?  Listen to learn how we get from Miami party princess to Scandinavian royal heir!

We discuss Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean.  This is the follow-up to Tokyo Ever After.  Will Princess Izumi take her place within the Japanese Royal Family?  Will her parents get their happily ever after?  Did we like the book?  Listen to find out.

We talk about These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan.  This is a YA fantasy book with dueling Fae courts, a heroine with secret powers and quick thinking, and plenty of romantic tension and court intrigue.

We talk about Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost.  This is a paranormal romance with a heroine with mysterious electrical powers, a sexy protective vampire "prince" (don't call him Dracula!), and an ancient grudge.

We're taking an intermission in our Royals season to hop in with a bonus episode!  We talk about the best books we read in the second half of 2023.  Join us for some ideas for your next favorite book!

We discuss The Royal We by the Fug Girls, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.  This royal romance is loosely based on Will and Kate.  It's an Erica pick, and we definitely had some mixed reviews!

We talk about A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lim.  This is a YA fantasy novel with a very unique take on magic that centers on tea ceremony.  We have a magic competition, court intrigue, and political scheming.

We talk about one of Erica's guilty pleasures, American Royals by Katharine McGee.  This YA novel follows four young women, two of them princesses, in an alternate reality where George Washington was America's first king instead of its president.  It's like Gossip Girl meets Princess Diaries!

We're kicking off our royals seasons with Royally Screwed by Emma Chase. This is a fun quick read romance that is set in a fake country reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. The main couple steams up the pages and the side characters are endearing and hilarious. Perfect book for readers who love a good contemporary romance!

We're playing another round of "If This Then That," where we revisit our most popular episodes from past seasons and recommend books you might like to read next.

We're sharing recommendation of books we love in case you want to align your reading seasonally!  We've got Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Ramadan, St. Patrick's Day....even Earth Day!

We're getting in on the Halloween fun with a get-to-know us episode, with some quirky bookish Halloween prompts.  What are our favorite candies?  Who would our favorite couples dress up as?  Listen to find out!

We cannot sing the praises of Tracy Deonn's Legendborn cycle enough, and continue our fangirling by discussing the second book, Bloodmarked.  We pick up Bree's journey with the descendants of King Arthur's round table as she fights corruption, racism and bigotry within the system and learns more about her magic.

We talk about the first book in one of Angie's recent favorite series, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.  We have a war college with a reluctant soldier, the daughter of rebel leaders trying to save her family, and a broken system primed for rebellion.

We revisit pod favorite author Elle Kennedy with Him, her collaboration with Sarina Bowen.  It's a heartwarming male/male hockey romance about two childhood friends who may become more after a casual summer camp bet. Bring on the steam, sexual discovery, the hockey, intense real adult communication and more. We'd give this book more than 5 stars if we could! 

We frequently sing the praises of Alix E. Harrow, and we're finally reading one of her books on the podcast with The Ten Thousand Doors of January.  This is a fun fantasy novel which takes us between many worlds as we watch our heroine learn more about her family history and magical abilities.

We're taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming to share our thoughts on the Red, White, and Royal Blue movie adaptation by Amazon Prime.  We adore this book its author, Casey McQuiston, and have been anxiously awaiting this movie.  We're so glad it's finally here!

We discuss The Bear and the Nightingale, the first book in Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy.  We love the folklore in this story about a strong heroine fighting to preserve her village's traditions.  It's an excellent commentary on feminism and religious persecution.

We discuss Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto.  This book is a fun, wild ride about an accidental murder and deep family ties.  There's a lot of humor, a bit of romance, and a hilariously loveable group of meddling aunties.

We indulge in some true crime with A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson.  This YA murder mystery is twisty, clever, and the first of a pod favorite trilogy.  Plus it's YA so it's not TOO scary.  LOL.

Erica has been talking up The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna and finally managed to get it onto a podcast season.  We chat about this YA fantasy novel with its f*** the patriarchy vibe, strong female soldiers, and deep friendships between women.  Plus an adorable cat creature!

Staci has been waiting for AGES to choose From Blood and Ash as a podcast book, and the time is finally here!  We love this pick from pod favorite author Jennifer L. Armentrout.  We have fantasy, romance, court intrigue, a bada**heroine and sexy hero...what more could we ask for?

Join us as we share our favorite books we read from January-June 2023!  We have some buddy reads, some ongoing series, and plenty of romance novels.  There's magic, dragons, and even a nonfiction pick thrown in there for variety!

What are your thoughts on Netflix's Bridgerton spin off Queen Charlotte? We chat our opinions from casting and attire to music and what we wished we had more of. Plus of course our love of Julia Quinn, Shonda Rhimes and how Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury ruled the series again!

We're welcoming summer with a discussion of our dream literary travel itinerary.  We talk about the real and fictional places we dream of visiting because we read about them in books.  We crisscross the globe and even visit other worlds.  It's an epic vacation!

We're finishing out our season with In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens.  This book is an absolutely adorable YA fantasy about a merman, a prince with fire powers, and a political conspiracy that threatens their kingdom. 

It's Christmas in May as we discuss A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone.  We highly recommend this book for romance book lovers! We completely loved our plus size porn star FMC and her former boy band crush MMC and wished for more toys to come out in the bedroom. We also adored the shenanigans that come from having a bunch of porn industry workers involved in making a movie set in a Christmas Hallmark-style town, fun business names included! 

We discuss The Color Purple by Alice Walker.  We have mixed reviews of this classic novel but can all agree that it is a great book for those wanting to educate themselves, opinions on the audiobook, and three different cover versions!

We discuss the fun book Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur.  Most of us would recommend this second chance romance featuring a variety of LGBTQ+ representation including pansexual main characters and bi and lesbian side characters plus a queer author. We love the characters and the sex scenes were well written but we all agree a little more variety would have been appreciated. 

We discuss The Other Merlin by Robin Schneider.  We enjoy this gender-bending retelling of the King Arthur story with a bookish Arthur, a bisexual female Merlin masquerading as her brother, and a gay Lancelot.  We have some questions and issues with historical setting and world building.

We discuss Redefining Realness, a memoir by Janet Mock.  We appreciate hearing a trans woman's story from her own voice-the triumphs, the pain, and the honesty.

We discuss The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.  We fell in love with this fantasy story about found family.  We love the magical children we meet, including a gnome, a wyvern, and the antichrist.  We root for a government employee in a dead-end job who has his life turned upside down.  We add a new author to our favorites list.

We talk about This Savage Song.  We're excited to finally be discussing a book by V.E. Schwab.  This is a gritty YA distopia/fantasy where human crime drives the spontaneous creation of monsters!  It's heartbreaking and enthralling, and most of us enjoyed it.