Lindsay Straube - Podcast Details

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What in the Smut? Podcast11. Cold SweatWelcome back WITS listeners! Have you ever wondered what it might be like to get it on with the Kool-Aid man? Vera Valentine certainly thought long and hard about it when she wrote this week's book, Cold Sweat. Smut Scale Rating: 🐙🐙This episode has lots of giggles with healthy doses of "OHHHH YEAHHHH" sprinkled in. We're still not sure if we're totally on board for the step-sibling trope, but we're definitely both here for the forced proximity. Elle isn't sure if she truly needed the origin story for the sentient pitcher of Kool-Aid becaus...2025-05-121h 27

Smut Spice and Everything NiceKiss of the Basilisk (Split or Swallow) by Lindsay StraubeHey Friends! Join us this week as we talk about Kiss of the Basilisk (Split or Swallow) by Lindsay Straube. If you haven't already, make sure you check out any trigger warnings! Follow and interact with us on Instagram @sugar.spice.smut, Facebook at Smut, Spice, and Everything NiceTheme music by @xramoxz of @rarehearted 2025-05-1137 min

Besties and the Books Podcast50 Shades DARKER?…YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?? 🤨 | Book 2 Review & Summary | Bonus MinisodeSend us a textGuess What? It’s officially grey! We are in it. Oh my! It’s Fifty shades of May over here on the Besties and the Books podcast. Welcome back to our spring mini episode series all about the extremely popular yet widely discredited book series: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. We’re officially into book two and things are not exactly going as planned…If you’ve been following along and watched our “Dark Romance Enters the Chat” episode then you know, we trace romance novels wayyy back to...2025-05-0947 min

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 60 Sarah J Maas’ “SECRET BOOK” CATWOMAN | Unpopular Books by Popular AuthorsSend us a textWelcome to our newest series reading “UnPopular Books by Popular Authors”! Today we’re kicking it off with Sarah J Maas and Catwoman: Soulstealer! ***A huge thank you to The Bookish Queen for Sponsoring this episode!*****Check out the ultimate bookish shop and use discount code “BESTIEBOOKS15” to save 15% on your order @ https://bookishqueen.com/discount/BESTIEBOOKS15 Follow and get Inspo from them on Instagram @bookishqueenshop**Have you already read this somewhat “secret” book by Sarah J. Maas and just want to hear m...2025-05-061h 12

Besties and the Books PodcastOUR FIRST TIME🤭… Reading 50 SHADES OF GREY! | Book 1 Review & Summary | Bonus MinisodeSend us a textGuess What? It’s gonna be grey…It is grey! It’s Fifty shades of May over here on the Besties and the Books podcast. Welcome to our spring mini episode series all about the extremely popular yet widely discredited book series: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. If you’ve been following along and watched our “Dark Romance Enters the Chat” episode then you know, we trace romance novels wayyy back to their origin so we can discuss what societal conditions helped to pro...2025-05-021h 12

Clutch My Pearls81 - Kiss of the BasiliskCome wear a claw with The Girls! This week Vanessa is presenting “Kiss of the Basilisk” by Lindsay Straube. Originally called Split or Swallow, this is one of the most unhinged books Vanessa has ever read, so buckle up! When Temperance Verus (Tem for short) is ready to compete to win the prince’s hand in marriage, she has a few things to learn. Tem is paired with her personal Basilisk, Caspen, who not only is the BEST trainer for sexy seduction and bedroom skills, he’s also the serpent king! Caspen knows the best training is hands on but he c...2025-04-291h 08

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 58 “Unmasking The Monsters” in This Monster of Mine | Deep Dive Book Review & SummarySend us a textLiz and Ashley are locked and loaded and ready to talk about everything This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara. Today’s episode is the spoiler-y follow up to our spoiler FREE author interview that dropped last month for Shalini’s big romantasy debut! Watch our Author Interview with Shalini Abeysekara here | https://youtu.be/dMoOSLW1vTE?si=5iTgTD7AOw5robs5We discuss the reasons this book is so unique, and unlike any other romantasy we’ve read… because it’s a full-blown murder mystery with an Ancient Rome inspired s...2025-04-221h 03

