In Bed With Books

In this episode of In Bed With Books, I’m joined by my friend Michelle Craft for a chat about our recent buddy read, Babel by R.F. Kuang.
We start the conversation with a close reading of the full title, Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translator’s Revolution, asking what we can consider violence, and how it builds on itself. Kuang’s commentary on colonialism and empire, its exploration of language as power and the emotional destruction of the ending (yes, there be spoilers), feels like just the beginning of this conversation.
Tune in as Michelle and I also take a look at some of the biggest critiques of the book - its over-intellectualized style, as well as the accusation of it being too obvious, and how those things can both exist in the novel. Kuang’s homage to 19th century writing shines in this, and Michelle and I have a blast talking about how that, as well as the choice to write the story through Robin’s eyes, drive home the dark academia vibes and the inevitability of the novel’s conclusion.
Whether you loved Babel, were haunted by it, or are on the fence about the delivery of its message, have a listen.

You can learn more about Michelle and her work here: https://www.soulhealingwithmichelle.com/

If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

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Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]

This week on In Bed With Books, I’m joined by author Kait Ballenger to talk about her dark and sexy paranormal romance, Original Sinner. The book follows Charlotte, a budding PR agent for a luxury company in NYC, who finds herself thrust into the middle of her boss’ sibling rivalry. Except that her boss is Lucifer and the siblings are the other 6 deadly sins.
Kait and I start the conversation by looking at the books and myths that influenced Charlotte and Lucifer’s story. She let us in on her writing process, explaining why this story makes the most sense as a dark romance, since we get to see them explore their trauma through kink and BDSM dynamics (it’s a spicy one, folks!), letting the dark romance context exist as a space for healing, empowerment, and emotional honesty. Kait also discusses her worldbuilding process, how the idea of the seven deadly sins as billionaires came to be, and how this all helped balance out the emotional side of Charlotte’s healing arc. To round things out, Kait gives us a sneak peek at where we can expect to see our lovers go in books two and three! You’ll see book three on shelves in May of next year!
If you’re still trying to scratch the Hades/Persephone itch, love paranormal, dark romance, or a (genuinely!) morally gray love interest, then add Original Sinner to your tbr.

For more information on Kait:
https://www.kaitballenger.com/

Original Sinner (The Original Sinners #1):
https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781662528873

Wicked Believer (The Original Sinners #2):
https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781662528880

If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]

For this week’s episode, I got to sit down with author Margaux Eliot to talk about her nostalgic but dark debut novel, Honeymoon Stage.
Set against the early years of celebreality TV in the aughts, Honeymoon Stage is part romance, part chaos, and all sharp commentary on the way we consume women in the media.
Margaux shares why she wrote the novel under a pen name (you can also find her under her real name, Julia Fine), how her gothic speculative fiction helped shape this book, and what she learned about reality television and our need to observe the unobservable while researching for this. Together, we unpack isolation as an integral part of celebrity and reality television, the treatment of women like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson in the media, how those stories shaped a generation’s view of femininity and success, and how that view is changing in just a couple of decades.
You can find Honeymoon Stage in bookstores now! Grab a copy here: https://bookshop.org/a/54661/9781662533105
You can learn more about Margaux Eliot here: https://www.julia-fine.com/

If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]

This week’s episode is part two of my chat with Kristin, and we’re continuing our chat on Harry Potter but from a slightly different angle. In the second half of our conversation, we’re (at times unseriously) looking at one of the biggest and most complicated conversations in the book world right now: the Alchemised controversy and what it says about fanfiction, publishing, and existing IP.
In this episode, we dig into whether the art and the artist can be separated in cases like this, and we bring up some of our favorite examples – Fifty Shades of Gray, The Love Hypothesis, Dead Romantics. But we also look at the bigger picture about how fandom culture shapes publishing, and how we can answer questions about ownership and moral responsibility when AI has also entered the chat.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Kristin chat without several tangents, so tune in for additional conversation on our recent reads (including some dark romance), taboos, and where we draw the line when reading these.
Question: Do you think the art and the artist can be separated?
Tell us in the comments below.
If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!
Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51
Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]

In this week’s episode, I’m reviewing a recent read, Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland, the second book in the Broken Blades Trilogy.
After the fallout of Aeri’s betrayal in book one, Four Ruined Realms takes things to an whole new level. I unpack how Corland’s writing has evolved, the deeper emotional arcs of Aeri, Royo, Mikhail, Sora, and TiYoung, and what makes this book such a powerful exploration of morality, regret, and survival in a world built on power and control. To round things out, I throw around a few theories for where I expect book three to go.
Grab your drink, settle in, and join me for a cozy, spoiler-filled book review about power, love, and what it really means to change the game when the rules are already broken.

Tell me in the comments, how do you think Four Ruined Realms compares to Five Broken Blades?

If you have an author, book, or topic you want to hear about on the podcast, then don't hesitate to slide into my DMs on Instagram or shoot me an email!

Subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on the latest podcast happenings: https://in-bed-with-books.kit.com/76d11f1d51

Where else to find me:
IG: @inbedwithbookspod
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@InBedWithBooksPod
EM: [email protected]