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I understand Nancy has every right to read those types of books.. but buying them to share with your daughterās BFF?? Seems wrong. Itās makes you wonder if Frank hasnāt been giving her the attention and love she needs.
So where does this arc go? Iām afraid of what Nancy may buy next. lol
This seems like a weird and skeevy male fantasy about how women interact. Or projection of an even more troubling male-male interaction (???) Kids and young adults: if one of your friendsā parents (or anyone with a significant maturity and power differential, in a mentor role) tries to share erotica with youāas a regular thing, no lessāthis should register as a red flag for sexual grooming. It is NOT normal interaction. Now unfollowing this comic, and suggesting that Greg get help unpacking why this seems in any way OK.
Luann probably stopped reading those kinds of books when she was fourteen and looks like she finds the bookfriend club her mother and her best friend formed rather comical. I think is a good thing, I was afraid she would be weided by the growing friendship between Bernice and her mother. Seriously, it seems by now that Bernice is more Nancyās BFF than Luannās.
My Grandmother passed away at 95, she was born in the late 1800ās. While cleaning out her possessions, we uncovered a huge stash of Harlequin Romances. My goodness, Grandma!
Yeah ā Itās kinda weird for Nancy to get down with her own daughter ā more fun with Bernice.In the meantime, LUANN needs to go out somewhere and have fun.
Itās pretty clear to me and most so far that this arc is about Nancyās happy sharing with Bern, her love of steamy romance novels, while both are lying to Luann about what they are really sharingānot binders for business records, but steamy (not pornographic) novels. Nancy is drawn as the second hottest female in the strip, Toni being number 1, and Bernice was raised in a manner which made her very repressed with a blazing libido. Bern is 19, not a minor in most US jurisdictions, but it might be an innocent sharing of a literature form between an older friend of hers who just happens to be the mother of Bernās best friend period, Ying and Yang. But it would be weird to share with her own daughter. I think, and while my powers of prediction here are always subject to the patented GnK misdirection play, that Luās discovery of the fib and the aftereffects are where this arc is heading.
Those are not Adult Book store, graphic, X-rated books. They are just lusty, suggestive books. My mother loved the Romance novels and if nothing else, will show Bern that her feelings are normal. But for those of you who have not read them, they are not āhow-toā manuals.
Bernice has confided in Nancy more so than to her own mother. If Bern would like to use her free will to read āThe Rock of Gibralterā and about Gustav + Fatima, Nancy is simply letting her know it is availableā¦after she reads it first. To those who see this as grooming, Iām truly and earnestly sorry that you may have experienced that trauma in your life.
Greg ā this is creepy. It feels really wrong and makes me uncomfortable. Why would you introduce this type of relationship between a teen and the mother figure in her life? And to that point ā why have you let Berniceās mother be vilified without no back story or proof of any bad behavior?
Doesnāt Nancy have any adult friends? Why is she sharing all of this with a teen? Is she getting some kind of ego boost out of supplanting another woman with their own child? Nancy would have been a more productive and responsible woman if she had helped Bernice resolve the conflict with her mom, instead of thisā¦.peculiar behavior. Not a good look for Nancy, and thatās too bad, because she was always such a great character in the past.
Wasnāt it established that Luann ISNāT in to āBodice Rippers?ā So, unless it was to keep Luann from teasing Bernice, and, Nancy about reading them, why lie about it? (Do āBodice Rippersā even come out in hardcover?)
Well, Luann walked in, but no frustration or angst ā¦yet. Odd that Bernice and Nancy share almost as equal adults, but Luann had more interest in the opposite sex in grade and high schools. Soā¦ if she found this book, would she be shocked, or read it? Hmmm. =:-o
This is a big trigger of mineā¦people encouraging kids to be sexually active. I have three daughters (grown now) but throughout their lives I was fielding comments from people tryong to encourage them to āGo out and find a boy to have fun with!ā or āStop pursuing your artistic talent and goals and get some dick!ā Thsnk God their grown now, because one more Aggravated Assault charge and Iām going away for a long time!
Would you all be upset if Nancy and Bern were watching āThe Godfatherā? Often considered one of the greatest American movies ever made. Or āEasy Riderā which was rated X when it first came out ?How about reading āLady Chatterlyās Loverā? or āThe Tropic of Cancerā? If you are a lit major or a cinema major you will watch or read all these, probably when you are a Sophomore or Junior in college. When I was in library school back in the day, we watched and read these movies and books while disscussing intellectual freedom. Who gets to decide what is read by whom. Should the Orthodox Vegans be allowed to decide what books on on the shelves in a community? Even if they are the most active users of the local public library?
