Scandalicious Chats

In Episode 196…

Be forewarned! My audio isn’t great this week, sorry! I was testing out a new recording feature which ended up doing the opposite of what I hoped to attain but I didn’t want you all to miss out on a great discussion of CRAZY RICH ASIANS by Kevin Kwan. The romantic comedy that blew records this summer was fun for some of us nerds. With the DVDs/blu-rays dropping on November 20th, what better way to get an insight into our thoughts. We do an in-depth book to movie comparison and give you some book recommendations as we like to do.

Sit back and enjoy the podcast!

Books We Mention

LOLA’S PICK – CHINA RICH GIRLFRIEND by Kevin Kwan

Book Two of the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy

It’s the eve of Rachel Chu’s wedding, and she should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond, a wedding dress she loves, and a fiancé willing to thwart his meddling relatives and give up one of the biggest fortunes in Asia in order to marry her. Still, Rachel mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be there to walk her down the aisle.

Then a chance accident reveals his identity. Suddenly, Rachel is drawn into a dizzying world of Shanghai splendor, a world where people attend church in a penthouse, where exotic cars race down the boulevard, and where people aren’t just crazy rich … they’re China rich.

 

TANIA’S PICK – SWEATPANTS SEASON by Danielle Allen

Sweatpants Season

He has a big…smile.

It was the first thing I noticed that day until he stood. His grey sweatpants hung off his hips and I didn’t want to look. I really didn’t.

I’m a feminist.

I don’t believe in objectifying men. I don’t catcall men. I don’t ogle the bodies of men. I don’t view men as objects of my affection rather than complex people with feelings, wants, and needs of their own. I don’t treat men the way society often treats women.

I treat men the way I want to be treated as a woman—with respect!

So, when Carlos ran into me while I was reviewing my interview questions in the park, it surprised me to see my photography classmate out of context. I was also surprised to see as much of him as I did.

It wasn’t just that it caught my eye. It was the fact that it held my attention.

It wasn’t just that it was large. It was the fact that it was visibly large.

It wasn’t just that it was Carlos Richmond. It was the fact that I am Akila Bishara.

And I am not seduced by anything other than intelligent conversation, witty rapport, and meaningful actions.

I am not seduced by a dick print.

I am not.

Seriously, I’m not.

SUNNY’s PICK – JOSH + HAZEL’s GUIDE TO DATING by Christina Lauren

Most men can’t handle Hazel. But her best friend Josh isn’t most men. Don’t miss New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren’s new novel about two people who are definitely notdating…no matter how often they end up in bed together.

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other.

In Episode 195…

As I mentioned a couple of weeks back, we prerecorded a lot of our episodes for the new season of Scandalicious Chats during the summer and while this week’s episode is called Past Reads we did focus on books we read over the summer. Every nerd has her kryptonite and we try and use it to convince each other to read each other’s picks. You may want to know that I got bullied so well I have started reading BOHEMIAN by Kathryn Nolan and Teena Read THE KISS QUOTIENT by Helen Hoang. Tania hasn’t reported reading any of our picks as of yet

In Episode 194…

In Episode 194, we take a diverse slant to the discussion and highlight our perspective on diverse books in romance. Sunny joins me in this week’s episode as we talk about cultural backgrounds, what defines a diverse perspective, some news and what to expect in the next episode.

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Books We Mention

Music credit| Bass Walker/Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 | http://creativecommons.org/license

In Episode 193…

After a brief hiatus, we are back and have changed the name of our podcast to Scandalicious Chats on all major podcast outlets and on the blog. Have no fear, episodes will still contain the same humour and discussion you are used to but will hopefully cover some broader content with a focus on diversity in romance and interviews.

The podcast will also be switching to a seasonal format where episodes will run from September to April with two to three episodes publishing per month. We would like to give room for more listener interaction so shoot us an email and we will address it on a future recording. Please send all email questions to SCANDALSNERDSATGMAILDOTCOM.

Onward to the podcast…

In Episode 193, we return to our roots in book discussion as we break down our thoughts on EVERYTHING LEFT UNSAID by M. O’Keefe, which released in 2015. This book is part of our Travelling Book created by Sunny but you can hear about the details in this week’s episode, so sit back and enjoy and don’t forget to drop us a line.

