Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I've not been particularly entertaining these days, eh? While I've been doing some reading and keeping up with a little of the goings-on across the Blogoverse, things have come to a screeching halt here on my corner. I don't think I've reviewed a book since the first week of October. This week, I'm doing my best to finish up the new Sherrilyn Kenyon book that's actually a re-release, BORN OF NIGHT, the first book in The League series. Now, I'm not a futuristic sci-fi fan, unless you're talking Star Wars, so I wasn't too sure about this one when I was first assigned to it for Romance Reviews Today -- but my opinions can change. And that's all I'm saying on that since it is for review, which means it's an ARC, and I'm only half-way through.

I've seen rumblings around the various blogs I frequent about ebooks and rights, copying, etc etc etc. And when they start throwing in all those legalese words, my brain goes numb and my eyes cross. No offense to those gals, but since I could not be considered current in the ebook and ereader markets, I tend to not get involved. I loved Wendy's post wherein she started a discussion on just where we, as fans of "dead tree books", obtain our stash. Honey, my checkbook and credit card still whimper at the damage I've inflicted on them over the years, adding to my collection. I know I've put more than one author's or Books-A-Million employee's kid through college with the amount of money I've dropped. I'm not above frequenting a used book store, either, or trolling Paperbackswap, although some folks may not be huge fans of them.

I was reading the newest issue of Romantic Times Magazine, and in it they feature the "legends of historical romance". Names like Virginia Henley (one of my alltime faves), Johanna Lindsay, Jo Beverley, Patricia Rice and Mary Balogh are just a few mentioned, and don't get me wrong, I have had my fangirl moments with some of them. But they left one out, one that's personal to me -- Julie Garwood. If it weren't for CASTLES, I may never have jumped on the romance wagon. I was even a huge fan of Linda Lael Miller back in the day as well, although I've gotten away from her (and I'm not sure why). I credit all of these, and more, for giving me hours of entertainment and stress relief during times when I needed it, and even those days when I just wanted to take a mini-adventure. And now I just induced another small TBR anxiety attack on myself because I just remembered that I have a lot more of books by these very same authors (and SO many more) that I have yet to read. Yikes!

What author do you credit for love of romance? If not one particular author, was there a certain book that opened your eyes and made you go hmm?

2 comments:

Wendy said...

Not mentioning Julie Garwood seems like a pretty big oversight. Also, I don't think Linda Lael Miller gets nearly enough credit. Mostly because she's one of the few historical western authors who hasn't completely abandoned the sub genre. For that reason alone she gets massive props from me.

No one author in particular, but the book that really opened my eyes was Watermelon by Marian Keyes - which is technically chick lit and not a romance. Still, it really reinforced for me how much the genre had changed from the 1980s bodice-rippin' style. I was hooked from that point on.

Victoria Janssen said...

Mary Jo Putney's ONE PERFECT ROSE was the book that got me back into reading romances a while back.