If they found out they have the same guilty pleasure romance fiction tastes in common on accident then, glad to have discovered a common interest, discussed the books; I think it would be a LOT less weird. Without context and just springing this on the reader itās kinda jarring.
Interestingly, I could buy this more if the book was male/male romance fiction. Itās actually a growing trend for adult women to enjoy m/m fiction like āHeartstopperā and āLove, Simonā being authored by women for women. Iām friends with a lady in my writing group who writes m/m romance novels and explained why that genreās so popular. I could definitely see it being believable for Bernice who probably watched BBCās Merlin, MTVās Teen Wolf, or Supernatural where the fandom was very big on the shipping/fanfic culture.
I read these books from an early ageāaround 12 or so. My mother had a large collection of them so I read them, too. No one āgroomedā me for anything and I discovered that, while they were interesting at first, in time they became old hat. However lots of women friends of mine enjoy these type books. Thereās absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nancy feels uncomfortable sharing such things with Luann because thatās her daughter and also Luann has shown absolutely no interest in such books. But Berniece DOES like them. Thereās nothing wrong with that!
Who buys physical books these days? The last time I did was for something out of print and I was quickly reminded how much I hate trying to find a good light source and carrying around an extra object.
WOW so many of you are reading way too much into this.
First, Nancy didnāt lie to Luann. She said the book was for her and Bernice, Bernice mistook it for tax guides, and Nancy didnāt correct her.
Second, thereās a possibility that Luann doesnāt care for that genre of books (I certainly didnāt AT ALL at that age, and even now, it isnāt something I typically read!)
Third, Luann doesnāt have to be privy to everything Nancy and Bernice talk about. Bernice is practically a second daughter and knows the DeGroots very well. She and Nancy share an obvious like of several different things, including romance novels.
I have individual conversations with each of my kids based on their personalities, their likes and dislikes, etc. I donāt have to share books or discussions with one child whom I know doesnāt care about the topic just because I shared it with their sibling(s).
Nancy isnāt sharing pl*yboys or h*stlers for goodness sake. (Didnāt know if those titles get moderated or not.)
I agree that there was no lying: Bern thought it was a tax guide, and Nancy didnāt correct her. Didnāt women talk about ā50 Shades of Greyā with their friends and family? Did only couples go together to see āThe Pianoā? Bern is a young woman, not a child: This common interest may be awkward, but it isnāt grooming.
Nancy, you old horndog (which begs the question, can a Mom be a horndog?)! Are you going to share that book with Bernie? Can Bernie handle reading that book?
So this book comes from Borderline Books in a plain brown wrapper. Iām going to guess this is a book you canāt just go check out at the library or buy at the mall and itās probably is pretty graphic. P0rn0graphy is an addiction, itās not just films and pictures, it can be in the written word, and Nancy has it bad. Sheās going to make sure Bernice gets hooked too. Next week Frank organizes an intervention.
Wow! This was unexpected! It left me speechless with a grin. I think Jim Morrison said it best, āthe men donāt know, but the little girls understandā.
lvlax about 2 years ago
This seems inappropriate.
I understand Nancy has every right to read those types of books.. but buying them to share with your daughterās BFF?? Seems wrong. Itās makes you wonder if Frank hasnāt been giving her the attention and love she needs.
So where does this arc go? Iām afraid of what Nancy may buy next. lol
Templo S.U.D. about 2 years ago
Canāt get enough Coverly, can you, Nancy? (Like my father with Grisham.)
J. Scarbrough about 2 years ago
Okay, this is getting kind of . . . weird.
Tyge about 2 years ago
Yes! This is tuning up to be something worthwhile. Will Nancy and Bernice bring this to the next book club meeting?
And where does the last two days leave Luann??
Namrepus about 2 years ago
Best wishes to Damar Hamlin, his family, and the whole Buffalo Bills organization tonight. Truly a scary scene to see unfold on Monday Night Football.
ronaldspence about 2 years ago
it will tax you alrightā¦I am certain you will compound your interest!
ericbrower about 2 years ago
I know Bernice is technically an adult. But still Nancy, grooming is frowned upon.
David Huie Green LikeNobody'sEverSeen about 2 years ago
It seems those tax guides are HOT!!
beb01 about 2 years ago
So this is going to be a week of ill-defined pron (banned word replacement)
RSH about 2 years ago
OK who gets to read it first?
cdoorn98 about 2 years ago
Grooming or corrupting?
nightflight about 2 years ago
Invite Steffi over to explain the actions Nancy and Bernice arenāt familiar with.
