Shelf Love: Romance Novel Discourse

Latest Episodes:

037. Food in Romance Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

Food in romance with romance novel experts Ruby Lang, Mia Sosa, and Jessica Van Slooten. Can food be infused with feelings? Does Sherry Thomas somehow make soup sexy? Listen to this episode to find out!

The Quarantine Romance Book Club is a 10-episode mini-series of short, casual conversations with romance experts, who are here to spread the joy of romance novels so that we can all stay home and NOT spread the Coronavirus.

Stay safe, stay calm, and keep reading romance.

Shelf Love:

Guests:

Ruby Lang
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Buy House Rules by Ruby Lang
Mia Sosa
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Buy The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
Jessica Van Slooten
Twitter | Instagram | Website | Listen to Jessica’s Ted Talk “Romance Novels are Feminist”

Book recommendations:

(I'd recommend listening to the episode for full content warnings, and please do your own research as well.)

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

036. Parenthood in Romance Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

Parenthood in romance with romance novel experts LaQuette, Felicia Grossman, and Jessica Van Slooten. It's all about choice, my friends.

Stay safe, stay calm, and keep reading romance.

Shelf Love:

Guests:

LaQuette
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Amazon | Buy Bedding the Enemy by LaQuette
Jessica Van Slooten
Twitter | Instagram | Website | Listen to Jessica’s Ted Talk “Romance Novels are Feminist”
Felicia Grossman
Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website | Amazon | Buy Dalliances & Devotion by Felicia Grossman

Book recs:

(I'd recommend listening to the episode for full content warnings, and please do your own research as well.)

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

035. Megan Erickson, Hope in Dystopia: Guardian by Emmy Chandler Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Megan Erickson (USA Today bestselling romance author) is my guest, and we talk prison planet romances, which can briefly be summarized as “forced proximity on steroids.” The romance worth reading is Guardian by Emmy Chandler, the first in a series of prison planet romances.

Discussed: Morality, The Trolley Dilemma, Consent, Humanity.

CW: in this episode we discuss consent, sex work, threat of sexual violence, and violence.

Shelf Love:

Guest Host: Megan Erickson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meggiejoknows/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganErickson_
Website: https://meganerickson.org
Ella Maven: https://www.ellamaven.com/

We Read Guardian by Emmy Chandler

Modern romance canon: Kristen Ashley: Sweet Dreams

Books/Media/Mentions:

Hold by Claire Kent
- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24582265-hold?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=vHtVIw6XdD&rank=1
The Gamers series by Megan Erickson
- The one Andrea read and remembers fondly: Changing His Game m/f romance
- Tied to Trouble: m/m romance
Netflix film: 13th
- 13th is a 2016 American documentary by director Ava DuVernay. The film explores the "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States;"[3] it is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime.
Sonali Dev: spoke at Baltimore Book Festival about how romance novels aren’t the journey of finding someone to love, it’s about the journey to discovering you’re worthy of being loved.
- https://sonalidev.com/
Disney “I Want” Songs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22I_Want%22_song
- Tangled is a great movie - Disney-fied version of Rapunzel
Reese Witherspoon’s Glamour Speech “What do we do now!?”
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKKRBnpDpBY
I mentioned episode 14 with Funmi B when we were discussing characters, and black heroines in particular, “not needing to be fixed.” You can listen to that full conversation here: we read Equivalent Exchange by Christina C. Jones.

Listener contributions:

Kini Allen: for her continual ribbing of that one time I pronounced Gif like Jiff
What are prison planet romances about? Contributors: Katrina Jackson, B. and her Books, Marisa Elaine Getas, Jess

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

034. Fate vs. Free Will Apr 04, 2020

Show notes

Decameron Quarantine Romance Book Club: part 3 of a 10-episode mini-series of short, casual conversations with romance experts, who are here to spread the joy of romance novels so that we can all stay home and NOT spread the Coronavirus.

Tonight’s theme is Fate vs. Free Will and my guests are romance novel experts LaQuette, Katee Robert, and Ruby Lang.

Stay safe, stay calm, and keep reading romance.

Shelf Love:

Guests:

Ruby Lang
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Amazon | Buy House Rules by Ruby Lang
LaQuette
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Amazon | Buy Bedding the Enemy by LaQuette
Katee Robert
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Bookbub | Buy A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert

Book recs:

(I'd recommend listening to the episode for full content warnings, and please do your own research as well.)

