Another not so fabulous week for reading (more out of town guests), but I did manage to get a little reading in. I've already talked a bit about one book I read, Alice, I Think. Like I said on Wednesday, I really enjoyed it and am now kicking myself that I waited so long to read it. One thing that was interesting to me in my Reader Advisory class was the number of students who were truly surprised that they liked their book. Some of them admitted that a prejudice they had against YA Fiction was that it was less sophisticated and lower in quality because it is written for a younger audience.

I love proving students wrong.

The other book I read this week was Dead and Loving It by MaryJanice Davidson. A collection of four novellas (three previously e-pubbed and one brand spanking new story), this book expanded on the worlds of both the Wyndham werewolves and vampire queen Betsy Taylor. If you have read either series it is a can't miss book. If you have heard of MaryJanice Davidson and have been wanting to try one of her books, this one probably isn't the best one to start with. Personally, I enjoyed all four novellas in Dead and Loving It, but the last novella (A Fiend in Need) was by far my favorite. It added a new dimension to Betsy Taylor's world that I am dying to see more of in the next book in the series, Undead and Unpopular.

So what have you been reading this week?

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Yesterday JoAnn Ross on 2 B Read mentioned Literature-Map, a tool that allows you to type in the name of a favorite author and find other authors that would be enjoyable to you as a reader. If your author is listed in the database your search will pull up a literature map that has your selected author in the center with other authors you might enjoy floating around it. The closer an author is listed to the author you originally searched for the more likely you will enjoy reading that other author's books.

I wasn't familiar with this website before, so I've been playing around on it to see how good their recommendations are. Some recommendations seem dead on accurate, but others are very bizarre. For example, if you search for Emma Holly the literature map will bring up names like Robin Schone, Thea Devine, and Jaid Black (which seems pretty accurate). However, Lemony Snicket is also listed on the Emma Holly literature map. Huh?

I noticed that the Marquis de Sade was also listed on Emma Holly's literature map, so clicked on his name to see what would happen. I was immediately taken to the literature map for the Marquis de Sade, where things got really wonky. Among the recommended authors were two names that would stand out to any reader: Dr. Seuss and Jesus. Now I know that it has been a while since I read Green Eggs and Ham, but I'm pretty sure that it really isn't the same genre as what the Marquis de Sade wrote. Then again, The Cat in the Hat was one creepy mo-fo.

Has anyone else tried this website and gotten weird results? If not, try it out and let me know what you think.

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Tonight my Reader Advisory students are back from their week long Spring Break, and I expect it will be an almost party like atmosphere in class. My friend Penny is going to be a guest speaker/contributor, the topic for tonight's class is Young Adult Fiction, and at the end of class students will be selecting the Chick Lit titles they will be reading for next week. Put those three things together and you've got yourself a par-tay.

For this week's class I read Alice, I Think by Susan Juby. Meet Alice MacLeod. After a disastrous week of first grade where she went to school dressed as a Hobbit, Alice's parents decide to home-school her. Now ten years have passed and Alice finds herself in the daunting position of returning to public school thanks to her new counselor, Death Lord Bob. As Alice notes, "I grew up in one of those loving families that fail to prepare a person for real life." While Alice has created a set of Life Goals to help her get started, will she be able to successfully reenter a real school, let alone the real world? With Alice the journey is sure to be bumpy and entertaining. Readers looking for a fresh, funny, and often sarcastic look at what it means to be a "normal" teenager will enjoy looking at life through Alice's eyes. Alice, I Think is one book both teens and adult will not want to miss.

I love reading YA Fiction, and I am not alone. Which leads to this week's question: why do adults enjoy reading YA Fiction so much. Is it nostalgia? Insight to teens of today? Or is it something else? Let me know what you think.

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Just a heads up, Nicole posted her list of upcoming books that goes through 2006. I'll be back later today to share my updated TBR Plan (thanks to Nicole there have been some additions made to the list -- crap, crap and double crap).

This week has been a bad week for reading. Visitors + Shopping + Eating lots and lots of meat = No reading time. But the meat was totally worth it. :-)

I did finally manage to finish up the last two books in Cheyenne McCray's Wonderland series (King of Diamonds and King of Clubs), which I greatly enjoyed. Outside of enjoying my first foray in reading EC, reading the Wonderland series has taught me a valuable lesson. If you are reading a series make sure you have access to the books in sequential order. Having books 1, 2, and 4 was nice, but once I read the first two books I was in a bit of a pickle. The wait for book 3 while I had book 4 in hand, ready to read, nearly drove me over the edge. I will never do that again.