Last Rose Of Summer Premium Member about 2 years ago
Those kinds of books always promise but rarely deliverā¦
SHIVA about 2 years ago
Someoneās horny in that household!!!
Joy Sabl Premium Member about 2 years ago
This seems like a weird and skeevy male fantasy about how women interact. Or projection of an even more troubling male-male interaction (???) Kids and young adults: if one of your friendsā parents (or anyone with a significant maturity and power differential, in a mentor role) tries to share erotica with youāas a regular thing, no lessāthis should register as a red flag for sexual grooming. It is NOT normal interaction. Now unfollowing this comic, and suggesting that Greg get help unpacking why this seems in any way OK.
eromlig about 2 years ago
D. Coverly writes novels that go (speed) bump in the night.
Calliope about 2 years ago
I hope someone handles these dirty birdies like Andy Bernard did when Phyllis kept listening to the 50 Shades audiobook during work hours.
Fortunately, that plot point was only a cold open for one episode of āThe Office,ā not some creepiness that could go on for weeks.
Aladar30 Premium Member about 2 years ago
Luann probably stopped reading those kinds of books when she was fourteen and looks like she finds the bookfriend club her mother and her best friend formed rather comical. I think is a good thing, I was afraid she would be weided by the growing friendship between Bernice and her mother. Seriously, it seems by now that Bernice is more Nancyās BFF than Luannās.
Caldonia about 2 years ago
cringe
Rhetorical_Question about 2 years ago
Bernice āBeatriceā Halper, meet Nancy Degroot!!!!!!!!!
blunebottle about 2 years ago
My Grandmother passed away at 95, she was born in the late 1800ās. While cleaning out her possessions, we uncovered a huge stash of Harlequin Romances. My goodness, Grandma!
kenhense about 2 years ago
Yeah ā Itās kinda weird for Nancy to get down with her own daughter ā more fun with Bernice.In the meantime, LUANN needs to go out somewhere and have fun.
stillfickled Premium Member about 2 years ago
This is the second time Iāve seen the Coverly name mentioned. Donāt remember the first.
Mordock999 Premium Member about 2 years ago
Interesting how Nancy wants to share her tawdry little secrets with Bernice, but NOT with daughter Luann.
Goes back to what I was inferring yesterday. That Nancy spends more time bonding with Bernice than she does with own daughter.
Disturbing and, now bordering on āEwwwww-worthy.ā
PS: And it is indeed āPoor Frank,ā time. :-(
Brdshtt Premium Member about 2 years ago
Bernice is all aghast as she realizes that the book is about Nancy.
luann1212 about 2 years ago
Itās pretty clear to me and most so far that this arc is about Nancyās happy sharing with Bern, her love of steamy romance novels, while both are lying to Luann about what they are really sharingānot binders for business records, but steamy (not pornographic) novels. Nancy is drawn as the second hottest female in the strip, Toni being number 1, and Bernice was raised in a manner which made her very repressed with a blazing libido. Bern is 19, not a minor in most US jurisdictions, but it might be an innocent sharing of a literature form between an older friend of hers who just happens to be the mother of Bernās best friend period, Ying and Yang. But it would be weird to share with her own daughter. I think, and while my powers of prediction here are always subject to the patented GnK misdirection play, that Luās discovery of the fib and the aftereffects are where this arc is heading.
deblee77 about 2 years ago
Those are not Adult Book store, graphic, X-rated books. They are just lusty, suggestive books. My mother loved the Romance novels and if nothing else, will show Bern that her feelings are normal. But for those of you who have not read them, they are not āhow-toā manuals.
Johnnyrico about 2 years ago
Nancy buying smutty books for young women who are barely legal adultsā¦ those sly looksā¦ This seems like grooming.
Count Olaf Premium Member about 2 years ago
Pffffttttā¦ you should see Ann Eiffelās YouTube channel. Or should have seen it before it was taken down.
T Smith about 2 years ago
I hope Bernie has learned to give herself what Nil wouldnāt.
rrsltx about 2 years ago
Ok, this arc is starting to get creepy.
MAGA Premium Member about 2 years ago
Wow they get to share something neither can share with Luann! Bernice needs to get l***d.
sueb1863 about 2 years ago
So the writers wonāt let the characters say āOh my Godā but showing women getting horny on smutty novels is OK?
momcom about 2 years ago
Bernice has confided in Nancy more so than to her own mother. If Bern would like to use her free will to read āThe Rock of Gibralterā and about Gustav + Fatima, Nancy is simply letting her know it is availableā¦after she reads it first. To those who see this as grooming, Iām truly and earnestly sorry that you may have experienced that trauma in your life.
