Category Archives: reading

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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Erotica Under the Skin

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I want to read erotica from the inside. The surface elements are much less important to me than how the characters feel. A bland setting or one that is poorly realized is, to me, a flaw, and an intriguing one … Continue reading →

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I Don’t Read It For the Sex.

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I don’t read erotica for the sex. Well, not entirely. I know. I write the stuff, so why I don’t I read it for its intended purpose? Possibly for the same reason that a pastry chef might not eat pastry … Continue reading →

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May-Ten-Centuries-Back Vampire Romance

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

The May/December romance is one thing. The May/Ten Centuries Back romance is quite another. It’s always disturbed me a little that vampire heroes in romance are so often much older than their heroines. When the heroine is not only not … Continue reading →

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Vulnerable Vampires

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I would love to see vampire heroes and heroines who are more vulnerable, even, than ordinary humans. I know most readers don’t want to see that, but I do. Vulnerability is what draws me to a character. I want them … Continue reading →

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A Little History With Those Vampires, Ma’am?

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I absolutely adore historical fantasy, and that carries over to vampire novels that happen to be historical fantasy.Moonshine by Alaya Johnson just came out this month; I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy in April, due to running … Continue reading →

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