One of the things I love about the service/meal that serves as the spiritual center of Passover, the Seder, is the forum it provides for discussion. It’s very easy for Seder participants to get lost in a topic and continue discussing it, as it’s said one group of Rabbis did, until the early morning hours. In honor of those discussions, I give you some interesting Passover style food for thought.

“I am a Jew because in every place where suffering weeps, the Jew weeps.” —Edmund Fleg

This piece is taken from one of my family’s favorite readings from our Passover Haggaddah, called “I am a Jew.” And reading it got me thinking.

There have been some interesting examples in paranormal romance over the past few years, where a Jewish heroine is shown to have empathy for her paranormal hero’s struggle; whether it’s due to faith or the fact that by nature of their history, Jewish people are seen to understand the struggle of the oppressed. Here are two different examples of this idea.

[For your consideration...]

Suzanne Brockmann
Born to Darkness 
Random House/Mar. 20, 2012/$26.00 HC, $12.99 digital

In the not-too-distant future, the Obermeyer Institute (OI) has made a revolutionary discovery: With special training, humans can tap into the brain’s hidden powers (telepathy, telekinetic powers, super strength, and more). The training is strenuous, though, and it works only for those with natural potential. Tough girl Mac has that potential, and she’s a devoted member of the OI. But there’s one rule she can’t help but bend. Her boss thinks celibacy is key to their work. Mac’s learned differently—an active sexual life enhances her powers. And when she meets Shane, a sexy former Navy SEAL, the sparks are instant. But after the two spend an amazing night together, Mac finds out that Shane’s a new recruit at the institute. How can she mix business and pleasure? 

Suzanne Brockmann’s Born to Darkness is, on its surface, a story about a rather dangerous near future world where people with special mental abilities use their powers to make a difference. A phrase about power and responsibility sounds rather appropriate here. Except as much as I love that kind of story and that kind of concept, that isn’t all that’s going on here.

[What else can we expect? Do tell!...]

When two different authors take on the same central plot line, the results are never the same, and sometimes, it’s important to examine the similarities as well as the differences. So when I discovered that RITA-winning Science Fiction Romance author Linnea Sinclair and NYT best-selling author of Science Fiction Jack Campbell riffed on the same central plot idea, it was a chance too good to pass up. 

Linnea Sinclair’s entry is Accidental Goddess, the story of Captain Gillaine “Gillie” Davre, who inadvertently time traveled over 300 years into the future, only to discover that legend has turned her into a goddess. Jack Campbell’s entry is Dauntless, the first book in the Lost Fleet Series, the story of Captain John “Black Jack” Geary who is rescued 100 years after his “last stand” to discover that he has become a legendary hero.

[We can be heroes...]

Maria V. Snyder
Touch of Power
Mira, $14.95/$10.99 digital, December 20, 2011

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life….

[No pressure or anything...]

I’d like to take the opportunity of this wonderful Chanukah holiday to honor those authors who have written about Jewish Characters in leading roles. Because despite pressure, market or otherwise, these brave, trailblazing authors have demonstrated that diversity shouldn’t be just skin deep.

1. Kitty Katt-Martini from Gini Koch’s Alien series

Yep. Kitty’s strength and Jewishness come into play in a large way throughout the course of this series. Her innate understanding of a people’s consistent quest for religious freedom helps her to understand the situation that the book’s A-C’s, including central hero Jeff, find themselves in.

2. Delilah Gould from Chasing Stanley by Deirdre Martin

Delilah is a wonderful character, and one thing Deirdre Martin does in this book is demonstrate the problems of stereotyping and contemporary Anti-Semitism through the actions of various characters in this book to and towards Delilah. She is a strong heroine, and her fabulous hockey-playing hero stands by her, no matter what.

[Mmm, and where does one find a hockey-playing hero?...]

The end of summer is approaching, which means the new releases for September will be at Posman Books.

This September, Maya Banks will spread her wings a little bit more and release her first historical, In Bed with a Highlander. Historical readers will also be happy to find a brand-new Cynster novel by Stephanie Laurens, Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue, the first in a new trilogy. A Night to Surrender begins Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove series. And Lynsay Sands has a new historical release The Deed.

[So many exciting new releases to covet, so little time...]

So what’s bringing people down to New York City’s Posman books in the midst of this crazy August heat? Plenty of cool things to read:

Miranda Neville’s Amorous Education of Celia Seton and new-to-us author Jennifer Haymore’s Confessions of an Improper Bride are making historical readers across the board very happy. Liz Carlyle’s newest, The Bride Wore Scarlet, is fueling sales of Carlyle’s backlist titles, including No True Gentleman, Two Little Lies and the first in this new series, One Touch of Scandal.

Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Retribution and Thea Harrison’s Storm’s Heart are topping paranormal readers’ lists. Readers are also looking to catch up with Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series and titles they’d missed by Jessa Slade and Molly Harper.

[But wait, there are more!...]

What can we say about August reads that we also hear on the weather every day? Hot, steamy and exciting. But at least when books make you sweat, it’s in a good way.

Romantic Suspense veteran Stephanie Tyler leads off the contemporaries with In the Air Tonight. Fans of small town series will adore Sophie Gunn’s Sweet Kiss of Summer. August also marks the return of contemporary favorite Louisa Edwards with the first book in her new series, Too Hot To Touch.

