Sharks of Awesome discussion

Please post all your "others" questions here! (Not book related, if you want to know why Penny hates mayonnaise... That kind of questions... o.O )

Can you give us the recipe of your wonderful Boston Creampie Cupcakes?

Aaly wrote: "Can you give us the recipe of your wonderful Boston Creampie Cupcakes?"

I will, I think I'll add a thread for Sharks recipes or something like that.
I thought this would be a thread to ask Penny random things.
But see, in my twisted mind, I did write my recipe down in french and english. ^^

Haha !! I can relate!

So, I'll bite. Why does Penny hate mayonnaise?

(Though I can totally relate - unless it's inside deviled eggs, then I never even know it- blissful ignorance)

Alana ~ The Book Pimp wrote: "So, I'll bite. Why does Penny hate mayonnaise?

(Though I can totally relate - unless it's inside deviled eggs, then I never even know it- blissful ignorance)"

Because there is nothing redeemable about mayonnaise. It's like slathering sperm on sandwiches... yuck.

"Alana ~ The Book Pimp wrote: "So, I'll bite. Why does Penny hate mayonnaise?
Penny wrote: Because there is nothing redeemable about mayonnaise. It's like slathering sperm on sandwiches... yuck.
..."
In a weird way, this follows from the sperm comment.
Do you have a name for your baby, yet? Janie, Eve, Kaitlyn...?

Diana wrote: "In a weird way, this follows from the sperm comment.
Do you have a name for your baby, yet? Janie, Eve, Kaitlyn...? "

YES!
We're naming her Eilysh (it's an Irish name and is pronounced "Eye-lish").

I know people will give us funny looks, but I love it! My other daughter's name is Leanora (also Irish).

It sounds pretty. It will be nice for her to have a unique name.

Diana wrote: "It sounds pretty. It will be nice for her to have a unique name."

Thanks, Diana. :-D

Those are beautiful names Penny :-)

And as someone with an unusual name, it may be tough at times growing up, but it's worth it to be unique!

Do you have a name for your baby, yet? Janie, Eve, Kaitlyn...? "

YES!
We're naming her Eilysh (it's an Irish name and is pronounc..."

Beautiful names, Penny!!!

I love that name Penny! Yes it is unique, & for some reason I have the desire to keep repeating it over & over! LoL!
Always liked my name too because you don't hear it very often.

Congrats on the new ruler of your family!

Why are your fans called Sharks?

Because in newsletters Penny Reid normally has ^^^ which are like the Sharks fins I believe

I've always thought it was because of this quote from her first book neanderthal seeks human:

"I couldn’t help but wonder at the circle of curious faces that lurked around my cubicle, wide
eyes stealing glances in my direction. They hovered at an appropriate blast radius; close enough
to watch my shame unfold but far enough away to pass for a socially acceptable distance. I
wondered what this kind of behavior said about my species, what was the closest equivalent I
could draw as a comparison between this action and the lesser species in the animal kingdom.
Was it sharks circling around a hint of blood? I imagined, in this analogy, the sharks would
instead be hoping to feast on my drama, my dismay, and my discomfort. I indulged my
ethnographic curiosities and studied the hovering group, not really feeling the embarrassment
that should have precipitated my exit but instead observed the observers, trying to read clues on
their faces, wanting to see what they hoped to accomplish or gain; I was still wrapped in my
detachment, I drew it close around me. "

I thought that sharks of awesome meant people hovering around her, hungry for awesome things... =O

T.S. wrote: "I've always thought it was because of this quote from her first book neanderthal seeks human:

"I couldn’t help but wonder at the circle of curious faces that lurked around my cubicle, wide
eyes st..."

Ha! That's a valid theory.
I just really, really like sharks. #TrueFact

Penny wrote: "Diana wrote: "In a weird way, this follows from the sperm comment.
Do you have a name for your baby, yet? Janie, Eve, Kaitlyn...? "

YES!
We're naming her Eilysh (it's an Irish name and is pronounc..."

Great unique names for your daughters Penny. Love them.

