Bitchin' Blog Posts
: Georgette Heyer
April 03, 2012 | Tuesday | 25 Comments
In March, a book of acdemic essays was published by Mcfarland titled New Approaches to Popular Romance Fiction (McFarland | Amazon). There are many different perspectives included in the book, including an essay I wrote about the use of the word "bitch" to describe ourselves, the website, and its community. I asked Sarah Frantz and Eric Selinger, the editors of the book, some questions about it so they could share some information about it and how it might be of interest to more than just the academic community. What are 5 things the average romance reader who is not an academic might find…
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August 25, 2011 | Thursday | 9 Comments
Sunita examined other Jewish characters in Heyer’s novels, and made some interesting discoveries. I remembered that the heroine in April Lady had also visited a moneylender, “Jew” King, to obtain money for her lovable wastrel brother. I commented at Sarah’s post that this portrayal reduced: A fascinating, complex man who was politically active and well connected politically and socially … to just a Jewish moneylender Well, I was half right. The “Jew” King Heyer is referring to is actually the son of John King. He was also referred to by that nickname in the novel, but his treatment in April…
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August 21, 2011 | Sunday | 4 Comments
Good heavens, she ejaculated! People buy Heyer books when they are on sale! Pass the ratafia, and let’s toast! And cheers again to Brook, Crane, and Myles for topping the List with No Name for the second week in a row, she ejaculated again! Wild & Steamy Carolyn Crane, Jill Myles, and Meljean Brook [Amazon | BN: nook | AllRomance | Goodreads | Smashwords] Hearts Aflame Johanna Lindsey [Amazon | BN | WORD | Kobo | WORD Brooklyn] Venetia Georgette Heyer [Kindle | Kobo | BN] Frederica Georgette Heyer [Kindle | Kobo | AllRomance | WORD Brooklyn] Devil’s Cub…
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August 18, 2011 | Thursday | 17 Comments
As I mentioned on Tuesday, Emily and KarenMC requested a Heyer discussion, so tonight at 8:30 EDT, the window below will go live and we’ll discuss all things Heyer. We’ll chat for about 90 minutes, and you’re welcome to email me questions you’d like me to ask - or come on by and ask them on your own. Everyone’s welcome. I hope you’ll join us!
Georgette Heyer Discussion
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August 17, 2011 | Wednesday | 36 Comments
I decided to read this to cleanse the palate, in a roundabout way, after my feelings of repulsion at The Grand Sophy. I think after this I will be taking a long break from Heyer, but I’m glad I read it. Nothing wrong with a bit of reformed rake historical romance. Venetia is an uncommon country girl heroine, living in Yorkshire with her younger brother, Aubrey, who is brilliant intellectually though troubled physically by a pronounced limp. Their eldest brother, Conway, is in the military, and the burden of running their estate and managing all the family details has fallen…
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August 16, 2011 | Tuesday | 15 Comments
In the discussion thread of this week’s Heyer Sale (all the ebooks are still $1.99 at most vendors!) and following the discussion of my D review of The Grand Sophy, Emily and KarenMC requested a chat about Heyer. They may have meant selecting one as a Book Club pick, which I may still do, but since there are so many Heyer fans, and so many Heyer books, I figured a general chat might be fun. So! Thursday 18 August at 8:30 pm EDT, we’ll be chatting about Heyer - the favorites, the ones you most disliked, and everything in between.…
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August 15, 2011 | Monday | 184 Comments
This is a difficult book to review. On one hand, up until a specific point, I liked it. On the other hand, it turned offensive to the point of horror, demonstrating not only a repulsive prejudice but a use of lame stereotypical stock characters that detracted from the strengths of the novel. In the end, my enjoyment was dissolved by my own bitter disappointment. Until that point of 0_o, I was loving this book. Sophy is the only daughter of a diplomat, and has been following him around war-busy Europe. Now that her father has been assigned to South America,…
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August 15, 2011 | Monday | 55 Comments
To celebrate Georgette Heyer’s birthday, Sourcebooks has put their entire digital collection of Heyer novels on sale for $1.99. NICE. Ready to shop? Hope so! I struggled recently with The Grand Sophy, which I read last week, but Heyer’s books are, unquestionably, quite a legacy to the romance community. $1.99 is quite a nice price, too. The books should be at this price from 15-21 August at most major e-retailers, though sometimes there is a delay with switching the price. You may have to check back. Here’s a comprehensive list for you. I’ve tried to find links to many major…
