Reading (mostly) romance books down under
Photo: James Leynse
Sarah Wendell is coming to Sydney and we’re having a reader get-together over tea!
We had a few options—Nutella pizza, steak, sausage sizzle—but really, how could we go past high tea? We considered various venues and it was hard to go past The Victoria Room’s salon in the CBD. The scone menu is to die for.
Readers, bloggers and bookish folk are all welcome to come along. It would be great to catch up with bloggers and tweeters as well as meet new faces.
Bring a book (optional) and an empty stomach!
When: Sunday, October 28 from 1pm
Where: The Victoria Tea Salon (Level 4, Westfield Sydney CBD)
Who: Lovers of romance fiction, scones and smart bitchery
Cost: Varies, depending on what you plan to order (click here to view their menu)
Bring: A book to show off, swap or give away (optional)
If you’re coming along, please RSVP to kat@bookthingo.com.au by Sunday, October 21. I’ve made a tentative reservation for 25 (under the name ‘Smart Bitches’, of course), just in case Sarah’s fan horde descends upon us (we would love that!), so if we go over I need to panic and then beg the venue for more seats.
It would be great to see fellow romance readers and bloggers there, so we hope you guys can make it!
Neither whimsical nor brilliant. The best I can say about this book is that I was compelled to skim it to the end.
In hindsight, when the the book’s introduction, ‘A Note From Alice’, failed to stir any reaction from me other than, Seriously?, I should have left it at that. But I wanted to give the book a fair go, because look at that cover and think of the possibilities of a zombiefied version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
But any link to Lewis Carroll’s original text is tenuous at best. I wouldn’t have cared if the title were a tongue-in-cheek reference to Carroll’s Alice and that was it, but the entire book seems geared towards exploiting this link: the title, the cover image, the tagline ‘Off with their heads!’, and the series name, The White Rabbit Chronicles. If you’re looking for the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
Alice Bell’s life changes the night she loses her family to a car accident in which she also witnesses her father being devoured by monsters. In hospital she befriends Kat, the embodiment of your typical tough and sarcastic best friend with a marshmallow centre in a teen novel. When Alice begins junior year (Is that the equivalent of year 11? I always forget) at a new high school, it’s fairly predictable that she finds Kat in the same school.
Anyway, it turns out that Kat’s ex-boyfriend—who you just know won’t be ex-ish for long—hangs out with a group of scary boys and girls, one of whom is Cole. The minute he and Alice make eye contact, Alice has staggeringly realistic visions of them together. Mostly they’re what would pass as wet dreams in a teen novel, but occasionally there’s a spot of portentous violence, too.
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A fun romp and a good spy romance. But it’s not The Duke.
Carissa Portland, a ‘lady of information’ (AKA a gossip), comes upon what appears to be an irate husband who’s out to get Sebastian, Viscount Beauchamp. Unbeknownst to her, he’s actually Beau’s fellow agent and a member of the infamous Inferno Club. Being the lady of information that she is, it doesn’t take her long to find out everything and they end up having to get married. Beau has better things to worry about. His BFF and former co-spy has become a mercenary, their secret organisation is being investigated, and there’s trouble on every front.
Carissa could have been an annoying busybody, but I rather liked her. She’s intrepid, and her attempts at investigation to assist her husband are, in my opinion, quite practical and not stupid. She has a good head on her shoulders and she doesn’t come across as ineffectual. She gives it a go and is a pretty decent spy without entirely meaning to be. She also has an additional storyline, which author Gaelen Foley resolves well—it doesn’t turn into a big drama-fest or become a clusterfuck of miscommunication.
That said, I started out being rather bored with this book.
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A taut, intense and brilliantly written erotic read in the first book of a trilogy that Fifty Shades wants to be when it grows up.
