The ’90s Romances That Aged Badly
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Four 1990s Romances That Aged Badly — and Four Still Worth Reading
It’s patronizing and paternalistic to think the readers of the 1990s (or earlier) were less sophisticated than readers of today. People project a lot onto romance readers — much more than readers of other literature, I’d venture. But lots of people like to read about topics that they probably would never want to encounter in real life. That was true then, and it’s true now. It’s certainly worth thinking about why that’s the case, and what it says about our society. But that’s beyond the scope of today’s investigation. Today, I’m looking at some romances we should all agree haven’t aged well. Then, we will look at some books from the 1990s that I think still deserve big audiences.
My New Reading Setup is Ugly and Expensive. I’m Not Going Back.
One of the fun things about being in my thirties is that now I sometimes get random neck pain. It’s a particular kind of discomfort that feels like I’m holding my neck wrong no matter what I do. Now that I not only read as a hobby but also cross-stitch, I spend a lot of time sitting hunched over, which hasn’t helped. So, during one of these uncomfortable days, I dove into the depths of Amazon (not my proudest moment) looking for a solution…
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Pick These Books Up for the Trans Rights Readathon
The third Trans Rights Readathon has begun! It runs from March 21st to March 31st to coincide with Trans Day of Visibility, and it aims to uplift, amplify, and support trans, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and Two-Spirit authors. It’s a great excuse to not only read trans books but also to donate to trans causes, buy books from trans authors (you could preorder these ones!), and talk about the trans books you love.
Recent Cozy Japanese and Korean Books to Curl Up With
In the six years since Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold was translated into English, Japanese and Korean cozy books have made a grand impression on the US book scene.
I first stumbled across Before the Coffee Gets Cold while on vacation. I was perusing the shelves at a local bookstore (because: bibliophile!) and struggling to find something that piqued my interest. Luckily for me, the bookstore had one last copy of Kawaguchi’s novel. I bought it, and literally a page in, I knew I was hooked.
The Odds of Your Manuscript Getting Plucked From the Slush Pile
On the latest episode of the Book Riot Podcast, Jeff O’Neal and I discuss new eye-popping stats about the long odds of getting plucked from the slush pile, upcoming adaptations, and the fine art of picking what to read on vacation.
