Once upon a time, long, long ago, on an internet both similar and different from the web we browse today, Smart Bitches was born. The site launched on 31 January 2005 with a review for Angel-Seeker by Sharon Shinn and for The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann, and here we are.
FOURTEEN YEARS LATER.
FOURTEEN! That is a lot.
And yet we have so many books on the TBR, so many thoughts to share about the genre, and so many things to talk about. And so very much absurdly-waxed quiescent man-titty. Can’t forget that.
Thank you for being here, for keeping the site going, and for being part of the Smart Bitches community. We wouldn’t be here without you. It’s no small thing to keep a site thriving for fourteen years, and I try never to take your presence and our existence for granted. Each anniversary is bittersweet, with so many websites shuttering, and the fact that we are still here, and still growing, is a wonderful and deeply affirming thing.
Seriously. Thank you. Thank you for every HaBO email, every request for recommendations, every piece of fan email, and every moment you spend here. I can’t tell you how much it means that you’re with us each day.
So, let’s celebrate!
Each year I try to find items that you might like which fit the traditional or modern anniversary gifts. But the 14th is gold, and ivory. Ivory?! Oh, hecketh no. So I’m mixing it up a little. Literary jewelry!
I have five different bookish, wordy, or otherwise Smart-Bitchy necklaces and a pair of earrings here, and I’m so excited to give them away!
A kate spade gold plated enamel necklace with a miniature pair of glasses!
How cute is that? The chain is 16″/40.6cm, and the necklace weighs 3.61g.
A book terrarium necklace (with an owl because owls are nifty) from Bijoux Malou
A paper rose necklace made from a page of Pride and Prejudice from Artsy Heartsy Boutique
Book End earrings from JezebelCharms
A bar necklace that reads “She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain,” from Jezebel Charms. I have one of these necklaces and I love wearing it – and it receives a lot of compliments, too.
To enter:
Leave a comment and tell us your favorite discovery from here at Smart Bitches. A book? A cover? A story you’d thought you’d imagined but no, it was real? A series? An author to glom and auto-buy? We want to know! Tell us your favorite thing you discovered through SBTB in the comments and you’re entered to win.
Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and ready to help us get our learner’s permit next year. We’ll take it easy on the brakes. You’ll also need to celebrate with us in style by (of course) reading something great. Comments will close at noon ET on Monday 4 February and winners will be announced shortly afterward.
Thank you for being part of Smart Bitches, and thank you for celebrating with us. Happy Anniversary!!
Update: Before we get to the winners, all of us at SBTB just want to say thank you to all of you. Whether you comment or just lurk, we so appreciate your presence and we love being able to give back to everyone.
Now, onto the prizes!
- Kate Spade necklace: flchen1
- Book terrarium: Janiec
- Paper rose necklace: Amanda Carter
- Book End earrings: Susan
- Bar necklace: Jen McKernan
We hope to see you all again to celebrate our 15th year!
I have discovered so many amazing authors through the reviews here. It remains my favorite part of the site. Happy 14th anniversary!
Wow! Congratulations! You led me to Loretta Chase and a really amazing period where I spent way too much on her back catalog because my library’s collection of ebooks was (still is) sadly lacking. And then so many other wonderful authors. My TBR Kindle collection grows ever larger but I bear you no ill will and hope you continue to thrive for many more years.
There are so many things I love about SBTB. But I remember clearly when I first discovered you and thought, “Finally. People just like me.” I have been reading romance for decades and have never found a group of people to talk about it with. You have given me the courage to go out and be proud to be a romance reader, instead of ashamed and hiding it in the dark. I remember when I was in college that I would give my paperbacks to my roommate so she could take them home for her mom to, literally, read in the closet. It sounds so crazy now, but that was the culture that romance has come from. Thank you so much for making me see that romance reading is something to be unapologetic about.
The podcast,, I listen regularly and love the interviews so much!
