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Guests: Gabby and Rudi | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 27/01/2020 Sydney It’s been a year since Gabby, Rudi and I recorded an episode where we were all in the same room. But we managed to sneak in a couple of hours, while Gabby was back in Sydney, to talk about reading challenges, spring rolls, Goodreads super powers, sulk body parts, and baking. Now that we’re living through a pandemic, it’s likely we won’t be recording in person again for a while, so we hope you enjoy our reunion episode! Speaking of the pandemic, we recognise that COVID-19 has touched everyone’s lives in different ways, and that for some of us, this is a time of great anxiety and loss. We send you our love and our very best wishes. Guests Gabby — Wearer of socks and gloves, epilogue hater, sits in the wrong chair: @penneclearwater Rudi Bremer — Long-suffering audio producer and recommender of books: @rudi_bee Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Work For It by Talia Hibbert BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Beard Science by Penny Reid [ livetweets ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Tough Guy by Rachel Reid BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Wicked Sin by Ainsley Booth BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Off the Ice by Avon Gale BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Game Changer by Rachel Reid BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Goalie Interference by Ainsley Booth BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Lawyer’s Luck by Piper Huguley BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Rebel Hard by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera BD | BT | Amz | Aud — His at Night by Sherry Thomas People Anna Cowan [ podcast ], Lisa Valdez Links Lumpia Goodreads reading challenge Vaginal Fantasy Bookclub Amazon — The Great British Bake Off (TV) Amazon — Holiday Baking Championship (TV) Amazon — Cupcake Wars (TV) Netflix — The Princess Switch (TV) Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Anna Cowan | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 25/01/2020 Sydney Australian author Anna Cowan’s debut novel, Untamed, caused quite a stir and remains a keeper on my shelf. It’s a beautifully written romance that explores gender and power, and we talk about some of the issues that she explores in the story. In the seven years since the book came out, Anna has been raising her children, and we have an incredibly honest conversation about the struggle to manage motherhood with personal ambition. Finally, Anna names some of her favourite queer romances, and I shamelessly angle to learn some tidbits about her current work in progress! Guest Anna Cowan — Australian author of historical romance: annacowan.com Books BD | BT | Amz — Untamed by Anna Cowan [ review ] BD | BT | Amz — Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas BD | BT | Amz — Work For It by Talia Hibbert BD | BT | Amz — Songs You Know by Heart by Eleanor Kos BD | BT | Amz — Autoboyography by Christina Lauren BD | BT | Amz — Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez BD | BT | Amz — The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary BD | BT | Amz — In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan BD | BT | Amz — Fence: Striking Distance by C.S. Pacat and Sarah Rees Brennan BD | BT | Amz — Lothaire by Kresley Cole BD | BT | Amz — She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan BD | BT | Amz — Title by Author People Gabby, C.S. Pacat Podcasts Little Yarns — A podcast for preschoolers, exploring the diverse languages, stories and countries of Indigenous Australia, hosted by Rudi Bremer The Wicked Wallflowers Club — A podcast for readers and writers of romance, co-hosted by Jenny Nordbak and Sarah Hawley Fated Mates — A romance novel podcast, co-hosted by Sarah MacLean and Jen Prokop Links Netflix | Amazon — The Untamed (TV) Netflix | Amazon — The Witcher (TV) ‘…it sort of made me catch my breath, to write something so exposed.’ — Punch an asshole in the face Tension Romance Writers of Australia Escape Publishing Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guests: Rudi Bremer and Gabby | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 20/22/2019 Sydney The Book Thingo podcast comes out of accidental hiatus (blame Kat!) with an episode dedicated (mostly) to The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite. Spoiler: we disagree about many things. This leads to a discussion of women taking up hobbies, such as knitting and baking, that are actually work. Does a hobby have to be productive? We have opinions and theories. (Because of course, we do.) We circle back to the book by exploring whether producing something beautiful has value of its own. Just before the 1-hour mark, I describe a historical romance plot for a book whose plot I couldn’t remember. This book does exist! Details in the outro. We love hearing from our listeners — thanks for patiently waiting for this episode to drop! We love hearing from you, so tag us on your live tweets and Instagram stories using #BTpod, or send us an email at podcast@bookthingo.com.au. Guests Rudi Bremer — Long-suffering audio producer and recommender of books: @rudi_bee Gabby — Wearer of socks and gloves, epilogue hater: @penneclearwater Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite BD | BT | Amz | Aud — No Two Ways by Chi Yu Rodriguez BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Fling by Rebekah Weatherspoon BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventures by Courtney Milan BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Proper English by K.J. Charles BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Beard Science by Penny Reid BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Lover at Last by J.R. Ward [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — London’s Perfect Scoundrel by Suzanne Enoch People Tessa Dare, Loretta Chase Links Tough Mudder The Great British Bake Off Etsy Yuendumu, NT History Ever After, Part I: The Fabricated Chronotope by Jennifer Hallock History Ever After, Part II: The Problem of Chronotopes by Jennifer Hallock Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guests: Gabby and Rudi | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 7/09/2019 Sydney We turned 