Zachary Easton is the most brutal editor of ‘high brow’ literature around, and Nora Sutherlin, best-selling erotica writer, wants him for her next book. Unbeknownst to Zach, Nora is also New York’s top dominatrix, but she’s afraid that this would cloud his impartiality in editing her work as a writer of erotic BDSM fiction. In addition, she’s running from a former lover and trying to keep her hands off Wesley, the virginal (and vanilla) nineteen-year-old she lives with.
Everything about The Siren is deliciously complicated and it’s an experience I don’t want to spoil (plus I’m not in the habit of killing fairies, so to speak).
“I like doing things that hurt.” She gave him a Cheshire cat grin.
Nora pretty much introduced herself as one of my new favourite literary heroines of all time. Full of contradictions, she epitomizes female sexuality and is so wonderfully glib about all things sex that it’s both amusing and horrifying. Not to mention exciting. No wonder she’s considered dangerous. The banter between Nora and [insert any character she comes into contact with in the novel here] is fantastic, and her chemistry with all the men in her life is palpable.
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This book is like a sweet old-fashioned dessert—nice but not extraordinary. And sometimes that’s just what you need.
Tessa Neville is a widow who serves as a sort of steward to her brother, a viscount. Since she has a head for numbers and is good with investments—insert type A personality and bluestocking alert here—she often investigates potential investments for him. This time around she’s looking into a canal that’s being built and sussing out the possibilities.
Tessa is frank and outspoken by the period’s standards, although to me, she still sounds polite when she’s making a point. As she is a widow, she is given certain leeways to travelling without a male escort (she comes with Eugenie, her lovely maiden aunt) and we get the impression that people are more open to doing business with her because of that.
Charles de Lacey, Lord Gresham, has always been the kind of guy who doesn’t really do responsibility. He’s the heir to a dukedom, but he’s left the estate in the hands of his brother, and he’s been sort of gallivanting through life forever. On his father’s death he discovers he may not be able to claim his dukedom, on account of possible bigamy on his father’s part, leading to him being declared illegitimate. The proof of his legitimacy lies in discovering the source of threatening blackmail letters to his father. He has traced the source back to the same town that Tessa is in—and it seems that he is the very same builder of the canal she’s looking into.
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A compelling, ambitious work of historical fiction set around the time of the burning of Alexandria’s magnificent library. I like big books and I cannot lie.
Let me begin by saying how daunting it is to review a work of quite epic proportions (and this is only book 1!). Once upon a time, I did entertain dreams of being an Egyptologist, thanks to Henry Jones Jr., but I claim no formal qualifications—just a fascination with history in general because it has been said that ‘the past is never dead. It’s not even past.’
‘Hatred is a poison, you cannot drink it and expect another to die’.
What an amazing line! I feel as though an essay might better suffice, but then Written in the Ashes is a journey that is better experienced without the spoilers that a review of that length would no doubt be littered with. Yes, the novel is inspired by actual historical figures and events, but it is told mainly through the eyes of Hannah, a Jewish shepherd girl abducted from her home in the deserts of Sinai and sold into slavery on the streets of Alexandria.
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BOOKMARKED is the name we gave to our paper.li journal, but since not everyone is on Twitter and not everyone on Twitter likes paper.li, we also run an adhoc compilation of links on the blog to highlight links and news that might be of interest.
ARRC13 reader registration is open
Early-bird registration is now open for readers going to the Australian Romance Readers Convention in Brisbane next year. The event runs from March 1 to March 3 at The Mercure. You can find more details and a link to the registration form at the ARRA blog. Guys, you HAVE to come along! Keynote speakers are Kristan Higgins, Anne Gracie and Rachel Vincent.
Lady Jane Salon at ARRC13
And in related news, New York-based Lady Jane Salon, a monthly romance fiction reading event, will be held overseas for the first time when it comes to ARRC13. The event is open to everyone who has a ticket to the ARRC13 welcome reception. Here’s a teaser from the ARRA blog:
Modeled in spirit on the literary salons of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Lady Jane’s provides guest authors, patrons, industry professionals and members of the media the opportunity to meet, mingle, read aloud, and discuss great romance reads in a free-flowing forum. At Lady Jane’s, we don’t have ‘Q&As’, we have conversations. We don’t have coffee, we have cocktails, or ‘mocktails’ as our guests prefer. The Salon takes place in the evening at a wine bar, lounge, or coffee house and typically includes four guest authors and a break to allow attendees to chat with authors.