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 57 REACTING to the WORST 1 ⭐️ REVIEWS of our FAVORITE BOOKS!Send us a textToday's episode is exactly how it sounds. We read off 1⭐️ reviews of our favorite books, try to get the other person (and you guys!) to guess what it is, then reveal it with its official star rating on Goodreads. We have everything from SJM and The Empyrean to lesser known books involving vampires, shadow daddies, and robots. Dark romance, fantasy, romantasy, and a little bit of magical realism make this episode a well rounded one. Do you agree or disagree with the assessment? Sometimes what we love about a boo...2025-04-1553 min

Unhinged Bookish ThoughtsMarch Book Recs | S8E8On this episode of Unhinged Bookish Thoughts, we discuss our March reads. Let us convince you to read our favorites with a simple yes or no if. Or at least add them to your never-ending TBR. Books discussed:Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay StraubeFirst-Time Caller by B.K. Borison Zoe Brennan, First Crush by Laura Piper LeeBlood Over Bright Haven by M.L. WangProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir Stolen Chances by Clio Evans 2025-04-1036 min

Besties and the Books PodcastRanking ALL The Hunger Games BOOKS and MOVIES! | Miniseries Wrap UpSend us a textWelcome back for our sixth and final episode in Ashley & Liz’s dystopian sci fi episode bonus series: The Hunger Games! We have had the best (and most emotional 😭) time covering these heart-wrenching books at such an appropriate point in our history. We covered the origin of dystopias of all kinds, where the idea and genre came from, and why it’s so important in literature and popular culture. We discussed how books, and the act of reading itself, are inherently political. And then we took deep dives into the...2025-04-0451 min

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 55 APRIL FOOLS! 🤪 Reacting to AITA PRANK STORIES!Send us a textWe’re just girls. And today we’re just girls obsessed with pranks. Stick around if you want to hear about our fave and fail prank edition… if you like hearing about AITA pranks gone wrong…if you’re someone who observes April Fool’s Day, or if you’re someone who simply wants to call out A Holes for their participation in something that obviously WAS NOT FUNNY! (Or maybe it was?🤷‍♀️😏)Today is all about Liz and Ashley responding to “Am I the A Hole” prank edition thr...2025-04-0155 min

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 54 “now WE are the A HOLES!” Our Bookish HOT TAKES!Send us a textWe’ve responded to the internet’s bookish hot takes… we responded to YOUR hot takes… and now it’s finally time for you guys to be mad at US! Today’s episode is all about Ashley and Liz’s bookish hot takes. Maybe you’ll agree, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll nod your head, maybe you’ll scream at us. But either way, we’re here with OPINIONS.We cover everything from overdone sprayed edges to unnecessary celebrity memoirs; from what’s considered a book spoiler to hockey romance in general. Was Fo...2025-03-2557 min

Besties and the Books Podcast*DON’T SKIP* The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!!! | Hunger Games Book 4 Review & Summary | Bonus MinisodeSend us a textWelcome back to Ashley & Liz’s dystopian sci fi episode bonus series: The Hunger Games!Today we go back in time to discuss President Snow and his origin story. How exactly did he become a “villian” and what does his evolution into a tyrannical dictator say about the society that created him? How did Panem and the games themselves evolve into the world we know?This book is full of so many amazing “easter eggs” and tie-ins to the original trilogy. We’re ready to pick thos...2025-03-231h 10

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 53 Asking Each Other UNHINGED & JUICY questions + 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Celebration!Send us a textWE’RE ONE YEAR OLD! Today we’re celebrating our one year anniversary of podcasting over at Besties and the Books and we just want to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you for being here! You’re helping us to create this amazing community, and we couldn't be more grateful to watch it grow. 🖤Check out the Thank You *GIVEAWAY* on our Instagram! | https://www.instagram.com/bestiesandthebookspodcast?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qrSo in celebration we’ve decided to go into a blin...2025-03-1858 min

