Mummified ferrets, ants, cats, and vampires

So...got a new furnace installed this week. You know, before we'd actually have to use the previous one and kill ourselves.

Yeah, that would be where the ferret comes in. Guys opened up the ductwork around the A/C thingy and out dropped a dead baby ferret into one of the guys' lap. Uh, we don't own a ferret and never have. And yes, there always was a funky smell in that room, but no one had any idea what it was and we looked all over the room for a source right after we bought the place. And never would have found this, since it was IN the ductwork. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

And ants. Leaky honey jar is bad.

Cats....er, no reason for that. Though there are feline aliens in the Lisanne Norman book I'm reading.

And vampires....reading The Vampire Queen's Servant. So far it's awesome and totally not what I was expecting.

Oh, and Ikea was out of the bookcase I wanted to order. Hmph. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find bookcases with shelves that are less than 12 inches deep? Nigh on impossible. Blech.

Lightning reviews

Okay, so I haven't posted in over two weeks. Ouch. But I have been reading a lot. So here goes my brief thoughts on a bunch of books.


Turning Point by Lisanne Norman. SF here, but it's got romance! Human colony is invaded by aliens and it's up to a human girl and a cat-like alien to save the planet. And they end up bonding telepathically. It's not a long book, but I rather liked it. I think I'd read it a long time ago in high school, but couldn't remember much. I've already got the second book started.

Jinx by Meg Cabot. It's Meg Cabot, do I really need a blurb? Anyways, it's a YA novel this time and quite good.

Tithe by Holly Black. Lots of buzz about this one, but I wasn't really feeling it. It's okay, but not nearly as good as I was hoping.

The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann. Quite liked this one and have the second ready to go. I'm probably the last person on earth to read this series, so no need to go into more detail, methinks.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot by Stephanie Rowe. This time we had Becca the Rivka getting her story. Was cute and funny and good. Love Rowe's books.

Dhampir by Barb and JC Hendee. Beginning of a vampire fantasy book and I really enjoyed it. Main character makes a living fleecing villagers out of money by preying on their superstitions, but when it turns out that things that go bump in the night are real, she has some real work to do. I liked this one and plan to read the rest of the series.

King's Property by Morgan Howell. The cover is what first drew me to this book, but I was really surprised at how much I liked it. Fantasy where a mountain girl is conscripted into the army to help in the orc companies. She befriends an orc and tries to change her situation. Not the best explanation, but I really liked the book and plan to get the next in the trilogy. It came out today.

The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold. I read both of these back to back and was just blown away at how good they were. Just fantastic.

Also read Fire Watcher and Cloud Watcher by Lilith Saintcrow. Man I love her books. And hey, the next Dante Valentine Book is out!!! Saw it on the shelf at Barnes and Noble.

Snake Agent by Liz Williams. I first heard about this from Michele Albert's blog. Oh my this is such a good book. And I think if you like the Dante Valentine series, you'd like this one. Not sure I can say why, but I'd recommend giving it a try. It's set in a future world in the East where mythology and religion are really real and impact our world. As in Heaven and Hell are like real parallel worlds that certain people can travel through. The writing here is also amazing. Just thinking about the story brings images from the book into my head.

Gothic Sports by Anika Hage. Bought this manga at BN today on a whim and I'm glad I did. I like the artwork and the story of a girl who's determined to belong to a sports team in school is very fun. Can't wait for more volumes.

I'm pretty sure I've read more, but I can't remember.

Avon Red seen at SuperTarget

Anyone else? I saw all the Avon Reds that are out in mass market in the romance section of my local SuperTarget. Definitely good for those authors to be in such an area.

Drugs, I do so love them.

Well, look, I'm posting again. Wow. I'm on a roll.

Anyways, went to the doctor today. Came away with a scrip for steroid inhaler and a z-pack. So yeah, while I'm having an asthma attack, I've also felt like drowning from a sinus infection. Not so fun. Hopefully once the sinusitis is cleared up, I'll be able to sleep better and get the rest I need to really get better. And hopefully the inhaler will work, too. I'm sick of my chest constantly feeling tight.

In reading news, I'm reading The Billionaire Next Door on Jane's rec and wow, it's really good. Thanks Jane.

Also picked up Charlene Teglia's newest, Wild Wild West, from Basically Books. Started it and I like it. Sorta ended up falling asleep on the couch while reading it, but that's more from being sick than the actual book.

Just so you know


my washer sounds like a jet engine when it starts the spin cycle.

