Back in July, I reviewed the insanely fun but also somewhat problematic book Max Seventeen . I have now read the sequel, Max Seventeen: Firebrand and I loved it, despite some problematic elements (so many rape threats, sigh) that lowered the grade. It has all the elements that made the first book fun, including a fantastic romance, but it has less of the problematic stuff from the first book – there’s still some, but much less. … Continue reading Max Seventeen: Firebrand by Kate Johnson →
Max Seventeen is a science fiction romance that has a lot of problematic elements (several of which ambushed me near the end of the book). On the other hand, it has an action heroine of color, a rickety spaceship with a motley (and diverse) crew, and mosasaurs. Once I started the book I couldn’t stop reading it, and every time I said to myself, “Wait, WHAT?” another mosasaur or some other shiny plot device popped … Continue reading Max Seventeen by Kate Johnson →
CW: racism, homophobia The first time I saw this cover, I fell in love. Then I read the blurb and knew I had to have it. Check it out: Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their … Continue reading You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson →
Here is a text transcript of DBSA 77. Romantic Suspense, Lizard Heroes, and Other Recommendations. You can listen to the mp3 here, or you can read on! This podcast transcript was constructed of excellence by Garlic Knitter, who is a terrific transcriptionist. So many of you have emailed me to say thanks for the transcripts. Many thanks go to Garlic Knitter, and you are all very, very welcome. Here are the books we discuss: [music] … Continue reading Podcast Transcript 77: Romantic Suspense, Lizard Heroes, and Other Recommendations →
It's time for recommendations! First, an email from Maeve, who is looking for recommendations for books similar to The Last Hour of Gann, and another email from Bobbie, looking for romantic suspense. Bloodthirsty Jane is here to help! We also chat about what we're currently reading, and I share some of the responses to our last podcast about uglycry books and DNFing books you aren't enjoying. Here are the books we discuss in this podcast: … Continue reading 77. Romantic Suspense, Lizard Heroes, and Other Recommendations →
I have been cleaning my office and finding all sorts of fun things, like pictures of me as a baby, books (duh), and old journals and lists – including a list of things to do that I wrote back in 1994. I tweeted about it this morning, and the responses were very funny and inspiring, so I wanted to share them with you. This isn't about romance novels, but I love how many people had … Continue reading Something Different on Sunday: You in 1994 →
After reading a scene in which the heroine was a surprise virgin (Surprise! Virgin!) I tweeted about how tired I was of the Surprise Virgin afterglow conversations. Picture it. The hero figures out the heroine is a virgin because he encounters some resistance (which, don't even get me started) and she flinches and of course he Is Very Alarmed and tries to stop but she tells him not to so it's ok for him to … Continue reading Virginity Cliches in Romance →
First: Zoe Archer wrote this thoughtful entry about romance and feminism: Romance novels depict the emotional lives of women and men. The books aren’t merely the heroine’s journey toward love, but the hero’s journey, as well. Men’s emotions aren’t dismissed or suppressed. Men aren’t belittled for having feelings. Often, it’s the hero’s growing level of comfort and familiarity with emotion that forms one of the central elements to a romance novel. And this openness and … Continue reading Links and OH MY GOSH Sales →
Gee, got Kindle? If you’re in Canada, no Kindle for you. But Amazon.co.uk has started selling the 6” Kindle in Europe for $279.00 US, while the US-only 6” Kindle has dropped in price to $259.00. And great day in the morning, Amazon has refurb US-only 6” Kindles for $219.00 while supplies last. As Kate Johnson said to me, holiday wishlists just got a bit more expensive. In other news, does the experience of falling in … Continue reading It’s a Slow News Day, Huh? →
In this week’s podcast episode, we’re looking at the book reviews for the April 2005 issue of RT Book Reviews. Thank you to Kay Layton Sisk for this issue! You can also find all the RTRW content at our category page for Romantic Times Rewind. And, most importantly, if you want to listen and follow along with this entry, we have more detail in the audio, but you can click play and listen and read and … Continue reading Romantic Times Rewind: April 2005 Reviews →
THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • FIVE STARRED REVIEWS Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from seventeen bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors—including Jason Reynolds, Jerry Craft, and Kwame Mbalia. ★ “Pick up Black Boy Joy for a heavy dose of happiness.” —Booklist, starred review Black boy joy is… Picking out a fresh first-day-of-school outfit. Saving the universe in an epic intergalactic race. Finding your voice—and your rhymes—during tough times. Flying on your skateboard like nobody’s watching. And more! … Continue reading Black Boy Joy →
