Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Friday Videos Love All the Tropes

This week's Friday Video is a classic, sent by Aziza, and how I missed seeing this, I have no idea. I love The Avengers, and have watched most of them. Emma Peel is amazing in so many respects. 

Link! 

As Aziza explained in her email, "John Steed and Emma Peel celebrate/demonstrate trope and formula...and look good doing so."

Yes, yes, they do. 

Hope your weekend is full of style, rapier wit, fine vintages, and excellent chemistry! 

Book Format Prejudice and eBook Sales

First: NEWS! Which isn't new news, but I'm still thinking about it. 

Literary god Jonathan Franzen decided that ebooks are horrible and immoral and paper books have a tangible longevity that is superior to digital.

Yeah, whatever. Here's my question: I think there needs to be a term for book format prejudice, and it works both ways. There are snide comments made about paper by ebook lovers, and equally snide Franzenesque comments about digital from those who prefer paper. Folks who like audiobooks also report snide comments, so there has to be a term to sum them all up, one that's as inclusive and descriptive as possible. I mean, do people grouse about large-print books being for all those amoral people who can't see the .8 font size of a mass market paperback? It's ridiculous.

Theresa Romain suggested Bookotry, a pastiche of "book" and "bigotry." I also like Book Bigot.

Heather Ponzer suggested Printist, and comments like Franzens would then be labeled Printentious.

Llmysticowl suggested Biblioformist.

Maggie Robinson suggested Page Rage, which also works. And Tina suggests Biblio-biased.

What do you think? What would be a good term for the cross-format prejudice? 

Knock Knock Helps Us Do Over

Winner time! First, your entries were so inspiring I re-read that thread (ha! do-over!) several times yesterday.

Thanks to the random integer generator, the winner is:

#26: Michelle Harlan!

Michelle, please send your mailing address to me at sarahATsmartbitchestrashybooksDOROTHYcom. 

Thank you to everyone who entered, and I hope your weekend is free of any need for a do-over! 

I received an email from Knock Knock about doing a giveaway, and it made me so giddy, I bounced on the sofa. I love Knock Knock - I use their "All Out Of" grocery list pad every week, and it's a lifesaver in so many ways. Saves me money, too. I love a LOT of their stuff, so I was really excited that they wanted to give some away here.

Since it's nearly Valentine's Day, they want to send one lucky winner a sampler of their products, including a Personal Library Kit, complete with datestamp, self adhesive pockets and checkout cards for your books, 'Sweet Nothing' post-it notes, and a… read more »

GS vs. STA: Military Heroes

This "Good Shit vs Shit to Avoid" request comes from Joanne, who is hunting for books to read this winter:

I am looking for suggestions for lovely romance or wonderfully
trashy romance involving a soldier/soldier of fortune, tough guy
in uniform, or one beside a crumpled uniform on the floor. A happily ever
after would be nice. In fact, I require it from my fictional men.

After an incredibly stressful month and searching in vane, I implore you,
please help. The wine is breathing, the phone is turned off (finally) and I
am heroless. It's sad really.

Since Joanne isn't specific about time period, historical, contemporary or even paranormal/UF recommendations are more than welcome. Which books do you recommend that feature soldier/military heroes? This will be one hell of a list, given the scope, to please try to limit your recommendations to your top 2 or 3 favorite books. 

And if there's a military or soldier hero romance you don't recommend, feel free to talk about it, but please try to explain why it… read more »

Sizzling Book Club Pick: Indigo by Beverly Jenkins

Time to announce the February Book Club Pick! If you tuned into the chat Tuesday night, you heard this already, but it's worth repeating with MORE WORDS!

The February book club pick is: Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. This book is so well-reviewed everywhere you look, and there's a very good reason for that. It's amazing. It's also a classic and one of the best historical romances. 

Here's the summary: As a child Hester Wyatt escaped slavery, but now the dark skinned beauty is a dedicated member of Michigan's Underground railroad, offering other runaways a chance at the freedom she has learned to love.

When one of her fellow conductors brings her an injured man to hide, Hester doesn't hesitate even after she is told about the price on his head. The man in question is the great conductor known as the "Black Daniel" a vital member of the North's Underground railroad network, but Hester finds him so rude and arrogant, she begins to question her vow to hide him.

HaBO-Thon: This is Some High Grade Crazysauce

This request is from Cathy, who remembers so much crazy from this book, it's just amazing. 

