Jane Litte's Blog, page 974

REVIEW: Broods of Fenrir by Coral Moore

Dear Ms. Moore

Thank you for sending me your book for review. I was sold when you told me that this werewolf story was based on the Norse mythology and involved a lot of discussion of pack dynamics.  While I appreciated the fresh take on the werewolf myth and the focus on the pack, I was disappointed at what parts of the story you choose to tell. In fact, I felt most of the book was prologue.

[image error]Brand Geirson's father is the brutal ruler of the Broods of Fenrir.  Brand did not want to follow in...

Friday Film Review: House of Flying Daggers

House of Flying Daggers (2004)

Genre: Romantic, Action/Adventure,Drama

Grade: B-

Our recent post with the luscious Asian mantitty reminded me that I've wanted to review this one for ages. Okay, prepare your brickbats now because this time I'm sure that a lot of you are going to disagree with my grade for this one. It's beautiful, the costumes are lovely, the scenery is gorgeous but there's just something missing here for me.

Mei (Ziyi Zhang) is an exotic, beautiful blind dancer, associated...

REVIEW: Owned and Owner by Anneke Jacob

Dear Ms. Jacob.

Readers: This book is hardcore, heavy-duty, almost-but-not-quite non-consensual BDSM. I hesitate to call it a romance and yet it really almost is. It's total 24/7 dehumanization of the female submissive. It is NOT for everyone. I loved it and I heartily recommend it, but readers, please read my review before buying, because it's unlike anything else I've reviewed.

Ms. Jacob, I've tried your As She's Told and it's just slightly too…squicky for me. I never enjoyed the pony-play...

Thursday News: SMP Was to Receive $70,000 Worth of Pot

In light of fan fiction, collaboration, and just plain fascinating stuff comes the story of a Redditor turned screenplay writer.  Wired recounts the transformation of James Erwin from Redditor commenter who began to envision a story about a group of military folks in Afghanistan being time warped back to the Roman period.  His scenes made him an instant Redditor celebrity, got him an agent, and now his screenplay is the basis of a big budget movie.

Mid-afternoon, Erwin posted the seventh...

What Jennie's Been Reading

Since last I wrote, I read and reviewed Patricia Gaffney's Crooked Hearts. Here's what else I've been reading:

The Great Famine: Ireland's Agony 1845-1852  by Ciarán Ó Murchadha: Because apparently one book about innocent people starving to death just wasn't enough for me. Actually, it wasn't until I started this book that I realized I had inadvertently grabbed it just after finishing the book on the Siege of Leningrad. This is a well-written book, but too dry and scholarly for me. There are s...

REVIEW: Abigail Jones by Grace Callaway

Dear Ms. Callaway:

I was bemused and not particularly enchanted by your gothic paranormal novel Abigail Jones. Everything about it, from the demented sex-starved demonesses to the enormity of your hero's penis, was over the top. Very little about the heroine, her plight, the hero, his predicament, or the eye-popping plot called to me to. Ultimately, I found the story silly and, despite the many erotic scenes, unsexy and unromantic.

You open the book with a poem by the famous Pre-Raphaelite...

REVIEW: On His Honor by Jean Brashears

Dear Ms. Brashears:

This book really didn't work for me. For one thing I felt like the tone and content of the story was quite dated. I've often lamented how many Harlequin Superromances lack sexual tension and this is emblematic of the issue.  I never felt like these two had any attraction for each other that was organic to their characters. Sure, we were told that they were attracted to each other, but the tone, attitudes and construction made it seem like they were more suited to being...

REVIEW: Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch

Dear Mr. Aaronovitch,

I've been recommending enough books here lately that I have started to worry that my grades are overgenerous. But when a book is as much fun as your debut urban fantasy/police procedural, Midnight Riot, what is a reviewer to do?

[image error]I picked up Midnight Riot (also known as Rivers of London in the UK) to read with my husband after I saw it recommended three times. The first recommendation came from a good friend whose taste in books is a bit lighter than mine. She loved your...

Wednesday News: Ways to Contribute to DA

There are a couple of ways that you can contribute to DA.  We will also be developing a reader interview questionnaire. I would love some help on developing that interview sheet.  (Note that these links will always be in the sidebar)

Write a guest review. From time to time, we post guest reviews of books that people have loved or hated. Submit your guest review here.If you are an unpublished author, you can submit a first page post.  These are posted on Saturday AM.If you are a debut print...

Q&A with Professor Rebecca Tushnet

 

 

 Professor Tushnet is professor of law at Georgetown University as well as a writer of fan fiction. She is a founding member of the Organization for Transformative Works, an organization designed to support fans and fan fiction, and which argues that fan works are legitimate and transformative forms of creative expression. She agreed to take questions from Dear Author's readers and answer as many as she can in a Q&A post.  The following are her answers.

 

Thanks for having me!  I'm happy...