Wow. Bless me readers for I have sinned. It's been many weeks since I finished my last book . . .
I'd like to say I haven't been reading much lately because I've been writing crap loads, but that isn't the case either. I don't know what was going on, I just wasn't in the mood to read or write, just in a mood to brood.
However, that was then, this is now. I signed up for a poetry challenge that has given my writing a much needed boost and I've rekindled my desire to read, read, read!
First on my list was Lucky, by Alice Sebold. My daughter despairs of my love of paranormal romance and erotica, and every once in awhile she'll slip me a "normal" book to read. Considering the subject matter of Lucky, it's the memoir of the author's college years where she was raped and how she survived the trauma, I don't know if I can safely say I enjoyed the book. It's certainly powerful, and I found I preferred to be alone, with no distractions, while I was reading it.
Chapters had a whole bunch of trade paperbacks for $4.99 each or 4 for $10.00. Far be it for me to pass up a bargain so I bought about eight of them. So far I've read two.
Roommates, by Whitney Lyles is a contemporary novel of a writer named Elise who relocates from Arizona to California. Life throws her a few curves, but she manages to come out on top, in spite of a series of less than perfect roommates.
If I Have A Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince by Melissa Kantor is probably meant for the young adult market, but I really enjoyed it. Lucy is a teenager whose father has just remarried and they've relocated from the West Coast to Long Island. The story follows her trials and tribulations as she adjusts to her new family and her new life.
Today I "just happened" to be near a Chapters where I found the next two volumes in the Mona Lisa series by Sunny, a couple of paranormal anthologies, the newest Lynsay Sands Argeneau Vampire book, and the latest in the Michelle Bardsley Broken Heart series.
Good thing I'm back in a reading mood, the books have been piling up fast!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Feast or Famine
As you may have noticed on my other blogs, I haven’t been writing much lately, but I have been reading. I’ve been reading crap loads!
Nevermore by Maureen Child. To be honest, I couldn’t remember reading this book, I only know I did because it was on my current reading list on the other blog. It was a Silhouette Nocturne and I had to look it up on the internet to jog my memory. To be fair to the book, I probably read it before Christmas and I’ve read a lot of books since then. However, even after reading the blurb I still only vaguely remember it, which speaks volumes on the impression it made on me.
The Silhouette Nocturnes seem to be feast or famine with me. I’ll buy several in a row and then nothing for a couple of months. December was a “feast” month. I also read Winter Kissed, which is a two in one - A Kiss of Frost by Michele Hauf, and Ice Bound by Vivi Anna. Both excellent stories, although I wasn’t entirely happy with the way A Kiss of Frost ended. I also read Enemy Lover by Bonnie Vanak and Alpha Wolf by Linda O. Johnston. These were both werewolf romances, both very different, and both very enjoyable.
I also read a bunch of Blaze, holiday themed romances but I couldn’t tell you what they were because I’ve already passed them on to a friend. I like the occasional Blaze because they live up to their name. They’re quick and hot.
I also read a great anthology: Dead After Dark. This anthology is a must have for anyone who enjoys paranormal romance. I would buy it for the J.R. Ward story alone. I’m not even going to tell you about this book. Go out and buy it and read for yourself. It was that good.
Next I started the Mona Lisa series by Sunny. I’ve come across a couple of short stories from the series in different anthologies, and they were enough to make me search out the novels. So far I’ve only been able to find two of the three Monere novels, but it was worth the search. I haven’t been so lucky with the third one, but hopefully I can order it from the local bookstore.
For Christmas, the cats gave me a big, fat anthology, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance. Twenty-five vampire stories, all in one big volume. What’s not to like? As with most anthologies, some stories were better than others, but it is still a volume worth having for any vampire lover.
