Julia Barrett's World

This is hubby’s deal - We sit at this big dinner, he gets more and more depressed and whispers to me - This stuff gets so old… I look at the crappy meal set in front of me - Top Chef would have a fit at the multiple inedible garnishes - and listen to the even crappier band play some of what is quite possibly the worst music ever written in the past three decades and I think, I left my puppy home with a sitter for this? I coulda been at a Giants game!

Okay so news - there are so many great articles out there right now in the blogosphere. Author Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers, The Tipping Point, Blink) says social media will not reinvigorate social activism. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell I’m not so sure the revolution will not be tweeted. Maria Popova disagrees with Mr. Gladwell.

Malcolm Gladwell is #Wrong, by Maria Popova

http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=19008

Ms. Popova - “We need a definition of what activism is, not what it is not, before we can argue for or against its existence. As far as I’m concerned, activism is any action or set of actions, be it organized, grassroots or self-initiated, that aims to resolve a problem that diminishes the quality of life of individuals, communities or society. The civil rights movement is one example: it sought to bring equality and justice across racial borders. The suffrage movement is another: it sought to give women equal rights as political and social agents.”

I find myself leaning toward Ms. Popova’s point of view - if social media is insignificant in terms of societal change, then why are so many governments around the world terrified of social media? Why so much censorship in countries like China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE?

In the world of science fiction romance, I’ve found a new site to love:

Science Fiction Romance is not an oxymoron - thank you Corinna Lawson!

http://www.geekmom.com/2010/10/science-fiction-romance-not-an-oxymoron/

“For over a decade, I went through a fantasy and mystery reading phase, mostly books by female authors, and eventually stumbled onto the “In Death” mystery/science fiction/romance series by J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts, the best-selling romance author of all time. And that’s how I ended up reading romance.

I soon lost my negative preconceptions about the genre. It turned out that women are strong characters in romance, not simpering lovesick fools, that ‘trashy romance novel’ is an oxymoron for the most part, and that the idea they’re written to a formula was as erroneous as saying all mysteries are alike because there’s a mystery to solve.

Most importantly, I discovered that, when it comes to the romance genre, women are the stars of their own stories. It’s not that I dislike reading about male protagonists, but I did get tired of women being secondary or a prop. New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Crusie detailed how she started writing romance while researching her dissertation because she found the romance books to be incredibly feminist.”

Check out this new review for Anytime Darlin’ from Sensual Reads: http://sensualreads.com/?p=5047

“A powerful story that takes you through an extremely delicate subject matter with compassion.”

One more newly discovered science fiction romance link: http://twillwoven.blogspot.com/

Related posts:

1. Stuck in the middle. Science fiction and romance…can ever the twain meet? One of...
2. Meetings with remarkable books. There are books that have changed the trajectory of my...
3. A Guest Blog by My Friend, Author Katalina Leon. I asked my friend, Katalina Leon, to write a guest...
4. I thought I’d talk about sex… I mean, when you’re sick, what the hell else is...
5. My Head Shots and a Sunday Note: Remember to drop by Michelle’s Book Blog and give yourself...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tags: Anytime Darlin' review Sensual Reads, I coulda been at a baseball game, Malcolm Gladwell and Maria Popova and the value of social media, science fiction romance is not an oxymoron by geekmom   Posted Books, Food, Travel, book bloggers, book reviews, popular culture, science fiction, writing |