So what have you been reading this week?

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Today, Nicole mentioned that she will soon unveil her list of not to be missed books that are due to come out in 2006. I'm looking forward to seeing her list and dreading it at the same time.

For the past few weeks I've been working on a TBR Plan for the summer. After doing some spring cleaning around my house I realized that I own a disturbing amount of books that are waiting to be read. I knew the number of books in my TBR pile was large, but I didn't realize that it had gotten quite so out of control. Factor in the books that I want to read but aren't willing to pony up the money for, and the TBR stack is nearing epic proportions.

So what does an anal retentive nerd girl like me do in this situation? She draws up a plan, or more appropriately, a reading schedule. Sad, but true. I'm still early in the planning stages (I do have until June 1 to get my schedule finalized), but it is looking pretty packed. While I know it is impossible for me to get through every single book that is currently in my TBR pile, I am going to try my best to strike a balance between old and new books this summer. While I'm not listing the specific TBR titles (I'll leave the selection of those to my reading mood at the time), I am listing the titles of new releases that I know I am going to want to read when they come out. I already know of too many good books coming out this summer that are currently listed on my reading schedule, and Nicole is poised to send me over the edge and my careful plan straight into the toilet.

To quote Manogirl: Grrrr, just, grrrrr.

I'll post the beast that is my TBR Plan once I've seen the list Nicole has compiled.

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After three years of giving us the finger, the community I live and work in finally approved a tax referendum in yesterday's primary. This time around we did not ask for a property tax increase, but a sales tax increase. Our city government partnered with us, and though they will be the ones to collect the money a portion of it will go to us. So in this election everyone wins: taxpayers will not have to pay higher property taxes and the library will get the money it needs.

More importantly, I get to keep my job. :-)

Anyone else have good news to share? I feel like celebrating!

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I'm starting to think they do. Last week they had an interesting essay about Young Adult Fiction (Young Adult Fiction: Wild Things) and just a few days ago they had an article about Chick Lit (The Chick-Lit Pandemic).

My next Reader Advisory class (which is off this week because of Spring Break) is all about YA Fiction. Can you guess what the following week's genre is? That's right, Chick Lit. If The New York Times runs an article on GLBTQ Fiction within the next week I'm going to be seriously creeped out.

Although I must say that it is very nice of them to give me additional topic ideas for class discussion. :-)

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I meant to post this yesterday, but got caught up preparing for my mini-vacation. There will be no This Week in Reading today as I am on Spring Break (plus I still haven't read anything yet). I'll be back to posting on Tuesday, March 21.

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This week my student's have been reading Inspirational Fiction for tonight's Reader Advisory class. I knew this week was going to be a tough week as we were suppose to be reading Young Adult Fiction, but due to a scheduling conflict with my guest speaker I had to switch it to the following class. Needless to say Inspirational Fiction is a wee bit less fun that Young Adult Fiction. Before I begin, I need to warn you that this post is probably going to be a bit meaner than normal. Then again, I'm a pretty pissed reader right now.

For this week's class I read A Case of Bad Taste by Lori Copeland. The first novel in the Morning Shade series introduces readers to the Diamond women: Maude, Stella, and Cee-Cee. Maude's life has been one change after another since her husband's death. First her mother-in-law Stella moves in after they can no longer afford to pay for her retirement home. Then Stella's daughter Cee-Cee returns to the nest after the unexpected death of her husband, bringing a menagerie of animals with her. With three generations of Diamond living under one roof, there's bound to be trouble. Maude's biggest problem at the moment though is writer's block. A Christian mystery writer, Maude dreams of one day being on the bestsellers list. But that is not going to happen if she doesn't get inspired soon. When a burglar begins breaking in and redecorating people's homes Maude finds the inspiration she is looking for. But is basing a book on what's going on in Morning Shade the right thing to do? This book is recommended to readers who enjoy stories of strong female characters that live with and learn from one another.

I believe in setting a good example for my students. I would never rag on an entire genre because I do realize that while I don't enjoy a certain kind of book other readers might. With that said, I think this book had to be the worst example of Inspirational Fiction that I could have ever read. The only other Inspirational title I had read before this was Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, and while I did not enjoy the book enough to read other titles in the series, I found it to be entirely readable and could easily understand why readers liked it. I have no clue why anyone would like A Case of Bad Taste.

