Episode 47: Is Romantasy Just a Marketing Ploy

Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 47 - “Is Romantasy Just a Marketing Ploy?”

Time to set up a fresh TBR for fall, and Jillian and Erin are ready to help you pick your next perfect read.

Fall is here, and there’s just something about this season that makes reading feel a little more magical. The days are shorter, the air is cooler, and books start to feel like the perfect way to spend your free time (if you get any!). This episode is your reminder that stories are always waiting to welcome you back, so even if it’s been a while since you finished a book, let’s find your next favorite read together!

In This Episode:

• Jillian and Erin check in with their reading and life. 
• Mentioned in this Episode: Embracing Enchantment - The Magic of Books
• Mentioned in this Episode: The Tiny Bookshop Game by Neoludic Instagram
• Next up, Erin and Jillian bring their books to the episode. Wonder what they’re bringing this week? Tune in!
• This week’s hot take is all about Romantasy. Where do each of the ladies stand? Listen in to find out.
• Finally, the ladies end with the holds list and what they have waiting for them at the library.
  
  

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

• Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan
• Weyward by Emilia Hart 
• Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson
• Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin
• Family Family by Laurie Frankel
• The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
• The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja
• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
• One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
• Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle
• All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
• Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
• Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn 
• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
• To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage
• Orbital by Samantha Harvey
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau
• A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
• The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai
• A Witch’s Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal 
• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
• Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang

Transcript

MLR 47 Is Romantasy Just a Marketing Ploy
[MUSIC PLAYING] Hello, hi, and welcome to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 47. Time to set up a fresh TBR for fall, and we're ready to help you pick your next perfect read. Hi, I'm Erin, a mom of three, a hospital administrator in Ontario, Canada, and the host and founder of the Medium Lady Community and Medium Lady Talks podcast. Hi, everyone. I'm Jillian, an Instagram content strategist for bookish people, a mom of two based in Buffalo, New York. Together, we're thrilled to bring you another episode of Medium Lady Reads, a podcast about reading a self-care, a passionate love for the public library, and all of our thoughts and opinions on book culture having its moments. [MUSIC PLAYING] Hi, everyone, and welcome back to Medium Lady Reads. This is episode 47, airing the week of September 16, and we're so glad you're here. Fall, Jillian, I'm sad to say. You're happy, I'm sad. Fall is officially here. There's just something about this season that makes reading feel a little more magical. The days are shorter, the air is cooler, and the books start to feel like the perfect way to spend your free time if you get any. This episode is your reminder that stories are always waiting to welcome you back. So even if it's been a while since you finished a book, let's find your next favorite read together. Hi, Jillian. It's good to see you. How's your reading going? Reading is going. We're back to school. So I have one kid who's super excited about going back to school and one that was-- I was trying to convince me to stay home. So I'll let you guess which one is which. Either way, the year is off to start and with it, the craziness that comes along with it. But we're taking a day by day. As for my reading, I'm still in a major slum. It's one of those slums where I continue to read books, but I'm not looking forward to it. And I pick up my phone more than I pick up my book. OK. And I can't even blame the books that I'm reading because I just finished one upon a time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan. And it was excellent. Oh, wow. So even though the books are great, you're like reading. Yeah, exactly. It's not. It's not fun. I did have one of our listeners, Megan, reach out with some books suggestions for me. So I'm hoping to check those out and see if any of them help. Please cross through my fingers at some of them help. Thanks, Megan. My current read is Wayward by Amelia Hart. I'm about 30 pages in and enjoying it. Maybe this will be the slumpuster. Maybe. Here's a short synopsis for you. In 2019, Kate escapes an abusive relationship and finds refuge in her late great aunt's mysterious cottage. Centuries earlier, Alta finds a trial for witchcraft in 1619. While in 1942, Violet struggles against suffocating family