Now, I know that all three of you who read this blog are dying to know what books I’d take with me on a desert island. Well, wonder no further, for here they be.

• A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin - it’s a four-book series, but we’ll pretend that someone will have compiled them into a ginormous omnibus edition that I can use to either way things down on the island or drop on the heads of my enemies.

• The Little Country - Charles de Lint
• A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L’Engle
• Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold
• The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
• Demon Night by Meljean Brook

There you have it. Yeah, I cheated, like, a lot, by counting ASOIAF as one book, but if I were really marooned on a desert island, I couldn’t just pick my favorite out of those four, not without refreshing my memory about stuff that came before. Plus, there are some great potential island inhabitants in those books… or at least there are a bunch of cynics in that book who hide their soft hearts beneath hard, callous exteriors, which, uh, I find hella sexy.

Tonight I was vassilating between two books that I will start tomorrow. Both are paranormals. One is by an author I love. The other is by a new to me author who sent me an E-ARC of her September release. Being a series whore, I need to read the first book before I tackle the second. I was already leaning toward the new to me author, so I went looking for reviews of her first book, which I intend to read in preparation for this one.

The book incidentally, is Dark Thirst by Sarah Reinke. I knew nothing about it, except the fact that Ms. Reinke writes books that all sound very good. So I checked out reviews.

Sadly, the most recent was by Debra Ann MacGilivray, so I ignored that, and went on. And now I am excited to read this book because of the following things that I gleaned from the Amazon reviews:

• Beta hero. Mmm, I lurve me a good beta hero/alpha heroine dynamic. I know, that makes me a freak in the romance world, but anyone here reading this won’t be shocked by that revelation.

• The hero is deaf/mute. After my crush on Nick Andros from The Stand by Stephen King, I am all about the deaf-mute characters, because I think the struggles for communication are fascinating. And I am not deaf or mute, so my disability baggage won’t kick in every time the author does something of which I do not approve.
• Vampire mafia. How awesome is that?
• Did I mention virgin hero? Oh, sign me up.

I also think it’s awesome that this is an interracial romance, but quite honestly that’s just a side benefit. I am looking forward to a darkish paranormal, hoping for a strong heroine, and totally stoked about the virgin hero thing.

Now I just pray that this lives up to my expectations!

Contemporary, Historical, or Paranormal?
Paranormal, followed by historical and contemp. It really depends on my mood.
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Erm… ebook.
Heyer or Austen?
Heyer. She’s witty and funny and I loved both of the books I’ve read by her, whereas–and here I will no doubt get smote–I’ve never really had any desire to read Austen.
Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Amazon. Or, actually, Fictionwise.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Borders. There isn’t a B&N anywhere near where I live, but there is a Borders, and the Borders people are very nice.
Woodiwiss or Lindsay?
Lindsey is the one I’ve read. I haven’t felt any need to try Woodiwiss, either.
First romance novel you ever remember reading?
Hmmm, aside from Thunder Heights by Phylllis Whitney? Probably A Knight in Shining Armor by Deveraux. Unlike Holly, I really kind of liked the ending, but I don’t know if I could read it again and feel similarly years later.
Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
By author. Like Holly, I also alphabetize by title and put series together. My ebook collection is the most organized thing in my life.
Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Since I mostly read ebooks, I make sure I can get them again if I want to and then throw away, unless they’re books I absolutely must reread.
Read with dustjacket or remove it?
N/A.
Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake?
Sookie. Not that I intend to read any other books in that series, but yeah, she was less annoying than the one Anita Blake I tried to read.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks, unless I’m using my Book Port, which is my glorified ebook reader for the blind, in which case I stop reading when I’m tired and it will pick up right where I left off.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
“Once upon a time.”
Crusie or SEP?
SEP I love. I haven’t read Crusie. (I know, le shock! Quel horror!)
Buy or Borrow?
Borrow, mostly. Except I do spend way more than I should on ebooks.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Recommendations from people I trust. Occasionally if a blurb catches me I’ll try something.
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Tidy endings. Even in series. I don’t need every subplot resolved, but I don’t like when a book just… stops.
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
Whenever. I’ll read anytime, anyplace. Books help me wake up, and I have been reading more nonfiction to relax.
Series or standalone?
I am a huge series whore. I keep telling myself I won’t get caught up in any more, then I make a liar of myself and end up reading a series book anyway.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
I think my Kate Elliott discovery qualifies. I loved King’s Dragon but even when I first picked it up nobody else had ever heard of it.

