.png)
Top Shelf with Russell Library
On Top Shelf, you’ll hear about compelling reads from the people who know books best, librarians! Our bookish staff will share titles that connect to a unique theme each episode. This show will also share the many services offered here at Russell Library. Not local? No worries! Our staff will inspire you to connect with a public library in your own community.
Top Shelf with Russell Library
Monster Romance | Shan, Kim, Stephanie, & Briana
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Have the traditional romance tropes started to feel a little stale to you? Are you looking for an escape from societal beauty standards and traditional relationship pressures? If so, monster romance might be the new genre for you! In today's conversation, Shan will chat with Briana, Kim, and Stephanie about their favorite titles. This romance subgenre connects humans and non-humans; love interests range from aliens, demons, and shifters to cryptids, tentacles, and mythological creatures. These unconventional pairings explore themes of acceptance, overcoming prejudice, and forbidden love. And if you're interested in a steamy story, look no further, this subgenre regularly includes some extra spice!
Book Recommendations
Mate by Ali Hazelwood
My Roommate From Hell by Cale Dietrich
Suitor Armor by Purpah
Intro Music by nikitsan
Monster Romance
Shannon: [00:00:00] Cheers. Welcome to Top Shelf with the librarians of Russell Library. I'm Shannon, and joined with me today is Kim.
Kim: Hey
Shannon: Brianna.
Kim: What's up?
Shannon: And Stephanie.
Kim: Hi.
Shannon: Thanks for joining us today. How are y'all doing?
Kim: Good. All really good. Good. Excited.
Shannon: Excited to talk about this. Very
Kim: excited.
Shannon: I'm excited to hear what you guys have brought to the table.
Shannon: This is something you, for me. You are
Kim: not ready.
Shannon: Oh
Kim: God.
Shannon: Y'all are not ready for this. Oh goodness. Come on. In a good way. On top shelf. You'll hear about compelling reads from the people who know Books Best US Librarians. Mm-hmm. We will share titles that connect to a unique theme each episode. This show will also invite you to learn about the many services offered here at Russell Library.
Shannon: And if [00:01:00] you are not local. Don't worry about it because chances are high that your local library will have similar things to offer. And we're very excited to turn the page with you. The focus of today's show is Monster Romance. Woo. Woo. I Stephanie's excited over there.
Stephanie: This preparing for this has been a project.
Kim: A journey.
Stephanie: A journey. Indeed.
Shannon: My preparation was, um. Discussing it with you guys. Yep.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: And getting my own interpretations of this. Yes. So I'm excited. Yes.
Stephanie: Yeah. Tell us about this. Um, subgenre han.
Shannon: Okay. So I guess this subgenre, it's been popping off. Just like romance. That's a line I stole from my own recent blog post.
Shannon: Just heads up. Um, romance novels are evolving and creating new open spaces for a sub genre like Monster Romance to exist and gain a significant following, but heads up, this is exists for a while. Mm-hmm. [00:02:00] It's just existing in a different way right now. Classics like Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast are staples for this sub genre.
Shannon: The emergence of monsters have been considerable in the past 20 years with Twilight and television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood Vampires, all vampires. Did you guys have like the whole vampire thing? Did you all read Twilight? Oh, I was twi hard.
Kim: I did read Twilight.
Shannon: Did you watch Buffy?
Kim: No, I was a Buffy girl.
Shannon: I was a Buffy girl. That was like a certain girl. Yes, it was. And like I watched like charmed and all this stuff. Mm-hmm. And there was some demon love. Mm-hmm. And like white lighter stuff going on. So it's like, its been there, it's been there, it's been there and we've all done it, you know?
Shannon: Okay. So now what I wanted to say is that vampires were hot back then.
Stephanie: Oh yeah. Yep.
Shannon: Um,
Stephanie: yep. They had a moment.
Shannon: They did. They had a moment. But you know what was also in that moment?
Stephanie: Werewolves.
Shannon: Oh yeah. But I just put that with [00:03:00] vampires. Sorry. Which
Stephanie: we had witches for a little while too, but Yeah, no, vampires was like the thing.
Stephanie: Yeah,
Shannon: yeah. But what was like a childhood movie that came out in the year 2001 with a great soundtrack with Smash Mouth,
Stephanie: soul Body. Shrek. I was like, who's gonna say
Shannon: Itna? Brian, you?
Stephanie: I thought you were gonna say it. So I was waiting. No, Brianna was like, I got it.
Shannon: I personally think that Shrek is a phenomenal film.
Shannon: It's a classic. It's one forever. And Shrek and Fiona, monster person. Monster.
Stephanie: Mm. Yeah.
Shannon: And then mm-hmm. Donkey and. Dragon. Dragon. Mm-hmm. Excuse me. Monster. Monster are a romance. But, so I think Shrek has foretold the future about what is coming ahead of us. Mm-hmm.
Briana: Definitely
Shannon: also Shreks based on a book.
Briana: It is.
Shannon: Mic drop. Did not know.
Briana: Oh yeah. It's in the
Shannon: Trump's department. It's a
Briana: goofy.
Shannon: Yeah, I just
Briana: thought somebody made it up.
Shannon: No, it's based on a book.
Briana: Wow.
Shannon: Yeah. But nobody made up that soundtrack.
Briana: Nope, that's true.
Shannon: No, that soundtrack came together Ally [00:04:00]
Stephanie: beautifully. No.
Shannon: Yeah.
Stephanie: I can't say I've read the book, but it is based on a book.
Stephanie: Yeah. So it goes back to before the early aughts, because the book came first.