expectations and unearthed secrets about her mother. Across five centuries, the lives of these three women intertwine in a spellbinding story of survival, resilience, and hidden power. I've heard really good things about this. So I'm really hoping that this is a slumpuster for me because I need it. It sounds very immersive. Yeah. All right, Aaron, how's your reading going? Yeah. So I've been on a bit of a struggle of my own this week, mostly internal kind of, I don't know, limiting beliefs and negative self-talk. But I'm really having a hard time accepting that the summer is over. I really had one of the best summers I've had in years. Lots of rest, lots of fun, lots of time off. And I guess I was, I think, expecting that good feeling would last forever. And that would continue through the fall. But of course, I mean, even as I say it out loud, it's like life isn't like that. And I have been managing a lot more anxiety this past week. And I think I've been putting on a happy face. But I really haven't been reading. I've mostly been numbing out with my phone. And doing the comparison game with the medium-ladie account and other people and just how sometimes socials can get you feeling like, why are they viral and like, all of that, the algorithm doesn't like you. And it really likes to put you in a bad mood. Anyway, the books I'm reading, I think that like, I feel, I'm feeling skeptical. I think that's the word I've been land on. And it's really not in my nature. I'm a very positive person. But the books I'm reading, I'm also feeling skeptical about. I'm feeling kind of negative. Like I'm giving things four stars. And I'm like, four stars. Three stars. And I can't decide if I'm being, if I'm actually objectively reading any, not that I need to be objective. But anyway, you can hear in my voice, I'm spiraling a little bit. But in terms of reading, I feel you, Jillian. I feel like I might be at the beginning of a slump of my own. So it happens listeners. It happens. It's really not that big of a deal. But it does feel jarring to not have like your thing. Be your thing. Yes, that is perfectly said. And we didn't promo this at our last episode, but we will promo it now. Embracing Enchantment with Megan Hamilton is a wonderful podcast. She's a friend of the show. And we're a friend of her shows. And she had us on her show. I don't remember what episode number it is, but we'll try to link it in the show notes. Absolutely. Meg had us on and we talked about the magic of books. And we talked about slumping in that episode. And we talked about why your reading habit is not always necessarily like a permanent fixed thing. So I don't know. Maybe I need to go back and listen to our wise words that we shared with Megan Hamilton. But that's-- It's a really fun episode. If you're looking to try something new, and if you love the magic of books, it's definitely-- Embracing Enchantment is a great podcast. Megan is an incredible host. And she really is. Yeah, that was a great experience. So that's a lot for me. But in terms of current reads, I haven't been reading a lot. Usually I have a lot of books on the go. I don't really have anything right now. There's one thing that's been making me very happy that is Book of Jason, which is a video game of all things. So my husband Nick sent me the announcement for the release of a small indie game called Tiny Bookshop. And he said, would you play this? And it was immediate, yes, for me. And so he got it for me, which was really great. And it is everything I would have designed in my own video game. You get a pop-up bookshop, and you stock it with books. You set up in various locations in the seaside town of Booksdenbury. You go through the seasons, so like the summer ends, and then it's fall, and then it's holiday winter time. It is extremely cozy, like 11 out of 10 cozy. The best part of the game is you have to try to recommend books to your shoppers. And sometimes it works. And sometimes it doesn't, which is really fun. And sometimes annoying. The game is stocked with real books as well. It is just so thoughtful. It resonates with me so much as an avid reader. The game is released by a small company in Germany called Neoludic. They're already winning awards. Congratulations. This is a really fun game if you're at all a gamer. Or if you at all have gaming systems accessible to you, the game is available on Steam for PC, as well as the Nintendo online store. And honestly, it's about the price of a hardcover. So it's like totally reasonable entry point and very easy to play. There is no jumping involved, which my kids always tease me. They're like, oh, mom, this game has jumping. You're going to hate it. I can't say enough about that. I've just been loving the fun around the release, because it's been available for about a month. And they're winning awards, and people are loving the game, so it's really, really great. That's so, and so fun. I really, I have a switch, and I have a computer. Well, I don't have a PC. I have a Mac, but I could still play it. I tossed around the idea of getting it, but then I'm like, is it going to become too much of an addiction and hurt my slump even further? It definitely, yeah. So I definitely was playing the game instead of reading, but I wasn't on my phone