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smartbitches_feedThe latest bestseller list is brought to you by comfortable shoes, snack breaks, and our affiliate sales data.
I hope your weekend reading was magical!
jhetleyjames_davis_nicoll
Which of these look interesting?
Yalum by Matthew Hughes (September 2025)
7 (21.2%)
Some other option (see comments)
1 (3.0%)
Cats!
32 (97.0%)
jhetleyrolanniI'm really glad I moved the writing part of my life back to Steve's office. The business aspect of my life is a Terrible Snarl, which is going to take several hours, if not days to unsnarl. But! I will be able to Go To Work untroubled by the gnarly looking piles, and that's a Good Thing.
I am also thinking that I will be wanting to move my writing time from afternoon/evening to morning. Get up, get breakfast, hit the story. This has never worked for me before, but, since I am now apparently a Day Person, we shall Make Adjustments.
Me doing creative work in the morning means that y'all will be getting the Confusion Factory Daily Update later in the day. I hope that doesn't inconvenience anyone.
On the Trope Front, I have decided to treat the whole business as a game, because if I don't I will descend into a Slough of Despond, because 35+ years of writing my head and heart out is going to be reduced to "meet cute." I really am trying to meet the organizers of this thing halfway, but I fear I'm being just as hard on them as I feel they're being on me.
Later, we can talk about how Tropes do a disservice to writer and to reader, if we want to. I expect I'm on the wrong side of the line, as I am with trigger warnings. I am a flawed being. As are we all.
Aside all of that... I do believe that I'll pour myself an early glass of wine and go sit out on the deck.
Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.
I'll check in tomorrow afternoon.
rolanniFriday. It's an awfully nice day. Sunny and breezy. Warmer up inland where the Confusion Factory is located, than down Bath, where it was Right Cool at that nice little park of theirs. If I could snap my fingers and move this house as it is to Bath, I'd do that.
Yeah.
So, I saw my PCP, who's looking well. I have my COVID shot, so that's taken care of. I will also be traveling up and down Central and Coastal Maine for the next little bit -- acupuncture at Rockport (not really acupuncture, but something to do with needles and reading nerve health and messaging); PT at Augusta; Audiology in this, mine own city. ... I'm not sure where the bloodwork's to be done. I'm hoping Thayer, but I need to check the portal.
We are in pursuit of a Better, Longer Term fix for the back, because it's getting worse, and the poor chiropractor has worn out at least three hammers on me, to no real avail. He no sooner pronounces me Aligned, poor man, then my back goes out again for no reason, and I collapse to the floor, screaming. I mean, something's not right when you hurt your back doing Tai Chi.
While in Bath, I went down to the park, obviously, and enjoyed a chocolate peppermint latte at Cafe Cream. It was wonderful, and now I'm sorry I didn't allow myself a scone or a muffin, but! I found that just sitting in a busy cafe, sipping my latte and not doing much else, was ... oddly restorative. I think it helped that everyone was having a reasonably good time; there were no angry voices, or people being nasty to the folks behind the counter, said folks being Genuinely Interested in you and your order ("Ooh, the Yorkie Latte? (this being the official blackboard name of my drink.) You're gonna love that." And she wasn't wrong.)
After I drank my treat, I went across to Now Your Cooking and toured the premises. I bought a couple of gadgets -- including a hook that will help me open pull-tab cans, which has become an issue -- and a what ought to be a very nice red blend bottle of wine, which I plan on opening this evening, to reward myself for having gotten credibly through the morning.
The car's GPS did this to me the last time I went to Bath, but I didn't remember it soon enough to keep it from freaking me out. When you get off the expressway, there is Only One Way to merge with the state route. The GPS Strongly Disagrees with this, and starts screaming ROUTE RECALCULATING! ROUTE RECALCULATING! like a mad thing, and it really gets your heart racing. As I did the time before, I pulled off into the handy shopping center, whereupon the GPS recovered itself and agreed that I had been on the right road. Next time, I'm going to have to Steel Myself to ignore it.
On the way home, I stopped at the Harvest Moon Deli and bought way too much food -- Tikka Marsala soup, which was good, and I ate it all; a roast beast of burden (they name their sandwiches after classic rock songs at the Harvest Moon) sandwich, which I ate a quarter of one half, the other 3/4s destined for the evening meal, and the remaining half either for tomorrow's breakfast or lunch.
I still have paperwork sorting and portal-visiting to do relative to the medical part of the day, so that's what I'll be doing for the rest of the afternoon, with an eye toward hitting the writing space tomorrow and getting something useful done.
And how was your morning?