Shannon: Wow. So what I found out about Monster Romance is that like. The acceptance of like fan fiction and like the proliferation of fan, like fan writers is becoming a thing. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And this is where a lot of this now coming of a like coming of Monster Romance is happening mm-hmm.
Shannon: In the internet. So it's let us a different direction, which I'm excited to hear from you guys. Yeah. But I think we need to define a monster romance. Mm-hmm. And I got a lot of weird definitions depending on different people and everyone kind of had their own opinion. I'm not gonna lie. Mm-hmm. So I think it's an up for grabs, but a monster romance.
Shannon: It's of course romance that considers main characters, love interests, that is not human. It could be a mythical creature, a crypted, and even Sasquatch. Mm-hmm. [00:05:00] There's Sasquatch.
Stephanie: Sasquatch is
Briana: Crypted.
Stephanie: There are several. Yeah. Sasquatch is Crypted as well.
Shannon: Oh, my bad.
Stephanie: That's okay. It's cool. But yeah, no Sasquatch romances are out there.
Stephanie: The Bigfoot romances are out there. Whoa. Um, I can't speak to the quality of the works, but they exist. They do. Okay. Yeah.
Kim: Mm-hmm. Well, and the thing about Monster Romance, I think is there's something for everybody. Yeah. Which is, is some, I think is true of the romance genre in general. Yes. So, yeah. I mean, like, if there's a creature out there, there's probably a book about it.
Kim: There's a, there's a romance about person in a, in an airplane too. Sky Daddy. Sky Daddy. Yeah. That, that's a weird one. Sorry, Brianna shared her thoughts on GoDaddy before
Shannon: this brings us back. That monster romance can exist anywhere. Mm-hmm. Yes. Even an airplane.
Kim: Yeah.
Shannon: So it could be fantasy, alternative, whatever in the real world.
Shannon: All that jazz, but up for debate. 'cause what I was finding is that people think that some monster romance is, is between a human and a monster and there's like no monster monster. Hmm. [00:06:00] So then that brings the question, is Shrek really a romance? We'll find out.
Shannon: Just the moment.
Briana: Yeah,
Shannon: we'll find out.
Briana: That's our next episode.
Stephanie: Deep dive into Shrek. Oh no. I mean, based on a book, we could do a whole episode on track. That's
Shannon: true. Okay guys, let's get back to Monster Romance. Back to Monster Romance Steamy as anything. So this genre is super steamy and there's a lot of spice sprinkled within those pages.
Stephanie: Yes,
Shannon: there can be. Oh. Oh, there is, from my understanding. Mm-hmm. So now I wanna hear about those spices. So let's start with you, Brianna. Can you, sorry. One
Stephanie: of the books that I read a little bit of was about spices, so now I'm just like, did you read the same book?
Shannon: I did. Oh, I did not.
Stephanie: The time I got drunk and saved a demon.
Stephanie: She's a spice trader.
Shannon: That's awesome.
Stephanie: Literally, it's
Shannon: about
Stephanie: spice, literally about. That's awesome. Didn't finish that book. Can't speak about it, but
Shannon: this is spicy,
Stephanie: so funny, and about spices.
Shannon: Okay, Brianna, tell us what [00:07:00] book you brought today along with your friend. That you have right there. And please describe
Stephanie: your friend, 'cause it's
Shannon: an audio video.
Shannon: Describe the
Briana: description of
Shannon: the book. We'll post on Instagram. You
Briana: will see, see, see the
Shannon: vibes. Let's go.
Briana: So I brought with me today mate, by Allie Hazelwood Uhhuh, which is a werewolf monster romance. And my little buddy I brought is a Jelly Cat werewolf named Wolf Werewolf. And he's very puffy, fluffy. Yes, he makes me happy.
Briana: I'm holding him as I talk right now like. A 5-year-old with a emotional support wolf, an emotional support wolf.
Shannon: He's the softest thing I've ever
Briana: touched in my life. 10 of 10 recommend. Yes,
Shannon: he is. Little Fang. Yeah,
Briana: he does. Adorable. Yeah, he does. So he kind of brings to life a cuter, cuddly version of what I was reading about.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Briana: So, mate is about Serena Paris, who is an orphaned pack list, one of a kind human wear hybrid. Mm-hmm. As far as she knows, she's one of the only ones to exist. [00:08:00]
Shannon: Mm-hmm. What's a, were hybrid,
Briana: so human and werewolf.
Shannon: Oh, okay. Isn't that always how werewolves are? That's, uh, that's what I thought.
Briana: These werewolves are straight werewolves.
Briana: Like straight up werewolf.
Shannon: Just straight wlf,
Briana: I guess.
Shannon: So they're not like,
Briana: well, they're, they're they shapeshift. But I
Stephanie: have questions on the lore. Okay.
Briana: I don't even know if I can answer something. That's okay. We'll see. I'm
Stephanie: just, I'm curious,
Briana: I guess that typically like werewolves make other werewolves in.
Briana: Universe.
Stephanie: Mm-hmm.
Briana: And a human mating a werewolf is extremely uncommon.
Kim: Okay. Yeah. And probably dangerous.
Briana: And probably dangerous.
Kim: Okay.
Briana: So she's kind of in her own
Kim: category.
Briana: Category, okay.
Kim: Yeah.
Briana: So she's stuck in the middle of this century long rift between humans and werewolves. Ah. So that just adds further to the dynamic.
Briana: It kind of makes her a target for kind of other political rivals and people. Well, people, vampires and werewolves. Oh wow. People being humans. So she's kind of, everyone's coming after her, but they [00:09:00] can't really come after her because her mate is the alpha of one of the packs in this universe called the Northwest Pack.