scrolling. And every time I walked away from the game, I felt really good. So that's good. I was like, I'm willing to make that trade off. Yeah, that makes sense. Plus, there's a couple of books in the game that I'm like, oh, I should read that. Maybe I should, I've been recommending this book to my shoppers, but maybe I should read it. (laughs) A lot of backlist, a lot of backlist. That's so fun. I'll probably be talking about this. I'm sure in future episodes. Okay, let's jump into our reviews for today. We'll get to the heart of the episode. We know you want to hear about the books. So, Jillian, what do you have on deck for this week's episode? This week I'm bringing a contemporary fiction and two summer romances. I know we're heading into fall, so be sure to have your TBR open so you can add these summer romances to your list for next year because I know some people, myself included, are really particular and don't want to read summer romances in the fall and winter. So just keep your TBR open. Yeah, the seasons are important. How about you, Erin? What are you bringing to the episode? Okay, this week I'm bringing a fun family drama comedy and award-winning fancy book and a great supernatural pick for the fall. All right, Erin, you're up first. What's the first book you're bringing to the episode? The first book was for me at least all over the summer previews that dropped back in May. It's "Run For The Hills" by Kevin Wilson. This is one of those books with just enough quirky intrigue to catch your eye, especially if you're looking for something fun and fast-moving that isn't a romance or rom-com. I think this fits into kind of that niche and that can sometimes be hard to recommend books to people who are like, I want something light and fun that's not romance. This is a perfect one. So we meet our character, Madge. She's an organic farmer in her early 30s. She's just finishing up a day at her roadside farm market. She sells produce, eggs, jam, the works, and then her very last customer of the day pulls up in a PT cruiser of all things. Out steps, Rub, a man in his 40s, who after a few awkward false starts in conversation introduces himself as Madge's half brother. Turns out, they share a father, one who abandoned them both around age 10 and then disappeared for good. Now, Rub is on a journey to track down their other siblings and he invites Mad to join him. So this is a road trip of self-discovery, but it's also a really interesting story about loneliness, about belonging, and the strange ways that family can kind of ebb and flow in your life, especially when you least expect it. I think this book is being marketed really well. It is exactly what you think you're getting. Nothing more, nothing less. The pacing is pretty quick. The cast of characters keeps growing and the humor is really warm and people loving. I feel like Kevin Wilson is the kind of person he really likes humans. Like he writes, like he likes people. Not a lot of skepticism. Like I just mentioned, I've been having lately. I will say parts of this do feel a little TV ready, and that's maybe the skeptic in me that keeps coming out while I read books. So because it kind of feels like it maybe should be a visual story, I actually cast the whole thing in my mind. I cast Justine Lupe as Mad. Justine Lupe plays the sister in "Nobody Wants This," which was the Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, romantic comedy. There's a sister in that, and I cast her Justine Lupe. And then our beloved Paul Rudd as Rube, it was almost like instantaneous. From the moment he introduces himself, I couldn't stop seeing Paul Rudd in my head. And that worked for me. That really made the book a lot of fun. Sometimes this TV ready writing can pull me out a bit, but it made me enjoy the story even more once I finished my casting. Overall, this is a light, funny heartfelt summer read written by someone who clearly loves people and all of our ridiculous little quirks. And that's my review of "Run for the Hills" by Kevin Wilson. I read this book and I did not enjoy it as much as you did. I found it a little boring. Yeah, fair. But it wasn't terrible. I just was a little bored. Yeah. But maybe that's my slump. I don't remember if I read this during slump time or before slump time. No, I mean, I think I gave it four stars. Like I think it's-- like I said, it is nothing more than nothing less than what the marketing says. I could see where that might also lead to like a lackluster reading experience for some people. Yeah, for sure. All right, Jillian, what's the first book you're sharing with the pod for today? The first book I'm bringing to the show is "Home of the American Circus" by Allison Larkin. I absolutely devoured this book and gave it five stars. "Alison Larkin" is a masterful writer. I loved the people we key per previous novel. And I loved "Home of the American Circus." Here's the synopsis. After an emergency leaves her short on rent, 30-year-old Freya Arnoldz bails on her lackluster life as a bartender in Maine and returns to her suburban hometown of Summers, New York to live in the house she inherited from her estranged parents. Despite attempts to lay low, Freya encounters childhood friends, familial enemies, and old flames, as well as her 15-year-old