Tuesday News: What are you looking forward to in the New Year?; Banished words; Favorite books
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It is hard to believe that this is 2013 already. I feel like the year passed by in a whirl. 2013, for me, was the year of the self published book where we found gems and goats. The Kindle, digital reading and self publishing is remaking the world of books. I’m not sure where it is going but it is certainly an interesting time. My biggest worry about 2013 is a devolving interest in well produced books. I know my standards have slid and from reading message boards and reader comments, others have as well. Hopefully, 2013 will see more authors interested in producing quality works in addition to great storytelling.
What are you looking forward to in 2013?
Smugglivus Presents: Ana & Thea’s Most Excellent Books of 2012 – Ana & Thea give their best of 2012 list. The list is eclectic and really has something for everyone. The number one book on Ana’s list is Code Name Verity. The interesting thing about CNV is that it finally hit the NYT Bestseller list two weeks ago after having been released for 8 months. Consistent word of mouth has propelled this book into the mainstream. Jayne reviewed it here The Book Smugglers
Smexy’s Top Ten Favorite Sex Scenes of 2012 – Mandi writes about her favorite sex scenes of 2012. Restraint, a tiny bite sized story, is included in the list. Restraint is a favorite of Rosario who gave the book an A- and says “Artie is a character I’ve truly never read before, especially not in erotic romance. He’s quite simply really, really repressed and struggling with his feelings for Mallory, which are very powerful. When Mallory understands this, he doesn’t stand a chance. It’s one of the hottest things I’ve ever read, and more so because it’s combined with really strong emotions and genuine romance, with a happy ending that fits perfectly.” Smexy Books
Dumb Poisoners: A Year-End Appreciation – Deborah Blum contemplates the failed and idiotic attempts of some of the stupider criminals. She starts out with the Florida woman who tried to kill her husband by crushing up a bitter tasting bill into his tuna sandwich. In reading the article, I disagree that the drug was the sign of the criminal’s stupidity. Instead, it was the woman’s bragging to a family member of her actions. Never brag about your crime. Unless you are Patrick Bateman and work with a bunch of clueless stockbrokers. Wired.com
The Words That Will Be Banished in 2013 – Michigan’s Lake Superior State University has issued its 38th year end report on words that should be banished from our vocabulary. The list has more idiomatic phrases than actual words such as YOLO (you only live once) and Kick the can down the road. People have problems with Passion or Passionate and Spoiler. Really? The Atlantic Wire
You can’t banish words. They just find a way back in anyway. Language is a living thing.
If there’s one word I’d like to see banned from romance novels, it’s thrust. My God, can we please stop with the friggin’ thrusting already?
@Katie Gatto: :-) I agree, but tell that to the French. They want their language to never evolve, which is sad. The strength of a language is it’s ability to change and adapt.
I didn’t know CNV had made the New York Times list, now they can print that on her next book, also set during WW2. Yay!!
@Tripoli: OMG! Spewing water from my nose!!!
Good news about the reviewing, for purely selfish reasons. I sold my Kindle and now I’m epub mainly, through my Nook Touch and my Nexus tablet, although I have downloaded the Kindle app for the inevitable times when only Kindle is available. But times do seem to be a-changing.
In the Uk, I’d love to ban “like,” as in, “like I said to him, like, are you coming, and, like, he said, like, no.” And, oh, no more “innit.” Bliss!
I’d also like to make a rule that if a word is banned from romance novels, the suggester has to give an alternative! Because sometimes it’s hard to find a new word for something, when a word is just, well, perfect. But overuse of anything is bad, of course.