Random Thoughts on Books-n-Stuff ...

[Lori S.]

First, I'd like to thank our wonderful Moderator flavor type person Lucas for setting up this area of the forum.

As a reader, I always wonder what other people are reading. I find myself staring at total strangers who are reading, though I'm not really staring at the people but rather at their books no matter what flavor of hard copy, paperback (aka mass market), hardbacks or trades. It's harder with electronic readers, of course, and it would be really rude to try and sneak peeks over people's shoulders to see what they're reading ... though, uhm, I do find I, er, sometimes try ...

I wonder if other people do this or am I just weird that way?

I also wonder how other people got started on reading books? Did you have a parent who read to you or a teacher who enlivened your interest? For me, it was the fourth grade, a cool teacher who instead of doing English lessons would read to us in class and, according to my mom, a certain amount of maturity, which led me to finally picking up and reading the entirety of the Trixie Beldon Mysteries series. (I was a horrible student and preferred the easy entertainment TV offered, though what I watched at the time has had an affect on what I tend to read still.) After that I couldn't stop reading. Science fiction and fantasy were my mainstays throughout the rest of my childhood and through to my adulthood and I still enjoy those genres. Any road, just curious!

[Tj]

I really don't remember what really got me into reading. It may have been having a father that was a teacher. He had a Masters in education and Bachelor's in Mathematics, minored in English. My parents were big into education and the reading was part of it. I haave enjoyed reading my whole life. Obviously my parents did well with instilling a love of learning and reading in all us kids.

My daughter would tell you her father is responsible for her love of reading. He was huge on story time, even when the kids were older. I think it finally stopped when my oldest hit junior high and wasn't always home.

[Lori S.]

Tj wrote: "I really don't remember what really got me into reading. It may have been having a father that was a teacher. He had a Masters in education and Bachelor's in Mathematics, minored in English. My ..."

I read to my niece until she just quit coming to me. She can read on her own now, but doesn't really have the patience for others to read to her (except in class). I think we both suffer from the same problem - it's one thing when you read for yourself but when others are reading, we both get distracted and bored and start looking for things to do while listening. I love audio books because I can do other things like house work or watering while listening. Otherwise I'd be trying to read while listening ... that doesn't work to well! =o)

[Lori S.]

This morning there was a guy dressed in bright yellow Hawaiian shirt giving out advice to kids graduating from college. While most of his advice was pretty common sense stuff like 'get a job, any job,' 'move out' of your parents' house, etc. the one that got me going was when he started talking about reading.

His point, that most people quit reading once they get away from school reading lists, is valid, but his suggestion was to read as much nonfiction as possible (including papers, magazine articles, business journals, etc.) so one can keep up with what's going on in the real and business world. Good advice if that's your gig, I guess.

My thinking is is that most people, if they didn't have the reading bug from before school tried to ruin it (with their insistence on reading books that can be, in their own way, mind-numbingly boring and depressing) in the first place, aren't even going to pick up a fiction book much less a nonfiction book - especially business books, which strike me as being deadly dull and perfect cures for insomnia. One of my friends tried to get her son to read on his own the whole time he was little, but as soon as he was away from the school environment, reading was the last thing he wanted to do. It was too much like work and not a pleasure as it is for her. I wonder if that's why my niece won't read the library books she got a few weeks ago?

Just pondering.

[Hilary]

I'm rereading the great gatsby for the Navy wife book club I joined. I dislike it as much as I did when it was forced on me in high school.

[[deleted user]]

Hilary wrote: "I'm rereading the great gatsby for the Navy wife book club I joined. I dislike it as much as I did when it was forced on me in high school."

Hey I'm not not the most brilliant star in the sky but I know enought that when I put down my textbooks I was want to read for fun and escapism that why I like adventure-romances like Complaint Department member Roger Kean's novel A Life Apart set in the the British Mahdist wars of 1884 where I learn a little history of calvary and naval warfare and a lot about the loves of two soldiers.

No The Great Gatsby for me, I rather have Great fun! Now where did I put Zack's Hot For Boys: The Sexy Adventures Of Rogue Comic Book, er... I mean Graphic Novel. :-)

[Lori S.]

