Booksmart

In this episode of Booksmart, hosts Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King take on the current romantic fiction boom and share which new love stories you should be reading.

Print sales of romantic fiction have reached an all-time high worldwide, but the genre (and its many sub-genres) isn't just outselling mystery or sci-fi; it's expanding the market with its more inclusive and diverse stories.

These "light-hearted" stories challenge how audiences see themselves and the world around them, while putting protagonists often ignored in the literary world at the centre of the narrative. But what happens when the film and television industry, which continues to capitalise on built-in audiences by adapting popular books rather than investing in original stories, appears to have zero interest in maintaining that diversity in its casting decisions, even when it's a foundational part of the source material?

Warning: this episode features discussion of overused book tropes, whitewashed musical theatre productions, and calls back to the days of dark Harry Styles fan fiction.

What are these intentions Jessy speaks about, and are they good? Well that is what we are here today to find out.

Welcome to Booksmart’s August Book Club episode! This month, we’re diving into Good Intentions, the buzzy debut novel from Sydney-based author and entrepreneur Jessy Wu.

Jessy describes the book as a college coming-of-age story meets corporate thriller - and honestly, it’s every bit as juicy as that sounds.

In this very special Book Club episode, Sunny and Allie spend the first half doing what they do best: unpacking the book. In the second half, we’re joined by Jessy herself for a Q&A, where she gives us the inside scoop on the book, its characters and the intentions behind it all.

So, grab your copy, settle in and let’s get into it.

Warning: this episode contains spoilers for the book.

You can purchase Good Intentions by Jessy Wu online with QBD Books using the following link:
⁠https://www.qbd.com.au/good-intentions/jessy-wu/9781761776694/?utm_source=Booksmartpod&utm_medium=MPPodcast&utm_campaign=BSMPBooksmartgoodintentions&utm_id=Booksmartgoodintentions⁠

Use code BOOKSMART for 5% off your purchase

In this instalment of Booksmart, hosts Sunny Adcock and Allie Daisy King travel 125 years back in time to 1901 for Netflix’s adaptation of My Brilliant Career, the landmark Australian novel by literary icon Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin, better known as Miles Franklin.

A foundational feminist work in the Australian literary canon, My Brilliant Career first made its way to the big screen in 1979 in Gillian Armstrong’s acclaimed adaptation, now regarded as a defining film of the Australian New Wave.

In this episode, Sunny and Allie delve into Netflix’s hotly anticipated new adaptation, joined by a stellar line-up of cast and creatives. They speak with Philippa Northeast (Sybylla), Miah Madden (Betty), Kate Mulvany (Augusta), showrunner and writer Liz Doran, and author and Miles Franklin expert Alexandra Lapierre.

From Franklin’s enduring legacy to the challenges of bringing Sybylla’s story to a new generation, this episode explores what makes My Brilliant Career such a vital and resonant Australian story.

We hope you enjoy the episode—and the adaptation!

Warning: this episode contains spoilers for all six episodes.

You can purchase My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin online with QBD Books using the following links:
qbd.com.au/clothbound-classic-my-brilliant-career/miles-franklin/9780241699584
qbd.com.au/my-brilliant-career/miles-franklin/9780143105053

Use code BOOKSMART for 5% off your purchase

In this bonus episode of Booksmart, host Allie Daisy King sits down with Australian romance author Tierney Page, known online as TierneyReads.

Page is the author of the 'London Hearts' trilogy, known for their swoony male love interests, relatable heroines, and taboo romances. But she's also beloved for her viral, unfiltered, and NSFW TikTok reviews of dark romance novels.

Listen to hear Allie, "an asexual woman and avid romance reader", and Tierney, "a venerated smut lover," unpack the many overlooked ways in which explicit scenes in romance often serve as a vehicle for character growth, allowing characters to communicate needs on a deeper level while building the tension that readers crave.

You can buy any of Tierney's books at QBD with 5% off using the code 'BOOKSMART' online or at the checkout:
https://www.qbd.com.au/search/?q=Tierney+Page&utm_source=Booksmartpod&utm_medium=MPPodcast&utm_campaign=BSMPBooksmartTierneypage&utm_id=BooksmartTierney

In this book club episode, Sunny and Allie review Muñeca by author Cynthia Gómez. The short novel comes in at under 200 pages and promises a Gothic queer love story featuring witchcraft and revenge.

Listen to hear the Booksmart girls unpack whether Muñeca's stunning cover matches the book's content & debate whether a novel set in the 1960s can be properly considered Gothic. They delve into the power imbalances present in this book, from body-swapping to patient x carer romances in fiction, with plenty of laughs along the way.

One thing the girls are sure of? GIVE US MORE WITCHCRAFT IN WOMEN'S FICTION!!!