First, 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.
I too am thankful for this blog, for the Bitchery in all their magnificence, and, in particular, for all the amazing work that SB Sarah puts into it. I was so in a reading rut before SBTB. This year’s most gratitude inducing books were the Hunger Games series, Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate, a new Vorkosigan novel, Cryoburn (which, by the way, comes with a CD of all of Bujold’s Vorkosigan stories plus other goodies.) I also feel that every new book by Terry Pratchett is a precious gift and am eagerly looking forward to reading I Shall Wear Midnight. And thanks to all for you for the perpetually renewing fountain of TBR. So many of the authors that I am most grateful for would never have come my way without this site!
NEMESIS, by Lindsay Davis. It’s about love and family, and features a very strong marriage between Didius Falco and Helena Justina. It’s also a very _interesting_ book to give as a present for Father’s Day; the first chapter is heartbreaking. But family rules all, even bad ones, in this book. And in the end, that’s all that really matters.
There have been a few really good books this year, ones that to me were heads above the rest. Joanna Bourne’s The Forbidden Rose and Loretta Chase’s Last Night’s Scandal. I also have honorable mentions in Jennifer Ashley’s Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage and Tessa Dare’s Three Nights With a Scoundrel.
I have had a supremely busy and stressful year so I am very thankful for books. They are my means for some “me” time and almost always give me “feel good” moments. Blogging and review writing are relatively new to me but I am enjoying the comraderie that I find on the various sites.
I think my favorite that I read this year was Julie James’
Practice Makes Perfect
, about two lawyers who have the hots for each other but are competing for a single partnership spot at their law firm. No false conflict here—the competition is real, and their mixed feelings towards each other lead to hysterically funny dialogue.
I’m thankful for discovering this very website! Without it, I might never have moved beyond Georgette Heyer and Diana Gabaldon and into the wonderful world of romances. Yes, I must admit, I had never read a single romance novel that was not written by one of those women. Since I’ve started obsessively reading SBTB, I’ve discovered so many authors whose books I love—especially Loretta Chase and Jennifer Crusie. So thanks, SB Sarah and all the bitchery, for helping me move beyond my snooty literary attitude so I can appreciate great stories no matter what the cover looks like!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
I’m thankful that I discovered the works of Meredith Duran and Sherry Thomas, and The Summer of You by Kate Noble.
Things I am thankful for-
The SB community introducing me to historical romance, am loving it sooo much.
Stephanie Meyers….(I know y’all are p’bly going …WTF) let me explain, my daughter did not read anything but magazines for a looong time then along comes the Twilight craziness so my girl heads off to the movies watches one of them comes home and asks me if I can buy her the next book in the series cos she wants to know what happens, I of course bought the books the next day and to my shock my daughter read them and after that she heads to my bookcase grabs a book and the rest as they say is history. My daughter now reads every day and every time we are out she always wants to stop at a book store it warms my heart and not to mention her English marks have moved from a pass to high b’s and a’s. I tell ya I am one happy and thankful mama!
I am thankful for Sarah Mclean’s 9 Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake’s heroine Callie because she reminds me so much of myself it’s kinda sad. And I can just hope that my story (Cause I’mma stupid girl) ends up like hers. Even though her hero is supermega asshat in that he’s so self-absorbed I don’t know whether I want to kiss him or punch him. But his twin brother (Who’s distinguishing feature from his twin is the scar that he got in prison over some evil lady) is just the peachiest peach out there.
And my mommy and sister.
And the Dallas Cowboys!
My fave reads from this year have been:
The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
Soulless by Gail Caviger
Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich
Green Witch (also Hoffman)
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
@Carol: I am not a Twi-fan but I got into it with a woman at the barnes and noble checkout who said Stephanie Meyers had RUINED fiction and everyone should read classics like Robinson Crusoe.
My attack was two pronged:
If Twilight gets a nonreader hooked on a series it’ll be the gateway drug to more books!
Robinson Crusoe was f*ing dull.
