I haven’t the foggiest idea of how to grade The She-Hulk Diaries. By page 25, I was ready to throw the book across the room. By page 50, I was eating it up like candy. This is a book based an insulting and tired premise (career woman fails at personal life, can’t find love, is sort of ditzy) and yet after a week of contemplating it I think it’s actually pretty subversive – plus it’s … Continue reading The She-Hulk Diaries by Marta Acosta
If I had to label this book, I would not list “romance” first. It’s certainly one of those books that doesn’t fit neatly into one specific genre. The heroine, Milagro de los Santos, is Latina, and her character is certainly shaped by that fact, so does that make this a Chica Lit book? It’s a vampire story with a romance element that runs through it, but it’s also not just about the heroine’s development as … Continue reading Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, by Marta Acosta
This Rec League comes from Kayla. Thanks, Kayla! I’m dying for some BIPOC vampires I can really sink my teeth into. Ideally wise cracking and leather pants wearing but I’m not that picky. I just want more diversity in my night life. Shana: Well, there’s classics that I love, like Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories , Tananarive Due’s My Soul to Keep , and Octavia Butler’s Fledgling , but that doesn’t get you the lighthearted … Continue reading The Rec League: BIPOC Vampires
The National Endowment for the Arts released their report “Reading on the Rise” on 12 January documenting that for the first time in 25 years, more Americans are reading. An increase in readers? Excellent! According to the demographic breakdown, young adults show the biggest increase (yay!) and fiction is the largest growing market in adult readers (also yay!). Here’s my favorite statistic from the report: “Online readers also report reading books. 84% of adults who … Continue reading Drop Everything and Read More
I was volunteering at the RWA Registration Booth when a woman stopped by looking for credentials for a photographer. Her name was Heidi Benson, and she was from the SF Chronicle looking to write an article about the conference. She and I got to talking, and she told me she was so impressed with the conference, and having a good old time talking to everyone at RWA. In my estimation, she seemed like she was … Continue reading San Francisco Chronicle Covers RWA
During RWA, we had a contest running for an ARC of Marta Acosta’s new book, Bride of Casa Dracula. Then entries in the contest are so damn funny I was wheezing in the hallways as I read them. I’m sure someone thought I had a rather odd repiratory disorder, because I’d be snorting at my phone and giggling. Marta emailed me with the winners, and asked me to convey the following: There were so many … Continue reading The Bride Wore ARCs: The Winners!
Marta Acosta has offered up three ARCs of her new book Bride of Casa Dracula for Bitchery readers – and all we want is your best or worst wedding memory. Easy, right? Doesn’t even have to be your own wedding. Could be someone else’s. For example, I know a certain Smart Bitch who was once a bridesmaid, and the dress was a certain shade that turned that Smart Bitch a very greenish shade of green, … Continue reading The Bride Wore ARCs
Bitchery reader Paul did some mad Photoshop action on the hot stepping leg model, and look at what he came up with: I did some quick Photoshop work to test your theory about the leg model and the trenchcoat. You’re 100% right, it’s the same model. See attached (I cut off the left leg, changed its angle, adjusted for the same skin tone, and then filled in the gaps). The “Girl’s Guide” cover designer had … Continue reading We’ve Got More Legs
Marta Acosta forwarded me an interesting link: seems TimeOut London has just published their list of London’s 30 most erotic writers. Among them: Shakespeare, Chaucer, Freud, Boswell*, and Lady Caroline Lamb. Acosta noted in her email to me: only three women?! So here’s my question – not to ask Who Are The Most Erotic Writers In All History Forever And Ever, I’m more after a different query. What writers blow your skirt up, literally? Who … Continue reading Most Erotic Writers - Then vs. Now
Marta Acosta, in a desperate attempt to have her name associated with something other than the great vulva puppet website, sent me the following info. Seems after People Magazine named their sexiest men (with Matt Damon topping the list – yawn), Salon countered with their own list, Jon Hamm landing as #1 of their sexiest men. While I’m not sure I agree with the idea that Owen Wilson’s suicidal depression ups his hotness factor, I … Continue reading Hot or Not?
From Marta Acosta, who writes: Okay, here’s my help a bitch out. I read a book many years ago by a woman author. The main character is a werewolf. She locks herself in the basement with a sack of dog food every full moon. She’s living out in the woods somewhere and often hears other woods. Some guy guesses her secret and he helps her come to terms with her wolf identity. I think she … Continue reading Help a Bitch Out: Werewolves and Dog Food
