Thanksgiving, Food, and Books

imageFirst, it’s Thanksgiving here in the US, and I’m thankful for you. Yes, you, right there. Hi! Thank you for coming here to talk romance and books and general wittery and asshattery and wtfery, and for making this site so fun and very, very pink and red. You’re awesome. I hope wherever you are, you’re having a good meal.

In your honor (yes, YOU) I’ve made a donation to Feeding America, the national network of foodbanks here in the US. I hope your appetite for the funny and the silly and the romance and the heuristic discussions of mantitty have been sated, and that you’ll come back for seconds and thirds and (duh) dessert.

Second, let’s talk books! And thanks! What book TOTALLY rocked your world this year? What book did you read that you are most thankful for? Me, my list is long – and yes, I’m writing it down. Expect entries like, “The one where he’s a bartender and she gets pregnant, only it’s not a secret.” You? What book was your best of the year, that you’re thankful for having read and enjoyed?

I hope if you’re eating, cooking, watching football, or all three, you are happy, safe, warm and most DEFINITELY reading a good book. Thank you for being part of the Bitchery this year.

Comments are Closed

  1. jumpup says:

    I am grateful that I discovered Cecelia Tan and her Magic University books.  They are yummy.

  2. Anony Miss says:

    I am grateful that the majority of my comments don’t get flagged as spam, unlike the first one I did on this post!

    Harumph.

    My first comment, wherein I gave thanks for the Awesome Supremity of this Site and Its Readers, as well as Kindle’s free copy of “Outlander,” was much witter than this.

    Alas.

  3. Bri says:

    I am glad i read the first three (waiting on the library for 4) of Robert’s Bride Quartet.  The issues and interplay in the relationships of the characters struck a very personal chord at a time when it was needed in my life.

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 🙂

  4. Deb says:

    Although she’s one of my favorite romance authors, I hadn’t read Mary Balogh’s Bedwyn Saga (six interconnected novels, each with the word SLIGHTLY in the title).  Don’t ask me why; the books just stacked up.  Then I started a new job a few months back, a whole new world for me, and I needed some “comfort” reading to get me through—and the story of the Bedwyn family and their various romantic entanglements was perfect.  I read the six books in less than two weeks.  I second the comment from someone in the post on heroes who said Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle, was her current favorite hero.  Mine too!

  5. Miranda says:

    The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins for intense gripping read. For sheer happy enjoyment, I’m thankful for The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig.

  6. joanne says:

    I’m thankful that I can say I loved the book where he’s an angel and she’s a down-on-her-luck virgin bride in Vegas and people know EXACTLY what author and story I’m talking about!  I’m grateful there is a romance community with all it’s wank and wisdom.

    And for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

  7. Milena says:

    Well, I’m not American, but I still wish everybody a happy holiday, and I’m thankful for a lot of books; this has been a good book-year. Among those, in the romance section, The Iron Duke and Loretta Chase’s backlist (which I only completed this year) were the most impressive.

    I’m also very, very thankful for Terry Pratchett’s I Shall Wear Midnight, one of my favourite books this year and one with a lovely, realistic and touching romance for YA.

    And special mention to China Mieville’s Kraken; although not a romance at all, it’s a great book that manages to both entertain and ask some very interesting questions, which is exactly what I like best in books.

    Oh, and I’m thankful for SBTB, the snark, the fun and the crazy spamwords.

  8. Tina C. says:

    It’s hard to pick, but I guess my favorite reads this year have been:
    Erin McCarthy, The Taking
    Loretta Chase, Last Night’s Scandal
    Ilona Andrews, Bayou Moon
    Diana Rowland, Mark of the Demon
    Kelly Gay, The Better Part of Darkness

    I know there are others, but I can’t think of any titles beyond the past four months or so.  (There’s one romance that I really liked right on the tip of my tongue…er….fingertips….)

    I just want to say that I’m thankful for many things in my life, like my family and friends and a job I enjoy.  However, one of things that I’m also thankful for is that I can come here and talk about my favorite books with smart, snarky, women.  I appreciate the reviews and the cover-snark and the comments and everything else.  Thanks to you all and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

  9. Nadia says:

    Yes, I am thankful this lovely place where I can talk about the books I like with people who get it.  And I can add to my ever-expanding TBR closet through great recommendations of authors I may have overlooked otherwise.  So many books read this year, and it’s still too early in the morning to think back over them all, but I just finished “The Forbidden Rose” by Joanna Bourne last night and I totally teared up at the end.  I’m grateful for good books that get me in the gut and leave me antsy for the next in the series.

