So, here goes it:
meme!
1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas...
5. Tag five people to do the same.
Here it is. Sentence: "I cannot wait to see where she goes with the books to come."
Nothing deep...was talking about Ms. Liu and her future books. Which reminds me that I need to read A Taste of Crimson soon.
I tag:
Kristie, Wendy, Alyssa, Meljean, and Candy.
Things that bug me (rant)
I spent last night not feeling so great. Why? One of my neighbors in our apartment building must have been smoking and the scent wafted into our apartment. Never mind that the windows and doors were shut, I could still smell it. So I spent the night with a headache and that disgusting smell up my nose. Sometimes I hate my nose. Husband couldn't smell a thing, but oh boy could I. I'm going to restrain myself and not rant about how much I hate smoking. I'd probably greatly offend people and that wouldn't be nice.
The other thing that's been bugging me is this whole teaching "creationism" in schools. I see an article about it and my eyes bug out and I feel this rage inside me that I just want to go and shake these idiot people who believe it should be taught as a science. Yeah, so it's a bit extreme, but it drives me up the wall. If you believe in it, go to church and learn it there. It does not belong in schools and doesn't deserve space alongside evolution. I don't even have kids and I get unreasonably upset about this issue. I have no clue why, but it seriously bugs me. Alongside teaching abstinence-only in sex-ed. That bugs me too. *sigh*
Okay, on to the previously scheduled stuff. Like books.
The other thing that's been bugging me is this whole teaching "creationism" in schools. I see an article about it and my eyes bug out and I feel this rage inside me that I just want to go and shake these idiot people who believe it should be taught as a science. Yeah, so it's a bit extreme, but it drives me up the wall. If you believe in it, go to church and learn it there. It does not belong in schools and doesn't deserve space alongside evolution. I don't even have kids and I get unreasonably upset about this issue. I have no clue why, but it seriously bugs me. Alongside teaching abstinence-only in sex-ed. That bugs me too. *sigh*
Okay, on to the previously scheduled stuff. Like books.
Things I've Learned Lately
Things I have learned lately:
1. Cheese graters are sharp. And sometimes, you'll see the blood before you realize you've hurt yourself.
2. I seem to be reading a lot of non-romance stuff lately.
3. It feels good to fit into a size that you don't think you've seen since early high school. Hope to officially hit twenty pounds gone sometime this week.
4. Hard drives look very cool when shot at. Picture coming later.
5. Libraries are good and all, but the urge to check out books is hard to resist even when you've got the tbr pile from hell. (had to put holds on Only With a Highlander by Janet Chapman, Revenge Gifts by Cindy Cruciger, Touch Me by Lucy Monroe, Don't Say a Word by Barbara Freethy, Shoes to Die For by Laura Levine, Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris, The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, Kill Me Twice by Roxanne St. Claire, and Bad Attitude by Sherrilyn Kenyon) - yes, I'm too lazy to link right now.
1. Cheese graters are sharp. And sometimes, you'll see the blood before you realize you've hurt yourself.
2. I seem to be reading a lot of non-romance stuff lately.
3. It feels good to fit into a size that you don't think you've seen since early high school. Hope to officially hit twenty pounds gone sometime this week.
4. Hard drives look very cool when shot at. Picture coming later.
5. Libraries are good and all, but the urge to check out books is hard to resist even when you've got the tbr pile from hell. (had to put holds on Only With a Highlander by Janet Chapman, Revenge Gifts by Cindy Cruciger, Touch Me by Lucy Monroe, Don't Say a Word by Barbara Freethy, Shoes to Die For by Laura Levine, Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris, The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, Kill Me Twice by Roxanne St. Claire, and Bad Attitude by Sherrilyn Kenyon) - yes, I'm too lazy to link right now.
Dead End by Mariah Stewart
I really enjoyed the Dead series by Mariah Stewart and looked forward to reading Dead End when I heard it was coming out. Except....in hardback??? I was especially confused when I learned that she had another suspense trilogy coming out in paperback. Now why on earth would you put the sequel to a paperback series in hardback and then go right on to another series in paperback. Makes my head spin. Okay, on to my thoughts about the book.Book blurb:
Two years ago, a major FBI undercover drug deal suddenly went south– and special agent Dylan Shields went down in a hail of bullets. When the dust cleared, his fellow agent (and fiancée) Anne Marie McCall was left alone with too many unanswered questions and nothing to do but hit the job as hard as she could to dull the pain. Only now is she beginning to ease up on her punishing routine as a Bureau profiler and starting to let some light in again. and. Detective Evan Crosby had a lot to do with drawing Annie back into life, and she’s not about to let her chance at happiness with him slip away.