First off, it is marketed as an Inspirational Mystery. One of the things I asked my students to do while reading their books this week was to try and identify what genre outside of Inspirational Fiction their book could be classified as, keeping in mind the conventions of that genre. A Case of Bad Taste is not a Mystery, and calling it one is crapping on Mystery as a label. I guarantee if you handed this book to a Mystery reader they would return to your library a week later and bitch slap you with the book. And you would deserve it as this book is no Mystery. The "crime" is a burglar breaking into people's homes and redecorating. While the idea sounded cute to me when I was reading the book description, in execution it was poorly done. The number of break-ins was small, only four. Also, at the end of the book it was revealed that the crimes were really fake as all the "victims" were in on it from the beginning. Why were they faking these break-ins? So that people would finally have something to talk about in Morning Shade. It seems that it is such a dull little town it needs to invent its own crime. Ugh.

Another big problem for A Case of Bad Taste though is its main character, Maude Diamond. Throughout the entire novel the author manages to make Maude so unlikable, readers can't help but be unsympathetic towards her. It may have been because of the choice to use first person narrative, but Maude comes off as completely whiny and self-obsessed. All Maude wants is to make the bestsellers list. I first learned that in the second chapter, and I was reminded every 5-7 pages. It got old, fast.

The sad thing though is that I have to take some responsibility for my bad reading experience. I picked Lori Copeland as my author because I knew she had previously written mainstream fiction. I figured I would get off easy with the religious overtones (I was incredibly mistaken there). And to take a page from Earl, I had this bad read coming to me. After railing at my student to suck it up when they didn't like a book and try to figure out who would like it and why, Karma has decide to bite me on the booty. Thanks Karma.

Now to my question for the class: Why do some readers/booksellers/librarians use the label Inspirational Fiction instead of Christian Fiction? Is it because it is more generic and could apply to all religious fiction? Is it because some may view Christian/Religious Fiction as a negative label?

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Manogirl posted about her reading difficulties on Sunday, so I feel it is only fair to share mine. :-)

On Saturdays I normally read my book for my upcoming Reader Advisory class. It makes me feel better to get it out of the way (particularly if it is a genre I don't like) and have the rest of the weekend and beginning of the week for what I actually want to read. I knew this week's reading was going to be a struggle for me as we are reading Inspirational Fiction, but I didn't know it was going to be as tough as it actually was. For those who are out of the library lingo loop, Inspirational Fiction is the consumer friendly term for Religious Fiction or more specifically in this country, Christian Fiction.

I don't want to say too much about the book now (that topic is for Wednesday's post), but let me just say that reading it was not a pleasant experience. In fact, the experience was so unpleasant I feel like I've been violated as a reader. I've tried several times to start a new book only to give up because I feel like the last book I read has tainted me in some way. Bizarre? Yes, but true.

I think I'm going to have to reread an old favorite to get my equilibrium back. Any suggestions? I was thinking I would pick-up either Sherrilyn Kenyon's Seize the Night or Alison Kent's Larger Than Life, but I'm open to any other ideas to get me back on track.

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This week has been a sad reading week, and I can only guess as to why. On Wednesday I talked about Clive Cussler's The Mediterranean Caper. The only other book I managed to read this week was Shop Till You Drop by Elaine Viets. Here's the blurb from the publisher:

Once on the fast track to success, Helen Hawthorne is now going nowhere fast. She traded in her chic life for a shabby one. And now she's on the run, jumping from city to city and dead-end job to dead-end job, trying to stay one step ahead of her past. After two weeks as the new salesclerk at Juliana's, Fort Lauderdale's ultra-exclusive clothing boutique, Helen still feels out of fashion. And since the only crime likely to be committed around here is being old-or worse, looking old-Helen figures she's safe. Until she discovers the manager has been embezzling money and selling designer drugs along with the designer clothes. Add murder to the mix and Helen's dead-end job is downright deadly.

I picked this up at the bookstore because I had really liked Dying in Style, and wanted to give the author's Dead End Job series a try. While I liked the book, I didn't love it. It took me forever to finish it, and the only thing I can attribute that to was the pacing of the story. To me it seemed to take an inordinately long time for the mystery to start. However, once the author got me fully entrenched in the story the pace picked up quite a bit. Another issue I had with the book relates a lot to the marketing of the book. Everything I've read about it says that it is a humorous mystery. While there are funny parts in the book, it wasn't as funny as I expected a humorous mystery to be. I went ahead and checked out the second book in the series from another library, and I hope to read it next week. I'll let my feelings about that book decide whether or not I want to keep reading the series.

