Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

Last night was our first night with the baby, and aside from moments of, “Are we doing this right?!” and “Are we ever going to sleep again?” we did ok. Hubby and I were a team, and even at six in the morning when we had to change our sheets because someone hosed them down in his own special sauce, and then feed, and then change again, and then get back in bed, lather rinse repeat, we still managed to keep our sense of humor. And we’re tired but happy this morning.

Without delving into TMI territory, I have to say that seeing my own husband, whom I’ve known since high school when we were 17, become a father and handle the responsibility and the change with affable grace is really freaking sexy. I mean, no sex for me for at least a month and a half, but still, yowza! Men who manage fatherhood happily - that’s some yummy right there.

So last night while I was trying to get back to sleep, which was surprisingly difficult after the change/pee/sheets/pee/change/feed/change hour of madness, I started making a mental list of the romance heroes that I’ve read about that were sexy fathers as well, possibly during the course of the story. It’s probably hormones, but I couldn’t think of more than a few. One of Hubby’s fatherhood books, the one I am totally jealous of because it is better than all the other books I have put together, talks at length about the stereotype of inept fatherhood, and how men are more likely to be portrayed as bumbling fools when it comes to being a dad, instead of as able caregivers who can change diapers and do laundry and not suffer any loss of their manhood. Am I suffering from a black hole in my memory, or is few and far between to find a hero who is also an able, caring father?

Aside from the “secret baby” genre, what books are out there that you liked that featured strong, sexy fathers as heroes? Consider this an open call for the “Father Genre” - what books do you recommend?

First, l’Shana Tova to all our Jewish readers. Since it’s Rosh Hashana, I am required by Jewish law to visit all the relatives and eat all of their food. At nine months pregnant, I am up to the task. But before I go, a question inspired by the discussion of the origins of romance:

What do you consider the Classics of romance? If you were, say, designing a course around the origins of the romance novel, or were looking to trace the finest examples of romance backwards through the library, what books would you choose?

On my list, which I’m still mentally building: Evelina by Fanny Burney, and Pride & Prejudice (particularly if Colin Firth is reading or at least featured prominently on the cover - yowsa!) certainly fill the bottom of the rotation, but picking my 20th century examples is going to be hard.

At least I have ideas for a list to make in the car! 

I admit, until recently I’d never read a Silhouette. Now, I have to come clean and admit I’ve never read a traditional Regency romance, either. Not a Heyer, not a Cartland - the closest I’ve come is Evil Auntie’s Parody. So - give me the straight dish: what traditional Regencies (not Regency-set historicals) do you recommend?

And we shall expediently add these to our Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid category. I swear!

A while back, somebody gently *koff* pointed out that we came up with a neat idea, and then did shit-all with it. Namely, the “readers recommend, we post the recommendations!” idea. Today, we finally got off our asses and sorted all this shit out.

Asterisks denote books that aren’t really romances, so if you’re looking for an HEA and a neatly wrapped-up ending by the end, tread carefully with these books.

Kerry recommends Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series.

recommends:

• Undead and Unwed* by MaryJanice Davidson
• Undead and Unemployed* by MaryJanice Davidson
• Angela Knight
• Nina Bangs
• Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series* (prior to Obsidian Butterfly)
• Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series*

Alyssa recommends Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series* (Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail).

Meljean recommends:

• Twilight Phantasies by Maggie Shayne
• Twilight Memories by Maggie Shayne
• Born in Twilight by Maggie Shayne
• “The Night Owl” by Emma Holly, Hot Blooded anthology
• Hunting Midnight by Emma Holly
• Catching Midnight by Emma Holly

Jorie recommends Sunshine* by Robin McKinley.

Angie recommends:

• If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl
• Shiloh Walker’s Hunter series
• JC Wilder’s Shadow Dweller series
• Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series*
• The Dhampir* series by Barb & JC Hendee
• Shannon Drake
• Undead and Unwed* by Maryjanice Davidson
• Undead and Unemployed* by Maryjanice Davidson
• Linda Lael Miller’s Vampire Valerian series
• Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series* (prior to Obsidian Butterfly)

Rosario recommends:

• Undead and Unwed* by MaryJanice Davidson
• “The Night Owl” by Emma Holly, Hot Blooded anthology
• Hunting Midnight by Emma Holly
• Catching Midnight by Emma Holly
• Darkness Calls by Caridad Piñeiro

cw recommends:

• “The Night Owl” by Emma Holly, Hot Blooded anthology
• Prince of the Night by Jasmine Cresswell
• “Candidate for the Kiss” by Angela Knight in Secrets Vol. 6

Samantha Winston recommends My Fair Pixie by, well, Samantha Winston. Heh.

recommends:

• The Vampire Viscount by Karen Harbaugh
• The Silver Kiss* by Annette Curtis Klause
• Undead and Unwed* by Maryjanice Davidson

Nicole recommends:

• If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl
• Single White Vampire by Lynsay Sands
• Love Bites by Lynsay Sands
• Tall, Dark, and Hungry by Lynsay Sands
• Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series
• Undead and Unwed* by Maryjanice Davidson
• Nibbles ‘n Bits anthology by Judy Mays, Mardi Ballou, and Delilah Devlin

Irsyangel recommends Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series*.

Monica recommends Midnight Gamble by Nancy Gideon and Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake books*, but only until and including Blue Moon.

Darlene recommends:

• Sunshine* by Robin McKinley
• The first six books of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s St. Germain* series.