While I love the look of the poster and the commercial previews, The Great Gatsby was one of those books I hated in high school too. The one that still sticks out in my memory is The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Depressing.

For fun I was reading stuff like Dune and discovering Anne McCaffrey and Katherine Kurtz, so, I agree with you Lucas, fun and pleasure reading first and above all!

[Hilary]

Oh the Pearl was such a buzzkill. And I'm only rereading because the book club is gonna read it, discuss, and then go see the movie which looks awesome...so I guess I'll muddle through it or at least find a detailed plot summary.

[Lori S.]

Mundane bunch I take it? :o| Sorry you're suffering through that! And I highly recommend SparkNotes - not only detailed plot summaries but character lists. I've found it very helpful for listening to Jane Austin novels and when I listened to Brave New World earlier this year.

[[deleted user]]

Hilary wrote: "Oh the Pearl was such a buzzkill. And I'm only rereading because the book club is gonna read it, discuss, and then go see the movie which looks awesome...so I guess I'll muddle through it or at lea..."

Why do military wives read such boring books? Do they have to pretend it's educational or high brow or is it that they don't like to have fun? Do they think anything that's escapist is somehow morally wrong? What is wrong with mystery, romance, adventure, fantasy, scifi? Have they ever read a book written in the 21st century? What's wrong with sexy books?

[Hilary]

Actually the last couple books they read sounded very good and I was really excited. The first month I couldn't finish the book because the crazy pollen here have me a headache so bad I could read without crying. So this month, I read and loved the book, went to the mtg last night raring to go...and the two girls who had read the book didn't show up. The other five ladies just wanted to sit around and talk about hot actors...I don't think I'll last too long in this book club...lol

[Lori S.]

Well, you know, no one likes to be caught with such low-brow entertainment ...

[Lori S.]

Hilary wrote: "Actually the last couple books they read sounded very good and I was really excited. The first month I couldn't finish the book because the crazy pollen here have me a headache so bad I could read ..."

Allergies! Bleh! No fun. May I ask what the book is?

[Hilary]

Lol...actually the first two books were the Night Circus which was supposedly kinda romantic and mysterious and the second was Reconstructing Amelia, which dealt with teenage bullying, a teenage girl realizing she's a lesbian, and then she winds up dead supposedly by suicide. It was a mystery and a pretty good one. I really think the Gatsby thing is so they have an excuse to fawn over Leo the whole mtg. I have a feeling a lot of their books will be a little sexy. Our husbands are on submarines and not home a lot.

[Lori S.]

(view spoiler)[I refuse to have anything to do with organized religion precisely because of this attitude. It has always struck me as being Janus faced and hypocritical that while the New Testament preaches "love" for all men, the words actually pouring out of such people's mouths tend to be anything but.

In some ways, I really do think that organized religion is one of the most pernicious and vile things the human race has managed to invent for itself (worse in some ways than the A-Bomb). I do understand that religion has done good over time, but it's done an awful lot of harm too, destroying cultures (and yeah, there are aspects that needed changing - I won't deny that), causing wars between people who, though they practice basically the same religion, will kill each other over differences in interpretation and practice ...

Not to mention the Tell-Evangelists! I grew up with the spectacle of the Bakers and their kin. If anything was going to turn me off to the whole thing, that did it all by itself.

I'm not knocking anyone's faith - that, to me, is a separate issue entirely. I appreciate people who truly practice their particular form of belief system, who will answer questions if you've got them, but won't proselytize them to you (and I have been insulted by a couple such people over the years). Those are the types of folk I feel most comfortable with, but they are individuals. Not organizations. (hide spoiler)]

[Hilary]

I just read the original post on this topic, and I always wonder what people are reading. If I meet new friends, I ask what kind of books they like right off the bat. I am that stranger on the bus, train, subway, whatever that will ask a strange what they're reading, what it's about if I haven't heard of it, and if its good...lol. I also ask for a few of their fave books, so I can gauge their level of "good".

I don't know how I started reading because I was too young. Neither of my parents read any where near as much as I do, but they did read more than the average person does today probably. They both wrote professionally before I was born and quit after, though dad has started again and published a couple books in the last few years. Even though they both worked full time and late hours, they read to me when they could. I guess I just always knew books were important. They say shortly after I turned 3, I walked up behind my dad who was reading the paper, and I started reading out loud to him only having trouble with a few off the big words.