Besties and the Books PodcastSHOOKED & COOKED after reading Hunger Games MOCKING JAY! | Book 3 Review & Summary | Bonus MinisodeSend us a textWelcome back to Ashley & Liz’s dystopian sci fi episode bonus series: The Hunger Games!Today we get SERIOUS as we discuss the amazingly well written, heart wrenching grand finale to the original trilogy. What parallels do we see reflected in real life? Are the dystopian themes regarding media control, rebellion, war, government control, environmental degradation and resource allocation applicable to today’s world? Come with us as we open these topics of discussion through a Katniss Everdeen lens.If you’ve been following along...2025-03-141h 13

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 52 📚 100 Books in 30 Minutes | Rapid Fire Book Reviews from the Last 6 MonthsSend us a textGet out that good ol’ stack of post it notes and your favorite annotating pen (or just use the “notes” app in your phone) because your TBR is about to get even longer! If that’s possible. Today Ashley and Liz are recapping ALL of their reads from the last ½ of 2024 to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly. The books that changed our lives, the books that were overhyped, underhyped, the rereads, the weird as hell, and maybe even some we wished we hadn’t read at all...2025-03-1151 min

Besties and the Books PodcastWE CAUGHT FIRE in The Hunger Games Catching Fire | Book 2 Review & Summary | Bonus MinisodeSend us a textWelcome back to Ashley & Liz’s dystopian sci fi episode bonus series: The Hunger Games!We spend ½ of this episode playing the piano (yes, you read that right) and the other ½ convincing you to read this series. If that doesn’t do it for you… we don’t know what else you could want! If you’ve been following along and watched our “From 1984 to Hunger Games” dystopian themes in media and literature episode then you know we’re fascinated with everything about this genre and needed to delve into this discussio...2025-03-0747 min

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 51 Our Romantasy BookCon Experience + 5 Tips and Tricks for Book Convention Newbies!Send us a textToday we’re chatting about Romantasy Bookcon, Los Angeles, 2025! This amazing convention put on by Fabled Fantasy Events was Liz and Ashley’s first, but it surely will not be our last! We talk about our overall faves and fails of Bookcon (our faves being mostly the amazing community) and consequently, what our top five tips for attending your first book convention are plus 5 rookie mistakes to avoid. In short: get there early, map out a plan and get to know the layout, bring snacks and come prepared to trade treas...2025-03-041h 25

Besties and the Books PodcastWe Wouldn’t Survive the HUNGER GAMES | Book 1 Review & Summary | Bonus MinisodeSend us a textWelcome to Ashley & Liz’s dystopian sci fi episode bonus series: The Hunger Games!If you’ve been following along and watched our “From 1984 to Hunger Games” dystopian themes in media and literature episode then you know we’re fascinated with everything about this genre and needed to delve into this discussion! It just happens to be a BIG bonus that Ashley had never read it before. Watch here | https://youtu.be/Ns4E87T36KQ?si=P0wXBSgyvRkNAABdThe debate currently on the book talk table is whether or not boo...2025-02-281h 11

Le Fond du chaudron"Je commence la romantasy, je lis quoi ?"Dans ce neuvième épisode, on parle de la déferlante romantasy actuelle : d'où vient ce genre ? Quels sont ses titres les plus emblématiques ? Par où commencer pour s'y mettre ?On décortique les freins en disséminant nos meilleures références et recommandations, récentes… et plus lointaines. Avec en bonus une partie lexique pour tout comprendre, et vous y retrouver dans les méandres du Booktok…Un épisode garanti sans spoiler ✨Liste de toutes les œuvres mentionnées :Le Prince Cruel - Holly...2025-02-281h 01

