romance

Remember Jennifer Grey from Dirty Dancing? Back then she was a cute young actress with a rather distinct nose that gave her a unique face. In the 1990s she had a nose job that so altered her appearance that she was unrecognizable with the result that her career was arguably over. I found a site with two of the most unflattering pictures of Grey I have ever seen, but they illustrate my point. The change is so great that it's hard to say what the nose job actually accomplished because the before and after photos look like different people.

While reading My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters (2009) by Sydney Salter, I kept thinking of one thing. That thing was Jennifer Grey's nose job and how it totally changed her life in a not-so-great way.  read more »

Christie isn't sure what to think at her first comic convention in Dramacon Vol. 1 (2005) by Svetlana Chmakova. She's excited for a chance to exhibit the comic that she writes and her boyfriend illustrates. But when they get to the comic-con, it turns out nothing is what Christie expected.

Her boyfriend is a jerk. He says he's flirting so that more girls will buy their comic buy Christie isn't so sure--especially with the way he keeps leaving her alone for long periods at a time. Then there's the mysterious cosplayer who keeps popping up when Christie needs him and seems to understand her better than her boyfriend ever will. Christie tries to make sense of her mixed feelings about the con and her love life in the foreground of a story that offers a tantalizing behind-the-scenes look at an convention no one is likely to forget!  read more »

Wings (2009) is Aprilynne Pike's debut novel. The first thing to know about it is that the idea has been thrown around that Wings might possibly be the next Twilight. I have my own varied and complex issues with Twilight but I can see the connection. The tone, protagonist, and a lot of other things are very different. But the general "vibe" of the two books are strikingly similar. The jacket praise from Stephenie Meyer also helps.* That said, if you loved Twilight, you should read this book. If you hated it, or if you wanted to like it but couldn't, you should also read this book. Finally, if you are with me in being on Team Jacob, you must read this book for reasons that will become apparent as the story progresses.**

Onward . . .  read more »

By now everyone at least knows of Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight whether they have read it or not. Even though the four book arc is called a saga, it does remain finite leaving fans with a dilemma after they have worked through all of the novels. Instead of harassing Meyer to finish Midnight Sun, here are some other titles that might be enjoyable for readers. Similarly, if you heard about Twilight but didn't love it, these comparable books and series might be more to your liking. (These lists are in no way comprehensive, but hopefully they'll point interested readers in the appropriate new direction.)  read more »