As for what I like to read, it's a crazy random mix. In school besides required stuff, I liked thriller novels...Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Robin Cook, and my favorite was John Saul. I liked to keep it light because between work and school, I had very little free time. Now that I have all the time in the world, I mostly read non-fiction, though a couple months ago I got on a fiction kick (I read Twilight even though I swore to myself I never would and liked it so I've been giving some similar books a chance...lol). My non-fiction stuff is so varied, but the topics I have the most books in are religion, philosophy, psychology, politics, history, cleaning, organizing, home decorating, cooking, Naval history and traditions, books about how to be the kind of Navy spouse that doesn't embarrass their husband or get him in trouble, legal stifle, genealogy, personal finance, and some random self-help books. But basically any time I get curious about something, I order a book...so there's all sorts of random stuff in our house...lol.

[Lori S.]

Just writing out a thread of story. Feel free to peek and comment. Playing with an idea, practicing, I guess.

(view spoiler)[Neal leaned against the railing of the second story walkway of Ortega Hall staring at nothing in particular though it looked like he was staring at the Duck Pond just north of the Hall. He ignored Sandra who insisted on jabbering away in his ear. She was excited about some dance or get together she planned on attending in the coming weekend.

UNM campus was a big, sprawling place, with wide paths shaded by Sycamore and pinon trees, grassy areas where feasible in the drought and planted with a mixture of native plants and annual flowers of a wide variety. In the afternoon sunlight, the concrete paths practically glowed white, adding to the over all sense of light and heat of the day. The sky overhead was a clear, light blue. No clouds marred the sky and Neal could feel the moisture leaching from his skin even as a he stood in shade.

The buildings were a mix, inspired by southwestern designs dating from the earliest times of human occupation up to the modern ugliness of the 1960s and 70s and well into to the 2000s. His personal favorite buildings included the cross-over Spanish and Territorial style of Zimmerman Library and the sprawling length of Mesa Verde where the history department was housed. Parts of that building looked like an old hacienda with its enclosed courtyard and thick walls which kept the heat out.

Neal's eyes wondered around, watching people making their way to or from classes. His attention was soon drawn to a pair of shadows under the shade of a pair of Sycamore trees and for a moment he wondered if his glasses were more smudged than usual. After taking another careful look, however, Neal became sure of who stood under the trees and just what they were doing. He shook his head, "It's about time!"

Sandra stopped mid sentence and stared at Neal. "What?" Neal just pointed to the trees on the grassy verge that led to the Duck Pond. She squinted into the bright day and frowned. "Is that Josh? And ... " Sandra tilted her head, "I don't know the other guy," she admitted.

Neal nodded. "Aaron," he told her. "I told Josh weeks ago to stop complaining to me and go talk to the guy. I guess he finally did."

"Oh," Sandra said. "Well, good for him then. How about you, are you interested?"

"In Aaron?" Neal looked startled at the idea.

"No silly, in coming to Diana's party with me this weekend," Sandra responded. "Weren't you listening to me? There'll be a live band and Diana throws a rocking party."

Neal shook his head and turned back to his contemplation. "No thanks, Sandy. I don't do parties. All that alcohol and people doing things in corners that would make a prostitute blush?" Neal indicated his distaste with a wrinkled frown.

"You're such a prude!" Sandy exclaimed. "Don't you like me?"

"Nah, just someone who'd rather stay sober and do fun things like read and talk to my friends." Neal picked up his backpack. "'Sides, I've got an Anthro paper due on Tuesday. I need to work on getting it done. And then I'm going to visit dad on Sunday." He paused to look at Sandra with a grin. "And I like you just fine. You've been a great friend since I came here last year."

Sandra looked a little flummoxed and puzzled. "I," she paused. "Neal?"

"Yeah?" Neal had started away, tossing the backpack over his shoulder as he moved.

"Do you like me as a friend or a girlfriend?" she finally rushed out. It was a question Sandra had been going around and around with for weeks now. Neal appealed to her in many ways, he was good looking, sweet, patient and funny. She could see them getting into intimate moments very easily.

