688. Rewind Replay: June 22, 2018

688. Rewind Replay: June 22, 2018

Author: Sarah Wendell October 10, 2025 Duration: 1:02:56

I’m bringing back a classic episode from the archives of the show, and because she has excellent taste, Amanda said it should be this one. When I originally published this episode, I focused on how silly we were – and we are plenty silly.


But since then Amanda and I have talked about the fact that when we recorded this, we were, in fact, baked out of our gourds.


So it’s a different kind of time travel: We’re going back to June 22, 2018, when Amanda, Elyse, and I were cruising on the special herbs at the Romantic Times BookLovers convention in May – the last RT convention.


You can see how many full circles that is – I think this is why Amanda suggested this episode.


We’re going to talk about Amanda’s weakness for Val Kilmer, the ranking of Hemsworths in order of physical density, how bad of a style icon was Anita Blake really? And can Amanda and Elyse find a villain hero I’d be interested in? Nah.


As I said in the original intro:


This is what happens when Sarah, Amanda, and Elyse get really silly, and stop making sense. And given that this has been A Rough Week, we hope you enjoy our completely bubbly, goofy, discussion.


It’s still been a rough week! So I hope this makes you laugh.


...


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If you’ve ever felt a little defensive about loving romance novels, or just want to dive deeper into the books you can’t put down, Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast is your perfect companion. Host Sarah Wendell approaches the genre with a critic’s sharp mind and a fan’s enthusiastic heart, creating conversations that are as thoughtful as they are joyful. This isn’t just author interviews, though you’ll hear brilliant voices like Ilona Andrews, Sarah J. Maas, and the wonderfully unique Chuck Tingle. The scope of the podcast is deliberately wide, bringing in reviewers, librarians, editors, and publishing professionals to examine every facet of the romance world. You’ll get honest talk about tropes and trends, the business behind the books, and why these stories resonate so powerfully with millions of readers. Regular appearances from Amanda Diehl add another layer of camaraderie and insight. Listening feels like being part of a smart, welcoming book club where no opinion is dismissed and passion is a given. It’s a celebration of a genre that dominates fiction, explored with humor, intelligence, and genuine curiosity. Whether you’re a longtime devotee or a curious newcomer, this podcast offers a rich, engaging, and deeply human look at the stories we love.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Smart Podcast, Trashy Books: A Romance Novel Podcast
Podcast Episodes
705. RT Rewind: June 1997 Reviews [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:00
Amanda and I are back, deep diving into romance and pop culture history with issue 1997 of Romantic Times Magazine. The cover reads Love, Lust, Laugh, and we’ve got some vintage books to talk about. Then we talk about wh…
704. JQ Editions with Julia Quinn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:47
My guest this week is Julia Quinn and we are talking about, of course, JQ Editions, a new subscription service creating special limited editions of historical romances. I’ve been writing about this since it was announced…
703. Oscars and Gossip with Kayleigh Donaldson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:37
Kayleigh Donaldson is back! She is the guest on some of the most popular episodes, and I know what that is: she’s brilliant. We recorded this just before the Oscar nominations were announced, so Kayleigh is making (some…
702. Heated Rivalry with Candy Tan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:02
Candy recapped Heated Rivalry, and is that enough? No, of course not. We had MANY things we wanted to exclaim at each other about, so why not podcast about it?We’re going to talk about the show, the acting, the adaptatio…
701. Holiday Wishes with Amanda and Sarah [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:05
It’s never too late for Holiday Wishes, right? We had such a record number of interviews for the Holiday Wishes episodes this year, and I truly love doing them. Thank you.But many of you asked about Amanda’s recs and wis…
700. An Art History Analysis of Romance Covers with Amanda Matta [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:00:50
Happy 700th Episode!! Amanda Matta is a debut author (her book is coming in 2027!), media commentator, royal analyst, and an art historian. I’ve mentioned Amanda, and her podcast Art of History, which I love. In that sho…
699. Holiday Wishes VII with Katie, Kate and Adam [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:55
Happy New Year!This week we are talking with Katie, Kate, and Adam – we’ve got book recs, wishes, spreadsheet discussions, dungeons, and some wishes that don’t violate the Hatch Act.There’s also rather appalling poo adve…
697. Holiday Wishes V with Shana, Sue, and Rhonda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:07
This week we are talking with Shana, Sue, and Rhonda about book recs and wishes, plus fantasy and magical bureaucracy, grief in romance, schtupping by volume, and inventions for readers to find even MORE books.We also me…
696. Holiday Wishes IV with Rae A, Josephine, and Sneezy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:20
We’re back with more Holiday Wishes! This week we’re talking with Rae A., Josephine, and Sneezy!This week we are talking romance bookstores and road trips, luxurious bidets, webtoons, and, of course, books. And some rant…