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!
Honestly, my favorite SMTB discovery was that romance isn’t a genre to be ashamed of. Growing up, I LOVED romance novels but my family always made fun of them. After finding this site, I realized why I loved romance so much (basically the only genre created specifically for women, and the only genre that has ever embraced female sexuality), and I learned how to critique romance without ever demeaning the genre. Thank you for opening up my world!
My favorite discovery was the request section, I love seeing what other people are interested in, and finding new themes I would never have imagined I would love.
Hands down, the library app Libby has changed my entire reading life—and I heard about it here. Libraries FTW!!
Love the book reviews, podcasts and cover snarks.
Congratulations on your 14th Anniversary!
This marvelous site hooked me up with Amanda Bouchet’s Kingmaker Chronicles and I will always be most grateful.
Courtney Milan, Rose Lerner, Alyssa Cole, Victoria Dahl….and so many many more. Cover snark and SB link round up are also important and reliable moments of joy in my life that I am eternally grateful for!
Entertaining and perceptive reviews!
Never mind the giveaway, I’m in dire need of a bumper sticker from you gals. I tried to find an e-shop on the site and failed terribly. Is there a shop with things Bitch-y? Are there bumper stickers in there?? Happy Anniversary! Love your reviews! And secretly my fav part is Cover Snark.
Wow, 14 years! I discovered you almost around then, as a barely-adult who’d been reading romance novels for years and being embarrassed for them. My favourite discovery was that there is no shame in reading them, and that the women who read them are smart and funny and badass and a great community.
Honestly, too many to count. I’m so thankful for the Bitches and the Bitchery – my reading has been indelibly shaped by this community. Recently, I really enjoyed THE WOLF IN THE WHALE after it was mentioned here <3
What have I found here? So many things! I’ve discovered so many authors that are now favs (like Ilona Andrews and Alisha Rai) as well as great discussions on Romancelandia, feminism, libraries, and shopping for goodies. Congrats on 14 years!
SBTB totally opened me up to contemporary romance. I don’t know why I used to shy away from it, but I was more a historical fiction reader, and the romances I read usually took place between 1100-1800, the setting in England.
So I had a whole new world to explore, full of fun and romance! Jill Shalvis, Rosalind James, Lorelei James, Kari Lynn Dell…the list goes on and on. I’ve found so many great authors from this site, not only by the reviews, but the commenters are an absolute treasure.
The respectful atmosphere here is truly incredible, thank you so much for all your hard work-here is to many more years of SBTB!!
My favorite author–Julia James!! Thanks for the rec sb sarah!
Happy anniversary/birthday! I love this site and and am so happy to have found you! Hard to name just one best find but maybe Ilona Andrews? The hating game? Elyse’s batchelor recaps? The podcast? So many good things.
I have been reading (and mostly lurking) for a long time. I enjoy the variety of posts, and no matter my mood, there is something to find. Cover Snark and the podcast are my go-to faves right now. Happy Anniversary.
My favorite discovery that I found on your site was Ilona Andrews!!! I also absolutely love Cover Snark! It always guarantee me a laugh!
Congrats on 14 awesome years!!!
Because of SBTB I learned about M/M romance which is mostly what I read now. I’ve been reading the site and later listening to the podcast since early on. I remember when Candy was still a SB. I remember when Jane of Dear Author was co-podcast host.
Due to an earlier comment in this thread, I have to lookup the discussion about Someone to Love, where Mary Balogh and another author participated in the discussion.
Lois McMaster Bujold. The review of the first two books of The Sharing Knife hooked my interest, and I’ve gone on to read everything of hers. And reread them. And listen to the audiobooks.
Also various other wonderful things. Happy anniversary and thank you for all of the awesomeness!
Thoughtful discussions on romance, that look at underlying themes, deeper issues and can still enjoy a book for being just plain fun. I love the style of writing and SBTB is my favourite book and movie review site. You are all clever, witty writers.happy 14 and hope there’s at least 14 more to come!
I have been reading this blog almost since the beginning because I was looking for pictures of Fabio and one of your blogs came up in the search results and I stop by every day. And I went back and did read all the entries from the beginning when I found you so I almost count as an original reader. HAPPY 14th ANNIVERSARY!!! Also, I got to meet you and share your cookies at the RT Saturday signing in Orlando in 2009 (you’re great in person, too).
I have discovered many books and authors but the one who stands out is Courtney Milan. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read her books because I have so many favorite authors, but reading your comments finally pushed me to do so. And, as I suspected, I found a new favorite!
So, thanks for everything ya’ll share. I also like reading the comments of other readers and though I don’t comment that much, I look forward to reading SBTB every day. Thanks again and I hope to be able to read this as long as ya’ll are willing and able to post for us.
