October 7 Closer to Home - Lackey Unbinding - Wilks October 21 Change of Heart - Deveraux
October 28 Archangel's Shadows - Singh Blood Magick - Roberts Burn for Me - Andrews The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Rothfuss
Give it to me!
BURN FOR ME by Ilona Andrews (Release Date 10/28/2014)
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Words to Live By
"Racism isn't born, folks, it's taught. I have a two-year-old son. You know what he hates? Naps! End of list." -- Dennis Leary
"If you were born a certain way, embrace it. Change only what you can't live with, but try to accept who you are, and say 'Yes' to what makes you unique." -- Laura Mercier
"Always be who you are, and say what you feel, because people who mind don't matter, and people who matter don't mind." --Dr. Seuss
"It came from me. One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl. I wear colors that I really like, I wear makeup that makes me feel pretty, and it really helps. It doesn’t have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see." -- Gabourney Sidibe
I think DC must be taking this 'first days of Fall' thing really seriously because this past weekend was fantastic! Both days were sunny and comfortable temperature-wise, which made my days at the National Book Festival a lot of fun. For the past few years I've been in NC for this event (Duke Homecoming) but I've gotta say that if this is the caliber of event the Library of Congress has been pulling off every year then I've got to continue sticking around.
You may have seen the pic I posted on my Facebook page, but Saturday was really all about R.L. Stine. His Goosebumps and Fear Street series filled my childhood and teen years with horror and I'm sure helped turn me into the reader I am today. I had too many things going on to get a book signed, but since I heard that the line was so ridonkulous that people had to be turned away....I think I'll just be grateful I got a seat for his talk.
R.L. Stine
There are more creepy stalker pics of course but the most important bit is the one video I took the entire weekend - Stine reading 'Haunted' by Shel Silverstein! So cool and I always find it interesting to hear what an author actually sounds like in real life.
I saw this note over at Romance Book Wyrm, and I thought that Amy did such a fun job composing her life by book titles that I had to give it a try too! It was actually pretty hard for me, since I haven't been keeping track of every book that I devoured during the year, but through some stealthy stalking of my Google calendar and my folder full of ebooks I was able to put together my own version. Hope you enjoy a look at my 2009!
Directions: Using only titles of books you have read this year (2009), complete the prompts below. Try not to repeat a book title.
Describe yourself - Burning Wild by Christine Feehan
How do you feel - Cast in Silence by Michelle Sagara
Describe where you currently live - On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
If you could go anywhere, where would you go - Summer's Caress by Tielle St. Clare
Your favorite form of transportation - Call of the Sea by Michelle M. Pillow
Your best friend is - Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz
You and your friends are - Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
What's the weather like? Half Wild by Madison Hayes and Rhyannon Byrd
Favorite time of day - First Moon Rise by Tielle St. Clare
What is life to you? Strange Brew - Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, etc.
Your fear - Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
What is the best advice you have to give? No Reservations by Lauren Dane
Thought for the day - Challenge Protocol by Dawn Ryder
How I would like to die - Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh
My souls present condition - Broken Boundaries by Evangeline Anderson
So I've decided to reveal a deep dark secret - I'm a complete nerd when it comes to books (and some select other things). It used to just be the fact that when I was younger I tried to catalog all my books. Created my own little spreadsheet that had the title, author, if a book was part of series, and so on. But then as I grew older the symptoms of my nerd-ity grew worse. The more I worked in libraries the more OCD I became - I couldn't just catalog my books; they needed to be shelved in such a way that made sense. Everything had to be in alphabetical order by author's last name and within an author, in order by series. And then came Google Calendar.
I had tried many different ways to organize my lists of what books were coming out when. Amazon Wishlists, about a zillion different kinds of notebooks, even post-it notes around my computer screen. Finally last year about this time I gave in to complete absurdity and created something that does the job better than all of those combined - a Google Calendar that shows me the release date, book title, and author of everything I'm interested in. Oh god! I said it! Yes I'm that nerdy. I have a Google Calendar just for book releases (in fact, that's the the calendar's title: Book Releases)! As much as I'm in awe of my own ridiculousness every time I look at my full monthly calendar and see all those green reminders, I can't be all that regretful. IT JUST WORKS SO WELL! I can go months, years if the date is available, ahead of time and input the books I'm looking at purchasing. Of course this has now led to days where I spend a good chunk of time just browsing through author pages to see if I can update my calendar further....yeah there's really no end in site for how bad this can get. Hahaha!
