Book Memories: Filmstrip

Ahh good old filmstrip. One of the highlights of my kindergarten experience.

Well ok calling it a highlight might be a bit extreme, but who doesn't love some time out of the classroom to be surrounded by books? (Yes I have always been a nerd. I was born that way) Plus this kind of activity fed into my Type-A personality and allowed me to impress teachers with my ability to hit the 'Forward' button when prompted by a tape. 

To remind all of those who aren't able to recall with crystal clear clarity the antics of their childhood (or don't want to spend lots of time scouring Google), here's the 411 on filmstrip presentations:

"The filmstrip was a common form of still image instructional multimedia, once commonly used by educators in primary and secondary schools (K-12), now overtaken by newer and increasingly lower-cost full-motion videocassettes and DVDs. From the 1940s to 1980s, filmstrips provided an easy and inexpensive alternative to 16mm projector educational films, requiring very little storage space and being very quick to rewind for the next use. Filmstrips were large and durable, and rarely needed splicing. They are still used in some areas.

....The instructor would turn on a film projector that would show the first frame (image) of the filmstrip. The instructor then turned on a 33 RPM record or cassette tape containing the audio material for the filmstrip which included narration. At the appropriate point, a tone would sound, signaling the instructor (or a student volunteer/assistant) to turn a knob, advancing to the next frame. Later, technical improvements allowed the projector to advance the film automatically."

--from Wikipedia

I know it's ridiculous and archaic to bring something like this up but it's always fun for me to remember the little things that came at the beginning of my book loving journey. The little moments that I didn't realize at the time would mean so much to me. I remember sitting Indian style with my classmates waiting for the ding and the next slide to flash, excited for the story to continue.

Take a moment to remind yourself of a good book memory - I know you won't regret it if you do!

References:
*Wikipedia Article - 'Filmstrip'
*Collectors' Quest - 'Collecting Filmstrips'
*Each image is linked to its source, none of them are my own

Deciding (and Defending) Your Limits

I was going through my blog roll today and came across a very interesting post by The Book Vixen - 'Do You Own Your Reviews?' In it she addresses an issue that I personally had never thought too much about, the question of how do you protect the words that you use for a blog post? This concern doesn't limit itself just to book reviews; other types of product reviews, discussion posts, original work - it all has the possibility of being taken and used out of context if you're not careful.

TBV experienced this issue from a source that shocked me, because it was really hard to understand how Amazon.com could institute a policy that deliberately limits the rights of the people who choose to review through their site. TBV wrote a review for a title on Amazon and then through a Google Alert found the review had been picked up and pasted verbatim on another site. Plus, not only was the site using her review in its entirety, it was using her review with their own affiliate link, meaning that TBV's words were being used without her permission to make money for another party.

Now when you read this I think most people would go 'WTF? That's not fair!' and respond with a completely naturally request to the site to take down their review, with an additional email to Amazon to report the misuse of the review.

Here's where it gets really hinky.

Amazon already knew that third parties were taking the reviews from their website! Not only did they know, it is apparently written into the Terms of Use Agreement for the site that Amazon can release reviews to any affiliates it decides to and a user has no recourse to stop this. No recourse except to delete any and all reviews that they've done for Amazon - which is exactly what the representative instructed her to do if she wasn't comfortable with the agreement. I am appalled and dismayed at Amazon's stance on this issue. The words we reviewers use don't just come out of nowhere. They come from our hard work, effort, and commitment to helping people read the best books out there. When third parties are allowed to use our words all willy nilly without any attempt at obtaining permission it demeans the effort we've put in and is dishonest to the spirit of the review.

I'm not much of a purchaser from Amazon these days anyway, but I'm definitely reconsidering what I do with that company in the future. I've already deleted any book reviews I did in the past and I will not be contributing to them from this point forward. An author who responded to TBV's post did make the suggestion that you can rate the books on the site without actually reviewing them. This is probably what route I'll be taking, if and when I find myself feeling comfortable sharing my opinions with a company that apparently has no respect for its users.

I also went ahead and took TBV's suggestion to sign up for Google Alerts to help myself monitor where and how my words are being used. And since with the first alert I found my reviews had already been put up on sites without my knowledge, I highly recommend that you do the same.

