I've pointed the books out to the librarians, who mutter nasty words under their breaths. Even Mormon librarians bristle at mutilated books.

Even Mormon librarians bristle at mutilated books.

As is right & proper.

Greg Rucka on writing (strong) women: [link]

I do suppose many of the people that would object to adding 50 Shades to the library aren't doing it because it's not a good example of writing or anything, but because they remembered it had sex (naughty sex!) and are kicking themselves for not paying attention to every sex scene in novels. I propose a retroactive purge and book burning. Of any book whose sex scenes make me roll mye yes.

Whereas the only apparent appeal of the James books is the sex.

It has to be. Because it sure isn't the writing. Or the non-sex content.

Amy, I consulted the most omnivorous reader of mysteries and fantasy I know

Thanks, Ginger. And thanks to you, too, Calli!

Are there not assumed to be books which have sex in them in public libraries, or is it just that no one's supposed to admit they exist?

Henry Miller, anyone?

The whole issue is so absurd. There are scores of erotic books out there, and many of them have been in libraries for years. I think the press on this particular book led a lot of women who might have otherwise to give it a try, though. Some of the quotes from readers (of Grey) make it sound like they'd never considered a book so graphically sexual before.

It fries me in particular, because every house out there has been publishing, if not hardcore erotica, at least erotic romance for YEARS now. Hello? Someone was buying them.

Interview with Naomi Novik over on Librarything. (And I've just realized that I'm behind on the Temeraire series AGAIN.)

The novel with sex scenes is hardly new. When I was a teenager, our public library had a sizable assortment of popular novels of the day. And at least in the '70s, a number of best-sellers had sex scenes that would have made Jacqueline Susann blush. (Harold Robbins comes to mind.) (And the librarians never hassled me about checking out his books when I was 16-17.)

And I think I've mentioned that I learned a fair bit about sex when I read The Godfather, which I'd checked out of a school library in 8th grade.

Is this where the Scalzi LCD discussion lived? I can't remember -

Erin Hoffman rebuts: [link]

Need some help here, folks: Am I interpreting this totally the wrong way round or have I only just noticed the really nasty violence-against-women in Gaiman's "Murder Mysteries"?

I think that argument strengthens itself by virtue of being pretty much unreadable to me. If that's what gamers get effortlessly, then they are more of a breed apart than I'd considered, but I think accusing Scalzi of "cultural appropriation" gives the gaming community too much of an effective equivalence, to say, Native Americans, or any actual groups for which I think cultural appropriation is actually a real issue.