  10. Another non-American here, just popping by to wish her friends over the pond a very happy and peaceful Thanksgiving.  Reading wise?  I am very thankful that I discovered Justina Robson’s Quantum Gravity series, not exactly romance but with enough romantic elements to make me happy.  And for the continued writing health of Terry Pratchett.  And Doctor Who.

    Enjoy yourselves, guys!

  11. The Duchess says:

    Meljean Brook’s backlist. The Iron Duke just grabbed me by the throat, so I just had to check out her Guardians series. Am definitely glad that I did.

  12. Lisa J says:

    I’m thankful for Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changelings series.  Her books are always so well written.  I loved the Burning Up anthology with Nalini’s story Whisper of Sin and Meljean Brook’s Here There Be Monsters.

    Also, Lora Leigh Breed books are crack for me and I am always thankful when a new one comes out.

    Mostly, I’m thankful for my bright red Sony reader.  I’ve discovered great authors like Dana Marie Bell, Mari Carr, Vivian Arend, and Moira Rogers (to name a very few) because I can read their e-books anywhere and everywhere. 

    Happy Thanksgiving.

  13. I’m thankful for all of YOU.  Even with bad books, it’s making second year of law school much easier to take. 

    I’m also thankful for Zoe Archer and Caroline Linden.  And Kindle Free Books, and MOST ESPECIALLY for Connie Willis and her tour de force (…again….) of Blackout and All Clear.  If you haven’t read her time traveling historians series, YOU SHOULD GET ON THAT.

  14. Kirsten says:

    So many books…

    I am thankful to have discovered Julia Quinn’s Ten Things I Love About You.

    I am thankful that a trade paperback edition of Kelly Link’s Pretty Monsters came out this summer and that I got to do a fantastic interview with her… and that Jennifer Crusie published her first solo novel in years, and I got to interview her! And also that Connie Willis and Lois McMaster Bujold published new books this year. So many things!

    I am thankful for serendipity, and for discovering books that traditional review publications let fall between the cracks, like Deborah Slier’s Hidden Letters (which is an amazing, if dense, nonfiction title).

    Mostly I am thankful that I can read, that I can read what I want, and that I can write whatever I want about it, and that I’m not alone.

  15. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

    First, I’m thankful for this AMAZING site so I know what is good shit and what I should avoid and that I can laugh inappropriately at work.

    As far as books go, I’m thankful for two things.  Anything and everything La Nora has ever written because she is the best.  And that I finally got around to reading Lord of Scoundrels; it changed my life.

  16. Alex says:

    Thank you!  I’m new to the Bitchery but this site is an absolute joy and it’s got me onto some amazing new authors and books.  Victoria Dahl is definitely worth a mention, as is Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy.  Can’t describe how much I’ve enjoyed them.

  17. Melissa says:

    I am thankful for Nalini Singh for writing two amazing series that I love – the Psy/Changling series and Guild Hunter series.

    I am thankful for Pamela Clare for writing amazing historicals like Surrender with the super sexy Iain McKinnon. Also for her contemporary I-Team series.

    I am thankful for Nine Rules to Break by Sarah Maclean – it was one of my fav new historicals, it was so charming and wonderful.

    I am thankful to Simone Elkeles for writing Perfect Chemistry, a great YA romance. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was also awesome.

    I am thankful to Shelly Laurenston for making me laugh my pants off while reading her Pride series, I especially liked the last two – The Mane Squeeze and Beast Behaving Badly. Cynthia Eden was also a good paranormal find this year, she writes paranormal romantic suspense with some humor. Dana Marie Bell is also good.

    I am thankful for the UF series I enjoy, namely Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs and Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. I like reading about strong but relatable female leads.

    I am thankful to Laura Wright for writing good Harlequins, it’s nice to have one go-to Harlequin author who usually delivers.

    I am thankful for sites like this where I can discuss my love of romance books!

  18. Philippa Chapman says:

    Books I’ve loved this year:-

    Going Postal
    Unseen Academicals [both by Sir Terry Pratchett]

    Changes by Jim Butcher

    Dr Chen novels by Dr Liz Williams

  19. Sarah W says:

    I’m thankful for my job, which alows me to read about and select all the romances for three  library locations . . .and be the first one to see them once they’re processed.  Which means, in turn, that I have far too many titles to be thankful for!