4 in August (hurrah!), so of course we’re bringing you our anniversary special in November. Because that’s how we (ie Kat) roll. As usual, Rudi is the architect of all shenanigans, and this year, she’s assisted by some of our podcast listeners! Thank you to Ana, Ben, Chachic, Jen, Mel and Sarah for taking part in this episode. You were all AMAZING! And now, over to you, dear listener — who do you think would make the best Gabby? Tweet your vote (write-ins welcome!) and tag us using #BTpod. Guests Gabby — Irreplaceable: @penneclearwater Rudi — Best audio producer ever: @rudi_bee Jennifer Hallock — Author of Sugar Sun historical romance series: @jen_hallock; Instagram; Facebook; jenniferhallock.com; Amazon Chachic — Filipino book reader, blogger and Instagrammer: @chachic_; Instagram; chachic.wordpress.com Melissa — Pork roll tragic: @moetical Sarah — Bringer of sweet things: @Bluestocking_a Ana Cocqui — Blogger, librarian and podcaster: @anacoqui; podcast; website H. Bentham — Romance reader and Instagrammer with impeccable taste in podcasts: @bentchbites; Instagram People Sophie Ly, Danielle Steel Links IASPR — International Association for the Study of Popular Romance Donut Papi Podcast episode 67: Love Languages Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guests: Sophie Ly and Rudi Bremer | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 9/06/2019 Sydney I’ve been sitting on this episode for a little while, but hold on to your one-click buttons because Sophie Ly joins Rudi and me with a huge number of graphic novel recommendations. (But please note: not all of them are HEA romances, but we try to identify which of the titles fall into that bucket. We do also talk about the difficulty of knowing if a graphic novel series will have a romantic HEA.) Shout out to Vikki, who tweeted in response to our #rombklove episode (EP69). If you’re on Twitter and listening to the podcast, we’d love for you to live tweet or just send us your reactions by using the hashtag #btpod. Guests Sophie Ly — Host of Gaggle of Geeks podcast, and best known on the Book Things podcast as Rudi’s alter ego: @Soph_Ly; podcast Rudi Bremer — Amazing audio producer and recommender of books: @rudi_bee Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Twilight graphic novels by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Umbrella Academy Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Sunstone by Stjepan Šejić BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Witchblade by David Wohl, Brian Haberlin and Michael Turner BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Nightwing BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Black Magic by Nicola Scott BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Fresh Romance Volume 1 BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Lucifer by Neil Gaiman BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Sandman by Neil Gaiman BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Saga by Ryan K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Runaways by Ryan K. Vaughan BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Anita Blake graphic novels by Laurell K. Hamilton BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mercy Thompson graphic novels by Patricia Briggs BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Great Expectations graphic novel by Charles Dickens BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mills & Boon comics BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Tikka Chance On Me by Suleikha Snyder BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward (Rhage) BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Stranded With a Mountain Man by Aislinn Kearns BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Blossom Among Flowers by Jay E. Tria BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Sidekick by Auralee Wallace BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Birds of Prey by Gail Simone BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Locked Box by Eve Dangerfield BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Fence by C.S. Pacat People Dustin Nguyen, Fiona Staples, Nicola Scott, Chris Evans Links Gaggle of Geeks (podcast) — Weekly wrap-up on geek and popular culture co-hosted by Sophie BT podcast 2nd anniversary episode Nightwing’s butt Comixology Chris Evans chopping logs iTunes | Amazon — Interview With a Vampire (Film) Netflix | Amazon — Boys Over Flowers (TV) The Umbrella Academy cover: Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guests: Rudi Bremer and Gabby | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 9/02/2019 Sydney The Book Thingo bloggers decided to knock one book off our TBR piles. Spoiler alert: only one of us actually did the work, and you get no prizes for guessing who. We also talk about the books we lie about having read, books we feel guilty about not having read, and romance classics that didn’t really work for us. Guests Rudi Bremer — Amazing audio producer and recommender of books: @rudi_bee Gabby — Wearer of socks and gloves, epilogue hater: @penneclearwater Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Lover at Last by J.R. Ward [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs BD | BT | Amz | Aud — On the Road by Jack Kerouac BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Sheltered by Charlotte Stein BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Never Sweeter by Charlotte Stein BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Don’t Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare BD | BT | Amz | Aud — David Copperfield by Charles Dickens BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Countess by Lynsay Sands [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Sheik by E.M. Hull BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Dream Hunter by Laura Kinsale BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James [ reviews ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Kissing Comfort by Jo Goodman People K.J. Charles, Alyssa Cole, Victoria Dahl, Alisha Rai, Georgette Heyer, Julie Anne Long, Eloisa James, David Copperfield (magician), Johanna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Susan Andersen, Rosemary Rogers, Bertrice Small, Anna Cowan, Anna Campbell, Patricia Gaffney, Judith McNaught, LaVryle Spencer Links iTunes | Amazon — She’s the Man (Film) #romanceclass — Independently published books from Filipino authors Witch, Please (Podcast) Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Aislinn Kearns | Hosts: Kat Mayo and Rudi Bremer | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 19/08/2018 RWA What happens when you combine a love of 80s action films with romance genre tropes? You get Ainslinn Kearns’s books! Rudi and I caught up with Aislinn at the Romance Writers of Australia convention last year, and we  talked about romance characters with disability, favourite tropes, and dealing with food intolerance in the apocalypse. Thank you to Claire for being such a wonderful listener! Guest Ainslinn Kearns — Australian author of contemporary romance: @ardentaislinn; facebook; aislinnkearns.com Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Station Alpha by Aislinn Kearns BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Stranded with the Mountain Man by Aislinn Kearns BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mission Recovery series by Dana Marton BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Whiskey-Eyed Woman by Aislinn Kearns BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Soldiering On by Aislinn Kearns BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Christmas Tango by Aislinn Kearns BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Underground Fighter series by Aislinn Kearns BD | BT | Amz | Aud — On the Move by Aislinn Kearns People Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Dolph Lundgren, Idris Elba Links iTunes | Amazon — Die Hard (Film) iTunes | Amazon — Shaun of the Dead (Film) What’s this about dick soap? — An explanation on Book Riot Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guests: Rudi and Gabby | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 23/05/2019 Sydney #RomBkLove, the brainchild of the amazing Ana Coqui, is a month-long celebration of romance books, authors and readers. Book Thingo is excited to host today’s topic: Rebellious readers. Source: Ana Coqui In this episode, we thought it would be a good time to take a pause from title recommendations, and instead focus on our habits as readers. Rudi, Gabby and I talk about our personal reading rules, how they affect our enjoyment of books, and whether we’ve broken our rules for particular authors or books. If you don’t have time to listen to the podcast, but would still like to participate in today’s #rombklove topic, here are the rules and habits we talk about: Gabby: Don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like Passion by Lisa Valdez.Kat: Don’t read a series until it’s finished.Rudi: It’s perfectly acceptable to skip books in a series, or even retcon it out of a series.Gabby: I will not read a series with the same couple in multiple books.Gabby: I won’t read epilogues.Gabby: I can’t skip books, and I can’t read them out of order.Gabby: I don’t hold physical books sacred. I will dogear the corners, which is the natural order of bookmarking. (Gabby went through a phase of ripping off or erasing clinch covers and spines.)Rudi: Use digital bookmarks for returning to specific scenes in books, for good and bad.Rudi: It’s okay to spot-read — ie just reading the scenes that resonated with me, and that I feel like rereading.Kat: I will open keepers on a random page and just start from there.Kat and Rudi: We will read the end of a book first (also known as killing fairies).Kat: When I open a book, I expect it to be magnificent.Rudi: I have to read 3-4 books from a new-to-me author before writing them off.Gabby: Never read a novella.Kat: No matter what the physical description of the hero is, I’ll imagine the same person.Rudi: For every straight white het author that I read (and book that reflects that), I read a book and an author that sit outside of those parameters. You can join in the conversation by using the hashtag #rombklove on social media. Let us know what reading rules and habits you’ve developed for yourself. Who would you break your rules for? We’ll be hanging out mostly on Twitter, and we hope to continue the discussion there. You can also find out more about #RomBkLove here. Finally, thank you to Fangirlxmillion for leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. We love hearing from our audience, and we truly appreciate it! Guests Gabby — Wearer of socks and gloves, epilogue hater: @penneclearwater Rudi Bremer — Amazing audio producer and recommender of books: @rudi_bee Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Passion by Lisa ValdezBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Sapphire Flames by Ilona AndrewsBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Hidden Legacy series by Ilona AndrewsBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mercy Thompson series by Patricia BriggsBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. WardBD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Bronze Horseman by Paullina SimonsBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Captive Prince series by C.S. PacatBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Harry Potter series by J.K. RowlingBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Beard Science by Penny ReidBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Devil in Winter by Lisa KleypasBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Spymaster series by Joanna BourneBD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLeanBD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Gentleman in the Street by Alisha RaiBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mr. Impossible by Loretta ChaseBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Passion and Ink by Naima SimoneBD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Seditious Affair by K.J. CharlesBD | BT | Amz | Aud — Thirsty by Mia Hopkins People Laura Kinsale, Courtney Milan, Nana Malone, Melissa Blue, Rebekah Weatherspoon Links AAR’s top 100 romances: 2018 (and we talk about it on episode 60)Secret Feminist Agenda (podcast)What kind of reader are you? meme via Writers’ HQMills and Boon (publisher)iTunes | Amazon — Breaking Bad (TV)WOC in Romance (blog/readers’ advisory resource) Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Melanie Milburne | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 18/08/2018 RWAus When I heard Melanie Milburne’s keynote at the 2018 Australian Romance