This book is, as the title states, a guide to romance novels by the authors of one of my favorite blogs, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. The blog is witty, funny, and full of romance novel recommendations. The book... well, I was a little disappointed. It's not that it wasn't funny; it was. It was just extremely disorganized, and it was a lot of fluff and not a lot of substance. It's pretty similar to the blog, and while the style used works really well in that format, for a book it leaves something to be desired. There were some interesting discussions of the history of romance, it's cliches, etc. I would've liked more. There were a few recommendations of books, based on subgenre (pirate romance, time travel, etc.); again, I would've loved more. There were lots of silly, funny little lists; I could've done without the majority of them. Cute, but nothing life-changing. Overall, recommended for hardcore fans of the blog and romance junkies; for anyone else, I think reading the blog will be enough. Three stars. ( )

I don't actually read a lot of actual romance books-- I'm more of a chick lit person-- but I do read a lot of romance review blogs, including Candy Tan and Sarah Wendell's blog, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. I think theirs was the first romance blog I read, even, and so of course I pre-ordered their book last spring. I didn't manage to read it until the summer, and took even longer to review it, but that's pretty par for the course for me. Ahem.

Please don't let the fact that I took forever to review it as a bad thing. I loved Beyond Heaving Bosoms! It's a wonderful guide for what one can expect with romance books, both the good and the bad. It has things about the different genres within romance, an interview with a cover model (no, not Fabio), why reading romance is actually good for people, the truth behind romance reader misconceptions (practically none of them are cat ladies), and it even has a little bit on the romance fandom and why it's so fun (and crazy).

For sure my favorite thing about Beyond Heaving Bosoms is that it made me realize that, no, there isn't anything wrong with reading romance, or chick lit, or even YA fantasy. Sometimes I forget that and I feel bad for my reading choices-- like I should be reading something else. Dickens, maybe, or Proust. No offense to people who like Dickens or Proust (I love me some Joyce, myself), but it's not my first go-to choice for reading material. And because I more often than not don't read those books, and instead read supposedly frilly, fluffy books, people can sometimes make me feel sad and stupid.

After reading Beyond Heaving Bosoms, I felt much better about just reading whatever the heck I wanted and forget whatever anyone else says! I'm not alone in my love of frilly, fluffy books and that's a wonderful feeling to have. Self-confidence, you know?

Anyway, Beyond Heaving Bosoms is less scholarly and more like a night out at a pub with some friends. If you're already a romance fan and want a little validation for your reading habit, get this book. If you don't read romance but want to figure out why so many people love it and read it, get this book. If you just want to have a good time and laugh a lot, get this book! You won't be disappointed, and maybe we can both feel good about what we read.

Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog ( )

I read romances and enjoy intelligent critiques of them. This book gave some interesting background to the history of the genre, but offered no intelligent critiques of it's own. Instead it offered alot of snark about the badly written books out there. But I don't read the badly written books, and wanted more commentary about the well written ones rather than jokes about the idiotic ones out there. Ironically, I was hoping for more depth... ( )

This book was awesome! Sarcastic, humorous, nerdy, and eyebrow raising! Wendell and Tan provide a brief but insightful history and analysis of romance novels, albeit limited to more of the 70s to the present day than the Ancient Roman bodice rippers. They inform you about the evolution of the hero and heroine with colorful and inventive adjectives (and some that I would never say out loud but nonetheless enjoyed). They poke fun at some of the bad examples of the genre with sarcasm and humor. They make fun of the covers and provide games where you can find the most lurid romance book cover. They also give the reader some recommendations for romance novels to read, although they are not centralized and so you have to leaf through the pages to find them. Loved the book and would highly recommend it who likes to make fun of books, looking for romance novels, or lighthearted reading.

P.S. Met Sarah Wendell at a book signing and her personality is definitely reflected in the book. Go and meet her if you have the chance! ( )

I don't remember exactly how I found out about Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, but ever since I did I have been a frequent visitor to the site, particularly enjoying their Cover Snarks. When I learned that Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan were writing a book, Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels, I knew that I would need to pick up a copy. I wasn't disappointed; the book is just as informative, opinionated, irreverent, snarky, and raunchy as the website--only more portable.

Romance is probably one of the most maligned genres out there, which is somewhat surprising as it is probably the top bestselling genre, too. And it's not just the books--romance readers are also subject to harsh (and inaccurate) stereotyping. That's where the Smart Bitches come in to dispel the myths surrounding the romance genre and make fun of what's truly bad. Beyond Heaving Bosoms serves as an introduction, defense, and reader's guide to romance with a good deal of snark thrown in. They aren't afraid to revel in the ridiculous, but don't forget to point out the genre's redeeming qualities as well.

The Smart Bitches cover quite a bit of territory in Beyond Heaving Bosoms. "Chapter Cleavage" (yes...these really are the names of the chapters) is a very brief introduction to the romance genre and to the Smart Bitches themselves. "Chapter Petticoat" looks at the history of the modern romance novel, including a comparison of Old Skool and New Skool romances. "Chapter Corset" focuses on the various types of heroines and their associated tropes while "Chapter Codpiece" does the same for the romance hero. "Chapter Secret Cowboy Baby" examines the often overused and just plain bad plot devices and the ever present clichés. Also included is a survey of a variety of current genre trends. "Chapter WTF" defends the genre, while "Chapter Bad Sex" addresses rape in romance (obviously a controversial subject), and "Chapter Love Grotto" champions the inclusion of good sex. "Chapter Phallus," appropriately the longest chapter (wink wink, nudge nudge), is basically most everything else all shoved together: covers (and the requisite snark), controversies, scandals, and what amounts to an activity book (complete with mad-libs, a maze, and a color by number). Finally, there's "Chapter Heaving Bosom," where the Smart Bitches take the opportunity to discuss where the genre is heading and where they would like to see it go. Peppered throughout the book are quizzes, interviews, and a whole bunch of other random and delightful stuff.

Candy and Sarah's passion for the romance genre is readily apparent and their enthusiasm is catching. Even though I'm not a frequent romance reader, I still ended up with a very long reading list based on what the Smart Bitches had to say. The book is not without it's flaws. Although it includes a section for works cited in the text, unfortunately there is no index, making it difficult to find specific information or recommendations again. Some sections, particularly the activities and the "Choose Your Own Man Titty" are pretty much just novelties that felt more like filler material more than anything else. Amusing, yes, but occasionally tedious and generally dispensable. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed Beyond Heaving Bosoms; the authors are entertaining, knowledgeable, and quite often brutally honest (but all in the name of love!, or rather Luuuuurve™). I would not hesitate to recommend the book to anyone interested in the romance genre, fan or not, but only if I knew they were not easily offended; there are quite a few choice words and the sheer number of euphemisms is rather impressive. Regardless, or perhaps in part due to this, the book is an absolute riot.

Experiments in Reading ( )