But before she can embrace a bright new future, she must grapple with the dangerous past whose demons of doubt and suspicion won’t let her sleep at night . . . and whose dead will never rest in peace until someone digs up the truth and deals out the payback. That means going places where no one– including the FBI–wants Annie to be and cutting through a minefield of smoke and mirrors, politics and intimidation, dirty tricks and deadly threats, in order to make a cold case hot enough to get the right people sweating. The harder Annie squeezes, the more blood, lies, and betrayal she wrings out . . . and the closer she comes to connecting a face to the trigger finger that blew away her dreams–and Dylan Shields. What she doesn’t know is that the killer she’s closing in on is looking for closure too. The kind that only Annie’s death can bring.
Okay, people who read the Dead series will recognize almost all the characters here and also the mystery of Dylan's murder. Because of the large cast of characters (there are a lot of Shieldses), I really don't think this book stands completely alone. It's definitely recommended that you read the Dead trilogy beforehand. But read the series, cuz it's good. Anyways, I enjoyed the story as a nice wrap up to the other series. Not that they needed a wrap-up, but it was nice to see the characters again.
Now...I think the Dead series was marketed as romantic suspense. Here, there's romance, but Annie and Evan are already committed to each other and you know they'll stick together. So the emphasis is on the suspense plot, not romance. Fine with me, but I know I've seen people complain about romantic suspense in the past not having enough romance.
So...I liked the story, but definitely wait til paperback and after you've read the previous three Dead books.
Now I can't wait for the Truth trilogy. I've already got the first one, Cold Truth.
Fall TV
Ack! I haven't posted in ages. I feel so bad. Can I blame it on the root canal and the decision to join RTB as a columnist? Probably not. Basically I just forgot.
My evenings have been rather full lately. There are a few new shows this season that I've decided to watch. We'll see how well I do at actually watching them this year.
Mondays: Surface and Medium. Surface was rather meh, but I think I'll give it at least one more episode to decide whether I like it enough to continue watching. I started watching Medium last year and enjoyed it, but ended up missing episodes and giving up about half-way through since it's on at 9 and I start heading to bed at that time so I end up taping it (I'm really bad about watching taped shows). We'll see how it goes this year. I do enjoy it.
Tuesdays: Bones and House. I think I'd watch Bones just for the forensic anthropologist aspect (I started college with this career in mind), but I confess to actually liking the characters. House...never watched it last year, what was I thinking? So good. Will definitely be one I watch.
Wednesdays: Er...Lost. Which until further notice is relegated to taping (er...dvd-ing?) so I can catch up with last season. Going to try to watch two episodes today while cleaning my office. Wish me luck.
Thursdays: Um...I don't think there's anything on Thursdays yet. I stopped watching CSI even though I like it when I watch it. I figure reruns will be on for the next ten years, so I don't need to worry about it.
Fridays: Threshold and Ghost Whisperer(maybe). Threshold was good, I enjoyed watching the pilot last week. Ghost Whisperer sounds a lot like Medium, only maybe stupid. *lol* But I figure I should watch at least one episode, so that's on tap for Friday. I might watch Numb3rs too, but I dunno. Fridays used to be What Not to Wear nights, will have to figure out what to do.
So...I really wonder what shows I'll actually stick with. I'm not much for regularly watching tv, so we'll see.
My evenings have been rather full lately. There are a few new shows this season that I've decided to watch. We'll see how well I do at actually watching them this year.
Mondays: Surface and Medium. Surface was rather meh, but I think I'll give it at least one more episode to decide whether I like it enough to continue watching. I started watching Medium last year and enjoyed it, but ended up missing episodes and giving up about half-way through since it's on at 9 and I start heading to bed at that time so I end up taping it (I'm really bad about watching taped shows). We'll see how it goes this year. I do enjoy it.
Tuesdays: Bones and House. I think I'd watch Bones just for the forensic anthropologist aspect (I started college with this career in mind), but I confess to actually liking the characters. House...never watched it last year, what was I thinking? So good. Will definitely be one I watch.