Sandra began testing the waters with him, flirting and trying to get a rise out of him, some kind of response which would give her an indication of his interest in her. So far, nothing worked. It was like she was hitting a blank wall. So, she watched him, hoping to discover what drew his attention to other people. What she observed so far, she found somewhat inconclusive and downright confusing. No one, male or female, seemed to catch his attention. Neal like to people watch, but that was just it. He watched people in general. There was no indication of attraction to either gender.

It was Neal's turn to look confused. "I like you as a friend just fine," he said with a shrug. "I enjoy your company and your sense of humor. You're really good with the darts," he said referencing the night they spent down in the student lounge wiping everyone out of their cash. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, uhm," Sandra felt caught without a plan. "I-I was hoping you would be my date to Diana's party, that's all." She managed a crooked grin.

"A date?" Neal made the idea sound like a novelty. He frowned at her. "I thought you and Brandon were still together? Or did I miss something?" He started moving toward the stairs. He had another class in a few minutes.

"Brandon?" Sandra shook her head and grabbed her own pack before following Neal down the stairs and out of the shade of Ortega Hall. She squinted at Neal. Was he really that out of the loop? "We broke up weeks ago."

"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that. He seemed like a nice guy."

"Yeah, well, he wanted something I wasn't willing to give him at the time." She looked briefly uncomfortable. "So, what do you say?"

"To what?" Neal was focused on getting his next class.

"Being my boyfriend?"

"Oh." Neal stopped and looked at her with a thoughtful frown. "Not really Sandy. I like you, really but I'm not interested in those kinds of things." She could tell he was uncomfortable and tried to fight back her own impatience with him.

"Are you going to tell me you're bi or gay?" she asked.

"Uhm, no, actually." Neal sighed. "I really need to get to class. Can we finish this later?"

Sandy stopped walking and crossed her arms. "Tell me now so I'm not left swinging here."

This really was not a conversation he wanted out on a public sidewalk, but it was obvious Sandra was not going to give in without a fight. He looked around for a spot to talk since they between were buildings. After a moment, he motioned her over to a bench under a tree. "Look," he started awkwardly. "I don't get what you want from me. I mean, I really don't understand why you would want to be with me. What are you looking for?"

Sandra looked a bit incredulous but managed, "I find you very attractive. I like being with you and I thought you might be interested in something more personal, y'know?"

"No," Neal shook his head. "Why do you find me attractive?" He was so going to be late for class at this rate. Sandra's mouth dropped open in surprise. (hide spoiler)]

Really rough.

[[deleted user]]

Lori wrote: "Just writing out a thread of story. Feel free to peek and comment. Playing with an idea, practicing, I guess.

Neal leaned against the railing of the second story walkway of Ortega Hall staring at ..."
I like the way you write. I don't know if I'd be interested in the character. I'm not much for guys who can't be open to everyone. I can't waste my time on guys like that. If this guy can't make up his mind what he is then I don't much care what he is. If the guy is gay but not out, good luck with that but I'm not interested in his inability to make a decision.

I have some women who are important to me but by no means would we have a ♥ BFF faghag ♡ relationship. So I would not be interested in a gay guy who hung out with the stereotypical gal pal.

So without knowing this stuff I have no idea if I like the story but I do enjoy your style and would like to read more.

(Gads! Your thermal description of NM made me sweaty and I think I'm getting a bit of a sunburn. This story is so realistic it needs air conditioning! )

Well written!

[Lori S.]

I don't blame you, I have no interest in such people myself.

Keep in mind this is only part one. I haven't had much time this week to write much of anything thanks to a combination of being sick and busy at work, so I did not get a chance to finish the idea.

Neal is not gay, straight or bi. I'm working on a different sort of coming out story with an orientation that is only just beginning to gain recognition (an orientation I have discovered I share and, boy howdy, it explains a whole slew of things, including oddly reluctant characters) - it's not a case of not being able to make up his mind, it's a case of not being interested in the things that most people think of as being basic to human nature ... and some find incomprehensible as a result.