Shannon: So she's clutch.
Briana: She's clutch. She does not have feelings for him. So it's a very interesting dynamic of he wants to protect her.
Shannon: But she's like,
Briana: go away. But she's, she's, I don't like you like that.
Shannon: So does she turn into a, were werewolf at night or is she just like half human, half werewolf. Like I don't get the
Briana: vibe as she kind of spends time with this northwest pack.
Briana: Like she learns the dynamic of these werewolves. Mm-hmm. And prior to kind of being with them, she's never really shifted before. So that's something that she's learning.
Stephanie: Oh, this is giving twilight vibes.
Briana: Yeah,
Stephanie: like big,
Briana: this has the potential to kind of turn into that kind of universe. 'cause this is a second book in a series, which hopefully she will write more books in this series.
Briana: Yeah. But basically, Serena's being protected by this pack. And Cohen, who is her, her mate, but not her mate, but her mate as kind of. Political [00:10:00] things are happening. They're trying to keep her safe. There's like a cult involved in this too.
Shannon: I love that.
Briana: So there's a lot going on. Um, so she has to kind of keep an eye on her past, creeping up on her, while also trying to understand herself as aware human.
Briana: Mm-hmm. While trying to deny feelings for a very. Handsome Alpha.
Stephanie: Mm-hmm. Okay.
Briana: So there's a lot going on. This there
Shannon: is so much going
Stephanie: on.
Shannon: Yeah.
Briana: Mm-hmm.
Shannon: So what drew you to this with all this like crazy stuff going on?
Briana: So I read the first book, which is called Bride, which was a Vampire Werewolf. Mm-hmm. Monster Romance, which I liked more than I thought I would because Allie Hazelwood is very hit or miss for me as an author.
Briana: Mm-hmm. So sometimes I can read one of her books and love it. Other times I'm reading it and I'm like, no.
Stephanie: Mm-hmm.
Briana: So I liked Bride more than I realized. So I was like, Ooh, I really want to read Mate. And it was hyped up so much online, so I didn't know what to expect when I did read it, but I ended up loving it so much.
Briana: Like especially the dynamic between Cohen [00:11:00] and Serena was just spot on. Like it was, they had really great banter and this like, I would almost, I wouldn't call them enemies to lovers, but it's like this enemies to lovers, kind of like trope going on. Mm-hmm. Was also played out. There was a lot of pining.
Shannon: Okay.
Briana: Too.
Shannon: Do vampires and. So this would be in that book, it was like the vampires and vampires.
Briana: So in
Shannon: only mate with each other?
Briana: In theory. Yes. Yes. So in bride, that's why it was like kind of a big thing that this vampire mates with a, yeah. Werewolf
Shannon: and they're, are they
Stephanie: part of the same universe?
Briana: They're all part of the same universe.
Briana: Okay. Okay. Yep. So it helps to have Read Bride when you go into reading, mate, because you get that backstory.
Stephanie: Mm-hmm.
Briana: I will say that they explain enough where you can catch on if you don't want to read bride, if that's not your jam.
Shannon: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Briana: I would still recommend reading it though. 'cause then you kind of, the universe is built really well, so you can understand it pretty quickly.
Briana: Mm-hmm. Um, but it's nice to have that already going into. Book two.
Shannon: Is this in the post Twilight era?
Briana: Yeah, these came [00:12:00] out within the last couple years.
Shannon: No way.
Briana: Yep.
Shannon: Okay, cool.
Briana: Because Ali Hazelwood usually just does like stem romances. So when bride came out, everyone was like, oh, she's dipping her toes into like Monster Romance.
Briana: So this is gonna be interesting and it, it feels like
Stephanie: this is twilight for the people who, who read Twilight when it first came out.
Briana: Yeah. Because
Stephanie: now we are adults.
Briana: Yes. That makes, yeah, I would agree with that.
Stephanie: Hmm.
Shannon: So my question for all of you guys. We, I read Twilight.
Briana: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie: Yes. Mm-hmm.
Briana: Yeah.
Shannon: Um, Jacob, or what's his name?
Shannon: Edward. Edward
Briana: Jacob.
Stephanie: Jacob. Jacob.
Briana: Love that for us.
Shannon: I don't have a preference. You don't have,
Stephanie: oh, no. When I, when I first read the series,
Shannon: I was Edward hundred hardcore. Then
Stephanie: I went back and I was like, no,
Shannon: you reread it.
Stephanie: I read the series more than once.
Shannon: That's for you.
Stephanie: Oh,
Shannon: yeah. Oh yeah. So just, sorry to segue on that.
Shannon: I was just curious because we're in the twilight area. Mm-hmm. But how did this book resonate with you?
Briana: So I really enjoyed how immersive, but easy it was to [00:13:00] understand the world building that was going on. Mm-hmm. 'cause sometimes I can get lost in the sauce when I read a book like this and I'm like, what's going on?
Briana: What am, what am I even reading? And the political intrigue, supernatural dangers, cult kind of stuff going on is stuff i I like in a book when it's done well. And this book did it all very well. Um, and as I mentioned before, the relationship between our two main characters was just probably one of my favorite parts.
Briana: 'cause it was just so fun to like, imagine them in my head like bantering, but then like fighting off these evil vampires or fighting off this like cult that's gonna come outta the woodwork. It makes you swoon.
Stephanie: Mm-hmm.
Briana: And then sometimes you're gonna fan yourself a lot.
Stephanie: Ooh.