    It’s a good life.

  20. eleanordew says:

    Among all the books I read this year, I’m thankful to have read wonderful books by several new authors, including Loucinda McGary. Many of those new discoveries come from this blog! Thank you, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

  21. Scorpio M. says:

    I am thankful for this awesome romance blog community. I have discovered so many must-buy authors this year.

    My top faves of 2010 are:

    Pamela Clare’s, NAKED EDGE
    Victoria Dahl’s, LEAD ME ON
    Meljean Brook’s, HERE THERE BE MONSTERS & THE IRON DUKE
    Sarah Mayberry’s, THE BEST LAID PLANS
    Lorelei James’, COWGIRL UP and RIDE (old release but I loved it!)

    Happy Thanksgiving all!

  22. Ros says:

    I’m thankful for all the authors who have written the books which have helped me stay sane during a difficult year, when I couldn’t face reading anything without a guaranteed happy ending. These have almost all been category romances.  In particular, I’m grateful for India Grey, Sarah Morgan, Abby Green, Kelly Hunter and Kate Hewitt, some of whom I am also happy to call my friends.

  23. I am thankful for meeting Pamela Clare at RomCon – she taught me that romance readers and writers can make a difference in our society.

    I am also thankful that I live in a country where I can choose what to read and where to blog.  Here’s to our deployed servicemen who are eating turkey in the desert!

  24. cayenne says:

    Happy Thanksgiving from a Canuck devotee of the Bitchery! Since this didn’t come up at Canadian TG, I’ll note that I’m thankful for:

    – Introductions to the writings of Loretta Chase, Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn.  I have no idea how I missed them until now, but it’s thanks to people here that I know them now.
    – My Sony eReader, which lives in my handbag, and is the best thing I’ve bought since my iPod.
    – The new Carla Kelly book coming out Dec 1 from HH.
    – The existence on the interwebs of smart, like-minded & vocal romance lovers!

  25. tracykitn says:

    I’m thankful for lots of books this year, but the standout (by which I mean, the one that hasn’t just slipped out of my head due to sheer, constant exhaustion) is Soulless, by Gail Carriger. Eventually I shall get my head back on and read the next two books in the series…

    Also, I am thankful that my kids all love school (even the kindergartener, who has trouble focussing) and that my husband made it home safely from his second Iraq tour last month.

    All in all, a pretty good year.

  26. Carolyn says:

    The books that had that OMG factor for me were The Iron Duke and Here There Be Monsters by Meljean Brook. Just – wow!

    I’m also grateful to have discovered Deanna Raybourne and her Lady Julia Grey series. The two opening sentences in Silent as the Grave are the best EVER! Talk about a hook, lol.

    Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  🙂

  27. JBHunt says:

    Loved new releases from Jo Bourne (The Forbidden Rose) and Loretta Chase (Last Night’s Scandal).

    Loved Meljean Brook’s The Iron Duke.

    Was completely blown away by Wolf Hall, last year’s Booker Prize Winner by Hilary Mantel. Beautifully crafted AND a page turner.

  28. Sue says:

    First -Thank you for developing this site so I know I’m not the only one crazy in love with romance novels.

    Second – Thank you to all the people who share their thought here – your comments have given me many moments of laugh-out-loud joy when I needed them.

    Third -Thank you to all the authors who have given me a lifetime of pleasure – this year – Sarah McLean, Victoria Dahl, Loretta Chase, Cathy Maxwell, Lisa Kleypas, Christina Dodd, Liz Carlyle, Mary Wine, Jill Shalvis, Louisa Edwards, and Julie James, and for my keepers – Lynne Graham, Nicole Jordan, and the incomparable Georgette Heyer!

  29. quichepup says:

    Another vote for Pamela Clare and Naked Edge. Loved the heroine but it took awhile for me to warm up to the hero, not sure until the end that he did deserve her.

  30. I’m thankful to Sarah and Candy and their minions for giving us this site, and I’m grateful to everyone who has told me how much they enjoyed reading my books.

    The book that rocked my reading time this year was The Iron Duke.  I can hardly wait for Meljean’s next effort!