Wednesdays: Er...Lost. Which until further notice is relegated to taping (er...dvd-ing?) so I can catch up with last season. Going to try to watch two episodes today while cleaning my office. Wish me luck.
Thursdays: Um...I don't think there's anything on Thursdays yet. I stopped watching CSI even though I like it when I watch it. I figure reruns will be on for the next ten years, so I don't need to worry about it.
Fridays: Threshold and Ghost Whisperer(maybe). Threshold was good, I enjoyed watching the pilot last week. Ghost Whisperer sounds a lot like Medium, only maybe stupid. *lol* But I figure I should watch at least one episode, so that's on tap for Friday. I might watch Numb3rs too, but I dunno. Fridays used to be What Not to Wear nights, will have to figure out what to do.
So...I really wonder what shows I'll actually stick with. I'm not much for regularly watching tv, so we'll see.
Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
Jessi St. James has got to get a life. Too many hours studying ancient artifacts has given the hardworking archaeology student a bad case of sex on the brain. So she figures she must be dreaming when she spies a gorgeous half-naked man staring out at her from inside the silvery glass of an ancient mirror. But when a split-second decision saves her from a terrifying attempt on her life, Jessi suddenly finds herself confronting six and a half feet of smoldering, insatiable alpha male.
Heir to the arcane magic of his Druid ancestors, eleven centuries ago Cian MacKeltar was trapped inside the Dark Glass, one of four coveted Unseelie Hallows, objects of unspeakable power. When the Dark Glass is stolen, an ancient enemy will stop at nothing to reclaim it, destroying everything in his path–including the one woman who may just hold the key to breaking the ninth-century Highlander’s dark spell. For Jessi, the muscle-bound sex god in the mirror is not only tantalizingly real, he’s offering his protection–from exactly what, Jessi doesn’t know. And all he wants in exchange is the exquisite pleasure of sharing her bed.
Yet even as Cian’s insatiable hunger begins to work its dark magic on Jessi, his ancient enemy is about to obtain the final and most dangerous of the Unseelie Hallows–and the ninth-century Highlander must stop him from getting it. Nothing less than the very fabric of the universe and two passionately entwined lives are at stake–as Cian and Jessi fight to claim the kind of love that comes along but once in an ice age. . . .
After Kissed by Cat, I picked up Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning. It's been sitting in my library pile for awhile, just wasn't in the mood to read it before now. Well, if you want an in-depth review of the book, you're not going to get it here. If you liked the previous books, I think you'll like this one. I had some issues with it, such as Cian dealing with things so easily, and the Voice just doesn't quite work for me, but all in all, I did like the book. It was a fast-paced read for me, just took me an afternoon to read it. I was surprised at how Cian's "you're my woman" attitude didn't bother me as much as it ordinarily would. I'm not sure if that's because of the mood I was in, or if it was the writing.
The covers for these seems to make one believe that these are pretty dark books, but I didn't think Spell of the Highlander was very dark. It's a fun story, but don't expect much angst here, if that's what you're looking for. Cian's long gotten over the sins of his past, which was rather refreshing, but we don't get into his head much.
I still look forward to reading the next book in the series and it looks like there will be many more.
Kissed by Cat by Shirley Jump
The Cat Rules:
Rule #1: Cats have nine lives.
Catherine Wyndham had used up her first eight avoiding mishaps and romantic misadventures. Now she had only one more left... and one last change to find true love.
Rule #2: Cats always land on their feet.
Catherine usually did, too, until she was waylaid one night by a purrfectly irresistible veterinarian, Garrett McAllister. He was so kind to her that soon her finicky heart began to melt, even though her inner feline told her she might be headed for a romantic crash landing!
Rule #3: Good little kittens grow up, get rescued by the tom of their dreams and live happily ever after.
Is that really a rule... or is it just another romantic furry tail?
As I said in a previous post, I received this book in a prize package. I'm so glad I did. Kissed by Cat by Shirley Jump is such a sweet story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Even though the romance takes place over a very short time, I found myself believing in it when the story ended. There's not a lot of depth here, yet it's not so superficial that it gets boring. Hmm...pretty much, I found it to be a welcome respite from some of the other romances I've tried to read lately. Cute and sweet are what sum up my thoughts on the book. So if you're in the mood for that, I suggest picking this one up.
Someone buy the man a bra!
