BT058. #rombklove: Gateway books

Rudi, Gabby and I talk about books the 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 using the hashtag #rombklove.

Shownotes: http://bookthingo.com.au/podcast
Feedback: [email protected]
Host: Kat Mayo
Audio producer: Rudi Bremer
Recorded: 17/05/2018 Sydney

Usually we would post the show notes on the blog, but it's misbehaving, so we're mirroring the info here, just for this special episode.

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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

 

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)

 

(Bryan is the one on the bottom left.)

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