Every once in awhile my BFF drops off a bag 'o books for me - ones that she and other various members in her family have read (it's to my benefit they're not book pack rats like me). I read them and either pass them on or put them on my keeper shelf. One book that made my keeper shelf was Soul of a Highlander, by Melissa Mayhue. I love discovering new authors for my keeper pile! This was the second book by this author and I'm going to have to remember to look for the first one. Highlanders and time travel - two of my favorite subjects. And throw in a drop or two of fae blood and we've got a definite winner!
The last, but certainly not least, of my recently read books is Zen and the Art of Vampires, by Katie MacAlister. I have to admit, although I loved the book (as I do all her books) I was disappointed in the ending. She might as well added "to be continued". It was disappointing because this is the first time she's done this in one of her "Dark Ones" novels. She pulled this in her dragon books, which is why I'm not a big fan of the Aisling Grey or Silver Dragon books.
Okay, back to more reading. Or writing. Or maybe a bit of both.
Nevermore by Maureen Child. To be honest, I couldn’t remember reading this book, I only know I did because it was on my current reading list on the other blog. It was a Silhouette Nocturne and I had to look it up on the internet to jog my memory. To be fair to the book, I probably read it before Christmas and I’ve read a lot of books since then. However, even after reading the blurb I still only vaguely remember it, which speaks volumes on the impression it made on me.
The Silhouette Nocturnes seem to be feast or famine with me. I’ll buy several in a row and then nothing for a couple of months. December was a “feast” month. I also read Winter Kissed, which is a two in one - A Kiss of Frost by Michele Hauf, and Ice Bound by Vivi Anna. Both excellent stories, although I wasn’t entirely happy with the way A Kiss of Frost ended. I also read Enemy Lover by Bonnie Vanak and Alpha Wolf by Linda O. Johnston. These were both werewolf romances, both very different, and both very enjoyable.
I also read a bunch of Blaze, holiday themed romances but I couldn’t tell you what they were because I’ve already passed them on to a friend. I like the occasional Blaze because they live up to their name. They’re quick and hot.
I also read a great anthology: Dead After Dark. This anthology is a must have for anyone who enjoys paranormal romance. I would buy it for the J.R. Ward story alone. I’m not even going to tell you about this book. Go out and buy it and read for yourself. It was that good.
Next I started the Mona Lisa series by Sunny. I’ve come across a couple of short stories from the series in different anthologies, and they were enough to make me search out the novels. So far I’ve only been able to find two of the three Monere novels, but it was worth the search. I haven’t been so lucky with the third one, but hopefully I can order it from the local bookstore.
For Christmas, the cats gave me a big, fat anthology, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance. Twenty-five vampire stories, all in one big volume. What’s not to like? As with most anthologies, some stories were better than others, but it is still a volume worth having for any vampire lover.
Every once in awhile my BFF drops off a bag 'o books for me - ones that she and other various members in her family have read (it's to my benefit they're not book pack rats like me). I read them and either pass them on or put them on my keeper shelf. One book that made my keeper shelf was Soul of a Highlander, by Melissa Mayhue. I love discovering new authors for my keeper pile! This was the second book by this author and I'm going to have to remember to look for the first one. Highlanders and time travel - two of my favorite subjects. And throw in a drop or two of fae blood and we've got a definite winner!
The last, but certainly not least, of my recently read books is Zen and the Art of Vampires, by Katie MacAlister. I have to admit, although I loved the book (as I do all her books) I was disappointed in the ending. She might as well added "to be continued". It was disappointing because this is the first time she's done this in one of her "Dark Ones" novels. She pulled this in her dragon books, which is why I'm not a big fan of the Aisling Grey or Silver Dragon books.
Okay, back to more reading. Or writing. Or maybe a bit of both.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Now That Nano's Done
As soon as I reached the 50K for Nano I cracked open Brenda Jackson’s Irresistible Forces and read it from start to finish. The premise is that a woman wants to start a family, but without benefit of a sperm bank or a husband. She propositions a like-minded man and they spend a passion-filled week on a tropical island with procreation in mind. Everyone once in awhile I like a mainstream romance and this one was surprisingly hot, if not a little predictable.
