An auspicious beginning ...

[blamebrampton]

I had planned to write a short thought-filled essay today.

Prior to that, I had a dinner engagement with a friend who is over from London. I wrote out her Christmas/New Year card. I wished her all the best for 2007.

Dinner was delightful, and I have now downgraded my plans to mineral water and a paperback.

All the best!

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

My Australian friend didn't show up for our Skype meeting (again, after 1-2 years now). "Auspicious" was also a word in my mind therefore. Your 1987 (or even 2007 though no, not really) suddenly look very appealing. My paperback doesn't (why is there not a single romance for me in the world to enjoy? I don't demand much, honestly, no matter what they say; hope your book is better).

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

How RUDE! 1987 was an interesting year, things were mostly improving in those days, and there was a lot of good live music. Plus, we'd be fine with the economic plummet, because the current one is worse!

I stick to paperback crime fiction, currently Agatha Christie. No good at romances, I always want to hit someone!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

Exactly. Though scared witless, I went to see the Go-Betweens in our capital city and applied to go to OZ for a year.

I read her for the romance, though I ran out of non-Poirot-or-Marple books now, bah. The loss of blanking out the worst crap is perhaps the most painful for me as a reader. I once was able to enjoy Narnia where I am now unable to read about Aslan. I once found and felt the undeniable pull of attraction between two people in a range of books where now there is nothing but the need to "mate" making the antagonistic and brutal treatment of a male pleasant to a female.
Once again, and I apologise for it, I wish for a memory lapse of my own!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

The Go-Betweens were such an amazing band ...

I've been quite enjoying the Marples, despite thinking I didn't like them very much. I think I was too young to get all her sly humour and satire when I first read them. And you know me, satire will always win me over!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

I read all of them in translation when young and will try to get the Marples if and when I can. I know she herself got sick of Poirot as well, though yes, of course, I find all my romance and humour and humanity in mysteries (not as such but the few better books happen to fall into that genre where the non-genre stuff shines brightly as it doesn't in the genres where it should).
Satire today is what tragedy once used to be, at least that was one of if not the first papers I wrote about the theatre.

[kudilu.livejournal.com]

May I suggest you try Jean Johnson, if you haven't already? Yes, her published work is (at least mostly) published as romance, but they're really fantasy books that don't leave out the actual sex.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

I haven't read her yet - the covers wouldn't have tempted me. Does she also have some that are really good while others are the usual rape fantasies or could I try any book?

[kudilu.livejournal.com]

Well, most of what she has published right now is a series; or rather, a series of 8 and a single book set in the same world. Another book in the same world (with 4 shorter pieces in it) is due out sometime early this year. I would suggest that you either start with the beginning of the series or the stand-alone, though she did write the books in such a way that they can be read without reading the previous ones.
None of them are the standard rape-fantasy, though i must admit I've never read anything that was. Then again, i think the only published books I've read that were categorized as 'romance' are these ones and the original Tyler series, which is like 12 books and has a murder-mystery woven through the whole set.
Anyway, the series starts with The Sword, and the stand-alone is Shifting Plains.
If you would like a short description, i would be happy to write you one, though I do have a habit of giving minor spoilers in descriptions. I think i could do a paragraph or two on the 8-book series without giving any actual spoilers though.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

Heh, thanks. I wanted to try out her erotic fairy tales first and was wondering if I'd find one of those online, short enough as a reliable taste-test but completely self-contained. I'll have another look tomorrow.

[kudilu.livejournal.com]

hm, i don't think i read those ones, though i remember reading about them.
If you're just looking for a taste-test of her writing style, she writes Harry Potter fanfiction (mostly focused on Hermione/Snape) under the name of LadyoftheMasque - most of it is available at TPP LotM, though the massive epic For Someone Special is only available at her Yahoo! group or on The Restricted Section (i believe). She's got plenty of shorter pieces there.