niece, Aubrey, who is secretly living in the derelict home. As they reconnect, Freya and Aubrey lean on each other, working to restore the house and become to terms with this devastating events that pulled them apart years ago. This is a beautiful story of found family when your actual family is unlovable. Larkin's characters are deep and her writing is immersive. You truly get to know them even with a simple storyline. I adored this book and can't wait for more from this author. That's my review of Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin. Ooh. Does this feel like Lori Frankl? Oh. The way you're kind of describing it reminded me of family family. Yes, except that it's no one-- there's no adoption in it. Oh, sure. No, but I more mean the like, the like, layers of family and history. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Lots of that in there. Lots of family history and unlovable family and sister and stuff. Absolutely. So good. Awesome. I'm going to add it to my TBR. Good. And then you'll have to let us know what you think. I will. It's your turn again, Erin. What's your next review? The next review I want to share is The Safe Keep by Yale Vanderwooden. This novel just won the Women's Prize for Fiction, this past June. And for me, it belongs on the shelf that I would call the fancy book section. And what is a fancy book? Well, for me, a fancy book is the kind of book that wins awards, makes you think. It maybe becomes a reference point for things that you read after it. But it's not usually a five-star read. It's like the kind of book that demands a lot from you, but doesn't deliver like a compulsive cozy can't put it down feeling. We are heading into a period of book awards. The long list for the book was announced in August. The short list will be announced at the end of October. I think it gets awarded later in the fall. The Nobel Prize for Literature will be announced later in the fall and the National Book Award for Fiction. All of those awards will be given out before the December holidays. I think that's strategic, because I think they want people to buy those books for the winter holidays. In my opinion, these winners, these authors, and these books also set a trend for future mass market releases. I think that's because many authors and editors will read these award-winning books, and then they'll be influenced. One way or another by their content. That's a hot take for another time. But I really think if you look at the winners back two years, and then you look at the storylines of what's being released now, there's typically this downstream influence on the types of stories that are getting told. But let's get back to the safe keep. Here's the premise. We meet Isabel, our main character, a woman whose life is hyper-controlled and rigid. The novel also takes place in the early 1960s. So remember, all the adults were children during World War II, which becomes very important as the plot evolves. And the story also takes place in In Holland. So after her mother's death, Isabel is the only sibling still living at home. She sees herself as the guardian of her family's history, and she sort of resents her brothers for moving on. They've kind of left her and their childhood behind. But Isabel hangs on to all of that. She's watchful, vigilant, and honestly, she's a very tense character to spend time with. That tension gets disrupted when Ava, her brother, Lewis's girlfriend, is suddenly left in her care. Lewis goes away on an extended work trip, and it's the '60s, so like women can't, or shouldn't live alone, I don't really know. And Isabel is left with someone kind of new in her home to observe. And that watchfulness slowly starts to unravel her. This book is only 250 odd pages, but it feels way longer than it actually is. And Yelvander would stretch his time in really interesting ways. Some chapters kind of crawl with the sense of watchfulness and dread, and then it lurches forward with like really fast speed. There were moments where it felt like the floor dropped out from under me, but I didn't even realize that the story had been going uphill the whole time. And that tension of being lulled and then shocked, I think is what makes it really powerful, but not comfortable as a reading experience. I found author interviews with Yelvander. After I finished the book, I did a bit of podcasting, listening to her interviews. She's absolutely charming. And that also helped me see the characters from a broader point of view than my own kind of tense reading experience. Now it's not for everyone. And frankly, those are often the books that win awards. That's OK. This book is quiet and settling and fancy. But in my mind, the Safe Keep is an instant contemporary classic. And for spoiler-free purposes, I'm not even touching on some of the most delicious twists in the plot. So that's my review of the Safe Keep by Yelvander Wooden, Award winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2025. I am so torn here because part of me is like, I don't really need any fancy books in my life, because those tend to be the ones that I struggle to read. Yeah. But it sounds really good at the same time. I think it's worth like sampling it, like reading 20%. It's not hard to read, like in terms of