Australian Romance Readers Survey
If you haven’t already done so, I’d urge you to fill in the annual ARRA survey. The survey aims to collect some statistics about our reading habits. The survey closes October 18. Note: Australian readers only, please.
Has Fifty Shades of Grey changed your life?
If so, I was contacted by the TV show Can of Worms last week. They’re looking for personal stories and opinions from readers about the book, its characters and themes.
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This book needs a hug.
Charlie is a freshman in high school. He writes letters to a friend that we don’t know about, like a diary, filled with wry observations on his life and what’s going on in it. The entire book is in letter form—we never get a reply from his friend—and is filled with raw emotion, in what I imagine to be Charlie’s matter-of-fact, possibly even slightly monotone—but always honest—passive voice.
At first, Charlie doesn’t have any friends. He is a little weird—even weirder than the cool kind of weird—and it’s a bit hard for him to fit in. He makes friends with two seniors, Patrick and Sam, and begins to experience life, sometimes without really trying.
I first heard of this book when it was released and kept meaning to read it, not realising, ten years later, that I would be determined to read it because they’ve made it into a movie! I thought it would be a typical coming of age book, and I expected to be caught up and be able to relate to the story, because who hasn’t felt like a wallflower sometimes—on the outside looking in? It was a lot more than I expected.
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Yes, it’s the event we’ve all been waiting for—ARRC 2013 registration is now open to readers.
You can find a link to the ARRC 2013 brochure and registration at the ARRA blog. The event will be held at The Mercure, Brisbane from March 1 to March 3. The keynote speakers will be Kristan Higgins, Anne Gracie and Rachel Vincent.
Registration rates
Early-bird — $214/$234
From November onwards — $244/$264
Day rate — $144
Book signing only — $7.50/$10
* Day and book signing only registration will be available in November.
Social functions
Welcome reception — $39/$63
Awards dinner — $58/$92
The cheaper rate doesn’t include drinks.
Have you registered yet? Which events and speakers are you most excited about?
(The Bridgertons, epilogues) The series that made me—and the rest of the world—falling in love with Julia Quinn. If you haven’t read this series, start now! If you have, then this is the cherry on the cake.
(Rivers of London, Book 1) Original, witty and fun—this is my new favourite series.
(The Edge, Book 3) Although there are familiar elements, there is something quite distinct about this series. I really enjoyed this difference.
(Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 11) The crack is back. This book will either allow you to exit the BDB world satisfied…or suck you right back in with a vengeance.
(Clockwork Agents, Book 1 and 2) An exciting, fast-paced and very, very sexy steampunk romance series.
(Mercy Thompson, Book 7) Mercy Thompson fans who have been eagerly anticipating this book will love the complicated twists of the plot, and romance readers will absolutely adore Adam.
A lively read, and while I’m not too sure I’d like to have gone through all that Georgette did, waking up next to a hot-hunka-chunka-burning-love Highlander with a kilt (but not in one) might not be so bad. (Except I’d better be able to remember it all the next day!)
You don’t have to be a fashionista to appreciate this book. Grace Coddington is a woman who loves life and what’s she’s made of it, and that comes through very clearly on the pages.
(Mercy Thompson, Book 2) The pacing and plotting are not as balanced as in the first book. Mostly we’re just along for the ride—but it’s still a fabulous trip.
(The Caster Chronicles, Book 1) A book to hand someone with the words, ‘Please enjoy’—something you can have fun with without having to think too much.
Special thanks to BOOKSELLER+PUBLISHER for keeping us abreast of what's going on in the Australian book industry, and particularly to Tim Coronel, who patiently explains to us the intricacies of book publishing in plain Tweet-lish.
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