Sandra's genuinely interested in having a relationship with Neal, but she about to get a rude awakening. Believe me, and I mean no offense, but I wouldn't want a faghag relationship with my best friend either. I respect him and his cool partner too much - just wish they weren't in Austin ... Sigh. :o\

Thank you for your kind words on my writing. I have something up a Fiction Press, but no comments really.

Yeah, NM gets hot in the summer, and with all the concrete at UNM, it's amazingly bright with the sun out. The great thing is that we don't have a lot of humidity (8% is high), so it can be deceptively nice out at times. :o)

[Lori S.]

Part two. Still rough, but hopefully clearer as to where I trying to get.

The spoiler is merely for length.
(view spoiler)["No," Neal shook his head. "Why do you find me attractive?" He was so going to be late for class at this rate. Sandra's mouth dropped open in surprise. Neal sighed and settled forward with his elbows on his knees, placing his backpack between his feet.

“How could you not know just how hot you are?” Sandra asked in turn. She pushed at her hair, pushing loose strands away from blowing into her eyes. Despite the heat, the wind in the shade gave the illusion of coolness and Neal liked to think that he could feel just a hint of fall in it today. “I mean, you draw the eye of every girl in class. I’ve watched girls watching you, drool just dripping out of their mouths,” she continued.

Neal pulled a face at this and looked a little ill at the description. “Really? Why would they do that?”

Sandra sat back on the bench, totally confused and annoyed. Was Neal that blind or stupid?

She looked at him, taking in the short brown hair, not much more than a brush cut, if that, with dark brown eyes in a long, strong face. His nose had a slight bump in it; his lips were just right, not too thin over a chin she just wanted to touch. Well, if she was honest, she wanted to do far more than just touch and felt a tingle in her fingers at the thought.

And the rest of him, from his slender shoulders under the light blue t-shirt to his long legs encased in a pair of cargo shorts ending with his feet in a pair of Vans, was not overly muscled. Instead, he was wiry and long. Just perfect, she thought. She could not comprehend just why Neal did not see his appeal to girls, could not see how he affected the young women who even now were walking by, with their sidelong glances and wide smiles directed at him.

He nodded politely, pleasantly to the young women before returning his gaze to Sandra. The warm brown eyes she could get lost in, sharp with intelligence and humor. “So?” he asked when the silence stretched further. “I really need to get to class.” He grabbed the straps of his backpack.

“Wait! Please.” Sandy held out a hand, stopping short of touching Neal’s arm.

“Sandy, can’t this wait until after class? I promise, we can talk then,” Neal stood.

Sandra pulled herself together, not willing to put off anything that long, not when she wanted an answer. “No, I want to know what your hang up is,” she started. “I mean, why don’t you want to date me? What do you mean when you say you don’t get that I’m attracted to you? Don’t you find me attractive?”

“Sandy,” Neal started then sighed. He really did not want to have this conversation right now, if ever. People who heard what he had to say often reacted badly to the idea and some had been rather nasty about it in the past.

Sandy took on a mulish look, obviously not going to give up on badgering him for an answer. She crossed her arms again, lifted an eyebrow – how does she do that? Neal wondered idly, desperate for a way out – and settled herself more comfortably on the bench. She looked entrenched.

“Look,” Neal started, thinking frantically then muttered a curse under his breath. “Have you ever heard the term asexuality?”

“Uhm, yeah, in association with plants and amoebas,” Sandra shrugged. She watched him, her eyes narrowed.

“Right,” Neal took a breath, wished he still had some water. Fiddling with the strap of his backpack he watched Sandra out of the corner of his eyes. This was so hard. Swallowing, he forced himself to continue. “When it’s applied to humans, it means they don’t feel sexual attraction to other people.” Sandra looked confused. “I don’t feel sexual attraction to other people. If you asked me what sexual attraction feels like, I couldn’t describe it to you, because I don’t know how it feels. Aesthetically, I find you very appealing with your grey eyes and black hair, but if you asked me if I wanted to, what’s the term? Jump your bones? Do the horizontal mambo with you? Then the answer would be no.”

He took another breath to continue, but stopped as he noticed that Sandra’s face had taken on more than confusion, edging into frustration and a little anger. “Are you jerking me around?” She dropped her arms to put her hands on her hips as she stood from the bench.