BradFilippone about 2 years ago
Sheās going to read it and start thinking of Nil again.
Robert Nowall Premium Member about 2 years ago
Bernice on her way to being the daughter they never had.
comic reader 22 about 2 years ago
Greg ā this is creepy. It feels really wrong and makes me uncomfortable. Why would you introduce this type of relationship between a teen and the mother figure in her life? And to that point ā why have you let Berniceās mother be vilified without no back story or proof of any bad behavior?
Ellis97 about 2 years ago
Luann might be getting replaced as her motherās daughter.
Ignatz Premium Member about 2 years ago
Iām glad to see Iām not the only one who finds this pretty creepy. I assume Bernice is 18, but sheās no older than that.
comic reader 22 about 2 years ago
Doesnāt Nancy have any adult friends? Why is she sharing all of this with a teen? Is she getting some kind of ego boost out of supplanting another woman with their own child? Nancy would have been a more productive and responsible woman if she had helped Bernice resolve the conflict with her mom, instead of thisā¦.peculiar behavior. Not a good look for Nancy, and thatās too bad, because she was always such a great character in the past.
ctolson about 2 years ago
Ooo, more wet pants and blouses/t-shirts. Maybe this book will inspire Bernice to inspire Nil to some art of a different kind.
mindjob about 2 years ago
The CD on the inside has some sexy dialogue
WilliamVollmer about 2 years ago
Wasnāt it established that Luann ISNāT in to āBodice Rippers?ā So, unless it was to keep Luann from teasing Bernice, and, Nancy about reading them, why lie about it? (Do āBodice Rippersā even come out in hardcover?)
BJShipley1 about 2 years ago
Bernice is weirdly proud of the fact that she has the libido of a middle-aged housewife.
YorkGirl Premium Member about 2 years ago
Well, Luann walked in, but no frustration or angst ā¦yet. Odd that Bernice and Nancy share almost as equal adults, but Luann had more interest in the opposite sex in grade and high schools. Soā¦ if she found this book, would she be shocked, or read it? Hmmm. =:-o
pagercat about 2 years ago
This is a big trigger of mineā¦people encouraging kids to be sexually active. I have three daughters (grown now) but throughout their lives I was fielding comments from people tryong to encourage them to āGo out and find a boy to have fun with!ā or āStop pursuing your artistic talent and goals and get some dick!ā Thsnk God their grown now, because one more Aggravated Assault charge and Iām going away for a long time!
tremaine53 about 2 years ago
Nancy and Bernice, sharing a bodice-buster novel? IMO, that qualifies as weird.
snowedin, now known as Missy's mom about 2 years ago
Wow, we briefly got to see Luann in her own strip.
mxy about 2 years ago
Luann, later that night: Why is dad shaving in the middle of the night?
locake about 2 years ago
In the first panel it looks like Bernice thinks it is actually tax guides.
locake about 2 years ago
This whole story is creepy. It is just not something a middle aged woman would do with her daughterās 19 year old friend.
Troglodyte about 2 years ago
D. Coverly?! What the sheet is this all about? :D
eb110americana about 2 years ago
They must have made some substantial changes to the tax code for 2023.
sallymargret about 2 years ago
Sick.
sallymargret about 2 years ago
Iām disappointed. Iāll be looking for another comic to take this oneās place if things donāt shape up VERY soon.
Katecst about 2 years ago
Would you all be upset if Nancy and Bern were watching āThe Godfatherā? Often considered one of the greatest American movies ever made. Or āEasy Riderā which was rated X when it first came out ?How about reading āLady Chatterlyās Loverā? or āThe Tropic of Cancerā? If you are a lit major or a cinema major you will watch or read all these, probably when you are a Sophomore or Junior in college. When I was in library school back in the day, we watched and read these movies and books while disscussing intellectual freedom. Who gets to decide what is read by whom. Should the Orthodox Vegans be allowed to decide what books on on the shelves in a community? Even if they are the most active users of the local public library?
MuddyUSA Premium Member about 2 years ago
Come on Frank, get on it!
dlaemmerhirt999 about 2 years ago
KISS HER! . . . KISS HER!
Rockabore about 2 years ago
If they found out they have the same guilty pleasure romance fiction tastes in common on accident then, glad to have discovered a common interest, discussed the books; I think it would be a LOT less weird. Without context and just springing this on the reader itās kinda jarring.