Readers’ Award, I knew we had to have her on the show. Her speech as a powerful personal statement about reconciling her feminism and her writing career. It as powerful because it was so honest and reflective in a way I hadn’t heard from many romance authors before. I hope that comes out in our conversation in this episode. Melanie celebrates over 15 years and 80 books this week — an amazing achievement. Shout out to stephnay14 for the awesome review on Apple Podcasts! Guest Melanie Milburne — Australian author of contemporary category romance: @twitter; facebook; melaniemilburne.com.au Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Lexi’s Secret by Melanie Milburne BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Prince’s Stolen Virgin by Maisey Yates BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Penniless Virgin to Sicilian Bride by Melanie Milburne BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Choke by Sofie Laguna BD | BT | Amz | Aud — My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent People Kate Cuthbert, Victoria Dahl, Michael Robotham Links Australian Romance Readers Awards Kate Cuthbert’s keynote speech at RWAus 2018 iTunes | Amazon — The Wife (Film) Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guests: Gabby and Rudi | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 18/01/2019 Sydney To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the BT bloggers are back on the podcast to talk about love languages. To find your own love language, you can take a free quiz here. Shout out to Ben, whose Instagram spreads featuring the podcast are amazing! Guests Gabby — Wearer of socks and gloves, new owner of the Fabio cover of Flowers From the Storm: @penneclearwater Rudi Bremer — Amazing audio producer and recommender of books: @rudi_bee Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The 5 Love Languages: How to express heartfelt commitment to your mate by Gary Chapman BD | BT | Amz | Aud — One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare BD | BT | Amz | Aud — My Imaginary Ex by Mina V. Esguerra BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Harlot by Victoria Dahl BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Wicked West by Holly Summer BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone (not romance) BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat [reviews] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Rock Hard by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Daughters of Arianne Series by Joey W. Hill BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Taste of Honey by Rose Lerner BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Bad Neighbor by Molly O’Keefe BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Baby Come Back by Molly O’Keefe BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Beard Science by Penny Reid BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Grin and Beard it by Penny Reid BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Until You by Judith McNaught BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Prep and Prejudice by Miren B. Flores BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas [review] People Jennifer Hallock, Julia Quinn, J.R. Ward Links Kitchen Aid vs Kenwood iTunes | Amazon — Weird Science (Film) Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Amy Andrews | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 18/08/2018 Following on from the theme set by Kate’s 2018 RWA conference keynote, which we talked about on our previous episode, I chat with Amy Andrews on where she stands on the subject of safe sex in romance fiction. We also spend a bit of time talking about sports romance, and if you’re fan of any of the rugby codes, you’ll probably yell at me at some point because I very likely got them mixed up. Thanks heaps to divaflip for leaving us a review on iTunes! We read every single review, and it really helps to know that you’re enjoying the show. Guest Amy Andrews — Australian romance author: @AmyAndrewsbooks; facebook; instagram; amyandrews.com.au; BD | BT | Amz Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Long Game by Catherine Evans BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Fair Game by Amy Andrews BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Game On by Nicola Marsh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Longest Night by Kathleen O’Reilly BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Christmas Miracle by Amy Andrews BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Troy by Amy Andrews BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Second Chance Summer by Kait Nolan BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Locked Box by Eve Dangerfield [ audio reading ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Maggie’s Run by Kelly Hunter BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Elsa’s Stand by Cathryn Hein BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Captivated by Eve Dangerfield and Tessa Bailey BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Ride Rough by Laura Kaye BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Nothing But Trouble by Amy Andrews People Kate Cuthbert, Jodi McAlister, Suzanne Brockmann, Stefanie London, Ainslie Paton Links Romance Writers of Australia conference The rugbies: rugby league (NRL/footy), rugby union (rugby), Australian rules football (AFL/Aussie rules) A League of their Own — documentary on women’s AFL Consenting adults — transcript of Kate’s keynote speect at the 2019 Romance Writers of Australia conference GenreCon Sydney Writers Festival The RITA — premier award for romance fiction by the Romance Writers of America Mills and Boon Dare Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Kate Cuthbert and Jodi McAlister | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 19/08/2018 RWA At last year’s Romance Writers of Australia conference, Kate Cuthbert’s keynote speech, Consenting adults, was a game changer for the attendees. It spawned deep discussions about the choices authors make when writing romance stories. It also bridged a gap in the conversation because it acknowledges that problematic stories have a place in genre history, while urging us to re-examine the messages our stories are conveying. So I’m excited to have Kate and Jodi McAlister in our first interview from the