In my adult reading, though, poor Sookie’s getting so shafted. I have a bunch of stuff I want to be reading, none of which involves her. I’ll give Ms. Harris points for the fact that I am thinking in terms of Sookie as a character I don’t like, and not just that Dead Until Dark isn’t a book that’s working for me. I guess it’s just hard for me to suspend my disbelief about characters who sit there and fail to notice that every man with a working penis wants to put it inside their personal vajayjay. Although, that being said, I do love me some Sam. I might continue reading the series just for him. (Incidentally, Holly said once that Nick was her favorite hero name. Sam is mine. So make of that what you will.)

Er… Anyway. Next on my list is the new Loretta Chase, and then at some point very soon I really want to read me some Josh Lanyon and Ally Blue. I’ve also got a few Harlequin Historicals that look good that I have to review and I want to go back to my epic fantasy series that I started last month.

Some people wish they had my TBR anxiety, I’m sure, and I feel like a snot every time I muse about what I want to read next and then proceed to waffle about it.

Oh, and there was an interesting side conversation in my class in which I probably upset a few of the elementary ed majors in attendance. A bunch of them were saying that they used to be readers but, and someone actually did say, “Who has time to read?” Someone else pointed out that she had friends who made time, but she stated that she didn’t know how they could. So naturally I piped up and said I was one of those, because university student or not, I really need something to read at some point in the day. It makes me feel like I’ve done something productive, even if I haven’t, and even if what I’m reading isn’t 700 pages of weighty prose with a depressing ending, I figure I’m still learning something, even if it’s just what not to do if I ever get off my ass and write a book.

Speaking of books, I managed to walk out the door without my primary book-reading gadget. I was so upset! I couldn’t read my current book, because it wasn’t on my emergency backup reading gadget, so I settled for reading the first Charlaine Harris book. I don’t know if Sookie Stackhouse and I are all that compatible. It started when she told the readers she had a disability. Uh, snookems, yes, not being the world’s smartest individual is certainly nothing to be proud of, but reading minds? Not a real disability, darlin’.

I feel compelled to finish the book, and at the moment it’s cruising somewhere in the C range, and I also know that Charlaine Harris fangirls are probably going to be shocked–shocked I say!–that I don’t understand the brilliance that is Sookie Stackhouse. I’m sure that Charlaine and I will get over it with no hard feelings.

I really enjoy the New Age channel on my XM radio. I’ve had it on today in the background, and it’s worked beautifully as background music. But occasionally, when they need a station ID, this woman with a slight British accent comes on and says something poetic. She seems to actually be reciting some poetry, though I haven’t paid attention to what she says.

It did, however, occur to me that it would be highly, highly amusing if the posh British lady said something completely out of the blue like, “There once… was a man… from Nantucket.” and then proceeded to recite the rest of the limmerick with the same intensity with which she recites everything else.

OK, possibly I may be the only one who would laugh, but there you have it, the strange workings of my mind. You should, by all rights, be terrified.

Title: The Tough Guide to Fantasyland
Author: Diana Wynne Jones
Genre: humorous nonfiction
Grade: A
Reason for Reading: I’ve wanted to read this book forever. I love fantasy, and I was under the impression that this book would be funny. It was.

Synopsis:

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland is a comprehensive guide for those undertaking Tours of Fantasyland. This authoritative A-Z constitutes an essential source of information for all who dare to venture into these imaginative hinterlands, providing acute insights into such mysteries as how HORSES reproduce, the varying types of VIRGIN and the importance of CLOAKS to those embarking on the Tour. Features include:

A map.
Lively background on the denizens you will meet, including Barbarian Hordes, and Elves who claim they did not evolve like humans… Certainly there seems to be no Elvish ancestral ape.
Full details on catering arrangements: Beer always foams and is invariably delivered in tankards. The Management is not concerned with the taste of it. That is your funeral.
Useful hints on coping in Fantasyland: Armour is, in the opinion of the Management, cheating. Torture is obligatory at some stage in the Tour.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a committed Fantasyland traveller, The Tough Guide has everything you need to get the most from your Tour.

My Thoughts: I loved this book. The tongue-in-cheek humor really worked for me, and it’s obvious that Ms. Jones, a fantasy writer herself, is laughing with us as she writes about the various tropes employed in fantasyland. And she’s right. I’ve seen most of these in some form or other.

I’m glad I picked this up. I know I’ll be keeping it and referring back to it periodically as I read more fantasy books.

Mrs. Giggles today has a post about some romance epub which is requesting stories featuring big, beautiful men.

Excuse me while I giggle for just a second at that one.