Gabrielle recommends:

• Keri Arthur
• The Vampire Viscount by Karen Harbaugh
• Night Fires by Karen Harbaugh
• Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series*

recommends Katie MacAlister’s vampire novels.

recommends Linda Lael Miller’s Vampire Valerian series.

recommends:

• Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series*
• Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series
• Undead and Unwed* by MaryJanice Davidson
• Undead and Unemployed* by MaryJanice Davidson

Gail recommends:

• Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series*
• Undead and Unwed* by MaryJanice Davidson
• Undead and Unemployed* by MaryJanice Davidson
• Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series*
• If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl with the following caveat: “I liked the book, but thought the romance was a bit thin. The romantic couple did the fighting bit well, but the getting-together-in-the-end didn’t seem quite believable to me. There wasn’t really any reason that I saw for them to suddenly be in love. If they were in love. I’m not real sure what their status was at the end...but it was a fun read anyway.”

October 28 Update

recommends Tanya Huff’s Blood series*.

recommends Rachel Morgan’s series* by Kim Harrison.

Emma Gads recommends Susan Squires’ Companion series.

recommends:

• Laws of the Blood: Companions by Susan Sizemore
• Mercedes Lackey’s Children of the Night*
• Those Who Hunt the Night* and Travelling with the Dead* by Barbara Habmly

Ellen Fisher recommends:

• If Angels Burn* by Lynn Viehl
• The Companion by Susan Squires
• The Forever Kiss by Angela Knight

Maili recommends:

• Prince of the Night by Jasmine Creswell
• Love Bites by Margaret St. George
• These Fallen Angels and This Dark Paradise by Wendy Haley
• Blood and Roses by Sharon Bainbridge
• Sinful Secrets by Thea Devine ("probably the weirdest read in a while; honestly, it’ll fuck with your mind")
• Night’s Immortal Touch and Nights’ Immortal Kiss by Cherlyn Jac
• Dark Dreams by Jane Harrison ("for the opening chapter alone, I have to admit")
• Those Who Hunt the Night* and Travelling with the Dead* by Barbara Hambly

Robyn recommends Those Who Hunt the Night* and Travelling with the Dead* by Barbara Hambly.

recommends Kim Harrison and L.A. Banks’ series*.

So does Sara.

And so does La Karibane, and also recommends The Companion by Susan Squires.

Vera Nazarian recommends:

• The Vampire Viscount by Karen Harbaugh
• Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series*
• Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson
• Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson
• Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series

recommends the Carpathian series by Christine Feehan.

recommends the Katie MacAlister’s vampire books.

Anything that makes people read more makes me happy. Therefore, the Harry Potter phenomenon makes me happy. People are really, really excited! About a book! How fucking cool is that?

But man, I wish people would go nuts over a better book.

Oh yes, that’s right. I think Harry Potter is vastly overrated. The premise is all right, but based on what I read (all of the first book, half of the second) the writing was pedestrian at best, boring at worst, and rife with cliches.  Someone I knew wrote this very interesting post about the magic system and pinpointed something else that was bothering me:

Anyway, maybe I’m being picky, but [Candy] is certainly right, the writing is nothing to write home about. But most of all the MAGIC is rather silly.

I’m not even quite sure what I mean by that - but the magic seems kind of spoofy and farcical in nature like - oh, I’m going to go take Magic Charms 101. And then Hagrid is going to move the plot along by doing something stupid. And then I’m going to fly around on a magic broom. And wear an invisibility cloak. Forgive me if I didn’t get past the first book.

And then there’s the division of the kids into 4 types of people: the heroes, the villains, the clumsy idiots, and the smartypants. That irks to no end.

I feel like you can tell a lot about a book or author by the way they use magic. The magic in worlds like Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea (she should be added to the list by the way) or Tolkien’s Middle Earth is much more part of the fabric of the world, much more natural. C.S. Lewis’ magic is based in Christianity - I think. Diane Duane’s books are much more comparable to Rowling’s world, because they are also set in the “real” world, and the magic there is based on the idea that wizards are fighting against the forces of entropy. And Rowling’s magic is...like I said… silly.

Here are some magical children’s books that I’ve read and loved--books that, in my opinion, are Better than Potter:

• The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White (I made my husband read this a couple of years ago and he e-mailed me at work, essentially saying “Holy shit! Best. Book. Evar.")
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• Any of the books in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
• The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
• Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton
• Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet by E. Nesbit (really, ANYTHING by E. Nesbit is brilliant)
• The Darkangel trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce (The Darkangel, A Gathering of Gargoyles and The Pearl of the Soul of the World
• Redwall by Brian Jacques (the first book is astonishingly good, but the rest of the series is crrrrrap)
• Anything from the Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum.
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a series that I think is somewhat overrated--a lot of the dialogue and ALL of the poetry/songs have literally made me gag, they’re so stilted and awful, though I admit nobody can beat Tolkien when it comes to world-building, and I acknowledge that Tolkien is largely responsible for creating the modern fantasy genre as we know it)
• Anything by Philip Pullman--I have the His Dark Materials trilogy in my TBR stacks, and I’ve heard many, many good things about them, and unlike Harry Potter, I have no doubt that these books will live up to their hype

Feel free to fire away in the comments and tell me what a shitful freak I am. Or if, like me, you’re a fellow children’s book/YA novel reader who just is not impressed with Harry Potter, feel free to speak up in solidarity. Feel free to recommend your favorite children’s books, too--yes, even if they’re Harry Potter novels.