It’s not a trashy book, shockingly. You wonderful people introduced me to Jonathan L. Howard’s Johannes Cabal series and those books are some of my eternal favorites now. Also, one time I was reading cover snark while eating and almost died when I snorted a noodle. Good times.
Oh boy. I have been reading this site for a long time now, through any number of changes. At the time I started reading the site it was mostly reviews, so I started reading any number of authors because of the reviews here.
I don’t remember quite how I discovered SBTB, but I suspect it was something snarky/hilarious. The discovery that endeared the site to me forever was an A review for what became one of my favorite books of all time, The Summer of You by Kate Noble. I knew that I had found my people!
Happy Anniversary!
I discovered that the romance community is just as much fun as the books themselves.
TJ Charles! and, kind of, every bit of the romance universe that makes me happy, I discovered here, or learned to recognize more easily thanks to SBTB. Happy Anniversary!
And… wishing I could edit. KJ Charles! KJ!
I was stuck in a reading rut until I learned about SBTB via the PCHH podcast the other year, and now my TBR list is full of books I can’t wait to start! I’ve especially enjoyed discovering the books of Courtney Milan and Tessa Dare, who have become two of my go-to authors. And of course, Elyse’s Bachelor recaps. I have no desire to actually watch the show, but I can’t get enough of her rum-soaked reviews!
Happy Birthday! I love Cover Snark and Help A Bitch Out.
One favorite post a while back was a throwback to Sunfire and other teen romances I grew up with. I still have a boxful in the basement. And, I discovered one that was my mom’s was a real treasure–not financially–but during its heyday, it was a favorite book for then-teen girls.
Too many to count. But probably the reviews. I’ve been around on and off since the beginning. I remember I was on maternity leave with my first baby and couldn’t find anything to hold my attention during late night feedings and lo! I found SBTB. I can’t remember which book it was that I found through your reviews but it lifted me out of my slump, and here we are fourteen years later.That baby that kept me up at night is now a 9th grader
My favorite thing is this wonderful, brilliant, funny community!
I actually started reading this website before I ever read romance novels (barring some sneaking of my Mom’s stuff when I was 11/12). An online friend kept linking to you and the reviews kept me amused and awake through a dead-end night job I had. At some point it finally clicked in my brain that, hey, maybe I should actually read one or two of these books. So in a way, SBTB actually helped me discover the romance genre as a whole 😀
I love your book recommendations, I ADORE cover snark, as well as the great sacrifices Elyse makes for us weekly re “The Bachelor”! You guys are great and thank you so much. Happy Anniversary!
My favorite discover has been the whole bookish community.I found the podcast, which made me look for other book podcasts,I followed you on twitter which made me find others on twitter, I followed you on intagram, and found others there too. It’s been great! So many new people to meet and new books to read!
I had no idea there were so many kindred spirits out there in romancelania! I was alone for so long!!!!
Gotta be thefact that “Pregnesia” is athing that exists… 😉
Happy Anniversary! You’re one of my favorite places on the internet – thank you for all you do! <3
It can be exhausting to be a loyal romance reader and when discussing favorite books, only to have to whip around, grim face and steely-eyed and declare in response to some dismissal of the genre, “NO. ROMANCE BOOKS AND BOOKS FOCUSED ON FEMALE EXPERIENCES ARE AWESOME, HERE’S A STARTING LIST OF 14 REASONS WHY . . .”
The warm bath of smart, relatively gentle people is like a refuge from much of the internet. Congrats, y’all, you do great work!
Bec McMaster! Positive comments on Kiss of Steel got me hooked to London Steampunk and the follow-up series!!
Happy Anniversary! I found you through Pop Culture Happy Hour and stayed for intelligent talk, hilarious snark, and community of like minded readers. Not much of a necklace wearer, so don’t enter me in the drawing.
I found SBTB by following a link here for a free knitting pattern! Once I got here I jumped feet first into the rabbit hole of romantic suspense and romance in general. So far I have stayed away from reading historicals – just because I have so many backlists to complete that I had to draw the line somewhere.
