Jun. 28th, 2017

shadowkat: (Default)
1. What I Just Finished Reading?

Fortune Favors the Wicked (A Royal Rewards Duo #1) - by Theresa Romain

Romain writes unconventional historical romances that sort of defy established tropes.
In this one, the heroine is a courtesan and the hero is a blind naval officer. They are in the small town of Strawbridge, England, which isn't far from Scotland, hunting treasure. Apparently a bunch of people stole from the Royal Mint. This appears to be a Regency -- since the king is considered mad, and it is post 1700s. But I have no clue.
I tend to hand-wave the history in these things. Honestly, I don't read them for the history.

The naval officer is actually based on a historical character who was blind, and wrote books in the 1800s, and apparently some of the quotations from the actual character's books are inserted in the novel. Here the naval officer had attempted to get his memoirs published as non-fiction, but the publishers laughed in his face and said there was no way anyone was going to believe a blind man could do all that. They would however publish it as fiction, if he was so inclined. So, he's hunting the treasure in order to have money to publish it himself and to provide his sister with a "season". As a naval officer he only makes enough to live on. Small pension, and a room at Windsor Castle, as a Naval Knight of the Realm, and only as long as he remains single (not necessarily celibate). He'd prefer to be on a boat at see, but becoming blind sort of got in the way of all of that.

The courtesan was the vicar's daughter, that is until the local squire seduced her and got her to pose nude for him. She ended up having his daughter out of wedlock and passing the daughter off as her sister's. He also painted a lot of portraits of her nude.
Made a bit of name for himself on a few of them. As a result, she had little choice but to become a courtesan. She's running away from a wicked Marquess who thinks he owns her. And wants the treasure so she can raise her daughter in the country free of all of this.

I don't think I need to spell out what is unconventional here. There's no wealthy princes or landowners that can save either, the story is rather realistically rendered, and they sort of save themselves.

It's okay. I didn't love it. It lack oomph somehow. I'm not sure how else to explain it?
There just was something missing from the writing. Also there were a few characters or subplots introduced that were dropped. And the mystery, which was intriguing took back seat to the less than enthralling sex scenes. This writer's sex scenes felt rather awkward. I wish people wouldn't write them it they feel awkward. If you aren't comfortable writing full-fledged sex scenes, less is more.

2. What I'm Reading Now?

A Gentleman in the Street (The Campbell Siblings #1) - by Alisha Rai

Alisha Rai is an erotica contemporary romance writer. And somewhat unconventional in her writing. In this novel, she's flipped the gender trope. In addition the heroine is Japanese.

The heroine, Akira, is a wealthy, bitchy, owner of a string of nightclubs and restaurants. She's powerful, self-absorbed, a real player, and takes no prisoners. The hero, Jacob Campbell is a writer of spy novels, and the sole provider for his siblings. He's taken care of them his entire life and feels responsible for their welfare. They met when their parents married for all of ten minutes, or rather a year. And had the hots for each other, but instead of acting on it, treated each other like shit. He ignored her, or avoided her, while she was bitchy and mean to him.

Now, years later, after her mother has died, she's hunting a family heirloom, a chinese puzzle box. She comes to Jacob for it. He finds it for her, and they enter into a relationship of sorts...lots of kinky sex ensues.

The big difference between sex scenes in historical and contemporary novels is well they are kinky in contemporaries, and often cruel. There's spanking, three-somes, orgies, etc. Mainly because sex gets boring to write after a bit and there's a lot of it in contemporary erotica fiction and the writer has to come up with some way to entertain themselves and the audience. Also a way to push the characterization, plot and action -- the more crazy the sex is, the more you push the characterization and action in erotica. Historical romance doesn't need this extra push, because often just having sex out of wedlock in a historical is crazy enough. And back then, having oral sex or sodomy was...well, a big deal. Now? Not so much. So hence the kink.

I'm not sure about some of the positioning of the characters. Nor do I quite buy that Jacob does some of the things she has him do, it seems out of character and jarring. Also, the sex scenes happen a bit abruptly. There's not enough build up to them -- a problem in a lot of erotica. However, there is more character development, supporting and otherwise in this novel than the others I've read. And the writing is a bit cleaner, and less paint-by-numbers formula. In other words this feels like an actual story and not just erotica.

I'm finding it interesting, however, in that it does a good job of demonstrating how limited one's perspective truly is. To say Akira is self-absorbed is a gross understatement. All Akira thinks about twenty-four seven is Akira. To the degree that she's convinced everything Jacob or anyone else does is a reflection on her. When in actuality, it has absolutely nothing to do with her. Jacob isn't avoiding her because he hates her, but because of his own parental baggage and responsibilities and hangups. But she's too self-absorbed to see it -- until he literally confesses it.

