OverDrive is the company that provides a lot of digital content to libraries. If you’ve borrowed an ebook or an audiobook in Libby, or read a magazine in Kanopy, that’s OverDrive. It seems there is some AI weirdness with audiobook narration on OverDrive, and the narrator is only part of the story. On Monday, October 14, librarian Robin Bradford posted on Bluesky that she’d purchased an AI audiobook for her library system and she was … Continue reading AI Audiobook Narrators in OverDrive and the Issue of Library AI Circulation Policy →

It’s time for the Ads & Features of the October 1988 (!!) issue of Romantic Times Magazine. Y’all. We’ve got: Vintage gossip! Blind items that are very easy to guess! Danielle Steel’s two blue Mercedes! Fuchsia covers with giant flowers and startled animals! Riverboat gambler romance heroes! And a truly paltry obituary for an extraordinary author. It’s 1988. Fuchsia. So much fuchsia. Blanket content warning for romances written in the late 80s. Be ready for … Continue reading 637. RT Rewind October 1988 Ads & Features →
In this week’s podcast episode, we’re looking at the glorious ads and features for the October/November 1988 issue of RT Magazine. Thank you to Amy M. for this issue! You can also find all the RTRW content at our category page for Romantic Times Rewind. If you want to listen and follow along with this entry, we have more detail in the audio, but you can click play and listen and read and absorb all … Continue reading Romantic Times Rewind: October 1988 Ads & Features →
If you’ve noticed CloudFlare verifying that you’re human, that’s because I had to enable extra security because of a DDOS attack. I also woke up to 1500+ spam email messages sent through contact forms on the site, too. The poor server is having A Time of it. At least it’s not Tuesday, I guess? Then I’d have all those dildos to contend with. (Also: every time I see that cover, my brain wants to read … Continue reading Just a Little DDOS Fun, Dildos, and Finding the Mystery Cowboy →
This piece of literary mayhem is exclusive to Smart Bitches After Dark, but fret not. If you’d like to join, we’d love to have you! Have a look at our membership options, and come join the fun! If you want to have a little extra fun, be a little more yourself, and be part of keeping the site open for everyone in the future, we can’t wait to see you in our new subscription-based section … Continue reading After Dark Introductions! →
Ok, I have two or three more colors for this series, but I need to take a little side trip this week. I noticed something that I just had to share with you while gathering covers over the past few months. Now, if you’re just arriving here at the mayhem, welcome! I’m taking really good look at the Contemporary Romance Colors that are most prevalent on covers this year and attempt to identify what is … Continue reading Contemporary Romance Color of the Year: Are Those Flags? →

Freya Marske’s new book Swordcrossed is out this week, and she’s joining us from the other side of the planet to talk about what she calls, “Fantasy of manners, mercantile edition.” We also talk about writing fanfic and her new favorite show, Interview with the Vampire. Yes, I did misnumber last week’s episode – sorry about that. Music: purple-planet.com

When we talked about DNFing books and why, a few of y’all asked if we could talk about re-reading, which is a popular antidote to Too Many DNFs in a Row. PamG wrote in the comments: I think it would be an interesting counterpoint to the DNF question to also discuss the practice of rereading. Some people never reread a book or so they claim. Others, myself included, have whole stables of books they gleefully … Continue reading Your Top Three Re-Reads — And Why! →

Introducing… Smart Bitches After Dark! We have a logo and everything, so it’s official now! And you can register if you like! Come on in, the mayhem is delightful! What’s Smart Bitches After Dark? So glad you asked! The short version: we’re creating a special area for SBTB supporting subscribers to have a little extra fun, be a little extra more themselves, and to keep the site open for everyone into the future. The longer version: … Continue reading Introducing…Smart Bitches After Dark! →