God bless all you SB’s – I’d be lost without you!
p.s. And thank you, Elyse, for watching the Bachelor, so I don’t have to…
It’s not so much a specific thing as much as just having a place to talk and joke and vent without having to feel like I need to keep my guard up. That’s a true gift you give to all of us!
I’m not a jewelry person but I just wanted to say congrats!
I didn’t find the site until the last few months but along with a million more books to my TBR and less money in my bank my two favorite finds were actually not books:
1. Free non-book stuff at your local library. My library has a sewing machine! and park passes that come with backpacks with binoculars and little seek and finds for the kids. It also has museum passes that are so nice. They even have a recording studio. Plus a million other things I never realized.
2.The podcast and the HB podcast. I have never been an audiobook person so I just assumed I wouldn’t be a podcast person. Then I saw the autonomy is witchraft post and had to try it. Somehow this led to yuri on ice, which led to Heaving Bossoms – it is quite a rabbit hole. And now not only do I have new episodes to look forward to I have an entire backlog I listen to while I do the mundane things in life.
My favorite thing I discovered here, besides books on sale, is “Cover Snark”! I live for the sarcastic comments.
When I stumbled on a blog called Smart Bitches Trashy Books, I giggled (which I never do) and immediately followed you. How could I not, with a name like that we are obviously sisters separated at birth or something since I’ve been reading trashy books since I stole them from my Gramma in my tweens. I stayed for the cover snark, the recommendations, the reviews of really bad books (and the good ones too) and reading drunk posts about the Bachelor TV show—Elyse, I appreciate your sacrifice, and so does my liver since that’s the only way I’d watch it. Happy Anniversay!
How do I pick just one thing about SBTB to praise? I seriously love that you are Smart women who love the romance genre and are so open to talk about it. With the world the eay it is at times, who doesn’t need an HAE to uplift their day? Happy anniversary SBTB. Probably what I love the most about this site is that you exist.
This thread has been making me teary-eyed all day. Thank you. it means so much that you value what we do, and that you hang out with us each day. Happy everything to you all.
Happy anniversary! Man, I discovered you all when I was researching a romance novel research paper in the spring of 2006. And since, I’ve discovered so many authors through you that I don’t think I could even name one. Thanks for the giveaway!
Thank you for helping me discover Nalini Singh and the Psy-Changeling series.
It’s the reviews *especially* of the terrible reads. I also enjoy the podcast. Happy anniversary and congrats on 14 years.
Gonna be cheesy here. My favorite discovery is this funny, smart, joyful community of folks who say it’s okay to love romance, you can be an awesome intersectional feminist and still love romance, and yes you can think those mantitties are absurd and still love romance.
Oh, and: Courtney Milan.
Pretty much my entire kindle library are from books I’ve found via this site. Usually a sale post will entice me, I’ll love the book, and then work my way through that authors catalog. Thanks so much for all the good memories!
That there are other smart bitches that love reading the same books I do and I should be proud not ashamed.
Congrats and happy anniversary! I thought I had a good thing to put down as my favorite discovery but just reading the first page of comments had me going oh! Yes! I love that too!
My first thought was one of my first reviews I read here, which was for Pages of the Mind by Jeffe Kennedy. I loved that book and the review and then every other book in that series and the spinoffs. But I also love cover snark, the podcast, the community, just so much. I visit this site almost daily and am very grateful for it!
Happy Birthday! I have enjoyed breaks from my testosterone-drenched techy work life here over the past five or so years. Thanks for the many laughs and the many thought-provoking posts and reviews.
And speaking of testosterone-drenched … one thing I discovered here is romantic suspense is a good palate cleanser after one too many “Duke books.”
I found Sarah Maclean, Elizabeth Boyle, and Elizabeth Hoyt here. I look forward to Cover Snark, New Releases, and the daily sales. Oh, and the What are you reading posts and the recs in the comments!
After stumbling upon this blog, I first rediscovered romance and then e-reading. I can’t decide which is my favorite, but in the end, both of them lead to personal bankruptcy.