(PS, I really mostly commented to say “Happy Anniversary” because the only jewelry I wear is earrings so that’s all I’d want to win–though the other items are cute.)
HaBO! I love the crazysauce that pours forth from half-remembered romances, and I particularly love seeing how many different titles come up as suggestions to fit a snippet of description.
Happy Anniversary, SBTB!
I love the Cover Snark. It really makes me wonder who’s paying attention ta their jobs.
Congratulations! Came for the book reviews (discovered Tessa Dare here) but stay for the humor, keep the cover snark and F+ reviews comin’!
Happy Birthday Smart Bitches!
Happy Anniversary Bitches!! I discovered SBTB 4 years ago, and quickly became a frequent visitor. Love love love and huge congratulations for doing so well and growing the Bitchery so successfully.
My favorite find is the existence of other Romance Readers, and how supportive the community is of each other, booksellers and authors.
Wishing you all the best <3 <3 <3
I don’t remember how I discovered this site, or even really when (I’m so bad at dates), but I know I came for the reviews — and the snark — and stayed for the community. Whenever there is a new post, I enjoy reading the comments, and there are folks I always hope will write a response because I appreciate all the different perspectives, experiences, and wisdom.
I frequently mention I discovered Wen Spencer because of a comment someone left here. And that’s just one author I started reading because of this site. You have totally destroyed my reading pile, but sustain my need to always have a book at hand!
I must mention my love of the humor on this site. Right down to the disclaimers and the tag descriptions. You take the genre seriously but not yourselves.
Thank you, SBTB, and happy anniversary! I’ll be back again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, to read whatever you’ve posted!
Ivory nut palms have a seed that can be carved and it looks like ivory. Plus, supporting this form of faux ivory is good for the environment, and helpd save elephants by protecting made natural forests in their areas!
I was in a massive, massive reading slump when I discovered Smart Bitches (via TV Tropes, of all places!). And thanks to your reviews, I discovered Loretta Chase’s Lord Perfect and Courtney Milan’s novella Unlocked. Both were SO good, they reminded me of what it was like to get Good Book Feels and they yanked me out of my slump and put me on the path to discovering more awesome romances, historical and otherwise. Most of the romances on my TBR list have come from your reviews or your books on sale posts. So thank you for that. <3 <3
I feel like I found this site because of an old podcast interview with Ilona Andrews, who is my favorite. I’m pretty sure I then listened to one with Renee Raudman. At the time I really disliked audiobooks. Listening to the podcasts helped me overcome that dislike. I found a favorite, Lucy Parker’s Act Like It, and I haven’t looked back since
My favorite discovery here are all the books I wouldn’t have otherwise found! Particularly His Road Home, which is to this day one of my favorite novels!
I think that my favorite discovery has been accepting and not apologizing for my love of romance novels. I have zero patience for people who dismiss the genre these days and having this community helped me get there.
I love the Rec League and Elyse’s Bachelor recaps, and I have to echo some of the other comments and agree that finding a community of unabashed romance readers has been the highlight for me.
SBTB is by far my favorite site and my favorite discovery is that I am a romance reader and I am not alone! I love reading the reviews and the recommendations, one-clicking far too often, learning to identify problematic stuff in books, laughing at Cover Snark and The Bachelor reviews, finding Come As You Are, seeing healthy non-finger-pointing discussions on controversial topics, learning about various aspects of the romance publishing industry, getting suggestions for things I didn’t know I needed (eg the Friendshipping podcast), and the wonderful welcoming community that you have built. I love it all. Thank you so much.
I learned of ferret plagiarism here.
Happy anniversary! Like many other commenters, my favorite discovery is the community of thoughtful, respectful readers. And that staying up all night reading is so common!
As it happens, earlier today I was recalling the first time I had read a Smart Bitches’ column. It was cover snark and I had just taken a sip of tea. Never drink a beverage while reading cover snark. Your laptop will not thank you and you will have to clean up that beverage.
Cover Snark has me looking at covers in a different way and realizing many of my purchases have been decided based on the cover. So much for not judging a book by its cover!
And, heck, who knew there were Bear Shape Shifters?
My favourite discoveries are reviews of books that I’d probably never pick up on my own, both romance and non-romance.
And such a wonderful group of commenters; this is one of the few sites I come to where I look forward to the comments.
Happy anniversary! 😀
This giveaway question I probably the hardest you have ever asked 😉
There are simply too many things I love about this site, from the F+ reviews and cover snark to thoughtfull podcasts and the safe space for romance lovers you create, to choose one or two or ten…
I wish you many, many, more years ahead!!!
The wonderful reviews and podcasts
I have discovered so many things here, and not just romance books! Thank you to all the Bitches for keeping it going. One of my earliest discoveries was “Lord of Scoundrels” which so many people raved over. I probably never would have picked it up on my own because the original cover looked like an old timer bodice ripper.