like prose. Right. And it's only 250-some odd pages. Some people called this a romance. Some people called this book a thriller. Some people called this book historical fiction. I think it's very hard to genre identify. It's worth a try. Like honestly, I gave it four stars, but then like as time went on, I've changed my rating to five stars. And I think I am always skeptical when I read fancy books, because I'm also like, I don't really need a fancy book in my life, but yeah. Maybe I'll give it a try. Yeah. It's a great fall. 20% isn't that much to read. It's a great, great read for fall. The thing is, is that I have so many books for fall already. Oh, okay, it's a great read for winter. There is a lot of winter. There's a lot of winter, summer. It feels very seasonal. A lot of discussion of the Dutch countryside and snow or rain or sun. It's very sensory. You'll know if it's for you or not. For sure. Okay, Jillian, tell me about your next review. I'm looking forward to it. The second book I'm bringing to the show is The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja. What a fun second chance romance. If you loved every summer after or one golden summer by Carly Fortune, then you will absolutely love this book by Noreen Nanja. I gave this book five stars. Here's the premise. Leah Juma thought she buried her dreams of her heart long ago. But when she's forced to return to her family, summer cottage on Pike Bay, the life she's carefully crafted begins to unravel. The perfect immigrant daughter, Leah, has carved out a successful career as a corporate lawyer and has started dating a man who fulfills all her mother's criteria for the ideal son-in-law. But underneath her polished life lies a secret she's never spoken of. One she fears could have destroyed her family a decade ago. Back at the bay, Leah stumbles upon memory she thought were long forgotten, and at the center of it all is Wesley Forest, the boy she left behind, the boy who knew her dreams better than anyone. Their friendship and young love once burned bright, woven through the sun drenched days and whispered promises of a future together. But when the family pressures and heartbreak pulled the two lovers apart, they were forced to follow separate paths. Now, Wes is back in her life and with him old wounds and feeling surface. As the two confront the choices and secrets that divided them as teenagers, Leah must decide if she can heal from the past and finally embrace the life and love she's always craved. Could a second chance with Wes be worth risking everything for? So this was such a light, cozy read that I completely adored the writing was gorgeous and the story flowed beautifully. There was a bit of holding back and miscommunication. But overall, the main characters communicated openly, which made for a lovely story. I highly, highly recommend this book. That's my review of Summers Between Us by Nareen Naja. I just finished this last night. I didn't know we were reading it. Yeah, I just finished it last night. I think I got it because I'd seen you finish it on good reads or something. And it's absolutely everything that your review says it is. I thought it was really great. I think it's very Carly Fortune. But then you add the sort of immigrant daughter storyline and a couple of other stakes that make it feel a little bit more precarious maybe than a Carly Fortune novel. And I think you get all of that like summer days and being out on the water and tanning your skin. And yeah, it was really very nice for me for the end of summer. Yeah, it was great. All right, Aaron, back over to you. Tell us about your final book. OK, the last book I want to review today is After Taced by Daria Levelle. This one came on my radar thanks to Jordy from Jordy's book club on Instagram. And he called it the best book he's read so far this year. And since all the colors of the dark was his favorite for last year, and it was one of mine too, I trusted him. Jordy also compared it to Under the Whispering Door by TJ Cloon, which we've talked about plenty on this pod. We've got our ding to make sure we talk about Under the Whispering Door on every episode. So I knew I had to give it a try. Here's the premise. Costya has lived with a strange ability ever since the devastating death of his father when he was a child. He can taste the dead, not see them, not hear them, but taste them. When a ghost lingers nearby, he experiences the flavors of their deepest memories. Dishes he's never eaten, spices and textures that belong to someone else's life. And hauntingly, he still carries the taste of his father. One night by accident, Costya recreates one of the flavors while working in a bar. He serves it to a grieving widower. And suddenly, the widower's wife appears as a ghost. And that moment changes everything. Costya decides to learn how to bring these after taste to life for people who are grieving. But the big question becomes, should he do it? What is the cost of feeding a hungry ghost? This book has a lot going for it. If you love books about food or restaurants, it'll be an easy one for you. Levelle has incredible descriptions of ingredients, meals, food preparation, which are really rich, very beautifully detailed. For me personally, some of the food writing was a little