Candy Tan

I am a relatively new convert to SBTB followers. I only picked up on the site about a year ago and wasn't sure what to make of it. I wasn't a closet romance reader--I've always been very open about reading romances, even when I was thirteen years old toting around a bag full of 80's Harlequin titles with subject matter most 13 year olds wouldn't think about in relation to 'romance' (like revenge sex, never heard of that until I read Harlequin). When my friends would deride me for my tastes in reading material (amongst everything else they chided me about) I'd just shrug and ask them what they knew about romance.

To say I enjoyed reading this book is an understatement. When I picked it up at the bookstore to flip through a few months ago I was texting my twilight friends the definition for 'vampire' before I got to the last word, storing away information about the various archetypes of heroine to compare against my favorites and thanking god that I knew enough about the female anatomy before I read my first romance that I never believed in the magical hymen that every romance heroine has.

There were some portions that I skimmed over quickly--parts of the chapters labeled 'Corset' (about heroines) and 'Codpiece' (about heroes), 'Bad Sex' (about rape in romance) and 'Love Grotto' (about sex scenes) had sections where I just skipped them to the next header for whatever reason. Like any other Fandom meta-essay analysis book (which if you're into the Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, or Star Trek fandoms you will have read at LEAST one meta-essay book, in my case I read them like a thirsty man needs water) some of it can just be very dry and 'well I knew that'.

This book though I think is good for anyone who has a friend (male or female) who constantly teases them for liking books about 'women who swoon at men's feet and have sex willy-nilly' (I hear this a lot). Now you can pull this book out, flip to the section they just accused you of enjoying and have them read just how wrong they are. This isn't a comprehensive guide to romance books, this is a guide for the genre itself told in a witty, intelligent and easily understandable way. There's illustrations (of Mavis, the romance reader stereotype), ridiculous 'Create the Perfect Title for Your Lordly Hero' (because every historical hero needs a title that conveys his dark, brooding self) and the 'Oh Honey What's Your Problem?' (involving some of the more ridiculous reasons heroines are still virgins) games and best of all--its funny. It takes its subject matter seriously, but makes fun of all the tropes, stereotypes and plots that make the genre hard for outsiders to swallow.… (meer)

Overall? Clever, but no match for the Smart Bitches website. I'd flipped through the book indecisively several times before deciding that, yes, I needed a copy to come home with me. The main reason is Chapter WTF: Defending the Genre, which starts on page 120, contains some cool history and feminist viewpoints, and wraps up with an expert opinion on dealing with friends who are derisive about romances:

The sad truth is that anyone who presumes romances are all dumb, and that the readers thereof are as well, will never appreciate the genre unless they read one. They most likely will never do so, or won't recognized the romance for what it is because it's not [sic] wrapped up in a more attractive and socially acceptable cover. If a romance is marketed outside the romance bookshelf, then that book "transcends the genre" and doesn't count anyway. So those people will go on putting down your reading material because smart women don't read romance in their worldview.

So you know what? Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em hard. They can read whatever they want, and so can you.

Also, I want to track down a number of the romances name checked by the authors and the romance authors whom they interviewed along the way.… (meer)

This is a very funny, very informative book about romance novels for romance readers by romance enthusiasts. The two "smart bitches" run a website called "Smart Bitches Trashy Books" and credit it with "all of the romance, none of the bullshit". That last phrase is a fair summary of the book, though one would have to add "laugh out loud funny". The book examines the structure of the romance novel, looks at subgenres, discusses the disdain in which romance novels are widely held, and takes a look at the future of romance. (Note: one thing I learned is that romance is Big Business. Many may look down on the genre, but it makes a ton of money for publishers). It is snarky, joyful, and altogether a good read.… (meer)

This discussion of the romance genre by two of the women behind Smart Bitches,Trashy Books is equal parts informative and tongue in cheek. They provide the history of the genre, discuss the many tropes associated with it, and explore the reasons why so many women love it and why so many women are maligned for loving it. An enjoyable read with a lot of substance, though the constant nudge, nudge humor grew tiresome by the end.… (meer)