conference. We talk about the function of nonconsensual scenes in the history of romance, what happy endings look like in different cultures, condoms in romance, power politics, and cultural conversations. You might also like to check out this guest post by Ainslie Paton, which looks at some dos and don’ts when writing first kisses. Ainslie also includes some examples of great first kisses. Finally, a huge hug of thanks for all your comments, tweets, Instagram stories, and emails. A special shout out goes to RBurbank and Roxanne for your lovely feedback! Join our conversation on Twitter and Instagram by using #BTpod. You can now also listen to the show on Spotify. Guests Kate Cuthbert — Program Manager at Writers Victoria, former managing editor of Escape Publishing: @katydidinoz Jodi McAlister — Literary historian and lecturer at Deakin University, author of the Valentine series: @JodiMcA; BD | BT | Amz Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James [ reviews ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Sheikh by E.M. Hull BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Romance Revolution by Carol Thurston BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Reading the Romance by Janice Radway BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Hate To Want You by Alisha Rai BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Wrong To Need You by Alisha Rai People Elizabeth Rolls, Tess LeSue, Mina V. Esguerra, Amy Andrews, Rudi Bremer Links Consenting adults — Transcript of Kate’s keynote speect at the 2019 Romance Writers of Australia conference iTunes | Amazon — The Bold and the Beautiful (TV) Book Thingo on Spotify Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Gabby| Host: Rudi Bremer | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 21/09/2018 Sydney What better way to celebrate the new year than with our (super very) belated podcast anniversary episode! *cue applause* We talk about Lisa Valdez’s books, whether you can have a multi-book romance, our urban fantasy faves, and Gabby’s love for Flowers From the Storm. Once again, Rudi has organised a special treat for us — we’re playing Book Thingo bingo! If you want to play along, you can generate a bingo card here. But let me just say: this game was totally rigged not in my favour… Guests Rudi Bremer — Amazing audio producer and recommender of books: @rudi_bee Gabby — Wearer of socks and gloves, new owner of the Fabio cover of Flowers From the Storm: @penneclearwater Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Passion by Lisa Valdez BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Patience by Lisa Valdez BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Primrose by Lisa Valdez BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Tower by Lisa Valdez BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Nicholas by Elizabeth Amber BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Whitney My Love by Judith McNaught BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Everything I Left Unsaid by M. O’Keefe [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Truth About Him by M. O’Keefe BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews [ live tweets ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs [ reviews ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Dark Fever series by Karen Marie Moning BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Riley Jensen series by Keri Arthur BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale People Kate Cuthbert Links Podcast episode 10 — The first Book Thingo podcast episode that features Gabby and Rudi The Ripped Bodice — The romance bookshop to top all romance bookshops, based in the USA Sydney Writers’ Festival – Website | Podcast RT Convention — An annual convention (now defunct) that was organised by the Romantic Times ASMR — Autonomous sensory meridian response: Some ASMR videos that Gabby recommends (and Rudi couldn’t handle listening to): coconut pulp; hot fried chicken; aloe vera and honeycomb View this post on Instagram I found the Fabio cover of Flowers from the Storm!!! A post shared by Kat (@bookthingo) on Apr 9, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Anne Trinidad | Host: Gabby | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 29/06/2018 IASPR Conference After our involuntary podcasting hiatus, we’re back with a vengeance. Gabby has taken over the podcast, because in this episode we talk about a topic I know nothing about — One Direction fandom. Specifically: Larry Stylinson. We also talk about fanfic, fan spaces, K-Pop, and Filipino love teams. If you can read Tagalog, you can check out Anne’s academic paper on Fandom, Fangirling and Stan Culture. A quick update on what Anne is up to. In case you missed Jodi’s announcement, she and Claire Parnell were awarded an RWA grant to study the #romanceclass community in the Philippines, and they’ll be working with Anne on this project. Jodi and Claire have also been on the podcast before, and you can check out their interviews in episodes 51 and 20. And finally, it’s a little late now, but our podcast turned 3 this year. We’re super grateful for supporting us with your comments, tweets, emails and subscribes! Guest Anne Trinidad — Fan girl and academic at Ateneo de Manila University: @andreaanneeeeee Books Apple | BD | BT | Amz | Aud — After by Anna Todd Apple | BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Escapade by Dolce People One Direction, Jadine, KathNiel, LizQuen, Nadine Lustre Links International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR) After (Film) — To be released in 2019 Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Gabby and Rudi Bremer | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 25/03/2018 Sydney Earlier this year, we featured you, our fellow readers, reading aloud some of your favourite romance scenes. We actually had more than we could use in one episode, so we’re doing a reader redux episode. As usual, we get into a bit of a debate on the merits of The Horse Bronzeman, and Passion. If you have strong opinions either way, feel free to let us know on Twitter using #BTpod! Around the 13-minute mark, Rudi mentions an Ilona Andrews series that was published ahead of the Hidden Legacy sequels, and we have a short convo about them. It turns out we were talking about different books! I was talking