Either way I hope this helps you learn a little bit more about me and the neuroses that make me who I am today. My calendar is public and you should be able to search for it if you're interested in keeping up with what I'm reading, but feel free to email me if you want a personal invite!
Hey Everyone - I'm back! (random side note - why can I not write that without picturing the end of Independence Day? LOL)
After neglecting my inner blogger for quite a while, I'm revving up for a marathon session. Dragon*Con was incredible and while I might not have spent as much actual face to face time with authors this year, I don't regret a single minute of it! Unfortunately I'm stuck at work so I can't post a random assortment of pictures of the ins and outs of that weekend, but let's go through a few highlights, shall we?
Friday, Sept 4 - I think, even though I attended a hilarious panel held by Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang), my favorite event on Friday was going to a live action performance of Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog! I hadn't seen it before going to Dragon*Con (shame) and even though I couldn't hear all the words, being surrounded by all these people who knew every word to every song? Greatness!
Runner up for Friday - I almost forgot to mention the Buffy panel I went to, with Charisma Carpenter and Julie Benz (Cordelia and Darla). A lot of fun, it gave great insight into the characters and the women that made up Joss Whedon's worlds.
Saturday, Sept 5 - Two words - PATRICK STEWART! That's right, Captain Jean-Luc Picard! I don't care how much of a Trekkie this makes me sound, I was center, maybe 5 rows back, from possibly my favorite Star Trek captain! (I say possibly, because I really like Kate Mulgrew - Captain Janeway - as well) Don't pretend you're not jealous!
Sunday, Sept 6 - Sherrilyn Kenyon signing! I got quite a few things signed by her last year actually, but I spent another 3.5 hours in line to get more! It was actually amazing that my friend and I were even able to get in line for this because you needed a wristband - not that they told anyone that. If we hadn't struck up a random conversation with the guy at Sherrilyn Kenyon's booth on Friday we would have had no idea! Well anyway, the universe was looking positively upon us and we were able to get in line.
Monday, Sept 7 - Monday was a slow last day, so I gotta say my favorite part of it was getting fitted for a corset. I know - weird right? But they were beautiful- Lace with steel boning. I didn't end up having enough money to get one that day, but I know my size and eventually one will be mine! If you want to check them out yourself, take a look at Scarlett's Corset.
Ok, to try and keep this post from being too epic I'm going to stop now. But there were other things I might bring up for discussion later - the future of Urban Fantasy, Goth in the Mainstream, Fetish panels - all sorts of adventures (sometimes concerning books, sometimes not) but were always interesting and informative. Plus - pictures!
Hi Readers! You're not going to see many (or any) updates from me in the next week or so because of two big things 1) I'm moving, and 2) I'm going to Dragon*Con! That's right, Dragon*Con- the mecca of all things slightly nerdy and ridiculous that have to do with Science/Fiction and Fantasy. I had the joy of going last year and stalking Laurell K. Hamilton and Tamora Pierce around the Con (and I also got to be in the same room as Kevin Sorbo which you know is cool!) thus I can't wait to go again this year! If you're interested in seeing just some of the pictures that I took, check out one of the Facebook albums I have to commemorate the weekend, here. Also, here's a list of just some of the guests who are attending this year that I hope to see:
Charisma Carpenter Laura Anne Gilman Charlaine Harris Sherrilyn Kenyon Traci Lords James Marsters Kate Mulgrew Leonard Nimoy Edward James Olmos Kat Richardson Michael Shanks Kristy Swanson
But this combined with the move is going to make it really difficult to review any of the books that have just come out (though all the driving will definitely give me time to finish a few) so I thought I'd leave you with a poll - what would you want if I were to do a giveaway?