Books We Mention

Music credit| Bass Walker/Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 | http://creativecommons.org/license

 

In Episode 192…

In this week’s episode, I invite Robin Covington, a friend of the blog and prolific romance writer to discuss the state of diversity in Romancelandia, the RWA’s stance on the newly recognized issue and possible solutions from a number of angles. Take a listen and let us know what your thoughts are on the topic.

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New Release Shelf

See what we have to say about all upcoming releases on our new releases post.

Links to Discussions on Social Media

RWA Statement

Robin Covington’s Thread

Courtney Milan’s Thread

Alana Albertson’s Thread

Adrienne Mishel 

Naima Simone’s Article 

Remember to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

Scandal and the Nerds

Music credit| Bass Walker/Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 | http://creativecommons.org/license

In Episode 191…

We may not have recorded in a few weeks but we crank things up in this episode. I warn you, LISTEN WITH CAUTION! I think we had a dose of the silly juice before we sat down and everyone brought there A-game. Check out the Scandalicious version of “Never Have I Ever”.

New Release Shelf

See what we have to say about all upcoming releases on our new releases post.

Books We Mention

Remember to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

Scandal and the Nerds

Music credit| Bass Walker/Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 | http://creativecommons.org/license

In Episode 190…

We haven’t been around for a hot minute but we are back with a previously recorded episode of Scandal and The Nerd, where we discuss a few things we’ve learned from romance. As much as I tried to steer this conversation from sex, we just couldn’t help ourselves. We do delve into a few other areas but as you know we are a bunch of opinionated women so the conversation goes in all kinds of direction. Take listen and feel free to share some our new knowledge below.

New Release Shelf

See what we have to say about all upcoming releases on our new releases post.

Remember to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

Scandal and the Nerds

Music credit| Bass Walker/Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 | http://creativecommons.org/license

Welcome to this week’s episode. We have something fun for you, an author interview with Falguni Kothari.

Scandal, Sunny and Lola gather to interview Falguni Kothari the author of MY LAST LOVE STORY. A slice of life tale that embraces the complexity of illness, a life bucket list and a well-loved romantic trope of a love triangle. Scandal note: Well….do we really want to label this a love triangle trope? You know I hate the labels!

My Last Love Story

Promise me you’ll learn to cuss, learn to love again. Live again. Promise me you won’t give up on each other.

Simi Desai is thirty years old and her husband is dying of cancer. He has two last wishes in his final months: first, that she’ll have his baby so that a piece of him lives on, and second, that she’ll reconcile with her old flame, who just happens to be their mutual best friend. And so over the course of their last summer together, Simi’s husband plans a series of big and small adventures for this unlikely trio, designed to help them say goodbye to each other and prove to Simi that it’s okay to move on without him–and even find love again.

Beautiful and poignant, Falguni Kothari’s My Last Love Story will pull your heartstrings as only unforgettable love stories can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Release Shelf

See what we have to say about all upcoming releases on our new releases post.

Remember to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

Scandal and the Nerds

Music credit| Bass Walker/Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 | http://creativecommons.org/license

Episode 187…

The nerds gather this week and have challenged each other to read a small town romance. As you will see some were hits and others misses. Scandal can’t stop pimping her love for Janet Chapman, I recommend one of Kristen Ashley’s small-town romance and there a few other surprises from the rest of the nerds, of course. We have an extensive new release shelf and we talk about some of the books we read this week.

New Release Shelf

See what we have to say about all upcoming releases on our new releases post.

Remember to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

Scandal and the Nerds

Music credit| Bass Walker/Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 | http://creativecommons.org/license

Episode 186…

Scandal, Sunny and I ended up in NC this past weekend to prep some new and upcoming content for the blog and when nerds get together we can’t help but talk about romance books, especially of the dark variety. Sunny recently enjoyed The Hostage by Annika Martin and Skye Warren and felt a little guilt around her enjoyment, something I think we can all relate to as romance readers. While the conversation did surround our enjoyment of this sub-genre, the conversation quickly took many tangents. Take a listen and enjoy!

New Release Shelf

See what we have to say about all upcoming releases on our new releases post.

Remember to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

Scandal and the Nerds

Music credit| Bass Walker/Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 | http://creativecommons.org/license