  31. Augustina says:

    Also not from the US but having no problem relating to a holiday that promotes pies and stuffing, I am very thankful to this site for a lot of wonderful recommendations and recognizable experiences and also to Amazon, which I have started to truly exploit only this past year and which is just about the only way I can access a wide variety of romances in my country (and delivered to my door – ah, the genius of it :p). The greatest books this year for me were Lisa Kleypas’ Tempt me at Twilight, Eloisa James’ A kiss at midnight and Julia Quinn’s What happens in London. There is nothing like a truly fantastic romance to keep you smiling for days on end and to experience that is truly something to be thankful for :-). Happy Thanksgiving!

  32. Claire says:

    Happy thanksgiving – i’m not in the Us but thankful to this site for making me feel slightly less alone in my enjoyment of romance novels and for recommending Jennifer Crusie somewhere along the line, i love everything i’ve since read of hers and would never have picked up any of them without the recs on here.

  33. Suze says:

    I’m grateful that the various restrictions on buying e-books forced me to take a risk on new-to-me authors like K.A. Mitchell and Heidi Culinan.  They have totally rocked my world, and I would never, never, never have found them if I hadn’t been dragged (kicking and screaming, and whining, and bitching) out of my regular book channels.

    I’m grateful that there are really, really good review sites like this one and Dear Author who make it possible to make informed decisions about electronic book buying.

    Happy Turkey Day, all you ‘murricans.

  34. I’m grateful to all bloggers who discuss books with enthusiasm, including the ever-wonderful Smart Bitches.

    I’m grateful that some favorite authors of mine are finally connecting with the massive number of readers they deserve (great example:  Judith James).

    I’m grateful for the loyalty and encouragement from my own readers, which is the greatest blessing of all for a writer.

    Lisa Marie Wilkinson
    IPPY Gold Medal Winner-Romance
    USA Book News Best Books Winner
    Fire at Midnight, Medallion Press 2009
    Stolen Promise, Medallion Press 2010

  35. Newf Herder says:

    I’m thankful for discovering this site, where I have only lurked, until a few days ago.  Not only do I laugh my ass off just about every time I come here, I have also discovered some fricking awesome authors.  Thank you!

    I’m thankful for discovering Laura Kinsale and all her ridiculously awesome books.  She makes me cry like no other author can.

    I’m thankful for discovering Gabaldon’s Outlander series, no matter how much time I spent reading them when I should have been working.  Ahem.  This goes, too, for Sara Donati’s Wilderness series.

    Thankful to know that really there are legions of fellow romance readers out there.  I really did feel like a romance loner for a while there.

    I’m thankful for my hubby, my furry-drooly dogs, my family, my friends, the people in The Rooms, fellow romance readers, Cathe Friedrich, blueberry pie, pumpkin pancakes, and about a million other things that make me feel like the luckiest person in the world.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  36. beggar1015 says:

    Wow. I had never heard of this Iron Duke, but since so many readers have raved about it, I’d better get on the ball!

  37. Pamelia says:

    Happy Thanksgiving.  Besides a warm, lovely home with a beautiful family and more than enough to eat, I am thankful for the following books I have just recently (if some belatedly) discovered:
    Lisa Kleypas’s contemp series about the Travises.
    Meljean Brook’s entire works (Guardians series and The Iron Duke)
    The historical novels of Mary Balogh (I am a Wulfric Bedwyn fan) and the incomparable books of Georgette Heyer!

  38. anna says:

    I have no idea what book joanne is talking about (down on her luck virgin bride and an angel in Vegas), but I’d like to. 🙂

  39. Barb says:

    I’m thankful for this site!  Thank you for keeping me laughing, shouting, pounding my fist on the desk, and most of all remembering what I really love about Romances! 

    Although I have many favorite authors, I think my all time favorite is Mary Balogh.  As a previous comment mentioned – she was reading the Bedwyn saga and loving it.  This year I read all 5 of the Huxtable books.  Only praise, no complaints.  Very few authors are this consistently good.

    And I’m thankful for turkey and apple pie 🙂

  40. Simba says:

    Second redheadedgirl’s gratitude for Connie Willis’s wonderful
    ‘Blackout’ and ‘All Clear’, and all the folks who mentioned Terry Pratchett and Mary Balogh.  And I am thankful for this rockin’ blog which has introduced me to fabulous authors and provides such awesome snark!

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