While browsing online today, I came across Kimberly Logan's website. Reading the blurb for her upcoming book, I thought it sounded interesting and made a mental note to put it on my list of books to get in December. Then I looked at the cover. Oi.
Is that cleavage I see? Certainly sad when the hero shows more cleavage then the heroine. He's a bit lopsided, it seems, too(brought to my attention to Kristie when I showed her the link).
Methinks Avon's cover department needs an infusion of fresh talent. It's all getting rather predictable and boring.
But I still think the book sounds interesting.
Is that cleavage I see? Certainly sad when the hero shows more cleavage then the heroine. He's a bit lopsided, it seems, too(brought to my attention to Kristie when I showed her the link).
Methinks Avon's cover department needs an infusion of fresh talent. It's all getting rather predictable and boring.
But I still think the book sounds interesting.
On root canals, stress, and books
Seems I've been a bit lax in blogging this week. Well, it all started a week ago. Had really bad toothache that gradually went away. Well, I figured since it was so bad the one time, I might as well go in to see the dentist in case something was wrong that could be easily fixed. Haha. So Monday morning I called the dentist and they said they could put me in Tuesday morning. So Tuesday morning around 11 I go in to the dentist. They do all sorts of stuff and she basically tells me that I need a root canal. Oh yay (can you feel the sarcasm dripping?). But because of some issues, she doesn't want to do it and recommends an endodontist. So I go to the desk and they make an appt for this other doc for me. Secretary asks me when's a good time, I say anytime. This afternoon, she asks? Er...okay. So at a quarter to 2 I drive downtown. Now I never go downtown because I never need to. Good thing I left early since I could not find the place! I even had a map. Hmph. Eventually found it, though. And on time. So I'm thinking that nothing will get done on this trip, just a look-see and then on to making another appt later on. Nope, wrong. So yeah, they did the first part of the root canal then. Oof, it went by fast. And me stressing about how much it was going to cost, even though we have insurance and ugh, just drove me nuts. I didn't care about pain, since oddly enough the pain had gone away as soon as I made that initial appt.
But now it's been hurting (didn't hurt at all after the appt and all through Wednesday), though they said it would, so no big deal. Just taking Advil and Tylenol and I'm doing pretty good. Though yesterday I woke up at a quarter to six with godawful pain and went stumbling out to get stuff. Knew where the advil was, so I took that. Thinking, pain is bad, they said take tylenol too. Where's tylenol (I'm half asleep here and in pain), so I stumble to the medicine cabinet and grab the first tylenol bottle I find. PM...don't take tylenol PM when it's a quarter to six. You won't wake up until 10 a.m. So that screwed up most of my day, Thursday. I was out of it most of the day just from pain relievers and too much sleep. Mostly too much sleep.
And on top of this, husband is really stressed out from work for the first time since he started there. Usually he's the one reassuring me, so now that the tables are turned, I feel bad that I can't make him feel better. Hopefully what he's working on will start working soon.
Books...I read two books in the past few days. I'd won a contest at the Silhouette Romance authors' site and the tote bag with goodies came on Wednesday. Was a lot of fun to open it up. Lots of books, about fifteen, and some fun goodies. I read Kissed by Cat by Shirley Jump of the books that I got. Will blog about it later. Unrelated to the Sil. Rom. books, I also read Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning. Also will blog later about it. Now I'm reading In Stone's Clasp by Christie Golden and who knows what else. Whatever I pick up.
But now it's been hurting (didn't hurt at all after the appt and all through Wednesday), though they said it would, so no big deal. Just taking Advil and Tylenol and I'm doing pretty good. Though yesterday I woke up at a quarter to six with godawful pain and went stumbling out to get stuff. Knew where the advil was, so I took that. Thinking, pain is bad, they said take tylenol too. Where's tylenol (I'm half asleep here and in pain), so I stumble to the medicine cabinet and grab the first tylenol bottle I find. PM...don't take tylenol PM when it's a quarter to six. You won't wake up until 10 a.m. So that screwed up most of my day, Thursday. I was out of it most of the day just from pain relievers and too much sleep. Mostly too much sleep.
And on top of this, husband is really stressed out from work for the first time since he started there. Usually he's the one reassuring me, so now that the tables are turned, I feel bad that I can't make him feel better. Hopefully what he's working on will start working soon.