about the Kate Daniels series, but she was talking about the Innkeeper Chronicles. I’m sorry that I IlonaAndrewsplained to Rudi, who is, let’s face it, a veteran fan, whereas I’m still a newbie. (We still manage to make sense, though, which I feel is an accomplishment worthy of praise.) Shout out to @mutendorf and @herhandsmyhands for their feedback on the podcast. We really appreciate your tweets, FB comments, IG stories, and emails, so please keep them coming! Guests Rudi Bremer — Book Thingo blogger and audio producer: @rudi_bee Gabby — Book Thingo blogger and writer of An open letter to the Sydney Writers’ Festival: @penneclearwater Sophy Ly — Alt-Rudi: @Soph_Ly Chachic — Romance book blogger, sister in smut: @chachic_; Instagram; chachic.wordpress.com Diem Nguyen — Reader, reviewer and podcast host at Bookish Friends: @diemng13; Instagram; bookishfriendsblog.wordpress.com; @BookishFriends Sarah — Romance reader and long-time friend of the podcast: @Bluestocking_a View this post on Instagram If you asked me for recommendation this week, I probably mentioned Iris After the Incident or Butterbings, both of which are in this photo. ? Melbourne, I miss you already! A post shared by Kat (@bookthingo) on Feb 26, 2017 at 8:50pm PST Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Across a Moonlit Sea by Marsha Canham BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Burn For Me by Ilona Andrews BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Spindle Cove series by Tessa Dare BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Craving Flight by Tamsen Parker BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Passion by Lisa Valdez BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Make You Mine by Molly O’Keefe (in the Rogue Acts anthology) BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Iris After the Incident by Mina V. Esguerra BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Learning to Fall by Mina V. Esguerra BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Nicholas by Elizabeth Amber People Darlene Marshall, Kelley Armstrong, J.R. Ward, Sandra Antonelli, Bona Caballero Links RT/Romantic Times Convention — No link as the convention has been discontinued Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Jennifer Hallock | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 2/07/2018 IASPR When I heard that the 2018 IASPR conference was going to be in Sydney, and the theme would focus on location, one of the first people I messaged was Jennifer Hallock. She writes the Sugar Sun series, set in the Philippines when it was a colony of the USA. She gave an amazing presentation at IASPR on the ways in which historical romance books are “selectively accurate”. You can find her paper on her blog, which I’ve linked to below. I had some amazing conversations with Jen and #romanceclass author Mina V. Esguerra while they were in Sydney, and they’ve made me think a lot about the way I read, the way I select books, and how I’ve made room (or not) for diverse voices in my reading process. I hope you find this interview as fascinating as I did. Jen is crowdsourcing a couple of Goodreads lists around diverse historical romance: Historical romance with unusual settings and Historical romance with political, economic, and/or social conflict. Feel free to contribute titles to these lists! Huge thanks to @WriterGal and @jennellens for tweeting their appreciation of the podcast. We appreciate it so much! And I forgot to include a correction in the intro, but I erroneously called a Sherry Thomas novel as My Darling Enemy. The actual title of the book is My Beautiful Enemy, and the link is included below. Guest Jennifer Hallock — History teacher and scholar, and author of historical romances set in the Philippines during the period of American occupation: @jen_hallock; Instagram; Facebook; jenniferhallock.com View this post on Instagram Had to chase after @jen_hallock to get this one photo proving that we met each other! She and @minavesguerra have been my daily buddies for the past week, and it has been a constant exchange of ideas with occasional moments of gluttony. ? If you haven’t read Jen’s Sugar Sun series, I recommend it. We also recorded a podcast, and I can’t wait to share it with you! A post shared by Kat (@bookthingo) on Jul 3, 2018 at 6:16am PDT Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell BD | BT | Amz — Hotel Oriente by Jennifer Hallock [ review ] BD | BT | Amz — Under the Sugar Sun by Jennifer Hallock [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Release date TBC — Sugar Moon by Jennifer Hallock [ teasers ] BD | BT | Amz — Loyal League series by Alyssa Cole BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Destiny’s Captive by Beverly Jenkins BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Seditious Affair by K.J. Charles BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne BD | BT | Amz — The Jade Temptress by Jeannie Lin BD | BT | Amz — The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas BD | BT | Amz | Aud — My Beautiful Enemy by Sherry Thomas [ review ] People Georgette Heyer, Rolando O. Borrinaga, Piper Huguley, Evangeline Holland, Eric Selinger Links IASPR (International Association for the Study of Popular Romance) — Teach Me Tonight has a summary of the livetweets from the 2018 Sydney conference History Ever After: Fabricated historical chronotopes in romance genre fiction — Part 1 & Part 2 The Supersizers Go…Regency — BBC (see YouTube video below) American Heritage Collection — Ateneo de Manila University Library Amazon | ABC AU — Country House Rescue (TV) Amazon | iTunes — Queen Sugar (TV) — Click here for the live tweets of Jacqueline Jones’s IASPR paper The Balangiga Incident: Overview and Update on the Campaign for the Return of the Bells of Balangiga by Prof. Rolando O. Borrinaga Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guests: Gabby &  Rudi | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 9/06/2018 Sydney When the AAR Top 100 Romances List came out this year, we had to interrupt our podcasting schedule to talk about the results. A quick count of the books by authors of colour paints a dismal picture: 16 books in total by 6 women of colour. Of the 6 women of colour, there was 1 black author (Alyssa Cole), and only 1 was not from the US (Nalini Singh). There was a lot of conversation about the list in