Briana: And all I'll say is there is nodding in this book, and I'm not gonna say what that is.
Briana: You're gonna have to look that up yourself. Mm-hmm.
Shannon: Or don't look it up.
Briana: Or don't look it up.
Stephanie: There's diagrams. It's very detailed.
Shannon: Yes. I will say in this episode, we will not discuss anything explicit. Mm-hmm. That is known in monster romances that tend to be steamy. Mm-hmm. A little s muddy.
Briana: Mm-hmm.
Shannon: But a lot of fun.
Stephanie: But the internet exists.
Shannon: [00:14:00] Yes. But you are able to read these books yourselves to find that out.
Briana: Yeah.
Shannon: Or to decipher this through a Google search.
Briana: Mm-hmm.
Shannon: Mm-hmm. Thank you.
Kim: Yep. But you would say this is a spicy book. Like
Briana: Yeah, they're
Kim: out of five chilies. How many would you give it?
Briana: I would love, I would probably give it like a solid four, maybe a 4.5, like,
Kim: ooh.
Kim: Okay. All right.
Briana: Her books can really's, her can get really spicy. She, it's not gonna be like that either immediately. Like it's gonna get to a point where it's gonna, a switch is gonna flip and it's gonna be spicy. Spice Spice,
Stephanie: have you guys also read this author?
Kim: No, but I have bride it on the shelf. Mm-hmm.
Kim: So, um, hopefully in the next five books. Yeah.
Stephanie: I read her first book. I read her first book and then didn't read anything else. So was it
Shannon: spicy?
Stephanie: It was, I wouldn't say it was like four. It was more like a three, which was pretty, still pretty. Mm-hmm. Spicy for what I personally read, so.
Briana: Mm-hmm.
Shannon: Okay.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: Good to know.
Shannon: That should be added as a question. Spice level.
Stephanie: Yes. When we talk about romance, for sure. Well, I mean, it's different for everyone, but generally, yeah.
Shannon: Yeah,
Stephanie: yeah,
Briana: yeah. [00:15:00]
Shannon: Would you recommend this book, Brianna?
Briana: I definitely would. I'm gonna restate what I said earlier. I would probably read Bride first because it's just gonna make it so much more enjoyable when you get to Mate, but you don't necessarily have to.
Briana: Mm-hmm. Like I could have read Mate Without Reading Bride and probably figured out what happened in the previous book. And I will say if you're someone who does not like any sort of Open Door romance, do not pick this up at all. This is not for you. But
Shannon: what do you mean by Open Door?
Briana: So Open Door is when they show like scenes.
Briana: Intimate scenes. Intimate scenes. Okay. Versus when the door is closed, it's suggested, but you don't read it on the page.
Shannon: Oh, okay.
Briana: So if you like the door closed, don't read this. Mm-hmm. But if you like it wide open, this is very much for you and totally worth it.
Shannon: And if you like excellent werewolves
Briana: and if you love werewolves, hunky alpha werewolves, or
Shannon: if you're not sure you love werewolves,
Briana: you can try it.
Briana: Or if this is true, it's a, it's a great way to try.
Shannon: Yeah. If you're a twilight lover, go back.
Briana: It's, if Jacob was like. [00:16:00] 15 years older and like,
Shannon: oh,
Briana: more masculine
Shannon: with the
Briana: millennials. Yes. That's,
Shannon: that's, I'm saying
Kim: what I think That's
Briana: a really good point. Ali's catering to us.
Kim: Yes.
Shannon: Yeah.
Kim: All right.
Shannon: Awesome. Well, Stephanie?
Shannon: Yeah, I think it's your turn now.
Stephanie: Sure.
Shannon: I can't wait to hear what book you brought today and can you tell us a little bit about it?
Stephanie: Sure. Um, so I was saying earlier, after weeks of experimenting with this genre, I brought the book my roommate from Hell by Kale Dietrich. Um, this is a YA Monster Romance. Yes, they exist.
Stephanie: They exist.
Kim: That's cool.
Stephanie: They, we'll get to it. Okay. So, um, it's about Owen, who's a high achieving college freshman who plan, whose plans are derailed when he moves in and finds out his roommate is the prince of hell, uh, who is taking a shot at college through a new Earth Hell Exchange program.
Shannon: Oh, fascinating.
Stephanie: Uhhuh. Um, it's also a really charming fake dating for, for a mutual gain scenario, which I love. Mm-hmm. Love. [00:17:00]
Shannon: Okay. Yeah. You get? I have a question.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: So it being ya? Yes. Would you say it's PG 13 or rated R?
Stephanie: Oh no, it's like PG with maybe like a lit, like one scene of like PG 13.
Shannon: Oh wow. You
Kim: found a nice monster
Stephanie: man.
Stephanie: I did. You discussed today? It took me a while, but I did.
Shannon: What a good librarian you asked. Yes.
Stephanie: Thanks. She's so.
Shannon: I think it's fascinating that there's this earth hell thing going on Uhhuh. So can you tell us like what drew you to this earth? Hell
Stephanie: yeah. So I didn't even know that that was about, I didn't know it was about that specific exchange.
Stephanie: Yeah, I just, I had seen the title, I ordered it for the library and I was like, I'll probably get to that, that that seems fun, but cover is really fun. And I was like, I don't know. Seems like it could be, could be fun. So it's been on my list for a while. And I was trying to find a monster romance that would work for me.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie: And as Kim knows, I spent weeks trying out books and kind of dipping in and out. I actually read an entire book about an alien as a monster romance and I didn't [00:18:00] like it. And I was determined to come to the show with something that actually worked for me. And then I read a couple and like excerpts from other things, I was like.
