Erotic Romance vs. Erotica

May 14, 2013May 15, 2013 / Linda / Leave a comment

Erotic fiction has been around for a very long time. One of the most erotic pieces of poetry is the Song of Songs in the Bible. The late 18^th century brought us the French aristocrat, Marquis de Sade whose name gave us the sexual kink of “sadism”. In the early 20^th century, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Tropic of Cancer helped reform obscenity laws in the United States. In the 1970’s there was a dramatic increase in erotic fiction with Fear of Flying, and My Secret Garden. The 1980’s brought us Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty Trilogy. Many new publishers were founded to keep up with the demand of erotic fiction.

Erotic romance gained more ground with the introduction of ebooks. By the mid 2000’s when traditional romance publishers saw the interest in this genre, they launched imprints dedicated to the print publication of erotic romance.

There has always been a strong core of erotic romance readers, but with the introduction of the Fifty Shades trilogy, erotic romance became more main stream. However, it is often confused with erotica. Generally speaking, erotic romance ends with “happily ever after” and erotica does not. Erotic romance has more of a story line, exploring love and emotions and centering on two main characters. It’s all about the romance with the sexual journey second. It differs from mainstream romance because it is more sexually graphic. Erotica is all about sex and little else. It can entail some romance, but the focus is the sex.

The Cheshire Library has been seeing more and more requests for books like Fifty Shades, or erotic romance. In an effort to fulfill our patrons’ requests, we have placed orders for similar books. The second most popular author of this genre is Sylvia Day. She self-published Bared To You and when Berkley Books heard how popular it was, they immediately published it in paper. It was followed by Reflected In You and the third book in the trilogy, Entwined With You, will be released in June.

Megan Hart is another author that is very popular. We own several of her titles.

There are three other trilogies that are “like Fifty Shades” and they have received excellent reviews. They are:

The Submissive Trilogy by Tara Sue Me

The Submissive
The Dominant (due out in August)
The Training (due out in October

The Stark Trilogy by Julie Kenner

Release Me
Claim Me
Complete Me (due out in July)

Breathless Trilogy by Maya Banks

Rush
Fever
Burn (due out in August)

You may place holds on these items. Let us know how you like them and if you’re interested in the library acquiring other titles.

Author Profile/Book Review: Against the Edge by Kat Martin

May 11, 2013August 27, 2014 / Linda / 1 Comment

Kat Martin is a New York Times bestselling author of over fifty historical and contemporary romance suspense novels. She currently lives in Missoula, Montana with her husband. Kat is a graduate of the University of California where she majored in Anthropology and studied History. Before starting her writing career in 1985, she was a real estate broker. That’s where she met her husband, Larry Jay Martin, author of more than 20 westerns and mysteries.

Most of her ideas for books just pop up in her head, but she does occasionally get ideas from newspapers and television. Her books are published in twenty foreign countries.

Against the Edge is book number eight in the Against series. You don’t need to read the others in any order as they stand alone just fine.

Former Navy SEAL Ben Slocum receives the shock of his life when a stranger appears on his doorstep announcing that a child he didn’t even know he had is missing. Claire Chastain is a friend of the boy’s late mother and is desperate to find him and seeks Ben’s help. They band together to track down the kidnapper, all the while trying to fight the attraction they feel for each other. Ben enlists the help of his fellow private investigators and end up traveling through several states in search of an off grid survivalist group who might have his son, Sam. To add an interesting twist to the story, Claire’s old boyfriend shows up with his own trouble that Claire gets drawn into.

This book is filled with drama, suspense, action, romance, and likeable characters. It is fun to watch Ben and Claire’s relationship take hold. The author weaves a believable story of both characters’ pasts that adds great interest to the book. The secondary characters (some have been introduced in past Against books) add another enjoyable layer.

Designing with Duct Tape

May 9, 2013May 7, 2013 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Duct tape is a marvel for emergency repairs to home, boat, shoes, and much more. However, this wonder has also found many more uses by those with too much time on their hands or a giant creative streak. These days some people are selling duct tape art work, clothing, accessories and more to help pay their bills. I have seen wallets, purses, hats, ties, dresses, jackets, and more created with just imagination and duct tape. The assorted colors and custom patterns that manufacturers are making duct tape with only help those looking to create rather than simply repair items with this study and versatile adhesive.

