Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022

I started this post way back on January 2nd. Did it go anywhere? Not until today.

I usually do some sort of Old Year/New Year post. I guess this is it. Over there (to my left) are the books I read in 2021. As you might be able to tell, romance was on the upswing again this past year. What was surprising for me was that non-fiction was as well. One of the best books I read last year was You'll Never Believe What Happened To Lacey. Also, Barack Obama's A Promised Land. 

Which leads us into February and Black History Month. Need something to read? I definitely recommend those two books. Also, out of last year's list, How To Be and Antiracist. Want something more romantic? Act Your Age, Eve Brown and The A.I. Who Loved Me. Want an adventure? How about the novella, A Dead Djinn In Cairo. I need to read all of Clark's story in this universe.

I've been working with a few "Diversity and Inclusion" groups at my company. I may have mentioned it before. I appreciate the work that they (we) have been doing. They've got a lot going on for Black History Month, and I'm eager to go to their virtual events. It was with one of the groups that I was inspired to write "Where Are You From?". I've also learned about interesting people like George Washington Carver and Lincoln Alexander. I hope that the other people at my company are learning too. 

I really had my fingers crossed that the pandemic would be over by now. But nope. I won't get into all the reasons why that likely isn't the case. More time for reading and writing, I guess.

Let's Reflect

In my last post, I was reflecting on interracial romances where neither of the main characters are white. I totally forgot about Alyssa Cole's Can't Escape Love, part of her Reluctant Royals series. I haven't read it yet, but since finishing Take a Hint, Dani Brown, I think it might be my next romance. Luckily it's available at my local eLibrary.

I also read The Prince and the Dressmaker. It is sweet, interesting, loving and just tugged at my heartstrings. Frances and Sebastian are so cute. I highly recommend it. I want my children to read it too.

Egyptian Steampunk also might be my new favourite genre. At least one I need to explore more. I read the short story/novella A Dead Djinn in Cairo, and it was so good. I love, LOVE, Fatma el-Sha'arawi. I checked, and P. Djèli Clark has two more stories set in this world. It seems like the second one doesn't have Agent Fatma as the main character, but I'm fine with that. She's back by the third (yet to be published) story.

I watched some good TV/movies too. After seeing Regé-Jean Page on Saturday Night Live, I decided it was time to watch Bridgerton. Since it's so popular, I didn't expect it to be bad, but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I will admit that I watched is all in one day. Also, I could listen to Julie Andrews' voice all day long.... wait, I practically did that. 

I also decided it was time to watch the things languishing in my Netflix queue. I scrolled with my eyes closed and watched what my finger landed on. The first was Warrior Nun. With a title like that, I knew I had to at least try it out. I thoroughly enjoyed Ada and Mary. I also really want to know what happens and if there will be another season.

Next, I landed on Howl's Moving Castle, an anime movie from 2004. I liked the idea of the girl turning into an old woman and getting to know Howl from that perspective. I don't know how I feel about her befriending the witch who cursed her though. I'm three episodes into Dragon's Dogma, an anime series. I think I'm liking the random choices on Netflix. I know there have been two animes in the last week, but the stories are very different. Howl's Moving Castle has a sweetness to it. Dragon's Dogma is messed up.

This post is definitely not as deep as the last one. Maybe it's less "thinking about books" and more "Netflix queue", but sometimes, that's what you need.

Twitter Made Me Think About Romance

I was casually scrolling through Twitter, when I came upon a question that made me think. A person was asking for reading recommendations. She wanted an inter-racial romance novel where neither of the characters were white. I love inter-racial romances. Probably because I'm in one. I don't need them to parallel my life or anything. I'm just always curious about cultures coming together, what obstacles are in their way, etc. I've read some great ones. My favourites are probably The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang,  The Wedding Date, by Jasmine Guillory, and Get a Life, Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert. As much as I loved these books, they weren't what the person was looking for. After The Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory wrote, The Proposal, which features a latinx man and black woman. Suddenly, I felt like this was a challenge. What other ones have I read or do I own?

The Proposal, by Jasmine Guillory

The A.I. Who Loved Me, by Alyssa Cole

Take A Hint, Dani Brown, by Talia Hibbert

That's it. I'm sure there are other books out there. I've read the first two books. They were fantastic. I really could gush about both of them, and their authors. The third is sitting in my Kobo app, waiting for me. Can anyone suggest a book to add to my to-read list for this particular sub-sub (or whatever) section of the romance genre?

The Last Week Or Two

I didn't post last week (I've been aiming for once a week). Why? I spent the weekend attending DVCON and it was been great. Really good panels. Really good people. To be honest, some of what the panels talked about I already knew since I've been a member of the WCYR for a few years. What I found invaluable was how the same things I've already learned can be changed / altered / influenced by the fact that I'm a visible minority / marginalized / diverse voice. Perspective can really change so much. It was the first DVCON, born from #DVPit. It was free, but I would have paid to go. The information and inspiration was fantastic. I also "met" some great people. We've followed each other on Twitter and Instagram. I've also joined a couple Discord groups, which typically isn't my thing (I have a hard time with chat rooms), but everyone has been sharing information and supporting each other. I've watched people find Critique Partners and Beta Readers. Writing can be so isolating, and if you're not part of some kind of group, it can be difficult to get the feedback you need to grow. Friends and family worry about your feelings and don't necessarily have the insight another writer does. 

