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!
My favorite discovery was the wide and beautiful world of male/male and female/female romance. I never would have imagined that these stories would touch me like they have. It’s opened a whole new section of books for me to enjoy!
I love so many things about this site! The book recommendations (Discovery of Witches! Young Adult!), the cover snark (who knew farts came in so many colors?), the recipes, the unusual (yes, I did do a mystery vacation thanks to a link you provided), and more.
But I suppose my topmost favorite thing – when you post a link to something amusing, which I then forward to my daughter, who then reforwards or retweets the link because it is really cool (and, by association, am I)!
Honestly, I discovered romance reading through SBTB. I heard an episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour when they mentioned the site, and I was off. It was the genre I never knew I needed, and the community of intelligent, funny, welcoming women who directed my reading to the best. Thank you!
Happy birthday! I’d say my fave thing I’ve discovered is the podcast. I started listening when you were on about episode 40 or so I believe, so I’ve been listening a long time. It’s great! Thanks for all you do!
I came here as a new romance reader for the reviews – looking for something to read beyond what was available for free on Kindle (note: you often get what you pay for!). And I stayed for the community, the cover snark, and yes, the reviews!
Favourite book I discovered from the site? Possibly The Kiss Quotient which I inhaled after work one evening last August.
I rarely post anything here but I’m a longtime visitor. There IS a reason SBTB is still here and going strong. You all are real, honest and welcoming. You share truth! You are funny! You make me nod and smile and laugh. I can only imagine the work that goes into it, but you all do a fantastic job. What you do for Romance is valuable, important and needed. Congratulations on 14 years! I can’t wait to see what 15 brings.
I discovered an entire genre through here, for which I am very grateful.
I can’t even remember how I ever found this site, but I’m so glad I stayed. Here, you can break the rules of the internet and read the comments without wanting to put your head down in despair. I think my favorite thing I’ve found here is a place where people are tolerant and care about things like representation. Regarding reading – this site introduced me to Laura Kinsale, Sarah MacLean, and … Oh, what’s that one about the Duke with the big nose? You know the one I mean. Thanks for all you do!!
My discovery of YOUR book is what started it for me. I may not agree with all of your opinions or get all the jokes, you will always have my undying lurve.
I almost might be drunk.. *hic*
Haposy Birsthay, bitches!!!
*falls over*
My favorite discovery is the review of Seduced by Virginia Henley because OMG. OMG! It is epic. I 100% requested the book from the library (via inter library loan, no less) on the basis of that review, and had NO REGRETS.
Honestly what DON’T I love from this site? I am so happy to have discovered cover snark, the bachelor recaps, the sales, the movie and tv reviews are so well done, and the massive book posts (whatcha reading and book beat) always get me so excited! I’m so glad my TBR is this damn gigantic.
I mainly learned that I love the romance genre and it’s guaranteed happy endings. <3
Honestly what DON’T I love from this site? I am so happy to have discovered cover snark, the bachelor recaps, the sales, podcast, the movie and tv reviews are so well done, and the massive book posts (whatcha reading and book beat) always get me so excited! I’m so glad my TBR is this damn gigantic.
I mainly learned that I love the romance genre and it’s guaranteed happy endings. <3
I thrive on SBTB! I love having a place to go where reading romance novels is a good thing. I grew up on Bertrice Small, Rosemary Rogers, Laurie McBain and Jennifer Wilde, crazy “old skool” romances. My geography/history degree is a direct result of Skye O’Malley and her adventures. I have never admitted this to a soul, but there it is! So many fabulous discoveries are on this site. Ladies, please keep on doing what you do, you are my happy, safe place in this crazy, daisy world. THANK YOU!!
Oh my goodness, congrats on the anniversary!!! SBTB is a daily check in for me, so much so that I don’t even remember how I stumbled into this treasure originally… Seriously there are 4 browser tabs I ALWAYS have up- Amazon, Netflix, my Fitbit dashboard and …SBTB. No things can happen til that’s done.
I think one of my favorite literary finds from this site, aside from the comedic stress-relief necessities that are Cover Snark and the Bachelor recaps, was Anne Bishop- just so good, and top of mind because I haven’t finished her Others series (Does anyone else have that thing where they drag their feet reading a series BECAUSE IT’S JUST SO GOOD?!). But possibly even more was the onslaught of amazing suggestions that came from the January Rec League I was delighted to see after emailing in Dec of ’16- Jill Shalvis’ One Snowy Night novella?? I sigh <3.
By far though, the 2 best things to come from here… the sprawling monster that is my TBR, and the comfort that I'm not alone- that there's validity in not only loving to read, but not having to be embarrassed about loving to read about love! And having bad days, and needing self care…. and not being the only person who stays up til obscene hours of the morning because just one more chapter… Thank you SBTB, simply thank you.
This is like picking your favorite kid!! I love the new authors you’ve introduced me to, the hilarious recaps of the Bachelor and -ette, the knitting posts, the thought-provoking Outlander recaps (haven’t read the books, and with the rage-inducing trigger warnings I may not), the Poldark love, HABOs, Podcasts, book sales, Whatcha Reading, . . . is everything too much to add?
But I guess the most important discovery was a rediscovery – my love for romance and my need to find my courage to show the book covers of what I was reading on the bus. I’m proud I read romance!!
