Bisexual werewolves! I liked the first 1/3rd-half of this book, but then I started getting bored. The characters' choices made less sense to me towardBisexual werewolves! I liked the first 1/3rd-half of this book, but then I started getting bored. The characters' choices made less sense to me toward the end, and it just started to drag. Though I'm not really a romance reader, so maybe a 700 page paranormal romance with only one sex scene wasn't a great choice. ...more
I don't usually read romance, but listening to the podcast got me interested in revisiting it. I wanted to find something queer, and I don't usually read romance, but listening to the podcast got me interested in revisiting it. I wanted to find something queer, and Once Ghosted, Twice Shy came up on several lists.
I thought it was great! Romance still isn't my thing, but there was a lot in this that made me happy. It's a f/f romance that doesn't replicate heteronormativity, consent is modeled, there's a minor character who uses they/them pronouns, and both the protagonists are black, sexy, and believable.
Plus, it was just over 100 pages, so it moved fast. ...more
"But I also had the tugging sense, as if I was being pulled into a dark current, of what I hadn't told Caldwell: that I was really a librarian, that D"But I also had the tugging sense, as if I was being pulled into a dark current, of what I hadn't told Caldwell: that I was really a librarian, that Dave had broken up with me, that I had thought of killing him."
Written by one of the patrons at my library (maybe even based a little on my library? the main character works at "Sunshine Valley Library") and full of friendly jabs at librarians. I ate it up. Will definitely recommend to patrons who want a light (but smart), amusing, non-suspenseful cozy mystery/romance.*
*In retrospect, it feels like more of a romance than a mystery....more
Christian romance -- Amish. "When Sarah realizes that she has fallen in love with an "Englisch" doctor, she must choose between loving a man and losinChristian romance -- Amish. "When Sarah realizes that she has fallen in love with an "Englisch" doctor, she must choose between loving a man and losing her family. She seeks solace and direction from the Lord as she creates a quilt pattern which details her struggle between two worlds."
Obviously I'm not the target audience for this genre, but Amish romances are actually pretty popular, so I thought I should check one out. I found it hackneyed and cheesy to the point that I felt embarrassed for the characters/author. But a good recommendation for someone looking for a chaste, Christian romance....more
This has been getting a lot of hype on some of the YA listservs I'm on, with people saying it's leagues better than a lot of the YA lit that's being cThis has been getting a lot of hype on some of the YA listservs I'm on, with people saying it's leagues better than a lot of the YA lit that's being churned out right now. And overall, yes, it's pretty smart - it's consistently well-written and the themes are interesting. Probably the best paranormal romance I've read.
But... try as I might, PNRs fail to do anything for me. I just fail to connect emotionally with any of the characters, and that seems to be one of the main hooks for this genre. Plus, I'm more of a sci fi person than a fantasy person, so stories about angels and demons would have to do something pretty nifty to capture my imagination.
Also, I'm really sick of beautiful heroines in romance. I know that Radway found that people complain if the heroine is dumpy, but I'm sick of paragraphs on how beautiful and skinny (the two traits are always conflated) the main character is. In Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Taylor tries to make her character alternative (she has lots of tattoos and blue hair), but all she does is paint a picture of a punk barbie: "She wasn't a ballerina, but she had the look, in figure if not in fashion. Not many ballerinas have bright blue hair or a constellation of tattoos on their limbs, and Karou had both." and "Karou was, simply, lovely. Creamy and leggy, with long azure hair and the eyes of a silent-move star, she moved like a poem and smiled like a sphinx. Beyond merely pretty..."
You should probably read it if you like paranormal romance, because this may be the next big thing. But it wasn't for me, and I should really stop forcing myself through paranormal romances....more
Really interesting and nuanced study of Midwestern romance-reading housewives in the 1980s. Radway examines their reading habits, traits of successfulReally interesting and nuanced study of Midwestern romance-reading housewives in the 1980s. Radway examines their reading habits, traits of successful and failed romances, and how readers view their experiences. I was expecting a feminist defense of romance, but her conclusion was much more complex than that. She concludes that romance is a way for women to take time for themselves and form community with other readers, which is sort of a feminist act. But this is tempered by the texts themselves, which is in many ways instruct women on how to find limited power within the patriarchy without actually subverting it.