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

033. Romance Myths & Misconceptions: Kennedy Ryan, Emma Barry, Talia Hibbert, Tif Marcelo, and Suzanne Jefferies Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

Myths Twitter Thread from 12/11/19: https://twitter.com/ShelfLovePod/status/1204745917527732226

Shelf Love:

Sign up for the email newsletter list for bonus content
Website
Twitter
Instagram
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

Myth: Romance Novels Aren’t Well Written
Myth Buster: Emma Barry

Mentioned

Emma Barry

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.emma.barry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorEmmaBarry
Website: https://authoremmabarry.com/

Listen to Emma on Episode 30: A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles with Emma Barry: Cross-Class Romance, and Andrea’s HEA Existential Crisis

Myth: Romance novels are only read by uneducated women who don’t want to read substance
Myth Buster: Talia Hibbert

Talia Hibbert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taliahibbert/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaliaHibbert
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTaliaHibbert/
Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/192280797995525/

Listen to Talia on Episode 27: Talia Hibbert on Genderqueer Themes from Mulan and Forced Proximity in Therese Beharrie’s Work

Myth: Romance novel heroines are all damsels in distress; they’re vapid and lack substance or depth
Myth Buster: Tif Marcelo

Tif Marcelo:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tifmarcelo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TifMarcelo
Website: http://www.tifmarcelo.com/

Listen to Tif in episode #22: Tif Marcelo: Community, Outcasts, and Thirsty by Mia Hopkins

Myth: Romance novels are boring and all the same
Myth Buster: Kennedy Ryan

Mentioned:

The Fish Tails by Suanne Laqueur - The Fish Tales series (CW: school shooting)

Kennedy Ryan:

Website: https://kennedyryanwrites.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kennedyrwrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kennedyryan1/

You can listen to Kennedy on the following episodes

#18 Kennedy Ryan Minisode: The RITAs and Breaking Through
#24 Body Image in Romance Novels: Kennedy Ryan and Esme Brett
#28 Emergency Contact by Mary HK Choi with guest Kennedy Ryan: Longing, Connection, and Friendship as Foundational to Romance

Myth: Romance novel readers are stupid, can’t be feminists, and are all women
Myth Buster: Suzanne Jefferies

Suzanne Jefferies:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneJefferiesAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SuzanneJefferiesAuthor/
Website: www.suzannejefferies.com

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

032. Angsty Romance Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

Guests:

Karelia Stetz-Waters
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Buy Worth the Wait by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Katrina Jackson
Twitter | Buy Every New Year by Katrina Jackson
Katee Robert
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Bookbub | Buy A Worthy Opponent by Katee Robert

Book Recommendations

Trade Me, Courtney Milan
- Bonus rec: Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston
Block Shot by Kennedy Ryan
Perv by Dakota Gray
- Bonus rec: Filth by Dakota Gray

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

031. White Whiskey Bargain by Jodie Slaughter with Charish Reid Mar 24, 2020

Show notes

Shelf Love:

Guest Host: Charish Reid

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charishreidauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCharish
Website: https://charishreid.com/

We Read White Whiskey Bargain by Jodie Slaughter

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48137517-white-whiskey-bargain?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=D7NSbYj3yN&rank=1

Charish’s Influences:

Katrina Jackson
Rebekah Weatherspoon
Tessa Dare (Smart girls learning how to kiss for the first time)

Books/Media

Heist movies

What’s next for Charish:

Hearts on Hold is out now
Charish’s first novel is also available! The Write Escape
Heist blog excerpt from Charish’s next book: https://charishreid.com/2020/02/01/work-in-process-teaser-jewel-heist/

Shelf Love:

NEW! Substack for original writing and stuff | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Email: Andrea@shelflovepodcast.com

030. A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles with Emma Barry Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

Shelf Love:

Guest Host: Emma Barry

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.emma.barry/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorEmmaBarry
Website: https://authoremmabarry.com/

We Read A Seditious Affair by KJ Charles

Emma’s Modern Romance Novel Canon recommendation:

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (2010)

Books/Media

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt
Broken Knight and Ruckus by LJ Shen
Peterloo - Amazon Prime: Like the prequel to A Seditious Affair
Jean Valjean and Javert Kiss in Les Mis
Felicia Grossman: Georgette Heyer was an Antisemite and her work is not foundational historical romance

Historical romance that confronts politics of the time:

Lydia San Andres: https://lydiasanandres.com/
Felicia Grossman: https://feliciagrossmanauthor.com/
Alyssa Cole: https://alyssacole.com/

Related Episodes:

#23 with guest Katrina Jackson: The episode in which we discuss HEA/HFN
#17 with guest Katrina Jackson: The episode in which we discuss An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole
#11 with guest Kate Clayborn: The episode in which we discuss A Midnight Feast by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner

What’s next for Emma:

A story in this upcoming anthology: He’s Come Undone (May 12, 2020 release)
- "Appassionata" by Emma Barry
- Piano technician Brennan Connelly lives to control details: the tension on a piano string or the compression of hammer felt. But he's never faced demands like those heaped on him by Kristy Kwong, the diva who's haunted his dreams for two decades. Kristy's got her own secrets--the debilitating stage fright that's kept her from performing publicly for years to start--and this concert is the last chance to save her career. But can he locate her lost passion without losing his precious control?
- Also stories by Olivia Dade, Adriana Herrera, Ruby Lang, and Cat Sebastian
Red Shift with Genevieve Turner (out in 2020) - part of the Fly Me To the Moon series and featuring Soviet and US spies!

Shelf Love: