2009 New Years Resolutions

So...it's almost the new year and I've been thinking about what I want to do in the coming year.

1. Blog more. I'd like to say everyday, but I know that won't happen, but definitely lots more. I miss the sense of community that I used to have.

2. Stay in touch with friends more. I'm notorious for not emailing or calling. This includes family. I really should call my mom more often than a few times a year.

3. Keep track of books read. I was so incredibly bad at this this year.

4. Exercise more.

5. Play more. Wii Fit!!

Upcoming books I want to read.

This one made the list because of the tag line: She's a librarian with a really long shelf life". How can I resist that? Molly Harper also has a blog.


It's Nalini Singh. Need I say more?


Kresley Cole's newest IAD book. Again, no need to say more.


Oooh...pretty cover. And it's Lara Adrian's newest.



Looks interesting and I like to try debut fantasy authors. And she describes her writing as having a "Dumas twist." hmmm.....
Kari Sperring, you need a website.

Well, let's stop there for now.

Tux in the spotlight

Gambit and his new toy

Here's the new toy I got the cats. It's called a Fling-ama-string and they both love it.

Fortune & Glory Contest

Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kaye

Okay, this is one for those who are complaining about the lack of straight contemporaries out there. I adored this book and am even thinking about rereading it. So, here's my impression of Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kaye.

Rosalie Ronaldi doesn't have a domestic bone in her body ...

All she cares about is her career, so she survives on take-out and dirty martinis, keeps her shoes under the dining room table, her bras on the shower curtain rod, and her clothes on the couch ...

Nick Romeo is every woman's fantasy - tall, dark, handsome, rich, really good in bed, AND he loves to cook and clean ...

He says he wants an independent woman, but when he meets Rosalie, all he wants to do is take care of her. Before too long, he's cleaned up her apartment, stocked her refrigerator, and adopted her dog ...

So what's the problem? Just a little matter of mistaken identity, corporate theft, a hidden past in juvenile detention and one big nosy Italian family too close for comfort ...

I really, really, really liked this book. It's cute and fun and really romantic. If I was reading a book for fantasy, this is what I would want. Nick's a wonderful guy and I liked how he can be caring and compassionate, yet still be very masculine. Hmmm...kinda reminds me of my husband, actually. Maybe that's why I liked the book so much.

For much of the book, Nick pretends to be a simple mechanic at the dealership that he actually owns. He does this because he's sick of being wanted for his money and thinks that he won't be seeing Rosalie for very long anyways. But she grows on him and he finds himself unable to bring himself to really tell her who he is. Of course, Rosalie has found out his identity fairly early on and deduces his reasoning for herself. I liked that this didn't end up being major conflict for the characters. Instead, it was their own fear of relationships that forms the main conflict and for these particular characters it rings true.

I also liked Rosalie. She's a workaholic and it's a true part of who she is and I liked how Nick brings her out of her shell. There's some conflict when it turns out she's working for a company that he's trying to take over and it was interesting to see how that was handled. I kept cringing, waiting for what I thought would be one or both of the characters doing something stupid, but they didn't. And like the blurb, there's corporate theft and juvenile detention, but it all works.

I hope I haven't missed anything or made anything confusing. Just ask and I shall try to explain better. Here's a link to an excerpt of the book: Romeo, Romeo excerpt

All in all, I adored this book and can't wait to read more in this Domestic Gods series.

Hint, hint to anyone reading this: My birthday is towards the beginning of May, when the next book, Too Hot to Handle comes out. Me wants. Badly.

Romancing the Stones by Catherine Berlin

Look, look! Another book post! This time up is Romancing the Stones by Catherine Berlin.

Okay, I admit that it was the title that first got me to look at this book. And then the blurb hooked me in. And the cover is pretty good too.



Blurb from Samhain:

Naked. Wet. Pointing a gun at your dream guy. What a way to start the day…

Archaeologist Charlotte “Charlie” Blair arrives home from a dig in Peru to find a dead body in her house—and herself suspected of murder. Sorting out the truth, that a serial killer has been using her place to stash his kills, proves easier than shaking off the detective who’s determined to protect her.

Detective Rob Vaiden’s first sight of Charlie is naked, wet, and pointing a Glock at his chest. Oh yeah, this is going to be a hell of a case. Something about the bombshell has attracted the attention of Orion, a killer Vaiden’s been pursuing since his days as a rookie cop. To catch Orion, he needs to be near Charlie. Trouble is, while she’s easy on the eyes, the maddeningly independent woman is determined she doesn’t need his help.

Vaiden gets on Charlie’s last nerve, but she’s got her own problems. The golden rod of Manco Copac, the greatest find in her career, has disappeared. In place of the gold phallus she finds a bag of mythical Ica stones. Stones for which Orion is willing to kill.

Charlie…the stones…Orion. What connects this deadly triangle? Vaiden and Charlie race to figure it out—before Orion chooses his next target.

I'm of two minds with this book. On one hand I liked it and found it very readable, but on the other, I was left with way too many questions about just what the story was about. It all just didn't make any sense.

And with that title and cover, I was expecting more of an exotic adventure. Yes, the blurb says nothing about that, but that's my personal feeling.

Anyways, I don't mind that I read the book, but it was kind of meh. So probably a C if I had to grade it. It's possible I'll read something else from the author as I did feel she had potential.

LibraryThing

Okay, finally am really trying to get my LibraryThing account up to date. I've started adding books in tonight and hope to add more tomorrow. So if you are dying of curiosity to see what books I have, feel free to take a look. Kelley899

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

Let's try something new and just get me to at least mention on here what I've read/been reading and how I liked it.

A modern girl’s comedic odyssey in a school filled with the descendants of Greek gods.

When Phoebe’s mom returns from Greece with a new husband and moves them to an island in the Aegean, Phoebe’s plans for her senior year and track season are ancient history. Now she must attend the uberexclusive academy, where admission depends on pedigree, namely, ancestry from Zeus, Hera, and other Greek gods. That’s right, they’re real, not myth, and their teen descendants are like the classical heroes—supersmart and superbeautiful with a few superpowers. And now they’re on her track team! Armed only with her Nikes and the will to win, Phoebe races to find her place among the gods.

This is a YA book that I grabbed from the library. I'm a sucker for books that incorporate mythology, so grabbing this one was a given. It was a quick, fun read. I liked how Childs used the Greek mythology and the idea of a school for the descendants of the gods was fun. Phoebe seemed pretty typical and I liked how her running was such a part of who she was and made the ending not seem so surprising. Even after finishing the book, I'm not so sure what I think of Blake, the love interest, but we'll see how I do when I read the next book in the series.

Anyways, cute, fun, and full of mythology. And teen angst, cliques, and IMing.