I bring this up just because it seems to be the season for giveaways. Left and right people are giving away makeup, sunless tanner kits, gift cards, everything! Unfortunately I don't have any special hidden backers to help me fund my venture so I thought I'd poll the people who do stop by and see what they think. There are going to be two ways to voice your opinion on this - comment on this post and/or vote in the poll to the side! I really want to hear what you guys think, though I'm hoping to stand strong and not actually hold the giveaway until I get up to 20 or 30 followers....we're going to see. I might be getting ahead of myself.Either way, thanks for stopping by and I hope you let me know what you'd like to see in your mail box!
Do you know what I hate? I hate when eBook authors all of a sudden make it big (read 'published in print'), revamp their website, and LEAVE OUT every eBook they've ever had before and only include the new books coming out in the near and far future. This means you Christine Warren - and you too Shelly Laurenston! I see you! I bought your stories LONG before your first print book and I don't think it's very fair that you've abruptly decided that nothing created before the print version exisits! Do you know how long it takes to get a book printed? If you don't - what's wrong with you?!?! Don't tell me that you're publishing the first book in a series and then let me find out that it's actually related to about 15 other books that you've already released (that's you Lora Leigh).
Also, don't show me the books that you've published before and then tell me that 'Oops! Can't get them anymore! Even though they came out years ago online, you'll have to wait another few years before you can get them in print!' That's bullshit! I'm one of those freaks that you have a very good chance of taunting into purchasing the print copy anyway! When you've started messing with my series by publishing the latest novel in print, it's hard for me to fight the urge to go ahead and buy the reprints to see what else you've added to the new version or to keep my bookshelves consistent.
Finally - along that same point - how the hell am I supposed to recommend a series to people if the only thing they can get is the latest novel? What about all the back story, all the emotion and history that works to make a particular series so memorable? Give me a break here! I love recommending things to people but I don't want to break the law and forward on my own copy- I bought it to support you and I want other people to buy it too! The whole thing drives me crazy. Give me a chance here to increase your numbers! I'm pretty sure the extra income couldn't hurt.
So yes authors - when you get the chance to make that jump from eBook to print, please don't forget the readers who've gotten you there. Those who have purchased, recommended, and purchased again. We're not stupid - a little respect for our powers of observation and I would be a lot less annoyed about the whole thing.
P.S. - Another side note to this? An author changing to a pseudonym for one of her series when it goes into print but leaving her name alone for others. If it's all marketed to pretty much the same audience, who the hell wants to go about all the work of making sure they've caught the newest thing? Authors - you suck enough money out of readers on a month to month basis that maybe you could throw us a bone and stick to one name at time. K, thanks.
169. I own ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE eBooks. I'm sure that's indicative of some kind of emotional or psychological problem. I mean come on, does that sound normal to you? Well I thought that I could do some kind of quick little review for most of my books and give everyone a glimpse of the types of stories that are out there. But that number is too intimidating even for me, thus I'm going to have think of another way to do this. I could try charts. Or.... maybe diagrams? There's just so much material to cover (hypothetically, thinking I wanted to cover them all) that's it's probably impossible to do everything justice. OK - I got it! We're gonna do a Top 10 eBooks, ranging from really good to REALLY bad. That way I can talk a bit about a few different titles and you can take the time to make your own decisions.
10. Descendants of Darkness This one was so bad I didn't even FINISH it! You probably can't imagine how bad something has to be for that to happen. I didn't even bother to skip to the end to see what happened - I didn't care. Either way, this one is supposed to follow the tales of these 4 vampires and the women who 'save them from the darkness' or whatever. You want to know what these are? The worst written imitations of Christine Feehan in creation. I'm surprised she didn't sue them! They even call the women 'life mates'. Not worth your time or money, just walk away and find a book by Feehan to fill your time.
9. Date With Destiny I wrote about this book in a previous review, so I'm not gonna repeat myself too much. Let me just say that this book is filled with the most unconvincing romance/erotica tale ever. I understand that for some authors fun sex is the whole point of the story, but this is trying to take the whole 'opposites attract' thing way too far. The characters don't seem to make any kind of personal connection before saying they're going to be with each other forever, and even for shape shifters. And I didn't learn enough or feel emotionally attached to either of the characters to care if they were happy or not.