A spectacle spectacle!

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Well, I think these are the sunglasses I ended up with. Pretty close, anyways.

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And new glasses. My previous prescription may have only been about a year old, but oh boy has my vision changed in that year! I got contacts for the first time this year, so the glasses ended up out of pocket. Ouch. Those pesky allergies made having a current prescription pair a must. But SuperTarget's optical place had a really nice deal. And much better looking glasses than some of the places I checked out. Like, oh, Pearl Vision.

These are definitely different than any of my previous glasses, but I think they're pretty cute.

What Book Got You Hooked?

From DearAuthor's post, I decided to bold the ones that I've read.

1. Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
2. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
3. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
5. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
6. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
7. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
8. The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey
9. Go, Dog, Go! by P. D. Eastman
10. Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman
11. Curious George by Margret and H. A. Rey
12. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
13. The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper and Loren Long
14. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
15. Dick and Jane by William H. Elson
16. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
17. The Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope
18. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (actually, didn't read this until college)
19. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
20. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
21. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
22. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
23. Heidi by Johanna Spyri
24. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
25. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
26. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
27. Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell
28. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
29. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
30. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (I may have read this one, but I don't remember. Probably did)
31. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
32. The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon
33. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
34. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
35. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
36. Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne (I probably read this, but alas, I don't remember)
37. The Baby-sitters Club by Ann M. Martin
38. Horton Hears A Who by Dr. Seuss
39. Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
40. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
41. Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs
42. Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol
43. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
44. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
45. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
46. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
47. The Bible
48. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
49. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
50. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary



So, what have you read?

Sent to save the world from blackheads

"You look like a Cosmo commando."


Said by DH after I walk into bedroom with Biore pore strips on my nose and forehead.

TGIF, hah!

Well, I was going to have a review of Jinx by Meg Cabot up, but I wasn't really feeling up to finishing it. Spent most of the day feeling miserable and ended up going to Urgent Care after DH made me go. Gotta love having asthma. Not.

Anyways, Jinx is really good. Now I'm reading Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith and omg, it really is good. I think it was Jane who reviewed it awhile back. Anyways, so when I saw it at the library, I picked it up.

Ah, more proof my husband is wonderful

Guess what I had waiting for me yesterday when I came home from work?

Nick greeted me at the door with a dozen and a half pink and cream roses. AND was making supper.

Will put up a picture of the flowers later. They're very pretty.

Yes, he thinks he did something. No, it wasn't that bad. He was just a bit out of sorts the night before, but still felt bad.

Hugs to him.

Heart Dance by Robin D. Owens

I loveses me this series. Oh yes indeedy I do. And yay, I survived it going into trade. Bad Berkley. You did it with P.C. Cast too. Hmph. Least it wasn't to hardcover.

Book Cover
DuFleur Thyme is a scientist who's secretly experimenting with time. She'll allow no distractions from her work-not even from a HeartMate. Meanwhile, Saille T'Willow has sent his HeartGift out into the world in hopes of finding his HeartMate, who, it turns out, is DuFleur. Still, DuFleur wants nothing to do with Saille, especially when she discovers that it was his grandmother who brought about her father's ruin. Unfortunately, her body can't help but submit to the passion he stirs in her. But when a scandal threatens Saille's position as head of the family, will DuFleur stand by his side?


Ah, I liked this book alot. It's simple, yet enjoyable. Part of the fun of reading this series is reuniting with previous characters. Yet I really like how she puts them in. It works.

Anyways, to the main story. DuFleur's flair is for time, yet because of an incident her father was involved in (and died from), experimenting with time has been made illegal. Considering using flair is like breathing to most Celtans, this is decidedly hard on DuFleur and so she ends up experimenting in secret. She also has to deal with her family, especially her mother.

Saille's got matchmaker flair, but because his grandmother was such a bitch, she hid his HeartMate (DuFleur) from him. In the last book, we saw how he discovered who it was, but he still has problems with his grandmother and her actions. And it turns out some of those things had to do with DuFleur's father and the fallout from that. Kinda complicated, but not, and well put together. Owens uses the world she's created in such a way that she can add in characters that we've seen before and have them really mean something. Because of that, I'd recommend reading the books in order to fully appreciate the storyline, although there's enough backstory to have a new reader caught up fairly quickly.

Saille and DuFleur clash for lots of reasons and they mostly felt true to character. No rashly running out to do something stupid. Thank goodness.

Anyways, I really liked this one.