To read The Book Vixen's article ('Do You Own Your Reviews?') in its entirety, please click here. The information in this post and links to her article have been used with TBV's permission.

Reading Amidst the Chaos - Live from B&N

By the Book

I saw this note over at Romance Book Wyrm, and I thought that Amy did such a fun job composing her life by book titles that I had to give it a try too! It was actually pretty hard for me, since I haven't been keeping track of every book that I devoured during the year, but through some stealthy stalking of my Google calendar and my folder full of ebooks I was able to put together my own version. Hope you enjoy a look at my 2009!

Directions: Using only titles of books you have read this year (2009), complete the prompts below. Try not to repeat a book title.

Describe yourself -
Burning Wild by Christine Feehan

How do you feel -
Cast in Silence by Michelle Sagara

Describe where you currently live -
On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

If you could go anywhere, where would you go -
Summer's Caress by Tielle St. Clare

Your favorite form of transportation -
Call of the Sea by Michelle M. Pillow

Your best friend is -
Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz

You and your friends are -
Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

What's the weather like?
Half Wild by Madison Hayes and Rhyannon Byrd

Favorite time of day -
First Moon Rise by Tielle St. Clare

What is life to you?
Strange Brew - Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, etc.

Your fear -
Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

What is the best advice you have to give?
No Reservations by Lauren Dane

Thought for the day -
Challenge Protocol by Dawn Ryder

How I would like to die -
Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh

My souls present condition -
Broken Boundaries by Evangeline Anderson

How I Keep Track aka Why I'm a Huge Nerd

So I've decided to reveal a deep dark secret - I'm a complete nerd when it comes to books (and some select other things). It used to just be the fact that when I was younger I tried to catalog all my books. Created my own little spreadsheet that had the title, author, if a book was part of series, and so on. But then as I grew older the symptoms of my nerd-ity grew worse. The more I worked in libraries the more OCD I became - I couldn't just catalog my books; they needed to be shelved in such a way that made sense. Everything had to be in alphabetical order by author's last name and within an author, in order by series. And then came Google Calendar.

I had tried many different ways to organize my lists of what books were coming out when. Amazon Wishlists, about a zillion different kinds of notebooks, even post-it notes around my computer screen. Finally last year about this time I gave in to complete absurdity and created something that does the job better than all of those combined - a Google Calendar that shows me the release date, book title, and author of everything I'm interested in. Oh god! I said it! Yes I'm that nerdy. I have a Google Calendar just for book releases (in fact, that's the the calendar's title: Book Releases)! As much as I'm in awe of my own ridiculousness every time I look at my full monthly calendar and see all those green reminders, I can't be all that regretful. IT JUST WORKS SO WELL! I can go months, years if the date is available, ahead of time and input the books I'm looking at purchasing. Of course this has now led to days where I spend a good chunk of time just browsing through author pages to see if I can update my calendar further....yeah there's really no end in site for how bad this can get. Hahaha!

Either way I hope this helps you learn a little bit more about me and the neuroses that make me who I am today. My calendar is public and you should be able to search for it if you're interested in keeping up with what I'm reading, but feel free to email me if you want a personal invite!

The Untamed Bride - A Give Away!

Thanks to the wonderful people over at Wiredset I've been offered the chance to host a give away!For two winners! Yay!

I've done a review on Stephanie Laurens' books before but this is a chance for you to get- FOR FREE- her latest release The Untamed Bride. But you might be asking yourself, 'Why do I want the new Stephanie Laurens book?' Because she writes some of the best Regency England romances available today. A New York Times Bestselling Author, her books are always filled with great alpha males and incredibly strong women with just the right amount of banter to keep you engrossed in the story. To be completely upfront they are going send me a free copy to review, but keep in mind two things: 1) I was planning to read the book anyway, and 2) I've already reviewed Laurens' work before with very high marks so I'm not offering up anything I don't think is quality work.

