Romance Novels: Drivel or Delightful?

Every so often, the news media picks up (and picks on) the romance genre and whole lot of mud is thrown up in the air.  A recent op-ed piece in the LA Times gets all down and nasty on the genre, even though it’s one of the few areas of the economy that’s doing well.  Case in point: “It’s so easy to poke fun at contemporary romance novels that there’s really no sport in it.”  ::headdesk::  At least the author of the op-ed piece attempts to reconcile why romance novels are so successful, but she barely scratches the surface.

The New York Times also published a piece that was surprising for its lack of condescension. Citing examples as far ranging as JR Ward’s 125,000 copy print run for Lover, Avenged to the upswing in romance novels published for e-books, the NYT piece touches on something the LA Times piece misses: the loyalty of romance readers.

As a long time romance reader, I wanted to stand up and cheer at Super Librarian’s recent post.  To tell someone you read (and enjoy!) romance novels is to invite scorn and the immediate prejudice that your IQ is significantly lower than first thought.  I applauded my computer screen when SL wrote:

Whenever I give one of my reader’s advisory talks on the romance genre to librarians I always tell them one thing.

“If you do not take anything else away from this presentation, at the very least remember this. Do not sneer. Do not condescend. Do not talk down to romance readers. The sad truth is that they expect it. They expect people to treat them like morons. So when someone doesn’t? When someone listens to them, and values their reading opinions? They remember. And you’ll have an enthusiastic library patron for life. If you do condescend? Expect them to never darken your doorstep again, and they’ll tell everyone they know how much you suck. You will be losing a huge potential market for your library. Remember this, and remember it well.”

Thank goodness for the internet!  No longer a closet romance reader, I have found a home for expressing my appreciation for the romance novel.  Websites like Super Librarian, Dear Author, All About Romance and especially Smart Bitches, Trashy Books have provided a smart, safe space for romance readers to explore and share why they love the genre.  And it’s not all girlish squeeing — there’s a healthy dose of reality as romance readers are exceptionally picky and if something’s not working for them in a book, they’ll let everyone and the author know.

Do you read romance?  What are your favorite books/authors?

Is there another genre that you read that doesn’t get the respect it deserves?

“Doga” earns a giant WTF?!

Photo by Michael Nagle for the New York Times

The Gray Lady strikes again.  In my continuing love-hate relationship with the New York Times (I love to hate it), an article from today’s issue jolted me right out of my yoga-buzz and plopped me right down into the middle of WTFville.

The article in question is about “doga” — yoga with dogs.  Dog owners and their pets come to a yoga class where the dog is used as a prop to help the owners achieve a more intense stretch.  Doga also claims to increase human-animal bonding, which is in keeping with the yoga principle of the universal connection between all living things.

First of all, the look on the poor dog’s face in the photo above says it all.  Any dog making pathetic eyes like that is not enjoying himself.  Ears are dropped low on the head, tail is tucked under … or would be if he wasn’t  straddled over his owners pelvis.  Creepy much?  (For the record, the dog could be a she … it’s impossible to tell gender from the photo.)

I understand the importance of bonding with your dog, but I fall squarely in the camp of “this is ridiculous.”  I struggle to understand why people will pay good money in the middle of a recession (or any time, really) for unnecessary things.  Bonding with your dog does not have to be complicated. Play with your dog.  Talk to her.  Throw a stick.  Cuddle up on the couch together.  It’s not too much of a leap to say that same things about human relationships.

Why do we feel the need to seek out “doga” in order to connect with our dogs?  Why do basic, instinctual relationships (human or animal) make us so uncomfortable that we need special ways and places to connect?

::shakes head:: A brief Google search generated 17,700,000 results related to “doga”.  Really?  Seriously?

“Doga” = earning a giant WTF stamp.

Malaysian National Fatwa Council Bans Yoga

The Malaysian council that oversees Islamic law has issued an edict against the practice of yoga by Muslims.

“The National Fatwa Council’s chairman, Abdul Shukor Husin, said many Muslims fail to understand that yoga’s ultimate aim is to be one with a god of a different religion — an explanation disputed by many practitioners who say yoga need not have a religious element.” -excerpted from the MSNBC news report

While fatwas issued by the Council are not legally binding, they do put pressure on people to behave in certain ways.

As a practitioner of yoga, a soon-to-be student in a teacher training program, and an aetheist, I find this very unsettling.  From the reading I have done so far, the practice of yoga is highly individual and I have enjoyed reading about how different people have adopted and adapted the practice and spirituality to fit their own needs.  Some texts like the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, essentially the Yoga Bible, is obviously more strict within its reverance for the Lord of Yoga and other Hindu deities.  And yet, there are a myriad of translations, each with their own sublte variations about the spiritual nature of yoga.  Other, more modern texts, show an more inclusive perspective on the spirituality of yoga, like Erich Schiffmann’s book.

These readings have been very eye-opening to me, as I am learning the important lesson of separating the message from the delivery.  All the books I have read in preparation for the teacher training, whether they are the more traditional texts, or the radically modern ones, have all had the same essential message.  “Do what is good for you, because it is the good and right choice.  Do what is good for others, because it is the good and right choice.”  Sometimes there is a moral imperative of behaving this way for fear of retribution by a greater deity, sometimes it is simply because it is the good and right choice to make.  It all depends on what motivates the individual.

Is this a slippery slope for Malaysian Muslims?  Or is this a one-time incident that will not be followed by a majority of Muslim yoga practitioners?  What do you think about it?

What the Heck Just Happened?

I tend not to follow current news.  It’s shameful, but I’m more likely to remember who won the last challenge in Project Runway than know what’s happening on Wall Street.  But after this past Monday, with the failure of Lehman Bros, even I am starting to tune in more.

If you’re at all curious about what’s going on financially, there’s a great explanation of what happened with Fannie, Freddie, Bear Stearns, Lehman and so much more up at the New York Times opinion section.  Freakanomics author Steven Levitt rounded up two economists to explain to the populace just what the heck happened.

In related news, if you’re wondering what you can do to be safe, the brilliant people over at The Consumerist posted a great article on What to do in These Uncertain Financial Times.

I’ll be taking their advice and will be very, very thankful that I have a good and stable job.

Are you doing anything to feel more secure?