Oh, looks like I forgot to mention how I ended up with Irresistible Forces in the first place. Way back in October I was on Gennita Low’s blog and she posted a picture that she invited people to put a caption to. She picked my caption as the winner and as the prize I got to pick a free book. I naturally picked one of hers I didn’t have yet, and when she sent it she included the Brenda Jackson one too. As soon as I read the blurb on the back I wanted to read it, but I forced myself to wait until Nano was done.
Next I read Kerrelyn Sparks’ novel All I Want For Christmas Is A Vampire. Although Sparks isn’t new, I hadn’t got around to reading her vampire novels yet. This one was so good I’m going to be forced to go out and get the rest of the series. A Scottish Vampire, doesn’t get much more nummy than that! I say series, but they’re not a series as in you have to read them in order to figure out what’s going on. This one worked well as a stand alone novel, but I still want to go out and get the rest of them.
Okay, just to reward anyone who happens to stumble across this blog, here’s some free reading for you:
Samhain Publishing is offering a free story every day this month. You can find them HERE
Also, Mari Carr is offering a free story HERE . I really enjoyed this story, especially the way she didn’t drag out the ended the way most authors do when using this particular scenario.
Although Nano's finished, the novel I'm working on isn't, so I'm trying to keep the reading to a minimum. Note the word trying.
Oh, looks like I forgot to mention how I ended up with Irresistible Forces in the first place. Way back in October I was on Gennita Low’s blog and she posted a picture that she invited people to put a caption to. She picked my caption as the winner and as the prize I got to pick a free book. I naturally picked one of hers I didn’t have yet, and when she sent it she included the Brenda Jackson one too. As soon as I read the blurb on the back I wanted to read it, but I forced myself to wait until Nano was done.
Next I read Kerrelyn Sparks’ novel All I Want For Christmas Is A Vampire. Although Sparks isn’t new, I hadn’t got around to reading her vampire novels yet. This one was so good I’m going to be forced to go out and get the rest of the series. A Scottish Vampire, doesn’t get much more nummy than that! I say series, but they’re not a series as in you have to read them in order to figure out what’s going on. This one worked well as a stand alone novel, but I still want to go out and get the rest of them.
Okay, just to reward anyone who happens to stumble across this blog, here’s some free reading for you:
Samhain Publishing is offering a free story every day this month. You can find them HERE
Also, Mari Carr is offering a free story HERE . I really enjoyed this story, especially the way she didn’t drag out the ended the way most authors do when using this particular scenario.
Although Nano's finished, the novel I'm working on isn't, so I'm trying to keep the reading to a minimum. Note the word trying.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Hiatus
Yeah, I know it's been a while. And it'll be a while yet.
Who's got time to read when they're doing Nano??
See y'all in December.
Who's got time to read when they're doing Nano??
See y'all in December.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
So Many Books, So Little Time
I've been reading about a book a day for the last couple of weeks. It would probably be more but I've been writing a lot too.
I finished my Gennita Low books and I enjoyed all of them. If you'd like a taste of the COS Commandos, you can go HERE to check out her first book, Big Bad Wolf, for free. Trust me, it'll make you want to run out and buy her other books.
After finishing with the commandos I read the new Nina Bangs book, Eternal Pleasure, which has a really neat twist on the shape shifter theme. It's book #1 of the Gods of the Night series and I can't wait for #2 to come out.
Next came the new J.R. Ward vampire book, Lover Enshrined, which continues her Black Dagger Brotherhood saga. I put off reading this book as long as possible because I knew once I was finished it would be a long wait for the next one. And of course I may have put off starting it, but once I opened it up I couldn't put it down until it was done.
This put me in the mood for vampires, so next I started re-reading the Argeneau Vampire series by Lynsay Sands. I love these guys. If I ever had the opportunity to be bitten by a vampire, these are the vampires I'd want to bite me. I was on my second to last book in the series when I just "happened" to see in a book store that there was a new one out, which I finished reading last night.