Before departure, Whatcha Doin' Moms:
jhetleyswan_towersmartbitches_feedBuckle up, because I’m doing the books on sale post today, and it’s always chaotic when my scattered brain tries to remember things in order the way Amanda’s does.
Rules for Ruin, the first book in Mimi Matthews’ The Crinoline Academy series, is $1.99! Lara reviewed this book and gave it an A (!!) saying, “This is my first Bad Decisions Book Club of 2025. Sleep became a distant memory with this book. For context, I have a newborn. I had the opportunity to sleep, but chose not to because this book was much more important.”
She gave up sleep, y’all. The second book, The Marriage Method, will be out on November 25. If you know you’ll want it, a heads up that this is the week of Thanksgiving, so preordering means SURPRISE BOOK when you might be super duper busy and maaaaybe ready to not talk to people for a bit.
No one betrays the Academy. But now Euphemia must break the rules for her enemy, or let the rules break her heart.
On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful politician’s systematic attack on women’s rights, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.
But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.
From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It’s the danger to her heart.
(Fingers crossed this deal stays put!)
Shatter Me: The Six Novel Collection by Tehereh Mafi is .99c at Amazon (and $19.99 elsewhere). This collection contains the entire series: Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Ignite Me, Restore Me, Defy Me, and Imagine Me. That is a LOT of books.
Lara recommended the first book in a post-apocalyptic Rec League in 2021, saying, “Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series is YA dystopia (revolution, war/climate devastation, military rule and dominance) with an extremely intense romance at its heart, although the heroine does not end up with her first crush.”
Have you read this series?
Juliette can kill with a touch—will she wield her power for good, or will it turn her into the monster she’s always feared she truly is? Find out in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Shatter Me series—all six novels are now available in this digital collection!
One touch is all it takes. One touch, and Juliette Ferrars can bring a grown man to his knees, begging for mercy. One touch, and she can kill.
No one knows why Juliette has such incredible power. It feels like a curse, like too great a burden for one person alone to bear. But The Reestablishment sees her as an opportunity. As a deadly weapon. And they’ll stop at nothing to shape her into what they want.
Juliette has never fought for herself before. But when she’s reunited with the one person who ever cared about her, she finds a strength she never knew she had.
This bestselling series from powerhouse author Tahereh Mafi showcases relentlessly thrilling action, heart stopping romance, and a war-torn world in which rebellion is the only path to freedom.
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood is $1.99! This may be to coincide with the paperback release. Many reviewers describe this as a “book club book” which is some delightful inception marketing in my brain now: How to Read a Book is a book club book. And now the word “book” has lost its meaning.
Anyway, this book as a 4.26 (!!) star average on GoodReads, and readers describe it as emotional and hopeful on Storygraph. One reviewer on Kobo cautions that while they liked the heroine, they didn’t like that the pastor is a “judgmental pervert” and that the church people were “judgmental and unforgiving.” This reader didn’t like the book for that reason, but that would be a reason for me to read it faster. Another review says there are talking parrots, so this seems like a mixed bag. Have you read this book?
Do you know how to read How to Read a Book, a book that is for book clubs? (Ok, I’ll stop.)
National Bestseller * From the award-winning author of The One-in-a-Million Boy comes a heartfelt, uplifting novel about a chance encounter at a bookstore, exploring redemption, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.
Our Reasons meet us in the morning and whisper to us at night. Mine is an innocent, unsuspecting, eternally sixty-one-year-old woman named Lorraine Daigle…
Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher.
Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest.
Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.
When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.
How to Read a Book is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.
The Second Chance Book Club by Stephanie Butland is .99! I wonder if the Second Chance Book Club is as much of a book club book as How to Read a Book?
Hey, where are you going?
This book has a 4.4 star average on Goodreads, and 4.23 on Storygraph, and is about a woman named September who inherits a somewhat disheveled mansion, some money, and, along with it, a book club. Reviewers state that there are many references to other books, and that it’s very sweet and cozy.
Have you read this book? About book clubs?
Ok, I’m done now.
A heart-warming story about how a letter with surprising news changes everything – from the author of the beloved Found in a Bookshop
‘Compelling, eye-opening and heart-stirring, this book is unputdownable’ Katie Fforde
‘A warm and moving read with the healing power of books at its heart’ Kate Storey
‘A beautiful writer . . . such attentive compassion and warmth’ Carys Bray
‘Full of warmth, heart and most excellent book recommendations’ Zoë Folbigg
September was adopted when she was fifteen months old. She knows nothing about her early life, but she grew up safe and loved. Now, though, it’s just September and her feckless boyfriend Shaun. And she’s at her wits’ end. There’s never enough money, and she has nothing to look forward to.