I finished: How to be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi. It was so good, so interesting. I listened to the audiobook. I really liked his reading style (is that a thing?). How to be an Anti-Racist was part memoir, part history lesson, part instruction manual. It was so engaging, that when it got to the end (I won't tell you what happened), I was concerned and ready to cry. I really can't recommend this book enough.

I finished: We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal. I've had it sitting in my Kindle app for a while. When I signed up for DVCON and she was going to be speaking, I knew I had to read it. It was so good. Just so good. I enjoyed the world, the characters, the story. Everything. I can't wait to read the sequel. I also enjoyed the panel and what she had to say. She/they offered us information I had not considered before. I'm definitely ready for the sequel, which was just released.

I finished: The A.I. Who Loved Me, by Alyssa Cole. Alyssa Cole has become one of my favourite romance authors. I'm pretty much ready to ready anything she writes. She blends romance into other genres that she writes in. The A.I. Who Loved Me is a near-future sci-fi romance. I thought there would only be a little sci-fi in the novel, but it surprised me. The Hive is very scary, like if Amazon ruled the US. I wonder if Cole will write more stories set in this world. I also saw her speak at DVCON. I think I could listen to her talk about writing and stories all day.

I finished: Lumberjanes: Stone Cold, by Shannon Watters, et al. I love Lumberjanes. I've been reading them for a few years. Stone Cold is the 8th volume in the series. I feel like "don't make assumptions" and "don't judge a book by it's cover" were really prevalent in the story. Also, "friendship to the max". I haven't met a Lumberjane I didn't like.

I also binged the Thor movies with my daughter. I think she wanted to watch Loki (who doesn't). We ended up watching the first Avengers movie too. It was fun. She knew a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes stuff and I asked her if she Googled MCU stuff. Not specifically. She Googled Iron Man stuff (her favourite superhero) and fell down the internet MCU rabbit hole. 

What's coming up this week? More work on the edits for my manuscript. Maybe updating the Me! and Writing Life portions of the blog. Edits again. Contemplating the fate of the characters in the manuscript. Reading some more poems by Maya Angelou. Maybe writing some new words for my next novel. 

My Evolving Affair With Romance Novels

Romance novels have taken over my to-be-read list! I thought I was still sticking to my old reading habits - diving into a fair mix of books. Some literary fiction, some genre. I've started dipping into poetry. But nothing has grabbed my attention lately like Romance. A quick look at recent reads from my Goodreads shelf shows how many of them have been romance.

I've also realized from this screenshot that
I've read a lot of graphic novels lately too.

About two years ago, I blogged about reading romances. I had become a fan of Melissa Foster and a few others. Their typical style: A couple meet. They're attracted to each other. They get together. Something happens to keep them apart. They work past it and live happily ever after. They are still fun reads.

There are two things that have been attracting me to my current choices in the Romance genre. The first is interracial romances. That's my life. My Hubby is white and his experiences with family and culture are different than mine. I'm not looking for romances that exactly mirror my relationship (frankly, there aren't really any that exist). I find any interracial romance interesting. From The Chai Factor, to The Kiss Quotient, to Duke by Default. (Another fun part of Duke by Default, is the American/Scottish dynamic added to the mix.) The other dynamic has been what also makes The Kiss Quotient and Duke by Default compelling. The female lead of The Kiss Quotient has high-functioning autism (Asperger's). Not only does she navigate love, parents, and cultural differences, but she learns to accept her own differences with someone who loves her exactly the way she is. In Duke by Default, the female lead is labeled as "flighty", "a party girl", and "unreliable." What she learns as an adult is that she has a form of ADHD. With this new knowledge, she learns how to better navigate her life. Those are the serious issues that I find reading about in these relationships fascinating.

The other thing that has been attracting me to Romances is the humour. I've been reading Romantic Comedies. Sometimes, you need a laugh. Man Hands is a good example. Even the title makes me laugh. The next book in the series is Man Card. That's enough to make me want to read it. There are definitely a lot of the same romantic tropes that you're going to find in any romance story, but the quirky situations had me laughing out loud. 

All these books are full of strong women. Most of them are over 30 and very relatable. They're working towards their dreams, being independent, fighting with family, coming together to support other women. They're people I would be friends with. The men too. They learn, grow, are kind, protective without smothering the woman in their life... or if they to do start smothering, they back off and admit they were wrong. They have their own issues, also relatable. Of course, they're also all super studly. 

So, this is me coming to accept the level of Romance in my reading life. Looking at that picture of 30 books, 12 of them fall easily into the Romance category. I always thought I read more Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but not in the last few months. Maybe it's just me looking for a laugh and a happy ending.