What have you been reading this week?

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I sometimes wonder what the students sitting outside my classroom door think of the discussions I have with my students. My classroom is situated in the library (handy dandy for a library class), and there is a small group of study carols within easy listening distance. We have been shushed at times, and one person even closed the classroom door before class started.

My students aren't loud, they're just boisterous at times.

But I digress. Last night we got onto the strangest topic ever. Since class last night was all about the Adventure genre, we spent a fair amount of time talking about the typical Adventure hero. When listing different characteristics of Adventure heroes someone raised the question of whether or not a nerd could be the hero of these stories. In true Kelly fashion I answered their question with one of my own: did they mean a geeky, glasses wearing, calculator using, pocket protector wearing nerd or did they mean a hot nerd?

This is how you can tell that I'm not a real teacher (i.e. teacher by profession, not hobby). Real teachers would never lead a class in a discussion of the hot nerd vs. the geeky nerd. Then again, I think students have more fun in my class than they would in a real teacher's class. I've adopted Kirsten's teaching style where I view my lecture as one big ADS. Real or not, it works for me.

And in case you are wondering, my students gave a big a thumbs up to the hot nerd being the main character in an Adventure and a big thumbs down to the geeky nerd being the star. The student making the strongest case for the hot nerd? One of the guys in class.

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Tonight's Reader Advisory class is all about Adventure. I've been taxing my brain trying to remember any books I have read that could be classified as Adventure, and outside of books that are now considered to be literary classics (as opposed to popular fiction), I can't really recall a single title that I would classify this way. Although after talking with Krafty last night I now realize that I've seen a lot of Adventure movies.

For this week's class I read The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler, the first book in the Dirk Pitt series. On a quiet Sunday afternoon on the tiny Greek island of Thasos a vintage World War I fighter plane swoops out of the sky and launches an attack on Brady Field, a U.S. Air Force base. In a matter of minutes the base is nearly decimated. By mere chance rescue comes in the form of Dirk Pitt, a Surface Security Officer with NUMA. Dirk has come to the Aegean Sea to investigate possible sabotage on the First Attempt, a research ship looking for a rare fish that could possibly be a missing evolutionary link. Could the attack on Brady Field have anything to do with the strange happenings on the First Attempt? If so, why would anyone want to stop researchers from looking for a fish? Dirk knows there is a connection, and he'll stop at nothing to find out what it is. Non-stop action and enough thrills to keep a rollercoaster junkie happy, The Mediterranean Caper is highly recommended to all adventure fans, especially those who dreamed of one day growing up to be Indiana Jones.

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself liking The Mediterranean Caper, and definitely plan on reading more books in the series. I loved the camaraderie between him and his friend Al, and I'm dying to see how Dirk Pitt evolves as a character. Color me surprised. I didn't really expect to be this excited about the book when I started reading it.

I have two ugly questions for my students this week. First, many of the books that were recommended for this genre could easily be classified as mystery, suspense, or thriller. Keeping this mind, is it possible that Adventure is a genre label that is past its prime? Second, books classified as Adventure have an overwhelming dude factor: the lead character almost always is a strong, action oriented male while any female characters have little to no characterization and are generally window dressing. Considering this, would it be fair to say that Adventure is marketed towards a male audience as Romance is market towards a female audience?

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Underwhelmed: Failed to excite, stimulate, or impress.

That pretty much sums up my feelings about last night's telecast. Other than the goodness that always is Jon Stewart, the event was pretty much ho-hum for me. This was the first year that I didn't do my annual Oscars bet with Audra, and that was because both of us were underwhelmed by the nominees. This is the first time in many years that there wasn't a movie or an actor that I was rooting for.

To make matters worse, I thought the red carpet coverage this year was horrendous. Who thought it was a good idea to give Isaac Mizrahi a microphone? Whoever the producer was at E! that made the suggestion should be shot for subjecting viewers to him. My mom could do a better job. The entire time all I could think was They got rid of Kathy Griffin for this?

For the most part the fashions on the red carpet were pretty good, but when they were bad they were really bad. That thing on Charlize Theron's shoulder scared the bejesus out of me (although I was very happy to see the she didn't overdo with the Mystic Tan this year) And who made Naomi Watts dress? Santino?

