Remember when I said I wasn’t doing any challenges in 2020? Yeah, that didn’t last long, haha. But I just couldn’t pass up this 2020 Reading Embrace by the geniuses at The Heaving Bosoms. For someone who doesn’t really listen to podcasts, I sure do love the people who make podcasts… Maybe I should start listening to more of them this year, but I struggle because I just sit there talking back at the little recorded people who totally can’t hear me so why am I talking back to them? I don’t want to listen to people talk about books, I want to be a part of the conversation!

ANYWAY – the HB’s are some truly awesome humans, and their, er, advertisement (?) about this challenge on Twitter was too amazing to pass up.

The Rules: 
“We have a list of 20 classic Heaving Bosoms Podcast phrases or concepts. We are going to pretend like they are book categories. To participate in this embrace, you read books for the categories during 2020. What do the phrases mean? Whatever you want. What books fit into the categories? Beats us! Get creative. You might not realize that you are reading a book that fits into one of the categories until you’re in the middle of it. Then, all of a sudden, a character drinks some tea and . . . BAM! Tea has herbs! It’s your Herbs, Herbs, Herbs book! See how loosely we are defining this? Basically, just take the 20 books you’re already reading this year and match them to the categories. Or read 5 books and match multiple categories to each one. Or read one book and find some arbitrary tenuous connection to each one. Or read no books and connect them to books you’ve already read. You don’t have do do them in any order. You don’t have to do them at all!

The Categories:

Abs, Abs, Abs, Dick!

Competency Boner :: Tough Guy by Rachel Reid (review soon)

Dueling Bring it Back

Fae Is Bae

Franch Doors/Boastful Floors

Frogs

HB Author

Herbs, Herbs, Herbs

I’m a Waitress!

Intellectualism in 2020

Keep Being a Badass

Lady Love

Octopus Tentacles

One True Chris

Pleasure Barge

Queen Bird

Smokeshow

Tits Out

Traditional Highlander Fingerbanging

Your Faves are Problematic

 

These categories are totally bonkers, and I love it, haha. I’ll come back here and update with the books I read for each category once I’ve read them (and also link to reviews if I do them).

If you’re a romance reader, do you listen to The Heaving Bosoms Podcast? Got any recs for any of these categories? What about other podcasts? I’ve got my eye on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and Shelf Love if I ever give up my precious audiobook hours to start listening to podcasts… LOL.