Let’s dive into the BookTok discourse, shall we? Specifically, how algorithms work and why dismissing the community tends to say more about the dismisser than the community. Then debut romance novelist (and longtime cookbook author) Julia Turshen joins to talk about her 831 Stories novella Down to Earth, why food is the fastest way to put a reader in a room, the formula that cookbooks and romance novels quietly share, and what it means to write competency porn about a lesbian farmer without realizing that's what you're doing. And: Sanjana and Tyler each pitch a queer romance recommendation…and somehow both pick historicals.
On BookTok: why thinking of it as a monolith is lazy, how algorithms reflect what you engage with (and not objective taste), and the misogyny baked into most think pieces about genre fiction.
Julia Turshen is the author of numerous cookbooks including Small Victories and Simply Julia, and her debut sapphic romance, Down to Earth, is out this month from 831 Stories. Referenced: “I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread in America” by Caity Weaver.
The queer romance recommendations: Tyler picks An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera, and Sanjana picks The Companion by E.E. Ottoman. Honorable mentions: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi and The Pairing by Casey McQuiston.

Let&rsquo;s dive into the BookTok discourse, shall we? Specifically, how algorithms work and why dismissing the community tends to say more about the dismisser than the community. Then debut romance novelist (and longtime cookbook author) Julia Turshen joins to talk about her 831 Stories novella Down to Earth, why food is the fastest way to put a reader in a room, the formula that cookbooks and romance novels quietly share, and what it means to write competency porn about a lesbian farmer without realizing that's what you're doing. And: Sanjana and Tyler each pitch a queer romance recommendation&hellip;and somehow both pick historicals.
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">On BookTok: why thinking of it as a monolith is lazy, how algorithms reflect what you engage with (and not objective taste), and the misogyny baked into most think pieces about genre fiction.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.juliaturshen.com/">Julia Turshen</a> is the author of numerous cookbooks including <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/small-victories-recipes-advice-hundreds-of-ideas-for-home-cooking-triumphs-julia-turshen/9e229f71c5d9e0e4?ean=9781452143095&amp;next=t">Small Victories</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/simply-julia-110-easy-recipes-for-healthy-comfort-food-julia-turshen/a1516c2e776651f1?ean=9780062993335&amp;next=t">Simply Julia</a>, and her debut sapphic romance, <a href="https://831stories.com/products/down-to-earth-by-julia-turshen?variant=52330097541393">Down to Earth</a>, is out this month from 831 Stories. Referenced: <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/05/best-free-restaurant-bread-america/686582/">&ldquo;I Found It: The Best Free Restaurant Bread in America&rdquo; by Caity Weaver</a>.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The queer romance recommendations: Tyler picks <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/an-island-princess-starts-a-scandal-adriana-herrera/956d53d5514c284e?ean=9781335498243&amp;next=t">An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera</a>, and Sanjana picks <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-companion-ee-ottoman/52161472f00eba47?ean=9798721528699&amp;next=t">The Companion by E.E. Ottoman</a>. Honorable mentions: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/you-made-a-fool-of-death-with-your-beauty-a-novel-akwaeke-emezi/073fc14e7cecaa79?ean=9781982188719&amp;next=t">You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-pairing-special-1st-edition-casey-mcquiston/24982f83753ab554?ean=9781250862747&amp;next=t">The Pairing by Casey McQuiston</a>.</li>
</ul>

A weekly discussion of everything romance—from the novels and the tropes to the book-to-screen adaptations and, of course, the drama of it all—with hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall. Brought to you by the romance publisher 831 Stories.

A weekly discussion of everything romance&mdash;from the novels and the tropes to the book-to-screen adaptations and, of course, the drama of it all&mdash;with hosts Sanjana Basker and Tyler McCall. Brought to you by the romance publisher 831 Stories.

Radio 831: A Romance Podcast

BookTok Thoughts, Julia Turshen on Cookbooks and Romance, and Pride Picks

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/85dca3f0-61cd-4d3e-9482-b46c014a7caf/transcript