Ok, so I feel like a total dork for asking this question, but what does "PDP" stand for when you refer to the "PDP Playlist" on Spotify? It is Friday morning, so my neurons aren't quite firing at full capacity yet, but I just can't figure it out. Great playlists, though!
Thanks,
~B

Bee wrote: "Ok, so I feel like a total dork for asking this question, but what does "PDP" stand for when you refer to the "PDP Playlist" on Spotify? It is Friday morning, so my neurons aren't quite firing at f..."

Panty Dance Party!! From the Knitting in the City series :)

@Bea don't worry I was thinking the exact same thing! Haha!
Great list!

Don't take this the wrong way....(always a good beginning)
Does anyone else feel like they should be too intellectual/ educated/ to be reading romance novels? Like they should be above it? Reading romance does not seem like it fits me as a person, but I love the escape from reality! Guilty pleasure. Anyone relate?

Abby wrote: "Don't take this the wrong way....(always a good beginning)
Does anyone else feel like they should be too intellectual/ educated/ to be reading romance novels? Like they should be above it? Reading ..."

I have to strongly but politely disagree with you.
Reading a book that is considered a romance is no different than reading a mystery, or thriller, or literary fiction. They are all ways to escape from reality. I think there's a negative stigma around "romance novels," and honestly it's ridiculous. There are unintelligent thrillers, and poorly written literary fiction books. You get crap in every genre.
I think it's more about what has been drilled into the minds of people over time: that romances aren't "real books," they're just "fluff," etc. While I'm not saying that some romances aren't fluff, there are fluffy romances, there are also a TON of smart romances. Romances that make you think about your life, your actions, your understanding of the world. Penny's books for example. I think it does a disservice to romance authors to say that one feels too intellectual to read romances... when quite frankly the stuff Penny writes about in her books is sometimes way over my head and forces me to do research and learn more about a topic (Love Hacked and Dating-ish are prime examples).
I guess I can't help but feel strongly about this topic. I am a smart, intelligent woman, and I also read smart, intelligent, and sometimes fluffy, romance books.

Hi Kari,
I appreciate your respectful disagreement ;). And I do have to say that I agree and disagree. Part of the reason I love Penny's books is that she writes about intelligent people, and, like you, I tend to research the topics she writes about. Love Hacked is more my area of expertise, but for Beauty and the Beard and Leather Pants? - I was very busy on Google.
I guess I feel that as a smart, intelligent woman, I should be more like the characters in Penny's books - reading classics or philosophy - and not the fluff.
Garbage in any genre is garbage. In my opinion, poorly written literature of any kind is worse than intelligently written romance,
But yet, the romance genre definitely seems fluffier, even if the characters are intelligent people. For some reason, reading about murders and psychopaths seems more "grounded" than reading romance. No matter how well written. I don't know why that is, but that seems to be the stigma. Maybe because murder is depressing and romance seems like fantasy so it seems less serious? I am not saying that there is truth to it, I am just saying that the stigma is definitely there, causing me to feel that serious people don't or "shouldn't" read romance. (Sort of like "real men don't eat quinoa".)
Reading good, intelligent romance is like eating really good ice cream. Something I enjoy, but am not particularly proud of. As opposed to reading poorly written romance which is like eating.... I can't think of an appropriate analogy right now, but something really artificial looking that doesn't even taste good. (Help me with an analogy here....) I wouldn't eat that junk at all because it just doesn't appeal to me. The good ice cream, I eat and feel guilty. The yucky stuff, I just won't eat. So yes, I'll read and enjoy intelligent romance, novels, but I don't feel proud. If we keep going with the food analogy, I'd be proud to share that I ate kale, I would not feel proud to share that i ate a tub of Ben and Jerry's. Same with books - I would happily share that I was reading philosophy, would I feel the same about romance? Only if I was telling my best friend about my guilty bad behavior.
Again, I love it, But the stigma has definitely affected me.

(BTW, how are you reading Dating-ish? I thought it's not out yet!?!?!)

Abby wrote: "Don't take this the wrong way....(always a good beginning)
Does anyone else feel like they should be too intellectual/ educated/ to be reading romance novels? Like they should be above it? Reading ..."