Very second-wavey and outdated, but still, interesting. I'd like some of my romance-reading friends to tell me what they think of it, because I feel like people my age approach the genre with a very different attitude. It'd also be interesting to compare romance to chick lit, which I've seen described as looking for "Mr. Right Now" (whereas romance is looking for "Mr. Right"). I feel like I know a lot more people my age who read chick lit than romance, and I'd be curious to see someone study that genre in a similar way....more
My friends left this out for me as a gag when I cat-sat for them, but it was actually a pretty fun read. It seems like it would be a useful resource fMy friends left this out for me as a gag when I cat-sat for them, but it was actually a pretty fun read. It seems like it would be a useful resource for anyone writing their first romance, and it was interesting to read as a non-romance reader trying hard to understand what romance lovers look for in a book. ...more
Greek god cursed to be a sex slave, until a crappy sex therapist summons him and they hParanormal Romance #4
And I'm done with PNRs! Another 1.5 stars.
Greek god cursed to be a sex slave, until a crappy sex therapist summons him and they heal each other and learn to love. Considered a PNR classic.
I think this was my "favorite" of the four I read, because I found it the easiest to follow (I've been getting really lost in these because I try to skim and miss plot details). And it's definitely the most emotional of the ones I read - both hero and heroine are sort of "damaged" and the love they feel for each other is more believable than the other books I read. Of course, I still wish I had those hours of my life back. This was one of the corniest things I've ever read.
As for this assignment of reading four books in an unfamiliar sub-genre, I highly recommend trying it out for yourself! I think I learned a bit about what makes a PNR book good or bad, and why people enjoy them even if I couldn't stand them. I'll probably do this with another sub-genre sometime soon - what next? Cattle driver westerns? Legal thrillers? Medical horrors?
Paranormal Romance #3 for a Reader's Advisory class
1.5 stars
I think I liked this one a little better because of its sarcastic tone and more independenParanormal Romance #3 for a Reader's Advisory class
1.5 stars
I think I liked this one a little better because of its sarcastic tone and more independent heroine. Still, the humor felt a bit forced, and I had trouble paying attention (so many mostly unimportant secondary characters!).
I'm starting to see some patterns in the genre:
* At the beginning of the book, the heroines are virgins uninterested in sex. They have exciting careers in male-dominated workplaces (journalist, auto mechanic, thief) and they're very attractive. Everyone assumes they're lesbians because they don't show interest in men. * The men are very masculine, violent, and powerful, but have a tenderness for the protagonist. The protagonist needs the hero for protection, and the hero needs to protagonist sexually/emotionally. They both hold power in different ways, and the power dynamics in the relationship shift over the course of the book. * Having some sort of aboriginal background = magical powers. * The heroine does not trust the man who is so powerfully attracted to her, but falls in love after some sex and adventure.
This one in particular surprised me with its cliffhanger ending, because I was under the impression that all romances had happy endings. But I guess the story resolves itself over the next few books (which I will not be reading).
Wow, quite an impressive debut novel. I haven't yet experienced major grief in my life, but this book's portrayal of losing a loved one felt very honeWow, quite an impressive debut novel. I haven't yet experienced major grief in my life, but this book's portrayal of losing a loved one felt very honest and true. And the resolution was perfect.
But the real appeal for me in this book was the stunning writing. Just look at the title!, which, besides being catchy, suited the book and its themes perfectly.
It didn't always live up to my feminist standards (mostly annoying girl hate), but I'll definitely watch for Jandy Nelson's next novel.
Some notable quotes:
"It’s as if someone vacuumed up the horizon while we were looking the other way."
"What escapes when a heart breaks?"
"This is our story to tell. He says it in his Ten Commandments way and it hits me that way: profoundly. You’d think for all the reading I do, I would have thought about this before, but I haven’t. I’ve never once thought about the interpretative, the storytelling aspect of life, of my life. I always felt like I was in a story, yes, but not like I was the author of it, or like I had any say in its telling whatsoever. You can tell your story any way you damn well please. It’s your solo." ...more
September 30, 2011 Yup. For my Reader's Advisory class, I have to read 4 books in a genre that I don't normally read in. I chose monster paranormal romSeptember 30, 2011 Yup. For my Reader's Advisory class, I have to read 4 books in a genre that I don't normally read in. I chose monster paranormal romance. So now I get to read this on the bus. Look at that cover! Some of the main characters' names: Wrath, Tohrment, Zsadist, Rhage. Hah!