my Twitter timeline, and Rudi, Gabby and I definitely had some opinions about some of the titles that made it, and some that didn’t. Gabby also has very strong opinions on AAR’s decision not to rank the top 100 this year. And a quick correction: in Lord of Scoundrels, the hero has an illegitimate son, not a stepson. But as with all podcasts featuring the Book Thingo bloggers, we meander through many other topics that may or may not be related to books. We briefly talk about the My Way killings (link below for context), and I just want to clarify that I don’t actually fear for my life in karaoke bars in the Philippines. (But I also don’t actually go to karaoke bars in the Philippines. Because, like, you can just sing karaoke in the backyard! Also, I don’t do karaoke. That part is true.) And if you’re new to the podcast, we have a running joke about my mispronunciation of words, and my inability to distinguish between Lisa Kleypas and Loretta Chase. A final note: in a timely coincidence, author and academic Jennifer Hallock published her IASPR paper on fabricated chronotopes in historical romance, which explains (in a way that is easy for non-academics like me to follow) the additional work that authors have to do to portray unfamiliar settings and time periods in history, and the double standard they face from readers who criticise elements that they wouldn’t question in a more familiar (though not necessarily more accurate) historical setting. Her paper basically explain what Gabby, Rudi and I attempt to describe when we discuss An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole, a book that Hallock also uses as an example in her paper. Guests Gabby — Book Thingo blogger and writer of An open letter to the Sydney Writers’ Festival: @penneclearwater Rudi Bremer — Book Thingo blogger and audio producer extraordinaire: @rudi_bee Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Devil In Winter by Lisa Kleypas BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Beard Science by Penny Reid BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Devil In Spring by Lisa Kleypas BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Hating Game by Sally Thorne [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Seditious Affair by K.J. Charles BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Outlander by Diana Gabaldon BD | BT | Amz | Aud — An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Unveiled by Courtney Milan BD | BT | Amz — Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole [ review ] BD | BT | Amz — Iris After the Incident by Mina V. Esguerra [ GR review ] BD | BT | Amz — Fit series by Rebekah Weatherspoon [ review ] BD | BT | Amz — A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Captive Prince series by C.S. Pacat BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Me Before You by Jojo Moyes BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Moon Awakening by Lucy Monroe People Georgette Heyer, Beverly Jenkins, Brenda Jackson, Nalini Singh, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, J.R. Ward, Sylvia Day, E.L. James, Joanna Bourne, Jennifer Crusie, Meka/@mektastic Links AAR’s Top 100 Romances List for 2018 AAR Top 10 for 2018 Sinatra song often strikes deadly chord by Norimitsu Onishi (NYT) My Favourite Murder episode where they talk about the My Way killings ‘Outlander’ Author Diana Gabaldon Says English Majors Will End Up Serving Fast Food by Claire Fallon (HuffPost) Triple J Hottest 100 AAR review of An Extraordinary Union The State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing Report published by The Ripped Bodice Romance reader demographics (RWA) #rombklove archive for Gateway Books theme #rombklove archive for Disability theme Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Carla de Guzman | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 8/04/2018 Sydney When I met author Carla de Guzman over lunch, we had so much fun bonding over cheese wheels and gelato that I knew I had to have her on the podcast. Carla writes plus-size heroines living or travelling in different parts of the world, and she’s part of the #romanceclass community. We code-switch a bit during this episode, but hopefully our meaning comes through just fine. We mention the “tita” life a number of times. Tita translates to “aunt”, but it’s also a more general honorific for other women in your parents’ generation. Rudi did an amazing job with the audio in this episode. We recorded outside at the State Library of NSW, where it was somewhat windy and random strangers in conversation would walk by as we recorded. But also, she removed the bit where we talk about nipples, so you win some, you lose some! Guest Carla de Guzman — Romance author, painter, and part-time traveller: @carlakdeguzman; Facebook; carladeguzman.com View this post on Instagram Today in #romancelandian shenanigans, coffee, books and in-store stuff. You’ll see these pics in a thing soon! . . #romanceclass #romanceclassbooks #romanceclassbooks #romancebook #authorslife #authorsofig #bookstagram A post shared by Carla de Guzman (@carlakdeguzman) on Nov 10, 2017 at 5:07am PST Books BD | BT | Amz — If The Dress Fits by Carla de Guzman BD | BT | Amz — Chasing Mindy by Carla de Guzman BD | BT | Amz — You Out of Nowhere by Jay E. Tria BD | BT | Amz — What a Difference a Duke Makes by Lenora Bell BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare People Fred Lo, Tara Frejas, Gio Gahol, Gab Pangilinan, Bibo Reyes, Chachic Links iTunes | Amazon — Rent (Film) #romanceclass and #romanceclassFLAIR Recovery Food Book of Mormon Wicked The Lion King Mula Sa Buwan (From The Moon) — A retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac set in the Philippines during WWII Rak of Aegis Newsies Write Away PH Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest:  Rudi Bremer & Gabby | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 17/05/2018 Sydney The alternative title for this episode is: Not your mother’s romance. This is what Rudi would prefer to call it, but in the spirit of #RomBkLove 2018, I (Kat) have gone with the boring but easily recognisable title. This pretty much sums up the dynamic for our Book Thingo blogger roundtable podcasts. Of which this #RomBkLove prompt will be one! When Ana Coqui from Immersed in Books invited us to participate as hosts in this year’s #RomBkLove month, Rudi, Gabby