“N-no, I would never tell you this as a joke.” Neal could feel his heart beating so hard he was sure it would explode from his chest. For a moment he thought he might be having a stroke then remembered to breath. It took several long, slow breaths for him to get his racing heart and thoughts under control.
“Are you scared of women? Is that why you would tell me such a thing? Scared of sex?” Sandra asked.

Neal shook his head. “No, if I was scared of women, I wouldn’t hang out with you now, would I?” He tried to smile at her, but quit when all she did was frown darkly at him.

“And sex?” She moved toward him, leaning forward as she did so. For the first time Neal noticed how low and loose her top was, a sleeveless blouse made of some thin material that he found frankly ridiculous in the New Mexico sun. You’d think, he thought idly, she would be worried about getting skin cancer. He watched curiously as Sandra came near her gaze intent on his eyes, as if looking for some sign that he was paying attention to what she was doing. Her blouse was gaping at the top now, giving him a clear view of her the top of her breasts and the thin bra she wore.

Neal shrugged. “Why do you wear that blouse anyway?”

Sandra stopped short. “Huh?” She straightened up and stared at Neal, feeling indignant. He went on, oblivious to her reaction.

“I mean, I know it looks nice, but really, you’d think people would wear more clothes around here to protect their skin from the sun. Yet, everywhere I look, I see you and other women wearing the minimum you can get away with and not being worried about getting skin cancer.” He glanced at the top of her shoulders and arms, “Do you have any sunscreen with you? You might want to slather some on.”

Sandra stood absolutely still. A trickle of anger ran up her back. Eyes narrowed, Sandra stepped away from Neal and grabbed her backpack off the bench. Sandra was not sure what just happened. All she was sure of was confusion at the moment. Her attempt, blatant and obvious, should have gotten a rise out of Neal. It certainly had with Brandon. His eyes would get a bit glassy and his breathing would change whenever she came on to him that way and she could actually see his reaction in other ways too. Neal, on the other hand, stared at her puzzled, a vague look of discomfort and disquiet on his face.

“So, what’s your problem Neal? Did you have a bad experience in high school? Some girl break your heart?” Sandra stood in front of Neal, her own backpack slung over her shoulder now. “I could help you with that you know.”

“None of those,” Neal shook his head. He pulled out his cell and checked the time and sighed. No sense in going to class now. Maybe he should find some water. Sandra was not budging, however. “I’ve never had a girlfriend,” he said, tilting his head now. Might as go for broke, he thought. “I was never interested in dating and all that stuff. I tried kissing once, it was boring.”

“Boring? Then you were doing it wrong! Look, I could teach you,” Sandra’s face brightened with hope. Oh to kiss those lips, that chin, she thought. Neal looked slightly nauseated at the thought.

“Uhm,” he started then shook his head sharply. “No thank you.” Sandra felt her face freeze with anger. She stepped back and stared at him for a long moment before turning and stalking off toward Yale Boulevard ... (hide spoiler)]

[Lori S.]

Something I found from September last year before I began to realize just why what I wrote in the post bothered me:

"Is it possible to find a romance novel in which the guy is *not* "hawt", "gorgeous", "beautiful", "mouth watering", etc. and so forth? ..How about a guy who's a little on the pudgy side or is just an everyday fella who's just a nice guy? Or, cooler yet, how about more stories about women who *aren't* desperate to get married/laid and just want to live life as it comes? Or am I just delusional?"

[[deleted user]]

Lori wrote: "Something I found from September last year before I began to realize just why what I wrote in the post bothered me:

"Is it possible to find a romance novel in which the guy is *not* "hawt", "gorge..."

There are few books about men who are in their 50s and 60s and one book I saw even had a protagonist in a M/M Romance who was 71 and still getting it on with his partner.

I know some people will jump all over me for saying this but most men in their 60s are not considered "hawt" by most M/M Romance readers.

[Lori S.]

Lucas wrote: "There are few books about men who are in their 50s and 60s and one book I saw even had a protagonist in a M/M Romance who was 71 and still getting it on with his partner.

I know some people will jump all over me for saying this but most men in their 60s are not considered "hawt" by most M/M Romance readers."