I can see someone writing slightly huskier guys, but given that nobody is writing romances about women my size even when they’re writing rubenesque heroines, I’m not thinking this is a trend that will be embraced. (All I’ll say about my weight is that I *wish* I were a size 14, because then I could buy cute clothes without having to sacrifice my soul to get them.)

Also, given the already present need of some epublishers to start pandering (that’s the only explanation I can see for the presence of all the older woman/younger men books coming out of EC), I just don’t think most readers are going to want that kind of realism in our heroes. If our fantasies run toward having some hard-bodied stud adore us and think we are the sexiest thing since sliced bread, even though we are really 45, overweight, and developing more grey hairs than non-grey ones, why would we want to read about some short, pudgy, balding guy? Even I, who would like to think of myself as… not a shallow person at all… would probably raise an eyebrow there, even though I am not in the older woman demographic of reader.

So no, I don’t think we’re going to see a trend in big, beautiful men, because there’s not really enough of a fantasy in it for the stereotypical romance reader. Or, you know, for me. But then, my fantasy man is any guy who is strong-minded enough that he isn’t threatened by me when I’m in opinionated bitch mode. Half the time the men I read about don’t strike me as being the sort that could deal very well with women who, y’know, think. Which is why my fave heroes are the smart asses. I could take or leave the body type, as long as I loved the mind inside said body. But then, I could just be weird.

Last night, while other people my age were no doubt getting drunk, cavorting and having fun, I was scrounging up links so that we could update the links page over on TGTBTU. I didn’t realize just how many romance bloggers I should be reading but didn’t know about until I went hunting around for updated links. Makes me want to update my own links list, except, well, I’m lazy so that won’t happen today.

Also, thanks to the evil plan I’m sure Lisabea has orchestrated, I’m dipping my toes into, uh, straight (heh) M/M romance. This is because I plan on reviewing some F/F stuff over on TGTBTU, so I figure that the least I can do is read a little of everything. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I was looking at my to be reviewed list and realizing that I really need to not read some paranormals for a while, so that I can find my love for the subgenre again. So I’m hoping some gay contemps will be enough out of my comfort zone that I’ll want to go back and read about magic again. Which is important because I have an ARC to review soonishly, and I don’t want to get into it feeling uninspired because what if the book is the best thing evah?

I really can’t speak too much about AA romances since I don’t know of all that many authors who write them. I’ve got something by Beverly Jenkins TBR, and I think I’ve got a couple of Brenda Jackson books as well. But honestly, I am one of those readers who truly would not care about the race of her protagonists as long as I got a good story out of it. But what did interest me in the comments of the SB site was the discussion about white privilege since I’ve been thinking about it lately.

This last semester, I’ve been taking a Global Women’s Studies class. The class was problematic for a variety of reasons, but one of the complaints I heard a lot (since it came from my sister, who also took the class) was that we attend a primarily white community college. In fact, my sister and I, being commuters from the larger university town, have our own prejudices about the school we go to, which is that most of its students are affluent but lazy. So we wondered why we were learning about global women’s issues when we didn’t talk much about our own issues as white women.

I realized when I read some of the homework from the last week of class exactly why that was. It occurred to me that feeling like we were marginalized because our issues as white women weren’t addressed in that class is a bit like those conservative talk show pundits bemoaning the fact that affirmative action discriminates against white men. Puh-lease. How can we possibly have any right to complain about discrimination if we’re the dominant culture?

Anyway, this point got driven home to me when I read two articles. The first was about the support black upwardly mobile women got from their families/friends vs. the same support white women got. I don’t really recall too much of what the article said specifically, except that I found myself thinking, “Well, duh. I could have saved you millions of dollars of grant money to tell you the same thing.” And then, the second article about white employers and their attitudes toward black women elicited the same reaction. And then I realized just how ingrained my white privilege is. Because if I’m not surprised by the reactions of those white employers, doesn’t that mean I should reevaluate my own beliefs?

I think that privilege in general is something that we all experience in some way shape or form whether we want to admit it or not, and acknowledging that yes, we are the dominant ethnic group/sexual orientation/what have you so we should especially be aware of how things work for people who are not so privileged is the first step toward dispelling some of those privileges. And I think we akll have privilege even if we don’t realize it. My mom was asking me the other night if I thought we would ever live in a world without prejudice and honestly, I don’t think we will. I think it’s human nature to emphasize our differences and I think it’s also human nature to see ourselves as marginalized even if we, well, maybe aren’t so much,. I mean, if people can get into snits because other people judge their reading tastes, of all the insignificant little details there are to notice about a person, then what hope is there for more engrained prejudices?

I really hope this made sense. I’m off to begin writing a major paper, so my brain will probably slowly begin to leak out my ears.