I love the lists of books by theme/genre! I have found so many new authors and titles through your website, and had a ton of laughs as well. Thank you!
There are so many things! I came for the book recs and then stayed for all of the fun articles. The cover snark and breakdown of The Bachelor are some of the funniest to me!
I love the books on sale feature – a gentle daily reminder to find new things to read!
I discovered SBTB right around the time I finished my masters 4 years ago. It BLEW MY MIND. I was one for sneakily reading romances and thinking that, at any moment, someone would burst in and snatch the book out of my hands with a cry of “Ah ha! You deviant witch! No one should read such drivel,” (#conservative upbringing).
Finding an online community of people who read these books and critically interacted with them was amazing. I think reviews on this website have lead to about 80% of my ebook purchases. My favorite read as recommended by this site is Kushiel’s dart, hands down. The podcast has also been brilliant for those long days at the lab bench doing repetitive tasks.
Your weekly podcasts are always entertaining and informative. Every Friday I look at the entry for that week, and sometimes I think, hmmm, I’m not going to be really interested in this one. But I listen and every time I’m wrong. Thank you for your enlightening interviews and invigorating guests.
I also never really read romance novels before I started reading your website. Your enthusiasm and joy in the genre is so contagious, I just had to try one. Now I buy Beverly Jenkins, Alyssa Cole, and T. Romain as well as Kleypas, and Bowen. I love historicals but also try BDSM contemporaries and sports romances. Thank you for the radical expansion of my reading horizons. Keep up the great work.
I read your column every day. Enjoyed meeting you quite a few years ago in Sydney! Congrats on the anniversary! And Thankyou for the column, it’s always loads of fun.
Courtney Milan, hands down.
That said, I have discovered so many book-friends here. And I live for Elyse’s Bachelor/ette recaps.
I discovered Libby, and a group of people who can ferret out almost any book based on sketchy memories of the plot or maybe heroine’s eye color, who like to rec books based on trope, and who are so fun and supportive!
I always love HaBO but my new discovery as a new knitter is Elyse’s knitting posts. Happy Anniversary!
I recommended Libby to a friend of mine after reading the writeup here on it. I haven’t tried it yet, but she thanks you.
Cover snark is my absolute favorite but I’m also a librarian and use this site for collection development.
I am a proud HABO solved puzzle that had been bothering me for YEARS. I read every one of them in the hopes of helping a future HABO out. This has been by go-to website about books for years and I hope for many more.
I can honestly say I love everything about this site and its community! From the podcast and the written reviews to HaBO and Elyse’s hilarious Bachelor recaps. All your recommendations have helped me discover tons of great writers like Alyssa Cole, Beverly Jenkins, Alisha Rai, and Tessa Dare.
SBTB has played a heeuuuge part in making me a romance reader. I don’t have a lot of friends who share my passion for the genre, but this site and the podcast both serve as a reminder that there are lots of people out there who love the things I love. Even just reading the comments on here gives me a greater sense of belonging. Thank you all so much and Happy Anniversary!
So many wonderful things! I mean, I think I’d discovered Courtney Milan through this site, so that’s a definite win. But the cover snark and those amazing F+ reviews – every time I see one, I settle in for a very happy few minutes.
I have added so many books to my TBR via Smart Bitches, and also have been saved from picking others up by other reviews. My favorite “find” is the sisterhood of readers here, and the incredible sense of community through the HABOs and Elyse’s Bachelor recaps and all the timely and well-written Rec Leagues and other features that serve as an oasis in this mad world we live in. Thank you, and many happy returns!
My favorite discovery is the community! I live in an extremely rural area where it is hard to meet any new humans, let alone romance readers. Smart Bitches was / is my link to a whole wide web of passionate, unapologetic romance readers and I will always be grateful for that.
Love the cover snark. I also appreciate the TV reviews, particularly this year’s Bachelor recaps from Eylse. Thank you for your service.
Elyse’s knitting columns is my current fave being a newish knitter.
Elyse’s knitting columns is my current fave being a newish knitter.
Happy Anniversary! Your site introduced me to Shelly Laurenston and now I’ve read through all her books (and GA Aiken!!). And I enjoy your twitter feed book songs as well 🙂
My favorite discover is Lucy Parker! I don’t know that I would have found her books otherwise but she’s an auto-buy for me now.
Wow, how to pick a favorite discovery here? I never miss the cover snark or caption posts for sure. I also follow Outlander here since I don’t have any premium cable channels. I follow most of the PNR and historical romance book reviews and the podcast transcripts (I’m not a fan of the actual podcasts nor audiobooks I’m afraid; I’m a reader and only listen to music). I like being able to comments posted by other readers and cheering on discussions. So I can’t really pick a favorite I’m afraid. SBTB is my favorite blog to follow, and I have dropped many others for being too…controlling of their readers. Thanks for remaining fair and honest with your followers for 14 years, and I wish you at least 14 more!
My favorite thing, hands down? Genuine respect and affection for romance novels and the women who read them.
My favorite discovery is the idea that I have a catnip and I can find books that are exactly it. It’s just a perfect way to distill it down to the perfect sentiment. Thank you for helping me and so many others find our catnip.
My favorite discovery is that I have a catnip! I am now constantly questing to feed my catnip. Thank you for helping me and so many others find what works for us.