NB: This week, we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite and our most popular pieces of writing this year. We’ve got a week of best-of posts to share, with reviews, cover snark, and more. We hope you enjoy revisiting our archives, and most of all, we wish you and yours a wonderful holiday and a happy new year – with all the very best of reading.
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This one is new to the Best Of roster! Since we feature other things outside of reviews like HaBOs, Rec Leagues, and general opinion pieces, we wanted to look at what y’all really engaged with the most. I kept out sale posts and our regular new releases and Whatcha Reading columns.
Here’s the top five!
This is our only HaBO to crack the top five and it’s solved! Thanks for all of the hard work the Bitchery does in identifying long lost titles. Did any of you pick this one up based on the HaBO and give it a read?
4. The Rec League: Pragmatic Meets Flamboyant
This was the most popular Rec League of the last year and definitely not one that I would take the top spot. It seems like the reading mood has been leaning toward some opposites attract action!
3. Ready Set Go: Pining and Yearning in Romance, Oh My!
Ready Set Go is a little bit different than our standard Rec League. In these, we challenge ourselves to only pick one title that fits the prompt. What book would most embody this trope? These are tough because, trust me, the reviewers hate to be told they can only recommended a single book.
I feel like this post being in the top five is a surprise to no one, given how extensive Sarah has been in covering RWA the last couple years.
1. Bridgerton
This one surprised me, but this was our little chat about the Bridgerton news and our initial thoughts. The next season is out in March and while the show is deserving of some criticisms, as is the source material, I’m happy to welcome in new readers to the genre. I also hope this motivates more production companies to adapt romance novels!
That’s our top five! Did you have a favorite post this year that really stood out to you? Or are there any features you just love reading?
Man, I can’t believe the RWA shitshow was still going on this year. It seems so long ago. But then this has been a VERY long year…
@EC Spurlock: I was surprised that the post was back in August, which feels both forever ago and somewhat recent.
Or are there any features you just love reading?
HaBO, HaBO, always HaBO. They’re a puzzle, a recommendation, a review, and an eye-opening joke (because it’s both hilarious and revelatory that the most specific, outlandish details can produce 4-5 potential matches) all wrapped in an opportunity to help a bitch out.
The Bitchery helped me out this year (thank you again) and in past years, I’ve discovered hidden treasures based on HaBOs (because apparently cringeworthy plot elements are my booknip).
I’m definitely with Deborah when it comes to HaBO, always!!!
She reads [Ruth clicks on it]! Or as I often say to someone who asks me why I know something “I pay attention!”