Genres 101: Today’s Lesson – Women’s Fiction

I received an interesting e-mail the other day, asking if I’d like to review a book that was classified as “flit-lit”. It has been at the tip of my fingers for the last several Genres 101 posts to write about, well, let’s start off by referring to it by my main title of “women’s fiction”, but I kept hesitating, thinking there really couldn’t be all that much to talk about. Of course, the e-mail I mention just proves me wrong; offering another subgenre to what is probably a pretty huge list of them. But how different can, say, Chick-lit (the term we’re probably all most familiar with) be from Hen lit? Well, let’s delve in and see…

First to mention is the Romance Novel. This novel has some illustrious roots, with Jane Austen, then Georgette Heyer …

New Releases: June 20 – 26, 2011

Shameless by Anne Stuart

A long string of tragic loves haunts Viscount Benedick Francis Alistair Rohan. Cool and cynical, he’s weary of life’s fickle games and wants a prim and proper wife he can ignore while indulging his sensual appetites.

Lady Melisande Carstairs is nothing less than a tornado storming into Benedick’s measured life. Possessed of boundless energy and the soul of a reformer, Melisande always conquers, whether it’s saving the souls of soiled doves or seducing the man she’s inconveniently fallen for. When she informs Benedick that his brother’s newly revived Heavenly Host has graduated from simple carnal debauchery to sadistic violence, he’s compelled to investigate, undercover. Under those covers, however, is Melisande herself, playing a dangerous game in the name of justice.And the Heavenly Host has just seen her hand, and more…

Explore This! New Orleans, Louisiana

 Recently, I’ve been reading Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series, which features Meghan Chase, a half fey princess that hails from some unknown place in Lousiana. On her way to saving both faery and human worlds, she makes a stop in New Orleans. This is one place that has always been on the top of my must see list! I romanticize about the cajun food, the French Quarter, and the langurous sounds of jazz playing somewhere n the background. Though weather has treated this city poorly, especially in the last ten years, it is a place where I think you would feel like time has stood still…or at least there’s no need to rush it.

New Orleans site towards the end if the Mississipps River,
lends itself to beauty as well as …

Genres 101: Today’s Lesson – Humour

There is nothing better to get you out of a funk than something that will make you laugh, so this week, as I battle a head cold in scary humid weather, I thought we’d take a look comedic writings. I need a good laugh right now. Normally, I stick with fiction but I figured it would be nice to add in a few non-fiction examples in this category also.

The big thing is: what makes us laugh? I have a strange sense of humour at times, so for me, sarcasm and irony blended with intelligent writing are the best mix to tickle my funny bone. Defined by Wiki (I’m going to briefly paraphrase here), Comic Fiction is writing that is meant to amuse the reader while making them think about controversial issues, using subtlety, puns, and a carefully crafted narrative style. I’m not sure if I completely …

New Releases: June 6-12, 2011

Hexed by Kevin Hearne

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, doesn’t care much for witches. Still, he’s about to make nice with the local coven by signing a mutually beneficial nonaggression treaty—when suddenly the witch population in modern-day Tempe, Arizona, quadruples overnight. And the new girls are not just bad, they’re badasses with a dark history on the German side of World War II.

With a fallen angel feasting on local high school students, a horde of Bacchants blowing in from Vegas with their special brand of deadly decadence, and a dangerously sexy Celtic goddess of fire vying for his attention, Atticus is having trouble scheduling the witch hunt. But aided by his magical sword, his neighbor’s rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and his vampire attorney, Atticus is ready to sweep the town and show the witchy women they picked …

Explore This! The Auvergne Region, France

 This week we’re heading back to Europe, to the Auvergne Region of France. I was reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, which inspired me to check out this area. Harkness’ vampire character, Matthew Clairmont (aka de Clermont), had his home base in a castle nestled somewhere in Auvergne. On further research, Anne Rice’s vampire Lestat also hailed from here, being born the “son of the marquis d’Auvergne”. Taking a look at the pictures, it is easy to understand the ancient nature of this part of France which lends a certain authenticity as an origin or home for vampires.

To me, this looks like a place that stands outside of time and still retains much of its natural beauty. Let’s start our tour:

Ancient brick work surround by a lush garden is reminiscent of a scene in …

Genres 101: ‘Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby’…(Today’s Lesson: Erotic Fiction)

I was deeply engrossed in a novel last night, that had me alternating between giggles and having to fan myself from the heat, so naturally today I have s-e-x on the brain. I thought this would be a great time to take a look at Erotic Fiction, a genre that can range from fairly mild encounters to all out…well, everything.

I remember long ago (I was about 12 years old), finding a stash of paperback books that had the most outrageous content I had ever read. That’s not saying much, really, having most recently read things like Madeleine L’Engle and The Hardy Boys. But finding these stories full of engorged male parts and other scintillating elements was like pure gold during that delicate part of puberty. Since then, I’ve at times steered clear of erotic fiction and …

New Releases: May 23-29, 2011

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A “Lost”-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

Dreadnought by Mark Walden
Death and the Underworld by Anthony Horowitz
The Devil in Disguise by Stefanie Sloane

Explore This! Key West, Florida

Today, we’re heading south, all the way down to the end of the US 1 highway. Key West has many claims to fame, including being the end of that particular highway(or is it the beginning?). It is the southernmost point in the (continental) US as well as being the closest point to Cuba. It’s also only one of two destinations that I’ve posted about, so far, that I have visited. To that end, Key West has this remarkable spot where you can look out over the water and see where the Gulf of Mexico meets with the Atlantic Ocean…just stunning!

I drew my inspiration for this post as I read Meg Cabot’s lastest book, Abandon. Meg herself lives in Key West and named her fictional island to resemble what has been described as the original name, Cayo …

Genres 101: Long Ago and Far Away (Today’s Lesson: Historical Fiction)

It seems as readers we have a fascination with the past that encourages today’s writers to continue bringing us fresh ideas from the past (that sounds funny, doesn’t it?) For several millenia, the world has been taking notes, creating a tangible record for us to look back on and see where we all came from. And for nearly as long, works of fiction have been created and are still enjoyed to this day. When we hear the term “Historical Fiction“, it can mean different things to readers. Whether we’re talking about works by Sophocles or Sarah MacLean, they all fit into this huge genre, with many subcategories that cover all manner of romance, wars, and moral lessons, to name just a few elements.I’m sure as Aristotle, Sophocles, and others of that ilk were sitting down writing their works on moral treatise that they …