Since this is a give away, and my first one at that, the rules are going to be pretty simple (and sorry in advance, but it's only open to US Residents):

1) You must be at least 16 years of age (because you're going to have to email me your physical address)
2) You must be a subscriber of my blog (click the Follow Blog button!)
3) Leave a comment on this post asking to be entered into the giv eaway

And that's it! Two winners will be chosen randomly from everyone who comments, please make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win - GOOD LUCK! Contest closes November 12, 2009 11:59pm(my birthday!)

<3,
Dana

Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

I Want One! The Barnes and Noble Nook

I don't know how behind the times I am, could be a lot, but after seeing a reference to it in my newspaper I looked up the Barnes and Nook and damn do I want one! Yes I have to fight against an almost irresistible urge to own the newest and brightest thing in ebook technology, but I have to admit that this one sounds pretty fantastic. With brand new Touch screen technology built into the unit, you can browse through your library (full color) looking at the covers of the books you own and choose your reading material from there. Like the Sony eReader you can download your own PDF's onto the device, a big step up from the Amazon Kindle in my opinion, or you can download free or priced titles from BarnesandNoble.com. None of the eReaders currently available have back light capabilities, though for its own release Barnes and Noble describe this as a way to do away with the eye fatigue usually brought on my computer use. I still say that I'd rather have the back light option, because if I'm reading in bed or on a train or something, that would be more convenient than having to clip on a book light.

There are some other differences between the Nook and the Kindle 2, including that fact the Nook is on AT&T and has virtually unlimited expandable memory, but I appreciate B&N also being upfront with the similarities. The screen size, initial memory, price of new releases, etc. - all of these are the same between the two devices (though isn't it interesting that the website only has the comparison between the Nook and the Kindle 2 up? I guess B&N doesn't consider the Sony eReader competition). The other main difference that's being talked about is the ability to bookmark, highlight, and make notes on what you're reading - though those features are exclusive to titles purchased from B&N.com. I'm not totally sold on those options, mainly because as a bibliophile I don't like doing any of those things to my books - but maybe having the ability to do it but not feel like I'm irreparably harming a piece of beloved literature will make me enjoy it more. We'll see.

It's still mostly out of my budget at $259 but GOD I wish I had some well up relative or fairy godmother who could get me one. It's available for pre-order now, to be officially released in November, and I'm excited to see what happens. Of course, I'm more excited for it to be November 30th and for me to be able to go into a store and play with it in person. Oooh yes, feel that technology goodness.

MY BAD - here's the link to Barnes and Noble website on the Nook, where you can examine all the specs and features.

Laurell K Hamilton at Dragon*Con 2008

Since I'm working on what my next book review is going to be, I thought I'd take a time out and do a quick little post on Laurell K Hamilton and Dragon*Con. I love LKH - quite a bit in fact - but I have one major issue: her inability to be consistent with Dragon*Con attendances drives me crazy! My BFF and I waited years to go to Dragon*Con for the first time solely because we weren't gonna go if she wasn't there - and she kept not being there. AUGH!

Luckily, I can say that in 2008 LKH went and so we proceeded to stalk her around that entire Convention. HOURS of waiting in line hoping to be in the first or second row so that we could really hear and see the person who wrote so many of the books we loved. I'm even happier to say that she was totally worth that time and that Ms. Hamilton is very funny and engaging in person. If you get the chance to go listen to her speak definitely take it! It's like watching one of your favorite heroines step out of the book and come to life in the very best way.

Both of these clips are from Dragon*Con's 'She Did What?!' Panel:
"Sex in science fiction. Is it necessary? Does too much of it cross the line from sf/fantasy into...other things?" - Dragon*Con 2008 Pocket Program

Hope you enjoy!

The RAtC Sex-O-Meter and Kinky vs Porn

Thinking about my blog and how I wanted it to evolve made me wonder - am I really ranking and reviewing these books in a way that's most helpful to my readers? Am I telling them all they really want to know? And then it hit me - a Sex-O-Meter! Something that would (probably through an easily deciphered image) would clue people in on whether the book I'm reviewing has too much (or too little) sex for their own personal opinion.

I, as you all know by now, read a variety of romance and non-romance. Accordingly, the level of sex in each book swings wildly from G/PG to XXX (I would put more X's in, but I find that redundant). But what about the average reader? What do they want? What are they willing to tolerate? I was talking out this idea with my roommate and we decided that it was GREAT. Who has a Sex-O-Meter?!?! No one I know of!