Very true - m/m is steered more toward the younger set, isn't it? So, is, if you'll forgive, most of gay culture in general, or at least what I've seen of it (mostly through books and TV).

My main complaint included m/f romance too (which I was reading at the time) and getting extremely frustrated because such people as described in those terms are rare in (my) real life [I've never met any of those people anyway - Navy Seals/Army Rangers, etc.] and I find the terminology extremely annoying.

Keep in mind too, that, at the time, I was still vising the Amazon Forums more regularly (and some of those people are not nice) and getting over loaded by the ridiculousness that romance novels tend to invoke without any real discussion of any substance.

As I told someone recently, if I were interested in that sort of thing, I'd be more attracted to the guy who's lifting a book, wearing reading glasses and is capable of having an intelligent conversation.

[[deleted user]]

Lori wrote: "Keep in mind too, that, at the time, I was still vising the Amazon Forums more regularly (and some of those people are not nice) and getting over loaded by the ridiculousness that romance novels tend to invoke without any real discussion of any substance."

Well Neal's story isn't ridiculous it's wondrous and intelligent and has plenty of substance to discuss. I truly hope you consider giving him his HAE with a collection of loving, loyal, empathetic and smart people who appreciate him for his words and deeds and are glad he is content and fulfilled with a life where he can pick and choose and is not forced to take everything on the menu. You could name it "A la Carte." <-grin->

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

Lori wrote: "Something I found from September last year before I began to realize just why what I wrote in the post bothered me:

"Is it possible to find a romance novel in which the guy is *not* "hawt", "gorge..."

I don't often read m/f romance because the women always seem to be just a little too fragile, or needy, or indecisive, or they are always swept off their feet by the alpha male. I know there are many romance stories where this isn't the case but instead I read urban fantasy which has elements of romance. For some reason in those kinds of books women seem to be more capable of dealing with life, perhaps because they are also vampire slaying, or dealing with the forces of darkness, or they might be shifters themselves e.g the Mercy Thompson series or Jane Yellowrock series. I think all of this is simply to do with the trends within genres and the perception of what sells. I think we need some new trendsetting authors.

It is a pity we don't have more m/m stories with characters in their forties and older. There are a few, but it always puzzles me why being forty is seen as being really old. Michael Thomas Ford writes gay fiction and his stories are sometimes romantic and he is excellent at writing about all kinds of characters, good looking, ordinary, old and young. DSP have also recently published an anthology which is focused on older men called Snow on the Roof. I haven't read it yet, but it does look good. Also The Apothecary's Garden has a man in his sixties falling in love with a young man in his twenties and it was an excellent story , really well written too. I like it when there are books within the romance genre that don't follow the usual trends.

[Lori S.]

Ijeoma, I have enjoyed a number of UF books over the years. One of my favorite authors is Tanya Huff who wrote the Blood Books (aka Victoria Nelson series), as well as Smoke and Shadows, Smoke and Mirrors and Smoke and Ashes - featuring Tony Foster, who's working for a TV show that sounds suspiciously like an all male version of Huff's Blood series (and Forever Knight), trying to find the right guy [he's got a major crush on the show's lead actor], and discovering that he's a fledgling wizard into the bargain.

There are still a few m/f series I do read/reread: Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter series, which features a number of strong, competent women and Jennifer Ashley's Shifters Unbound series and Nalini Singh's Psy-Shifter series, which also feature strong, competent women.

However, it's a bit of a struggle now to read these books because skipping all the intimate stuff really cuts out a lot of the book. Then, if the characters are less than impressive and you don't buy the relationship between them, say like Singh's Tangle of Need then that makes the problem worse. The book was a big disappointment after the excellent Kiss of Snow.

One of the reasons I like Josh Lanyon's stuff so much is that he does have older characters (in keeping with the author's own age). For instance, Kit Holmes is experiencing a bit of a mid-life crisis in Somebody Killed His Editor, for a number of reasons. Kit's lover has run off with another man, his books are being cut from his publisher's planned run, he's just turned 40 and he has to deal with the return of someone from his past, not to mention that he considers himself to be over the hill!