Interestingly, I could buy this more if the book was male/male romance fiction. Itās actually a growing trend for adult women to enjoy m/m fiction like āHeartstopperā and āLove, Simonā being authored by women for women. Iām friends with a lady in my writing group who writes m/m romance novels and explained why that genreās so popular. I could definitely see it being believable for Bernice who probably watched BBCās Merlin, MTVās Teen Wolf, or Supernatural where the fandom was very big on the shipping/fanfic culture.
tcayer about 2 years ago
So she thinks itās not appropriate for her daughter, but sshares it with Bernice who is the same ageā¦
The Quiet One about 2 years ago
Nice deflection Bernice. Luann expects nothing.
Joe1962 about 2 years ago
Sure Nancy a tax guide.
RSH about 2 years ago
Borders was once a big bookstore chain (like Barnes & Noble), now āBorderlineā
eladee AKA Wally about 2 years ago
I read these books from an early ageāaround 12 or so. My mother had a large collection of them so I read them, too. No one āgroomedā me for anything and I discovered that, while they were interesting at first, in time they became old hat. However lots of women friends of mine enjoy these type books. Thereās absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nancy feels uncomfortable sharing such things with Luann because thatās her daughter and also Luann has shown absolutely no interest in such books. But Berniece DOES like them. Thereās nothing wrong with that!
destry1970 about 2 years ago
Me thinks the truly offended protest a bit to much, for my opinion.
rheddmobile about 2 years ago
Who buys physical books these days? The last time I did was for something out of print and I was quickly reminded how much I hate trying to find a good light source and carrying around an extra object.
htieiri about 2 years ago
Yeah, I just donāt get this arc at all.
HodgeElmwood about 2 years ago
Shouldnāt that be āPeakā- as in summit, highest point? Or is it a deliberate play on words?
Kr-perry Premium Member about 2 years ago
Ready to heat up your loins, Bernice.
ZoMcYo Premium Member about 2 years ago
WOW so many of you are reading way too much into this.
First, Nancy didnāt lie to Luann. She said the book was for her and Bernice, Bernice mistook it for tax guides, and Nancy didnāt correct her.
Second, thereās a possibility that Luann doesnāt care for that genre of books (I certainly didnāt AT ALL at that age, and even now, it isnāt something I typically read!)
Third, Luann doesnāt have to be privy to everything Nancy and Bernice talk about. Bernice is practically a second daughter and knows the DeGroots very well. She and Nancy share an obvious like of several different things, including romance novels.
I have individual conversations with each of my kids based on their personalities, their likes and dislikes, etc. I donāt have to share books or discussions with one child whom I know doesnāt care about the topic just because I shared it with their sibling(s).
Nancy isnāt sharing pl*yboys or h*stlers for goodness sake. (Didnāt know if those titles get moderated or not.)
RuthTC Premium Member about 2 years ago
PEAK not Peek!
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] about 2 years ago
This is their version of phornography that has romance in it.
kittysquared Premium Member about 2 years ago
I agree that there was no lying: Bern thought it was a tax guide, and Nancy didnāt correct her. Didnāt women talk about ā50 Shades of Greyā with their friends and family? Did only couples go together to see āThe Pianoā? Bern is a young woman, not a child: This common interest may be awkward, but it isnāt grooming.
Sisyphos about 2 years ago
Nancy, you old horndog (which begs the question, can a Mom be a horndog?)! Are you going to share that book with Bernie? Can Bernie handle reading that book?
Definitely āBorderline Booksāā¦.
nightflight about 2 years ago
Just wait for Nancy and Bernice to discover that D. Coverly is just a pen name for Margo Phelps-Fogarity.
comic reader 22 about 2 years ago
So this book comes from Borderline Books in a plain brown wrapper. Iām going to guess this is a book you canāt just go check out at the library or buy at the mall and itās probably is pretty graphic. P0rn0graphy is an addiction, itās not just films and pictures, it can be in the written word, and Nancy has it bad. Sheās going to make sure Bernice gets hooked too. Next week Frank organizes an intervention.
Tetonbil about 2 years ago
Wow! This was unexpected! It left me speechless with a grin. I think Jim Morrison said it best, āthe men donāt know, but the little girls understandā.
TheBigPickle about 2 years ago
Now kiss!
Holilubillkori Premium Member about 2 years ago
Iām rather surprised about the controversy & uproar over a romance novel storylineā¦. āĀ ā¢Ķ”Ėā ā¢Ķ”ĖĀ ā
ChristopherSutler about 2 years ago
I canāt help but wonder if D. Coverly is a nod to Dave Coverly, , the cartoonist who writes Speed Bump? Or is the name merely a coincidence?