Reading While Black

I mainly winged it on this list. It’s a mix of actual titles I really loved, and titles I had to look up in order to pad the list. And don’t rely on the order in which the books are listed. I just thew names around as they came to me. Check out the interim results.

1. Shadows and Lace by Teresa Medeiros
2. Vixen by Jane Feather
3. Beauty Like the Night by Liz Carlyle
4. On The Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt
5. Dance by Judy Cuevas/Judith Ivory
6. Beast by Judith Ivory
7. Sleeping Beauty by Judith Ivory
8. The Bookseller’s Daughter by Pam Rosenthal
9. The Devil’s Delilah by Loretta Chase
10. The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker
11. Violet by Jane Feather
12. The Perfect Mistress by Betina Krahn
13. Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu
14. Fair Is The Rose by Meagan McKinney
15. To Dream Again by Laura Lee Guhrke
16. The Perfect Temptation by Leslie LaFoy
17. No True Gentleman by Liz Carlyle
18. Potent Pleasures by Eloisa James
19. The Bachelor List by Jane Feather
20. Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes
21. To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney
22. My Warrior’s Heart by Betina Krahn
23. To Love and To Cherish by Patricia Gaffney
24. The Bride Hunt by Jane Feather
25. The Indiscretion by Judith Ivory
26. Untie My Heart by Judith Ivory
27. Prince of Swords by Anne Stuart
28. The Last Bachelor by Betina Krahn
29. A Kiss to Remember by Teresa Medieros
30. The Least Likely Bride by Jane Feather
31. For My Lady’s Heart by Laura Kinsale
32. Devil’s Bargain by Jade Lee
33. Breathless by Laura Lee Guhrke
34. Behind Closed Doors by Betina Krahn
35. Black Silk by Judith Ivory
36. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
37. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
38. The Accidental Bride by Jane Feather
39. Velvet by Jane Feather
40. My Dearest Enemy by Connie Brockway
41. Hunting Midnight by Emma Holly
42. Bold Destiny by Jane Feather
43. Emily and the Dark Angel by Jo Beverley
44. The Bargain by Mary Jo Putney
45. The China Bride by Mary Jo Putney
46. One Perfect Rose by Mary Jo Putney
47. Passion’s Treasure by Betina Krahn
48. Caught In The Act by Betina Krahn
49. The Paradise Bargain by Betina Krahn
50. Passion’s Ransom by Betina Krahn
51. Something Wicked Jo Beverley
52. An Offer From A Gentleman by Julia Quinn
53. Hot Ice by Nora Roberts
54. All The Queen’s Men by Linda Howard
55. Black Ice by Anne Stuart
56. Duchess In Love by Eloisa James
57. Enchanting Pleasures by Eloisa James
58. Venus by Jane Feather
59. Vice by Jane Feather
60. Fool For Love by Eloisa James
61. Music Of The Night by Lydia Joyce
62. White Tigress by Jade Lee
63. Eye of Heaven by Marjorie M. Liu
64. The Slightest Provocation by Pam Rosenthal
65. Princess of Thieves by Katherine O’Neal
66. The Perfect Seduction by Leslie LaFoy
67. A Gentleman’s Honor by Stephanie Laurens
68. The Devil You Know by Liz Carlyle
69. The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
70. The Shadow and the Star by Laura Kinsale
71. The Sandalwood Princess by Loretta Chase
72. The English Witch by Loretta Chase
73. The Hostage Bride by Jane Feather
74. Fire Song by Roberta Gellis
75. A Tapestry of Dreams by Roberta Gellis
76. Orchids and Diamonds by Rosalind Laker
77. Judas Kiss by Victoria Holt
78. The Pride of the Peacock by Victoria Holt
79. Castle of Foxes by Alanna Knight
80. Ravenburn by Laura Black
81. Banners of Silk by Rosalind Laker
82. The Silk Vendetta by Victoria Holt
83. Fires of Winter by Roberta Gellis
84. The English Heiress by Roberta Gellis
85. The Bar Sinister by Sheila Simonson
86. The Golden Tulip by Rosalind Laker
87. The Bridal Season by Connie Brockway
88. The Seducer by Madeline Hunter
89. In My Wildest Dreams by Christina Dodd
90. What The Heart Keeps by Rosalind Laker
91. That Scandalous Evening by Christina Dodd
92. London’s Perfect Scoundrel by Suzanne Enoch
93. Bridal Favors by Connie Brockway
94. A Matter of Scandal by Suzanne Enoch
95. The Charmer by Madeline Hunter
96. After The Kiss by Karen Ranney
97. Must Have Been The Moonlight by Melody Thomas
98. The Heiress by Jude Deveraux
99. The Raider by Jude Deveraux
100. The Seduction of an English Lady by Cathy Maxwell

Forgive me for my absence, but I’ve discovered an obsession with Ken Follett.

Desperate to alleviate my reading slump, I ignored the romance section and headed straight for the mystery/thrillers. I’d read Linda Howard’s espionage novels and it whet my appetite for more spy-themed romance novels, but so far, I haven’t found any (most RS is about serial killers and FBI agents), and then I stumbled upon Ken Follett. And let me tell you, I am in love!

So far I’ve read three of his novels and while they are so simply written, they are so compelling and page-turning that I’m just “wow” with each new plot twist he throws at me. The last in particular, The Modigliani Scandal, gave me a good laugh at the end because the twist on the last page was so bloody brilliant I never saw it coming! Since I’m such an analytical person, a person who is hard to surprise with a mystery or suspense novel (and sometimes, a plain old character-driven novel), for Follett to keep me guessing and in the dark is the mark of a truly, truly skillful writer.

He’s got an impressive backlist, so excuse me while I enjoy reading in a way I haven’t for a year.

One would think what with the anger and hatred shown towards blacks today, black people wouldn’t continue to perpetuate the dividing tactics used on our slave ancestors:

“I made a mistake,” Barnes said. “I didn’t think there would be a backlash.”

Barnes, who said he’s been a party promoter for six years, canceled the event.

He said he has gotten angry calls and e-mails from around the country about the party.

“I didn’t mean to offend anyone,” he said. “I had planned a party for other shades (of black women). We were going to take a shade of color each week. Next week was going to be a party for ‘Sexy Chocolate’ and the week after that ‘Sexy Caramel.’ ”

[Source DT & C&D]

This is a case taking “write what you know” entirely too far:

“MEXICO CITY - An aspiring horror novelist was arrested after police discovered his girlfriend’s torso in his closet, a leg in the refrigerator and bones in a cereal box, a city prosecutors’ spokesman said Thursday.

Jose Luis Calva told police he had boiled some of his girlfriend’s flesh but that he hadn’t eaten it, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the case.

Calva told police he was a writer and poet — officers found the draft of a novel titled “Cannibalistic Instincts,” he said.

Investigators were trying to determine if chunks of fried meat found in a pan in the apartment were human, the spokesman said.

Police came to Calva’s apartment Monday after neighbors reported a fetid smell. They discovered the dismembered body of his girlfriend Alejandra Galeana in a closet, the spokesman said. A leg and pieces of an arm were in a refrigerator and there were bones inside a cereal box.

The family of Galeana, a 30-year-old pharmacy clerk, reported her missing on Friday and told police of her relationship with Calva, the official said.

Calva is being investigated in the killings of two other women, including an ex-girlfriend, also a pharmacy worker, whose dismembered body was found in 2004, and an unidentified prostitute who was killed earlier this year.

Calva tried to run from police to avoid arrest, but was struck by a car and was still hospitalized on Thursday.”

[Source]

But people are fucking nuts!!