and I decided that we would do something a little different. We thought we’d record a podcast where we talk about gateway books, and leave most of the book lists for you, our fellow readers, to post either here on the blog (the shownotes page, if you’re reading this on a podcasting app), or on social media. By day 23, we figured you might be overwhelmed with reading lists, and this is a chance for us to catch our breaths and remember why we fell in love with the genre, and books that helped to get us there. If you haven’t heard of #RomBkLove, you can read Ana’s introduction post here. It’s a month-long celebration of romance books, and each day is focused on a theme, which hosted by one or more readers either on their own platform or on Ana’s blog. Most of the conversation happens on Twitter, but I know others are also playing on Instagram and Facebook, so feel free to get into it via the social media platform you’re most comfortable with — just remember to use the hashtag #RomBkLove if you want us to be able to find your comments. Ana is also busy archiving the discussions for each day — a Herculean feat given the increasing popularity of this event — and using the hashtag helps her find reader discussions online. For todays’ theme, gateway books, we broadly define the theme to be about books that introduced us to the romance genre, books that made us fall in love with the genre, and books that we recommend to people who might not read romance but maybe might want to try it. If we missed anything, feel free to expand, reframe, or spin off from our definition. I’m excited to hear about your gateway books into romance. Before we recorded this podcast, I hadn’t realised how differently Gabby, Rudi and I slid into reading romance fiction, and I suspect you have some very interesting stories yourselves! Guests Rudi Bremer — Book Thingo blogger and audio producer extraordinaire: @rudi_bee Gabby — Book Thingo blogger and writer of An open letter to the Sydney Writers’ Festival: @penneclearwater View this post on Instagram I found the Fabio cover of Flowers from the Storm!!! A post shared by Kat (@bookthingo) on Apr 9, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT Gateway books and authors Mills and Boon Sweet Dreams BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Secret Obsession by Charlotte Lamb BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Faking It by Jennifer Cruise BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Until You by Judith McNaught BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James [ reviews ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Lauren [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn [ podcast ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh [ review | podcast ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Untamed by Anna Cowan [ review ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat [ podcast ] Other books and authors we mention Stasia Black Sweet Valley High Baby-Sitters Club Jacqueline Wilson Lisa Kleypas Christina Dodd Susan Elizabeth Phillips Johanna Lindsey Julie Garwood Bryce Courtenay HelenKay Dimon Jane Austen Clementine Ford BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Forever by Judy Blume BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Grumpy Fake Boyfriend by Jackie Lau BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Nicholas by Elizabeth Amber BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss BD | BT | Amz | Aud — The Wolf and the Dove by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar [ review ] Links Wattpad Goodreads All About Romance — Annual Reader Polls fanfiction.net Chachic — Fellow romance book blogger [ podcast ] Backstreet Boys NSync iTunes | Amazon — Kissing’ Cousins (Film) iTunes | Amazon — Pride and Prejudice (TV) iTunes | Amazon — Clueless (Film) Amazon — Empire Records (Film) It’s true!! We’ll be appearing on this season of @BachelorABC ? A post shared by backstreetboys (@backstreetboys) on Jan 3, 2017 at 4:30pm PST (Bryan is the one on the bottom left.) Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.

Guest: Nalini Singh | Host: Kat Mayo | Audio producer: Rudi Bremer | Recorded: 6/4/2018 Sydney There’s something about New Zealand author Nalini Singh that makes me happy to be a romance reader. Maybe it’s the way she always has time for fans. Or that you always feel like she treats your questions as important, even if you’re barely able to make small talk because you’re so overwhelmed with fangirl love. Or that she turns up to a convention bar to bring along your other favourite author because she saw one of your tweets. In short: she is an amazing author but also a truly wonderful person. She was in Sydney last month for the Sydney Author Event, and we took the opportunity to have a chat about her books and her writing. Towards the end of the interview, Nalini mentions some events that she’ll be appearing in. You can find out more about her upcoming appearances on her website. In our next episode, we’ll be hosting the #RomBkLove discussion on gateway books into romance. We’ll be posting that one a little later in the day to give our friends in the northern hemisphere time to catch up. To ensure you don’t miss it, you can subscribe to Apple Podcasts or through one of the many podcast apps available (I prefer Overcast myself). Guest Nalini Singh — Award-winning author of paranormal and contemporary romance: @NaliniSingh; Facebook; Instagram; nalinisingh.com Books BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Desert Warrior by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh (Kaleb’s book) BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Silver Silence by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Ocean Light by Nalini Singh [ excerpt ] BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Rock Hard by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Psy/Changeling Trinity series by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Rock Kiss series by Nalini Singh BD | BT | Amz | Aud — Hard Play series by Nalini Singh People Meljean Brook Links Festival du Roman Féminin Love Letter Convention Romance Writers of New Zealand Convention Missed a previous episode? You can find a list of all the Book Thingo podcast episodes here and catch up. You can also email your feedback and suggestions to podcast@bookthingo.com.au.