But what also came about during this conversation was the question of how I was going to decide on my two endpoints. The whole point of a scale is to have the two extremities at either end. Originally I thought maybe I'd put a young adult or juvenile novel at the 'sex-less' end of the scale but I think that's going to be TOO FAR on the innocent end. Instead, I think one of those Harlequin Inspirational Romances is going to be over there on that end. Mostly because this is going to be a Sex-O-Meter, not an Adult Content-O-Meter. I will not be judging books on their language or violence - I'll leave that up to someone else. Primarily, 80-85% of the time, I'm reading some sort of romance novel (or a paranormal with lots of sex added in), thus a Sex-O-Meter would be the most useful. Inspiration Romances are defined by their religious/spiritual aspects, with no sex and little kissing happening in the books. With that in mind, I think they're more than acceptable for any person in the general population so they're going to be 1's.


Well ok then. We've got one end of the spectrum defined. But what about the other side? It's a lot harder to say whatever I've got in my other hand, that 'THIS' is hardcore. Porn is in and of itself something generally considered to be defined by the individual. Thus, I have to create my own definition of porn- at the very least using 'porn' in such a way that it implies that the sex content is far higher than what would normally be found in most books. Finally, after much discussion, I decided to make the far end of my Sex-O-Meter spectrum this one particular E-book I reviewed in an earlier post, Stalked by Jaid Black. As an Ellora's Cave 'Exotika' title it's pretty much guaranteed to contain a lot of raunch, but I feel this title really exemplifies porn - but not in a derogatory way. 'But how can you call something porn and not be derogatory?' you might ask, but I think it's very possible. Porn doesn't always have to be of the type that pedophiles and perverts use to jack off to in the middle of the night. Porn can be used by many people in a completely healthy, consensually satisfying, way. I'm using the word 'porn' to signify a high sex to plot ratio, because it's a word that's easily associated with sex- graphic sex at that.

And yet, still in this discussion with my roommate, the conversation changes - 'What about the books with those guys who change shape and have sex? I definitely think that's porn'. My reply is that those particular books are a type of KINK, not something that is automatically classified as porn. What a huge 'ah-hah!' moment - I do consider things like that a kink and not porn. Because I've found that what kind of sex and how often that sex happens in a novel has very little to do with what type of creatures the main characters are. The question that comes out of that though, is how far does that extend? Are all types of sex going to be categorized more as someone's kink? Maybe that's why we have the delineation of porn, to refer to a medium that incorporates a particular type of sex, a medium that is meant to include large amounts of graphic reference or images of sex, with no consideration to the type of sex being had. Now that I write this, that definition is probably why anyone is able to use the term porn or pornography in a non-derogatory way. The porn itself is almost innocent of what type of sexual act is being portrayed. Thus, you can have both morally defined 'good' porn and 'bad' porn.

Wow. I just referred to porn as innocent. Go figure. I probably just made some fundamentalist's head explode.

I'm BaaaaAAAaack!

Hey Everyone - I'm back! (random side note - why can I not write that without picturing the end of Independence Day? LOL)

After neglecting my inner blogger for quite a while, I'm revving up for a marathon session. Dragon*Con was incredible and while I might not have spent as much actual face to face time with authors this year, I don't regret a single minute of it! Unfortunately I'm stuck at work so I can't post a random assortment of pictures of the ins and outs of that weekend, but let's go through a few highlights, shall we?

Friday, Sept 4 - I think, even though I attended a hilarious panel held by Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), my favorite event on Friday was going to a live action performance of Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog! I hadn't seen it before going to Dragon*Con (shame) and even though I couldn't hear all the words, being surrounded by all these people who knew every word to every song? Greatness!

Runner up for Friday - I almost forgot to mention the Buffy panel I went to, with Charisma Carpenter and Julie Benz (Cordelia and Darla). A lot of fun, it gave great insight into the characters and the women that made up Joss Whedon's worlds.