[You may also like...]

People have been asking questions about what readers are looking for, but after taking a peek at what’s been selling in early July at Posman Books, the answer is not as clear as people might like.

There is constant debate between whether readers prefer darker or lighter historical romances, but after seeing how well both Loretta Chase’s Silk is for Seduction and Meredith Duran’s A Lady’s Lesson in Scandal are doing, it’s rather clear that readers enjoy both. And of course, the beautiful writing contained in Grace Burrowes’s The Soldier is definitely worth a look.

[And also worth a look...]

July’s new releases are unexpected, exciting and in some ways, bittersweet. But most of them are all about the series.

Contemporary readers get the unexpected this month, a reissue of one of J.R. Ward’s early contemporaries, An Irresistible Bachelor. They also get series conclusions from both Christie Ridgway with Can’t Hurry Love and Linda Lael Miller with The Creed Legacy, as well as highly anticipated continuations in the form of Cindy Gerard’s With No Remorse and Susan Sey’s Money Shot. Rounding out July’s new contemporary releases is Jane Graves’s Black Ties and Lullabies.

[Is there anything quite like adding to your TBR pile?...]

Summer is here, and Posman customers are coming in to pick up not only the new releases, but also older titles that they might have missed during the course of a busy year. So here are some recommendations for new titles titles—and some you might have missed.

In contemporary, it’s small-town or beach books, like Robyn Carr’s Harvest Moon, or Lisa Dale’s Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier. Customers who enjoy these books might want to pick up Stephanie Bond’s newest series, which started with Baby Drive South. Robin Wells’s RITA nominated title Still The One might also be a good fit in this category.

[And then there’s what’s hot in historical and paranormal...]

June’s new releases see the return of old favorites mixed with some exciting debuts. Historical in June means the release of the first book in Julia Quinn’s long anticipated Smythe-Smith quartet, Just Like Heaven. Historical readers can also look forward to new titles from Elizabeth Boyle (Lord Langley’s Back in Town), Laurel McKee (Lady of Seduction), Tiffany Clare (Secret Desires of a Governess), and debut author Stefanie Sloane (Devil in Disguise).

For the reader who just can’t decide whether they want historical or contemporary, there’s the sparkling Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man, by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan, which has both elements.

[Click for more big releases...]

May might be unpredictable in terms of weather this year, but it's always the season for reading; here's what's selling in Romance in New York City's Posman Books:

Old favorites are reigning in contemporary sales; it’s the Stanley Cup playoffs, which means Rachel Gibson’s latest hockey related title, Any Man of Mine is on top. Sports fans who aren’t interested in hockey are looking towards Erin McCarthy’s lastest NASCAR themed title, The Chase.

Brenda Jackson’s Madaris series will always bring customers to the bookstore, as brand new title Inseparable shows through consistent sales. Jill Shalvis’s backlist has benefitted from Simply Irresistible’s inclusion in the in-store display of RITA award nominees. It’s also helped sales of the second book in the series, The Sweetest Thing. And you can’t count out the third in Roxanne St. Claire’s Guardian Angelino’s series, Face of Danger, for readers who want a little bit of thrill in their romance.

[Take the plunge...]

So they say that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. In terms of book sales, that strangely translates to “March comes in like a comedy and out like a . . . western?”

Yep. Demand for titles like Linda Lael Miller’s Creed in Stone Creek and Tyler by C.H. Admirand eclipsed most everything contemporary through the month of March. But how can we blame readers for wanting visions of western perfection (and not just the cowboys) when the climate which surrounds them is anything but?

Thankfully, contemporary readers will be able to escape the weird weather this month with titles like Roxanne St. Claire’s Shiver of Fear, Robyn Carr’s Harvest Moon, Jill Sorenson’s Edge of Night, Emily March’s Hummingbird’s Rest, and Jill Shalvis’s The Sweetest Thing.

[More April releases...]

When customers start asking, “Where are my books?” a bookseller knows there’s a problem. Unfortunately, it’s usually because publishers have decided to stop publishing the kinds of books these customers like to read. This happens when certain types of stories seem to go out of favor (at least in the publishers’ view). But this kind of decision-making leaves many customers out in the cold. A smart bookseller will end up searching through backlist titles and authors their customers might have missed to fill the gap.

But every once in a while, a month like March comes along. The biggest seller in March so far has been A Lot Like Love by Julie James. Julie James is a master at writing smart, sexy, contemporary romances. These are the kinds of books that are perennial sellers, but sometimes get extremely hard to find because publishers suddenly decide they’re unmarketable.

Even one of the paranormals that’s selling well this month has a sexy contemporary feel: Molly Harper’s How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf. In fact, it’s selling so well that it’s fueling interest in her women’s fiction title, And One Last Thing.

[Plus J.R. Ward, Rachel Gibson, Nicole Jordan, and more—oh, happy day! . . .]

From the bookstore in the center of Grand Central Station in the center of New York City . . .

The Romance section of Posman Books offers a respite from the outside, whether it’s the constant snowstorms and icy weather or the news of economic trouble that directly hits the regular customers.  They come in to peruse, to read and enjoy our selection of titles. And because of them, I gain an interesting perspective into what’s popular among readers, even though it might not be the latest trend.

[I'm impatient! What’s going on right now? . . .]