distracting. I was like, OK, great, let's keep this plot going. But I know for many readers, it's going to be a cozy highlight. Costya himself, as a main character, is a compelling, lovable mess of a main character. But the supporting cast around him feels balanced and really real. There were a few parts of the magical system that didn't completely hang together for me. And I think that kept me from sinking all the way in. But the book also builds toward an ending that I definitely didn't expect, which was a really nice surprise. In terms of that comparison to TJ Clune, yes. There are similarities in the magical realism in the way the supernatural is tied to grief and love. But unlike Clune's books, this one doesn't lean into as strong of a romantic angle. And so it didn't quite hit me in the same emotional way. So aftertaste isn't my personal favorite book of the year. But it could be yours. And if you're building your fall TBR and you want something supernatural that isn't scary, with just the right touch of heart, then this is a great pick. And that's my review of Aftertaste by Daria Levelle. I don't remember if you talked about it in stories or if you had a post about it, but you somewhere you talked about how it was compared to Under the Whispering Door outside of this podcast. And I was all gone home and I was so excited to read it. But I think that I'm going to skip this one. I just don't think it's right for me. Good call. That's a perfect call. You reader, you have to know yourself. Yeah. All right. Time for your final review, Jillian. Let's hear it. The final book I'm bringing to the show is "Till Summer Do Us Part" by Megan Quinn. Another five star read for me, a quirky, fun novel that hammy turning pages from the very first sentence. Here's the synopsis. Scotty Price just started a new job, and it's a real sausage fest. [LAUGHS] She's the only woman on a team filled with brads and chads. Expect-- That's funny. Expecting a bachelor pad atmosphere, she is quickly correct. And when she finds out, everyone is happily married. In an effort to impress her boss, Scotty mentions her non-existent husband in a company meeting. But ego-eyed Chad points out her lack of a wedding ring. Panicked, Scotty creates a story about her unhappy marriage. Unfortunately for Scotty, her boss has a solution, a one-on-one session with the best marriage counselor in the Northeast, who happens to be her boss's husband. With no way out of her lie, Scotty agrees to see him. Frantic, she calls in from help from her best friend, who sets her up with his brother an improv-obsessed millionaire. Enter wilder wells. More than happy to take on the job, he teaches Scotty the main rule of always say yes. But the rule backfires during the session, when Wilder signs him up for an eight-day summer marriage camp, with all of Scotty's co-workers, where she'll have to share a cabin with her way to handsome fake husband. Sounds wild. It is. It is really wild. And it's great. That premise has me adding to TBR, but tell us more. Tell us what you thought. I loved our female main character, Scotty, and found myself relating to a lot of her insecurities from previous relationships. Wilder, our male main character, is so hot. The way he loves Scotty and works to prove it to her is such an attractive asset. I found this novel to be one you could really sink into. No surface-level story here. I love the storyline of how they completed a bucket list to give Scotty all the experiences she missed in her previous marriage. It was so touching. This is my first by Megan Quinn, but it will not be my last. That's my review of "Till Summer Do Us Part" by Megan Quinn. Oh, man, I'm in Libby right now trying to find it. And I can't find my libraries. Don't seem to have it unless I'm typing it in wrong. I'll have to see if I can get a paper copy from the library. I actually read a post the other day on how libraries are starting to have fewer and fewer new releases as e-books, because I'm expensive. It's become-- I have had that experience where I've been looking for something that's maybe on the back list from 2020-2021. And the library has said, your library's license on this book has expired. We will let you know if they renew their license. Yeah. And I was like, oh my gosh, OK. It's unfortunate, but I mean, it just-- I guess you've got to start taking out paper books. Yeah. Yeah, really funny. I can't find-- I have six library cards on Libby, and I can't find this book. I can find other Megan Quinn, but I can't find this one. Huh, that's crazy. It is crazy to be continued listeners. All right. It's time for hot takes and our current thoughts on book culture. Hot take is an opinion formed off the cuff and with little research, sometimes provocative. Today we're diving into the spiciest genre of them all, Romanticie. Romanticie gets a lot of public play for being provocative, a blend of romance and fantasy, and always selling the promise of total escape into magic. Fantastic plots and smoldering shadowed at ease. Romanticie also gets a lot of flack and is labeled Women's Lit or not real books. But we were curious where did Romanticie come from? And if all reading is good reading, is this debate just another bit of noise in the book world? There's a bit of debate about