Then a letter comes. September has inherited a house – and Shaun can see endless opportunities if she sells it. But, almost as soon as she sets foot in the garden, September knows she cannot let this home go. And she longs to find out more about the mysterious Lucia who left it to her.
When the members of Lucia’s book club arrive, for the first time September hears stories of her mother, of the aunt who adored her, and of the secrets that broke the family apart. And she begins to make new friends.
September feels safe here. But money alone can’t bring contentment. September is at the start of a journey full of surprises, shocks – and opportunities, if she’s brave enough . . .
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson is $1.99 at Amazon – price-matching fairies, come on by! Katie mentioned this novel in a March 2024 Books on Sale post, saying it was good, and Heather S mentioned it in a Whatcha Reading post, saying, ” I really liked the characters. I knew it was women’s fiction, not romance, going in, so that was fine. It did have the “outsider comes in and in like 3 months knows a ton of people who will risk their jobs to help her so she can save everyone” trope, which annoyed me.” I also spotted this book recommended in a thread on Facebook for “recs with Gilmore Girls vibes.”
This book has a 3.81 average on Storygraph, and a 3.73 average on GoodReads. Robinson’s first book, Must Love Books, was on sale last month.
Have you read this one?
“A sparkling bookish story about rules just begging to be broken.” — Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author of Part of Your World and The Friend Zone
I, Maggie Banks, solemnly swear to uphold the rules of Cobblestone Books. If only, I, Maggie Banks, believed in following the rules.
When Maggie Banks arrives in Bell River to run her best friend’s struggling bookstore, she expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele. But running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn’t easy. Bell River’s literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat.
And in Maggie’s world, book rules are made to be broken.
To help save the store, Maggie starts an underground book club, running a series of events celebrating the books readers actually love. But keeping the club quiet, selling forbidden books, and dodging the literary society is nearly impossible. Especially when Maggie unearths a town secret that could upend everything.
Maggie will have to decide what’s more important: the books that formed a small town’s history, or the stories poised to change it all.
james_davis_nicoll
seawaspjames_davis_nicoll
jhetleysmartbitches_feed
It’s the 90s so the Ads and Features from the August 1996 issue of Romantic Times are a treasure trove of confusion. We’ve got:
Music: purple-planet.com
Listen to the podcast →
We mentioned:
Ready for some 90’s visual aids? OH YES.
Most particular thanks to Live4Art on eBay, who takes terrific photographs
Frost & Tip!
He’s throwing her into that fire, right?
That looks like a spaceship folly.
The Vampire, and the Mini Skirt! (I would have killed, lol, for a skirt like that in high school.)
HAT! Also – breastfeeding pose!
Apologies for the low res image, but not only is she kneeling/about to bite his nipple/or something else, they’re IN A FIRE.
Everyone is on fire in this issue.
This caption has so much incredible information and is an entire journey.
Barbara Cartland perfumes! They’re on eBay, but I bet they don’t smell great.
Check out this portrait of Dame Barbara! The gown, the tiara, the pose. Incredible.
Another ad that also shows how the pivot from clinch to single item covers is happening:
Pastel and tender poses – looking the black and white covers up to see the color version is very fun.
And, one final cover: is this Peter Gallagher?
Check out the flowers surrounding Peter Gallagher and his friend: MUTANT LARGE FLOWERS ATTACK!
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What did you think of today's episode? Got ideas? Suggestions? You can talk to us on the blog entries for the podcast or talk to us on Facebook if that's where you hang out online. You can email us at sbjpodcast@gmail.com or you can call and leave us a message at our Google voice number: 201-371-3272. Please don't forget to give us a name and where you're calling from so we can work your message into an upcoming podcast.
Thanks for listening!
stevenpiziksjhetley - Godot still missingsmartbitches_feed - SBTB Bestsellers: September 6 – September 19smartbitches_feed - Sunday Sale Digest!jhetley - Signs and portentsjames_davis_nicoll - Books Received, September 13 — September 19jhetley - He loved Big Brotherjhetley - (no subject)rolanni - And furthermore...rolanni - Friday on the roadjhetley - (no subject)swan_tower - New Worlds: Camp Followerssmartbitches_feed - Mimi Matthews, Book Clubs, and A Tahereh Mafi Collectionjames_davis_nicoll - Bad News From Alpha Centauri A…seawasp - Finally all three good links for Demons of the Past!james_davis_nicoll - Sabrena Swept Away by Karuna Riazixkcd_feed - Phase Changesjhetley - (no subject)jhetley - Have some dry humorsmartbitches_feed - 685. RT Rewind: August 1996 Ads & Featuresstevenpiziks - Perfecttimeasmymeasure