I'm looking from the first romance I ever read, which I'm pretty sure I
stole off my older sister. It was a category M&B (I remember it was a skinny
book) and the more I think about the plot the more I realise how WTF batshit
crazy it was.

Now I don't remember any names, but I reckon publication date would have
been 1978-1983 ish.

So without further ado, here's the crazy I remember...

Our heroine is a young stage actress about to break into the big time when
she suffers a terrible accident (or maybe the attack of a vicious rival?)
that leaves her with horribly disfiguring scars all down one side of her
face.

HaBO-Thon: It Was in the High School Library?

This request comes from Keisha, who has been hunting for this book for a long time:

I'm waxing nostalgic about a romance novel published before 2007 that I read
in high school and I hope you can help me. I haven't been able to find this
particular novel on Amazon. I found one that I thought was the right book
but it turned out to be a dud, a poorly written dud. I can remember some key
plot points of the book but cannot remember the hero's name, the author's
name, or the title of the book itself. Oddly enough, I do know that the
cover involves a misty forest scene in shades of purple or blue.

The heroine is named Angela (or some variation of "angel") and the story
plays up the whole Devil & Angel, Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera
quality.

HaBO-Thon: He’ll Be There With Bells On. Really.

This Help a Bitch Out request comes from Megan, who describes a book I would swear was erotica, but she says is not: 

Hero had long hair. He may have been sent from an alternative dimension.
Turns up on the heroine’s doorstep searching for some sort of artefact. He
loved the taste of coffee. There was a fight in a car park when he kicked
the pants of some bikers who were giving him rubbish about his hair.

He wore an anklet with bells. They (the hero and heroine) ended up travelling to
search for some holy grail type artefact. This was definitely romance and
not erotica, it may have even been a Harlequin which doesn’t seems very
likely but stranger things have happened.

Long hair and bells. Seriously, someone has to remember this book. Anyone? 

HaBO-Thon: A Memorable Book For Many Reasons

Cleo is looking for a book that was truly memorable for her, for a number of reasons, including the context in which she read it. Honestly, this book sounds fascinating. 

I have an HaBo.  I read this book in the late ‘80s, during my freshman year at college, and of course I don't remember any names or titles.  I borrowed it from one of my roommates, who borrowed it from someone down the hall, who borrowed it from someone else in the dorm.  I’m looking for it because I think it was ahead of its time - the heroine had several lovers and no dire consequences.  She didn’t die, or get raped, or shamed, or shunned.  I’m sure you’re imagining the earnest conversations we budding feminists and young liberal arts scholars had about the ramifications of this radical plot, but no. Pretty sure everyone read it for the same reason I did – the sex.  And I’m only pretty sure, not absolutely sure, because I barely talked about it with my roommate and I was WAY too embarrassed to talk about the sex in it.  Or the social ramifications thereof.

Habo-Thon: Her Name Might be Christmas

Lillie is looking for this book, which she has been trying to find for awhile. 

I need your help! I've been searching for a book for a few months and I'm coming up empty.

It's an older Harlequin or Silhouette, and I believe it was published in the 90s. It's a Christmas reunion story. The hero is a cop (last name may be Knight?), very ba-humbug and a neat freak. The heroine loves Christmas, is a free-spirit and her name has something to do with the holiday. I think it might actually be Christmas, nicknamed Chrissy. Heroine saw her boss commit a crime, went to the police, and met the hero. They hooked up during the trial, then she disappeared.

HaBO-Thon: Mirrors, Lots of Em

It's HaBO-Thon time! HaBO stands for "Help a Bitch Out," and is a segment wherein folks write in looking for books that they cannot find, usually becuase they remember many details about the plot, but not the title or author. This is, by the way, how I remember most books. 

Our first request comes from GoldenDarter:

After the latest round of HaBOs, and another fruitless internet search, I have decided to ask the Bitchery if they might know of this book... I read it several years ago, in the infancy of my romance obsession, but I have no idea when it was actually released.

I believe it is a historical, and if I had to guess I would say it is set in England (really, where else could it be?). I am certain he is a lord of some kind or at least obscenely rich (could he be anything else?). There is really only once particular scene I remember, and it bothers me to not remember the whole story behind it. It takes place near the end of the book and the H/H have been sleeping together for a while, though I have no idea if they… read more »