Stephanie: Really trying, really trying. I didn't wanna abandon this genre as like, not for me, I just had to find the right thing. So Kim actually suggested, why don't I look for a YA book in this genre? And I was like, oh, of course. Mm-hmm. Why don't I look in the place that I like to read for this genre? Um, so that ended up working.
Stephanie: I figured that I could handle a ya version of this because I knew it wouldn't be spicy. Um, and it's, this particular story is really grounded in reality, but it has demons. So that was a good entry point for me.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie: Yeah, so thanks, Kim. Yeah.
Shannon: Happy
Stephanie: to help. Yeah.
Shannon: With that being said though, yeah, because I have done some research on like the romance genre in general.
Shannon: Mm-hmm. Alien is sometimes its own romance,
Stephanie: correct? Mm-hmm.
Shannon: And like. Yeah. Is Alien part of Monster? Or is Alien? Alien
Stephanie: for the purposes of this assignment? I considered it monster. You considered Monster. But it really is a separate sub, sub genre. [00:19:00]
Kim: Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, if the definition is not human, yeah. An alien is definitely considered
Shannon: not, and it's definitely fits in there.
Shannon: Mm-hmm. See, it's so broad. We have so much to go on. Yeah. It's kinda like, it's kinda how we wanna define it. And maybe we are the ones here actually making the true definition.
Stephanie: Exactly. We get to decide.
Shannon: Yeah,
Stephanie: yeah, yeah.
Shannon: And is the canon always right?
Stephanie: No,
Shannon: no,
Stephanie: no, no.
Shannon: Thank you, Kim. So how did this resonate with you?
Stephanie: So I'm gonna go back to something you said earlier. Okay. Because it was on my mind. Um, this book reads like fan fiction, and I say that as a compliment.
Shannon: Yeah.
Stephanie: I love when my stories read that way. Like you can tell somebody is really passionate, they care about the characters and they care about. The setting and the pining and the relationships more than anything else.
Kim: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie: And I'm flipping the pages, I'm like, oh, this feels like I was reading a fan fiction that either I wrote or like I would've read at the time that I was writing fan fiction. So that's a high compliment to this book. It reads like really fast and it's engaging and you care about the characters and the building romance.
Stephanie: The writing style is [00:20:00] fun. And the setting reminded me of being in college. So I was like, oh, this has got like that campus feel. Yeah. And I liked the way that they approached the literal demonization in the story. 'cause he's actually a demon. His parents are the king and queen of hell. And they have characters in the story that are pro demons coming to earth, and they have people in the story that are against it.
Stephanie: And there's really good discussion in this story about othering and being afraid of what we don't understand. Mm-hmm. And they tackle that through this demon exchange program. Like if we bring a demon to earth, how are people gonna react? Mm-hmm. And what is that gonna look like? And I like that they applied that to a romance story.
Shannon: Yeah.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie: Yeah, it's cool. You could do a lot with that.
Shannon: I didn't know you wrote fan fiction.
Stephanie: Oh yeah. Does that surprise you though?
Shannon: No. No. Not at all. Not at all. My sister writes in fan fiction. Not to derail that.
Stephanie: Yeah, no.
Shannon: But no, it's really interesting that like Fanfic has been like
Kim: mm-hmm.
Shannon: Redefining monster romance.
Kim: Mm-hmm.
Shannon: And like romance is being redefined [00:21:00] constantly.
Kim: Mm-hmm.
Shannon: And it's pretty cool.
Kim: Yeah. Yeah.
Shannon: I've been reading some good romances. I call them my whimsical ones might be like, Shannon, that was not whimsical, but it's okay for you. It's whimsical free. You, you get
Stephanie: to decide
Shannon: what whims is.
Shannon: But awesome.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: So would you recommend this book?
Stephanie: I would, um, I would say for Monster Romance it's very light, so for people who aren't sure, or people like me who really like a grounded story that also has a little bit of this, uh, like non-human stuff, but doesn't have smut, this is a good place to start.
Stephanie: Or maybe this is a good place to live because I'm like, oh, I like this because it's not s muddy for me personally.
Shannon: Yeah,
Stephanie: right. Um, I will say. If you're looking for the steamy stuff with like lots of creature descriptions, that's not this book.
Shannon: Yeah.
Stephanie: Which is fine. But I do recommend this book if you want something that's like.
Stephanie: A little twist on fan fiction and it's got, I mean, he has horn, so there's like, they, they [00:22:00] make, he's a demon. It's very clear that he's a demon.
Shannon: Yeah.
Stephanie: Um, and like his skin is hot to the touch, so like it's got little pieces of that. Yeah. But it's not gonna be like on the chili pepper scale.
Shannon: Mm-hmm. Okay.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: You can find that in the adult section,
Stephanie: the chili peppers.
Shannon: But
Stephanie: yes, I was gonna say, you're, you're very rarely gonna find like chili peppers in the YA section. Mm-hmm. A little bit, but not in the same way that you will with adults. Oh no. Yeah. This is a good entry.
Shannon: Nor should you. Yeah,
Stephanie: no.
Shannon: Nor should you.
Shannon: That's why we have why I separated.
Stephanie: Correct.
Shannon: We didn't really have that when I was growing up.
Stephanie: No, we did not.
Shannon: So I just went from children to adults.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: So my romances were romances.
Stephanie: You went to like, you went from like bridge to Tertia to Fabio.
Shannon: Literally.
Stephanie: Yeah. No, I know.
Shannon: Literally
Stephanie: Uhhuh. Mm-hmm.