Would you like to try your hand at creating with duct tape, want to create a craft project to keep hands busy, or are just curious about the hows and whys of creating with duct tape? Well, have we got the books for you.

Stick It!

Stick it! : 99 D.I.Y. Duct Tape Projects by T. L. Bonaddio is a great place to start. This book is geared towards young adults and adults complete with folders and detailed step-by-step directions to walk readers through 99 duct tape craft projects in a full range of difficulty levels. Some of the craft ideas included are bracelets, flip-flops, wallets, purses, and pillows. I highly suggest stocking up a variety of colored duct tapes before trying your hand at any of these projects.

Kids; Guide to Duct Tape Projects

The Kids’ Guide to Duct Tape Projects by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt is a great place for the younger set to get started with duct tape creations. This book contains complete instructions for eight relatively easy duct tape projects in a step-by-step format along with safety tips and a craft glossary to help newcomers to crafting in general get started. Projects included here are a book cover, cell phone pouch, wallet, rose, picture frame, game board, and a couple of fashion items.

The Duct Tape Book

For those not quite ready to jump in with both feet, but not so nervous that they want to go for the children’s book, I suggest starting in the middle with The Duct Tape Book : 25 Projects to Make with Duct Tape. This book, as the title promises, offers a selection instruction to 25 duct tape creations. With the help of this book you can create formal wear, puppets, purses, hats, picture frames, and more.

If this selection of duct tape books only wets your appetite and make you eager for more, simply stop in the library and we can help you find what you need to met your creative interests!

Why Gone With the Wind Is My Favorite Book

May 8, 2013May 6, 2013 / Jenn / 3 Comments

On May 3rd, 1937, more than 76 years ago, Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer

Gone With the Wind

Prize for Fiction for her epic Gone With the Wind. 76 years later, GWTW is still a powerful book, read anew by readers young and old.

My husband had recommended for a long time that I read GWTW, and it was on my to-read list for some time. We had distractedly watched the first half of the movie sometime in spring 2010, but I did not start reading the book until April 2011 for our Classics Club here at the library.

GWTW can appear to be a daunting book for those who do not typically read lengthy tomes. But from that opening page, when we are introduced to the indomitable Scarlett, on her way to a party, and we are drawn into a world we will never want to leave, or stop reading.

Oh, Scarlett, Scarlett. Some who have read the book or seen the movie, simply “can’t stand Scarlett.” Well, that’s the point. We are not meant to like Scarlett. She’s perhaps literature’s most misunderstood character. When we first meet Scarlett, she is an impetuous 16 year old lusting after Ashley and looking for excitement. Scarlett stumbles on her journey, making terrible choices, wrong decisions, and sometimes ruining the lives of others (and sometimes purposely). She can be annoying, manipulative, and deceiving. But Scarlett at her core loves her home and her family. By the end, Scarlett has realized how her foibles have affected others. She has lost everything.

My husband has rightly pointed out that Scarlett is representative of “the Old South” before the Civil War. The South had to lose everything in the war, including some of that impetuousness like Scarlett has, before they can learn from their mistakes and rebuild. Scarlett is torn down, lost everything, just like the South was during the Civil War, but together the two can start anew.

We rewatched GWTW while I was reading it for Classics Club, and I’ll never forget the ending. I had not reached that part in the book yet, and I yelled at the tv. “What! What! This is not right! This is not how it happens in the book! It can’t be!” And I ran up the stairs, grabbed the book and read the ending. Oh my. It was how the book ended. I’m still indignant over the ending. But I have two sequels to make the story complete, in my eyes.

GWTW is, in my opinion, our American novel. It speaks to our American experience in terms of struggle, triumph, and the American dream. It’s an epic novel about a society that no longer exists, a way of life that will never be again. GWTW is about more than Scarlett, it’s about a way of life that was destroyed and a people who have to find their way in an unfamiliar world.

GWTW is one of the few books I give 5 stars.