Saturday, Sept 5 - Two words - PATRICK STEWART! That's right, Captain Jean-Luc Picard! I don't care how much of a Trekkie this makes me sound, I was center, maybe 5 rows back, from possibly my favorite Star Trek captain! (I say possibly, because I really like Kate Mulgrew - Captain Janeway - as well) Don't pretend you're not jealous!

Sunday, Sept 6 - Sherrilyn Kenyon signing! I got quite a few things signed by her last year actually, but I spent another 3.5 hours in line to get more! It was actually amazing that my friend and I were even able to get in line for this because you needed a wristband - not that they told anyone that. If we hadn't struck up a random conversation with the guy at Sherrilyn Kenyon's booth on Friday we would have had no idea! Well anyway, the universe was looking positively upon us and we were able to get in line.

Monday, Sept 7 - Monday was a slow last day, so I gotta say my favorite part of it was getting fitted for a corset. I know - weird right? But they were beautiful- Lace with steel boning. I didn't end up having enough money to get one that day, but I know my size and eventually one will be mine! If you want to check them out yourself, take a look at Scarlett's Corset.

Ok, to try and keep this post from being too epic I'm going to stop now. But there were other things I might bring up for discussion later - the future of Urban Fantasy, Goth in the Mainstream, Fetish panels - all sorts of adventures (sometimes concerning books, sometimes not) but were always interesting and informative. Plus - pictures!

Dana

Where I'll be and something to do while I'm gone!

Hi Readers! You're not going to see many (or any) updates from me in the next week or so because of two big things 1) I'm moving, and 2) I'm going to Dragon*Con! That's right, Dragon*Con- the mecca of all things slightly nerdy and ridiculous that have to do with Science/Fiction and Fantasy. I had the joy of going last year and stalking Laurell K. Hamilton and Tamora Pierce around the Con (and I also got to be in the same room as Kevin Sorbo which you know is cool!) thus I can't wait to go again this year! If you're interested in seeing just some of the pictures that I took, check out one of the Facebook albums I have to commemorate the weekend, here. Also, here's a list of just some of the guests who are attending this year that I hope to see:

Charisma Carpenter
Laura Anne Gilman
Charlaine Harris
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Traci Lords
James Marsters
Kate Mulgrew
Leonard Nimoy
Edward James Olmos
Kat Richardson
Michael Shanks
Kristy Swanson

But this combined with the move is going to make it really difficult to review any of the books that have just come out (though all the driving will definitely give me time to finish a few) so I thought I'd leave you with a poll - what would you want if I were to do a giveaway?

I bring this up just because it seems to be the season for giveaways. Left and right people are giving away makeup, sunless tanner kits, gift cards, everything! Unfortunately I don't have any special hidden backers to help me fund my venture so I thought I'd poll the people who do stop by and see what they think. There are going to be two ways to voice your opinion on this - comment on this post and/or vote in the poll to the side! I really want to hear what you guys think, though I'm hoping to stand strong and not actually hold the giveaway until I get up to 20 or 30 followers....we're going to see. I might be getting ahead of myself. Either way, thanks for stopping by and I hope you let me know what you'd like to see in your mail box!

Love and Luck,
Dana

This means you too - I see you! (A Random Author Rant)

Do you know what I hate? I hate when eBook authors all of a sudden make it big (read 'published in print'), revamp their website, and LEAVE OUT every eBook they've ever had before and only include the new books coming out in the near and far future. This means you Christine Warren - and you too Shelly Laurenston! I see you! I bought your stories LONG before your first print book and I don't think it's very fair that you've abruptly decided that nothing created before the print version exisits! Do you know how long it takes to get a book printed? If you don't - what's wrong with you?!?! Don't tell me that you're publishing the first book in a series and then let me find out that it's actually related to about 15 other books that you've already released (that's you Lora Leigh).

Also, don't show me the books that you've published before and then tell me that 'Oops! Can't get them anymore! Even though they came out years ago online, you'll have to wait another few years before you can get them in print!' That's bullshit! I'm one of those freaks that you have a very good chance of taunting into purchasing the print copy anyway! When you've started messing with my series by publishing the latest novel in print, it's hard for me to fight the urge to go ahead and buy the reprints to see what else you've added to the new version or to keep my bookshelves consistent.