I'm still on a vampire kick so now I'm starting to wade through the Silhouette Nocturnes that I bought at Word on the Street.
I finished my Gennita Low books and I enjoyed all of them. If you'd like a taste of the COS Commandos, you can go HERE to check out her first book, Big Bad Wolf, for free. Trust me, it'll make you want to run out and buy her other books.
After finishing with the commandos I read the new Nina Bangs book, Eternal Pleasure, which has a really neat twist on the shape shifter theme. It's book #1 of the Gods of the Night series and I can't wait for #2 to come out.
Next came the new J.R. Ward vampire book, Lover Enshrined, which continues her Black Dagger Brotherhood saga. I put off reading this book as long as possible because I knew once I was finished it would be a long wait for the next one. And of course I may have put off starting it, but once I opened it up I couldn't put it down until it was done.
This put me in the mood for vampires, so next I started re-reading the Argeneau Vampire series by Lynsay Sands. I love these guys. If I ever had the opportunity to be bitten by a vampire, these are the vampires I'd want to bite me. I was on my second to last book in the series when I just "happened" to see in a book store that there was a new one out, which I finished reading last night.
I'm still on a vampire kick so now I'm starting to wade through the Silhouette Nocturnes that I bought at Word on the Street.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Protector
by Gennita Low
The ironic thing here is that I've been going to her site faithfully for about a year now, and I've bought several of her books, but I've never read any of them until now. I have a whole shelf full of books I haven't read yet. I have a bad habit of buying books I have every intention of reading, but then I get distracted and they're left to languish on my "To be read" shelves. But that's neither here nor there.
Jen has been posting her first novel on her blog, chapter by chapter. I've been enjoying it so much that I pulled out my copy of The Protector. I tried to read it slowly, really I did. But last night I was up until 3 a.m. and this morning I couldn't tear myself away to have my shower before I finished it.
It was good. It was more than good, it was excellent! Now I'm in the mood for more love and adventure with the covert commandos. Good thing I have a copy the next book in the series.
The ironic thing here is that I've been going to her site faithfully for about a year now, and I've bought several of her books, but I've never read any of them until now. I have a whole shelf full of books I haven't read yet. I have a bad habit of buying books I have every intention of reading, but then I get distracted and they're left to languish on my "To be read" shelves. But that's neither here nor there.
Jen has been posting her first novel on her blog, chapter by chapter. I've been enjoying it so much that I pulled out my copy of The Protector. I tried to read it slowly, really I did. But last night I was up until 3 a.m. and this morning I couldn't tear myself away to have my shower before I finished it.
It was good. It was more than good, it was excellent! Now I'm in the mood for more love and adventure with the covert commandos. Good thing I have a copy the next book in the series.
Monday, September 8, 2008
KISS
Houston, we have a problem here . . .
I don’t update this blog nearly enough. And why is that (you ask)? It’s because I read too freaking fast. I do not look upon this as a good thing, I see it as a bad thing. Fast reading = going through books like water through a sieve. Slow reading = savouring a book like a fine wine.
When I had my “Recently Read” list up on my other site, it never got updated because by the time I thought to add the book I just finished I’d be several books ahead of that one. Which is why I started this site.
I think my other problem is my lame attempt to try and "review" books. Most reviews are really just personal opinions anyway, so maybe if I stick to the plan of just telling you what I've been reading and my opinion of it I'll post more often.
As the man said: KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
I don’t update this blog nearly enough. And why is that (you ask)? It’s because I read too freaking fast. I do not look upon this as a good thing, I see it as a bad thing. Fast reading = going through books like water through a sieve. Slow reading = savouring a book like a fine wine.
When I had my “Recently Read” list up on my other site, it never got updated because by the time I thought to add the book I just finished I’d be several books ahead of that one. Which is why I started this site.
I think my other problem is my lame attempt to try and "review" books. Most reviews are really just personal opinions anyway, so maybe if I stick to the plan of just telling you what I've been reading and my opinion of it I'll post more often.
As the man said: KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)
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