Hi Abby.

An interesting question you've posed. I had to think about it overnight before replying.

Unlike other genres, romance books have a somewhat set expectation about how they end... the couple get together and stay together. 😀

I can't think of any other genre that does this. The closest would be murder mysteries but even then it's not a given who the murderer is up front.

Personally, I read so many romances because they rarely tax the brain as other books might. I don't need to concentrate as much and in a way they become the 'easy' option. Another reason I keep reading romances is that the really good ones highlight varieties in relationships that I never would have considered in real life. My thinking over the years has moved from absolutes to a more accepting view. Sure, age and experience contribute to this but there are several romance books whose words have made me stop and really think. Romance books gave me this, not other genres.

P.S. Re: Dating-ish. Some people have advance review copies. The rest of us are waiting patiently/not so patiently.

Abby wrote: "Hi Kari,
I appreciate your respectful disagreement ;). And I do have to say that I agree and disagree. Part of the reason I love Penny's books is that she writes about intelligent people, and, like..."

I agree that there are some novels out there that are like candy for your brain. But that's across all genres, not just romance. I still think you are unfairly judging the romance genre. It is much more realistic that I'll find love than it is that I will find a dead body and take the investigation into my own hands (hopefully). So in that sense, murder mysteries are much more 'fantastical' and less ‘grounded’ than romance. Does that make sense?

I do wonder if you feel the same way about fantasy novels (example Harry Potter), or young adult novels? Do you think of those as ice cream for your brain? Or do you only feel this way about books categorized as romances?

Would you say Pride and Prejudice is ice cream? Because it’s a romance. Or do you think of it differently because it was written 200 years ago in a flowery language in which we no longer speak, and society has deemed it a classic? I'm not saying it shouldn't be considered a classic. I'm just saying maybe your idea of what is considered a 'romance' needs to be widened. It's generalizing a genre when one says 'romance is like eating really good ice cream.' There are definitely romance novels out there that I've read to give my brain a "break from thinking" or what have you. But there are love stories that make you think and contemplate your life and your life choices. I don't think we can, nor should we, make a lump opinion or generalization of any genre.

I guess I see all genre fiction as escaping from reality. Reading a thriller is no better or worse intellectually for me than reading a book about love. Also, I'd venture to say that someone who reads books across many genres (including romance) is a much better rounded person than someone, who say, ONLY reads the classics.

The negative stigmas that exist around the romance genre definitely color people’s view of it. But PLEASE don't be ashamed of what you're reading and what you like to read! I'm saying this as someone who has only just recently learned (and is still learning) not to let others' opinions of what she is reading bother her. I would have missed out on so many amazing books if I had let my fear of judgment from others control what I read. So many people don't even read anything these days. All that matters is that you are reading, and you should feel PROUD of that no matter the genre!

(And I haven't read Dating-ish yet. I'm just gleaning information from the reviews and teasers/excerpts that have been shared, and coming to the conclusion that I'm going to be Googling a lot. :) )

@Abby... As educated woman dare I say intelligent too( clearly not modest oh well) I don't feel the need to put boundries for myself... I have grown up in sociaty that limits me and puts me in all kind of boxes( based on gender, sex, religion etc) I refuse to feel guilty whatsoever. I love books currently I read romance more so what... People judge no matter what I just don't care...I can't make people happy...but I CAN make myself happy...by reading Penny's books...If "people" want to judge me by reading romance you know what there is nothing sweeter than to prove wrong someone who made assumption about you... p.s. can't wait to read dating-ish... lucky you who are reading this book already...

Em__Jay wrote: "Unlike other genres, romance books have a somewhat set expectation about how they end... the couple get together and stay together. 😀 I can't think of any other genre that does this. The closest would be murder mysteries but even then it's not a given who the murderer is up front."

I just heard Julia Quinn speak, and she talked about something you mentioned; that romances have set expectations (i.e. ends with a happily ever after). Julia made the point that other genres do in fact have this too. Yes, in mysteries you may not know who the murderer is at the beginning, but that isn't the expectation when reading a mystery. The set expectation is that the author will reveal the murderer by the end of the book.