Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: Best of 2022

We’re recapping all kinds of stuff this week, and today: our top five podcast episodes from 2022! 

Looking at the year overall, these are the top five most listened to Smart Podcast, Trashy Books episodes of the year – and thank you to everyone who listened, recommended, shared, and posted about the show. Special thanks to all our Patreon community members, who helped shape this season and keep the show going each week!

Top Five

5. 527. Killers of a Certain Age with Deanna Raybourn (September 9)

I’ve been talking about this book for weeks, and now I get to talk to the author: Deanna Raybourn joins me to talk about her new thriller, Killers of a Certain Age.

We talk about the power of being underestimated, and the painfulness of being expected to disappear as you age.

Battles against misogyny! Destroying the patriarchy! Aging is awesome!

Join us for a very casual discussion of hypothetical and and actual historical murder.

4. 526. Fall Book Wishlists and Trends (September 2)

This week, we are catching up on what we’re looking forward to, and in particular, what BOOKS we’re looking forward to this fall!

Amanda shares trends she’s noticing amid the books that are being heavily promoted for this fall, too. Witches, revenge, powerful scheming women, queer horror, heists, retellings of classic stories, adventure comedies – what’s on your list this fall?

Plus, I have the answer to last week’s joke! Why does it take 645.5 librarians to change a lightbulb? Listen to find out.

3. 510. Book Lovers with Emily Henry (May 13)

This week, my guest is Emily Henry, whose new romance Book Lovers is out this past week!

We talk about slow burns, book tour, puppies, the inspiration for the lead character, Nora, and the Icy City Ex Girlfriend Trope.

Thank you to Ann_Knee, Clairatrix, and the enthusiastic members of the Culture Study Discord’s romance channel who were very excited about this interview alongside me. And thank you to publicist Heather Mill who set the interview up.

2. 499. Sweet Dreams Romance Recap: Cover Girl, with Jeff and Will (February 25)

Jeff and Will from The Big Gay Fiction Podcast are joining me for the Sweet Dreams Recap of book #9, Cover Girl by Yvonne Green.

This cover, y’all. And inside! We have a rather gross boyfriend, and an even worse mom, plus nature nerds!

This is undoubtedly one of the greatest Sweet Dreams cover of them all.

TW/CW: Chapter 10 is a little upsetting.

And, the number one most popular episode of 2022?

1. 497. The Invisible Goddess, Part II, with Melody from Heaving Bosoms! (February 11)

It’s part II of our recap of The Invisible Goddess by AC Dawn, a retelling of the myth of Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. Have you read it? Did you like it?

Considering our Toxic Desire podcast crossover with Heaving Bosoms made the top 5 last year, this is not a surprise!

What do you think of the top five? What episodes were your favorites this year? Let us know what you’d like to see next year!