Books...I read two books in the past few days. I'd won a contest at the Silhouette Romance authors' site and the tote bag with goodies came on Wednesday. Was a lot of fun to open it up. Lots of books, about fifteen, and some fun goodies. I read Kissed by Cat by Shirley Jump of the books that I got. Will blog about it later. Unrelated to the Sil. Rom. books, I also read Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning. Also will blog later about it. Now I'm reading In Stone's Clasp by Christie Golden and who knows what else. Whatever I pick up.
Cat Fear No Evil by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Ah....feel the love. I love love love this book. Hell, the whole series even though I haven't read all of them. Who can resist a mystery series with cats, especially when it's the cats who help solve the mystery. Did I mention that they also talk? And the mystery is pretty good, too? I tried explaining it to Màili the other day, but I don't think she was feeling it.
I really can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. It's preferable to have read at least some of the previous books, but not truly necessary. Back story is added in pretty well for those who haven't. It has talking cats. Very cool talking cats. And made me cry in places. Takes a special book to make me cry.
Another thing I love about the book is the sense of place. I felt I could picture the town and many of the places depicted. I loved the cats. An Azrael...don't think we've seen the last of him. There's a bit of paranormal stuff you have to believe to enjoy the book, but it's not a huge stretch and I liked it. Maybe because I like the idea of a world where some cats can talk.
So...go, read a Joe Grey Mystery.
Evil has crept into Molena Point, California, on stealthy cat feet. A rash of brazen burglaries, from antique jewelry to vintage cars, coincides with the unwelcome appearance of yellow-eyed Azrael, feline nemesis of crime-solving cats Joe Grey and Dulcie. But what follows soon after really has Joe's fur standing on edge. A young, healthy waiter drops dead at a reception for local artist Charlie Harper. And when the trail of big-time thefts leads up to San Francisco, the dark beast Azrael is on the scene. Does he have contact as well with a stalker and a handsome philanderer? If Joe and Dulcie don't get to the bottom of these misdeeds soon, they and all their human friends will have ample reasons to be afraid ... to be very afraid.
I really can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. It's preferable to have read at least some of the previous books, but not truly necessary. Back story is added in pretty well for those who haven't. It has talking cats. Very cool talking cats. And made me cry in places. Takes a special book to make me cry.
Another thing I love about the book is the sense of place. I felt I could picture the town and many of the places depicted. I loved the cats. An Azrael...don't think we've seen the last of him. There's a bit of paranormal stuff you have to believe to enjoy the book, but it's not a huge stretch and I liked it. Maybe because I like the idea of a world where some cats can talk.
So...go, read a Joe Grey Mystery.
Not much going on here...
Ah...Saturday. Started reading Killer Summer by Lynda Curnyn last night. I'm not quite sure how I like it. It's narrated by four different people and they each do it in first person. Now you all know I don't mind first person, but all this hopping around it kinda bugging me. And sometimes I'm not sure I'd know who was talking except that their name is ahead of each block that they narrate. Well, we'll see if I read more of it. I do have some other things I should be reading instead.
Nicole
Nicole
Are we running out of book titles?
I swear it used to be that book titles were fairly unique. Now that doesn't seem to be the case. Everywhere I turn, it seems that titles are the same. I know it's perfectly acceptable to use a title that's been used by another book, but lately it seems so prevalent that I get the impression those people who are writing these titles are getting downright lazy.
Here are some I've run across. (Okay, this really is just an excuse to post lots of book covers.)
Untamed:
Blue Moon:
Charmed and Dangerous:
Hunter's Moon:
His Wicked Ways:
On Thin Ice:
Rules of Engagement:
Seduced:
Stealing Heaven:
Too Hot To Handle:
Unmasked:
Stroke of Midnight:
Okay, there were more, but I decided to stop with these. So yeah, there's really no point to this post. But it was fun seeing all the repeat titles. :-)
Here are some I've run across. (Okay, this really is just an excuse to post lots of book covers.)
Untamed:
Blue Moon:
Charmed and Dangerous:
Hunter's Moon:
His Wicked Ways:
On Thin Ice:
Rules of Engagement:
Seduced:
Stealing Heaven:
Too Hot To Handle:
Unmasked:
Stroke of Midnight:
Okay, there were more, but I decided to stop with these. So yeah, there's really no point to this post. But it was fun seeing all the repeat titles. :-)
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