I have read and enjoyed a number of Ford's books (and even found and bought a Proof of What We Remember at the library bookstore once), though funnily, the first book I ever read of his was a Jane Austin vampire book. Because of him, I finally listened to audios of Emma and Sense and Sensibility and did for a time consider actually reading a Steinbeck book before sanity returned. LOL

You're right about the having more books featuring older folks in such settings. You'd think, with the older population, there would be more books geared toward that segment, but we're going against what the market wants to sell to and though I fall into the right age group (at least for now), I don't like what's on the market. Which is why I read a lot of science fiction & fantasy, urban fantasy, m/m and gay/lesbian literature.

[Lori S.]

Lucas wrote: "Well Neal's story isn't ridiculous it's wondrous and intelligent and has plenty of substance to discuss. I truly hope you consider giving him his HAE with a collection of loving, loyal, empathetic and smart people who appreciate him for his words and deeds and are glad he is content and fulfilled with a life where he can pick and choose and is not forced to take everything on the menu. You could name it "A la Carte." <-grin->

Muchos gracias, Lucas. I am going to try giving him exactly that. Characters keep popping into my head and waving their hands at me, so though they're in proto-form, they do exist. Just how I'm going to write it, I don't know. :oD

[Lori S.]

Huffington Post is running a series of articles on Asexuality. Though I'd post each of the links here, if anyone's interested in reading them. :o)

1. What is Asexuality

2. Asexual Disorder? The Search For Ace Identity Is Part Recognition, Part Redefinition

3. Asexual Relationships

4. 6/20/13

[Preston, Moderator]

Lori wrote: "Huffington Post is running a series of articles on Asexuality. Though I'd post each of the links here, if anyone's interested in reading them. :o)"

Tremendous! This should be posted in the main thread "Post Complaints Here" so that everybody sees it. It's about time people start thinking that sexual orientation isn't limited to LGBT but the all orientations including an asexual one.

[Lori S.]

If you don't mind I will do so.

[Hilary]

Haha...I randomly noticed mentioning that I was rereading Gatsby and still hated it. Around chapter 4, I ended up getting into it ..:and I ended up loving it. Since a lot if it about trying to go back and re-live the dreams of your youth and living in the past, I guess I didn't get it as a sixteen year-old who didn't have regrets or a past at all behind me. Now two months away from 30 with past regrets and a few heartbreaks behind me, I related to it a lot more. And the movie was amazing.

[Lori S.]

Yeah, I find that books I read years ago take on a different meaning as my experiences change and I get older. I wonder if some of the books they jammed down our throats in high school would make more sense these days, not that I'm interested in rereading them at this point.

[Lori S.]

Never get addicted to online fiction. It's too frustrating if the story doesn't't get updated quickly (or real life gets in the way). :-\

[Averin]

Hey Lori, have you read this one: http://www.discordcomics.com/shades-c... ? The MC is asexual and while the writer keeps trying to pace the storyline with 50 Shades it's genuinely good story.

[Averin]

Lori wrote: "Never get addicted to online fiction. It's too frustrating if the story doesn't't get updated quickly (or real life gets in the way). :-\"

I adore Daron's Guitar Chronicles but when the author is sick or otherwise busy, I'm jonseing.

[Lori S.]

Averin wrote: "Hey Lori, have you read this one: http://www.discordcomics.com/shades-c... ? The MC is asexual and while the writer keeps trying to pace the storyline with 50 Shades it's genuinely good story."

Thanks for the heads up Averin! I've not seen this comic before.

[Averin]

Lori wrote: "Averin wrote: "Hey Lori, have you read this one: http://www.discordcomics.com/shades-c... ? The MC is asexual and while the writer keeps trying to pace the storyline with 50 Shades it's genuinely..."

Cecilia Tan at http://daron.ceciliatan.com mentioned it. I got so hooked I read the whole thing. It looks like Shades of A is updated on Tuesdays like DGC.

[Lori S.]

My dad sent me this link to Red Green's Christmas Turkey Bake. Cooking while driving has never been more, erm, interesting. LOL

[Roger]

Ho! Ho! Ho!

definitely entertaining in style… :)

Happy New Year!

[Lori S.]

Roger wrote: "Ho! Ho! Ho!

definitely entertaining in style… :)

Happy New Year!"

Happy New Year to you too Roger!