Finally - along that same point - how the hell am I supposed to recommend a series to people if the only thing they can get is the latest novel? What about all the back story, all the emotion and history that works to make a particular series so memorable? Give me a break here! I love recommending things to people but I don't want to break the law and forward on my own copy- I bought it to support you and I want other people to buy it too! The whole thing drives me crazy. Give me a chance here to increase your numbers! I'm pretty sure the extra income couldn't hurt.

So yes authors - when you get the chance to make that jump from eBook to print, please don't forget the readers who've gotten you there. Those who have purchased, recommended, and purchased again. We're not stupid - a little respect for our powers of observation and I would be a lot less annoyed about the whole thing.

P.S. - Another side note to this? An author changing to a pseudonym for one of her series when it goes into print but leaving her name alone for others. If it's all marketed to pretty much the same audience, who the hell wants to go about all the work of making sure they've caught the newest thing? Authors - you suck enough money out of readers on a month to month basis that maybe you could throw us a bone and stick to one name at time. K, thanks.

eBooks and Books

Sorry it took me so long to write this post! It was sitting in my mind and then somehow laziness and new books took over - I blame my job, because it leaves me with enough free time to read at the desk!

The question, or topic, that I'd like to tackle today is why do we read what we read - books or eBooks? There are pros and cons to both mediums; physical books have at their core the emotional attachment that I think comes, in part, from the tactile sensation of having a book in your hands and reading it. The ability to run your fingers across the pages, or make notes in the margins - in effect, the reader's ability to make the book their own. And with time, physical books take on the look and smell of their history. Men and women can remember their past, the good and the bad, through the books they've read. The reality of their existence and the tangible proof that books can provide of the times.

eBooks have a different type of appeal - convenience. The convenience of having thousands of titles at your fingertips, no waiting with no worrying about space. However much computer memory you have, that's how much you can fill with things to read. And with the creation of the Amazon Kindle, eBook proponents have an even bigger motivation - the Kindles are lighter and even easier to carry around with you than regular books. Where a good sized hardcover might be responsible for an aching shoulder and an over packed bag, the Kindle is compact and durable. Even more than that, technologies like the Kindle appeal to the present consumer's need for instant gratification. At a person's whim they can have at their fingertips newspapers, magazines, AND books. It's amazing the kind of emotional bond a person would be willing to forgo for that type of convenience.

The picture I used here isn't really an example of my own opinion though. I love ALL books. No lie. And in college I found myself understanding the appeal of the eBook. I just didn't have the same kind of access to books in college. No car and with just an academic library nearby, the situation left me without almost any other avenue to explore. Luckily, I can say I found some great things; authors and titles that I know have enriched my reading experience. On the other end of the spectrum I've also found books that weren't worth my time, and the rare one or two that I wouldn't even finish reading (something has to be REALLY bad for that to happen).

Still, at the end of the day, I love curling up in my bed with a book. To lie down and look at a favorite and see the wear and tear of my usage. Books even have a smell that has been incorporated into my sense understanding and attachment to the activity. I've even been known to print out eBooks, the urge to hold it in my hands has been so strong. So I might have been lying before and print books might be my favorite. BUT eBooks are never left out in the cold, and it's been my joy to say I've seen some of the best authors make the leap from virtual to print - because while legitimacy doesn't come from the printed word, a readily recognizable name and popularity are increased by the consumers ability to browse. And that's one thing I think print books definitely have over eBooks - there's nothing like running your fingertips across the spines of books in your bookstore or library. eBooks have nothing on that.

DSK Jewelry Contest Results!!

So you remember the post from a few weeks ago, where I answered a bunch of questions and even made a YouTube video for DSK Jewelry's contest? Well I won 3rd place! Woohoo! And that's not too shabby considering that Stephanie had 54 people enter her contest. It kind of inspire's me to enter another one, this time a contest put up by Judy from itsjudytime.

But I won't lie, you always hope when you enter something like this that you'll get first place (or why do you bother?) but I'm still happy I placed! Hopefully I'll just do better next time! I won a pair of Swaorvski crystal star earrings ($15 value) and a few other little things that I'm really excited to get in the mail. I decided to go with the earrings in CLEAR AB just cause I want them to be just big and sparkly and something I can wear whenever. You can see them here -

Check back soon because I've decided to do a series of posts on the world of eBooks and physical books and some of the authors/stories that I've found there that have either been incredible or somewhat of a disappointment. Stay tuned!

