A year ago today, BOOKGASM was born. So quietly and easily, no episiotomy was required.

The idea had been kicking around in my head for a few months before, partly out of a frustration in finding information (or lack thereof) about books in which I was interested. After a 4 p.m. beer-fueled brainstorming session in July 2005, I took action and officially registered our URL. Why BOOKGASM? Because my first four choices were taken. I don’t remember what they were now, and I don’t care, because BOOKGASM is perfect. It represents that feeling you get when you know the book you’re reading is oh so nice.

There seems to be this unspoken rule in America that unless a book is either: a) literary, b) covered by The New York Times Book Review, or c) Oprah-approved, that it shouldn’t be talked about, let alone read at all. In other words, genre fiction.

It’s weird, because our society has no problem talking to one another in public about genre movies or genre TV shows. But genre books? No one wants to admit they’re reading it, for fear of being looked down upon. Unlike films or television, a book requires a degree of intellect to be experienced; therefore, they reason, books must> be intellectual.

Wrong! As a regular reader to BOOKGASM, you already know this. Just as there’s no shame in reading literary fiction, there’s no shame in reading a horror novel, a spy paperback, a comic book. It doesn’t mean you’re stupid (and I’ve got the transcripts to prove it!). The very fact that you’re reading anything should be celebrated. That’s why we’re here – an opportunity for you to come out of the closet, so to speak.

Not to toot our own horn (because such a thing renders you blind, puts hair on your palms and makes Jesus cry), but our exponential growth in these first 365 days suggests we’re on to something. Not by accident, we’ve gained a reputation for delivering smart, honest (sometimes painfully so) reviews – no matter how highbrow or lowbrow the title – delivered with just the right balance of professionalism and attitude.

When we finally got around to launching the site on Aug. 13, 2005, we ran two reviews: the sci-fi spinoff STAR WARS: THE NEW JEDI ORDER – VECTOR PRIME and the Russ Meyer biography BIG BOSOMS AND SQUARE JAWS. The two books couldn’t be more different, yet couldn’t be more perfect to represent the kind of things we wanted to write about five days a week.

Today, almost 800 posts later, we’re still doing the same, except it’s even more fun (despite being more work) and embraced by more people. We’ve got lots planned for Year Two – some of which you’ll start to see taking shape this week – including new features, a podcast, an anthology and other things for which we may find we have no time.

I’m a pretty modest person who doesn’t seek out attention, so I’m humbled and honored rather than big-headed whenever somebody tells me how much they enjoy the site. Because it’s as much yours as it is mine. Without my excellent staff of reviewers, there wouldn’t be the breadth of content. Without the support of publicists and authors, there wouldn’t be the depth of material covered. And without anyone reading it, there wouldn’t be a point. So I genuinely thank all of you for being a part of it, for literally giving us the time of day.

For me, reading is fun. But I don’t feel the experience – good or bad – is complete until I share it with someone else. Like it or not, that’s you. –Rod Lott

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