Happy Hanukkah!
It’s the third night of Hanukkah tonight!
My third night wishes for you: I hope you experience long moments of peace and contentment that you can appreciate and treasure.
It’s time for our third night giveaway!
For the third night of Hanukkah, we have a $50 gift card to Meet Cute Bookshop in San Diego, CA! Meet Cute opened this year (congratulations!) and you can learn more about the shop and the owner Becca in podcast Episode 536. Meet Us at Meet Cute: A New Romance Bookshop!
We want you to increase your collections so you have enough books to add a retaining wall to your blanket fort while you read and enjoy in your spacious library. Like this one:
To enter, please comment and tell us what book you discovered here at SBTB that you enjoyed tremendously!
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 shop and read and snack and read and then read some more! May cause feelings of immense giddiness, because having the shoppies is kind of fun.
Comments will close 21 December 2022 at or near 11:59pm ET, and winner will be announced shortly afterward.
Good luck, Happy Hanukkah, and thank you for being part of Smart Bitches!
Winner update: Congratulations to Debbie Dashoff!
Deanna Raybourn’s Killers of a Certain Age was something I picked up after seeing it reviewed here. I enjoyed it immensely and so did DD, who read our library hold after I finished…
The Murderbot books are my favorites of what I’ve found here. And KJ Charles, who has a good Christmas novella just out.
A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (The Tithenai Chronicles #1) by Foz Meadows. I rarely wander over to the SFF section without a bitchery rec. (And when I do, I mostly regret it. Because of romance reader needs like satisfying relationships and endings, not to mention the whole “not killing the main character” thing…)
THE STAND-IN by Lily Chu. I bought it based on a comment from Amanda that there was a positive review forthcoming. It was great!
I discovered “Legends & Lattes,” which I listened to in one sitting. It was a delightful way to begin my staycation.
I don’t think it was this year, but one of my favorite recs I ever got here was THE DO RIGHT by Lisa Sandlin. Definitely *not* romance, but a twisty noir set in the unusual setting of 1970s Texas. And it had great female characters, which is so unusual for that genre and one of the reasons I gave up on noir years ago.
Someone gave it a shout out on the whatcha reading and I can’t remember who, but I’m very grateful.
So many books are on my shelves (e and paper) thanks to SBTB. One I really enjoyed this year is Lish McBride’s A Little Too Familiar.
I discovered Ali Hazelwood! I love all her books!
The Murderbot series by Martha Wells.
Too many to count, seeing as I usually read WAYR and the Book Beat posts with my TBR list open, ready to add anything that seems like my catnip. However, one book that I grabbed when I read about it here is Deirdre Mask’s THE ADDRESS BOOK: WHAT STREET ADDRESSES REVEAL ABOUT IDENTITY, RACE, WEALTH, AND POWER. It’s a non-fiction book about how we are defined in part by where we live, down to our zip codes. Very eye-opening and interesting.
There have been so many! I originally discovered Jennifer Crusie thanks to a review of Bet Me, which set the bar for fantastic recommendations.
This year it was Killers of a Certain Age. What a great story, what a great book! (Also a great podcast episode!)
I found the Murderbot Diaries books through you guys.
SO GOOD.
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM of my heart!
I’ve discovered a ton of books and authors thanks to you ladies! I recently re-read The Stand In by Lily Chu.
Just got someone Legends and Lattes as a gift after reading about it here. I also love reading through HABO comments for recs!!
I read 40-Love by Olivia Dade after Shana and Carrie’s wonderful joint review! Which, of course, lead to reading the whole series.
Thanks to DiscoDollyDeb’s advocacy for Cate C. Wells, I had the pleasure of reading “Hitting the Wall” and successors.
I have to say that an author whom I never would have discovered if it weren’t for Smart Bitches is Shelly Laurenston. Her honey badger series is not what I would have sought on my own – completely crazy, a nonstop ridiculous fantasy that never takes itself too seriously, and utterly addictive.
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen-not at all my usual cup of tea, but it was lovely. It’s good to expand your reading wings
Murderbot
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske! I probably wouldn’t have picked it up on my own, but after the podcast conversation I devoured it and am even giving a copy to my SIL for Christmas.
This year I read A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON by Alexandra Rowland based on a recommendation here at SBTB. I never would have discovered it on my own but I ended up loving it!
Joining the KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE love! Would not have found this one otherwise.
I will join the chorus of Murderbot fans. I will also join the chorus for Legends and Lattes. But also VE Schwab, who ripped my heart out with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (*disclaimer, I listened to your interview with her, and time is weird so maybe this year maybe not). I’m currently listening to her book Vicious.
Wishing the bitchery all the sparkle and light this holiday season whatever your form of celebration.
Written in Red — The Others series by Anne Bishop.
Thinking back through all the books I’ve found here, I think Act Like It by Lucy Parker was one of the first that has become a book I read over and over. In fact, I think I’m due for a reread as soon as vacation kicks in…
The Murderbot series, much to my enjoyment!
Cat Sebastion
“In a New York Minute” by Kate Spencer which was very fun!
Murderbot series is one I discovered from y’all and Whoa what a ride those books are.
Gotta be Lord of Scoundrels and Loretta Chase in general.
As @DDD said, too many to count! I read the WAYR with all my library tabs open, so I can search for books mentioned. I thought of a series I really enjoyed and have re-read several times, The Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara. Books I doubt I would have found on my own!
Murderbot series! Read the series repeatedly and can’t wait for the next one.
@Maureen, I do the same thing! Plus my KU page.
I’ll give props to DDD for Kate C. Wells’ THE TYRANT ALPHA’S REJECTED MATE and all that’s come after.
I was so glad to discover Lucy Parker’s books through this site!
‘Act Like It’ – Lucy Parker.
This is hard since there are so many (and the 30 second rule is firmly in place: if it happened more than 30 seconds ago, I don’t remember it). Sherry Thomas is probably the answer.
I discovered “The Fastest Way to Fall” by Denise Williams and loved it!
Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. Burned through the whole series.
Oh my god, what didn’t I discover here? Most recently Legends and Latte (cliche I know) which I can’t stop recommending to people.