where the term Romanticie comes from. And if it sounds like a marketing ploy, well, it kind of is. Bloomsbury publishers for Sarah J. Maws claim they coined the term to create a way to describe her genre of writing with books like Aka-Tar and Throne of Glass. So here's today's hot take, Romanticie, Sneaky Marketing, or Substantive Reading. Jillian, what are your thoughts? So I have yet to read a Romanticie book, so I don't have, I know, I'm pretty sure I haven't read one. So I don't have a lot of opinions on this. I thought you read fourth wing. Okay, then yes, I did read fourth wing. That's the only one though. Yeah. Wow. This is fun. Okay, tell me more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you think? I think it's substantive reading, really. I mean, if we're talking fourth wing and fourth wing, and that's the only book that I can relate it to, that book was deep. It wasn't just crap. So I really think it's substantive reading. I think it's a little bit of both. I definitely think that publishers are motivated to be able to sell to the pocket of readers who identify as Romanticie readers. The same way publishers have become increasingly motivated to market to readers of the Romance genre. And I do think that that's been perpetuated by book talk and books to gram for sure, because I think that these books, the Romanticie genre in particular, have created a subgenre in the Romance category. Or I guess actually here's the thing is that Romanticie, because it's a blended genre, can either be, and I would say Sarah J. Moss is like this, mostly fantasy with some spicy scenes. But there's also Romanticie that's mostly spicy scenes with some fantasy. And I guess the best part is like you can pick, choose your own adventure and decide whatever is going to work best for you. The one thing that makes me frustrated is I do think that the Romanticie genre is female exclusive. And that always gets my book's body sense up in it and thinking, because authors like Brandon Sanderson have written love scenes into their books. Terry, Terry Gilkin, Terry Gil, the name is like, but I have read fantasy, high fantasy authors who have sex scenes in their books and they're written by men. And yet we've never really heard of the Romanticie genre with this tense of a kind, intense of a marketing ploy. I feel like a lot of the books are designed to look like Romanticie has a look. Yes. The same way Romanticie gets criticized for sort of having cartoon covers or like not cartoon covers, but like illustrated covers. Romanticie, like you can find a Romanticie a mile away, the minute you walk into Barnes and Noble, the minute you walk into Indigo, you can see it. You know what it looks like. And that's to me is where you're definitely, we're definitely being sold to. But I think there's a lot of Romanticie that's really tremendously written and worth spending time on. I do think a lot of it is just a little bit of noise in the book world, but I do wish that it wasn't so gendered. Yeah. I think that there's opportunity here to expand on it so that it's increasing so that more people are able to read it more, you know, then bring the males in and I don't know. I think that there's more opportunity here. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think you're right. I agree with you. I also wonder too if there are fantasy novels that Romanticie readers aren't reaching for because they're not labeled as Romanticie, but they're going to probably get the same set of, maybe that's like an overreach maybe, but I do think that like sometimes we like overidentify as a specific kind of reader, but maybe that's like, doesn't really matter. That's not really a bad thing. Yeah. Well, reader and listener, not reader, listener. What do you think? Do you think it's a marketing ploy or a substantive reading? Mm-hmm. Yeah, let us know. Connect with us on Instagram @mediumladyreads and we'd love to know what you think. And if you have a suggestion for a hot take, please don't hesitate to connect with us. Yes, please. We would love your ideas. All right. We're going to wrap up with the holds list. Aaron and I are very passionate about the library and because we're both avid readers, we both have a very active holds list and we feel like that's something we don't hear a lot about on book podcasts or book talk or IG. So we know it's something we can offer the bookish community. Plus, we're also going to be sharing what's up next to let the listener know what we'll be reaching for on our TBRs. Aaron, what's on your holds list? Okay, I have four books on hold ready for pickup and the one I'm really looking forward to is "To the Moon and Back" by Eliana Ramage. This is a story about a tenacious Cherokee woman and the pursuit of her dreams to become a NASA astronaut and travel to the moon. And space travel is trending, which makes me think of orbital, which won the Booker Prize last year and then we had TGR's atmosphere. And that's a little bit of a nod of what I said before about how I think prize winners eventually kind of make their way to mass publication. But anyway, I digress or maybe I have to research that theory a little more. Next up, so I really should read "Playground" by Richard Powers. I think I'd mention this was on my holds list last