Shannon: But that's okay.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: Because now we have. People like us in the profession making these changes.
Stephanie: Exactly, yes.
Shannon: So there we go.
Stephanie: And guiding people to know where they will find the things that are, they are looking for without shame.
Shannon: Exactly. Mm-hmm. Because they're well
Kim: said. Yeah.
Stephanie: Thank you.
Shannon: Yeah. If you wanna read a monster romance,
Stephanie: I know teenagers out there that are looking for this and I think that's great.
Stephanie: [00:23:00] But you will not find it in my section. I'm happy to show you where it is, but it is not in the teen area.
Kim: Yeah.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: Oh
Stephanie: yeah. That's great.
Shannon: Cool beans. Okay, Kim?
Kim: Yes.
Shannon: It's your turn.
Kim: Okay. I'm ready. What, what
Shannon: did you bring? Are you ready for this?
Kim: I'm ready. Um, so I brought a graphic novel.
Shannon: Ooh. Oh, no way.
Kim: Yes.
Shannon: Ding. You were, I say, I
Stephanie: have
Shannon: to know how to that, how graphic I have to know. Okay.
Kim: No, it it, well this is interesting because this is, well, so the book is called, uh, the novel is called Suitor Armor, and it's written and drawn by the artist known as Purpa, and a reviewer has described this book as an odd love story between a girl and a suit of armor.
Kim: What? I
Stephanie: love it. Wow.
Kim: So it definitely has. It has fairytale vibes.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Kim: Um, so the girl, Lucia, is actually a fairy who befriends modus, a suit of armor that has been animated and brought to life by a magical mage stop. So we're living in a fantasy world in which all of, in which fairies, um, ma MAs, and, um, you [00:24:00] know.
Kim: Animated suits of our exist. I'm obsessed
Stephanie: with this.
Kim: So Lucia was adopted by human royalty. In a world where fairies and humans are at war, Lucia must conceal her identity while living at the castle where she serves as her adopted sisters lady in waiting. So there's a lot of, you know, it's got a lot of, um, prescribed behavior, you know, very, uh, formal.
Kim: So it's like
Shannon: regency.
Kim: No, it's not. Not Regency, is it Medieval?
Shannon: That's
Kim: me. Med Medval. Okay. More medieval
Shannon: because if you have a maj in there. Yeah. All I think is medieval and like King Arthur. My brain was like, as soon as I said Regency, I was like, that's wrong.
Kim: Well, but that's also like, that's also a lot the same kind of bomb.
Kim: Yeah. So Mods and Lucia, uh, connect after he wins a tournament and offers Lucia the rose he has awarded for winning
Stephanie: Dun dun.
Kim: And let me tell you, he is like this big. Presence, like,
Stephanie: it's like the door book, Kim?
Kim: A little bit.
Stephanie: Okay.
Kim: A little bit.
Stephanie: Okay.
Kim: So, yeah. And it, but [00:25:00] it, it's interesting because, uh, kind of as you were saying, the spice level is actually really low.
Kim: It's very mild. Okay. It's a lot about. Longing. It's a lot about connection. Mm-hmm. And it's a lot about people who are outsiders kind of coming together under unusual circumstances.
Shannon: I love stories like that.
Kim: Right.
Shannon: They're wholesome and you're like, I feel good.
Kim: Yeah. Yeah.
Shannon: I feel good right now. Yeah,
Kim: exactly.
Shannon: Yeah.
Kim: Yeah.
Shannon: Oh my God. Okay, so what drew you to this?
Kim: So this book was recommended in an article about graphic novels for people who enjoyed Laura Olympus, which I learned about through Steph.
Shannon: Oh.
Kim: So, uh, Laura Olympus, as some people know, is a retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. And so both graphic novels, um, started out as um, a web tune.
Kim: Mm-hmm. So it's. Webtoon is a platform for online comics. I remember enjoying Laura Olympus's colorful illustrations and slow burn romance. Mm-hmm. Between unlikely partners. So pseudo armor's art was similarly charming. And like we were [00:26:00] saying, I've always had a soft spot for love stories that connect unlikely, um, lovers.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Kim: So, yeah, I, I picked up a couple of, you know, I read a couple of issues on Webtoon and I was, I was in.
Stephanie: When I saw the cover, I was like, oh, this reminds me of Laura Olympus. So that makes a lot of sense. Yes. Yeah, yeah,
Kim: yeah.
Stephanie: Nice. So how did this book resonate with you?
Kim: So, um, I mean, I thought it was. Very romantic.
Kim: Yeah. And very sweet. And it also touches on larger questions of identity and free will.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Kim: So Lucia and Modus are each learning what it means to be human, um, in hostile circumstances. Okay. So, um, and it resonates with the other stories in the book. Um, so there are secondary characters who are negotiating same sex, romance.
Kim: There's a hot knight who is in love with his squire. It's
Stephanie: Hot Knight, St. Lu. Love this fire. Great.
Kim: They're really charming together. I mean, I
Stephanie: [00:27:00] love this.
Kim: Yeah.
Stephanie: I think I'm gonna read this.
Kim: It's, it's really, it's really charming. Um, and so, you know, and so, you know, other characters are trying to figure out who they are.
Kim: Yeah. Um, find a way to express who they are and, um, you know, and not, not sure of what the consequences are gonna be. So, yeah.
Shannon: So would you recommend this book?
Kim: Yeah, I really would. I,
Shannon: I think you recommended it's, yeah. You just sold out right now.
Kim: Yes. I'm gonna
Shannon: go read this. I love graphic novels too.
