S02.8: Competence & Careers in Romance

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Next week, we’re taking you to blasphemy town! Or are we?! The read is Sarah’s pick, Sierra Simone’s Priest, which is an erotic romance in first-person hero POV, featuring a priest and an exotic dancer (NB: She is not Catholic). If sex in church is your concern, maybe skip this one, but also know that there’s a lot fo religious allegory in here that is fascinating and brilliant. Content warning for discussion of the Catholic Church and sexual abuse. Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo or your local indie.

Show Notes

- Jen said fossils are boring. It wasn't a good look.

- Defining competence porn.

- Christian Grey at work.

- Despite when Jen said, most sex toys are not made out of neoprene. And please be cautious about the sex toys you buy.

- Imposter syndrome is the worst for everyone but these guys.

- Job versus career versus vocation.

- The Joanna Shupe book about the architect is actually called A Scandalous Deal.

- If you do want to read books about fossils, Amanda Quick and Tessa Dare have them. Eloisa James does not. Manda Collins does. Sarah MacLean does not.

- What's wrong with "Not Like Other Girls."

- What's a bluestocking?

- Doogie Howser was a doctor, not an astrophysicist.

- How to avoid the "What do you do" question.

- The recent Supreme Court case about the rights of queer people to work.

- Sarah mentioned an article about how Americans haven't gotten a raise in 40 years, and Jen mentioned the struggle to stay in the middle class.

- Lori Lightfoot won the Chicago mayor's election, but here's the story about her background and why Black Lives Matter activists are worried.

- The thing Jen made into a job: writing about romance for Kirkus.

- High School Musical 2 had the "I need a college scholarship" plot.

- Roseanne and class on television.

- Jen really hated This is 40.

- Are you in Chicago? Come to Jen's romance book club at 57th Street Books or at Love's Sweet Arrow.

- Divorce has profoundly negative impact on women's financial security.

- Sarah mentioned a twitter thread about mothers telling their daughter's to have separate money and why women get jewelry as wedding gifts.

- All women work, even if they don't have a job outside the home.

- An overwhelming majority of American school teachers are white women.

- You should read Catch and Kill if you can, but the story about how it impacted Ronan Farrow's relationship is also interesting.

- Subscribe to your local newspaper!

- This week, caller Samantha from Kuala Lumpur recommends Spellbound by Nora Roberts.

- Next up is Priest from Sierra Simone.