hey it's SBD!

Listen, I don't have much to say, but we need to get our routine back on track, right? SCHEDULES are SACRED. There are kids all over my house. They don't seem to understand how important it is that they not be bugging me on Monday, silly guys.

Happy MLK Day. I'm thinking of something appropriate to MLK day but I can't. Discrimination? How about the whole Millenium Black thing--where the author's race seems to matter more than the books she writes? That seems sort of. . . bizarre. I frequently see occasions when the author chooses to highlight her race/employment history/background to help sell books. ["ex-FBI agent!" seems to be the most common one] But to go the other way? Change the book to fit a niche without the author's consent? Nope. It might not be traditional discrimination, but it sure is not kosher.

* * * * *

I'm rereading things because that's what I do when I can't work or concentrate. Just reread Truly by Mary Balogh. I was reminded of Ohhhhh how I hate this particular plot device: a person manage to repeatedly hide their identity from someone who "loves" them.

Give me a secret baby rather than a secret like that. Drove me nuts in Princess Bride, too. How come Buttercup (and what a drip she was) couldn't identify Westly, twice? (when he grabbed her and when he gave the big ol' cry of anguish) All that bushwa about True Love. Ha. Wear a mask and the True Love doesn't get it's you?

Except. I love Truly, and I love Princess Bride, for that matter. But this is supposed to be about books, so anyway, I love the book. I wondered why I had kept it on a shelf (instead of a box) and decided to read it to find out and then ended up getting caught up in it again. Yah, we have the spunky heroine and the conflicted hero, but I luuuuuuurrrrrve them even though I've read a thousand versions of them. Maybe because I believed the conflict was real and her spunk (and what a word) was necessary for her existence. I even bought into the idea that he really had to hide from her. Heck, I even forgave her for being a hussy, a particularly stupid move in that repressive world. Oh, did I mention the world? Balogh creates a terrific portrait of Wales. I don't get why there aren't more books in that setting.

Balogh has written a couple of other books with one character masquerading as two and successfully deceiving the person who's supposed to be the True Love for most of the damn book. This is the only one I can stand--and I more than tolerate Truly. It's on the keeper shelf. I hope I can write a story as stirring some day. **


**(only I hope I'd get a better cover. It's one of those step-backs that's embarrassed about being Clinchy inside. I say go for Clinch or go for Good Taste. Don't hover apologetically.)

Comments

  1. Anonymous1:36 PM

    I always wonder about all those ex-FBI agents now embarking on writing careers. If they were so excellent at figuring out crimes, why aren't they still doing it? Just wondering.

    And Wales. :sigh: I love Welsh-set historicals. Sharon Kay Penman's especially. And Putney's Thunder and Roses.

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  2. Anonymous2:22 PM

    Ah, but Buttercup was stupid. Really, really stupid, which the book makes clear and the movie does not, and which explains how she failed to recognize Wesley.

    Of course, I still love the book and movie, despite her idiocy.

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  3. Anonymous3:34 PM

    I'm glad I missed the book then, because I LOATHE stupid heroines. LOATHE them!
    Buttercup in the movie version was sweetly-heartbroken which explains the recognition issues. Hell, I barely knew it was him! But perhaps that's admitting my own stupidity?
    Hey - I was young when I was it...

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  4. Thanks for the link, Kate. I think the Millenia Black situation is very appropriate for MLK day. The definitive civil rights violation. I feel very bad for her. She's sacrificing a potentially great career as an AA author in order for the right to be just an AUTHOR.

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