He's actually the opposite -- not self-absorbed at all, in fact all he thinks about is everyone else.

I'm wondering right now, why he'd be interested in her? I mean looks only take you so far. She's user, and has little to no respect for others. In short, the writer flipped the tortured rich asshole hero into the tortured rich asshole heroine. Which in of itself is interesting. Just not sure it works.

While I'm reading the book, I kept imagining it as a horror story. I think it is the chinese puzzle box. And I can't help but think it would make a really cool erotic horror romance. But that may be a wee bit too unconventional.

Tried Sous Chef -- got bogged down with the irritating second person close point of view. Kitchen Confidential it's not. Unfortunately.
shadowkat: (tv slut)
1. EVERY SINGLE DOCTOR WHO STORY RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST for the DW fans on my reading list.

Reading through it, I was reminded of why I found the series far too scary to watch when I was eight in the 1970s. It also reminds me a great deal of two sci-fi anthology US programs in the 1960s and 70s, which were reprised briefly, Outer Limits and Twilight Zone. I liked Twilight Zone better -- it was psychological horror, while Outer Limits was basically monsters came to eat you from outer space.

The 1950s in the US seemed to spawn a lot of scary sci-fi movies. I think most if not all of them were allegories of the fear people had of the Other, or Communism. We'd just come off of a brutal war, where no one was necessarily a good guy. (If you disagree, go google the Battle of Dresden and read Slaughter-House Five. Also google the US internment camps for Japanese Americans, and what happened with the two atomic bombs.) Anyhow, WWII spawned US and Japanese sci-fi horror films. Our fear of nuclear warfare, communism, nazism, fascism...all show up in those, along with Doctor Who.

Anyhow, it's hard for me to quibble with the rankings, I only saw a smattering of the episodes. Agree with Blink, Midnight, Listen, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, Day of the Doctor, The Doctor's Wife...have never really understood the appeal of the Vincent Van Gough episode and the Girl in the Fire Place, but that's just me. Personally I preferred The Impossible Astronaut and A Good Man Goes to War, along with Family of Blood and The Human Condition.

2. Television Shows to Binge Watch.

Please name a television show that you recommend binge watching this summer, list the channel and where to find it. I'm looking for recommendations.

Right now considering Orange is the New Black, Fortitude, Bosch, Big Little Lies,
American Gods.

3. What are the Best Television Adaptations of Books?

Hmmm...the best one that I've seen, and actually read the book, was A&E's adaptation of Pride & Prejudice starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. It seemed to be the closest to the book, with a few interesting tweaks here and there. Such as Darcy taking a dip in his estate's lake only to find himself running into Elizabeth and her Aunt and Uncle.

I didn't like Poldark take 2 that much. But that may be a mood thing. And I didn't read the book.

The Expanse did a rather decent job with Leviathan Wakes, the first in that series. I haven't read the others yet.

I think it is hard to do a decent book adaptation. I liked The Night Manager, but again have not read the book. Le Carr gives me a headache, I can only watch the adaptations of his work. His books...feel a bit like trudging through quicksand.
(I admit I was more of a Ludlum and Fleming fan, and Helen McInnes, who were less realistic but more fun.)

The Thorn Birds was a good adaptation of that book, I must admit. Collen McCullough's Australian epic actually was my favorite of that specific genre.

Oh, and the best horror novel adaptation was Harvest Home (by Tom Tyron) which was adapted in the 1970s.

4. Brings me to my next question which books would you like to see adapted into a television series?

I can tell you this much, none that are currently being adapted. The one's I want adapted aren't popular enough, apparently, to be adapted.

Would love to see all the Shakespearean plays adapted. That would be cool. Do modern adaptations!

Also love to see His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman adapted into a television series. I think it would work better for television than film.

And The Chronicles of Lymond by Dorothy Dunnett starring Tom Hiddleston in the lead role.

Would not mind it if they adapted the Vicky Bliss mysteries.

Other books? The Secret History by Donna Tartt and The Sparrow/Children of God by Maria Doria Russell. The Kim Harrison - Rachel Morgan series, about a bounty hunter who discovers she's a demon. Neil Gaiman's Sandman series.

Sci-Fi series? Hmmm....they don't tend to do a good job with sci-fi book adaptations.
Although I haven't seen Man in the High Castle. I did not like what they did with Dune or the Wizard of Earthsea.

See? Too off the beaten path. They'd never do them.

5. Any reboots?

Can't think of any. They always reboot shows that really don't need to be rebooted.

What they should do is continue series that left us with a cliff-hanger. Sort of a wrap-up of that series. Or something.

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