Kim: Yeah.
Kim: Yeah. So I need a good one. And the art on this one is really good.
Shannon: Yeah,
Kim: I really liked it. And, um, I will say that people do need to be prepared for a couple of things so the stakes do get higher.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Kim: As the story continues. It definitely has a fairytale, uh, feel at the beginning, but it does get, as you learn more about the war mm-hmm.
Kim: Um, between the fairies and the humans, um, it really, there are serious themes about freedom and oppression and the right to be oneself. So there. There is betrayal, death, and the loss of [00:28:00] idealism. As the book progresses, it's handled very, um, thoughtfully.
Shannon: Okay.
Kim: So I didn't feel like it was exploitative in any way.
Kim: Mm-hmm. But there is definitely a tonal shift.
Shannon: Okay.
Kim: Um, but it's earned just based on what's at stake.
Shannon: Yeah. Wow. You guys brought some really great books and kind of like all different, super different. Yeah. And not. A stereotypical like Monster Romance. Yeah.
Kim: Yeah.
Shannon: You guys did good. Yeah, you guys did really good.
Stephanie: And I feel like when people talk about Monster Romance, they're thinking about the fairy books, the, the Kraken books. Mm-hmm. The ator books. Like there's, that's the big stuff, but there's so much more in the genre and I think people get intimidated by those ones. 'cause they're the popular ones.
Shannon: Well, the most popular one is, what is the title about the
Stephanie: The Morning Glory Milking Farm?
Shannon: Yes.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: Um. You can look it up.
Stephanie: Look. Yeah. Please look it up at your own leisure.
Shannon: Um, 'cause that's what I was coming across in my research and I'm like, well, I guess this is like the genre vibe. [00:29:00] Mm-hmm. Um, but how, look at what we just did, we kind of like are dismantling that. Yeah. And stripping that away and showing like, there's so much more out there for all ages in all different, like it's a graphic novel, whatever works.
Shannon: Mm-hmm. Like it's a YA book. But then Brianna did bring the extra Spice Chili, spice Spice one. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Which we appreciate because that is also part of what this genre is. Yeah.
Stephanie: No, I think we really captured what the genre can be if you look beyond the bestsellers.
Shannon: Yeah.
Stephanie: Mm-hmm. That's cool.
Shannon: Good stuff, guys.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: So earlier I brought up Shrek Great film. Yes. Classic. We'll go down in history as probably. Best movie ever. Not best, but one of the best. Like,
Kim: well it was, there was nothing like it when Shrek came out. Right.
Shannon: It was so
Kim: good. It really was good. And it was something that kids could get something out of and adults could get something out of.
Kim: Yeah. And you know, the twist at the end was a lovely surprise
Shannon: and it is a monster [00:30:00] romance in my opinion. So bringing up for discussion is Shrek a Monster Romance, and please explain your thoughts. Thank you. And opinions and whatever. So I guess we'll start with whoever wants to go. Brianna, you wanna go?
Briana: Sure. Um, I would say Shrek definitely is a monster romance.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Briana: Um, you have iconic couples coming out of that. You get Donkey and Dragon.
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Briana: Shrek and Fiona. I feel like there's a wolf in there who finds a knight at some point in the end of the first movie. There is a lot of really great couples
Shannon: mm-hmm.
Briana: That are monster, mon, monster couples. I don't know.
Shannon: Well, because like FI's like half ogre, half human. Right. But from a curse,
Stephanie: right?
Briana: Yeah.
Shannon: So like in the first
Stephanie: film. She is a human presenting as a human for the majority of the film. Mm-hmm. And she falls in love with an ogre who they consider to be a monster.
Stephanie: Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, I monster romance romance's right there.
Kim: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: Can I be honest with you guys? Yes. I saw the second. I haven't seen the third.
Stephanie: They're not as good.
Shannon: Is [00:31:00] there how there's,
Stephanie: there's gonna be a fifth. Fifth,
Shannon: and isn't there Shrek the musical?
Stephanie: Yes.
Kim: Yeah.
Shannon: There is a whole Shrek
Stephanie: like
Kim: Universe.
Stephanie: Universe. The second one is decent. Third and fourth really fall off
Shannon: well. 'cause Prince Charming's in there, he is just like,
Stephanie: we, he's so annoying. He's, he's also played by Justin Timberlake. So.
Shannon: That's a different discussion
Stephanie: and a, IM gonna leave it there. Time off, but yeah, no, the first two,
Briana: no. Justin Timberlake plays the cousin.
Stephanie: You're right. Who plays Prince Charming?
Briana: The guy that I see in my head, but I don't know his name.
Stephanie: I can't remember. You're, you're right. Justin Timberlake comes in later and his character is really annoying.
Briana: Rupert? Rupert,
Stephanie: something like that. I don't know. The first two solid
Briana: baby,
Kim: I
Stephanie: first two are solid.
Kim: IMDB is a wonderful resource, so take a moment and And look that up.
Stephanie: Yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Because I misremembered, I was just annoyed by Justin Timberlake. He got stuck in my head. Oh,
Kim: sure. He takes over.
Shannon: He does. He can't help. But he was the lead singer of insane.
Stephanie: Mm-hmm. I know.
Shannon: Wait, Grammy River?
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: Woohoo.
Stephanie: Yeah, that was the Michael Jackson right there. He liked to do that.
Shannon: I know he [00:32:00] wish he could do
Stephanie: that. He wishes. Yeah. For those of you who can't see, Shannon just did a little jive pop with her shoulder.
Kim: Mm-hmm.