So what did you guys think of the Oscars?

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This week's reading picked up last week's theme with me reading two EC titles. I also read two other books from separate genres to keep my reading pallet in tip top form. Because I'm feeling lazy this morning, I'm using the blurbs from the publishers, with my comments thrown in. ;-)

First on my reading agenda was Future Knight: Blackstar by Cheyenne McCray. Loan agent Kara Marks didn't think her life could get much more boring. When she starts having erotic dreams about a man who comes to her in her sleep, she thinks she's losing her mind. Her mind isn't what's in danger, though. It's her life. Adan Valnez must locate the Blackstar Crystal and bring it to his new home planet before the Ice-Witch finds it. When he meets Kara on Earth of the past, what he locates is trouble. He cannot stop thinking about her, and he cannot stay away. Even though he visits her nightly and passion flares between them, he cannot allow her to remember him... until the Ice-Witch finds the Crystal -- around Kara's neck.

A futuristic romance, this book was a bit different from the two Wonderland books I had read by McCray. Although futuristic romance is not normally my thing, I did enjoy Blackstar. The ending came as a bit of a surprise to me, and there seems to be a possibility for a sequel (but I don't believe there is one).

Next up was Something Wicked by Jacqueline Meadows. Crack shot, black belt, and sharp as a tack -- spunky P.I. Desdemona loves her job and the Michigan home she shares with her quirky aunt. Business is booming, what with getting the goods on cheating husbands, investigating fake accidents, and tracking down a missing teenage witch. And she's dating a terrific guy, so even her love life looks rosy. All is right with her world. Until an incredible stranger arrives and turns her life upside down. Sexy Parisian Armand Bellamy invades her home by day and her dreams by night, pushing Desy to accept two new truths: she's a witch and she belongs to him.

This was another EC book, but it easily could have been a book from one of the larger publishers. It took me awhile to be drawn in by the chatty tone of the narration, but once I was in the story I was in. A contemporary romance with paranormal elements, readers who enjoy a healthy dose of intrigue with their story will like Something Wicked. There is a sequel called Something Wanton that I hope to get my hands on soon.

It felt like forever since I had read a mystery, so I also polished off Dying in Style by Elaine Viets this week. Dying in Style is the first in a brand new mystery series featuring Josie Marcus, mystery shopper. Josie's report about Danessa Celedine's exclusive store is less than stellar, and it may cost the fashion diva fifty million dollars. But Danessa's financial future becomes moot when she's found murdered, strangled with one of her own thousand-dollar snakeskin belts -- and Josie is accused of the crime.

Dying in Style is a fun blend of Chick Lit and mystery. A great cast of supporting characters, unexpected moments of humor, and one heck of a twist near the end will keep readers entertained throughout the story. I really enjoyed this author's work and am looking forward to the sequel. In the meantime I plan on checking out the author's Dead End Job mystery series.

Last but not least, I finally got around to reading Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself. Although she tries to lead a somewhat normal existence, dealing with all sorts of otherworld creatures on a daily basis can be a bit of an obstacle. And right now her ties to that otherworld might just get her killed.

I've been wanting to read this book ever since I saw the Kim Harrison blurb on the back cover, and now that I finally got around to reading it I'm kicking my own ass that I waited so long. Mercy is a unique character that readers can easily identify with, and the world she lives in is one that is sure to fascinate readers. If you enjoyed Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan series or Carrie Vaughn's Kitty and the Midnight Hour, then Moon Called is definitely for you. Check out the sample chapter on the author's website. You won't disappointedted.

Now it's your turn. What have you been reading this week?

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After I posted today Sarah over at Smart bitches posted an interview with EC editors Heather Osborn and Nick Conrad. It's an interesting read, so definitely check it out.

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On Monday Sarah over at Smart Bitches discussed how strange it was that the recent USA Today article about the growing appeal of erotic romance failed to mention Ellora's Cave. Strange? Absolutely. But this article is not the only place where Ellora's Cave is missing. Don't believe me? Check your local library. Unless you are fortunate enough to be near one of only a handful of libraries across the country, you won't have access the books published by Ellora's Cave. If your library does have EC in its collection chances are it is only a few titles. There's only one library I could find that had a decent (albeit not huge) selection of EC titles, and that was the Joliet Public Library in Joliet, IL.