8. Laila's Bargain When I was younger and used to read more Harlequin Presents romances, it didn't take me long to notice how often the books were centered around jack-ass guys and the women who forgave them in the end and took them back. I've definitely grown out of tolerating that genre, so this book tripped quite a few triggers for me. Laila goes back to her ex to get help finding her kidnapped brother, but instead of just helping with only a few snide comments, Matthew proceeds to do the generic 'sleep with me and I'll help'. Strange sexual antics ensue and it works on my nerve about what's consensual and what's not - what Laila wants to do and what she feels forced to do. Maybe this was supposed to more of an exploration of BDSM and the varieties of how dominance/submission shows up in the bedroom, but it just was not my cup of tea and I do not recommend it.
7. Stalked Stalked was just creepy. It's one of Ellora's Cave's quickies, and I just wasn't ready for it. It starts off being what you think is a rape story, with a woman who eventually gives in and enjoys it. Which is weird enough as it is but then you get to the end and it's the woman and her husband playing sex games. Ugh. Better than Laila's Bargain because the husband isn't actually being a jerk rapist, but weird because that's what the readers are confronted with at first glance.
6. Not in Kansas I put Not in Kansas in the middle because it is only mediocre. Not a great story - not a horrible one either- it's a homosexual re-imagining of the Wizard of Oz. Kansas (the main character) get's swept up in a twister and lands in Oz, a land filled with slightly sex-obsessed, but amusing, characters. He goes to the castle, meets the King and through some actually pretty tame sex ends up falling in love. Yeah I decided the whole thing was not that exciting but I've reread it because it's still cute!
5. Bakra Bride This is the second book in a series that I think is actually surprisingly good. It takes place in another land, one that the heroines reach through a magic tapestry, where lack of women has changed the culture so each woman is involved with two men. But instead of it being a place where women are kidnapped and held hostage until they agree, in this one the women are wooed by 1 or 2 sets of men and she picks who she wants to be with or if she'd rather go home. It's the thoroughness of the characters themselves that sets this book apart from the others I think. The reader sympathizes with Jane and her honest desire to do the right thing, and after she's transported you root for Zaren and his brother, because you can really feel how much they need her. Definitely recommended and if you're inclined, I would buy the whole series!
4. Fairy Dust I think I loved this one so much because it's just such fun. Who hasn't thought about what happens after the 'happily ever after'? Marlena is a fairy godmother with an attitude, one who wants her charges to feel more than just true love's kiss - she wants them to feel every bump and grind, every real and dirty touch and emotion that comes from being in love. Then it gets even better when Marlena is sent into the fairy tales themselves to try and remember why the innocent and more 'pure' endings are important. Of course chaos ensues and the whole thing is a wild ride - Highly Recommended!
3. Fur Factor Christine Warren is always a great read! The second book in her Fantasy Fix stories (which actually have a different series name in print) it follows Missy and Graham on the road to relationship bliss. I love a good alpha male werewolf story, and the chemistry between these two jump off the page, so combining that with a bit of mystery and horror? I was set! It's a fun book, and I think if you're willing to suspend reality a bit and just go with the flow of the story it makes a great tale and one I've reread a million times. Unfortunately, since Warren is making the jump from eBook to print, this title is no longer available from Ellora's Cave but look for it in your local book store soon!
2. Making Chase This the last and my favorite of Lauren Dane's Chase brother stories. It's just such a great, honest, down-to-earth love story. Tate is a women with a complicated past and family history, and the type of body image issues that everyone can identify with. Yes it's very much the romance story when she falls in love with the hottest guy in town, but the ups an downs of their emotions is what makes it believable. They don't just fall into their happily ever after, they have to work on it and each person has to get past their own issues. I think that, along with an incredible family that you just love reading about, is what makes this such a great story to me. It's real and you feel like so many things are possible after reading it that you can't help but be happy.