Stephanie: Kim, do you have anything to say about Shrek?
Kim: Yeah, I mean, I think the nice thing about Shrek too, or the cool thing about Shrek is he very much presents as a monster at the beginning.
Kim: Mm-hmm. But as you get to know him
Shannon: Yeah.
Kim: You see his humanity come out. Yeah. And so, you know, it, it really is again. Sometimes what these books do well is they do kind of question like, well, what is it to be a human being?
Shannon: Mm-hmm.
Kim: Is it the way you look? Mm-hmm. You know, or is it, you know, something deeper?
Kim: And, you know, I think, I think a lot of romance, monster romances kind of go, you know, deeper into what, what those qualities are. Yeah. And how they connect. Well said. You have two. Thank you.
Briana: You have to peel back the onion layers.
Kim: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Briana: See?
Kim: See It
Shannon: all comes back. Comes back again. Mm-hmm. Mic drop again.
Shannon: Okay, guys, I think we're turning the page on Monster Romance right now. [00:33:00] Libraries are so much more than books, so we want you to know what's happening off the shelf this month at Russell Library. Dun, dun, dun. So the month is February, which means it's Black History Month. And here at Russell Library we have digital copies of our original oral histories between Wesleyan students and the black community members sharing their stories and lived experiences.
Shannon: The original histories were recorded on cassette tapes in 1976. Mm-hmm. And do we have those, Kim?
Kim: Yes, we do.
Shannon: Oh, yes we do. And do they sound. Whoa.
Kim: They sound terrible.
Shannon: They sound terrible. They
Kim: sound terrible,
Shannon: but we were able to edit them as best we could, right?
Kim: Yes.
Shannon: Yeah, I know.
Kim: Much better.
Shannon: Much better.
Kim: As digital copies.
Shannon: As digital copies. And these can be found on our webpage as well.
Kim: Yes.
Shannon: Yep. So we did these Digitizations two years ago,
Kim: I think that's right. Yeah.
Shannon: Yeah. We have them digitized. To reach a larger audience. And they're edited so they sound [00:34:00] a little bit better. Um, we also recently had Wesleyan students come in and do the same exact project, however they used our podcast equipment.
Shannon: Yes, go us.
Kim: See.
Shannon: Still waiting to hear how those sound, but eventually one day we'll get to them.
Kim: Yes.
Shannon: Um,
Kim: I was gonna say, Jesse, if you're listening, we'd love to hear them.
Shannon: We'd love to hear them. No pressure, no pressure. But, um, so your library might have something similar. And what I thought was kind of cool that what we're doing here for Black History Month is we're opening this resource so it can be heard by so many other people.
Shannon: But I'm just pairing it back with Monster Romance because of the internet, because fan fiction is growing and becoming serious. That was also reaching new audiences too. So. It kind of paired well together in that way.
Stephanie: Yeah. Yeah.
Shannon: But
Stephanie: I also wanna say that, speaking of Monster Romance Yeah. And digital resources.
Stephanie: Thank you. A lot of these [00:35:00] books are only available in digital format. Okay. For various reasons. Publishing lots of things. So if you're looking for a monster romance, but can't find it in a physical format because your library doesn't have it. 'cause it doesn't exist. They may have it in a digital format.
Stephanie: So a lot of them are either Kindle exclusive or Audible exclusive what, whatever. Mm-hmm. Um, but a lot of them you can find as, uh, eBooks and audiobooks. So if you're looking to dip in but you can't find a physical copy of whatever you're looking for, your library's digital resources might be the place to start.
Kim: Yeah.
Stephanie: Awesome.
Kim: Good point.
Stephanie: And also, you can read as spicy as you want on your Kindle or your audio book. No one has to know
Kim: that's true.
Stephanie: No one has to know. No one has to know.
Kim: That's true.
Stephanie: Unless you wanna tell everybody. But no
Kim: one has to know. Be careful with the E audio. If you're listening to it in your car.
Kim: You don't wanna cause an accident.
Stephanie: Good point.
Shannon: Yes,
Stephanie: pro. I
Shannon: was listening to a iron flame.
Stephanie: Yeah. No,
Kim: so is
Stephanie: I.
Shannon: Yeah.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Shannon: I almost
Kim: ran off, off the road. And that's a monster
Stephanie: romance,
Kim: by
Stephanie: the
Shannon: way. No, no. But
Stephanie: it has dragons. But the [00:36:00] dragons are not romantic
Kim: actually. No.
Shannon: There's
Kim: romantic
Shannon: dragons.
Stephanie: They're romantic dragons.
Stephanie: But they're not romantic with the humans.
Kim: No. Correct.
Stephanie: Okay. Okay. I've not read this book. I won't clarify.
Kim: Yeah, yeah,
Shannon: yeah, yeah. But they are in their heads.
Stephanie: Mm,
Shannon: okay. Mm-hmm. And that's all I'll say. Yeah.
Stephanie: It wants to be a monster road.
Shannon: Yes.
Stephanie: So
Shannon: badly. It does. It does. Okay guys, it's time to close the book on today's episode.
Shannon: If you like what you heard here, please subscribe to the show. This ensures that you won't miss any episodes. And if you have a moment, kindly rate and review the podcast. This helps other bookish people like yourself. Find the show. Tune in next month to find out what's. On the shelf. Bye-bye. Bye bye.[00:37:00]
Dillon: I
Stephanie: do have
Dillon: a,
Stephanie: okay.
Dillon: I can censor it or I can just. Put Kim's ground.
Stephanie: I liked Bba Bba. That's how, kind of like, that's
how Fiona says it.