How do I know this? I did the research my friends. Last weekend I spent some time on WorldCat seeing what EC titles I could find listed there. To start I used the list EC has on their website of all the titles they currently have in print. I took the ISBNs listed there and searched for each one in WorldCat. Of the 340 titles EC listed as being in print, I was able to find only 96 of them. I found 5 other EC books, but they were out of print. You can see a title by title breakdown of my research here. On the far right hand side of the chart I noted the number of libraries that have each book. The highest number of libraries that carried one title was 11. The majority of titles were owned by far fewer libraries.

The lack of EC titles in libraries really bothered me, so I did what I always do when I have a question that my mind cannot wrap itself around. I went to Joan, our head of circulation and my personal font of information. When asked why she thought libraries were not adding EC to their collection, Joan had one simple answer for me, "Their patrons aren't interested in reading it."

I can maybe believe that the patrons in my community wouldn't be interested in reading books from EC (although I doubt it), but I have a hard time believing that there isn't a group of readers somewhere in this entire country that wished their library offered EC titles. To believe that seems shortsighted and naive. Erotic romance is hugely popular right now, and I've read/heard from booksellers that EC titles fly off their shelves. If it is such a hit with readers, why aren't libraries adding these books to their collections?

I looked around the Internet to see if I could find any discussion about EC in libraries, and discovered this post over at TeleRead. While the post itself looks at the place of erotic eBooks in libraries and not print erotica, it does have an interesting quotation from Rochelle Hartman, an ALA"

"I think you'll find widely varying policies at different libraries regarding erotica. It's a mixed and contentious bag at many libraries. I think the main difference between titles pushed by publishers like Ellora's Cave and more "mainstream" fiction is purely in the marketing. I think you could pull a significant number of mainstream, high-selling titles and find content every bit as spicy as what you get in smaller press titles. The smaller press are just more honest in labeling their content..."

Is this the answer? Poor marketing? That answer seems too pat to me. As someone who is partially responsible for the fiction that is purchased by my library, I can tell you why I have been hesitant to buy EC in the past. Initially the cover art was too risque for my community, but that has gotten better and isn't as big of a concern as it once was. For me the major stumbling block has been the fact that EC does not do simultaneous release for its titles. I'm hesitant to get my readers started on a series knowing that parts one and two are in print, but parts three and four are currently only available as eBooks. For me even that is changing. My goal for the next budget year is to work some EC into my library's collection. I think I might even try to sneak a few titles in now just to see how they circulate. Who knows? Maybe I'll find out that I am wrong and that my readers aren't interested in these books. Although I doubt that.

Out of curiosity, what do you readers out there think? Do you wish your libraries were collecting EC?

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The agenda for tonight's Reader Advisory class includes a visit from a former student, an honest conversation about the ins and outs of book pimping, and a look at Historical Fiction. Say it with me: Wooooooo!

For class I read Jean M. Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear, which was a huge cheat for me given that I have read the book before. I do want to point out that it has been almost fifteen years since I first read The Clan of the Cave Bear, so in many ways it was almost like a brand new read for me. Set in a time when humans and Neanderthals both walked the Earth, the first book in the acclaimed The Earth's Children series introduces us to Ayla, a human child who is left all alone when her parents are killed by an earthquake. Near death after being attacked by a cave lion, fate smiles upon Ayla when she is found by the Clan. While their leader does not want to help someone who is not Clan, Ayla is taken in and nursed back to health by Iza, a medicine woman for the Clan who eventually raises Ayla as her daughter. Although she is raised in the ways of the Clan, Ayla is still an outsider -- an Other. As she grows and matures Ayla finds herself caught in the middle of a power struggle that will impact her fate as well as the fate of the Clan. The Clan of the Cave Bear is a powerful read. The author's vast research places the reader in a world that is rich in detail. This book is highly recommended to all fans of historical fiction, particularly those who wonder what life was like for early man.

Needless to say I was not disappointed in my decision to read The Clan of the Cave Bear again. I haven't read the most recent book in the series (The Shelters of Stone) yet, and I have a feeling that I will be reading the rest of the books again before I get to it. I found that I had forgotten quite a bit of the world that Auel created, so I would probably enjoy rediscovering it.

In regards to tonight's class, one of the questions that is rolling around in my head is sure to lead the discussion to an ugly place, but I can't help but ask it. Do you think readers view Historical Fiction as one block in the genre ghetto, or do they view it as being more "literary" than other genres? If the answer is more literary, where does that leave Historical Mysteries or Historical Romances?

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