1. Here Kitty Kitty What kind of romance story has a heroine that hits the hero in the face with a toilet seat? A Shelly Laurenston kind of romance, that's what! The reason I put this as my number one eBook is that there's nothing like a kick ass heroine and the alpha male who ends up loving her. Laurenston always seems to write the perfect combination of strength and vulnerability into her heroines, and the antics in this one are ridiculous. Angelina starts off being kidnapped by a couple of were-tigers in this one and it's after she wakes up at their house in NC that things get really crazy. Nikolai (hero, also were-tiger) is just so hot! Maybe I have a thing for Southern boys, who knows, I just know that he is so cool and so perfect for Angelina. Again the sparks fly and the whole book is just them pushing at(really knocking down) each other's boundaries to get what they want. I've reread it a billion times and it's like my go to story for when I don't know what I want. JUST READ IT! GO! READ NOW! Side Note - Laurenston is also making the jump from eBook to print so look for this title in local bookstores soon!
Addendum - Places to buy eBooks. I primarily purchase romance books, so these websites have to be taken with a grain of salt. Always check out where an author's website says you can get the books and don't forget to check out the main pages for your local library system because sometimes they have eBooks for free!
Sorry it took me so long to write this post! It was sitting in my mind and then somehow laziness and new books took over - I blame my job, because it leaves me with enough free time to read at the desk!
The question, or topic, that I'd like to tackle today is why do we read what we read - books or eBooks? There are pros and cons to both mediums; physical books have at their core the emotional attachment that I think comes, in part, from the tactile sensation of having a book in your hands and reading it. The ability to run your fingers across the pages, or make notes in the margins - in effect, the reader's ability to make the book their own. And with time, physical books take on the look and smell of their history. Men and women can remember their past, the good and the bad, through the books they've read. The reality of their existence and the tangible proof that books can provide of the times.
eBooks have a different type of appeal - convenience. The convenience of having thousands of titles at your fingertips, no waiting with no worrying about space. However much computer memory you have, that's how much you can fill with things to read. And with the creation of the Amazon Kindle, eBook proponents have an even bigger motivation - the Kindles are lighter and even easier to carry around with you than regular books. Where a good sized hardcover might be responsible for an aching shoulder and an over packed bag, the Kindle is compact and durable. Even more than that, technologies like the Kindle appeal to the present consumer's need for instant gratification. At a person's whim they can have at their fingertips newspapers, magazines, AND books. It's amazing the kind of emotional bond a person would be willing to forgo for that type of convenience.
The picture I used here isn't really an example of my own opinion though. I love ALL books. No lie. And in college I found myself understanding the appeal of the eBook. I just didn't have the same kind of access to books in college. No car and with just an academic library nearby, the situation left me without almost any other avenue to explore. Luckily, I can say I found some great things; authors and titles that I know have enriched my reading experience. On the other end of the spectrum I've also found books that weren't worth my time, and the rare one or two that I wouldn't even finish reading (something has to be REALLY bad for that to happen).
Still, at the end of the day, I love curling up in my bed with a book. To lie down and look at a favorite and see the wear and tear of my usage. Books even have a smell that has been incorporated into my sense understanding and attachment to the activity. I've even been known to print out eBooks, the urge to hold it in my hands has been so strong. So I might have been lying before and print books might be my favorite. BUT eBooks are never left out in the cold, and it's been my joy to say I've seen some of the best authors make the leap from virtual to print - because while legitimacy doesn't come from the printed word, a readily recognizable name and popularity are increased by the consumers ability to browse. And that's one thing I think print books definitely have over eBooks - there's nothing like running your fingertips across the spines of books in your bookstore or library. eBooks have nothing on that.
So you remember the post from a few weeks ago, where I answered a bunch of questions and even made a YouTube video for DSK Jewelry's contest? Well I won 3rd place! Woohoo! And that's not too shabby considering that Stephanie had 54 people enter her contest. It kind of inspire's me to enter another one, this time a contest put up by Judy from itsjudytime.
But I won't lie, you always hope when you enter something like this that you'll get first place (or why do you bother?) but I'm still happy I placed! Hopefully I'll just do better next time! I won a pair of Swaorvski crystal star earrings ($15 value) and a few other little things that I'm really excited to get in the mail. I decided to go with the earrings in CLEAR AB just cause I want them to be just big and sparkly and something I can wear whenever. You can see them here - Check back soon because I've decided to do a series of posts on the world of eBooks and physical books and some of the authors/stories that I've found there that have either been incredible or somewhat of a disappointment. Stay tuned!