🙂
Some of my favorite reads this year:
Kathleen O’Reilly’s Blazes
Manhunting
Strong Poison
Secrets of a Summer Night
Lord Carew’s Bride
Match Made in Court
The Spanish Groom
Julia Spencer Fleming’s series
The Devil’s Cub
Plan B: Boyfriend
and many more . . .
Another Canadian (and first time poster) here, but I just had to say that I’m thankful that I rediscovered my first love, historical romance. I spent the past several years under the haze of new-motherhood and I didn’t have the time or energy to read as much as I wanted to.
That being said, the books I am most thankful for are:
9 Rules to Break While Romancing a Rake (Sarah Maclean)
Proof by Seduction (Courtney Milan)
The Devil in Winter (Lisa Kleypas)
The Sabrina Jeffries backlist
And I am thankful for SBTS, because without this blog I wouldn’t have discovered so many new books and authors this year.
My pocketbook may not be happy about this site, but the rest of me is. Thank you for all the bitchery, book recommendations, and laughs.
Some of my favorites this year:
Not Quite a Husband – Sherry Thomas
Flat-Out Sexy – Erin McCarthy
Courting Miss Hattie – Pamela Morsi
For the Earl’s Pleasure – Anne Mallory
Strawberries for Dessert – Marie Sexton
Her Ladyship’s Companion – Evangeline Collins
After three years of non-fiction in my personal reading, my book club chose “The Help”. That book broke the avalanche of my resolve and I returned to romances with a passion (pun intended). From the reviews here, I read Lord of Scoundrels. I stayed up until I finished it, the first time I’ve done that since Dear Son was born. This lead to more perusing and I read Bet Me. Loved! LOVED! (Have read it 7 times since!) I’m thankful for re=entering the world of laughter, flirtation and hot sex (though I still read my non-fiction) and for the Bitchery who helped me get there.
Captcha: moving85 The re-introduction of delicious fiction will help me get to 85 new books this year.
Thankful for lots of things. Found some great books through this fabulous blog (and had rather a lot of Diet Coke exit unexpectedly as I spluttered about a video or cover pic!).
More votes for Gail Carriger’s Soulless and sequels
pretty much any Georgette Heyer, always and ever
audiobooks of Georgette Heyer: The Grand Sophy, for example, is read by a fabulous chap with verve, relish and due appreciation of GH’s wit.
Joanna Bourne
some Jennifer Crusie (Bet Me in particular)
Julia James
Justine Davis (her Trinity St West series is an oldie but a goodie from my keeper shelf)
and I thought, hey, I’ll get this Iron Duke book on my Kindle, and I’ll be able to read it RIGHT NOW instead of waiting for the post for a fortnight or so…. BUT oh no I won’t, it’s not available to my geographic area (Australia). Same song, next verse, and the Kindle gathers even more dust. Sigh.
Hi Ruth,
just had the same thought – wow that Iron Duke must be good, I’ll buy it to take on holiday with me. But no I’m in Canada and it is “unavailable”.
Oh well, I added it to the lost book sale site. And I’ll try and get it from the library sometime in the future, if I remember.
I’m thankful for all the epublishers out there who publish ebooks drm free. And let me buy no matter where I live. And for all the new and new to me authors they publish. And to SBTB for finding them for me. Thank you.
Yes, I must admit, I had never read a single romance novel that was not written by one of those women
I’m just so damn thankful that I found this site. Each and every bitch’s comment speaks to my own inner (ok, usually not buried too deep) bitch.
I’m also thankful for my Nook which has led me to online libraries and lots of new authors with lots of backlist titles to borrow and buy. And I’m NEVER without a book to read even when I’m stuck in LAX for 4 hours.
And, oh yeah…my family, my health and all that stuff. 🙂
I’m enormously grateful that I’ve found this Cecelia Tan and her Magic University books such a wonderful website, awesome! Thanks a lot to the publisher, author of these books and to all staff etc.