Category Archives: reading

Trusting Authorial Voices

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I’ve recently been thinking about novel beginnings, and how it’s common (and good) advice to start with big obvious conflict. However, I don’t think that it’s always necessary to do that. More importantly, I’ve been thinking about why that is … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, writing craft | 2 Comments

Top 5 Marriage of Convenience Novels

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

This post was originally written for Monkey Bear Reviews. # My Five Favorite Marriage of Convenience Novels It was really difficult to make this list! The “marriage of convenience” is one of my favorite romance novel plots. I made the … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, romance novels | 4 Comments

Bearded Heroes

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I’m a guest today at the Novelists, Inc. blog on “Five Ways of Thinking About a Writer’s Conference.” As for my own personal blog, I’ve been wondering something. Where are all the romance heroes with beards? Or even moustaches? I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in moonlight mistress, reading, romance novels, the duke | 4 Comments

Eroticism in To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I recently read Patricia Gaffney’s To Have and to Hold for the first time. If I’d only read the first section of the book (a bit less than half), I could easily interpret it as an erotic novel, though one … Continue reading →

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Mansfield Park Revisited, Part the Third

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

My final notes on my last re-read of Mansfield Park. Mansfield Park can be read online at Gutenberg.org. #November 18, 2004 After finishing my reread I confess I’m a bit puzzled about Henry Crawford. Either he was a great actor … Continue reading →

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Mansfield Park Revisited, Part the Second

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

More on my most recent re-read of Mansfield Park, from several years ago. Mansfield Park can be read online at Gutenberg.org. # November 15, 2004I had a couple more thoughts on the rereading I’ve done so far. First, Edmund criticizes … Continue reading →

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Mansfield Park Revisited, Part the First

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I recently located the journal entries I made when I last reread Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, way back in 2004. I reproduce them here for your enjoyment. # November 12, 2004I’ve just begun my first reread of Jane’s Austen’s Mansfield … Continue reading →

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Top 5 Angsty Heroes

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I love angsty heroes. You might have guessed that about me at some point. Ahem. Anyway, my top five: 1. Any Laura Kinsale hero. I mean, how can you top the boy prostitute who becomes a ninja? Or the vertiginous … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, romance novels, sf/f | 8 Comments

Which Book? Oh, Which?

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

So many books, so little time! How do I choose what to read next? The illustration for this post is some of my giant To Be Read pile, extracted from its boxes and strewn all over my bed for its … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | 6 Comments

My TBR or The Andes?

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

My To Be Read book piles are scary. I suspect pretty much everyone who loves books has a TBR; if they’re not the sort who keep physical books around, or the sort to equivalently load up their e-readers, I would … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | 2 Comments