A few years back, novels classed as “romantasy”—a portmanteau of “romance” and “fantasy”—might have seemed destined to attract only niche appeal. But since the pandemic, the genre has proved nothing short of a phenomenon. Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series regularly tops best-seller lists, and last month, Rebecca Yarros’s “Onyx Storm” becam ... Show More
Sep 24
What Survival Stories Tell Us (and Should We Listen?)
On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz discuss the perennial appeal of survival stories. They trace the theme of man versus nature from early novels like Daniel Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” to new releases like “Heart of the Beast,” ... Show More
50m 11s
Sep 20
Introducing: “The Journey,” from In the Dark
“The Journey,” a five-part audio investigation by Ava Kofman, unravels the mystery of how Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, a wealthy Los Angeles couple, obtained dozens of children through nearly as many surrogates—and exposes a scandal that threatens to undermine the entire surroga ... Show More
56m 57s
Sep 17
That Back-to-School Feeling
As the school year resumes, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz consider the work—and pleasure—of teaching and learning, reflect on their own experiences in the classroom, and counsel listeners on scholastic concerns. One teacher calls in asking for texts she cou ... Show More
46m 58s
Dec 2024
ENCORE: Falling for 'romantasy': BookTok’s favorite genre
<p>Elaborate world-building, intricate magical systems, wars and mythologies, and of course, dragons, witches and faeries. In this special edition of “Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club,” we’re diving into one of today’s most popular and best-selling genres taking over boo ... Show More
58 m
Feb 2023
Love Is In The Air—And On The Shelves
Sales of romance novels were up in 2022, with a surge of about 52 percent for sales of print copies, according to Publishers Weekly. That's despite an overall dip in book sales last year.Still, there's a longstanding social stigma against romance novels, as they're often written ... Show More
11m 20s
Feb 2024
Why America loves faerie smut
Romantasy is the most popular literary genre in America right now. Vulture’s Kathryn VanArendonk and Circana’s Kristen McLean explain why.
This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by David Herman, and hosted ... Show More
26m 26s
Feb 2022
Sweet & Spicy Romance for Every Reader
In today's episode, Emma is joined by Maria and Kate to talk about their favorite romance reads of all time, recent romance they'd recommend, and books they're looking forward to reading. There's a sweet or spicy romance read for every kind of reader as they cover romance tropes ... Show More
50m 56s
Mar 2022
Romance Novels Are For Everyone
On this week’s episode of The Waves, the co-host of Slate’s internet culture podcast ICYMI, Rachelle Hampton sits down with Slate associate editor and romance author, Marissa Martinelli to talk about romance novels and, of course, the television show Bridgerton. In the first half ... Show More
40m 34s
<p>How did love stories about vampires, cowboys, and wealthy dukes become the highest-grossing fiction genre in the world? Zachary Crockett gets swept away.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://delaneydiamond.com/">Delaney Diamond</a>, romance nove ... Show More
<p>How did love stories about vampires, cowboys, and wealthy dukes become the highest-grossing fiction genre in the world? Zachary Crockett gets swept away. </p><p> </p><p>SOURCES:</p><ul><li><a href="https://delaneydiamond.com/">Delaney Diamond</a>, romance novelist.</li><li><st ... Show More