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August 01, 2011 | Monday | 40 Comments
Sales continue, much to my surprise! Not really. But this is a surprise: Lord of Scoundrels (BN | Kindle | Kobo) is still .99c, even though I thought the sale ended on 31 July. As one reader suggested to me in an email, that’s a great price to gift a copy to someone who might otherwise sniff derisively at the romance genre. I’m going to send it to a few people now. Heh heh heh. Surprise Romance! And if you were curious about the Amish romance phenomenon, Cindy Woodsmall’s Hope of Refuge (my grade: C) is on sale for $1.99. …
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June 22, 2011 | Wednesday | 79 Comments
As I mentioned earlier, my recent email exchange with Robinjn following her re-examination of LaVyrle Spencer’s Years got me thinking generally about age differences in romance, and how reactions can vary depending on sub-genre, character, and conflict. In historical romances, the age difference is often expected, or at the least not worth noticing as a potential conflict. In many historicals, the women are younger and possibly virginal, and likely looking or staunchly not looking for a husband (except for that steaming attraction to that guy) (and maybe at some point she wears a pelisse or some boy’s trousers) (or both).…
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November 07, 2010 | Sunday | 93 Comments
Want to grin? Have some happy, thoughtful links. An Ode to Emilie Loring, romance author. Thanks to Holly G. for that link. Q: Which romance authors (you can only name one) remain enduring favorites through every single book they wrote? New or older authors, doesn’t matter. (I predict the top three favorites from the comments will be Heyer, Roberts, and McMaster-Bujold. My choice is Julia Spencer-Fleming, mostly because I’m going through a palate-cleanse of mystery reading and I can’t stop turning back to her books to enjoy and savor her character building and small-world-building skills. Mills & Boon has a…
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August 27, 2009 | Thursday | 21 Comments
Head for Cambridge if you’re a Heyer fan: on 7 November 2009 at Lucy Cavendish College there’s going to be a one day conference on Re-reading Georgette Heyer. Some of the presentations sound amazing, such as these three:
2:30 Catherine Johns: ‘Class and Breeding’
3:00 Sarah Annes Brown: ‘Lady of Quality and Homosexual Panic’
3:15 K. Elizabeth Spillman: ‘Cross Dressing and Disguise in Heyer’s Historical Romances’
...which are followed by a structured discussion of cross dressing and gender issues.
[Thanks to Dr. B. Lewis for the link.]
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August 21, 2009 | Friday | 7 Comments
Behold, we have winners in the Sourcebooks Heyer giveaway. Our nine runners up, each of whom will receive a copy of The Grand Sophy, are: Cassie Rhian Kelly C shewhohashope Shary Sofie Yunami Babz Cindy And our grand prize winner, who will receive all ten Sourcebooks Heyer titles for 2009, plus a Frango Mint Chocolate Trio sampler, is: barbara at 8:52 am . Congrats to all the winners, and thank you for stopping by. Big thanks to Dawn, Danielle, and the Sourcebooks team for such a great contest and giveaway. Happy reading! ETA: Wow, was my brain not on when…
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August 18, 2009 | Tuesday | 291 Comments
Many of you are big fans of the Sourcebooks reprints of Georgette Heyer’s backlist, especially because the quality of the books themselves is stellar. Not only are they printed on some luscious paper, but the covers are gorgeous. I know a few folks who have written me to say that since discovering the reprints through Smart Bitches, they’ve bought several copies as gifts for friends and family. Heyer romances: the gift that keeps on giving! This week marks the 107th anniversary of her birth (16 August), and to celebrate, we’re hosting a giveaway of rather epic proportions. Details are at…
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April 18, 2009 | Saturday | 29 Comments
Thanks to Rebecca for the following: should you need a gift for the romance fan in your life, come 1 July, you can bring joy and contentment to everyone on your list with the audio recording of Richard Armitage reading Georgette Heyer’s Sylvester.
It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
And if you’re needing immediate joy and gratification, here’s Alan Rickman reading Sonnet 130.
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