Erotica vs. Romance: is it really a choice between the two?

It is very rare for me to read an insider’s guide to a series. If I’ve taken the time to invest in a particular set of books, I usually will have reread them enough to not have many questions. I don’t know what that says about me as a reader, that I don’t really care about the minutiae of an author’s world or his/her characters, but there it is. Yet in the course of reading J.R. Ward’s The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide I have been surprised by what I’ve learned or been inspired to think about: 1) J.R. Ward is probably a little crazy, because she has whole interviews and conversations with her characters in her head, and 2) the question of erotica vs. romance is still very much up for debate.

In the course of discussing her books’ place in the spectrum, Ward writes that “with romance, sex affects the emotional bonds of the characters and propels those connections forward. With strict erotica, the sexual act or sexual exploration itself is the focus” (158, Ward). This was an intriguing definition for me. Rarely do people so succinctly lay out the boundaries of what is romance and what is erotica- and yet where a novel lays between these two extremes might not be as easily determined. Books that are typically defined by publishers and book stores as romance often combine different elements from a number of genres to create their storylines (I’m not going into what is a genre and what’s not here – I’ll leave that for another discussion). Erotica, as just another genre in and of itself, is starting to be used the same way.

Even in the most ‘romantic’ of romances, at least today, I would say there exists the presence of sex just for the sake of sex. Maybe it’s indicative of the changing place of women’s empowerment in society, or an example of how generational shifts in readers can create a corresponding shift in how authors use their words to reach their readers, there’s no real way to know. What is important is that the changing paradigm of romance is starting to include more sexually explicit material. For the better I would say, because it tends to lend a type of real-ness or depth to the characters’ interactions that was not there before. Books by JR Ward or her contemporaries (Laurell K Hamilton, Sherilyn Kenyon, Emma Holly, and some non-paranormal ones: Lora Leigh, Lori Foster, Nora Roberts) are moving beyond just the purely emotional attachment – the physical is becoming just as important.

The point, if I have one, is that as much as Ward can define the individual elements of romance and erotica I don’t think it’s as easy to extrapolate those labels to entire novels. There is a marked increase of authors who are jumping from ‘erotica’ e-books to physical novels that are on every bookshelf in every bookstore across the world, right in the romance section, with new books that are barely (if at all) different from what they used to only be able to publish online. The applicability of these labels is becoming extinct. When I do a review now I use on average 5-6 terms to try and describe the elements of a book, INCLUDING romance and erotica (together or separately- one doesn’t exclude the other). There seems to exist in my head a little box that gets checked for erotica depending on the frequency of sexual encounters in a book and how explicit the description of those encounters are. It’s more the happy ending, the happily ever after, that makes me call something romance or not. Yet even books that don’t have a happy ending, but instead maybe allude to one in a future novel, or even just include a more one-on-one personal emotional attachment, will get called a romance by me.

It’s a whole new ball game out there for fiction readers, and the playground, along with the rules, are changing every day.

Looking Ahead - New Releases in June

I'm always looking forward to what I get to read next, so I thought I'd give everyone a quick update on what's coming out in June! Book releases typically happen on Tuesdays, but if you see something out in stores early it means that the title wasn't strict on sale, so as soon as your bookstore had it - out on the shelves it went!

June 1st - Edge of Desire by Rhyannon Byrd (3rd book in her Primal Instinct trilogy)
June 2nd - Skin Trade by Laurell K Hamilton (Anita Blake book #17), Kissing Midnight by Emma Holly (first book in a new trilogy), Demon Mistress by Yasmine Galenorn (6th book in her Other World series), Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson (Betsy Taylor book #8), Atlantis Unleashed by Alyssa Day (latest Warriors of Poseidon book)
June 23rd - Real Men Last All Night by Lora Leigh, Lori Foster, and two others
June 30th - Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan (Drake Sisters book #7), Huntress by Christine Warren, Marjorie M Liu, and two others