We are still gathering in groups across many time zones to say goodbye to 2020, and to look back at the books, shows, and other essentials that got us through 2020. Bad internet in South Africa got in the way of Lara joining us, but she sent a question for Amanda, Kiki, and me to answer. We talk about nonfiction that made us cry-laugh, audiobooks, TikTok, puzzles, and Cyberpunk clothing glitches. Side trips include depression, … Continue reading 438. Later, 2020! With Kiki and Amanda →

The SBTB team is still gathering in groups across many time zones to say goodbye to 2020, and to look back at the books, shows, and other essentials that got us through 2020. In this episode, Catherine Heloise joins us from Melbourne Australia, Sneezy is in Taiwan, and Maya is in California, and we’re going to cover books, movies, and manga we loved, our favorite tropes, a little bit of discussion on social anxiety, and … Continue reading 437. Farewell 2020 With Catherine Heloise, Sneezy and Maya →

The SBTB team is gathering in groups across many time zones to look back at the books, shows, and other essentials that got us through 2020, and to look ahead to 2021. Everyone brings a question to ask, so in this episode, Ellen, Elyse, Tara, and I talk books, Quarantimes, zoom exhaustion, and coping methods – and I stumble upon a potential new, unexplored fanfic. … Looking for a new podcast to try? May I … Continue reading 436. Saying Goodbye to 2020 With Ellen, Elyse, and Tara! →

We are talking fashion today! My guest today is Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, fashion historian, person behind the @WornOnThisDay Twitter account, and author of the new book The Way We Wed. In her book, she looks at the history of wedding fashion, and at the clothing history of the people surrounding marrying couple. We also talk about why some clothing and the fascination with clothing endures, and what changes the Quarantimes will create for fashion, clothing, and … Continue reading 435. Fashion, History, and Romance with Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell →

My guest today is Reese Ryan, YouTube host and author of the new book, Second Chance on Cypress Lane. We talk about her book, the levels of food p0rn found inside, and about her career – she released four books in 2020! FOUR! Her books for Harlequin Desire have some gorgeous covers, and her stories have delicious themes across several genres. It’s a really fun conversation. … Music: purple-planet.com

Amanda and I are talking with VE Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, a book we both enjoyed tremendously. We talk about the 10-year process of writing it and the power of telling an immortality tale about a person who walks through history as a woman. We touch on queerness, achievement, erasure, representation, and also discuss death, loneliness, grief and immortality. About halfway through we take a deep dive into death rituals … Continue reading 433. Life, Death, Memory, and Immortality: A Conversation with VE Schwab →

Michelle Hazen is a romance author and a wildlife tortoise biologist, a semi-nomadic career (the biologist part) (and also the author part) that informs much of her writing. We talk about saving baby animals, writing about trauma, life in the desert doing biologist work, and romance tropes that work really well in the desert. … Music: purple-planet.com … Looking for a podcast to try? Have you checked out Tea & Strumpets? Tea & Strumpets is … Continue reading 432. Saving Endangered Animals, Plus Romance: A Conversation with Michelle Hazen →

We’re back with more questions from our Patreon community! We have questions about books, romance covers, and of course, food. Strong opinions? Yes! Silliness! Also yes! Thank you again to the Patreon community for providing the very silly, very much needed questions. … Music: purple-planet.com

With the help of the Podcast Patreon community, Amanda and I are answering silly questions to help get us all through Hellweek. If you’re like me, and a little stressed/overwhelmed/chin-deep-in-existential-dread, a little silliness goes a long way. So Amanda and I are bringing you a temporary respite with an extremely silly Q&A with half the Patreon’s incredible questions – the other half will be in a future episode. Think The Most Goofy AMA You’ve Ever … Continue reading 430. A Very Silly Q&A with Amanda and Sarah →

My guest today is Dr. Hilary Levey Friedman, Brown University professor and author of the new book Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America. I had a chance to read the book and was so eager to discuss it, in particular because of the ways in which public conceptions of beauty pageants overlap with public conceptions of romance. We talk about pageants, history, popular culture, and several surprising elements of … Continue reading 429. Here She Is: Discussing Beauty Pageants and History with Dr. Hilary Levey Friedman →

Today Amanda and I are talking with Gretchen McCulloch, author of Because Internet and host of the podcast “Lingthusiasm.” If you like listening to a really smart person with intricate knowledge of what’s going on beneath the mundane, this is an episode for you. We start by fangirling about Courtney Milan and creative use of language in some of her favorite novels, and then we talk about internet language. We also talk about how the … Continue reading 428. The Cheese Plate is a Technology: Because Internet with Gretchen McCulloch →