October 12, 2011 Finished. So in some ways, it was not BAD. Like, there's a sort of imaginative setting and the writing could be worse (though it was pretty cliched).
But oh. my. god. It's like the patriarchy materialized and learned how to use a typewriter. The men are SO MASCULINE and the women are SO DEPENDENT and the butler is SO PLEASED TO BE OF SERVICE and the nerdy male doctor vampire is WEAK AND FLAWED.
I could go on, but I don't want to get disrespectful. It wasn't written with me as a reader in mind, and clearly it's popular with romance readers, so I'm glad I could read it to try to understand the genre better....more
As an aspiring youth services librarian, I have to read this, right? Please don't tell me I just wasted hours of my life. If I were the type of personAs an aspiring youth services librarian, I have to read this, right? Please don't tell me I just wasted hours of my life. If I were the type of person to quit books, I would have quit this sucker pretty quickly.
1. The writing is cringe-worthy. It would have been funny if Twilight were a parody of the genre, but Stephenie Meyer is completely serious when she describes Edward as "a perfect statue, carved in some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal."
2. I think one of my personal hells would be being trapped in a house with 100 Bellas who all want to tell me about their lives. She is painfully boring and for some reason all the boys love her, and she quickly abandons her "friends" for a creepy boyfriend. Why do the boys love her?
[image]from The Oatmeal
3. The story is soooo slow. I was hoping it would read like a guilty pleasure, but actually it just felt like a chore. I probably would have edited this sucker down to 200 pp. if I'd been on her editing team. At one point during reading this, I actually put this down and picked up the manual for my roommate's DVD player instead. The DVD player manual and Twilight were about equally bad at holding my attention.
So why would anyone read this? I have a theory...
Twilight is actually light BDSM erotica.
At first, I was like, "who is this Edward jerk and why does she like it when he bosses her around? he's so abusive." But then at some point, the movie Secretary popped in my head and all was suddenly clear. Some evidence:
Bondage: "His long hands formed manacles around my wrists as he spoke" - p. 302. "I tried to pull back, to look in his face, but his hand locked my wrists in an unbreakable hold" -p. 305. "he curled me into a ball against his chest, holding me more securely than iron chains." - p. 345 Dominance/Submission: Edward controls Bella, and always seems on the verge of losing control of himself. He controls the tiniest details of her life, making her eat when she doesn't want to and telling her to cancel plans. He ridicules her regularly, and she seems turned on by the humiliation.
Reading it as a dom/sub relationship made it much more tolerable. It didn't improve my enjoyment of the book, but it did keep the feminist in me from dissolving into a blinding rage.
I haven't really read much (any?) romance, but my impression of the genre is that a lot of the relationships portrayed are pretty patriarchal and disturbing, but that doesn't automatically make them anti-feminist. I'm sure there's been some scholarly defenses of the genre (maybe Janice Radway's Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature?), and I don't think that reading/writing patriarchal relationships necessarily means the reader/writer endorses them in real life (although you never know with Mormon, pro-abstinence Stephenie Meyer...).
I don't know, maybe I just feel like playing the devil's advocate today, but I don't think I agree that this book perpetuates rape/abuse culture any more than consensual BDSM practices or romance novels in general. But I'm open to debate....more
This book about werewolf/human love marks my first foray into the genre of paranormal romance. Love stories don't really do much for me, but this one This book about werewolf/human love marks my first foray into the genre of paranormal romance. Love stories don't really do much for me, but this one didn't wildly offend me, so I guess it did alright. The main protagonist was decent: I appreciated that she was decisive, sexually empowered(ish), and independent. I liked that she and her werewolf boyfriend actually, you know, did it, and it wasn't that big of a deal.
But still, I was a little bored in places, since the book is primarily about being in love. Yawn. I wish the story would have gone into the characters of Isabel or Shelby - they were way more edgy and interesting to me than Grace. If not that, some more action or mystery thrown in would have been nice.
Also - this really bothered me - if the cold brings on the wolf side of the werewolves, why are they living in Northern Minnesota!? I mean, I love reading about my home state, but the entire time I kept thinking that they should just relocate to the equator. ...more
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