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Posted by Amanda

Christmas wooden mansion in mountains on snowfall winter day. Cozy chalet on ski resort near pine forest. Cottage of round timber with wooden balcony. Fir-trees covered with snow. Chimneys of stone.It’s our first Whatcha Reading of the new year. Here’s how we’re kicking off 2026:

Lara: In a move that is surprising to no one in my life, I have just reread Heated Rivalry ( A | BN | K | AB ) and I’m toying with reading The Long Game again next, but I might need to try chill on the Ilya/Shane action because I’ve been plotting ways to make Ilya and Shane merch here in South Africa, so … perhaps time to switch gears and read something different. Anyone else find themselves very into this series?

Sarah: I am reading Trailbreaker by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, ( A | BN ) book two in the Prairie Nightingale series – or, I’m about to start it. I had a ball reading the last one, so I’m very excited.

I just DNFd a book that I really wanted to like, and had to tell myself the slog was enough so I’m really excited to start something new

Elyse: I just finished Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It’s this wonderfully soothing read about how she lived in the country during lockdown and raised a baby hare that was abandoned with the intent of releasing into the wild. In turn the hare helped her realize that the pace of her life was causing her miss out on the present moment and helped her reconnect to nature.

Her writing is so gentle and evocative that it kind of puts you in a little trance.

Whatcha reading? Tell us in the comments!

Mysteries, Zombies, & More

Jan. 9th, 2026 04:30 pm
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Posted by Amanda

Homemaker

RECOMMENDED: Homemaker by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare is $2.49 at Amazon! Sarah reviewed this and gave it a B+:

Homemaker is extremely, vibrantly feminist, though Prairie is not so much angry all the time (she is sometimes) as she is fed up and unafraid to point out all of the ways that women’s perceptions, labor, and accomplishments are devalued – unless that women’s work makes the man in her life look good to other people.

When a former friend and devoted mother vanishes, a confident homemaker turned amateur sleuth follows an unexpected trail of scandals and secrets to find her.

Prairie Nightingale is both the midlife mother of two teenage girls and a canny entrepreneur who has turned homemaking into a salaried profession. She’s also fascinated with the gritty details of other people’s lives. So when seemingly perfect Lisa Radcliffe, a member of her former mom-friends circle, suddenly disappears, it’s in Prairie’s nature to find out why.

Given her innate talent for vital pattern recognition, Prairie is out to catch a few clues by taking a long, hard look at everyone in Lisa’s life—and uncovering their secrets. Including Lisa’s. Prairie’s dogged curiosity is especially irritating to FBI agent Foster Rosemare, the first interesting man Prairie has met since her divorce. His square jaw and sharp suits don’t hurt.

But even as the investigation begins to wreak havoc on Prairie’s carefully tended homelife, she’s resolved to use her multivalent homemaking skills to solve the mystery of a missing mom—and along the way discover the thrill of her new sleuthing ambitions.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

How to Solve Your Own Murder

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin is $1.99! Sarah was curious about this one when it came out and mentioned it on Hide Your Wallet.

For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club , an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate…. Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer.

It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?

As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

Dating After the End of the World

Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose is $2.49 at Amazon! I read this one last year and gave it a C. Did any of you also read this one? What did you think?

 

There’s nothing like the undead to bring the living together in an action-packed and apocalyptically romantic genre-shattering novel by a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Casey Pearson grew up with a doomsday-prepping father. At eighteen, tired of living an unconventional life, she left home, vowing never to return.

More than a decade later, a mysterious viral outbreak changes everything, including the people it infects, turning them into zombielike creatures. It’s the end of the world, and no one saw it coming—well, except for Casey’s father. With no place left to run and danger lurking around every corner, Casey is forced to return home.

Upon arrival, she’s surprised to find that her dad has hunkered down with a group of survivors, including her archnemesis, Blake Morrison, the high school bully who made Casey’s teenage years a living hell.

While struggling to live on the compound, face outside threats, and survive alongside her handsome enemy, Casey will learn that although the world has ended, hers is just beginning.

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

The Weaver Bride

The Weaver Bride by Lydia Gregovic is $2.99! I mentioned this on Hide Your wallet when it came out last September. I believe this one skews more YA.

A sweeping fantasy about a witch who must navigate a ruthless marriage competition—and try not to fall in love along the way. Part twisting mystery, part thrilling romance, The Weaver Bride is an unputdownable romantasy steeped in a lush magical world.

Lovett Tamerlane is a silkwitch. Like all girls of her kind, she holds a rare magic—a magic that can be harnessed only through marriage to a Weaver. But finding a Weaver husband requires status, refinement, and money, all of which Lovett sadly lacks. Her one secret ability, to open any door, is her saving grace. Hidden in plain sight, Lovett spends her days using her gift to steal from wealthy families and her nights avoiding the fate imposed on all unwed silkwitches: a life confined to the cloisters.

But opening doors can be dangerous, and when Lovett steals from the wrong person, she finds herself face to face with Eliot Lear, the notorious son of a prominent Weaver. It turns out Eliot’s been watching Lovett. He knows she’s a silkwitch, and he offers her a life-altering opportunity: entrance to the Vainglory, a competition with the ultimate prize—marriage to Noé Alaire, heir to generations of Weaver wealth. The catch? Last year, the Vainglory ended in tragedy. The winner died. And the winner was Eliot’s sister.

The arrangement is simple: If Lovett solves the mystery of Ophelia Lear’s death and unmasks her killer, Eliot will ensure she has her pick of Weaver suitors, regardless of who wins the competition. Yet unraveling Ophelia’s murder proves far more complicated than either of them anticipated. And Lovett should know better than to take a Weaver at his word.

After all . . . what is love without betrayal?

Add to Goodreads To-Read List →

You can find ordering info for this book here.

 

 

 

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In which Hisako Ichiki meets her stalker and the shadowy cult Children of the Atom discovers the Peter Principle.

Children of the Atom (Ultimate X‑Men, volume 2) by Peach Momoko

Episode 700: The Video!

Jan. 9th, 2026 07:15 am
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Posted by SB Sarah

Hey Look! It’s a Friday Video! (Shall we bring those back?)

This week is Episode 700 of the podcast, and I’ve done both an audio and video version of the show because my guest, Amanda Matta (aka matta_of_fact) and I are examining some old skool romance covers through an art history lens.

Amanda has degrees in art history and museum studies, and while she may be more known for her royals commentary, I love her podcast Art of History, where she does a deep dive into one particular piece of art each month.

This is my first (woot!) attempt at video editing, and so it’s a little rougher than I’d like, but I am very excited to share it.

 

You can find Amanda Matta at her website, AmandaMatta.com, on TikTok, and on Instagram.

And you can find the Smart Podcast Trashy Books channel on YouTube – please subscribe if you’re so inclined, as I had to restart the channel from scratch.

I hope you enjoy our journey through different covers, and thank you for helping us reach 700 episodes.

 

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