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 50 From 1984 to Hunger Games, HOW DID WE GET HERE?! Dystopian Themes in Media and LiteratureSend us a textThis week is. The. Week. We’re officially back in mini episode bonus mode with The Hunger Games book 1, by Suzanne Collins dropping this Friday! So today Ashley and Liz are setting us all up for success in our dystopian sci fi series with an episode about the history of dystopias! Not surprisingly, there is a lot of ground to cover, so we do our best to take a whole lot of information and condense it down for you to put all of these stories we love so much into context.Fi...2025-02-251h 07

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 49 Let’s Travel into the QUICKSILVER! | Book Review & SummarySend us a textA few episodes back we brought you an exclusive interview with the extraordinarily talented Callie Hart, author of the New York Times bestselling romantasy novel Quicksilver (linked below). It should come as no surprise that Liz and Ashley both loved this book, rating it a solid five stars! So today, we’re breaking it down for you. What did we love about this book? Were there any things we disliked? We go over our favorite tropes, characters and plot points. And also chat all about the spice, the twi...2025-02-1859 min

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 48 A Truly CRINGEY Valentine's Day Read!Send us a textFirst there was a cringey Thanksgiving with a sack full of turkey. Then there was a cringey Christmas alien with a magic mirror, and a magic… you know what. And now, we bring to you: a very cringey Valentine’s Day featuring old timey detective vampires and a sweet stalker with Dexter-like tendencies.Today Ashley and Liz give our two cents on two holiday themed novellas we may not have picked up if it weren’t for our love of this series: Valentine’s Day With A Vampire by Tabitha Lovelace and Littl...2025-02-141h 09

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 47 ONYX STORM *HONEST REVIEW* cuz we NEED to talk about this!!!Send us a textWell, sh*t. 😂 Some of you are going to be screaming at your screen / headphones, upset at us that Onyx Storm just wasn’t it for us. And that’s okay! That’s what we absolutely love about reading. There’s something for everyone. And if this 3⭐️ / 2🌶️ romantasy jumble is your thing… we will listen and not judge. Promise! We just hope you can do the same for us. Today is all about breaking down this plot line. That ending? The 10,000 unnecessary characters? Ashley and Liz cannot help it… we may have ranted for an hour a...2025-02-111h 44

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 46 “Am I The A**HOLE for Reading Romance Books?” 🩷 AITA VALENTINES DAY EDITION!Send us a textToday is all about romance. We’re gearing up for Valentine’s Day over here at Besties & the Books Podcast and what exactly does that mean (you might be wondering)? Well, it means we’re going to be diving back into the Reddit realms to bring you romance book and V-Day themed Am I the A Hole questions!Should you buy your ex-girlfriend red roses for Valentine’s Day if you’re in a new relationship? Are you the a-hole for expecting more than a personalized pen as a gift on this roman...2025-02-041h 25

Besties and the Books PodcastEp 45 Callie Hart Quicksilver Tell All! | Author InterviewSend us a textWe’ve been keeping a BIG secret from you… our book besties… and today is finally the day we get to reveal it! We interviewed Callie Hart!! *Insert happy screaming here.* We are SO excited to share this SPOILER FREE author interview with you, so stick around if you’re interested in listening to us chat with the one and only Callie Hart, author of the New York Times bestselling romantasy book: Quicksilver!This amazing book is officially available on Paperback and Kindle now, with hardback copies dropping in Augus...2025-01-281h 11

The Bookish HourKiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube (a Split or Swallow novel)BOOKCLUB TIME!!In this episode, we dive headfirst into the provocative world of a Split or Swallow novel by Lindsay Straube (which is now named Kiss of the Basilisk), unraveling its themes of desire, identity, and erotic exploration through the lens of character dynamics and storytelling. The show emphasizes the importance of reading this daring novel without preconceived notions, allowing its raw and vivid narrative to unfold organically.• Exploring why diving blind into a book enhances the reading experience • Discussion of relationships framed as a love triangle and their emotional implications • Critical examination of theme...2025-01-2728 min