week, last episode. I was excited to read it, but now that I have it in my hands, I wonder if I should do the Jillian catch and release. This book is really hard to summarize, but it starts with the reflections of an aging tech billionaire as he's being affected by dementia and he shares memories of the people who impacted his life. Richard Powers is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, so maybe I'm anticipating something kind of dense, something kind of fancy. And I know that will slow me down, but I don't know, maybe this is the right season to slow down, I'm not sure. Okay, so we'll see if I pick that up. Listeners, don't hold me to it. I kind of feel like if you're feeling doubt, you should let it go. Peturing release. Yeah, that's good advice. There's so many other books out there that where you probably won't feel that same doubt. There just isn't anything that I'm like, I should read that, but I want to read this. I don't really want to read anything. Trust me, I get it. I know. What kind of podcast is this? Don't worry, I read 17 books in August, so I could not read anything until December. That's a lot of books. That's pretty impressive. Well, I had a lot of time off. I think I took 12 days off in total in the month of August. No wonder I'm feeling so sad. I'm so happy for you. So happy for you. Okay, Jillian, what's on your hold list? So I don't have anything unhold of the library, but that's because I picked up all my books on Friday. I picked up, what did I pick up? I picked up shop girls, which is a guide in magical in keeping the borrower, which is our buddy read for September, which is a guide to burning, which is your... Recommendation from a previous episode. You got a physical copy? I did. Oh, send me a picture of what I would love to see what it looks like in person. I read it digital. Sure. Sure. What do you like it? I hope I do too. It's a good far read. And then I got Dungeon Crawler Carl as well. Yep. Yep. I have not read this book, but I'm very invested in you reading it. I know. Me too. Here's the thing is that I have so many books that I want to read, but I don't want to read any of them at the same time. Yeah. Yeah. Just do like a randomized wheel or something, and then it'll land on something. And if it lands and you're like, no, then... Well you have to read the borrower. Yes, I do. I'm forced to read that one. Like I'm in school. Yeah. You have to do your part of the group project. So next up, I said I'd be reading Blood Over Bright Haven by ML Wong, which was another recommendation by you. But I don't know if you can hold me to that because of this new and latest book library hall I got. So I may switch that up and read which is Guide to Magical Inkeeping by Sanguma Mandana, which I don't have a synopsis for you on that one. Is that a... That must be a seven day. Yes, it is. That's the new one from the... I don't know the title. It's very popular. The regular... A regular society for a regular, which is something. Yeah, it is. It's the second one. I don't know if it's actually the second one. I don't know that they're actually... Okay, well, listen, look it up. I'm quickly looking it up now, but my goodreads takes forever to load up my computer. I don't know why. Oh, it's just goodreads. It's because goodreads is the worst. Oh, I think you're right. I don't think it is. It doesn't say number two on the goodreads. It just says from the author of the very secret society of a regular, which is... Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh, nice. But I'm excited about that one. I feel like I'm in my witchy era. I am reading this wayward, which I don't know that has witches in it, but I think that... I mean, it does because the one woman is going through the witch trials. So... There's that. And there's this one. And there's the... What's the one? The witch's guy to burning. This cover is so pretty. A witch's guy to magical in keeping? Yeah, it is. Really pretty. Well, sounds like you know what you want to do. Oh, not really, but I'll figure it out. Stay tuned. Yeah, stay tuned. It'll give you a reason to listen to our next episode. Exactly. What did we read next? Okay, everyone, that wraps up episode 47 of Medium Lady Reads. We hope you had fun today. You feel ready or not for your fall reading, and that today's conversation gave you a bit of a cozy break. I definitely did for me. Thank you, Jillian. It's always so good to talk to you. Yeah, you too. I get such a warm fuzzy feeling after recording with you. Me too. Medium Lady Reads is a spin-off of the Medium Lady Talks podcast and Instagram community. On Instagram, you can find me, Erin@medium.lady, and you can find Jillian at Jillian Finding Happy for more of our current reads and other shenanigans. And of course, you can follow the podcast itself on Instagram @mediumladyreads. If you liked this episode, please share it with another bookage friend. It really helps us continue to grow the show to reach more readers. Thank you for listening. I'm your host, Jillian. And I'm your other host, Erin. Until next time, we hope that your holes arrive quickly. And your next book finds you right where you need it most. We'll talk to you soon. Bye. Bye. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] (upbeat music)