Karen Ostertag's blog

It's that time of year again.  The air is getting colder; trees are shaking off their summer raiment to reveal the skeleton branches beneath.  With each passing day, we lose a few more minutes of precious daylight.  The burgeoning moon is cold comfort to those who already yearn for the vanishing sun.  As the shadows lengthen, the 31 titles of this month's speculative fiction list lie ready to remind you why we should fear the long night.

You won't find any pale-but-sexy, misunderstood immortals in this month's offerings.  No compelling, tall, dark strangers with an unfortunate dietary requirement.  No soulful soulless writhing in metaphysical melodrama, no Byronic brooding.  (Okay... maybe a little brooding.)  No vegetarians.  And most definitely, positively, and categorically: NO SPARKLES.

New to our shelves:

The Living Dead 2 by John Joseph Adams, ed. (2, The Living Dead) H (shelved at Horror Living)
Dawnthief by James Barclay (1, Chronicles of the Raven) F
A Star Shall Fall by Marie Brennan (3, Onyx Court) F
The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang SF, H
The Walrus & the Warwolf: A Chronicle of an Age of Darkness by Hugh Cook (Planet Stories) F, SF
The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (2, The Strain) H, SF
The Year's Best Science Fiction 2010 by Gardner Dozois, ed. (27, The Year's Best Science Fiction) SF
What Distant Deeps by David Drake (8, RCN (Leary/Mundy)) SF

Got your attention, didn't I?  No, I'm not advocating the destruction of library property-- quite the opposite.  Banned Books Week begins this Saturday, a time when libraries nationwide will be focusing on the importance of our First Amendment rights.  I know, it seems a little strange to think about romances and the First Amendment in the same sentence.  The more Puritan-minded of our Founding Fathers probably didn't even dream of authors like Laurell K. Hamilton, Bertrice Small, or Lora Leigh when they protected our freedom to read.  Even so, fans of steamy romances should spare a moment this week to thank those sober gentlemen.  They found it necessary to a free society to protect all speech-- even the speech they disagreed with, even the speech they personally found frivolous, or immoral, or offensive.  To celebrate, I'm going to talk about books that some would consider to be all three: really HOT romances! 

In paperback:

Black Magic by Cherry Adair C, S
Midnight Awakening by Lara Adrian (3, Midnight Breed) C, S
Seduction Wears Sapphires by Renee Bernard (2, Jaded Gentlemen) H
Bedeviled Angel by Annette Blair (2, Works like Magick) C, S
Royal Seduction by Jennifer Blake (1, Royal Family of Ruthenia) H, M
Operation Prince Charming by Phyllis Bourne C, O
Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann C, W
Our Red Hot Romance Is Leaving Me Blue by Dixie Cash (6, Domestic Equalizers) C, M, S
Last Night's Scandal by Loretta Chase (4, Fallen Women) H
Whisper Kiss by Deborah Cooke (5, Dragonfire) C, F, S

Do you dream of the misty Highlands of Scotland?  Is tartan a turn-on?  Do you long for a hero who's earthy, untamed, and perhaps a wee bit stubborn?  Have you ever wondered if it's true what Scots don't wear beneath their kilts?*  If your answer to any of these questions is "yes," it's time to prep your armchair for a literary visit to Scotland!

Why Scotland in August?  The Cowal Highland Gathering, known worldwide as the largest, grandest Highland Games in the world, kicks off today.  I suppose you could cook yourself a nice haggis or try your hand at caber tossing to commemorate the event (though for your own safety, don't try either of these at home), but for me, this is the perfect opportunity to talk about Scottish romances.